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?