Player-piano fun with the"Samic PianoDisc Opus 7"

We never really got into the whole piano lesson thing; they just took precious free time away from ripping open our Commodores and Ataris. Thankfully we've found a new way to fill the parlor with soothing tunes without hiring a full-time pianist, in the form of the oddly-named "Samic PianoDisc Opus 7," which turns any piano into a fully automatic jukebox. Built-in Bluetooth means you can carry the touchscreen to switch tracks from the hard drive, and since the actual mechanics of the player are hidden, the piano retains its traditional look. At around $21,000, though, this setup seems destined more for institutional than home use, unless you're ballers like us: we're gonna stock every room in the Engadget mansion with a Samic-powered baby grand.

[happy sam @ Dec 27th 2005 4:24PM]

I can finally learn the blues, thank budda for the tech

______________________________________

http://hotcelebfemales.blogspot.com/
I can finally learn the blues, thank budda for the tech

______________________________________

http://hotcelebfemales.blogspot.com/

[Donnie @ Dec 27th 2005 7:18PM]

Samick, Yamaha, and a slew of piano manufacturers are cranking out more player pianos, making it a bit cheaper to get a basic "player-less" model (those are pricey when new still, starting around $8000).

[Sean @ Dec 27th 2005 8:23PM]

Thats a beautiful Steinway Piano its attached to in that picture. I've seen these installed before and they work very well, although you won't get the same effect as if Van Cliburn were in your living room hammering the keys, its a quality substitution.

[sidewinder @ Dec 28th 2005 2:58AM]

We just got one last week, it's a bit slow itself, luckly the piano controlling software resides on the piano, and you can connect to it using a computer or PDA

[sinisterdesign @ Dec 28th 2005 9:58AM]

play it again, samic.



[sorry]

[chris @ Dec 28th 2005 1:38PM]

"it's the e-ano! it takes songs you download, live off of the internet and turns them into this song!"

[steve @ Dec 29th 2005 3:19PM]

The original article had quite a few inaccuracies, and since there isn't an obvious way to comment on that site I thought I'd clarify:

* The product is made by PianoDisc (http://www.pianodisc.com/), and is called the Opus7. Also, SilentDrive, NRC and so on have nothing to do with Samick, they're PianoDisc trademarks also.

* It can be installed or come installed on almost any piano, not just Samick pianos. Put it on a Mason & Hamlin, a Steinway (as per the marketing photo above), or anything else.

* It uses 802.11, not Bluetooth. You can also choose to hardwire the piano (though not practical for the webpad portion). You can access the Opus7's interface from any computer on you network via a web browser.

* The Opus7 comes with ~40 hours of music preinstalled, but it has a hard drive that is capable of storing an immense amount of music.



More details at: http://www.pianodisc.com/products/details.aspx?id=39795

[Justin Bell @ Dec 30th 2005 1:55PM]

Wonder what it plays like.

[Marley Paddock @ Jan 7th 2006 12:14PM]

How much does the opus7 system cost including installation on a pre-owned piano?