Hi-fi meets wi-fi
Over the weekend I installed Logitech's Squeezebox, a gadget for wirelessly beaming songs from your PC to your stereo.
Three things happily surprised me.
One, it was up and running in minutes. "Wi-fi" is short for "Please, God, stop torturing me with these unfathomable installation settings" and much more techie PC Worlders than me have been reduced to tears while trying to install a wireless media server.
And I was hardly reassured when I opened the box to find Logitech had bundled no CD. Rather, I had to download the open source SlimServer program during installation.
But in the end it was entirely plug and play (and, in a nice touch, you also get the option to install SlimServer on a NAS drive). I connected the SqueezeBox unit itself to my stereo, using bundled RCA cable (there's also an optical connector for fancy home theatre types); installed the SlimServer software and - badabing - the SqueezeBox was wirelessly sucking MP3s from my PC, and playing them, via my Denon amplifier, on my stereo's waist-high Wharfdale speakers.
Two, the music sounded good. Wi-fi (actually short for wireless fidelity, fact fans) is often a byword for stuttering data, but the songs sounded smooth and full. And because they were being played over my grown up stereo rather than an iPod speaker dock. Nice.
I was surprised that the Squeezebox is built around the 802.11g rather than the new (if interminably in draft) 11.n wi-fi spec. But it worked, so who cares.
Three, my notebook, also attached to my home desktop PC via the same (NetGear) wi-fi modem/router still managed to surf the net fine while the Squeezebox was playing. If you don't do wi-fi, or want a totally guaranteed no-interruptions connection, the Squeezebox also supports an ethernet cable connection.
In terms of useability, the Squeezebox was a mixed bag. A relatively user-friendly remote, plus a large display on the Squeezebox itself, mean that as long as your computer is switched on, you can sit on the couch and surf your music connection without ever lumbering over to your PC keyboard.
The SlimServer software found and catalogued my MP3 collection quick smart, but its web browser interface seemed a little bare bones compared to iTunes - although at with only a minor amount more effort it can do all the same stuff, such as let you assemble playlists, sort by genre etc. In a number of views, it would only supply the name of an artist or the name of a song, not both at the same time.
Also, thanks to the DRM on most tracks purchased via iTunes, I couldn't play songs I'd downloaded from Apple's music store over my SqueezeBox: blocking at least 0.03% of my digital music collection (I'm joking, of course, it's closer to 0.05%).
Another downer: SlimServer's internet radio option isn't that attractive in New Zealand, land of the capped broadband plan, and now out of legal reach of Pandora.
If you're looking for a no-fuss way to play your PC's MP3's on your stereo, Logitech's Squeeze box ($599) is a good way to go. If you want to throw video into the mix as well, then checkout Apple TV ($499), which Scott Bartley reviews. hand-on in our August issue on newsstands now. Bruce previewed Apple TV as part of his Wireless That Works feature back in May.
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Comments
Looks like a nice system.
Just a little comment on the term "Wi-Fi" - which doesn't actually stand for "Wireless Fidelity", but is commonly referred to.
Wikipedia notes:
Despite the similarity between the terms "Wi-Fi" and "Hi-Fi", statements reportedly made by Phil Belanger of the Wi-Fi Alliance contradict the popular conclusion that "Wi-Fi" stands for "Wireless Fidelity". According to Mr Belanger, the Interbrand Corporation developed the brand "Wi-Fi" for the Wi-Fi Alliance to use to describe WLAN products that are based on the IEEE 802.11 standards. In Mr Belanger's words, "Wi-Fi and the yin yang style logo were invented by Interbrand. We [the founding members of the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance, now called the Wi-Fi Alliance] hired Interbrand to come up with the name and logo that we could use for our interoperability seal and marketing efforts. We needed something that was a little catchier than 'IEEE 802.11b Direct Sequence'."
The Wi-Fi Alliance themselves invoked the term "Wireless Fidelity" with the marketing of a tag line, "The Standard for Wireless Fidelity", but later removed the tag from their marketing. The Wi-Fi Alliance now seems to discourage the propagation of the notion that "Wi-Fi" stands for "Wireless Fidelity", but it has been referred to as such by the Wi-Fi Alliance in White Papers currently held in their knowledge base: "... a promising market for wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) network equipment."
[It's very like the computer industry to discard a cool, user-friendly term like "wireless fidelity" in favour of baffling consumers with phrases like "WLAN products that are based on the IEEE 802.11 standards" - and then wonder why it's having trouble invading people's living rooms. CK]
Posted by: FIVO | August 9, 2007 10:20 AM
For that price is almost work considering getting an xbox 360 and wi fi ing that to your pc ! I do this occasionaly and it works fine.
Posted by: Jimmy Jangles | August 7, 2007 12:51 PM