Battery powered, multi-channel FM transmitters (Radio Shack, ~$20) Battery powered portable FM sport radio (yellow) in compact headset style, or wristband belt clip. (Radio Shack, ~$20).
Going low tech because high tech is overkill: Priceless. - billn On Wed, 4 Dec 2002, Trent Shipley wrote: > Last week, being then employed and interested in social activity and exercise, > I took a free dance lesson from an acquaintance. > > The main thing I learned was that music is a scarce and precious commodity in > a dance studio. You can only put one, or at most two, sets of music over the > loud speaker systems. Personal systems are *too* personal. A couple cannot > coordinate walkmen or even mp3 players. > > WANTED: a wireless audio system for very local broadcasting -- to be used in > dance studios and dance departments. (Ideally, somebody already makes this. > If not, have Motorola give me a call.) > > TARGET MARKETS: > Dance studios and dance departments or schools. Gymnastics coaches. Figure > skaters and coaches. Personal or small-group trainers who teach rythm > aerobics. Other markets for mini-cast audio. > > > COMPONENTS: > > Information Appliances (2): > > Personal headset unit with compact receiver and powersource. > > Compact remote control unit. > > > > Base unit (3 sub-components) > > To be housed on PC, eventual migration to central info-appliance possible. > Wireless LAN. > Broadcaster software. > > ================================== > > RECIEVER UNIT (RU): > > Low bulk, low weight. Useable by serious amatuer and professional dancers, > gymnists, aerobicizers, and otherwise friendly to atheletes and interpretive > artists who need access to audio mini-cast to a small group. Note that when > I discussed this with my dancer friend she immediately thought it would be > good for personal use. Thus, a version of the reciever appliance will be > able to store audio in non-volitile memory. It will include the basic > command functions listed below. (That is, in addition to participating as a > reciever in a LAN mini-cast, some models of reciever unit *must* act exactly > like current Mp3 players.) > > Reciver units shall have unique serial numbers (eg. MAC addresses) that can be > aliased by the broadcaster software. SNs will be used to assign reciever > appliances to broadcast groups. > > *THE* reason for the mini-cast system is to provide synchronized music to > small groups in areas with high audio congestion. Therefore, users must be > able to configure RUs into mini-cast reception groups. All recivers in a > mini-cast group will get the same audio broadcast. Therefore, system > implementers will be *very* cautious about using cached data when as RU is a > member of a reception group that contains any other RUs as members. > > An RU cannot be restricted by line-of-sight. > > > > COMPACT REMOTE CONTROL UNIT (CRCU): > > Used by coaches and instructors, the remote control units will provide basic > music control functions such as "select song", "make bookmark", "goto > bookmark", pause, stop, fast forward, reverse, and--never to be > forgotten--play. The designer will *NOT* put excess function into the CRCU. > Each button shall have one, and *ONLY* one function. > > The RU and CRCU may be integrated into a single assembly. > It is marginally desirable that a palm-top augmented with appropriate software > and hardware be able te emulate a CRCU. > > A CRCU cannot be restricted by line-of-sight. > > > BASE UNIT (XMITer): > > Early versions of the base unit will be implemented from an Intel or Apple > computer using mircrowave or RF wireless LAN (eg wireless ethernet). > Line-of-sight technologies are inappropriate for this application. The > wireless LAN must have sufficient bandwidth to support seamless, high quality > broadcast of at least 5 simultaneous audio programs. > > The ability to add wireless LANs on slightly different frequencies, thereby > expanding the system, is moderately desirable. > > Software will be included to manage the system (the App). > > The Application Administrator will be able to control storage and access to > copywritten material, user access, where data is stored, and so on. > Approprate interfaces will be provided to the App Admin. A critical job for > the App Admin will be naming RU and CRCU appliances. *NOTE* that the App > Admin is likely to be one or several small business owners with limited legal > or computer expertise. > > Power users (coaches, instructors, and so on) will be designated by the app > admin. They will need to manage their own music, access studio owned music, > assemble "programming" for a given class, and so on. Most importantly, power > users will need to define a group of RUs that will receive a mini-cast. They > will also need to designate the CRCU that will control the mini-cast. > > The only domain expert consulted thus far seemed very interested in a personal > RU with storage capablity. While the intital prototype may require aliasing > a fixed set of RUs and CRCUs, the system will be designed to add and drop RU > and CRCU appliances _ad hoc_. Adding new RU-CRCU appliances and designating > a group should be fast--taking under five minutes for initial production > versions of the system. > > > ==AZIPA================================================================= > Helping Grow the Tech Oasis - http://www.techoasis.org > AZIPA (Arizona Internet Professionals Association) Discussion List > Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Please see http://www.azipa.org/mail.html for list info and guidelines > Report list related problems/concerns at mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > * Become a Sponsor/Supporter/Advertiser: http://www.acteva.com/go/azipa > * Fiber Reflections http://www.fiberreflections.com > * Stealthmode Partners - From Startup to Success http://stealthmode.com > * Hackers already know your vulnerabilities... do you? http://edgeos.com > * Domain Name Registration $8.75 Transfers $7.75 http://www.domaindo.com > =================================================================AZIPA== > > Your use of Yahoo! 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