Entered CNET Catalog: 02/02/2005
SKU: M500
Manufacturer: Roku Inc.
Manufacturer description
SoundBridge M500 streams music from any computer and many free Internet radio stations to powered speakers or a stereo system anywhere in the house. It is the most compatible network music player on the market since it works seamlessly with the most popular file formats and music player software that people are using today. Easy to set up and easy to use, SoundBridge M500 integrates into any home computer network, either through its built-in Ethernet or integrated WiFi connections. Consumers no longer have to go to a computer to pick their songs, now they can browse and select music by artist, album, song, genre or composer on the SoundBridge M500 using an included remote control. SoundBridge M500's modern tubular design fits well into any decor and at 10 inches wide and 2.37 inches in diameter, the player is small enough to put anyplace - even on a shelf or a bedside table. Wi-Fi is included with SoundBridge M500 for users who want to connect it to their wireless home networking system. With a liquid crystal display measuring 40 by two characters, the affordable, entry-level SoundBridge M500 opens up Roku's powerful music networking technology to an entirely new segment of music lovers. SoundBridge M500 is the latest in the lineup of award-winning Roku SoundBridge network music players. Recently honored by CES, the world's leading consumer electronics show, with a 2005 CES Innovations Award in the High Performance Audio category, Roku SoundBridge can access play lists from both Windows and Mac-based computers, and supports more digital music than any other network music player, streaming music in WMA, AAC, MP3, AIFF and WAV formats. Roku SoundBridge can play any song in WMA format, including protected WMA content from music services like Napster, MSN Music, Musicmatch and Walmart.com. SoundBridge is verified for the Microsoft PlaysForSure program, which gives consumers an easy way to identify compatible devices and services verified to work together.Product summary
The good: Compatible with DRM WMA files purchased from online music stores; supports Rhapsody; works with Windows Media Connect and iTunes servers; includes 802.11b wireless card; front-panel text display; optical and coaxial digital audio outputs; works with Windows and Mac.
The bad: Low-res, 2-line LCD; can't stream secure AAC files purchased from iTunes store; no headphone jack; cramped side-mounted jacks; basic remote control.
The bottom line: Cutting-edge features and striking looks put Roku's SoundBridge at the forefront of the digital audio receiver category.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 02/17/2005
With its unique tubular design, its easy-to-read front-panel displays, and its attractive brushed-chrome finish, Roku's SoundBridge series of digital audio receivers turned a lot of heads when it first appeared in 2004. The line has since been updated to include a third, more affordable model (the M500) and support for Windows Media DRM downloads and Rhapsody's subscription-based, on-demand streaming music service. All three SoundBridge models--the $199 M500, the $249 M1000, and the larger, $499 M2000--wirelessly stream audio from a networked computer or the Internet to your home stereo system and automatically interface with iTunes software. However, the SoundBridge line shares the same Achilles' heel as all other non-Apple digital audio receivers: it can't stream music purchased from the iTunes Music Store. If you can live with that caveat--and with paying a premium for the slick looks--any one of the three SoundBridge models is a great choice for streaming digital audio.
The Roku SoundBridge M500 and M1000 share the same physical dimensions and basic design, measuring 9.75 wide with a diameter of 2.5 inches and weighing 1.5 pounds; the M2000 is nearly twice the size and weight (17 by 2.75 inches, 2.75 pounds). Its artfully styled chassis is a silver, pipe-shaped metal segment with an embedded text display and two removable, black plastic end caps. Under one of the end caps, you'll find an Ethernet port for wired networks plus a CompactFlash card slot for adding the included 802.11b Wi-Fi wireless networking adapter. Under the other end cap resides a power jack and an impressive assortment of audio jacks: along with the standard analog stereo outputs, the SoundBridge packs optical and coaxial digital outputs. After making the necessary connections, you reattach the end caps, fishing the wires through holes located on the caps' backsides. The end caps give the SoundBridge a tidy appearance but complicate accessing the jacks hidden underneath. The unit comes with a low-profile rubber stand that allows tilting the unit to optimize display readability. An optional wall-mounting kit ($29.99) is also available.Because the SoundBridge doesn't have front-panel controls, you must operate the unit with its basic 18-key remote. Although its four-way keypad and Select button make menu navigation intuitive, the remote could use a few more buttons. For instance, it lacks common conveniences such as artist, title, and genre shortcut keys. You can use the remote for text-based music searches, but entering titles is a chore because of the lack of an alphanumeric keypad. Fortunately, the Fast Browse feature lets you skip through long track lists with relative ease.
The M500's bright yellow, two-line, 40-character text LCD proved legible from a maximum distance of approximately eight feet. Unlike the M1000 and M2000, the M500 doesn't have a single-line, large text mode to make the display readable from longer distances. Furthermore, the M1000 and M2000 use a vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) that delivers a brighter, sharper image--resolutions are 280x16 and 512x32, respectively. Visualization modes on all models are limited to a couple of basic-level meters.
All three SoundBridge models include 802.11b wireless networking rather than the faster 802.11g standard. Although 802.11b is perfectly capable for audio applications, adding an 802.11b device to your 802.11g network may slow all the wireless devices on the network down to 802.11b speeds.
To enable streaming audio files to the SoundBridge from your computer's hard drive, the computer must be running a compatible server application. Roku strongly recommends using either Windows Media Connect (Windows XP only; supports WMA, DRM WMA, MP3, and WAV files) or Apple iTunes (PC/Mac; supports MP3, AAC, WAV, and AIFF files). The applications' respective playlist formats are supported as well. Other compatible server applications include Musicmatch Jukebox, Slim Devices' Slim Server, and Winamp. Roku doesn't supply a software CD-ROM, but all of the aforementioned applications are free downloads.Windows Media Connect is the only server application that enables streaming protected WMA files from your computer's hard drive to the SoundBridge. (To clarify, the SoundBridge's Plays For Sure certification covers both sides of the DRM fence: you can stream individual songs purchased from online retailers, as well as those "rented" on all-you-can-eat subscription plans, such as Napster To Go.) Like every other digital media receiver, with the exception of Apple's AirPort Express, the SoundBridge cannot play protected AAC files, such as those purchased from the iTunes Music Store.
The SoundBridge provides robust access to free and fee-based Internet music. For around 10 bucks a month, Rhapsody subscribers can stream any of the service's more than 850,000 on-demand tracks and approximately 80 Internet radio stations. Rhapsody (Windows only) must be running on your computer to enable streaming audio from the service. The SoundBridge can also tune hundreds of free Internet radio stations listed in the iTunes interface. The unit can stream any MP3/Shoutcast stream, and Roku is pledging to add WMA radio compatibility in the future. Impressively, up to 10 Internet radio station presets can be programmed into the SoundBridge's memory to facilitate playing the stations without powering up the computer.
Setting up the SoundBridge is exceptionally straightforward. After downloading, configuring, and installing the server application(s) of your choice, you connect the unit to your home stereo, power it on, then follow onscreen prompts to complete device configuration and connection with your wireless network (or simply plug in an Ethernet cable for a wired connection). The printed user guide that shipped with my review sample was significantly outdated, but Roku's Web site contains an up-to-date version.During testing, I was able to simultaneously run the Apple iTunes, Windows Media Connect, and Rhapsody server applications on my 2.1GHz Pentium 4 PC. The SoundBridge displayed respectable stability when used with all three of the aforementioned server applications, though I did once have to reboot the server PC and the SoundBridge to reactivate a dead iTunes communication link. Although switching server sources with the Roku's remote control is straightforward, you have to dig down a couple menu levels to make a selection.
With the SoundBridge passing digital bits to my A/V receiver's coaxial input, the sound was every bit as good as the source material. Even when an analog audio connection was used instead, tracks such as Buena Vista Social Club's "Chan Chan" sounded crisp and clear.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8out of 8 user reviews
A superb device for streaming music to remote speakers.
Pros: Easy to setup, handles wireless security without hassles, intuitive interface and convenient remote.
Cons: Inability to stream songs purchased from iTunes. Modest display.
out of 8 user reviews
Great product, but...
Pros: Not Available
Cons: Not Available
The only problem, and it's a big one, with the M500 is the LCD display. It is hard to see from more than 3 feet away, and just looks confusing when information crawls across it. In addition, the display on my unit has already lost cells after less than a week. If I had it to do over again, and knowing how well the basic product works, I would have sprung for the M1000, which has a bit-mapped display.
out of 8 user reviews
Nice product
Pros: Relatively easy setup so long as connectivity is good
Cons: would be nice to have a video display output to TV
out of 8 user reviews
Does exactly what it should, with ease
Pros: Easy setup, excellent performance
Cons: Buffering a problem with internet radio
out of 8 user reviews
Great Product
Pros: Superfast hassle free setup
Cons: none as of yet
In summary, very satisfied with the product. Looks good, works as advertised, and is well built.
out of 8 user reviews
The focus on audio only pays off
Pros: Built in access to internet radio, Good audio file support
Cons: Menu system could be better. Display could be better.
Configuring the device took longer than I would have liked. It turns out that Roku's WEP implementation only works with a key index 1. Once that was figured out, Roku automatically connected to the web, and applied the latest firmware patch.
Style over function prevailed in the Roku design offices -- all the cables snake through the ends of the cube, but the downside to that is that the jacks are too crammed together for high performance cables to fit. Honestly, I think they could have put the jacks on the back of the tube with little affect on the aesthetics.
The M500 has the most primitive display of the line. In fact, I wanted to get the 1000, but my Best Buy did not carry it. I'm happy to say that the display turns out to be great. There is plenty of room for title and artist. You can't see this display from across the room, but then again, I wouldn't want to.
I was concerned that the slower 11b standard would be too slow for steaming audio and radio, but wow -- I have yet to encounter a buffering problem.
The neat thing about Roku is that it can stream internet radio directly from the unit. It does not need a computer in the house to do this.
Another net trick is that you have limited control of the Roku from your computer. You can type internet stations directly into the unit, and you can also go back and forth between tracks of playlists/albums. Unfortunately, you can't swith playlists/albums from this interface. I hope they improve on this feature more.
While Roku handles a number of formats, keep in mind that it cannot handle files purchased from Itunes (although the packing makes it look like it can). It handles protected WMA files pretty well, but there are a few complaints on their website that DRM files sometimes stop playing ( I ran into this, myself. For half an hour, ROKU refused to play my DRM files, then it started working ). An engineer from the company said that this can sometimes be a timing problem between Roku and the Windows Media Server.
The menu system is decent. If you use Windows Media Server, you have to first nestle into the server, then from there you have the choice to open up playlists, browse artists/albums. It's not the best organization -- to get to my intetnet radio, I have to go all the way up to the top of the menu hierarchy -- I would rather a direct approach to the stations, so I can toggle from radio station to playlist.
I am quite happy with the audio quality. The files do not stutter, and the audio is as smooth as the file can deliver (I'm a fan of the variable bit WMA).
The build quality of the unit is quite good. The unit is dead silent -- there are no fans. The remote control is basic. In an ideal world, it should have an lcd display ( great idea, creative labs ), but I would have settled for more buttons such as a direct to internet radio control, and a return to the last track played button.
out of 8 user reviews
Nicely extends (most) computer music /Inet Radio to home stereo
Pros: 1. Plays INET radio without going through the computer 2. Easy set-up 3. Sharp looking, nice sound 4. Extensive online forum for setup and operating tech support.
Cons: 1. Finicky! just doesn’t work well with some routers (see Roku website for list). 2. Works with Itunes, BUT it won’t play music purchased directly from Itunes! 3. Tech Support appears weighed or delivered more via the web-forum vice email replies.
out of 8 user reviews
Great product for anyone with digital music files on the home computer.
Pros: Compatibility with iTunes and easy networking.
Cons: None that I can see.
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