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A T O TA L H O M E T E C H N O L O G Y P U B L I C AT I O N
INTEGRATION
AT HOME
PRODUCT
REVIEWS
PVID8x4 Video
Distribution
Processor
PLUS:
• Project
and Dealer
Profiles
• Home
Technology
Showcase
• Trends in
Touchpanel
Design
Feature
Presentation
The New Isys i/O
Touchpanel Media Centers
LightSource by
Crestron
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INTEGRATION
AT HOME
A CRESTRON ELECTRONICS
PUBLICATION • SEPT. 2004
12
FEATURES & COLUMNS
8
FEATURE PRESENTATION
Isys i/O: Convergence In the House
10
FEATURE PRESENTATION
Total Home Technology Gone Mobile
11
PARTNERSHIPS
Integration At Home Is About Partnerships
By Chris Wildfoerster
12
PROJECT PROFILE
Southern Hospitality
14
ASK A DEALER
LightSource by Crestron By Alan Drespel
16
PROGRAMMING
Trends In Touchpanel Design
18
PROJECT PROFILE
A Great Escape
20
TECHNOLOGY REVIEW
CNX-PVID8X4 Video Distribution Processor
By Dan Fulmer
21
PROJECT PROFILE
Hockey All-Star Scores with Crestron in Big D
24
TECHNOLOGY TO GO
“Mobile” Homes
25
DEALER PROFILE
Sweet Home Chicago
8
DEPARTMENTS
4
5
6
22
26
EDITORIAL
Exciting Times Ahead By George Feldstein
HELP DESK
HOME TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE
NOTEBOOK
THE CLOSER
Total Home Technology: Everything A Dealer
Could Want By William T. Schafer
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EDITORIAL
BY GEORGE FELDSTEIN
Exciting Times Ahead
T
hese are exciting times in our industry, which is changing all the time and bringing us more challenges and more opportunities than ever before. When Crestron was founded 35 years ago,
there was no ProAV industry to speak of, much less home automation. Today, our industry is a
growing force in the global economy, with millions of dollars being spent on home technology products and the solutions to integrate them.
Crestron has grown to address the demands of today’s diverse business climate. This is a new era, one
that has brought us to a crossroads of converging technologies, industries, resources, and methodologies.
A key example of change in our industry is the shift from “systems” to “solutions”. To many, these may seem like overused terms, but there is a distinct difference between the two. While a “system” effectively links various technologies together, an integrated “solution” streamlines and simplifies everything from equipment, to installation, to practical usage, as well
as maintenance and scalability. More than just a product, these integrated solutions address a need, both current and future.
Crestron is committed to developing truly integrated solutions that bring meaning, opportunity, and value to our
customers. This year, we’re introducing Isys i/O, a powerful integration of control and computer technologies. We’ve
literally erased the line between the touchpanel and computer, creating a family of integrated solutions we call
Touchpanel Media Centers.
Gone are the days where box sales translate into success. In today’s world of home automation and Total Home
Technology, progress means streamlining and consolidating our solutions to make the most of the technology available to us.
Isys i/O does that and more.
Integration at Home is the title of our magazine because solutions that integrate home technology are what Crestron is about
today. This philosophy will drive our industry forward and keep it a vital, growing force in tomorrow’s world. Change is constant.
But progress and innovation through leadership and courage are the most important thing we can give to our industry.
Thank you all for being a vital part of Crestron’s success. We look forward to making our partnership with all of you stronger
and more profitable for many years to come.
George Feldstein is President and CEO of Crestron Electronics, Inc.
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INTEGRATION
AT HOME
Volume 1, Number 1, September 2004
HELP DESK
PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER
George Feldstein
Through the popular True Blue Online Help feature, Crestron dealers and installers
submit a wide range of questions on products, integration, programming and
more. Here are a few recent postings from dealers and the answers provided by
Crestron’s True Blue Support team.
EDITOR
Q: WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF INCORPORATING CRESTRON THERMOSTATS AND
SENSORS INTO MY SYSTEM DESIGN?
A: An important concept in understanding the design intent of Crestron Thermostats
(CHVTSTAT and CHV-THSTAT) is that they should be thought of as stand alone devices.
While the ability to control your TV and stereo offer lifestyle convenience, control of your
HVAC is critical. That’s why Crestron Thermostats wire directly into most any HVAC system
using industry standard wiring. No additional control processor, wiring, or programming is
needed.
In further maintaining the integrity of this design concept, Crestron also created the new
remote indoor/outdoor temperature/humidity sensors (if additional sensors are required
besides the built-in ones), which were specifically designed to connect back to the Crestron
Thermostats (from a distance of up to 500-feet away). Again, no additional processor, or
programming is needed. You need only to wire Crestron Thermostats back to a Crestron
Control System Processor if you want to take advantage of some of the optional Cresnet
global functionality.
SENIOR EDITOR
Jason Frenchman
MANAGING EDITOR
Anthony Savona
Gina Lauria
CONTRIBUTORS & COLUMNISTS
David Ames
Stewart Barnett
Alan Drespel
Dan Fulmer
Dana Hood
Carolyn Konigseder
Anthony Lobo
Tony Miletello
Bill Schafer
Linda Stephens
Chris Wildfoerster
ART DIRECTOR
Gregory Gennaro
GRAPHICS & ILLUSTRATIONS
Q: HOW CAN I CONFIGURE A LIGHTING SYSTEM DESIGN USING CRESTRON AND D3 PRO?
A: With the latest line-up of Crestron Lighting System Hardware and D3 Pro Design
Configuration Software, Crestron has simplified residential lighting system project management for their dealers. The software automatically configures lighting cabinets, modules and control processor, generates a system proposal with pricing, and configures Load
and Panel Schedules with connection sheets (with Microsoft® Excel® export capabilities).
Plus, it will also automatically generate all system and panel programming.
Q: CAN I EXTEND THE ANTENNA OF CRESTRON’S NEW C2N-TXM XM RADIO TUNER?
A: The 20 foot antenna (included) can be extended in 50 foot increments using the C2NTXM-C50. Crestron does not recommend extending the antenna greater than 120 feet or
cutting, shortening or kinking the antenna cable in any way. You may also go to
http://www.sandsationalsound.com/index.html for adapters if you have RG-6 or RG-59
previously installed. This has been tested to 150 feet.
Gus Garramuno
Michelle L. Smith
PHOTOGRAPHY
Ira Montgomery
Leslie Schwartz
John Woodruff & Peter Brown
Integration at Home is a custom publication
created by Crestron Electronics, Inc., 15
Volvo Drive, Rockleigh, NJ 07647. All rights
reserved. The publishers of Integration at
Home have made every effort to ensure the
accuracy of the contents of this publication,
but assume no responsibility for errors or
omissions provided herein.
©2004 Crestron Electronics, Inc.
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HOME TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE
01
01. ISYS® TPS-4000 TOUCHPANEL
The new 10.4” Isys® TPS-4000 fills a huge gap in the
industry’s touchpanel market, as its practical size,
price point, amazing 3D graphics, built-in two-way
audio system and brilliant color video quality combine to form the ideal interface for any room of the
house, including home theaters, media rooms, bedrooms and more. As with all Crestron Isys panels,
the TPS-4000 offers versatile wiring and mounting
options. All Isys models, including the TPS-3000,
5000 and 6000, now feature the same modern, twotone exterior.
02.
CNX-BIPAD8 CAT5 AUDIO
DISTRIBUTION PROCESSOR
This high performance 24 x 8 stereo audio switcher
and preamplifier provides distribution of 16 stereo
audio sources and 8 room inputs to any of 8 room
outputs. Up to four CNX-BIPAD8’s may be combined to handle as many as 32 rooms. Every room
output includes independent control over volume,
bass, treble, balance, loudness and mute. Mono
summing is built in to facilitate distribution to nonstereo zones. It supports a versatile combination of
balanced line-level and speaker-level audio. RCAtype unbalanced connections may be used to
directly drive a multi-channel amplifier, while RJ45type CAT5 connections enable distribution of linelevel signals to remote room locations up to 1000
feet away.
02
03.
CHV-THSTAT HEATING/COOLING AND
HUMIDITY THERMOSTAT
03
The CHV-THSTAT is a versatile heating and cooling
thermostat with integrated humidistat designed for
one and two stage control of forced air, radiant,
and heat pump HVAC systems. The large backlit
LCD display, navigable using four simple pushbuttons, provides easy access to indoor and outdoor
temperature and humidity readings, set point
adjustments, system mode and fan status indicators, and setup menus. Climate control features
include separate heating, cooling, and humidity set
points with optional automatic changeover
between heating and cooling modes. Adjustable
anticipators prevent overshooting the set temperature, and continuous fan operation can be selected
when needed for increased circulation. Available in
white, black, or almond.
04. DVP4DI DIGITAL VIDEO PROCESSOR
In a single processor, the DVP4DI is a digital video
processor, touchpanel interface and 2-Series Ethernet
control system, plus offers inputs for component
video and advanced de-interlacing and line doubling
for improved video image rendering. The DVP4DI’s
ability to display four high-resolution windows simultaneously on a single high-resolution monitor, projection or plasma screen is unrivaled in the home
automation industry.
04
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SPOTLIGHT On
C2N-TXM XM Satellite Radio Tuner
Exclusively designed by Crestron to bring the vast offerings of
XM’s all-digital programming to any Crestron Home, this
tuner’s bidirectional Cresnet interface affords unsurpassed
flexibility for control of XM Radio’s many features with realtime feedback and status display provided from any 2-way
Crestron touchpanel or e-Control ®2 XPanel GUI. Listeners can
easily locate and select their favorite song or program using
the fully customizable touchpanel program guide. Up to the minute programming information
can be displayed for every XM radio channel, listing channel names, categories, artists, and
song titles. Up to 20 “favorite” presets can be stored in the tuner for fast recall from any
touchpanel, keypad or handheld remote.
05.
WPR-48 WATERPROOF
HANDHELD REMOTE
The WPR-48 is the industry’s first totally waterproof RF wireless remote. Perfect for controlling music, television, lighting
and more, Crestron’s “remote on a rope” is safe to use in
the shower or hot tub. The ruggedized, immersible case is
easy to grip and won’t slip from moist hands. Configurable
for up to 48 functions, the WPR-48 can communicate via RF
or IR with any Crestron control system. Long-life lithium ion
rechargeable batteries afford several weeks of wireless use
on a single charge, and are easily recharged when the
remote is placed in its docking station.
06.
05
ISYS TPS-3100L 6.4” WALL
MOUNT TOUCHPANEL
Featuring a 6.4” diagonal display with incredible 640 x 480
resolution and a sleek flush-mount design, the TPS-3100L
offers video capability as standard, accepting any
NTSC/PAL composite or S-Video source, scalable for display in any sized window or full screen. Audio features
include built-in amplified stereo speakers, volume control,
line-level stereo input, and a microphone with automatic
gain control and line-level output. Customized WAV files
may also be loaded on the touchpanel. A light sensor is also
built in to automatically adjust the display brightness for
optimal visibility under varying light conditions. Numerous
versatile mounting options are available to facilitate a clean
installation in any flat surface or equipment rack.
06
07.
C2N-DAP8RC 7.1 SURROUND SOUND
PROCESSOR WITH ROOM CONTROL
CEDIA’s reigning Audio Product of the Year, the C2NDAP8RC is an advanced surround sound audio processor
and AV switcher/preamp ideal for home theater applications. Built-in bidirectional CAT5 video and audio ports
enable it to interface with Crestron video distribution
switchers and audio distribution processors using inexpensive CAT5E cable, allowing AV sources to be shared
between the theater and head end locations as part of a
complete Crestron Home AV distribution system.
Additional control ports are included to enable control of
local AV devices. For simplicity, the proper decoding
mode for encoded digital sources can be detected and
selected automatically.
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F E AT U R E P R E S E N TAT I O N
ISYS i/O:
Convergence In the House
In the modern, integrated home,
computers and touchpanels have
been either competing or complimentary devices, used separately and in parallel with each
another. Until now.
With the expertise that comes with
being the world leader in control and
home
automation
technologies,
Crestron has combined the world’s
most popular brand of touchpanels
with the latest computer and multimedia applications to form something
TPMC-10
8
8
I N T E G R A T I O N A T H O M E
I N T E G R A T I O N A T H O M E
totally new — the Isys i/O ™
Touchpanel Media Centers.
More than just simple user interfaces, these Touchpanel Media
Centers are complete IP-based home
control and management solutions
integrating
conventional
home
automation with native PC applications for browsing the Internet and
enjoying a full range of multimedia
content.
With an embedded Windows® operating system as the engine, Isys i/O
erases the lines between touchpanel
and PC, unleashing native capabilities
for cruising the Internet, streaming
digital media, viewing online documents and email attachments, and
even desktop videoconferencing.
While providing full control of
audio, video, security, lighting and
temperature, Isys i/O eliminates the
need for separate computers to
accomplish daily routine tasks like
checking e-mail or looking up info on
the Web. It’s an online world, and Isys
TPMC-10
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TPMC-17-CH
TPMC-15-CH
“While providing
full whole-house
control, Isys i/O
eliminates the need
for separate computers to accomplish routine tasks
like checking e-mail
or looking up info
on the Web.”
Website or play your favorite streaming audio and video files.
In addition to digital media, they
also supports viewing up to two
external video sources simultaneously
onscreen in independently scalable
windows, or either one full screen.
Both the TPMC-15 and TPMC-17CH deliver great sounding audio from
its built-in high-powered biamplified
speaker system and stereo headphone
output. An integrated microphone is
included on each as well to support 2way intercom and conferencing.
With advanced motion adaptive
deinterlacing, both deliver an outLARGE SCREEN
standing high detail video image free
OR WIDE SCREEN
from visible scan lines and motion
The power and flexibility of Isys i/O is
artifacts. S-Video, composite, compoand PC, allowing programmers to
also offered in vibrant 15” standard
nent, and HDTV formats are all supcustomize each application’s behavior
and 17” widescreen models, each
ported, making the TPMC-17-CH, in
and tie PC commands to control syswith a sleek, modern and versatile tilt
particular, an ideal replacement for
tem events to create a truly powerful
case design.
other space-hungry televisions and
and user-friendly interface. Touch a
Their high brightness and contrast
video monitors.
button or select from a custom menu
combine with a super wide viewing
A high-resolution RGB output is
and instantly view your favorite
angle to deliver crisp, detailed
also included to allow the touchpanel
images under all conditions. They
image to be disintegrate directly
played on a plasma
with
all
of
display or LCD.
Crestron CAT5 AV
With Isys i/O,
distribution sysCrestron has creattems.
ed a family of realProgrammatic
world
multimedia
application consolutions and the
trol erases the
lines
between Customizing the distinctive i/O® Media Center onscreen toolbar provides one-touch access to onboard new face of Total
Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player, as well as PowerPoint,
Home Technology.
control
system PC applications like Microsoft
Excel, Adobe Acrobat and other popular file viewers.
i/O lets you truly integrate your time
online with the rest of your daily
lifestyle.
Monitor online auctions and stocks
daily; Instantly consult favorite websites for weather, recipes, flight information or sports stats; Download the
latest MP3 music and even place an
impromptu videoconference call, all
right from the kitchen, living room
coffee table or even by the bedside using the same device to adjust
audio levels, dim the lights, and turn
up the AC.
I N T E G R A T I O N
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MEDIA ROOM
Featuring the new Isys i/O TPMC-10
WiFi Tablet in the foreground, this
room is a relaxing environment that has
an amazing audio system featuring
CEDIA’s Audio Product of the Year, the
DAP8RC surround sound processor
and a Crestron 7x200 amplifier. The
video quality matches the remarkable
sound, and the DVP4DI digital video
processor can display of up to four windows at a time on the plasma screen,
including security cameras from the
C2N-IVDS video intercom or the video
camera in the baby’s room upstairs.
TOTAL HOME
TECHNOLOGY
GONE MOBILE
The most portable member of the Isys i/O family, the TPMC-10 WiFi Touchpanel
Media Center fuses wireless touchpanel control with mobile computing in an
alluring and ergonomic design that goes effortlessly from tabletop to laptop.
Integrated 802.11b WiFi technology affords reliable 2-way high-speed communications through any wireless network or hotspot.
Far more than a mere tablet PC, the TPMC-10 is ingeniously designed to provide a powerful IP-based mobile control solution in a compact package that’s
easy to hold and intuitive to use.
The ergonomic shape shifts effortlessly from tabletop to laptop use, featuring
a sleek contoured base that rests comfortably across one leg.
Its smart design achieves an optimal viewing angle under any use, with four
programmable hard buttons and an integrated thumbpad to provide tactile control of audio volume, channel selection, OSM navigation (DVD, DSS, etc.), or
even pan/tilt cameras.
To complement its incredible video and computer capabilities, the TPMC-10
delivers great sounding audio from its built-in high-powered tuned-port speaker
system, microphone, and stereo headphone output to support mobile entertainment, or even wireless intercom.
Placing the TPMC-10 into its optional docking station provides a convenient
charging solution with simplified connectivity to any wired USB mouse and keyboard.
PA N T RY /
DINING ROOM
Both personal and portable, the
TPMC-10 moves easily from the charging station in the pantry to the dining
room to turn on some nice dinner
music from the audio distribution system or satellite radio and set the lighting to fit the mood, whether it’s a big
Sunday meal with the family or a
romantic dinner for two.
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LIVING ROOM
With a clear view of the fountain in front and a fireplace to
complete the cozy picture, this elegant room features control of lighting, HVAC, shades and audio from a wireless Isys
i/O TPMC-10 tablet or from a wall-mounted designer keypad that blends nicely with the room’s tasteful décor. The
flexibility of Total Home Technology allows the fountain and
player piano to be integrated into the control system.
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BY CHRIS WILDFOERSTER
Integration At Home
Is About Partnerships
S
ince the formalization of our Industry Integration Partnership
program (I2P) four years ago, Crestron and our partners have
helped drive the custom integration market to new heights.
We have created thousands of Crestron Certified software
modules that allow our partners products to operate seamlessly in
a Crestron system environment. Dealers and Integrated Partners
expect and deserve the highest quality Crestron Certified modules possible –
and they’ve told us we deliver!
So, how do you make the industry’s leading partnership program even better? To start, we doubled the number of in-house development engineers dedicated to module creation. This means that Certified Partners new products are
released with Crestron Certified modules already developed for our dealers.
Significantly reducing the dealers programming time and ensuring the newest
products are included in their projects. In case you didn’t know, we write and test
all modules using the actual device to ensure accuracy.
We then create detailed Help Files for all Certified Partners devices, instructing our dealers on the functionality of the module and any communications
abnormalities we might have found when working with the device. Cable diagrams, commands for input and feedback, sample screen shots and an actual
demo program are created for each product as well. All this information can be
easily accessed and downloaded from:
http://www.crestron.com/dealer-tech_resources/design_center/modules/manufacturer.asp
PARTNERSHIPS
NEW ADDITIONS
to the Integrated
Partner Program
Crestron Certified Modules have been
written and posted online for the following companies and the product listed
below.
MECHOSHADE:
Window Treatments
LENBROOK INDUSTRIES LIMITED:
NAD audio products
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS:
Set top boxes and display devices
KALEIDESCAPE:
Media servers
YAMAHA:
Receivers, DVD Players
D-BOX:
Motion Actuators
HEWLETT PACKARD:
Projectors
Our new Certified
Integrated Partner logo
is bold and exemplifies
the strong, long-term
commitment we continue delivering to the
industry. This logo is
now available for our
partners to use in their
advertisements, on
their web site and in
their literature.
SONANCE:
Audio / Video products
RUNCO:
Display devices
VIEWSONIC:
Display devices
SIRIUS:
We are sending new partnership certificates to our members so they can
proudly display their official status with Crestron. At trade shows like CEDIA,
Crestron hosts training seminars for our partners developed by our staff on
how to write communications protocol that best interfaces with a Crestron
control system. We also offer partners the ability to attend programming
courses to learn how to write their own control modules and to better support their dealers.
Perhaps the most obvious change you will experience is the Certified
Integrated Partner area of web site (www.crestron.com/I2P). Navigation will be
made easier and the delivery of critical information will be better streamlined for
our dealers and partners.
Satellite Radio
BANG & OLUFSEN:
Audio / Video devices
WEATHERHAWK:
Weatherstation
RAINWISE:
Weatherstation
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PROJECT PROFILE
Southern
Hospitality
Atlanta area dealer creates and owns
33,000 square-foot technology showplace
W
hen remodeling his 33,000 square foot home, businessman David Ames went
through many contractors and designers. Finally, after having hired and fired
two “home technology” companies he invested in the third, Technology
General Contractors. Ames then became focused on growing a
quality design and install firm for the increasingly technical entertainment and control systems market and create the utmost luxury,
comfort and safety for families of large homes.
Ames has converted his 44-room suburban Georgia mansion
into a giant demonstration place for home technology. Each of
the 44 rooms has either a wall-mounted, wireless or handheld
Crestron touchpanel or remote. The Ames home has 14 skylights,
including 4 kitchens, 2 apartments (one has been converted into
a home school), a Grand Salon with a 40 foot ceiling, a Keeping
Room, Solarium, Library, Formal Dining Room, Grand Master
Bedroom and bathroom (with 25-foot ceilings and a large walk-in
steam shower.
Downstairs has a Billiard Room, family room, gaming area niche,
catering kitchen, wine cellar, craft room, 2 owner’s offices, a full Gym,
home theater, an exercise room, tanning/changing room and pool.
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Main Kitchen
Like many homes, the main kitchen is a
center of activity in the Ames house. In
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DEALER Profile
Technology General
Contractors, Alpharetta, GA
and Naples, FL
More than ten years ago, TGC was
established in a small office with
just a few employees. Like so
many blue-chip companies,
dreams nurtured by strong determination quickly bloomed into an
incredibly successful business.
David Ames serves as CoChairman of Technology General
Contractors. Ames dreamed of creating the benchmark for home
automation and after only ten
years in the business, they have
watched Technology General
Contractors grow into one of the
premier leaders in the industry.
Perhaps the most important
thing the team at TGC has established is a reputation for quality and
service, building a name synonymous with luxury and technology.
Focused on providing an allinclusive custom designed product
that satisfied the specific needs of
each client, TGC’s primary goal is
“to set a standard of excellence
for serving clients and to create a
unique home environment that is
individually focused and technologically superior.”
addition to the three skylights, Sub
Zero refrigerator and freezer, custom
cabinetry, granite counter tops and full
commercial gas range, the main kitchen
features a 42” NEC plasma screen with
a Smart Matisse overlay. A Crestron
TPS-TPI touchpanel interface allows this
plasma to serve as centrally located
control panel for all the systems
throughout the house.
Now Playing
The Ames home theater was crafted
after Atlanta’s lavish turn-of-the-century Fox Theater and was featured last
January in the Wall Street Journal.
Powered by a Crestron Pro2 control system, the TPS-6000 touchpanel
controls everything from the Runco
projector and its Chief Motorized
Ceiling Lift, to the 120” Stewart 4
way Masking Screen, theater lighting,
DVD and satellite TV. TGC is currently adding Crestron’s XM Satellite
Radio Tuner and has already placed
an order for the new Isys i/O TPMC10 WiFi touchpanel.
Control Central
David’s office doubles as the control
room of this sprawling estate. Refined
and technical at once, the office is the
nerve center of the whole-house
automation system, with a wall of security screens linked to 70 cameras and
computers built into mahogany bookcases, and a TPS-4500 on the desktop
with control screens for all 44 rooms and
every subsystem in the house.
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ASK A DEALER
“Crestron pays close attention to
custom installers’ wants and needs”
by Alan Drespel
HED NY/CA / Long Island City, NY
www.hedhifi.com
LightSource by Crestron
Q: How long have you been a dealer
for the manufacturer of this product?
A: Since 1988.
Q: Does this system offer features that
are beneficial for custom installers?
A: Crestron pays close attention to
custom installers’ wants and needs. We
now do all of our system monitoring
and programming from our offices over
the Internet; this allows us to customize
the system to the client’s needs on an
ongoing basis without sending a tech to
the job site.
Q:
For what types of installations is
this product most suited?
A: I see no restrictions—residential or
commercial.
Q: Does this product solve any problems that you often confront in your
custom work?
A: There are two separate situations
that would have been a problem. The
first was when we had to tie a guesthouse to a main house and have them
act as one system. This was easy to do
over the Internet with
the
optional
network card.
On a different
project, we had
to add keypads
PRODUCT Specs
+
+
+
Residential lighting control system.
IP control.
The CAEN Series of home automation
enclosures house the lighting control modules
and the PAC2 control processor. The automation
enclosures also offer a location in which to install
other home automation equipment (flush mount
or surface mount installations).
+
Wall dimmers fit into standard electrical gang
boxes and Decora style faceplates. Each dimmer
operates independently of the Crestron system and
is rated at 1000 watts.
+
14
Programmed with D3 Pro software.
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to an existing home and tapped off of
an existing keypad without any limitations (amount of keypads). This also
allowed us to tap into the AV system
using in-wall touch screens.
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PROGRAMMING
Trends In Touchpanel Design
R
ecent developments in touchpanel technology and engineering have
created unlimited potential for designing GUIs for Crestron’s awardwinning Isys® touchpanels. Now, stunning control graphics, high-resolution images and animations can be displayed with amazing color, brightness and contrast.
Enhancements such as Crestron’s Synapse™ Graphics have provided
opportunities for programmers to meet the needs of their customers with
spectacular screen designs that blend beautifully into any setting or room.
Unique to Crestron, the
Synapse Image Rendering
Algorithm is native to
every Isys touchpanel,
enabling system programmers to produce dazzling
graphics, faster and easier
than ever before.
“Between the new
powerful Isys i/O engine
and improvements such as
Synapse, the Crestron
touchpanel environment is
now more of a canvas that
Crestron’s Gel Blue template for TPS-5000
can be driven by powerful
graphics design tools such
as Macromedia Fireworks
and Adobe Photoshop cs,” says Crestron Authorized Independent
Programmer (CAIP) Jim Felderman of ControlWorks, whose programming
company has offices in Cleveland and Boston. “Customers want their user
interfaces to be personal, reflect their lifestyle and give their home more
personality. Crestron’s progress has allowed ControlWorks to push our capa-
bilities to new limits for dealers and
homeowners.”
Advanced anti-aliasing delivers crisper,
sharper objects and text. Enhanced 3D
effects, dynamic text, full-motion animations, animated pop-ups, translucency,
and dramatic transition effects add new
depth and style for touchpanel designs.
Without Synapse, a programmer
needs to master third-party graphics software to produce comparable graphics,
and the size of the graphics files would
necessitate large amounts of touchpanel
memory. Since Synapse is native to the
touchpanel, memory requirements and
upload time are minimal.
Crestron Gel Blue template for TPS-3000
CAIP Program A Catalyst In The Rise
Of Independent Programming Firms
The recent, rapid growth in the number of independent programmers and companies in our industry is a story of cause and effect.
This positive development can easily be traced to three years ago, when Crestron sought to put qualified, talented programmers
together with dealers who needed them by establishing the industry’s first formal corporate program for independent programmers.
As a result of this development, and the reputation for support Crestron has earned through its CAIP membership, more programmers are trying their hand at forming their own programming companies. The new cottage industry born from the launch of the CAIP
program (and the subsequent imitations from other companies) gives dealers and their customers more choices and more flexibility
and has opened up new business opportunities for enterprising industry professionals.
The title of Crestron Authorized Independent Programmer is more than just a label. Having earned his or her stripes through intensive training and real-world experience, a Crestron Authorized Independent Programmer offers a much higher level of expertise and
familiarity with Crestron than other independents.
As part of Crestron’s award-winning True Blue Support team, those independent programmers we’ve certified are part of our
extended family, and receive a level of support equal to any member of the Crestron True Blue team.
For more information on the Program, or to find out how to become a CAIP, visit www.crestron.com/caip.
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New Software
Developments
Now Online
Themes by GUIfx
New Choices Make Design
Process Easier & Faster
In addition to Crestron’s free downloads, programmers now have some
new choices for their GUI solutions.
In August of 2002, after a year of
secretive R&D and testing, Crestron
Integrated Partner GuiFX launched the
industry’s first commercially available
touchpanel templates. Since then,
GuiFX has continued to raise the bar for
the aesthetics, navigation, usability and
flexibility of touchpanel interfaces. And
the effort has paid off.
According to a March 2004 survey,
users of GuiFX templates save an average of 20-30 hours per project and today,
more and more end-users are requesting
GuiFX interfaces from their integrators.
GuiFX has created innovative methods of designing their templates to be
as flexible and easy to edit as possible. The GuiFX Font Pack is a complete collection of icon and transport
fonts that allows every aspect of a
GuiFX template to be edited on the
fly. The Font Pack also provides integrators with an editable and scalable
solution for creating button icons,
transports, and text.
Another CAIP, Control Concepts of Fair
Lawn, NJ, has developed Graphic
Elements, an exciting evolution in interface design. Graphic Elements streamlines
the process of creating interesting and
intuitive control system touchpanel
designs simply by cut-and-paste. Included
in each series of Graphic Elements are
thousands of individual bitmaps that represent a wide variety of icons for audiovisual devices and functions. This product is
Graphic Elements by Control Concepts
available for purchase as a complete package or as “a la carte” components.
Graphic Elements offers a sleek look
for touchpanel page backgrounds. Eight
designs, ten colors, and three components equal a wide variety of design
options.
A variety of free theme templates are
available for download at http://www.crestron.com/downloads to help programmers to create great looking touchpanel
designs with speed and efficiency.
The templates are for use with programs like System Builder, D3 Pro and
Digital Media Tools and take advantage of
all the benefits of Crestron’s exclusive
Synapse™ anti-alias graphics.
There’s also an icon library that provides
an assortment of graphics choices for button and common menu commands.
Crestron GUI Interfaces are located in
the Downloads link of the Crestron
Website.
It contains six categories of icons:
Transports, Keyboard & Keypad,
Environmental Controls, Sources &
Destinations,
Generic,
and
Miscellaneous. All are output in three
sizes as bmp files and reside on the ten
basic colors defined in the product
documentation. All icons are also provided as .png files with transparent
backgrounds.
Many of today’s home technology
users are savvy. Their expectations are
high, so the demand for the best-looking interface designs – complete with
all the pictures, icons, colors and animations they desire - is equally as high.
Panel screens not only need to look
great, they need to be intuitive and
easy enough for anyone in the home to
navigate and take advantage of all
Total Home Technology has to offer.
For More Information...
Control Concepts
Fair Lawn, NJ
201.797.7900
www.controlconcepts.net
ControlWorks
Chesterland, OH and Plainville, MA
440.729.4640, 508.316.1358
www.thecontrolworks.com
GUIfx
West Palm Beach, FL
800-686-6165
www.GUIfx.com
I N T E G R A T I O N
A T
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PROJECT PROFILE
A
Great
Escape
Canadian Businessman Gets Control Of
His “Ultimate Bachelor Pad”
D
esigning his new home near the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, a successful bachelor wanted to
create a place he could escape to after hectic days at the office. When planning his ultimate bachelor pad, the homeowner had several criteria he wanted to accomplish. Like many, he wanted his
home to have a high-performance audio/video system. Second, he wanted to incorporate whole-house
climate and lighting control, multi-room audio distribution, security, and a home theater system within
a simple and easy-to-use control system. Ultimately, “The Bachelor” looked to Toronto-area dealer
Definitive Sound.
Definitive principals Anthony Lobo and Jeremy Arding knew that if the job was to become a success,
they needed a key manufacturer to form the backbone of the system – Crestron.
Definitive Sound chose Crestron products for all whole-house control, including integrated security,
audio distribution with a PAD8A and Crestron amplifiers and home theater control, as well as lighting,
HVAC and shade control from LightSource by
Crestron.
Because Crestron was used extensively in the
home, it was important that the supporting cast of
products from other manufacturers could integrate
well with the Crestron system. For whole home audio
and DVD changer management an Audio Request
Nitro 40 and VRQ-1 was used. The homeowner was
able to store his CD collection and growing collection easily and view it all on any Crestron touchpanel or television in the home, which includes a bar with
two Sony televisions and a Crestron wireless touchpanel, a Pool Room with a custom-made Harley
Davidson pool table and a media room.
In the end, Definitive Sound was able to create
the Bachelor’s Great Escape while delivering on his
goals of designing a system that’s simple, all-inclusive and easy to use.
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I N T E G R A T I O N
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Two things any full-service
bachelor pad needs: a bar and
a pool table. This one has both
and each has style and character, with the owner’s love of
Harley-Davidson motorcycles
proudly and tastefully displayed. A wireless STX1700CXP touchpanel sits atop
the bar for control of the TV,
music, lights and temperature,
while a wall-mounted CT-1000
controls the pool room.
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LET THERE BE
LightSource
LightSource by Crestron is a comprehensive line of modular enclosures, wall
box dimmers, and climate control thermostats, as well as the powerful 2-Series
PAC2 automation control system and D3
Pro programming software.
Definitive Sound was introduced to
this project after the home was drywalled, so both Lobo and Arding felt
that Crestron’s LightSource dimmers and
switches would best suit the homeowner’s needs.
Using strategically placed CT-1000
keypads, the Bachelor can adjust lights
simply by dragging his finger up or
down on a graphical bar that represents
the light level.
This same touchpanel was also configured to allow the homeowner to
adjust the temperature and humidity in
the home.
A wireless Crestron STX-1700CXP touchpanel controls everything in the media room, as well as the wholehouse LightSource by Crestron system, which includes lighting, HVAC and shade control.
“Without Crestron, this project would have been very difficult
to accomplish. Their extensive lineup of products allowed us
to simplify our quoting process and finish the project on-time
and within budget.”
DEALER
Profile
The Greater Toronto
Area’s premier custom
electronic specialists,
Definitive Sound is a
non-retail professional
company that specializes in design, engineering, and installation of high performance home theaters,
multi-room audio
video, lighting control,
automation, communications, climate
control, and security
systems.
The Ultimate Bachelor Pad
has a state of the art
kitchen, complete with stainless steel appliances and
control of lights, temperature and audio distribution
using wall-mounted Crestron
keypads. Hey, a guy’s gotta
eat, right?
I N T E G R A T I O N
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TECHNOLOGY REVIEW
BY DAN FULMER
AVAILABLE
Accessories
CNX-PBVR4
Balanced Video Receiver
CNXRMC
Room Solution Box
CNXRMCLV
Enhanced Room Solution Box
C2N-DAP8RC
7.1 Surround Sound Processor
and Room Solution Box
CNX-PVID8X4 Video
Distribution Processor
T
he CNX-PVID8X4 (we all call it the “PVID8”) professional video distribution switch from
Crestron is a Cat5 or coaxial cable video distribution system capable of distributing video
and digital audio from a variety of sources, even High Definition, such as DVDs, satellite
receivers, DVRs, CCTV cameras and more into a variety of separate rooms in the house.
In addition, by using the Crestron room boxes, CNX-RMC or CNX-RMCLV (less than the
price of a decent AV Receiver), you can simply provide an HDTV for each room and you can
have it all — video and great local audio (via the Crestron audio system) in each room.
Thus, each room only has to be equipped with however many speakers you want in
the room, stereo (2) or surround, wired back to your Crestron audio distribution system, and a local HD video screen of some sort (TV, plasma, rear projection, or screen).
DONE! No need for an A/V receiver, DVD player, or HD satellite receiver and a TV and
speakers in each room. A TV of any type and speakers is all you need, works with standard TVs too. This allows for very versatile rooms and systems, from High Definition
plasmas or LCDs with art displayed on them or hidden screens with art that lowers to
hide them, to the bathroom or patio with the weathered old, but still useable 15” composite input TV.
Using this system can save on the initial purchase of HD equipment, too. If one wanted an
HD setup in each room of an 8 room house, he would need to replicate all of the HD gear,
DVD, Satellite/TIVOs, etc. in each room adding more cost to the HD experience. With the
PVID8X4, you simply install at the head end, one more of each video source than there are
people in the home. This way, everyone in the home could watch different things, in any room
and, if so equipped, in HD.
The PVID8X4 is capable of 16 video inputs and 8 outputs with an additional level for digital audio. The system is expandable by simply cascading up to 4 PVIDs together to get up
to 32 rooms or outputs and up to 32 inputs. The video inputs also act as full-fledged video
sensors, so there’s no need for external video
sensors for sources.
The 16 inputs are broken down into 4 levels each, which are totally programmable and
configurable to the input you require. In addition, the PVID is equipped with 8 outputs of
composite, component and S-video or Cat5
balanced. So, if you are installing the unit in a
home with some existing cable only rooms,
“The PVID8x4
distinguishes
itself from other
video switchers.”
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I N T E G R A T I O N
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you can still use the unit utilizing from a
single to 3 coax for component, with no
Cat5 at all.
The PVID comes in two main configurations for the dealer. The PVID8X4
offers an additional level for distributing
digital audio signals to rooms with room
boxes (CNX-RMC series). The PVIDs 4th
level of each input accepts coaxial audio
inputs from the same 16 video sources
or other audio sources, thus allowing
you to add pure digital audio to each
room via a local AV Receiver. The
PVID8X3 is the same less the digital
audio channel/level, so it is a pure HD
Digital video switch only.
Any signal including HD can be transmitted over Cat5 for up to 1000 feet. In a
side-by-side test, there was no loss that
we could see. HD Video distribution is
where the PVID8X4 really shines. The ability to distribute lossless HD video over
Cat5 for distances, and distribute digital
audio either locally or through centrally
distributed in ceiling speakers is unique to
Crestron’s control systems.
The unit also connects and integrates
easily and seamlessly into a Crestron
whole-house environment.
Dan Fulmer is president and founder of
FulTech Solutions, Inc., a home automation installation firm, and the College
of Smart, a dealer licensing and training program. Fulmer sits on the CEA
TechHome Division Board of Directors
and for his BS degree from UCF where
he studied computer science and engineering and has 15 years of computer
control experience and nearly 10 years
in the systems integration industry.
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PROJECT PROFILE
The Hull’s whole-house system, including audio and video
distribution, lighting, HVAC and security, is controlled by a
TPS-4500L, which is centrally located in the house.
Hockey All-Star Scores
with Crestron in Big D
P
the display devices stay on the component
input and save outputs on the PVID8.
To minimize the use of rack space for not interfacing equipment a remote rack was used to store
the PVID, PAD8, power supply and distribution
amplifiers.
The Trophy Room, which includes replicas of the
Stanley Cups Hull won with Dallas in ‘99 and
Detroit in ’02, uses a wall mounted TPS-2000L &
the waterproof WPR-48.
The Master Suite features a Crestron MT-500
MiniTouch remote and a CNX-RMC receives the
component video signal from the CNX-PVID 8X3.
rofessional hockey superstar Brett Hull has had an 18-year Hall of Fame
career in the NHL and is third on the all-time list for goals scored with 741.
His father, Bobby Hull, ranks 12th on that list with 610 goals. He recently
signed with the Phoenix Coyotes for the upcoming season.
When it came time to choose a technology solution for the new home Hull has
built in Dallas, he scored big-time by turning to Crestron dealer Soundimage of
Carrolton, TX and owner Tony Militello to
assist their goals.
With a team of experienced and educated designers, technicians, and office
staff, Soundimage has grown from a home
office and garage with one truck to a 5,000
square foot office warehouse and a fleet of
five SUVs in just seven short years.
“This project was not the most elaborate we have ever installed, but certainly
one of the most efficient,” says Militello.
“Since our company started installing
Crestron, I have been amazed with the
ever-growing possibilities of Total Home
Technology.”
Hull’s system consists of a centrally
located equipment rack distributing to
three separate viewing and listening areas.
To do this effectively, some items are
shared and others are dedicated. To simplify the programming, Soundimage elected
The exercise room (above left) and living room share
to up-convert all sources to component.
a STX-1700CXP wireless touchpanel to control their audio, video, lights and HVAC.
Since only one CNX-PVID8X3 video
distribution processor is being used,
I N T E G R A T I O N
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NOTEBOOK
XM Tuner Earns
Product of the Year Honors
Electronic House magazine has chosen
Crestron’s C2N-TXM XM Satellite Radio
Tuner as one of its Products of the Year
for 2004.
The editors of EH Publishing’s four magazines that are dedicated to the electronic house all choose
their favorite products. Their decisions are based on reviews
run throughout the year, product demos, and talking with the
installers and users of the products. Topping their list of criteria is technological innovation, combined with overall valueand just plain outstanding features.
The C2N-TXM connects directly to the XM Radio antenna
and is controlled via any Crestron touchpanel. From any wireless
NEW PARTNERSHIP
IN AUSTRALIA AND
NEW ZEALAND
Crestron has announced a new business partnership that will shape its
entire business operation in Australia and New Zealand.
Crestron Electronics, Inc. has entered a joint partnership with
Audio Telex Communications Pty Ltd. in a new shared venture
called Crestron Control Solutions (CCS) sells, stocks, distributes
and supports all Crestron product throughout the entire
Oceania region.
Certain to have a positive impact on business throughout the
region, this new partnership brings together the world’s leading
control technology manufacturer with one of the continent’s
strongest and best equipped industry companies.
With increases in its worldwide sales each of the last three years
and record revenues posted for this fiscal year, Crestron business
in the region has also increased steadily over the past three years
and the company has become the undisputed market leader in
residential sales.
Under the direction of CEO Rod Craig, Audio Telex has established itself as an industry leader in Australia with worldwide
sales and distribution of their “Australian Monitor” brand and a
strong dealer network throughout the region with product offerings that include Peavey Media Matrix, Rane, Labgruppen and
Beyerdynamic Turbosound.
CCS has established a head office in Sydney with regional representation in all major Australian states and New Zealand.
In addition to sales offices and technical support services in
both Sydney and Melbourne, there are CCS sales representatives establishing territories in Brisbane and Auckland. With
training, technical support and generous stock levels as a hallmark of the new company, dealers will be able to access stock
from warehouses in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane,
Adelaide and Auckland.
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I N T E G R A T I O N
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or Isys™ touchpanel, the listener can search from XM’s
100 channels of programming, with an onscreen display of the song playing, as
well as the artist name and
the XM Channel number.
The tuner also provides
two-way feedback to and from the control system.
In concert with a Crestron control system, the C2N-TXM allows
for a variety of unique search options, including the ability to display all the songs that are playing simultaneously at any particular moment on XM’s 100 channels and search among them.
Crestron Product Database
Earns D-Tools “Most
Downloaded” Honors
D-Tools, the worldwide
leader in system design software for design, engineering,
documentation and estimating, has announced that
Crestron has broken their
record for the volume of data downloaded by its users in a one-month time
span. Just last month, more than 100 system integration companies downloaded Crestron’s commercial and residential product database.
Always looking to find new ways to help industry professionals learn more
about our products, Crestron works with D-Tools Certified Partner, Media
Environment Designs, to update the database regularly.
Crestron will be providing copies of the D-Tools Si software to engineers
and account managers in their regional offices around the world. As part of
this new program, integrators will be able to e-mail Crestron a file of their
proposed system for system verification in the form of drawings and equipment lists that are dynamically linked in the native D-Tools file format.
Crestron engineers will be able to share pre-engineered system configurations as well as help design systems from scratch using fully enabled versions
of D-Tools. The result will be more accurate systems designs created and
verified in much shorter time frames.
D-Tools has been part of the Integrated Partner program since 1999. “This
new download record firmly places Crestron as one of the most prominent
manufacturer partners in our program. These kind of numbers clearly illustrate that they are a crucial manufacturer partner for our users. They are a
great company to work with
and we appreciate their support.”
said
Matt
Rubenstein, VP of Sales
for D-Tools, Inc.
For more information
on D-Tools, visit them
online at www.d-tools.com.
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Page 23
+
CTI UPCOMING CLASS SCHEDULE
ROCKLEIGH, NJ
CHICAGO, IL
Sep 29 - Oct 1.................... Intermediate Crestron Programming
Oct 11........................................ Crestron Professional Installation
Oct 12 - 15 ........................ Essentials Of Crestron Programming
Oct 18 - 20 ........................ Intermediate Crestron Programming
Oct 21 - 22 .......................... Crestron Residential System Design
Oct 27 - 29 .............................. Crestron Lighting Control System
Sep 22 - 24 .............................. Crestron Lighting Control System
Sep 30 -Oct 1 ...................... Crestron Residential System Design
Oct 5 - 8 ............................ Essentials Of Crestron Programming
Oct 13........................................ Crestron Professional Installation
Oct 20 - 22 ........................ Intermediate Crestron Programming
Oct 26 - 29 ........................ Essentials Of Crestron Programming
DALLAS, TX
AT L A N TA , G A
Sep 28 - Oct 1.................... Essentials Of Crestron Programming
Oct 12 - 15 ........................ Essentials Of Crestron Programming
Oct 18 - 20 .............................. Crestron Lighting Control System
Oct 21 - 22 .......................... Crestron Residential System Design
Oct 25........................................ Crestron Professional Installation
Oct 26 - 29 ........................ Essentials Of Crestron Programming
Sep 21 - 24 ........................ Essentials Of Crestron Programming
Sep 29 - Oct 1.................... Intermediate Crestron Programming
Oct 5 - 8 ............................ Essentials Of Crestron Programming
Oct 13........................................ Crestron Professional Installation
Oct 14 - 15 .......................... Crestron Residential System Design
Oct 19 - 22 ........................ Essentials Of Crestron Programming
Oct 26 - 28 .............................. Crestron Lighting Control System
LOS ALAMITOS, CA
ORLANDO, FL
Sep 21 - 24 ........................ Essentials Of Crestron Programming
Sep 28 - Oct 1.................... Essentials Of Crestron Programming
Oct 5 - 6 .............................. Crestron Residential System Design
Oct 12 - 15 ........................ Essentials Of Crestron Programming
Oct 18........................................ Crestron Professional Installation
Oct 20 - 22 ........................ Intermediate Crestron Programming
Oct 26 - 29 ........................ Essentials Of Crestron Programming
Sep 27 - Sep 28 .................. Crestron Residential System Design
Sep 29 - Oct 1 ........................ Crestron Lighting Control System
Oct 5 - 8 ............................ Essentials Of Crestron Programming
Oct 11 - 13 .............................. Crestron Lighting Control System
Oct 18........................................ Crestron Professional Installation
Oct 19 - 22 ........................ Essentials Of Crestron Programming
Oct 25 - 27 ........................ Intermediate Crestron Programming
Oct 28 - 29 .......................... Crestron Residential System Design
Upcoming
Events
OCTOBER 06 -07
Government Video Technology Expo
Washington, DC
NOVEMBER 4 —
NOV 7
The Home Entertainment Show
Westin St. Francis Hotel
San Francisco, CA
NOVEMBER 16 — 18
Electronic House Expo Fall 2004
Long Beach Convention Center
Long Beach, CA
❚ Commercial System Design
MARCH 10-12, 2005
❚ Professional Installation
NSCA Systems Integration Expo 2005
Orange County Convention Center.
Orlando, FL
APRIL 12-14, 2005
Lightfair International 2005
Javits Convention Center
New York, NY
❚ Crestron Lighting Control
System
❚ Residential System Design
❚ Essentials Of Crestron
Programming
New Jersey ❚ Florida ❚ Illinois ❚ Georgia
Texas ❚ California ❚ Mexico ❚ Brazil
Belgium ❚ France ❚ England ❚ Germany
❚ Intermediate Crestron
Programming
Hong Kong ❚ Singapore ❚ Taiwan ❚ China
❚ Programming For Certification
Japan ❚ Australia
JUNE 8-10, 2005
InfoComm 2005
Las Vegas Convention Center
Las Vegas, NV
CTI locations near you:
800.237.2041
|
www.crestron.com
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TECHNOLOGY TO GO
“Mobile” Homes
Total Home Technology, by Land or by Sea
No matter where you call “home”, or if you have a “home-away-from-home”,
Total Home Technology adds style and sophistication to any living environment,
whether it’s on dry land or out on the water.
Founded in 1968 in North Chicago, Liberty Coach has
earned a reputation as the motor coach industry innovator
in style, design and technology. Owned and operated by
the Konigseder family, the company recently expanded by
opening a new office and 16,000 square foot showroom in
Stuart, Florida. Website: www.libertycoach.com
Liberty’s 45-foot Elegant Lady Wellington Edition takes Total Home
Technology on the road, featuring a Crestron control system that integrates
all of the sources in the living room and bedroom, including two televisions,
shades, a Bose Lifestyle system with a 5-CD changer and DVD player,
AM/FM radio, satellite dish, lighting and mechanical systems including
the AC, heat and 20kW generator. Crestron’s STX-1700C wireless touchpanels control the living room, bedroom and galley, with a wall-mounted
TPS-2000Ls at the bedside for convenience.
Headed by owner Stewart Barnett, Crestron dealer
Interior Audio of Vancouver, WA has been installing custom AV and entertainment systems in yachts, as well as
homes and business, since 1997.
Interior Audio has brought Total Home Technology to
the high seas on The Mystic, a 150-foot Christensen yacht
with a complete Crestron audio distribution system, CP2E,
PRO2 and CNX-RMC control systems and several
Crestron interfaces including a wireless touchpanel, wallmounted CT-1000s and 12-button keypads.
Website: www.interioraudioinc.com
The Mystic’s main salon is called Sky Lounge and features a 50” Pioneer plasma that
drops down from the ceiling on a motorized custom mounting solution. This space saver,
as well as all audio, video and lighting are controlled by the Crestron Isys® TPS-4500
touchpanel on the side table.
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DEALER PROFILE
Sweet
Home
Chicago
Sound Specialists Delivers Total
Home Technology in the Windy City
F
or over a decade, Sound Specialists has been
designing, engineering and installing integrated commercial and residential technology
solutions.
The company’s impeccable reputation for quality
work comes from a business philosophy that starts
with company president Gideon Elfassy and stresses personal service and a client-based design
approach. It doesn’t hurt that the systems designed
and installed by Sound Specialists include the finest
products and solutions available and their success is
a testament to their ability to make these sophisticated systems simple for the end user.
And All That Jazz
Razzle Dazzle ‘Em
The owner of this new, custom-built 8,000 square
foot, multi-level home in the Chicago suburbs features a fully-integrated whole-house system including
Audio and Video distribution, HVAC and integrated
lighting control via LightSource by Crestron.
This busy, working family required remote access
control for the system, so Sound Specialists has
employed Crestron e-Control 2, CEDIA’s Home
Networking Product of the Year.
Now, the family can view all security cameras from
the GE Interlogix Advent system while outside the
home. They also have three large dogs and the owner
wanted to be able to monitor their activity within the
home via e-Control from the office or laptop.
The Media Room features a 50” Plasma Flat Panel
Monitor, surround sound and wireless control via a
Crestron STX-1700CXP touchpanel. A Crestron CHVTHSTAT thermostat handles climate control.
This renovated 100-year-old classic two-flat home in downtown Chicago features
a whole-house Crestron system that manages everything from fans to security to
HVAC to the Crestron lighting system. All sources can be controlled using the various Crestron keypads and touchpanels throughout the home, including the
STX-1700 for wireless control in the media room (above) or TPS-3000L wallmounted touchpanel in the dining area (below). This urban palace also features
Crestron e-Control, which allows the owner to monitor the home and adjust system levels from the office and when traveling.
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THE CLOSER
B Y W I L L I A M T. S C H A F E R
Total Home Technology:
Everything A Dealer
Could Want
I
will never forget my first day in the AV industry, crawling through an
attic in the summer months of the Midwest with a piece of wire in my
hand. It’s been over 18 years since that day, but as vividly as I remember that day, I also remember my first day on the road selling for
Crestron. A little over five years ago, out of a small office in the Midwest
with product under arm, I hit the road. Back then, most Crestron products were most commonly found only to control a home theater. But, oh,
how things have changed.
Our customers have expressed the need for more than just a control system and touchpanel. For many, the systems and components they’d counted on for years are simply not
enough to satisfy their customers. These dealers – and their customers - want complete,
integrated solutions. So that’s exactly what we’re giving them.
In 2003, Crestron used the CEDIA show as a launching pad for the introduction of our
new residential brand, Total Home Technology. Since then, a growing number of dealers
have found Total Home Technology to be everything they’ve asked for in a product line.
The scope of our Total Home Technology lineup has to make you look at Crestron as
more than just a control company. Today, with the exception of security, we offer all the
major subsystems, plus the ability to link them all for a complete seamless and integrated
whole-house solution. THT is at work in some of today’s finest homes, just a couple of which
are featured on the pages of this magazine.
It’s taken a gradual and consistent effort to learn the market and grow our residential
solutions into what is now Total Home Technology. Four years ago, we released a distributed audio system. Shortly after came a new and unique view on distributing video signals
around the home that has caught on with many dealers. Our PVID8 processor provides a
path to deliver all forms of video (Composite, Component and S-Video) over a single cat 5
cable – including high definition signals.
In the fields of audio and home entertainment, our surround sound processors were
instantly recognized for their innovation and we extended the boundaries of home theater
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with products like the DVP4DI digital
video processor.
From the expertise gained over 25
years of building commercial lighting systems was born a new brand of lighting,
LightSource by Crestron. This system has
implemented the vast knowledge and history developed in the commercial market
and brought it to the homeowner. By
offering new and innovative solutions to
lighting control, we launched our path
into the residential market place. In addition, our intelligent thermostats make
integration of the HVAC system simple
and stress-free for our dealers.
But with all these additions to Total
Home Technology, we have not forgotten
about our signature technology – the user
interface! This year at CEDIA, many dealers
are getting their first look at the new Isys
i/O line, including the new TPMC-10 WiFi
tablet. Along with our existing e-Control 2
technology, these amazing new interfaces
bridge the gap between control and computer. Isys i/O is the new face of Total
Home Technology. So, with a choice of
Crestron interfaces that include wired and
wireless touchpanels, keypads and handheld remotes, every homeowner can find
something that works for them.
We all know that building an integrated solution goes beyond the hardware.
The dealer needs to be able to implement it properly and that involves a key
component of doing business with
Crestron - training.
Over the past year, Crestron embarked
on a nationwide training tour to help our
dealers embrace and understand how to
design and sell Total Home Technology.
To date over 500 dealers, designers and
project managers have attended THT training sessions all around the United States
and it’s been the most successful special
training event in our company’s history.
Dealers have learned to expand their business, embrace our technology and build on
a system and company for the future.
Total Home Technology is everything a
dealer could want to deliver his customers
in one package – award-winning audio
and video products, the amazing lighting,
HVAC and shade control of LightSource,
and the widest variety of user interfaces in
the world. It’s a slam-dunk sale.
Bill Schafer is Crestron’s National Sales
Manager for Residential Products.
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