tyler_durden;167577 Wrote: > When was the last time you bought an item at the store and and had to > jump through hoops for a week to get it working and were satisfied with > the purchase? > > The whole system is too complicated for your average Joe Blow. People > see/hear the SB3 and think it's great, but then they find out what is > involved in setting it up and they balk at the ripping/tagging, network > setup, server setup, and etc. I think if you want to go mass market you > will need to do some sort of server hardware as someone said in a > previous post. If it doesn't work right out of the box it will never > become a consumer item. > > You might even have to start your own "itunes' type operation (or make > a deal with one of the existing ones) where you supply CORRECTLY tagged > flac files, either a disc or song at a time, that can be ordered via the > SB remote control. Maybe set up your own web radio station to play new > releases and have a "purchase" button on the remote. Leave out the DRM > (digital restrictions management) or forget the whole idea. > > You may need to think about streaming video, too. I don't think there > are many audio only systems left in the world except among audio > maniacs.
I agree with all aspects of this post: The hassle of setup will alienate many people. You need to have a properly set-up wireless network, and it took me an hour to get anything at all, and longer to get it working well. Part of the problem was a rather duff wifi access point, so it's not a problem that Slim Devices can solve, but it was grief. Tagging and general navigation through (especially large) libraries is an issue too - I agree that the web front end needs work, although I actually quite like it myself. And the video point is well made: as it is, the SB3 is limited to audiophiles that are computer fans too - probably a big enough market, I guess, but... So my ideas: - Release a mini-server box, that has basic server software and a 300GB HD for less than the price of a Squeezebox. It needs ethernet and just enough oomph to run SlimServer, probably on linux. It needs to be small - the size of the SB2, maybe - and quiet. - Consider releasing a mini-server that can operate completely without a PC (i.e. has a CD drive and a display so you can rip directly into this). - Put some more cleverness in the SB4 so that it can access USB drives. - Release a video SB that can access the video files and TV cards in the server PC. But I wouldn't buy it ;) - Release a SB that comes with a HomePlug adapter built-in, and offer a complete package with a HomePlug for your computer too. Support this entire package. - How about a HomePlug adapter built into the server mentioned above? - Release a Sonos-like remote. I've tried using my HTC Universal and it's flaky; I'd like the interface to look better too. (The 770 skin doesn't work well. Handheld works, but boy it's ugly!) My in-laws have recently bought a Sony thing that has an HD; they feed in their CDs, and it looks them up on the internet, and rips them (in ATRAC...). They want a simple solution - not a computer that's on all the time. The Sony works, and they like that. Shame it sounds so c**p! Adam -- adamslim SB3 into Derek Shek d2, Shanling CDT-100, Rotel RT-990BX, Esoteric Audio Research 859, Living Voice Auditorium IIs, Nordost cables ------------------------------------------------------------------------ adamslim's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=7355 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=31324 _______________________________________________ discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/discuss
