Customer Reviews

DLO HomeDock Deluxe for iPod

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

A nice improvement over the previous model - MAKE SURE YOU BUY THIS ONE AND NOT THE OLDER MODEL--same name, no on-screen video navigation. The only thing this is really missing is on-screen PHOTO navigation. Otherwise, it's a great substitute for the Apple TV, if you already have a video iPod (since Apple TV is really just a glorified iPod without the screen). The remote is a little annoying at times, not responding right away when skipping tracks, but works well for the most part. I did notice an occasional lag in displaying album art, but wasn't sure if was just my music that was the problem. Not all of my music has 'embedded' album art--since iTunes only write it to a database and not the actual MP3 file (unless you do it manually). I also emailed DLO to see if this unit would be capable of receiving firmware updates (for possible future photo integration), but haven't heard back yet. That would be much better than having to buy yet another 'expaned' version of this unit. Overall, the interface is pleasing to the eye, the sound is just fine and the video quality looked perfect to me (using S-Video). It makes watching and listening to content on your iPod a much more pleasurable experience while in the comfort of your home.

I got this as an upgrade to the previous version of the Homedock Deluxe for its added feature of displaying video titles onscreen. But it doesn't work. The list of TV shows is completely out of whack - episode titles appear randomly under different series folders. And long titles don't scroll so you can read them, like the ipod does.

Tried the web based software update which did not work. DLO responded quickly to my question about it saying they had "no further information."

I tried this new dock with an ipod video 5.5. I hear the video listing does not work at all with the latest ipods.

So I'm going to return this and go back to using my old version of the unit - which has always worked well - except that the remote does break. I've gone thru 3. Don't replace the battery, just order a new remote direct from dlo.

An added note though - some people have complained about distorted sound - I found that it was just a matter of turning down the volume of the homedock using the remote control - an feature I'm sure some people don't even know exists! This feature allows the homedock to make its audio signal quite hot - which is good for some videos that have very low audio levels (itunes tv shows for example) - but bad for most music mp3s which have a much hotter output.

I was really disappointed that product does not work with the latest version of iPod firmware, I'm using iPod version 1.2.3, it will still play sound and video through your TV, but the OSD says "No iPod Connected" so you cannot use the OSD menu features to browse your iPod on the TV which was this products biggest selling point. I even upgraded to the latest HomeDock firmware version from DLO's site but that still did not fix the problem.

You can still use the iPods regular menu to select songs and videos directly on your iPod though, but that is definitely not worth the money.

So if you have an older version of the iPod software, version 1.2.1 or older, and don't plan on upgrading your iPod ever. Then this is the product might be worth it. Otherwise, wait until they come out with a version that is compatible with the latest iPod versions.

The HomeDock Deluxe plays the music from my Ipod through my TV fine. However, the Album Artwork feature that I was looking forward to did not appear. The people at DLO informed me that the software in the new Classic 160 Ipod does not allow the Artwork to appear on the TV screen.

I have not yet mastered the remote control.

OK, so the product is easy to hook up and does function well with music. My purpose for purchasing the system was to watch TV shows and movies that are loaded on my ipod on my LCD TV. The problem (as others have complained about) is that the on screen navigation does not work for the TV shows and movies. My different categories do show up on the on-screen navigation, but only a couple of the TV shows (the same shows) show up under each of the categories. I sent DLO a detailed description of what was happening and there reply was, "Unfortunately, this concern is currently being addressed with our product development team and not further information is available at this time.

Please look to the support website periodically for further information as it is ascertained."

In other words, they are aware that the product does not function as advertised and maybe someday they will actually be able to make it work (or maybe not!).

I am dissappointed in the product and very dissappointed in the customer service. I would not recommend this product for the price.

This dock is full of inconsistencies. Please note, I've experienced all the setbacks previous posters describe, so I will not reiterate those points here. From the moment I integrated it into my system, I haven't been able to tap into its potential, given I have a defective unit. At least that is the comment from their customer service department.

I always read reviews before making any purchase, regardless of price. The reviews for this product were average, but I decided to take a risk. Sometimes I am able to avoid problems with products despite other reviewer's problems. Unfortunately, the Home Deluxe isn't a circumstance with which I've had a success story.

The major problem I had with the Home Deluxe was connectivity/interface. After plugging the dock into my Mac via USB, nothing occurred. iTunes failed to launch. The iPod didn't mount. Being a preferred Mac user, I began to assume that it was that ubiquitous issue (Compatibility).

I wasn't able to receive a video signal through the S-Cable. The composite cable produced a picture, but given I have an LCD, the picture was horrible. With regards to the slide show, I wasn't able to view any photos. When I placed a call to the customer service department, I was lucky enough to troubleshoot with a woman, who all but blamed me for the failure of the unit to work as advertised. I had the TV-Out feature turned on for both the video and the slideshow. She told me to turn off the TV-Out on the photo setting, and leave it on in the video, implying it wouldn't work with both on. She failed to listen to my situation. Had she listened, she would have immediately realized I had video through the composite connections. I interjected, as I had a feeling she was about to blame the lack-luster performance on my iPod. She told me they were having firmware problems with some units. I told her I was unable to navigate to their "updates" page. She said it wouldn't be available for a few more weeks. She briefly placed me on hold, only to return and request that I return my defective Home Deluxe.

I asked her if I should return it, and get a different brand, or just replace it. She put me on hold again, came back, paused for a while, and told me to just replace it with another Home Deluxe. It was as if she was about to advise me to try another company.

On a brighter note, the audio was good.

A number of buyers/users have already documented most of the shortcomings of the DLO Homedock Deluxe. I have experienced virtually all of them myself, so I won't go into that, except to say that unless (a) you are desperate to navigate your iPod remotely on your TV or home theater screen, AND(b) there are no alternatives (HINT: check out the NavDock or Universal Remote PSX-1 products) for you to choose from, DO NOT buy this device.

In adition to this product falling 'way short of its represented capabilities, it is also unreliable. I finally tricked it to work in my home theater system, and sat through nearly a year of sluggish and inconsistent responses. Then it crapped out completely.

Here's the worst part -- DLO doesn't want to hear from you, the customer, EVER. They ignore phone calls, e-mails, and snail mail communiques. I presume they would also ignore you if you tried to visit them at their facility or used Pony Express to convey your concerns. If you have a problem, it's YOUR problem. As George Carlin once cracked about an automaker's consumer warranty, "If (the car) breaks in half, you get to keep both halves."

Boycott this product and DLO.

Well an Ipod is basically about music and this does mate well with my Denon receiver and surround sound system. The sound is excellent once you balance the remote volume with your systems volume. As so many others are saying the problems arise with the remote itself. It is very tempermental and often requires several pushes of the button to change songs or perform other navigations. It also seems like there is a very narrow line-of-sight ability between the remote and the dock. Sitting off center can often render the remote useless (not good). Also, I couldn't find a way to shuffle songs within a playlist. I could either play a playlist in order or shuffle the entire Ipod library . . . but couldn't shuffle within a playlist (not good).

It has the ability to display various screen savers on your television which are mostly pretty cheezy, primitive and silly. I didn't care for a single one personally. Most oddly it will NOT display photos within your Ipod at all! However, it supposedly will display videos stored on your Ipod. This makes zero sense. I'm not into album art and that's good because you aren't going to get any! I'll sum it up by saying it's a great dock for audio but all the other features are either junk in performance or non-existant. DLO (or someone else) can indeed improve this product and when they do "THAT" will be a killer product.

the concept for this product was something i was really interested in. but even right out of the box it was having problems. the scrolling is not only primitive but freezes often. the product itself also doesnt do things it is advertised as doing, for instance album art does not show up, only a grey box LAYERED OVER the song title with the dlo logo in it. i checked the website and it said that the company printed the manual before the product was completed so thats supposed to explain the inconsistencies. i returned it promptly, and bought an rca cable with an 1/8 inch end so i could just play it out of my stereo.

For the price, I found this DLO HomeDock Deluxe to be ideal for connecting my iPod to my TV and home theater system. Setting it up is indeed quite simple, although one has to interface with the TV in order to select the proper channel for the video to be displayed. The sound is far superior in comparison with connecting the iPod using an RCA-type cable. I never knew my iPod could sound this great! Of course one of the coolest features is the display of track information currently being played. In any case, one could easily discover all the features...

Having said the above, I do believe that DLO should have provided at least optical output connections for carrying a digital audio signal to a state-of-the-art of home theater system. Inasmuch as the video connections are concerned, I'd venture that the lack of at least component output is a limitation. With respect to current and future technology, the available S-video output is seriously antiquated!

Overall a good product for the money with some really cool features indeed! While I have not tried out the Apple Universal Dock, I learned that this product is worth the investment, although it is three times as expensive. So my recommendation would be to consider your budget and research the Apple Universal Dock before making a final decision. However you may want to note that unlike the DLO HomeDock, the Apple Universal Dock cannot be directly connected to an AC power outlet. For that purpose an additional investment is required to purchase the Apple USB Power Adapter.