Slim Devices Wireless Squeezebox V3

Reviews: Multimedia

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Bradford Day
Kurtis
Slim Devices
Jun. 26, 2006

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Testing

Playlists and Browsing Music

With my Squeezebox connected to my not-so-impressive stereo system (I'm not a component stereo system kind o' guy) I was ready to browse my MP3 collection from the comfort of my green corduroy couch. But first things first, let's discuss the Slim Server software. If for some reason you prefer to sit in front of your computer rather than the Squeezebox, you can load music from the Slim Server browser window. The Slim Server interface is fairly straightforward, if not a bit over-loaded with features. But, one touch I appreciated was the Slim Server volume control. It isn't that the volume control is all that special!but it does go to 11. Yes, the loudest setting is 11 (all hail Spinal Tap! Nice touch Slim Server programmers). From within the software you can instruct the program where to find your MP3 collection and where to save your playlists on the local machine. Playlists can be compiled by skimming your entire collection and clicking the "+" box next to song titles. Once you've built up a suitable list, save it under a clever name for later access. While I found the Slim Server software to be well designed and packed with features, it did little to get my lazy self to my green couch. Time to pick up the remote and have a seat.

Using the arrow keys on the remote in conjunction with the alpha-numeric keypad I was able to scour my collection and pull up album folders. Furthermore, I was able to build playlists using the remote, although I found using the Slim Server software was much easier. As I mentioned above, the number pad doubles as a keyboard, but not a very good one. Trying to spell out artist names or save playlists with the remote is difficult if you are, like me, an absolutely dreadful SMS-style text messenger. Playlists are saved in the standard .m3u file format so you can play them with other MP3 software. Browsing my digital music collection with the Squeezebox unit was easy with the large blue display. At times I found a bit of lag between button presses on the remote and the Squeezebox's response, but it didn't occur often. One area where lag did not exist was data transfer. I never once noticed any network pauses while playing MP3s. Other than the fact that artist names, album info and genre are displayed on the info panel, using the Squeezebox to play MP3s is virtually the same as skipping ahead through a CD changer full of discs. But CDs are so 1995. I'm the first to admit that I am ultra proud of my collection of rare and hard to find compact discs, but the ability to search all my music without squinting at CD case spines, swapping discs in and out of a tray, or getting my fat butt off the couch is quite nice. I guess I'm a full-fledged digiphile now.

Internet Radio

While the Squeezebox is technically an MP3 receiver unit, it hides many more features up its sleeve than playlists and MP3 folder skimming. What I was most impressed (and surprised) by is the Squeezebox's wide array of internet radio features. Firstly there are 4 preprogrammed options under the "internet radio" menu: Slim Device Picks - which includes links to such varied internet radio channels as NPR to live Celtic music from Ireland to electronica stations; Live365 - a host of genres to choose from; Radioio.com - featuring your basic collection of random musicstreams; and Shoutcast - internet radio representing nearly every musical taste. And for you Podcast junkies out there, the Squeezebox even has a PodCast browser so you can stream your favorite banter through your home system. But wait, there's more.

Pandora Radio and the Squeezebox Network

As some of you may recall, I spoke with the founder of the Pandora.com internet radio service recently about their unique streaming music service. Pandora recently hooked up with Slim Devices to offer the Pandora service via the Squeezebox player. But, unlike the browser-based version of Pandora, only paying subscribers to the service will be able to experience Pandora on their Squeezebox. However, when you purchase your new Squeezebox unit, you will receive a three month subscription to the full version of Pandora for free. After your three free months, expect to pay $36 per year or $12 for three months of Pandora on your Squeezebox. You will also need to create a Squeeze Network account to import your Pandora stations into your player. Additionally you will be able to obtain a Squeezebox PIN necessary to unlock other features of this amazing device. Want Worldcup Soccer RSS newsfeeds? You can connect to the Squeeze Network and read all the latest RSS news via your Squeezebox. In fact, you can add just about any internet radio station or newsfeed you can think of to your Squeeze Network online account and access it through your player. So, for instance, you could be at the office listening to streaming radio, log into your Squeeze Network account and add the station URL so that later in that evening you can listen to the same internet station on your Squeezebox at home!not that I condone spending all day surfing internet radio stations at work. While I found the Squeeze Network options to be some of the most diverse and entertaining features, I did have some troubles connecting to the network off and on while Pandora sometimes skipped a few songs before they were finished playing. I can't say if this was due to server issues on the provider side or problems related to my internet connection, but be aware sometimes there are a few hiccups now and again...it is streaming data after all.

Extra Features

What internet capable device would be complete without screen savers and games? Well, just like your cell phone, the Squeezebox has both. Fancy a game of Tetris while listening to your iTunes playlists? No problem. Under the "Plug-ins" menu you will find the above-mentioned RSS newsfeeds access in addition to a game of "SlimTris" (clever eh) and various screen saver choices for when your Squeezebox is lying dormant. You can set your display to output date and time in standby mode or even run news ticker info.

Additional trinkets include an alarm clock setting for those of you that like to awaken to your own customized playlists. Crossfade options allow for smooth transitions from song to song and checking your available library statistics will give you more info on your MP3 collection than you care to know; everything from total playing time to total number of genres represented. You can also check up on miscellaneous device info such as firmware and plug-in versions. From within the settings menu users can adjust the text size on the display and arrange the song title format as well. The array of minute features is truly staggering. Let it never be said that the Squeezebox is short on settings.

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Page 1: Introduction & First Looks
Page 2: Setup
Page 3: Testing
Page 4: Conclusion

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4 User Comments

1 - Posted by zicada on July 4, 2006 - 7:08 pm

I think you'll find the lag is more to do with your network than the squeezebox.

When you use the remote you are actually controlling the slimserver software on your computer, not the squeezbox itself.

I have a v1 squeezebox and when i upgraded my PC (switched to debian) and used wired ethernet to the squeezebox the lag dissappeared.

2 - Posted by Das Capitolin on July 5, 2006 - 12:23 am

If I win a Squeezebox (and I really hope that I do) I will need to keep this in mind. I had planned on using WiFi connectivity, but I can utilize Ethernet as well.

3 - Posted by Rich on July 5, 2006 - 12:23 pm

Something I would like to also point out is that the slimserver plugin can be added to the Infrant ReadyNAS which we reviewed previously (http://www.thetechlounge.com/article/239/Infrant+R...)
The plugin can be downloaded directly from Infrants website (http://www.infrant.com).

4 - Posted by handrail on July 7, 2006 - 8:39 am

that is quite possible. i did notice that it only lagged on certain operations, so maybe specific instructions require just a touch more network traffic than others. although, theorhetically, the amount of data that the device is sending can't be all that huge and with wireless G, the transmission speed as compared with a wired connection shouldn't be perceivable when sending small packets of data. i suppose there could have been some interference of some kind as well. either way, the lag was not anything to worry about.

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