Media servers employ home networks to allow users to distribute and play all their movies, videos, music and photos in one or more rooms simultaneously. Key to the success of any such system, however, is the interface through which people can access and manage their collections, and it is here that Escient has carved out something of a name for itself among custom installation professionals.
Its latest offerings include the VS-100 and the VS-200, the former with dual 500GB drives and the latter with dual ITB drives. This represents storage capability for about 100 and 200 movies respectively, and both models sport RAID 1 redundancy and backup for extra reliability.
Other features include video upconversion to 1080p via HDMI V1.3, automatic DVD identification using Movie DB database and cover art, plus automatic CD identification using Gracenote CDDB with cover art from AMG. Both offer multi-zone, multi-user audio support when integrated with the Escient Fireball line of E2, SE, FP-1 and ZP-1 media managers, and PC file sharing for transferring music and picture files to and from a networked PC or Mac.
Price
The VS-100 costs $8,999 and the VS-200, $12,999.
