Imerge, the Cambridge, England-based manufacturer of hard disk home entertainment servers, has expanded it MS1 media server the new MS1-HD, which replaces the DVD drive with a Blu-ray mechanism to deliver native 1080p video storage and playback.
The new MS1-HD
Like its predecessor, the MS1-HD will rip DVDs and upscale them to 1080p; the key difference is the new Blu-ray drive, which also allows users to store and playback content from Blu-ray discs in native 1080p resolution.
The MS1 has always been 1080p-capable — the original MS1 had a built-in DVD drive, which would read and store content from the end-user’s CDs and DVDs automatically; the DVDs would then be upscaled to 1080p. However, the addition of a Blu-ray drive means the MS1-HD can store and playback native 1080p content from Blu-ray discs, too. The MS1-HD’s XiVASafe hard drive storage components also have been upgraded to deliver more storage capacity.
At its launch in 2008, Imerge’s flagship MS1 media server offered management and archiving for music and DVD movies. Since then, a series of downloadable software updates helped enhance performance and further expand functionality. The new MS1-HD now stores the end-user’s entire media collection and makes it accessable via a fully networked hard disk server.
According to Imerge, the MS1-HD is designed as the central control unit for a complete MS1-HD system. It is partnered by Imerge’s XiVASafe hard drive components, delivering digital storage that can be increased according to the end-user’s requirements. To this are added individual “client” units, according to the number of rooms the MS1-HD is required to serve in a given installation.
The end-user stores his or her music and movies on the MS1-HD/XiVASafe system, accessing it through touchscreen control panels and the MS1-HD’s GUI, displayed on-screen. Different media can be distributed to different rooms in the house simultaneously.
The flagship XiVASafe iSCSI chassis now delivers 12TB (12,000GB) of storage — sufficient for 18,000 uncompressed CDs, 1,800 DVDs, or 300 Blu-ray discs — while keeping two drives “redundant” in case of disk failure.
Any form of digital data can be stored on XiVASafe components – not just HD video and audio content but anything that’s stored on a computer.
“The ‘Imerge experience’ is all about unparalleled performance, functionality, and simplicity, and as our flagship server component, the MS1-HD is the ultimate embodiment of our core values — a ‘statement product’ in the truest sense of the term,” Imerge CEO Cameron Wade stated. “We now live in a high-definition world, and the MS1-HD delivers an incomparable multi-room entertainment experience across all types of media. Its range of features, exceptional flexibility, sound quality, and HD video performance make it truly unique.”
