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Media Server Innovations 2008

 Much to the chagrin of audiophiles, the vast majority of music in the home—70 percent—is now enjoyed via a PC. As digital music and films become more available in high-quality formats, and solid-state storage prices drop, hard drive-based AV content managers continue to grow in popularity.

The Heart of the Experience

MEDIA SERVERS PROVIDE AN ATTRACTIVE INTEGRATION SOLUTION, ESPECIALLY DURING A DOWNTURN

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Much to the chagrin of audiophiles, the vast majority of music in the home—70 percent—is now enjoyed via a PC. As digital music and films become more available in high-quality formats, and solid-state storage prices drop, hard drive-based AV content managers continue to grow in popularity.

It’s true that media servers offer better margins than flat-panel displays or commodity items. But the real value of custom integration isn’t technology. It is the quality of the experience, customization, and the artful blending of the server into a larger integrated electronic ecosystem.

Michael Malcolm, president of Kaleidescape, believes that his company’s system lends itself perfectly to this type of integrated environment. “It’s all about the ultimate user experience for the whole family,” Malcolm explained. “Giving the client what they love is the key. For most consumers, it isn’t about 1080p, it’s about ease of use and the entertainment.”

Now that Kaleidescape stores and distributes audio and video, it is a logical next step for a project upgrade, Malcolm noted. As slowing housing starts continue to pinch consumers, dealers consider retrofits as more feasible projects. “While we’re riding out the current market corrections,” Malcolm reflected, “retrofits are a way to offer former clients something they may not yet have.”

At its Utah headquarters, Axonix built the MediaMax HD, a sophisticated server to deliver whole-house AV content in high defintion and Bluray. Simplicity and fun are critical to the success of the interface, according to Axonix, and let users automatically collect, organize, and instantly display movie and music cover art.

Hugo Feugen, president and founder of CodexNovus, agrees that ease of use is important to the overall experience, but he also knows that the film quality is just as important. This is the CodexNovus mission, to offer: “ISF-certified, high-quality video, a place for all content, whether low-resolution YouTube, standard definition, high-definition, a broad range of video and audio codecs, including 5.1 and 7.1 digital surround sound, of course,” Fuegen said.

The media server gives clients an engaging, unique way to manage their music and film libraries.

A New York City-based company called Sooloos, a relative newcomer to the solid-state AV industry, set out to create the brass ring of media servers. What they cooked up is the Sooloos System, a powerhouse with the elegant geometry of modern sculpture and multiple terabyte storage capacity. “We didn’t want to build a PC,” Sandro Pugliese, a Soolooos partner, remarked. The team also wanted to address the inverse ratio plaguing the electronics industry: the more mainstream a product becomes, the less quality it offers. The antidote? Sooloos system integrates easily with Apple iTunes and the iPod, but it imports CD-quality audio in lossless FLAC format.

THE DIGITAL INFLUENCE
Sooloos is smart to advertize its seamless iTunes integration; the ubiquitous platform is the backbone of most digital music consumption. And Apple isn’t resting on its laurels. The company now wants to redefine the experience of TV as well with its AppleTV.

The completely redesigned interface makes it easy to browse, rent, and watch films from every major Hollywood studio. Movie rentals on Apple TV are $2.99 for library titles, $3.99 for new releases, and a dollar more for high-definition films with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.

An AppleTV film downloads instantly, and, with a lightening-speed broadband connection. Not only is this the ultimate in convenience, Control4’s Eric Smith thinks it makes sense to leverage one IP pipeline. His company approached the one-network solution from a different angle, though. The Control4 Home Controllers leverage the home’s network for wired and wireless control of all the home’s subsystems and digital AV content. “If you are going to buy a home automation system, why not get a media server for free?” he said. The Utah-based company celebrated a milestone recently; last month marked 50,000 controllers shipped globally.

Other noticeable digital trends, specifically with IPTV, Vista, and Windows XP Media Center Edition, might help dealers make more informed media server decisions.

The Windows XP Media Center Edition is worth watching. It allows users to store and play back live TV or radio, digitally record an entire TV series or program category, watch DVD, organize and play music collections, and serve up digital photos.

Certain standalone servers that are Windows-based run into speed problems and other issues common in a non-controlled environment, like viruses. And with all the possible permutations for networking, dealers must be savvy to stay current.

While Linux-based systems have their own issues too, they are sometimes considered easier to streamline with more speed when serving up content. Hugo Feugen believes that the CodexNovus system is more robust than a Windows-based device and is the type of component that dealers understand in terms of pricing and support. “Dealers don’t need degrees in computer science to operate our products,” he added.

In a rapidly changing industry, it is critical to stay abreast of hardware and software breakthroughs. No company knows that better than Russound, noted Jeff Kussard, Russound’s erstwhile vice president of strategic development. Kussard believes: “Changes in the marketplace, combined with feedback

Control4 leverages one network for wired or wireless control of all the home’s subsystems and digital AV content.from our dealers and installers, demonstrated the need for digital media products that offer a variety of features and benefits. Our offerings provide solutions for multiroom audio, as well as photos, movies, television, and home automation controllers.” COURTING BLU-RAY In about two years, finding a DVD in a retail store will be about as easy as buying an LP record, predicted John T. Cox, president and CEO of Xperinet. Cox believes that any product that does not support Blu-ray should be considered to have a useful life of no more than 18 months. Lucky for Axonix and Xperinet, their media servers support Blu-ray and other high-end audio formats.

Axonix’s MediaDeck 4HD distributes to multiple zones in 1080p quality Blu-ray and HD DVD movies stored either locally and/or on its networked MediaServer. It also delivers Dolby and DTS digital surround sound plus HD interactive movie features.

“Now that the format war has been settled, the studios will go gangbusters to force the transition,” Cox said. “Every customer who buys a Bluray player is going to re-purchase half a dozen movies they already own on DVD or videotape. That means new revenue on old movies with limited production cost. It’s a beautiful thing, and the best way to get the public there is to start releasing movies on Blu-ray only, which will probably be timed with the death of NTSC.”

Margot Douaihy is a contributing editor for Residential Systems magazine in New York City.

Axonix MEDIAMAX SERVES MULTI-ZONE BLU-RAY

Axonix Corporation, a 24-year old leading manufacturer of media systems, is now shipping its MediaMax HD Media Server.

The award-winning MediaMax HD Media Server supports the playback of Blu-ray, HD DVD, and SD DVD movies, CD, MP3 music, photo slideshows, Internet radio, and NetPlay Online Web services from any room at any time.

The Axonix MediaMaxHD is a popular solution for luxury systems in homes, yachts, and hotels.

Combining an elegant user experience with unprecedented quality, MediaMax has quickly become the solution of choice for hundreds of custom integrators around the world for use in luxury homes, yachts, and hotels. MediaMax HD consists of a MediaDeck 4HD Media Player and an optional MediaServer.

Axonix believes that the MediaDeck 4HD is unmatched in its ability to play in multiple zones true 1080p quality Blu-ray and HD DVD movies stored either locally and/or on its networked MediaServer.

With its integrated TriDrive the MediaDeck 4 HDT model can play Blu-ray, HD DVD, SD DVDs and CD discs plus remotely load these discs onto the MediaServer from any room in the home.

The exclusive StealthLoader feature allows you to load movies while playing another movie or other media at the same time.

An exclusive service called NetPlay allows you to play Internet radio plus access a suite of instant information services including local Weather. Future pay per play services include movie and music downloading services.

Only MediaMax HD can unleash the exhilarating quality expected by the most demanding HDTV home theatre enthusiast by delivering 1080p movies with six times greater resolution than Standard Definition DVD movies. In addition, it delivers Dolby and DTS digital surround sound plus exclusive HD interactive movie features.

MediaMax HD
��� Supports Blu-ray, HD DVD, and SD DVD movies, CD, MP3 music, photo slideshows, and Internet radio
■ Integrates with the leading control systems including Crestron, AMX, HomeLogic, Control 4, and many others
■ Free lifetime Music and Movie Cover Art service and a threeyear limited warranty
■ Automatically collects, organizes and instantly displays movie and music cover art via a simple and fun interface
■ Eliminates the hassle of locating lost or repairing damaged DVDs and CDs
■ Offers valuable features including Pop-Up Movie Menus, Parental Rating Control, On-the-fly music playlists, plus HD photo slide shows with music

MediaDeck 4 HDT Tera
■ With the MediaDeck 4 dealers can offer clients a complete one zone 1TB RAID 1 MediaMax HD system for under $7,000
■ For additional centralized networked storage simply add a MediaServer starting at $5,795
■ For more zones, add more MediaDecks starting at $2,495 for an SD movie model and $3,495 for an HD movie model
■ MediaServers are available with 500GBs to 13TBs of RAID 6 media storage. Multiple MediaServers may be added for virtually unlimited media storage.

Sooloos EXPERIENCE, FIDELITY, PERFORMANCE

The Source Series includes the source:one and source:five components to provide up to 32 discrete zones.

With a music industry background and a passion for best-in-class performance, the Sooloos team wanted to create a media server that connects clients to their music the way it was meant to be heard. No fans, no dodgy digital files—the Sooloos system delivers music bit-for-bit as it was mastered to CD, through the most discrete signal path possible, with the enhancement of wholehouse distribution and a stunning 17- inch touch panel.

The New York City-based company is a relatively young player in the solidstate category but it is dedicated to growing a global network of custom dealers with discerning tastes. “Our dealers want the Ferrari, not the Honda,” Sandro Pugliese of Soolooos explained. Ease and simplicity are the essential elements of the Sooloos experience. Modern customers want power and reliability in a gorgeous package, which is why Sooloos handcrafted the system, A to Z, from the platform to the chassis. They have designed everything from the innards to the aesthetics; the closed environment allows for better performance and better support.

To save installers valuable installation and programming time the Sooloos system auto-configures. All that is required for operation is power, Ethernet, and passion. It offers an interface with speed and simplicity and power when required. Distribution is also a highlight of the system which allows installers to mix, match, and daisy-chain for enhanced performance. Remote monitoring via IP allows the Sooloos team to preempt problems before they cripple a system. Because Sooloos does not want dealers to reinvent the wheel, they offer pre-made modules. (A Crestron video module puts the Sooloos interface on any video-capable Crestron panel.) IPbased protocols allow for easy integration with any third-party device.

The Sooloos touch control device provides a sophisticated and unique way to interact with your music.

Whether you have a one-room apartment or a thirty-room estate, the system can tailor to any project requirement. Using components from the three Sooloos product series (store, source, and control) anyone can have the ultimate music experience. The Sooloos Store Series is offered in mirrored component pairs with capacities of one, or two terabytes (providing up to 2,000 or 4,000 albums of storage, respectively). Additional pairs can be added at any time, to accommodate even the largest music libraries. Every Sooloos system includes a control:one, which provides master control, import, and configuration functions on its stunning 17-inch touch panel display. Add control points with additional control:ones.

The source series features low-jitter design, servo-balanced analog outputs, DCcoupled signal path, and a ground-free transformer-coupled. Clearly, backup is also important. Who’s never gotten a call at 2am with a system failure problem? This is why Sooloos engineers dedicated extra R&D into a bulletproof, networkable system. No wiring diagrams are required. In fact, even for the network novice, the system is seamless. The same is true for the user, according to Pugliese: “The product grows with the customer. It is more than playback; it becomes a learning experience. We want our clients to say they would rather have a Sooloos than a TV.”

As for sound quality, Sooloos is confident it stands head and shoulders above other products in the category. “We are multiroom with audiophile quality,” he added.

Control4 WHOLE-HOUSE, HIGH-PERFORMANCE A/V ENJOYMENT

Control4 delivers both wired and wireless solutions that can be installed in existing or new homes.

Control4 is the platform for today’s digital home and is the first company to make whole-home automation a practical option for any residence. The company makes everyday life easier by providing one-touch control of both new and existing electronic systems in the home. By allowing leading consumer electronics products to easily work together, Control4 provides effortless entertainment, comfort, convenience and peace of mind to homeowners everywhere. Control4’s affordable and easy to use software and hardware products enable home theater control, multiroom music, smart lighting, temperature control, and security, through a range of in-home and over-the-web remote control technology.

The Home Controller HC-1000 and the HC-500 are complete solutions equipped with a hard drive to serve up digital audio and photos throughout the home. They are also work elegantly with the Sony 777 and the Kaleidescape for video distribution.

The HC-1000 is optimized to run as a dedicated master controller in a Control4 Home Automation System. The HC-1000 provides the capacity and performance for the most demanding home automation projects, complementing the latest release of the Control4 Home Automation System Software (v. 1.3.2).

Ideal for managing large wholehome automation installations and multi-dwelling units (MDUs), the HC- 1000 can control the home theater, multi-room music, smart lighting, advanced temperature control, security, and many other home automation sub-systems.

Whole-home solutions from Control4 offer intuitive access to multi-room audio and video content.

When increased processing capabilities are required, the HC-1000 is the best solution for whole-home automation.

The HC-500 is a powerful media server with 160GB of storage and both digital and analog audio processing. It replaces, on average, more than four traditional remotes and delivers easy navigation and operation through a single, operating system. The Home Controller HC-500 offers multiple infrared and serial connections and video sensing for easy home theater integration. In addition, the HC-500 offers a comprehensive range of standardsbased communication technology including Ethernet, WiFi, and ZigBee mesh networking and expansion through two standard USB 2.0 ports.

The HC-500 supports enough I/O connections to support complex home theaters.

CodexNovus SETTING NEW STANDARDS

Top: The HDcodex interface is so elegant and simple the entire family will feel comfortable using it. Bottom: The CodexNovus HDcodex brings library browsing to a new dimension with enhanced metadata, genre, and style information.

The full potential of true high-definition video and multi-channel digital audio can now be realized. CodexNovus HDcodex DML Series digital media player/servers provide simple, instantaneous, random access to all digital media, including movies, music and digital images, in HD video and 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound.

All CodexNovus DML player/servers provide top quality film, sports, and music video viewing, superb color fidelity, and quiet operation in HD formats up to 1080p—and beyond. Their innovative memory, access, and streaming systems allow for simultaneous streams of different media to different rooms anywhere in the home with any number of CodexNovus DML Series digital media player/servers networked via its broadband, Gigabit Ethernet connection, thus allowing all users independent access to any music, HD, or SD video or digital image content stored on any of the linked player/servers.

The entire CodexNovus DML line, including the DML1600, can play back 1080p in simultaneous streams anywhere in the home.

CodexNovus DML Series player/servers are built around the powerful, proprietary HDcodex software architecture designed by CodexNovus. HDcodex empowers users by giving them the ability to consolidate, catalog, and organize their video, music, and picture media libraries using an interface that is so elegant and simple that everyone in the family will feel comfortable using it. The HDcodex proprietary user interface provides instant access to all stored media with a uniform menu view of all the disparate formats, whether music, film or still images.

Attesting to their no-compromise approach to performance, all CodexNovus devices have received full Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) Certification insuring that they meet the metrics and specifications that define the very best video performance available to consumers.

CodexNovus HDcodex media player/servers enhance the experience of browsing through the stored media collection by providing detailed metadata, artist, album, genre, and style information on thousands of albums and movies.

Unlike systems and servers originating in the PC World, with CodexNovus HDcodex system there is no confusion or set-up difficulty arising from literally hundreds of possible configurations and mismatches, no operating system concerns, no background applications running and no virus worries simply superb imaging and sonic reproduction combined with the industry’s finest user interface.

Russound QUALITY, RELIABILITY, AND FUNCTIONALITY

The Smart Media Server is so smart it even learns your music preferences.

Since 1967, Russound’s top priority has been making quality products that are reliable, easy to install, and simple to use. The company’s early hifi accessory solutions such as speaker selectors, tape monitor switches, and volume controls developed a reputation for reliability and made Russound synonymous with quality in the multiroom audio industry.

As the top brand in multiroom audio for the third year in a row, Russound has continued to provide the products and support customers expect from a company dedicated to a user-friendly experience. From humble beginnings, Russound’s products have grown from volume controls and switches to a full line of multiroom audio and video products, including controller amplifiers, media servers and touchscreens. Quality, reliability, and functionality remain paramount in the design of Russound’s award-winning products. Their mantra: “Our goal is to use our experience to improve your experience.”

The Russound Smart Media Console (SMC) allows you to store, manage, and enjoy all your digital media from the comfort of your living room. Watch DVDs or download and view movies and television on demand. Record your favorite shows or movies or pause and rewind the big game with the digital video recorder function. Play your digital music collection through a home theater or multiroom audio system. View a slideshow of your digital photographs with music.

The Russound Smart Media Server (SMS3) stores and manages your music, providing easy retrieval from virtually anywhere in your home. It supplies three different streams of music simultaneously, making it ideal for use in a multiroom audio system. When used with a Russound RNET system, the artist, album, and song information is delivered directly to your UNO keypad or touchscreen display.

The Smart Media Console captures NTSC, ATSC, and high-def broadcasts.

The Russound Smart Media Server (SMS3) stores and manages your music, providing easy retrieval from virtually anywhere in your home. It supplies three different streams of music simultaneously, making it ideal for use in a multiroom audio system. When used with a Russound RNET system, the artist, album, and song information is delivered directly to your UNO keypad or touchscreen display.

Smart Media Console
■ Manages digital media, including music, photos, and movies; also records CDs and DVDs
■ Captures NTSC, ATSC, and highdefinition television broadcasts
■ Controls home automation and control systems with optional software

Smart Media Server

Use the iBay Bridge to distribute your iTunes throughout the home on an RNET Zone

■ Three different audio streams can play anywhere in the house
■ Access music by artist, genre, and theme; it even learns your music preferences
■ Can be operated from keypads or touchscreens, from a computer, or with a remote control

iBridge Bay
■ Allows full access of iTunes music from an RNET zone
■ Select media by playlist, genre, album, artist, and song; see what is playing on UNO keypads and touchscreens
■ Mac can be located anywhere in the house up to 300 feet with included RNET A/V Decoder and networked to other Mac or PCs within the home

Xperinet INDUSTRY-LEADING BLU-RAY STORAGE

Store Blu-ray and keep media libraries of multiple homes in sync with Xperinet’s Polaris 4.5 TB server

Xperinet, Inc develops and markets convergence technology products for the Custom Electronics Integration (CEDIA) industry. Headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland, Xperinet recognizes that customers no longer want to search through piles of discs to find a movie or play music. In response to this demand, Xperinet has created the MIRV (Multiple Independent-Replay Video server) product line. Based on a client/server architecture, MIRV products not only store video content, but also stream movies and music around the home so many users can have access to the same library simultaneously.

In addition to this existing functionality, Xperinet continues to stay at the leading edge of technology. Two of the latest new technologies that Xperinet has incorporated into its MIRV line of media servers are RAIDsync and support for Blu-ray discs.

RAIDsync is a significant enhancement for customers who have multiple homes and don’t want to load a new CD or DVD separately at each location. Many customers purchase one MIRV for their primary residence and one for their vacation home.

RAIDsync will keep both systems always up-to-date with their complete library. As the library changes, a scheduled transfer over the Internet synchronizes any changes to music and movie content between each MIRV unit. The system is not limited to just two locations. Several homes may be joined together into a synchronization group.

The second new technology was added to keep pace with High Definition (HD) developments in the marketplace. HD content is essential for revealing the capabilities of 1080p displays. Blu-ray discs are the premier delivery vehicle for this format and MIRV is the first media server appliance to adopt Blu-ray for the custom installation market. The 2008 product line includes several servers and clients with the ability to load, manage, and playback Blu-ray content.

The ultra quiet and slim Tarpon-HD Client measures 5”x8”x1”. It’s thin enough to wall-mount behind a plasma.

In addition to the benefits offered by the MIRV system to the customer, Xperinet employs a supportive approach in working with its dealers. Higher than average dealer margins and 24/7 support ensure that the MIRV product line is quite beneficial to the dealer doing the installations as well as to the customers purchasing the system.

Polaris-BD 4.5TB Media Server
■ Keep media libraries of multiple homes in sync with one another
■ BD-ROM for loading Blu-ray discs
■ Expandable storage capacity
■ Up to five independent, simultaneous streams of BD content
■ RAID-5+, Linux OS

Tarpon-HD Client
■ Small form-factor player, with no moving parts—an ultra quiet, inroom client device. (5”x 8”x1”)
■ Simultaneous digital and analog outputs
■ Full support for 1080p, including 24 fps to match native film formats
■ Supports MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG- 4, H.264, DIVX, WMV, AVI and (L)PCM, WAV, MP3, WMA-PRO, AAC, AC3, DTS

Kaleidescape THE APPLIANCE THAT BRINGS DELIGHT AND IS BUILT TO LAST!

An entertainment server should be a future-proof appliance that delights your customers.

The Kaleidescape 3U Server can store up to 1,800 DVDs or 20,000 CDs.

A great entertainment server installation should be core infrastructure in your customer’s home. It must be designed to scale – to expand. It must be designed to keep up with technology – to be future-proof and continually improve. A Kaleidescape System solves your customer’s problem of managing their CDs and DVDs. They’ll enjoy their entertainment more; they’ll discover new movies and music, and their library will grow. Luckily, a Kaleidescape System can be easily expanded. You can add larger Disk Cartridges and additional Servers for more capacity, and additional Players can add new viewing or listening zones – all without replacing any equipment. There are virtually no limits – Kaleidescape Systems serve some of the largest palaces and yachts in the world. Technologies change, but your customer’s Kaleidescape System is future-proof and continually improving. The Kaleidescape Blue-Laser Player, planned for 2009, is designed to play all Blu-ray Discs. You will be able to easily add Blue-Laser Players to any existing Kaleidescape System, without any additional software license fees. Kaleidescape often releases new features, which we distribute over the Internet directly to every Kaleidescape System, which automatically installs them without requiring the installer to go on-site. You can please your customers with these new features, without ever paying a service call. The Kaleidescape System is architected to scale, to be future-proof, and to improve over the years – to be the key to your customer’s entertainment experience for years to come.

For a profitable sale, you must retain your margins after the installation is finished. The entertainment server you install should be an appliance – it should not need maintenance, and should not require frequent service calls. But reliable appliances must have software and hardware that are designed for one purpose – in this case, entertainment. The Kaleidescape Entertainment Appliance Operating System (KEAOS) was built specifically for storing, managing, and playing movies and music. Unlike other operating systems such as Windows XP MCE, Mac OS X, or Linux, KEAOS does one thing very well – and that is what makes the Kaleidescape System so responsive, reliable, and stable. The hardware of the Kaleidescape components has also been custom-built for importing, storing and playing back high-quality audio and video content. Unlike general purpose PC hardware, these components are reliable, highperformance audio/video components, designed to either be rack-mounted or stand freely on a shelf. Kaleidescape protects the customer’s library with a technology called RAID-K. If a disk fails, the Kaleidescape System continues to operate, and no content is lost. You can replace the failed drive without turning off the Server and even while watching a movie. Unlike other RAID technologies, with RAID-K, you can periodically increase the storage capacity by adding new and larger disks. The Hot Spare Disk Cartridge in the 3U Server is immediately available as a replacement if a disk fails, and that eliminates urgent service calls.

When you install a Kaleidescape System, you install a reliable appliance built for a single purpose, and you will be more likely to retain your margins after the installation is finished. An entertainment server should relieve the whole family from the annoyance of CDs and DVDs so they can begin to enjoy choosing movies and music. Only then will your customer, and their whole family, tell their friends, and recommend your services. The Kaleidescape System automatically catalogs everything for you. Your customer may never again have to organize their plastic discs or endure the frustration of searching for and fumbling with cases, and navigating DVD menus. The Kaleidescape System also solves the problems of demanding interior designers by getting rid of the clutter of all those CDs and DVDs, and by reclaiming the valuable space that was used to store them. The Kaleidescape System is easy for even children to use, but powerful enough for the enthusiast. Even a guest can easily choose movies or music albums, perhaps recommended by the cover shuffle, or select automatic playlists like “Play Jazz”, while the more ambitious family member can create favorite scenes and scripts to show off their home theater. Families love the Kaleidescape System. They enjoy their entertainment more; they collect more CDs and DVDs; and they upgrade their system more often. The whole family shows their friends and recommends your services.

The Kaleidescape System is a futureproof appliance that even the kids can’t stop telling their friends about.

Kaleidescape System
■ Install an entertainment server that offers richer experience with time.
■ Install a reliable server appliance, and retain your margins.
■ Kids and spouses show their friends and recommend your services.

Escient UNMATCHED EASE OF USE

Escient, the pioneer of disc recognition and media management technology, is still guided by the vision the company was founded on 10 years ago: to bring the power of the Internet to consumer electronic devices in the home and enabling customers to easily and elegantly manage their entire music and DVD movie collections, all with one easy-to-use, on-screen TV user interface. Then back up that vision with best-in-class service and customer support.

The VC-1 and VS-100/200, both with the all new Escient hi-definition user interface. The FireBall FP-1 Music Manager: The only iPod dock of it’s kind on the market

The “Escient experience” has been developed and refined to provide customers with unmatched ease-of-use when it comes to managing all forms of music and DVD libraries. Escient Media Managers provide enough storage for even the largest music and DVD collections. Escient’s products provide the means and elegance to store, browse and play any song, album, artist or movie regardless of location in the home.

Escient’s unique ability to seamlessly integrate multiple formats and storage mediums, along with state-of-the-art media recognition, means that music and movies are cataloged, organized, and ready to enjoy without having to search for hours to locate the discs or music files.

The Vision Line
■ Store movies, music, and digital photos on the Vision and instantly enjoy them from any room of the home through an all-new highdefinition Escient user interface
■ Built from the ground up for today’s digital home, the Escient Vision Series is comprised of three new products: an all-in-one server/player, an audio/video player, and a large capacity media server that provide the most sought after features for today’s digitally connected home and supports the proven external control capabilities of the Escient Fireball Media Management product line

FireBall MX-311
■ Stored music, DVD changer management, and Internet radio
■ Graphically organize and display your entire DVD and digital music collection right on your big screen
■ 320GB hard drive and ability to manage up to 400 DVDs and CDs in an external changer

FireBall FP-1
■ On-screen music management features you expect from a FireBall for your iPod
■ Complete FireBall Music Manager with all of the custom install features you need to provide seamless integration of iPod music into any home audio system
■ Streams music from FireBall music servers or PC/Mac with or without a docked iPod
■ Allows other FireBalls to access and play music stored on the iPod including music purchased from the iTunes Music Store.

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