As described in the company's patent application, the techniques employed by MAPP Online provide a number of advantages over self-contained programs running entirely on a user's machine, say Meyer. For example, calculations using high-resolution complex (magnitude and phase) data demand greater computational power than is available on a laptop computer (the most common user platform). In contrast, the Java applet requires very little computational power, making it possible to run the program on a wide variety of platforms. Offloading the heavy computation to a powerful server means that designers can quickly modify designs and see the results, encouraging experimentation with "what if" scenarios until the desired performance is obtained.
Additionally, housing the loudspeaker database at the company's headquarters makes it a simple matter for data to be added or updated without the user needing to do any more than, at most, downloading an update to the small Java applet. Further, the system insures that all users have the latest version of the program by detecting the version in use when a prediction is requested and automatically downloading an update, if needed. Not only does this mean that every user is up to date, it simplifies support by eliminating the possibility of multiple versions being in the field.
MAPP Online, and its enhanced sibling, MAPP Online Professional, contain many additional features which, along with the system's accuracy, make them highly popular tools for sound system designers and consultants, say the company.
(Lee Baldock)
