Cdigix
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cdigix, formerly known as Cflix, is an online music and media service.
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[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 |
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| 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.
[edit] Removal of College Service
In February of 2007, Cdigix announced that it was pulling the college music service from all universities that could access it. The company decided to shift their focus to other services, primarily a digital music service that could compete with other online music stores.
