Do software engineers make so little out where you are?
It's not that, the point I was thinking of is the fact that there are plenty of finished solutions out there now, with just a few features missing compaired to this. Throw it all on a PC with the extra other programs needed to complete functionality, and you have the same thing, with lots less finish overall. But for $1500, I can't justify that amount of finish compaired to the PC already sitting in my living room. The people this seems best for are non PC people. And I am the exact opposite of that with 9 computers up and running in this house. I was able to justify the expense on the empeg because it's able to act as a music player in and out of the car. While this unit does the home part way better, it is stuck there.
You see the same argument all the time for in-car MP3 players.
With the car player, there are a number of additional factors. Size, visual interface, and control. Those are the tough points to overcome in a car, but they are not a huge issue in a home product.
The player is very nice. I hope it does very well. It's just not for me in my current situation.