streams music from your computer and the Internet * hooks up to a home audio system or powered speakers * connects to your wired or wireless home network (compatible with Wireless-N standard and backwards-compatible with older standards) * supports playback of unprotected MP3, AAC, WMA, and WAV files * plays Internet radio stations *Customer Review: Just OK so far...
I'll break this into a couple pieces -- setup of the unit, and functions of the Cisco Media Player. I had a Roku prior to this, so forgive the comparisons. Setup -- I just received my DMP100 today. It took more setup than I expected, including a call to tech support. The good news is that tech support was quickly available (less than 2 minutes to connect, 24-hour service), very knowledgeable and helpful, polite, and provided clear directions. The unit was up and running after the call. I was surprised that the DMP had to be hard-connected to my router for the initial configuration. I setup my Roku using the GUI and had it running in 20 minutes, wirelessly. Cisco Media Player (CMP) -- I must say that I am disappointed in the player functions. The Roku player that I had before connected to Rhapsody, but did not try to replace it. CMP requires that you enter your username/password and it connects to Rhapsody directly. The Roku used the Rhapsody connection on my computer; a minor inconvenience if it wasn't running and had to be started. Despite the fact that CMP connects directly to Rhapsody, I can't select a playlist and play it! I have to select all of the songs in the playlist and drop them into the queue. Also, the shuffle on the Roku would pick a starting point in the playlist and shuffle songs from there -- just like Rhapsody. CMP "shuffles" the playlist once and plays from there. If you want a different sorting of the list, you are required to shuffle again the next time. Drag and drop do not seem to be valid functions through most of the player (e.g. drag a playlist to the queue). Lastly, you have to have a computer available to control the DMP, their is not GUI, unless you spring another $150 for the next model up. Summary -- overall, I suspect that this will be satisfactory for my purpose -- to connect my Rhapsody to my stereo. Although I really liked my Roku, it suffered a fatal problem after about 18 months. Repeated emails to support, no phone available, were ignored for almost 3 weeks until I sent a flaming email (telling them how bad their support SUCKS) and received back the offer to repair my unit for $129. I only paid $199 for it new, hence the choice to put my money into a more reputable company like Linksys.
Surround Speaker Systems
