We find it amazing how uncritical the industry can be when it buys into what appears to be a cool idea. Case in point: The ZapStation from ZapMedia, a computer-based device that is designed to do everything from rip CDs to play DVDs and tune into Internet radio.

This device was hyped for years and even won awards before it shipped! In 2001, Popular Mechanics awarded it its Editor's Choice Award, and recently a reviewer who shall remain anonymous (*) wrote of the device: "If you are looking for a one-stop shop for audio and video needs, the ZapStation is not a bad choice." This person must have been heavily medicated.

In principle, the ZapStation is a terrific idea. In a standard amplifier-sized box the company has put together an audio player (MP3, Windows Media Format V7 and SHOUTcast Internet Radio) and a video player (MPEG, Windows Media Format V7, DVD-Video and VCD), both with a choice of Dolby Digital (AC-3) 5.1 Channel Surround, Dolby Surround (AC-30) and DTS Digital Out. There's also an audio recorder (MP3 and Windows Media Format V7), and you can rip CDs, burn CDs, use it as a music and video jukebox, receive Internet Radio, browse the Web and access ZapMedia's entertainment portal.

The engine driving this is an 800-MHz Intel Celeron running Linux with 128M bytes of RAM and a 30G-byte hard drive. The front panel houses a CD/DVD drive, a power switch and a user interface based on a three-color display with "soft" buttons (the function of each button is shown on the display). We found the usability poor. There's also a four-way rocker switch with a central component, the combination of which works like a mouse.

The back of the ZapStation sports an RJ-45 Ethernet connector, a USB port (currently only used to download music to the Rio 500 Digital Audio Player), S-Video out, SVGA out, composite video out, digital audio out (coax and optical), analog in (for a cable or satellite converter, for example) and analog out.

By now you have probably started thinking "Wow! That's a lot of technology in one package!" And therein lies a problem: trying to get all the parts to work together. On the ZapStation, some work well: DVD playback is very good, and the audio is excellent. But other features, including the Internet and network support, are abysmal, and the user interface is eccentric.