I make this recommendation at work all the time. Instead, we end up spending countless man hours making some antiquated, unsupported system work and integrate it with some baseline product from an automation company. All that work can be undone in a moment when the original product fails and then the original quote finally gets followed.

In the last week alone, I have had to dig up programming software for Russound (old school), Xantech, Nevo (old school), and the classic EZTools from speakercraft.

At the end of the day, I am really dragging and dropping hex codes out of a ccf file that I've pulled from my old (and amazing) pronto DB.

Sometimes, though, you just can't find a code, like for a Proscan TV with built in DVD and have to learn from the oem. That means, at minimum, I am carrying around a learner for xantech, speakercraft, URC, elan g, elan via tools, itach, savant, crestron, and my pronto.

I just want to look at people like they are crazy when I hear they paid to have their fill in the blank control system from 15 years ago fixed and now want to add switching for an atv/xbox and control for their new curved UHD.