Harmony Owners Rejoice! AVA Cinema Remote is Coming

[@therealshanelee]

*BUY AVA HERE* tinyurl.com/3zz6y2h2

[@RedLeo-pf9yo]

That silver one looks awesome !!!👏🏽

[@robertthomson1994]

1300 for a remote? Holy hell... That's insane.

[@YamilLlanos]

Exactly. For me this is nothing to get exited about since I won't be investing on it.

[@lo_fye]

When your home cinema costs north of $20k and the cheapest item in it is like $1500, being able to control everything is worth a lot. But yeah, still pricey.

[@beaucauchemar]

I was intrigued based on the design until the cost was revealed. I work for a CI retailer and know that with this being priced quite a bit higher than the slowly-phasing-out NEEO for Control4, also the replacement Halo series for C4, and the (frustratingly unreliable, battery RMAs galore) REM-4000 for Savant, that this will be a hard sell (especially without the established automation ecosystem backing.) I’m all for cool-factor and modern, intuitive innovation, but this has one steep hill to climb especially for the asking price.

[@P-LOWN1997]

@@lo_fye still not worth the price i’ll keep using my remotes separately

[@Lior1973]

@@lo_fye So you spend 7.5% of your budget on remote .. I thing you got it all wrong. Dream Media are dealers, they will help you spend 20 grand but they are more into the 100000 plus rooms. A decent JVC projector with a screen will cost you more then 12 grand so we are definitely not in the 20 grand price range

[@jaredwilson6214]

Wow. Looks amazing but 1300 is way above what I think a majority of us average hobbyists are going to spend on a remote.

[@SnehasisGhosh01]

I'd rather get 2 svs subwoofers at that cost

[@the_tig]

Check out the YIO Remote Two that is coming out soon

[@clw22580]

I do NOT understand how/why Logitech dumped a successful product Harmony and no company couldn’t just buy the rights to sell it

[@kellenfleener]

It had over 20% of their employees and did less than 3% of their business.

[@andriod3000]

was not profitable, plain and simple.

[@GameSack]

No physical buttons? No thanks. I don't like having to look at my remote for quick adjustments.

[@therealshanelee]

I'm guessing it may work like the apple TV remote navigation wise. It looks similar. If so it shouldn't be too much of an issue. I'll see soon hopefully.

[@tedscarlett]

AVA Cinema Remote has physical buttons. Each position on the Dynamic Keypad has a real physical click when pressed. It's the labels update automatically according to the source you are watching. The three dimensional glass guides your thumb to its home position so that you don't need to look down at the remote.

[@Cblan1224]

So much for programming it ourselves! They make the user enter his Google account, then the dealer/installer has to enter his ava pro credentials. So you can't just pick one up and go. Unfortunately, that may limit the user base. Hopefully that doesn't limit their success.

[@mariomedrano4138]

I just saw that too - What a bummer.

[@vric]

Was excited to finally get a Harmony replacement, they saw the price.... Geeeezzz...

[@justchilling4491]

That’s inflation for you

[@johnsandoval5239]

Comparing it to a Harmony is like comparing apples and oranges. The UI on this is way better. I have a Harmony elite. I’m looking forward to getting this, the display is much better.

[@kellenfleener]

Glad we could make it happen cap’n😎👍🏻

[@robg8963]

Or apples to caviar. At least price wise.

[@johnsandoval5239]

@@robg8963 I watched 10 of my friends drop 1199 on a new IPhone today. Or golf clubs or other things. We all spend money on toys that cost a lot. It just depends on which ones and what phase your in. The kids are out we’re gone and off to payroll in my house.

[@steakhoux]

Who needs a fancy IU on a remote? This is a product that answers a question nobody asked.

[@johnsandoval5239]

I don’t know about you but a fast IP controlable remote to control my Trinnov would be fantastic! I’ll keep my iPhone 12 and buy the remote.

[@bendermac]

Geeeeez $1300 😬 I'll stick with my Harmony Elite 😎

[@wendellwendellb339]

When I checked out the price, it was listed at $1,099.00, which is still pricey!

[@Kumba143]

“Harmony replacement” … $1,600 🤦🏻 Looks cool but is definitely not a harmony replacement for anywhere near that price

[@alanprimaz529]

Shane you should NOT say Harmony Owners Rejoice as this product while cool it is not a product you can buy without having one of their preferred installers involved. Harmony and everyone whom owned one want a universal remote that they can buy directly and program themselves. This is just an alternative to the many overpriced dealer systems that are not sold to the public directly. I would actually consider paying this expensive cost but only if it was designed to be purchased directly and programmed by myself. If the product requires a costly dealer/contractor to make any changes for you then it is NOT what Harmony owners want! Shame on you for misleading us.....

[@johnwaugh8633]

My issue with this remote is that it still doesn't have any physical buttons. The touch pad on this looks pretty but trying to find home in the dark it'll be easy to hit other buttons the same way you would on a phone. With how much hardware had gone along I don't get why it's such a task order to have basic buttons. I just don't want to fumble on the dark or have to look at a bright screen. That touchpad looks like someone that's bound to have issues with durability. I'm waiting for the Yio Remote 2 to replace my Harmony elite.

[@tedscarlett]

AVA Cinema Remote has physical buttons.

[@jebo4jc]

Dang. That price. No thanks. The harmony elite package (remote +hub) was $350. I get that there's an argument that could justify that price. They said it in the video. But the fact still remains there's a huge void where the harmony used to be in terms of capability and price point. This product is more of a control4 or crestron competitor, not a harmony replacement.

[@Cabal97]

Yeah, for 1.3k USD, it's quite expensive for what it does. Yes, one remote to rule them all, for high end systems, 6 figures, sure the cost makes sense.

[@kellenfleener]

What else is an option right now? That’s what really stinks.

[@jamesrobertson2373]

Thanks for the vid. Way too expensive for what it does. I guess a few will pay high. Harmony just did the job and to me did it well. Still rocking the hub and remote.

[@scotttild]

Until my Harmony Elite dies I am sticking with it. I assume at some point down the road Logitech is going to stop supporting it which will be sad because there is no real alternative. This looks promising but no buttons and the price tag makes it a no.

[@stevewright1539]

The remote has IR but remote IR is disabled when using a Brain. I know AVA said this may be changed in the future so waiting it out until this gets sorted out. Buying 2 Brains unnecessarily doesn’t make sense from a cost perspective.

[@KimmoJaskari]

I think I'll try to get my hands on an Unfolded Circle Remote Two first. Less than half the price and the feature set looks great, plus home automation integration.

[@Lior1973]

"The price is realy not bad because when you buy this you can program it yourself .. and you don't need to pay labor.." I'm daying here from a collapsed lung, can't stop laughing. 1600$ for a remote and a hub makes it a niche of a niche, You should all start thinking as home theater enthusiasts and not as home theater dealers ..

[@kellenfleener]

Unfortunately there’s just not any viable alternative right now. I wish there was something cheaper, but the Sofabaton ain’t it….

[@matta9316]

Thanks for covering this Shane! You always are on top of new products before everyone else

[@kellenfleener]

Where you think he gets the scoop from 🤪😎

[@bond2k3]

Still needs an installer? Then it's not really an alternative for the Logitech harmony, but maybe Control4 and RTI.

[@therealshanelee]

It's specifically discussed in the video.

[@alanprimaz529]

@@therealshanelee I am confused as well, in your video it says with the remote and hub it is $1600 and I would be ok with that as in the future my next home will have more things that that remote would be good for BUT it was not clear that a consumer could not just buy it. They implied it was easy to configure, etc. which is why I also thought I could just buy it and set it up myself. So is the installer part of the $1600 or are they going to charge more for their labor? My current need is just for a Marantz AV7706 with OPPO 203, and Fire TV with Netflix/Hulu/HBO Max, and DirectV To me my simple equipment should be something I should be able to program myself or they should include the setup by the installer for free

[@blackbibletv]

Sick remote, but $1300! OUCH!

[@TheAk1292]

I agree with many of the comments. This is definitely NOT a Harmony replacement. Not at that price. When I heard Harmony was stopping support I bought a spare set. I think it was possible to download the hub/remote settings to PC with the old Harmony app. I may have to look into that again if they stop fully supporting it.

[@SWATTECHNOLOGIES]

This appears to be more of a HT management system in addition to a remote. $1,300 for a remote is reckless money spent for me. Although if you have a top shelf 35K+ system, then the price is actually reasonable. My system is $6,000 and my remote is $300. 5% of total system cost.

[@brainguynyc8729]

Can I program the remote? The dreamedia and AVA sites refer to "installers".

[@guillermomartin8248]

Does this control the Trinnov well? Is it IP or does it require IR

[@brainguynyc8729]

Can I program it? Why must I hire an installer?

[@drprashant781]

Does not work with out pro installer account . So nothing to rejoice.

[@wendellwendellb339]

What I saw was the AVA-RM-RX1-US-BL (black) $1,099.00, the US-AL (silver) $1,099.00

[@kellenfleener]

The older AVA remote is closer to that price. The Cinema is $1299

[@wendellwendellb339]

@@kellenfleener Ah, thanks Kellen. I’ll wait for the price to come down!

[@Darthbishop]

Omg, can people stop complaining about the price in high end home theater gear? Many of you work for the man all your life and don’t know how to run a business. There is a ton of research and development that goes into a product like this, as well as what the future products will look like. You can’t sell a product like this for $350 like Harmony. Home Theater is an expensive hobby, don’t get into it if you’re not passionate and willing to make it a priority in your spending budget. I have a friend that has a top-of-the-line Tesla model S plaid edition. He spent well over $100k for that thing. I could never spend that much for a car. It’s not that I can’t afford it. I just don’t have a passion for it. But I’m very happy for him. He gets a lot of enjoyment out of it more than I ever would.

[@justchilling4491]

1300 a new remote or the new iPhone 15 🤔

[@therealshanelee]

Let's not pretend that if you get the new iPhone it isn't exactly the same as the previous 4 generations 😁

[@justchilling4491]

@@therealshanelee That’s the 1300 dollar question, a little bit of script here Shane but just like to say I loved you’re Magnetar UDP900 review about three weeks back my initial thought was it was a bit pricey but after doing some calculations and realising I could get £1000 for my pioneer UDP-LX800 I went out and bought one definitely the right decision this Magnetar is the best 4k player I’ve ever owned 💪

[@Reedith]

The biggest question is and it's amazing to me that so many people miss this... Can there be permanent hardware volume control that no matter what no matter where our program to always be volume I cannot tell you how many times boom bang boom scream the movie starts blaring it's a fight scene it's rattling the couch the neighbors are hearing it across the street You dive for the remote and..... Cat stepped on it or someone sat on it and it's in a different screen now and there's no volume control...

[@2meta435]

Do you know if the Ava cinema will control something like the Boulder 866 which is app / ip control. No IR. It is pretty painful to integrate with other IR based automations.

[@therealshanelee]

If there is an Android app it should run on it natively.

[@2meta435]

@@therealshanelee can you automate across apps?

[@Grav-zy1ue]

Does this work with control4?

[@gregheard6024]

wonder how it will work out with them being sued by SnapOne

[@shaneducholke364]

$1300🤯 This is why I boughy 2 extra Harmony remotes in case my Harmony Ultimate died.

[@ahmedgharbawi6877]

So it’s not really a harmony replacement at this price point, more like a control 4 neeo competitor

[@Nosjamesmenzer]

Question for you guys is this going to be compatible with Home Assistant and able to control it

[@therealshanelee]

It's android based so I'd assume Google assistant would be supported.

[@marclemieux9387]

Add 40% exchange rate for Canada. Ouch. Almost what I was quoted for control 4 system

[@MrBjorn6]

Call it Crestron replacement for $1,300 then those who know will call it a bargain!!!!

[@crunchybacon3181]

It’ll be interesting to see if this remote controls just a room or multiple ones.

[@tedscarlett]

AVA Cinema Remote can be configured for multiple rooms.

[@zenmorris182]

will it work with ifttt ?

[@todngo]

Love it, I sent a message to their sales team, I'm all in.

[@therealshanelee]

Let me know how it goes.

[@todngo]

Not going well Shane, my last 3 emails to Ashley Kimsey at Ava since 11/27 have gone unanswered. Any ideas on how end users can buy one? Thank home, love the channel!

[@therealshanelee]

@@todngo did the guys in the video not get back to you? They’re pretty responsive.

[@todngo]

Good news to share, while Ava as the manufacturer isn't really setup to deal with end users, Dream Media is great! Pre-order done and tentative delivery in mid-late January. I'm excited!

[@therealshanelee]

@@todngo awesome. I hope you mentioned me.

[@haknys]

Would be way more cost effective with an app and a hub. Larger/better screen, faster CPU, widgets, smart home integrations… et cetera. Tablet or phone could be used. Its beyond difficult to compete with Apple on hardware, and they could still demand a premium for the app and hub….but still less than half the price, reaching a larger marked. The remote looks fine, but I am afraid it will end up as an niche product with a 1600$ price tag.

[@fugixi]

What the..."The price isn't really that bad". 1300 bucks is definitely NOT a Harmony replacement. 😮

[@Adam.NavyVet]

For $1600 USD I will stick to my Harmony until it dies and then use the remote shuffle. Way to steep a price for a universal remote control. JMHO.

[@Scarczar]

Will a Stormaudio processor work on it?

[@therealshanelee]

Don't see why it wouldn't.

[@joes3800]

I will wait for many reviews and in-depth looks at its functions before I get my hopes up AND before I even start thinking about spending more than $1k for a remote.

[@jdog8701]

the price on this is the killer it really needs to be half the listed price... looks cool tho just not 1300 cool

[@craigosterberg5045]

Thanks

[@vacguy77]

Great remote, but not comparable to Harmony at $1300.

[@seethruhead7119]

better not be more than 400$ no price on the website and "installed by pros" is not promising at all edit: haahahahah 1600 lol

[@GameSack]

You have to have a pro come and INSTALL the remote. Takes a good 6 hours with lunch break. 2 union guys.

[@moemontana]

I know its probably way better but Harmony owners wont rejoice they will cry

[@zenmorris182]

1600 bucks? wow harmony still rules for 20 bucks off ebay, but it does look nice tho

[@therealshanelee]

This isn't an ordinary universal remote. It's much more capable than the Elite.

[@Bimmerstye1]

But does it needs to be much more capable than an Elite for most people? I mean my system consists out of an LG oled, Onkyo AVR, some Jamo 5.1.2 speakers and a Nvidia Shield connected to a Nas. The whole system costs about 5 to 6k. At the moment I have an Elite and it does everything I need it to do but it starts showing it’s age. It’s freezing every now and then. The app sometimes is a hassle to get in to. I dont have the feeling it will last a whole lot longer. So I’m literally looking for a Harmony replacement. Nothing more, nothing less. Something that does what my Elite does, but new, with support and without the buggyness. And I want it at the same price as my Elite. So this isn't it. I’m not spending 20 to 30% of my total budget on a remote. That's just dumb. I need a budget friendly, user programmable, simple remote. I need a new Harmony...

[@therealshanelee]

Best Buy sells RCA universal remotes for $30. Should take care of your remote needs and be far cheaper.

[@Bimmerstye1]

@@therealshanelee I'm in Europe so we don't have any Best Buys or RCA brand over here. But as far as I can tell these don't have a hub or bluetooth so they don't have Google Home support, nor do they seem to have decent activity support. They don't have a screen where you can add functions that don't have a dedicated button. I had these cheap universal remotes, including other low end Logitechs, in the past and they didn't do it for me. The Harmony Elite was the first remote that actually worked like it should and had all the features I wanted for a reasonable price. Logitech killing of the Harmony series left a void. Promoting something that costs 4 times as much to try and fill that void simply won't do it for most enthusiasts. We want something in the 300 to 500$ range that does what an Elite did. I like this AVA remote. It looks nice and it looks like it has nice features. If It was half the price I would probably even concider it but at 1600$ including a hub it's just priced ridicilous for the average consumer with a small home cinema system in his living room.

[@nodoubt1616]

What’s wrong with these people 1300$ is insane for a remote. It’s a remote!! Just a remote. Now if you have a Trinov and a 45k setup then ok but for 99.9% of people this thing will never make sense. So based on the price alone this is not a Harmony replacement

[@ryanevanson7114]

Looks very similar to C4 Neeo 🤔

[@batcave314]

$1200+ for a remote come on.

[@DjBlaaack]

Don saying the price isn't bad bc you can program it yourself 🥴

[@motogp3478]

$1300 US for a remote ?!? Thats 🖕

[@XudenGroupLLC]

Nothing Crestron can do that remote can’t do🤣😂🤣. That must have been a pretty poor job. Someone got ripped off.

[@stblackpanter02]

Nice but Too expensive with that money i can buy other one what is much cheaper and good

[@ShaneM007]

Oh yeah 1299 ain't bad, WHAT! Jesus Christ that's high. With the economy the way it is who can afford that. That's not a remote for the masses, it's more for the elite. 😭

[@koolkiwikat]

lol at the price.....Ill keep my logitech

[@TehJoker070]

This is not for Harmony customers 😂

[@wonjoon04]

Humm… Sofabaton is less then $200 with a hub as well. Probably will stick to that.

[@kellenfleener]

For the most basic systems this is a okay option for sure

[@wonjoon04]

@@kellenfleener after looking into it definitely a different product for sure. Hopefully they come out with a “ meet in the middle” model soon.

[@kellenfleener]

Just as much power as Control4 and Savant and being able to set up a ton on your own and make changes on your own. It’s a fair price imo The price of everything has risen. The Harmony Pro 2400 was $450 I think back in the day. This will be a lot snappier (iPhone like responsiveness) I can’t wait for mine honestly.

[@MTYoungPercussion]

Do not buy sofabaton, it's the biggest piece of garbage in my setup. My biggest regret was giving those con artists my money. Literally a $50 remote in terms of functionality. It's the only universal remote where I still need to keep my tv remote at hand because it drops inputs so often. The hub hardly ever works and the range is bad. Hold out for the Unfolded Circle Remote Two at $450-ish, or get a Harmony Elite used. No other real options unfortunately.

[@kellenfleener]

@@MTYoungPercussion glad you said it and not me

[@Zoranurai13]

I’ll take hdmi cec and two remotes for €1300

[@steakhoux]

Sorry dude but 1600 bucks for a programmable remote plus hub is not groundbreaking. You get a gaming PC or an iPhone pro max for that. This is ridiculous.

[@therealshanelee]

In that case why get an iPhone pro max or gaming PC? You could get an android phone which is far better or Mac which is far better and both are cheaper. Your idea is as ridiculous as mine. I'm sure you see where I'm going.

[@steakhoux]

@@therealshanelee It is just to show what is really going on with this product. You pay a massive amount of money just because it fits some niche. An iPhone has some advantages over cheap android phones. Better Camera, faster. The better android phones are almost as expensive as the iPhones nowadays. Apple has a brand and ecosystem and some actually quite good hardware. None of it applies for some fishy start up demanding 1600 bucks for a remote. Sorry but the harmony was able to do all this for a fraction so this is no real alternative.

[@therealshanelee]

@@steakhoux sorry but the iPhone is a POS. No innovation and always something android had already done years prior. Yet people wait in line for the same tech every year. Cheap android phone can do more and better. Do you not see whats going on there? If the remote was $99 you wouldn't be on here complaining about what it does and doesn't do that the harmony did. As half assed as it was most of the time too. And all that negativity on a product you have never seen in person. How about wait for it, use it, then make your judgement. Otherwise you've no real basis on its quality, performance, useability etc.

[@steakhoux]

@@therealshanelee A remote for 1600 bucks is also no innovation. No I won't wait for it and try it. Why should I? It is too expensive for what it is, don't need to try it, just assuming it does all what is advertised. And btw most of the harmony costumers wanted a nice universal remote. The newer harmony elite was considered superior to the ultimate because it had more buttons. People want to use haptic buttons. They do not need fancy displays, 8 core cpus in their remote and stuff. They are no Gen Zlers with an attention span of only 1 minute just wanting to play around when watching a boring netflix show. They just want one remote for all devices and maybe some macros. Even the remote of a Marantz AVR can do this quite well (buttons are programmable). You get one for 1600 bucks and it even comes with an AVR (just to reiterate how ridiculous that is.

[@therealshanelee]

@@steakhoux we can go back and forth on what's worth it and what's not. Yet you've no desire to try it out but speak on its value. As you should know since you know so well what's worth it and what's not. Those types of comments are worth nothing and just one's subjective take on value with zero on hand experience. If you don't think it worth it fine. But for many it may be worth it. I know you're aware you don't speak for those folks.

[@bretthowarth857]

$1300 bahahah NO

[@nukesean]

Gtfo with that price 😂 Complete nonstarter.

[@laranchristensen2548]

Harmony remotes sucks and there support. The best remotes and system is control4.

[@davidrojas6457]

How can any sane person say a $1600 remote is replacing $200 Harnony remotes?? This is the shill-iest promotional conversation I've ever heard, no wonder I stopped watching this channel.

[@therealshanelee]

You need to either stay not watching or get a second job so you can afford a $1600 remote so you can quit complaining. Didn't know there was such a thing as a home theater Karen. But alas, here you are. Move on.

[@Eguitard42]

Complely agree with david 👍 Lot's of respect lost for shane responding as he did

[@therealshanelee]

@@Eguitard42 if you constantly try and troll me and my content you can expect the same response.

[@Eguitard42]

Didn't know he constantly trolls you, I certainly don't, but still agree that the price is ridiculous. And even if I can aford it I would never support a overpriced product like this.

[@johnsandoval5239]

I guess it’s ridiculous if you can’t afford it. But I bet you spend that on your phone. To me I’ll stick with by 12 and get the remote.