News

DDi and Leviton Simplify Complex Digital Media Collections (1/10/2005)

LE&AP Media Server Automates Digital Media Management and Adds Over One Terabyte of Storage

At CEDIA EXPO, Dedicated Devices, Inc. (DDi) and Leviton Manufacturing announced significant new features and options to their co-marketed digital home entertainment network, the Leviton Entertainment and Applications Platform, LE&AP. The companies have simplified the management of complex digital media libraries by integrating the digital music collections of multiple users and automating the collection and organization of all digital media. The companies have also increased the available storage and streaming capacity of LE&AP to over one terabyte with the introduction of their new LE&AP Media Modules.

ActivLink(TM) Media Management

Until now, creating and maintaining a central digital media library required hours of set-up time and frequent maintenance, especially for households with multiple users and continually growing media collections. DDi's ActivLink Media Management simplifies and accelerates the management, organization and backup of multiple family members' digital media by automatically harvesting existing digital media from every desktop and laptop computer in the home, then watching those computers and automatically copying any new content as it is added. If the file happens to be digital music, ActivLink activates built-in Gracenote MusicID to properly identify each song's information, gathers additional metadata for playlists and formats the file for easy access and navigation from any TV interface in the home.

"DDi's goal is to make digital media easier to enjoy by simplifying how it is collected and organized. Our product enhancements take the burden off the homeowner and assure that their digital entertainment media are securely stored yet easily accessible," said Jeffery K. Moeser, CEO and President, Dedicated Devices, Inc.

Media Modules

Up to four LE&AP Media Modules can be added to LE&AP's built-in media server, the Digital Distribution Center, allowing homeowners to add more storage capacity as their digital media collections grow. LE&AP Media Modules utilize the same quick install chassis as the LE&AP Digital Distribution Center and are easily integrated in to the total available system storage, making multiple Media Modules appear as a single digital media repository for users of the system. Utilizing four 300GB Media Modules, the LE&AP system's capacity expands to over 240,000 songs, 1,200 hours of home video or over 1.2 million digital photographs. Media Modules have a suggested retail price of $399 for 120GB and $699 for 300GB. For additional peace of mind, one Media Module may be easily configured as a mirror, or RAID 1 drive, providing automatic and continuous backup of the Digital Distribution Center and its copies of a homeowner's most treasured digital media and important digital documents.

"DDi's addition of automated media management and flexible storage expansion to LE&AP continues Leviton's commitment to addressing the broadest range of features for digital home entertainment systems while simplifying the installation and set-up for installers," said Ian Hendler, Director of Business Development for Leviton Integrated Networks.

Also Announced at CEDIA:

Recognizing that homeowners' experience with ever-growing digital media collections and new on-line services is driving their decisions to adopt new technologies, DDi and Leviton have announced new product upgrades to LE&AP at CEDIA today, including: Rhapsody integration for whole-home access to over one million songs and embedded Gracenote Playlist generation -- an industry first.

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