Most elegant whole house audio system!!!
Have any of you folks looked into the existing solutions for whole house audio systems?
-------------------
In a word... EXPENSIVE
In another word... UMMMM.... Well lets just say they weren't designed by Apple... that's for sure.
-------------------
First you have the distributed audio hardware... the big guys usually force you into either 4, 8 or 16 zone systems at a pretty high cost in its own right... expect to pay upwards of $1500 or more just for the amp.
Then you have to have some way to control the system (from each room you are planning to support).
If it's wired (least cost) you have very little (or no) visual feedback as to how to select a song... but even then expect that solution to add an additional $100 or so for the wall mounted controller (and that doesn't include the install cost).
If it's a fancy wall mounted or hand held color touch screen controller then expect to add yet another $400+ for that part.
Now with all of this I'm not including the stuff that would be common costs no matter what... the speakers wire etc...
Okay now lets look at an iPod touch solution....
You'd have HANDS DOWN the most elegant and user friendly controller that as luck would have it also HOUSE the audio files and/or grab the lossless audio files (for you audio nuts) from a home based server via the iPods built in wireless networking...
But what about the REST of the hardware.... the 4 or 8 or 16 zone distribution amp that connects to each rooms speakers... This is the best part... Apple already has a product that could cover that in spades (that mini-airport with speaker support - forgot the name) and you don't need to be pigeonholed into 4 / 8 or 16 room configs. You can add one room at a time exactly as you see fit and even buy more (or less) controllers as you see fit - even choosing to have one controller cover 2 rooms (living & dining room) **OR** having two controllers for a single room - his and hers master bedroom bedside controllers for the ultimate in posh.
Well... the hole in my master plan is Apples device isn't EXACTLY ready to provide this type of functionality out of the box but given what people have already done in the way of software development on the iPhone I have no doubt this type of automation will be shortly at hand.
Again the best part is you can do this one room at a time and expand at your own pace and at the same time have it just as elegant in operation (even more so) than it would be had you went full bore into a mega expensive solution with more capacity (or less) than you really needed.
Anyone else thinking along these lines?
Dave
-------------------
In a word... EXPENSIVE
In another word... UMMMM.... Well lets just say they weren't designed by Apple... that's for sure.
-------------------
First you have the distributed audio hardware... the big guys usually force you into either 4, 8 or 16 zone systems at a pretty high cost in its own right... expect to pay upwards of $1500 or more just for the amp.
Then you have to have some way to control the system (from each room you are planning to support).
If it's wired (least cost) you have very little (or no) visual feedback as to how to select a song... but even then expect that solution to add an additional $100 or so for the wall mounted controller (and that doesn't include the install cost).
If it's a fancy wall mounted or hand held color touch screen controller then expect to add yet another $400+ for that part.
Now with all of this I'm not including the stuff that would be common costs no matter what... the speakers wire etc...
Okay now lets look at an iPod touch solution....
You'd have HANDS DOWN the most elegant and user friendly controller that as luck would have it also HOUSE the audio files and/or grab the lossless audio files (for you audio nuts) from a home based server via the iPods built in wireless networking...
But what about the REST of the hardware.... the 4 or 8 or 16 zone distribution amp that connects to each rooms speakers... This is the best part... Apple already has a product that could cover that in spades (that mini-airport with speaker support - forgot the name) and you don't need to be pigeonholed into 4 / 8 or 16 room configs. You can add one room at a time exactly as you see fit and even buy more (or less) controllers as you see fit - even choosing to have one controller cover 2 rooms (living & dining room) **OR** having two controllers for a single room - his and hers master bedroom bedside controllers for the ultimate in posh.
Well... the hole in my master plan is Apples device isn't EXACTLY ready to provide this type of functionality out of the box but given what people have already done in the way of software development on the iPhone I have no doubt this type of automation will be shortly at hand.
Again the best part is you can do this one room at a time and expand at your own pace and at the same time have it just as elegant in operation (even more so) than it would be had you went full bore into a mega expensive solution with more capacity (or less) than you really needed.
Anyone else thinking along these lines?
Dave
Comments
I think that that Home Distributed Audio companies have priced their wares at outrageous levels. Most of them have Installer/Dealer pacts that ensure you get soaked. What's the incentive to make your products easy to use if require Dealers to install and configure?
They better enjoy their heyday. In 5 years Home Automation/Distriuted Audio will be relatively simple. Consumers will be able to choose wireless systems that easily handle audio.
I think Apple's eventual goal with Apple TV is to have them link together into a mesh network where you can easily assign Zones and move your media around effortlessly. Look at Spotlight now and how it can search other computers...Boom.
The iPod touch or something like it will be very easy for Apple to create. They may end up adding RF capabilities if they create a dedicated controller. Local storage in the controller would be nice as well.
Home Audio Distribution shouldn't cost an arm and a leg. Right now it's the small companies that are pioneering the field and sadly they don't have the volume necessary for low pricing. The big boys will eventually come calling and when they do consumers will see the light and in a decade the thought of "not" being able to space shift with a simple comman will seem prehistoric to enthusiasts.
Except for the part about pioneering. Whole house audio has been around for at least 50 years. It isn't even that expensive, especially in new construction. But for whatever reason it hasn't been terribly popular. Even simpler, people could easily and cheaply put a radio in every room but they haven't.
Apple could potentially popularize a centralized content distribution model managed from within the home. But I'm not holding my breath since it has never been popular except when the content is managed and pushed by another party. (radio, broadcast tv, and cable tv)
Not that I think the idea is bad, or that it will never take off. I'm currently wiring my house for distributed content.
I agree. Home Audio/Automation has been around for decades yet consumers have turned a relative blind eye towards the technology.
I think the newest generations that have grown up with technology and the catalyst has already happened. Consumers feel comfortable now downloading music and video from the Internet. They also now feel comfortable with networking and "sharing" resources.
Today the per node costs are ridiculous. People would rather just place a mini stereo system in the each room. This is nice but it certainly doesn't allow for the flexibility that makes av distribution so cool.
If Apple is going to hitch their future to becoming a media empire they need to bring that Apple touch to AV home distribution.