06.12.2007 — Does a high-def user interface really matter? Control4 thinks so, which is why the manufacturer added a 720p output to its new home controller, the HC-300.

The HD output produces a “much richer GUI [graphical user interface],” says Control4 president Glen Mella. “Especially if it’s merchandised in a showroom next to a Media Center PC, we’re really right in there with the HD GUI.”

Browsing album art in HD is “notably different to the consumer” compared to the standard-def experience,” Mella says.

The HD output is just one new feature of the HC-300 ($699 including remote), which sits between Control4’s entry-level Home Theater Controller ($600) and higher-performance Media Controller ($1,500) that offers 80 GB of storage and more I/Os than its lower-priced counterparts.

In addition to the HD feature, the HC-300 differs fundamentally from the other products by providing “substantially more horsepower, a dual core processor, and a lot more processing speed,” says Mella.

The dual processor, featuring both an ARM9 and DSP, not only enhances the speed of the controller, but essentially broadens the bandwidth of the system. “A lot of digital audio tasks can be offloaded to the second processor,” says Mella. “Today, the HTC can do three to five simultaneous audio streams. The HC-300 is expected do about twice that, and it tests nicely.”

In addition to the substantive changes, the HC-300 looks and feels a lot meatier than its predecessors. The two things you hear Control4 dealers gripe about are the processor speed (solved!) and the aesthetics of the Control4 hardware. In a rack with metal components, the Control4 products look and feel a little wimpy.

The HC-300 features a brushed aluminum chassis “that will have a lot more ooh-ah factor than the original products,” Mella says.

He says that beta testers like the product “from the very first look of it when they take it out of the box.”

Like the other Control4 controllers, the HC-300 has built-in Zigbee wireless technology that allows it to interact with any Zigbee devices on the Control4 network, not to mention other hardwired IP-based Control4 devices.

He says that the HC-300 is not expected to replace either of the existing controllers, but for an extra $99, why wouldn’t anyone upgrade from the HTC?

What’s missing? Control4 still does not do any video encoding or distribution. We’ll see that “in the future,” Mella assures us. For now, Control4 can relish the fact that it’s launched a second-generation product.

Control4 has arrived. I think we can now take the company off the wait-and-see list, and add them to the tiny list of new automation vendors that have made it. (Read: Why Home Automation Manufacturers Fail)

The 720p output enables a richer GUI. A dual processor allows twice as many audio streams.

Control4 HC-300 Specs

Model Number
C4-HC300-B

Connections

• Audio Input: 1 analog
• Audio Output: 2 analog
• Video Input/Output: 2 video sensing inputs; component, S-video, and composite video out
• On-screen display output: SD or HD
• Serial: 2 DB9 RS232 connectors
• Contact: 1 input, pluggable terminal blocks
• Relay: 1 output, pluggable terminal blocks
• IR: 1 front panel input, 1 front panel blaster output
• 6 outputs, 3.5mm jacks
• USB: 2 rear, USB 2.0

Communications

• Wireless ZigBee (802.15.4) mesh networking
• Ethernet (802.3) 10/100base-T, RJ45 jack
• WiFi (802.11g) – adapter optional

Power Requirements
120 to 240 VAC, 50 or 60 Hertz

Dimensions
H x W x D: 2.8” x 12” x 7.25”

Weight
5.2 lbs (with remote)

Included with the Home Controller HC-300

• System Remote Control — Wireless control of any automated function in the home.
• 802.11g USB WiFi Adapter for Home Controller HC-300 (sold separately)