Austin, TX — March 24, 2005 — After impressive showings at the 2005 International Consumer Electronics Show and International Builders’ Show, NetStreams, the leader in IP-based Networked Audio distribution, is setting the site of its groundbreaking DigiLinX multi-room audio system (as featured in iShow’s NextGen Homes) on the National Association of Broadcasters Convention In Las Vegas, Nevada, (April 18 to 21, 2005.) The theme for this NextGen Home is “First to the Future.” Employing cutting-edge technologies from advanced electronics to super-strong structures, the NextGen Home aims to demonstrate how to enhance quality, durability, efficiency, safety, and affordability of homes of the future. As in all NextGen demonstration homes, this unit features a contemporary floor plan with the kitchen at the center activity, and an eclectic elevation that will fit into any neighborhood. NetStreams’ DigiLinX system will allow visitors to experience high quality multi-room audio throughout the house and on the deck.
“NetStreams’ participation in the NextGen Homes project has been most rewarding,” said Herman Cardenas, CEO of NetStreams. “In both the CES and IBS events we managed to impress many industry professionals and generate productive leads. The NextGen Home allows us to showcase how DigiLinX is the only IP-based multi-room audio system in the market today, and thanks to our patent-pending StreamNet technology, it solves the problem of synchronization of audio streams over TCP/IP from room to room. We designed DigiLinX to be highly future-expandable in its source compatibility, installation, and programming, and the NextGen homes are an ideal venue to demonstrate the system’s capabilities.”
The first NextGen Home of 2005 that featured DigiLinX was exhibited in Las Vegas, Nevada during the International Consumer Electronics Show from January 6-9, 2005. With a theme of “The Future Is Here,” visitors to the home could see first hand the converging trends in home electronics in its real home environment. The second NextGen home in 2005 was in Orlando, Florida from January 13-16, 2005. Operating during the International Builders’ Show, its theme was “Safe & Sound,” and, in addition to innovative entertainment products, the house also featured storm-resistant building construction, and the latest in interior air quality technology, energy-efficient design, and home automation. Both homes featured DigiLinX as a stand-alone multi-room audio system as well as integrated with Microsoft’s new Windows Media Center and other products.
The DigiLinX system, using NetStreams’ IP-based patent pending technology, distributes audio over CAT5e using TCP/IP on an Ethernet network, in a meshed networked architecture. DigiLinX converts audio from a legacy source (Tuner, CD Player, other) in real-time, to uncompressed audio streams, allowing up to 24-bit, studio quality audio to be distributed throughout a home or commercial facility. DigiLinX is the most easily expandable distributed audio system on the marketplace today and is compatible with not only digital media servers but also legacy sources like a consumer’s DVD player, CD player, cassette player, etcetera — even an 8-track player! All devices are network upgradeable.
Among DigiLinX`s most impressive features is its ability to access and distribute metadata from advanced digital audio sources like ReQuest Multimedia’s Audio Request digital media servers. The data is then displayed on the color display of the DigiLinX keypads. Now, a consumer can access any source, from any room, at any time, and if the source provides meta-data, DigiLinX allows the music to be selected by Artist, Album, Song, and Genre, and can also display the `cover art`.
The DigiLinX System can also distribute and play both uncompressed (.wav) and compressed audio formats like MP3. Additionally, because all of the processing code is stored in flash memory, updates to allow DigiLinX to support other new digital audio formats will be easily available in the future. DigiLinX does not limit the user interface to its keypads. Each component contains its own IP address and web server that can serve-up rich control pages to third party products such as PDA’s, Web Tablets, Web TVs, or computers, for a new experience in music management.
NetStreams` DigiLinX family of IP-based products is comprised of the following components (with many more to come):
SpeakerLinX – is a family of IP-based amplifiers with unmatched intelligence. A SpeakerLinX module contains not only an IP-controlled amplifier, but also decodes and plays MP-3 or WAV (uncompressed) audio streams, encodes audio from a local source, and contains a web server for generating rich control from any computing or display device that hosts a web browser. These Class-D amplifiers have a small footprint and are designed to mount on or adjacent to a speaker. By localizing the amplifier right at the speaker, power and damping losses are minimized, yielding impressive clarity and definition typically only heard in expensive audiophile component systems.
MediaLinX – an IP-based product designed to convert (in real-time) analog or digital audio signals from a legacy source (CD player, tuner, other), into TCP/IP 24-bit audio streams and IR control that can than be distributed over a home entertainment network.
TouchLinX – is an elegant IP-based touch-screen keypad featuring a high resolution color LCD, which displays the metadata (artist, album, song, cover art) and transport controls available for each audio source and network amp. TouchLinX`s simple, intuitive design allows users to access their favorite songs, artists, play lists, or stations easily and quickly. Each room can have customized bass, treble, balance and loudness contours.
SwitchLinX – is an IGMP (Internet Group Message Protocol) enabled, multicasting, non-blocking Ethernet switch designed specifically for handling the high demands of networked audio/video distribution products. Additional SwitchLinX modules can be employed to expand the network audio inputs.
PowerLinX – is a rack-mounted power supply that designed to distribute up to 21amps/28 volts of power to multiple DigiLinX devices on a network.
After NAB, NetStreams’ DigiLinX will be featured in 2005’s fourth NextGen demonstration home, currently slated for the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show scheduled to be held in Las Vegas in May of 2005.
About iShow
iShow is a Bellevue, Washington-based company and is the producer of the highly regarded NextGen Series of Demonstration Homes (http://www.nextgenhome.com/) and the NextGen Broadcast Network. iShow is a leader in providing marketing communication and Internet broadcast solutions for corporate America, government agencies, associations and event owners. Clients include: Microsoft, SEARS, Merillat, Siemens, InfoComm, U.S. Department of Energy, Bobvila.com, National Association of Homebuilders and many others.
About NetStreams
Headquartered in Austin, Texas, NetStreams provides sophisticated networked audio leading the marketplace in technological innovation. NetStreams is committed to utilizing state-of-the-art human engineering to create home entertainment products that are truly user-friendly and future-compatible. NetStreams is creating the future of home entertainment today.
For additional information on NetStreams and its innovative products, please visit www.netstreams.com < http://www.netstreams.com/> .
NetStreams is a registered trademark of NetStreams, LLC. DigiLinX, SpeakerLinX, MediaLinX, TouchLinX, SwitchLinX, PowerLinX are trademarks of NetStreams, LLC.
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