Dianemo from CHT - Professional Home Automation

[totallymaxed]

All of our HDMI-CEC compatible products, Raspbmc-CEC, Raspsqueeze-CEC and RaspCEC-Pi (just provides CEC control), now support a Restful Web API for CEC Control that makes it extremely simple to interface them to LinuxMCE, Dianemo or any other Home Automation or Smart Home system in fact.

For LinuxMCE systems you simply add your Raspberry Pi to the HDMI device chain you want to control using a spare HDMI port on your TV or AV Amplifier. Your MD typically would then be either connected to another HDMI port on your TV or if you have an AV Amplifier it might be connected to an HDMI input there. Other device such a Blu-Ray or DVD player would be connected to other HDMI ports on the TV or AV Amplifier too. The Raspberry Pi can be connected to your LAN by Wifi so you don't need extra LAN ports near your TV/AV system. Your LinuxMCE system then needs a simple GSD device created that will allow your system to send commands to RaspCEC-Pi (for example) using simple HTTP GET and POST methods - See here for the basics of creating your GSD CEC device; http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/How_to_add_your_own_GSD_device. Any of your Orbiters can then be used to control your HDMI devices - Change HDMI inputs on your TV or AV Amplifier, Mute the Audio or Power all your HDMI devices Off at once with a single command.

See below for some example CEC commands that can be sent using our Restful API  with simple HTTP Get & POST methods.

We have revised and simplified our pricing for all our Raspberry Pi software too - we now offer two very affordable simplified licences;

- $99.95 USD; Install on up to 4x Raspberry Pi's (on a single LinuxMCE/Dianemo System)
- $159.95 USD; Install on unlimited numbers of Raspberry Pi's (on a single LinuxMCE/Dianemo System)

The spec of RaspCEC-Pi is the same as for our RaspCEC-Pi Pro (for Professional AV/Automation System installers)  http://www.ellipticalcurve.com/dianemo-products-services/raspcec-pi-hdmi-cec-control-interface-with-web-api/ but does not include professional level support and therefore costs far less.

We also now provide a Web configuration page on each Raspberry Pi running either Raspbmc-CEC, RaspSqueeze-CEC or RaspCEC-Pi. Simply type the url below into a web browser;

Code: [Select]

http://<RaspberryPi IP>:8077
The Web configuration page enables you to scan the CEC bus that your Raspberry Pi is connected to so that all the HDMI-CEC enabled devices can be discovered and the configuration displayed. This information can be used when configuring or debugging the control of your HDMI-CEC devices.

When creating an external Device Template or Driver to enable your system to control your HDMI-CEC devices our new Web API supports the following CEC control features;

- Supported HDMI-CEC Devices - TV, Recording Devices (ie DVD, BD, PVR Etc), Playback Devices (ie DVD, Blu-Ray Etc), Tuner Devices (ie STB's), Audio System
- Supported Commands Power On/Off, HDMI Input Source, Vol Up/Down, Mute On/Off, Play/Stop/FF/RW/Pause,

Using our simple Web API device templates for LinuxMCE can be easily created allowing for the control of TV's, AV Amplifiers, PVR's, DVD, Blu-Ray and Sat Boxes that are connected to the same HDMI-CEC bus. Simply connect your Raspberry Pi to a spare HDMI port on your TV (or any other device in the HDMI chain) and connect to it over wifi or your wired LAN (I always use wifi personally) and your ready.

Below are some examples of how you can control the HDMI-CEC devices connected to your TV;

- Get a list of the available HDMI devices;

Code: [Select]

http://<RaspberryPi IP>:8077/rest/api/v1/cecdevices/
- Power Off all HDMI devices in your HDMI chain;

Code: [Select]

http://<RaspberryPi IP>:8077/rest/api/v1/cecdevices/off
- Send a Volume Up command to the AV Receiver in your HDMI chain;

Code: [Select]

http://<RaspberryPi IP>:8077/rest/api/v1/cecdevices/avreceiver/vol/up
- Turn on the TV in your HDMI chain;

Code: [Select]

http://<RaspberryPi IP>:8077/rest/api/v1/cecdevices/tv/on
- Pause the currently playing disc in the Blu-Ray Player in your HDMI chain;

Code: [Select]

http://<RaspberryPi IP>:8077/rest/api/v1/cecdevices/playback1/pause
- Select Input 2 on your AV Receiver in your HDMI chain;

Code: [Select]

http://<RaspberryPi IP>:8077/rest/api/v1/cecdevices/avreceiver/input/2
- Query the TV's power state in your HDMI chain;

Code: [Select]

http://<RaspberryPi IP>:8077/rest/api/v1/cecdevices/tv/
We expect to add support for more HDMI-CEC devices and additional commands soon.

This update is free to existing customers with Raspbmc-CEC or RaspSqueeze-CEC and is available as part of any new license purchased.

Please contact us for additional information inquiries@ellipticalcurve.com

All the best

Andy

[totallymaxed]

All of our HDMI-CEC compatible products, Raspbmc-CEC, Raspsqueeze-CEC and RaspCEC-Pi (just provides CEC control), now support the control of the HDMI-CEC enabled HDMI Switches listed below using our simple but powerful Restful Web API for CEC Control. Our software makes it extremely simple to interface any CEC enabled device to LinuxMCE, Dianemo or any other Home Automation or Smart Home system in fact;

We support the following HDMI-CEC Enabled HDMI Video Switches;

http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=101&cp_id=10110&cs_id=1011002&p_id=6259&seq=1&format=2

http://www.cypeurope.com/store/store/app/product/EL-C41C/4-Way-HDMI-Switcher-with-CEC-Control-and-RS-232

http://www.cableuniverse.co.uk/newlink-4-port-hdmi-splitter-4k-x-2k-and-3d.html?language=en&currency=GBP

If your HDMI Switch is not listed above then it may still have CEC support built in. I'll post more info on specific CEC device support here as we test units or get feedback from customers.

If you have any questions or would like to purchase any of our HDMI-CEC software for Raspberry Pi then either PM me here or email me at inquiries@ellipticalcurve.com

All the best

Andy

[totallymaxed]

As this seems to be a hot topic right now...Just a reminder of how easy it is to add Internet Radio stations to Dianemo's Internet Radio Orbiter screens;

http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/Dianemo_S#Configuring_Internet_Radio_Services_from_Logitech_MediaServer

Once you followed the setup process on the Wiki (which takes about 5 mins) you can add a new Internet Radio station from Web admin at any time and have it available on all your Orbiters inside 20 secs. No Regens are required for this even with the current Orbiter as these stations are added dynamically and all Orbiters are updated immediately.

If you hit any issues on this or need some help let me know.

All the best

Andy

[totallymaxed]

I've updated the Kmotion2 section of the Dianemo Wiki page to detail how to configure the Foscam FI8908W IP Camera;

http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/Dianemo_S#Foscam_FI8908W

All the best

Andy

[totallymaxed]

Dianemo has powerful inbuilt support for virtualising multi-channel sound cards. A 7.1 sound card can be virtualised into 4x stereo cards enabling you to send stereo audio to 4 separate audio zones. Learn how to virtualise a sound card here;

http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/Dianemo_S#Configuring_a_multi-channel_sound_card_as_multiple_Virtual_Stereo_cards

[totallymaxed]

Dianemo License Special

Offer Includes Remote Configuration by an Installation Engineer

**All Sold - This Offer Has Closed.**

Now you can get you're own Dianemo system up and working in just a few hours - because one of our support team will be there to help you do it!

Note; We're adding Q&A entries below as they come in so please scan for new entries below if you see this post has been updated

We're offering a limited number of full Dianemo System Licenses at the very low price of $179.95 USD per license. The big news is that these licenses also come bundled with our Remote Assistance Configuration Package included for free. We connect to your Dianemo system remotely (you activate Remote Assistance in Web Admin to authorise this) and we configure whatever you require. The aim is to get your Dianemo system into a working & useful state as quickly as possible. The added benefit for you is that you will learn from our support engineer about configuring your system too.

Q: What is your Remote Assistance Configuration Package?
A: You complete the basic installation of Dianemo using our simple installer. We then provide up to 4 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 for over $200 USD. 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 free with this Dianemo License special offer 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 4 Hours?
A: A lot. But it does depend on what you'd like to be helped with. 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 15 mins and a SmartTV about 20 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.

This is a great deal that will allow you to build your own Dianemo system for an unbelievably low cost and get it working in your home quickly. So don't delay purchasing one of these as they will sell out very quickly. All orders must be paid by Paypal and this offer is strictly on a first come first served basis.

To purchase please PM me asap here on the Forum or email me at inquiries@ellipticalcurve.com

All the best

Andy

[totallymaxed]

Just a quick update on progress on our new Athena UI;

We've been working on updating a load of behind the scenes utility code for managing how audio volume controls react to user input. This code interacts with various types of AV amps and zone Amps. We've also been adding support to our UPnP stack for audio volume commands to improve how we control that aspect of many devices eg some SmartTV's and also Sonos.

We're getting ever closer to a Beta release too... more news on that soon.

All the best

Andy

[totallymaxed]

RaspSqueeze-CEC & RaspCEC-Pi Now Available for the New low Cost Raspberry Pi Model A+

Announcing support for the brand new Raspberry Pi Model A+ http://www.raspberrypi.org/raspberry-pi-model-a-plus-on-sale/. The Model A+ is smaller than earlier models, uses a lot less power and at $20 USD (plus tax & shipping) is the cheapest Rpi yet. The new Rpi Model A+ has no LAN port so you will need to use a usb wifi adapter when using it with either RaspSqueeze-CEC or RaspCEC-Pi software.

We think that the new Model A+ is really a breakthrough device for anyone with audio or control applications. So if your planning on using CEC control for your TV's or want SqueezeLite audio all over your house then the RaspBerry Pi Model A+ combined with either RaspSqueeze-CEC or RaspCEC-Pi is the perfect combination.

Get Information on RaspSqueeze-CEC here;
http://www.ellipticalcurve.com/smart-home-software-services/raspsqueeze-cec-software-for-dianemo-linuxmce/

Get information on RaspCEC-Pi here;
http://www.ellipticalcurve.com/smart-home-software-services/raspcec-pi-hdmi-cec-control-interface-with-web-api/

We have revised and simplified our pricing for all our Raspberry Pi software too - we now offer two very affordable simplified licences;

- $99.95 USD; Install on up to 4x Raspberry Pi's (on a single LinuxMCE/Dianemo System)
- $159.95 USD; Install on unlimited numbers of Raspberry Pi's (on a single LinuxMCE/Dianemo System)

The spec of RaspCEC-Pi is the same as for our RaspCEC-Pi Pro (for Professional AV/Automation System installers)  http://www.ellipticalcurve.com/dianemo-products-services/raspcec-pi-hdmi-cec-control-interface-with-web-api/ but does not include professional level support and therefore costs far less.

For more information/questions or to place an order please either PM me here or by email; inquiries@ellipticalcurve.com

All the best

Andy

[totallymaxed]

Just wanted to highlight we've launched some new deals for Dec (they are available from today in fact though...)

http://forum.linuxmce.org/index.php?topic=8880.msg100221#msg100221

[totallymaxed]

The external sources screen in Dianemo displays all of the external devices you have interfaced to your system in a particular room. Below I've provided a link to a real External Sources screen for a room that is part of one of our demo systems. I've used an image from the Athena HTML5 Orbiter to illustrate this screen but there are equivalent screens in our current Orbiter UI too and they work just the same way (they don't look as cool though!)

See here for the Orbiter screen images; http://www.ellipticalcurve.com/smart-home-software-services/dianemo-athena-html5-ui-screens/

In the first example image (at the url above) you can see 6 rectangular buttons, each of which represent a particular device;

- AppleTV
- Denon Internet Radio
- Panasonic DMP-BDT330
- Sky+ HD Digibox1
- Sky+ HD Digibox2
- Sony Blu-Ray

All of these devices are attached to a Denon AVR AV Receiver. By selecting one of the buttons Dianemo will command the Denon to switch inputs to the selected device and the output of the selected device will then be displayed on the TV display that is connected to the Denon's Monitor HDMI output. At the same time all the control commands required to control the selected input device will be routed to it by your Dianemo Nervecentre and the Orbiter screen will change to one designed for controlling the selected device too.

Assuming you selected the 'Sony Blu-Ray' button in the external sources screen you would see the Sony Blu-Ray remote control screen on your Orbiters screen (see the 2nd image at the url above). Selecting sources and controlling them is as easy as that.

All the best

Andy

[totallymaxed]

Booking your Remote Configuration slot

With Christmas getting ever closer & our Black Friday deals available I just wanted to remind anyone that has not booked a remote configuration slot for their Dianemo system that they should book a slot as soon as possible. We have plenty of slots so don't panic but if you can book early then we are more likely to be able to offer you a slot that suits you.

So please get in touch and book your Remote Configuration slot for Dec as soon as you can. Thanks

Andy

PS Obviously if you have purchased a Dianemo license as a gift then there is no need to book your slot until you are ready for installation.

[totallymaxed]

LinuxMCE Remote Support

Over the years we've been asked many times about whether we offer paid for Tech Support for LinuxMCE. We've thought about it a few times but in the end have always decided that we wouldn't offer such a service. We obviously do participate in the Forums actively and we do help LinuxMCE users many times each month, but that help is better characterised as 'advise' rather that 'configure and fix' ie we have never remotely logged into LinuxMCE users systems and figured out what was wrong and fixed it (something we do for Dianemo customers if they need it).

But recently we decided we could offer a support service to LinuxMCE users who request it. So from Dec 5 we will offer a support service to LinuxMCE users who feel they need it. Apart from helping you get your system working or configured in a particular way, another value you get from our support is learning how to configure your system - to be clear we're not offering training - but seeing how someone has configured your system is an effective way to learn how to do that task yourself.

See the FAQ below for details. If you have a question that is not covered in the FAQ or would like to arrange some support for your LinuxMCE system then either PM me here on the forum or contact us at support@ellipticalcurve.com

All the best

Andy

LinuxMCE Support FAQ

Q: What does your support cost?
We will always try to provide you with a fixed cost for whatever assistance you need before we start - usually we can do this because we've seen most issues many times before. In situations where providing a fixed cost is not possible we will charge an hourly rate with an agreed limit to the number of hours charged - currently our rate is $60 USD per hour. All payments must be made in advance by Paypal.

Q: Can I just purchase support as a gift?
Yes you can. You can purchase support in advance as it never expires. You simply purchase the number of hours you want to give as a gift and the recipient of your gift provides a unique code and your email address to redeem them.

Q: Can you provide some examples of the kinds of support you provide?
Well it could be pretty much anything related to your system that can be carried out remotely by one of our team. If it involves some hardware then you will need to be involved to do whatever physical work there might be (often just plugging whatever it is in or connecting cables etc). So here are a few examples of the kinds of support we can provide;

- Configure & Setup a Hard Drive from a previous Core on your new Core so that your old media directories are available. (Typically this costs $90 USD)
- Configure & setup NFS/SAMBA share on your Core from a NAS. (Typically this costs $120 USD)
- Configure & add an IP Security camera to your system. (Depending on Camera model this typically costs $60 USD)
- Debug a configuration problem on your Core and correct it. (no typical price for this)
- Resolve/Debug audio, video or some other system level config. (no typical price for this)

The are just a few examples - get in touch and let us know what your problem or issue is.

Q: Can you diagnose a problem remotely?
Yes in most cases we can diagnose a configuration problem and fix it remotely. Obviously if the problem involves your Core not booting or not connecting to your Internet connection then all we can do is provide some suggested actions you can take to get your Core back on-line again - until its booted & connected to the Internet we cannot access it.

Q: I've done something to my Core and now it doesn't work correctly. Can you help me?
Yes in some cases we can help to restore your Core to a normal working state. But sometimes the best thing to do is to simply reinstall from scratch - we will advise you on this too.

Q: What experience do you have?
We've been involved in supporting Pluto (the original system LinuxMCE was developed from), LinuxMCE and Dianemo for around 10 years now. So we have a lot of experience in supporting users remotely on Linux and the Pluto/LinuxMCE/Dianemo family of related systems.

Q: Why should I pay for support?
You don't have to pay for support. There are many people here on the Forum who can help you or help you to help yourself. But if your time limited, need a fix in place quickly or you have tried support from the Forum before and it has not worked out - then you now have another option too. Contact us - if we can help you we will.

Q: What is your lead time?
Usually we can schedule your support session within a few days and sometimes we can do it right away. It depends on our workload at the time you contact us. If it's an emergency then we will do our best to help you asap.

[totallymaxed]

I've uploaded a short video today that shows some new lighting UI objects and discusses the separation of Web Admin config/functionality and UI design/layout/representation. Hope you enjoy it.

http://youtu.be/t9WoMW7gY3c

Thanks again for the kind words about Athena a number of you have sent me in recent weeks - they were very much appreciated.

All the best

Andy

[totallymaxed]

Texecom alarm systems are now directly supported by Dianemo. We support both, wired & wireless based Texecom installations. Your Texecom panel will need to have the Texecom ComIP network module installed.

Your Texecom alarm simply needs to be installed and configured/setup in the normal way - nothing has to be adapted for Dianemo integration. Your Texecom panel will need to be upgraded with the ComIP module , as we use that to communicate with the panel, and you will need to locate a network connection nearby.

We support both local and remote access to your Texecom panel via our remote access service. The combination of Dianemo Remote Access and your Texecom panel means that you can access, and completely control, your Alarm system from anywhere in the world - every feature of your Texecom alarm panel is replicated in Dianemo's Orbiter screens. If your considering an Alarm System for your home then Texecom are an excellent choice.

If you would like more information about Dianemo & Texecom Alarm systems please get in contact by sending an email to; inquiries@ellipticalcurve.com

[totallymaxed]

We're very excited to announce that all Dianemo users can now try our new Athena UI & Orbiter Preview Release. Below we explain how simple it is to try Athena on your system;

1 - Run the Updater script to update your system
2 - Do a reload router.
3 - Point your Web Browser to http://192.168.80.1/orbiter

That's it!

No regens, no device templates to add, no configuration changes. If your Internet connection is reasonably fast the whole process, including downloading updated packages, doing a reload and opening the new Athena Orbiter takes just 5 minutes.

You can use as many Athena Orbiter's as you need - just bookmark the URL above on any PC's, Laptops and Tablets as you need. Dianemo automatically and dynamically manages each Orbiter for you so you don't need to. With Ahena you can have an Orbiter on pretty much any device that has a Web browser installed.

More details available here; http://forum.linuxmce.org/index.php?topic=14012.0

In later updates to Athena, that you will receive automatically as they are released, you will be able to build customised UI's, choose localised UI's in multiple languages and many more additional features.

Dianemo Orbiter's have never looked so good or been easier to add to your system.

Enjoy!

Andy