All Articles Tagged Infocomm 2010

Tom LeBlanc | 06/10 09:36 AM, 9 Comments

InfoComm 2010 attendees got a glimpse of Control4's just-announced commercial product line. Specs and product names aren't yet available, but it appears that most of the Control4 Commercial Systems products are on display. Among them are 5- and 7-inch touchscreens with anticipated MSRPs of $970 and $1,500, respectively. They're slated to ship in July and will be available for the residential market as well - although it's unclear if residential versions will have different SKUs and ship dates. The price points put the 5- and 7-inch touchpanels in the ballpark… View this story

CE Pro Editors | 06/10 07:51 AM, 0 Comments

Is it for me? Integrators who already do commercial work are well-suited for digital signage because they have a potential client base, says Ric Johnson of Elite Systems Solutions, Waynesfield, Ohio. "Start reviewing your clients," he says. "We had been doing work for lots of banks and medical offices for 15 or 20 years. We found that we could put a sign in their waiting rooms that shows [patients] how long they'll be waiting. "It can be with clients you already have." Software Needs There are various digital signage software… View this story

Tom LeBlanc | 06/10 06:41 AM, 0 Comments

The first thing residential CE pros ought to know about being a commercial integrator is that it's completely different - "totally, 100 percent, 180 degrees different than residential," says Dan Fulmer. He ought to know. For 15 years, Fulmer has been CEO of Jacksonville, Fla.-based Fultech Solutions. As of a little over a year ago, he also heads up Fultech Commercial LLC, a new division that now accounts for 50 percent of overall business. For most CE pros, the migration to commercial is a little less calculated. Westborough, Mass.-based simpleHome… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 06/09 11:34 AM, 1 Comment

Remote Technologies Inc. is taking a few flagship products and making them better. At InfoComm 2010, the company is demonstrating next-gen versions of its popular T3-V and T2-C handheld remotes. The "plus" on the T3-V+ (shown below) is a higher-resolution full-VGA display and an updated hard-button configuration including five soft keys, which will allow for future custom button engraving options from RTI. The T2-C+ (at right) gets a fancy OLED screen. Both remotes offer dual RF boards for communicating with RTI’s one-way 433 MHz hubs and/or two-way ZigBee 2.4 GHZ… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 06/09 08:50 AM, 0 Comments

CE Pro broke the news about Crestron's forthcoming Prodigy "3 Series" but details are just trickling in. This photo taken at Infocomm 2010 appears to be the new PMC3 controller with video outputs for an OSD. Also, VP technology Fred Bargetzi clarified a few points after our original PMC3 story: In version 1, the on-screen display is component only, no HDMI (as confirmed by image).The OSD in the first release is not an overlay; it consumes the entire screen."Timing is tight on the parallel development schedules," so Crestron isn't sure… View this story

Tom LeBlanc | 06/09 07:50 AM, 0 Comments

Control4 is no stranger to commercial projects — even ultra-publicized Las Vegas commercial projects. Now, however, the manufacturer of IP-, ZigBee-based automation products is making its “formal entrance into the pro AV market” by launching a line of hardware and software solutions at InfoComm 2010 in Las Vegas. The Control4 Commercial Systems products line includes:ControllersTouchscreensLightingSoftwareMobile applicationsEnergy management solutionsIt's aimed at applications such as boardrooms, restaurants, hotels and green buildings. “Bringing Control4 solutions to the pro AV market is a natural move for us,” says Jim Gist, VP of Control4 Commercial… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 05/24 08:04 AM, 0 Comments

Extron will have the largest booth in Infocomm history at the June 5-11 event for commercial integrators. Chances are, attendees will flock to the company’s uber-switching products, like its 320 x 320 fiber matrix, or they’ll check out Extron’s latest HDMI problem solvers. Even before other popular brands were solving issues with HDMI, Extron was building its own “EDID Minder” technology into all scalers and switches, according to Mike Andrews, director of communications. The technology lets users apply pre-stored or user-stored EDID to all inputs, ensuring that all sources power… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 05/07 06:03 AM, 1 Comment

While my conversation with Crestron VP Technology Fred Bargetzi was mostly about Prodigy, I did have to ask: What can you tell me about the forthcoming 3-Series? Besides the typical oohing and aahing and claims that the new platform is revolutionary, Bargetzi gave me this: "Control systems today typically are used only to control other devices, not to actually play audio or video. Why shouldn't control systems render A/V instead of just control it?" As he puts it, Series 3 will "play into A/V distribution." When we think about A/V… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 05/05 08:07 AM, 2 Comments

Crestron's Series 2 (or 2 Series) processors have been the staple of Crestron controllers for about seven years. Now it looks like the company is coming out with the next-gen 3-Series processor. In a teaser for Infocomm, the company invites the press for a tour of the booth: This exclusive tour will reveal next generation DigitalMedia products; QuickPacks complete classroom systems and V-Panel HD touchpanels just for starters. You'll be amazed by our new 3-Series Control Systems that propel the industry forward with a faster processor architecture, leading edge networking… View this story