Abus card for PC

[jeffehrl]

Does anyone know of a PC card that is meant to interact directly with an Abus system as a multisource controller? Something where you can just plug in the individual cat5 lines from the individual powered abus keypads. Would like to store all my music on a pc and this would eliminate all the wiring closet hardware. PC's are so cheap now that even if you had to dedicate a machine that would be OK. This would seem to make a lot of sense. Thanks...

Jeff

 

[tbeckman]

Please let mek now if anyone knows of such a product. Thank you.

 

[nightwalker]

I've never seen or heard of such a card, it would be pretty slick though. My PVR streams music from a dedicated computer via, Media MVPs to the ABus zones.

 

[sic0048]

Yeah, I don't think something like that exists. Remember that ABUS is controlled via IR, so there would be no way to control the computer without some sort of IR interface.

Most people just get a audio card that is capable of multiple concurrent output streams and hook them as separate inputs into the audio system (ABUS or not). Of course that doesn't give you control over your media on the computer, but simply a way to play it over the house audio system.

 

[nightwalker]

the media mvp's are what give me control, using any tv as the interface. remember it's a pvr program so it's easily operated via remote using the ir built into the abus. it all works rather well.

 

[jeffehrl]

Actually, ABus is controlled by signals over the CAT5 connection to the keypad. IR is converted to these signals. Likewise line level input is also converted to the CAT5 signalling. Yes, you could connect a multi-stream card (not sure I know of one off hand) to a ABus distribution box but these boxes cost as much as a PC when that function could easily be handled by the PC. Gosh, I might have to invent it (although I have done enough inventing in my life).