Get the Smartest House on the Block : Mixing PCs and Traditional Multi-Room Audio
By Mary Branscombe , published on September 25, 2008 at 1:50 AM
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If you’re happy to control everything from a PC screen or remote control you can do that, but when you don’t already have a PC fired up, starting one takes time. Fortunately, the SmartHome also has the Russound UNO-S2 audio keypad in many of its rooms, coupled with Klipsch in-wall speakers. The music you can choose comes from the same Windows Home Server box that the PCs and TVs connect to, but this is more like a traditional multi-room audio setup with dedicated controls, letting you take music with you as you move around the house.
This is an amazing display of modern technological capability AND an amazing display of modern excess--> Do we really need to be producing all these devices just to fill out our lives with more and more media and consumer waste?? Lets find new technological devices that get us out of the home and into nature, huh??
Pretty cool article. Having LCDs on the walls that show different pictures is definitely a nice touch and becoming more feasible with price coming down in LCDs.
Lifeware systems are expensive for what they offer and the price balloons if you ever decide to add more components to your home automation system. You could get the same work done at this home by Control 4 for half the price.
So a bunch of monitors to turn things on, an oven with a fridge in it, and then network them. Does it just sound like a huge pain in the ass to anyone else? I guess that's what you get when you fully utilise HP's in your face design strategy.
While WiFi couldnt handle most of the traffic, WiMax might stand a chance, could be interesting to see in the future. As for power, combine this home with an eco-house. So the outside is plated in solar pannels and a wind farm on the roof. Wouldnt supply all the needs, btu might cover the basic idling of everything!
Not sure I'd go for a combination fridge/oven/pc but I really liked the idea of the LCD screens in the hallway. They're almost cheap enough to do that.
The amount of technology packed into this house is indeed in everyone's houses now, only in bits and pieces...about time someone finally threw it all together. I think this is what America will soon look like to all immigrants as they enter our homes and grocery stores...only unfortunately with the economy shifting so much as of late, i doubt many people will be able to afford all of this, becuase the ones who can well....they already have it...
No really that smart if you think of all the power required.
WiFi cannot handle all that data but it could handle most of it to reduce the cables.
Cool. Sign me up. Anyone got $75k laying around for me?
Thank god they used Klipsch speakers instead of Boss!!! Klipsch is the way to go!
This is an amazing display of modern technological capability AND an amazing display of modern excess--> Do we really need to be producing all these devices just to fill out our lives with more and more media and consumer waste?? Lets find new technological devices that get us out of the home and into nature, huh??
Pretty cool article. Having LCDs on the walls that show different pictures is definitely a nice touch and becoming more feasible with price coming down in LCDs.
Lifeware systems are expensive for what they offer and the price balloons if you ever decide to add more components to your home automation system. You could get the same work done at this home by Control 4 for half the price.
So a bunch of monitors to turn things on, an oven with a fridge in it, and then network them. Does it just sound like a huge pain in the ass to anyone else? I guess that's what you get when you fully utilise HP's in your face design strategy.
Wonder what BMW would've come up with?
While WiFi couldnt handle most of the traffic, WiMax might stand a chance, could be interesting to see in the future. As for power, combine this home with an eco-house. So the outside is plated in solar pannels and a wind farm on the roof. Wouldnt supply all the needs, btu might cover the basic idling of everything!
Not sure I'd go for a combination fridge/oven/pc but I really liked the idea of the LCD screens in the hallway. They're almost cheap enough to do that.
The amount of technology packed into this house is indeed in everyone's houses now, only in bits and pieces...about time someone finally threw it all together. I think this is what America will soon look like to all immigrants as they enter our homes and grocery stores...only unfortunately with the economy shifting so much as of late, i doubt many people will be able to afford all of this, becuase the ones who can well....they already have it...