Hi-Rez and Lossless Streaming from Naxos

hibabe

On Monday January 5, Naxos rings in the New Year with the worldwide launch of their ClassicsOnline HD•LLclassical music streaming and download site. ClassicsOnline HD•LL streams music in both "high-definition"—Naxos' term for high-resolution audio up to 24-bit/192kHz sampling rate—and full CD quality (lossless, or, in Naxos' lingo, LL). The site also sells high-def, lossless, and MP3 downloads in FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF, and 320kbps MP3 formats.
Naxos claims that its service, which costs $14.99/month, is the first in the US to use "adaptive bitrate streaming technology." They further explain that adaptive bitrate streaming allows subscribers to "listen to classical music at the highest possible sound quality available on their home or mobile networks without buffering or loss of signal." In other words, you won't experience what I've experienced one too many times on Netflix: right at the climax, everything suddenly stops without warning as the signal rebuffers.

ClassicsOnlineHD•LL includes an "intuitive search engine" crafted specifically for classical music, that allows you to search by performer, conductor, composer, period, country, instrument, year released, year composed, label, genre, and, of course, title. It claims a wide range of repertoire from "most" classical record labels, easy playlist creation, genre and artist radio programming, and off-line listening via mobile devices. The company also states that liner notes, libretti, and composer/artist information are provided for most recordings. This may be true for commercial recordings, but it is often not the case for "pirates" and live recordings from labels that specialize in reissues.

Source:stereophile.com
http://www.stereophile.com/conte ... cal-streaming-naxos

The trend now is streaming.  Downloads are losing popularity.
And it offers 14-DAY FREE TRIAL.

diamondblack

The prices are quite expensive indeed, especially for the download.

Trending to streaming is a logical flow of the evolution in content distribution especially for content providers who can now gain a stable cash flow. Streaming is also a very convenient service to the mass. There are more business considerations in this. I don't see in near future remote streaming service can satisfy audiophile's appetite for quality.