11.18.2008 — The CE Pro High-Impact Product awards (CHIPs) this year might be considered by some to be a little bit mind-boggling.

Dealers praised touchscreens and universal controls from AMX, Crestron and URC. Did these products really deliver earth-shattering innovations? Or, were they merely improvements or extensions of earlier models?

Indeed, some of the biggest praise was heaped not on great new control systems, but on little things that make integrators' jobs easier: an HDMI Cat 5 extender, an antenna, a surge protector/UPS, tool-less connectors and a one-cable solution for multiple satellite tuners.

Products that were recognized as 2008 CHIP winners are not brand new developments. They were shipped some time after August 2007, and they must have been sold, installed and embraced by integrators before September 2008.

As such, some favorites were excluded, including RTI's two-way remotes, Crestron's iServer and ADMS, Russound's Collage and NuVo's Renovia powerline-based audio solutions.

For the record, CHIPs nominations close Oct. 1 of every year. We solicit contributions from dealers via mass e-mails, notices in CE Pro magazine and on forms and forums online.

Don't see your 2008 favorite products here? Let us know what you think by adding a comment.

Click here to view the 26 High-Impact Products: the 2008 CHIPs.

Past winners:

• 2007
• 2006
• 2005