


The iPort will accept the 20- and 40-gigabyte Click Wheel iPod, the iPod photo, and the iPod mini, with the use of one of the three included cradle/back-plate combos. And, in deference to the iPod photo's newfound success, the iPort is also the first product of its kind that supports video output, allowing you to display still photos and slide shows on your TV. Once you've installed the iPort, you just plug in an iPod, and you can enjoy your digital music on any system.

It can share with the nearest set of speakers or with a wholehouse audio system. The rhetorical question behind it is: "Why should you stop enjoying your digital music when you come home from a hard day out and about?" The iPort creates its library from the AAC/MP3/WAV/Apple Lossless tracks stored in your iPod.

What if the iPod was the music server, or at least the heart thereof? Sonance, known for their on-wall, in-wall, in-ceiling, and other décor-friendly loudspeakers (as well as home-automation, amplifier, and control products), has applied their custom-installation know-how to their docking station for the iPod, dubbed the iPort. Thanks to Hewlett-Packard, iPod technology is now available to the teeming PC throng, although we have never had an appropriate occasion to cover the iPod in the pages of Home Theater before.Īnd, while there is still no iTunes iServer for me to review, what I do have this month might be just as sweet. The iPod is standard issue here in New York, along with a little vial of pepper spray and a big scoop of attitude. People have even taken to wearing the distinctive white headphones with any old portable stereo, in an attempt to achieve that iPod look, while many old-school iPod owners (yes, it's been around long enough to give rise to different schools) have switched to more traditional ear gear, just to eschew any sense of jejune trendiness. Among portables, there is no denying that the iPod is king, with a popularity that transcends mere market share. We've been writing about digital music and the various hardware options, including home audio servers and portables, for several years now. IDeclare: Your portable music player is now your home music server (with photos, anyone?).
