The name Freematrix is used in reference to a collection of (originally experimental) online media and broadcast projects based on open technologies, overseen by the informal group Freematrix Networks.

Freematrix Networks Group

Freematrix Networks was formed in early 2005 in response to the rapid expansion of the existing online streaming radio project Freematrix Radio. The volunteers had planned the addition of a seperate streaming video project under a different name, and after a period of discussion came to a concensus that the best method of organisation and centralisation in terms of content licensing and public relations was to place them under an overseeing umbrella group, which came to be known as Freematrix Networks. Freematrix Networks is currently run by it's management lead Kye Lewis, who oversees the group, however most decisions are made under concensus of existing volunteers.

Freematrix Radio

Freematrix Radio is experimental Web radio based strictly on open source software such as the Ogg Vorbis audio compression codec, and the Icecast streaming audio platform technologies from the Xiph Foundation. Web radio (or Internet radio) is a broadcasting service transmitted via the Internet. ... Open source refers to projects that are open to the public and which draw on other projects that are freely available to the general public. ... This page is about the audio compression codec. ... Jump to: navigation, search Codec is a portmanteau of either Compressor-Decompressor or Coder-Decoder, which describes a device or program capable of performing transformations on a data stream or signal. ... Icecast is an open source streaming media project maintained by the creators of the Ogg media format, Xiph. ... The Xiph. ...

From it's previous incarnations WOPN and Freenode Radio, Freematrix Radio continued to offer content free of charge and free of commercial advertisements, and with the launch and public awareness of the Creative Commons family of licenses increasing, decided to make much of it's content available under such a license. Freematrix Radio also supports other licenses, such as the Free Art License, other royalty-free licenses, and works under the Public Domain. Jump to: navigation, search Version 2 of Some Rights Reserved logo Some Rights reserved logo No Rights reserved logo The Creative Commons (CC) is a non-profit organization devoted to expanding the range of creative work available for others to legally build upon and share. ...

Freematrix Multiplex

Freematrix Multiplex is experimental online video streaming based strictly on open source software such as the Ogg Theora video compression and Ogg Vorbis audio compression codec combination, and the Icecast streaming audio platform technologies from the Xiph Foundation. Open source refers to projects that are open to the public and which draw on other projects that are freely available to the general public. ... Theora is a video codec being developed by the Xiph. ... This page is about the audio compression codec. ... Jump to: navigation, search Codec is a portmanteau of either Compressor-Decompressor or Coder-Decoder, which describes a device or program capable of performing transformations on a data stream or signal. ... Icecast is an open source streaming media project maintained by the creators of the Ogg media format, Xiph. ... The Xiph. ...

Funding

The resources to run Freematrix Networks projects are donated by sponsors and all aspects of the group are managed by non-paid volunteers. Freematrix Networks as a group does not accept donations from the general public - in 2004 and 2005 debate was brought up about the possibility of allowing donations to the group to assist in listener expansion and the high cost of running servers, and the large amount of time required to administrate them by volunteers. No significant outcome was reached, and Freematrix Networks continues to refuse to accept project donations.

History

The Freematrix project has roots back to the Open Projects Network, which originally hosted and administered a webradio station called WOPN Radio. The listener/developer community interacted in real time over OPN's IRC Network, tweaking the audio streaming quality, defining the rules for content, and organizing the effort. The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. ...

As OPN became more formalized and changed its name to Freenode, the station followed suit by becoming WOPN Freenode Radio. As personalities (called OggJays) emerged and the technical people worked through the details, The newly-formed Peer-Directed Projects Center decided it was best to distance the very energetic radio side from its structure, but blessed the new #freematrix channel to focus the effort independently. The title of this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. ... The Peer-Directed Projects Center (PDPC), founded in 2002, is an organisation led and solely operated by Rob Levin (President and Executive Director) which runs the freenode IRC Network and other similar peer-directed projects. ...

Like any free and open internet-based project, the effort has had periods of intense excitment and others of latent frustration, but its supporters feel that its longevity is a sign of its will to exist and its persistent role on the web.

External links

• http://www.freematrix.org/ Freematrix Networks
• http://radio.freematrix.us/ Freematrix Radio
• http://multiplex.freematrix.us/ Freematrix Multiplex
• http://freenode.net/ Freenode IRC Network