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ZapStation Price Cut, Linux-Only Version

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the stuff-to-get dept.

Richard Robison of ZapMedia wrote in to say that their ZapStation stereo MP3 Box has had a serious price cut to $599. If you put in the comments field 'JUST LINUX' they will ship you the box with just Linux installed (and code to control the IR input and screen). In other words, a $600 stereo component PC ready to connect to your TV and speakers for whatever video or audio projects you feel like rolling up yourself. I reviewed this unit last December and found a lot of problems, but many of those glitches have apparently been fixed, and the price was the biggest problem, so this thing may deserve a serious second look this time around.

8 of 200 comments (clear)

  1. Good price by Black+Perl · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This seems reasonable, since it's not much different than the price of building one yourself.

    --
    bp
  2. onion2k is modern day nostradamus by phawley · · Score: 5, Interesting

    comment from original /. post:

    Prediction (Score:5, Insightful)
    by onion2k (onion@uberworld.spamspamspam.org) on 11:06 Friday 07 December 2001 (#2670973) Alter Relationship
    (User #203094 Info | http://slashdot.org/) Its $1500 dollars now. In 3 months they'll drop that to around $799. And the Slashdot headline will read 'ZapStation now affordable'. This sort of market just begs for this kind of ploy. Sell way high to start with and recoup development costs from the early adopters with pots of cash (plus its Christmas), and then drop down to a sensible (?!) price.

    The fact the media gives loads of free advertising to it when the initial production run is finished and the machine is market tested is the icing on the cake.

    Examples where this has happened before? The Sony Clie, PSX, Dreamcast, PS2, lots of hifis.. if its desirable home entertainment, then this is the obvious sales plan.

    Moral of the story? Wait and save.

    1. Re:onion2k is modern day nostradamus by Betaman · · Score: 2, Interesting

      "Examples where this has happened before? The Sony Clie, PSX, Dreamcast, PS2, lots of hifis.. if its desirable home entertainment, then this is the obvious sales plan."

      When did the PS2 go down in price? No one told me about this? It's still $299 like before isn't it? PS1 went down after at least a year. Components get cheaper in one year. Everything works like this anyway, I don't know how it works to be some kind of underhanded sales ploy. Plus I'm sure a lot of products have very vauge cost estimates, but as time goes on they can refine the actual cost of the device, and hence the price to consumers.

  3. software by koekepeer · · Score: 4, Interesting

    so, can someone score a +5 informative for me and tell me where i can find the free/open source software to make this an easy to use component in my tv/stereo setup?

    i mean:
    - rip &play mp3/ogg/windows media, divx, dvd
    - audio recording (some radio transmissions are really worthwhile saving!)
    - video recording (analog).

    and all this with a nice and easy interface that can be viewed on the tv i use for video output?

    i know of some of the aplications i just mentioned (mplayer, xine, xmms, etc). it's just that they're all separate applications, which doesn't make it easy to use. i don't want to sit and watch a dvd, using a keyboard and mouse to navigate through the thing.

    ps. don't tell me to code it myself or shut up, because i can't code, and most of the people interested in this kind of thing can't either.

  4. 90 dB not enough for the "weekend audiophile? by koekepeer · · Score: 2, Interesting

    erm...

    aren't a lot of audiofiles still totally in love with vinyl? you just show me an LP record that has a dynamic range of anything near 90dB and i'll eat my hat. gladly.

    nonetheless, i completely agree with using a pc for gaming and a good hifi system for listening to music. there's more to sound quality than the s/n ratio of your soundcard :^)

    regards

  5. Re:$900 price drop?! by garcia · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Onion2k, the next world prophet!

  6. Hobbies by drodver · · Score: 2, Interesting

    What this argument misses, when I hear it, is that a lot of people who considering building their own system are people who make computers their hobby and enjoy working on them.

  7. 1ghz linux box at wal-mart by clinko · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Why not just get a 1ghz linux box from Wal-Mart for $200 less?

    Wal-mart...

    http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?produ ct _id=1731327&cat=41937&type=19&dept=3944&path=0%3A3 944%3A3951%3A41937