February 27, 2007

Roku Soundbridge

Roku emerged awhile ago with the notion to change the face of the digital media landscape for consumers. It took until the release of the SoundBridge for their products to really reach mass appeal. The Soundbridge M1001 is their entry level networked audio device and it has been getting lauded with great reviews. C|net has a quick review of the M1001. With a sleek and low profile look this will be sure to make a great addition to your music cabinet. I know one of the concerns in my house is how all of this gear I keep adding to my collection will look. Some items I need to hide creatively, but by the looks of this( and with my wife's permission of course ) it would sit proudly on top of my entertainment center.

The display is not as sharp and crisp as the Squeezebox but it is still is good enough to see from far away.
It is also able to hook into iTunes so you can leverage the work you have already done setting up your iTunes library.

Some of the highlights of the M1001 are:

Plays just about any music format you are likely to have in the house ( except iTunes protected songs ).
Can hook into and play Internet radio stations with an auto discover feature for finding stations
Clean interface and remote control
Web interface for managing library and controlling playback
Cool music visualizers that change the display to move with the music
The ability to have firmware updates to keep this device current for years
Digital and Analog audio outputs for hooking up to your stereo

We are very excited about the Soundbridge and believe this to be one of the devices that is going to help usher in mass market appeal of networked music for the home. You can pick one up at Amazon or Newegg.

Check back as we get our hands on the 1001 in house for an in depth review.