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iMuse Media Server Series for Custom Installers and Integrators (22/8/2005)

After previously introducing an innovative digital audio server product, iMuse President and CEO Bill Duncan recognized that installers, integrators, and consumers alike yearned for something more-much more. He began to attend major trade shows, coming into contact with hundreds of installers, and talking to countless consumers and retailers. All the while, Duncan asked many questions and carefully de-ciphered what product these groups silently demanded. However, the product he envi-sioned was not yet being offered by anyone.

In order to meet this demand, Duncan took a 2-year hiatus from selling his audio player to design a system-to once and for all totally integrate a fam-ily's digital content, the Internet, and their collection of movies and music-all without sacrificing user simplicity.

iMuse Enters the Mix with a Standard-Setting Set-Top

The resultant iMuse Media Server Seriesª redefines the media server category. With the iMuse SIERRAª, iMuse SUMMITª, and iMuse AVA-LANCHEª, Duncan delivers a completely connected content management system with unlimited scalability and expandability. The iMuse line provides several category firsts, such as 1080p resolution at every set-top client and 16 independent, simultaneous audio zones from a single iMuse SUMMIT.

The iMuse SIERRA, (est. MSRP $2,895) the product line's set-top client, has more features and is more capable than most competitors' servers at a fraction of the cost. Designed with a living-room form factor, the iMuse SIERRA pre-sents consumers with support for 1080p resolution, a DVD player/recorder, and a mul-titude of control options.

Consumers can simultaneous view and upload separate movies when paired with an iMuse SUMMIT and can control their device from the included wireless keyboard and mouse, front panel navigation system, or optional Crestron(R) controller. Additionally, every iMuse SIERRA has its own 300GB hard drive, capable of locally storing over 40 DVDs, hundreds of CDs, or many hours of television content.

Maximum Connectivity for Installers and Integrators

With the iMuse SIERRA, installers and integrators benefit from a wide array of connectivity options. Every iMuse SIERRA offers DVI, VGA, S-Video, component, and composite video outputs as well as digital optical, digital coax, and analog composite audio outputs. Furthermore, the iMuse SIERRA has integrated WLAN, providing wireless connections to other components in the series.

iMuse SUMMIT Provides Ideal Distribution

Sitting in its sleek silver case (black is also available), the iMuse SUMMIT (est. MSRP $3,895) looks very similar to other media servers. However, the aesthetics are where the similarities end.

Taking from Duncan's audio expertise, the iMuse SUMMIT sup-ports up to 16 independent audio zones with unbalanced RCA outputs, enabling simulta-neous listening to several different music streams throughout the house. The iMuse SUMMIT delivers these pristine audio streams at less than .0002 percent total harmonic distortion (THD), almost eliminating nonlinear distortion all together.

With a standard 1TB of local storage, the iMuse SUMMIT can hold up to 160 full-length DVDs, thousands of CDs, and countless hours of satellite or cable content. Installers and integrators can rest easily knowing the iMuse SUMMIT can have problems remotely diagnosed and solved with software patches without the need for service calls.

Storage Behemoth iMuse AVALANCHE

Delivering up to 14TB of storage, the iMuse AVALANCHE (est. MRSP $2,195) completes the iMuse Media Server Series. The iMuse AVALANCHE was specially designed with hot-swappable drives utilizing Integrity(R) technol-ogy-limiting downtime when adding or changing storage.

iMuse Redefines the Media Service Category

Despite having countless product and service differentiators, the iMuse Media Server Series has three important differentiating features that distance the competition the most. First of all, no other media server delivers 1080p resolution with an available DVI connection from each of its clients-enabling the highest quality picture for today's premium displays.

Next, the iMuse SUMMIT can deliver precise audio to up to 16 simultaneous zones-a category first. Finally, the iMuse Media Server Series offers un-limited expandability, scalability, and upgradability, allowing for the product line to grow with both the consumer and technology.

The iMuse Media Server Series gives end-users what no other media server has been able to provide: complete digital content management without sacrificing usability. With iMuse, end-users can browse through their content casually or use advanced metadata search features to locate desired items. Multitasking the iMuse line's features is also extremely user-friendly. With no other media server can a con-sumer upload digital photographs, listen to FM radio, and create a DVD simultaneously, let alone with the simplicity and intuitiveness that the iMuse line offers. Finally, the end-user benefits the most by iMuse's unrivaled features-to-price ratio.

Through all the research and focus groups, Duncan discovered the one thing that custom installers dreaded most: the senseless service call. With that in mind, Duncan engineered the iMuse Media Server Series to alleviate the installers' and integrators' worries. Through its email support, remote administration, and automatic software upgrades, the iMuse line is designed to simultaneously increase overall cus-tomer satisfaction and limit no-revenue service calls to the custom installers.

By selling the iMuse line, customer installers and integrators will undoubtedly build stronger relationships with their more satisfied clientele and experi-ence lower service expenditures from the iMuse line's reliability.

www.imuse.us