Hewlett-Packard DMR-EN5000 Digital Media Receiver for Windows PCs

Average customer rating:

Ready or not, sell it!

Not bad!

Poor User Interface Design

Good idea, flawed execution. So disappointed...

Hard to use. Try SLIMP3.

Hewlett-Packard DMR-EN5000 Digital Media Receiver for Windows PCs

Manufacturer: Hewlett Packard
ProductGroup: CE
Binding: Electronics

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Digital Music Servers | Network-Ready Home Entertainment | Audio & Video | Categories | Electronics
Accessories:

NETGEAR Wireless Digital Music Player

PRISMIQ MediaPlayer

Product Features:

Wired digital media receiver provides interface between PC and connected stereo and TV

User-friendly interface automatically gathers music and pictures from multiple networked PCs

Standard 802.3 Wired LAN 10 Base-T Ethernet interface; analog audio left & right out; composite video out; S-video out

Supports music formats: MP3 and WMA, plus import of M3U, PLS and RMP playlists; image formats: JPG, GIF, BMP and PNG

Included software: Mediabolic M1 Software Environment; remote; 2-meter analog audio and composite video cables; 1.8 meter Ethernet cable

ASIN: B00008VGRR

Product Description

High-tech home entertainment moves to the next level with the HP digital media receiver en5000. Hook it up and you're ready to create, edit, organize, and present (in the comfort of your own living room) all your digital entertainment content.Play music from your PC (e.g., MP3 files) on your stereo using the composite video, S-Video, and RCA audio out. View photos from your PC on your TV as slide shows. Centralize your digital entertainment with standard Ethernet compatibility. Automatically retrieve music and pictures from any networked PC in the house. Remotely control other media receivers, as well as photo viewing and printing (to a networked PC). Set up with no hassles using TV-based menus.

Customer Reviews:

Ready or not, sell it!.......2005-04-07

This is without a doubt, the most poorly conceived, ridiculously designed, sloppily manufactured product of it's kind on the market. Everything about it is just plain wrong! First the media server software does not run as a windows service, so you have to go to your media center PC and log into an account, then since it wasn't running as a service, it delays the loading of your account every time you log in as it synchronizes. It only allows five directories and will not search subdirectories so if you organize your music or pictures in any way, you can't get to them all. You wouldn't believe how you have to enter the WEP key if your network is secure. One character at a time on this goofy little on screen keyboard and then WEP does not work on it. Total waste of time, money and HP's reputation. It's foul, heinious and smells really bad.

Not bad!.......2004-05-14

Bought this with the idea of showing pictures stored on the computer on the TV -- and listing to music on the computer thru my sound system.

Very straight forward hookup -- took longer to get the cables and unit out of the box than it did to have it up and going. HP made this very simple! And it does exactly what I had wanted --

(Of course now I wish I had gotten the wireless unit. Oh well...)

Poor User Interface Design.......2004-02-13

This is a great idea. Unfortunately, the HP people forgot to give any thought to how people might actually use this thing and ended designing something that has all the problems of computers (crashes and poor interface) with the worst parts of traditional receivers (inflexibility and inability to customize). The biggest problem I have with this is that it is very slow to respond to button presses. This is especially evident when trying to get it to shuffle or repeat playlists. You push the button, no response. An hourglass would have been nice, just so you know that it's at least trying to do what you asked it to do. Even a beep from the player would've been nice.

Then there are stability issues. It crashes often, and sometimes you have to unplug it to restart (the power button on the remote and on the unit itself becomes unresponsive). After one such crash it forgot my settings.

Also, there's no way of adding files to the playlist on the fly. Let's say you're having a party and you're playing a playlist. Your friend says, "hey could you add Song X to the playlist?" You'll have to go to your computer, add the file to the playlist, and then re-synchronize the receiver. No problem, except resynchronizing can take like 5 minutes and the music stops playing during that time.

Then there's the screensaver. Again, say you're having a party so you've turned off the TV and you just want to use it as a, heaven forbid, a media receiver. Let's say now you want to skip to the next song using the remote, so you hit the "next" button. Nothing. Why? Because the screen saver was on and hitting a button only inactivates the screen saver. You now have to push the button again.

Also, it can't use windows media player play lists. You have to save your playlists as m3u playlists. This is fine, except windows media player has some nifty features like blending songs and equalizing volumes. The HP Media player is like the first versions of media player or winamp: no blending, no volume equalization.

And no visualizations, either. I wish they had built in some simple visualization routines that show up when the music is playing. If you want to add visuals to the music you have to associate a playlist with a photo album, but then it has no option for shuffling the pictures in the album, so you end up cycling through the pictures in order. I had to write a simple app to randomize my picture names. How hard would it have been for them to build in a shuffle option for the photo album.

Another issue with the photo album is that you can set the duration for each picture, but the settings get applied to all your photo albums. This is annoying, as you may want pictures to have different delays in different albums.

Save your money. Get an IR remote control for your computer and run a stereo wire from your computer to the stereo.

Good idea, flawed execution. So disappointed..........2003-07-31

I really, really wanted this to work. I had previously purchased the SonicRio Digital Media Receiver ... but as the reviewers point out, this is no longer a supported product, and when my device crapped out on me, I was stuck.

So I had been eagerly awaiting this product, hoping that a more reliable, trust-worthy vendor would do a better job with a networked MP3 receiver. Sadly, this was not the case.

This is very similar in design to the SonicBlue (with the exception of photo viewing and TV UI as opposed to embedded LCD screen.) Otherwise, many of the flaws pointed out in the review for the SonicBlue apply here as well:
"1. You MUST run THEIR software on your server.
2. You MUST log in ( and stay logged in)to the server for their software to work (it SHOULDN'T, but does!).
3. They don't pay any attention to Track Numbers on an album. It always plays in ALPHA order. "

These may seem minor, but they are a real pain. Example: you need to keep your PC on (and not in standby or hibernation, either) for the system to work. I don't like having to run 2 flights downstairs to my office to make sure my PC isn't hibernating in order to listen music on my stereo.

Other flaws: the "server" software was very basic and poorly designed -- it wouldn't keep my preferences for where to look for music, so this needed to be specified each time. They take the HP approach of making something "simple", but they remove all control and provide no documentation for the server software. This might be fine if everything ran perfectly, but when you run into problems, you're hosed. The documentation for the receiver itself is adequate, but the "Troubleshooting" section didn't address any of my problems (below).

Finally, though, the fatal flaw was that it just plain didn't work. I think the problem was that I had too many MP3s (20GB+) and too many pictures (30GB+)for it to handle. Anytime I started the server software on the PC or turned on the EN5000 Receiver, it would start "synchronizing", and take anywhere from 15 minutes to over an hour to complete. Often, it would just hang up entirely in the "synchronization" process.

I hooked up the device to my work laptop which had only a few albums worth of music and a dozen or so pictures, and it synched more quickly, but still failed to perform as promised. It would frequently hang up, or it would show me the title of the song or picture but nothing else -- no music, no thumbnails, no actual image.

I tried troubleshooting my problems with HP tech support, but I found that I knew way more about the product than they did. In their defense, it is a new product, but still, it was very frustrating talking to someone who obviously was just reading from a script and had no idea what they were talking about --

30 minutes on hold, 30 minutes of explaining the problem, then the following exchange...

HP Tech: "Let's see, let's see, 'no sound' -- OK, here it is. First, check and make sure all your cables are connected and the power is on"
Me: "AAARGH!!! I JUST TOLD YOU THAT IT WAS DISPLAYING THE TRACK INFORMATION, SO IT'S OBVIOUSLY ON AND CONNECTING TO THE COMPUTER! THINK! WORK WITH ME!"

Please, HP, invest a little more in customer care and technician training.

If the product works for you as advertised, congratulations. I hope it does, and you'll probably be very pleased. However, just be aware that this is a new product that looks like it was slapped together very quickly. You might want to wait or go with a more low-tech solution.

Good luck.

Hard to use. Try SLIMP3........2003-06-25

I bought and tried out one of these devices to access the sizable MP3 collection on my computer. Alas, it's really hard to set up and slow to use.

I much prefer my SLIMP3 from Slim Devices. It's a little more money, but it is tiny, has a bright and beautiful display, incredibly powerful music management software (free and open source!) and is so easy to set up and use. My wife loves it and would touch the HP product. You can build custom playlists from the remote or any web browser and the support is great! Oh, and it works on Windows 98,ME,NT,2000,XP, Mac OS X, Linux, BSD and Solaris!

Of course, the SLIMP3 is a music-focused device, so it doesn't use your TV and can't display JPEG images, but that's what I have a laptop for.

Product Description

State-of-the-art optics combined with intelligent productivity design in a truly affordable desktop scanning package. The true 42-bit ArtixScan 1100 combines an impressive 3.7 Dmax with 1000 x 2000 optical dpi resulting in amazingly sharp, detailed image capture for the demanding standards of pre-press service bureau environments. Microtek's patented dual media design accommodates a variety of reflective and transparent original formats and features glass-free transparency holders to ensure that only the original image is captured and not the unwelcome artifacts introduced by glass.

Product Description

Specifications: *16X DVD-ROM & 48X CD-ROM with Pure-CAV Technology *Supporting High Speed Digital Audio Extration (DAE) *Easy-Tray Design for Both Horizontally & Vertically Use *Interface: ATAPI-E/ IDE *Sustained Transfer Rate: Support up to Ultra-DMA/33 33.3MB/sec *Burst Transfer Rate: Support up to Ultra-DMA/33 33.3MB/sec *Access Time: 120ms (typical) *Disc Format: UDF, all DVD single/dual layer(PTP, OTP), DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW *ISO-9660, all CD-ROM formats both 8cm & 12cm discs *Operating System: DOS 6.xx, Windows 95/98/ NT/2000/ XP, OS2 Warp Warranty: 1 YEAR

Product Description

The Dazzle ZiO! is designed for mobile people who have digital cameras and other devices using Memory Stick media. Connect the portable and compact ZiO! to your computer's USB port, insert media and copy files to your computer. Use supplied Dazzle OnDVD software to make photo slideshows for your DVD player.

Customer Reviews:

The bundle software (onDVD) is an old version.......2002-10-09

The bundled software "onDVD" is an old version (v1.5), which does not include audio function in it's photo slideshow VCD burner. According to it's website product introduction, it should include audio and photo edit function.

The same product I saw at retail store is light blue color, but the one I get here is black. Obviously, it's an old model, and the worse part is, the software is also old version and with very limited features.

Average customer rating:
Audiovox GMRS9010-2 10-Mile GMRS Twin Pack Radio with NOAA Receiver/Weather Alert

Manufacturer: Audiovox
ProductGroup: CE
Binding: Electronics

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Accessories:

Motorola TalkAbout Earbud with Microphone for All Series

Product Features:

Range of up to 10 miles

Hands-free capability allows the user to talk with out the requirements of holding the radio

Built-in high-intensity LED flashlight

23 channels with NOAA receiver and weather alert

Comes with earbuds and quick-release swivel belt clips

ASIN: B0002HBT3I

Product Description

22 X 38 Channel. 8 Gmrs/4 Frs. 10-mile Range. Noaa Receiver/weather Alert. Includes Ear Buds. Built-in High Intensity Led Flashlight. Hands-free Capable. Led Flashlight. Swivel Belt Clip With Quick Release. Full Electronic Controls. Fcc License Required. This item doesn't include bonus pack with charger.

Product Description

At just 148 x 110 mm and only 26mm in height, the PD04 is no bigger than three CD cases together - and weighs just 390 grams including the battery, thanks to the high-performance Lithium Ion technology used in its design. Mains power for the PD04 is via an AC adaptor or an external battery charger to "park and charge" up to two batteries

Product Description

Canon printers are renowned for quality and results - especially when using genuine Canon consumables. Enjoy a wide range of Canon consumables - there's no time like the present to give your printer the finest it deserves.This toner cartridge is designed for NP6012/6412 copiers.

Average customer rating:

Can't do better

Brother DCP-8025D Laser Printer, Copier, Scanner

Manufacturer: Brother Printer
ProductGroup: CE
Binding: Electronics

Multifunction Devices | Office Electronics | Categories | Electronics
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Accessories:

Belkin F3U133-06 Pro Series Hi-Speed USB Cable (Six-Feet)

Belkin F3U134-10 USB Extension Cable (10-Feet)

Fellowes 24400 Printer Workstation Stand with 4 Drawers

Brother TN-560 High-Yield Toner Cartridge

Brother DR500 Replacement DRUM-HL1650/1670N

Product Features:

Up to 17 ppm black laser printing, 17 cpm digital copying

Color flatbed scanning, up to 600 x 2,400 dpi optical resolution

250-sheet standard paper tray, 50-sheet auto document feeder

USB 2.0 and parallel interfaces; optional networking

PC and Mac compatible; 3-year warranty

ASIN: B0000950RU

Amazon.com Product Description

Delivering up to 17 ppm printing and up to 2,400 x 600 dpi resolution, the DCP-8025CD can handle all your everyday copying and scanning requirements. Able to produce up to 99 copies at a time (1,200 x 600 dpi maximum resolution) with options for reduction and enlargement, the DCP-8025D's flatbed design also functions as a color scanner, handling originals up to 8.5 by 14 inches, including hardbound books and other bulky objects.

The DCP-8025CD comes complete with a 250-sheet input tray and a 50-sheet auto document feeder; an optional second paper tray is available to increase total input capacity to 550 sheets. The machine offers parallel and USB 2.0 standard connectivity for PC and Mac users alike, while networking is available with an optional 10/100 BASE-T Ethernet port.

The DCP-8025CD includes separate software CD-ROMs for PC and Mac, which contain handy OCR software and image management tools. It is backed by a three-year warranty.

What's in the Box
DCP-8025D multifunction, Quick Setup Guide, User's Guide, software on CD-Rom for Windows, software on CD-ROM for Mac, toner cartridge (TN-530), drum unit (DR-500), power cord, warranty information; printer cable not included

Customer Reviews:

Can't do better.......2004-02-20

Scanner Quality ***
Copier Quality *****
Printer Quality *****
Cost per page *****
Speed *****

Basically if you need a good scanner you probably still want to buy one. Although, if you spend less than $100 on a non CCD scanner you probably won't get anything better.

I took a stack of documents to local stores and tried probably 10 different laser copier/printer/scanner machines made by HP, Canon, Sharp, Xerox, Samsung, etc. HP's and Canon's were a little better in photo print quality, but Canon only has 2MB of non-expandable printer memory (even though up to 8MB can be used for copying). HP copied at a rate of about 2-3 pages per minute (no joke!) unless you wanted to rip off 20 copies of a single page.

Brother had the most solid machine and it actually even copies different sheets pretty close to the rate claimed. HP's had broken paper trays at most stores and Canon's seamed to always have paper jams. Samsung's were similar to Brother but they looked old and the toners were all used up at all but one of the places I went to.

Product Description

Model DCP-8025D Digital Laser Copier/Printer/Color Scanner. Scan onceprint many. 8-1/2 x 14 (legal) maximum copy size. Zoom 50% reduce to 200% enlarge
Copies/Minute (Letter)17
Maximum Original8-1/2 x 14
Paper Tray Capacity300 sheets
Auto Bypass Feed50 sheets
Document Feeder50 sheets
Duplex Copying
Continuous Copy99-copy maximum
Printer InterfaceParallel/USB
Prints Pages/Minute17
Print Resolution2400 x 600 dpi
Software DriversWindows 95 or higher; Mac OS 8.5 or higher
Size20-9/10w x 17-1/2d x 18-1/2h
Shpg. Wt.52 lbs.
Manufacturers WarrantyThree-year
TonerBRTTN530 (included)
Toner Yield3300 pages
DrumBRTDR500 (included)
Drum Yield20,000 pages

Product Description

The OmniView SOHO Series dual-head VGA/USB KVM Switch with Audio allows you to control up to four computers, with one USB keyboard and USB mouse and two VGA, SVGA, XGA, or XGA-2 video monitors.The AutoScan feature allows you to automatically scan and monitor the activities of all operating computers connected to your Switch, one by one.With a 400MHz bandwidth, the Switch supports video resolutions of up to 2048x1536 @ 85Hz. To preserve signal integrity at high resolutions, 75-Ohm coaxial VGA cabling is required.The Switch supports USB-type speakers and microphones and has built-in microphone and speaker jacks to support the growth of multimedia use in small-office and home-office environments. This feature eliminates the need to disconnect and reconnect these devices when switching between computers, and reduces the clutter on your desktop with fewer speakers.Direct-access port selectors, conveniently located on the front face of the Switch, allow for simple, manual port selection.The designed enclosure offers built-in cable management to contain connected cables. Once the cables have been connected and the shroud slid into place, the cables are conveniently maintained through the back opening.LED display is added to the face of the Switch for easy status monitoring. A lit LED indicates which computer the console has control of. The corresponding direct-access port selector is located next to the LED. When pushed, the LED should light next to the port selector.Two USB device ports allow you to add shared peripherals. This reduces cable clutter and eliminates the need to disconnect and reconnect devices when switching between computers.

Customer Reviews:

Problems with Wireless Desktops.......2007-01-06

Normally, I am a fan of Belkin KVMs. I had good success with the PS/2 version of this unit as well as several other models from them. After checking the manual on-line to make sure that compaibility with wireless desktops would not be a problem, I ordered a Belkin DUAL HEAD 4PT KVM ( F1DH104U ) from Amazon.

Here is where the fun begins. The unit has separate connectors for keyboard and mouse. If either one is not connected, the unit "chirps" every few seconds to complain. The standard wireless desktop uses a single USB receiver unit for both keyboard and mouse.

If you plug the receiver for the wireless keyboard/mouse into the keyboard port, the keyboard and all hot keys for the KVM work but the mouse does not. The unit chrips every few seconds because there is no mouse plugged into the mouse port.

If you plug the receiver into the port for the mouse, the mouse and the keyboard work with the computer but you cannot use the keyboard to control the KVM. The unit chirps every few seconds because there is no keyboard plugged into the keyboard port.

Searching the Belkin support site yielded no information but an email to technical support replied with a link to alternate firmware. This firmware will stop the chirping but does not fix the problem with keyboard control of the KVM. Technical support indicated that there are no plans to repair the firmware to handle this situation.

I expected more from Belkin.

Electronics:

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