MUSIC PORT FULLY
INTEGRATES PCs WITH NUVO
TECHNOLOGIES’ MULTI-ROOM
AUDIO SYSTEMS
New
package greatly expands the
range and functionality of
NuVo’s Grand Concerto and
Essentia E6G systems by
embracing the PC as both a
source and as a controller.
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA –
June 24, 2008 –
NuVo
Technologies, an innovator
in multi-room digital audio,
today introduced NuVo Music
Port™, a compact package of
hardware and software that
enables home desktop and
laptop PCs to act both as
sources and as controllers
in a NuVo Grand Concerto or
Essentia E6G multi-room
audio system.
“Music Port bridges a
significant gap in the
digital music world that our
customers inhabit,” said
David Rodarte, president and
chief operating officer of
NuVo Technologies. “No
longer must they navigate
between two islands of
digital music—the
substantial amount of music
stored on their PCs versus
the music accessible through
their NuVo systems, such as
terrestrial and satellite
radio through our tuners,
iPod through our docks, and
CDs burned to our music
servers. Music Port easily
connects the PC to the NuVo
environment and brings a
wealth of new content and
control to NuVo users.”
Music Port consists of the
NV-MP, a small hardware
device which can be
installed on-wall, in-rack
or otherwise hidden from
view, and PC software. NuVo
dealers can install Music
Port as an upgrade to an
existing system or as part
of a brand-new NuVo
multi-room audio system.
Music Port software is
installed via a
user-friendly interface, and
works with Windows XP,
Windows Vista and Windows
Home Server, as well as most
existing PC sound cards.
Music Port delivers two
primary functions. The first
is to transform a PC into a
full-fledged multi-output
source for a NuVo system. If
two 5.1 sound cards are
installed on a given PC, for
example, Music Port can use
them to output up to six
independent stereo streams
that can be simultaneously
accessed and enjoyed in
various rooms around a house
via NuVo’s in-wall OLED
Control Pads. The experience
is seamless for the NuVo
user; Music Port even
aggregates iTunes, Windows
Media Player and Windows
Media Center content
libraries on multiple PCs on
the home network and
presents them as a single
music library to the NuVo
user; no longer must the
user be aware of which
format a particular song or
podcast may use, or where
the file is stored. Users
can easily browse all of
their PC audio by playlist,
track, artists, album, genre
or favorites. Music Port and
the NuVo system reproduce
the music as it is on the
PC, with no additional
conversion or compression.
The second primary function
of Music Port is to enable
any desktop PC, laptop PC or
touch screen with a web
browser that is connected to
the home network to serve as
a controller for a NuVo
Grand Concerto or Essentia
E6G system, much like NuVo’s
in-wall OLED Control Pads
and third-party touch
screens already do. Music
Port takes NuVo system
control to a whole new
level; the user can control
the system from numerous
locations in the home via
hard-wired devices, or roam
about the house controlling
it with wireless devices.
The Music Port browser
interface further enhances
the user experience by
providing album cover art,
which makes music selection
and recognition on the NuVo
system even easier and more
fun. This sleek, smart
browser interface provides
easy and comprehensive
management of music and
other home technology. Users
gain instant control over
viewing, queuing and
prioritizing an entire music
collection.
No extra power supply is
needed for Music Port, and
connections are simple. The
PC connects to an amplifier
via one to six RCA cables
(depending on how many PC
audio outputs are being
used), and it connects to
the Music Port hardware with
an RS232 cable. Music Port
then connects to the
amplifier with an RS232
cable and a CAT5 NuVoNet
cable.
Music Port was engineered by
Autonomic Controls
specifically for use with
NuVo multi-room audio
systems. Its multi-source
output capabilities are made
possible by Autonomic
Controls’ exclusive PolyTune™
technology, which enables a
single sound card to provide
multiple, independent stereo
outputs. Autonomic Controls
Media Control Server 2.0
facilitates communications
between the NuVo Control
Pads and the host PC; the
software provides two-way
remote access to Windows
Media and iTunes media
purchased online or ripped
from a user’s CD collection.
It also manages digital
rights management (DRM)
compliance, making it one of
the few options available to
installers and customers for
DRM music consumption in a
custom install environment.
“Collaborating with NuVo
Technologies on Music Port
has been greatly rewarding,”
said Michael de Nigris, CEO,
Autonomic Controls, Inc. “We
believe our collective
engineering resources have
produced a great product.
Digital media is here in
force, and Music Port makes
it accessible around the
house like never before.
NuVo’s best-of-breed
multi-room audio solutions
paired with our
industry-leading control
technology provide the most
hassle-free enjoyment of
digital media available.”
