Theta decides to add HDMI 1.4 to Casablanca HD upgrade

Bulldogger

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
129
2
1,573
58
Clinton,MS
I guess if we are waiting we might as well get HDMI 1.4. The planned release is October. How does this effect you alls plans to upgrage?
 

audioguy

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
2,794
73
1,635
Near Atlanta, GA but not too near!
Theta has lost all credibility with me. I sold my CB and went another direction and won't look back. There are many other solutions (that may not yet have 1.4) that are outstanding for HT/Surround and even two channel.

Their devotees (many) have hung in there but Theta's (ATI's) refusal to openly and directly communicate with their users is a completely unnacceptable way of doing business.
 

LesAuber

Well-Known Member
Jun 21, 2010
141
0
361
... Their devotees (many) have hung in there but Theta's (ATI's) refusal to openly and directly communicate with their users is a completely unnacceptable way of doing business.

Roger that.
 

amirm

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
15,813
37
0
Seattle, WA
I suspect they are sourcing this subsystem from someone else and it took them so long to get the older version working that the supplier moved on to 1.4 and now they have to snap to that. Perils of not doing in-house development....
 

Bulldogger

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
129
2
1,573
58
Clinton,MS
I agree. I am hanging in only because I do not want to invest a lot of money in any companies pre-pro. I have owned California Audio Labs, Proceed, Aragon,Meridian,and Lexicon products in addition to Theta. I am willing to pay 4k for the upgrade. My dealer gives me a 20% discount. Considering that I have Xtreme dacs on all channels, it is a worthwhile investment. It is sad to say that I would not be confident enough to invest 10k even in any company's surround processor. So,yeah, Theta will get my money under these circumstances. Getting information in a timely manner has proven almost impossible for any of the major high-end companies. Even my favorite company,Mcintosh has struggled with HDMI. I believe it was 2006 when talk started about a new processor for that company and only recently has one been released.
 

Bulldogger

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
129
2
1,573
58
Clinton,MS
I suspect they are sourcing this subsystem from someone else and it took them so long to get the older version working that the supplier moved on to 1.4 and now they have to snap to that. Perils of not doing in-house development....

I think at some point, a similiar situation is going to force new dac cards. The PCM1704 has been in production a long time.
 

Bulldogger

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
129
2
1,573
58
Clinton,MS
Now that hard dates for shipment of the HDMI equipped Casablanca have been announced, I can not but wonder if it is still going to happen? So far Theta has delivered a new amp and Compli-blu. That is backwards IMO, Theta will live or die on the Casablanca upgrade. It should have came first.
 

LesAuber

Well-Known Member
Jun 21, 2010
141
0
361
I can not but wonder myself. The promised ship dates and indication that the software was only in alpha testing don't seem to line up well. I quite agree the CB should have been first by a couple years if all they're doing is adding HDMI.
 

Bulldogger

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
129
2
1,573
58
Clinton,MS
The digital out card will not ship with the upgrade. Carl said they are just concentrating on getting the HD upgrade out first. I was surprised that given all of the extra time it has taken that the digital out card was not ready.
 

rugyboogie

Well-Known Member
May 30, 2010
163
127
1,600
Vancouver, BC
Bought the Casablanca because of it's modular format. Upgradeable, future-proof...........
Have been requesting info for years as to when they would bring out their HDMI Video card. Three years later and still waiting..........for some kind of a response.
Nice customer service.
 

Bulldogger

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
129
2
1,573
58
Clinton,MS
Yeah, presently it is one of the worst experiences I have had with a company. However, I think the HDMI upgrade will happen. Carl from Theta confirmed that Beta testing has indeed started. The upgrade is reasonably close.
 

rblnr

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 3, 2010
2,151
291
1,170
NYC/NJ
May be close, seems though that no one is 100% clear on what exactly they demoed at Cedia. The pieces were there but what they were actually doing seemed undefined. Theta/Carl has said a lot of things that have proved to be untrue. Understandably I suppose, he says whatever he's told to keep his job.
 

Bulldogger

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
129
2
1,573
58
Clinton,MS
Theta/Carl has said a lot of things that have proved to be untrue. Understandably I suppose, he says whatever he's told to keep his job.

I assume you are referring to the "time line" as to when the upgrade would happen? All of the techincal stuff has proved accurate. I want the new digital out card. That is going to come latter.
 
Last edited:

rblnr

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 3, 2010
2,151
291
1,170
NYC/NJ
Yes, I'm referring primarily to the timeline. Being off by at least two years (I believe late '08 was originally promised but correct if I'm wrong) amounts to a lie, particularly when new dates are then promised and missed and missed. What I think too became a lie is the amount of ATI's commitment to the platform. However they started, it seems pretty clear that there can't be many, if more than one person really working on the software. This is mostly speculation on my part and I don't present it as anything other. Have some info., but also a gut sense of a company never levelling with its customers. I lost confidence in Theta and their ability service the product w/the inevitable software updates and so forth, so I sold. That said, I hope they're successful.

Adding to this all is the seemingly fishy display at Cedia. Does anyone know exactly how things were hooked up and what was demonstrated? Again, a complete lack of transparency which I think has contributed to shrinking the customer base more than being upfront would have. I get the sense that once the probs. started, and they started down the road of covering and withholding info., they didn't know how to turn back. In the media world we're in, particularly with low volume boutique products, being upfront with customers is a better way to go. As evidence, companies like Bryston, ADA and others have generated goodwill and loyalty by having reps appear on forums and be upfront. Granted, those on forums are a small percentage of buyers, but it generating trust/goodwill which usually pays off one way or another.
 

audioguy

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
2,794
73
1,635
Near Atlanta, GA but not too near!
The Sim audio piece looks very nice: cosmetics, specs and features. It clearly makes the CB III look even less desirable: Theta's less than straight forward marketing and communications practices; delay after delay after delay; Wizard of Oz demo at CEDIA (what WAS behind the green curtain); total lack of concern for existing CB II owners (they wanted $10,000 to upgrade my CBII to and HDMI CBIII) AND the final nail in the coffin-no room correction.

I'd be surprised if the Theta Brand survives !!
 

Bulldogger

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
129
2
1,573
58
Clinton,MS
(they wanted $10,000 to upgrade my CBII to and HDMI CBIII) AND the final nail in the coffin-no room correction.

I'd be surprised if the Theta Brand survives !!

The concept modular concept is limited in it's usefulness. 10K? You mean because your processor had dac chips like the Burr-Brown 1702 or 18 bit dacs that could not handle the new formats in the form of the original Superior dac or Standard dac? I mean it is what it is. Those old cards are just obsolete. They can not be made to work. Seriously if you had the power, what would you have them do? Sell you new cards at a loss so that you could have the upgrade at a price you felt reasonable? Hey, I am serious and not just being combative. What do you feel they should have done?
 

Bulldogger

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
129
2
1,573
58
Clinton,MS
Adding to this all is the seemingly fishy display at Cedia. As evidence, companies like Bryston, ADA and others have generated goodwill and loyalty by having reps appear on forums and be upfront. Granted, those on forums are a small percentage of buyers, but it generating trust/goodwill which usually pays off one way or another.

The display was what I expected, low budget. Theta is not making a profit. For awhile it was suggested that the Compli-blu and Dreadnaught III were scams and not actually shipping. It's paranoia. Granted Theta is getting what they deserve for the deception they have practiced. Reps from many companies do not appear on certain forums. This forum exist for the same reason that those reps do not post on many internet forums. I do not recall Ron-c from Mcintosh posting on a certain forum but he posts on at least three different forums. For many years Charles Hansen did not post.
 

rblnr

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 3, 2010
2,151
291
1,170
NYC/NJ
Don't mind that the display was low budget, problem was it wasn't clear what was being displayed.

And yeah, many reps don't post on the forums, but many do as you've named two. And Theta is exactly the sort of company who should be. Charles Hansen is particularly articulate and in being so, has probably brought some Ayre buyers into the fold.
 

audioguy

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
2,794
73
1,635
Near Atlanta, GA but not too near!
The concept modular concept is limited in it's usefulness. 10K? You mean because your processor had dac chips like the Burr-Brown 1702 or 18 bit dacs that could not handle the new formats in the form of the original Superior dac or Standard dac? I mean it is what it is. Those old cards are just obsolete. They can not be made to work. Seriously if you had the power, what would you have them do? Sell you new cards at a loss so that you could have the upgrade at a price you felt reasonable? Hey, I am serious and not just being combative. What do you feel they should have done?

What did I expect? Not to have to pay $10,000 for an "upgrade" that doesn't even include room correction of the level that I can find in an inexpensive processor. Unreasonable? Not to me!
 

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing