CEDIA 2013

They could have started out the press conference that way, and it would have been so cool if they had. Of course, then they would have had to have thrown someone from a competing lighting/shading company down a huge hole; and that probably would not have been acceptable behavior at a CEDIA press conference.

But, in essence, Lutron did throw down the gauntlet – and a very fancy gauntlet, at that – as far as other shading and control companies go. At the company’s press conference late Wednesday afternoon, Lutron announced the availability of “The Lutron Design Collections”, which includes more than 1,500 redesigned, high-fashion fabrics and materials for Lutron’s family of motorized shade products. Adding emphasis to the trendiness, Lutron says that the selections were curated from leading fabric manufacturers all over the world, and that the new styles show Lutron’s continuing leadership in what the company calls “high-quality, high-value shading products”. In other words, Lutron is basically saying that, when it comes to motorized shades, the other companies should try to catch them if they can.

More exciting for the techie crowd (who might not be quite as fashion-conscious as we should be) was Lutron’s announcement that it is expanding its automated window treatment products to include expansion of its automated window treatment family of products to include both Sivoia QS Triathlon and Serena battery-powered roller shades. (Until now, Lutron’s battery-powered shades were only available as honeycomb cellular shades.) The Sivoia QS Triathlon shades are designed to be integrated into Lutron lighting control systems, while the Serena version is for standalone operation.

Lutron says the patent-pending power technology in the Sivoia QS Triathlon and Serena shades provides between three to five years of battery life.

Shade sizes are available as wide as 96 inches and as tall as 120 inches. The suggested list price for Sivoia QS Triathlon roller shades starts at $589. The suggested list price for the Serena roller shades starts at $399. Shipping is scheduled to begin November 15th.

Lutron also announced the company’s goal towards eliminating the confusion surrounding LED lighting and simplifying the process of pairing a lighting control with an LED. In addition to new C·L Dimmers for RadioRA 2 ($149) and HomeWorks QS ($199) systems that can control a wide variety of dimmable CFLs and dimmable LEDs, as well as incandescents and halogens, Lutron also introduced a UL-Listed Hi-Lume A-Series LED Driver ($139) that can be paired with strip lights, cove lights, and under-cabinet lights up to 40W. Lutron also unveiled the LED Control Center of Excellence, which is “an online resource devoted to providing answers to questions about LED control solutions, ranging from the basics of LED function, to the necessary steps for controlling LEDs.” The available tools include product/bulb compatibility lists, driver information, as well as tips for dimming CFLs and LEDs.