12 Mar Movie and Music Access with a Media Server
How great would it be if you could access all of your music and movies from just about any room in the house, or all the places where you spend time outside? Here at PAC-NJ, northern New Jersey’s source for high-end home theater and audio video systems, many of our customers ask for this capability. And now I can tell them, “No problem,” thanks to modern day electronics technology.
The first step to this anywhere-anytime access to music and movies at home is acquiring a high-end media server. I recommend the Kaliedescape system to our clients for two simple reasons: It is the most stable home media server platform, and it offers the highest performance in this product category. Setting up the server is simple: All of your Blu-Ray and DVD movies are ripped into the Kaliedescape server along with all of your music on CD. That’s all it takes. Now any room where you watch TV can access your entire movie collection and any room with speakers connected to your house music system can access all of your music.
The flexibility the media server setup provides is mind staggering. Picture this. You’re watching an NFL game with some friends in your new basement-level home sports bar. Meanwhile, your teenagers and their friends are watching the latest Iron Man movie on a 9-foot retractable screen in the home theater room. And your spouse, out by the pool is watching Eat, Pray, Love on a 37″ LCD flat screen. (That’s right – a big flat screen out by the pool. Several companies produce weather-proof flat screen HD TVs designed specifically for outdoor use.) Thanks to the media server, everybody gets the movie they want simultaneously.
The same flexibility holds true for music: Just select a music source such as the media server, iPod, XM or Sirius tuner, CD, or internet radio to name a few options. Then decide which rooms you want music to play in, and how loud. And you can make your musical selections remotely inside and outside via a hand held universal remote controls or wall mounted touch screens. And there’s more – The media server can be the brains of a home automation system. You can control lighting, temperature, and even the pool and spa, all on the same touch screens as the digital audio video system resides on. Home sweet home indeed!