Installing Trial Software

[upstatemike]

This is kind of a problem in that you haven't gone through any of the tutorials so you aren't understanding how it works.

I have gone through some of the tutorials and most of the videos and today's web presentation about the weather channel and DVD copyright issues. I guess I'm just not absorbing as fast as I need to to meet the deadline.

 

[IVB]

Yeah, that extended convo on DVDs did seem a bit odd. But, that's what some folks wanted to talk about, so that's what we did. The webex'es are pretty democratic, so that's what you get from time to time.

Wife just cancelled our plans for tomorrow. If you want, I can setup a webex to walk you through some of this stuff, we can even flip to your machine so I can walk you through setup on your machine if need be.

I'm off to dinner now, but post back here if you're interested in add'l help.

 

[upstatemike]

Thanks for the offer but after knocking off to watch the shuttle launch I just don't have the energy to get back into it tonight. I rebooted and deleted my test event so everything is fine now. I'll just look at some more tutorials tomorrow.

 

[IVB]

sorry, i meant "do you want an HA-specific webex" tomorrow. At this point, I have something to show you on pretty much every module CQC has as I do it myself, so I can do something much more specific to your needs. Plus I can show you how I'm integrating the Elk with CQC, as that'll be where you go. I don't do the slimserver driver (yet), that'll happen in the Jan-ish timeframe for me.

I'm basically around all day, just finishing up the honeydo list. I'll check back here periodically, typically up and hitting the list by 8:00am PST so early is fine too.

 

[upstatemike]

Thanks again but I am told that there will not be any spare time today to play with this stuff. I would like to see the Elk integration sometime because it is one of my four main areas of interest (Elk, Insteon, Slimserver. and Security Cameras). The tutorials focus a lot on Home Theater and building Touch Screen interfaces but I don't have any use for those right now.

It is also clear that trying to rush through a trial evaluation isn't going to get me anywhere. Taking too many shortcuts to meet a deadline just ensures that things will not go well. I think I am resigned to just pulling back for another 6 months to see what happens and then start the decision cycle fresh.

By then maybe RoZetta will be available for me to use with Stargate or Dave will have the PowerHome Elk integration done. Maybe the Elk M2 will be announced and I can do everything I want in hardware or maybe somebody will write a CQC driver for Stargate pushing me back in that direction.

For now I will just do some short term patch up type stuff and save the strategic decisions for later. No sense agonizing over this hobby to the point where it isn't fun any more!

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

Oh man, I had two to one with electron that you would go CQC before this days end.

Just kidding of course! :lol: I was really curious which package(s) you would be selecting after all of that investigating.

 

[IVB]

What's the current spread on digger?

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

What's the current spread on digger?

I'll check when I go into the casino's sports books later on today! :lol:

For those of you playing along at home today is the LAST day to get CQC for it's introductory price!!! You will save a ton of money if you purchase before today's end!

 

[Digger]

Hmmmmmmmmmmm can I bet and pay for it with the winnings? Not sure if I will go with it. To be honest the money is tight for such a big outlay this time of the year and from what I can tell it will require a sgnificant amount of time to setup.

I have no problems with the product at all but it may be more of an investment financially and time wise then I can afford at the moment.

Does Dean have Lay-Away???? :lol:

 

[IVB]

No pressure, but if you decide to buy it, I know the community will be more than happy to help you expedite the setup.

I know I'd be interested in helping you a lot, mainly because I think I'm going to need some more HA rules/etc points of view and assistance with CQC so it's really self-serving in the end.

That just leaves it between you & MR. Visa to deal with the $$ bit.

 

[Digger]

Its not that I dont have any money for this hobby but funds are very limited right now. Also there are so many choices in software all of which are very good at what they do (CQC, Powerhome, Mainlobby, Homeseer etc etc etc.).

I think everyone has done an excellent job with their software and there is a market out there for them all. If they had not done such a good job guys like Upstate Mike and myself would not have such a hard time deciding. I do think that they are all still "evolving" and none are perfect yet but they may never be since things change so fast.

I already own Powerhome (its not working but Dave has twice offered to help me with any concerns I am just to busy) and I also own ELK RM.

I think cost wise Powerhome is by far the cheapest, then ELK RM, and the rest are pretty much in the same ballpark in the end. Obviously Powerhome and ELK RM cannot not do everything that CQC or Homeseer etc can do but they are all worth the money if you need the features that they have.

Its a tough choice....... If I had gotten CQC back when it was cheaper I would probably be very happy with it (I might say the same thing next Christmas if I dont get it today :lol: )

 

[Digger]

Is today actually the "last" day to get CQC at $495? The website doesnt have a date. I have someone "demo"ing a few other software packages in a few days. Intially they are cheaper but in the end when you add everything up they are all about the same price.

 

[IVB]

Today is the last day to get the full suite for $495. tomorrow that's $895.

But, tomorrow you can get the base package for $495, and pay the following upcharges:
$145 - Media Repository (Don't need DVDProfiler or JRMC)
$95 - App control server (less useful now that there's an IP driver for SageTV and TT, but it's still valuable)
$95 - DotNetViewer (Build & view custom UI on your PDA or lightweight touchscreen)
$95 - EventServer
$95 - WebServer
$95 - XML Server

Of those, you'd definitely want the EventServer, potentially 1-2 others. Hence the oppty cost of waiting is at least $200-$300.

 

[Digger]

The CQC site seems to be down. I was going to try and read up on it some more. I guess I am still on the fence.

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

The CQC site seems to be down. I was going to try and read up on it some more. I guess I am still on the fence.

I'm not having any problem getting to the site (5:22 PM Pacific Time).