iPod, Meet Home Entertainment With The iPort FS-23
There are a plethora of iPod accessories in the world. There are about as many ways of docking your iPod as there are coffee houses here in San Francisco, and we’ve looked at quite a few, both old and new. What distinguishes the iPort FS-23? Price, for starters – the newest edition of the iPort FS (Freestanding) series will run you $450 or so. This is quite a bit more expensive than most available docking stations- but a fair comparison reveals significant differences in the feature set, though. We’ve been doing a little more research.
See, the iPod offers a whole lot in a portable package, but isn’t super-simple to plugin to your home entertainment system. The FS-23 iPod dock is the meeting ground between your television, your computer, your iPod, and your speaker or home stereo system. Incorporating your TV means that you can watch videos or look through photos stored on your iPod on a screen larger than your palm. You can also navigate your iPod library and menus by remote, a more complex feature than is available on audio-exclusive docks.
Sure, there are a handful of television-navigation docks available for the iPod and iPhone. Common features include a comprehensive user interface (on-screen display and navigation for your iPod menus), the ability to charge your device, display album art and song info. Various video output capabilities are a must for viewing videos or photos, though HDMI is still a rarity (and isn’t included in the iPort either, instead you use a special component cable for video and another special cable for composite audio). In addition to navigating your music, playback settings like the equalizer or shuffle mode must be easily managed. Most similar docks are geared towards navigation and viewing platforms and don’t interface with your computer in addition. This is one major difference between the more versatile FS-23 and the cheaper TV-exclusive docks. The iPort FS-23 is compatible with most iPods including the iPod Touch, as well as the iPhone. Though no mention of it is made online, and you’ll get the typical ‘Not made to work with iPhone’ message, the iPhone 3G worked just fine.
iPort’s FS series are freestanding docks, as opposed to iPort’s in-wall docking system, thus they are easier to install and setup. The newest addition to the series, the FS-23 offers features comparable to other third-party docking systems with some very notable additions – like syncing to your computer – and a few minor detractions like limited choice in display color schemes. Additional background color options and more screen saver choices seem like pretty basic elements to have missed, and we were sad to see them looked over. But the menus were still easy to use, and fairly attractive if text-heavy.
Let’s talk computers. This is where the FS-23 really distances itself from audio- or TV-exclusive docks and bridges the media exchange between your home entertainment center and your computer. To be fair, Apple makes a proprietary Universal Docking Station that can be used to make your video or stereo system a slave for your iPod, but it’s geared primarily towards charging and syncing your device. It isn’t interactive either. You can’t view or navigate the iPod menu on your TV through Apple’s system. You will also need a converter if your tube isn’t equipped with Apple-compatible cables and ports.
We’ve saved the biggest distinction for last, though. The iPort stumps the Apple device and all the tv-exclusive docks with one final feature: you can sync to any computer on your home network and playback media from multiple computers on the docked iPod. We appreciated the built-in ethernet port on the dock, so you can connect your iPod/iPhone to your system(s) to playback media – music, photos, or videos. It is not wireless though, which would have been nice.
This is the “jack of all trades” dock, and the only dock that begins to think beyond the individual. This is a true conversion of your personal iPod into a household entertainment system. Compared to the capabilities of the iPort, other audio-exclusive, tv-exclusive, or even so-called “Universal” docks seem more like audio or visual amplifiers replacing earbuds or your 3-inch screen. The aim of the iPort is to incorporate your iPod and all the iPod functions into a larger experience in a meaningful way, and they succeeded pretty well. The remote might take a bit of getting used to, but the base fits right in with any entertainment system and is quite small to boot.
The iPort is feature-packed and has more capabilities built in than pretty much anything else out there. However, the minor inattention to the individual consumer (“but why can’t I get it in pink?”), along with the significant price difference that accompanies the wider feature set gives us the impression that this system is best suited for commercial use. It certainly works well for sophisticated home users, especially in a larger household. The iPort works well for environments with multiple users and computers, so the FS-23 would be ideal for enhancing the ambiance in commercial stores, restaurants, or galleries. Available online primarily, one year warranty.
