Well spoken Gavin. What, I think, is the most overlooked aspect of a marketing scheme for a remote that cost so much money is the fact that anyone interested in dropping several hundred dollars for the convenience of a nice remote (let's face it a cheaper one really would suffice) is the fact that the target audience is typically drawn to adopting new technology thereby placing them in the exact situation you describe: needing someone to update your remote for you.

Most of us have graduated to the Nevo by way of the Pronto or some other similar remote and are capable of doing a better job ourselves, not because we are more familiar with the programming but because we are more capable of envisioning and producing what it is we want the remote to do. Relying on a third party to bring these things together will only lead to disappointment for many of us.

On the other hand there are some who cannot, or will not, program their own remote because they either cannot envision specifics OR do not care to completely personalize their remote. It is this small subgroup of a subgroup that will likely benefit the most from the marketing scheme set forth by UEI.

That said, I don't think you'll have a problem finding a dealer willing to simply sell you a remote and forego the programming.

There is more to programming than just hex and discretes, the hardest and most time consuming is the graphic side of the remotes.


Then why not get a MX-3000 and program it yourself.


If you have talked to your installer he should understand how your remote needs to operate and should be able to provide a complete remote for your HT.


Will you be installing this or a company?

|I'll have components moving in and out over the next

I have a couple of customers that are always updating their systems when new components come out, we charge a fraction of our normal pricing to intergrate the new components into the remotes.

I don't see this being a problem if you do some research on the dealer you get the remote from.


I hope you don't find someone who will give you the program even though you sound more than capable to program your own remote. Sorry to sound so mean but with the internet and the abilty to share the program it would be all over and as a dealer and installer I don't want that.

ckelly and me, thanks for the replies. I'm coming from this as an semi-knowledgable end-user, so getting feedback from both customers and dealer/installers is helpful.

Me: I can see where you are coming from and even agree on some points. Some history first and the reason I'm looking for a top of the line remote.

My fiance's HT was installed by a friend who's a good dealer/installer. He's also doing the bits in the our new basement HT that I have little experience with (projector, speaker, screen selection, installation). One area he's not the best at is remote programming. The previous HT had a TSU6000 programmed for all the components. But it was the typical: select receiver->choose source DVD->select DVD->choose power on->choose play->select projector->choose 16:9 method of control. And with the default Philips icons too from Protoedit.

In short, no one on staff that is well suited to programming a complex remote. When I asked him what remote he would recommend, after explaining that I want an ergonomic, one-handish, mix of hard buttons and tocuh screen, he recommended the latest Pronto, the MX-3000, and a Crestron unit. I asked about both RTI and UEI remotes, but he doesn't carry them. Remotes suggested were ones that he carries or can get, not ones that meet my family's needs.

So, I started looking for authorized dealers in my ZIP code. AVAD was about useless in Atlanta and the contacts I did get either went to unanswered voice mails; no interest since I already have an installer doing the majority of the component sell/install; or dealers that didn't give me a good feeling that they could translate they way I want a remote to work into a good configuration.

ME: it's dealers like you that I'd prefer to work with, but alas, Missouri is probably too far away. :) Seriously though, there are no large established dealers in my area that offer the remotes. And these are the only types of companies I would deal with for fear of smaller companies going out of business, etc.

I'm still looking at alternatives, but the Nevo/T3 still cath my eye. Oh, don't worry about the Nevo software spreading on the Internet. As far as I can tell, it's been there a while. Launch your favorite P2P sharing program and search for "nevo". More than a few hits for non-MP3 related files. But don't worry, if I somehow do obtain a dealer-only piece of software, it would never be shared with anyone.

Again, thanks for the comments and I hope I haven't stirred up a hornets nest.

I'm sorry to hear that your current installer is not able to do a remote the way you want. If you don't need RF capabilties then I would really consider the MX-3000.It is way better than a pronto as far as ergonomics and programming.

If you need RF then RTI is the way to go. With Nevo the up side is the wifi and being window based for media intergration and programming.That is what sold me.

I wish you were in Missouri because I would like to work with you on a remote.I do a lot of programming for customers that have bought or had another company install their equipment.

I do your common remote, but most of the time I find out about the customer and what they like then intergrate that into the remote.

I'm sure the program is or will be all over the internet, I just don't like the way most DIY's down play our abilities when it comes to this industry.It sounds like AVAD was about as helpful for you as they are for us.

I think pclark is right. What benefit does a company gain by limiting a product to just dealers? There really is no justification. Of course a dealer/installer is going to say this is necessary because that is their livelihood (duh!), just like an auto mechanic would say you need to bring your car to the shop for an oil change when you can just buy and change your own oil. I've been in the software development business for a while, and I can tell you ten years ago I couldn't imagine people putting together their own home networks, creating web sites, working with complex databases, or writing their own software (yes complete with GUIs, albeit with watered down programming languages).

I'm not knocking any dealers/installers particularly, I just think if that's truly UE's business model I can't see them selling too many of these things. I love my Nevo--it's by far the best remote I've owned hands down, and the software really is easy to use. Nevo fits a neglected market for remotes that fits perfectly between cheapo $100 universal remotes and multi thousand dollar fully customizable remote systems and it would be a shame if its success was limited by a stupid marketing scheme. I think as more people see it they will want one, especially for those with smaller or medium sized systems with a half dozen or so components that they've put together themselves. The software is drag and drop and not that much harder to create a project than creating power point presentations. I really don't buy the "it's complex so a dealer needs to do it!" argument. That to me is a dealer or installer trying to justify their existence.

If UE creates a solid product in Nevo with decent software and a remote that just works, they don't have to worry about support. The internet will take care of the secondary support issues as it seems to do more and more nowadays anyway (when you have a problem do you google it first or spend an hour on the phone trying to get a hold of someone at the OEM's tech hotline?). If people are looking at this product then price is probably not the issue, but a product that's hard to get is. Oh yeah, UE not providing us "end users" access to the dealer site is lame. We paid the $800, so we are equally entitled to updates, tech support, etc.

Here Here!

the programming is SIMPLE. time consuming yes with alot of details, but VERY SIMPLE. i was actually very intimidated about the programming factor but have been very pleased. my dealer didnt even suggest he would have to program it. he told me he was there to help if i needed it, but i havent and dont think i ever will. if your dealer is giving you a hard time then plain and simple he is just a money grubbing a-hole!! there are a few dealers here that would be glad to set you up with what you need.... i found dave d'arche @ remote quest VERYhelpful. remotequestcom



edit: hey guys..... why not just sign in as a dealer at the nevo site??????????

Purchased a Nevo from a respected HiFi store after asking if I would get all the setup software etc, needed to program it myself. After reassurances to the positive I got it last weekend and expectantly brought it home.

Discovered that it was locked and bizarrely set up for some other space - not mine.

The dealer undertook to speak to the distributor which he did.

It seems that it is impossible for me to have the access necessary to configure the device to my needs!!!

What sort of rubbish is this??

Sure it may not be the easiest device to program, but given I've been in the IT industry for over 30 years and in that time I've programmed everything from application code on Mainframes writing device drivers for obscure operating systems - I cannot believe I will have any problem programming the nevo - which is only after all a windows CE device running an OS less up to date than that on my phone (an O2 Atom running Win Mobile 5 - which btw is crap and is really only beta quality).

What is going on?

What nonsense decides that you can buy a programmable device and then only be able to change it by going back to the store that you bought it from? For nearly $1700 Aussie Dollars this is not a good buy!

UEI have lost the plot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will return my Nevo to the store and get a refund, but which marketing guru came up with this %^&$#!!@@????????

They have certainly lost my custom. Pity - it is still a very desirable device.....

.............A bit like the O2 Atom - it would be good if it worked!

that really is terrible. this isnt the 1st complaint i've seen here about horrible customer service in Australia! i wonder if you couldnt just order from north america? being an end user i have to say you really are missing out on a phenominal product. also as i'm sure you read above i had NO programming experience, in fact tend to fumble a little around computers, but Nevostudio has been a real pleasure to work with. very intuitive and easy! so again it just baffles me the marketing scam they seem to be pulling "down under"!!

-Christian (Toronto, Canada)

Stealth X - just noticed your suggestion that one simply logs in as a dealer.

Good idea, but how do I get a valid ID and Password?

The dealer I purchased the Nevo from is adamant that the distributer in Australia will not allow end users to configure the device.

Does anyone know a way around this before I take the Nevo back?

Thanks in advance.

i dont know if i should say any more than i have as far as REGISTERING AS A DEALER wink wink. lol

i know there are reputable dealers that would honour your warranty from north america, i actually had a hard time finding anyone who even sold the nevo locally so was going to order from the US and i fealt comfortable that the only inconvenience would be shipping it back and forth in case i needed to use the warranty.

FYI -you arent missing anything on the nevo site -the only thing of any use is the instruction video for downloading the update.

-Christian

We got one as soon as it came out. UEI and Nevo were a "real bad fit" for us so we kicked it.

Local dealers are about 70 30 on kicks too.

As far as I am concerned if you want the software just ask for it. Provide an email and I am sure that someone will send it too you.

Well - I have made some progress - my dealer has replaced the original "locked" Nevo with a brand new one with version 1.1 operating system on board.
I guess that the only thing I'm now missing is access to the database of IR codes etc which dealers can get to on the Nevo site if I understand correctly.
Just in case anyone wants to email me I can be reached at "[email protected]"
Thanks in advance.
And by the way I think that what is proposed for a database of Nevo config's and settings is a good idea and I will be happy to post anything I come up with.

Well, all's well that ends well. My problem logging in was due to the fact that my email address had been used to register at Mynevo.com as a user and when I tried to register as an installer it just came back with a message that the email address was already in use or something similar.

By using another email address I had and registering as an installer - I got access to the site with no problems.

The replecement Nevo I got after I returned the demo model to my dealer was upgraded to 1.1, and I upgraded the Nevo Studio to 1.1 online.

Thanks to StealthX who sent me a copy of his config. This was a great help as looking at a working example was much more instructional than reading the Nevo Studio manual.

I have now got the Nevo working well in my home theatre. It operates a projector, a Receiver, a DVD player, a Tivo, an HDTV set top box, an xbox and a Windows Media Centre PC.

Even though there are several things I will still do to improve my design, the WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor) is already excellent.

I came home the other day to find her using the Tivo - a thing which never happened without me being there before. With the Sony remote that the Nevo replaced in order to watch the Tivo, you needed to select AMP, then Select VCR2 as a source, then to select Tivo so that the actual Tivo could be used. The WAF of this kind of sequence is very low!

Now with the Nevo, she hits one button which says "use tivo" and everything happens including a jump to a tivo screen which has all the buttons needed including the tivo button needed to invoke tivo's menu.

I have totally changed my mind. The dealer only stuff doesn't matter. I can do anything I like with the thing. UEI's database of IR codes is extensive (they had records for all of my kit - even though I'm in Australia), and for the few buttons which weren't there getting the Nevo to learn was easier than any other remote I've played with. (actually it was better to as it allows you to save the code learned associated with the device so that it can be re-used in other parts of your design without having to learn it again). Importing graphics into Nevo Studio is easy as well - I "borrowed" some Aussie channel logos from the Pronto download pages on this site and converted them to PNG files in photoshop then put them into the Nevo Studio Gallery - easy.

I guess what is best is that once you have set up all your devices you can totally forget about them, and design your user interface around what it is you want to do. This is the best part of the WAF - I could never explain to my wife why she had to change the projector to RGB in order to use the PC, but now she doesn't even have to know.

I'm impressed!

glad you're finally enjoying it as much as the rest of us!! hey, heres a cut and paste from dan tonks in response to me asking him if its possible to convert the many beautiful looking pronto templates for use with the nevo - i dont have any experience here so maybe someone else can do something with this?

"Well, everything is just PNG graphics with transparancy, so in theory all of the images could be used, however the layouts would have to be recreated. And I suspect much of the surrounding UI would have to change."
-dan tonks