Product Description

Finally, a network music player that looks as good as it sounds! Roku SoundBridge plays your PC or Mac digital music files anywhere in the house - connecting your stereo or powered speakers to your computer's digital music library. Or, listen to a variety of Internet Radio stations, without even turning on your computer. WMA, MP3, AAC, AIFF and WAV music formats are supported - and it's network ready with wired Ethernet or Wi-Fi.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3153 in Consumer Electronics
• Color: Silver
• Brand: Roku
• Model: M1001
• Dimensions: 6.00" h x 7.00" w x 11.00" l, 4.00 pounds

Features

• Wireless digital music receiver for streaming music from a PC or Mac to any home stereo or surround sound system
• Native support for Apple iTunes and Rendezvous, Windows Media Player, Windows Media Player 10, and Rhapsody
• Compatible with Windows Media DRM 10 music services, including Napster, MusicMatch, and Walmart
• Easy-to-read 280 x 16 vacuum-fluorescent display with 4 EQ music visualizers; built-in WiFi and Ethernet interfaces
• Ultra-fast 400 MHz Blackfin DSP; measures 10 inches wide by 2.37 inches in diameter; 1-year warranty

Amazon.com Product Description
Winner of the CES 2004 Innovations Award and a Wired editor's pick, Roku's SoundBridge M1000 digital music receiver employs WiFi technology to broadcast media files from your Mac or PC to just about anywhere in the house. You no longer have to be sitting at your computer to hear your music, nor do you need to burn your Internet-sourced audio to CDs to import it to the living room. Just plug the M1000 into your integrated amplifier or surround receiver and you can listen to all your digital music on your stereo or multichannel speaker system. The M1000 includes built-in 802.11b WiFi for wireless use but also offers a RJ-45/Cat5 Ethernet port for hard-wired connections.

The M1000 features an extra-bright 280 x 16 vacuum fluorescent display that shows the track and artist name. Take a closer look.

The SoundBridge is compatible with WMA, MP3, AAC, AIFF, and WAV music formats right out of the box. Further, its native support for Apple Rendezvous and iTunes means the M1000 is instantly ready to play your Apple media--no additional software is required, as you're already set up for Rendezvous or iTunes. Just enable iTunes' sharing feature (though please be aware that iTunes Music Store "Protected AAC" files are not supported). SoundBridge uses Apple's DAAP (digital audio access protocol) to communicate directly with iTunes, and reduces its network bandwidth by decoding AAC files in the player rather than in the computer.

PC owners, meanwhile, will delight in the SoundBridge's built-in Windows Media Connect, Windows Media Player 10, and Rhapsody support. The device also works with any music service using Windows Media DRM 10, such as Napster, MusicMatch, and Walmart.com. All told, the M1000 is the most compatible music player around.

The M1000's remote includes search, brightness, navigation, and playback controls.

With its convenient remote control, it's easy to browse, select, and control your music from across the room, or you can control playback from your computer using the intuitive web interface. The M1000 also offers a 280 x 16 display with your choice of four "EQ display" music visualizers that play along with the beat of your music. And the bright, sharp vacuum-fluorescent readout is easy to see in all lighting conditions and from any angle--even from across the room.

The SoundBridge offers Internet radio access, too, bringing you a selection of free music and talk-radio stations (with up to 10 station presets). Roku's Fast Browse feature lets you browse huge music collections by album, artist, genre, or composer (providing your files are properly encoded with said details). You can also play your stored iTunes playlists or use the keyword search to find the title you seek.

Beyond its WiFi and RJ-45 interfaces, the M1000 offers straight-ahead audio connections: an S/PDIF coaxial digital output and an optical Toslink output (one each) for those that want a pure digital connection with a surround receiver or a CD or minidisc recorder. The unit also comes with a stereo RCA-to-minijack connector that hooks directly into a set of powered computer speakers to create a stylish and minimalist compact stereo system.

In addition, Roku has outfitted the SoundBridge with a super-fast, 400 MHz Blackfin DSP and 16 MB of DRAM memory, giving it more than enough headroom to handle future software updates. Finally, the SoundBridge's sleek industrial design looks comfortable anywhere of the house, and even fits conveniently on the wall or under a shelf or cabinet using Roku's optional mounting accessory.

The M1000 measures 10 inches wide by 2.37 inches in diameter and is backed by a one-year warranty.

What's in the Box
M1000 SoundBridge receiver, custom remote control, two AAA batteries, localized power adapter, 3.5 mm-to-RCA cable, detachable rubber base, user's manual.

Customer Reviews

An MP3 Player With Wired and Wireless Network Interfaces
Note that there is no functional difference between M1000 and M1001. Also, both devices are equipped with 802.11b which is perfectly adequate, so not having 802.11g is probably irrelevant. The following are some observations:

Pros:
1. Intuitive UI design for browsing.
2. Attractive industrial design.
3. Able to play internet radio without the computer on.
4. Natively supported by Media Player 11. No additional software needs to be installed.
5. Good sound quality. Optical port is a plus.
6. Painless firmware upgrade. It is done directly over the network. No need to disconnect or reconnect anything.
7. Reasonably priced.

Cons:
1. Does not support double byte languages.
2. Could have given better diagnostic messages when media server is not found.
3. LED of the optical port is always on, even in standby mode. I wonder if it will wear out.
4. Standby mode still draw 3 watts of power. Most of my other gadgets draw only 1 watt of power at standby.

You need some knowledge of wireless network setup and firewalls to get this device working.

Yeah, it is still a 5 stars product. Despite imperfections, it is still more fun than chore. That is a lot more than I can say about a lot of other hi-tech toys I own.

With a little effort, spectacular results
I bought a Roku SoundBridge M1000 last month with two objectives: Firstly, I wanted to listen to the MP3s on the stereo in the living room (without resorting to CD-R), and secondly, I wanted a to turn my PC into a "media center" and get out of the business of trying to find a CD in a cupboard of hundreds of non-alphabetized CDs. The Roku SoundBridge achieved both goals, though not without difficulty.

The SoundBridge appears to be solidly built and looks stylish on the sideboard. No need to hide this one away!

Initial set up was straight forward. It worked with both Netgear and Linksys wireless routers with WEP, and within about 30 minutes I had achieved objective #1.

Sound quality is very good, and herein lies the problem - MP3s that are great through PC speakers, sound lack-luster through a good stereo. The problem is inherent with MP3. I needed loss-less compression. SoundBridge, in conjunction with the excellent and free FireFly media server, can play FLAC format and sounds absolutely spectacular when it does - every bit as good as the original CD. Unfortunately, the configuration is not straight forward. It took me several days to figure it out and maybe beyond someone less technically savvy. Roku should add native support for FLAC and remove this burden from their customers.

Another gripe - the WiFi is "b" and not "g", was not robust enough to run from one side of the house to the other, especially with high bandwidth material e.g., loss-less WAV and would "rebuffer". I gave up on wireless and ran a wire and plugged it in. With CD's ripped as FLAC and a wired connection - I achieved objective #2.

Great little gadget
Being able to play the music in my PC anywhere in the house is killer. My CD collection is in the basement and that's where it's going to stay. In the past I'd connected my mp3 players to my home system, which worked well, but they had to be loaded and recharged, and they couldn't carry ALL of the music stored on my PC, which made them somewhat limiting. All of that is over. With a wireless network music player, I can listen to EVERYTHING, whenever I want, anywhere within the range of my network.

The Roku Soundbridge is a great addition to my collection of gadgets. It was easy to set up and connect to my PC. I initially connected it through Itunes, which allows any Itunes radio station to by played through it in addition to all COMPATIBLE format music files. I have also installed Windows Media Connect in my PC, which also works very well for sharing files on a wireless network (which the Soundbridge is connected to). Media Connect starts with the PC startup and runs in the backround, and it doesn't eat a ton of memory like ITUNES does. So if you don't have or don't like ITUNES, that won't stop you from using the Soundbridge. But I haven't spent any time yet trying to get internet radio through Windows Media Connect, so I can't tell you how accessible internet radio is. For now, when I want to listen to internet radio, I start ITunes, then shut it down when I've finished, even though my PC can easily handle Itunes in the backround. I just don't like to keep it running when I'm not using it (just a personal preference).

Wiring the unit to the stereo system is very easy. Browsing the Soundbridge is fairly easy, and it has a great sound. You'd never know it's wireless. The adjustable volume feature is KEY, because you don't have to keep the volume control for the reciever handy. Just keep the receiver set at the loudest you want it to get (with the Soundbridge at 100%), then control the volume with the Soundbridge.

It has a cool, compact look and bright (dimmable) display, which allows it to be either the center of attention, unobtrusive, or hidden, depending on your preference. I like gadgets, so mine will be very noticable.

JUST DON'T LOSE THE REMOTE!!