Responding to feedback from its installer base, home automation vendor Control4 of Salt Lake City introduced a new controller that features better performance, more connectivity options, and sleeker look and feel.

The new $699 Control4 Home Controller HC-300 will replace the company's first generation Home Theater Controller, although Control4 will continue to offer installers the original, less expensive (by $100) version. Control4 chief technology officer Eric Smith told DIGITAL HOME that in situations where builders and installers need many controllers, such as condos and other MDU developments, the original controller would remain an attractive system.

The HC-300 is compatible with existing Control4 products, making it easy for installers to swap out old controllers to give homeowners more functionality. Chief among those functions are support for a 720p, high-definition on-screen interface, and a pair of serial ports for controlling additional devices throughout the home.

Smith said installers had been requesting more horsepower and a better design. Control4 addresses both with the HC-300.

The new controller comes with a Texas Instrument dual-core processor, plus a 300MHz ARM9 processor to offload certain digital signal processing functions. The result, says Smith, is an affordable controller that can support up to 14 simultaneous media streams.

The HC-300 also comes in a new extruded aluminum chassis for a sleeker, consumer electronics-style look. It's designed to be a set-top box, but Smith said Control4 would be able to offer rack covers and plates from Middle Atlantic for installers who want to put the controller in a server rack.

The HC-300 begins shipping next month.