FUZE Media System

FUZE today introduced its self-titled FUZE media system, its multi-room home theater hub. The system is neither a conventional home theater PC nor an older control-based system. While a primary computer dubbed the FuzeBox ultimately hosts content, the company includes its own interface and infrastructure to share content across a whole house. Because it avoids Windows Media Center or other conventional interfaces, it also avoids the unreliability or update interruptions that plague conventional designs, FUZE says. Small, thin client PCs named FuzeMinis serve as remote hosts for the content across a gigabit Ethernet network; users can also use a touchscreen remote named the FuzeTouch to both control the system and even watch video when a TV is occupied. Audio-only environments can instead opt for a FuzeTunes wall outlet that quickly navigates just music and sports an iPod jack.

The FuzeBox itself includes enough hardware to deliver multiple HD streams without interruption: a 2.4GHz Core 2 Quad is backed by 4GB of RAM and a GeForce 7600 GT that offloads some of the HD video decoding work. Multiple CableCARD tuners record HDTV at full quality to the system's 1.5TB storage while still allowing viewers to watch separate live shows. Each FuzeMini in turn includes a 2GHz mobile Core 2 Duo, 2GB of RAM, and the DVI/HDMI and optical audio necessary for full HD with surround sound.

Prices and launch dates for each of the components were not revealed with the announcement. FUZE promises that more details should be available by the CEDIA home entertainment expo, which begins in September.

FUZE interface



FuzeBox, FuzeMini



FuzeTouch, FuzeTunes

By Electronista Staff