Internet radio interoperability group to launch at CES

At CES next month, a new organization formed to promote interoperability across media devices will get off the ground -- and by that, they mean a way to get podcasts and streaming content to work on multiple device platforms.

CES 2009 will provide the setting for the first meeting of the Internet Media Device Alliance (IMDA), a new association established to improve device interoperability across music, podcasts, on-demand content and other applications used in Internet radio and other media services.

Initially formed earlier this year at the Interent Radio Summit, the group is spearheaded by radio broadcasters, content providers, and technology specialists in the area of Internet radio. The IMDA steering committee has members from the BBC, Global Radio, vTuner, and Frontier Silicon, for instance.

One of the fourteen membership benefits listed on the group's Web site is to "influence the direction of the Internet radio industry [and] be a part of it." However, a statement issued by the organization speaks of a broader market of "Internet-connected media devices."

The group plans to work together on defining series of end-to-end technical standards, functions, and profiles for spurring the development of a wide range of media devices. Registration to attend the group's first general meeting is available on the IMDA's Web site.