Many of you raise some great points. Control systems are a unique animal in the AV industry. People get very emotional, defensive, and even critical of their own control lines. Yes, some other products, like speakers, matrix switchers, cables, AVR, amplifiers, etc. they will switch in and out of without any concern. This is actually a topic for a blog I am currently writing, but some of the reasons are because when selecting a control system you are making a commitment to learn, train, sell, and put in a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, no matter what the line. You are also making a sacrifice - because let's face it, every control system you select, you are gaining some advantages, and making some sacrifices. But if we weigh in on what these are, then the "better" control system is just relative to the dealer's needs. If they were all created equal, we wouldn't be as passionate about this subject.

In terms of RTI, my job is to not run around and discrediting control systems. My main objective is to discuss the advantages we offer, and to be honest, to clear up some of the misconceptions by bringing people who may have old information up to speed. At the end of the day, everyone is going to pick the system that caters to their clientele, level of technical experience, profitability, and what they can do to set themselves apart from the competition. Obviously, there are other factors like return policy, support, quotas, sales pressure, etc. and all of this goes into the research. Because of the passion dealers have with control systems, however, and this is unfortunate, it is hard to get a fair analysis of any control system company, or at least one with a high degree of accuracy.