Myine Electronics IR001 WiFi Internet Radio Adaptor Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The press release from Myine Electronics states "Myine's Ira Wireless Internet Radio is designed to harness the universe of radio broadcasts available on the Internet and to allow user enjoyment anywhere a wireless internet connection, a speaker system and power sources are available." And that pretty well sums it up - and it does a great job at it too!
The general point of the unit is to not only give you access to the world of internet streaming radio and podcasts, but to do it easily, quickly, and without having to know a whole lot about what's going on with your network or connections. "There is a lack of good products available for people who are not tech savvy or just busy," said Jake Sigal, Principal and Founder of Myine Electronics. "Ira doesn't have any unnecessary bells and whistles, and sets up automatically right out of the box without a computer. We believe that with potentially confusing electronics, less is more."
When you first break the Ira out of the box, you'll see that it comes with the unit itself, a power cable, and a remote. It relies on WiFi being available to access the internet, and this is the first caution I would give potential buyers - make sure you have WiFi in your home, and that it is strong in the area you intend to put the Ira. The Ira seems very sensitive to interference and distance, so don't expect it to work as consistently and quickly as your laptop card does.
After plugging it in to the power and a set of speakers or a receiver, the next thing you'll need to do is configure it to access that WiFi broadcast. Although the Ira is geared towards `low-tech' users, it will definitely take some knowledge of networking and network configuration (plus a fair amount of patience) if you have any security enabled. Although it picks up the SSID if you are broadcasting that, and will tell you what type of security or encryption protocol, you'll need to be able to enter the passcode. If this is a WEP secure connection, this means you'll need to use the arrows on the remote and a pseudo keyboard on the screen to plunk out the 16 digits/characters/symbols - and unfortunately the Ira will not save incorrect configurations meaning you'll have to do it all again if you get one of the numbers wrong! It saves it if you get it right, so this may not be a big deal, particularly once you're past it.
Once you've got it all set up, you really start seeing the value and power of this unit. Users can filter by location or genre, and there are literally thousands of stations available. There are you're your typical shoutcast internet only stations, but also streaming live stations from around the globe. You've also got access to podcasts (including yours truly) and audio presentations, though you may find some of the more obscure ones missing. Myine selects the podcasts and stations that it will display through some mechanism that wasn't revealed to me. They did add podcasts that I requested (e.g., TechTalk on WRLR) without any questions or hesitation however, so I don't see this as a big hit.
If you're familiar at all with listening to radio or streaming audio on your laptop or desktop, you'll "get" this product immediately. What's really neat about it for me is how portable it is - I can listen to tunes up in my bedroom, then take the little unit downstairs to our porch outside, plug it into some speakers there and keep listening - without having to drag my laptop with it's rather junky soundcard all over the place! It's even small enough to throw in a jacket pocket and take to someone else's house to show off.
One area for future development and a feature that I really missed on the Ira is the lack of song information. Most stations broadcast the track and artist info with the song, but oddly the Ira unit does not display it. You can get a lot of other streaming and audio info, just nothing about the current track playing. The Ira software does have the capability to get updated over the wifi connection you use, so I would expect to see this fixed in a later release.
Overall Rating - 3 out of 5 Chips. It's a fantastic little product and idea, with portability and ease-of-use in the forefront of internet connected audio players (plus the benefit of not paying for XM or other similar options!). The lack of song tagging and weak reception strength make it just a little tougher to use than it should be however, and drops it down a notch. The price point is a touch high but still definitely within reach at around $130.
For more great topics and reviews like this, check out the weekly TechTalk show on WRLR 98.3 FM in Chicago, or listen anytime via iTunes or at our website:
techtalk.wrlr.fm

Click Here to see more reviews about: Myine Electronics IR001 WiFi Internet Radio Adaptor

Do you have wireless Internet? Do you want to get FREE music, sports, and news from around the world? Tired of confusing terminology and confusing features? Meet Ira – Our Internet Radio Adaptor that connects automatically to any wireless internet network. Extra features were intentionally removed so you can quickly listen to free music, sports, and news, without the extra hassles. Just take it out of the box, plug it in, connect it to your home stereo or boombox and use it. Automatically sets up in about three minutes and doesn't need a computer. All cables included. Ira has over 11,000 stations from just about every country in the world. Filter by location or genre to find new stations in under 30 seconds. Listen to NPR or your favorite local channels in CD like quality. Includes On Demand Podcast programming for many stations so you can listen to your favorite shows when you want. Includes a one-touch "STAR” button to store up to 40 of your favorite stations.

Click here for more information about Myine Electronics IR001 WiFi Internet Radio Adaptor

Sony BRAVIA NX 800 Series 60-Inch LCD TV, Black Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)First of all, I actually bought the 60NX801, which i believe is the same unit as sold thru COSTCO. I bought it bundled with a T57 Blueray Home Theatre system,which is also top notch.If you never considered a HT sys, think again, you'll hear a lot more with the surround system, and it dramatically improves the viewing experience.
I shopped and "researched" for about a year, and also considered 3D units. I have been a SONY user for many years and feel very comfortable with thier products in general. A few months into the process, I eliminated all the other manufacturers which made the decision easier.Then the next decision was 3D or not. After viewing 3D's in numerous stores,including the Sony store, I thought it wasn't worth the hastle of batteries, glasses, etc. since many of the glasses I tried had some problem during the demos.
Making the decision, was further complicated by the so-called experts,especially CNET whose reviews never rated any TV very well. I assume once they found a TV they liked, they would be out of business. So, so much for the experts. I am sure you realize the "picture" usually looks great in the show room, and also depends very much on the subject matter. Finally, I got a couple of techies in the Sony store to give me thier opinion, since they set these systems up every day..both recommended this unit.
Setting up the TV and Home Theatre system is very simple and easy, but not intuitive. I screwed around with it for days, got wrong info from 3 Sony guys on the phone (not sure what continent they were on) but finally got it right. The Cable box goes into input 2 and HT goes into input 1.., go figure.that's it, simple, but not what i expected.
Finally, picture is great right out of the box, HD and the standard DVD is exceptional, I haven't tried a Blueray DVD yet, nor the Widgets, etc. I did upgrade the software via an ethernet connection, which was easy.
My only problem is that my room is on the small side, and i think the set is a bit oversized. Which brings me to this note, HD comes thru very well, but if the background is out of focus, say in a golf match, you notice it much more on a very large screen such as this. The quality is very dependent on the quality coming in, on a small set, the image would be more forgiving.
Finally, the TV and the HT system are "synchronized" or mated, so that the TV automatically sends the sound to the HT if it is on, or to its own speakers if the HT is off, a very convenient feature, in my opinion...one last thing, the unit is fixed to its stand and does not tilt forward and back.. not a big issue, mine tilts a bit into the room , but I can live with it.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sony BRAVIA NX 800 Series 60-Inch LCD TV, Black

Enjoy Full HD 1080p picture quality, premium contrast and energy-savings with the sleek and slim Edge LED backlit BRAVIA NX800 Series HDTV. Features an innovative six degree tilt for improved viewing at a lower angle. Also includes powerful motion performance technology and built-in Wi-Fi connectivity for convenient access to your favorite entertainment apps including movies, TV shows, videos, music and more.

Click here for more information about Sony BRAVIA NX 800 Series 60-Inch LCD TV, Black

Sony BRAVIA KDL46NX810 46-Inch 1080p 240 Hz 3D-Ready LED HDTV, Black Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have had my Sony KDL46NX810 for about a month. I have the 3D accessories, a Sony PlayStation 3 and a computer hooked to the TV. Most of the content I watch is on the internet over the computer, streaming Netflix, and Amazon Video on Demand. The 3D effect is a novelty. Once the new wears off I will put the 3D glasses in a draw and forget about them. I wish I purchased a less expensive TV that does not have 3D. Other than my disappointment with 3D, I am quite happy with the TV.

CONNECTIONS: My computer and PlayStation are both connected to the TV with 12' long inexpensive HDMI cables purchased from Harbor Freight (seller of cheap tools). The 3D starter pack I purchased came with a "High-speed HDMI cable..... (for the) transfer of both 3D video and audio signals". So far the inexpensive HDMI cable seems to work fine even with 3D content. The TV is also connected to the internet with a cat 5 cable. It has WiFi but I didn't need it (or try it). I have high speed internet access through the local cable provider. I have experienced no trouble streaming content.
ANTENNA: I get the same number of channels over the air as I did when I had a 7 year old generic HD TV. There is an onscreen program guide. During setup the TV asked if I wanted the programming guide from the internet or from over-the-air. I chose the internet option. On the TV guide channel I can see what will be on hours from now.

LOOK: The TV looks great. The Sony emblem lights up when you turn on the TV. You can turn that feature off if you want. I have the TV mounted on the wall. The monolithic design was great. I say was because the IR emitter that is required for 3D makes the TV not so monolithic any more. The emitter is the bunny-ears of the 3D television age. It should have been built in to the TV. It's not that bad but it does not add to the look and Sony is selling the "Monolithic Design".
ACCESSORIES : The remote control seems rather long and has many buttons. When I first got the TV I tried to learn the remote and how to get from thing to thing. After a day or two I navigated the options of the TV through the Home Menu. The Home Menu is easy to navigate and is very similar to the PS3 menu organization. Everything is easy to find and the TV is easy to navigate. The stations that I get over the aerial all have their own icon in the menu. There is also a description of what is on now. Everything the TV can do is available through the graphical menu.

The remote control also will navigate the PS3 menus and control video play back on the PS3. Play, Stop, Fast Forward, and Next all work as expected from the TV remote controlling the PS3. The cross button in the center of the remote is the same as the x button on the PS3 controller. The back button will move you back towards the main menu. I am very happy with the way the TV remote controls the PS3. I tried to use the TV remote as a controller for a game but there is no Start button so I could not start the game. There would be no advantage to the remote as a controller for PS3 games but I thought I would try anyway. I can't turn the PS3 on with the TV remote. I have the impression that the TV remote can turn on the PS3 but I have not figured that out yet.
DIGITAL VIDEO CONTENT: To make many of these features work it is helpful to have both a separate computer and the TV connected to the internet. When I first tried to register the TV, I was using the TV as the monitor to the computer. I could not register the computer until I was using a computer that did not need the TV as a monitor. Other then needing both the TV and the computer at the same time, the registering process was easy. There were a lot of steps. You register the TV with Sony then Netflix then Amazon Video on Demand, then what ever else.
Accessible through the TV are Qriocity video on demand, Amazon, Hulu +, Netfix, YouTube, Crackle, an RSS feed (Not a fully functional RSS feed) and a bunch of other stuff. Let's start with the bunch of other stuff. It is mostly internet shorts. I have a friend with a Roku and it is similar to the things that he watches on his Roku. Roku has much more content of the internet short variety. Someone will like some of these channels, I don't bother with them.
There is a RSS feed but you can't add anything to it or delete anything from it. It's an RSS feed that you don't have any control over. That said, it has episodes of Meet The Press an, the Nightly News and other things. I have not used it but on occasion I do like to watch Meet The Press. It's nice to know it's there.
Crackle is full of things that Sony owns. That you can watch at any time. There are 4 episodes of each of the following TV shows on Crackle ; Barney miller, Dilbert News radio, I dream of Jeannie, 10 items or less, the Jackie Chan Adventures, Vip and Bewitched in their TV episodes folder. There are also 8 movies. I have not watched any of this content. I don't know if this content changes over time. The list of shows available was from November 2010.
YouTube is surprisingly easy to use on the TV. If you want to search for anything you have to use an onscreen keyboard. That's laborious so I never do it. It does connect to my YouTube account. I can bring up my favorites or subscriptions very easily. I don't use this much because I have a computer connected to the TV but it's easy to use.

You need a Netflix account to use Netflix. I have not had any problems with streaming content through Netflix. I use this feature often. At the moment, you can only watch the content that is in your instant cue. Netflix on the PS3 has a much better interface. I imagine that there will be a software update that allows you to do more than just watch what is in your cue. That said it's easy enough to put things in your Netflix cue if you have a computer nearby.
I don't use Hulu+ because I have a computer connected to the TV. Regular Hulu through the computer and displayed on the TV works fine.
I have been very happy with Amazon Video on Demand. You can rent or purchases new and old movies and TV shows through this service and stream them to the TV. You can typically choose between HD and standard definition.I have used this service for years. I don't use cable so if there is a show I want to see that is not available on the internet I have to wait for it to come out on Netflix or purchase it episode by episode on Amazon.
I don't use Qriocity but it seems like a competitor to Amazon Video on demand. I haven't used this service. I looked at their pricing and it was the same as Amazon for everything I looked at.
DIGITAL AUDIO CONTENT: The TV has Slacker, Pandora, Berliner Philharmoniker, and NPR. The menu also has a Lollapalooza station but it is just a standard Slacker radio station. Slacker and Pandora are services that stream music. They have many built in stations. One can make a customized station simply by typing a name of a band or song and the service will build a radio station around that song or band. Slacker works well on the TV. You can turn the screen off while Slacker is playing or display album art. I have used Slacker for years. I was very pleased that it was on the TV at first but I don't use it because I have other speakers when I play it on my computer that are much better. I don't use Pandora but I imagine it works in roughly the same way on the TV.

The only thing I know about Berliner Philharmoniker is that you have to pay for the service. I don't even know exactly what the service is even though I tried to figure it out by registering on their website. Slacker has classical music and so does Pandora.
NPR on the TV was a big letdown. You have access to podcasts and program s on NPR through the TV. The interface was much easier to navigate and find things then the NPR website. I like to listen to the Planet Money Podcast and they have it. The disappointment came when I realized that all the content that I looked at was a couple months old. Perhaps at some point it will be updated regularly but as of Nov 2010 it is not.

AUDIO: The TV doses not sound great. My understanding is that there is not enough room for base speakers in flat screen TVs. The computer sounds particularly bad when played through the TV. The computer sounds fine with different speakers. I think there might be some equalizer settings that could make the computer sound better. The TV needs a base speaker. Sony does not sell a separate base speaker for this TV. It doses sell a stand with built in speakers and a couple of sound bars with sub-woofers. It needs something.

3D: You must buy a 3D sink transmitter and 3D glasses to make this TV into a 3D TV. There is no good place to put the 3D sink transmitter. It is the bunny-ears of 3D televisions. I purchased the Alice in Wonderland 3D starter kit. The sink transmitter has a cord that is a meter long or more and plugs into the back of the TV. I have never seen the kind of connector that is used for the sink transmitter any were else. If you wanted an extension for the 3D transmitter I suspect you would have a hard time finding one. That said it must be located near the TV. The instructions say either at the top or bottom of the TV.

My TV came with a "gift" for registering. This is separate from the registering the TV so it would function with the digital content. For filling out a second product registry form on the internet they are sending me through the mail the "Bolt" in 3D and "This is it" with 10 minutes of 3D content. I have not received these movies yet.
It also comes with a voucher code for four 3D...Read more›

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sony BRAVIA KDL46NX810 46-Inch 1080p 240 Hz 3D-Ready LED HDTV, Black


Designed to deliver dazzling Full HD 1080p resolution, this 46-inch BRAVIA NX810 Series HDTV (model KDL46NX810) features advanced dynamic LED backlighting technology for incredibly high contrast levels, deep blacks and bright whites. And get ready for a three-dimensional revolution in your living room with the NX810's 3D capabilities. Just add the optional Sony sync transmitter and active glasses to experience movies and video games in 3D like never before Full HD 1080p, or convert 2D to 3D with a push of a button on your remote.
Bravia Engine 3 (on right) produces a sharp, vibrant picture.

Click here for more information about Sony BRAVIA KDL46NX810 46-Inch 1080p 240 Hz 3D-Ready LED HDTV, Black