clarkc;183072 Wrote: > > But now to my question: For a $2000 device, are Slim Devices serious > about the user interface? > > I have spent time downloading Slim Server software and have tried it > out briefly with SoftSqueeze to see how it works. IMHO it seems more > like something produced by an enthusiastic hobbyist rather than a > leading exponent of cutting edge audiophile technology. To me, it is > extremely clunky, slow and visually challenged to say the least. The > fact that so many Slim fans have invested such amazing energy into > developing plugins/addons/skins, etc, to address this deficit is > testimony to this. > > I have also looked at the Sonos approach along with other media s/w > offerings (e.g. iTunes, JRiver) and I am simply amazed at the > differences. Having put such thought into the look and feel of the > hardware and endowed the Transporter with so many outstanding features, > it seems a real shame that the product is let down by such a primitive > UI.
First, I'm a little amused at the thought that you expect an "audiophile" component to have a UI that's not "clunky". It's been a long time since I read audiophile publications, but my impression has always been that the more highly regarded, and more expensive, audiophile gear tends to be very simple, minimalist even. If anything, to me the Transporter looks too fancy to be a "real" piece of audio gear! Second, I'm taken aback that you're putting so much weight on the UI of an audiophile product. If you're going to play 128k MP3 files, the Transporter is probably overkill, and you don't need audiophile gear. But if you want a quality digital transport that will bring out the best of your carefully ripped lossless tracks, there's no substitute for seeing how the actual gear *sounds* in your audio rack. Third, you should note that SoftSqueeze is a good piece of software for getting a general feel for how players work, and a wonderful app for those of us developing plugins for Slimserver, but it is much more clunky that the real hardware. The visualizer and display is somewhat jumpy, the app takes wads of CPU resources, etc. You should expect more smooth performance out of real Slim hardware. Fourth, I don't see the availability of plugins as evidence of flaws in Slim's offerings. I see this as a strength of Slim's business model. They provide first rate mid-range (Squeezebox) and high-end (Transporter) audio gear and, rather than lock users in to their preconceived UI notions like an ill-designed DVD, they leave the controlling software open to modification and extension by users. This means we customers can better make the gear work the way we like. I also find it amusing to see all the UI arguments in this forum -- people who want remotes with displays ala Sonos; people who want slick Ajax web GUIs; people who think the IR remote control is fine. One of the beauties of Slim's system is that all these ways of controlling the system are available (if only from third parties), so you cna use what you like. Get a Windows tablet/UMPC and run Moose if you want, or buy a PepperPad3 and use SlimFX, or use SailingClicker on your Windows Mobile PDA, or integrate with a whole-house Creston control system, or use the IR remote, or build (or convince someone to build) something better. (You'll find examples on these forums of customers asking for software and others providing that software -- for free.) Fifth, the server-based Slim architecture allows for easily upgrading the system capability. Not only that, but Slim has consistently released new versions of software that support *all their hardware*, back to the original SliMP3 players. Their business model is based on growth -- getting new customers and convincing existing customers to buy more gear -- rather than a planned obsolescence model. -Peter -- peterw ------------------------------------------------------------------------ peterw's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=2107 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=33046 _______________________________________________ discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/discuss
