My wife is visually impaired and has trouble using A/V equipment. I have an Audiotron, which lets her go to a webpage and choose music to listen to. This is the best feature the Audiotron has.

I would replace my 950 with the successor to the 990 if it comes with a web server built in! I would replace ANY component if I could get one with a web server built in!

The web pages can be navigated with the help of a screen reader.

If you came out with a product with a web server, you would be removing the need for products like Crestron. I would venture to guess none of your competition has this type of functionalitiy built in to their receiver/pre-amps.

$0.02

Thanks

___________

Outlaw 95O
Audiotron
Rotel 5.1 Amp
LeAmp blocks for zone 2
Mitsu 55897

I'll toss a penny in alongside your two cents...

The idea of a built-in web interface is definitely intruiging, but it would be a pretty significant cost premium for products that don't otherwise have a PC interface in place. On the other hand, a standalone computer interface module of some sort could be pretty interesting. What comes to my mind initially is a slim box sitting in the equipment rack acting as a central "brain" for the control system. RS-232 or USB interfaces on individual components could provide two-way communication with the central module. Components without RS-232 or USB could be controlled by IR outputs connecting to either rear panel IR inputs or emitters at the components' sensors. A wireless interface (802.11 or perhaps bluetooth) in the central module would allow programming and control to be done without running wires to the equipment rack, and/or an IR sensor on the unit could allow control that way (possibly from a handheld device like a PocketPC or Palm PDA). The user could then customize an interface for specific needs - such as users with disabilities, children, or guests.

What I've described is hardly an original concept (you mentioned Crestron in your original post, and the basic concept is indistinguishable from what they've been doing for years...), but I do wonder if advances in computer technology and software have created an opportunity to create a system (even one built purely in software for folks with HTPC's already in their equipment racks) that offers many of the benefits of a Crestron system without the cost of the hardware and custom installation. And the Model 990 and Model 1070 both have RS-232 ports that could provide a more useful two-way communication channel in this scenario. For that matter, there have been some discussions about the 990's serial interface that have brought up the names of at least two software packages that probably already offer much of this capability (specifically Cinemar's MainLobby Server and Proximis' Girder). Whether Outlaw is the right company to build something like this or not, I don't know - it would seem likely that the software development would be a pretty hefty endeavor, and I don't know what all the hardware side would entail (a lot of I/O - IR, RS-232, USB, ethernet via network cable or wireless, maybe even bluetooth - plus a small computer to provide the backend and interface between user and equipment). If you were to get too carried away, there would be a strong risk of ending up stuck in or near the same price bracket as Crestron.

Here's what I know...

(1) Audiotron had this functionality in a $300 product. I imagine it would take more effort to build the interface for a box like the 950 or 990, but how much? I don't know.

(2) Crestron offers a product
http://www.crestron.com/products/show_products.asp?type=residential&cat=3&subcat=22&id=1166

I don't know if they have other options, but this one runs $1,350! That's way above what I'me thinking this is worth.

So, we have a pretty big price difference between these options.

The Crestron seems to be programmable. You build your own interface. The black box contains the web app server and you just transfer your xPanel programs you write on your computer. I figure I'd be willing to pay $200 for a product like this. The technology, today, isn't rocket science.

I would rather see it become an embedded product within the successor to the 990 even if it means paying an extra $200 for the unit. Maybe it could be an option that is available if you pay the premium?

The Audiotron had the functionality because the core of the unit was an interface between PC and device, so the network connection was already a core aspect of the unit and using a web interface was a convenient way to provide a "face" to the interface. That's a big plus that today's processors don't have. Will tomorrow's processors start out with some sort of PC interface that would make this process much easier (or even unavoidable)? The push for convergence suggests that some might, but convergence has been slow in coming (it was already quite the buzzword when the Audiotron was developed years ago).

I very much agree that Crestron's price tags are out of reach (to put it mildly) for the steadily growing market of home theater enthusiasts - the folks who invest a significant amount of time and money into their home theaters, but don't have the kind of deep pockets that allow for the custom install projects that are Crestron's target market. Like you, that seems to me to leave a gap in the market where a product in the $200-$300 price range could actually achieve some decent sales. I'd have to leave it to those better qualified to build such things to determine if such a beast could be brought to market in that price range.

An embedded product would likely cost less (in part because it would be required to do less - simply interface with the one specific component, alleviating a lot of compatibility issues and restricting the scope of the endeavor a bit), and it would be a cool feature to see in a processor. I just have a feeling that it would be easier for a small outfit like Outlaw to justify from a marketing standpoint if it were a standalone product. Perhaps, as you say, an optional unit that plugs into the RS-232 port of a processor and has an RJ45 port for connection to a computer network...

http://www.crestron.com/products/show_products.asp?type=residential&cat=3&subcat=22&id=1167

I just talked to Crestron. They say the above link costs $1,400 retail and requires a programmer to set up. Programmer is defined as someone with Crestron programmer training.

So, again, the price seems high.

I agree it is probably cheaper to build this into an existing product rather than build a universal system like the link above.

Hopefully Outlaw will look at this as an opportunity to be the first to do the convergence thing for A/V in a big way!