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Kenwood VRS-N8100 Audio/Video Control Center with Network Function | 
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| Brand: Kenwood
Category: CE
List Price: $800.00
Buy New: $398.00
You Save: $402.00 (50%)
Rating:  12 reviews
Sales Rank: 37828
Color: Silver
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries: 2
Batteries Included: Yes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 13
Dimensions (in): 0.1 x 0.2 x 0
MPN: VRS-N8100
Model: VRS-N8100
UPC: 019048156235
EAN: 0019048156235
ASIN: B000278RZ6
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | A/V Streaming from PC to Receiver | | • | 100W x 6 Advanced digital amplifier | | • | Dual source single zone, plug and play with auto detect | | • | SHARC 32 bit DSP, DTS-ES 96/24, Dolby Digital EX, ProLogic IIx, Dolby Headphone and Dolby Virtual Speaker | | • | HD Component Video Switching and Universal A/V Remote Control |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
The VRS-N8100 seamlessly merges your entertainment system with your home computer. The rear-panel Ethernet connector lets you stream audio and video files from your computer to your home theater system, so your entire family can enjoy them with audio performance that you just can't get from a computer. A front-panel PCMCIA card slot accepts media card adapters so you can even display pictures from digital cameras over your home theater, and on-screen GUI operation makes it easy to find and play all your digital media. Plug a game console into the front-panel game audio/video input (complete with digital audio connection) and the VRS-N8100 will detect when you turn the game on and automatically select that input and the proper surround sound processing. Dual-Source/Single-Zone operation lets you listen to your game's sound through headphones while the rest of your family enjoys music through speakers. Dolby Headphone processing creates a totally out-of-the-box 5.1-channel surround sound effect through any pair of ordinary stereo headphones. The included universal pre-programmed remote is ready to go with Xbox and PlayStation2 codes. When you want to watch movies, the VRS-N8100 puts you right in the middle of the action with Dolby Digital EX and DTS-ES 96/24 surround sound, and Dolby Pro Logic IIx transforms your ordinary 2-channel stereo music sources like CDs, tapes and FM radio into 6.1-channel surround sound masterpieces. The ADI SHARC 32-Bit DSP processor, high-resolution digital volume control and rigid chassis construction give the VRS-N8100 incredibly accurate performance at all signal levels, from the loudest explosion to the most delicate musical passage. The PurePath digital power amplifier delivers 130 watts to each of six channels, so your games, movies and music will really rock the house. And the exclusive Kenwood Fineline design matches the design of today's popular flat-panel TVs and blends with other entertainment components.
Amazon.com Product Description
The digital age has brought new forms of entertainment to your computer screen, but it certainly has not overshadowed the surround sound home theater experience. The Kenwood VRS-N8100 Audio/Video Control Center with Network Function seamlessly merges your entertainment system with your home computer. The rear-panel Ethernet connector lets you stream audio and video files from your computer to your home theater system. With the VRS-N8100, your entire family can enjoy the multimedia digital files stored on your computer through the sound quality of your home entertainment system. 
The VRS-N8100 Control Center channels gaming, music, movies, and online digital multimedia files through your home theater system. View larger. | Kenwood has thought of all the possibilities with this control center. Plug a game console into the front-panel game audio/video input (complete with a digital audio connection) and the VRS-N8100 will detect when you turn on the game console, and automatically select that input and the proper surround sound processing. The Single Zone Dual Source function lets you listen to your game's sound through headphones, while the rest of the family can enjoy music through speakers. Plus, this function features Dolby headphone processing that creates a totally out-of-the-box 5.1-channel surround sound effect through any pair of ordinary stereo headphones, so you won't have to sacrifice sound quality to play your favorite games. And the included universal pre-programmed remote control is ready to go with Xbox and PlayStation2 codes. With the Kenwood Control Center, your family can quit fighting over the home theater, and everyone can enjoy the system at the same time. 
Loaded with inputs and outputs, this control center accepts a wide array of components. View larger. | Of course, the control center is also a great general receiver with plenty of inputs for a wide array of components. When you watch movies, the VRS-N8100 puts you right in the middle of the action with Dolby Digital EX and DTS-ES 96/24 surround sound, and Dolby Pro Logic IIx transforms ordinary two-channel stereo music sources -- CDs, cassette tapes, and radio -- into a 6.1-channel surround sound experience. The PurePath digital power amplifier delivers 130 watts to each of six channels, so your games, movies, and music will really rock the house. And with the ADI SHARC 32-bit DSP processor, high-resolution digital volume control, and rigid chassis construction rounding out the VRS-N8100's features, you can rest assured that this control center will deliver accurate performance at all signal levels.
What's in the Box
VRS-N8100 control center, remote control, and user's manual
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| Customer Reviews: Read 7 more reviews...
 Cannot Detect Server!! July 6, 2007
I've owned this receiver now over a year. Overall, it's been pretty good with the exception of the network function, which has never worked (cannot detect server). I've allowed it thru all firewalls and even connected a cat 5 cable straight from the cpu to the receiver( bypassing the router); same result! Kenwoods' online tech support takes forever to respond and insists it's a firewall issue. Also, the component assignment feature is difficult to set-up.
 Defective right out of the box! TWO TIMES!!! June 5, 2007
I ordered one of these receivers from Target. Had the same error as two other purchasers (straight into Standby mode after powering up) I returned it and ordered another (figured what was the likelihood it would happen again?) Guess what? The SECOND one was broken as well. All Kenwood's customer service department said was "take it to a certified Kenwood repair shop and they'll fix it." Well, I'm returning it and will NEVER buy Kenwood products again!!!
Defective out of the box, horrible customer service. April 27, 2007
I have no idea how this product is supposed to perform. I purchased this unit against the recommendations of others, due to over 20 years experience with Kenwood products in my home, at work and in my car, but this was an unmitigated disaster. I accepted the limitations in connections (no HDMI, no upscaling, little flexibility) for the size and supposed features. I connected everything that needed to be connected, double checked all speaker connections to ensure no shorts, turned on the unit and it went into standby. After 3 hours of rechecking all connections, swapping out cables and resetting the unit, I still didnt get anything other than fault/stand by. I went so far as to disconnect everything, and the unit went into standby. I expressed my frustration to the Kenwood customer service people and they recommended I check my cables. When I mentioned that the unit faulted with nothing connected, they sent the address of a service center, 20 miles away and recommended I take it there for service. Not being an acceptable answer, I sent an email to Kenwood customer service, the response to which was the equivalent of "Who cares, send it back then." without any acknowledgement of the inconvenience or frustration of thinking I could get a quality product from a company I trusted for a long time. One would think the units are at least tested before leaving the factory, but apparently not. I returned the unit, went back to the recommendations of others and will be phasing out the rest of my Kenwood products simply for the reason of the uncaring customer service. If you get one that works, great, good for you, but why risk it? Better to buy a product that has all the connection flexibility you need for now and future use..stay away from this one unless you like frustration.
 Lots of functionality for the price December 28, 2006
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I was looking for a receiver with decent performance (wattage, THD etc), but my main requirements were network functionality and Dolby headphone. It also has a suprisingly large number of Inputs for such a slim form-factor.
First, the network functionality: I hooked the receiver to my router and installed the provided server software in one of my PCs. The receiver detected it, and displayed photos (JPGs), a couple home videos that I encoded as DivX AVI a some WAV music files, all of which I dragged-and-dropped into the software. The receiver played them all without any glitch. The software could have been a bit more poweful. It converts the JPGs that I imported and resizes them which results in a much lossy compression. Also, when we run a slideshow of the photos in the TV, there doesn't seem to be a way for speeding it up or pausing it. Also, it does not have parental controls. Would be nice if some of the digital media could be password protected. I've been researching for a media center solution where I can keep all my digital media in a remote PC and play them on my entertainment center as needed. I'm really glad I bought this.
Dolby Headphone: The second important feature. Helps while watching movies without disturbing the kids while they are sleeping. You'll have to really hear the Dolby headphone to believe it. The difference between this and the stereo headphone is like day and night. You can plug any normal headphone into the front-panel headphone jack and the receiver encodes the signals into Dolby headphone and sends it out, providing a very spatial 5.1 effect with just a normal headphone!!!
It also has Dobly virtual speakers if you don't want to run the wires for the rear speakers....I haven't tested it though since I have a 5.1 setup. I paired this with Yamaha NS-SP1600 5.1 speaker system and am not disappointed at all.
And for $250, nothing can beat it.
Good receiver with inoperable add-ons. December 15, 2006
1 out of 5 found this review helpful
Network option never worked. Could never see server.
Poor speaker conections.
Component video swithching is poor. Shows banding and breaks up in heavy action.
Receiver is very detailed though.
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