Overview

This Antex "Media Director" was first developed as a general purpose, client server with 300MHz processing power.  The initial version of Media Director was designed with two PCI expansion slots to allow application of high performance audio, video and graphics cards for adoption by a wide variety of markets.  In addition to dual zone audio, full motion video for in-store advertising and promotion was to be a potential feature of the Media Director appliance.   This first design was later easily modified to include a CD-ROM player, providing an option for local content loading as a back-up delivery method to the unit.

Development of a lower cost, second-generation, 550MHz product designated "Media Director 2" is now complete with first units shipping.   Antex has written sophisticated network management software to manage/control, monitor and distribute media assets to clients in the field.  Playlist scheduling, music encoding, customer billing, and specific asset reporting (confirmation integration) are currently 3rd-party fulfillment requirements.  As the Antex Media Director system matures, some (or all) of these functions may be incorporated.  Built on a flexible hardware and software foundation, the Media Director 2 can operate independently, or a series of Media Director 2 workstations can be incorporated into a LAN, WAN, or Internet configuration to facilitate a worldwide media/data delivery, storage, and playback network. 

Target markets include the businesses and organizations that will implement multimedia applications or incorporate Internet communications as part of their overall business strategy - commercial music and messaging services, public address systems, digital merchandising, video display, etc.  Integrated with a LAN/WAN network, or operating remotely via Internet communication, the Antex Media Director 2 is the ideal media distribution solution.  The centralized management and distribution of content ensures complete control over the integrity and delivery of media assets to anywhere in the world.

Antex is currently in development to bring a Media Director 2 variant to the high-end custom install consumer electronics market.  This product will combine all the benefits of the passive listening experience with a degree of user-interactive customization of specific channel content and playback that will allow the listener to create his/her own jukebox playlist.  The Antex hardware and management software will require only moderate modification for the consumer market.  To be truly successful in this venture, Antex will need to align with a qualified internet delivery content partner to provide the high-end music programming that this market demands.  Antex has also performed preliminary tests on video playback variants of the Media Director 2. 

To date, close to 10,000 Media Director and Media Director 2 variants have shipped.

The Media Director 2 is a hard-drive based internet-connected appliance designed to reside at the end-user customer’s site(s) and play audio and/or video media assets from a local hard drive as commanded by a prescribed playlist.  This independent playback unit communicates with a main server for commands, assets, playlists, and status reporting via an internet or intranet FTP.  The communication is non-real time and typically performed at off peak hours.  The Media Director 2 appliance is available in single-zone stereo or dual-zone mono audio models and features L/R/M audio output, internal hard-drive, fanless design, and an integrated s/w management program to coordinate all commands, schedules and media assets.  The Media Director 2 appliance requires integration with the Antex Management Console s/w application (on the host PC) in order to perform seamlessly with the Antex server.  These appliances are designed to run autonomously until scheduled connect times download any new commands or content and upload the unit’s specific status report.

The MediaDirect^TM Management Console application software is responsible for controlling all of a customer’s Media Director units in the field and is the control mechanism for distributing music and playlists, as well as monitoring the status and health of units in the field.  This program is designed to run on a PC or laptop (either centrally located at the manager’s facility or remotely accessed with proper authorization from anywhere on the Internet/Intranet) and allows the authorized users to manage the respective “universe(s)” of Media Directors in the field via FTP and ASCII-based file transfer.  The Management Console is a powerful tool providing authorization, grouping, management and distribution of assets and playlists to client receivers, management and distribution of Media Directors, and receiver status reports.  This program is a stand-alone product requiring a single license to be provided by Antex Electronics Corp.

The MediaDirect^TM system is dependent upon a centralized server (located either in the managing company’s main offices or remotely hosted), which is directly controlled by the Management Console Application.  This central server should be dedicated to the MediaDirect^TM system and not incorporate other business service programs.  A high-speed connection is required for this server and h/w redundancy is suggested.  Although customers may provide their own hardware to be configured as the server, Antex mandates that certain specs (to be provided by Antex) must be met and it is preferable that Antex build the server at Antex (for a nominal fee) so that proper configuration, burn-in, and testing can be performed prior to customer integration.  The application that runs specifically on the server is a part of the one-time Management Console software purchase and is not a separate product.

The Antex MediaDirect™ Server is designed to be accessible to users on its local LAN, and to users accessing the server through the Internet. A typical configuration involves the use of a Firewall and a high speed Internet connection. Because both the Media Director and Management Console use industry standard PASV FTP and HTTP ports, special modifications to the corporate Firewall are kept to a minimum, if any at all. Network Address Translation (NAT) modifications will be required to allow connections coming from the Internet to be routed to the Antex MediaDirect™ Server local IP address if your corporate LAN uses NAT to regulate outside connections to corporate resources.

Simple Antex MediaDirect™ System deployment.

Back to top

Features

Modem:                                                           RJ11 internal modem with In/Thru 
                                                                          jacks V90/56k Compatible (2) RJ-6
                                                                          phone line in and pass thru

Back to top

Back to top