Consider the Studio Movie Server from Fusion Research
March 30, 2011

A Blu-Ray Disc Changer may be a great device for someone with a large and growing private Blu-Ray Disc collection. But if you own some of your favorite all-time movies on DVD and frequently rent new releases, a Movie Server may be an even greater device for you.

A movie server allows you to quickly view your entire collection on the screen such as shown above. Large collections can be searched, sorted or filtered by genre, rating, title, actor or other parameters for quick retrieval.

Other important features of a movie server are the ability to expand your hard drive storage capacity, easily load new DVDs into the system with automatic download of movie cover art and other descriptive information, and a mechanism to add missing information or cover art when not available online.

At right is the Studio Movie Server from Fusion Research. This is the entry level movie server from Fusion who also offers the Genesis and Cinema Systems, which are full function media servers handling large digital photo and music collections in addition to movies with a total storage capacity up to 18 terabytes.

The Studio Movie Server upconverts standard definition DVDs to full 1080p high definition, improving the video playback quality. But perhaps the best feature for those who frequently rent DVDs is the licensed CSS decoder for movie playback of encrypted discs, which legally allows you to view a single copy of any DVD loaded in this system for as long as you want to devote 6.5 GB of disc space to retain the movie. DVD Collections can also be archived to offline backup for permanent retention. The Studio Movie Server comes with enough disc capacity to store up to 250 DVDs, and can be expanded simply by adding USB external disc storage. For more information and product pricing click here.

Fusion Systems can be controlled easily with simple IR remote controls or with sophisticated two-way control systems. Their servers easily integrate with industry leaders Crestron, AMX, and Control4, as well as Savant, RTI, and Universal Remote Control systems. We downloaded the two-way Ethernet Driver for Control4 from the Fusion website, and in ten minutes we were controlling the Studio Movie Server with our Control4 remote.