Hasta La Gadget!

Many people want to get music into the various rooms of their home or office. The catch for some people is that they don’t want the speakers to be obvious. … Continue reading

Now that Google has finally opened up the Chromecast for developers, AllCast—pretty much the best Chromecast app you could ask for—is back in the game.

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For AirPlay speakers, there’s a lot of choice out there. Often that can result in the feeling that there are essentially a lot of people sticking to an easy formula and churning out virtually interchangeable devices, but Libratone is a speaker-maker that makes AirPlay sound ware that stands out, and the new Loop is no exception.

Basics

• Wi-Fi enabled for AirPlay and DLNA streaming
• 3.5mm and USB audio inputs
• PlayDirect for AirPlay without network
• Interchangeable felt speaker covers
• MSRP: $499.95
• Product info page

Pros

• Room-filling sound
• Easy wall mounting with included hardware

Cons

• Expensive
• Portable design but no battery

Design

Libratone’s strength is design: They make speakers that don’t necessarily look like you’d expect from something fitting that description, using heathered felt and odd shapes to surprise and also better mesh with modern interior design. A signature Libratone move is to offer interchangeable felt covers for its speakers so that owners can color coordinate with their existing setup, and the Loop offers this (spare covers will cost you extra, however).

The disc design is a bold one, and might not mesh with everyone’s tastes, but it makes the speaker an object of art itself, rather than something you’re trying to hide away. Resting atop a TV bench or even just propped on its included stand by itself in the corner of a room, it looks at home and like a design decision rather than an afterthought.

There’s another great aspect to the Libratone Loop’s design: its mounting hole and peg make it very easy to hang on the wall (where its disc-shaped design is especially attractive), and yet also keeps it portable should you want to take it with you to another room.

Performance

The Loop not only looks good, it also renews my faith in Libratone’s ability to put out speakers that sound great. The Zipp impressed me with its sound quality, but the Loop carries that further, with a richer sound that’s better for a full-on living room home audio setup replacement.

It’s a speaker that can get very loud without offering up any kind of distortion, and while it might be a little heavy on the bass side for many users, it’s probably right in the sweet spot for most people looking for an AirPlay speaker that’s pricey without being ridiculous. It’s also easy to set up, and you don’t need anything beyond an iPhone or iPad to do it. PlayDirect, the AirPlay that doesn’t require a shared network (the Loop can provide its own) is also a huge selling point that isn’t necessarily shared by Libratone competitors.

The Competition

Speaking of the competition, Libratone has a healthy crop. At this price range, there’s the new and very capable line of Cambridge Audio speakers, including the Minx Air 200 that I’d consider its closest rival. For an extra $100, the Minx Air 200 offers preset Internet radio stations that don’t require a computer or other audio source to listen to, and there’s Bluetooth built in. The Loop is cheaper, however, and better looking, plus it has deeper bass (though executes with less clarity in the mid-range) if that’s your bag.

Bottom Line

The Loop is a great AirPlay speaker, and with DLNA support, it’s relatively platform agnostic. I’m a sucker for the design aesthetic Libratone has chosen, too, so that’s a big selling point as well, but it’s the sound that brings it home. Libratone is essentially a boutique shop specializing in AirPlay sound, and it shows, so you can’t go wrong with their lineup, and the Loop fits nicely price wise in a gap between its Zipp and Live range of devices.

Redbox Instant was launched by Redbox earlier this year with Verizon, where it is being touted to be a competitor to another video streaming solution from Netflix. Well, what is the whole point of having a particular piece of software or app if it were not to receive updates along the way to be better and more efficient? Good to know that Redbox has already introduced a new update for the iPhone app, where this time around, one will be able to enjoy AirPlay streaming support. Of course, there will still be limitations, as AirPlay would play nice only for video streaming, but it will be unable to support anything that has already been downloaded.

This would be a blow to those who want to see Redbox as an alternative for its on-demand and subscription libraries. Another area of concern would be, the app itself would stop running in the event where there are incoming texts and notifications, or should one happen to run a different app apart from Redbox. According to Redbox Instant, this latest update will also be able to handle unnamed bugs, all the while improving the recommendations engine so that it can be a whole lot more accurate concerning the kinds of movies which will be suggested to members.

Redbox Instant On iPhone Now Supports AirPlay Streaming original content from Ubergizmo.

Many streaming-savvy DVRs either lean heavily on cloud services or are linked to traditional TV — neither of which is ideal for cord cutters trying to lower their long-term costs. Nuvyyo is promising what could be a more affordable option with its upcoming Tablo DVR. The upcoming, partly crowdfunded set-top box streams both live and locally recorded over-the-air broadcasts to seemingly any internet-capable platform, including Android, iOS, Roku players and web browsers. In theory, it’s as cheap and convenient as internet-only video while delivering the wider content selection of traditional TV. We’ve had hands-on time with a Tablo prototype that suggests the company has at least latched on to a good (if imperfect) idea — read on to see what we mean. %Gallery-slideshow122001%

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD

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Source: Indiegogo, Tablo