iPort Upgrades In-Wall iPod Docks
Joseph Palenchar -- TWICE, 6/25/2009
San Clemente, Calif. – iPort upgraded its series of in-wall iPod docking/charging stations with three new models priced at a suggested $200, $400 and $800. All integrate with custom-installed multiroom-A/V systems.
One new feature is their ability to charge docked iPods through the USB pins of their 30-pin Apple connector. That enables out-of-the-box recharging of the iPod touch and iPhone, the company said. The devices also recharge the iPod classic and iPod nano.
For its previous iPort line, installers had to install main-board upgrades to the docks to enable iPhone and touch charging. That’s because, like most docking stations at the time, the previous iPort models charged through their FireWire pins, but Apple’s most recent iPod products, the touch and iPhone, do not support charging through their FireWire pins, the company explained.
With the new lineup, said iPort’s Buzz Delano, “dealers can set up just about any scenario the customer would want for music and video browsing and play back.”
Compared with the $200 IW-20, the $400 IW-21 and $800 IW-22 add built-in preamplifier for variable volume control directly from the iPod’s volume button or IR remote. Previous iPort models did not have built-in preamp. The two step-up models also add unbalanced video output as a standard feature, which was available previously in an optional upgrade kit.
The $800 IW-22 adds RS-232 control for communication with third-party control systems such as those made by AMX, Crestron, RTI, NetStreams, Control4, URC and others. The IW-22 also adds balanced audio output for long-distance runs, whereas the IW-20 and IW-21 provide unbalanced audio output for local-system installation.
Optional upgrades include a $250 balanced audio kit for the IW-21, a $300 balanced video upgrade kit for the IW-21 and IW-22, an $50 optional black wall plate, and an $80 rack-mount panel compatible with all models.
iPort, like Sonance, is a Dana Innovations company.
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