Soundcast

Infobox_company
company_type = privately held company
company_name = Soundcast Systems, Inc.
company_
slogan = Unleash Your Audio!
foundation=2006
location = near San Diego, California United States
area_served = Worldwide
key_people=Mal Hollombe, President - Mark Boggs VP North American Sales
industry = Wireless Audio
products = Wireless Speakers, Wireless Transceivers, iPod Accessory
homepage = [http://www.soundcastsystems.com/ soundcastsystems.com]

Soundcast Systems, Inc. is a privately-funded company that creates wireless audio technologies for the consumer market. The company is headquartered in California, near San Diego.

Soundcast Systems is a producer of wireless audio transmission systems that overcome 2.4GHz band interference, and allow digital music to be listened to in stereo throughout the home. [Business Wire, November 8 2006 http://www.allbusiness.com/services/business-services/3920851-1.html]

Products

The Soundcast product line has grown in stages since 2006. The first product, the AudioCast, was designed to create a bridge between an audio source and an audio speaker. With this creation came the G2 systems technology. Since then, the list of products has expanded by building on the G2 system first developed for the AudioCast. Some of the current products are:

OutCast

The OutCast is SoundCast Systems flagship product and perhaps the most well known of all their products. It is an all weather outdoor speaker featuring an eight inch downward firing woofer and four three inch high-frequency drivers. Soundcast claims the OutCast has a wireless range of up to 350 feet.

peakerCast

The SpeakerCast is an indoor wireless stereo speaker system. Soundcast claims the SpeakerCast has an indoor wireless range of up to 150 feet.

UAT

The UAT (Universal Audio Transmitter) is a wireless bridge which allows wireless control over common media players such as iTunes, Pandora Radio, and Windows Media Player.

Technology

Soundcast forms a wireless bridge between an audio source like an MP3 player and an audio sound system with plug-n-play setup. Soundcast's audio products incorporate 2.4 GHz wireless technology. The Soundcast engineering team refined this wireless technology to avoid interference from other appliances like the microwave oven or the cordless phone. The wireless range is reported to be up to 350 feet.


Soundcast employs Spread Spectrum technology. This is widely regarded as the most effective method of achieving effective communication in the 2.4GHz ISM band. There are two principle ways this can be done: Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS)—such as used by Bluetooth, and Direct Sequencing Spread Spectrum (DSSS)—such as used by 802.11b. Soundcast G2 transceivers use FHSS. This allows as many as three Soundcast G2 systems to operate in close proximity to each other. This also allows for wireless audio to be securely used in high density multi-unit dwellings (MUD). The platform also provides the flexibility of being configured as a one transmitter one receiver system or a one transmitter multiple receiver system. The Soundcast G2 module integrates the RF physical layer, baseband, MAC protocol, audio CODEC, and dynamic error correction functions. Hardware forward error correction, adaptive frequency hopping, and dynamic hopping channel diversity are all built into the protocol of the system. The system also supports bi-directional communication for acknowledging and retransmission should packet loss occur.

Environmental efforts

Soundcast's products are RoHS compliant. This is a directive which restricts the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. This directive bans from the market new electrical and electronic equipment containing more than agreed to levels of lead, cadmium, mercury hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) and polybrominated biphenyl Ether (PBDE) flame retardants.

Awards / recognition

06/25/2008: I4U NEWS EDITORS CHOICE AWARD (given to OutCast) [I4U.com OutCast Review / Award, June 25 2008 http://www.i4u.com/full-review-446.html]
01/2007: CES INNOVATIONS 2007 DESIGN AND ENGINEERING AWARD HONOREE
06/12/2006: PC MAGAZINE EDITORS CHOICE (given to iCast) [PC Magazine iCast Review / Award, June 12 2006 http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2704,1975886,00.asp]

130mph club

The Soundcast-sponsored Cadillac CTS-V racecar participated in the USFRA World of Speed race at the Bonneville Salt Flats, becoming the first car in two years of the event to make it into the 130 MPH Club. Soundcast Systems Chief Technologist, piloted the CTS-V in the snow-like conditions created by the BB sized grains of salt on the Salt Flats driving surface. [Business Wire, November 6 2006 http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2006_Nov_6/ai_n16820204]

References