Oh, so long ago, it seemed like my home media experience was going to blossom into a rich offering of new services and sources.
And it seems like that has come true - but no good deed goes unpunished. And now the collection of digital devices and competing technologies has turned into a consumer electronics death match, with me the 'customer' as collateral damage.
It all began honestly enough.
I needed a new receiver to power my livingroom home theatre. My trusty Onkyo had seen better days. And many of the features I'd bought it for were now sadly out of date.
I scoured the web for wisdom, explored some Home Theatre blogs, and found myself drawn to a few brands that had served me well over the years. Sony was a longtime favorite. Samsung a new friend. And Pioneer a new option.
Then I did something I'd never done before. I went to the App Store and downloaded the free apps that each brand offered. Software. And surprisingly, the Pioneer App was head and shoulders above the rest. So, my iPad was going to be the controller - and Pioneer won the battle. After a brief misstep with Amazon, I was at Best Buy... and my Saturday was full of digital toys to play with.
It all seemed so simple.
But then, reality set it. The Pioneer amp needed a user name and password (yikes!) and in order to properly program it you needed to use a mix of the iPad, the handheld remote, and an on screen prompt that could only be seen on a HDMI connected TV. Truly.
Back to the web, and Amazon, and Best Buy.
My plasma flatscreen - which I love - was RGB and Composite only. So, it was time for a new flatscreen. But there I was in for a shock. No longer is a screen simply a screen. My new Viera flatscreen did everything but make toast. It was a web browser, a window into social networks, a movie store, an internet radio tuner (via Pandora). Oh, and did I mention that it wanted a user name and login? Even better, my flatscreen wanted a credit card (ugh) for App purchases. No way am I giving a credit card number to my TV.
So - here's where it gets interesting.
The Pioneer receiver has a slew of features including Pandora, Apple Airplay integration, a great App, and great sound.
But - the Panasonic TV has weather, Netflix, MLB, Hulu+, YouTube, Twitter, Amazon Video, and a whole bunch more.
So, do I use my TV as my 'home base' ? - it turns out, it doesn't do a very good job controlling the Pioneer receiver. Or do I use the flatscreen for video and the receiver remote for audio? Uh Oh, now I've got two apps I need to flip back in forth from on my iPad just to change channels and audio settings.
Maybe the solution is staying with one brand? Turns out no - Panasonic doesn't really offer a Viera receiver, and Pioneer isn't currently in the Flatscreen business.
So - welcome to my digital nightmare.
Two remotes. Two apps on the iPad. Oh, and then there's Apple TV with it's little silver remote and no particularly good App (strangely enough). And - I almost forgot the Tivo and its own remote.
Yes, it's exciting to see the living room digital revolution take shape. But for those of us early adopters - the sharp elbows of manufacturers not playing nice together is going to get nasty fast.
