Homeseer to be featured on FOX

[electron]

HomeSeer Technologies Supplies Automation to Fox Televison Series "Renovate My Family"

BEDFORD, NH --- Aug 31, 2004 --- HomeSeer Technologies announces that it has been chosen by SmartHome Inc. to provide automation software for the new FOX televison series Renovate My Family. The series airs Sept 1 with a 2 hour preview show. The show includes a total makeover of the home owners home. HomeSeer's automation software HomeSeer is used to automate the SmartHome lighting system as well as control audio/video equipment. HomeSeer's voice recognition is also used to make life easier for the home owner.

"We are proud that SmartHome has chosen HomeSeer to run the automation in these remodeled homes.", state Richard Helmke, president of HomeSeer Technologies.

For more information, visit the SmartHome show website at fox.smarthome.com, or the FOX website at www.fox.com/renovatemyfamily

HomeSeer Technologies flagship product "HomeSeer" is a PC based home automation application that gives the user control of his home from any web browser or telephone. The software supports a wide range of third party hardware and software. HomeSeer Technologies web site is www.homeseer.com.

 

[smee]

FOX. Why'd it have to be FOX?

 

[Squintz]

Ill be watching. Someone record it just incase some people miss it. I will try and record it when i get home but im not sure if my pc is working for tv right now. I will be watching tho just because its getting automated. I will be replying to their official fan club site also letting them know that i think every house should be automated.

I hope they make a big deal out of the automation and not just a 2 second plug. On monsterhouse they only breifly mention that they are using the parts but never actually demonstrate how they work or how they were installed.

I hope this show will be diferent.

SmartHome.com is smart for getting into tv show like that. When are we going to se martin on TV We should have martin donate some parts and have the cocoontech members install them. Now that would be a fun get together.

Martin get on the phone to Fox

 

[electron]

I'll have my MCE DVR record this, maybe post some of the more important segments assuming my cable isn't acting up again.

 

[compuguru]

The show sound like Extreme Makeover: Home Edition....

 

[Joe W]

It's 8:30 am I am trying to watch the show (while DTivo is recording it). So far, they just demolished their house and shipped the family off on a stretch limo. It is real difficult because the show really sucks. I also forgot how many commercials network TV has - 5 minute segments with 4 minutes of ads seperating them. Ugh.

AT two hours in length, I'm glad I'm recording it so I can skip the junk.

That host is Dr. Phil's son. I don't know how to spell nepotism but this seems like a bad case of it.

 

[electron]

damn I watched like 10 minutes of it, I couldn't stand more, it's being recorded, will try to look at the highlights later. It does sound and look like Extreme Makeover, just 10 times worse.

 

[smee]

FOX. Why'd it have to be FOX?

Sorry to quote myself, but I thought it needed repeating.

One hour into the show. I'm not really paying attention, but it's on in the background while I work on other things.

Note: They broke a window during the construction. Then they complained that it takes 3 weeks to get these custom windows built. But, they only decided 3 days ago to tear down the house? How did they get the windows built in the first place?

 

[Rupp]

Did anyone see the HS guys? I hate to admit it but I watched it all. I never saw any HS guys? Was it in those rapid flash-bys?

 

[WayneW]

Nope, no HS guys. No SmartHome guys either, other than apparently one that threw a shirt out the window down to one of the workers. No mention of HS in the show or on the Fox website with all the other suppliers (probably because it was provided by SmartHome).

Can I get a refund on my 2 hours? :lol:

I also agree with Smee that I doubt this was done in 1 week with no planning.

 

[electron]

check fox.smarthome.com, it has some cool info, and some pictures, including a groups shot, which might or might not have Rich in it (I don't know what he looks like).

 

[DavidL]

Is that a MainLobby scene on the kitchen touchscreen?
http://fox.smarthome.com/images/Biggins/Slide24.JPG

 

[jlehnert]

which might or might not have Rich in it

If you are talking about the picture here, then no, Rich is not in the picture. The links for the photo album and makeover team are still "coming soon", so hopefully he will appear in one of them.

Trust Fox to dig up a couple of playboy bunnies for a home makeover show.

 

[DavidL]

I just confirmed with Mario. Cinemar donated a copy of MainLobby after Homeseer gave Fox / SmartHome the lead. Good deal for all. Hopefully they give more airtime in the next few houses of the cool stuff. Didn't quite get the 6 monitors in the kitchen though...a touch of overkill.

But yes, the triplets are on my preferred contractor list.

 

[smee]

Remember, the show was called "Renovate my Family," not "Automate my House" or even "Renovate my House." The house was only a small part of what they were trying to accomplish. Looking back at it, I think the house part is just a gimmick - they really want you do be drawn into what the family is going through. The house is just a way to lure additional viewers (one fewer next time).

If I were providing products and/or services to this show, I think I would withdraw my support. While I thought the program was basically trash, that's not the reason. If I supplied products, I would want more plugs during the show. They didn't even say things like "And you have 6 Sony [1] TVs in your kitchen!" There was very little brand placement.

I didn't see anything that made me believe that the viewers who were attracted to that show would follow up by going to Smarthome or HomeSeer.

I think I'd rather just watch 2 hours of buildings being torn down (using the heavy equipment, not people lamely pounding away with sledge hammers (which, by the way, did not look particularly safe)).

-- Edit Follows --

I don't want to think about what they are going to do with the next episode. The promo makes it look like they are going to make a house more handicapped-accessible for a son in a wheel chair. This could be a really informative show and help a lot of people. I can not imagine that they would pull off anything like this successfully.

I think The Learning Channel (TLC) needs to step in here. Smarthome, HomeSeer, and the others should approach them with the idea for a home automation show - they step in for a week and upgrade homes. I figure TLC could get 6 good episodes out before it went downhill. I'm thinking about a fairly serious show (with a friendly host). While they put automation stuff (from Smarthome) in "Monster House," that stuff gets lost in all the silliness. I think they need to put this stuff in a nice, normal home in order to encourage nice, normal people to get interested.

[1] I didn't pay close enough attention to see what brand they were. I was too dumbfounded by the reason they put 6 flat screen tvs on the wall - 3 to watch cooking shows and 3 to watch themselves cook (every kitchen needs 3 cameras). It would have been much "cooler" with one big tv and maybe 2 smaller "support" tvs - who needs picture-in-picture when you've got that budget.