Electric Jukebox was a

digital media player A digital media player (also known as a streaming device or streaming box) is a type of consumer electronics device designed for the storage, playback, or viewing of digital media content. They are typically designed to be integrated into a h ...

developed by The Electric Jukebox Company. Designed as a

dongle A dongle is a small piece of computer hardware that connects to a port on another device to provide it with additional functionality, or enable a pass-through to such a device that adds functionality. In computing, the term was initially synony ...

, and a "

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...

Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, f ...

style"Skinner, Carry-Ann
"Electric Jukebox aims to bring easy music streaming to your television"
''

Good Housekeeping ''Good Housekeeping'' is an American lifestyle media brand that covers a wide range of topics from home decor and renovation, health, beauty and food, to entertainment, pets and gifts. The Good Housekeeping Institute which opened its "Experiment ...

'', London, 15 October 2015. Retrieved on 7 November 2015. motion-sensitive controller with a built-in microphone for voice search, The device played music audio content on a

high-definition television High-definition television (HDTV) describes a television or video system which provides a substantially higher image resolution than the previous generation of technologies. The term has been used since at least 1933; in more recent times, it ref ...

and

home audio Home audio refer to audio consumer electronics designed for home entertainment, such as integrated systems like shelf stereos, as well as individual components like loudspeakers and surround sound receivers. The evolution of home audio began ...

system by directly

streaming Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downl ...

it via

Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for Wireless LAN, local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by ...

from the Internet. Electric Jukebox combined hardware, software, and premium music streaming access into one package;

Ars Technica ''Ars Technica'' is a website covering news and opinions in technology, science, politics, and society, created by Ken Fisher and Jon Stokes in 1998. It publishes news, reviews, and guides on issues such as computer hardware and software, sci ...

described it as "a box with everything you need to get started in streaming music".

Hardware

Electric Jukebox stick

The Electric Jukebox dongle had a

HDMI High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) is a proprietary digital interface used to transmit high-quality video and audio signals between devices. It is commonly used to connect devices such as televisions, computer monitors, projectors, gam ...

plug built into the device's body. The dongle was powered by

mains power Mains electricity, utility power, grid power, domestic power, wall power, household current, or, in some parts of Canada, hydro, is a general-purpose alternating-current (AC) electric power supply. It is the form of electrical power that is de ...

through an integrated power cable. Electric Jukebox ran on a

Rockchip Rockchip (Fuzhou Rockchip Electronics Co., Ltd.) is a Chinese fabless semiconductor company based in Fuzhou, Fujian province. It has offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Hangzhou and Hong Kong. It designs system on a chip (SoC) products, usi ...

processor. The dongle contained a 3.5mm audio jack as a line out to

HiFi High fidelity (hi-fi or, rarely, HiFi) is the high-quality reproduction of sound. It is popular with audiophiles and home audio enthusiasts. Ideally, high-fidelity equipment has inaudible noise and distortion, and a flat (neutral, uncolored) f ...

’s and speaker systems.Travis, Ben
"Electric Jukebox: The plug-and-play device for listening to music in your home"
''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', London, 23 October 2015. Retrieved on 5 November 2015.

Electric Jukebox controller

Electric Jukebox Controller was a motion-sensitive

remote control A remote control, also known colloquially as a remote or clicker, is an consumer electronics, electronic device used to operate another device from a distance, usually wirelessly. In consumer electronics, a remote control can be used to operat ...

with built-in

gyroscope A gyroscope (from Ancient Greek γῦρος ''gŷros'', "round" and σκοπέω ''skopéō'', "to look") is a device used for measuring or maintaining Orientation (geometry), orientation and angular velocity. It is a spinning wheel or disc in ...

and

accelerometer An accelerometer is a device that measures the proper acceleration of an object. Proper acceleration is the acceleration (the rate of change (mathematics), rate of change of velocity) of the object relative to an observer who is in free fall (tha ...

to position itself in space in relation to the cursor on the TV screen. The controller also had a

microphone A microphone, colloquially called a mic (), or mike, is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and publi ...

for

voice search Voice search, also called voice-enabled search, allows the user to use a voice command to search the Internet, a website, or an app. In a broader definition, voice search includes open-domain keyword query on any information on the Internet, for ...

. The controller used

HDMI-CEC Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) is a feature of HDMI designed to control HDMI connected devices by using only one remote controller; individual CEC enabled devices can command and control each other without user intervention, for up to 15 device ...

protocols to switch between other devices on the television without needing to use the television set's remote to change to or from Electric Jukebox.

Software

Electric Jukebox ran on a heavily modified version of the

Android Android most commonly refers to: *Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), a mobile operating system primarily developed by Google * Android TV, a operating system developed ...

operating system. The front-end user interface was built in

HTML5 HTML5 (Hypertext Markup Language 5) is a markup language used for structuring and presenting hypertext documents on the World Wide Web. It was the fifth and final major HTML version that is now a retired World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) recommend ...

enabling OTA updates which negate users from having to perform software upgrades or app downloads normally required when using music streaming services on

computers A computer is a machine that can be programmed to automatically carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations ('' computation''). Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as ''programs'', ...

smartphone A smartphone is a mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities. It typically has a touchscreen interface, allowing users to access a wide range of applications and services, such as web browsing, email, and social media, as well as multi ...

s and televisions.

User interface

Electric Jukebox's user interface incorporated

neon Neon is a chemical element; it has symbol Ne and atomic number 10. It is the second noble gas in the periodic table. Neon is a colorless, odorless, inert monatomic gas under standard conditions, with approximately two-thirds the density of ...

iconography Iconography, as a branch of art history, studies the identification, description and interpretation of the content of images: the subjects depicted, the particular compositions and details used to do so, and other elements that are distinct fro ...

and music songs and albums represented as spinning disks – a digital manifestation of a physical music product; a CD. The user interface was met with mixed reactions from commentators; several technology-focused media outlets have said the user interface is overly simple compared to other servicesBrown, Michael
"The Electric Jukebox: For music lovers who think Apple Music and Spotify are too expensive and too complicated"
, '' Mac World'', London, 14 October 2015. Retrieved on 7 November 2015. while mainstream consumer media view the simplicity of Electric Jukebox as opening up music streaming to audiences who are alienated by the complexities of music streaming. CNET commented "Here's an easy way to think about Electric Jukebox: Remember when the

Wii came out, and suddenly the whole family, who didn't know their Atari from their elbow, was jumping around the living room playing video games?

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

is the

PlayStation is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...

Sonos Sonos, Inc. is an American audio equipment manufacturer headquartered in Santa Barbara, California. The company was founded in 2002 by John MacFarlane, Craig Shelburne, Tom Cullen, and Trung Mai. Sonos has partnered with over 100 companies th ...

is the

Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand that consists of four main home video game console lines, as well as application software, applications (games), the streaming media, streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services such as the Xbox networ ...

– and Electric Jukebox is the

Features

Voice search

The Electric Jukebox controller's built-in microphone provided access to the full catalogue of music. Voice-activated functionality was provided by

Nuance Nuance may refer to: * Nuance (American band), 1980s dance music group * Nuance (Canadian band), 1980s pop rock group from Quebec * Nuance Communications Nuance Communications, Inc. is an American multinational computer software technology ...

Celebrity playlists

Electric Jukebox featured exclusive playlists from a range of celebrities, including;

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, launching a solo career in 1996. His debut studio album, ''Life thru a Lens'', was re ...

and his wife

Ayda Field Ayda Field Williams (born May 17, 1979) is an American actress. She has appeared as a panellist on the British television chat show '' Loose Women'', as well as being a judge on the British version of ''The X Factor'', alongside her husband, sin ...

Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She is noted for her Optimism, optimistic and Idealism, idealistic subject matter, and incorporation of genres including Rock music, rock, Po ...

Alesha Dixon Alesha Anjanette Dixon (born 7 October 1978) is an English singer, rapper, dancer, television personality, and author. She rose to prominence in the early 2000s as a member of the R&B / UK Garage group Mis-Teeq, who had seven UK top 10 hits, ...

and

Stephen Fry Sir Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director, narrator and writer. He came to prominence as a member of the comic act Fry and Laurie alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring in ''A Bit of ...

Curated music channels

7 Digital 7digital Group PLC is a British company that offers access to music, tracking and reporting for clients. London-based, 7digital provides end-to-end music services for the fitness, social media, DSPs, and gaming industries with brands such as Ba ...

provided a range of curated music channels for Electric Jukebox.Reid, Scott
" 7digital sounds out Electric Jukebox deal"
''

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact (newspaper), compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until ...

'', London, 16 October 2015. Retrieved on 7 November 2015.

Music recommendations

Danish music tech company Moodagent provided music discovery and recommendations features for Electric Jukebox.Williamson, Coral
" Electric Jukebox planning immediate international expansion?"
''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...

'', London, 26 May 2016. Retrieved on 27 May 2016.

Playlist creation

Electric Jukebox users could create their own playlists using the Electric Jukebox Controller.

Music catalogue

Electric Jukebox had a music library of "over 29 million songs" from all major and independent record labels and publishers including

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...

Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...

Warner Music Group Warner Music Group Corp., commonly abbreviated as WMG, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment and record label Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the "Record label#M ...

Merlin The Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) is an interferometer array of radio telescopes spread across England. The array is run from Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire by the University of Manchester on behalf of UK Re ...

, PIAS, Believe Digital and INgrooves.Lunden, Ingri
"Electric Jukebox a new streaming music startup debuts 169 service for casual fans"
''

Tech Crunch TechCrunch is an American global online newspaper focusing on topics regarding high-tech and startup companies. It was founded in June 2005 by Archimedes Ventures, led by partners Michael Arrington and Keith Teare. In 2010, AOL acquired the c ...

'', London, 8 November 2016. Retrieved on 9 January 2017.

Geographic availability

Electric Jukebox was available in: *

References

{{Music digital distribution platforms Streaming media systems Jukebox-style media players Digital media players Audio electronics Android (operating system) software Online music database clients Online music stores of the United Kingdom Companies based in the London Borough of Islington Internet radio in the United Kingdom Products introduced in 2015 2015 software Internet properties established in 2014