Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)While the sound quality is good, this $3k system is definitely not up to the hype due to poor UI and Usability designs by Bose. I would not have bothered if I was buying even $1500 system but for 3k it is not really worth. While everyone talks about how great this system is, let me talk about some major drawbacks of this system that no one talks about:
1) It does not display Track/album info for custom CDs (for e.g. the ones you ripped off from online music stores) and MP3 CDs! Yes, thats true! How can anyone browse through 100+ songs from an MP3 CD and select the song that they want without seeing any track/album display on the TV Screen? I am extreamly upset with Bose lacking "common sense" here! Come on Bose, even my old $100 cheap DVD system can display this info on the screen! If you let the users play mp3 CDs didn't it occur to you that they would perhaps would like to choose the song they want to listen to?
2) It does not let you store MP3 CDs.
3) It does not let you transfer music from your PC.
4) It does not import the Title/Album info for the custom CDs that you burn with music that you have downloaded. It just names all the tracks and album info for the this type of CD with '-No Label-' title! You have to spend days to Edit (BTW editing is horrible too) all this info to make it right (if you have patience at all). If you end up storing more then one custom CDs, they all look the same when you browse through music library! So, there is no way to distinguish between them and hence you are really screwed! If you were to edit the title of a song/album, there is no way to listen to the song (to make sure it is the right song) while editing it! While listening, you can't edit the title! How stupid!
5) Browsing through music library is a pain. If you have 200 CDs, there is no way to skip to a particular CD in a second. for e.g if you want to go to 100th CD, you have to cick 100 times to get to it in the list! Same thing goes for Artist, Album and track selection.
6) The playlist feature is not really good. You are stuck with UMusic and a very basic playlist option.
7) Editing feature is not really intutive. There is no way you can key in letters using the Remote controls number pad (such as the ones you have with Cellphones. Each number will have 3 letters assigned to it etc...) There is no way to play and doublecheck the song while editing the title for a song/album. So, imagine yourself editing a bunch of songs with no preview!
Well the bottomline is that this pricy system is lacking so many basic features showing how Bose did not do a good job of focussing on usability. It is not just about the sound, the system should be functional too! I hope Bose realizes this soon! In any case Bose just lost their image as far as I am concerned!
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Designed to change the way you think about movies, music, and even your CD collection, the Bose Lifestyle 38 DVD home entertainment system digitally stores and organizes up to 200 hours of music (around 200 to 300 CDs, depending on the timing of the discs). The system also lets you enjoy your movies on standard or high-definition-ready televisions in scintillating progressive-scan video. Meanwhile, the system's Jewel Cube speaker arrays and low-frequency-producing Acoustimass module fill your room with rich, full-bodied sound.The stylish, 2-tone silver/black media center features an integrated DVD/CD player and AM/FM tuner. You get Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 surround processing for lifelike surround effects from your favorite movies, as well as Bose Videostage 5 processing for turning mono and stereo sources into surround programs. The DVD/CD player plays your DVD-Video movies (NTSC or PAL, depending on your TV), DVD-R/RW homemade discs, and CD-based music, including MP3 files written to recordable CD-R or CD-RW.Among the Lifestyle 38's innovative features is its ADAPTiQ audio calibration system, which analyzes your room and adjusts the system's sound for optimal performance in the spots you like to listen from, and the uMusic intelligent playback system.The uMusic system uses proprietary Bose technology to turn the media center into a virtual DJ capable of playing a continuous stream of the music you most enjoy and--even cooler--adapting to your preferences, even as they change. You can instruct system to play what you want, when you want it. Giving instructions requires only that you react to your stored music as it plays. Pressing "Encore" tells the system to search for music with characteristics that closely match what's playing, narrowing its field of choices in response to your command.Pressing the - (negative) rating tells the system to move on because this particular track is not right for this time of day, this activity, or for the person listening. Submitting a + (positive) rating has the opposite effect: the system learns that you particularly like the track playing. Not every track you like requires a + rating, but you can always give special songs this nudge. Over time the system adjusts the type of music it plays when your preset is selected. And you don't need to worry that any response you make now will be etched in concrete: you may easily override your established preferences at any time.When you load your collection into the media center (copying takes about 5 minutes per disc), the system searches an internal and regularly updatable database to assign artist and track names, genre, and other details, which you can edit or update as you wish.The Lifestyle 38 features award-winning Jewel Cube speaker arrays, which measure just 4.5 inches high, for dramatically lifelike sound. These are the smallest and most powerful speaker arrays Bose makes, producing sound you'd expect from speakers much larger. The Acoustimass module (essentially a subwoofer) produces resounding low notes that bring action sequences to life and add fullness to music. Place the Acoustimass module out of sight, so all sound seems to come from the Jewel Cube speaker arrays.Other features include AM/FM tuning with 40 preset stations (20 FM, 20 AM), a sleep timer (10 to 90 minutes), and console input jacks for connecting other source components (such as a VCR, DSS, CD changer, or tape deck).Connections include digital and analog audio inputs and outputs for a range of ancillary components, with a choice of composite-video, S-video, or--with an optional-use cable that connects to both the composite- and S-video outputs--480i/480p component-video outputs, depending on your television.A feature called Bose link allows connections for compatible Bose products in as many as 14 additional rooms using optional hookup gear.What's in the Box Media center, 5 speakers, 1 Acoustimass module, FM/AM antennas, all requisite cabling, a remote control with batteries, a user's manual, a quick-setup guide, AC power cords, 2 system discs, an optional-use IR emitter cable, an ADAPTiQ audio calibration system headset, and warranty information.Note: This system is designed to store the audio tracks of regular CDs only. It will not store MP3 tracks or the contents of DVDs.
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