Feb.08th, 2007

DigiOn,Inc.

DigiOn® unveils ‘DiXiM for Media Center’ with support for Windows Vista OS NEC to bundle with DLNA certified PC-’VALUESTAR’ and ‘LaVie’ series

Fukuoka, Japan - January 15th, 2007 -- DigiOn®, Inc.  has announced that NEC Personal Products,Ltd., the largest PC manufacture in Japan, has started bundling ‘VALUESTAR’ and ‘LaVie’ consumer PC series with DigiOn’s ‘DiXiM for Media Center’ for home networking.

DiXiM is the brand name given to home network middleware products provided by DigiOn. With DLNA™ certification, DiXiM middleware has been the choice of consumer electronics customers in the CE market.

‘DiXiM Media Client for Media Center’ runs on Microsoft’s ‘Windows Media Center’ and provides a similar look and feel allowing users to seamlessly access ‘DLNA™ Certified Media Servers’ for video, audio and photo contents. Layering home networking on top of existing Media Center capability provides users with richer, more satisfying experiences.

‘DiXiM Media Server’ runs on Windows Vista, distributes contents to DLNA certified servers, and supports ’DTCP-IP’ (Digital Transmission Content Protection over Internet Protocol)DRM. With ‘DiXiM Media Server’, users can now distribute and watch contents recorded from digital terrestrial and BS/CS satellite programs.

NEC PCs loaded with ‘DiXiM for Media Center’ are certified by DLNA as media servers and media players. This certification is given only for devices that have passed interoperability tests set by the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA).

DiXiM for Media Center will be deployed to domestic PC manufactures as well as peripheral makers as a ‘Home Network Solution’ for Windows Vista PCs and Windows Media Center PCs. It is also expected to be a key solution for PC-based digital content transmission.

‘DiXiM for Media Center’ solutions will be pre-installed in most of the following NEC PCs.

DiXiM Media Client for Media Center
Windows Vista Home Premium Models
Windows Vista Ultimate Models
DiXiM Media Server for NEC
Windows Vista Home Premium Models
Windows Vista Ultimate Models
DiXiM Media Server for NEC (DTCP-IP version)
Windows Vista Home Premium Models
Windows Vista Ultimate Models

DigiOn has been providing the ‘DiXiM SDK’ to NEC to develop ’MediaGarage Server’ and ‘’MediaGarage’ client as Home Network applications since 2004.

DiXiM is a software solution for the home networking environment that makes it easier for users to access music and video contents hassle-free. With DLNA™ certification, DiXiM middleware has been selected by various CE customers for consumer PCs, media receivers, network TV, and other CE devices. Please refer to following site for details. http://www.dixim.net

About DigiOn
DigiOn, Inc. is a software developer with experience in the development of multimedia, storage and networking products, and has established a firm position in the home network field. DigiOn, established in 1999, has its headquarters in Fukuoka and branch offices in Tokyo (Akasaka) and Taiwan (Taipei). For details, please visit http://www.digion.com/en/.

*DiXiM DMA Standard allows the DLNA™ Guidelines v.1.0 - based interoperability.
**DiXiM DMA Premium allows playing back content such as recorded digital broadcast TV programs and protected content purchased at content service providers over a home network by its support for DTCP-IP and Windows Media™ DRM 10 ND.
***DiXiM DMA HAK has passed "NSTL pre-submission test for PFS™" implemented by NSTL which is authorized independent testing lab for Microsoft® PlaysForSure™ logo program. To support PlaysForSure™ on final products, manufacturer is required to pass NSTL pre-submission test for PFS™ individually. PlaysForSure™ logo program is currently available only in U.S.A.

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‘DiXiM Media Client for Media Center’ Feature Highlights

  • Quick access from Media Center menu
    A ‘Home Network’ menu has been added onto Media Center for NEC PCs. By selecting Video, Photo, Music Or Device Options from this menu, users can run DiXiM Media Client for Media Center and easily view their media contents..
  • Easy to use, similar look and feel as Media Center
    Media Center users will find ‘DiXiM Media Client for Media Center’ easy to use. ‘DiXiM Media Client for Media Center’ was designed and implemented to provide a similar look and feel to Media Center for seamless home networking access.
  • Just select it, and it plays back
    ‘DiXiM Media Client for Media Center’ aggregates all contents stored on the servers in the network, displaying them on a single screen so the user doesn’t have to know where any specific content is actually stored. The list of media contents can be shown sorted by ‘Artist’, ‘Album’, and ‘Date’. Even if a great number of contents exist, users can select and playback whatever they want with a minimal effort. (* Some servers may require that they are selected from the ‘Select Server’ menu in order to proceed.)
  • DLNA certification delivers high interoperability with other products.
    DigiOn has extensive experience developing home network products such as media servers, media players, and middleware for PCs and embedded systems based upon DLNA Guidelines. ‘DiXiM Media Client for Media Center’ is one of these products and has high interoperability with other devices.

’DiXiM Media Server’ Feature Highlight

  • Distribute multimedia contents stored on a PC to a home network.
    User can distribute contents stored on their PCs such as music, video, and photo data, to home network clients, without hassle or complicated commands. In most cases, users need only place contents in their ‘Public Folder’ or specify folders of their choice.
  • Recorded TV programs distributed over the home network
    ‘DiXiM Media Server for NEC’ can distribute terrestrial TV programs recorded by NEC ’SmartVision’, TV watching and capturing software, to home network clients.
  • Digital terrestrial, BS/CS digital programs can be distributed to home network clients
    ‘DiXiM Media Server for NEC (DTCP-IP version)’ can broadcast contents recorded by NEC ’SmartVision’, TV watching and capturing software, to home network clients using DTCP-IP DRM technology. (Applicable for limited models)

Specifications

Required Configuration

  • Operating System

    DiXiM Media Client for Media Center

    Windows Vista Home Premium- Japanese version
    Windows Vista Ultimate - Japanese version

    DiXiM Media Server for NEC

    Windows Vista Home Premium – Japanese version
    Windows Vista Ultimate – Japanese version
  • HW configurations depend on pre-installed PC specifications.

Supported Content Formats

‘DiXiM Media Server for NEC’ and ‘DiXiM Media Client for Media Center’ can playback following content formats.(*1)
  • Video
    MPEG-1, MPEG-2, WMV, SmartVision recorded TV programs(*2)
  • Music
    MP3, WAVE, LPCM, WMA, MPEG-4 AAC(*3), Ogg Vorbis(*4)
  • Photo
    BMP, JPEG
*1

May support different format for distribution and play back,  in case of connecting with other DLNA certified products.
*2

DRM encrypted TV contents can only be distributed using ‘DiXiM Media Server for NEC（DTCP-IP version）. This also requires a DTCP-IP supported media player or PC software.
*3 QuickTime Player must be installed when user installs ’DiXiM Media Server.
*4 Supports 44.1kHz / 48kHz sampling rate

Link :
DiXiM