Nothing. Or, maybe they'll just buy LW when they deem them ready for prime time.

This industry isn't SW based, it's hardware based and it will always be that way until everything is wireless TCP/IP and truly plug n play. AMX and Crestron have a large sku and so do the other successful companies. All they sell is hardware, they provide the SW to run all those parts.

What they have in common is that the SW is just as good as the HW.

LW and CQS seems to me SW based companies. Nothing wrong or evil with that. But, Crestron, AMX, and even CQS seem to have an identity and a market/s. I don't quite understand what LW's is and what they're trying to do. To be cynical, it seems like SW guys and marketing people have the reigns and are driving this company. So, a bigwig in LW has a CI firm in Florida... why? As of CEDIA, LW had almost 100 employees (according to a LW rep there) and was privatetly owned.

It seems to me that some pretty clever guys have this great idea to create a SW platform for CI's that does (insert cool thing here) and (here) and (here). Then, when it seems to be taking off, sell it... maybe to Microsoft. A SW platform that cuts out the expensive and evil programmer. I know of another company that sells SW that is installer configurable based on AMX hardware. I doubt that they're going to go as far they think they will, for one fundamental reason: CI's won't utilize it to stay within it's limitations. They drink the Koolaid and try to fill shoes that are too big for it.

Maybe this is a big conspiracy theory, but I'm pretty sure that the guys I know didn't make the SW/AMX hardware package to change the industry or get their pictures on the front of CEPro. They're doing it to get rich, and they're hoping that somebody will buy it. Is LW doing the same thing?

It seems to me that once LW is running stable on real jobs within their target market segment/s, they will be viable as a long term solution. This thread does have a little deju vu to it, no?

Either way, I think Steve and joshod have held up well to many tough but fair questions and comments, and I wish this thread to continue.