Highend Remote prices - Style over substance?

lordy

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This remote market does seem interesting, I'm guessing the high end models have over 80% markup! (esp considering the price they are dumped for when discontinued).

Its a kind of marketting - image - lifestyle pricing as opposed to a technical pricing if that makes sense.

Some cost more than PDAs that have IRDA capability. (+bluetooth+wireless etc)

The Harmony RF extender looks exactly like the controller that came with my Logitech wireless mounse (abour £30 inc mouse etc) and costs £70 on its own! Granted, There may be other bits of electronics in there.
 
Some people are prepared to pay extra for a bit of style.

Welcome to the consumer society!
 
lordy said:
Some cost more than PDAs that have IRDA capability. (+bluetooth+wireless etc)

The comparison with PDA is the most interesting. £300 for a top spec PDA, twice as much for a colour Philips Pronto.

I guess it is all down to specialist market.
But current pricing isn't allowing that market to grow much - it remains a niche.

Compare to SatNav. Look how cheap they have become in comparison - yet similar technology clearly underpins many components of the PDA, SatNav and Pronto.
 
loz said:
Compare to SatNav. Look how cheap they have become in comparison - yet similar technology clearly underpins many components of the PDA, SatNav and Pronto.

I think someone needs to combine the last two - then the Pronto could change menu's etc to reflect where it was located at that time.

Might make the price more justifiable.
 
HP actually made an iPaq that could be used as a remote a few years ago - I bought one!
Seemed like a really good idea. It had consumer IR, which is totally different to IRDA. It also had Nevo software built in - the software is now available in the Nevo SL remote.
Sadly, the promise was not borne out in practice. The Nevo remote software was very limited - functionally it was fine, but you couldn't customise the graphics. Battery life was severely limited, which meant recharging it every day (Prontos last for weeks on one charge). Worst of all, they forgot to include a tilt switch, so you had to wake the thing up before you could use it - very frustrating.
I took mine back for a refund, and bought a Pronto (actually, a Marantz RC9200) for nearly twice the price.
 
James Day said:
I think someone needs to combine the last two - then the Pronto could change menu's etc to reflect where it was located at that time.

Might make the price more justifiable.

Good idea, but it wouldn't work - the GPS satellites are very low power, and you can't receive a signal indoors.
 
MonkeySting said:
My TomTom One gets a five-sat lock indoors within 10 seconds.
You must have thinner walls/roof than me :)

I get nothing at all on my 510 indoors.
 
Do you live in a nuclear bunker? (Actually, that would pretty much be my dream home).

I guess it all boils down to basic supply and demand. All the while people are prepared to pay extra for a high-end remote, on which companies can earn a higher margin, they will continue to produce them.

In fact, it often amazes me that the remotes you get with AV kit are generally so good. The remote with my Hitachi plasma is pretty classy, and is even capable of controlling equipment from 20 or so different manufacturers (though unfortunately it can't control my Cambridge Audio stuff). Given there's so high a margin in flogging an expensive remote to their punters, I' surprised these manufacturers don't just include a basic, cheap-n-nasty remote with their kit, leaving those that don't like it to fork out extra for a high-end job.
 
MonkeySting said:
Do you live in a nuclear bunker? (Actually, that would pretty much be my dream home).

I guess it all boils down to basic supply and demand. All the while people are prepared to pay extra for a high-end remote, on which companies can earn a higher margin, they will continue to produce them.

In fact, it often amazes me that the remotes you get with AV kit are generally so good. The remote with my Hitachi plasma is pretty classy, and is even capable of controlling equipment from 20 or so different manufacturers (though unfortunately it can't control my Cambridge Audio stuff). Given there's so high a margin in flogging an expensive remote to their punters, I' surprised these manufacturers don't just include a basic, cheap-n-nasty remote with their kit, leaving those that don't like it to fork out extra for a high-end job.

Actually, I live in an old granite cottage. The walls are nearly 3 feet thick. My lack of signal probably isn't helped by the high metallic content of Cornish granite, either -plays havoc with mobile phone and DECT signals, too, although wifi works no problem.
 

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