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Rio Audio

{{Short description|Brand name of a line of digital audio players}}

{{Infobox information appliance

|name=Rio Audio

|logo= Rio logo.svg

|image=

|caption=

|lifespan=1998–2005

|developer=Diamond Multimedia (1998–1999)
SONICblue (1999–2003)
D&M Holdings (2003–2005)

|type=Digital audio players (DAP)

|units sold=

| storage =

| related =

|website=[https://web.archive.org/web/20050104020207/http://www.digitalnetworksna.com/shop/category.asp?cat=35 Rio Audio (archived January 4, 2005)]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20040713000711/http://www.rioaudio.jp:80/ Rio Japan (archived July 13, 2004)]

}}

Rio was a line of digital audio players and related audio products. Its first release, the Rio PMP300 digital music player (also known colloquially as simply the "Diamond Rio"), released by Diamond Multimedia in 1998, was one of the earliest notable and commercially successful devices in its category.{{Cite web |title=Diamond Rio model PMP300 portable MP3 player |url=https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1851035 |access-date=2023-09-19 |website=National Museum of American History |language=en}} It also became known as the target of an early lawsuit regarding the legality of such devices. Following the PMP300, various music players were released under the Rio brand name by a number of companies until the brand was retired in 2005.

History

File:Diamond Rio PMP300.jpg

Rio was originally a brand of California based Diamond Multimedia. Rio Audio was best known for producing the Rio PMP300 model that was the impetus for a lawsuit in 1998 by the Recording Industry Association of America.{{cite book |last=Hart-Davis |first=Guy |author2=Rhonda Holmes |title=MP3 Complete |publisher=Sybex |location=San Francisco |year=2001 |isbn=0-7821-2899-8 |page= 613 }}{{Cite web|last=Sandler|first=Adam|date=1998-10-12|title=RIAA sues to stop Rio sales|url=https://variety.com/1998/music/news/riaa-sues-to-stop-rio-sales-1117481324/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-07-09|website=Variety|language=en}} That lawsuit eventually failed, leading the way for the portable digital music industry to take off.

Diamond Multimedia merged with S3 Graphics in 1999 - the resulting company was renamed SONICblue. Rio, Inc., a subsidiary of SONICblue, was formed in 2000.{{Cite web |url=https://www.zdnet.fr/actualites/rio-800-le-nouveau-baladeur-mp3-2061928.htm |title=Rio 800, le nouveau baladeur MP3 |date=23 December 2000 }} The company referred to itself as Rio Digital Audio{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/top-execs-to-launch-slacker-inc-1326039/ |title=Top Execs to Launch Slacker Inc |magazine=Billboard }}{{mdash}}{{tsp}}in later years this changed to simply Rio Audio. During this time, Rio's president was Jim Cady.{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/08/technology/news-watch-a-new-music-player-marries-mp3-s-with-cd-s.html |title=NEWS WATCH; A New Music Player Marries MP3's with CD's |newspaper=The New York Times |date=8 February 2001 |last1=Marriott |first1=Michel }}

On March 21, 2003, SONICblue filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and then sold off its main product lines; Rio Audio was sold to Japanese firm D&M Holdings,{{Cite web |url=https://www.macworld.com/article/160366/sonicblue-3.html |title=Rio maker SONICblue files for bankruptcy protection }} which owned audio brands such as Denon, forming part of their Digital Networks North America subsidiary. Rio Audio was based in Santa Clara, California.{{Cite web |url=https://www.telecompaper.com/news/rio-audio-to-launch-rio-carbon-player--446861 |title=Telecompaper }} Its president from that time until March 2004 was Jeffrey Hastings.{{cite web |url=https://content.edgar-online.com/ExternalLink/EDGAR/0001193125-17-286740.html?hash=75360083e4f446bbe9e3e7fa67e7d8451cae60865b195e2778d8498908e8de98&dest=D403225DEX41_HTM#D403225DEX41_HTM |title=ROKU, INC (Form: S-1/A, Received: 09/18/2017 06:11:53) }}

Like some other competitors in the digital audio player business, the Rio brand was unable to compete effectively against Apple's dominant iPod series of audio players.{{cite news|last=Turi|first=Jon|title=Gadget Rewind 2004: Rio Carbon|url=https://www.engadget.com/2014/04/12/gadget-rewind-2004-rio-carbon/|accessdate=13 April 2014|newspaper=Engadget|date=12 April 2014}} In August 2005, D&M Holdings announced the discontinuation of its production of audio players, after it had licensed its digital audio software technology to chipmaker SigmaTel the month before.{{cite press release |title=D&M Holdings Inc. to Exit Mass-Market Portable Digital Audio Player Business |publisher=D&M Holdings Inc. |date=2005-08-26 |accessdate=2008-04-17 |url=http://www.digitalnetworksna.com/company/press.asp?ID=614 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201191338/http://www.digitalnetworksna.com/company/press.asp?ID=614 |archivedate=2014-02-01 }} The Rio brand and trademarks were retained by D&M Holdings.{{Cite web |url=http://www.ipoddailynews.com/index.php/ipoddailynews/comments/more_blood_on_apple_ipods_click_wheel_rio_is_dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051122175645/http://www.ipoddailynews.com/index.php/ipoddailynews/comments/more_blood_on_apple_ipods_click_wheel_rio_is_dead |archive-date=2005-11-22 |title=More blood on Apple iPod's Click Wheel: Rio is dead |website=iPodDailyNews |date=August 26, 2005 |url-status=usurped}}

Products

File:Rio 500.jpg, Rio's second player (1999)]]

File:"Rioport" earbuds from the Rio 500 music player (cropped).jpgs from the Rio 500 music player]]

File:Rio800.jpg

File:Rio Audio - Rio Carbon 5GB Player.jpg 5 GB HDD player (2004)]]

=Rio USA=

;Portable digital audio players{{Cite web|url=https://mobile-review.com/mp3/articles/rio.shtml|title=Mobile-review.com История торговой марки Rio Audio|website=mobile-review.com}}

class="wikitable sortable"

! style="width: 20pt;"| Release Year

! Player !! Memory type

!Memory space

! style="width: 10pt;"|Display backlight

! style="width: 10pt;"|WMA

! style="width: 10pt;"|FM radio

! style="width: 10pt;"|Voice recording

! style="width: 10pt;"|Battery type

!Notes

1998

| Rio PMP300

rowspan="10" |Flash

|32 MB + SmartMedia

|No

|No

|No

|No

|AA

|

1999

| Rio 500

|64 MB + SmartMedia

|Yes

|No

|No

|No

|AA

|

rowspan="2" |2000

| Rio 600

|64 MB + SmartMedia

|Yes

|Yes

|No

|No

|AA

|

Rio 800 (incl. 800 Extreme)

|128/256 MB + SmartMedia

|Yes

|Yes

|No

|Yes

|Li-ion

|

2001

| Rio One

|32 MB + SmartMedia

|No

|Yes

|No

|No

|AA

|Silver PMP300 design with updated internals

rowspan="6" |2002

| Rio 900

|192 MB + SmartMedia

|Yes

|Yes

|No

|No

|Li-ion

|Stripped down Rio 800

Rio S10

|64 MB + MMC

|Yes

|Yes

|No

|No

|AA

|

Rio S50

|128 MB + MMC

|Yes

|Yes

|Yes

|No

|AA

|

Rio S30S

|64 MB + MMC

|Yes

|Yes

|Yes

|No

|AAA

|Sports-oriented

Rio S35S

|128 MB + MMC

|Yes

|Yes

|Yes

|No

|AAA

|Sports-oriented

Rio Riot

|Hard disk

|20 GB

|Yes

|Yes

|Yes

|No

|Li-ion

|

rowspan="5" |2003

|Rio Fuse

| rowspan="3" |Flash

|128 MB

|Yes

|Yes

|No

|No

|AAA

|Keychain style

Rio Cali (Sport)

| rowspan="2" |128/256 MB + MMC/SD

|Yes

|Yes

|Yes

|No

|AAA

| rowspan="2" |Successors to the S series

Rio Chiba

|Yes

|Yes

|Yes

|No

|AAA

Rio Nitrus (incl. Nitrus-S)rowspan="4" |Hard disk

|1.5 GB

|Yes

|Yes

|No

|No

|Li-ion

|

Rio Karma

|20 GB

|Yes

|Yes

|No

|No

|Li-ion

|Also supports Ogg Vorbis and FLAC playback

rowspan="3" |2004

| Rio Carbon (inc. Carbon Pearl)

|4 GB

|Yes

|Yes

|No

|Yes

|Li-ion

|Upgraded Nitrus with faster drive

Rio ce2100/ce2110

|2.5 GB

|Yes

|Yes

|No

|No

|Li-ion

|Similar to Carbon, but no microphone

Rio ForgeFlash

|128/256/512 MB + MMC/SD

|Yes

|Yes

|Yes

|No

|AAA

|Successor to the Cali/Chiba. Also has FM radio recording.

File:Rio Chiba 256.JPG

;Portable CD players

File:Rio volt.jpg

;Home audio players

;Car audio players

=Rio Japan=

File:Rio su40.jpg

=Rio OEM models=

References

{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rio (Digital Audio Players)}}

Category:Digital audio players

Category:Consumer electronics brands