CES 2008

Squeeze this! With an affordable price and attractive design, the Philips Streamium NP1100 hopes to take streaming home audio mainstream.

(Credit: Philips)

Aiming squarely at devices such as the Logitech Squeezebox and Roku Soundbridge, the recently announced Philips Streamium NP1100 might not break the mold on features, but it will be offered at a great price of just $149. The Philips Streamium NP1100 offers three basic functions: an Internet radio tuner; a PC-link for streaming audio from a local computer; and a dedicated Rhapsody subscription music feature. The Streamium NP1100 uses a built-in Wi-Fi connection (or hardwired Ethernet), to pull down streaming music from the Internet or your networked PC library.

When not in use, the Streamium NP1100 doubles as pixel-flaunting clock.

(Credit: Philips)

On the back of the Philips Streamium NP1100 you'll find a standard pair of RCA audio outputs along with a digital coaxial jack, both used for connecting the device to a home theater system, boom box, or powered desktop speakers.

Aside from the Streamium's attractive price tag, Philips touts the product's small footprint, attractive design, and ease of use as major advantages over the competition. The oversize, high-contrast white LED display used on the Streamium does an admirable job of presenting large, legible text on a device no bigger than a clock radio.

A 30-day trial Rhapsody subscription is included with the Streamium right out of the box, with no account set-up requirement. No fee is attached to the Internet radio streaming feature.

Will the new Streamium systems get mass distribution in the US?

(Credit: Philips)

While Streamium systems are always hard to come by stateside, Philips has announced the next iteration of its wireless digital streaming devices. The WACS7500 hub ($999.99) and WAS7500 extenders ($299.99) feature 80GB hard drives, color LCD displays, and USB ports for connecting a variety of media devices.

The idea behind Streamium is to be able to wirelessly broadcast music to anywhere in your home. Using the WACS7500 you can control up to five WAS7500 extenders, either synchronizing them together or controlling them separately. Rip CDs directly to their hard drives or, through Wi-Fi, access files on your computer. Streamium also offers an optional iPod dock, although it seems a little superfluous if you keep all your music on your computer. Internet radio fans will be happy to know that Streamium allows you to bypass the need for a PC and listen to broadcasts directly from either a hub or extender.

We've reviewed a variety of Streamium products over the past few years and--while we liked some more than others--the bigger frustration was that the products seemed increasingly scarce at North American retailers. Hopefully when April comes along these will finally materialize in the states.