Evolution of a Digital Den - Part 1: Audio

When asked if I'd be interested in writing an article describing the digital aspects of my home entertainment setup, I wasn't sure I'd be a good example for others to follow. Like many people, the basic components in my system have been pieced together over many years, and I have yet to arrive at an optimal mix. But as I thought about it, I realized that I might have some valuable insight that might benefit others.

My system is fairly complex, because in my role as a reviewer for TomsNetworking, I've had the chance to play with a number of networked audio/video components, and integrate them with the rest of my system. In addition to my work with TomsNetworking, I was an early adopter of Personal Video Recorder (PVR) devices. I even spent a few years working for a company that designed, built and marketed an award-winning network-capable PVR satellite receiver. Thus, even if my system isn't perfect, I've got real-world experience with a number of networked audio/video components, and have some fairly unique experiences that you may find useful to read about.

When I started this article I took stock of my system, and looked back several years to see how I'd arrived at the set of components that my family and I use on a day-to-day basis. Like many people, over the years we'd accumulated a collection of CDs, DVDs, digital photographs, VHS videotapes and 8mm videotapes. Our A/V system was fairly typical, with a standard TV, DVD player, VCR, camcorder, CD Jukebox, etc. There was no network integration. The only time I even used a computer in my entertainment centre was when I directly hooked up a laptop to the TV to view a slide show.

As my media collection grew and I began to expand my home network, I looked for a way to bring my A/V system and my home network together. My hope was that this would allow me to more easily manage my media collection, and make better use of it. Like most people going down this road, my first project was to take charge of my music; in this first article, I'll walk through how I started, and where I am today.