Qsonix
has launched a digital music management system capable of storing up to
7,500 CDs that it claims is the first of its kind to offer a drag &
drop user interface. Users can manage entire music collections through
a touchscreen display panel, dragging and dropping individual tracks or
complete albums to manage their music playlists, eliminating the use of
menus or extra steps found on other systems. The Q100 DME ($5,495 MSRP)
comes with either 160GBs or 400GBs of hard disk storage and a 15-inch
TFT LCD touchscreen controller that can be integrated with leading home
automation solutions.
Accessed through the touchscreen controller, the company's intuitive graphical user interface puts all the unit's features right at the user's fingertips. Accessing the Album Browser music navigation system, users can quickly go through their entire music library with each album presented graphically with its cover art, artist, genre, year and song track information. Music can also be easily sorted by artist, album, genre, or year, as well as by keyword. Selections can be queued up for playback or added to a playlist just by dragging them to the appropriate list and they can be deleted just as easily.
Other features include Fast Preview which allows users to preview songs without interrupting a current playlist. Under this mode the first few seconds of any song can played before the system reverts to the previously selected playlist. Songs transition in and out smoothly using Softfade, a technology that delivers professional user controllable volume and cross fading effects. The system also features a CD ripping engine that automatically acquires and stores album information, it supports three compression ratios: CD Quality Lossless Compression, High Quality (320Kbs), and Normal Quality (192Kbs). A typical 70-minute CD will automatically load in three to four minutes while custom compilation CD's can be loaded using a built-in data entry wizard.
A setup wizard also makes installation easy, taking as little as five minutes. Once the Q100 is connected to the main audio system it automatically activates the wizard that guides the installer through initial setup like Internet connections and preferences. The Q100 can be used alone as source component or integrated into a custom installation using the RS232 serial control interface. The system also supports two-zone capability, allowing independent library management and playback of different music in each zone.
Accessed through the touchscreen controller, the company's intuitive graphical user interface puts all the unit's features right at the user's fingertips. Accessing the Album Browser music navigation system, users can quickly go through their entire music library with each album presented graphically with its cover art, artist, genre, year and song track information. Music can also be easily sorted by artist, album, genre, or year, as well as by keyword. Selections can be queued up for playback or added to a playlist just by dragging them to the appropriate list and they can be deleted just as easily.
Other features include Fast Preview which allows users to preview songs without interrupting a current playlist. Under this mode the first few seconds of any song can played before the system reverts to the previously selected playlist. Songs transition in and out smoothly using Softfade, a technology that delivers professional user controllable volume and cross fading effects. The system also features a CD ripping engine that automatically acquires and stores album information, it supports three compression ratios: CD Quality Lossless Compression, High Quality (320Kbs), and Normal Quality (192Kbs). A typical 70-minute CD will automatically load in three to four minutes while custom compilation CD's can be loaded using a built-in data entry wizard.
A setup wizard also makes installation easy, taking as little as five minutes. Once the Q100 is connected to the main audio system it automatically activates the wizard that guides the installer through initial setup like Internet connections and preferences. The Q100 can be used alone as source component or integrated into a custom installation using the RS232 serial control interface. The system also supports two-zone capability, allowing independent library management and playback of different music in each zone.
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