The flagship of the PianoDisc line is Opus7, the first player system to connect to the Internet. Opus7 can be controlled via a Web browser or a wireless, Internet-ready Web Tablet with touchscreen and full color. It can download music and system upgrades directly from PianoDisc's website, surf the Web, and receive e-mail (broadband connection required), among other features. Opus7 comes in two versions, Opulence and Luxury. Opulence is the full system; Luxury, designed to integrate with home-automation systems, does not come with the Web Tablet or router, as it's assumed that the home-automation system will already include these or similar interfaces. Opus7's MX3 hard drive comes with 40 hours of pre-loaded music and will accept standard type 0 and 1 MIDI files available from a wide variety of standard MIDI file publishers, PianoDisc CDs, and standard audio CDs.

PianoDisc maintains for use on its systems a growing library of music available as digital downloads, floppy disks, CDs, DVDs, and high-definition Blu-ray discs. The library includes solo piano performances by famous artists, piano with instrumental accompaniment (most of it "live"), and vocals. PianoDisc systems also play any standard MIDI files (type 0), and some discs of other producers.

MusiConnect is a free PianoDisc application for Windows or Macintosh computers that allows consumers to download music purchased from PianoDisc's online music store. With MusiConnect, consumers can import PianoDisc album files or download purchases directly to their computer. MusiConnect also allows customers to load solo-piano or piano-with-orchestral-accompaniment MIDI files into iTunes. Once all the music is downloaded, MusiConnect gives the option of syncing a PianoDisc album or playlist with iTunes. This process creates a matching playlist in iTunes, imports each PianoDisc song, and includes album, artist, and genre information (when available). From there, the music can be loaded into an iPod, or burned to CD.

PianoSync is a MIDI-controlled piano performance that synchronizes with a commercially available audio CD of a major recording artist. PianoSyncs are purchased as downloads or on CD from PianoDisc's website and stored using MusiConnect. The consumer also purchases the original artist's CD and loads it into iTunes, where the two are merged. The consumer plays the merged file on their piano and hears the original CD along with its new, live piano accompaniment.

PianoVideo HD, the first high-definition video created specifically for modern player-piano systems, combines MIDI, audio, and video. PianoVideo HD technology gives PianoDisc owners the ultimate entertainment experience: as they watch a high-definition video, their piano will play along with it live, in sync with the pianist on the screen. PianoVideo HD performances come on standard-definition DVD or Blu-ray discs.

PianoDisc also offers a stable of complementary products such as SyncA-Vision, which brings the element of HD video to the PianoDisc experience. Sync-A-Vision comes with a high-definition monitor built into a piano music rack, and is powered by a computer, such as Apple's Mac mini, that comes with pre-loaded educational and entertainment programs. Included are 72 piano lessons, sing-and-play-along karaoke, cartoon and silent-film entertainment, PianoDisc music, and PianoVideo HD performances.

iQ Multi-media DVD Player is a slimline unit that allows you to play MIDI, DVD, CD, MP3, and other file formats using its built-in disc drives, USB port, and SD card slot. With iQ DVD you can play music from PianoDisc's vast music library, play PianoVideos, and connect to PianoDisc's MusiConnect software application.

QuietTime MagicStar can mute an acoustic piano and let the user hear his or her performance through headphones via sampled sound. MagicStar has a control unit with 128 sampled instruments — a full General MIDI (GM) sound set. It also includes a built-in, adjustable metronome. A MIDI key sensor strip is installed under the keys, and a padded mute rail prevents the hammers from hitting the strings while retaining the motion and feel of the piano action. The mute rail is activated by moving a small lever under the keyboard, which also turns on the sampled sound. MagicStar comes with a control unit, power supply, MIDI cable, MIDI strip, pedal switches, headphones, and mute rail. An entry-level version, QuietTime GT-2, comes with just piano and organ sounds instead of the full GM sound set.

PIANOFORCE

Pianoforce LLC
333 N. Falkenburg Rd. #122
Tampa, Florida 33619
877-542-8807
sales@pianoforce.com
www.pianoforce.com

Pianoforce is a new entrant into the player-piano market under its own name, but the company that makes it — Ncode Ltd. of Bratislava, Slovakia — has been developing and manufacturing front-end controllers for the player-piano systems of other companies, such as Baldwin and QRS, since 1995. In 2005, Pianoforce was first offered as a complete system in the pianos of selected piano makers. In 2006, it was introduced as a retrofit kit installable in any piano, new or old. Designed and built by Ncode in Europe, the kit is ordered through a piano dealer and is typically installed in a new piano either at a distribution point or at the dealer location.

Pianoforce says that its system differs from those of its competitors in that the main rail component also contains all the controlling electronics, eliminating the need for a lot of complicated wiring and making for a neater and simpler installation. Also, a technician can plug a laptop computer into a USB port on the rail and, using software supplied by Pianoforce, can customize the system to the piano and to the customer's preferences through the control of many playing parameters, such as solenoid force, note release, and pedal release. These custom settings can then be archived on the laptop. The system automatically calibrates itself to the piano's sound with the help of a small sensor mounted on the soundboard. The combination of automatic calibration with manual setup ensures the best playback performance for each individual piano following installation.