Fraunhofer DAB/DRM MultimediaPlayer

Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits

Fraunhofer DAB/DRM MultimediaPlayer

Overview

DAB/DRM MultimediaPlayer Logo

DAB/DRM MultimediaPlayer 

Exploiting the full potential of digital radio on a PC receiver is now possible with the Fraunhofer DAB/DRM MultimediaPlayer software and will soon be available for smartphones as well. At present, the software can be deployed with the digital radio standards Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM30/DRM+) and DIGITALRADIO (DAB Classic/DAB+).

Along with providing radio programs in stereo and 5.1 surround sound, the Fraunhofer MultimediaPlayer offers a wealth of added-value features, including the parallel transmission of album covers, text messages, weather forecasts and sports results, all of which are displayed directly onto the player. Since data of this kind has been transmitted over the internet up to now, it has not always been available for mobile devices in regions with poor internet coverage. The increasing expansion of DIGITALRADIO’s transmitter network will end this limitation.

Moreover, connecting the player with additional media sources – eg. internet, telephone or navigation facilities – paves the way for the easy and intuitive operation of hybrid applications. Deutschlandradio’s Journaline service has already finessed this concept, enabling its users to access text information concerning the latest news or traffic reports while simultaneously continuing to enjoy radio programs.

The transition between information stemming from the internet and information coming via broadcast is seamless. Both data streams come together on the MultimediaPlayer which enables the user to simply choose the desired information without having to locate its origin beforehand.

 

Applications

Radio receivers

Manufacturers of digital radio receivers can license the Fraunhofer MultimediaPlayer. For PC-based solutions it is immediately ready for use. The user interface can be designed according to the manufacturer’s preferences.

Professional equipment for digital radio

The extended software version enables integration into professional equipment for digital radio. It is ideal for applications including professional monitoring and archiving solutions. This option not only offers support of the standard protocols for the Multiplex-Distribution (EDI/MDI) as an input signal, but also the display of broader receiver statistics. With these statistics a broadcast station can reconstruct which of the transmitted elements can be found on which transport level. This way the transmission performance can be examined. Remote access to the MultimediaPlayer’s interface via web browser is also possible, encompassing the reproduction of every audio and data service component within the HTML5 standard.

Digital radio at home

DIGITALRADIO (DAB Classic/DAB+):

The NOXON DAB-Stick from TerraTec serves as the receiver for DIGITALRADIO. As well as being the first DAB receiver to be based on the Fraunhofer MultimediaPlayer, it is the first commercially available reproduction device for digital radio with 5.1 surround sound according to the MPEG Surround standard. As the first of its kind, the DAB-Stick supports the additional standardized feature Journaline for the display of extended text information via DAB.

The NOXON DAB-Stick can be ordered on the TerraTec homepage. The latest updates are available on the manufacturer’s homepage, www.noxon-dab.info, as follows:

  • NOXON DAB Stick - BDA driver (Windows XP or higher, 32/64 Bit)
  • NOXON DAB Stick - MediaPlayer setup (Windows XP or higher, 32/64 Bit)
  • NOXON DAB Stick - MediaPlayer update (Windows XP or higher, 32/64 Bit).

Currently, the NOXON DAB-Stick is only obtainable for hardware drivers for Windows XP and higher, but there are plans for Linux and Mac OS drivers. Once the drivers are ready, the stick will be offered for these platforms as well.

DRM (DRM30 and DRM+):

The MultimediaPlayer can be employed for the digital radio standard Digital Radio Mondiale. Integration into commercial receivers is currently in preparation.

 

Availability

Presently, the Fraunhofer MultimediaPlayer is obtainable for the following platforms:

  • Windows
  • Mac
  • Linux

Support for diverse mobile platforms is in preparation.

The design of the user interface can be adapted easily to the demands of the respective platform as it is based on HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

The Fraunhofer MultimediaPlayer is available as a desktop or server version. While the desktop version is oriented towards direct usage in end-devices (PC and embedded), the server version offers extended functionality as well as remote access to the complete interface and reproduction of audio programs via a conventional web browser.