iMuse Unveils Its First HDD-Based Server
By Joseph Palenchar -- TWICE, 9/5/2005
INDIANAPOLIS— The Colorado Springs-based iMuse will show its first HDD-based server of music, movies and digital images. It connects to clients via an Ethernet network to distribute content to an unlimited number of rooms. System prices range from $6,780 for a one-room system storing 40 ripped DVD movies to $61,332 for a 16-room system storing 800 movies. The system can be expanded to 17TB (1,700GB) to store more than 2,400 DVDs.
The system up-scales DVD-Video to high-definition resolutions including 1,080p, streams up to 35 movies simultaneously through gigabit Ethernet networks, and streams up to 16 different songs simultaneously to 16 different zones.
The system's three main components are the HDD-equipped Sierra client, the Summit router/HDD and the Avalanche — designed solely to expand storage.
A $2,895-suggested Sierra client browses, retrieves and plays back content stored on a home's central Summit or stored locally on the client's own 300GB HDD, which is enough to store more than 40 DVDs or many more CDs. The Sierra's HDD, however, is intended mainly for storing software upgrades.
The $3,895 Summit is the system's backbone, directing digital content throughout the house. Its standard HDD offers 300GB of storage, but it's expandable to 3TB. It lacks 802.11b.
The $2,195 Avalanche features three removable-HDD bays, yielding combined storage capacities of 600GB to 1,200GB, or a maximum of 192 DVDs. Multiple Avalanches can be connected to raise Avalanche capacity to 14TB.
Installers can diagnose system problems remotely via the Internet.
