PRODUCT REVIEW: ASM1000

Audio Stream Manager not just another Second Life radio

by Surfdaddy Orca

Most Second Life radios and jukeboxes play pre-set audio streams.  Some even provide access to MP3 files you may have hosted on Second Life, your home network, or a third-party hosting service.

Kent-Havercamp Enterprises, Ltd. (KHE’s) new offering, the ASM1000, is much more that just another Second Life radio.  It packs alot of features into an attractively styled box for home or club.  Want to share audio with your group?  No problem.  The ASM1000 comes with a plugin for group land.  Want to add that favorite techno or trance stream from SHOUTcast?  The ASM1000’s menu system makes it a snap to add personal streams and create your own presets without messy notecards or precious memory to store parameters.

Add your favorite music URLs or select from a large number of pre-set streams and “CDs” (MP3 files).  Search for a stream by genres as diverse as hip-hop, trance, jazz, country, and classical.
 
KHE automatically updates links to your favorite audio streams.  User settings and access lists are stored in a central database.  As new streams and CDs are added to the database the ASM1000 updates automatically.
 
All this at an incredible price point.

Want to stream your own indie music?  This is not so easy to do without paying for third-party hosting or investing in a small home network with a streaming server.  MP3 is a well-known sound file format that follows a standard compression technique, officially known as MPEG 2 Layer-3.   Video and audio can both be stored in the MP3 format.  As reported by Trevor Bowen, virtually no audio information is lost in converting to the MP3 format if the same sampling frequency or greater is used for encoding compared to that used in the original recording. MP3 files are much smaller than the original file (5.5 Mbytes for 40 minutes of 16,000 Hz mono).
 
Even with a smaller encoded footprint, the problem is providing the bandwidth to support MP3 streaming at various levels of quality (AM radio, FM radio, CD, and so forth - measured in bitrates).  KHE provides bandwidth so that you can stream your music into Second Life.  It will include links to your website and your music free of charge.  As cited on the KHE website, no recordings, copies, or downloads of your music will be made by KHE, its staff, affliates, or other third parties. All of this is managed by you and hosted by the KHE Entertainment Network.  KHE will link to your existing website or service with hosted MP3s.
 
But what if you’re a member of a small indie band and want to test the waters of Second Life without the expense of MP3 hosting?  If you have your music uploaded on sites like MySpace.com or GarageBand.com, KHE offers to host up to 3 of your songs on a private server. You can then use the ASM1000 to showcase your new tunes.
 
Your MP3s will not be available for outside streaming, purchasing, or downloading. The only public access to your music will be via an ASM1000 or the KHE Entertainment Network.  The tracks are better than FM Radio quality, but slightly less than CD quality.  This is an incredible value for a small band that is just getting started.  Free hosting and Second Life exposure.
 
What truly distinguishes the ASM1000 is the infrastructure and service of the fledgling KHE Entertainment Network.  With an initial Second Life product offering like the ASM1000 and a spectacular launch at the recent January 27th House of Flames concert, KHE is off to a rip-roaring start.

Kent-Havercamp Enterprises, Ltd: Muslin (239,111,98)  www.myspace.com/kenthavercamp

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