Zatabit

[tebery]

This is to Jim and Ryan:

A while back there was some information on Escient's website that they were in talks with Control4 about integrating their Vision line with C4. Since then the info is no longer on their website. Can you or anyone tell what the story is?

No offense to Zatabit, your products looks and sounds great, but I have Escient for myself for the last 6 or 7 years but sold them off when I installed C4.

tebery

[RyanE]

It's not my position to make any statement about Control4's relationship with Escient.

RyanE

[richey]

Not sure if any of you have tried Zatabit's new media servers but they're a great option for clients with a ton of movies. We just installed a system for a client with 1000 movies. The install was seemless with the longest part of the install being plugging the server into the system. After the system was plugged in we added the driver to the project, typed in the IP and it instantly started populating the media information to the control4 navigator. They claimed it was a 30 minute configuration process and it actually was.

We did have one problem with the system properly starting the movie once we selected it from the Control4 navigator but their tech support remoted into the box and had it fixed in about 20 minutes.

We added a client system to another room and it instantly saw the main server and configured itself and provided perfect video streaming over the 10/100 network from the main server.

Excellent product thus far...I'll keep everyone posted as I get more feedback from my client over the next few weeks.

[richey]

Once other thing to mention...it's nice to finally have a media server that can use Control4's interface natively and work off an IP driver instead of having to make an RS232 connection.

[stash]

Can someone post a picture of the back of one of thsese units. The product line-up is unclear from the website. Are there 10 video outs on the back of each server??? It says that each server can send video to 10 zones and that the client box allows you to expand that number to 11. Or is it more realistic to think that you must have a $6300 server and then a $2400 client for each display.

[InnSolAV]

Stash...you are correct that all media servers require a client per location and/or source output which interconnects over a traditional 10/100 network, including XBMC. The server includes a client and becomes the storage/NAS for each additional client. The beauty of Zatabit is that you can centralize your equipment and share your sources throughout your home over component video, and yes Blu-ray 1080p over component is a reality.

Instead of having:

4 Cable HD DVR/Satelllite HD DVR (Doesn't it stink to have to sit in the den to watch a show because it was recorded in the den?)

4 DVD/Blu-ray player

4 Control4 On Screen Navigator

1 Zatabit Server

3 Zatabit Client

...for 4 seperate TV locations------when you generally only watch 2 TVs at a time.

You can have:

2 Cable HD DVR/Satelllite HD DVR (Dad's DVR, Mom's DVR.....you choose where you watch your show)

1 DVD/Blu-ray player (This is for instant gratification of watching the movie right now. Generally requires HDMI to function....but there are options;)

1-2 Control4 GUI On Screen Navigator

1 Zatabit Server (Load your DVD/Blu-ray once from any computer and you'll not even need that Blu-ray player)

1 Zatabit Client

Increased cost for an Audio/Video Switch, Rack, and some wire.

Off set these costs by reducing monthly cable/satellite fees, delete 3 Blu-ray players, 2 Control4 Controllers, 2 Zatabit clients.

All you and your wife have to deal with is a remote and a TV.......everything else is stowed in one location. No more dust collecting components, with out of control wires stuffed into a cabinet which eventually overheats the equipment.

Steve

I'll work on a picture.

[natNrik]

Can someone post a picture of the back of one of these units. The product line-up is unclear from the website. Are there 10 video outs on the back of each server??? It says that each server can send video to 10 zones and that the client box allows you to expand that number to 11. Or is it more realistic to think that you must have a $6300 server and then a $2400 client for each display.

The server can be used as a standalone video source or you can add up to 10 clients per server allowing you to watch 11 different video sources in your home all at once.

[akg4y]

Stash...you are correct that all media servers require a client per location and/or source output which interconnects over a traditional 10/100 network, including XBMC. The server includes a client and becomes the storage/NAS for each additional client. The beauty of Zatabit is that you can centralize your equipment and share your sources throughout your home over component video, and yes Blu-ray 1080p over component is a reality.

Instead of having:

4 Cable HD DVR/Satelllite HD DVR (Doesn't it stink to have to sit in the den to watch a show because it was recorded in the den?)

4 DVD/Blu-ray player

4 Control4 On Screen Navigator

1 Zatabit Server

3 Zatabit Client

...for 4 seperate TV locations------when you generally only watch 2 TVs at a time.

You can have:

2 Cable HD DVR/Satelllite HD DVR (Dad's DVR, Mom's DVR.....you choose where you watch your show)

1 DVD/Blu-ray player (This is for instant gratification of watching the movie right now. Generally requires HDMI to function....but there are options;)

1-2 Control4 GUI On Screen Navigator

1 Zatabit Server (Load your DVD/Blu-ray once from any computer and you'll not even need that Blu-ray player)

1 Zatabit Client

Increased cost for an Audio/Video Switch, Rack, and some wire.

Off set these costs by reducing monthly cable/satellite fees, delete 3 Blu-ray players, 2 Control4 Controllers, 2 Zatabit clients.

All you and your wife have to deal with is a remote and a TV.......everything else is stowed in one location. No more dust collecting components, with out of control wires stuffed into a cabinet which eventually overheats the equipment.

Steve

I'll work on a picture.

One complication to note, for anyone who is a gamer... You will still need to have an Xbox/PS3 etc at the location of the television, which means if you want to use a centralized solution like this then you will have to send both video and audio (HDMI if possible, otherwise component & optical) from the location of your gaming system to your HR location, then through the components and back to the location of the TV/speakers. I basically have my house being wired for most of this, but decided to still keep components at each of the locations (Family Room, basement, etc) except for the media room out of convenience and so I have the ability to move the xbox wherever I want without having to pay for hundreds of dollars of extra wiring. A centralized solution is great for something like a DVR/Satellite receiver, etc, but can also become a huge waste of money if you dont plan correctly and want a gaming system. Also, there is something to be said for having the convenience of a local DVD player near every TV so that you dont have to run down into the basement every time if you want to watch a DVD/Bluray that isnt part of your collection (ie someone brings it over, a rental, etc). One solution I guess would be if you can stream from a laptop to your distributed system, but I would doubt the ability for that to run without hiccups.

[InnSolAV]

You didn't mention you wanted me to diagram and wire your whole house. We call them a media plate and we usually install them at the main tv locations and others if merited. The media plate can either go to the AV Switch or to the AVR in that location. Depending on your home's setup....we have installed all games other than the Wii in a rack and they love it. Instead of having a DVD for every TV....why not have 1 per floor that goes back to the AV Switch and can be shared with multiple locations. Remember that if your AVRs are in a rack you'll have quite the expense sending Blu-ray all the way from the TV location to the Rack to then come back. Another solution would be Vudu where you don't even have to leave the lazyboy. Basically you have many decisions and options.

One thing to think about is that we install speaker free panels (minimal bezel---more picture frame like) with inceiling/inwall speakers (nothing that the wife has to decorate around). Distributed Audio speakers should also be used for Distributed Video. With this option you can play a Concert DVD in Party Mode with all of the panels showing the concert and all of the speakers (balanced for each location) playing the music while you are entertaining your friends and family. Maybe it is for you and maybe not.

[akg4y]

Haha Ive spent countless hours wiring and diagramming my house already. The media plate sounds pretty cool. So it takes the signals from the xbox wireless controllers and conveys them to the gaming system in the rack? Does the media plate connect to the USB port of the XBox 360, to the internal antenna (voiding the warranty?), or just convey the controller signal itself and recreate it at the site of the xbox on the rack? What sort of delay does that add to the system though? For online first person shooters I would be worried that would mean all the difference between getting the kill and being the kill.

Im not sure exactly what you're referring to with the speaker free panels, do you have a picture/example?

I do plan on having the house wired with distributed audio to 12+ zones, distributed video (7 wire cable for: Component Video + RCA audio + dual cat5e for future HDMI possibly) to between 8-11 locations, including dual connections to a single location on 3 floors to be able to use a single video source on each floor as part of the distributed video solution.

On another note... why not the Wii? I would think that would actually be the easiest thing to extend, cant you cut the wire from the motion sensor, splice that with in-wall cabling to the HR location and then splice it at the other end to the portion of the cable that connects to the Wii?

[InnSolAV]

The xbox works wirelessly from the rack to the location. Understanding it can only travel so far...that's why I said it depends upon the rack and gaming locations. For first person shooting.......you know wired is king. I have yet to whack into the Wii wire...but am planning on giving it a whirl. I am in the middle of a complete remodel on our house and am anxious to work out some of those issues. I am by no means a gamer but understand its necessity and enjoy making a fool out of myself.

We install plasmas that either have removeable speakers or are monitors (without a TV tuner). It creates a simple visual line when you see all glass but for the 2" bezel. These panels generally have the best adjustments for calibration as well as best warranties. The manufacturer knows the panels last so they throw in a 2nd year warranty.......warm fuzzies anyone? With the AV Switch all of your video sources as well as audio sources will go through the inceiling speakers. I'd just wire for component, future hdmi, control wire and antenna (component, 3 cat5E, 1 RG6). The media plate would add 2 RG6 to the TV wiring amount for return audio and video to the AV switch. I use this plate for cameras and camcorders all of the time. If you had to have it you could run an HDMI from the media plate to the plasma. The media plate would send the audio to the rack.

What 2 devices are you imagining for each floor?

[akg4y]

Ok got it.. I thought you had a solution to extend the wireless range of the xbox controllers which would be a godsend. Ive read about it online and seems like the only way to do it is to open the box up (voiding warranty) and run a wire from the internal antenna to the location you want to play from.

Currently to the 5 surround locations in the house I have component, 2 RCA (audio), 3 cat5e, and 2 RG6. If I preferred the PS3 over Xbox I could survive with just a PS3 at any given location since it has a Blu-Ray player, but since I dont Ill probably have to have a Blu-Ray player & either Xbox 360 or media center extender, although I am very interested in the capability to do an XBMC box at the HR location and just distribute that via the distributed video.

[InnSolAV]

If you locally place the PS3 you'll not be able to get the Dolby True Hd audio back to the surround receiver. Do you plan on renting Blu-rays often? Look into VUDU for a rental solution.

[akg4y]

Thats what I was planning on useing two cat5e for if I need future HDMI llater. Chances are the majority of our movie viewing will be in the media room & basement which both have direct HDMI to the HR location. The wiring to the family room & master bedroom would be the ones that if needed I would get the HDMI baluns to convert the 2 cat5e to HDMI. Ive been considering VUDU but I dont think we would rent enough to make it worthwhile.

The more I think about it though, Im leaning back towards just having a set of components in the family room and master bedroom along with the distributed video to use a single cablebox/satellite receiver.

[tmork]

Hello

I was wondering if anyone has a zatabit system and what they think of it.

Thanks

[thecodeman]

Good question, I'd like to know as well.

[ILoveC4]

My dealer has one. He'd probably sell it super cheap because he is sick of looking at it. Aside from a couple of commercial jobs he has never been able to convince anyone to pony up that kind of dough. Those things are *SUPER* pricey.

[zaphod]

My dealer has one. He'd probably sell it super cheap because he is sick of looking at it. Aside from a couple of commercial jobs he has never been able to convince anyone to pony up that kind of dough. Those things are *SUPER* pricey.

That's kind of what I was thinking - I hate sounding like a broken record but you could do this with Sage TV and have a system with 4 clients that can distribute over ethernet. You could use it for HDTV, ripped DVDs, ripped BluRays, music, etc. And it would cost less than $2500 for the whole shebang. And I don't know that the Zatabit can do PVR stuff properly as the PVRs supplied by cable and satellite companies totally suck vs. PC based PVRs such as Windows Media Center, SageTV and BeyondTV.

[ILoveC4]

I need to look into turning a PC into a PVR but don't want to take this thread off course. Zaphod, would mind shooting me an email? I have a couple of questions for you as to how you recommend doing this.

[thecodeman]

Xbmc.

[akg4y]

thecodeman youre starting to sound like me

[thecodeman]

LOL. I still have XBMC installed on my personal computer at home, but I havent had the time to set it up or anything. I'm looking forward to the new driver for C4 for XBMC, it will be really neat.

[tmork]

Is no one buying a zatabit system because of the price or is it not a good system?

[ILoveC4]

It is a great system, just expensive as hell.