RE: Show report

["Keith Doxey" <ukha@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> From: ukha_d@xxxxxxx [mailto:ukha_d@xxxxxxx]On Behalf Of
> David Chapman
>
> I went on Thursday and would agree that although bigger there was
nothing
> really new in the Smarthomes bit and I felt most of it was way off
target.
>

It was certainly way off (MY) budget !!!!


> The Cedia presentation I sat through was cringing, like something
> from The
> Office - comments like "PCs crash twice a day so buy a dedicated
> hard disk
> recorder - only £600" and the whole attitude of "it's
all to
> complicated for
> you punters, just give us a wheelbarrow full of money and let the
> grown-ups
> do it" did the HA cause no good.
>

We sat through one presentation and after we left, one of the other
audience
members came up and asked me for advice :)

Also got recognised when I was standing near the Hitachi stand. I blame
Mark
for that due to last years Caption competition. I wonder if that was also
the reason for the lack of a really big Plasma on the stand due to the
number of suggestions of me doing a runner with the screen :)

> I think it needs a bit of a re-focus next year and maybe
> presentations from selfbuilders showing what they have
> done with HA - what has worked and what
> hasn't, the real costs, and what they would do next time.
>

Sounds like UKHA 2007 incorporating UKSB 2007 :)


> Re the stands, I'd really have liked to seen:
>
> An expandable wired alarm system that sits below Comfort
> [snip]
> but like many others I don't like or trust wireless.
>

didnt you like the wireless one with the particularly attactive 4"
aerials
sticking out of the units ??

> Products that are built by pragmatic engineers to solve real
> problems - like Kat5 !!
>

I'm trying to get KAT5 onto at least one of the stands !

> A PVR product that is at least as reliable and easy to use as a VCR.
>

Speaking of which did you see the SKY HD box

Rear panel had

1 x HDMI
1 x S-Video
1 x Component
2 x RF out
1 x RF in
2 x LNB
1 x Ethernet
1 x SATA

It also has pretty blue LEDs for the circle rather than the green LEDs on
SKY+

The SKY HD demo was simulated though as there wasnt a working HD box
driving
the screen. Nice big HDMI capable Sony screen being driven with Component
video from a Sony HD Recorder that was so huge I think it would take 2 or 3
people to lift it!


> And basic lighting automation. Most visitors here are amazed at
> our ever so simple PIR outside light that sounds an audio alert
> in the house and the fact we can control a dimmer switch with
> the TV remote (Varilight).
>

The dimmer modules for "home" systems are vastly overpriced and
under-rated
for modern loads. Most seem to be about 1A per channels which is fine for a
100W bulb but if someone is using Mains Halogen then 5 x 50W is too large a
load for a single dimmer. When you consider that these low power dimmers
are
usually £60+ per channel it starts to get very expensive very quickly.
Commercial dimmer pack are usually 5A or 10A per channel and there are
several 4 x 5A DMX packs available for under £100.

It was good to meet up with people again. I still feel full from Saturday
nights Indian feast :)

Keith