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[david]

I see there is a current $49 deal in which
you get all the Plug-ins as well as
ActiveHome Pro/CM15A. I already have
ActiveHome Pro and my CM15A works fine. I
am willing to buy this special package
which gives me all the Plug-ins for $50. My
question is what good is iWitness Plug-in
if it doesn't come with the USB capture
device and X10 doesn't allow you to use
other brands? I already have 3 X10 cameras
so I don't really want to buy another
camera "package". Does anyone have a
workaround? I know it is better for X10 to
bundle things for better value but the
bundles are confusing for those who just
want to add to their system as you end up
with duplicate items and things you don't
need.

[anonymous]

You can buy the x-10 video capture cable on
eBay for around $30.
But BEWARE, x-10 had some problems with the
first release of cables.  You'll need to ask
for date code to be sure that you'll be bug
free.

[frank]

anonymous said:
"But BEWARE, x-10 had some problems with
the  first release of cables.  You'll need
to ask  for date code to be sure that you'll
be bug  free."
I was wondering if my USB Cable that I got
with X10's "X-Ray Vision" package would work
with "iWitness".
It has NO MARKINGS on the outside of the
cable... no date... nada... so I opened it
up. Inside are two chips: the Nogatech
USBVision NT1003-1B (9932) chipset for the
USB interfacing, and a Phillips SAA7111A
chip that presumably handles the image
processing. The cable has both S-video and
composite (RCA) inputs. I understand that
this is an old capture cable (640 X 480
stills ; 30fps) and I'm curious which
chipset is being used in their "new" cables,
and if the specs on them are that much
better. I saw mention of a NT1007 years
ago...
By "first release", do you mean X10's first
release of their cables supplied
with "iWitness", or first release ever?
Frank

[X10 Pro]

David: You should be able to get a bundle
deal for iWitness that includes the VA11A USB
Video Capture Device. If you don't see one on
our site, call our sales staff and they
should be able to help.

Frank: There wasn't a problem with the first
release of the VA11A as far as I recall, but
in any case that was a few years ago and
there's no chance of you getting an original
one when purchasing now. We did have a
problem with a small number of units in the
spring of last year, but we corrected that
very quickly. Any VA11A you buy now will be fine.

[JimC]

David,
Wrote
“I know it is better for X10 to bundle
things for better value but the bundles are
confusing for those who just want to add to
their system as you end up with duplicate
items and things you don't  need.”

I could not agree with you more. It would
be nice if X10 would, on occasion, discount
prices on individual items instead of
offering the bundle deals. This would be
more beneficial for the long time users.

[drew]

I have the same problem as David.  The ad
for the ActiveHome/Iwitness/Myhousonline is
bogus.  It insinuates that you can monitor
your X-10 cams on your pc monitor, even
says it comes with a "Computer Interface
and USB Cable".  What they don't tell you
is that that pc interface cable (white box)
only allows you to control your X-10 cams,
but you still have to view them on your
tv!  Basically, what you have then is a
glorified remote...the main reason I got
this was to view multiple cams on my pc
monitor.  Then there is no way to get
the "additional" pc capture device without
buying the Iwitness all over again.  Ugh!

[X10 Pro]

Drew: You can get iWitness on the VA11A
together for $69.99 (which is the same price
as the VA11A by itself). I also see a deal
for ActiveHome Pro w/ iWitness and MyHouse
Online, plus the CM15A and VA11A for $99.99:

http://www.x10.com/activehomepro/plugins/plugin-myhouse.html#iwst

I know that navigating our promotional offers
can be difficult. Your best bet might be to
call into our sales line and speak with one
of our helpful sales people. They know our
deals better than I do, and may be able to
find an offer that matches exactly what you want.

[david]

I called the sales department and they said
there was no combo that included all 3 plug-
ins and the VA11A. They said there were
combos with the VA11A/iWitness/Smart Macros
for $99 but they would not include MyHome.
They wanted another $50 for that one. It
was the most cost effective to just buy the
ActiveHome Suite for $50 and try to get the
VA11A during another sale (or from another
source). So for those of you who are on the
fence about the current ActiveHome Suite
deal even the X10 sales rep thought it was
the way to go. Thanks to X10 Pro the help
in these forums, we know it is not your
fault the sales packages are so confusing.