OTHER TECH

Enter the Hub Behind the disc drawer on the Entré's svelte, black brushed-aluminum front panel is a drive that can read CD-ROMs at 24x speed and write to CD-R and CD-RW discs at 10x and 4x speeds, respectively. The open/close and transport buttons are all standard issue. The Record button comes with CDR and HDD indicators to tell you whether the Entré is storing data on a CD-R/RW disc or on its hard drive. There are Radio and Music indicators plus four cursor buttons to navigate the onscreen display. A front-panel USB port, hidden under a rubber flap, suggests even more esoteric connections are possible.

The rear panel has a wide range of traditional analog and digital A/V inputs and outputs plus the two RS-232 ports to connect the hub to the receiver and changer. There are two phone jacks, labeled Wall and Phone. Either of them can be used for HomePNA networking (which uses existing phone lines to interconnect digital devices) or to connect to a dial-up ISP with the built-in modem. Finally, there are two coaxial connectors (labeled "for future use") and two more USB ports. As an alternative Internet connection, any of the USB ports can be connected to an optional Ethernet adapter.

Connecting the plethora of audio/video cabling required by the receiver, the changer, and the Entré is at least a six-pack job (this is one area the convergence guys still need to work on) - for instance, the Entré needs a separate connection to your TV and can't go through the receiver. But connecting the two supplied RS-232 cables that allow the components to perform their cutting-edge tricks takes less time than a single sip.

The Entré's remote looks fairly typical, though along with the usual A/V keys it sports buttons labeled Music, Movies, Radio, OpenGlobe, Email, and Web that hint at nontraditional functions. However, as noted, you can opt instead to control the system with the VR-5900's much cooler-looking LCD-based PowerTouch III remote (shown below); first-generation PowerTouch remotes will need a software upgrade to work with the Entré.

The Entré is compatible with several USB keyboards, including Compaq's, but not with the wireless infrared keyboard supplied with some Kenwood Sovereign DVD and CD changers - including the DV-5900M! One more note on compatibility: Since the day has not yet arrived when you can use RS-232 or USB cables to connect a bunch of components from different manufacturers and have them all get along, the Entré can only control other Kenwood components.

When you power up the Entré for the first time, it spends a few minutes booting its hard drive and then takes you through an initializing onscreen setup menu. The first step is getting you online, since so much of what makes the Entré special revolves around its Internet connectivity.

All of the Entré's Internet features depend on OpenGlobe.net, a commercial online service specializing in music recognition, music distribution or "content delivery," and database management customized for different platforms such as the Kenwood Entré and the Compaq iPAQ. Some of these services were "live" at the time of my tests, some came online in subsequent weeks, and some were still bannered as "Coming Soon" at our press time.

To connect to the Net, you must have a third-party Internet Service Provider (ISP). Unfortunately, you can't use AOL, CompuServe, and free ISPs like NetZero because they don't open their networks to outside users. Thus, many folks will have to spring for a new ISP in addition to their regular one.