News

Imerge Launches Next-Generation XiVA Online Music Store (16/4/2010)

Unrivalled choice, quality and a unique user experience: XiVA Music Store delivers theultimate evolution of music purchasing

Imerge, the Cambridge-based pioneer of hard disk home entertainment servers, is delighted to announce the launch of the XiVA Music Store – a next-generation online music store that aims to deliver an entirely new download experience.

With an ever-growing catalogue of music available to purchase – currently standing at more than 8.5 million tracks – the XiVA Music Store offers high-quality, DRM-free, 320kbps MP3 downloads, delivering a combination of musical choice and audio quality that few other services can match. Thanks to the store's unique, graphically rich on-screen interface, an exceptional user experience is assured. A three-dimensional, card-based menu system – complete with high-resolution cover art – makes it easy to search for music, whether the user is looking for a specific album or track, or seeking to discover new music. The store's intelligent search engine can find and recommend tracks from specific or similar artists, particular genres and so on, while the menu system makes it easy for the user to move backwards and forwards through a particular browsing 'timeline', so nothing is lost as each journey of musical discovery unfolds.

The store will be integrated into Imerge's media server hardware, enabling users to purchase and download content direct to their home entertainment systems, without accessing a web browser or computer. Once downloaded via a simple purchasing system, the new content is automatically added to the user's music library and may be accessed from anywhere in the home.

Downloading purchased content direct to the user's entertainment system delivers numerous advantages, not least in terms of simplicity and ease of use. It also brings the browsing and purchasing process to the 'lean back' home environment, enabling the user to hear track previews through his/her entertainment system, rather than through a computer, and making the entire process a more sociable experience.

Because all tracks are supplied in DRM-free MP3, they can be transferred and played across a multitude of music devices, including iPods and iPhones. Given the high-end nature of Imerge's media server systems, audio quality is important; supplying music in 320kbps MP3 – the highest possible MP3 bit rate – delivers higher quality downloads than most comparable services, whilst maximising portability across multiple devices and ensuring compatibility with internet services throughout the UK and around the world.

The XiVA Music Store went 'live' in the UK and USA at a special launch event in London on 30th March 2010, with other territories to follow. The first Imerge media server component to deliver access to the service is the newly launched MS1-HD – Imerge's flagship, Full HD audio/video server system, the most advanced of its kind. Other Imerge server platforms will follow and the store is also expected to be accessible via non-Imerge hardware in the future.

Imerge has developed the XiVA Music Store in conjunction with 7digital – a leading digital media delivery company, 50 per cent owned by HMV, whose other partners include Blackberry, Spotify, Shazam, Samsung, Sony and many other international companies.

Ben Drury, CEO of 7digital, comments: “Our partnership with Imerge in the creation of the XiVA Music Store illustrates the flexibility of 7digital's open technology. The deep integration of our API (Application Programming Interface) within the Store, combined with our extensive catalogue of MP3 music, provides a fantastic user experience that makes it simple to discover and purchase new music.”

Cameron Wade, CEO of Imerge, adds: “We all know that downloading media content direct to consumers' homes is the future, but the concept of purchasing, receiving and storing digital media via dedicated entertainment devices, as opposed to computers, is still in its infancy. As you might expect from the company that developed the very first audio server component in the 1990s, Imerge has taken a giant leap forward with the XiVA Music Store, delivering a unique content browsing and purchasing experience. As ever, Imerge's dedication to innovation ensures we stay several steps ahead of the competition.”

www.imerge.co.uk