New Member

[davidbrady]

Hi Chuck,

Congrats on the new ride! Prevost ownership can be nonsensical at times, but I'm always grinning ear-to-ear when I'm behind the wheel.

The Achilles' Heel is the Crestron, AMX, and RTI control layers that some converters like to use. For those who aren't familiar with these products, Crestron, RTI, and AMX are home theater control systems. This equipment normally consists of a handheld remote, a central processor, and a distributed set of control boxes which offer infrared or rs-232 control over A/V equipment. They like to tout their one button push philosophy where a sequence of events can be programmed to occur. For instance the lights dim, the shades are drawn, the dvd player, AV receiver, TV, and surround sound systems are turned on with a single push, while the proud owner nestles into his easy chair for his favorite viewing. It is impressive and it does provide that Prevost Wow factor that customers look for but there are drawbacks. 1) the stuff becomes quickly outdated, 2) any new A/V components need to be programmed into the system, 3) the systems are closed and proprietary, and 4) the vendors typically work only thru a dealer network. All of this means inconvenience and cost. If an owner wishes to install a new TV he has to hope that his system isn't obsolete, he has to find a dealer willing to lend support, he has to pay the dealer thousands of dollars to program the new AV component into the system. There's no hope of wanderlodge-style resourcefulness in this area because of these limitations.

My bus is a case example. It's equipped with AMX but the system is old, obsolete and no longer supported by AMX. If I go to one of the old AMX dealers for support their answer is to sell me a new system such as Crestron or RTI at an exorbitant cost in the tens of thousands. What do I get for this new supported version of a closed architecture? More of the same... I need to see the dealer every time I install an new A/V component and I need to give them thousands for the programming required to support the new component. This just isn't feasible for me nor is it feasible for many others. Many folks have chosen to simply do away with their control systems and instead reach for the untold number of remotes required to manual orchestrate their A/V equipment. To make matters worse, many of the converters have worked the home theater control into controlling other aspects of the coach. On some conversions, the only way to control some aspects of the bus is via the Home Control System; i.e., there are no manual wall mounted switches. These owners have no choice but to spend the money to have their systems upgraded to new closed proprietary but supported products (at tens of thousands of dollars)! Eek!

Vantare uses AMX but it doesn't need it. I have manual switches that do everything the AMX does. I'd like to upgrade my A/V systems to the latest technology but I don't want to lock myself into more of the same. I'm looking at alternatives in home theater control and bus control that put the power back into the peoples hands. Look for a new thread on that topic.