Digital Flash Memory - The Heart of the Player
	Two Kinds of Equipment
	PBX-only players
	Analog (non-KSU) phone-compatible units
	Universal players
	Designed for On Hold Use

Digital Flash Memory - The Heart of the Player
Modern Message On Hold players have digital flash memory that holds your program and loops it over and over. Whenever a call is put on hold, placed in a queue, transferred to an extension, or sent to voicemail, the caller hears the program as it plays from the digital memory. The digital memory can be "flashed", or recorded, with a new program in any number of ways, depending on the player's design -- through a built-in CD loading mechanism, from a computer's USB port, or from an external program source.

Back to top

Two Kinds of Equipment
The kind of equipment you need depends on what kind of business telephones you have. There are essentially two categories of equipment:

1. units that are compatible only with PBX/KSU (or equivalent) business phone systems;
    
2. units that are compatible with ordinary analog (non-KSU) telephones, like you might find in a home or purchase from an office store.

We have industry-leading, state-of-the-art equipment of both types, as well as "universal" Message On Hold players that can be used with either type of system.

• PBX-only players. A business phone system like a PBX, KSU, or equivalent "hybrid" system will have a dedicated "music on hold" input. Our PBX-compatible equipment plugs directly into this input. When a call is transferred or put on hold, your PBX automatically switches the line to this input. Examples include our own OHP 7000 and OHP 6000 Digital Message On Hold players.
   
• Analog (non-KSU)-compatible Adapters. Regular telephones don't have dedicated "music on hold" inputs, or the necessary circuitry to play messages over the phone line. For these, you need a special adapter which provides Message On Hold capability to regular phones. An example would be our own MOH 500e Message On Hold Adapter, which requires you to provide your own audio source.
   
• Universal players. The most convenient equipment combines the player and adapter in one, and are thus compatible with both PBX/KSU phone systems and non-KSU phones. Examples include our OHP 7500 and OHP 6500 Digital Message On Hold players. 

Back to top

Designed for On Hold Use
There are lots of ways to play music -- CD players, cassette players, MP3 players, even the CD drive on your computer. A Message On Hold player is a very specialized type of music player, designed especially for on hold applications.

Unlike off-the-shelf CD, cassette, or MP3 players, a true dedicated on hold player is:

• Built to withstand the rigors of 24-hour, 365 day a year use. Because there are no lasers to burn out or tapes to break, a quality player can run several years without ever being powered down -- so when you put a call on hold, your messages will be there. Under continuous use, the average consumer CD player or computer CD drive lasts only a few months before the laser burns out.
   
• Smart power handling features. A good Message On Hold player can retain message content even during a power loss, and are smart enough to restart themselves when the power comes back on.
   
• Has the proper impedance for telephone use. Portable CD and MP3 players are designed to drive headphones, not phone systems, which means your programs might sound distorted or won't play at optimum volume. The best Message On Hold equipment accommodates both 8-ohm and 600-ohm PBX inputs, eliminating "volume compatibility" problems common to some systems.
   
• Easy to Use. You shouldn't have to have a degree in electronics to set up and use your Message On Hold equipment! "Plug and play" ease of use is important. A well-designed player is no more difficult to set up than an answering machine, and new programs can be loaded in just a few minutes.

Back to top