Today’s most important nascent technology has no form or shape at all. It’s a radio wave—specifically, the wireless computer networking technology that engineers call 802.11b and the rest of us call WiFi. Most people think of WiFi merely as a way to access the Internet without having to connect a network cable. But WiFi has also given birth to a new device called a web tablet—a touchscreen with a built-in computer that lets you carry the Internet with you anywhere in the home.

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With its sleek ergonomics and advanced technology, the AMX MVP-8400 Modero Viewpoint brings the touchscreen remote control into the 21st century.  (Click image to enlarge)

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Web tablets look like the touchscreen remotes used to control high-end home theaters—but they’re slimmer, sleeker and, in some ways, more comfortable to use.  Touchscreen suppliers are starting to follow suit.  In our March 2004 issue, we profiled the first web-tablet-style touchscreen, the Philips iPronto. While the iPronto does a great job of controlling a home theater, you probably wouldn’t want to manage your lights, air conditioning or security system with it.

For that level of home automation muscle, most people rely on products from touchscreen stalwarts Crestron and AMX. But with AMX’s new Modero ViewPoint controllers, you can get the best of both worlds—the power of a big touchscreen system with the convenience and appealing form factor of a web tablet.

AMX offers two Modero ViewPoints: the MVP-7500, with a 7.5-inch screen, and the MVP-8400, with a highresolution 8.4-inch screen. The company is kind enough to provide me with an MVP-8400 to try; they also send AMX Project Manager Darryl Lovato to provide technical assistance.

The MVP-8400 feels different. Other wireless touchscreens are relatively clunky; in your lap, they feel like a fat Chihuahua. The MVP-8400, though, lies across my lap like a small laptop computer. Somehow, it just feels right. And when I want to free up my lap for a bowl of popcorn, I flip out the optional KickStand so the screen stands up on my end table. A power adapter recharges the MVP-8400’s batteries.

As I browse the controls that Lovato has provided for my system, I notice that many of the on-screen buttons flip when I touch them, like playing cards being turned over.  This animation tells me that the touchscreen is carrying out my command. Any touchscreen can do this to some degree, but typically a button will merely change color when you hit it. Lovato tells me that the buttons on the MVP-8400’s screen can also spin or change shape according to the programmer’s design. Does this animation capability add functionality? No. Does it look cool? Oh, yes.

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The NI-3000 interfaces the MVP-8400 with your audiovisual components. (Click image to enlarge)

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Lovato has used a control template—a set of layouts provided by AMX—to create the screens that control my home theater components.  A row of buttons across the top of the screen lets me select which component to control (for example, my surround-sound processor or video projector). Touching any of these buttons brings up a screen with the controls for that component, i.e., I hit the DVD player button and the screen fills with the usual DVD controls, such as play, stop, pause and menu functions.

The components in my home theater system respond immediately to the MVP-8400’s commands, in part because some are wired directly into the NetLinx NI-3000 central controller that accompanies the touchscreen. The NI-3000 receives commands from the MVP-8400 through WiFi, then sends them to the appropriate component. The back of the NI-3000 is covered with jacks that interface it to practically any audiovisual component, lighting control system, etc. Because the touchscreen talks to the controller through WiFi instead of using infrared light as a typical remote control does, its operation is more reliable. In fact, you don’t even have to point it in any particular direction when using it.

Lovato’s basic setup just touches on the MVP-8400’s capabilities, which are practically infinite. For example, your installer can program a Movies button that turns on your projector and sound system, starts your DVD player and dims the lights, all at a single touch.  Your installer can decorate the main screen with your family crest, or set the unit to play a slide show of family photos when it’s not controlling your system.

The MVP-8400 does not directly access the Internet as an iPronto can, but it can access the Internet through a separate computer. In fact, it can control any function of a computer—the computer’s screen appears on the MVP-8400, and you can use the directional controls on the right side of the touchscreen just as you would use a mouse.  Thus, it not only accesses the Internet, but also plays MP3 files stored on your computer, browses your photos, and does just about anything you would normally do on your computer.

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The buttons on the left side of the MVP-8400 can be assigned any function—typically, often-used commands like mute or volume up/down. (Click image to enlarge)

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I can barely touch on the capabilities of this product in this review.  The only way for you to understand its usefulness is to get a demonstration from your AMX dealer. Better yet, just tell your installer what you want your touchscreen to do. Chances are, the MVP-8400 can do it … with style, convenience and panache.

DESCRIPTION
Home theater/home automation control system incorporating wireless touchscreen and central controller. Requires professional programming and installation

SCREEN RESOLUTION
800 x 600 pixels

CONNECTIONS
MVP-8400: Concentric jack for AC adapter, multi-pin connector on bottom for optional docking station

NI-3000: RJ-45 jack for Ethernet connection, 3 RJ-45 jacks for ICSNet connection, block connector for AXLink connection, 8 DB-9 jacks for RS-232/RS-422/RS-485 connection, 1 DB-9 jack for programming, 8 block connectors for IR output, 8 block connectors for relay output, block connector for 8 input/output connections

DIMENSIONS
MVP-8400: 7.2 x 10.5 x 1.2 inches (hwd)
NI-3000: 3.5 x 19 x 3.5 inches (hwd)

PRICE/CONTACT
PRICE: MVP-8400 $5,000 plus programming;
NI-3000 $2,520 plus installation
CONTACT: 800.222.0193
www.amx.com