Articles and whitepapers

Product Article - Living Control - The Luxury Touch of Multiroom AV (1/4/2006)

By Keith Haddock, Haddock Communications

It's a solid gold proposition, the answer to a prayer. Multiroom entertainment is the 'no-brainer' solution to the perennial conflict between décor and entertainment in the home. Its power resides in a promise improve access to entertainment and yet rid the home of multiple hi-fi systems, wires, racks and associated paraphernalia, leaving décor virtually unmolested. A virtuous liaison of convenience and aesthetic liberation has propelled the concept into new builds and renovations for over a decade, but the speed of take up is accelerating with a widening choice of delivery.

Multiroom entertainment adding the luxury touch

Basic principles

The principle of multiroom entertainment is simple: a central source shared by many users in different locations. There are three types of system now available: the very rudimentary two room (or two zone) system, which relies on simple speaker level control of sound in the second zone from an amplifier in the first; a bespoke system, which is custom-installed and tailored precisely to user needs in terms of access and choice of source; and the newest category of system, which uses a PC as the source and a wireless network as a means of distribution.

Wired versus wireless

To a generation familiar with networked PCs, the multiroom principle is most readily appreciated. Furthermore, the potential of wireless communication to provide a virtual 'plug and play' experience without recourse to any structural modification, has given the concept added penetration. After all, the idea of a simple multiroom entertainment solution, which provides local in-room access to PC content, is easy to install (DIY), and less expensive than the wired alternatives is, on paper, the home entertainment equivalent of striking oil. It could mark the 'tipping-point' that multiroom entertainment has been waiting for, allowing greater access to the genre's core attractions, and by dint of price, inspiring recognition in a far wider audience.

But there are compromises in this approach, which will deny users the versatility, performance and sheer luxury of the fully-fledged wired multiroom system. For a start, wireless systems can be slow to react and are vulnerable to drop-outs. By and large, their content is limited to audio and their design demands the introduction (and not the removal) of new room equipment in the form of shoebox-sized amp/RF receivers. What's more, the room speakers still need local wired connections in order to work.

At the risk of flogging an ornery old truism, you get what you pay for. It is possible that the utility of 'wireless' systems will win many new friends. Persuasive as they are however, the attributes of low cost and ease of installation will not convince those who contend that reliability is fundamental to the success of a system and that wireless can never be as bullet-proof as the wired alternative. If they're wrong, multiroom entertainment may be as familiar in the home as table wine; if they're not, it will continue its rather organic top-down market proliferation, growing in popularity by recommendation, multiplying its capabilities and features, but maintaining luxury levels of convenience and ease of use.

Multiroom developments

The luxury touch proved attractive to developers of executive homes when, in the late 1990s they began to list multiroom audio distribution as an added feature for clients. The systems used the principle of a centrally-located equipment hub of CD multichangers and tuners linked to a distribution box feeding the rooms. By using the home's pre-installed 'structured' wiring scheme, in-room keypads could talk to the box (Central Processing Unit - CPU) and deliver the music selection to the room via discreet in-ceiling or in-wall speakers. The core design hasn't changed much, but the power and versatility of today's wired systems has expanded spectacularly to embrace lighting, video distribution, climate control, and, yes, even wireless control.

Living Control

The best of the breed have replaced multichangers with proprietary digital audio storage. Linked to the compact, décor-matching room keypads or touchscreens via a single CAT5 cable, Living Control's MusicBox 3 server is a fine example of the ilk, sporting state-of-the-art digital processing for rapid ripping and the precise distribution of three independent music streams. For systems of this quality, simplicity of operation is the philosophical touchstone. With the Living Control system, uploading is easy and track or station selection from the room keypads is made intuitively by name.

Living Control in-wall system controller

Notwithstanding the frailties of wireless distribution, the most progressive and innovative multiroom systems are embracing the potential of wireless as a means of control. The latest MusicBox 3 comes with an even more powerful and easy-to-use interface, making operation from a TV, PC or Pocket PC a simpler more intuitive experience. In addition to providing a clearer visual interface, the new MusicBox3 software offers improved iPod integration with the inclusion of the photo models; a FLAC lossless compression option for faster high-quality uploading of CDs; and even easier title editing from the keyboard of a Sky Navigator handset. The new software is a prelude to the introduction of the MusicBox3-NT server with Wi-Fi control, and an intelligent backup system which uses simple-to-connect USB2 drives or NAS (Network Attached Storage).

Living Control's systems can scale with the aspirations of the client: the standard four and six room systems can incorporate lighting control from the in-room keypad. Climate control is in development, and for circumstances which preclude a wired connection, Living Control's in-wall RFPad will facilitate system integration.

Living Control in-wall AV controller

An exciting development for multiroom entertainment is the in-room selection of high definition video sources. Living Control's recently-launched CVX-S component video switcher works in tandem with the CPUs, allowing all HD sources to be distributed at full resolution of over a simple CAT5 cable.

Summary

It is clear that with the evolution of systems like Living Control's, the day of the multitalented, multidimensional, multiroom entertainment system has arrived. There are cheaper 'alternatives', but few would argue that the experience of having all entertainment sources available in any room at the touch of a little in-wall screen is as seductive as any in the home entertainment world.

Keith Haddock is a Marketing Consultant for Haddock Communications, providing freelance marketing and PR for the home entertainment industry, including Living Control.

www.livingcontrol.com