istreich Posted October 9, 2022 Share Posted October 9, 2022 With the release of 3.3.1, the question of replacing an older HC800 is becoming more timely. Can someone simply articulate what both an EA5 and a Core 5 would add (or lose) vs current HC800 (beyond of course the ability to upgrade SW to 3.3.1 and later). In this specific case, I also have an IO extender and a Control4 audio matrix switch. I understand that Core is more recent and will give you more years… and let’s not reopen the can of worms on EOL or Control4 business model… Just trying to make an educated and pragmatic decision on the need to replace working HC800 and options to do so (with ideally some indications of price range). Thanks in advance! c44me 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveControl Posted October 9, 2022 Share Posted October 9, 2022 Good question, I am in the same boat have three EA5s and two HC300 which has served me for years and been rock solid. Was trying to do the upgrade and got stopped because of the HC300s.Interested in this thread.Sent from my SM-F926B using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggzlot Posted October 9, 2022 Share Posted October 9, 2022 3 hours ago, istreich said: With the release of 3.3.1, the question of replacing an older HC800 is becoming more timely. Can someone simply articulate what both an EA5 and a Core 5 would add (or lose) vs current HC800 (beyond of course the ability to upgrade SW to 3.3.1 and later). In this specific case, I also have an IO extender and a Control4 audio matrix switch. I understand that Core is more recent and will give you more years… and let’s not reopen the can of worms on EOL or Control4 business model… Just trying to make an educated and pragmatic decision on the need to replace working HC800 and options to do so (with ideally some indications of price range). Thanks in advance! With an EA5 or a Core 5 you can upgrade to 3.3.1 and beyond and get OSD. I believe that is what you get by ditching the HC800 So then the question becomes get a used EA5 or a new Core 5 (doubt you’ll find a used Core 5). It comes down to price - someone can give MSRP on the Core 5 and then its shopping here or eBay for an EA5 and its a financial decision. You’ll get more years out of the Core 5 before it goes EOL compared to the EA5. In the past C4 has supported controllers for close to 10 years. The v1 EA5 came out in 2016. So it is already “long in the tooth” though I think around 2019 they came out with a v2 (a few changes under the hood). If C4 keeps up with 10 years of support (again its a guess, just based on previous support), will the clock start around 2016 or 2019? Your guess is as good as anyones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chopedogg88 Posted October 9, 2022 Share Posted October 9, 2022 In addition, Core 5 also has more audio outputs with better audio quality than the ea5, built in zwave radio and will be supporting all z-wave plus enabled devices. Oh and a newer faster processor. I would also expect that future enhancements may only be supported when running a core series controller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
South Africa C4 user Posted October 9, 2022 Share Posted October 9, 2022 And Core5 gives a 4K OSD. Not a reason to upgrade but is a nice addition if one has to get one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Leeds UK Posted October 9, 2022 Share Posted October 9, 2022 Do the core controllers ~ do 4K with the cctv cameras ? c44me 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msgreenf Posted October 9, 2022 Share Posted October 9, 2022 1 hour ago, Gary Leeds UK said: Do the core controllers ~ do 4K with the cctv cameras ? No, control4 doesn’t support 4K video for cameras Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chopedogg88 Posted October 9, 2022 Share Posted October 9, 2022 Not yet. Hopefully soon though! C4 User 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c44me Posted October 9, 2022 Share Posted October 9, 2022 In this predicament as well.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew luecke Posted October 9, 2022 Share Posted October 9, 2022 The Core Series does support H265 with OSD though and higher res though for CCTV. Also, HC800 won't support the Halo . C4 is also moving along so fast with development, I wouldn't be surprised if within 6 months, that the latest C4 OS adds other massive features which will never be available on HC800. C4 User 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baubas Cat Posted October 10, 2022 Share Posted October 10, 2022 15 hours ago, chopedogg88 said: built in zwave radio and will be supporting all z-wave plus enabled devices. It's not recommended to go over 70 ZigBee devices. Is there a limit for Z-Wave devices on the CORE controllers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Leeds UK Posted October 10, 2022 Share Posted October 10, 2022 14 hours ago, Andrew luecke said: The Core Series does support H265 with OSD though and higher res though for CCTV. Also, HC800 won't support the Halo . C4 is also moving along so fast with development, I wouldn't be surprised if within 6 months, that the latest C4 OS adds other massive features which will never be available on HC800. To be honest the reason I did not upgrade to EA controller was no 4k Video from CCTV. In no rush for a new remote so will hang on until we get Geo fencing and 4k Video 3.3 is pretty stable and the Colour Wheel was great add on. Just a guess, will the EA Controllers be EOL next year - Now the Core has newer faster processor and the new features will be designed for the CORE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msgreenf Posted October 10, 2022 Share Posted October 10, 2022 There are also improvements to the color wheel. Inversion 331. FYI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baubas Cat Posted October 10, 2022 Share Posted October 10, 2022 2 minutes ago, Gary Leeds UK said: and the Colour Wheel was great add on. Does the Colour Wheel only show if you have the Hue Bridge and Hue lights? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msgreenf Posted October 10, 2022 Share Posted October 10, 2022 No. There's about a dozen drivers that it supports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanITman Posted October 10, 2022 Share Posted October 10, 2022 16 hours ago, msgreenf said: No, control4 doesn’t support 4K video for cameras The mobile app does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Leeds UK Posted October 10, 2022 Share Posted October 10, 2022 1 hour ago, DanITman said: The mobile app does. yes but you cannot programme the Mobile App We like Doorbell Pressed / Senors Go Off - TV Jumps to Camera in that Area. We cannot do that now has all our cameras are 4k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msgreenf Posted October 10, 2022 Share Posted October 10, 2022 8 minutes ago, Gary Leeds UK said: We cannot do that now has all our cameras are 4k if your cameras support sub streams you can... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therockhr Posted October 10, 2022 Share Posted October 10, 2022 The decision comes down so much on how you have your system designed. If you are using the C4 controllers for the built in audio, IO and the on screen display then you will definitely want the CORE5. The built in audio is definitely the biggest thing to consider. if you don’t use the built in audio, use something like Lutron for lighting and don’t care about the OSD, you would be surprised how much just an EA1 could do. Also if you don’t want to buy used then you for sure should just buy a core. South Africa C4 user 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
South Africa C4 user Posted October 10, 2022 Share Posted October 10, 2022 55 minutes ago, therockhr said: The decision comes down so much on how you have your system designed. If you are using the C4 controllers for the built in audio, IO and the on screen display then you will definitely want the CORE5. The built in audio is definitely the biggest thing to consider. if you don’t use the built in audio, use something like Lutron for lighting and don’t care about the OSD, you would be surprised how much just an EA1 could do. Also if you don’t want to buy used then you for sure should just buy a core. This is a useful summary! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
istreich Posted October 10, 2022 Author Share Posted October 10, 2022 Thanks everyone. Super useful. Is there somewhere a side-by-side comparison between Core 3 and Core 5. I am using Lutron Ra2 for lighting (integrated with Control4) and don't care about OSD. However, I use Control4 native audio (Deezer, Spotify, Pandora) and have a number of integrations such as alarm, cameras (via Blue Iris), TV controls (IP),... My HC800 has been working great until now and I am still debating between used EA5 v2, and new Core 3 and Core 5. Feedback on differences between EA5 and Core 5 has been very helpful. Adding EA3 in loop would be very useful. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alt Posted October 10, 2022 Share Posted October 10, 2022 I would not upgrade my HC800 to an EA series controller at this point. I still have a HC800 running 3.2.4 and it's great. The processor in the HC800 is a work horse. I would be tempted to upgrade to a Core 3/5 in the future though, once new remotes drop and new features are added. jm2c! Gary Leeds UK and istreich 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therockhr Posted October 10, 2022 Share Posted October 10, 2022 31 minutes ago, istreich said: Thanks everyone. Super useful. Is there somewhere a side-by-side comparison between Core 3 and Core 5. I am using Lutron Ra2 for lighting (integrated with Control4) and don't care about OSD. However, I use Control4 native audio (Deezer, Spotify, Pandora) and have a number of integrations such as alarm, cameras (via Blue Iris), TV controls (IP),... My HC800 has been working great until now and I am still debating between used EA5 v2, and new Core 3 and Core 5. Feedback on differences between EA5 and Core 5 has been very helpful. Adding EA3 in loop would be very useful. Thanks again. How many streams of audio do you need? That will be the deciding factor. msgreenf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
istreich Posted October 10, 2022 Author Share Posted October 10, 2022 Never used more than one in past few years… Is there a way to see how « taxed » performance wise my HC800 is to evaluate how much horsepower I need with new controller? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therockhr Posted October 10, 2022 Share Posted October 10, 2022 1 hour ago, istreich said: Never used more than one in past few years… Is there a way to see how « taxed » performance wise my HC800 is to evaluate how much horsepower I need with new controller? If you only need 1 stream of audio and your audio matrix supports an input of digital coax then you could just use a CORE1. Also depends on how many IO you need. There is no difference between the CORE 1 and 3 in terms of processing power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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