Network equipment manufacturer Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO) hopes its expertise in building carrier networks will translate to success in consumer and media markets, with a slate of new products and services that will be shown off this week at the 2009 International CES in Las Vegas.

It's a big move for Cisco, as it gets into the business of home networking devices with the launch of a media hub geared toward home networking for digital media. At the same time, it's also launching Eos, a content-management platform for media and entertainment companies, which is an entirely new market for Cisco.

Going consumer
Cisco has been moving into the consumer space aggressively, first with its purchases of Linksys and Scientific Atlanta , and then with marketing. It's been touting the "human network" since launching an ad campaign in 2007, though it's still not widely seen as a consumer brand. But with the launch of its new wireless home audio and digital media hubs, the company is looking to change all that.

Cisco's consumer value proposition is centered around making it easy for customers to access and manage their media files throughout their home and even over the Internet. To that end, the company is launching a family of "digital media hubs" with software designed to centralize and sync all of a household's audio, video, and other media files into a single repository.

The digital media hubs, which come equipped with either 500 GBytes or 1 TByte of storage, will allow users to access their content from any PC or standards-based media player or device from within the home network. Users will also be able to access their content from anywhere over the Internet, including being able to upload or download their files through any Web browser.

Cisco is also coming to market with home audio products that consumers can use to stream music wirelessly throughout their homes. The home audio products can connect to any PC or digital media hub in the home network using Wireless-N technology. The system allows users to stream different music to different rooms, or sync the same song throughout the entire home or to customized "zones." 

Cisco's home audio products are compatible with music subscription sites such as Rhapsody and RadioTime. And with the help of an optional docking station, the Cisco audio products also support wireless streaming from a user's iPod, including tracks protected by Apple's FairPlay DRM.

Media hub prices start at $299 for a media hub with a 500-GB hard drive, and go up to $429 for a 1-TB media hub with an LCD screen. Wireless home audio systems start at $449 and go up to $999. (All model numbers and prices are listed below.)

Getting into the content management game
Consumers aren't the only demographic that Cisco is targeting at this year's CES. Even while the networking giant is attempting to tackle the consumer market, it's launching a content management system called Eos aimed at media and entertainment companies.

Eos is a hosted, software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution that is designed to help media companies create Web communities around their libraries of content. The system provides a suite of tools for site administration, content management, and reporting and analytics of social sites. 

With a modular design environment and the ability to manage several sites within the same interface, Cisco is hoping to hook media conglomerates that need to easily create and administer multiple user communities at once.

A good example of that type of company is Warner Music Group, the first customer to announce it is using Eos. Warner has chosen Eos's integrated backend to help manage multiple Web properties, including the artist pages for Laura Izibor and Sean Paul.

Media Hub Product Pricing

• Media Hub (500GB Hard drive)                   Model number: NMH305  - $299.99  ESP
• Media Hub with LCD (500GB Hard drive)     Model number: NMH405  - $349.99  ESP
• Media Hub with LCD (1TB Hard drive)         Model number: NMH410  - $429.99  ESP

Wireless Home Audio Models & Pricing

• Conductor/Wireless-N Digital Music Center  Model Number: DMC350  - Pricing TBD
• Director/Wireless-N Music Player with Integrated Amplifier.  Model Number: DMC250   $449.99 ESP
• Player/ Wireless-N Music Extender  Model Number: DMP100    $299.99 ESP
• Docking Station for iPod / Wired Accessory   Model Number: MCCI40  $79.99 ESP
• Stereo Speaker Kit/Wired Accessory   Model Number: DSPK50 :   $149.99 ESP
• Controller/ Wireless-N Touchscreen Remote  Model Number: DMWR1000   $349.99 ESP
• Wireless Home Audio Executive Kit:  $549.99  ESP
  • 1 Director with standard Remote
  • Speakers
• Wireless Home Audio Trio Kit:  $849.99 ESP
  • 2 Players with standard remotes
  • 1 Controller
• Wireless Home Audio Premiere Kit:  $999.99 ESP
  • 1 Director with standard remote
  • 1 Player with standard remote
  • 1 Controller

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