Slim has long said that they would like to concentrate on one product. This may seem frustrating for users who'd like to see something else, but for a small company like Slim, it makes sense:
- reduced inventory - greatly simplified sales process - ease of technical support They also do not want to expand into the video market and want to devote their efforts on audio. There have been many people asking for Slim video, but I agree with Slim. Concentrate on getting one thing right. Not only that, the streaming video market is much more advanced than streaming audio now. There are dozens of competitors from some very big names. From a personal perspective, I never understood what the big deal about video is. IMHO it's much harder to get audio right. With regards to the Squeezebox display, I'm afraid I'm going to have to disagree with you again. It is as good as it gets! Supremely bright and legible from at least 20 feet away with the default fonts, 40 feet with the large font...and I wear glasses! Yes, the remote could use work, but since it's so easily replaced by a universal remote it's a non-issue. I wouldn't want to pay extra for an included fancy remote when the SB doesn't really need one. And if you want one, there are lots of good universals out there - and of course the ultimate remote control would be a Nokia 770. You really should try out a Squeezebox with FLAC files. You don't know what you're missing. This is an extremely capable product with excellent audio performance, better than most consumer equipment out there. Linksys may be a big name in networking, but audio isn't their core competency in the slightest. I would be very surprised if their product was made with the same quality and was capable of the same performance as a SB. Sonos certainly pays attention to audio but their closed format and extremely high cost keep me away. And I don't like the fact that you don't have a digital output and have to use their own amplifiers. I'd like to use my own, thank you very much... In summary, I like the Squeezebox the way it is. :-) Slim would be in danger trying to compete head-to-head with Linksys. Apple is entering this market too, with a stationary iPod device. The very words "iPod base station" would likely revolutionize this product category and get it into the mainstream. Slim cannot hope to compete with Apple and Linksys on their own turf. Apple has chewed up and spit out their competitors in the portable market. Slim does have a niche for itself - making players capable of extremely high-end performance, powered by free, open-source software. Apple or Linksys couldn't and wouldn't meet either of those requirements, so Slim will live on provided it doesn't try to tackle these giants head-to-head. Sike wrote: > I am a long time Slimp3 user and now have 9 active Squeezeboxes around > my house and connected in different houses via Wireless Bridges. > > But the market is starting to get interesting. First Sonos rolls out an > ugly system with a !WONDERFUL! remote and now Linksys has entered the > game with a "WMB54G". Links: > > http://tinyurl.com/dv7xw > > http://www.linksysinfo.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=465 > > I know that there are others, but Roku Wireless B players don't do it > for me, and if you read the forums on thier web page, there are lots of > problems with stability. > > What I want is a Slimdevice system in my house !BUT! with a really > really good remote like the sonos. Slimdevices could also come up with > a Squeezebox "light" edition without a screen, for people who want to > hide it. Maybe a version with less connections?! I know there are a > couple of audiophiles out there who would dissagree, but I (like most > people here) have a 192kbs collection of MP3's and only use the analog > connectors unless the stereo it's connected to has a spare optial > input... > > What is the most important is the remote. I don't even care if the > remote is a Nokia 770 with software running on it (not a web > interface). I just don't want to squint across the room... > > Please gods of media players, hear my prayers > > PS: What about a slim video player? > > -- ___________________________________ Mark Lanctot ___________________________________ __________________________________________________________ Find your next car at http://autos.yahoo.ca _______________________________________________ Discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/discuss
