SONICblue closes the doors
The transformations of hardewaremaker to digital media business is SONICblue sour broken up. The business, among many known for its line of Rio-music players, seeks the bankruptcy on and sells its most lucrative divisions at a Japanese holding.
The brand SONICblue is not yet so old. The firm was named till end 2000 S3 and companion especially acquaintance for its graphic cards. That division became sold used however at the Taiwanese chip manufacturer VIA, that the acquisitie to launch itself in the segment of the gentegreerde chip sets.
The Rio- and network division went further under the banner SONICblue. The head product became however something news: ReplayTV, a digital videorecorder coupled at joining services. With this product, the business harvested many criticism of the Tv and movie industry, that feared for massive copyrightschendingen as men movies would take up, and went then also promptly to the court. The sale, on the other hand, fell strongly against. Furthermore SONICblue worked to bring together with Nike a line sports-loving portable music player on the market. The years from now the business took also from with a webpad with a Transmeta-processor, DVD-players and mp3-players for in the car.
The Rio- and ReplayTV-divisions become to all probability for 40 million dollars sold at the Japanese D&M Holding, on its turn a cooperation of Denon and Marantz, two businesses that high-quality hifi-equipment sell.