6. File Type And Player Support

StreamPoint supports MP3, AAC and WMA file types played in Windows Media Player, iTunes, and Musicmatch Jukebox media players. One of the benefits of the StreamPoint software is that there is no need to worry about whether DRM protected files will play on the Wireless DJ system - now or in the future. The Wireless DJ does not decode any DRM protected content internally and neither does the included StreamPoint software. When it comes across a song that is protected with DRM, StreamPoint automatically plays it through the application that contains the proper DRM decoder, and the audio file's usage license. The output is then streamed to your stereo.

Unlike some devices, StreamPoint does not pipe all audio from the PC directly through to your stereo. In fact, you can usually play music on your PC using Windows Media Player while someone else is listening to music in another room through StreamPoint. However, if StreamPoint needs to use iTunes to stream a DRM protected file, the person at the PC must wait until StreamPoint switches back to Windows Media Player before they can play music with the iTunes player. (This limitation with iTunes does not apply to Windows Media Player, though - I was able to stream one song with StreamPoint and play another song on through WMP on my PC without any trouble.)

Internet Radio, Music Subscription Services, And Podcasts

Internet radio, podcasts, and audio subscription services such as Rhapsody can also be accessed easily through the Wireless DJ. Any Internet radio stations that are marked as "favorites" on your media player software appear as a menu item on the Wireless DJ remote and can be accessed and played as easily as playing an audio file. Subscription services need to be configured to download content to your PC's hard drive, so that the StreamPoint can locate and add them to the library; podcasts appear under "podcasts" in the genres menu.

Those who like to make a playlist for every occasion will be pleased to find that playlist support is also built into the Wireless DJ system. Any existing playlists that have been set up in any of the three supported media players on your PC can be accessed through the Wireless DJ remote. There is also a dynamic playlist that can be created by the Wireless DJ remote called the "DJ list"; as one song is playing, other songs can be queued up to play using the DJ list. This is a handy feature, since it often takes quite a while to find the song you're looking for.

Range

The Wireless DJ is rated to be able to transmit at a range of up to 165 feet (50 meters). For most of this review, I placed the transmitter and receiver one room apart, about 15 feet away, and the system performed flawlessly. However, to test its range, I moved the receiver to another room about 45-50 feet away from the transmitter - this put 3 indoor walls between the PC and the stereo.

The sound became jumpy when I did this, so I adjusted the direction that the transmitter and the receiver were facing as recommended by the manual, and then placed them at the limit of their cords away from any other electronic devices. I also shut off my wireless router and went so far as to shut off my Bluetooth-enabled cell phone, to try to reduce all possible interference sources. After all that, the signal appeared to gain a little strength, but I wasn't able to completely eliminate the interference. (In fairness, one other factor that I wasn't able to control is the high wireless traffic in my building - I can usually pick up 5 or 6 strong wireless connections at any given time in my apartment...)

The manual recommends that the wireless DJ be placed well away from any wireless networking devices and I did notice a slight increase in performance when I shut my own router off. I talked to Logitech about this problem and they stated that the Wi-Fi traffic could definitely play a part in decreasing the overall range of the wireless DJ system. Those who live in apartments with the potential for a situation similar to mine should keep in mind that they might not have as much flexibility when it comes to range.