I'd been meaning to do this for a while, but one thing leads to another around here, and sometimes things that I think are a great idea don't always make the cut at the Global Headquarters of Lee Distad's Professional Opinion.
A couple of months ago, I bought a couple of Squeezebox digital music streamers from Slim Devices. They communicate via 802.11g WiFi with the PC that has all of our music loaded on it, and streams the audio out to any stereo device.
Despite having done a serious home renovation last month, it was still impractical/uneconomical to run lines through the house for audio distribution. Enter WiFi audio. I've written about this a couple of times for both CE Pro and Marketnews, and how wireless is a godsend for A/V contractors, allowing us to boldly go* where we could not go before.
I've got one plugged into the main A/V system downstairs, and another one connected to a somewhat more modest micro HiFi serving the open plan main floor.
Setting up the interface is a snap, even if networks aren't your strong suit. The remote control interface works brilliantly, even with the commands cloned to a learning remote, like a Harmony.
Most importantly, playback is great. No lag, no hiccups or issues with the device losing its IP-address, no perceivable negative impact on the quality of the files (I tend to rip to 320 kbps, or use lossless WMA, but I'm funny that way).
Overall, I have no gripes. It's rare that a product this inexpensive is such a home run.
Overall grade: A+
*yes, I know that's a split infinitive, but it's also a reference to a television classic. Get over it.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Brief Product Review: Slim Devices Squeezebox
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2 comments:
Will it stream video? (pant, pant, drool)
FP, rest assured that if it did, I would have told you.
At the moment, HD-capable wireless video streaming is both scarce and not cheap.
My friends at Avocent have a solution, the MPX1000, that will stream 1280x720, but it's about $1000 for the transmitter, and another $1000 for each recviever, so at the moment it's more of a commercial solution than one for home users.
That said, the whole wireless HD video thing is set to explode, and I am keep close watch on the category. I'm especially looking forward to Gefen's units, which they have been promising to release for nearly two years now.
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