Crestron=20 hours in labor and possibly an RMA

when did we start talking about firmware updates?

if you dont want to sell software, theres nothing I can say thats going to change your mind.

fact is, if you sell savant as a system, it doesnt matter if a new version comes out in the meantime. the old version, that you sold, still works fine.

I have lots of "old" savant systems in the field that work great... I stiil have a couple 4.3x systems out there even. no one needs to buy new software unless they start doing other upgrades to the system.

Ditto.....

Not to offend, but Elan doesn't compare to Savant.


I have been doing Savant since 2008, I can agree with that.....

Between $20,000,000 and $50,000,000.

That is assuming you are paying her for modeling or for a film roll

Why is that? We have done Homelogic/g! since 05. The Savant Rep pressed us hard to take on the line, and it looks like a nice system.

Elan g!'s GUI is better(IMO), the handheld remote is way better (not up for debate), I cant tell what Savant's processors are from the website but it looks like a Mac Mini so I will take the gsc10 with rack mount and all the built in I/O's over that any day.

At the end of the day I couldn't find a good reason to jump ship. What specifically does Savant do that Elan g! cannot? If its "not even close" as you say, you should be able to list 5 things at least. I will even give you the first. Blueprint will spit out a BOM for you. I liked that.

Both Elan and RTI do plenty to piss me off. At least I have 12 years of history so I know the dirty laundry well.

There can be dozens of others saying they pulled out RTI and replaced it with their "go to" system. So your statement is really a moot point.

However, you are DEAD ON in your last comment.

Im not really sure what Elan can do so cant comment on what Savant can do that Elan cannot.

One thing i'm fairly certain on is programming time on Savant is dramatically less than everyone else.

So for TV watching..

What remote control do you use with SAVANT if not the Savant remote (SUR-0500-01)?

Surely we have all run into clients that complain about missing a phone call because they had to etch-a-sketch their Ipad to mute the TV?

I still love the MX-980's for their ease of use - adjusting lights, sur modes, picture, zones..

How programmable is the new hard buttoned SAVANT?

It's not programmable. It automatically populates with commands when you connect it to the network. So you can't change what the button does but you can add custom commands to the non-touch screen.

If you are selling Crestron and ELAN and URC, Taking on Savant seems like a bad idea. Sell what you know. However, Meet with the builder and get the skinny on what and why he wants Savant. I wouldn't do it. I can't imagine the builder asking for a Jaguar from a BMW Dealer. This could put you company in a bad situation if you only sell Savant. Do you have the time to learn a new product? Service calls? Man, Tough Call here.

I have heard they are migrating the LiteTouch software to MAC platform. Won't make a lot of integrator's happy to buy/learn a new OS.

Bump-

Any new comments about Savant, good or bad?

The new remote is very good, not HR-100 (or ML-500) level good, but close enough. The systems are very stable, once programmed they run for years without trouble.

The bad, for devices without a factory built profile you're in for a long day. Relies on a very robust network backbone; If you can't build a network, don't bother. Video matrix does not handle mixed resolutions very well. They put volume controls in a stupid place on the latest version of the iPhone app (I'm sure this will be fixed soon).

I worked for a company that ditched Crestron for Savant because the programmer got sick of the owners crap. I got sent to Savant training, because Savant's big selling point was that it was super easy to program. And it is, for jobs that don't have custom stuff.

Like it was said above, if the profile is good, it's great. If not? It'll never work right. And to the guy that says, "Yes it can!" Well, sure, maybe, if you had someone who was smart enough to do it. But that person isn't a tech. They're probably programming Crestron somewhere. And now you're right back where you started. With less ability to customize your interface.

My take on it is that Savant is easier for installers to install, but the end result suffers. So it's a compromise.

Given their history of killing products, either directly or through lack of support (Litetouch, telephony servers, Squeezebox, for ex...), withholding access to features in their profiles to sell their own products (no access to streaming services in AVRs because they want to sell you an Autonomic unit for crazy money) and having updates that consistently break compatibility with features in previous versions, I can't see them lasting too much longer in the true high end market.

But their new DIY remote looks nice. :)