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

All Hewlett-Packard | Hewlett-Packard | Computers Brands | Computers Features | Electronics
Audio & Video | Refurbished & Used | Special Features | Electronics Features | Electronics
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

Juniper Network's Integrated Security Gateway, the NetScreen-ISG 2000, is a purpose-built, high-performance system designed to deliver scalable network and application security for large enterprise, carrier and data center networks. Integrating best-of-breed Deep Inspection firewall, VPN and Dos solutions, the Juniper Networks NetScreen-ISG 2000 enables secure, reliable connectivity along with network and application-level protection for key, high-traffic network segments. The NetScreen-ISG 2000 is built on Juniper Network's next generation architecture which includes a fourth generation security ASIC, the GigaScreen, high speed microprocessors and add-on security modules to provide the predictable, multi-Gigabit performance needed for the most demanding network segments.

NetScreen NS-ISG 2000 4PORT 10/100 2AC ( NS-ISG-2000-P00A-S00 )

Average customer rating:

NetScreen NS-ISG 2000 4PORT 10/100 2AC ( NS-ISG-2000-P00A-S00 )

Manufacturer: Netscreen Technologies Inc.
ProductGroup: CE
Binding: Electronics

Product Description

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OKI offers rugged, affordable printer for industrial workstations and point-of-sale forms printing - Microline 184 Turbo. In rough conditions, with tough demands, it thrives in industrial environments or point-of-sale. The ML184 Turbo is fast and handles more forms and paper types than any printer in its class. It's small enough to fit practically anywhere, and packed with advanced, field-proven technology. And it's built to OKI's renowned standards for quality and reliability. The ML184 Turbo combines efficiency and economy with 300 characters-per-second (cps) super speed draft. To ensure that you get precise characters (even on the last page of a 5-part form), it has OKI's patented optical sensor that accurately positions the printhead. And, to make the precision last, the ML184 Turbo sports rack-and-pinion drive system plus a 200 million-character printhead - bigger and sturdier, for twice the life of many printers in its class. As for difficult media or hard-to- handle forms, the ML184 Turbo can print virtually any sheet-fed or continuous form without waste - or wait. Unlike other industrial and POS printers, the ML184 Turbo offers both bottom-feed and short-tear standard - so you can remove forms right at the perforation every time. No more wasting the next form.

Average customer rating:
OmniSmart UPS Battery Backup Systems, 6 Outlets, 1050VA

Manufacturer: Tripplite
ProductGroup: CE

Uninterrupted Power Supplies | Batteries, Chargers & Power Supplies | Accessories & Supplies | Categories | Electronics
Product Features:

1050VA

6 Outlets

ASIN: B00073HTHW

Product Description

OmniSmart UPS Battery Backup Systems
Line-interactive battery backup for personal computers, workstations and servers. $50,000 Ultimate Lifetime Insurance. Includes FREE PowerAlert Software.
1050VA
6 Outlets

Product Description

The Belkin Coiled Telephone Handset Cord is the ideal replacement for your telephone's handset cord. This extended length coiled cord gives you more line while working in the office or at home, and the PVC cable jacket construction retains spring and durability despite repeated pulling or stretching.Handset Cord is the ideal replacement for your telephone's handset cord. This extra long coiled cord grants you more line while working in the office or at home, and the PVC Cable Jacket retains "spring" despite repeated pulling or stretching.

Product Description

Bay Networks delivers value to customers around the world through Unified Networks solutions, spanning mission-critical telephony and IP-optimized networks. All its network products are supplied with a variety of options in order to satisfy the most sophisticated demands of customers and to provide real flexibility and reliability of network solutions.

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Keep your digital device in the best possible operating condition. The Digital Cleaning Kits for digital personal electronics with flash media memory card slots protect your digital connections from rust, dirt and carbon buildup. They keep the body, lens and monitor of your camera free of dust and dirt.

Product Description

Nectron is a leading manufacturer of imaging supplies products, whose products are sold worldwide through a network of specialty, qualified dealers and distributors. Nectron truly believes the key to its success in this competitive industry is its commitment to quality, new product development, aggressive pricing, and providing customers with the very best in service and customer satisfaction.This product is designed for the following systems: CANON BJC-7000 SERIES; CANON BJC-8000 SERIES.For a complete compatibility list please refer to the original manufacturer's web site.

Product Description

The N-Vision Camper 24 is an easy to use night vision device that is perfect for the beginner. It comes equipped with a quality standard 1st generation intensifier tube and all-glass optical elements. The integrated high-performance infrared illuminator enables the Camper 24 to generate night vision images even in pitch-black conditions. Camper 24 is a compact night vision device designed for easy handling, storage and portability. Ruggedly built and lightweight, Camper 24 is sure to add fun to those long camping nights. Unit comes with soft-padded carrying case.

Average customer rating:
RG-6/U Coaxial Cable 1000 ft. Payout Box

Manufacturer: Parts Express
ProductGroup: CE

F-Pin-Coaxial Tip | Video Cables | Cables & Interconnects | Audio & Video Accessories | Accessories & Supplies | Categories | Electronics
Accessories:

BNC RG-6 Compression Connector

RCA RG-6 Compression Connector

Deluxe Hex F Crimp Tool

Compression Tool 3-in-1 For F RCA & BNC

ROTARY CABLE STRIPPER

Product Features:

High bandwidth CATV rated to 2.2GHz

18ga copper-clad steel center conductor

Sequential foot markings for job auditing

UL Listed CL-2 rated

Easy pay-out box

ASIN: B000NK01Z6

Product Description

Excellent cable for today's high bandwidth equipment. CATV rated and tested up to 2.2GHz due to an 18 ga. copper-clad steel center conductor with foam dielectric. Foil shield with aluminum braid provides 85% shielding. Sequential foot markers on the wire that start at 1,000 ft. This allows you to easily see how much wire is left in the box when wiring multiple runs throughout the home or business. Device and zone markings make it easy to mark the wires so they are easily identified when terminating. Conveinant pay out box doesn't get tangled when pulling wire. UL verified

Average customer rating:

Crisp, Bright, Good Value

The screen quality is great, *except* for dead pixels

Simply the best monitor I have ever had

Sony 19" LCD*Picture does not do justice.

Alot of shopping this is the one

Sony X-Brite SDM-HS94P/S 19" LCD Monitor (Silver)

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: CE
Binding: Electronics

All Monitors | Monitors & Projectors | Computer Add-Ons | Computers & Add-Ons | Categories | Electronics
19-Inch | LCD | Monitors & Projectors | Computer Add-Ons | Computers & Add-Ons | Categories | Electronics
Up to $500 | by Price | Gifts | Specialty Stores | Computers Features | Electronics
LCD Monitors | by Type | Gifts | Specialty Stores | Computers Features | Electronics
Monitors | Sony | Custom Brands | Custom Stores | Specialty Stores | Computers Features | Electronics
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Belkin HDDB15M/F PC Monitor Extension Cable (6 FT)

Belkin F2N025-10 VGA HDDB15M/F Monitor Extension Cable (10 FT)

Fellowes 5-Position Monitor Riser

3M Screen Cleaner Kit for Monitors/Screen Filters/Privacy Filters

Acoustic Research Spikemaster SM-BG8 8 Outlet Block, Standard Protection Surge Protector (White)

Product Features:

1,280 x 1,024 native resolution

500:1 contrast ratio for sharp images

Adjustable brightness from 150 to 400 nits

Analog and digital DVI-D inputs, both cables included

PC and Mac compatible; 3-year warranty

ASIN: B0002IASJS

Product Description

Sony's HS94P/S flat panel LCD with XBRITE Technology and digital input creates a new standard of picture quality. Images are crisp and fast-moving, whether you are working, playing a game or browsing the Web. The innovative, floating frame design complements any office or home. It's simple to set up so you're up and running in no time.

Amazon.com Product Description

You'll be the envy of every gadget geek on the block with Sony's SDM-HS94P on your desktop. Not only does it have a glamorous frame, but its technology offers outstanding graphics. Connect to analog and digital graphics cards with ease (both cables included). A curvy stand offers 90 degrees of swivel, while the generous 19-inch display provides 1,280 x 1,024 native resolution and a 500:1 contrast ratio, so you'll be in good hands while you're working away on spreadsheets or chopping evildoers in your favorite game.

Sony's variable lighting technology insures a clean view under any lighting conditions: brightness ranges from 150 to 400 nits. The 160-degree viewing angles permit flexible placement and let everyone see the action when they're gathered around your desk. Sony provides a three-year warranty covering parts, service, and backlight.

What's in the Box
Display, stand, AC power cord, cord strap, PC/Mac utility CD-ROM, analog monitor cable, digital monitor cable, user manual, warranty information

Customer Reviews:

Crisp, Bright, Good Value.......2006-04-20

I've had my 19-inch Sony HS94P/S for over a year now and am still very happy that I bought it. I was using a Sony 21" CRT but the crispness and quality on this monitor and the fact that I can run it at higher resolutions and still see things clearly make it feel like an upgrade.
-
Features that I like:
1) Shiny surface. I like my photos color-saturated with a glossy finish. Same for my monitor.
2) Dark borders. I left the dark stickers on the sides of the monitor. For some reason, they make the screen seem both crisper and wider.
3) Dual inputs. I've got 2 PCs. Great to switch between them with the press of a button.
4) Sleek Design. Looks great.
5) Great picture. I know that this is a subjective, but this is one of the nicest pictures I've seen anywhere. Whites are very bright, blacks ARE black and the other colors pop out.

Features that I don't like:
1. I don't like the pop-up menu that spans two 'screens' but scrolling off the top menu doesn't roll over to the bottom of the bottom menu as it should. Of course since I rarely need to adjust the settings anyway, this isn't much of a problem.
2. The other thing that I notice, but doesn't actually bother me is that the backlighting on my monitor is not even - it looks as if the top edge of the monitor is emitting a slight shadow, probably a dim bulb in my particular monitor, I didn't see it on the model at the store.
3. I also have one dead pixel in the very top lefthand corner which I never notice.

On the whole, though, I've had it for a year now and continue to be very pleased with this monitor. I would recommend it to almost anyone.

Here are some things I wish I would have known when I first got the monitor. They've improved the picture quite a bit:
1) Use the DVI interface rather than the VGA.
2) Run the resolution at 1280x1024 the way it was intended
3) Turn down the gamma settings on your video card (if available). My picture was washed out / too bright regardless of what brightness setting and gamma settings I used on the monitor.
4) I have 2 PCs attached to the monitor and got tired of the screen automatically switching inputs when I rebooted until I switched off 'Input Sensing'

The screen quality is great, *except* for dead pixels .......2006-01-17

Sony support is unresponsive, and it's been declared an unavoidable issue with manufacturing, apparently. "This is just the way the technology is.". Well, I have purchased dozens of LCDs from other vendors at my company. Only one had this problem, a Dell, and it was immediately replaced by the vendor. They sent me a new one and I sent the old one back in return packaging they provided. Sony will not do this. They will at most let you fill out an RMA, where you will pay for the shipping, and they "may or may not return it with the same issue.".

What? That's not acceptable.

Simply the best monitor I have ever had.......2005-07-03

The monitor is clear, bright and just plain perfect. Its great that technology keeps getting better and cheaper. This type of monitor 3 years ago would have costed thousands of dollars. I do lots of photo managing on this monitor and they have never looked better. Buy any Sony Xbrite monitor with at least 400 nits brightness and you will fall in love.

Sony 19" LCD*Picture does not do justice........2005-05-10

I recently purchase an Sony bundle at Costco. I paid about $2,700. One of the reasons I bought this bundle, was the Sony 19" include. I know the description says 19". But the Black sides make this montor feel a lot bigger. I love use my computer dally, and this montor gives me the most uttles for my dollar. I am very satisfied. I hope you have the chance to buy this great investment. A must have.

Alot of shopping this is the one.......2005-01-27

The sony SDM-HS94P which i got from bestbuy 699 -100 was a great buy. I first got a cheaper monitor and found it had a nice picture but was very slow in games ( SOF 2) I returned it and got the sony. The response is amazing no shadowing at all // I read alot about the black color and i see no problem its black to me also no dead pixels if there were even 1 i would of returned it (cant do that online) The text is clear // The picture is very bright ..
I looked at a ton of monitors and from what i found the sony is the one. 12 ms response and 400 nits brightness u cant beat it for games // Right now i have it set to mid for brightness in a well lit room // Well good luck with what ever you buy hope this helps.

Electronics:

Electronics

Electronics