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5.1 Sound Card Delivers 3 Streams of iTunes

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the that's-a-whole-lotta-streams dept.

An anonymous reader writes "How do you distribute simultaneous streams of DRM-protected iTunes from a single computer to multiple rooms of the house? Autonomic Controls demonstrated a unique solution at the recent Electronic House Expo (EHX). The company's Media Control Server EX software turns a PC with a 5.1 sound card into a three-zone music distribution server. (Add a second card for six outputs). At EHX, the solution was demonstrated with a multiroom audio system from NuVo, whose keypads could be used to browse and select songs, playlists, genres, artists, etc. The Autonomic software merges WMA and iTunes files into a single library for easy access." I have mixed feelings about this: on one hand, this is a really clever idea and a cool hack. On the other hand, the fact that DRM makes something like this necessary is truly infuriating.

3 of 259 comments (clear)

  1. Time is on our side... yes it is. by imstanny · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I have mixed feelings about this: on one hand, this is a really clever idea and a cool hack. On the other hand, the fact that DRM makes something like this necessary is truly infuriating. DRM has never been a road block to innovation. At worst, it is a nuisance that will eventually be bypassed.
  2. Simple by jpmorgan · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Whatever happened to the right tool for the right job? Screw iTunes and buy DRM-free music from Amazon.

    1. Re:Simple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Or buy DRM-free music from ITMS.