Electric Jukebox combined hardware, software, and premium music streaming access into one package;[12]Ars Technica described it as "a box with everything you need to get started in streaming music".[3]
Hardware
Electric Jukebox stick
The Electric Jukebox dongle had a
HDMI plug built into the device's body.[13] The dongle was powered by
mains power through an integrated power cable. Electric Jukebox ran on a
Rockchip processor. The dongle contained a 3.5mm audio jack as a line out[2] to
HiFi’s and
speaker systems.[14]
Electric Jukebox controller
Electric Jukebox Controller was a motion-sensitive
remote control with built-in
gyroscope and
accelerometer to position itself in space in relation to the cursor on the TV screen. The controller also had a
microphone for
voice search. The controller used
HDMI-CEC protocols to switch between other devices on the television without needing to use the television set's remote to change to or from Electric Jukebox.[2]
Software
Electric Jukebox ran on a heavily modified version of the
Android operating system. The front-end user interface was built in
HTML5[4] enabling
OTA updates which negate users from having to perform software upgrades or app downloads normally required when using music streaming services on
computers,
smartphones and televisions.
User interface
Electric Jukebox's user interface incorporated
neon[14]iconography and music songs and albums represented as spinning disks – a digital manifestation of a physical music product; a CD. The user interface was met with mixed reactions from commentators; several technology-focused media outlets have said the user interface is overly simple compared to other services[15] while mainstream consumer media view the simplicity of Electric Jukebox as opening up music streaming to audiences who are alienated by the complexities of music streaming.[6]CNET commented "Here's an easy way to think about Electric Jukebox: Remember when the
Nintendo Wii came out, and suddenly the whole family, who didn't know their Atari from their elbow, was jumping around the living room playing video games?
Spotify is the
PlayStation,
Sonos is the
Xbox – and Electric Jukebox is the
Wii."[4]
Features
Voice search
The Electric Jukebox controller's built-in microphone provided access to the full catalogue of music. Voice-activated functionality was provided by
Nuance.[3]