Interesting discussion so far...
David: Yeah, I realised that the "lease" option would only be useful for designing show content or to offer a "try before you buy" option. As you pointed out, you couldn't run a show with it because the QM-2000 board needs a local connection to the projector. I don't think Pangolin is actually considering any sort of lease option, but the fact that it's possible raises a few questions about what the end user can and can not do with his or her own board. (For example, what if an end user started leasing out access to his board?)
Dwain;
I think you missunderstood the first part of my post. I didn't say that I couldn't understand why Pangolin created the product. I said I don't think that *I* will ever personally have a need for it.
I understand the advantages of sending signals over ethernet vs a parallel cable. (I've got a degree in computer science, after all!) I was more curious about what limits, if any, Pangolin had placed on the hardware that might prevent a user from connecting to the unit via the Internet.
Yes, VPN would be the way to go for a private setup, though the encryption is probably overkill. (Then again, lots of people already use an old linux box as a home router, which is also overkill given the low cost and flexibility of consumer routers these days...)
Pangolin might actually choose to offer a log-in service via their website to allow registered users to access the PRO editing features for a fee. I sort of doubt that they would ever do this, but I couldn't see anything specific in the design or the specs that would prevent it, so I posed the question to the forum.
I only used the "traveling salesman in his hotel room" example as a colorful, if somewhat lame, way to add some realism to this academic discussion. (Like I said, I don't have a QM-2000 board, and even if I did I wouldn't need the QM-2000.net box. I've got plenty of computers with open PCI slots that would just love to play host to a QM-2000 board!)
Sigh... Maybe when my QM-32 board grows up it will get upgraded...
Adam