Caavo selling expensive HDMI switcher + universal search
I have to give Caavo credit for a sleek industrial design, but any positive feeling ends there. I just don’t see what problem this $400 box solves for me. OK, it will switch inputs, but so does my AVR (while providing audio too). There might be some CEC magic at play here, but that requires that everything plays along, and again does nothing that I can’t do with a TV remote.
What am I missing?
If you’re a home theater geek, chances are your days are spent juggling several different remotes and TV inputs. Caavo, a startup from the folks behind the original Sling box, hopes to make your life a bit easier with its set-top box, which can control up to eight different devices at once. Think of it like a super-powered universal remote: It not only lets you easily swap between all the gadgets under your TV, but you can also use it to search for stuff to watch across them. And yes, that includes streaming offerings on services like Netflix and Amazon Prime, as well as live TV.
I bought an expensive HDMI
I bought an expensive HDMI switcher from Gefen ages ago. Unfortunately, when I upgraded some of my hardware the switcher became outdated and completely useless. I was stuck with an expensive device I couldn’t even give away. If you need an outboard switcher then I see no reason to buy anything more expensive than the ones offered by Monoprice. If you need a device that will search through streaming services and such then maybe a Tivo would work better.
At the risk of going on a rant, the consumer electronics industry needs to get their act together and make devices that can be upgraded to the latest HDMI and HDCP specs via a firmware or software upgrade. It’s ridiculous to have to upgrade multiple devices just to maintain the proper connectivity and HDCP handshake in the signal path.
captain_video wrote:
At the
[quote=captain_video]
At the risk of going on a rant, the consumer electronics industry needs to get their act together and make devices that can be upgraded to the latest HDMI and HDCP specs via a firmware or software upgrade. It’s ridiculous to have to upgrade multiple devices just to maintain the proper connectivity and HDCP handshake in the signal path.
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I think most of the time it is HW limitation more than SW. That said, even if it weren’t it’s not in their interest to do that given the current sales model (i.e. they only make $ when they sell you kit). Have to wonder if there is tolerance in the market to change that to a paid support model with a few years of FW updates. Would you pay for that?