CEDIA 2013

Crestron’s message this CEDIA is, “Don’t just interface…integrate” where the home is a single, integrated solution with all components designed to seamlessly work together, and the products at their booth speak to that at every turn. One of the coolest new features is a brand new integration with Samsung’s Smart TVs. Available as an app through the Samsung download store, people can now use their Samsung TV remote to control their Crestron automation system. By pulling up a translucent graphic overlay, there are options for controlling shades, lights, temperature, etc. Also, the Crestron system can send announcements to the TV that appear on screen such as “Front Doorbell Ringing.”

They showed many new products that worked with the company’s wireless infiNET EX mesh network, including locks from Yale and Baldwin with the technology built in. They also demonstrated new modules that will provide installers an easy way to add control via IR, RS-232 and contact closures to areas where no wiring existed. And because infiNET EX is a mesh network, the signal gets stronger and more reliable as more devices are added to the system. The smart power supply can identify issues and report them to the dealer to expedite the troubleshooting and repair process.

Crestron also demonstrated new shading system with QRT motors which are said to be the quietest in the industry. The new brushless design of the DC motor allows for a smaller package with more torque, and can operate shades from 17 – 120-inches in width. The shades can be controlled via traditional hard-wiring or via wireless, though they require electrical power from a Crestron shading power panel.

The company also launched a new outdoor, landscape audio system called Air Landscape Outdoor which comes in 4 and 6-inch speakers and a dual 8-inch subwoofer that can be buried in ground. The system can run via 8-ohm or 70-volt and offers dual taps on the 70-volt side to insure the right blend of volume in different listening areas.