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Comparing the UC Remotes to the AVA Cinema Remote

Can the AVA remote display, on one screen, both the Kaleidescape controls AND the volume level of your Trinnov?

Also, what are the buttons on the side of the AVA remote for and are they programmable for volume on your AVR?

Thanks!
 
audio-videophile said:
Can the AVA remote display, on one screen, both the Kaleidescape controls AND the volume level of your Trinnov?

Also, what are the buttons on the side of the AVA remote for and are they programmable for volume on your AVR?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Neither can currently display both indefinitely. The AVA doesn’t display volume at all. The UC has an overlay when adjusting volume if the device integration supports it.

The AVA side buttons are volume up/down but I believe only for integrations like Sonos. There’s a screen off button and one programmable button with long and short press distinction.
 
thrillcat said:
Neither can currently display both indefinitely. The AVA doesn’t display volume at all. The UC has an overlay when adjusting volume if the device integration supports it.

The AVA side buttons are volume up/down but I believe only for integrations like Sonos. There’s a screen off button and one programmable button with long and short press distinction.
Click to expand...
Great information! Thank you!
 
First, both of these remotes look like very good offerings and it's good to see things ramping up in this space after such a void following Logitech's exit. As an outsider looking at potential options for additional rooms, here's a couple of quick notes from my perspective:

The Unfolded Circle remote as a product looks like a remote to me. It can be just a Universal Remote or you can tie it to something like Home Assistant to really open things up. Plus, it has a decent amount of buttons (20 w/17 customizable?) for what I consider a fair price (bundle at $500?).

The AVA remote looks like something bordering on a home automation product. Its reduced buttons and reliance on the screen gets pretty close to me holding my phone (13 buttons, 11 customizable?). But, the ability to do so much without Home Assistant is certainly appealing. However, at $1,300 dollars this is in an entirely different tier of product to me.

I believe Control4 is selling Halo Touch/Core Lite+ bundles for around $1,350. While you need to have someone add your equipment, if you buy the Home software you can pretty much do everything after that yourself. The Halo Touch has 27 buttons (23 customizable) and is likely the closest to a Harmony Elite in function (muscle memory will kick right in). Plus, should you choose to, you've basically built the foundation with one of the leading smart home vendors. This is actually an argument I used to make against Control4's remote bundles, but when AVA is kicking in at a similar price then the winds start to change.

I think the advantage that the AVA would have over a Control4 bundle is that it still can be small/simple and grow into more. But, that price is just something to get past (he types on a Kaleidescape forum). :)
 
And in all reality, the AVA is a much more theater-centric remote out of the box than the UC remote. Just looking at what device drivers/integrations are available from the device manufacturer shows AVA with built-in support for Storm/Trinnov/Kaleidescape, while you get Roku/AndroidTV/Denon from Unfolded Circle.

The AVA Cinema Remote is an Android device, hence the app-only volume buttons. It's not a negative to me, since, you know, they have device volume buttons on the face of the remote when any flow is active.
 
LoveCinema said:
First, both of these remotes look like very good offerings and it's good to see things ramping up in this space after such a void following Logitech's exit. As an outsider looking at potential options for additional rooms, here's a couple of quick notes from my perspective:

The Unfolded Circle remote as a product looks like a remote to me. It can be just a Universal Remote or you can tie it to something like Home Assistant to really open things up. Plus, it has a decent amount of buttons (20 w/17 customizable?) for what I consider a fair price (bundle at $500?).

The AVA remote looks like something bordering on a home automation product. Its reduced buttons and reliance on the screen gets pretty close to me holding my phone (13 buttons, 11 customizable?). But, the ability to do so much without Home Assistant is certainly appealing. However, at $1,300 dollars this is in an entirely different tier of product to me.

I believe Control4 is selling Halo Touch/Core Lite+ bundles for around $1,350. While you need to have someone add your equipment, if you buy the Home software you can pretty much do everything after that yourself. The Halo Touch has 27 buttons (23 customizable) and is likely the closest to a Harmony Elite in function (muscle memory will kick right in). Plus, should you choose to, you've basically built the foundation with one of the leading smart home vendors. This is actually an argument I used to make against Control4's remote bundles, but when AVA is kicking in at a similar price then the winds start to change.

I think the advantage that the AVA would have over a Control4 bundle is that it still can be small/simple and grow into more. But, that price is just something to get past (he types on a Kaleidescape forum). :)
Click to expand...
Another note for you on the AVA, since your equipment rack is in a separate room, if there are any devices that would require IR control you'd need an AVA Brain to blast that in your equipment room, which would be another $500 or so.
 
thrillcat said:
Another note for you on the AVA, since your equipment rack is in a separate room, if there are any devices that would require IR control you'd need an AVA Brain to blast that in your equipment room, which would be another $500 or so.
Click to expand...
Ok, yeah, we're firmly in home automation territory at that point. Crestron also has a single-room/remote bundle that's a bit pricier than Control4 but can be expanded to a "small home." But based upon price point I think the C4, Crestron, and AVA remotes would be more appropriate competitors. As-is, all three make the Unfolded Circle 3 look like a fantastic value (even with increases/tariffs/etc.).
 
thrillcat said:
Another note for you on the AVA, since your equipment rack is in a separate room, if there are any devices that would require IR control you'd need an AVA Brain to blast that in your equipment room, which would be another $500 or so.
Click to expand...
The AVA Brain, officially marketed as the AVA Nano Brain, has a list price (MSRP) of $399 USD in the United States as of 2025.
 
cool to see it doing 2-way K media player screens on the remote. The dealer i've been speaking with about buying one of these said that Kaleidescape is controllable only via IR... clearly not the case.
 
josh said:
cool to see it doing 2-way K media player screens on the remote. The dealer i've been speaking with about buying one of these said that Kaleidescape is controllable only via IR... clearly not the case.
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure I've stated everywhere that the "Works With AVA" website they provide doesn't always reflect accurately what control types are available. Many state IR only but when configuring the device, IP is readily available. Perhaps the dealer hasn't actually spent much time with the device.

Also worth noting, though you already know, the UC remotes also have 2-way Kaleidescape media player communication, and UC also includes playback progress.

Also of note, AVA currently does NOT have any media artwork or playback progress for AppleTV devices.
 
With the Kaleidescape screen open on the top of the remote (like you showed with TRON), can you use the volume buttons on the d-pad to control the volume of your Storm AVR?
1760314001521.png
 
audio-videophile said:
With the Kaleidescape screen open on the top of the remote (like you showed with TRON), can you use the volume buttons on the d-pad to control the volume of your Storm AVR?
View attachment 8869
Click to expand...
Yes. That’s a basic function of most any universals remote. This view is with the Kaleidescape “flow” open and during the basic configuration of Kaleidescape it asks what you use to control the volume of the Kaleidescape.
 
thrillcat said:
Yes. That’s a basic function of most any universals remote. This view is with the Kaleidescape “flow” open and during the basic configuration of Kaleidescape it asks what you use to control the volume of the Kaleidescape.
Click to expand...
Thanks again!

Sorry for all of the basic questions, but your responses have been very helpful!
 
audio-videophile said:
Great information! Thank you!
Click to expand...
Update - with the new 2.1.0 update from AVA you can now add a slider to the custom UI for volume, which will display the current value.

IMG_4311.JPG

  • Discrete Volume for AV Receivers - The IP drivers for several AVR brands now have commands for setting an exact volume level in a Flow. Slider volume control for these AVRs is now on the Home Remote and Companion app, and there is even a volume slider for use in Custom UIs. Current list of currently supported brands: Anthem, Audio Control, Denon, Integra, JBL Synthesis, Marantz, NAD, Pioneer, Storm Audio, Onkyo, Trinnov, Yamaha.
 
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