Isn't there something out there that would allow my computer to control audio/video equipment? Something in the likes of an AMX or Crestron touchscreen which outputs IR signals that I can use on a Xantech IR bus?

One part you will want to use is made by Global Cache, which essentially is the link between the emitter and the computer.

If you want to roll your own on a PC, check this:
http://www.charmedquark.com/

Thanks Bill. Checked out that link and it looks to be a very interesting product. However after downloading the trial version, I just couldn't figure out how to even get the program started - kept asking for passwords I didn't have. Then I saw the purchase price. With the potential of costing over $200 for the basic version I could spend the money for a pronto at my computer location...

So I got to thinking, if I can use the pronto emulator on the pronto edit to spit codes out of my actual pronto connected to serial port, would it be possible to connect some sort of IR interface into my port instead and just use the emulator as a virtual pronto that I can click with my mouse to control AV equipment? If it were, I could just use it on every computer in the house to control AV instead of an in wall touch screen. It may be crude but it saves a few bucks.

As with most secure systems, it has to install with a default administrative password. The user name/password is Admin/Welcome. This is covered in the install/configuration section of the web site, and if you'd have just popped us an e-mail, we'd have answered your question immediately and you could have moved forward.

You might try Meedio Housebot; it claims to do whole-house automation. with a computer that has IR blaster capacity and/or serial links to various devices, this might do the trick.

Or, Girder is another program better known as a command interpreter to receive IR inputs and then control the computer (and other connected devices) but it actually lets you automate all sorts of things in response to different "events" which could be actions in Windows as well. e.g. create a folder with shortcut icons and doubleclicking one of them is the 'event' to run something in Girder out an IR blaster and/or serial link.

Just getting into this whole realm myself (about to build a HTPC and hope to use it and/or a nice universal remote to control surrounding AV equipment as well as itself).

Thanks for all the great info, I'll have to google those...

By the way I did see a new ad for a large touchscreen pronto which works off wifi and seems a step up from the ipronto. It's called the RC9800i - said to be able to access things like photos from your pc. looks great, kinda reminds me of an imac and retails for $499! The philips website is included in the magazine ad so they should have it there to look at, though I haven't checked. www.philips.com

Will this thing compare or compete with AMX, Crestron?

actually here's the philips site:

http://www.homecontrol.philips.com/

If you are really looking to do full scale automation, as apposed to just an HTPC front end, CQC is probably the most powerful software based solution. It has a stronger leaning towards all of the back end stuff that you really need for heavy duty automation, but it also has strong front end capabilities as well. It's not a trivial system to learn, but no system that is really powerful and flexible enough for hard core automation is going to be simple. But it's important to know where you want to go and not choose something that will only get you part way there, and at some point you end up throwing it all away and starting over. It's better to get something more powerful than you might initially use, but which will allow you to grow into it without losing the work (both in customization and in learning curve) that you've invested.