Philips HDD100 is a recording audio jukebox. You can record directly to MP3 files via built-in microphone and digital or analog line-in connection. You can play MP3 files as well... more
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A review by mrsimon on Philips HDD100 15 GB September 24th, 2005
Author's product rating:
Sound Quality
Very Poor
Ease of Use
Average
Look & Design
Satisfactory
Range of Features
Average
Value for Money
Very Poor
Advantages:
Good as a portable recorder
Disadvantages:
Appalling sound, software bugs
Recommend to potential buyers:
no
Full review
I was attracted to this unit by its looks, large storage capacity and price, given that it seemed to be cheaper than other players on ebay with comparable features. Being a Philips and one of the new generation of digital players, I assumed the sound quality would not even be an issue - but how wrong I was.
After trying several times, I was unable to install the software from the CD-ROM, so I downloaded it from the Philips website instead. When installed, the software kept crashing, as it did when installed it on another computer later. The situation now is that it usually works eventually, but only after a few failed attempts.
When I listened to the player I got my biggest shock - the sound quality. And that was using some quality headphones of my own because the ones supplied are really cheap and uncomfortable. Basically you have a choice - either play it at a ridiculously low volume with bass boost / equaliser on, or play it at a reasonable volume without. If you try to add any extra bass at a normal volume, the sound distorts badly. I just could not believe this was the case - I've had cassette walkmans that sound a million times better. When you buy a sparkling new MP3 player you really don't expect tinny or distorted sound.
Another fault is that the buttons are incredibly slow to respond - and sometimes they don't at all. Often I'll press forward, nothing happens, so I'll press it a few more times, then 10 seconds later it'll skip several tracks forward. Not good. Plus it won't let you forward through a track, only straight on to the next one. A pain when you're trying to get to the good bit of a tune with loads of beats at the beginning.
Onto aesthetics. A lot of people say a lot of nice things about how this unit looks, but beware it gets very dirty very quickly. For me though, what should be a cool retro feel is ruined by the overall tackyness of how it feels to use, whereupon it crosses that fine line between feeling retro and just dated.
Just about the only positive is its capacity as a recorder. You can record directly through the line/optical in socket which, if you're a DJ like me is ideal for recording long, uninterrupted sets. Because of the huge hard disc capacity, you have no problem recording whole parties (or a night of digital radio), as long as you take the power adaptor with you. Then you just upload the MP3 recordings onto your computer and press them onto CD. This is the only reason I haven't flogged the thing as yet, but annoyingly I reckon I'm going to have to buy something else for music on the move - the playback quality just isn't there.
Beyond the faults I've already mentioned, what to me was really scandalous about my buying experience was the customer service afterwards. So surprised was I with the poor design of this unit that I felt the need to try to contact Philips to let them know what I thought - any self- (or customer-)respecting company should at least give you the opportunity to do that. But all I found on the website was a technical queries form, no way of contacting their people to give feedback or complain, and I couldn't find a postal address through other searches like yell.com. I got the distinct impression that Philips is a company that doesn't care at all about its customers, just wants to take their money and run. I definitely won't be buying anything of theirs again.
Advantages: 15gb memory, cheaper than a 10gb iPod, no expensive extras to buy, and almost as cool. Almost. Disadvantages: A few niggling problems with playback and the interface, but nothing serious at all.
...little more), this beauty from Philips is actually a lot cheaper than even the 10gb iPod - even though the HDD100 has a more extensive 15gb of space on its internal harddrive. The HDD100 comes with headphones, a rather unattractive carrycase, a charger and a USB cable.
When you take into account the amount of extras you need to buy for iPods - and the multitude of problems that people seem to have - the HDD100 is very well priced. Then again, price ... ...used to it, with the Philips SuperScrollTM button design giving quite a nice little ability to zoom up and down the tracklists. The screen is crisp, and the backlight is plenty bright enough to see. The HDD100 allows you to compile playlists on the move, and will sort your tracks beautifully by Artist, Genre and Album. It includes an "All Tracks" mode too, which is nice, and the equaliser can simply match itself to the genre so there's no need to ...
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Advantages: Extensive disk size of 15gb Disadvantages: Difficulty in finding songs and poor software
My review is on the Philips HDD100. It is an MP3 player which can also be used as an external hard disk. The capacity for the Philips HDD100 is 15gb which allows storage of around 3000 songs in either MP3 or WMA format.
The first thing I would say about this product is that it is lacking in two main areas. Considering it is a high end MP3 player, the software for the MP3 player is very poor. It is extremely basic software and finding songs off your ... ...MP3 player. The help from Philips is not the best though. I tried emailing them with a problem the only reply I have had is an automated response saying they have received my email.
The main weakness I found in the product myself was that it keeps locking up. This seems to be a common feature of the product and is a big inconvenience. It is solved by resetting the device and you then have to power it back on and find the song you were listening ...
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Advantages: It has a fantastic look Disadvantages: The software for uploading music
...slow, unstable software made by Philips - but I think people have actually created their own alternatives for the software if you search the net.
Another thing it the digital rights management. Basically, it's doing it's bit to combat piracy. You cannot transfer your music from the Mp3 player to the computer (although the files can be found if you look in the system files for the drive). It also (most annoyingly) will not play copy protected music!
...
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Equaliser Factory Presets: Rock, Jazz, Pop, Classic
Digital player (recorder)
Supported Digital Audio Standards: WMA, MP3
ID3 Tags Support: Built-in
Supported Bit Rate: 8 - 320Kbps
Sample Rate: 8 - 48 kHz
Response Bandwidth: 20 - 20000 Hz
Total Harmonic Distortion: 0.01%
Shockproof Memory Capacity: 32 MB
External Hard Drive Function: Built-in
Features: Variable bit-rate compatible
Headphones
Headphones Type: Headphones - binaural - ear-bud
Connectivity Technology: Wired
Sound Output Mode: Stereo
Remote control
Type: Remote control - cable
Manufacturer's product description
Philips HDD100 is a recording audio jukebox. You can record directly to MP3 files via built-in microphone and digital or analog line-in connection. You can play MP3 files as well as Windows Media Audio files. Double action search buttons allow easy speed control when scrolling through large libraries. You can choose to move through your playlist one song at a time or just press and hold down a little harder to SuperScroll swiftly to your desired track. Depending on the genre, the player can automatically select the desired equalizer setting. And with 4 traditional presets: Rock, Pop, Jazz and Classic, you can easily tag your music by genre. So the next time you play a particular track, it will instantly recognize your chosen setting. HDD100 supports the USB 2.0 standard enabling the speedy transfer of data between USB connected devices at 480 kbps. It is also backwards compatible with the old USB 1.1 standard, so a USB 1.1 computer port will work with HDD100 using the same by packed cable and connectors. HDD100 connects through USB to be used as a spare portable HDD storage via Windows Explorer. Large storage capacity allows you to pack an entire world of music and data into your HDD100.
Connections
Connector Type:
1 x headphones ( mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm )
1 x remote control
1 x USB ( mini-USB Type B )
1 x DC power input
1 x audio line-in ( mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm / optical )
System requirements
OS Required: Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition or later
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