ZapMedia Finally Releases ZapStation

veader writes: "ZapMedia seems to have finally released the ZapStation. There is no press release yet but they are taking orders on their website. It looks to offer much more functionality than the recently released HP de100c. CD, DVD, MP3, MPG, WMA, WMV, etc." I have a model for review coming my way so I'll give a detailed report when I have time to plug it in and give it a beating. Like the HP box, it is quite expensive, but it has many more features. The real question is, at the price point for these boxes, can they compete with X-Box or PS2+Hard Drive devices that will be hitting the market and doing many of the same things, but far less expensively?

Comments

DVD and no 5.1?

[YuppieScum]

How can a contemporary DVD player ship without some form of 5.1 - either Dolby or DTS?

And you can't play MP3s from your network - only from the box itself...

No Tivo-like functionality either...

And for how much??? I don't think so...

Re:Um, $1500?

[hoggoth]

> easily build a box to do all this

Ok, for those of us not as far down the path of enlightenment, how?

Specifically,
what stereo-component style silent-running case,
what OS (like I have to ask here on /. :-) ),
what hardware for TV out, Audio out, Audio in, CDRW, infrared remote control,
what software to manage playlists on a LCD or on the TV,
what setup to play files on it's internal HD or across the LAN on your PC or SAN?

I'm sure I left out some critical details...

I've looked at all the links that /.ers like to post for "how to build the ultimate A/V box" and I see more questions than answers! There is always some critical component left out of any of these descriptions that makes the spec "an exercise left to the reader".