News / Media

Promo and demo video for the Mobile PRO G.

Learn about the 2nd generation DigitalMedia (DM 8G) distribution solution. Understand the future of analog, specifically what the AACS says and means.

The massive 24 display Sony Ziris digital signage video wall is in the Crestron booth this year at CEDIA. Learn how its powered by Crestron DM technology!

October 28, 2010 By Mark Elson

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http://www.hemagazine.com/node/22014

Crestron recently announced the arrival of their new TPMC-4SMD - a 4” widescreen, designer touch panel that installs with a single wire via PoE (Power over Ethernet), delivering control, video, intercom, and power over a single high-speed Ethernet connection, no electrical outlets or control wire needed. “The TPMC-4SMD is designed to simultaneously run multiple formats and media players, including Flash®, HTML5 and H.264 video,” explained Vincent Bruno, Crestron Director of Marketing. “Richer graphics and amazing interactive animations really enhance the user experience.” Additional features include streaming video, 2-way IP intercom, white LED backlit buttons and a built-in proximity sensor that will wake the 4SMD automatically, without having to touch the screen…

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http://www.hemagazine.com/node/22014

Fun, friendly designs depict energy use for instantaneous viewing on TVs, iPads, touchscreens and more.

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http://www.electronichouse.com/article/the_interfaces_of_energy_management/

October 21, 2010 | by Lisa Montgomery

You’ve been turning off the lights as you leave a room. You’ve waited to start the dishwasher utility rates are low. You’ve even conceded to wearing a sweater so you feel comfortable with the thermostats set back to 67 degrees. So you’ve taken the first steps toward living a greener, more energy-efficient lifestyle, but are these small changes making that big of a difference?

In the past, you had no choice but to wait for your monthly utility bills to see if your efforts were paying off. Or, you could invest in an energy monitoring systems that spewed information on a smallish tabletop display or to a site that required logging in for a look.

Today, energy management has a much friendlier face. Energy monitoring devices and systems can be integrated with home control systems so that data can be viewed on the same touchscreen, remote control, iPad, iPhone or other device that’s used to operate audio/video equipment, lights, surveillance cameras, motorized gates, irrigation systems, and other electronic gear. The information can be sent directly, without any modification, to the various home control displays; or a custom electronics professional (CE pro) can tweak the layout, graphics and labeling to suit your specific needs and to match the style of your home control system’s on-screen interface…

Below are some pictures of the various energy monitoring interfaces:

Savant



URC The Energy Detective



Agilewaves - Crestron



Control4



Elan



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http://www.electronichouse.com/article/the_interfaces_of_energy_management/

Crestron automation app on Android-enabled Samsung Galaxy Tab during CEDIA Expo.

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http://www.electronichouse.com/article/sling_founder_brings_android_to_home_control/cedia

September 22, 2010 | by Julie Jacobson

Over the past three years, Apple and its iOS have completely disrupted the home automation business, bringing affordable, multipurpose machines to an industry built on higher-priced, single-purpose touchscreens.At CEDIA Expo 2010, the big event for custom electronics professionals, home systems integrators will be scouring the show floor for new iOS controls apps; iPad mounts, docks and smart sleeves; competitive products that stack up to the iPad in terms of price, performance and aesthetics; and business models for this enigmatic platform.And, quietly, the relatively new Android platform from Google will make its mark on the home-control industry.

Sling Founder Brings Android to Automation
For the past 18 months, Blake Krikorian, founder of Sling Media, has been working on an Android-centric home-control interface as part of an extensive home remodel project, he told CE Pro in an exclusive interview.Specifically, Krikorian has developed an Android app for Crestron, the home control system that powers his own house. Codenamed R2, the solution will be demonstrated at the Crestron booth at CEDIA Expo.

Already the Krikorian household has numerous iPads and iPod touches for remote control of lights, shades, security, audio/video, thermostats and other Crestron-enabled smart systems.But that’s not enough for the perpetual tinkerer and problem solver who always wants more – like the ability to watch the San Francisco Giants while traveling, which was the genesis of the Slingbox.

For example, he says, “I just wanted the iPad to let me bypass the slide-to-unlock bar so I could immediately control things with one button. Apple doesn’t give you the flexibility to do that.”

An Open Platform
Krikorian thinks the iPad and iPhone are “fantastic mass market products,” but the locked-down iOS limits their use as home-control devices. Ideally, a home-automation screen should always be at the ready – in “supervisory” mode, as we say – so it can respond automatically to various triggers such as the press of a doorbell or the tripping of security sensor. In either case, you might want the screen to light up automatically with images from one or multiple surveillance cameras. You can do that with an Android device. “If someone rings the doorbell, I want all of these displays to pop up,” Krikorian says. “I couldn’t do that unless I had an app running in the background all the time.” Which you can do with Android…

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http://www.electronichouse.com/article/sling_founder_brings_android_to_home_control/cedia

Crestron Press Release September 23, 2010

Crestron Debuts Sonnex™ Technology with Digital 24X8 Multi-Room Audio System and Audio Expander

Crestron introduces its new digital 24X8 multi-room audio system with built-in Sonnex™ audio transport technology. Blending high-performance digital audio processing, full-matrix switching and high-powered amplification into a single component, Crestron Sonnex redefines audio distribution for the digital age. This revolutionary audio transport technology transmits 64 channels of uncompressed 24-bit HD audio across a single shielded CAT5 cable. Representing a new generation of multi-room audio distribution, Sonnex delivers improved performance and significantly reduces hardware and software cabling.

With all-in-one, high efficiency hardware design and an exclusive single-wire digital bus, Sonnex technology dramatically advances performance, output, efficiency and ease of installation. It also substantially reduces the hardware and cabling requirements of traditional systems; all that is needed is a single shielded twisted pair wire, home run to the master system in the rack. Gone are the days of purchasing separate amps, preamps, switchers and the extensive cabling required to connect them. As many as eight expansion units can be installed far from the main rack, supporting distribution of 24 sources to 72 zones. Sonnex drives 200 watts at 4 ohms per channel, delivering nearly 30,000 watts of total power and creating an unforgettable high-definition listening experiences in every room.

“With full matrix switching, HD audio processing and high-powered amplification integrated into a single component, Sonnex is a complete solution for multi-room, digital audio distribution,” explains Vincent Bruno, Crestron Director of Marketing. “Fewer cable runs, easy-to-pull shielded CAT5 and fewer connection points saves installers lots of time and expense.”

The Sonnex multi-room audio distribution system draws incredibly low power for even more savings. Its energy efficient, cool-running design conserves rack space by eliminating the need for empty space between components.

For optimal sound quality in each zone, acoustics are easily customized and adjusted from room to room and outdoors. Custom speaker profiles and 5-band EQ presets provide each zone with the best sound based on its natural acoustic qualities. From any touchpanel or remote, you can choose a “Classical” mix in the library, “Jazz” in the kitchen and “Rock” on the patio.

From the front panel or the menu-driven software tools, installer-friendly configuration of a multi-room HD audio system is fast and easy.

Crestron Press Release September 23, 2010

Crestron Mobile Pro G iPad App Updated to Support Landscape Rotation and Gestures Navigation

Auto-Update for Top Grossing Lifestyle iPad™ App Now Available from the iTunes® App Store

The newest version of the Crestron iPad™ app is now available from the iTunes® App Store, where it was recently ranked the #1 Top Grossing iPad Lifestyle App. This update includes automatic portrait/landscape rotation and gestures navigation on the iPad for both Crestron and Prodigy® control systems. A beautiful graphic template with user-selectable backgrounds designed especially for the iPad is available from the Crestron website. There are also infinite possibilities for customization. Dealers can create their own branded designs and clients can enjoy the same look and feel on their iPad as on their Crestron touchpanels.

A control interface is only as powerful as the control system behind it; Crestron is the most powerful, flexible and reliable control system in the world. “We value our close partnership with Apple®. Connecting the most popular mobile device to the most powerful control system is a truly magical combination,” said Vincent Bruno, Crestron Director of Marketing. “Adding landscape rotation and gestures navigation to our app takes full advantage of the iPad’s most popular features.”

Using Wi-Fi locally or 3G network remotely you can access and control Crestron and Prodigy homes from anywhere on the planet. The ultimate mobile touchpanel puts control at your fingertips, all in real time and from anywhere.

Imagine using your iPad™ as a touchpanel for your home entertainment system, or to control all the lights in your home. Crestron Mobile Pro G puts a professional-looking Crestron touchpanel user interface right on the popular Apple® iPad, enabling all kinds of customizable control capability, while utilizing the complete screen space on the iPad.

Crestron Mobile Pro G talks directly to the control system without any third-party software or external servers. With Crestron Mobile Pro G, simply tap the screen to select movies, music and TV in any room or adjust volume, light levels and room temperature with just a touch. Using the home Wi-Fi network locally or the powerful 3G networks remotely, total control is always at your fingertips.

Control multiple locations, such as a primary residence, vacation home and office, from a single, intuitive graphical interface that provides real-time status of room temperature, lighting levels, shade position, volume and digital media metadata including album, song and artist.

New locations are easily added by opening the “Connections” page on the iPad, and customized buttons, graphics and dynamic text can be added by your installer. Updates or changes to the control program are automatically sent to the iPhone when Crestron Mobile Pro G is launched.

With a large library of built-in graphics to aid in custom designs Crestron Mobile Pro G puts a virtual Crestron touchpanel in the palm of your hand for complete mobile control.