Are you planning on buying a Logitech Touch?

Kevin Haskins · « **on:** 7 Apr 2010, 08:48 pm »

This is a "just having fun poll". Trying to get a feel for how popular this device is going to be because I was thinking of integrating it into the design of a preamp.

mcullinan · « **Reply #1 on:** 7 Apr 2010, 09:58 pm »

Yeah! I wonder if it will arrive in the mail this week?
M

Phil A · « **Reply #2 on:** 8 Apr 2010, 01:18 am »

I only noticed a thread about it last week or so. I'm definitely leaning towards it. I bought the WD media player and didn't use it for a year while I put about 4,300 songs in WMA lossless on a USB hard drive. When I finally went to use it I finally figured out that is says WMA compatible and gives you conversion software to convert it to 128bps MP3s (which pretty much sound like complete crap to me). I'd be fine with it in the bedroom system which is connected to other speakers via a switcher and if I was listening from the garage speakers while I was doing something outside or the outdoor speakers in the back with all the outdoor noise. What is the Logitech Touch - $300? I could stick it in the main system and connect it to the Bryston DAC (and output it to the secondary basement system as well) or stick it in the basement system connected to my old Micromega DuoPro DAC and output it to the main system. I guess I'll be following the threads more closely as it gets released and in peoples hands.

Lyndon · « **Reply #3 on:** 8 Apr 2010, 01:36 am »

Phil,
Please tell me that this concerns only the early version of the Western Digital Media Player.

I have the newest version, and I do hope to use it to stream my FLAC music files.
Dumbstruck Lyndon

Phil A · « **Reply #4 on:** 8 Apr 2010, 01:44 am »

Quote from: Lyndon on 8 Apr 2010, 01:36 am

Phil,
Please tell me that this concerns only the early version of the Western Digital Media Player.
I have the newest version, and I do hope to use it to stream my FLAC music files.
Dumbstruck Lyndon

Lyndon, I am not sure. However, I'd suspect (I updated my firmware on their website about a month back) that it is probable it won't do lossless. Mine came with (Arc Media?) software to do conversions. I guess for $100 it was too good to be true.

Phil A · « **Reply #5 on:** 8 Apr 2010, 01:46 am »

Notice that this says - Supports certain formats - http://store.westerndigital.com/store/wdus/en_US/DisplayCategoryProductListPage/parentCategoryID.13092400/categoryID.13742300

It doesn't say plays them

Phil A · « **Reply #6 on:** 8 Apr 2010, 01:47 am »

Here are the details on the file formats supported - http://store.westerndigital.com/store/wdus/en_US/DisplayProductDetailsPage/ThemeID.1300400/categoryID.33446100/parid.13092400/catid.13742300

Phil A · « **Reply #7 on:** 8 Apr 2010, 01:57 am »

I was using mine connected to a USB hard drive. I did not try accessing files on the network. I wanted something that I can bring up the hard drive and stick it behind the center channel and I have a 19 inch LCD so I don't waste projector bulb life near the listening chair for stuff like DVD-A menus. It would not read files on the hard drive in WMA. I loaded some photos from a recent vacation to FL and I had to convert those. I hope the Logitech Touch is more what I am looking for. My main and bedroom systems back to each other (and eventually they will be interconnected digitally and via HDMI) and I thought with the bedroom system feeding 4 remote places via a speaker switcher and the fact I can output the DAC to the basement system I could have loads of choices for easy access to loads of music.

Phil A · « **Reply #8 on:** 8 Apr 2010, 02:00 am »

Here's a story and various comments about the version I have - http://hd.engadget.com/2008/11/11/western-digitals-wd-tv-hd-media-player-reviewed-pretty-good-b/

Lyndon · « **Reply #9 on:** 8 Apr 2010, 02:36 am »

Thanks for the legwork, Phil.
I think you are right. I thought with the most recent version, the Live2, it would do lossless. Crap.
If I find out that my friend's Seagate FreeAgent Media Player, or the Patriot Box Office both do lossless music streaming, I will be especially bummed.
The Patriot claims lossless on the music, but I wonder if that is only HD Dolby and DTS formats.
http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1136/6/
Lyndon

Phil A · « **Reply #10 on:** 8 Apr 2010, 02:48 am »

The Live might do it - it says this "Play a wide variety of file formats - WD TV Live supports a wide variety of the most popular file formats. No need to spend time transcoding." So perhaps it will. I expected mine to obviously play WMA lossless and spent about a year putting files on the outboard drive. It wasn't a total waste. I use it for my Zune too for the car and it just compresses the files I have. That's why I wanted something to do WMA lossless so I can easily use it for both. As I noted it's not a total loss. If the Logitech Touch does what I need I can always stick the WD in the bedroom or basement for find a home for it. It's not like it was a major investment. I did expect a bit more.

Kevin Haskins · « **Reply #11 on:** 8 Apr 2010, 03:34 am »

I never tried any of the cheaper products. I think Logitech naturally has an advangage because they inherited all the people who designed the Squeezebox/Transporter. They seem to have a better handle on what people want from audio and they have the experience of dealing with audio-geeks.

I'm hopeful that it can be a respectable source from its own DAC and a killer transport for an external DAC.

Kevin Haskins · « **Reply #12 on:** 8 Apr 2010, 08:33 pm »

Ha! I have a tracking number!

Phil A · « **Reply #13 on:** 8 Apr 2010, 11:18 pm »

Quote from: Kevin Haskins on 8 Apr 2010, 08:33 pm

Ha! I have a tracking number!

By all means keep us up to date especially after you've had time to spend with it. It definitely is of real interest to me. It's probably exactly what I wanted in the first place from price point to features. I already have lots music on WMA lossless, a nice outboard DAC and everything sitting there to make use of it.

Lyndon · « **Reply #14 on:** 8 Apr 2010, 11:52 pm »

+1 with PhilA on this Kevin. I know you will take it through its rounds.
Lyndon

bsoko2 · « **Reply #15 on:** 9 Apr 2010, 02:58 am »

And I thought that I was the only one with problems with the WD Media player. It's just too clunky of an operating system for what it does.

Bill

Mariusz · « **Reply #16 on:** 9 Apr 2010, 03:08 am »

Quote from: Kevin Haskins on 8 Apr 2010, 08:33 pm

Ha! I have a tracking number!

HaHa me too!

Plan on running it off the grid.
Easily done with one of my RWA HPAs.
Mods and upgraded PS should start popping up sooooon.

Mariusz

Wayne1 · « **Reply #17 on:** 10 Apr 2010, 01:56 pm »

Sorry for butting in on Kevin's forum. I have been doing a lot of research on the Touch and the OS it is using.

For Phil A, the Touch will not be able to read and transcode WMA lossless files when just the Touch is running. If you run Squeezebox Server on your main computer and attatch your hard drive to it, there will be no problem streaming your files to the Touch.

There is not enough processing power in the Touch to transcode certain file types. These include WMA lossless and ALAC. Here is a list of restrictions:
Touch restrictions when used as a Server

Kevin Haskins · « **Reply #18 on:** 10 Apr 2010, 04:40 pm »

Quote from: Wayne1 on 10 Apr 2010, 01:56 pm

Sorry for butting in on Kevin's forum. I have been doing a lot of research on the Touch and the OS it is using.

For Phil A, the Touch will not be able to read and transcode WMA lossless files when just the Touch is running. If you run Squeezebox Server on your main computer and attatch your hard drive to it, there will be no problem streaming your files to the Touch.

There is not enough processing power in the Touch to transcode certain file types. These include WMA lossless and ALAC. Here is a list of restrictions:
Touch restrictions when used as a Server

You can jump in here anytime Wayne..... you are always welcome.

The cool thing about it being open source.... is that it really opens up a lot of 3rd party opportunities for customization. The ARM CPU running Linux based SqueezeOS makes it very flexible. I also wouldn't be surprised to see better optimized software versions that will improve some of the processing bottlenecks.

Did you see that the Touch will be able to control RS232 devices? That means if you design a preamp with a PIC to interface via the RS232 you can control analog volume, input switching etc.... with a custom Touch application.

Phil A · « **Reply #19 on:** 10 Apr 2010, 05:04 pm »

Quote from: Wayne1 on 10 Apr 2010, 01:56 pm

Sorry for butting in on Kevin's forum. I have been doing a lot of research on the Touch and the OS it is using.

For Phil A, the Touch will not be able to read and transcode WMA lossless files when just the Touch is running. If you run Squeezebox Server on your main computer and attatch your hard drive to it, there will be no problem streaming your files to the Touch.

There is not enough processing power in the Touch to transcode certain file types. These include WMA lossless and ALAC. Here is a list of restrictions:
Touch restrictions when used as a Server

No need for an apology

Thanks. Much appreciated. I took a quick look at the Squeezebox Server software info page and it was helpful. I prefer having the outboard USB hard drive next to the (where I have my WMA lossless files stored) the PC is located anyway. I was already debating getting media server software like Nero (for $40 or whatever). This may make things easier as I use a MAC G5 tower for most things (and eventually I'll get an iPod too) and have the back-up Dell XPS where i have the WMA lossless files and where I have my music stored for the Zune player in the basement. I've been pondering the issue for several months as I also have a PS3 in the secondary basement system and an outboard DAC down there too. After I finally recorded a bunch of music over a year and finally hooked up the WD Media player, I noticed the announcement about the Touch and this might be the ticket for me.

Poll

Are you planning on buying a Logitech Touch?

Are you planning on buying a Logitech Touch?