Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Wi-Fi Enabled Stereo From Philips In Beta

Posted by timothy on from the get-in-on-the-ground-floor dept.

Orangerobot writes "Philips Electronics is undergoing the beta test for the latest model in the Streamium line called the MC-i250. You have to trudge through a cheesy Flash presentation to get all the details, but it looks pretty good: Wi-Fi, CDDB support, online playlist management and more. It looks like they might actually get it right." Reader UVWarning's review of the current generation of Streamium indicates plenty of ways the next generation could improve on the current one.

13 of 98 comments (clear)

  1. Limited music stations by YeeHaW_Jelte · · Score: 3, Interesting

    If this thing is limited to certain internet music stations like its predecessor, you can write it off without thinking twice.

    --

    ---
    "The chances of a demonic possession spreading are remote -- relax."
  2. They are playing right into my lap... by Max+Romantschuk · · Score: 4, Interesting

    My WLAN enabled home media server plan is getting hotter by the minute... bwahahaaa!

    No, but seriously, this is really the solution which makes sense... Why do you have to physically put a disc into your stereo to listen to something? It should be enough to buy the rights to listening (CD or not), have it on a media server of your own or stream right off the net.

    Think of the possibilities for internet radio stations and indie artists if every home stereo could do stuff like that... yay! :)

    --
    .: Max Romantschuk :: http://max.romantschuk.fi/
    1. Re:They are playing right into my lap... by daBass · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Their servers would die because of the overload as these indie bands can't pay for servers and bandwidth themselves and there is still no viable business model for online radio, wether it is indie or Britney...

    2. Re:They are playing right into my lap... by Max+Romantschuk · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Their servers would die because of the overload

      Not necessarily. Unless I'm misinformed IP broadcasting enables streaming to multiple recipients using one TCP-feed. And solutions like PeerCast are creating yet another option.

      --
      .: Max Romantschuk :: http://max.romantschuk.fi/
    3. Re:They are playing right into my lap... by daBass · · Score: 3, Interesting

      IP broadcasting can be done, especialy when IPv6 arrives but even then the carriers will want more money than broadcasters have. On the internet, both sending and recieving party pay.

      Peercast will die the fate of popular P2P networks. Hailed as "the more users the better it works", the reality is: "too many users and it dies becasue non of these users have enough bandwidth to be hub". I have seen 10Mbit connections die because a PC was a Kazaa host. Kazaa saw it had a lot of bandwidth and made it a master. Ofcourse IT infrastructure shut this PC down.

      Either that or the horizon will be too close and many stations are out of range, just like cool FM station in the other town.

  3. That much for a friggin' boombox? by daBass · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Nice idea, but it will be expensive and its only a boombox and although Philips's sound better than most, it will sound like one.

    WiFi or not, I'd rather still have a Turtle Beach Audiotron connected to my home stereo!

  4. Re:As a concerned American patriot, by trelanexiph · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I look at this as someone who's been directly involved in bringing ogg/vorbis to both streaming mediums, and hardware players. Put quite simply if you want ogg vorbis support to pirate music you might as well stick with mp3pro, or mp3. Roughly (if not less than) .5% of music on the P2P networks is in Ogg Vorbis format, and quite frankly we're happy to see it that way. So how can Ogg Vorbis be supporting piracy, if none of the pirates are using Ogg Vorbis?

  5. more impressed by this by Sabalon · · Score: 2, Interesting

    HP has a box that does something similar - the hp wireless digital media receiver ew5000 (DB226A#ABA) (tried to add a link, but session vars didn't help)

    It hooks to your TV/receiver and connects with wireless or cat5 to the PC.

    Though the first time I saw a pamphlet for this, it made it sound as if it would stream digital video as well, but looking at the specs, it appears the video out is just for menus and jpgs.

    Still, it's small, would easily fit in with other components, and since it uses the TV and not some small LCD, probably a lot easier to navigate directory trees.

  6. Will they do something useful instead? by jkrise · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Broadcast music has always been free (as in beer, as well as freedom) ever since, well, broadcasting. I could listen to music for free, AND make a personal recording. Simply packaging it in TCP/IP and streaming it over WiFi does not make sense.

    What I'd like to see is a CD/solid state RAM-based system that can play MP3 CDs and 'one-touch-record' about a 100 hours of audio. This would be useful when I do some loud-thinking, and my secretary could make notes and write articles later.

    --
    If you keep throwing chairs, one day you'll break windows....
  7. That's not the point! by RMH101 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I already have a server with hundreds of MP3s connected to a stereo. I want to be able to listen to my mp3s whilst I'm in the kitchen, whilst I'm in the bath, wherever. A *portable* solution rocks: it's not meant to replace your main hifi, but to extend it. This is *exactly* what I wanted a few months ago when all I could find was the SliMP3, a separate amp and speakers and a wireless bridge-expensive and NOT PORTABLE. this looks like a great product, I want one.

    1. Re:That's not the point! by RMH101 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      To get a portable solution, next step is to get a 20UKP FM tranmitter to hook up to the music server. This means anything within 100 feet or so can tune into it: I can use a cheap old radio to listen to mp3s in the bath without the risk of drowning my laptop. I can also sit in the garden and listen to it without worrying someone will nick my laptop whilst I'm making a brew as well...

  8. How about some real innovation! by Macka · · Score: 2, Interesting


    I was quite tickled when I stumbled on the iTrip.

    It turns your iPod into an FM transmitter, so that you can listen to your mp3's on your home hi-fi, or on the car radio!

    Don't know why this hasn't been thought of before. It's a really cool idea.

  9. Re:gracenote CDDB - bleh by pherris · · Score: 3, Interesting
    If it can be changed to use FreeDB instead of CDDB I'd be pretty happy.
    Don't bet on it. To use CDDB one must agree not to support any other similar systems like FreeDB.

    From "Why freedb.org" at freedb.org:

    As Escient has changed the terms of licence for accessing CDDB, some programmers complained that the new licence includes certain terms that threatens them in a way they cannot accept: If you want to access CDDB, you are not allowed to access any other CDDB-like database (this one, for example) ...
    Besides from what I've read in the past Philip's net radios require some hacking to get them to work with personal streaming servers. Changing anything past the volume seems to be controlled by Philips. It's too bad since I suspect they could sell a lot more if people could modify the onboard software.
    --
    "And a voice was screaming: 'Holy Jesus! What are these goddamn animals?'" - HST