Yesterday Crestron intro’d the TST-600 wireless touch screen (replacing the TPS-6X touch screen) — a 5.7″ capacitive touch screen with dual-mode RF/Wi-Fi wireless, integrated Rava SIP Intercom and a lithium ion battery. It’s capable of streaming H.264 video. Apparently, the TST-600 is compatible with older TPS docking stations, wireless gateways and other accessories. In addition to the touch screen, the TST-600 features illuminated pushbuttons for programming macros like volume adjustment, channel selection and on-screen […]

rAVe is still the only publication covering the Switcher Shootout controversy between Crestron, Extron and AMX and you can hear all about it on today’s rave radio podcast! Having trouble listening to the podcast on this page? You can subscribe using RSS, iTunes or the Stitcher mobile App

On Monday morning we posted an article pondering the idea of a Switcher Shoot-Out at InfoComm. It was sparked by a couple of videos we saw that Crestron made comparing its DM switchers to those made by AMX and Extron. It reminded us of the old days of the Projection Shoot-Out at InfoComm (10 years […]

I stumbled across a very interesting marketing approach by Crestron yesterday. I’d heard rumors of its existence, but it took some looking to find it. On Crestron’s website under the RESOURCES section of its site, there are side-by-side comparisons or Shoot-Outs, if you will, posted of the company’s Digital Media line of switchers to both […]

Crestron took a very bold approach by producing videos that compare, side-by-side, their switchers with switchers made by Extron and AMX. Why bold? Listen to my podcasts and hear what I think. Having trouble listening to the podcast on this page? You can subscribe using RSS, iTunes or the Stitcher mobile App

Crestron’s new CLW-DELV wireless dimmers are in-wall RF dimmers capable of controlling incandescent, halogen and LED light sources. Available in 120-volt, 230-volt, and 277-volt models, CLW DELV will begin shipping on April 1 and use 2.4 GHz mesh network technology. Cameo in-wall dimmers feature field-replaceable, engravable buttons, can be configured with various button layouts and […]

Crestron today announced a 5″ TSW-550 — part of its Core 3 UI family of smart phone and tablet styled touch screens that also includes the 7″ TSW-750 and 10″ TSW-1050. Crestron says it uses capacitive touch (like the iPhone) and has GUI effects and gestures navigation to swipe, scroll, drag and drop. TSW-550 installs […]

Crestron today announced that its Essence and Aspire speakers are now shipping. These speakers feature an innovative toggle clamp mounting system and a paintable zero-bezel grille design that makes them virtually invisible in ceilings or on walls. The Aspire series are woven poly-glass composite woofers with a 1-inch synthetic polymer dome tweeters sing out crisp, […]

Rava is the hands-free communication over Ethernet technology that Crestron showed at CEDIA Expo last September. Rava technology is built into many Crestron touch screens, integrating hands-free intercom, telephone, paging and room monitoring in one IP-based system. Rava does two things. First, it allows for Rava-to-Rava devices to communicate with each other. Place two or […]

Crestron today introduced a new 16-Port Managed Power over Ethernet (PoE) Switch. Built for both home and commercial networks, the CEN-SWPOE-16 is a commercial-grade PoE switch meant for high performance control networking. The switch offers PoE on every port, remote management/monitoring of each port, touch screen control capability and PoE+ for running power-hungry Type 2 […]

SurgeX is shipping Crestron and AMX control system interface modules designed by Control Concepts. Smart energy management is playing an emergent role in homes and businesses, and the new automation modules will provide intelligent options for power management, measurement and reporting. The partnership makes it easier for integrators and end users to manage their power […]

Crestron has released its Web-based design tool to help integrators with designing, quoting and ordering the company’s new line of shades, named the Crestron Design Tool (CDT). Benefits include: Automatically selects the appropriate motor and tube size Eliminates guesswork – all configuration options are displayed – and if you make an incompatible selection, CDT shows […]

Crestron is bringing its control and automation to the world of kitchen appliances. Crestron has added Sub-Zero and Wolf Appliance to its Integrated Partners program thus, adding the ability to monitor, manage and control the companies’ refrigerators effortlessly. Homeowners can also automate tasks such as making ice overnight, reduce power consumption when away on vacation, […]

Crestron today introduced its complete line of quiet motorized roller shades, Roman shades, skylight shades and drapery track systems, offering designer-inspired fabrics and hardware finishes. Featuring Crestron’s new low-voltage Quiet Motor Technology (QMT), Crestron claims these shades are the quietest on the market. They also work with any Crestron controller. The shade line includes Roman, […]

This week Crestron announced the release of its new ADMS-G2 Intermedia Delivery System, its second-generation media server. ADMS-G2 has all the features of the first ADMS, but now includes streaming content from services such as VUDU and Pandora music. Smaller than the first generation ADMS, ADMS-G2 allows users to rent or purchase movies from Netflix and VUDU, stream videos from YouTube, and Vimeo, listen to Pandora Internet radio, […]

Dubbed the Digital Video Series and aimed at ProAV installs requiring HDMI support, FSR is introducing a whole new line of HDMI extenders, switchers, scalers and distribution amplifiers. The flagship of the line is a multi-format scaling switcher that includes nine analog and digital video inputs, audio insertion, audio breakaway and four independently-scaled HDMI outputs. […]

AMX announced today that it’s started shipping the Enova DGX DXLink twisted pair input and output boards and DXLink HDMI transmitters and receivers. Developed for the Enova DGX digital media switchers and Enova DVX All-In-One presentation switchers, DXLink transports audio, video, control, Ethernet and power over a single twisted pair cable while scaling the output […]

Crestron announced today that its Internet Radio Tuner Card now supports Pandora. All the familiar Pandora setting are there — thumbs up and thumbs down gestures and full meta-data feedback, including album art. Customers simply enter the name of any musical artist, song or composer and Pandora instantly creates a “station” streaming related music for […]

Crestron announced a call recently for entries for its eighth annual Integration Awards, which honor the “most innovative and creative residential installations featuring Crestron solutions.” Crestron dealers can submit projects for nomination in thirteen creative categories including Biggest, Baddest Home, Home Sweet Home Theater, and Ultimate Connected Home. Contest finalists will be notified by Aug. […]

Crestron’s new UFO Waterproof Remote Control is a buoyant saucer-shaped remote that includes rubber-coated buttons for macro functions, as well as a color LCD readout. Crestron is marketing it for indoor and outdoor use in or around pools, hot tubs, bathtubs, spas and on yachts. The user interface features customizable menus with color icons and […]

Crestron said this week that it has installed its 50,000th DigitalMedia switcher at a U.S. Army base in Newport News, VA, with the install done by Whitlock. DigitalMedia is the company’s digital content switcher/distribution line that includes an extensive selection of transmitters, wall plates, HD-SDI, 3G-SDI and DSP input/output cards, plus receivers with a built-in […]

Crestron recently announced a new Interior Design Partner (IDP) Program, which connects designers with the resources and tools to incorporate integrated technology as part of their designs and deliver the best client experience. By partnering with Crestron, designers stay informed of the latest integrated technology developments. The IDP Program provides benefits to interior designers that […]

Crestron Labs demonstrated a new technology by Microsoft that allows Microsoft Kinect technology to be supported on any Windows-based system — and not just the Xbox. Crestron engineers created, and are testing, gestures that integrate Kinect with Crestron control. Crestron control systems will read Kinect gestures so, for example, presenters can sweep their hands left or right to advance/reverse a […]

Crestron announced that its new Core 3 UI platform is now available on select Crestron touch screen models. Core 3 UI gives Crestron programmers the ability to design dynamic touch screen interfaces using Adobe Flash objects, HTML5, digital HD video, H.264 streaming video and Web browsing all at the same time. Crestron says that with […]

Crestron is launching its Crestron Connected initiative at CES, which they say provides the framework for a distributed cloud-based control system. Collaborating with leading manufacturers of commercial and home electronics products, Crestron is embedding its control platform intelligence in a wide selection of source equipment and display devices such as Blu-ray Disc players, flat panel […]

Last week, Crestron announced that the V24-C 24″ HD Touch Screen, an addition to its family of high-definition V-Panel touch screens, is now available. The V24-C is a 24″ touch screen control system that also allows for streaming video (including HDCP-compliant, content-protected DVDs, Blu-ray discs HDTV signals) and music, Web surfing, real-time onscreen annotation and […]

As an integrator, it’s important to always be well informed on all things tech because technology is constantly changing. In the audiovisual industry, we notice this daily. This is so true that every project I have worked on is immensely different from the last. The only thing that is a constant (recently) is that “there’s […]

Sure, 80 percent of the attendees of this year’s ISE show in Amsterdam are European, but, it’s the sheer numbers of them that astounded me — and many others here at Integrated Systems Europe in February 2011. Literally almost 35,000 attendees scanned their badges as they walked into the 10 massive halls of AV exhibits […]

Last month Crestron introduced a new line of HDMI extenders that extend HDMI signals over a single shielded twisted pair (STP) wire. Uncompressed HD AV signals are transmitted up to 330 feet without loss of signal quality. There are two HD-EXT models – the HD-EXT1-C and HD-EXT2-C. The HD-EXT1-C includes a compact HD transmitter and […]

Crestron launched a new line of HDMI over STP (shielded twisted pair) adapters. Dubbed the HD-EXT, they send HDMI signals over a single STP wire up to 330 feet – and according to Crestron, it’s uncompressed without loss of signal quality (but you do have to use their DM 8G wire). Two HD-EXT models – […]

I simply cannot believe that I’ve been writing this for 12 straight years! I spent more than five weeks on this particular version of my annual Kayye’s Krystal Ball feature article due to the fact that the continued economic issues that have plagued our market, the growth of emerging markets (each discussed below) and the […]

Last month, Crestron announced that its Sonnex 24X8 Multiroom Audio System shipped. According to Crestron, Sonnex transmits 48 channels of uncompressed 24-bit HD audio long distances across a single shielded CAT5-type cable to up to 74 zones (240 watts-per-channel). For more information on Sonnex, go here: http://www.crestron.com/products/sonnex_digital_audio_distribution/