Hey guys,
You have a really interesting product in the AVP17 you have gotten rave views on its audio quality and I would probably buy the unit except for the following:
The AVP17 lacks of support for HDMI 1.3(a or b) and also the lacks bitstream decoding support for DD, DD Plus, Dolby TureHD, DTS HD and Master Audio, DSD, and Multi-channel PCM support for up to 7.1 channels at 24 bits and 192khz.
You might want to consider going the route Cary Audio is going with their new Cinema 11a, it will support 1 HDMI 1.3 input and 1 HDMI 1.3 output which will pass through video but handle all the bitstream audio (DD, DD Plus, Dolby TureHD, DTS, DTS 24/96, DTS HD, DTS Master Audio, DSD for SACD decoding) and Multi-channel LPCM 24/192 audio, I personally think this is brilliant on their part. Just list nuforce they are focused on doing what they do best… Audio.
If you still wanted to manage the video switching, cross conversion from composite, s-video, and component to HDMI would be a must, as there are still some inputs such as the x-box 360 and Wii which need to be output to HDMI, but up-conversion and scaling would not be required.
One nice feature would also be multiple memory settings for managing lip sync issues for each source type even if the source is being fed by and external switcher.
An incredibly important feature would be all the setup and configuration menus displayed over HDMI as many of us now days don’t use composit, svideo, or component connections to our display devices. Another option would be to use an LCD or OLED display built in to the chasis for managing the setup process and displaying status information, such as volume level, surround mode selected, incoming audio signal details, etc.
If you can keep all the functions and sound quality of the current AVP17 but add the above and keep a price point in the $1500 to $2000 range you will have a winner for quite some time to come.
I think your approach is on target with the audio and videophile community by letting different devices do what they do best. Use an outboard video processor for video switching and scaling, using the Nuforce for purest analog and digital audio duties, and then if a user wants a room EQ and correction system go with something like Audyssey Sound Equalizer.
I do think you have an opportunity to partner on a few fronts. You might want to consider partnering with DVDO or Realta and take one of their existing products brand it for nuforce to mate with the AVP for video switching duties. You might also want to partner with Audyssey or someone like them to provide a branded version of the Sound Equalizer to mate with the AVP to provide room equalization. By re-branding those products, software, firmware upgrades, etc are off loaded to each of those organizations. Only thing you would need a is a system to manage those units. Which allows you to stay focused on what you do best. By having these rebranded products, it will allow customization for your customer base and additional revenue for nuforce.
