Philips Streamium NP1100 Review

August 15, 2008 by admin 

The Streamium is an impressive streaming music device from Philips. It features a bright B&W LCD display that is visible at a fairly good distance (although not across a large room) and offers outstanding audio quality.

The unit has built in support for 802.11b and G wifi with support for WEP and WPA encryption, as well as a built in Ethernet connector should you have the unit close to your wired network. On the back is a tried and true RCA analog audio out, a coaxial digital connection (sadly not optical) and a headphone jack. The Streamium is controlled completely from its remote. It only has one button on the top to turn it on or off.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

ITUNES USERS TAKE NOTE
This product is not for somebody with a huge Apple iTunes library. It only plays MP3 and WMA files and does not seem to work with unprotected AAC files that are sold through the iTunes store. Those of you on a Mac could probably get it to connect to UPnP software like Connect360, but this is really not a Mac friendly product.

If you are an iTunes person I strongly suggest picking up the Apple Airport Express which will stream iTunes content to your audio system. The express is now supported on the Apple remote for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

For those of you not using iTunes, keep reading because this product is an excellent alternative.

RHAPSODY STREAMING:
If you are a Rhapsody subscriber and have been waiting for an inexpensive way to have a dedicated device stream to your stereo system, just add this to your cart right now. The audio quality is outstanding and Rhapsody’s service sounds much better than satellite radio. Navigation is relatively simple but cumbersome with the remote. If you are across the room you will have difficulty seeing individual letters being typed in, but I do believe the Streamium will access your settings and favorite artists back on your PC-based account.

If you’re not currently a subscriber there’s a no questions asked 30 day trial. Just hit a button and it starts. No login, credit card, or next of kin required! :) Very smart move on Philips and Rhapsody to set up the trial like this.

INTERNET RADIO
If you’re not ready to take the Rhapsody plunge, the product does have a number of Internet radio stations loaded in. I did not see a mention in the manual as to how to add your own and there doesn’t seem to be an option to type in a URL.

STREAMING FROM PC
I was able to connect up to my PC upstairs via wireless and play a few songs. It works and sounds great. Streamium gets its library from an UPnP server such as Windows Media Player. If you don’t have a recent version of Media Player one is included on a CD in the box.

GRIPES:
Given the enormous library accessible through the Rhapsody service it is disappointing that the remote does not include an alpha numeric keyboard. Those of you who struggle with text messages on a standard cell phone will have a pretty good idea of what it’s like to search for songs on the Streamium.

The Internet radio station list is extensive, although it would be nice to have a way of entering custom stations from a URL. Of course given the difficult text input through the remote, perhaps Philips realized this wouldn’t be such a good idea.

CONCLUSION:
The Streamium is a very simple but elegantly designed music streaming device. What sets it apart from others on the market is clearly the Rhapsody support, but it deserves kudos for excellent audio quality and the very easy set up process.

The bottom line: If you are a Rhapsody subscriber looking for a way to get the service off your PC and into your home audio system you can’t go wrong with the Streamium.

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View Comments to “Philips Streamium NP1100 Review”

  1. iPhone News » Blog Archive » Philips Streamium NP1100 Review on August 15th, 2008 6:44 pm

    [...] LonSeidman.com put an intriguing blog post on Philips Streamium NP1100 ReviewHere’s a quick overviewThe express is now supported on the Apple remote for the iPhone and iPod Touch…. [...]

  2. karen on November 27th, 2009 6:15 am

    I'm researching this unit, and apparently you can add internet radio stations by url–by logging into your account via the PC. So perhaps no way to do it via remote, but still possible.

  3. karen on November 27th, 2009 11:15 am

    I'm researching this unit, and apparently you can add internet radio stations by url–by logging into your account via the PC. So perhaps no way to do it via remote, but still possible.

  4. Charles on April 10th, 2010 11:52 am

    The management of internet radio stations is handled through the Philips website, where you can register your product and then search for and add internet radio stations or manually add internet radio stations to your heart's content. Add one on the website and the Streamium is immediately updated. It's a pretty good solution I think, since you're going to be finding the ones you manually want to add on the web anyway…

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