ELAN Home Systems Begins Shipping VIA!dvdj

August 24, 2005 — ELAN Home Systems announced today that the company is now shipping its brand new DVD management solution, the VIA!dvdj. This revolutionary product lets users manage and control their entire DVD collections with ease from any VIA! Touch Panel or television in the home. The announcement was made by Bob Farinelli, ELAN’s President and Chief Technology Officer.

“We are pleased to announce that we are shipping our eagerly awaited DVD management product. We observed a clear void in the DVD controller marketplace for a product that allows users to access multiple movies simultaneously. With the introduction of the VIA!dvdj, ELAN has filled that void at an incredible price point. Utilizing the tried-and-true ELAN interface we’ve perfected with our VIA!dj digital music server, this will be a home run DVD and theater solution.

ELAN’s VIA!dvdj provides users with the ability to easily sort and access individual DVDs by title, actor, director, genre, year and rating, and to view DVD cover art. Able to control up to four Sony DVP-CX777ES 400-disc DVD changers for management of a total of 1600 DVDs, the VIA!dvdj functions seamlessly in a home theater as a standalone device, as well as throughout the home through VIA! Panels or in rooms with TVs. Dealers can also include this product in applications where there is no VIA! Touch Panel, by using the included handheld remote.

One of the most powerful features of the VIA!dvdj is the ability to access up to four DVDs stored in different changers simultaneously through an ELAN interface. This feature is above and beyond features offered by most all other DVD controllers available today, and the ELAN solution for this is priced to beat any other such product on the market. Also, because the interface and programming is modeled after ELAN’s award-winning VIA!dj music server, Dealers save valuable programming and training time, resulting in faster installations and greater profitability.

The VIA!dvdj has been carefully designed with the specialty Dealer in mind, and therefore, includes some extensive advanced features. For example, VIA!dvdj’s exclusive Dealer Administration PC Tool lets Dealers or End Customers easily configure Ethernet, Modem & ISP settings, as well as view and edit cover art and DVD data. It is also family-friendly and includes a parental lock-out feature that restricts access to specific DVDs and/or motion picture ratings.

Other specifications include a built in dial up modem and an Ethernet port and upgrade capability via Internet download. VIA!dvdj is IR and RS-232-controllable, and features simultaneously active Composite, S and VGA video outputs, and can support 480p video support. And, because the physical DVDs are stored and cataloged in changers, Dealers and End Customers avoid concerns over the current legal issues being debated due to the early onset of video server products.

The VIA!dvdj comes with a one-year manufacturer’s warranty and a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $2,650.00. Compatible Sony DVP-CX777ES 400-disc DVD changers are also available from ELAN directly at the manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $799.00 each.

To learn more, visit www.elanhomesystems.com.

SOURCE Elan Home Systems