Thinkcorps

from Reuters via Wired News: Digital Networks: PC to Stereo

Just reading this article gives me a headache. The gist? There are a lot of crazy options for listening to your digital music collection throughout your house. The article is a simple rundown of devices, with no advice as to which is best, or what to consider when building a home media network. In short, it sucks.

It’s perhaps the reporter’s conclusion that gets me, however.

“Of course, music fans without thousands of dollars to spare could run Belkin’s Audio Y Cable Splitter ($7) between the computer and the stereo—a cheap, if inelegant, solution. ”

What’s “inelegant” about a solution that’s cheap, functional, and doesn’t require fumbling with a manual, file formats, downloading software upgrades, antenna jostling, head-thumping, and cursing?

There is a perception—mostly in the media—that all new ‘gadgets’ are good. This is because writers are paid to create stories regardless of their importance, and because they don’t test the products, or even need them. There is no perspective, no context. No pushback.

Let’s get down to it: gadgets are worthless. They’re eye-candy, trinkets. What you really want—what you need—that’s called ‘gear’. Maybe I’m being too subtle?

I don’t believe that there’s any one ‘best’ solution, and I don’t believe that expensive begets quality. Every user’s situation is different: their equipment, goals, experience, and budget. A truly ‘elegant’ solution should fit a person’s needs, not the needs of Best Buy.

The home media landscape is extremely complex—read the article again, then ask yourself, What should I do when building my home media network? So many technologies and devices are popping up, providing us all so many different options, that I think it would behoove us all if we actually tried to provide these manufacturer’s some feedback, not only on the devices we’ve tested, but on the features we’d like to see integrated into the next generation.

I guess that’s what I’d like to begin doing here on this site. It’s time for a little pushback.