Dell is breaking into the digital home theatre market in a roundabout way with the Dell Digital Audio Receiver. The new appliance enables digital audio stored on any PC in any room in the home to be distributed to remote receivers or home stereo systems via home phone line (HPNA 2.0) or Ethernet networking connections. Powered by S3 Rio Audio technology (and apparently based off the Rio Receiver ), the Dell Digital Audio Receiver offers the ability to search, sort and play their entire PC music collection by artist, title, album, playlist or genre and provides support for MPEG 1 Layer-3 (MP3) files, Microsoft Windows Media Audio (WMA) files, and digital audio conforming to the Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) standard. Dell will demonstrate the Digtal Audio Receiver for the first time during PC Expo in New York next week (June 26-28). The Dell Digital Audio Receiver will be available direct from Dell in August for $199 (when purchased with a Dell Dimension system) and $249 when purchased separately.
Below are a few Dell Digital Audio Receiver Features (taken directly from the press release)
Easy Setup – Available factory configured with a Dimension PC or as a customer kit for existing desktop PCs, the receiver connects to existing home phone lines, speakers and stereo equipment without the need for extra wiring.
Music Management Software – MusicMatch Jukebox Version 5.1 and all the appropriate drivers are factory installed on Dimension systems purchased with a Digital Audio Receiver.
Built-in Amplifier – With an integrated amplifier, the receiver is strong enough to power passive speakers without the need for additional stereo equipment.
Customizable Display – Song, album, artist and time information is displayed on a backlit LCD screen, which can be customized to fit the listener’s preference.
Streaming CD-quality Music – Using a 10-megabit/second phone line connection to the PC enables quick access between the receiver and music files located on the PC hard drive.
Remote Control – Enables convenient and full control of the receiver from across the room.
Standards-based Connectivity – Supports HPNA 2.0 or Ethernet networks.