Catering to the highest-end home theater enthusiasts who want a central location for all their media, Sony today launched its new NHS-130C rack system. The system is designed to pipe Blu-ray and other 1080p HD videos around as many as 13 individual zones and can supply a primary zone, such as the living room, with 7.1-channel surround audio. The device also focuses heavily on music with a 160GB hard drive to store music in a central location, a SIRIUS satellite radio tuner, and an in-wall iPod dock that uses just one cradled Apple player to supply music to the entire home.

The system is complemented by a 400-disc CD and DVD changer for more conventional media and is designed to integrate tightly with many home automation systems, including Control4 systems that link climate, lighting, and security to home theater equipment. As the entire system is pre-racked, most installs are quicker than for most custom tasks, Sony boasts.

Reflecting its nature, the NHS-130C will launch in spring as an option through home theater installers. Prices are set to vary between $40,000 and $85,000 depending on the nature of the install as well as the number of features installed throughout the house.