Does ayone know if a MainLobby,Elk M1, HomeSeer combo will be able to control an Audio Authority AVAtrix? I'm planning on touchscreens using the MainLobby interface.
Thanks,
Cam

There isn't a specific plugin for it but it can be controlled via serial or IR so it depends on how the rest of your system is configured. AA makes the serial information available so going that route should be easy.

Thanks for the reply. I'm glad AA is making the serial info public.

videocam,

If you can track down the serial information and send it to us, we can look at the difficulty involved in developing a driver for it.

videocam,

If you can track down the serial information and send it to us, we can look at the difficulty involved in developing a driver for it.Here it is Mario :D

thanks,
MurrayW

Do we have more than just videocam interested in a driver?

Do we have more than just videocam interested in a driver?Me too. I was just going to go the generic serial route, but if there is a specific driver, I am sure you would get some more of my $.

thanks,
Murray

Here it is Mario :D

thanks,
MurrayW
You beat me to it!

Trent

Thanks Guys.

Murray,
Do you or anyone else have one of these units in hand for testing once we start digging in?

Trent,
Looks like we'll be supporting your products in the future. :) Is there a technical contact we should direct any questions to? Looks like a quality product.

Thanks Guys.

Murray,
Do you or anyone else have one of these units in hand for testing once we start digging in?

Trent,
Looks like we'll be supporting your products in the future. :) Is there a technical contact we should direct any questions to? Looks like a quality product.
Hello Mario,

Jason, our Applications Specialist, would be the best person for you to talk to. He's in our Tech Services department.

He can be reached at 800/322-8346.

Trent

Oh man, I didn't need to see this. I used to have a Viewsonic Airpanel touchscreen that I used with a product called Meedio and tried out Netlobby and messed around with Mainlobby a little bit. The airpanel was a pain, so I ended up giving up on it. Actually, girder made me want to stop. I promised the wife I would install something that "simply works" in the new house and not be messing with it all of the time. I have to have a hobby though! :)

What do you guys have in mind as far as hardware goes and what are you trying to acheive with Mainlobby and AVAtrix?

Thanks Guys.

Murray,
Do you or anyone else have one of these units in hand for testing once we start digging in?

Trent,
Looks like we'll be supporting your products in the future. :) Is there a technical contact we should direct any questions to? Looks like a quality product.Mario, Yes I just got one and will be trying to get it all set-up over this long weekend. It's a sad state of affairs when you get so old and are geeky enough to look forward to playing with electronics on New Year's eve rather than going out and celebrating it like I used too! I'd be happy to help with the testing when you are ready.

Murray

Oh man, I didn't need to see this. I used to have a Viewsonic Airpanel touchscreen that I used with a product called Meedio and tried out Netlobby and messed around with Mainlobby a little bit. The airpanel was a pain, so I ended up giving up on it. Actually, girder made me want to stop. I promised the wife I would install something that "simply works" in the new house and not be messing with it all of the time. I have to have a hobby though! :)

What do you guys have in mind as far as hardware goes and what are you trying to acheive with Mainlobby and AVAtrix?RxMan, what I have in mind is being able to control the AVAtrix using RS-232 from touchscreens (I have several Fujitsu 3500 and 3400 tablets that I would use for this purpose). I also plan to be able to access the basic functions of the AVAtrix via IR using a remote control through the wall plates. Hopefully I can get something basic setup this weekend.

Murray

Guys,

We had one of our programmers digging into the serial control yesterday. Hopefully we'll have something ready in a week or two given the holidays.

Trent,
Do you know if the serial control supports controlling more than just the first six zones?

Glad to hear you are working on this. I am looking at doing some upgrades and this looks like the best solution.

WOW! I didn't know this thread would take off like this!
My house got hit by a tornado last April (in Tennessee)...and I am building it from the ground up.
I have not purchased MainLobby or the AVAtrix yet...but with the quick support by both companies (Thanks Mario and Trent :-) I think this is the route I'm going to take.
My new house is just beginning framing so I'm planning my structured cable layout as we speak. I'm a TV photojournalist...so my video distribution system at home will be for both pleasure and work. I will be tying in a non-linear edit system and some DVC Pro decks....so component video is a must.
So Mario and Trent...do I get a discount for bringing your 2 fine companies together ??? :D In all seriousness, I am really impressed with the level of openness and support you guys have shown....I makes it easier to be confident when making big purchases.
Thanks,
Cam

I am a proud owner of both Cinemar MainLobby/MLServer and an AudioAuthority Avatrix and I would be happy to help test a new plug in from Mario's team. I have the serial cable running already and I was hoping for just such a plug in.

I currently have a Samsung Q1 controlling my Russound CAM device and It would be great to be able to control the Avatrix in a similar way.

Any chance you'd let me help by testing for you?

(My avatrix is currently running 3 of 6 output zones/wallplates and I have 5 of 6 sources already as inputs)

Thanks.

I have one-way serial control working for now using the MLGenericSerial plugin. As soon as I move it to its final destination close to my MLServer PC I will tackle the 2-way communication using MLGenericDevice plugin. The one-way was very easy to get working, so I don't anticipate any problems getting the 2-way to work. The serial control is pretty simple and there are not a lot of commands, so I am sure that once Mario's developer starts working on it, the MLAVAtrix plugin should be a snap to complete.

Murray

Guys,

We had one of our programmers digging into the serial control yesterday. Hopefully we'll have something ready in a week or two given the holidays.

Trent,
Do you know if the serial control supports controlling more than just the first six zones?
Serial control allows control of any number of wallplates (if that's what you mean by zones). There are a maximum of six "zone" groupings of wallplates on the AVAtrix.

Trent

Yes - anyone interested in being testers should post a request in this thread. We only ask that you are an existing customer already experienced with MainLobby.

Trent,
So while you can have more than six wall plates, each wall plate will have a number of 1-6 assigned.

I guess lets say I have 6 sources and 12 wall plates.

If I define wall plate one and two to "zone" one. Then they will always display the same source?

Yes - anyone interested in being testers should post a request in this thread. We only ask that you are an existing customer already experienced with MainLobby.

Trent,
So while you can have more than six wall plates, each wall plate will have a number of 1-6 assigned.

I guess lets say I have 6 sources and 12 wall plates.

If I define wall plate one and two to "zone" one. Then they will always display the same source?Mario, I'll try to answer for Trent (Trent, please correct anything if I have it wrong). If you assign wall plate one and two to zone one they can but don't have to display the same source. Here are a few examples:

Assign different sources to each wall plate:
UA13 -- assigns source 3 to wall plate A1
UA25 -- assigns source 5 to wall plate A2

Assign same source to each wall plate in Zone 1:
Z14 -- assigns source 4 to all wall plates in Zone 1

Assign same source to ALL wall plates:
X6 -- assigns source 6 to ALL wall plates

Murray

Yes - anyone interested in being testers should post a request in this thread. We only ask that you are an existing customer already experienced with MainLobby.

Trent,
So while you can have more than six wall plates, each wall plate will have a number of 1-6 assigned.

I guess lets say I have 6 sources and 12 wall plates.

If I define wall plate one and two to "zone" one. Then they will always display the same source?
When grouped to the same Zone, wallplates can be switched together, but don't have to be. You can select the individual unit and switch it, or select a zone and switch all.

Trent

OK - we just passed on a first round draft of the plugin to MurrayW for testing. The driver doesn't support receiving MLServeCmd's. Our goal was to get the plugin side working first and feedback from the device. We're flying blind here so hopefully we got pretty close in this first version.

OK - we just passed on a first round draft of the plugin to MurrayW for testing. The driver doesn't support receiving MLServeCmd's. Our goal was to get the plugin side working first and feedback from the device. We're flying blind here so hopefully we got pretty close in this first version.I hope to get some time this weekend to test it. I'll report back on my findings.

thanks,
Murray

Thanks Murray...looking forward to your feedback.

Thanks Murray...looking forward to your feedback.Mario, You've got mail.
Murray

Thanks Murray.

Passed along your email to our developer for review.

What is the current status of the plug-in?

What is the current status of the plug-in?I have tested it...some things are working, some not. I have given Mario feedback and am waiting for his developer to make the changes and send me the next version for further testing. I'll provide an update when I get the next version and test it.

Murray

Count me in as another future customer wanting a plugin for the avatrix.

Good work you guys.
Kyle

Murray - you've got mail for the next round of testing on the driver.

Mario,
I installed it and am getting a Runtime Error '13' Type mismatch. I tried deleting my original mlmatrixswitcher.mdb file and re-installing in the hopes that installing a fresh database would help, but I got the same error. I am guessing that it has something to do with the database table types -- they are all listed as numbers, long integers.

Please take a look and send me the next version when you figure out what is causing this error.
thanks,
Murray

Hi Guys,

Just a quick update. MurrayW has been giving the AVatrix plugin a workout and we're coming to the final stretch of development.

We're preparing for our showing at EHX in Orlando next week so the release might not be until after that if all final testing goes well. Special thanks to Murray for putting it through the ringer. :)

I don't know if its just a guy thing, but its a such an empowering feeling to be able to control a new piece of equipment. ;)

Hi Guys,

Just a quick update. MurrayW has been giving the AVatrix plugin a workout and we're coming to the final stretch of development.

We're preparing for our showing at EHX in Orlando next week so the release might not be until after that if all final testing goes well. Special thanks to Murray for putting it through the ringer. :)

I don't know if its just a guy thing, but its a such an empowering feeling to be able to control a new piece of equipment. ;)It is controlling everything just fine now. There are a few cosmetic suggestions that I made that Cinemar is working on.

I don't know, but there are a few other "guy" things that empower me more than this plugin -- Mario, it must be that endless winter that you have to endure. Never the less, it is still pretty neat to control everything from a computer and Mario and Jeremy have done an excellent job of getting this plugin to control the AVAtrix.

Murray

OK everyone.

Sorry it took so long to finalize the plugin. Everything moves along much slower development-wise without the hardware in hand. But its finally complete and tested.

For details on the new AVATRIX driver, please visit:
http://www.cinemaronline.com/mlserver.mlmatrixswitcher.html

MurrayW - do you have any sample scenes that we can pass on to new users?

OK everyone.
MurrayW - do you have any sample scenes that we can pass on to new users?Not yet...I haven't done much other than test the plugin -- I am way behind on my "scene" updating. When I get something in place I will post it.
Murray

MurrayW,

We've made some more improvements to the plugin and to the docs. So I went ahead and created a scene that will help users get up and running instantly. All they'll need to do is configure their com port for their AVATRIX and their up and running.

http://www.cinemaronline.com/screenshots/0019_media.avatrix.600.jpg

The scenes are currently not included in the installer...but will be. If anyone needs them before the next Mainlobby release...please email me and I will gladly send them along.

MurrayW,

We've made some more improvements to the plugin and to the docs. So I went ahead and created a scene that will help users get up and running instantly. All they'll need to do is configure their com port for their AVATRIX and their up and running.

http://www.cinemaronline.com/screenshots/0019_media.avatrix.600.jpg

The scenes are currently not included in the installer...but will be. If anyone needs them before the next Mainlobby release...please email me and I will gladly send them along.It pays to be lazy! Mario, could you email me that scene.
thanks,
Murray

Murray,

You've got mail...give the scene a test run when you get a chance. I want to make sure all the controls are working and that the buttons are indicating proper status.

Thanks.

CQC also has an AVATRIX driver that apparantly will be available with the release of 2.1.

Guys,

For those of you with 16x9 screens such as the UMPC tablets or 8" Nobu inwall - we've created another great sample scene that works with the new AVATRIX plugin right out-of-the-box.

If someone needs the scenes prior to he next ML3 update, just shoot me an email and I'll be sure to send it along.

http://www.cinemaronline.com/screenshots/0019_media.avatrix.16x9.600.jpg

As usual, you have complete control over the look and feel of the interface. These scenes are designed to get you up and running right away. You can swap buttons, change the tint color, modify room and zone names, etc.

I posted this over on the ML forum, but no response.

I have an avatrix with 12 output (2 1176s), latest firmware for all. I have Mainlobby with all latest versions and am experiencing a strange problem.

1) When I switch inputs from mainlobby is switches fine, but it seems to take a long time 10-30 seconds to finish the command and move on.

2) The feedback variables don't contain the right input. so let's say we switch to input 1 on wall plate 2. The system returns input 6 on wall plate 1. I am using the screens with little or no modification.

Can someone chime in on this? What am I missing?

Thanks,
W

Warren,

Make sure you have logged in and downloaded the latest files. I believe there have been recent updates that have resolved some issues.

Thanks, do you know what the latest version numbers are just to be sure i'm looking at the same thing?

You should be running: Version 1.0.0.571

wooo hoooo!

It seems to work quite well now.

Thanks!

I also have an AVAtrix with 2 1176s for 12 TVS. What kind of harware are you using with Mainlobby?

RxMan1,

I'd recommend at least 1 GHZ CPU or faster along with 512MB Ram or higher. WinXP Professional is our preferred OS but you can run on many other Windows Vista.

I am just using a Shuttle XPC (older AMD model) to run the MLserver component to control the Avatrix and many other things.

For local control, I am using in wall touchscreens (3 x ELO 15") with an old IBM laptop PC remotely located in the mech room.

I've not yet settled on a hand held solution to run Mainlobby, so for in-room control, I have an 1105 avatrix remote in some rooms along with source control remotes.

In a couple of rooms I have a universal remote MX-810 to do all the control.

Seems to be fine with the exception of the rooms with older LCD TVs where the IR is not 100%.

I'm having a hard time getting a grasp on what I need. I do have a 3ghz/512ram htpc in my rack with my AVAtrix. Can this run MLServer in the background? Then I get something that basically does a remote session with the main computer?

I'm having a hard time getting a grasp on what I need. I do have a 3ghz/512ram htpc in my rack with my AVAtrix. Can this run MLServer in the background? Then I get something that basically does a remote session with the main computer?RxMan1, there are many ways to set it up. I think the general recommendation is to have MLServer on a separate computer than your HTPC so that video intensive applications on your HTPC do not interfere with MLServer or vice versa. If you head over to the cinemar forum you will find that there are people who successfully run MLServer on their HTPC. If you go the UMPC route you would not need to run remote sessions on the main computer. Mario and David can provide more details and correct anything that I may have gotten wrong.

I have a separate MLServer PC and HTPC (actually my HTPC died about 6 months ago and I haven't rebuilt it yet). I use Fujitsu 3500's as clients (I have a UMPC but haven't gotten around to integrating it yet). The 3500's, 500 Mhz with 256 Ram running XP, are a little under powered, but at the present my control scenes are not that CPU intensive that I notice much of a lag. Pushing a button on my 3500 to change a source on the AVAtrix is just as quick as using the remote control.

Hope this helps a little bit.
Murray

RxMan1,

Feel free to call us (Cinemar) directly. We'd be happy to answer any questions you may have. Sometimes is much easier over the phone to get you from A to B. :)

Hi Trent,

Is the protocol available yet for the AVX-562? We've had a few requests for a plugin.

Is the protocol available yet for the AVX-562? We've had a few requests for a plugin.

I'd be surprised if it is any different than the older models since they all use the same firmware. There are few new features for all the models such as parent control and private viewing so maybe that's what your referring to.

Hi Trent,

Is the protocol available yet for the AVX-562? We've had a few requests for a plugin.Mario, I'd be surprised if you get a response from Trent. After being very active in this forum he suddenly stopped posting. His last post is in Dec '07. I found AA's tech support very helpful when I needed them, so you might try calling them.

Murray