News

Breakthrough Denon Networking System: The Future of Connectivity (1/6/2004)

Denon's CEDIA UK stand will feature a working demonstration of Denon's forthcoming** Media Server audio/video distribution system, displayed in a specially designed area that will highlight its benefits and applications.

A fully-integrated media server for music, video and photos, the new Denon AV distribution system is comprised of two unique products, the NS-S100 Multi-Media Server and the NS-C200 Multi-Media Client.

The NS-S100 is the first product of its kind to combine: a personal video recorder (PVR), a personal audio recorder (PAR); and a multi-zone distribution controller. This is a no-compromise product and all content is delivered at the highest possible quality level.

The early-sample system has as its foundation a Denon Network Server equipped with two 120GB hard drives (including one removable back-up mirror). It also features a multizone controller, dual independent PVRs (powered by the acclaimed ReplayTV Service**), dual PAL TV / analogue cable tuners, music server, dual FM tuners and a built-in CD player with a ripping function and title lookup information powered by Gracenote.

It takes home networking to new levels of utility, supporting multiple zones with unprecedented flexibility and convenience.

The NS-S100 Multi-Media PVR / Media Server will stream recorded programs simultaneously to up to 4 of the PVR Clients in other rooms. Each PVR Client has full PVR functions such as pause, reverse and forward and each gets DVD-quality video streamed from the server. The Server stores and organizes digital music, photos and videos plus records live TV and radio broadcasts - yes, a PVR for radio. The Client can access all the digital files stored on the PVR/Media Server. It can also perform all of the server's functions such as scheduling shows to be recorded and deleting files. It's like having a TiVo but one with networking, and with the ability to be used by four different TVs at the same time.

The two TV tuners in the server permit one channel to be watched while another is recorded or two different channels can be recorded simultaneously. Dual FM tuners permit listening to and recording two radio stations simultaneously. A built-in CD player coupled with Gracenote's title lookup offers full function CD ripping. Music can be copied from a CD or from a connected CD changer to the server's disk. Users can access digital content such as pictures, music and videos from any PC on the network and then stream the content to any client in the house.

Consumers can connect the server to cable TV or satellite or Freeview set-top boxes to record programmes as well as stream multiple video programs over an Ethernet network. Users can, for example, pause a TV show they're watching in one room, go to a client in another room and resume watching where they left off - even if another person was watching that same channel in the other room.

The Denon Server has a 120GB hard drive (there's no such thing as a DVR with too much storage) and a removable 120GB drive for backup and storage. The removable one is a special Denon drive with encryption to prevent piracy.

ReplayTV** provides the electronic TV program guide for selecting programs to record.

Servers can be pooled so that, for example, a user will be able to watch one channel while recording another three. Users can pool as many servers as they want with all operations functioning as a single system.

** This is a preview - the system is expected to come to Europe in Q1/2005
** An equivalent service will be used for Europe TBA
* PVR = Personal Video Recorder
* DVR = Digital Video Recorder
* all networking is via ethernet CAT5. Wireless does not have the bandwidth or reliability

www.denon.co.uk