Philips FW-i1000 Internet Audio Compact Stereo System

by Philips

Product Details

Supplementary Guide [77kb PDF]

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Data Sheet [335kb PDF]

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Product Manual [1.46mb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 52 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B00005N5WP
• Item model number: FW-i1000
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #376,357 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The FW-i1000 Internet Audio Mini Hi-Fi System is the very latest in Internet-connected innovation from Philips. Connect this powerful mini shelf system to your broadband Internet source and enjoy digital Internet radio streaming in from over 1,000 stations around the globe.

At the touch of a button you could be tuning in from America to Africa, listening to your personal selection of the hottest radio in 10 languages and 6 regions. Take your pick of stations across 25 genres ranging from "eXtreme" to "classical" to "sports" and "foreign news."

To keep your FW-i1000 up-to-date, Philips will let you know about new developments and you can simply use your Internet connection to download and install upgrades of firmware, encoding technology, and other cool features.

Of course, the FW-i1000 is also the kind of superb, all-round mini hi-fi system you'd expect from Philips, pumping out an earthshaking 240 watts (total power). The three-CD changer plays CDs, CD-Rs, and CD-RWs, and the wOOx technology patented by Philips guarantees powerful, deep bass.

Used with a broadband connection, the innovative new FW-i1000 brings uninterrupted streaming digital audio from the Internet, granting access to more than 1,000 of the world's highest-quality Internet radio stations. The FW-i1000 delivers excellent sound quality due to the high bit rate of its audio streams, as well as its many sound-enhancement features.

Because the broadband connection is always available through your home network (a requirement for full enjoyment of this product), there is no need to set up the system every time you want to listen to Internet music or entertainment--it's automatically at the ready.

Accessing the reach of worldwide music and entertainment is as easy as pressing a button. Just as you'd press your choice of CD, radio, or cassette source options on a CD-based mini system, you can also simply press "Internet" to instantaneously hear radio from around the world.

The Philips system also lets you sort radio stations by genre, region, or language for greater flexibility and customization. For example, users can select music/radio through pre-categorized channels based on:

• Genre: Alternative, Blues, Classic, Country, News, Sports, Oldies, etc.
• Language: English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Russian, Japanese, etc.
• Region: North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa, Middle East

The FW-i1000 can display the station name, and, when available, the artist and title, while the music is playing. Furthermore, you can also use the FW-i1000 as a playback device for MP3 files stored on a home PC.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Unique Features Poorly Implemented, December 16, 2002

By 

A. Peter Allan (East Coast, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Philips FW-i1000 Internet Audio Compact Stereo System (Electronics)

Philips FW-i1000 Issues

Ordered Dec 6, 2002, BestBuy.com, ($$$), ($$$) rebate available), free shipping.
Delivered Dec 11, 2002, appears to work as intended.

Here are the problems that I found during the two days that I owned it.

1. MP3 CDs won't play.

2. Requires a program "iM Jukebox" running on a Windows PC to play computer-based MP3 files.

i. The program is buggy and prone to crash or freeze (under Windows 98). The program's task lives on after the program is exited and has to be killed with CTRL+ALT+DEL.

ii. The program requires acceptance of an end-user license agreement (EULA), and the submission of personal information. It also requires acceptance of a privacy policy that allows monitoring of listening habits. It also requires Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player (WMP), and Real Player - all with their own EULAs. It also requires that the user (claim to) be 13 years or older.

iii. Many MP3 files that work on other software and portable MP3 players won't play. All MP3 files converted recently with CDEX won't play.

iv. User cannot fast-forward or rewind or pause when playing an MP3 file.

v. No ability to play files on a Linux or Mac computer.

3. It is circuitous and cumbersome to add an Internet radio station, and only streaming MP3 stations are available. This function, like others associated with iM Networks' website only work with the Internet Explorer browser.

4. Unit takes 30-60 seconds to start playing music when powered up by pressing connect. Sometimes it claims "No Internet connection" when PCs have Internet access. Unplugging the power cord and reconnecting does not seem to help.

5. Stations that play flawlessly on a PC player have dropouts on the unit.

6. All aspects of the Internet radio and network MP3 player function are dependent on one small company: iM Networks. This company is not controlled by Philips, and has no substantial history or reputation. What if: -

i. They cease operation?

ii. They decide to charge a fee for their software and service?

iii. Have terms of service or EULA that are unacceptable?

7. IM Network's website claims that all streams available through their service are "legally scrubbed." What was scrubbed out that I am missing? Why do I need them making these decisions for me? The website also tells stations (content providers) that they have advertisement-insertion technology and "other revenue infrastructure." These things scare me.

I understand that the firmware is upgradeable, and that some of these issues might be resolved in time, but since I only bought the unit for its network capabilities, and they are almost unusable, I returned it to BestBuy. I'll buy it again if all the issues are resolved.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Innovative, great first try, not perfect, slow support, October 27, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Philips FW-i1000 Internet Audio Compact Stereo System (Electronics)

This is a great attempt to harness the wealth of streaming audio available on the internet. However, the choices are extremely limited in comparison to what can be received on a PC. News options are very limited, for instance, and there is no option (at present) to listen to the BBC, MSNBC, CNN, World Band Radio, etc. Music choices are pretty good, and there is certainly more variety than the usual AM-FM radio. The sound is excellent and the ability to play rewriteable cdrw's is a huge plus. Would be fantastic if the unit played MP3 or WMA discs! On the dissapointing side, I've had the unit over a month and though I was supposed to receive MP3 streaming software for PC MP3s on registration, there has been nothing sent yet, and no response from support despite more than 4 attempts. I hope this is just a busy time for this usually superb company. Kudos for a great first try at an "internet" radio.

65 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars WARNING: THIS IS *NOT* AN INTERNET RADIO, October 10, 2001

By 

David Coursey (Tracy, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Philips FW-i1000 Internet Audio Compact Stereo System (Electronics)

Hello, I've just gotten one of the production units as a review loaner and I want to warn people who are expecting to use this unit to listen to Internet radio: You can't. (At least it won't work like you expect.)

No BBC. No Voice of America. No local FM stations. No World Radio Network. No NPR feed. Why? Because if it's not an MP3 stream--and most Internet radio stations aren't and never will be--this device will not hear it.

This is the same way iTunes works and it, too, has a very limited selection of stations.

The reason for this is the lack of a Real Audio or Windows Media Player inside the device. Real is the format of choice for Internet radio, but using it today requires a PC of some sort to run the client software. If you'd like a Real Audio-based Internet Radio, check out the Bose Wave/PC instead.

I really wanted to love this unit--which I had imagined would work like my dearly-departed Kerbango (which did have Real Audio built-in)--but, alas, it's a huge disappointment. Calling this an Internet radio is misrepresentation, if not legally, at least intellectually.

David Coursey