If there’s one trend in electronics that no one can deny, it’s the shift toward digital distribution. Tower Records? Dead. Blockbuster? Hurting. Apple’s iTunes Store? Growing. People like the convenience of being able to get whatever audio and video they want, whenever they want, wherever they are.

This trend is affecting audio/video hardware, too—nowhere more profoundly than in the products of NetStreams, an Austin-based producer of whole-house entertainment systems. Other whole-house systems rely on a central "brain" that connects to your source components and pumps sound to, say, six pairs of speakers. NetStreams, in contrast, is a real A/V network. No central unit controls all the action. Any room with a NetStreams touchscreen sees every source device connected to the system, no matter where the device may be. The only thing connecting all the keypads and sources is Cat-5 Ethernet cable.

At this point, your response should be, "So what? Who cares if the sound comes in over Cat-5 or cat gut, as long as it’s clear?" One advantage is that you can expand the system infinitely, adding whatever number of rooms and zones you wish, whatever number of audio/video source devices you wish, and—now—whatever number of home automation devices you wish. And they can be anywhere in your home. The only requirement is that they be able to connect through Cat-5 cable to the high-speed switcher that serves as the NetStreams hub.

Adding more elements to the system does not require hours of your installer’s time or thousands of your dollars. He or she merely connects a computer to the system (if there’s not one connected), specifies the number of sources/keypads/etc., selects the type of source/keypad/etc., and gives names to them all. After that, the system configures itself.

Easy-to-program touchscreens tend to look generic; your screen designs look just like every other schmo’s. NetStreams personalizes its screens with more than 30 different "skins"—color schemes and themes to suit your style or interests. The first thing you see is a home page, which takes you to subscreens that let you select the room you want to control; choose and control your audio and—now—video source; select a lighting scene; check your home’s security cameras; control HVAC and security; and use the system’s intercom/room monitor. If you want to find out what it’s like to use all of these controls, there’s a great demo in the right-hand column of netstreams.com.

The key interface I use to try out NetStreams is the TouchLinX 3.8-inch color touchscreen. NetStreams has recently supplemented this relatively small screen with 4.3-inch and 7-inch models. The other key component is the SpeakerLinX amplifier, which pulls audio signals off the network and amplifies them. You can connect any speakers to the SpeakerLinX, although I’m sure most people use in-wall or in-ceiling speakers. (Simpler KeyLinX keypads are available for rooms that don’t warrant a touchscreen.)

If you want video, you can add the new ViewLinX video interface, which pulls standard- or high-def video in resolutions up to 1080i off the network and displays it on a TV. The ViewLinX has component, S-video, and composite video outputs, and digital and analog audio outputs.

What’s most exciting to me, though, is that the audio options through the TouchLinX are now dramatically expanded, thanks to the new SMM100 Streaming Music Manager. The SMM100 is like the world’s most tricked-out iPod. It contacts the computers and NAS (network-attached storage) hard drives on your network looking for music in MP3 and WMA formats, and makes them available on all the touchscreens. Any new music files added to any computer will appear on all the NetStreams touchscreens within 15 minutes. Once the SMM100 has found the music file, you never need wonder which computer or drive it's on; all you see is the menu of playlists, artists, genres, and tunes, plus the CD cover art for the music you've selected. THe SMM100 can provide as many as six different music streams simultaneously; you can add more SMM100s if you need more streams. (USB jacks on the unit let you connect an iPod directly, but the system will only access iPod tunes encoded in MP3 format, not the AAC format used on iTunes.)

Unlike, say, a speaker or a flat-panel TV, NetStreams is an evolving product that is updated on a regular basis. When I first reviewed it a couple of years ago, it was interesting but incomplete. In only two years, the company has added video; interfaces with Aprilaire, Lutron, and GE home automation; a software interface that lets installers write their own programs to control practically any home automation gear; doorbell, intercom, and security camera interfaces; and other new interface devices that the company just hasn’t had time to tell me about. Like the Internet Protocol technology it’s based on, NetStreams seems practically limitless.

DESCRIPTION
IP-based multiroom audio/video system. Also performs paging, room monitoring; can also control lighting, security, HVAC and other home functions

CONNECTIONS
SMM100: four USB jacks, 3.5mm jacks for line input and output, composite video and S-video outputs, DB-9 connector for RS-232, DB-15 connector for VGA output, RJ-45 network connection

CONTROLLER OPTIONS
TouchLinX 4.3-inch and 7-inch color touchscreens; KeyLinX single-gang keypads; can also be controlled through computers, wireless web tablets, and PDAs

PRICE/CONTACT
PRICE: NetStreams $1,800 to $5,000 per room, depending on audio/video sources and control devices; SMM100 $3,000
CONTACT: 512.977.9393, netstreams.com