Custon Installation Equipment Reviews

Delivering up to 14TB of centralized network storage, Envive's TheaterStation Multi-zone Digital Media Management System keeps all your media in one convenient location. A single TheaterStation Client can connect with a variety of 4TB, 6TB, 10TB and 14TB storage units that fit in standard rack mounts. As your video and audio library expands, so will your Envive system. Users can easily transfer, store and sort music and movies, whether they are created, purchased on hard media or downloaded from the Internet. The complete TheaterStation product line is ideal for either single-zone or multi-zone installations.

The networked storage units are available in rack mount or small towers with RAID protection. The system is designed for easy expansion with the addition of more hard drives and extra clients to enjoy media in multiple rooms throughout the house. The TheaterStation system enables users to retrieve, create, or capture cover art and metadata for all of the media in their library.

Envive's software helps users get their digital library into the TheaterStation system by using PC, MAC, and Linux based tools to drag and drop their digital files onto the central network storage devices. The TheaterStation's user interface makes it easy for users to store, sort, and access all their digital media. It supports the importing of non-DRM protected audio files from popular download services, and numerous video file formats including AVI, MPEG2, MPEG4, WMV, DVD ISO, H.264, and VC1.

The TS Client and TS Client Mini are easy to set up and connect to the networked storage devices. Providing internal upscaling to 1080p, the TS clients are equipped with built-in DVD drives for local movie playback and archiving. Capable of interfacing with a variety of home automation control systems, the TS Client and TS Client Mini provide IR, IP and serial connections.

The rack mount storage units come in either 1U rack mount with 4-bays for 4TB to 6TB drives or 2U rack mount units with 8-bays to accommodate 6TB to 14TB drives. For installations without industrial racks there is the 4-bay tower that is capable of holding four, 1TB drives.

The cost is on par with other high-end digital management systems. For instance the TS Client is $1,795, while the TS Client Mini is $1,995. Storage costs can run $4,795 for 4TB or up to $10, 995 for 14TB. For more in-depth information about the TheaterStation system and the various storage options go to the Envive website.