Mini Review: Microsoft's Digital Media Pro USB/PS2 Keyboard

[PCBruiser]

Well, it was finally time to replace my aging keyboard. Keys sticking, etc., so it was time.

I decided on replacing it with the new Microsoft Digital Media Pro, retail price $30. And, bottom line, I love it although it has one disadvantage. If you use it with your PS2 port, the special features don't function. And, using it with USB, you must plug it directly into a system USB port - again the special features will not work using either a hub or a KVM, although it will work as a plain ordinary keyboard connecting it that way.

It is very programmable, with a lot of features that just work, although some of them only seem to work with MS software. Let's examine the programmability features starting from the left of the picture:

Zoom Slider: This zooms digital media. It works with Photoshop, PaintShop Pro and Windows Media Player, but not with most other software that I tested such as XnView.

Volume controls (up, down, and mute): works with everything - no programming necessary.

Media Controls (forward/pause, stop, back and forward to start of chapter): Works only with Windows Media Player as far as I can tell, although I haven't completely tested it.

Favorites (* button + 5 favorite buttons): The "*" button opens the programmable screen to set the 5 favorite buttons. They are all completely programmable to either a URL or programs. You can set them any way you want.

My Documents, My Pictures and My Music: Again all three are completely programmable. I have set My Documents to open OpenOffice's Quickstart, My Pictures to open XnView, and My Music to open Quintessential Player.

Mail, Web/Home and Messenger: Again completely programmable. I have Mail set to open Thunderbird, Web/Home to open Firefox, and Messenger to open Trillian.

Function Keys: The 12 function keys have dual purposes and are pre-programmed to standard program functions - they seem to work fine with everything I have tried them with. Running from F1 to F12, they are programmed as follows: Help, Undo, Redo, New, Open, Close, Reply, Forward, Send, Spell, Save, and Print. I should note that the Reply, Forward and Send keys work well with Thunderbird (no programming needed) and the Spell key works with both Thunderbird's built in speller and with the SpellBound extension in Firefox.

Calculator: opens the minimal Windows calculator, but I programmed it to open Calc98.

Log Off: I programmed that to open a little utility called Close Windows which does nothing more than open a screen containing Restart, Log Off and Shut Down on screen buttons.

Sleep: Activates suspend mode.

That covers the programmable features, and how I have them set up.

Finally, the keyboard's "touch", tactile feedback and keyboard layout. Personally, I like it and it suits me fine, but that is really a matter of individual taste. And, the keyboard is quite good looking with a nice silver and black finish. The package includes the latest SetPoint 5.2 drivers and a standard USB to PS2 adaptor.

All in all, for $30 (retail) this is a very nice keyboard, and the minor problems with some of the digital media control keys are trivial compared to the keyboard's otherwise excellent functionality.

BTW, I do not use the detachable wrist rest. It is hard plastic (useless as a wrist rest IMHO), and makes the keyboard simply too large.

[izibo]

Good choice, although I am partial to my logitech elite keyboard (only second to my old, old, old, old IBM keyboard!)

[Brian]

I recently bought this keyboard and find it far superior to the plain old Microsoft Internet Keyboard I was using before. The keys are much softer to the touch, has far more features and the thing looks very classy with the silver and black colors.

Nice review, PCB!

[SupDawg]

Nice review, I have been meaning to replace my archaic Compaq keyboard I have had for years.

One thing about all of these keyboards with all the programmable keys, I have always been against them. They never quite work like they are supposed to.

[PCBruiser]

Originally Posted by SupDawg

One thing about all of these keyboards with all the programmable keys, I have always been against them. They never quite work like they are supposed to.

Can't talk for all of them, but this one does work. And, it is easy to program. Just remember to reboot after installing the drivers to get full functionality.

[Lucas_Maximus]

my Microsoft intellitype pro wireless or whatever it called sounds similar i actually hate those f-locked keys. Rather have a simpler keyboard these days.

[cromozone]

Originally Posted by Lucas_Maximus

my Microsoft intellitype pro wireless or whatever it called sounds similar i actually hate those f-locked keys. Rather have a simpler keyboard these days.

You can get software that turns the F-Lock function off, so that the F keys do as they are supposed to without you pressing the F-Lock button each time you boot up

[sabesh_abx]

Originally Posted by PCBruiser

I love it although it has one disadvantage. If you use it with your PS2 port, the special features don't function. And, using it with USB, you must plug it directly into a system USB port - again the special features will not work using either a hub or a KVM, although it will work as a plain ordinary keyboard connecting it that way

I registered here just to post this. I saw this review before buying this k'board and knew that it was incorrect, as I had an older MS keyboard whose special functions work off a KVM switch via a PS2 port.

I now have the MS digital media keyboard pro running intellitype 5.2 and all functions of the keyboard work perfectly using a PS2 port via a Linksys KVM2KIT KVM switch. It also works well as a basic keyboard via the KVM for a Sun Ultra 10 running the Solaris-10 O/S. Cheers, Sabesh.

[k0NG0]

It's possible to write a little program that hooks on to keyboard commands in Windows and runs the equivalent play/stop/pause/next/previous command in e.g. Winamp, Quintessential player and such (if the appropriate SendMessage parameters are documented).

One would just have to decode how the keyboard packages the non-standard key codes.

[whoster69]

Thanks for the review. I've been looking for a new keyboard. This just might be it!

[rondor]

I love my Digital Media Pro -- In fact, I got another one for my second PC. The first was was free after rebate at Compusa a couple months ago. The second one was 9.95 AR a couple weeks ago. Now the problem -- this only happens to one of my PC's (P4/2.8ghz/1Ghz RAM, Win XP) -- when I first boot up, the programable keys don't work. Not the zoom, volume contols, or anything. If I go into Control Panel/Keyboards and click on anything there, then close control panel, everything works. Any ideas?

[Rej]

First, thanks for a great review of the keyboard.. it helped me toward my purchase of one (I've been wondering about it for the last 2 days, but wanted to confirm a few things first).

My only worry is that I need to know if the following key combos work on the Digital Media Pro...

EF+R
EF+[Space]

ES+R
ES+[Space]

To test those, you just need to open notepad or wordpad, then hold down the 2 first keys (EF) then tap 'R' to see if it will register in the software or not).

My current keyboard does not and that is why I'm looking to replace it.

Thanks in advance

Rej

[whoster69]

Rej: What are these key combinations supposed to do? I can test them for you if you want, but I'll need to know what to look for.

[Rej]

Hi and thanks for reply

Those key combinations are used in Gaming (WoW, FPS etc).. I've always used the ESDF keyset instead of the default WASD keyset since I tend to use the middle finger to move forward/backward and with ESDF I can keep my hands at the same place for both typing and playing.

Also, since I've been using this combo since the DOOM days, well, I want to keep using it

The issue though is that after trying a Logitech Internet PRO keyboard, a few things didn't work in WoW and I realised that it was because the EF+R, EF+[space], EF+Q and their ES variants did *not* work. When I saw this, I tried the same combos in notepad and saw the same results -- meaning that if I pressed and held down EF then tapped R, R would not register at all.

I even went further and downloaded a keyboard tester with the same results.

So I decided to really choose my keyboard and started reading up on various ones available in my area. So far the Digital Media Pro seems to fit perfectly. But only if the combos mentionned will work on that keyboard.

Regards... and thanks again for testing this for me... much appreciated.

Rej

P.S. if you want to try the keyboardtest software, I downloaded this one which offers a 30 days free trial. (well, can't post URL yet so the company is Passmark and the software is KeyboardTest 2.2).

[Rej]

Turns out that the Digital Media Pro Keyboard does not support the key combo EF+R.

Funny thing is that the 20$ MS keyboard (can't recall the name) does support all the features I needed but I didn't like the 6 keys layout for INS-DEL-PGU-PGD-HOME-END, so I went with the Logitech G15 which does support all the combos *and* has the layout I wanted (I'm a dinosaur, and wanted the same layout I had with my old IBM keyboard

So thanks for checking the combos if you already did.. if not, then there's no need to as I made my purchase already.

Regards...

Rej