YAMAHA Goes Down the Rabbit Hole with neoHD [new media controller to manage entire home media system]

The market for home audio and video devices is a bloody battleground. Technology companies and gadget gurus are fighting for your hard-earned money and racing to bury their competition by introducing the latest and greatest faster than you can buy them. This is even more the case when it comes to multi-function A/V components and integrated controllers. With so many pieces to the typical home entertainment system, it gets to be a regular melee of cables and wires behind the set and getting all of those gizmos to talk to each other is like getting agreement at the United Nations. So wouldn’t it be nice to have one box that does it all? That’s what the folks at YAMAHA thought, too.

The latest entrant into the home entertainment market is the neoHD YMC-500 media controller by YAMAHA. Rather than call it a receiver, the marketing geniuses have emblazoned it with the term “media connector” which makes it even more mysterious to most consumers. The neoHD is actually a media “hub” of sorts that was created to act as the middleman to all of your hi-tech componentry. With this device you are supposed to be able to control all of your entertainment equipment with one remote and via a handy on-screen interface menu. Could this be the holy grail for A/V geeks?

According to the YAMAHA website, the neoHD Media Controllers are completely different than ordinary AV receivers. Instead of more functions, more buttons and more complicated operation, their basic concept is simplicity. You can connect all the equipment that you use to enjoy audio and video, and operate them all with one simple remote control.

MAIN FEATURES

• Easy Operation GUI
• Simplified remote control
• 1080p-compatible HDMI (3 in / 1 out)
• Video upconversion to HDMI
• HD audio format decode
• iPod / Bluetooth compatibility via optional accessories
• USB port for music and photo playback
• AIR SURROUND XTREME
• CINEMA DSP
• Adaptive DRC
• Compressed Music Enhancer

Only time will tell if this addition to the already crowded receiver/component control market will survive. Most consumers of this type of gear might find the generic black box look and ambiguous name a bit of a turnoff – The Michael Knight blue lights on the front are pretty badass, but if they can manage to get their potential buyers educated as to the benefits of being able to control all their gear with one unit, they might have hit a goldmine. The basic neoHD receiver, the YMC-500, will run you $600, but if it lives up to its spec-sheet it’s well worth the cost. For a mere $200 more you can get the YMC-700 model that comes with Ethernet and Wi-Fi. For $800 you can also get the YMC-500 with 2.1 speakers thrown in. How’s that for the total package?