Moving house, wanting to try a different platform...

[Cyknight]

14 hours ago, DanITman said:

and most Control4 customer likely don't have it either.  

I highly doubt that. I expect most (as in more than half) still do, or some hybrid form. But is that changing - sure.

[DanITman]

3 hours ago, Cyknight said:

Huh? I don't follow.

The Roku TV brand called TCL.  They are top seller of TVs in the US.  I buy their high-end version of their TVs QLED.

[DanITman]

3 hours ago, Cyknight said:

I highly doubt that. I expect most (as in more than half) still do, or some hybrid form. But is that changing - sure.

So you think over half of Control4 customers have video distribution?  

[zaphod]

I would doubt that, but it depends how you count C4 customers.  Many may just have lights and a few other devices with very little or no AV integration.

[Andrew luecke]

2 hours ago, DanITman said:

The Roku TV brand called TCL.  They are top seller of TVs in the US.  I buy their high-end version of their TVs QLED.

Others should keep in mind, internationally, TCL does NOT use Roku (it only seems to be in US and a few other places). In other countries, they use their own Linux thing, or Android TV instead

[Amr]

I believe with the good and cheap streamers market out there (excluding Apple); the use for video distribution diminishes, if you put 2~3 streams at every TV u will save tons of money! If you don’t have cable then there absolutely no need for it, so am sure less and less home owners will use it, remember DSLR’s!?

[msgreenf]

personally I am excited to have video distribution in my new house.  Just like the cleaness behind each TV and at each location.

[eggzlot]

1 hour ago, Amr said:

I believe with the good and cheap streamers market out there (excluding Apple); the use for video distribution diminishes, if you put 2~3 streams at every TV u will save tons of money! If you don’t have cable then there absolutely no need for it, so am sure less and less home owners will use it, remember DSLR’s!?

I still have a mirrorless camera and it takes better photos than my iPhone.  If you are a serious photographer (which I Am not) framing a proper photo in a DSLR/Mirrorless camera is way different than pointing your cell phone and hitting click.  Phones are far from the ability to take photos as good as DSLR/Mirrorless set ups.  It is good enough for the masses, its a threat to the business due to losing the mainstream folk, but its not the same end results and there is a use for DSLR's.  wake me up with sideline photographers are using camera phones.  Maybe one day, not today.

Same could be said for video distribution, it isnt intended for the masses, but it can do more than 2-3 streaming boxes behind each tv.  Do you need that horsepower?  Do you need the horsepower of the DSLR?  

[Rob21]

What's the best way of sending audio back to the rack if you aren't using video distribution? I know some people use baluns but wouldn't that create delay and/or quality loss?

[mstafford388]

3 minutes ago, Rob21 said:

What's the best way of sending audio back to the rack if you aren't using video distribution? I know some people use baluns but wouldn't that create delay and/or quality loss?

Done tons of digital audio baluns from TVs back to distributed audio and have never had issues with delays.  Audio quality out of a TV output will never be great but for your typical pair of in celing speakers in a house audio system it's fine. 

[Andrew luecke]

35 minutes ago, Rob21 said:

What's the best way of sending audio back to the rack if you aren't using video distribution? I know some people use baluns but wouldn't that create delay and/or quality loss?

We always used https://www.blustream.com.au/cat100au . Low latency, no quality loss.

[LollerAgent]

16 hours ago, Andrew luecke said:

We always used https://www.blustream.com.au/cat100au . Low latency, no quality loss.

Xantech offers the same models in the US.

https://www.xantech.com/product/audio-over-cat-cable-built-dac-XT-CAT-ARC-KIT

[Cyknight]

22 hours ago, DanITman said:

their high-end version

Still not following

 

22 hours ago, DanITman said:

So you think over half of Control4 customers have video distribution?  

Yes that's what I said - as in over half of existing systems (not new installs perhaps, though I'd say we still do 70% with some form of video distribution - having the game in sync everywhere is kind of a big thing....)

[Cyknight]

22 hours ago, DanITman said:

They are top seller of TVs in the US

Nope. They passed Hisense LG and Sony (more or less at launch a few years ago except for LG) but samsung still has nearly a 3rd of the market - TCL claims to have sold the largest amount of android TVs globally but that's not the same thing - especially since they don't even SELL android TVs in the US (as their main anyway)

[DanITman]

1 hour ago, Cyknight said:

Nope. They passed Hisense LG and Sony (more or less at launch a few years ago except for LG) but samsung still has nearly a 3rd of the market - TCL claims to have sold the largest amount of android TVs globally but that's not the same thing - especially since they don't even SELL android TVs in the US (as their main anyway)

Nope??  They aren't in the top but then you argue they are in the top?   I'm not following.  

TCL sells android TVs in the US at every major retailer. 

[Cyknight]

34 minutes ago, DanITman said:

Nope??  They aren't in the top but then you argue they are in the top?   I'm not following.  

TCL sells android TVs in the US at every major retailer. 

The way you wrote it you'd be saying THE top seller as I read it - which is what I responded to.

[Amr]

22 hours ago, eggzlot said:

I still have a mirrorless camera and it takes better photos than my iPhone.  If you are a serious photographer (which I Am not) framing a proper photo in a DSLR/Mirrorless camera is way different than pointing your cell phone and hitting click.  Phones are far from the ability to take photos as good as DSLR/Mirrorless set ups.  It is good enough for the masses, its a threat to the business due to losing the mainstream folk, but its not the same end results and there is a use for DSLR's.  wake me up with sideline photographers are using camera phones.  Maybe one day, not today.

Same could be said for video distribution, it isnt intended for the masses, but it can do more than 2-3 streaming boxes behind each tv.  Do you need that horsepower?  Do you need the horsepower of the DSLR?  

Exactly DSLR’s are not for the masses, I have 2 BTW, I still love my Nikon and Lenses Kits, I hear you, phones can only do one thing good being a phone.

My Point of View here; Video Distrbution is an ancient setup, if what you have is streaming service, then u probably end up with one or two streamers max for every TV, so if you don’t do cable, satellite, etc. what are you going to distribute, this is the argument.

[eggzlot]

13 hours ago, Amr said:

Exactly DSLR’s are not for the masses, I have 2 BTW, I still love my Nikon and Lenses Kits, I hear you, phones can only do one thing good being a phone.

My Point of View here; Video Distrbution is an ancient setup, if what you have is streaming service, then u probably end up with one or two streamers max for every TV, so if you don’t do cable, satellite, etc. what are you going to distribute, this is the argument.

Distribution of content.  Cable content or a streaming service content 

not sure why cable content is something to distribute but streaming content shouldn’t be distributed?

to me sports are a big one.  I can watch a ufc fight on cable or a streaming service.  Same with the Super Bowl.  Or any other big live shows or events where large groups can gather to watch 

[mstafford388]

1 hour ago, eggzlot said:

Distribution of content.  Cable content or a streaming service content 

not sure why cable content is something to distribute but streaming content shouldn’t be distributed?

to me sports are a big one.  I can watch a ufc fight on cable or a streaming service.  Same with the Super Bowl.  Or any other big live shows or events where large groups can gather to watch 

Part of the pitch with distributing cable boxes is (was) you don't need as many.  Instead of paying $10/month for each of your 10 cable boxes, get 2 and distribute them your 10 TVs.  That's not as big a deal with streaming, as you pay $100ish for a Roku for each TV but only once.  That's likely the point that was being made....as more things have moved to streaming the justification to spend thousands on video distribution has faded hard.  

[neil12011]

On 8/1/2022 at 9:41 PM, eggzlot said:

Netplay by video storm 

has PiP with IP cameras.  Door rings and I get a PiP box for 10 seconds with a live feed on the tv. 

 

What super nerd set you up with all that?  Must have been a TOTAL clown.

[chopedogg88]

https://youtu.be/sTDENzpW7tw

[eggzlot]

1 hour ago, neil12011 said:

 

What super nerd set you up with all that?  Must have been a TOTAL clown.

a clown who likes to try new things on their clients that's for sure!

2 hours ago, mstafford388 said:

Part of the pitch with distributing cable boxes is (was) you don't need as many.  Instead of paying $10/month for each of your 10 cable boxes, get 2 and distribute them your 10 TVs.  That's not as big a deal with streaming, as you pay $100ish for a Roku for each TV but only once.  That's likely the point that was being made....as more things have moved to streaming the justification to spend thousands on video distribution has faded hard.  

I get that.  Which is why I said it is still a luxury add on to an already priced luxury platform.  I could imagine having 7-10 TVs and 1-2 boxes behind each one and having to troubleshoot 1 down box or change your netflix password and now go do it 10 times on each TV, oh wait you dont have netflix anymore but you put that $15 towards Paramount plus, now go download it and set it up 10x in the house.  There is some upkeep with having 15-20 devices and keeping OS updated, apps updated, passwords updated, etc.

I still think the biggest selling point for us was sharing video/audio across the house all in sync.

And for what it is worth, forget about "sync" - streaming apps tend to be behind, so not great for live sports, especially if your cell phone gets various updates before you see what happens it can be annoying....

 

[Amr]

SSO and QR code makes it easy and it’s really not that hard, we are just discussing the fact that Audio Distrbution is more appealing to new installs than the Video one, any one with luxury budget and out of this discussion will go for the full shebang, am just saying the VD trend is downward, will always be there, but not for the masses as adoption will for sure decline over time!

Am also sure there will be some disruption in A/V in general and new techs will emerge.

[wnpublic]

On 8/1/2022 at 9:06 AM, RyanE said:

Home Assistant has no concept of music distribution, and Control4 doesn't publish audio or control protocols for any of the music elements, so I'm guessing no.

RyanE

If OP switches to Home Assistant they will not want the music elements or any other element of control4. And of course it has a concept of music distribution. So much fud 

[wnpublic]

On 7/31/2022 at 3:43 PM, eggzlot said:

 

home assistant and apple home arent even a comparison to c4 and others 

True, but not in the way you believe.