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Home Theater Programming Sources
Off-Air TV
| Home Media Systems - On the Horizon |
Home entertainment systems have come a long way since you ooh’ed and ahh’ed because
your neighbor had a few pairs of speakers that actually fit flush into his walls. That’s old
news now. Even homes in comparatively modest new developments are being outfitted with
a full complement of audio, network, TV and telephone wiring. In many developments the
builder offers a standard wiring package and various upgrades for additional wiring,
speakers, wiring enclosures and even full control systems.
Systems have evolved to include sleek, wall-mounted touch screens that allow simple
access to your music and other house functions such as security, lighting, HVAC, and
motorized window treatments. A talented programmer can make these systems function
with true “one touch” simplicity. It’s almost as if they’re reading your mind.
The touch screen’s advantage is that it can change the control interface to only show what
you need at any one time. This affords tremendous flexibility while retaining the simplicity
most people desire. The touch screen interface is extremely powerful when combined with
another technology that has come into prominence recently; the hard disc based media
server. Your CDs are downloaded, or ripped, onto a hard drive. This combination allows
your entire music catalog to be displayed on the touch screen for easy searching. Once
the desired selection is located, you just touch it on the screen and it begins to play.
These hard drive servers use computer hard drives and modern compression techniques
to store phenomenal amounts of music in a simple audio component less than half the size
of a 200 disc CD changer. They function just like a typical CD player, not your computer,
so they are reliable and easy to use. They have exploded in popularity recently because of
the enormous popularity of compressed music formats such as MP3 and the fantastic array
of functionality a disc based system allows.
For those who have, or do, own CD mega changers, a hard drive music server will be like a
breath of fresh air. Access to any song is typically less than a second away. Contrast that
to selecting disc 94 in your 300-disc CD changer when you are playing disc 201. With a
multi-room audio system, you may be on the other side of you house trying to do this with a
keypad or remote control. The wait for your changer to return the disc it was playing then
trundle the carousel around to your desired disc can seem like an eternity.
Another advantage is easy cataloging. Most hard drive systems will recognize any CD you
insert for ripping and if they don’t, they are connected to the Internet for access to a giant
database. This they access automatically to gather artist, album and track information.
Gone are the days of using a keyboard or remote to tediously enter the information about
your CDs into a CD changer. You can also stop worrying about which slot your discs are
in. “Let’s see, was Led Zeppelin IV in slot 90 or 190?”
Using a hard drive server frees up your CDs for use elsewhere such as your car, boat or
vacation home. In addition, since your CDs are not locked up in a changer, your collection
is able to be enjoyed by many members of the family at once. With a changer, if someone
is listening to it, all of the discs inside it are basically off limits. With a changer, not only are
your CDs free for use in other locations but many hard drive servers provide multiple audio
outputs. Multiple outputs enable you to listen to different discs in different areas of the
house if your system is so configured. For example, one person could be listening to Korn
in the rec room while Bach’s Requiem is being played in the kitchen and Dire Straights in
the bedroom. With a conventional CD changer, this is impossible.
You can also buy and store music from many online music services and store those on
your hard drive server.
Hard drive servers offer advantages over music files stored on a computer as well.
Because they function like a traditional audio component, they are easier to use for many
people. It is also easier to integrate them with touch screen based home control systems.
This will begin to change as the popularity of multimedia PCs such as those running
Microsoft XP Media Center Edition increases.
your neighbor had a few pairs of speakers that actually fit flush into his walls. That’s old
news now. Even homes in comparatively modest new developments are being outfitted with
a full complement of audio, network, TV and telephone wiring. In many developments the
builder offers a standard wiring package and various upgrades for additional wiring,
speakers, wiring enclosures and even full control systems.
Systems have evolved to include sleek, wall-mounted touch screens that allow simple
access to your music and other house functions such as security, lighting, HVAC, and
motorized window treatments. A talented programmer can make these systems function
with true “one touch” simplicity. It’s almost as if they’re reading your mind.
The touch screen’s advantage is that it can change the control interface to only show what
you need at any one time. This affords tremendous flexibility while retaining the simplicity
most people desire. The touch screen interface is extremely powerful when combined with
another technology that has come into prominence recently; the hard disc based media
server. Your CDs are downloaded, or ripped, onto a hard drive. This combination allows
your entire music catalog to be displayed on the touch screen for easy searching. Once
the desired selection is located, you just touch it on the screen and it begins to play.
These hard drive servers use computer hard drives and modern compression techniques
to store phenomenal amounts of music in a simple audio component less than half the size
of a 200 disc CD changer. They function just like a typical CD player, not your computer,
so they are reliable and easy to use. They have exploded in popularity recently because of
the enormous popularity of compressed music formats such as MP3 and the fantastic array
of functionality a disc based system allows.
For those who have, or do, own CD mega changers, a hard drive music server will be like a
breath of fresh air. Access to any song is typically less than a second away. Contrast that
to selecting disc 94 in your 300-disc CD changer when you are playing disc 201. With a
multi-room audio system, you may be on the other side of you house trying to do this with a
keypad or remote control. The wait for your changer to return the disc it was playing then
trundle the carousel around to your desired disc can seem like an eternity.
Another advantage is easy cataloging. Most hard drive systems will recognize any CD you
insert for ripping and if they don’t, they are connected to the Internet for access to a giant
database. This they access automatically to gather artist, album and track information.
Gone are the days of using a keyboard or remote to tediously enter the information about
your CDs into a CD changer. You can also stop worrying about which slot your discs are
in. “Let’s see, was Led Zeppelin IV in slot 90 or 190?”
Using a hard drive server frees up your CDs for use elsewhere such as your car, boat or
vacation home. In addition, since your CDs are not locked up in a changer, your collection
is able to be enjoyed by many members of the family at once. With a changer, if someone
is listening to it, all of the discs inside it are basically off limits. With a changer, not only are
your CDs free for use in other locations but many hard drive servers provide multiple audio
outputs. Multiple outputs enable you to listen to different discs in different areas of the
house if your system is so configured. For example, one person could be listening to Korn
in the rec room while Bach’s Requiem is being played in the kitchen and Dire Straights in
the bedroom. With a conventional CD changer, this is impossible.
You can also buy and store music from many online music services and store those on
your hard drive server.
Hard drive servers offer advantages over music files stored on a computer as well.
Because they function like a traditional audio component, they are easier to use for many
people. It is also easier to integrate them with touch screen based home control systems.
This will begin to change as the popularity of multimedia PCs such as those running
Microsoft XP Media Center Edition increases.
Copyright 2004 1 touch movie.com
All rights reserved.
All rights reserved.
Home Media Systems Future
1 Touch Movie.com
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