Escient PowerPlay
November 2001
Escient PowerPlay
Massive DVD Changer
By Markkus Rovito
Soon after CDs became the audio medium of choice, large CD changers—or jukeboxes—became a fairly common device for keeping discs always at the ready. Now that it seems certain DVDs will eventually replace VHS tapes, perhaps mammoth DVD changers are the next contraption waiting to go mainstream.
For now at least, the DVD jukebox is a rarity. And like most rare desireables, it will be enjoyed primarily by the upper crust. The Escient PowerPlay does things few, if any, other products can do, but it doesn't come cheap. Not only a DVD changer, the PowerPlay is also an archival system for all of the information pertaining to each movie. When discs are loaded, the PowerPlay connects to the Gracenote CDDB Music Recognition Service (CDDB for short) through a phone line using a toll-free number. From CDDB, it downloads information about a DVD including title, year of release, names of stars, plot summary, etc. It also retrieves the cover art for the disc so that users can then easily choose the movie they want to see by selecting the cover from a menu of covers on the TV screen. There is no monthly charge attached to the CDDB service.
The system consists of two main components: a 200-disc DVD/CD changer and the PowerPlay Controller. The two pieces connect with an IEEE 1394 FireWire cable. The changer has a few buttons and a small LCD display necessary for loading and ejecting discs, while the controller contains the modem and all the connections, including phone jack, composite A/V, S-Video out, component out, optical and coaxial audio out, two USB and two FireWire ports. You could actually chain up to six changers together with FireWire cables for a maximum capacity of 1200 discs. The controller also has a single-disc DVD drive for quickly playing back discs that don't need to be archived, such as rentals.
Two remote controls, a small handheld with a few navigational controls and a full-size wireless QWERTY keyboard complete the system. The keyboard also has a directional mouse and buttons for Play, Stop, Pause, etc. With the keyboard you type in things such as registration information and any additional details or notes you'd like to store for a particular DVD. For example, you can add names of actors, producers, or any notes you'd like to include that were not downloaded from CDDB and save them as part of a disc's information. Later, you can search for a movie based on an actor's name or any other word or phrase in the DVD's notes. This inputting of information may be most useful for CD-R/RWs or home-recorded DVDs (the PowerPlay played back both DVD-R and DVD+R discs) that will not show up in the CDDB. When discs are not found on CDDB, a general DVD or CD icon appears instead of a cover. A user can connect a PC-compatible scanner to the USB ports and scan in an image to use for a disc's cover in the PowerPlay menu. For example, a few fairly obscure CDs I loaded into the PowerPlay had text information in CDDB, but no cover image. I could scan in the actual CD cover, or any other image if I so chose.
Massive DVD Changer
By Markkus Rovito
Soon after CDs became the audio medium of choice, large CD changers—or jukeboxes—became a fairly common device for keeping discs always at the ready. Now that it seems certain DVDs will eventually replace VHS tapes, perhaps mammoth DVD changers are the next contraption waiting to go mainstream.
For now at least, the DVD jukebox is a rarity. And like most rare desireables, it will be enjoyed primarily by the upper crust. The Escient PowerPlay does things few, if any, other products can do, but it doesn't come cheap. Not only a DVD changer, the PowerPlay is also an archival system for all of the information pertaining to each movie. When discs are loaded, the PowerPlay connects to the Gracenote CDDB Music Recognition Service (CDDB for short) through a phone line using a toll-free number. From CDDB, it downloads information about a DVD including title, year of release, names of stars, plot summary, etc. It also retrieves the cover art for the disc so that users can then easily choose the movie they want to see by selecting the cover from a menu of covers on the TV screen. There is no monthly charge attached to the CDDB service.
The system consists of two main components: a 200-disc DVD/CD changer and the PowerPlay Controller. The two pieces connect with an IEEE 1394 FireWire cable. The changer has a few buttons and a small LCD display necessary for loading and ejecting discs, while the controller contains the modem and all the connections, including phone jack, composite A/V, S-Video out, component out, optical and coaxial audio out, two USB and two FireWire ports. You could actually chain up to six changers together with FireWire cables for a maximum capacity of 1200 discs. The controller also has a single-disc DVD drive for quickly playing back discs that don't need to be archived, such as rentals.
Two remote controls, a small handheld with a few navigational controls and a full-size wireless QWERTY keyboard complete the system. The keyboard also has a directional mouse and buttons for Play, Stop, Pause, etc. With the keyboard you type in things such as registration information and any additional details or notes you'd like to store for a particular DVD. For example, you can add names of actors, producers, or any notes you'd like to include that were not downloaded from CDDB and save them as part of a disc's information. Later, you can search for a movie based on an actor's name or any other word or phrase in the DVD's notes. This inputting of information may be most useful for CD-R/RWs or home-recorded DVDs (the PowerPlay played back both DVD-R and DVD+R discs) that will not show up in the CDDB. When discs are not found on CDDB, a general DVD or CD icon appears instead of a cover. A user can connect a PC-compatible scanner to the USB ports and scan in an image to use for a disc's cover in the PowerPlay menu. For example, a few fairly obscure CDs I loaded into the PowerPlay had text information in CDDB, but no cover image. I could scan in the actual CD cover, or any other image if I so chose.
