Dianemo from CHT - Professional Home Automation

[Esperanto]

I understand that you feel you need to protect it. However I don't think that it will really take of quickly if it is not really open. My feeling saids we need some companies like yours or in other areas (and preferably bigger) that really support and push forward the system. I think it's to risky business wise to build on software like this if it is not really open (and no big company supporting it, and even those fuck up most of the time in the long run somewhere). It could work if the base is open (like linuxmce and you have some nice add-ons that make it more smooth but the basic should function.

However since the relative little response here in the community I suppose most here are cheapskates not willing to donate even one penny to make it really open. Never expected it to be that way. The only excuse is that it is not clearly stated that your work will make linuxmce also get rid of the current constrictions (and to me that is also still not clear).

[totallymaxed]

I understand that you feel you need to protect it. However I don't think that it will really take of quickly if it is not really open. My feeling saids we need some companies like yours or in other areas (and preferably bigger) that really support and push forward the system. I think it's to risky business wise to build on software like this if it is not really open (and no big company supporting it, and even those fuck up most of the time in the long run somewhere). It could work if the base is open (like linuxmce and you have some nice add-ons that make it more smooth but the basic should function.

However since the relative little response here in the community I suppose most here are cheapskates not willing to donate even one penny to make it really open. Never expected it to be that way. The only excuse is that it is not clearly stated that your work will make linuxmce also get rid of the current constrictions (and to me that is also still not clear).

We want Open Dianemo to be as 'open' as we can make it while balancing the commercial side of our business. The challenges of just using GPLv3 for the whole of Dianemo are many - we've already had some experience of other companies trying to re-sell Dianemo as theirs. So there is some resistance to opening that flood gate (it might only be a trickle ;-)...but that might still be pretty damaging commercially). If we were a large business that could just 'out develop' any competitor that came along and used forked a GPLv3 Open Dianemo release then that would be ok. But we could find that a relatively well funded competitor took our source and built a competing product using it - that could leave us in a situation where we loose.

We're doing our best to find a middle ground and I think we have a pretty good one right now. We will Open Source something like 80% (a rough estimate...could be more or a little less) of the code and place the remainder under a new DPL. If you make code changes to the GPL parts of Open Dianemo then those changes will remain Open. If you make changes to the DPL parts of Dianemo then those changes would remain under the DPL, but accessible freely for non-commercial use. The only restriction on the DPL will be for commercial use - and we will have a range of commercial licensing options for all sizes of business. Those options will span everything from a one person 'mom & pop' sized business up to big commercial partners. The licensing costs for the 'small guy' will be very reasonable indeed - we want those businesses to exist and thrive. There are many forum members that have wanted to build businesses around Dianemo over the years - and i mean considerably more than 250+ over the years, we've always had to turn them away as we could not offer them a commercially viable (for them) deal. So that will change completely. The licensing deals will  increase in price based on the scale & type of business that needs the license. But for everyone else there will be a free and open version they can do whatever they want with - and if anyone subsequently wants to build a business off the back of their private use/experience of Open Dianemo then at any time they can do that, simply by getting a commercial license at the price point that fits their business size.

I think that will be seen by most people as reasonable - at least I hope so.

An we would welcome LMCE taking our Open Dianemo source and integrating it with the LMCE code base. Yes there would be that approx. 20% that would be DPL but for personal use that would have no impact at all.

All the best

Andy

[Esperanto]

An we would welcome LMCE taking our Open Dianemo source and integrating it with the LMCE code base. Yes there would be that approx. 20% that would be DPL but for personal use that would have no impact at all.

What I meant was replace the LMCE parts so that LMCE will be totally open. We already have a personal license.

Looking at the state of the current kickstarter campaign fills me with nothing but sadness. Either something is wrong with what is communicated or it is not communicated through enough channels. Can any of the (linuxmce&dianemo) users here comment why they don't support it and what would make them change their mind and start backing the project???

[totallymaxed]

What I meant was replace the LMCE parts so that LMCE will be totally open. We already have a personal license.

Looking at the state of the current kickstarter campaign fills me with nothing but sadness. Either something is wrong with what is communicated or it is not communicated through enough channels. Can any of the (linuxmce&dianemo) users here comment why they don't support it and what would make them change their mind and start backing the project???

Well that's kind of what I meant too re bringing code back into LMCE.

Re the lack of backers on Kickstarter - we've actually had a lot of feedback via email and of course none of that is visible on Kickstarter. Of course we'd have loved for the current Kickstarter project to have got backed by thousands of people. But if we don't meet our goal then we will put together a new Kickstarter project with a different set of goals and a range of other changes too. So yes it's frustrating but it's also a great lesson too.

I'd obvious be very pleased if forum members post their views on our Kickstarter here as you suggested. Any and all perspectives/views will be listened to and welcomed.

All the best

Andy

PS Any suggestions re the current, or indeed future, Kickstarter campaigns would be best posted here in this thread so that everyone can see them. I've had some PM's from quite a few people - I appreciate your input very much. But can i ask that if you have any positive or negative suggestions (keep it clean please ;-) ) then please post them here unless they also contain anything private. Thanks.

[totallymaxed]

I've posted a few new images of ongoing Athena UI Skin development to our Facebook page. In the past I've posted images like these here directly, but this time I'm testing just posting a link to the Facebook post instead (feedback welcomed on this);

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dianemo-Home-Automation/226019387454465?hc_location=timeline

In the new screenshots you will see we've added new icons for Lighting & Climate at the far right-hand end of the icon bar. The second image shows a 'work in-progress' screenshot of the lighting screen complete with dynamic sliders for dimming lights. I'll be posting more of these in the coming weeks as things develop.

As ever if you have any questions about Dianemo or Athena please post them here and i will do my best to answer them.

All the best

Andy

[totallymaxed]

Just in time for your weekend enjoyment we've posted another demo video of the Athena UI in action. This time my co-worker Steve is demoing our newly added support for video media browsing & playback controls. This time we're also demonstrating the fact that the Athena Orbiter can be accessed from any modern web browser by doing the demo on a MacBook in Safari.

We'll be uploading more videos in the next few weeks as we implement more of the Athena UI. If you have any questions about the Athena UI or any other aspect of Dianemo please post them hear.

http://youtu.be/zZNbyPvTbhQ

All the best

Andy

[totallymaxed]

Dianemo Professional Home Automation 2015

!Make your Home a Smart Home!

Note: Orders normally get processed within 60 mins and your installer + license key will be sent by return email after your payment has been confirmed. All orders should be sent to inquiries@ellipticalcurve.com **please include your Paypal details** and we will send you a Paypal payment request by return.

We have 3 new affordable way's to get started with Dianemo that allow you get a license with email support, to try before you buy and spread the cost over a year or get your system remotely configured by us . All options include a full license too.

Dianemo X86 - $259 USD :- Includes a Dianemo X86 14.04LTS license with full Remote Assistance support, perpetual updates & Wiki access.

Dianemo X86 Basic - $159 USD :- Our most affordable license. You get a full copy of Dianemo X86 14.04LTS with updates, basic email support & wiki access. This license does not entitle you to Remote Assistance support - that is the only difference compared to the other license options listed below.

Dianemo X86 Trial to buy ($60 USD non-refundable) :- You get a full copy of Dianemo to test for 30 days. If you decide Dianemo+ is not for you within the 30 day period we simply disable your license and you have no more to pay (initial $60 is not refundable). If you decide to keep Dianemo+ then we charge you for an 11 month Dianemo+ subscription @ $30 per month (billed monthly). At the end of 11 months you own the license (and can keep it and use it without additional costs) and there is no obligation to continue with the Dianemo+ subscription service.

Note: If after paying your initial $60 USD you do decide to keep Dianemo, after your trial period, then you can choose to pay for the remaining 11 months subscription upfront, instead of monthly. If you do that you only pay an additional $300 USD (a $30 USD savings over paying monthly).

Subscriber Benefits - wiki & support via email.

To order Dianemo+ Trial to buy please email me at inquiries@ellipticalcurve.com with 'Dianemo+ Trial to buy' in the subject line and your name & Paypal email address in the body of the email.

Dianemo - Professional Home Automation; order your system now for just $599 USD - (includes remote configuration by one of our support team)

While you can configure Dianemo yourself, very easily, this package includes a basic configuration service from one of our support team;

Our remote configuration service makes professional home automation accessible to anyone. Our basic configuration service (3 hours of remote configuration is included in your purchase price) will cover all the basic configuration needed to get your installation working, and will provide you with easy to copy setups/configs, that you can use to carry on configuring your system yourself.

Watch this video of Dianemo being used to select a movie from the Movie Library and stream it to a SmartTV and control the TV using HDMI-CEC control; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KQAeGia26A&authuser=0

To order please email me at inquiries@ellipticalcurve.com with 'Dianemo Professional' in the subject line and your name & Paypal email address in the body of the email.

Dianemo is a great value & powerful solution for anyone wanting to build their own multi-zone audio & video media Smart home system. We provide Remote Configuration by one of our support team to get your system basically configured and working. All Dianemo systems also include free updates and upgrades to 14.04LTS (when available) and are infinitely expandable without limitation to cater for your future needs.

**See the Dianemo FAQ at the bottom of this post. PM me here or email any other questions to; inquiries@ellipticalcurve.com **

LinuxMCE Remote Support - we are now offering LinuxMCE users our remote support service to help get their systems configured or just plain working. If you've had problems getting LinuxMCE installed and configured in the past or have LinuxMCE installed but are having specific problems then get some expert support that's dedicated to helping you. Cureently if you purchase 2 Hours of support we will give you a 3rd Hour FREE OF CHARGE. This is a great deal so order now and you can use your support hours at any time in the future.

See this page for more details; http://forum.linuxmce.org/index.php?topic=8880.msg100609#msg100609

Raspbmc-CEC, RaspSqueeze-CEC Bundle - $99.95 USD - this bundle includes a system license for two of our Raspberry Pi CEC software products. Thats right the license allows you to install any mix of the three on as many Raspberry Pi's as you want. The only restriction is that the installs must be on a single Dianemo or LinuxMCE system.

RaspCEC-Pi & RaspSqueeze-CEC Bundle - $99.95 USD **LinuxMCE Compatible** - this bundle includes a system license for two of our popular Raspberry Pi software products. We've recently announced our new RaspCEC-Pi Restful Web API for controlling all your HDMI hardware. Our Web API is compatible with LinuxMCE (it does require you to create a GSD Device currently - we have a GSD in development too that you will receive for free when its completed) and makes it very simple to create device templates to control any of your your HDMI devices connected to any TV and/or MD. Take a look at our product page for more details; http://www.ellipticalcurve.com/dianemo-products-services/raspsqueeze-cec-software-for-dianemo-linuxmce/

System Design or Configuration  - If your planning to install Dianemo in your home and would like some help with the planning of your installation then please get in touch. Alternatively if you'd like some help configuring your system in anyway then we can help you by using Remote Assistance. For either of these services or if you have a question regarding Dianemo please get in touch via PM here or email inquiries@ellipticalcurve.com

The all new Athena Orbiter UI - coming as an update to all Dianemo systems in Dec 2014
You can see our new Athena Orbiter in action here; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KQAeGia26A&authuser=0

and also our latest updates here;

http://youtu.be/t9WoMW7gY3c

and...

http://youtu.be/zZNbyPvTbhQ

...and a first video of the new Athena iOS App;

http://youtu.be/Mb6woOP2GW4

NEW - Responsive lighting control widgets implemented in the Athena HTML5 UI;
http://youtu.be/U8ioItuEpiM

Note: all offers are available world wide to non commercial customers ie if your a pro-installer you do not qualify. If you are a Pro Home Automation Installer or plan to setup a business in that area please contact me.

All Offers must be paid for by Paypal (no other payments accepted).

All the best


Andy

Dianemo FAQ Section

Q: What is your Remote Assistance Configuration Service?
A: You complete the basic installation of Dianemo using our simple installer. We then provide up to 5 hours of our secure Remote Assistance from one of our support engineers to get your System configured in any way you like. This is essentially the service we sell as an extra cost item to Pro Smart Home Installers. Our Support Engineer can securely access your Dianemo Web Admin & ssh Terminal to get your system configured. You then can disable Remote Assistance again in Web Admin to disable our access.

Q: Why should I choose Dianemo over LinuxMCE?
A: Most of our home users choose Dianemo because they simply want a working system as quickly as possible and with the least amount of effort & fuss. Dianemo gets you there quickly because that's what we as a company have focussed on. Many of you will probably value that too. Pro installers certainly do - if they want to build a profitable business and have happy customers. The current phase of Dianemo's development is more about adding advanced features and simplifying how UI's are built for Orbiters. Some home users are looking for this too - as again are Pro Installers. If you are more focussed on the process of getting your system working, and your enjoyment is centred in that process, then LinuxMCE is probably what you should go for.

Q: Do I get all the same features in Dianemo that Pro Installers get?
A: Yes 100%. Pro Installers simply get a different package of support services from us that is designed to support their installation businesses. That is why Pro Installers pay a very considerably higher license fee. In many cases Pro Installers also purchase our hardware products which have Dianemo pre-installed on them and are pre-configured to suit the customer installation they are destined for.

Q: How easy is Dianemo to install?
A: The simple answer is incredibly easy. I can't remember the last time we had to help a customer install Dianemo on their hardware in fact. Just follow the simple process described on the Dianemo Wiki page and that's it ( http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/Dianemo_S#Installing_from_scratch_on_12.04LTS ). And with the Configuration Package, that is part of this special offer, you only need to do the basic install and you can then let us do the basic configuration for you (you may have to plug some hardware in eg a Camera or SmartTV etc).

Q: Will Dianemo Install on my hardware?
A: Almost certainly yes. If you can boot your hardware with a Ubuntu 12.04 Desktop LiveCD ( See here; http://releases.ubuntu.com/12.04/ubuntu-12.04.5-desktop-i386.iso ) then Dianemo is definitely compatible with your hardware.

Q: What happens if I do hit a problem on installation?
A: If you do have any problems then contact me and we will help resolve the problem for you.

Q: How is the Remote Assistance Configuration Package different to your normal support?
A: The Configuration Package that we are offering as an extra cost optional service is for 1:1 personalised configuration of your system carried out remotely by one of our support team. Its as close to having an installer visit your house as we can get without actually visiting your house. Our Remote Configuration package is an added value provided with this current special offer and should not be confused with our normal product support, which is where we answer or resolve questions after you purchase your Dianemo system. Product support is always free via this forum for any Dianemo customer.

Q: When can the configuration be carried out?
A: We will schedule a time with you after discussing what you need configured. Usually the work is completed in a single session of 4 hours but if required can be split over 2 or 3 sessions too. There is no time limit to limit to when we configure your Dianemo system - it might be immediately (support engineer availability permitting) or at any time that suits you.

Q: What can be configured?
A: Pretty much anything - Security Camera, Streaming Audio, Virtualized Sound Cards, Internet Radio stations. Basically anything that will help you get your system up and working for you.

Q: How much can be configured in 5 Hours?
A: A lot. But it does depend on what you'd like to have configured. eg Security Cameras can be quickly configured in say 20-30 mins per camera if you choose a make/model that we have experience of (see the Dianemo Wiki page). If its a new make/model of camera that we haven't worked on before then it might take longer. Internet Radio is normally about a 30 min task for example. While adding an iOS/Web Orbiter takes about 25 mins and a SmartTV about 40 mins. Good planning and preparation is important to maximise the value you get from our engineers time ie make sure you have all your Security Cameras available and that any cabling or connections have been made (our engineer will obviously need your input for anything physical).

Q: Can I still configure and customise my Dianemo system myself?
A: Yes absolutely. Dianemo is as customisable as LinuxMCE and no area of the system is blocked or hidden from you in any way. Dianemo is supported and developed by CHT and has been optimised to make it simpler and easier to configure and setup 'out of the box' by you. Our Configuration Package, that comes free with this offer, simply provides you with access to a skilled installation engineer who will make the configuration process even easier for you.

[totallymaxed]

We've taken your feedback on-board regarding our original Dianemo Raspbmc-CEC firmware images and we have moved over to a new installer for Dianemo Raspbmc-CEC firmware. Now you just install Raspbmc on an SD card and then run the installer from the booted card to install - and that's it. Any customer who has an original firmware image and would like the new installer should contact me.

We have updated installation instructions for the new installer here;

http://www.ellipticalcurve.com/dianemo-products-services/

If you have any questions related to Raspbmc-CEC then contact me here; help@ellipticalcurve.com

Thanks

Andy

[Newguy2]

Totallymaxed, I am aware of your stance on UI2, but is UI2 WITH alpha blending even a option in dianemo setups?

[totallymaxed]

Totallymaxed, I am aware of your stance on UI2, but is UI2 WITH alpha blending even a option in dianemo setups?

Media managers can be configured with with UI2 with alpha blending without any problem. But all of our current UI skins are only implemented for UI1 without Alpha. So this would mean that if you were to configure an MM with UI2 + alpha you would find that there were no UI skins that would provide all of the screens and UI2 menu items you would need to interact with all of Dianemo's latest features. Of course you could build your own UI2 + alpha skins that fully implement the missing menu's and screens if you know HADesigner and have the time.

Of course we also have our new Athena Orbiter and UI skins. These UI skins are designed in and built from HTML5 and going forwards you should expect that there may well be new system features that will only have UI's implemented in HTML5 and that over time UI1 skins will be deprecated. But the big win with Athena for users is the accessibility of designing skins without needing to understand complex and unfriendly tools like HADesigner.

All the best

Andy

[totallymaxed]

The Dianemo RaspSqueeze-CEC software combines Squeezelite & dianemo-cec-pi and installs on a single Rpi. Supports wifi and does not require a physical LAN connection. Simply run an HDMI cable to your TV to provide HDMI-CEC control from Dianemo to your TV - Supports Standby On/Off, Mute & Vol Up/Down. Use Squeezelite and the on-board analog audio out jack on the Rpi to send stereo analog audio to your Hi-Fi or powered speaker system. Supports HDMI audio & external USB audio cards too. RaspSqueeze-CEC also provides access to the Alsa graphic equaliser so that you can customise the audio out put for your specific room/speaker system. Both HDMI-CEC control and Squeezelite functionality are available concurrently.

Designed to be installed on top of Raspbian Linux, RaspSqueeze-CEC installs simply & easily using the provided installer in just a few minutes. Works over wifi but can also use a CAT5 based LAN connection if available. Does NOT require NetBoot/PXE boot from your Core. Installs to 4gb or larger SD cards. Ongoing support & updates included in licence fee. Our 4x RaspSqueeze-CEC License is only $99.95 USD.

The Squeezelite functionality is compatible with LinuxMCE & Dianemo installations but the HDMI-CEC functionality is currently Dianemo only.

How could you use RaspSqueeze-CEC in your home;

Use case 1; Tuck a wifi configured Rpi behind a TV, Hifi system, powered speakers or anywhere you need an audio source from your Logitech Media Server. Hook up the audio out and some power and your done.

Use case 2; You need to control a TV and send audio to a small Hifi in a spare bedroom. There is no CAT5 available in the room. Simply place a wifi configured Rpi behind the TV/Hifi then connect an audio cable to the Hifi, an HDMI cable to your TV and power and your ready stream music and control the TV. It's really that simple.

Use case 3; Your new apartment has no CAT5 installed but you would like a multi-zone audio system feeding audio to each room and in the Lounge/Kitchen you'd also like to control a TV. The solution is to locate a wifi configured Rpi behind the audio system in each room and connect audio and power - in the Lounge/kitchen also connect an HDMI cable to the TV. It's simple, clutter free and very easy to install and requires no CAT5.

For further information or to place an order please email us at; inquiries@ellipticalcurve.com with the subject 'RaspSqueeze-CEC for Rpi'

All the best

Andy

[totallymaxed]

Hi Raspbmc-CEC users,

We have an updated installer for Raspbmc-CEC that fixes a problem that a few of you had with rsync. Please get in touch if you would like the updated installer.

All the best

Andy

[totallymaxed]

We've posted a new Athena UI video today that's shows off our new 2-way responsive lighting control widgets. As with any other part of an Athena UI skin these new 2-way lighting control widgets are all implemented in HTML5. This means that anyone with an idea for a new Athena UI skin design can simply take our standard skin, duplicate it, and then modify and re-design it. Since it's all built in HTML5 you can freely adapt, change or replace any UI widget or layout in anyway you like.

When we release the Athena Beta we will provide fully documented HTML5 source files to make it as easy as possible to hack our UI skins and customise them. We will also provide a way for you to publish your customised UI skins if you'd like too when we ship the first release of Athena - look out for more details on this soon.

We hope you like the latest Athena demo featuring 2-way responsive lighting control widgets;

http://youtu.be/U8ioItuEpiM

All the best

Andy

[totallymaxed]

The new Athena UI for Dianemo systems is really not just a UI - although we will ship a standard UI skin with Athena. Its a new kind of Orbiter, built entirely in HTML5/Javascript using the Symfony2 Web Application Framework, that removes the need for Orbiter regens completely and makes customization as simple as editing a Web page.

Our standard Athena UI skin is there for you to copy, learn from & hack into and play around with. Duplicate our standard UI skin & rename it. Take a simple text editor, or whatever Web design tools you prefer, and open the files and change the layouts or replace bit map or svg graphic files. Make some simple changes save the file and refresh the UI page - and the change you just made is there instantly. Digging a little deeper you can modify, change css files to quickly make global changes to any part of your UI. Or look at the source of any of our UI widgets (all written in HTML5) and modify or replace them. Just follow the the embedded comments that explain what each element of the UI source does and hook up your new widget in the same way. Then simply refresh the UI page and boom...your change is there instantly.

You might just want to make simple changes like changing all the blue's Ui elements to another colour or simply adding a custom background to each screen for example. By making simple changes you can quickly customise a copied UI skin and make it yours. You can also make much more complex design changes too if you have more experience in HTML5 or know a little Symfony2 - there really is no limit to how you could re-design a UI. If you'd interested in making more complex changes then you might like to get prepared for customising the Athena UI by getting familiar with Symfony2;

http://symfony.com/what-is-symfony

If you have any questions then post them here or contact me directly.

All the best

Andy

[totallymaxed]

We've recently added some new Climate Control widgets to the standard Athena HTML5 UI skin. Below is a short video showing them in action (warning climate control devices are not very exciting!)

Enjoy;

http://youtu.be/LhIHyZv0vNs

All the best

Andy