Lux Intros Rugged, Waterproof MCE TV for the Outdoors

It's the quintessential geek dilemma: You want to go outside to take a dip in the pool, but you simply cannot leave your Media Center Edition behind.

Torment yourself no longer. Lux Entertainment introduces the ARIIS outdoor MCE TV. It features a 26-inch Sharp LCD HDTV sealed in glare-free, reflection-free glass, the kind used by museums, says Lux principal Andy Vaccaro. "You could stand in front of it, and you wouldn't see yourself," he says. "And it doesn't wash out the picture."

Attached to the TV is a Media Center Extender, allowing TV, photos, music and all manner of MCE-based content to be streamed to the outdoors wirelessly from a networked Media Center machine. All that's needed poolside is an outlet for power.

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The stainless steel base houses two marine-grade speakers. Thermostat controls, along with the fans, heaters and coolers needed to protect the entire package, are housed in the enclosure.

A waterproof universal learning remote is included with the ARIIS system. The unit communicates via RF to a base station inside the enclosure--no worries about ultraviolet interference here. Lux preprograms the remotes to control the MCE (via the Extender). Here's the bonus: You can also operate your spa and pool gear with the remote.

Retail price for the ARIIS Media Center Extender model is $6,800. Lux offers a generous dealer program. Interested resellers can contact the manufacturer or its rep firm ProAct Sales/Custom Partners.

Lux also is coming out with a model that includes a full-blown slim-profile MCE computer, based on Intel's Viiv platform, connected to the TV. That system is on display at the Westfield Garden State Plaza mall in Paramus, N.J.

As if that's not cool enough, Lux's SONIS-OC lets you stow your electronic systems outside in a motorized enclosure. On command, a turret rises from its base to display a touchscreen, security monitor, intercom or any other sensitive device that fits in a half-rack space. "We've had everything from a Roku [Soundbridge] to phones and keypads in there," says Vaccaro. "We even had a guy do a scoreboard in there, and little kids were whacking it with bats."

That's how durable the SONIS. "Virtually indestructible," according to Lux, once the SONIS senses rain, it closes with 695 pounds of pressure.

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AD: Click here if you're in the business of selling, installing

or supporting PC/AV systems for the home.

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