Media Servers
Friday, September 25, 2009
Envive Adds TheaterStation Multi-Zone Media Management

Following the legal battles involving RealDVD and Kaleidescape, Envive has re-launched its media servers to avoid the legal fray.
During CEDIA Expo 2009 the maker of TheaterStation media servers launched its Multi-Zone Digital Media Management System and TSClient Mini.
Envive CEO Chris Bortner — even though “I’m not a lawyer” — says he dashed many legal concerns from CE pros during CEDIA Expo by explaining the differences between TheaterStation and Kaleidescape.
“The difference between us and Kaleidescape is that our system is open,” Bortner says, referring to the fact that the Envive product does not require (or allow) DVDs to be copied directly onto the server. Instead, the device can accept content that is stored on other devices in the home, including PCs and NAS drives.
“Envive doesn’t enable the playing or copying of access- or copy-protected media out of the box,” Bortner says.
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During CEDIA Expo 2009 the maker of TheaterStation media servers launched its Multi-Zone Digital Media Management System and TSClient Mini.
Envive CEO Chris Bortner — even though “I’m not a lawyer” — says he dashed many legal concerns from CE pros during CEDIA Expo by explaining the differences between TheaterStation and Kaleidescape.
“The difference between us and Kaleidescape is that our system is open,” Bortner says, referring to the fact that the Envive product does not require (or allow) DVDs to be copied directly onto the server. Instead, the device can accept content that is stored on other devices in the home, including PCs and NAS drives.
“Envive doesn’t enable the playing or copying of access- or copy-protected media out of the box,” Bortner says.
Read more
Posted by Tom LeBlanc on 09/25 at 09:50 AM
News, Digital Rights, Legal, Media Servers, (0) Comments, Permalink
News, Digital Rights, Legal, Media Servers, (0) Comments, Permalink
Monday, September 14, 2009
Video: Envive at CEDIA Expo 2009

Chris Bortner, CEO of Envive talks with CE Pro's Lisa Montgomery about Envive's TheaterStation product line and the new TheaterStation client.
View larger video here
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View larger video here
Posted by CE Pro Editors on 09/14 at 11:15 AM
Video, CEDIA, Digital Media, Media Servers, (0) Comments, Permalink
Video, CEDIA, Digital Media, Media Servers, (0) Comments, Permalink
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Meridian Reveals Next-Gen Sooloos 2.0 Media Server

Meridian will debut the latest updates to its Sooloos media server at CEDIA Expo 2009.
The latest update, which provides a centralized shared music source, includes interface enhancements and major changes to system capabilities, zone playback options and hardware options.
"We have completely reinvented the system architecture of Sooloos," says Bob Stuart, Meridian's co-founder, chairman and chief technology officer. "The new design allows the interface to literally handle hundreds of thousands of files with the same speed and flexibility as just one hundred."
Sooloos 2.0 now boasts the ability to communicate with Meridian legacy products, which protects the investment of consumers "while offering an attractive system and exposing Meridian to a broader audience."
The Sooloos 2.0 system, which has begun shipping to dealers, consists of a 17-inch color-touchscreen controller with embedded CD slot for transferring CD music to connected Twinstore hard drives. In a 1TB configuration, the combination retails for a suggested $8,250.…
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The latest update, which provides a centralized shared music source, includes interface enhancements and major changes to system capabilities, zone playback options and hardware options.
"We have completely reinvented the system architecture of Sooloos," says Bob Stuart, Meridian's co-founder, chairman and chief technology officer. "The new design allows the interface to literally handle hundreds of thousands of files with the same speed and flexibility as just one hundred."
Sooloos 2.0 now boasts the ability to communicate with Meridian legacy products, which protects the investment of consumers "while offering an attractive system and exposing Meridian to a broader audience."
The Sooloos 2.0 system, which has begun shipping to dealers, consists of a 17-inch color-touchscreen controller with embedded CD slot for transferring CD music to connected Twinstore hard drives. In a 1TB configuration, the combination retails for a suggested $8,250.…
Posted by Geoff Oldmixon on 09/08 at 09:46 AM
News, Product News, CEDIA, Media Servers, (0) Comments, Permalink
News, Product News, CEDIA, Media Servers, (0) Comments, Permalink
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Niveus to Offer White Glove Service for Media Center Products

If you've avoided Windows Media Center because set-up can be a pain, then you might appreciate Niveus' new White Glove service offering.
"Normally you [dealer] have to do all of the set-up," says CEO Tim Cutting. "With our service, they can tell us how they're using the product. We set up the servers here and ship them for a nearly plug-and-play install."
Niveus will set up its Media Center machines for static/dynamic IP addresses, content sharing, audio, video and more.
In addition to the original set-up, Niveus will provide "proactive management" of media servers in the field, so problems like impending drive failures can be thwarted before they happen.
"Our support team will come in every morning and look at the dashboard," Cutting says.
Niveus can alert the homeowner or the dealer or simply fix any issues on its own.
"A good number of…
Read more
"Normally you [dealer] have to do all of the set-up," says CEO Tim Cutting. "With our service, they can tell us how they're using the product. We set up the servers here and ship them for a nearly plug-and-play install."
Niveus will set up its Media Center machines for static/dynamic IP addresses, content sharing, audio, video and more.
In addition to the original set-up, Niveus will provide "proactive management" of media servers in the field, so problems like impending drive failures can be thwarted before they happen.
"Our support team will come in every morning and look at the dashboard," Cutting says.
Niveus can alert the homeowner or the dealer or simply fix any issues on its own.
"A good number of…
Posted by Julie Jacobson on 09/03 at 07:32 AM
News, Product News, CEDIA, Media Center, Media Servers, (0) Comments, Permalink
News, Product News, CEDIA, Media Center, Media Servers, (0) Comments, Permalink
Friday, August 07, 2009
Fusion Research Giving Away Studio Movie Server at CEDIA Expo 2009
Fusion Research will give away its new Studio Movie Server to one lucky attendee at the CEDIA Expo 2009.
Attendees can register for the contest by having their badge scanned at Fusion's booth (#3317). The winner will be announced on the Fusion Web site on Thursday, Sept. 16.
Fusion’s new Studio Movie Server stores up to 250 DVDs, includes an "add your own" storage option and can integrate with any IR-based control system.
The Studio Movie Server also has the same interface and video quality of the flagship Cinema Server and Genesis product lines. MSRP: $3,495
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Attendees can register for the contest by having their badge scanned at Fusion's booth (#3317). The winner will be announced on the Fusion Web site on Thursday, Sept. 16.
Fusion’s new Studio Movie Server stores up to 250 DVDs, includes an "add your own" storage option and can integrate with any IR-based control system.
The Studio Movie Server also has the same interface and video quality of the flagship Cinema Server and Genesis product lines. MSRP: $3,495
Friday, July 31, 2009
ReQuest Hits Trifecta for Media Servers: YouTube, Hulu, Netflix

ReQuest may be the first manufacturer in the custom channel to incorporate Netflix into its media servers, and the new application will be shown at CEDIA Expo 2009.
Sure you can find the streaming video service in numerous TVs, settop boxes, and Windows Media Center (see our digital media roundup), but our favorite integrator-friendly servers have been slow to adopt the service … until now.
ReQuest is incorporating Netflix into its high-end Intelligent Music and Movie Client (IMC), which connects to a ReQuest media server.
What started out as a nice way to access your own movies and music from a server has emerged to become a nice vehicle for streaming media – all through a single streamlined user interface.
First there was YouTube, then came Hulu (definitely a first in our industry) and now Netflix.
Read more
Sure you can find the streaming video service in numerous TVs, settop boxes, and Windows Media Center (see our digital media roundup), but our favorite integrator-friendly servers have been slow to adopt the service … until now.
ReQuest is incorporating Netflix into its high-end Intelligent Music and Movie Client (IMC), which connects to a ReQuest media server.
What started out as a nice way to access your own movies and music from a server has emerged to become a nice vehicle for streaming media – all through a single streamlined user interface.
First there was YouTube, then came Hulu (definitely a first in our industry) and now Netflix.
Read more
Posted by Julie Jacobson on 07/31 at 07:14 AM
News, Product News, CEDIA, Digital Media, Media Servers, (5) Comments, Permalink
News, Product News, CEDIA, Digital Media, Media Servers, (5) Comments, Permalink
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Latest on DVD Ripping: RealNetworks, Control4, Crestron, Kaleidescape

RealNetworks is causing quite a stir with a new DVD ripping program called RealDVD.
Big deal? The software appears to be the first from a studio-friendly, name-brand provider, and the company claims it is entirely legal.
From the RealDVD FAQ:
I'm not sure where this stipulation comes from – certainly not the DVD CCA (Copy Control Association), which licenses the decryption software to RealNetworks for DVD playback.
Even so, RealNetworks says it is abiding by the DVD CCA's licensing mandates because the ripped DVDs maintain their copy-protection wrapper (and, by the way, everything else about the DVDs including the extras).
Sounds a lot like Kaleidescape, which has been
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Big deal? The software appears to be the first from a studio-friendly, name-brand provider, and the company claims it is entirely legal.
From the RealDVD FAQ:
Is it legal to save movies with RealDVD?
Yes, provided that you are the owner of the original DVD and you use your saved copy solely for your personal use.
I'm not sure where this stipulation comes from – certainly not the DVD CCA (Copy Control Association), which licenses the decryption software to RealNetworks for DVD playback.
Even so, RealNetworks says it is abiding by the DVD CCA's licensing mandates because the ripped DVDs maintain their copy-protection wrapper (and, by the way, everything else about the DVDs including the extras).
Kaleidescape Part II
Sounds a lot like Kaleidescape, which has been
Posted by Julie Jacobson on 09/09 at 09:57 AM
News, Product News, Slideshow, CEDIA, Digital Rights, Legal, Media Center, Media Servers, (22) Comments, Permalink
News, Product News, Slideshow, CEDIA, Digital Rights, Legal, Media Center, Media Servers, (22) Comments, Permalink
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Escient Updates Vision Server Info: ‘V’ Stands for Five

Escient has a few clarifications on the release of its new Vision media series.
In our last Vision story, we were amused that Escient called its first shipping Vision server a fifth-generation product. Per the company's PR firm, we confirmed that the fifth-gen products "do everything they were said to do when they were first announced" one year ago at CEDIA.
But Escient product manager Marty Wachter wants to point out that Vision is "Escient’s fifth generation product line in almost 12 years." (Apparently the "V" in Vision stands for the Roman-numeral five.)
The first four generations were the TuneBase/Pro, TuneBase 100, PowerPlay and Fireball.
Wachter explains that the "all new interface" refers to "Vision’s user interface in general, compared to all previous products."
As for product features, Wachter notes that, when Vision was first announced at CEDIA in 2007, it did not allow direct importing of encrypted DVDs.
Read more
In our last Vision story, we were amused that Escient called its first shipping Vision server a fifth-generation product. Per the company's PR firm, we confirmed that the fifth-gen products "do everything they were said to do when they were first announced" one year ago at CEDIA.
But Escient product manager Marty Wachter wants to point out that Vision is "Escient’s fifth generation product line in almost 12 years." (Apparently the "V" in Vision stands for the Roman-numeral five.)
The first four generations were the TuneBase/Pro, TuneBase 100, PowerPlay and Fireball.
Wachter explains that the "all new interface" refers to "Vision’s user interface in general, compared to all previous products."
As for product features, Wachter notes that, when Vision was first announced at CEDIA in 2007, it did not allow direct importing of encrypted DVDs.
Read more
Posted by Julie Jacobson on 09/02 at 08:34 AM
News, Product News, CEDIA, Media Servers, (0) Comments, Permalink
News, Product News, CEDIA, Media Servers, (0) Comments, Permalink
Monday, September 01, 2008
Lifeware All-in-One Server Includes Media Center, 5.1 Surround Sound and ZigBee

Lifeware is launching an all-in-one Lifemedia Server (LMS) that packs Windows Media Center, a 5.1 surround-sound amplifier, and ZigBee control technology into a single box.
The new LMS-170 series of media servers will debut at CEDIA Expo 2008.
"We think it's perfect for a single room," says Lifeware CEO Seale Moorer. "This is our in-and-out-without-a-doubt box."
Moorer says that Lifeware, developer of home automation solutions based on Media Center, has received many requests lately for ZigBee mesh-networking capabilities. Rather than rely on a ZigBee dongle ("I don't like dongles; they're messy," says Moorer), Lifeware decided to build the technology into a new entry-level box that also includes surround sound.
In particular, says Moorer, many Lifeware dealers are integrating Media Centers with ZigBee-enabled lighting controls from Centralite. With ZigBee built into the LMS-170 line, the servers can communicate…
Read more
The new LMS-170 series of media servers will debut at CEDIA Expo 2008.
"We think it's perfect for a single room," says Lifeware CEO Seale Moorer. "This is our in-and-out-without-a-doubt box."
Moorer says that Lifeware, developer of home automation solutions based on Media Center, has received many requests lately for ZigBee mesh-networking capabilities. Rather than rely on a ZigBee dongle ("I don't like dongles; they're messy," says Moorer), Lifeware decided to build the technology into a new entry-level box that also includes surround sound.
In particular, says Moorer, many Lifeware dealers are integrating Media Centers with ZigBee-enabled lighting controls from Centralite. With ZigBee built into the LMS-170 line, the servers can communicate…
Posted by Julie Jacobson on 09/01 at 12:44 PM
News, Product News, Control Systems, CEDIA, Home Automation, Media Center, Media Servers, Exclusive, (2) Comments, Permalink
News, Product News, Control Systems, CEDIA, Home Automation, Media Center, Media Servers, Exclusive, (2) Comments, Permalink
Sunfire TGM-100 Media Server Offers 6TB of Storage

Sunfire is debuting its Theater Grand Media Server (TGM-100) at CEDIA Expo 2008.
The media server comes with storage options between 1TB and 6TB and upconverts existing DVD libraries to "near-HD 1080p quality."
The TGM-100 is scalable to seven rooms and can store up to 1,800 movies. It offers RAID 6 protection on its TGM-HD3 (3TB storage) and TGM-HD6 (6TB) hard drives.
The TGM-HD1 hard drive offers 1TB of storage and RAID 0 protection for single redundancy backup for smaller libraries.
Both the 3TB and 6TB systems feature remote diagnostics to warn the user and dealer on system conditions.
Information such as artist, album, genre and cover art are automatically downloaded to the server with Gracenote online metadata, which also helps out sorting through content.
The TGM-100 also features XiVALink protocol via IP, RS-232 and IR.
Sunfire will be displaying the TGM-100 at its booth (610) at CEDIA Expo…
Read more
The media server comes with storage options between 1TB and 6TB and upconverts existing DVD libraries to "near-HD 1080p quality."
The TGM-100 is scalable to seven rooms and can store up to 1,800 movies. It offers RAID 6 protection on its TGM-HD3 (3TB storage) and TGM-HD6 (6TB) hard drives.
The TGM-HD1 hard drive offers 1TB of storage and RAID 0 protection for single redundancy backup for smaller libraries.
Both the 3TB and 6TB systems feature remote diagnostics to warn the user and dealer on system conditions.
Information such as artist, album, genre and cover art are automatically downloaded to the server with Gracenote online metadata, which also helps out sorting through content.
The TGM-100 also features XiVALink protocol via IP, RS-232 and IR.
Sunfire will be displaying the TGM-100 at its booth (610) at CEDIA Expo…
Posted by Steve Crowe on 09/01 at 05:30 AM
News, Product News, CEDIA, Digital Media, Media Servers, (0) Comments, Permalink
News, Product News, CEDIA, Digital Media, Media Servers, (0) Comments, Permalink
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