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[JustinChase]

Does anyone else get this magazine?

They have a really interresting article called "Lords of the Digital Jungle" in which they describe current companies efforts to release a consumer friendly 'box' Media Center (for lack of a better term).  Pretty much they are saying that it's gonna take $10,000+ to put one in your home right now.  And none of the ones they talk about have all of the capabilities of MC.

It made me think immediately of the building across form J River that Jim wants to stock with goodies for sale.

Jim, you MUST read this article.  A basic machine networked with a terabyte of HD space in a RAID array would blow away anything in this article, and you could sell it for 1/2 the price and still make 300% margins.

I checked EH online and they do not have the article online yet (they still show March as the current issue).  I will keep checking and post a link if they put one up.

If you want both CD and DVD hard-drive storage, your only route we know of as of this writing is an AMX MAX Multimedia Server System, or MMS as it's called.  The MAX systems originate from Media Access Solutions, a company AMX purchased last fall.  The MMS server line provides storage for 125 to 900 DVDs, or 1.2 to 7.2 terabytes - a small video store - with prices ranging from $10,200 to $60,000 respectively.  AMX says you can store about 25 CDs for every DVD's worth of storage space.  So you can rip DVDs and CDs to the same place and have them appear on a graphical interface.  Although you will need a control system with that...

So at least in theory, hard-drive media servers accommodating both CDs and DVDs are feasible in the $10,000 neighborhood, a price level which would certainly come down as more are produced.

Very interesting read...

[Mastiff]

Maybe I should have them come to my house and see what I have done with a fraction of that?  

[JustinChase]

I figured you would get a kick out of that.  Multi-Zone, Multi-System, Multi-Format guru that you are.  I bet seeing your system in action would make that reporter cry.

In fact, it sometimes makes me cry.

[johnp]

I have been building these for years...  I guess I have to pop up into the radar some more.

JP

[jinx]

There will be a new product released this summer from Molino Networks called Molino Media Mogul.  It is purported to have 250 MB ($995) and 1TB ($2,9995).

Here is an excerpt from their website:

Molino Media Mogul can store and playback up to 50 DVDs, 500 CDs, 10,000s of digital photos or hundreds of hours of home movies. Media Mogul stores all of this content preserving 100% of the interactive features and without using digital compression technologies that can distort and degrade audio and video quality. Molino Media Mogul is the first fully networked entertainment center which offers more than 300GB of storage space and an easy to use DVD-like interface for only $995.

Media Mogul TB™ offers the same great features, with an expanded capacity offering users the opportunity to store up to 200 DVDs or 2,000 CDs in addition to 100,000s of photos and thousands of hours of home movies. Media Mogul TB will be available for $2,995.

"With the explosion of digital media, consumers are searching for a solution that stores, organizes, and plays all of their media," said Tim Sylvester, Founder and CEO. "Media Mogul delivers an affordable, easy-to-use entertainment center that lives in the family room and places all your favorite content and special family memories in one place, viewable on your TV from your sofa."

"We all come across products that radically change our lives and make us wonder how we ever lived without them," said Chris Shipley, Executive Producer, DEMO/Vice President Editorial IDG. "I believe Molino Media Mogul is one of those products."

Molino Media Mogul will be available to the general public in 2004. However, a limited number will be available for advanced purchase. Pre-orders are being accepted at www.molino.com.

Product Overview
Both Molino Media Mogul products offer several revolutionary advances over previous digital entertainment centers. Feature highlights include:


-Import and store all of their entertainment content - DVDs, CDs, photos, or home movies - in one place while maintaining the original quality of the format and ensuring all of the interactive features remain intact.
-New content is automatically identified and categorized as it is added, sorting by artist, genre, or release date.
-Intuitive, DVD-style navigation is used to browse all stored entertainment content.
Playlists can be created from either a web browser on a personal computer or directly through the Molino Media Mogul television interface.
-Offers parental controls that work with MPAA ratings already included on the DVD so that parents can control the content their children can access on Media Mogul.
Movies, music, photos and video can be imported using traditional CD/DVD media, .ash memory cards, USB ports or via a FireWire - all easily accessed through the appropriate slots on the front of the unit.
-For advanced users with a home network, Molino Media Mogul and Media Mogul TB can easily be integrated. Once on the network, consumers can move their media files to the device to create playlists and slideshows, as well as edit images and videos and incorporate audio soundtracks. In the future, this network capability will allow consumers to connect a broad range of Molino-powered products throughout the home, sharing content between rooms and expanding storage options.

It seems like it has everything one would want in a "Media Receiver" with an exception of PVR function.

[Mastiff]

Thanks, Justin!  

John, I've been doing it for some time as well, only with a less uniform solution: WinAmp (or Brand Eeech, as I like to call it) times 3-5 and older DVD systems (like the Creative DX2 and DX3 and the Hollywood card). Very crude compared to a system with MC and ZoomPlayer. ZoomPlayer for movies in the HT (because of the very good options to adjust and tweak picture) and MC for the rest.