Ceton Abandons Android for Echo Extender
This is not the type of news that we were hoping for at the end of the week. The Ceton Echo Media Center Extender had high hopes of being the end all, be all extender for HTPC users. Not to say it’s not a capable Extender, but any hopes of having the unlimited flexibility of running Android on it have just been dashed by the boys.
A few weeks ago we started beta testing the Android upgrade with people outside of the company as well. Unfortunately the testing results have not been what we expected and we are announcing today that we will not be able to bring Android to the current Echo hardware as we had hoped.
Does this mean that the Echo
Does this mean that the Echo can’t be upgraded or just not upgraded in the home? A lot of people bought the Echo in anticipation of upgrading to Android when it became available. Ceton should at least offer some sort of upgrade program that allows owners to send their Echoes to Ceton for the upgrade. Otherwise, the Echo is becoming an even more epic fail on the part of Ceton.
We have to wonder if this
We have to wonder if this “third party” component isn’t to blame for a number of the Echo’s current failings in the field.
While I’m disappointed in this announcement, hopefully Ceton can get to work on two things; 1) A cleaner and more reliable firmware. 2) A second generation extender.
I am currently 80% satisfied with my Echo. It works well enough even with the reboots and lock-ups to abandon the cable co’s settop boxes.
But, I do only have one Echo at the moment, and improvement in this line or a second generation is what will get me to purchase more.
Disappointing. Really, really
Disappointing. Really, really disappointing.
babgvant
[quote=babgvant]
Disappointing. Really, really disappointing.
[/quote]
+1
I was looking forward to using one in my home setup.
Not so much anymore.
Sorry. Duplicate post due to
Sorry. Duplicate post due to a “Bad Gateway” error message when posting.
Absolutely. They can
Absolutely. They can obviously get Android working on a turnkey setup so why not offer it in two flavors. They should be able to upgrade it in-house even though the process may be more labor intensive than they’d like. Offering a trade-in program would go a long way to bolstering their credibility.
Ceton is becoming a complete mystery to me. On one hand they come out with an amazing product like the InfiniTV4 and then they put out a POS like the Echo that’s been nothing but a disappointment from day one. The only hope they had of salvaging credibility for the Echo was with the anticipated upgrade to the Android OS. They’ve gone overboard making promises they can’t keep with this product.
What I found to be most disappointing was that many of us were expecting to see compatibility with more types of video files with the Echo. Ceton had to be aware of this expectation, yet never did anything to sqwelch the rumors. In fact, they always seemed to be extremely vague about the capabilities of the Echo. When I received my Echo during the Beta program, I felt that Ceton had betrayed me. Granted, they never claimed it would have the support we wanted, but they never said it wouldn’t either.
JeffLeppard wrote:
If their
[quote=JeffLeppard]
If their testing was successful in house but failed remotely, why discontinue the entire program. Launch the new Echos with the Android platform already installed and I would think an option could be made available for clients who would like to upgrade to the Android platform even if they had to pay for it.
[/quote]
Agreed. Hopefully we’ll see something like an Echo 2 running Android + WMC app.
A trade-in program would be a great way to keep the goodwill/trust which is left pretty exposed currently.
With no “native” media center
With no “native” media center in XboxOne, these may be the way to go.. But with other Android options I can see the cost effectiviness of passing right now, and doing it right on the next version of Echo..
I had been frustrated for a
I had been frustrated for a while with the lack of MS development of Media Center. I had such high hopes for the Q and Echo. Streaming of Netflix and more without an XBox sounded pretty good. First, the Q is dropped. Killing those dreams and severely limiting the advanced features of Echo. The release of Echo stumbled. I read of an Android platform which offered new hope. Then I read this. Dashed again.
Will anyone pick up the HTPC ball and run with it? XBMC would be a nice platform for me.
For now I will stick with Win7 and my Linksys extenders
Wow… this really kind of
Wow… this really kind of puts the nail in the coffin for my Echo. I encoded my entire DVD collection into mkvs, which don’t seem to work with the it. Furthermore, no Netflix, HBOGo or Amazon Prime functionality limits the device for use only as a DVR consumer, which won’t cut it in my home, or my parent’s home.
I guess I need to look into other HTPC software/extenders besides WMC.
I was very sad by this but
I was very sad by this but considering I only use it for recorded shows I plan on getting one more for the bedroom. I do hope they create an Echo 2 but at this point after watching the company I am not holding my breath. I think the company had great high hopes but I think they could have not given so much info out until its ready.
Considering they have shelved
Considering they have shelved the Q. Is there something similar coming out from Ceton or another company?