$20,000 Theater-in-a-Box Has High-End A/V Components, AMX Automation, Xbox 360+HD DVD, iPod Dock - Cedia Expo 2008

$20,000 Theater-in-a-Box Has High-End A/V Components, AMX Automation, Xbox 360+HD DVD, iPod Dock

The ITC One from SE2 Labs packs Vidikron, Bryston and Transparent A/V components, Xbox 360s, iPod docks, and AMX controller, and more into one compact box just 21 inches tall.

Aug
14

By Julie Jacobson
Filed in: News, CEDIA, Exclusive
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Audio & Video

The video processor comes from Vidikron’s highly regarded VDP-80, and manages all of the various video sources including iPods, Xbox 360s, and TV service.

You can bring your own display device, but if you choose a Vidikron projector, “they customize them for us,” Pyle says. “We have all of these video inputs like iPods and the Xbox 360, and the scaler optimizes them for whatever the output needs to be.”

Pyle says that even iPod video looks pretty impressive after Vidikron is through with it.

SE2 at CEDIA
Since Vidikron supplies the video processors, SE2 will be shown at the Vidikron/Runco booth, #510.

SE2 preconfigures the ITC at the factory for whatever TV service the customer has. “We can even set up the sources with customer information so they don’t need to call DirecTV,” Pyle says.

When a system is upgraded or a cable/satellite card is changed, the system reconfigures itself, Pyle says. Newly released cards will need drivers from the Internet, or SE2 can send a Compact Flash card with the new drivers loaded. “The end user or installer does not have to configure anything,” Pyle says.

For PVR capabilities, the ITC currently supports DirecTV HD PVR, Dish Network HD PVR, and Comcast HD PVR. More are on the way.

Alternatively, you could tap into a Media Center PC on the network and access it through the onboard Xbox 360, giving you full access to the Media Center’s PVR (and pictures, and music…).

As for audio, the surround sound processor is the SP-2 from Bryston. SE2 uses ICEPower digital amps, the likes of which are used by Rotel and other leading brands.

Naturally you can bring your own speakers, but SE2 has worked with Triad to create a system that is optimized for the ITC. “We have all the configurations like EQ set up to match the speakers,” Pyle says.

The Controls

The ITC is as close to plug-and-play as you can get. The customer specifies the configuration and SE2 does the rest—activating the drivers and loading in the scenes.

“There’s no need for macros,” Pyle says. “Everything just works the way it should. We have taken thousands of hours of research and experience to program the system to work the right way. If you have a motorized screen and you choose a video source, then the screen comes down.”

A trigger for controlling screens and screen-masking are already incorporated into the box.

A “Room Light” button on the handheld remote can send a trigger to a third-party lighting control system to activate a scene. Pyle says ZigBee light switches are on the way.

Most of the communications to third-party systems happens through triggers, but SE2 does accommodate RS-232 when serial communications is required.

The two questions every one will ask: Do you have to be an AMX dealer? No. Can you incorporate it into your whole-house AMX system? Sort of.

The ITC really is meant to be a one-room home theater system and SE2 wants to keep it simple and reliable. For that reason, the company will not let dealers program the onboard AMX processor. Integrators can control the system, with “limited functionality,” through an external RS-232 port using any serial communicating control system.

SE2 just wants to keep it as simple as possible—so simple that there are only two ways to control the system: through a ZigBee-enabled RF remote and the touchscreen on the face of the ITC.

The remote does not control any components directly. It issues commands to the ZigBee-enabled AMX NetLinx, which gets all of the other pieces to do their thing.

Pyle is very proud of the handheld remote (it’s “way cool") so let’s give the product its own section.

The Handheld Remote

The remote has no LCD screen, just hard buttons. Every single one of the buttons lights up in the dark, which Pyle says is a unique feature. “I couldn’t find one remote [on the market] where all the buttons light up,” he says.

Lighting up, unfortunately, consumes precious battery life, but SE2 mitigates the power consumption problem. The remote has both a motion sensor and a light sensor. If the remote is handled, the buttons light up according to the ambient light conditions. If it’s bright, the buttons stay dark. If it’s pitch black, they light up 100 percent. If it’s somewhere in between, the buttons dim and brighten accordingly.

The back lighting on the volume toggle is color-coded so you know where you are on the volume scale. If it’s green, the volume is low; red is really loud. There are gradations throughout the volume spectrum. “People sometimes have a setting they like,” says Pyle. Sort of like the Sleep Number bed.

Pyle shuns rechargeable batteries, opting for AAs instead. Not to worry, there is a battery indicator on the back of the remote—just push a button to see how much battery life is left. Pyle says the unit is built to accommodate rechargeable batteries so that may be an option down the line. He says the AAs will last for about six months, “which is longer than an Xbox 360 wireless remote.”

Pyle says the remote is “very, very strong” and water resistant.

And don’t forget, if you lose it, just press the button on the ITC console and follow the beeps.

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Comments

Posted by bym051d on 08/14 at 01:16 PM

Looks like 1 XBOX360 and on XBOX HD-DVD drive, not 2 XBOX360s.

Posted by Syko'Killa on 08/14 at 01:25 PM

Yes, bym051d is right.

The drive on the right is the HD-DVD drive which is only used for movies and not gaming. The drive on the left is the DVD-9 drive that is used to play the games.

Story should be updated with this info.

Posted by Julie Jacobson on 08/14 at 04:12 PM

Thanks for catching this. Sorry for the lapse.

Posted by Mark Dawson on 08/14 at 04:46 PM

Mike Pyle is delusional if he thinks someone will buy this product. Number one it looks ugly. It’s why you see so many manufacturers nowadays put a great deal of money into enhancing the cosmetic look of their product (ie-Kaleidescape). The concept is a good one although I have a feeling that in the end it will be a waste of time and money.

Aurant tried the same approach several years ago with building systems for dealers and then shipping it to them. Again a nice pie in the sky idea but it failed.

Don’t get me wrong. I have a great deal of respect for what Mike has accomplished in this industry. If Mike could design the product to look better, show everyone that he plans to stay in business and support this product, and market the heck out of the product maybe he’ll prove me wrong.

Posted by MarkDawson is the Man on 08/14 at 05:52 PM

Good luck selling that ugly baby to a homeowner. [Or to anyone else for that matter...what were they thinking?]

...I think I just vomited after looking at those photos again.

Posted by Julie Jacobson on 08/14 at 05:57 PM

Like any home theater “rack”, this product is not meant to sit in the open next to your TV. It would probably go in a rack in a remote room or a cabinet near the display.

Posted by Ed Tsvik on 08/14 at 07:23 PM

Okay, I can see this product maybe getting a place to sit in a cabinet near the display, but certainly not a remote room. What happens when I want to change games or take my iPod outside?

It’s an interesting concept, but why integrate an Xbox and for that matter, why HD-DVD? For $20,000 I could offer a custom a much better custom solution and give them a choice of a Nintendo Wii, a PS3, or an Xbox. And by the way, the PS3 is the gaming console of the coming year. The Wii is still revolutionary, but the PS3 will have its day very soon. The Xbox 360 should be used as nothing more than a Media Center Extender or to play Halo.

Instead of a grey metallic finish to the outside, which makes it look something like a college dorm refrigerator and a mainframe server, dress it up in a nice wood cabinet with various color stain choices and let’s situate it near the popcorn machine in a dedicated home theater room. As is, the only place it can be put is inside a cabinet.

Posted by Michael Pyle on 08/14 at 07:57 PM

Ed,

The ITC can be configured for Xbox and Wii. We basically have 2 drive bays with the main drive as the Xbox 360. The second drive can be either the HD-DVD or Wii. The PS3 is a very nice console but not that easy to integrate from a user experiance stand point. We will be coming out with other drive options once we see what the market demands.

We also went with the 360 as a great way to access Windows Media Centers.

Since we are a modular system we can put anything we want in the box. We just went with what we think is teh best solution out now. Things can and will change.

This is a very high performance high end system. The game console is the least important part of the system.

It really does look pretty nice in person. It has a very timeless architectural feel. Everyone that sees it in person falls in love.

That being said I really like your idea of the wood cabinet concept.

It is great to get different perspectives and ideas real time. Well mostly

Thanks,
Michael

Posted by Jeff on 08/14 at 11:04 PM

So what do we tell the customer when a drive goes out on the Xbox? Sorry, but we will have to take your whole system down while we send it in for repairs? That’s one of the best things about seperat components, when something breaks, it’s easy to toss in a loaner or just replace it. That’s why TV/DVD/VCR combo’s never caught on as a main unit, great for the extra bedroom or Rv, but not the main TV.

Posted by Michael Pyle on 08/14 at 11:45 PM

Jeff,

Good point!

that is why we made every part of the ITC modular. We send out a new drive and the end use can just swap it out. No configuration or programming needed.

With TV/DVD/VCR Combo you got multiple cheap parts and none of them worked very well by themselves much less as a complete solution. With the ITC we use best of bread components.

Most of the AV gear available is built with Features and price at the top of the list and usability, performance, reliability, and serviceability are way down the list if there at all.

Again thanks for the comments!

Michael

Posted by Ben Jones on 08/15 at 08:40 AM

Wow—this looks pretty cool to me. And obviously the system is genius or why else would top notch manufacturers like Vidikron, Bryston, Transparent Audio and AMX work with the company? Sounds like someone is jealous of a good idea ...
Ben

Posted by bob on 08/15 at 11:53 AM

I agree with Julie’s comments that this product is designed for rack installations where the client won’t see the system. The premise of the system and Mike’s understanding of the market are what should make this product interesting to clients.

I will add if a client is looking for equipment to display there are plenty of brands that offer performance and industrial design that will fit those consumers’ criteria.

In that scenario a dealer should be selling a client into Meridian, Halcro, Mark Levinson, Sonus faber and Linn for example. I also wouldn’t judge the product by a Web graphic. I recommend to check it out for yourself at CEDIA in a few weeks.

Posted by Mark Dawson on 08/15 at 12:31 PM

Wouldn’t it be cheaper for a dealer to sell the homeowner a Middle Atlantic BRK rack, a Crestron AMS (which incorporates a high-quality surround sound processor, 4 zone multi-room, and control processor), with a good quality DVD player, and choice of gaming system all for less money and money making potential?

Again I think Mike has come up with a good idea but if I’m a betting man I would say the above scenario I posted above is the better way to go.

Posted by bob on 08/15 at 01:05 PM

The Crestron system is fine, but the combination of Bryston, Triad, Transparent and AMX is top-of-the-line and as a plug-and-play system install with the margins that Mike’s line proposes is worth investigating from an installer’s perspective.

Posted by Mark Dawson on 08/15 at 01:35 PM

What type of margins is Mike saying that dealers will make on his product?

This idea seems like ACS Contracts part 2!

Posted by Julie Jacobson on 08/15 at 01:43 PM

Please do not discuss margins in this public forum. For dealer programs, you should call SE2 directly—se2labs.com

thanks

Posted by Mark Dawson on 08/15 at 05:39 PM

I’m also curious as to why Mike is not using Icommand for his automation system? Wasn’t he in their ad touting the benefits of Icommand to everyone?

Posted by Scott Kingsley on 08/15 at 06:30 PM

This looks like an Installers Dream. The programming is delivered complete and it looks like updates can be remotely uploaded. I like the appearance from the pics and look forward to seeing it at CEDIA. Thanks Mike. Sounds like Mark has got an Axe to grind.

Posted by Sqwalk on 08/21 at 12:11 AM

I like this idea. I could see something like this doing well, as this would make an installation a breeze. The maintenance looks like it would be much easier as well since if I did need something repaired, it would be great to only have to send a board back and not have to unhook all the wires and ship back a heavy component.

I’m assuming down the road when a customer wants to upgrade one of their components, you would just have to swap out that particular board - similar to changing a computer hardware?

Anybody who sees this at CEDIA, please give us your impressions.

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