Russound Collage: Music, Intercom, Surveillance & Control over Powerlines

Russound, the most popular brand in multiroom audio, is taking its technology to the powerline.

At CEDIA Expo 2008, the company will demonstrate (behind closed doors) the new Collage system, which offers whole-house music, video surveillance, and intercom functionality for retrofit applications – no new wires required (unless you count a few short runs of speaker cable).

Russound is using HomePlug 1.0 to deliver the audio and video streams, as well as the control signals from the touchpad to the sources.

Russound is the second company in a week to announce a multiroom audio system based on HomePlug. Rival NuVo Technologies is launching Renovia, a whole-house music system that taps into the Romex (electrical) wiring prevalant in every home.

Except for the fact that both Russound and NuVo are using HomePlug, the two solutions are substantially different.

Furthermore, this Russound powerline system is completely different from the other powerline system (Avenue) that Russound introduced last year. (We compare Collage vs. Avenue here.)

Russound Collage

Unlike NuVo, Russound created a whole new keypad and multiroom architecture for its Collage powerline system.

All of the "smarts" in the system are contained in a new in-wall controller that includes both the interface and the processors.

On the front: a capacitive touchpad, click wheel and quarter VGA display; behind that: a 30-watt amp, power supply, HomePlug technology and a CPU.

Where do the sources go? One of them – an FM tuner – is built into each keypad. The others can plug into any AC outlet in the home to be accessed from any zone.

Russound has created a new communications protocol called Gridcast that is built into every product in the Collage ecosystem, including the keypads and the powerline plug-in modules. There's a Gridcast iPod docking station, and Gridcast bridges for connecting (and controlling) analog audio sources and surveillance cameras.

Finally, the Gridcast-enabled Media Manager gateway delivers IP-based content from media servers and DLNA-compliant devices, as well as Web-based music from sources such as Rhapsody, Shoutcast and Internet radio stations (no PC required).

"All products are self-discovering," says Walt Zerbe, product manager, emerging technologies. "They find each other when they plug in. There's very little programming."

Radical for Russound

Collage is a radical new system for Russound, which worked with legendary designer and Meridian co-founder Allen Boothroyd to develop the product.

The controllers are the same width as a two-gang box and about one-third taller. A slight standoff from the wall provides ventilation and makes the keypad look like it's floating. "It has a very slimming look on the wall," Zerbe says.

He adds that the QVGA display "has the same type of resolution and look as an iPhone or Touch."

But that's not all. Collage also serves as an intercom system, with all of the high-end features (room-to-room, all page, listen-in, handsfree, etc.) of traditional intercoms.

And it's a very capable alarm clock with a sleep timer and snooze button.

Collage supports up to 10 zones. The more remarkable feature, perhaps, is that it supports a mere one zone if that is all that the homeowner desires.

The modular nature of the system makes it particularly scalable, Zerbe says. He points to the usual way of wiring a multiroom A/V system: "Typically, the controller, smart sources, IR sources and everything else is wired to a central location, and then speakers are all wired to the sources," he says. "Intercoms are wired separately."

That set-up, says Zerbe, consumes "lots of real estate" and requires "tons of connections." Plus, it creates excess capacity and generates heat that often must be mitigated by fans or other types of ventilation.

Worse, most centralized systems can be expanded only six (or so) zones or sources at a time. If you have a six-zone system and want to add a seventh room, you have to buy a second six-zone controller.

With Collage, on the other hand, "sources can be placed anywhere on the home's electrical power circuit," says Zerbe, adding that the system typically supports about 34 sources. "Zones can be retrofit into any room. To get a minimal system together, all you need is one keypad and a gateway."

Powerline Ideal for Retrofit A/V

For retrofit A/V, the powerline beats RF any day, Russound believes.

Zerbe says that Wi-Fi products have a 30-percent return rate at retail, compared to a return rate of less than 1 percent for HomePlug.

Besides, custom-installed music products are meant to go into the walls – not to sit on tables and book shelves like today's DIY products. And if they're going into the walls, they may as well take advantage of the ubiquitous electrical wires back there.

"Anywhere you have an outlet or light switch, it's so easy to pop a pigtail on the Romex," says Andy Lewis, Russound director of product development.


Collage family: iPods, analog audio, surveillance cameras and networked sources join the Russound Gridcast network via plug-in modules.

Low-voltage installers themselves are prohibited by law from touching the Romex, but Russound makes it easy for integrators to work with electricians on the installation.

The electrician wires in the power, and the integrators taps into it through a connector.

"There's a very clear line of demarcation," Lewis says.

Still, custom installers frown on wire-free A/V, what with the superiority of hardwired solutions.

Naturally, Russound recommends prewiring in all new construction, but there are times when it's simply too late. The company has worked hard to overcome any obstacles on the powerline to create a solution with imperceptible latency.

Because Russound has "enhanced" the core HomePlug technology, Collage cannot communicate with other off-the-shelf HomePlug devices.

Russound plans to show its product off-site to a select audience at CEDIA Expo 2008.

The company expects to ship product in Q2 2009.

Next: What's the difference between Russound Collage, Russound Avenue, and NuVo Renovia?

Russound Collage vs. Russound Avenue vs. NuVo Renovia

Last year, Russound was the first company to introduce a powerline-enabled multiroom audio system, called Avenue. That product, however, is substantially different from Collage.

Avenue essentially HomePlug-enables Russound's existing CAV 6.6 multiroom audio system and keypads; hence, the core protocol is called RNET PLC (powerline carrier) after the company's flagship communications protocol.

An RNET PLC hub sits on a rack next to a CAV 6.6 to inject audio and control signals onto the powerline. At the keypad location, an RNET PLC adapter brings two-way communications to any RNET-enabled keypad or touchscreen.


Russound Avenue

On the other hand, Collage is a complete solution built on an entirely new communications platform that Russound calls Gridcast. Collage does not interoperate with other Russound products.

So make sure to buy the right iPod dock for Russound's powerline audio systems. The Gridcast dock goes with Collage, and the iBridge Dock PLC goes with Avenue.


Russound Collage

Finally, there's the NuVo Renovia.

While Collage uses a distributed architecture, where any source can plug into any electrical outlet, NuVo uses the traditional distributed architecture that defines virtually every multiroom audio system on the market today.

All sources plug into the Renovia Hub. From there, they are distributed to in-wall amps, which connect via Cat 5 to NuVo's already-established Control Pad touchpads.


NuVo Renovia