For those folks who enjoy sitting on their sofa with their computers, I can easily see the appeal of convergence when it comes to system control. It's a perfectly valid way to control a theater. It would be foolish to pretend that URC doesn't keep a constant eye on possibilities like iPhone-based or PC-based system control as accessories to tradition dedicated control systems.

But convergence without traditional control turns into a problem when the owner of that laptop, iPhone, or netbook is in the bathroom and you can't mute the ghastly loud rap video your teenager turned on to impress his friends. It's a problem if a downed Wi-Fi router means your spouse can't turn on their favorite show for a week when you're away on a business trip. At times like those, dedicated control is a lot more valuable than the ability to run a word processor on your remote control.

But most importantly, convergence is a problem for the large majority of people who are not tech savvy. Most regular people desire their control system to be feature-rich, but as simple to operate as humanly possible, not infinitely powerful or flexible. Because techies are usually intelligent and eager to embrace new technologies, they tend to dismiss this simple market reality.

For decades I've listened to techies tell the world that Unix (then Linux) was poised to take over the computing world due to its superior open architecture and powerful reconfigurability. But it never happened, and I don't think it ever will; the reality of the market is that everyday people consider value to be something different than techies do. Everyday consumers want reliable features that are transparent to use. For them value isn't measured on the spec sheets of the components in their system, it's measured by how well the product (or products) deliver the experience they chose to pay for. Cutting edge tech, which I love for all its coolness, rarely delivers on that basic value proposition.

So I say bring on the convergence. I'm a geek too, and I love it! But when I'm designing URC products, my first focus will still be delivering a seamless experience in home theater and control. I don't see consumer behavior shifting from its current definition of value anytime in the near future. In fact, I'm betting my livelihood on it!

Best regards,
Dale