NetStreams

About NetStreams

In 2002, a veteran of the electronics industry, Herman Cardenas, identified a shift in how people would consume media. He saw a future where content would move from physical media, like CDs and DVDs, to digital distribution over networks. This vision led to the founding of NetStreams in Austin, Texas. Cardenas, who had previously partnered with General Electric on smart home technology, assembled a team of industry experts to build the infrastructure for this new digital home. The company's mission was to create a seamless IP-based system for distributing high-fidelity audio and video throughout a house. NetStreams' core innovation was its StreamNet technology, which powered the DigiLinX system. This allowed for uncompressed, studio-quality audio and high-definition video to be sent over standard Cat5e computer cables. It was a significant step forward, replacing complex and proprietary wiring with a more flexible and scalable network-based approach. In 2004, this pioneering work attracted the attention of the investment community, leading to a funding round from Austin Ventures, which provided the capital to expand their product line and market presence. A major turning point for the company came when it was acquired by ClearOne, a global provider of conferencing and collaboration solutions. This event integrated NetStreams' innovative IP-based media distribution technology into a larger portfolio of communication products, expanding its reach from the residential market into the professional audio-visual space.