Cdigix

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Cdigix, formerly known as Cflix, is an online music and media service available at certain American colleges on a subsidized subscription basis.

1 Features and restrictions
2 Background
3 Media Player
4 Criticism
5 See also
6 Notes and references

[edit] Features and restrictions

Pricing: Subscription and by-song rates differ depending upon several factors. Those not enrolled in a school with Cdigix pay $5.99 per month and $0.89 per song download, with movies ranging from $1.99-$3.99. If the subscriber’s college has a contract with Cdigix, the media is free, but carries further restrictions and an expiration date.
Platform(s): Microsoft Windows Internet Explorer exclusive.
Downloading: Yes.
Burning/Copying: Expiring media is restricted to three computers. Permanent downloads may be burned and exported to most .wma enabled portable players.
Streaming: Yes.
Format: Protected AAC Windows Media Audio and Windows Media Video.
Digital restrictions: Media is licensed for a limited time, at which point it expires.
Preview: 30 sec clips.
Trial: N/A.
Catalog: More than 2.3 million songs, movies as well as film and video content.
Features: Cflix (entertainment Video on Demand), Ctrax (digital music), Clabs (educational media) and the Cstudio (social networking).
Availability: User must have a “.edu” email address, and the above technical specs.

[edit] Background

Cdigix was founded as Cflix in 2002 as a response to the widespread illicit file sharing on college campuses, coinciding with the record and film industries’ campaigns against such actions. Duke University was the first institution to subscribe to Cflix's video on demand service. As of October 2006, 75 universities and colleges subsidized the service for their students.

[edit] Media Player

Ctrax Media Player

The main screen of the Ctrax Media Player under Windows XP
Developer:	Cdigix
Latest release:	2.0.20 / November 2006
OS:	Windows
Use:	Media Player
License:	Proprietary
Website:	www.cdigix.com

In October 2006, Cdigix launched the Cdigix Media Player, a program with interface seemingly modeled on Apple's iTunes. This represented a shift away from a web-based music store to a software based model. The Cdigix Media Player is based on J. River Media Center. ^[1]

[edit] Criticism

Cdigix has faced criticism ^[2] on several points:

The Cdigix library of 2.3 million songs is smaller than Apple's industry-leading iTunes music store (with more than 3.5 million songs).
The media must be periodically renewed by signing into service or playing media.
The lack of easy transfer of non-permanent media to a compact disc or common media players (incompatibility with the popular iPod.)
Only purchased music from Cdigix can be burned onto compact discs.
The service is not compatible with Apple Macintosh or Linux systems.