All Articles Tagged Lighting

Julie Jacobson | 10/18 07:51 AM, 4 Comments

Steve Saling escorts me to the house he shares with nine other people, chatting along the way, as he takes me up the elevator and through the motorized front doors of his pad. He shows off the entertainment system in his bedroom, streams some Pandora radio through the in-wall speakers, and adjusts the lights, shades and thermostat just so. His home automation system is pretty typical, but Saling is not: He has ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Like most of his housemates, Saling has no… View this story

Lisa Montgomery | 08/22 07:32 AM, 7 Comments

It’s common when starting a business to have visions of grandeur. All too often, eager entrepreneurs dive into their new endeavors expecting a rush of clientele to stampede their storefronts. In the custom electronics installation industry, these visions of greatness typically include working in huge, custom-built houses; installing elaborate, bells-and-whistles systems; and catering to customers who willingly give them carte blanche on the project. In reality, it usually takes years to achieve this sort of business nirvana. To expect it to happen overnight is a big, fat pipe dream. Even… View this story

Steve Crowe | 08/16 11:08 AM, 2 Comments

Ashton Kutcher certainly is "winning" on the set of the CBS sitcom "Two and a Half Men". Apparently the $700,000-per-episode salary Kutcher will pull in for replacing Charlie Sheen isn't enough to woo him away from Demi Moore. Nope, the fine folks at CBS are shelling out $8,750 per week (and they said they couldn't afford Sheen) for Kutcher's ridiculous two-story, 53-foot-long, 30-ton trailer (called the Heat) that he'll hang out in between scenes. The trailer boasts 1,200 square feet of space, including a master bedroom, full kitchen and lobbies… View this story

Lisa Montgomery | 08/08 09:12 AM, 0 Comments

We already told you about the Norwegian Queen, a 165-foot luxury yacht that features a a full-blown Crestron home automation system. The owner, Christine Lynn, made sure the Norwegian Queen was home to an amazing array of electronics. Sixteen flat-panel TVs, 16 marine-grade loudspeakers and dozens of dimmable light fixtures provide all the comforts of home. Christine's actual home isn't too shabby either. The 22,600-square-foot residence posed many of the same installation challenges as the Norwegian Queen. Poured concrete walls and cathedral ceilings offered no avenues for the high-speed wiring… View this story

Maxine Giza | 05/09 07:44 AM, 0 Comments

Many people purchase a home hoping to net a profit. It looks like the New York Mets' David Wright is no different. The third baseman recently put his 4,100 sq ft. penthouse on the market for $7.85 million. Wright purchased the full-floor living quarters in 2006 for $6.1 million. Upgrades to the 3-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom dwelling, including a hot tub and state-of-the-art sound system on the top floor, are some of the improvements that could yield a high offer. He's also outfitted the media room with five TVs so no game… View this story

Lisa Montgomery | 12/16 09:02 AM, 0 Comments

HGTV’s Dream Homes always look fantastic, but are they smart? The 2011 showcase home will be, thanks to the inclusion of intelligent lighting control products from Lutron. For this 15th annual HGTV Dream Home Giveaway—a 3,400-square-foot , ski-in, ski-out lodge-style home in Stowe, Vt.—Lutron is supplying a variety of devices, including its RadioRA 2 lighting control system, Sivoia QS wireless automated shading system, Maestro switches and Pico remote controls. The products were jointly selected by Lutron and the HGTV design team for their energy-saving capabilities, as well for their clean… View this story

Arlen Schweiger | 06/11 09:46 AM, 0 Comments

Stewart Filmscreen and Crestron - there's a good chance if you are an integrator who deals with one, you also provide the other. Now the screen and automation heavyweights are making the combination even simpler to include in your systems design. The companies announced at InfoComm the development of a customized Crestron device driver for commanding Stewart products that need a little commanding, like motorized screens and LED lighting systems - like the relatively new Cabaret screen that has both. The driver is available as a download on Crestron's website,… View this story

CE Pro Editors | 05/05 06:23 AM, 1 Comment

Lutron Electronics founder and CEO Joel Spira and his wife Ruth were honored by the Smithsonian Institution last week when several of their early lighting control inventions were accepted by the historical society. Dating back to the late 1950s, Spira’s work in creating the first solid state dimmer will now sit alongside among artifacts from Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell. Immediately following the ceremony, CE Pro’s editor-at-large Julie Jacobson spoke with the Spiras in an exclusive interview. Question: Did you know the dimmer would turn out to be so… View this story

Jason Knott | 04/20 10:02 AM, 15 Comments

Have you ever wanted to ask Joel Spira, founder and chairman of Lutron Electronics, a question? Well, here’s your chance. Spira, who started the company back in 1961after inventing the first solid-state dimmer, has agreed to take his turn on the CE Pro Hot Seat and answer questions from CE Pro readers. Here’s how it will work: Come up with a good question and post it in the comments section under this post. We’ll pick the best five or so questions and ask them to Spira. The answers (and possibly… View this story

Tom LeBlanc | 11/25 09:04 AM, 2 Comments

To watch the game on TV or get tickets and go to the stadium: that is the question for dedicated football fans. TV coverage is so good — the camera angles, not necessarily the announcing — that many fans prefer the comfort of their home to the first-hand experience. Two Dallas Cowboy fan gets the best of both worlds with their uber-high-tech private suite in the new Cowboys Stadium. In fact, with nine TVs and Crestron automation that allows them to zoom onto the field for custom-close-ups and control a… View this story