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JBL On Time 400iHD Speaker Dock for iPod Video

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JBL On Time 400iHD Speaker Dock for iPod
Created: 11/06/2008
Video description: The JBL On Time 400iHD iPod speaker is a solid option if you are interested in HD radio and multiple alarm clock options, but the buttons may annoy you.

JBL On Time 400iHD Speaker Dock for iPod Video Transcript

[ Music ] ^M00:00:02

>> iPod speakers are a dime a dozen these days, so a good way to chose one that standout from the crowd is to look for something with the most advanced technology. I'm Jasmine France and I'm here with the JBL On Time 400iHD and what the HD stands for is high definition radio. Now, there are two main benefits to HD. One is that it's higher quality feed than what you would traditionally get over the broadcast signal. Two is that each station can actually have two spots on the frequency, so you would have something like 92.7 and then 92.7-2. So what that means is that you get a lot more content for your money. Now in order to enjoy all that content you're gonna have to pay a little bit more than what you would expect to pay for an iPod speaker. This for example costs $300. Now, as you can get over with the pricing, the next thing to consider is the design. Now, I personally like this design. It's a little space agey, some people might not. I do like that it's a pretty small footprint. It will sit fit on your standard bedside table. It has a lot of controls on the top. It also includes a remote with a lot of controls. You can step up and down through the iPod menus from the remote control, which is always a nice feature to have. The one thing I did notice about the buttons both on the unit and on the remote is that they are not always responsive, so that is a downside, but it does work. Now, on the top here you have buttons that will take you into the different modes. Obviously it will have an iPod mode, which will play music from your iPod. It also has an AM mode and FM modes. And there's also an auxiliary line input mode. Now, another couple of buttons I wanna point out in the top of the unit here are the HD button and the tag button. Now the HD button allows you to scan the frequency for HD stations only. And the tag button activates something called the iTunes Tagging feature. It displays the title of the song and the artist on the front here, so you can know what you're listening to that saves the song information to your iPods so that when you connect your iPod to your computer you'll get a playlist called Tagging. The final feature that I really like on this is the alarm function and that is because you can set multiple alarms and you can wake up to the iPod or the radio or a buzz. So there are a lot of options for an alarm clock on here, which is always important in the bedside. So, if you're looking for the most cutting edge technology in an iPod speaker, the JBL On Time 400 iHD is gonna give you that HD radio quality and that's one of the handful units on the market today that has that. So as long as you don't mind paying the $300 this is probably a good option for you. I'm Jasmine France for CNET. ^M00:02:12 [ Music ]

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JBL On Time 400iHD Speaker Dock for iPod Review

The good: The JBL On Time 400iHD includes an integrated iPod dock, an auxiliary line input, and both FM and AM radio functionality. HD radio capability offers more variety and better sound quality. Included iTunes Tagging makes it easy to buy songs you hear on the radio.

The bad: The JBL On Time 400iHD is pricey, and the digital music playback quality is average. The controls are not always responsive.

The bottom line: The JBL On Time 400iHD iPod speaker is a solid option if you are interested in HD radio and multiple alarm clock options, but the buttons may annoy you.

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JBL On Time 400iHD Speaker Dock for iPod Specs

Manufacturer: Harman Kardon
Part number: OT-400iHD

Product Basic Spec
  • Product Basic Spec

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JBL On Time 400iHD Speaker Dock for iPod Prices

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In stock $169.95