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  1. #1
    IVB
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    All I wanted to do was automate my Home Theater Receiver

    I had a decent Home Theater setup. I got a plasma, setup a media closet in the next room so I could get that "clean" look, decided to plug my receiver into the PC so I could get bidirectional serial control and put the current status/power state/source/volume on the screen.

    Now look what I got.

    List of Interfaces in the thread (not all in this post, i'm over the max. See next posts):
    - Main Menu w/Mzone wrapper (with sliders)
    - Zone Control by name (select which source for which room)
    - Zone Control by picture
    - Source Overview (see what's playing on each source)
    - Source Control
    .....CD Stream 1 via art
    .....CD Stream 1 via text
    .....CD Stream 2 via art
    .....CD Stream 2 via text
    .....XM Overview
    .....DVD Overview
    .....DVD Detailed Info selection
    .....TV Guide (via SageTV web browser)
    - HA Control Menu
    .....Security & Motion
    .....Doors & Windows
    .....Elk Keypad
    .....Elk Zone Review
    .....Weather (4 day, 7 day with Doppler, 7day with Satellite, 7 day with temperature radar)
    .....Irrigation
    .....Doorbell Detector popup
    .....Traffic
    .....Denon Control
    .....HVAC

    PDA Screens:
    - Main Menu
    - A/V Equipment control
    - Zone Control (Select Source for room)
    - DVD Cover Art Browser (plays directly from that screen)
    - XM Control
    - Elk Security System Control
    - Motion Sensor Status
    - HVAC Control (This is the total appkiller for me - the ability to turn heat on from elsewhere when en-route home even made wife say "wow, that's useful".






















  2. #2
    IVB
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    Round 2 of the images [too many for one post].




















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  4. #4
    IVB
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    And finally, here's the PDA ones. I use these primarily on my Cingular PDA Cellphone, so I can control the house when remote. It's primarily for security purposes, but i put some H/T functionality here so I can start DVDs/etc for the inlaws when they're over babysitting the kids.

    BTW, these use a secure PDA app which directly hits a Gateway server in my house, so I don't need logmein.com, and so no unnecessary software or security holes. Plus, there's optimization possible, such as "only download an image once even if I use it 10x on the same screen".
















  5. #5
    Color me gone... Resident Loser's Avatar
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    Why...

    ...do I get the impression that it's easier to launch the MIRV'd missles from one of those non-descript silos in the Dakotas than it is to listen to some music on your system...

    IMHO: too much packaging; not enough product...

    jimHJJ(...so much for "It's the music that matters"...)
    Hello, I'm a misanthrope...don't ask me why, just take a good look around.

    "Men would rather believe than know" -Sociobiology: The New Synthesis by Edward O. Wilson

    "The great masses of the people...will more easily fall victims to a great lie than to a small one" -Adolph Hitler

    "We are never deceived, we deceive ourselves" -Goethe

    If you repeat a lie often enough, some will believe it to be the truth...

  6. #6
    Big science. Hallelujah. noddin0ff's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Resident Loser
    ...do I get the impression that it's easier to launch the MIRV'd missles from one of those non-descript silos in the Dakotas than it is to listen to some music on your system...

    IMHO: too much packaging; not enough product...

    jimHJJ(...so much for "It's the music that matters"...)
    oh, geez...now he's gonna add missle capability! I'm very impressed IVB. If you can get it to open a beer for you I think you'll be done...

  7. #7
    IVB
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    Quote Originally Posted by Resident Loser
    ...do I get the impression that it's easier to launch the MIRV'd missles from one of those non-descript silos in the Dakotas than it is to listen to some music on your system...

    IMHO: too much packaging; not enough product...

    jimHJJ(...so much for "It's the music that matters"...)
    Yeah, I certainly accept that my system isn't like most others, and wouldn't work for many. My own opinion is that all these "techie" equipment type screens like this one by an audiophile who uses the same package I do are too sterile for my tastes. I looked for a setup that made sense to the only one who matters. (my wife, god knows that's not me)

    It's 4 clicks to any CD (ripped in FLAC) or XM station. Wife came home the other day, and the nanny, who's a COMPLETE non-techie, was sitting with the kids listening to classical in the living room. And we never actually showed her how to use the system...

  8. #8
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    Well IVB...

    ...don't take this personal...well not too personal but, we are obviously from polar opposites of the spectrum...being an avowed Luddite tends to skew my perspective...

    If I or my wife wants to watch tee-vee, our only acquiesence to technology is in the use of a remote or three...still gotta' get up, load the VHS or the DVD and flip a selector...oh, the burden of it all.

    Sorta the same with my hi-fi...Well, yeah...there is that bother of turning on the source, pre-amp, equalizer and amp (in that order), Then there's selecting an album and lifting the dust cover and placing the tone-arm just so...but there is the alternative of the cassette player or the CD changer for longer, unfettered listening sessions...then, of course, the reverse turn-off procedure...

    If I want to check the weather, a quick look out the window pretty much says it all...or maybe the forecast on the radio or tee-vee...If I had cable, the Weather Channel might be handy...If I cared abut Saturday on Monday...heck, it's only weather...

    I can get the indoor temp by looking at my thermostat...knowing the weather conditions in the spare room isn't a requirement for my peace of mind...

    Watering the lawn? When required, I drag out the hose and sprinkler and let it sprinkle...the rain gauge tells all...

    My alarm system (burglary, fire, smoke, CO) is transparent and always on...and while we have no motion detectors per se I've found my dogs to be quite reliable over the years...

    I'd guess you, your wife, kids and the intuitive nanny just have priorities that differ from mine...

    jimHJJ(...ooops, gotta' go...who's that knockin' at my door...)
    Hello, I'm a misanthrope...don't ask me why, just take a good look around.

    "Men would rather believe than know" -Sociobiology: The New Synthesis by Edward O. Wilson

    "The great masses of the people...will more easily fall victims to a great lie than to a small one" -Adolph Hitler

    "We are never deceived, we deceive ourselves" -Goethe

    If you repeat a lie often enough, some will believe it to be the truth...

  9. #9
    Class of the clown GMichael's Avatar
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    I'm sure that once upon a time, someone said, "why do I need a hose to water my lawn? I just grab a bucket and walk out to my well. A few cranks later, I have all the water I need."
    WARNING! - The Surgeon General has determined that, time spent listening to music is not deducted from one's lifespan.

  10. #10
    Da Dragonball Kid L.J.'s Avatar
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    Yes, it must be able to open a beer or all that hard work is wasted. What the hell, how bout throwing some ribs on the grill also.

  11. #11
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    Sorry GM...

    Quote Originally Posted by GMichael
    I'm sure that once upon a time, someone said, "why do I need a hose to water my lawn? I just grab a bucket and walk out to my well. A few cranks later, I have all the water I need."
    ...I don't see plumbing (indoor or out) as unnecessary bells and whistles...Weather in three or four time zones is another matter...

    jimHJJ(...entirely...)
    Hello, I'm a misanthrope...don't ask me why, just take a good look around.

    "Men would rather believe than know" -Sociobiology: The New Synthesis by Edward O. Wilson

    "The great masses of the people...will more easily fall victims to a great lie than to a small one" -Adolph Hitler

    "We are never deceived, we deceive ourselves" -Goethe

    If you repeat a lie often enough, some will believe it to be the truth...

  12. #12
    Class of the clown GMichael's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Resident Loser
    ...I don't see plumbing (indoor or out) as unnecessary bells and whistles...Weather in three or four time zones is another matter...

    jimHJJ(...entirely...)
    Times change. I see it the same way you do. But that's because we grew up with it this way. Grandpa used to say how he was against having people crap under the same roof that they eat. When we grew up, who needed a remote. "The TV is just a few feet away." Now we'll turn our house upside down looking for the remote instead of changing the chanel manualy. Who know what another 50 years will bring? Systems that know that you are almost home (by way of GPS) and turn the A/C or heat (and HT) on. Anyone without it will get laughed at? "What? You have to turn your stove on MANUALY?!" HAHAHAHAHA. "Who are you, Barney Rubble?"
    WARNING! - The Surgeon General has determined that, time spent listening to music is not deducted from one's lifespan.

  13. #13
    Kam
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    filet - o - fish Kam's Avatar
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    i think everyone has just missed the obvious brought up by all of this.... which is..... umm.... "12 Inches of Snow"????????????? Someone owns this????



    (just meant in friendly jest IVB, dont take it personal, i own Notting Hill if its any consolation)
    /create

  14. #14
    IVB
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kam
    i think everyone has just missed the obvious brought up by all of this.... which is..... umm.... "12 Inches of Snow"????????????? Someone owns this????



    (just meant in friendly jest IVB, dont take it personal, i own Notting Hill if its any consolation)
    I REALLY need to change that screenshot. It just happens to be the first screen in the collection. I sent a link to this thread to some college buddies, have heard no end of grief...

    ...don't take this personal...well not too personal but, we are obviously from polar opposites of the spectrum...being an avowed Luddite tends to skew my perspective...
    Interestingly enough, my wife is also a luddite-wannabe. However, I firmly believe that Home Automation is finally at a point where the luddites are the ones who'll actually benefit the most. Imagine being able to do highly sophisticated things without having to spend hours interacting with technology.

    For example, last week my wife noticed her flowers were dying. They're hooked up to the irrigation system, but 6 months ago that would have meant either going to figure out that damn controller module [which I hate with the dials and the buttons and the dials], or schlepping the hose out from the basement. (sound familiar?). Instead, on her way through the kitchen, she punched a few buttons and the sprinkler system came on just for that zone, It's setup to automatically turn itself off after 5 mins, so she could hang out and do whatever, and the flowers got watered.

    From a Home Theater perspective, most importantly to me, I don't have to get any more phone calls at work saying "I'm trying to listen to listen to a CD but the music isn't coming on". That alone is priceless.

    Who know what another 50 years will bring? Systems that know that you are almost home (by way of GPS) and turn the A/C or heat (and HT) on.
    Dude, i'll be there in 6-9 months. The GPS in my cellphone is going to automatically send an SMS message to the house to turn the heat on when i'm 5 miles away. When I pull into the driveway, RFID will recognize the car, react accordingly.

    The future is sooner than you think. [technically, it'll be here tomorrow ]

  15. #15
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    Yes GM...

    ...I agree times do change...if not, why would we have swapped the pollution of horse droppings for that of the internal combustion engine?

    My point, if there even is one, was a critique of our over reliance on automation, etc. and an abdication of work and commom sense. IMO, much of it has simply dumbed-down a vast portion of the population...As examples: Air-bags...a passive system which has a segment of the population eschewing the use of seat belts...Traction control, etc. You no longer have to learn how to drive properly when the car takes up your slack...Microwave ovens...cooking proper nutritious foods is passe'...just go to the market, purchase your sugary or salty, fat laden corporate variant of soylent green, packed in it's definitely non-green, come hither container, nuke it and voila! rampant obesity...I mean Col. Macwendybelle has a hand in it, but I think you get my drift...Cell phones? Don't get me started...can be a lifesaver in certain circumstances, but when you are a captive audience to the dimwit in the next stall who is having a completely useless, walkie-talkie tete-a-tete, it goes beyond the pale. What did we ever do before them? How did we possibly decide between freeze-dried Crunchy-Munchy or deep-fried Zip-a-di-doodas? And on a bit of the esoteric side...how many hikers will rely solely on GPS without the slightest familiarity with a compass and topo map?

    There's a downside to most everything that's new, improved or revolutionary...people no longer have to make a reasoned decision when others or machines can do it for them.

    jimHJJ(...and let's not even get into gas-guzzling SUVs and the concept of nannies...)
    Hello, I'm a misanthrope...don't ask me why, just take a good look around.

    "Men would rather believe than know" -Sociobiology: The New Synthesis by Edward O. Wilson

    "The great masses of the people...will more easily fall victims to a great lie than to a small one" -Adolph Hitler

    "We are never deceived, we deceive ourselves" -Goethe

    If you repeat a lie often enough, some will believe it to be the truth...

  16. #16
    IVB
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    My counterpoint, not meant to provoke anything other than discussion, is this:

    Is it a reliance on machines, or is it using machines to do the "dumb" work, and using our brains for the higher-level activity? I mean, how much of your brain is it taking to schlep the hose out and water the plants as opposed to letting a system to do it. You've already done the "higher order" thinking by determining the lawn needs watering, now it's just a grunt-execution level task.

    As the old jokes goes, we've already decided what type of people we are, now we're just haggling about the extent. You've chosen to type on a computer with a virtual community instead of talking to your neighbor. You have a source, pre-amp, eq, and an amp, which means you rely on electricity for enjoyment rather than reading a book (which presumably you'd need a light rather than a candle, so I guess that's not that much better).

    Is using some electronics to handle the grunt work of distributing some audio or video signals throughout the house, or pressing a button to send water to a pipe versus manually moving the pipe, really that much different? The only true luddites are the villagers in 4th world countries. Everyone else has already chosen the path of using an external device to perform a function for them, the only discussion left is which devices to do which functions.

    Computers will NEVER take the place of actual thought, they'll just be able to do ever increasing levels of sophistication which can only free us to do better things.

  17. #17
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    Agreed...

    Quote Originally Posted by IVB
    ...not meant to provoke anything other than discussion...:
    ...but I'm simply a "hands-on" kinda' guy...I did, and still do, the grunt work...

    When I'm out there "...doing the garden, digging the weeds..." it affords me an intimacy that I would not enjoy with a simple virtual command...I can be (you'll pardon the sound-bite word) pro-active...I don't have a lawn service, so I'm the man...I refuse to allow a horde of undocumented day laborers to descend on my meager parcel with every manner of exhaust-belching sources of noise pollution...I try to use a manual reel-type mower and grass shears...when required (usually for the big clean-ups) I'll rely on my B&D electrics...I'm afraid of using a scythe...and yes, I'm fully aware that electricity is not as clean and green as it could be, simply the lesser of two evils IMO...

    I am of the opinion that doing the dumb work provides a few things: a complete respite from thinking or a time and place where that manual labor, mostly done by rote, allows you to contemplate other, more important matters, far removed from the workaday bombardment of modern life...And sometimes it's simply rewarding to get your hands dirty while accomplishing a goal.

    And BTW, I do read, mostly while using public transportation to and from work...

    Re: the "Luddites" of the fourth world...They are subject to their happenstance, so I don't think they are Luddites in the sense that they reject change, one cannot reject what they do not have...

    As my friend Vito oftimes said "Sauszeech his own"...

    jimHJJ(...odd bird, Vito...)
    Hello, I'm a misanthrope...don't ask me why, just take a good look around.

    "Men would rather believe than know" -Sociobiology: The New Synthesis by Edward O. Wilson

    "The great masses of the people...will more easily fall victims to a great lie than to a small one" -Adolph Hitler

    "We are never deceived, we deceive ourselves" -Goethe

    If you repeat a lie often enough, some will believe it to be the truth...

  18. #18
    Class of the clown GMichael's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Resident Loser
    ...I agree times do change...if not, why would we have swapped the pollution of horse droppings for that of the internal combustion engine?

    My point, if there even is one, was a critique of our over reliance on automation, etc. and an abdication of work and commom sense. IMO, much of it has simply dumbed-down a vast portion of the population...As examples: Air-bags...a passive system which has a segment of the population eschewing the use of seat belts...Traction control, etc. You no longer have to learn how to drive properly when the car takes up your slack...Microwave ovens...cooking proper nutritious foods is passe'...just go to the market, purchase your sugary or salty, fat laden corporate variant of soylent green, packed in it's definitely non-green, come hither container, nuke it and voila! rampant obesity...I mean Col. Macwendybelle has a hand in it, but I think you get my drift...Cell phones? Don't get me started...can be a lifesaver in certain circumstances, but when you are a captive audience to the dimwit in the next stall who is having a completely useless, walkie-talkie tete-a-tete, it goes beyond the pale. What did we ever do before them? How did we possibly decide between freeze-dried Crunchy-Munchy or deep-fried Zip-a-di-doodas? And on a bit of the esoteric side...how many hikers will rely solely on GPS without the slightest familiarity with a compass and topo map?

    There's a downside to most everything that's new, improved or revolutionary...people no longer have to make a reasoned decision when others or machines can do it for them.

    jimHJJ(...and let's not even get into gas-guzzling SUVs and the concept of nannies...)
    I just love reading your posts. Such sarcasm & wit mixed together to form a wonderful dance of words to be enjoyed by all. Well, all who can understand what you mean. Hope you don't mind how simple my posts are. I'm just a simple kinda guy.

    I can't say that I completely disagree with what you are saying. Some things are made to be too easy for us. We are getting complacent in many ways. And look at us getting fatter. But at the same time, I've always loved science and technology. I think it's cool.
    WARNING! - The Surgeon General has determined that, time spent listening to music is not deducted from one's lifespan.

  19. #19
    Big science. Hallelujah. noddin0ff's Avatar
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    Somebody needs one of these...
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  20. #20
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    I'd love it!!!

    Quote Originally Posted by noddin0ff
    Somebody needs one of these...
    ...I have some single-sided, super-thick 78s that it would be perfect for...right now I use a modded Heathkit/BSR changer e/w a Stanton 681EE and 1.0 mil spherical stylus...

    Only problem, I'd hafta' find a source for cactus needles...

    But consider this...in early acoustical recordings they performed into a horn/cutter which formed the grooves...talk about Direct-To-Disk! Put it on the old Gramophone, crank 'er up and voila!...the shortest path between performer and listener there ever was...or will be, I'd reckon...

    jimHJJ(...time to beat the laundry on the rocks...)
    Hello, I'm a misanthrope...don't ask me why, just take a good look around.

    "Men would rather believe than know" -Sociobiology: The New Synthesis by Edward O. Wilson

    "The great masses of the people...will more easily fall victims to a great lie than to a small one" -Adolph Hitler

    "We are never deceived, we deceive ourselves" -Goethe

    If you repeat a lie often enough, some will believe it to be the truth...

  21. #21
    Class of the clown GMichael's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Resident Loser
    ...I have some single-sided, super-thick 78s that it would be perfect for...right now I use a modded Heathkit/BSR changer e/w a Stanton 681EE and 1.0 mil spherical stylus...

    Only problem, I'd hafta' find a source for cactus needles...

    But consider this...in early acoustical recordings they performed into a horn/cutter which formed the grooves...talk about Direct-To-Disk! Put it on the old Gramophone, crank 'er up and voila!...the shortest path between performer and listener there ever was...or will be, I'd reckon...

    jimHJJ(...time to beat the laundry on the rocks...)
    I still have one of these. Grandma left it to me years ago. I used to have about 20 cases of old 78's recorded in Italian too. But someone thought it would be OK to stack them up next to the furnace. Anyone want 20 big globs of melted plastic?
    WARNING! - The Surgeon General has determined that, time spent listening to music is not deducted from one's lifespan.

  22. #22
    Big science. Hallelujah. noddin0ff's Avatar
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    maybe not as short...

    as this...
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  23. #23
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    Perhaps...

    Quote Originally Posted by noddin0ff
    as this...
    ...but are the cans made of the purest of Malaysian tin brought to the processing plant in woven palm (of the species corypha utan) baskets, carried by the village virgins and are the connecting cords woven from silk from the worms that inhabit the mulberry trees within the confines of the Forbidden City?

    If not, so much for the inner details...

    jimHJJ(...and after all we are audiophiles...)
    Hello, I'm a misanthrope...don't ask me why, just take a good look around.

    "Men would rather believe than know" -Sociobiology: The New Synthesis by Edward O. Wilson

    "The great masses of the people...will more easily fall victims to a great lie than to a small one" -Adolph Hitler

    "We are never deceived, we deceive ourselves" -Goethe

    If you repeat a lie often enough, some will believe it to be the truth...

  24. #24
    IVB
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    I am of the opinion that doing the dumb work provides a few things: a complete respite from thinking or a time and place where that manual labor, mostly done by rote, allows you to contemplate other, more important matters, far removed from the workaday bombardment of modern life...And sometimes it's simply rewarding to get your hands dirty while accomplishing a goal.
    Righto then, that's a different point: There are additional and intangible outcomes you're seeking other than the completion of the task. I can't say I disagree with that statement, even a whit, as I've DIY'ed my whole home automation setup. It's available in an "off-the-shelf" solution, albeit a $150K shelf, but for me that insinuates that I must tell someone up front what my desires are.

    And now we come to the baseline of the divergence, which is actually where we started, which is "to each his own". For me, my respite from the daily grind comes 80% from solving the intellectual challenges of "how could I make this work better", and 20% from the physical labor required in order to achieve that goal. In order to accomplish the complete set of functionality that I want, of which only 80% is shown above, i'll need to run approximately 125 runs of wire in my 95 yr old house. Of course, that's not a problem for me, as it is merely the first step in a whole "i'm going to physically rebuild my house in a fashion that makes it my dream home, including building additions".

    I believe this makes us the same, but different...

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