Features
DVD Control
Music Server
Media Management
Inputs and Outputs
Specifications
System Requirements

Features

Overview: Escient's FireBall MX-111 Digital Media Manager allows you to not only enjoy your home theater but it also has the ability to graphically organize and display your entire DVD, CD and digital music collection right on your TV. With its 160GB hard drive and the ability to manage up to 400 DVDs and CDs in an external changer, the MX-111 provides instant access to your the large music and movie collection through an easy to use and intuitive on-screen interface.

160GB Internal Hard Drive: The 160GB internal hard drive built into the MX-111 can store up to 2,695 hours of music.

CD-RW Drive: The FireBall MX-111 features a built-in CD-RW drive for playing, burning and ripping CDs.

DVD/CD Management: The Escient's MX-111 allows you to store, secure, browse, and play up to 400 DVDs or CDs stored in your Sony CD/DVD changer. The unit can manage one DVD/CD Sony changer.

Supported External Changers: The FireBall Media Manager only supports the Sony DVD-777ES DVD/CD changer for DVD and CD storage and Sony CD mega Changers (200, 300 400 discs) with S-Link for CD only storage. It is only capable of managing one changer.

SACD: The FireBall can also manage SACD audio discs loaded into a Sony DVP-777ES DVD/CD changer. Once you have loaded all of your SACDs into the changer connect it's 5.1 analog audio outputs directly to your A/V receiver, using the same input source as the MX-111.

On-Screen Menu: The Escient's FireBall MX-111 features a simple and intuitive on-screen user interface for browsing, selecting and playing movies, music, Internet radio stations and for all system configuration and setup functions.

DVD/CD Identification: The MX-111 features DVD and CD identification using EScients's MovieDB for DVD and Gracenote CDDB with cover art provided by AMG for CD.

PC/MAC Compatible: The Digital Media Manager allows PC file sharing for transferring music files to and from a PC or Mac (includes support for iPod and other portable players). The unit also supports browsing and playing of music stored on your PC or Mac.

Audio Encoder Type: You can specify which audio encoder (MP3 or FLAC) you want to use for recording audio into the machine. The MP3 format allows for the most flexibility and compatibility for efficiently storing many audio files while the FLAC format uses considerably more space than MP3 files, but preserves an exact bit-for-bit recording of the original, using half the space of the original CD.

PDA Interface: The MX-111 features a PDA interface for controlling the unit from any pocket sized web enabled device.

Web Interface: The FireBall MX-111 features a Web interface that allows for remote control and music steaming via a standard web browser.

External Recording: The unit allows you to record audio to the hard drive from an external changer or from any legacy analog or digital audio device (LPs, Cassettes, DAT, MD, etc).

Media Manager Link: You can connect the unit to other FireBall Music Servers to share music libraries.

Selectable Aspect Ratios: The MX-111 features user selectable 16x9 or 4:3 on screen TV user interface.

Gapless Playback: The unit features gapless playback for classical and live recordings.

Photo Screen Saver Mode: The MX-111 has a Photo Screen Save Mode for displaying your own photos whenever the unit is idle for a specified period of time. You can import your own photos into the Photos shared directory using the Windows Networking. Photos should be 720x480 for 4:3 NTSC TVs and 640x360 for 16x9 widescreen TVs.

Picture Controls: You can adjust the brightness, contrast, sharpness, color and tint for the video output of the MX-111

Surround Mode Settings: The Digital Media Manager can connect to a supported Denon or Marantz receiver and automatically select different surround mode settings depending on what type of media is playing.

Wireless Remote Control: The MX-111 comes supplied with a universal remote control. It is a full-feature remote control for the MX-111 and can control main functions of other manufacture's TVs, Cable boxes, Receivers, and/or DVD players.

Registration: Registration includes properly configuring your FireBall for Internet access and then connecting to the Escient servers to register your serial number and download the latest Internet Radio stations. Registration of your MX-111 is accomplished automatically when you go through the Quick Start process.

Optional Touch Panel: The optional Escient Touch Panel (sold separately) is an external 15'' flat LCD color display that offers full control of the MX-111 via it's integrated touch sensitive surface.

External Control: The MX-111 provides the user and custom A/V installer with many options for control and integration into any home theater or home automation system using direct IR codes, two-way RS-232 serial control, two-way Ethernet control and wireless web pad control. The unit has built-in support for the following companies' control products - AMX, Crestron, Elan Via, Home Theater Master, Lexicon, Marantz, Nets Streams, Opus, Phillips Pronto, RTI, Sonance, and Xantech.

Updating Software: The MX-111 will automatically check the Escient server once a week for any FireBall software updates and automatically install them. You can also manually check for a software update.

Music Backup: It is possible to backup and restore the music contents of a FireBall using the CIFS or Windows Networking feature. Backup is accomplished by connecting the MX-111 to your PC or Mac desktop and using the computer's backup software.

DVD Control

Instant Movie Access: This feature allows you to instantly access any DVD in your collection using the intuitive on-screen guide.

Multiple Movie Views: The MX-111 on screen display allows you to view your movie collection by genre, title or cover art.

Detailed Movie Descriptions: The Digital Media Manager gives you on-screen information such as cast, rating, genre, year, run time and detailed descriptions for every movie in your collection.

Automatic DVD Cover Art: The unit will automatically located and display the full color cover art for every DVD in your collection.

Parental Controls: This feature limits which DVDs can be browsed and played by your children.

Customizable Settings: You can create and edit your own movie groups and add your own movie descriptions and notes for your DVDs.

Movies Guide: The Movies Guide displays a scrolling list of all your Movies. As each title is highlighted you will notice that the Information Area and Cover Art changes to reflect the currently highlighted movie title. The Movie Guide can be viewed in two different ways.

• View By Title: View By Title will order the list of DVD titles alphabetically from A to Z, according to the Movie title.
• View By Cover: View By Cover displays a graphical grid of DVD cover art, sorted alphabetically from A to Z according the Movie title.

Built-In Video Switcher: The built-in switcher allows for automatic changer selection and A/V routing to your receiver or TV using only on input.

Music Server

Instant Music Access: You can instantly find and play any genre, artist, title or song in your music collection.

Multi-Zone Support: You can connect one FireBall Digital Media Manager to another to share the music, access all of your digital music, and create a second music zone or add optional FireBall ZP-1 Digital Media Players for music in every room.

160GB Hard Drive: The unit contains a built-in 160GB hard drive capable of storing up to 2,695 hours of your music.

CD Changer Management: The MX-111 allows you to manage up to 400 CDs store in an external disc changer. It can manage one compatible Sony CD changer.

Built-In CD Player: The built-in CD player allows you o play any Audio or MP3 CD and get the cover art, artist, title and song list on-screen.

CD Burner: The built-in CD player can also be used as a burner to create your own CD to play in your car, office or portable CD player.

Fast CD Ripper: You can copy a CD from the built-in CD player to the internal hard drive in MP3 or CD quality (FLAC) format in less than 5 minutes.

Recording for External Changers: In addition to manually loading and recording CDs one by one using the front panel CD drive, you can record as many CDs as you want directly from your Sony external mega changers. This type of recording is done at real time speed (1x).

Analog Recording: In addition to recording from external changers, the MX-111 allows you to record directly from it's analog inputs to the internal hard drive.

Quick Record: You can easily record changer based CDs to your FireBall's internal hard drive using the Quick Record feature. Quick Record will record all tracks from your newly added CDs which are not already recorded to your MX-111's hard-drive.

Recording a Range of CDs: You can record a specific range of slots in a changer by select the Record Range feature.

Record All: You can record all the discs in all your CD-changers by select the Record All feature.

Importing Music Files: The MX-111 allows you to import digital audio files already recorded on your PC or Mac directly to the unit using an Ethernet network (Ethernet cable supplied). The MX-111 will import each audio file, extract the song information and add it to your Music Library. This is a fast and convenient way to load up your FireBall with your favorite music without having to re-record everything.

Music Guide: The Music Guide provides you with several ways to view the contents of your Music Library.

• View By Artist: View By Artist is the default View and displays your Music Library alphabetically from A to Z according to the Artist Name.
• View By Artist-Title: View By Artist-Title displays your Music Library alphabetically from A to Z according to the Artist Name then the Album Name.
• View By Title-Artist: View By Title-Artist will order the list of Titles alphabetically from A to Z according to the Album Name then the Artist Name.
• View By Song-Artist: View By Sony Artist will order the list of Titles alphabetically from A to Z according to the Sony Name.
• View By List: View By List displays a nine line hierarchical view of your Music Library starting by Genre, then by Artist, Album and finally by songs.
• View By Cover: View By Cover displays a graphical grid of album cover art, sorted alphabetically from A to Z according to the Artist Name then Album Name.

Play Modes: The default Play mode will play the current Title from Track one to the last track in order, then stop. If you want to change the order of how tracks are play, there are six different Play Modes to choose from.

• Normal: plays each track in order in the current Title, then stops (default)
• Repeat Track: repeats the same track over and over until your press stop
• Repeat Title: plays each track in the current Title in order then repeats the entire disc until you press stop
• Repeat Group: replays each track in each title in the current group and the repeats them until your pres stop
• Random Title: randomly selects and plays a track from within the current title and continues until you pres stop or every track in the current title is played
• Random Group: randomly selects and plays a track from any title in the current group and continues to play until your press stop or every track in the current group is played

Jukebox Play Modes: The Jukebox Mode allows you to create a list of songs (or a song queue) to play while you are listening to something else. The Jukebox Queue has a limit of 1,000 songs. The Jukebox Play Modes are as follows.

• Normal: plays the jukebox queue in order, then stop
• Repeat: plays the jukebox queue in order over and over without stopping
• Random: randomly selects and plays a track from the jukebox queue until you press stop or every track in the queue has been played

WMA and Shoutcast Internet Radio: You get free WMA and Shoutcast Internet Radio access with high quality Internet Radio station updated automatically using the Escient RadioDB Tuning Service.

Radio Guide: The Radio Guide displays a scrolling list of Internet Radio Stations. Using the remote control, you can navigate up and down the list. As each Station is highlighted, you will notice that the information Area and Cover Art changes to reflect the currently highlighted station.

Media Management

Creating Playlists: The MX-111 allows you to organize your favorite songs into custom Playlists. A Playlist is simply a group of songs that you choose from your Music Library.

Creating Groups: In addition to Playlists, the MX-111 allows you to create custom Groups of Movies, Music Titles or Radio Stations.

Adding Internet Radio Stations: The FireBall comes preloaded with several high quality streaming Internet Radio Station from around the world, but it also let's you add your own Internet Radio Stations.

Tune Stations: The Tune Stations feature allows you to download a list of the most recent Internet Radio stations from Escient.

Editing Movie Information: This feature allows you to edit the disc information for any DVD movie title using the Edit Disc screen.

Lookup Disc: The Lookup This Disc button will initiate a disc lookup for only that disc. FireBall will connect to the Escient MovieDB Service to locate and download the disc information.

Search Movie: You can manually search for the disc information by using the Search for Movie feature. This is a powerful tool that allows you to search the Escient MovieDB servers for an exact or partial match using the movie title.

Existing Cover: If for some reason you cannot download the original cover, you can choose one of the existing covers for the current title.

Edit Description: If for some reason you cannot download the original description, you can edit it.

Edit Music Info: You can edit the disc information for any Music Title using the Edit Disc and Edit Tracks screen.

Edit Track Names: You can also manually edit the Track/Song names of the currently highlighted Title in the Music Guide.

Editing Playlists: You can reorder tracks, change the name and or remove tracks from any Playlist you created.

Editing Groups: You can edit the name of a Group or add or remove Music Titles, Movie Titles or Radio Stations to and from the group.

Deleting Music: You can remove any music you have recorded to the MX-111 by using the Delete Music feature.

Deleting Playlists and Groups: You can delete any created Playlist or Group from the MX-111.

Inputs and Outputs

Rear Panel:

• Changer Communication Port: one RS-232 port for controlling a compatible Sony DVD/CD changer
• Auxiliary Communication Port: one RS-232 port for future use
• S-Link: this one jack allows you to control up to three Sony mega CD changers
• Digital Audio Output: one optical and one coaxial digital jacks for connecting the MX-111 to a receiver
• Digital Audio Input: one optical digital jack for connecting a compatible Sony DVD/CD changer
• Analog Audio Outputs: one set of left and right RCA audio jacks for connecting the MX-111 to a receiver
• Analog Audio Inputs: one set of left and right RCA audio jacks for connecting a compatible Sony DVD/CD changer
• Ethernet: RJ45 port that connects the MX-111 to your broadband Ethernet network
• Video Outputs: one RCA composite video, one S-video, and one component video output
• Video Inputs: one RCA composite video, one S-video, and one component video input

Specifications

Video Specs:

• Video System: NTSC

• Video DACs: 10-bit

• Video S/N: 50dB

Audio Specs:

• Frequency Response: 2-20,000 Hz

• THD+N (playback): 80dB

• Dynamic Range: 96dB

• Channel Separation: 95dB

• Line Output Voltage: 2 Vrms, 50 kOhms

160 GB Hard Drive Capacity:

System Requirements

Requirements For Importing Music Files:

• System Requirements:
  • 10/100 Ethernet network
  • PC or Mac connected to the same local ethernet network as the FireBall
  • Windows XP or Mac OS X
• Audio File Requirements:
  • MP3 audio files recorded at 96k, 120k, 160k, 192k, 320k, or VBR encoding
  • FLAC audio files
  • AAC audio files (non-DRM) up to 320k
  • WMA files (48-192k CBR and up to 215k VBR)
  • WAV files (automatically converted to FLAC or MP3 based on the Recording Preferences)
  • ID3 tags are supported for AAC, MP3 and FLAC audio files
• Cover Art Image Requirements:
  • JPEG image format
  • No larger than 200 pixels wide by 200 pixels high
  • No larger than 30K in size
  • The cover art file must be embedded in the AAC, MP3, or FLAC file using ID3v2 tags
• Adding Internet Radio Station Requirements:
  • Windows Media WMA or MPEG II layer 3 streams
  • Windows Media 9 or earlier