Thanks to the technology geeks at Crestron, better know as their engineers, we can all enjoy music, TV and movies in full HD anywhere in our home.  I know that it's been a while since we've talked but I'm back and have to say happier than ever with Crestron and their new line of HDTV distribution products.

For years we distributed composite (480i) video and in the last decade we decided to really step up and distribute component (1080i) video.  It wasn't until recently that we really discovered we needed to give clients and end to end HDMI (1080p) solution.  With the "Analog Sunset" just a year or so away we would be doing our clients a dis-service if we didn't approach this technology head on.

The good news is that with the most recent hardware upgrades Crestron can now do this over CAT5/6 cable, though we prefer to use fiber optic cable.  The idea that we can pump full bandwidth HDTV to any room in any house at distances of 1000' or more was awesome.  The CAT5/6 solution does have some limitations but for the most part is an excellent solution, especially in home where you don't have the option of running new cables.

Contact your local certified Crestron DM dealer for more info and enjoy.

I took the time a couple of weeks ago to go down to Orange County and check out this new control system that I had heard about, Savant.  Savant claims to be the new era of home control and automation but are they?  They have a beautiful brochure if you want some more detailed information.  I’ll do my best to summarize and give you my perspective in this post.

Heading into this meeting I was pretty excited to see that someone was finally taking advantage of Apple and their Mac OS.  With the current momentum of Apple and their product line it’s obvious what a great idea this is.  We have seen many companies in the past try to compete with the two big control system companies AMX and Crestron but most of them have failed quickly.  We have even entertained some of these other control systems like AudioEase, Panja, Phast, Control4 and probably some others that I just can’t remember but they all failed to meet our expectations.  What do we expect (and want) from companies like these, for me it’s simple; we want reliable, easy to install and program products with the flexibility to automate or control anything!  Is that too much to ask for?

OK so back to Savant; offering a full line of products is a good start.  Savant offers a couple of card frame based control processors, some wireless remotes (via blue tooth), wired and wireless touchpanels, audio and video matrix systems and more.  All of their hardware has a clean, hip look to it (I like that) and they have not copied the form factor of other companies, they entire design of their  setup is somewhat original.  Check out their Rosie Contemporary Remote control, I mean have you ever seen a remote like it? Oh yeah, it’s easy to use too.  We spent some time checking out their touchpanels as well, I found it interesting that some of their panels where nothing more than monitors with touch overlays, this was something I hadn’t seen done in a few years.  Another one of their panels was actually a Mac Book that had been re-tooled into a wireless touchpanel, I had mixed feelings about this.  The good news is that you don’t necessarily need a touchpanel, Savant has a sexy, easy to use on screen GUI as well.  **There are some rumors that Apple will release a Mac Tablet in the next few moths this may give this platform a huge boost**

So we spent some time going over the hardware and now it was time to checkout the software.  The software portion of systems like this include the programming (or code) and the touchpanel interface (graphics on the

touchscreen).  This was the kicker, so for those of you who don’t know, in the AV and automation industry we all use PC’s.  In fact the only reason we have any Mac’s in our office is for iPhone development.  What this means is that your current automation expert will not only have to learn the Savant software but also the Apple OS, makes sense but for me it’s a bummer.  This industry has bread us to be PC guys, not a single other control or automation company that I can think of requires you to use a Mac and honestly I can’t think of another control system that will even let you program it on a Mac.

With the Mac computer issue aside I was excited to actually see the software.  The easiest way to explain it is “drag and drop” (they call it Race Point) programming.  This is something we have seen in the past and I think most of us in the industry agree this is how it should be done.  Simply dragging virtual lines between the pictures of your TV and DVD player and the programming magically happens, I love it.  In my opinion the programming time could be cut down in comparison to Crestron or AMX by as much as 75%, that’s HUGE.  This is all based on their GUI templates (they have a few) and standard control capabilities, figure more time to customize your program and the panels for most projects.

I feel like I went on a little too long about this but I want to give these guys a fair chance.  I’m not saying that I love it nor will I tell you I hate it.  Let’s face it we all agree this stuff should be much easier than it is, it shouldn't take as much time as it does and of course it should be cheaper.  I feel obligated to thank Savant for taking some risk, investing some money into this product and committing to grow and support the products for a long time.  If there are any Savant dealers out there that would like to share their work with us or my readers send me an email patrick@avexperience.net. 

Check it out!  Very "hip" high rise apartment in Westwood, near Beverly Hills.  This is a project we finished about a year ago and as you can see it's an awesome pad!

The construction was done by Minardos Group, a contractor that we frequently work with.  We used the power of Crestron to automate the system, RTI remote controls along with Crestron touch screens for the user interface.  The displays were all either Sony or Panasonic and all of the in-wall speakers were Sonance.

The Media Room is powered by a Denon receiver connected to Focal speakers and a Velodyne subwoofer.

Simple, clean and trouble free: That's what this business is really about.

Blu-Ray Movie Server? Finally, but it's not as easy as you think.

In the world of iPods and iPhones we expect our digital media to be in the palm of our hands, literaly. As much as I do love Crestron and Blu-Ray movies systems like this still appear a little "clunky" to me. Let me think I don't rent DVD's anymore, I don't buy CD's anymore, I only own a couple of Blu-Ray discs, if I do share music with friends we usually use a USB thumb drive so why would I stack a bunch of Blu-Ray DVD changers to make this possible?

I'll tell you why, it's the only game in town. With the upcoming release of Crestrons Adagio Digital Media System (or ADMS-BR) this June, people will finally be able to store, search and watch the Blu-Ray movies they own without ever touching the disc (after it's loaded of course). Simply picking up their remote, press the "Blu-Ray" button and enjoy. With additional features like digital movie rentals from Amazon, it's own internal storage (hard drive) for your music and a built in Web Browser (Internet Explorer) the ADMS will have features that no other devices offer.

Now back to my beloved AppleTV, the thought of having Internet Explorer on my TV is cool but having my Blu-Ray discs in a disc changer somewhere in my A/V cabinet not so cool. My AppleTV let's me do the basics, watch HD (Blu-Ray quality) movies without touching the disc, EVER! It offers enough storage for all of my MP3 music plus photo storage, Podcasts, YouTube and more. Did I not mention that the AppleTV is well under $500?

You will pay a premimum for anything wiht the Crestron logo on it but that's for a reason. When you buy Crestron (from an authorized dealer) it will last many years, along with STELLAR customer service not only from the factory but also your local dealer. For people with an existing Crestron system or those looking to purchase one, the integration of the ADMS-BR will offer features much more extensive than the AppleTV. A key feature like 2-way feedback on all Crestron Touch Screens is a must with our clients.

We will definetly use the Crestron Adagio Digital Media System, serve up tons of Blu-Ray movies and continue to have happy clients.

We do love our iPhones. I am a recent convert and just can't believe the amount of power in this small device. Apple has done nothing short of a fantastic job with this product and the developer community has done an awesome job of building fun and useful applications for it.

Being part of the residential automation industry I really like it for a convenient control device. With applications like Remote, Crestron control and AMX control the flexibility is almost limitless.

Remote is an application that makes a good product like AppleTV, GREAT! If you’re not familiar with the setup, AppleTV is connected to your TV and stereo to provide access to your iTunes library, photos, YouTube and movie rentals. The on-screen navigation is clean and simple but you must be in front of your TV. With the Remote application you simply get your speakers on, grab your iPhone and use it to select your music. The best part is, with Wi-Fi you could be outside, in the bathroom or in bed and still change tracks, albums, or pause the music. This application even has the cover art of every album on the AppleTV, good stuff.

Crestron and AMX control allow you to gain access to your ENTIRE automation system (you obviously need an automation system to take advantage of these applications). Many of our projects use Crestron and the “Brain” of the house and are normally connected to lighting, heat/air conditioning, audio, TV’s, and shades. Once all of this is connected to your automation “Brain” you can gain access to it via your iPhone (or iPod Touch) with Wi-Fi. It will take some special programming by your automator and the applications are still not perfect, it works pretty well. Honestly at my house I use the iPhone as a backup control device or when I’m outside and need to mute or adjust the volume of my patio speakers.

If you have an iPhone you know how amazing they are and the selection of applications seems almost limitless. My recommendation is to not let devices like the iPhone complicate your life; but to use them to simplify your life.