Roku SoundBridge M1000/M1001 Network Music System

Roku seems to basically have abandoned their Soundbridge customers to focus exclusively on their Netflix/Video business. For close to two months now I have been unable to access the RadioRoku website, any saved station other than the factory loaded presets and have received NO response to any emails or forum posts. This lack of attention to paying customers is deplorable.

I actually enjoy using this product....which is why not having it function is so frustrating. I was an early-adopter and have recommended it highly to dozens of people.

Until now.

Don't do it.

After about 22 years of collecting Music CDs the physical act of selecting a CD to listen to and cleaning up the clutter the cases created was a huge burden. I had heard about using a media server to play all my CDs so I bought the Roku Soundbridge specifically for this purpose. This device will allow you to tame your CD collection with only a few computer hardware upgrades and the reward is so worth it. You will rediscover your music collection again and can instantly play any song, artist, composer, album or playlist you want. Here is what I did:

1. Using Windows Vista 32bit and Windows Media Player 11 with Media Connect enabled.
2. Added a 500gb internal hard drive as a dedicated music drive for my CDs.
3. Ripped all my CDs into WMA lossless format (My PC knew I was in a 'rip' mode so it would eject after the rip to start another CD).
4. Connected the Roku Soundbrige to my Onkyo Receiver via digital connection.
5. Allowed the Roku to connect to my home wi-fi network (WEP) and connect to the WMP 11 Library.
6. Play anything in your ripped-CD collection from the Roku remote in a high quality format (I listen on Klipsch Tower speakers and the sound quality is as good as the original CDs). FYI - I only use iTunes for my phone since the 128kps squashed file sounds terrible on my full-range system.

The ROku is not as sophisticated as the PC in making playlists but it is fun to ask it to play everyting with the word "Cry" in the title on a whim - you will be surprised how many songs fit that descrition. I also make my auto-playlists on WMP and the Roku can access any of these for song selection on demand.

So I would reccomend the ROku SOundbridge as a good choice for playing your lossless digital music on a system that is not connected to the PC.

I just bought my second soundbridge. After I bought my first soundbridge I was enthusiastic about this product- it set up easily and allowed me to quickly tune into stations from all over the world and then store them in my presets so I could access them anytime.

My recently bought second soundbridge has a software "upgrade" that requires the use of a web based service ([...]) to store presets. In other words the new soundbridge needs a PC to store presets while the old one had this functionality built in. Presumably Roku thinks that it is more userfriendly if you can select your stations on the PC. Maybe so, if this feature would work reliably. Unfortunately I had nothing but trouble with it. Aside from the fact that you have to go through a registration process and a lengthy setup their server seems to be down a lot and I cannot access my presets at all. Without that finding and selecting statios becomes very time consuming and cumbersome. The new software pretty much turns a previously great product into a useless piece of junk. I hope that the folks at Roku realize that and at least give users the option of not using their web-based preset software.

I have had the original M1000 since about 2004 and have never seen a better product. It is very simple and works great. Sound quality and ease of use are perfect. Roku as a company provides constant updates and provides great customer service.
This unit is a great way to take your music stored on your PC and have it play in a bedroom, garage, basement, etc. Whole house music distribution systems used to be complex and pricey until Roku came along!

I bought this product 3 months ago from Amazon. After two months of operation, it's dead. No light nothing after power up. I tried to contact Roku tech support and request an RMA but THEY'VE NEVER RESPONSED. I wished I could give this product a 0 star!