Leviton Introduces Decora Media System

With the introduction of its Decora Media System, Leviton is applying advanced data communications technology to transform the home entertainment experience. ""The multimedia revolution has raised everyoneís expectations for sound and video quality,"" notes Bill Marshall, Vice President of Marketing and Product Management. ""With the advent of our Decora Media System, weíre making it possible to replace old-style audio/video distribution components and wiring with a new concept based more on the data networking model. Rather than using expensive ëdesignerí cables with all the associated cost and interference, the Decora Media System uses the same type of wiring used in structured cabling systems. While the term ërevolutionaryí is easy to overuse, something that offers demonstrably better performance at a fraction of the cost can be described as nothing less than revolutionary.""The Leviton system converts stereo audio and baseband video signals for home theatre and distributed audio/video to inexpensive Category 5 Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP), wiring that typically sells for 1/10th the cost of dedicated specialized cabling. The Leviton Decora Media System incorporates active electronics instead of passive components and its advanced circuitry with automatic equalization is capable of streaming analog audio and video signals over distances of up to 300 meters with no audible distortion or noticeable video artifacts. The new Decora Media System will ship in March 2000.""There are passive devices available now that can convert audio/video signals to Category 5 Unshielded Twisted Pair cabling,"" notes Ray Szekretar, Senior Product Manager. ""But Levitonís approach differs in three important respects. First, this is an elegant wallplate solution, built into the house to keep the technology low-profile. Second, our system uses active electronics instead of passive components. Itís a higher performance and lower cost design that automatically corrects itself for long distance cable run. And third, our system is a system. It networks audio/video much like an Ethernet hub networks computers and peripherals. Itís a next-century answer to the 1970ís style audio system wiring now in use by the custom installation industry. It also speaks to the audio/video system buying habits of consumers today. With people more likely to want minisystems in bedrooms and offices and less interested in remote speakers and volume controls tied into a central A/V system, the Leviton Media System package is the ideal solution for running line-level audio and video to a number of remote locations.""Levitonís Decora Media System uses three components: a Media Sender for transmitting audio/video signals, a Media Receiver for receiving signals and a Media Hub for whole-house multi-room distribution. The system can be used in two configurations. The simplest, in point-to-point mode, uses one Media Sender and one Media Receiver to send audio/video signals from a source unit to a remote dedicated component such as a television monitor or projector. The advanced network configuration routes a composite (audio/video) signal from a source (such as a home theatre receiver output) to a Media Hub that is designed for installation in a variety of wiring panels including Levitonís Structured Media Center and Media Versatile Panel series. It distributes the signal to up to six Media Receivers over Category 5 UTP cabling. By ""daisy chaining"" Media Hub units, a composite audio/video signal can be distributed to over twenty locations.""One of the most outstanding features of the Decora Media System is the flexibility it brings,"" observes Ray Szekretar. ""The wiring for a home office is also the correct wiring for home theatre. Now, system integrators and custom installers do not have to anticipate future needs with dedicated cabling runs- they simply install an extra run of Category 5 UTP to any locations where they may want to distribute audio and video.""The Leviton Decora Media System can be used to distribute signals from DVD players, CD jukeboxes, satellite TV receivers and any other audio/video source throughout a home. In addition, the units can be used with video cameras and related components as part of home security or in multimedia applications such as distributing PC ""Webcam"" signals throughout a home.

For more information, contact Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc., 800 323 3920, 800 832 9538 fax, or visit Levitonís Web site at www.leviton.com.