Platinum Home Theater: iRule "Winning in Functionality and Value Simultaneously"

After 2 action-packed days at CEDIA, our feet are tired, our heads pounding, but it's all good. Here's the basics and things of note.

Being the creators of our own control system built with iRule, you can bet we'd be interested in the competition in that area. There were more iPad apps than ever, and everybody has their own idea of how a control app should look and operate. Crestron was doing their own iPad app that works with their systems, but they weren't particularly interested in discussing the exact cost of even the most basic system. It seems you'd be into them for well over $3500 (plus programming time!), but that's a guess. (Sorry, Crestron, I'm not linking to you!) Key Digital showed their Compass Control system, which would be fairly economical until you needed to control any device that isn't up to IP based commands (like your TV, projector, older AVR, AppleTV...need I go on?), at which point you need their $2500 master control unit. So you could throw $2800 their way but you wouldn't have anything that actually controlled something until it was programmed. Universal Remote showed their usual line-up of candy-bar remotes with pseudo touch screens and the usual tiny buttons with 3 point gray type legends. We were impressed by the fact that touching a function button on their flagship touch screen system brought up the Windows CE logo for 10 seconds before it responded.

Pretty much every serious equipment manufacturer has a control app now. And this has created the virtual coffee table full of remotes (see my earlier post). It's exactly the same problem: a remote for each device, each is different, each works and looks differently, and you have to find the right app to accomplish the task at hand. But it's actually harder to exit one app and bring up another than dropping one stick remote and picking up another. I say: don't bother. They're free, and worth every penny you spend. I'm more convince than ever than our Platinum Control System will make your remote control life easy and happy, and won't break the bank.

We visited our partners at iRule and got our first look at the latest software that includes "drawers", little slide-out trays on your screen that can hold seldom used functions that slide out of the way when you don't need them, or help make a more usable screen on a smaller device. Watch for us to integrate those features soon! I've said it before, but again, after years of searching for the best solution, I think iRule, in the hands of an expert programmer/integrator, is the ultimate solution, winning in functionality and value simultaneously.

iRule Controls World's Most Kick-Ass Home Theater

Hello my name is Derek Trueblood Riddle and I work for a loudspeaker systems integrator in Los Angeles; Infinite Environments. We were coming to the point in the project where we needed an all-purpose controller so we didn't have to hold three different remotes to operate the room.

At first we went down the closed door-dealer rout also known as Crestron. The functioning of our early control system depended too greatly on the availability of our Crestron rep to program more functions into the remote. In addition to feeling 'out of control' on the programming end of the remote system, I felt that the expense for the hardware needed for a Crestron system was disproportional to its value. Because of these factors I began a parallel project to find a remote system that gave us, the operators, more control in the design of the remote.

To my great pleasure I stumbled upon 'iRule,' and immediately felt that this is what we should build our control system out of. For one, its builder was browser based thus can be used on any computer with an Internet connection. Secondly, it took some of the laborious coding needed to make a remote system and presented it in an easy and understandable way for the builder. And finally, reinforcing my initial feelings, iRule allowed our company to make changes to the remote on the spot and test those changes.

Because of iRule our company now has a remote that controls all aspects of the room with professional dependability without the need for a 'professional dealer.'

Love what you guys do; looking forward to even more and more from you guys!

Thanks,
Derek Trueblood Riddle
Infinite Environments
Head IT, Studio Engineer, Studio Mixer, DTS-HD MA re-encoder