IOGEAR unveils new HDMI Control Center for well-heeled A/V fiends
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted Sep 9th 2009 11:41AM
posted Sep 9th 2009 11:41AM
IOGEAR Launches HDMI Control Center Offering Users Complete Convergence Between Home Electronics and Their PCs
Provides customers with interaction of all devices from a single, centralized location
IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- CEDIA EXPO -- Entertainment enthusiasts can now control all of their HDMI electronic devices and manage their home office and media center from the comfort of their couch with IOGEAR's HDMI Control Center.
Using the wireless keyboard with built-in laser trackball, consumers can easily control, navigate, switch and interact with their HDMI-connected computers and devices. For example, users can switch from a favorite HD movie on a Blu-ray player to the computer, viewable on the HDTV, to quickly send an email and then return to the film. IOGEAR's HDMI Control Center allows families to consolidate their office and entertainment technology into one convenient location for easy access. It also eliminates the need for additional equipment, such as a monitor, by managing all content on a HDTV. It is an easy out-of-box, plug-and-play solution with a sleek design to complement any set-up with a Blu-ray / DVD player, game console, set-top box and media server / computer.
"At IOGEAR, we are constantly innovating new technologies to give consumers the easiest and most complete computing and entertainment experience," said Miranda Su, executive vice president of IOGEAR. "As convergence increases between these two mediums, we strive to offer solutions that efficiently and cost-effectively bridge this gap."
IOGEAR's HDMI Control Center will be on display at the 2009 CEDIA Expo, September 10-13 in Atlanta, GA, booth number 5715.
If all of your HDMI devices already go through a central AVR before outputting to the display of your choice, and your HTPC already has a keyboard, what exactly is the point of this "control center"?
/confused
Turn one convenient cable into a useless mess! (only 199.95 - monster.com/iogear)
$500!!! Holy crap! I though I was being ironic when I said 199!
mind = blown.
Are you admitting to premature commenting? :p (commenting before reading, that is)
I have 2 of the IOGear keyboards.
Very good HTPC keyboard!
I have no experience with the rest of the equipment.
Yes, I got an IO Gear keyboard/mouse combo because it promised to work across the room. It's pretty much the perfect combo for an HTPC. Based on that, I'd expect they've done a good job on this product as well. $500 is pretty steep, though.
The company I work for bought 3 IOGear DVI switches 4 years ago at ~$400 each (top end model). All of which are dead or only partially working now.... and of course out of warranty. They worked great while they lasted... except with the Macs... The Macs didn't like them.
"supports 1080p (1920 x 1200)"
Which is it?
Probably both...
Anyoo, while I'd like this, it's waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay overpriced.
Why would you go to all that expense for video and then pass audio over 1/4-inch analog stereo cables? Bolt-on uselessness much.
They are in the bolt-on business
I think the idea here is that it's a 4 port DVI (hdmi) USB + Audio KVM switch. Not exactly sure why they are marketing it towards home theater. I assume the 1/8" audio is for stereo & mic in/out from the PC. If you want to pass high quality multichannel audio it would need to be over HDMI.
What I'd REALLY like to see is something like this that consolidates all HDMI devices to a single connection point and allows ACTUAL control through CEC (or better yet, build that into an AVR). I am sick of IR emitters and have been eyeballing CEC since I read the spec for it. Unfortunately, it still sucks but here's hoping for the future.
-aedile-
good KVMs arent' cheap but 500 is steep