At the CES-2009 International Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas, Cisco® announced a new solution for home wireless audio.
The Linksys by Cisco Wireless Home Audio System, developed by network market leaders, uses Wireless-N technology to deliver a wide range of audio services to any room.
The user can create an unforgettable holiday atmosphere with the help of flawless playback synchronization, which allows you to listen to the same piece of music anywhere in the living space or divide the living space into zones and transmit different music to each zone.
The Cisco Wireless Home Audio Solution provides instant access to thousands of songs delivered over the Internet via Rhapsody, AudioLounge, or RadioTime.
An optional docking station lets you browse content on Apple iPodsTM, access podcasts, audiobooks, and iTunes commercial content, and play all of this content on any wireless home audio device connected to your network.
Home audio networking products work seamlessly with the Linksys by Cisco Media Hub, which recognizes and plays all available media content.
«After years of research and testing, we are ready to meet the demand for wireless home audio systems that seamlessly gather music from all sources in one place and play it back with incredible quality,— said Greg Memo, vice president and general manager of products, Consumer Solutions, Cisco.
—To expand the volume of music available and simplify access to it, we have developed a family of products that work seamlessly together to dramatically expand the digital music experience throughout the home.»
According to a June 2008 study by research firm IDC, 46 percent of home network owners and 27 percent of other network owners are interested in streaming music from their computer or the Internet to their stereo systems.
And according to Forrester Research, 22 percent of American households (that's nearly 25 million families!) own at least one iPod, and 30 percent of those have multiple iPods.
«We believe that the current way of listening to music at home will gradually change, and at the center of this method will not be a personal computer, but a network accessible from anywhere in the living space, — said Mike Wolf, director of digital home research at ABI Research.
— Cisco products make it possible to enjoy digital music on the network. We believe this opportunity is the general direction of development of this market».
The Cisco family of wireless home audio solutions includes three options for delivering audio content to any room, using the combination Conductor, Director with a powerful amplifier, and Player, which perfectly complements existing audio systems.
The Wireless-N Controller enhances the wireless home audio solution with a touch-sensitive screen that provides access to all audio content from anywhere in the living space.
The user can play music via an iPod by inserting the device into the docking station, which provides access to all songs, playlists, and other audio content in this format.
In addition, the user will have access to millions of songs delivered in the US via Rhapsody channels and in Europe via AudioLounge channels.
The owner of a Cisco wireless home audio system can search for the music he needs, discover new artists, create new playlists and stream them to any room in his home.
The «Favorites» function will provide instant access to any content from any source.
High-quality playback, precise synchronization
Cisco, the global leader in networking technologies, has applied its deep knowledge and years of experience to develop a solution that delivers virtually lossless digital audio while maintaining the depth and richness of sound as intended.
With distributed decoding technology, each wireless home audio device receives the original audio content without any transcoding or compression. This content is then played back and synchronized in milliseconds, virtually eliminating the echo effect often experienced with other wireless audio systems.
Wireless Simplicity
Linksys by Cisco Wireless Home Audio receives music from existing digital libraries stored on PCs and other devices, the Internet, and even iPods.
There are no cables to run or devices to install.
Cisco delivers a complete wireless solution that immerses your home in a world of music that is under your complete control.
Standards-Based Interoperability
Cisco wireless home audio products are designed to fully support the company's standards-based approach.
These products feature Wireless-N technology to enhance the value of the solution.
It fully reveals the potential of each device that is included in the overall system as its extension, without requiring a wired connection to the router.
Cisco wireless audio networking products support the DLNA 1.5 standard, which makes this solution even more attractive due to compatibility with a wide variety of devices.
In addition, these products support the HomePlug, Wireless-G and Ethernet standards, which gives the user the freedom to choose the network technologies that best meet their individual requirements.
Products
Conductor DMC350 Wireless-N (Digital Music Center) — a full-scale, portable, self-contained wireless music system with built-in speakers.
Can play music anywhere in the living space.
Requires only an AC power source. The 7-inch LCD touch screen provides convenient operation of the music library.
An integrated CD player is used to play music that has not yet been digitized. An infrared remote control is included in the package.
Director DMC250 Wireless-N (music player with built-in amplifier).
The built-in amplifier with a power of 50 watts per channel allows you to play music in any room and create a stationary solution for accessing digital music. It has line-in and line-out connectors for connecting speakers.
The color LCD display makes it easy to navigate your music library. An infrared remote control is included.
Player DMP100 Wireless-N (player that extends your home audio system) provides access to digital music through your existing home stereo and surround sound systems.
The compact design fits neatly into any furniture set, allowing you to play music anywhere in your living space using your existing traditional audio systems. An infrared remote control is included.
The Stereo Speaker Kit DSPK50 (speaker kit) complements the Director music player. Creates a high-quality wireless sound system for playing digital music throughout your living space under your complete control.
Controller DMWR1000 Wireless-N (remote controller with touch screen) is designed for remote wireless control of your home audio system.
Features a large color touch screen, mouse-like controller, and attractive interface that allows easy control of all Linksys by Cisco Wireless Home Audio devices, including an iPod docked in the docking station. Control is available from anywhere in the living space, even if the device being controlled is not in line of sight.
The MCCI40 iPod Docking Station expands your home's wireless audio library to include iPod content, including podcasts, audiobooks, and legally purchased iTunes content.
The DMRIR500 remote control is included with the Conductor, Director, and Player. The simple, compact push-button design allows you to easily control your audio devices while away from the controller.
To simplify purchasing, Cisco offers three complete wireless home audio system kits:
• Premier Kit — a two-room starter kit that includes a Director with remote control, a Player with remote control, and a Wireless-N controller.
• Trio Kit — a kit for users who want to add a Cisco wireless audio solution to their existing audio systems. The kit includes two Players, two remote controls, and a Wireless-N controller.
• The Executive Kit is a convenient way to bring all your wireless home audio features to any room in your home. It includes the Director, remote control, and compatible speakers.
Pricing and Availability
Cisco wireless home audio products are available in the U.S. through authorized Linksys by Cisco resellers and VARs.
Cisco expects to have these products available in Denmark and the Netherlands in the first quarter of 2009.
The Conductor product is expected to be available in the first quarter of 2009.
Approximate street prices are as follows:
• Premier Kit — $999.99/?999.99
• Trio Kit — $849.99/?849.99
• Executive Kit — $549.99/?549.99
• Conductor — price to be announced when the product is available
• Director — $449.99/?449.99
• Player — $299.99/?299.99
• Stereo Speaker Set — $149.99/?149.99
• Controller — $349.99/?349.99
• iPod Docking Station — $79.99/?79.99
• Remote Control — $29.99/?29.99
Cisco Systems Press Release