Inside Envisage Software for Crestron Prodigy Programming

Crestron’s relatively affordable Prodigy has already gained traction in the CE pro community, but now complementary third-party products could boost the line further.

PanTech Design, a Grapevine, Texas-based A/V system design and control system programmer that garnered exposure when it decked out Dallas’s new Cowboys Stadium with Crestron automation, released a software system aimed at simplifying the Prodigy system programming process.

Part of Prodigy’s appeal is that its software is wizard-based with “no programming required,” as Crestron indicated prior to the line’s release. But the automation manufacturer isn’t splitting hairs and is happy about PanTech’s Envisage software release, says marketing communications director Jeff Singer. “Basically, anything anyone does to promote our products and make integration easier and better is good,” he says.

To get some information about Envisage beyond what’s in the press release, CE Pro conducted an email interview with PanTech CEO Micah Thurlow:

Prodigy is designed to be simple for installers and programmers. Why is the software necessary?

Crestron does have a great tool, but with a system that is extremely complex (e.g. one with 70-plus loads of lighting, 12 zones of audio, six audio sources, 10 IR devices, three thermostats, 12 touch panels, security system and RS-232 devices is a complex system) you will not be able to finish these systems in near the time we can if you are not an expert with Crestron’s tool.

If a dealer is writing a custom program with the Crestron tools, they have to debug their own code a fair amount in order to get everything to behave well. Even RTI, Universal Remote and Pronto programmers know that you very rarely get everything to work perfectly on your very first load of code. Compound that brief troubleshooting process across 120 devices and imagine the nightmare that could ensue. With Envisage you buy functionality that has tested and proven to work in dozens of systems before; you get pre-debugged code and you bypass the troubleshooting nightmare.

Programming is quick, but we have an IR and RS-232 library larger than Crestron’s. And with our relationship with AVAD, we have better tools to guarantee operation with their product lines. Our software is designed to make the necessary changes far faster than using Crestron’s tool. For example, if the owner wants to change the name of everything you don’t have to recompile and reload the program and all the touch panels to make the change. Everything is changed in a simple text file — everything is updated in 60 seconds instead of an hour. You don’t even have to reboot the processor!

It’s like the difference between stock, semi-custom and custom cabinets. Crestron’s tool generates stock cabinets — you can only have what the tool allows. PanTech Design provides a semi-custom package, Envisage, where we balance low cost and efficiency with higher performance and more customization. Of course, we also offer fully-custom programming.

What did you hear from your integrator clients about Prodigy that you address with Envisage?

Specifically, the smaller opportunity for profit that a Prodigy system brings.

On our first several Prodigy jobs, everyone lost their profit because the dealer sold a “custom” solution as Crestron dealers are in the habit of doing. However, the hardware and peripherals cost in a Prodigy system is so low that there is not room in the system price to pay for custom programming; hence the need for semi-custom software.

Secondly, reliability and flexibility is the key to finishing quickly. If your software is not flexible enough to make changes on the fly, then you will burn hours, if not days, making updates. When the entire product line completely maxed out retails for less than $40,000, one bad day can kill your profit.

Thirdly, not having a plan with documentation is one of the leading profit killers in any project requiring software and hardware to work together. Our Envisage solution not only provides the integrator with software they can rely on, we also provide a set of AutoCAD drawings to detail how the semi-custom software is programmed. This ensures the PanTech Design programmer and integrator’s technicians work from the same documentation to alleviate mistakes which will cost the integrator profit.

Did you get a reaction from Crestron about Envisage?

Actually, Crestron is thrilled that we are embracing their new product line. Crestron understands the value that programmers add above and beyond what the automated tool can provide.

Additionally, Crestron knows when dealers need help getting their system to work they call the programmer, not Crestron. They love that.

Do integrators download Envisage? How much does it cost?

Since Envisage is semi-custom there is not really anything to download for a particular situation. However, we do have a demo program available with all the Crestron products and a few IR devices mocked up so dealers can get an idea [of] what to expect and be able to correctly set expectations for their customers.

Our website is currently being outfitted with an online tool dedicated to Envisage to allow the integrator to define the hardware and software scope quickly and obtain a fixed price for the systems exact requirements.

The price includes PanTech Design’s semi-custom Envisage software as well as AutoCAD drawings starting around $400.00.

Why did PanTech Design embrace the Prodigy line?

It really started with making sure our current integrators don’t have to change the way they do business with us if they want to do a Prodigy system.

PanTech Design is a company with process in mind all the time. We recognize that a good process leads to profit. With projects in this price range, integrators don’t have the option to make mistakes if they want stay in business. They must rely on process and documentation to ensure they don’t make mistakes costing them money.

Our integrators know they can rely on us to watch out for their bottom line, provide a reliable service and deliver reliable software. We want our current customers and new integrators to rely on our process no matter how big or small the project, ultimately leading to higher profit.




PanTech CEO Micah Thurlow basically describes Envisage as a way of turning Cresron Prodigy from a "stock" option to a "semi-custom" option.