Re: Multimedia

["IVB" <ivb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Yep, CQC and the Fujitsu 3400 is what I use for exactly the reason Steve
mentions - no desire to use their keypads as they ONLY work with Russound
media servers [which are $3500]. With a 3400 and CQC, I can control anything
I want. MP3/radio/XM is easy, you'll be done with that quickly if you've
already got all the equipment.

With the 3400, it's a full PC [$160 gets you a 10" P3-400 touchscreen]. That
means no special card needed, just the CQC software for fully distributed,
networkable HA & HT control.

I can also use my Cingular wifi PDA with the CQC DotNetViewer, but honestly
I just use that for when i'm not at home to check on the security/HVAC/help
inlaws turn a-v on&off if they're having issues.

>"Dean Roddey" <droddey@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>news:PEWtg.172275$F_3.98583@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Products like ours are pretty much what it sounds like you are looking
> for. We can provide the front end for your on-disc or changer based media,
> and provide multiple zones of audio from the PC, which you can either hard
> wire to specific zones or run into a matrix switcher to allow selection of
> which zone you want to pipe were, and we provide control over all the
> hardware and provide the touch screen interfaces to control it all. Now
> product is really oriented towards pros, so it's not an end user out of
> the box solution. It requires you to put in some elbow grease or hire
> someone to do it. But in return you get the flexibility to create a
> solution along the lines you want.
>
> Plenty of our customers do this kind of scenarios. Put a 4 channel M-Audio
> card in the box, each of which looks like a separate audio device, and you
> can play audio from disc out each channel. Provide a touch screen in each
> zone and you can browse the database and select what you want to hear. It
> makes even more sense if you then branch out and use the automaition
> features of the product, since you are then getting more bang for the
> buck.
>
> Here are some sample interfaces to show what kind of stuff you can do:
>
> http://www.charmedquark.com/Web/Gallery/CQCDemo1/MusicOverlay.jpg
> http://www.charmedquark.com/Web/Gallery/CQCDemo1/MoviesOverlay.jpg
> http://www.charmedquark.com/Web/Gallery/CQCDemo1/CurMusicOverlay.jpg
>
> http://www.charmedquark.com/Web2/Downloads/MiscImages/AlanBrowseMovies.png
> http://www.charmedquark.com/Web2/Downloads/MiscImages/AlanCable.png
>
> http://www.touchscreengraphics.com/images/screenshots/ripper-1024.png
>
> http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b344/rsxer63/The%20Rack%20Series/DVDCatalog.jpg
> http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b344/rsxer63/The%20Rack%20Series/Radar.jpg
>
> -------------------------------------
> Dean Roddey
> Chairman/CTO, Charmed Quark Systems
> www.charmedquark.com
>
> <stevekokx@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:1152886902.018031.172090@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> IVB/ohno
>>
>> The Russound system looks like what I am looking for.  At least the
>> wall panels are perfect.  I like the look and they are in my price
>> range (I was thinking $100 - $200 each).  The only problem I see is
>> that from what I have read (if someone knows differently, please
>> correct me) those wall panels only work with Russound media servers.
>> What I'm looking for is to be able to use those wall panels or a
>> similar type with any Windows PC.  I'm assuming that for a system like
>> this to work via any Windows PC I would need at least a special type of
>> expansion card and some software, but I would prefer that to buying a
>> receiver.
>
>