Product Description
PlaysForSure compatibility -- plays downloaded music files from compatible music sources, like MSN Music, Musicmatch, MusicNow, Napster, and more * compatible with MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV and AIFF music files and Internet radio stations *
not compatible with songs downloaded from Apple iTunes Music Store (protected AAC files) * AM/FM tuner * SD card slot *
Amazon.com Review
Like its smaller cousins, the Roku M1000 and M500 network music players, Roku's SoundBridge Radio is designed liberate your digital music from your computer and let you crank up Internet radio stations and your unprotected digital music files in the room of your choice. But unlike those products, the SoundBridge Radio doesn't require a hi-fi system because the SoundBridge Radio is the hi-fi system. And not a bad one at that.
A clean design and several easy-access-ports give the SoundBridge added versatility. View larger. |
Most of the radio's ground-breaking Wi-Fi features can be accessed via the convenient remote. View larger. |
Featuring two linear magnetic drive full-range speakers and a linear magnetic drive subwoofer -- each powered by built-in amplifiers -- the SoundBridge puts most table-top radios to shame. If you have a lot of space to fill with your music, you'll want to think twice before replacing your stereo system with it. But for a unit this size, the SoundBridge offers excellent sound performance, and its many ground-breaking Wi-Fi features make it worth the price.
As a complete Wi-Fi music system that can stream your MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV, and AIFF music files in high-performance sound; play AM, FM and Internet radio; automatically update the time via atomic transmission; and wake you up to a variety of ascending alarm sounds or your favorite Internet station or digital music, the SoundBridge has clear aspirations to be your bedside radio of choice.
Without needing any special software for your computer (PC or Mac), within a few minutes of breaking this five-pound radio out of its packaging you can be browsing through the music you have stored in your Apple's iTunes, Real Networks' Rhapsody, Windows Media Connect or Windows Media 10 music players. All you need is a wireless network with a broadband connection, and your digital music is yours for the asking. (However, because Apple doesn't license its digital rights management code, SoundBridge -- like most other non-Apple network media players -- can't play protected songs from the iTunes Music Store.)
In our test we set up an iMac G5 on our network running Apple's iTunes. The radio, which is configured with Wi-Fi 802.11b but is 802.11g compatible, immediately recognized the network but took several tries before it successfully connected. (If your network is locked, the SoundBridge will ask for a password. And if you have access to more than one wireless network, the SoundBridge will give you the option of choosing which network to connect to.) Once online, the radio automatically updated the Roku software and was officially ready to perform. And for the remainder of our test over several days, we never once had another connection problem.
Diving straight into our iTunes folders, it didn't take long for us to recognize the several play features that put the SoundBridge head and shoulders above many of its competitors. For starters, unlike other network players we've tested, the radio recognized our iTunes playlists, and a neat "song queue" feature let us easily create our own playlists with the radio's remote. And as a huge brownie point, the SoundBridge not only categorized our songs by genre, title, artist and album (as most networks players do), it also queued up each song in the same order as they were originally placed their respective albums. Astoundingly, not all Wi-Fi players can make that claim.
Large, easy-to-access buttons -- including a huge snooze bar -- on the top of the radio make the SoundBridge an excellent clock radio option. View larger. |
On the Internet radio front, SoundBridge doesn't come out quite so well. While Roku's marketing material claims "10,000 stations -- No strings attached," that wasn't exactly our experience. The radio is pre-configured with dozens of Internet stations -- all of which can be accessed without the computer powered on -- and the radio has 18 pre-sets that offer quick access to the station of your choice. But to access the rest of the world's Internet radio stations, you have to go through several somewhat tedious steps with Roku's Web interface to configure them.
The strongest criticism of SoundBridge concerns its remote capabilities and navigation. The features of the SoundBridge are designed to be accessed both through the large, easy-to-access buttons on the radio itself, and via its basic 5.5 x 2-inch remote. Unfortunately, the remote works for some features, but not for others, and less-than-intuitive navigation makes things unnecessarily complicated.
The most glaring example of this problem is with the SoundBridge's highly convenient "source" button located behind the radio's conveniently huge snooze button. You hit the source button until you reach -- you guessed it! -- the music source of your choice. If you want AM radio, you tap the button until "AM Radio" appears on the radio's display. Pretty simple, and just how it should be. However, if you are using the remote you must hit the "home" button, which then leads you to a navigation level that's dependent upon the level you're starting at. If you're listening to AM radio, for example, and you want Internet Radio, the remote requires that you click several times through two additional navigation levels to make the switch. And there are other similar problems with the remote configuration and navigation.
Call us spoiled, but this can be a drag. Is it a deal breaker? Not by a long shot. The SoundBridge Radio is the first dedicated Wi-Fi radio that has the ability to serve your digital music collection, and it does it with a performance and convenience that should please most listeners. But at this price, and with thousands of examples of well-designed remote appliances to draw from, we would have liked these issues not to have been issues.
Pros:
- Wirelessly delivers digital music and Internet radio from your PC or Mac
- Linear magnetic speakers and woofers offer excellent sound performance
- Alarm clock functions feature large, easy-to-access buttons and several alarm options, including Internet radio and digital music wake-up
Cons:
- Poorly integrated remote control and difficult navigation
- Internet radio stations somewhat difficult to configure
Amazon.com Product Description
The wireless R1000 SoundBridge radio system combines the convenience of a high-quality tabletop radio with the versatility of a digital music device, giving listeners the best of both worlds. The R1000 doesn't actually store song files itself. Rather, it communicates with your Mac or PC over your home's WiFi network and accesses all your saved WMA, AAC, MP3, WAV, or AIFF files. Once the files are retrieved, the R1000 plays them over its pair of built-in stereo speakers and subwoofer, which deliver unsurpassed audio quality. As a result, you can listen to any of your digital tunes or podcasts on the R1000 regardless of whether your computer is located upstairs, down the hall, or in the basement.
The R1000's top panel includes a snooze/sleep button, several radio presets, and scan up/down buttons. Take a closer look. |
The R1000 is compatible with a variety of Mac and PC digital music players, including iTunes, MusicMatch, Windows Media Connect, Windows Media Player 10, Rhapsody, Windows Media DRM 10, and more. It also stands ready to play free Internet radio stations, and doesn't require a computer to do so. All you need is broadband access and a WiFi home network and the R1000 takes care of the rest, giving you one-touch access to any available jazz, talk, rock, or pop station. And should you want to take the R1000 to a friend's house or elsewhere, you can simply store your favorite music files on an SD/MMC card and plug it into the available slot for offline playback.
Other features include a built-in subwoofer, an SD/MMC card slot, and a headphone jack. Take a closer look. |
Your digital files are easy to navigate thanks to the bright 280 x 32 vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) and the handy remote control, which lets you browse and select music from across the room. The radio also offers Roku's Fast Browse feature, which browses by album, artist, genre, or composer (providing your files are properly encoded with said details). And those who prefer traditional browsing can simply use the top preset, scan, and source select buttons located on top of the radio.
The unit's superior audio quality stems from the precision-engineered sound system and the patented Linear Magnetic Drive stereo speakers and subwoofer. Each full-range speaker is outfitted with its own tuned acoustic enclosure and built-in 20-watt 3G digital amplifier, while the sub offers a proprietary Delta Tunnel-tuned acoustic enclosure and a 30-watt 3G amp. Together, the speakers deliver a full-bodied audio performance that far surpasses most tabletop radios, all in a package that's only 11 by 6 by 6.5 inches (W x H x D).
In addition, Roku has outfitted the SoundBridge with a super-fast, 400 MHz Blackfin DSP processor and 16 MB of DRAM memory, giving it more than enough headroom to handle future software updates. Other features include a traditional AM/FM tuner; a full-function clock radio (tuned to the U.S. atomic clock) that wakes to digital music, Internet radio, AM/FM stations, iTunes playlists, podcasts, or selectable alarm tones; a gradual volume ramp mode for listeners who like to wake up slowly; a headphone jack for private listening; and a built-in light sensor that automatically dims the display in the evening.
The R1000 system weighs 4 pounds and 15 ounces and is backed by a one-year warranty on parts and labor.
What's in the Box
R1000 SoundBridge radio system, remote control, two AAA batteries, power cable, external AM antenna, external FM antenna, user's manual.
Customer Reviews:
Set up with relative ease and works well; remote functions need refining.......2007-12-30
As a radio buff I find it wonderful, now that I have the Roku Soundbridge R1000, to be able to listen to stations from around the world without having to sit next to my computer, find the "listen live" button on a website, and start the audio stream. With this device your computer need not be on; a functioning wireless network is all you need. You can listen to the Roku in the same manner as any other radio (e.g., in bed or in your living room), and it's much more relaxing and natural to listen to Internet audio this way than by the traditional browser-interface method.
I found setup quite easy; the hardest part was remembering where to find my router's password protection (i.e., WEP code). Once up and running, the R1000 has excellent sound and is nicely customizable through the free Roku Radio Snooper software that you can obtain from the manufacturer.
There are two problems that Roku should remedy in later versions. First, as others have pointed out, the remote control lacks versatility. It has no alphanumeric keypad and so, to reach preset stations, once must labor through a series of submenus using the remote control's arrow and select keys. It's slower and more cumbersome than it would be with a more sophisticated remote control.
The other problem is with the Snooper packet-detecting software that enables you to capture the URL's (web addresses) of streaming audio from stations that you locate on the Internet. When I find a station and activate the Snooper, many lines of similar URL's are generated, and there's no way to know for sure which one is the best to add to one's presets on the receiver. (Or if there is, I haven't discovered it yet.)
Fortunately, the receiver comes with a large number of preset stations, and you may never need to use the Snooper. I've added the following stations to my presets, and all of them were already in the unit's installed base: CBC 1 Montreal (service in English), KCFR (Denver public radio), KNX (Los Angeles CBS news), WCBS (New York CBS news), BBC World Service (service in English), KXL (Portland, Ore., news and talk), CBN São Paulo (Brazilian news and talk), WBZ (Boston news and talk), and WQXR (radio station of The New York Times). After the murder of Benazir Bhutto the BBC World Service preset suddenly switched from English to a language that could have been anything from Arabic to Farsi to Urdu. About a day later it switched back to English. I don't know if that's because Roku monitors the feeds through the Internet and adjusts the presets back to the content they are supposed to be providing, or because the BBC switched its feed from English and back to it without Roku's intervention. If the latter, it points to the possibility one may need to monitor and adjust the relevant preset URL's over time.
Not perfect, but amazingly good........2007-12-26
The SoundBridge Radio is very easy to set up and has great performance and a good user interface. Using regular radio is straightforward enough, but the performance, ease and availability of Internet radio stations males it almost unnecessary to use broadcast radio. Almost every local radio station we use is available over the Internet. Using a web application called Radio Roku makes it easy to find stations, test them, and instantly assign them to presets on the SoundBridge Radio.
Of course, nothing is perfect. While WPA wireless encryption works, I found it erratic and intermittent, and that was with several brands of wireless access points. I finally had to revert to WEP. Also, it uses an 802.11b radio rather than the newer (for several years now) 802.11g version. Connecting this to a wireless access point will slow down the wireless network for other devices as well. This is not an issue for most people, but in our case, we set up a separate access point for the SoundBridge for this reason and the encryption issue already mentioned.
An Ethernet port would be helpful so you're not forced to use wireless access.
You will need to use some type of media software on the computer which acts as the music server in order for the SoundBridge to see the music library. What should be made clearer is that if you use a separate network drive, as many do to store music, with most of the software, i.e. Windows Media Connect, it is not easy to get access from the network music to the SoundBridge, nor are directions on how to do so readily available. I struggled for hours to figure this out, and I'm not a computer networking novice. Apple iTunes does help get around this issue, but it must be kept running whenever you might want music access (in other words always).
Bottom line, this is a great device, so much so that if you get one, you may want more of them throughout your home, so it could get very expensive. I hope Roku continues to sell these so they can fix the WPA and 802.11b issues, design an Ethernet port into the unit, and continue to enhance their products.
Great Product.......2007-12-21
I bought this to hear radio stations from different places in the world (that have internet streams in addition to their conventional broadcast). Setup was really easy. The sound is great. I have been using this for about 3 months so far and have had zero problems.
Rocky Roku to you!.......2007-12-13
I do not work for Roku, and I am a techno geek.
With that said, I have had my unit for about a month, and it is awesome! I am listening to "radio" from around the world and genera I want to hear including "satellite radio"! The sound is adequate if not a tad bassy for my taste, but all in all great (the faster the stream the better the sound)! The "clock radio" part works great too, and will wake you up even with the ear plug plugged into the thing!! Anything bad? Sure why not.... the CLOCK display, it goes away at the darndest times, like when the alarm goes off, or so small ya can't read it (it needs its own fulltime spot). Other then that the boys from Roku did a great job.....just go buy one!!!
Excellent products; two caveats........2007-11-29
The Roku SoundBridge Radio is an excellent alternative to its smaller sibling, the SoundBridge. What you get is a Bose Wavetable style radio piece that performs a wonderful number of functions and is very good at what it is meant to do.
I especially like the Internet Radio feature which lets you pick up on stations that you might have never thought existed, through the RadioRoku.com feature. As far as software integration goes, I've had no problems getting it working with Itunes or Windows Media Player.
There are a few things I do not like about the Roku Radio though. Firstly, it is a little annoying that there is no way to control Bass/Treble on the device. Perhaps Roku meant this as a tribute to the WaveTable, but it has to be the one annoyance I hate most about the WaveTable. That said, the sound quality is very good, excellent almost.
The other thing that bothers me about the Roku is that it works only on a 802.11b connection and not a 'g' connection which has better range. This leads to some patchy wireless connections depending on the quality of wireless router you have. Roku is openly transparent about this issue and admits that quality/cost issues prevent them from putting a 'g' chip in.
The other thing that I find annoying is that the remote control doesn't have a sleep timer option (you have to manually press the sleep button on the device... painful if you're in bed and want to doze off!) or a way to set the alarm. These have to be done manually.
That said, the Roku is wonderful. I play with it every day and I love it more. I am planning to buy the SoundBridge without the radio for another part of my house.
Product Description
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