SpeakerCraft to Launch ‘Media Center Products’?
NOTE: This is NOT SpeakerCraft’s UI, just a sample of another UI from the company’s platform developer.
A vague press release was issued today from Fluffy Spider Technologies (FST), "provider of award-winning FancyPants user interface (UI) technology for consumer electronics."
While the release was not specific about the SpeakerCraft products, it did say this:
SpeakerCraft media center products employ FancyPants as the central element in the user experience. Displaying on the home TV and remote control, FancyPants, seamlessly ties together multiple sources of audio, video and distributing multimedia throughout the home.
Burkhardt told CE Pro a couple of weeks ago, "We're going to CEDIA [2009] with the largest product introduction ever."

Digital Media is one of the 6 Pillars of EHX Spring 2010: The New Opportunities Show. Save the date: March 24-27, Orlando, Fla.
Burkhardt was quoted in the press release: "Fluffy Spider, a clear leader in embedded graphics and multimedia, gives SpeakerCraft the edge needed to engage and excite consumers. The unique capabilities of FancyPants, combined with its incredible performance, make it a perfect solution for SpeakerCraft home media products."
Burkhardt was not available in the wee hours that the press release was issued, but we should have an update later today.
The FST Web site is confusing, but we discovered a demo of a media server product that integrates music, photos, videos … the usual suspects. In the demo, FancyPants was running on a Linux settop box.
Here are some screens from the demo, which is not to say that SpeakerCraft products will look anything like this:
UPDATE: Let me stress, this is NOT SpeakerCraft's UI. It is just an illustration of other UIs from FancyPants. Sorry for any confusion.




AND AGAIN: This is NOT SpeakerCraft's UI. It is just an illustration of other UIs from FancyPants.



http://www.speakercraft.com
http://www.fst.net
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12 Comments
Speakercraft: Could you jump onto the bandwagon like everyone else and make some more ugly UIs please?
I have to agree with booger on this one. That is a very unelegant and juvenile UI if I’ve ever seen one.
Good thing that’s not the SpeakerCraft one then right?
As indicated in the story THIS IS NOT SPEAKERCRAFT’S UI. It is only an illustration of a UI from the company’s platform partner. I will make that clearer in the article. Sorry to have misled.
I knew they were up to no good and being sneeky when they showed a crestron, apple TV, Vudu,Lutron lighting,iTunes interface that all worked off a remote that you wave like a wand. They want to obsolete programing by making simnple GUI’s. Jeremy is behind this and he hates his Crestron system.
“Fluffy Spider Technologies”....
“Fancy Pants” UI ????
Serioulsy, is this a later April Fools post???
Phil, I took the liberty of mocking the brand names ... off site.
Dont get me wrong, I love SC products, but I feel really out of the loop lately.
I only found out about the Imerge assocation by accident, and I still dont quite understand the details.
The iTouch/IPhone interface for the MZC was a step in the right direction.
The “new” internet marketing made me a little uneasy, and I am now hearing they are opening up their product line to “box stores” in my region.
I REALLY hope they are not going off the rails this year. I would hate to have to dump them from my lineup.
Our goal of being the easiest to install, most profitable and best sounding line of products for the specialty market is unchanged. We are not in “box” stores. Phil my email is .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), send me what you think is up as well as you account info, happy to help you understand any confusion.
Our rails are so deep in the CEDIA channel there is no way we can get them out and will not mess up our amazing dealer network, we have Niles for mass merchant and distribution lines, not our interest. We are the specialty brand of choice and are honored to keep this position.
jeremyB at speakercraft i think that the brand that you created can stay where it is, but your experience and track record ought to be channeled into something “boxed”, perfect example would be Wolf Gang puck food or Paul Newman salad dressing (ya might have to think about that one for a bit…)
really, jump on a different band wagon sooner than later, trying to ride this pony all the way to the finish line may end up playing out like the fate of the horse and carriage….
so what’s your next gambit? this media player… think again…
Too many band wagons playing copy and chase already. Nice to hear about new products from a company that still supports the independents and their services. Products can only take your business so far; it’s the people that carry you the greatest distance.
Also, people still pay good money to ride on the horse and carriage which many today would consider a luxury. Isn’t luxury what we sell?
Using a TV interface for system programming sounds too simplistic for today’s standards but then again experts said landing on the moon was simply not possible..
Can’t wait to see the Cedia booth this year!!



And I thought they were just going to be the US outlet for Imerge servers;
http://www.imerge.co.uk/WhereToBuy/USA.htm
Now it looks more like they’ve teamed up with Monty Python.