Multiroom/multisource audio server manufacturer Autonomic Controls recently announced new music services for its Mirage Audio System and Media Servers.
Slacker Radio has been added to the large portfolio of streaming services because of its popularity in Canada. CEO Michael de Nigris says it has been the “first or second most requested service.”
Also supported is the new Sirius XM 2.0 platform, including On Demand, which allows users to jump back to the beginning of a song or show.
“A lot of good content is created for or by Sirius, like live concerts,” says de Nigris. “Pretty much all of their content is available on demand.”
Related: Hands On: Mirage MMS 5 Music Server
Also, Autonomic has added Gracenote to its suite of services. For any missing cover art in a user’s library, Gracenote provides high-resolution cover art. An upcoming firmware update will allow users to enhance the metadata in their existing library to “normalize” artist and album names and retrieve metadata for tracks via a digital fingerprint.
On the integration side with home control systems, Autonomic already works with the major control systems but the company has added support for RTI’s new Apex control platform.
“We always had RTI,” says de Nigris. “Now we are optimized for the Apex, which is much faster.”
During September’s CEDIA Expo, Autonomic was highlighting its Mirage Audio System as a complete multiroom audio solution including two digital amplifiers (4- and 8-zone) and two in-wall control options, plus iOS and Android apps.
The in-wall control options are the KP-1 and KP-iOS keypads (pictured below, respectively). The KP-1 offers simple and intuitive control of volume, source, and independent zone power, with convenient local access to these functions. The company says that for more advanced control, the KP-iOS is designed to accommodate the Apple iPod touch, securely affixing the ubiquitous iDevice into the wall for full control of the system at the ready.
Also, consumers will also have an easier time getting their custom electronics professionals who install the Autonomic systems to troubleshoot any problems, too. The company introduced a new cloud-based portal for installers that provides a dashboard of clients’ servers and indicates by color codes if any given system is online (green), offline (red) or ready for a firmware update (amber). Dealers can push updates to the servers remotely, without having to go to their houses. They can reboot boxes and perform other remote diagnostics.
MSRP for the 4-zone MAS-4 is $4,945 and MSRP for the 8-zone MAS-8 is $8,350.
Autonomic even put together a video to give you more of an idea about how the Mirage works:
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