Entered CNET Catalog: 12/08/2005
SKU: 0085896333500
Manufacturer: ACCO Brands, Inc.
Manufacturer description
The Entertainment Dock 500 isn't just for music anymore. Using the video out ports (RCA or S-video) you can also share videos and photos from your iPod through your TV. With a touch of the wireless RF remote you can listen to music through your stereo or play a soundtrack while you view your favorite photos. Simultaneously charges iPod in the cradle.Product summary
The good: The Kensington Entertainment Dock 500 offers a sleek and elegant design, as well as S-Video and minijack-to-RCA outputs, and it charges the iPod while it plays. The included remote gives you total control of your iPod from afar.
The bad: The Kensington Entertainment Dock 500 is a bit pricey for an iPod accessory, and its remote is poorly constructed.
The bottom line: Those looking for an elegant way to send iPod music and video to a home theater will be well served by the Entertainment Dock 500, Kensington's sleek--if pricey--A/V dock.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 03/22/2006
The Kensington Entertainment Dock 500 looks as sleek and elegant as Kensington's earlier Stereo Dock, except it's a bit bigger. The ice-white base has a pair of wide, rubberized feet on the bottom and a depression with a male dock connector in the top front of the base. A sturdy metal bar wraps up and around the back of the base, serving as a holder for the palm-size, AAA-battery-powered remote. On the back of the base, you'll find a minijack A/V output, an S-Video output, and an AC power port. Connecting the Entertainment Dock to your TV is a simple matter of attaching the included A/V cable to your set's RCA-style video and audio inputs, or you can use your own S-Video cable if your television has an S-Video input.
Once we plugged in the Kensington Entertainment Dock 500, attached our 30GB video iPod (the dock charges the iPod as it plays), and switched its video settings to TV Out, we navigated to the pilot episode of Desperate Housewives, and voilà--the sights and sounds of Wisteria Lane appeared on our set. Using the RF remote's four-way navigational mouse--plus the Select button, which serves as the iPod's menu key--we managed to back out of our show and tee up a slide show, complete with music. We were impressed by the remote's ability to take control of our iPod; most of the third-party iPod-dock remotes we've seen only pause the music or video, skip tracks, and adjust the volume, not browse the menus. That said, the Entertainment Dock still isn't perfect. When you navigate the menus, your TV screen will be blank, so you must rely on the iPod's screen for your visual cues. Our other gripe is that the remote seems cheaply designed: The buttons on our review model looked misaligned (if usable), while the battery cover was annoyingly difficult to pry open. We got about 30 feet of range from the remote, which is more than adequate for most living rooms.
Video and sound quality through the Kensington Entertainment Dock 500 are as good as we've seen using Apple's A/V cords, with no sign of noise or interference. Of course, you can always get an Apple dock (featuring S-Video output) and remote, or similar docks such as DLO's HomeDock, and accomplish the same thing. However, the Kensington boasts more navigation control.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1out of 1 user reviews
Does what it says
Pros: REALLY compatible, including with new nano. Includes everything required
Cons: pricey but available at a discount online
Since my stereo speakers sound really nice by comparison to most of the available docks with speakers, and my tuner still works, this route turned out to be a winner for me.
The remote definitely doesn't compare to having the iPod in my hand. There's no screen for viewing on it, so changing the music is a bit of an adventure.
I've seen other buyer reviews of this item that don't recommend buying it. I would definitely buy it again, and given what's currently available,I think it's an excellent solution for a situation like mine.
