HAI Media Center, Home Server Deliver Automation, Surveillance, Multiroom Music

Home Automation Inc. (HAI) one of the first automation companies to create a plug-in for Media Center, now plans to offer a Media Center PC of its own.

Do they really want to go there? I asked HAI chief Jay McLellan.

"We do," he says. "We wouldn't do that if we didn't see the progress of Windows Media Center. If we were just putting me-too Media Centers in there, we wouldn't do it."

What's different about HAI's Media Center, a prototype of which is being quietly demonstrated at CEDIA Expo 2008, is that it's pretty darn basic.

"To start with, we're not going to go all out and try to do too much," says McLellan. "We're not supporting every output, just HDMI," McLellan says. "We'll discourage [through the setup] people from putting too much extra stuff in there."

There will be no CableCard support right now. "There's a lot to improve with CableCard," McLellan says. "We'll do it when the time is right."

And HAI has opted for an upconverting DVD player rather than Blu-ray. "We'll wait until there's native support for Blu-ray," McLellan says.

What the Media Center will have is plug-and-play integration with HAI's automation system and supported interfaces, including Philips Pronto remotes and HAI's new OmniTouch WiFi-enabled tablets.

HAI has partnered with Autonomic to enable the OmniTouch tablets to take full advantage of the Media Center.

"HAI has been an integration partner in the past," says Autonomic's Michael de Nigris. "But that was just one-way communications from their controller to our server. This is true two-way integration covering all five [Media Center] categories: music, movies, recorded TV and photos."

HAI has not set pricing on its Media Center, which is expected to ship this year. McLellan suggests that it should retail for less than $2,500.

HAI Music Gateway: 3 Audio Streams

Autonomic is also helping HAI with a new "Music Gateway" based on Windows Home Server.

HAI already offers WebLink 3 (WL3) automation software for Home Server. HAI now is developing its own Home Server incorporating Autonomic's Media Control Server multiroom audio solution (I love this stuff).

The HAI Music Gateway has a built-in 5.1 sound card which, thanks to Autonomic, can deliver three music streams to three zones simultaneously (including protected iTunes content).

The unit ships with HAI's WL3 software, enabling remote access to the HAI system from any Web browser, including an iPhone.

Since HAI has added DVR functionality to WL3, the Music Gateway can record surveillance video from IP cameras. It transcodes the video so for viewing even on itty bitty screens.

Even though the product is a full-fledged Windows Home Server, HAI is keeping it simple, promoting it simply as a music (and CCTV) gateway.

The gateway runs very cool, says McLellan, so it can be installed in a closed structured wiring cabinet.

The Music Gateway, with 160 GB of storage, is expected to retail for less than $1,800.