digital media hub - technical definition

A device that funnels multimedia content streamed from a computer to a stereo or home theater system. It receives digital audio and video data from the home network via an Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection and delivers it to the playback system. Generally located within the stereo or home theater cabinet, the media hub plugs into the analog or digital A/V inputs of the A/V receiver. The digital data are converted to analog for older systems or passed through for digital connections. Increasingly, this digital hub functionality is built into or optional on the A/V receiver itself.

Digital media hubs are popular for music collections on the computer. Software such as Windows Media Player and iTunes is used to organize the content and create playlists, and the media hub is used to deliver them to the playback system. However, equipment is also available that functions like a media hub, but stores its own digital content as well (see digital media server).

A Tower of Babel
The digital media hub is known by many different names (you gotta love free enterprise!):

digital media receiver

wireless media adapter

wireless media player

wireless music system

music hub

media adapter

media receiver

media streamer

music server

music hub

music receiver

streaming media player

entertainment gateway

entertainment router

network music player

network media player

media extender

Media Center Extender

network audio receiver

See Media Center Extender, digital media server, jukebox and digital convergence.