INTEGRATIONA Supplement to System Contractor News

PLUS+ MPS Field Tested + The Benefits of Standardized Technology + Dealing with HDCP

S O L U T I O N S F O R D E A L E R S , C O N S U LTA N T S A N D P R O G R A M M E R S

AV IndustryHeadlines in Vegas

Bigger than ever with hottrends and new products

800.237.2041 | crestron.com

Green LightTM

Crestron delivers complete building management for maximumenergy and operational efficiency. Only Crestron can monitor,manage and control all the technology throughout the entirefacility both centrally and globally.

CRESTRON GREEN LIGHT® technology provides totalenvironmental control to conserve energy and lower costs by combining automated dimming and power switching with light harvesting and load shedding.

Crestron touchpanels offer a global view and management of all systems and devices building-wide from a centralizedcommand center, or local control from touchpanels in eachroom. Beyond just lighting, monitor and control HVAC, shades,audio/video distribution and presentation systems in the building from the same Crestron touchpanel.

As a member of the United States Green Building Council(USGBC), Crestron is committed to provide the most energyefficient and environmentally safe solutions to lower costsand maximize return on investment.

Crestron LightingTotally Integrated Building Control

Comcast Center in Philadelphia is one of the first “green” buildings and the tallest between Atlanta and New York. Crestron lighting and AV control is designed as an integral part of the building. CrestronRoomView® enables facility management of all lighting, network technology, multimedia distribution and presentation systems.

C O L U M N S10 BUSINESS

10 The Standardization Solution

12 Turning a Green Eye on the Future

14 What Business Are You in?

15 Show and Sell

36 TECHNICAL36 Getting the Green Light

37 MPS-300 Multimedia

Presentation System

38 Dealing with HDMI

39 The ABC’s of HDCP

41 Adobe® Flash® SDK

41 Windows Sideshow Support

40 INDUSTRY42 InfoComm 2008 Highlights

44 Association Update

45 Partner Spotlight: WAVETREND

F E A T U R E S16 MISSION CRITICAL

Crestron Control Helps Manage the U.S. Army’s New Command and Control Center Testbed

18 CAMPUS CONTROLThe University of Rochester Upgrades their Multi-Room Facility with a High-Powered Automation and Management System

22 LOG CABIN CONTROLThe Salvation Army’s New Tabernacle at Camp Tecumseh Combines Solid Log Cabin Structure with Cutting Edge Audio and Video Technology

24 PREPARING FOR THE UNEXPECTED Notification Software Leverages Existing Crestron Equipment to alert University Staff and Students to Out-Of-The-Ordinary Situations

28 MARKETING THAT MELTS IN YOUR MOUTH The M&M Store Stands Out from the Rest in New York City’s Times Square

32 HIGH TECH HISTORY Jamestown Captivates Visitors with a High-Powered Automated Audio/Visual System

DEPARTMENTS

2812

4 Editorial By Randy Klein

5 We Get Letters

6 News + Notes

8 New Product Showcase

46 Final WordBy Bill Schafer

INTEGRATIONS O L U T I O N S F O R D E A L E R S , C O N S U LTA N T S A N D P R O G R A M M E R S

A S u p p l e m e n t t o S y s t e m s C o n t r a c t o r N e w s

President and PublisherGeorge Feldstein

EditorJeff Singer

Managing EditorAnthony Savona

Senior EditorVincent Bruno

Contributors & ColumnistsCarolyn Heinze

Don Kreski

Wendy L. Ellis

Joy Zaccaria

Tony Caliento

Mitch Brown

Robert Carter

Melissa Lowver

Chris Wildfoerster

Bill Schafer

Art DirectorTodd Berkowitz

DesignerAdrianne Knapp

Graphics & IllustrationsTravis Borgess

Michelle Smith

Rich Valdes

Crystal Kaytt

Sarah Savetsky

Integration is a custom publication pro-

duced by NewBay Media and created by

Crestron Electronics, Inc., 15 Volvo Drive,

Rockleigh, NJ 07647. All rights reserved. The

publishers of Integration have made every

effort to ensure the accuracy of the contents

of this publication, but assume no responsi-

bility for errors or omissions provided herein.

©©22000088 CCrreessttrroonn EElleeccttrroonniiccss,, IInncc..

INTEGRATION

BY RANDY KLEIN

Everyone in AV and IT has been talking about conver-

gence for years. Yet these two industries largely

remained two separate worlds. Certainly, audio/video

presentation, video teleconferencing, digital signage,

and system control are now all on the managed net-

work, but the perspective is still that it’s our stuff on their network. While all

the technology works well together and everyone is happy, something incred-

ible happened this year that fundamentally changed our worldview and took

convergence to the next level.

This year Microsoft chose Crestron as a business partner to supply managed

systems across its global enterprise. Microsoft, the company that sets the tech-

nology standard, chose to standardize on our products for AV presentation,

system management, and control. When the IT leader of the world looks to our

industry for technology solutions, it sends a message around the globe that

collectively we have experience, intelligence, and capability as valued partners.

By partnering with Crestron and adopting commercial AV technology,

Microsoft establishes our industry as credible and reliable standard providers

for enterprise management solutions.

The greatest impact of this business partnership is that it serves as a foun-

dation to build an even deeper relationship between our two industries.

During the evaluation and approval process, Microsoft gained a deep appreci-

ation for the value and contributions the AV industry provides. Today, our part-

nership is more than a vendor/client relationship. We are technology partners

collaborating together to develop new technology in the digital media space.

Some of the first co-engineered solutions will be unveiled later this year.

This partnership represents true convergence. Now, AV and IT are in the

same business together. More than compatible protocols and technologies,

the two industries and the two cultures have converged. The lines have more

than just blurred; they’ve merged and formed a new broader line. No longer is

there a distinction drawn between our hardware and their network. Together

we are developing a new technology backbone and the hardware and software

to distribute, manage, and control it. Today, Crestron is the most open, stan-

dards-based company in the AV industry.

The Microsoft partnership realizes the vision of true convergence. This part-

nership means that our industry has the relationships and resources to drive

our future success. Let’s continue to work together to grow our industry and

fulfill our destiny as the new world technology leaders.

EDITORIALA S u p p l e m e n t t o S y s t e m s C o n t r a c t o r N e w s

ISSUE 4

New World Order

4 I N T E G R A T I O N

W E G E T L E T T E R S

Customer ServiceI am writing to thank you for your team’s dedication to superb customer service.Over the years I have had the extreme pleasure to work with Nina Adamsky, whois a pure joy. She is always friendly, prompt, and helpful. Recently, I have had thepleasure of working with Christine Wanner, who is also an asset to Crestron’s team.Thank you for a terrific customer service support staff that is always bright, cheery,and willing to go the extra step that has made Crestron a cut above.

—Megan Frank, CEAVCO Audio Visual Co., Inc.

Tech SupportI know that you very seldom hear about what goes right in a day, as you helpcustomers who call in when things are going wrong, so I thought this onedeserved a pat on the back. Mark Tallent is a talent! I just wanted the guysupstairs to know how good it feels to have tech support like this. What a confi-dence builder to us in the field to know when things don’t go as planned thatwe can rely on the expertise of Crestron and know that they have the smarts tohire guys like Mark. He handled everything I threw at him, and he did it with asmile (I know he was smiling, you could hear it in his voice.) Below is a copy ofthe email I sent to Mark recently.

“Mark, I can’t thank you enough for hanging in with me on my recent troubles. You are

VERY knowledgeable and a great help, and a HUGE credit to why I am a Crestroninstaller and programmer... GREAT technical support! I could not have looked likethe hero if it hadn’t been for you holding my hand through the computer night-mare. Thank you again for making me look good.”

—Jon Hansen, SimplexGrinnell #385

Customer Care and SatisfactionDear Abby Davis, I wanted to personally thank you for the ongoing support and professionalism of aparticular member of your team. Donna Allen has provided my company with alevel of customer care and satisfaction that far exceeds all of our other vendors puttogether. Her willingness to promptly address any issues of miscommunicationeither on our part or yours is truly valued. I am not one for typically writing thesekinds of emails, but I wanted you to know what a great job she is doing.

—Brian Jaworoski, Cabling Technologies LLC

IP and Programming NeedsI wanted to thank Mark Tallent for his assistance. Mark made sure that things wereworking perfectly for my IP and remote programming needs, and that I under-stood the principles so that my next installation (Thursday) will go smoothly.

Over the years I have had to work with many Crestron technical support per-sonnel, but I have to say that the support he provided yesterday and today wastop notch.

Please thank all the others (including George Tucker) who helped with theother tangential issues.

—David Sigel, Integrated Electronics Resource, Inc.

True Blue SupportOur True Blue staff works tirelessly to support you and to fulfill your every need. We’re pleased to help and we appreciate your kind recognition.

Here are some of your comments:

Quick to RespondI wanted to drop you a quick note regarding LauraCarlsen. She is such a tremendous help! Every timeI have a question or need assistance she is so quickto respond! Today we had a little emergency withan order that we needed to have shipped rightaway. Within 5 minutes she had replied to my e-mailand assured me that she’d do whatever she couldto help. She really saved us in a bad situation. Youare very lucky to have her as a part of your team!

—Carolyn Haverkamp, Lander Electric Co., Inc.

Happy CustomersWhenever I receive great technical support I like tolet the right people know. I had a customer whosetheater had been down for some time after a light-ning strike. Michael Yannick stayed with me forabout an hour and a half, working through theproblems until everything was running and the cus-tomer was happy. It was a very good experience,and Mr. Yannick’s work was excellent. Thank you.

— Jack Baker, Home IQ Technologies

Just wanted you to know that I think your

website is great...probably the best in the

industry. I never have a problem getting

ANY of the information I need on your

products, either current OR discontinued.

The completeness, clarity, and veracity are

nothing short of amazing. I’ve spent

almost 20 years in desktop publishing and

engineering design/ documentation, and

am well aware of the attention required to

maintain a body of information such as

this. I also consider myself a stickler for

details, and quite frankly, I’m jealous!

Great work, top to bottom.

—Shawn McDonald,

SPL Integrated Solutions

WEBSITE FEEDBACK

I N T E G R A T I O N 5

6 I N T E G R A T I O N

N E W S + N O T E S

ENTERPRISE PARTNER PROGRAMLinks Dealers with Large Corporations

TRAINING UPDATEIn an ongoing effort to sup-port its dealers and continu-ing education within the AVindustry, Crestron is nowoffering its “Programming forCertification” course nation-wide, making these valuableclasses more accessible.Crestron has also added new

certification levels that recognize the high level of commitment by pro-grammers who attend Masters Classes.

Historically only offered at the Crestron headquarters in NewJersey, the CTI “Programming for Certification” course, the third andhighest level of programming training, will now be offered at all CTIlocations, including newly expanded facilities in Chicago, Illinois,Cypress, California, Dallas, Texas, and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Beyond the “Programming for Certification” classes, Crestronoffers its exclusive, specialized “Masters Classes.” CTI is introducingcertification levels to recognize the commitment of Crestron pro-grammers who attend these invitation-only classes. Masters Classesare an invaluable opportunity for programmers to train on the latestCrestron software and hardware and network and share knowledgewith other programmers. Those who attend three annual MastersClasses receive a “Silver” designation. Attending three additionalMasters Classes and then passing an exam elevates certification statusto “Gold.” The highest level of certification, “Platinum,” is achievedafter attending three more classes and passing one last exam.

“Being a Crestron certified programmer has always held the high-est respect in the industry due to the rigorous training, extensiveexperience, and stringent testing required before achieving theCrestron Certified status,” says Randy Surovy, CTI training manager,Crestron. “These new certification levels denote our top program-mers, who are truly dedicated to staying up-to-date and fresh on thelatest technology from Crestron and providing their customers withthe best possible service.”

INDUSTRY HONORSNSCA INNOVATIONS INTECHNOLOGY AWARDS 2007The Innovations in Technology Products Awards pro-gram recognizes the manufacturing companies thatmake exceptional contributions to the elec-tronic systems industry.

Crestron received the following awards:

• Best Control System: MPS-100• Convergence: TPMC-8X

SCN INSTALLATION PRODUCTAWARDS 2007 AND 2008InfoComm International and NewBay Media LLC createdthe Systems Contractor News Installation Awards to rec-ognize excellence in the integration of audio, video, con-trol, and networking products in the installation market.

2007• Most Innovative Control Product For Commercial

Installation: RoomView-Server Edition• Most Innovative Video Processing or

Distribution Product: MPS Series

2008• Most Innovative Control Product For

Commercial Installation: TPMC-8X• Most Innovative Commercial Systems Installation

Accessory: MediaManifold™

Successfully navigating large companies such as Microsoft andCisco is very time consuming and requires tremendous resources.Many dealers cannot afford to dedicate several months or a yearto develop the relationships and identify the true decision makersin a multi-layered bureaucracy. Crestron Commercial MarketDevelopment Managers already have key relationships and corpo-rate experience to develop new business for its dealers.

Earlier this year, Crestron introduced a new initiative to developthe corporate marketplace. “We have hired market developmentmanagers in every territory across the country,” explains RandyKlein, executive vice president, Crestron Electronics. “We are ded-icating our tremendous resources to create new opportunities toexpand our industry and grow business for our dealers.” TheEnterprise Partner Program targets large organizations such asmulti-national corporations. Commercial Market Managers will usetheir experience and client relationships to develop high-levelleads and to motivate them to standardize on Crestron technology.

Crestron is also supporting its managers inthe field with marketing communications,advertising, training, and online resourcesto cultivate leads.

“Large organizations are looking foranswers. They need a way to control, man-age, and maintain a tremendous amountof technology worldwide,” says Klein. “We realized there was a needto connect the people that want the solutions with the people thathave the solutions. No one knew who to talk to. So, we’re facilitatingthe conversation and putting dealers in touch with the right people inthese companies, and supporting both at the same time.”

I N T E G R A T I O N 7

Crestron has introduced its new EaglesProgram, an initiative that donates state-of-the-art home theater systems to militaryhospitals. The Eagles Program was conceived by George Feldstein, Crestronpresident, to provide comfort and enter-tainment for wounded service men and women returning from active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. The first two hospitals to receive home theaters from Crestron with support from severalpartners are Walter Reed Army

Medical Hospital in Washington, D.C. andThe Wounded Warriors at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

While visiting Walter Reed and CampLejeune, Crestron Government SupportServices Manager and retired U.S. MarinePete Baca was impressed by the optimismand determination of the wounded sol-diers and marines. When they were not inphysical therapy working hard to recover,they passed time in the lounge or recre-ation room that provided few amenities orcomfort. Learning of the basic conditionsin the lounges for these heroes and theirfamilies, Feldstein was immediately moti-vated to take action.

“I believe that every company in the pri-vate sector should do whatever they can tosupport and honor the men and womenwho have selflessly sacrificed so much todefend our country,” states Feldstein.

Crestron is donating Adagio MediaSystems for control and digital video andsurround sound processing; TPMC-8X WiFitouchpanels, including docking stations andwireless gateways, and 52-inch HD plasmas.

Crestron also reached out to partners LGElectronics for Blu-Ray players; Velodynesubwoofers; Triad speakers, and MarshallFurniture for custom-designed cabinets.

Crestron Authorized IndependentProgrammer Kevin Busza of ICD Systems is donating his time and expertise to program the systems and touchpanels.Crestron also received enthusiastic supportfrom Tom Corzine of Audio VideoInnovations (AVI) and Jose Rodriguez of Dal-Media to install the first two theaters.AVI in Charlotte, North Carolina is donatingthe infrastructure and installation for theCamp Lejeune Theater and Dal-Media ofPhoenix, Arizona is installing the home theater in Walter Reed.

The Crestron Eagles Program wasinspired by the ELF Foundation, whichdonates home theaters to Children’sHospitals, for which Feldstein was awardedthe 2006 Volunteer of the Year. “We aregrateful to all our partners who gave sogenerously,” says Feldstein. “We stronglyurge everyone to support our troops whogive so much for us.”

The System Programming and GUIDesign Gallery returned to InfoComm forthe third year in Las Vegas, Nevada.Programmers and GUI designers play anintegral and vital role in our industry.Their expertise and talents are a drivingforce that ultimately makes a project suc-cessful based on the client’s daily experi-ence and comfort level.

As these unsung heroes toil on their lap-tops, designing, programming, and creatingthe backbone of every working system inthe field, their talents are often taken forgranted. So, three years ago Crestron created the SystemProgramming and GUI Design Gallery (a.k.a. GUI Gallery) atInfoComm to give CAIPs a forum to show off their work and

expertise. This is a rare opportunity that hasnot been replicated any where else or offeredby any other company.

This innovative and informative touchpaneldemonstration provides a unique opportunityfor CAIP members to showcase their work. Itoffers visitors an insight into the complexworld of system design and programming, inwhich programming professionals must ensuretheir work is appropriately integrated whileenabling the ultimate end-user to easily navi-gate the system.

Participants receive identical equipment,including a Crestron TPS-15L touchpanel and control system, toshowcase their designs and programming skills. The Gallery is in aprime location at the entrance of the exhibition hall.

Eagles Program Gives Back to Soldiers

SYSTEM PROGRAMMING AND GUI DESIGN GALLERY RETURNS TO INFOCOMM

NEW PRODUCTS

01. NEW WIDEBAND MATRIX SWITCHER LINECrestron CEN-RGBHV switchers are designed to provide flexiblesignal routing of high-res video and audio for the most demandingpresentation environments. With extremely low crosstalk, 450 MHzvideo bandwidth, and professional balanced audio, Crestron switch-ers offer the ultimate in control system integration via Cresnet orhigh-speed Ethernet. Custom programming for control and integra-tion is easy with SIMPL or Crestron award-winning SystemBuilder™

software. Every function is accessible through the software withoutdeciphering cryptic protocols. All switcher functions can be remote-ly monitored and controlled using Crestron’s RoomView® AssetManagement Software through any 2-Series Control System.

02. LOW-PROFILE QUICKMEDIA RECEIVERThe QM-RX1-3G is a low-profile QuickMedia™ receiver that mountsnearly flush on the wall or in the ceiling in 3-gang box behind a dis-play or over a projector. The QM-RX1-3G provides a clean installa-tion, eliminating black boxes mounted on poles. The QM-RX1-3Greceives a QM source signal and then breaks out the RGBHV, com-ponent, S-video, composite, stereo audio, and control signals forconnection to the display device. The QM-RX1-3G includes a built-in 20-watt stereo amplifier to drive a pair of 8-ohm speakers.Balanced line-level outputs are also provided to allow the audio sig-nal to be connected directly to inputs on the display device. Audioconnectors are conveniently located both on the rear and on thebottom of the receiver for a clean installation whether the cablesare fed into a conduit or directly into the display.

03. MEDIA PRESENTATION CONTROLLERS FORCLASSROOM TECHNOLOGY

Crestron's new Media Presentation Controller (MPC) line of all-in-one classroom control solutions is a family of easy-to-installand easy-to-use systems that connect, control, and route AV presentation equipment in small, one-projector applications.Simple, secure, and scalable, MPCs are wall or lectern mount 2-Series control systems that fit in a standard 3-gang box. The MPCline is perfect for K-12 and higher education classroom applica-tions, meeting all the different presentation needs of instructors,support staff, and AV/IT management.

04. NEW HIGH-DEFINITION DIGITAL VIDEOPROCESSOR

The DVPHD-PRO high-definition digital video processor accepts upto eight source signals and displays them in up to eight scalablevideo windows simultaneously. Featuring input and output resolu-tions up to 1920 x 1200 for RGB and DVI signals, and supporting1080i and 1080p HDTV, the DVPHD-PRO is perfect for NetworkOperation Centers, Command and Control Centers, large entertain-ment venues, and home theaters. The DVPHD-PRO also handlesHDMI with external adaptors. True 10-bit video processing and thelatest generation of high-definition scaling and de-interlacingensures the highest quality video images. The DVPHD-PRO also pro-vides the same vibrant and extensive graphics capabilities featuredin the latest Crestron touchpanels, such as 24-bit color, dynamicgraphics, dynamic text, full-motion animation and translucentobjects. Several other models are available, including the DVPHD-DUAL (two windows) and DVPHD-QUAD (four windows).

01

02

03

04

8 I N T E G R A T I O N

05. WIRELESS CONTROL FOR LIGHTING AND SHADESPerfect for both new and retrofit applications, the wireless iLux™ CLS-C6MRF — part of the Crestron Green Light™ family of products — is anintegrated lighting system with a built-in motion detector operating onCrestron infiNET™ mesh network technology. Designed for wall mountinstallation, the CLS-C6MRF controls six channels of dimming and sixgroups of shades, expandable to 54 each. Large “ON” and “OFF” but-tons and six two-level rocker buttons enable the recall of up to 15scenes for lighting and shades, and corresponding 7-segment LED bargraphs offer easy visualization of lighting levels in each zone. TheinfiNET iLux operates both as a stand-alone control system or integratesseamlessly into a full Crestron control environment without the need fora control wire.

06. MPS WITH FULL DIGITAL SIGNAL PROCESSINGMPS-300 is the first Multimedia Presentation System (MPS) to featurefully digital audio signal processing. It is ideal for presentation andvideo teleconference rooms that require simultaneously active micro-phones and/or diverse output options. The MPS-300 is a single, fullyintegrated solution that, along with the system switcher and controlsystem provided by the MPS line, has enhanced microphone perform-ance and mixing capabilities, and greater video routing flexibility.

The MPS-300 includes two gated microphone inputs completewith software-switchable 48V phantom power and digital gatingplus depth adjustment that gives integrators total control over theamount of mic attenuation.

07. NEW GREEN LIGHT™ DIN-RAIL MODULESCrestron has introduced a new line of DIN-Rail lighting and automa-tion modules. DIN-Rail is the most popular standard enclosureworldwide, and it is gaining popularity in the United States. TheDIN-Rail form factor is highly efficient, requiring only a fraction ofthe space of a traditional U.S. metal cabinet. More cost-effectiveand compact, DIN-Rail modules are perfect for small spaces thatcannot accommodate a full-size enclosure, such as a classroom,boardroom, home theater, and MDU. DIN-Rail modules areextremely easy to install and completely custom configurable.Modules simply snap onto the DIN-Rail in the cabinet — no toolsare required. Crestron has introduced 11 new modules, including apower supply, 2-Series controller, distribution block, audio switcherand more. Standard DIN-Rail cabinets are available from a numberof third-party vendors and in several sizes.

SPOTLIGHT OnNEW TPS-6X TOUCHPANELDesigned for speed, style and extreme versatility, the TPS-6X is a 6-inch touchpanel that streamlines the Crestron family of panels, combining the features and functionality previously found in nine other models and making this the one perfect solutionfor almost any application. TPS-6X provides a small tabletop form factor while also offering total portability. TPS-6X is a slim,lightweight RF wireless controller, providing exceptional graphical performance and communication speed. While docked, theTPS-6X is a wired Cresnet or Ethernet connected panel with full-motion video display; simply lift the panel off the dock, and thepanel automatically switches to a wireless RF device. TPS-6X features two-way RF communication up to 200 feet and 1-way IR.

The TPS-6X is engineered to deliver the functionality previously found in nine separate touchpanels. It is a wireless, tiltcase,and perminent panel. This is an extremely versatile and powerful solution.

05

07

06

I N T E G R A T I O N 9

Organizations of all sizes around the world endeavor to gain greater control and manage-ment of resources. No longer can technology decisions be localized. Once each office,department, or school could assess its needs, request a budget, and implement an AV or ITsolution. Now that everything is information on the network, from computers and printers,to audio and video, and even lighting and thermostats, managing disparate systems andassets is a challenge facing every institution on the planet.

The first step to gaining control over this chaotic cornucopia of legacy systems is to standardize on a technology platform. Standardizing on technology enables consistentimplementation of devices and control interfaces, which provides ease of use, efficient main-tenance and support, and optimal enterprise management and control.

Standardization has many benefits for the IT department in any institution. For example,standardization increases efficiencies related to system design, installation, and programming, which, over time, exponentially reduces costs and increases ROI. Additionally,standardization reduces the need for training and technical support, while increasing use oftechnology and information sharing.

Technology standardization is more than simply having a predetermined array of AVdevices. An effective standardization solution should be scalable, flexible, and networkable.In order to connect every room and every device to the managed network, the platform

selected must include a combination ofhardware and software that can be imple-mented across multiple levels of size,sophistication, and budgets.

Technology fragmentation occurs forseveral reasons, but it usually happens dueto systems growing organically over longperiods of time, purchasing not being cen-tralized, or planning that is segmented.The first two realities are self-explanatory.The solutions are basic, although not easily implemented. Converting legacysystems can be arduous and difficult to getapproved, but some vendors have pro-grams in place to facilitate the transitionwith trade-in deals and assistance withinstallation and training. Changing thepurchasing process requires internal orga-nizational remodeling.

Segmented planning is taking a narrowview of technologies and categorizing thembased on function, price, or quality. Youmight hear IT managers say, “Oh, that’s ourlow-cost system.” Or “that’s our switchersolution.” This type of thinking results in dif-ferent hardware solutions installed in differ-ent types of rooms throughout a facility,institution, or global enterprise.

Standardization in the Real WorldSupporting disparate systems in dozensor hundreds of rooms throughout a cam-pus or enterprise is even more challeng-

TheStandardizationSolutionGetting all your systems onto a single technology platform has many benefits

B U S I N E S S

1 0 I N T E G R A T I O N

ing. Industry leaders such as LehmanBrothers and Microsoft understand thevalue of global technology standardization,so the thousands of rooms in hundreds ofbuildings in multiple countries around theworld can be monitored, managed, andcontrolled from any location with a com-puter and a network connection.

“When we began our ClassroomTechnology Initiative, only about 40 of ournearly 160 classrooms were fully equippedwith end-to-end AV solutions. However,none of those classrooms were standard-ized on a single solution, so you had dozensof operating instructions floating aroundfor the various systems on campus,”explains Omar Cantu, director of videoservices, University of Texas-Pan America.“A few were outfitted with AMX, Extron,and Crestron, but mostly they were justlegacy component remotes. It was difficultfor faculty who spent time teaching in oneclassroom to go to another classroom —they would find an entirely different setup.”

The University of Texas-Pan American set-tled on Crestron QuickMedia™ in every class-room and auditorium.

All the newly equipped classrooms areconnected on the network to the Video

Services Department’s Support Services viaCrestron’s RoomView® Management andScheduling Software. RoomView allows thetechnical support staff to troubleshoot, con-trol, and maintain the systems remotely inreal-time or in a web-based environment.

The Crestron SolutionCrestron is a reliable standardization solu-tion because it offers a wide variety ofproducts built on the same technologyplatform, which can be consistently imple-mented in every room regardless of size,specifications, and budget. iMedia pro-vides very basic switching and control at alow price point for rooms with just a pro-jector, screen, and maybe a microphone.QuickMedia is a scalable product line thatprovides a broad range of functions includ-ing audio mixing, video processing, andcontrol. Of course, Crestron offers a com-plete line of interfaces, including dozenstouchpanels, keypads, wall mount, lecternmount, and handheld controllers.

All Crestron hardware features e-Control®2IP-based control and communication, so allCrestron equipment, and any device or systemconnected to a Crestron controller, is linked tothe managed network.

Crestron control systemsalso feature SNMP support sothat more than just audio andvideo equipment can be mon-itored and managed. In fact,all lights, shades, screens,thermostats, and IT networkdevices can be monitored andcontrolled from a single soft-ware interface. CrestronRoomView software providesa global view of the entire net-work, and offers real-time helpdesk functionality, advancedscheduling, reporting, andasset management. Crestrone-Control2 can even turn anyweb-enabled device, such as alaptop or Blackberry, into aCrestron control interface.

The goal is to choose atechnology provider that offerssolutions across the board toensure a consistent user expe-rience in every room, and toconnect every device, room,and building to the network toachieve real enterprise man-agement and technical supportboth locally and globally. ■

Crestron offers the broadest range of AV,environmental and control hardware andties it all together with RoomView® enter-prise management software, providing anideal standardization solution for organiza-tions of any size.

Crestron provides simple, intuitive one-touch control. Simply connect a laptop to aniMedia transmitter and push the “ON” but-ton to automatically lower a screen, turn onthe projector, select the appropriate input,and open the local microphone.

Remotely perform diagnostics, trou-bleshoot, and even control any device con-nected to a Crestron controller usingRoomView software. Firmware updates arealso uploaded through the network fromany location.

Interactive help desk capabilities enablelocal presenters or instructors to send helprequests directly from their touchpanel orweb browser. RoomView provides full two-way messaging between support staff andlocal rooms for real-time technical assistanceanywhere in the world.

IT managers and technical support staffcan receive email messages regardingestablished alert conditions. For example, if certain equipment goes off-line or poweris interrupted, an email notification is sent automatically.

RoomView is built on Microsoft® NETtechnology and integrates with Microsoft®

Exchange Server, providing robust manage-ment and scheduling capabilities. In addi-tion to tracking projector lamp usage,RoomView features Windows® Event Logand generates powerful reports. Asset man-agement tools can also track and scheduleroutine maintenance.

Microsoft® Outlook calendars can be dis-played on any Crestron touchpanel on thenetwork to view specific room availability orthe status of all rooms, schedule a meetingfor an open room, and cancel scheduledmeetings as necessary.

Advanced plug-in modules are availablefor hot lists, action items, Instant Messenger,and web cameras, making RoomView anideal system management tool. RoomViewintegrates seamless within a Crestron controlenvironment to manage and control everyroom and every device from any computer,and schedule rooms from any touchpanel.

CONTROL IT ALLWITH ROOMVIEW

I N T E G R A T I O N 1 1

B U S I N E S S

Turning a Green Eyeon the FutureAV Integrators play a key role in energy and environmental design

Suddenly, our world has turned “green.” What started out as a few rich celebrities with solarpanels and electric cars has quickly evolved into a legislative and business trend. The eco-nomic climate and cultural environment has fundamentally changed in recent years, andthere’s no turning back. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) reports that the annualU.S. green building products and services market was more than $7 billion in 2005, $12 bil-lion in 2007, and projected to increase to $60 billion by 2010.

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) was established in 2000, set-ting quantifiable metrics for “green” building. With a definitive rating system, building anddesign professionals have confidence to support and promote the “green” initiative. In fact,today, any federal government or military facility new construction or renovation, must beLEED certified. Twenty-two states require LEED certification and California Title 24 continu-ally raises the bar for energy efficient, green building codes. Seventy-five cities, includingNew York and Los Angeles, now require that all new commercial construction meet LEEDstandards. Independently, architects are actively pushing green building designs in order toadd value for their clients by creating sustainable facilities that save energy and money, andincrease productivity.

Increasingly, universities and corporate clients are exploring, if not expecting, green solu-tions. In fact, major companies across various market segments such as Dow Chemical,General Electric, and Wal-Mart have established chief sustainability officers. According theNew York Times (July 2007), chief sustainability officers “are not simply environmental watch-dogs, there to keep operations safe and regulators at bay. The new environmental chiefs are

helping companies profit from the push to go green.”

Installed commercial systems areincreasingly going green, and most in ourindustry are not prepared to answer ques-tions, contribute to the design process, oroffer solutions. While many questionsremain, the critical issue that must beaddressed sooner rather than later is: Willyou be a valued resource in this new business environment, or will you be leftout in the cold?

Starting the ProcessCommercial construction of any type is acollaborative process, and even more soregarding a LEED certified building proj-ect. The process starts early in the design,when the owners and architect set theLEED point goal. The architectural andengineering design team, including theAV consultant, lighting, and interiordesigners assess the project needs andcreate a plan to achieve the stated goals.In this way, the architect is extremely influ-ential, and it is critical to get involved inthe discussions at this early, pivot stage.

Cook+Fox Architects is an establishedfirm in New York City that designed theBank of America Tower in Manhattan, thefirst Platinum LEED rated high-rise build-

P H O T O C O U R T E S Y O F B I L Y A N A D I M I T R O V A

The offices ofCook+Fox Architects

1 2 I N T E G R A T I O N

ing. This group has embraced green build-ing to the extent that when the firmdesigned its new office in 2006, it trans-formed a 12,000-square-foot space on thetop floor of an eight-story building on SixthAvenue in New York into the first office inthe city with a Platinum LEED rating.

“We felt we had to meet very high stan-dards in terms of sustainability and greendesign,” said Alice Hartley, Cook+FoxLEED AP. “It was a chance to experiencefirsthand the process we put our clientsthrough, and it was a great learning experi-ence.” It also serves as a great showroomfor potential clients.

When striving for LEED certification,architects must consider every aspect ofthe facility inside and out, including loca-tion, furniture, carpeting, paint, and win-dows. Architects rely on the expertise ofvarious trades, especially consultants,regarding technology such as acoustics, AV,lighting, and control systems.

Scott Walker, president, CEO ofWaveguide Consulting in Atlanta, Georgia,has been an independent AV and acousti-cal consultant since 1989, and in 2007,became the world’s first LEED-accreditedCTS-D. “There are about 42,000 LEED APsin the world, and most of them are clientsof AV consultants and integrators. Ibecame a LEED AP to be able to have anintelligent conversation with my clientsabout how AV can support a project’s LEEDgoals. AV is not directly contemplated inthe LEED point system, but where it comesto energy performance or lighting control,AV solutions can play a key role.”

The Integrator’s RoleIntegrators need a seat at the table, too.Architects and consultants can design sys-tems, but they need a partner to install andprogram these systems who understandsLEED and can contribute to the process.Carlo Beuf, CTS, LEED AP for AV integratorCenero, LLC in Malvern, Pennsylvania,recently completed his LEED CI(Commercial Interiors) accreditation. “Abouta year and a half ago I noticed LEED comingup in almost every conversation with ourarchitectural and interior design partners,and we decided that the best way to be bet-ter partners and provide better solutionswas to learn more about it,” Beuf observes.

Walker adds, “If you are completelyunaware of energy codes or impact AV canhave on the energy consumption of thebuilding, you need to become aware. At a

minimum, you don’t want to be the onlyperson in the room that has no idea whateverybody else is talking about.”

Both Walker and Beuf make the pointthat there are no specific AV credits inLEED certification, but they anticipatethere will be. Walker asserts,” We shouldbe saying, ‘Look, we [AV] are a significantpart of your building; we should be con-templated under the LEED point system.’”Walker advocates a fully integratedapproach, controlling heating, cooling, andlighting on the same platform as AV.

“The ‘ah-ha’ moment for me was realiz-ing that we can play a role in the AV indus-try that currently is falling through thecracks — the systems integration effort,”Walker notes. “That’s what we do best.Maybe because we’ve been doing it for 25years we’ve forgotten how cool that is.Other industries, such as lighting andHVAC, are very siloed. What we do as anindustry is to integrate disparate systems,and that’s what the world needs, an over-arching solution that ties the silos together.

“We’re really part of the intelligent build-ing industry,” Walker asserts. “We enablefacilities to manage audiovisual or energy.Those systems should be part of a unified,intelligent building solution. I think that weare not just AV problemsolvers, we are buildingproblem solvers.”

The IntegratedApproachTraditionally, the well-established commercialconstruction process hasnot included AV integratorsuntil after all the environ-mental systems, such aslighting, shades and HVAC,were already specified, andin many cases, installed.The trend toward greenbuilding is beginning to dis-rupt the status quo andcompelling architects andgeneral contractors to lookto our industry for ideas.

“One of the byproductsof the green movement isthat if forces more peopleto the table sooner,because it is an integratedapproach — you have tostart early in the project,”Walker observes. “You set a

LEED goal and plan from there — it’s notsomething you can do after the fact.”

“We’re just beginning to offer our LEEDexpertise to our clients and architecturaland design partners, and we encouragethem to get us involved in those discus-sions early,” says Beuf. “We need to edu-cate all the stakeholders about how audio-visual and control systems integrate withthe complete project. Right now, a lot ofwhat we bring to the project is a littleambiguous because there are few guide-lines yet for audiovisual components. TheLEED certification process and credit inter-pretation structure are pretty collaborativeand fluid, so there is definitely an opportu-nity to influence that process.”

“The good thing about LEED certifica-tion is that it’s tangible,” says Beuf. “Inaddition to having a positive impact onthe environment, LEED often provides abetter ROI than traditional methods ofdesign and installation. Sometimes it is amatter of helping the people that makethe financial decisions realize that thereare numerous benefits to embracingLEED both in the short and long term,including direct benefits such as reducedutility costs and improved employee pro-ductivity and health.” ■

PH

OT

O C

OU

RT

ES

YO

FC

HU

CK

CH

OI

New York City’sHearst Tower

I N T E G R A T I O N 1 3

“So, what do you do?” How many times have you been asked that question at a dinner party orbackyard barbecue? How you answer that question may be the single greatest indicator as towhether or not you will continue to succeed or not. Pan Am, Eastern, and others were in the “air-line” industry — and failed. Virgin Atlantic, in the “travel and leisure” industry, has flourished.

So, are you in the AV industry or the systems integration business? Too many dealers inour industry narrowly define themselves simply in terms of audio and video, and turn a blindeye to all other systems and technology that they can integrate onto the same network suchas lighting, shades, and thermostats. The AV industry must redefine itself if we are to con-tinue to grow or remain relevant in the current “green” and digital age.

Acquiring new business is becoming more challenging and more costly. The more prof-itable and sustainable method of growing your business is to provide more to your existingclients. If you don’t someone else will.

Regardless of economic climate or degree of competition in any particular market, no seri-ous businessperson today can afford to leave money on the table. There are dealers that wonbig projects this year and literally walked away from additional business worth hundreds ofthousands of dollars. So, their competitors that originally lost the bid got that missing piece.

As systems connect to managed networks and analog fades into history, our industry nowmanages digital information rather than signals. Everything is information — including audio,video, control protocols, and lighting. Of these, however, lighting is the key. Lighting fixtures,locations, and controls must be specified before walls are closed. Wires must be dropped,walls cut, and fixtures ordered. AV systems often are not even discussed until much later. Ifyou own the lighting control, you own the entire project.

Also, lighting consumes the most energy and drives highest costs of any other system ina commercial facility. An increasing number of cities and states are requiring that new con-struction meet LEED standards. Many companies, now concerned with lowering costs, arelooking to conserve energy. Lighting control systems that are integrated with AV and other

environmental systems, and can be moni-tored and managed from touchpanelsand PCs on the network, provide thegreatest energy and cost savings.

Certainly, high-voltage commerciallighting must be installed by a licensedelectrician, but dealers can sell the equip-ment, integration and programming.Dealers are partnering with their local elec-trical contractor (EC), who hangs the cabi-nets and pulls the wire. Consultants anddealers can design the system and providethe integration, which is what they do best,and the EC cannot touch. Clients should beable to control the lights, shades and ther-mostats from the same touchpanel as theycontrol the projector, screen, and switcher.

System designers and dealers that donot offer a fully integrated solution aremissing an opportunity to fully serve theirclients and increase their business. “On ourcommercial side, in which IVCi is a leader inthe industry, we’ve designed and builtmany conference rooms and boardrooms,”explains Richard Hollander, managing

director of IVCi Home (a subsidiary of IVCi,LLC). “In addition to videoconferencingand AV solutions, we provide lighting andshade control on a good number of theseprojects. There are boardrooms with windows all around, and for videoconfer-encing, the lighting needs to be just right.It’s a logical progression for our business,and it’s served us really well. But moreimportantly, it addresses our clients’ needsand brings real value to something they’lluse everyday.”

Next time you’re making small talk withthe neighbors while flipping burgers onthe grill, tell them you’re in the systemsintegration business and ask them ifthey’d like lighting control with that.

To learn more about Crestron lighting and automation solutions go to www.crestron.com/lighting. For a schedule of free training courses go to www.crestron.com/cti

What Business Are You In?Audio and video is only the beginning of the products andservices you need to offer to remain competitive

B U S I N E S S

1 4 I N T E G R A T I O N

B U S I N E S S

BY KAREN SUSSMANMotorized control of window coverings isn’t always an easy sell for systems contractors. Isn’tit simple enough to just get up and close the blinds? Many customers need to see this evolv-ing technology in action to truly appreciate the concept and the value.

When New Jersey-based Somfy Systems, a leading manufacturer of specialized motorsand control systems for shades, shutters, and projection screens designed a new showroom,it turned to Crestron to control all of the systems in its demo facility.

Somfy development manager, Steve Iommi, wanted the “Home Motion Center” show-room to demonstrate to architects, dealers, builders, designers, and end-users the fullpower and environmentally friendly benefits of its products. Somfy motorized window cov-erings, he says, seamlessly integrated with Crestron’s control solution in this environment.

“It’s the perfect fit,” Iommi says. “Crestron has the sophistication and capability to pulltogether all the parts, pieces, and technology together.”

Somfy’s Home Motion Center is located in a warehouse in Boca Raton, Florida, but it’sdesigned as a high-end home that includes motorized interior and exterior window treat-ments and a home theater with motorized projection screens and LCD screens — all con-trolled by Crestron.

After entering what seems to be an exterior door of the showroom, you walk into a bigspace divided into several rooms. There is a multimedia home theater entertainment area,a dining room, a full kitchen, and a patio that seems to be right on the beach. And you’renot just seeing window coverings going up and down; you’re experiencing light and HVACbeing adjusted all at the same time.

There are various modes such as day, evening, night, and storm that, with the touch of abutton on a Crestron control device, can be put into action. For example, when you hit the

“storm mode” icon, you hear the crack oflightning, the wind blowing, and see thestorm shutters roll down and the awningbeing retracted. And through Crestron’srobust remote control capabilities, thosewho can’t get to Boca Raton to visit Somfyin person can soon access the company’sHome Motion Center online and experi-ence it remotely.

While Somfy’s Home Motion Center isdesigned as a residential environment, theapplications easily translate to commercialapplications for integrated control of AVequipment, projection screens, and win-dow coverings.

Shade and drape control is really light-ing and temperature control — managingthe amount of natural light in a room orbuilding. Iommi explains that in a corpo-rate conference room, bright sunlight canbe a challenge as it creates glare on theprojection screen and heats up the room.The Crestron system, in turn, can auto-matically keep that room in a comfortablestate, whether or not it is occupied.Crestron and motorization can managethe rooms in a cost-efficient and comfort-able fashion, and still be green by manag-ing when energy is expended.

Somfy’s research has found that win-dows are the biggest physical factor

Show and SellSomfy taps Crestron to control its lighting and shades control demo room

(continued on page 45)

I N T E G R A T I O N 1 5

There is not a more “mission critical” appli-cation of control system technology than ina military command and control center. Sowhen designers for the new Command andControl Center Testbed for the U.S. Army’sArmament, Research, Development, andEngineering Center (ARDEC) wanted arobust control system, it turned to Crestronfor the answer.

ARDEC, located at the Picatinny Arsenalin northwest New Jersey, needed to controllighting, HVAC, audio and video distribu-

tion, CCTV and presentation cameras, andvideo teleconferencing (VTC) in the Testbed,as well as accommodate growth, providecutting-edge technology, and offer ease ofuse. Virginia-based systems integratorDynamic Technology Services Inc. (DTS) rec-ommended Crestron as the best product tomeet those needs.

The new 7000-plus square-footCommand and Control Center Testbed, alsoknown as ARDEC Homeland DefenseTestbed Emergency Operation Center

(EOC) Facility, will be the setting for variousactivities, including simulation and model-ing, software development, training, andserving as a backup EOC for partneringagencies. Internal clients as well as thosefrom federal, local, and private agencies willuse the facility.

Total ControlBeing able to grow with technology andmaintain a “state-of-the-art status” was crit-ical to Tom Sroka, project manager, EOC

CRITICALMISSIONCRESTRON CONTROL Helps Manage the U.S. Army’s New Command and Control Center Testbed

1 6 I N T E G R A T I O N

Facility. “Instead of an overhead projectorscreen, we went with a video wall. For ourlighting, we took a theatrical approach thatcalled for zoning and dimming, and theneed for that flexibility is what drove me to Crestron.”

The system was designed in 2003 andimplemented in a phased approach by DTS.The facility has 87 zones of lighting and 16zones of audio, video, and RGB distributionsystems over Cat-5 that include 400 LANdrops and Crestron QuickMedia transporttechnology for distribution, preview of allNTSC sources and 38 computers, andaccess control, which will include biometrics.

Eighteen touchpanels and 17 keypadscontrol the facility, and the Crestron XPanelweb browser-based control and RoomViewmulti-user software (for global room sched-uling, monitoring, controlling, and reportingof resources and systems) will offerincreased flexibility to Sroka. “I ran an opscenter, and was the person called at two orthree in the morning to come in and warmup the place, turn everything on, and getthe lights going,” he says. “It will be great when I can do that from home, or haveit pre-programmed.”

Upon completion, the facility will have 17rooms under Crestron control, including thetwo-story Testbed EOC, which has two rowsof workstations to accommodate approxi-mately 24 people, facing a 17-foot high, 35-foot wide video wall. Within the TestbedEOC, both classified and non-classifiedvideoconferencing and command and con-trol activities will take place, as well as pre-sentations and briefings.

“With the help of DTS, we explored different vendors and sought the bestanswer for the challenge created by the vari-ety of customers and applications we willhave here,” Sroka explains. “We had tomake some assumptions and say here areprobably our most typical scenarios, let’s gofrom there. With Crestron we can always go

back and change things later, as our cus-tomer base develops.”

“We think it’s very important to attain thekind of partnerships where we can test thenext level of technology for our multi-faceted environment, and then teach it toeveryone else, to show them how it canmake their jobs easier,” adds Jackie Barnum,assistant project manager for the EOC facil-ity. “When we partner with an organizationour goal is to find the smarter approach. Wedon’t endorse any products whatsoever, butwe share our experiences. In particular, thepublic safety sector is moving toward a moreautomated environment, but it needs guid-ance, and that’s a big part of what we’rehere to provide.”

According to James Cudney, directorAV/IT systems division, DTS, most peoplewho will be coming into the facility are notfamiliar with it, so the simple preset buttonson the Crestron touchpanels that provideone-touch features for VTC, full light, andpresentation mode are especially useful.“We took some very complex systems,including the AV, lighting, VTC, the videowall, and all the associated presets, andused Crestron technology and touchpanelsto interconnect the multiple systems toachieve a ‘super remote’ that anyone canuse,” he says.

System SecurityThe facility has external input boxes thatdo not require running cable or wire backto the main equipment cabinet, settingup a kind of firewall that prevents oneroom from affecting another. The infrastructure LAN server room (controlroom) is off limits to everyone except thein-house technical administrators. Forexample, a guest server room is usedwhen someone is coming in to do anexperiment. It is where they put theirservers and PCs, and then bridge over tothe Picatinny infrastructure.

With multiple modules and lightingzones, the facility is designed so that aconference room can become anautonomous unit and, from an IT perspec-tive, be segregated from the LAN. From a programming perspective, video signalsthat are generated in one area can still bedistributed anywhere in the facility.

“Being a former support person, Ialways made sure that I treated my customers fairly and with a lot of truthand honesty, and that’s what we look forhere,” Barnum says. “Whether it’s aCrestron engineer, salesperson, or support person, they’ve been extremelyresponsive, and that’s very, very impor-tant to us.” ■

I N T E G R A T I O N 1 7

Creating an integrated control system in acampus setting is rarely easy. There aremultiple rooms in multiple buildings, myri-ad applications, and end-users with varyingdegrees of comfort using AV gear. Whenthe University of Rochester sought to cre-ate a system to meet its presentation needsfor classes, meetings, film screenings, andconferences, it turned to Crestron.

Mat Felthousen, assistant director for uni-versity information technology, was asked todevelop a system that would ensure a con-sistent user experience. Felthousen choseCrestron’s QM-RMC room media controllerto power the university’s “Central Monitor.”

Central Monitor now enables the univer-sity to manage more than 80 rooms fromone touchpanel. Authorized users can con-trol and monitor any number of classroomvideo projectors, public display devices,centralized AV matrix routers, codecs,lighting systems, or remote motorizedcameras over an IP network. It can be usedstandalone for small or specialized IP-based control applications, or as an expan-sion module for larger systems.

Using Crestron’s XPanel, Central Monitorcan also be used to remotely select roomsand monitor, control, and configure equip-ment. Functions like turning on a projector,

adjusting volume, or taking control of aDVD/VCR can be performed from anywhereon the network. XPanel video-sensing infor-mation and additional controls, such aslighting, extra projectors, document cam-eras, microphones, and built-in computingequipment can also be accessed. CrestronRoomView Express software functions as ahigh-level dashboard that tracks how eachroom and the associated systems and hard-ware are being used.

The Crestron QM-RMC/XPanel combi-nation that helps make up Central Monitorcan also reconfigure the programming ofboth the touchpanel and control system to

THE UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER UPGRADES THEIR MULTI-ROOM FACILITY WITH A HIGH-POWERED AUTOMATION AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

CAMPUSCONTROL

1 8 I N T E G R A T I O N

facilitate the swapping out of equipment —one projector brand for another, for exam-ple. Any change made via the CentralMonitor takes effect in the remote roomimmediately and transparently to the user.The only time there is a noticeable changeis when equipment is added, in which casenew buttons appear on the touchpanel. Ifan in-room controller loses its configura-tion, it will connect to the Central Monitorand reconfigure itself based on a storedstring that is generated as a part of theconfiguration process.

Universal ProgramSoon after Central Monitor was up and run-ning, Felthousen developed the “UniversalProgram.” Currently used in 50 rooms,Universal Program is a Crestron QM-RMCRX-BA processor-based control system.It can sync up with Central Monitor for anadditional level of control, or it can be usedstandalone to support rooms lacking a net-work connection. When the program isloaded for the first time in a room without anetwork connection, the system asks forsome basic configuration settings via thetouchpanel. Once the room is set up, theconfiguration is stored in NVRAM (non-volatile random access memory, which won’tlose data when power is turned off), and theinformation is sent to Central Monitor whena network connection is established.

Universal Program is used in roomsequipped with only a Crestron QM-FTMC-SC FlipTop and a display, or as elaboratelyas having podiums with any combination ofequipment or systems, including a PC, doc-ument camera, laptop connection,DVD/VCR, closed-caption decoder, switch-ers, lighting controls, touchpanels, micro-phones, projectors, and motorized screens.The Universal Program simplifies equip-ment installation, configuration, andreplacement, whether in combination withCentral Monitor or by itself.

When factoring in the pre-programmingof the wide variety of equipment and sys-tems available, there are literally millions ofcombinations the system can configurefrom any network connection. For exam-ple, a student or staff member can swap afaulty DVD/VCR with a unit from the schoolreserves, and a single touchpanel selectionby the help desk via Central Monitor andXPanel will change the remote system pro-gramming. This also enables repairs to beconducted in the 10-minute gap betweenclasses, with no reprogramming. The endresult has been a vastly reduced responsetime even though staffing levels have pro-portionally decreased. Additionally, many

problems can be solved by support per-sonnel via remote diagnosis.

The Universal Program also has severalbuilt-in safeguards to help preserve thelong-term functionality of equipment. Thevideo sensing capabilities of QuickMediaenables timers to automatically shut off aprojector after a prescribed amount oftime. Likewise, triggers such as extendedperiods during which the video is mutedwithout interruption will also cause a pro-

jector to shut off, thereby avoiding dam-age to the LCD grid. The Central Monitoralso limits the maximum volume of theaudio — in real time — so that users can-not cause damage to the equipment ordisrupt adjoining classrooms. QuickMediaskew settings are stored in the CentralMonitor system along with the configura-tion of each room, in case a power outagecauses the in-room controller to losethese settings.

I N T E G R A T I O N 1 9

AV in the LibraryA major component of the university’s 2007library renovation was a distributed andcollaborative AV system, for use by bothstudents and the general public. Thedesign is intuitive, and enables remote andlocal control of the displays. The spacefunctions in a similar manner to technolo-gy-enhanced classrooms, yet blends in withthe overall aesthetics of the facility.

Eleven displays are distributed acrosstwo floors and eight rooms. Four of therooms are collaborative cubicles equippedwith 42-inch LCD panels, QM-WMCs, andQM-RXs. The QuickMedia cabling from

each room is fed to a QM-MD8X8 that alsoreceives feeds from both floors. With thisdesign, each room is capable of displayinglocal signals (from a laptop or AV device) orremote signals fed from two head-end loca-tions in other parts of the library. One roomis a self-service, student-only theater, fur-nished with audio-visual equipment, touch-panel, speakers, projector, and furniturethat can be easily rearranged for a variety ofuses. Two 65-inch LCD panels are located inan information lounge and receive remotefeeds, and will soon be used as part of adigital signage initiative at the University,still fed by QuickMedia technology.

QuickMedia technology with matrixswitching allows all displays to receiveremote AV signals when not in use locally.Rather than use a touchpanel to controlmost of the display devices, the video sens-ing ability of the QM-WMC connectionplates is used to trigger events such asturning on the display.

The response from students has beenoverwhelmingly positive, and the equip-ment has been in nearly constant use sincethe opening. There are also discussionsunderway of expanding the capabilities ofthe system to include more sources such asHD devices. ■

2 0 I N T E G R A T I O N

The new Crestron MPC delivers all-in-one solutions

that connect, control and route AV presentation

equipment in small, one-projector applications.

Secure and infinitely scalable, MPCs are wall or

lectern mount control systems that fit in a standard

3-gang box with the simplicity and flexibility to

meet the needs of presenters, support staff and

AV/IT management.

MPC can be implemented easily and consistently

in every room, lecture hall or auditorium, and the

award-winning Crestron RoomView® software

securely connects the most basic rooms to the

network for remote monitoring and control.

Standardize on Crestron for the only complete,

single-platform enterprise solution.

800.237.2041 l crestron.com

Simple + Scalable + Secure

PROJECTIONSCREEN

LAPTOP

PROJECTOR

MPC-M10

VOLUME

MPC-M25

POWER

PC

LIGHTS

OFF

LIGHTS

ON

SCREEN

DOWN

SCREEN

UP

AUTO

IMAGE

DOC

CAMERA

DVD

LAPTOP

CRESTRON

VOLUME

LANLAN

KEYPAD

Crestron RoomView®

The Crestron Difference:

� Simple – the basic pushbutton interface

is clearly labeled and easy to use. Every

model delivers the same button layout so

presenters can walk into any room and

immediately get started.

� Scalable – add a Crestron keypad or an

iLux™ using the Cresnet port on any MPC.

Every MPC model is available in a standard

3-gang box, so installation and upgrades

are simple.

� Secure – built-in SSL encryption makes

MPC the only control system for small

rooms that is safe on the network. Monitor,

manage and control every room with

Crestron RoomView® software.

Setup is Simple using the MPC Wizard

MPC-M25 rear shown.MPC-M25 shown. Other available models:MPC-M20, MPC-M10, MP-B20 and MP-B10

BY JOY ZACCARIAA log cabin is an unusual audio and videoinstallation site for Real Time Services (RTS),especially a huge one that seats up to 600people. As such, the new tabernacle at TheSalvation Army’s Pittstown, New Jerseysummer camp held its share of logistical andtechnical challenges. In order to accommo-date the professional audio gear, largemixer, four surround sound zones, and manyplasma and projection displays, the crewwas called upon to think outside the boxand inside the cabin.

The most challenging aspect of this proj-ect for RTS in the early stages was the lackof architectural drawings. “The tabernacle issimply a modified log cabin,” says projectmanager Paul Grandinetti at RTS. “We onlyhad basic drawings to work from for thedesign and installation phase. All measure-ments had to be done in the field to verifyproper equipment locations and critical dis-tances (i.e., projector throw and plasmaviewing angles).”

The goal of the system was to provideThe Salvation Army’s Camp Tecumseh with afacility that was flexible enough to allow onepresenter to run a presentation or, in theevent of a large event, to have multipleoperators running different parts of theaudio/video system. A summer camp inname, Tecumseh operates as a year-aroundfacility, hosting events as large as worshipservices at full capacity, to a summer theatri-cal performance by kids, or a movie night fora small audience.

The MissionThe log cabin is in the shape of a cross witha professional-caliber sound system thatcould be controlled by an untrained campcounselor if need be. When Major DonaldBerry, divisional commander for TheSalvation Army, first started to develop hisvision for a the tabernacle, he knew that akey to the success of the project would be aflexible audio/visual system that would meetthe needs of a wide range of events.

In transforming his vision into a reality,Major Berry turned to Real Time Services(RTS), as The Salvation Army has done formany projects in the New York area datingback to the early 1990s. In turn, Real TimesServices turned to Crestron to help meet thecritical needs of the project. “We wantedthe flexibility of allowing the audio/visualsystem to be run from the pulpit for morebasic events, or managed by multiple oper-ators behind the scenes,” said Major Berry.

The control system features a Crestroncontroller and multiple touchpanels. “Weneeded equipment that would give us theleast amount of service issues, since the spacewas in excess of two hours away from ouroffice,” says John Vezzi, vice president andone of the founding partners at Real TimesServices. “This system also provides the flexi-bility of doing a small or large program.”

Implementing Crestron equipment was akey to providing the flexibility The SalvationArmy desired for this project. Crestron’sPRO2 controller was selected to serve as the

LOGCABINC O N T R O L THE SALVATION ARMY’S NEW TABERNACLE AT CAMPTECUMSEH COMBINES SOLID LOG CABIN STRUCTUREWITH CUTTING EDGE AUDIO AND VIDEO TECHNOLOGY

2 2 I N T E G R A T I O N

brain of the entire system, while Crestron’sTPS-3000 6-inch touchpanel is the user inter-face at the podium. Real Time Services chosethe Crestron TPS-3100LB 6-inch touchpanelto be rack mounted in the balcony area.

As a result, the system can be operatedby someone without extensive AV technicalskills, such as a camp counselor. It providesease-of-use functionality for tasks such asraising and lowering a movie screen or play-ing a CD.

Touchpanel for the MassesRTS’ Mike Kabatsky was the lead installerand manager for all field technicians on thisproject. The RTS team understood that theend-users were the primary considerationwhen programming the Crestron touchpan-els. Kabatsky worked with the touchpanelprogrammer who came onsite to collabo-rate with the installation team to determinethe most sensible touchpanel functionalities.

Real estate on the touchpanel was a bigconsideration. “There are a lot of buttonsand not a lot of space,” says Kabatsky. “Wewere able to integrate a whole lot morefunctionality than we typically would.” Theteam provided separate microphone con-trols for each of the 40 microphones. Foraudio level control, there is program levelcontrol, zone level control, and the comput-er audio level control to consider. “Theywanted to be able to control the whole sys-tem, but also to have the ability to individu-ally control certain portions of the system,”adds Kabatsky.

Most of the operators at the tabernaclewere familiar with how signal flow works.“They come from a studio background, butthe goal was to make it easy for anybody touse,” says Kabatsky. “If you come onsite andgrab a touchpanel, you’d be able to takeany signal and route it anywhere you wantwith only a few presses.”

Overcoming ChallengesFor more complex activities, Crestron prod-ucts help enable the system to be run fromthe balcony facing the stage, with multipleoperators running the audio and visualaspects of the program. Theatrical lightsalso were installed, along with six plasmascreens and two projectors, which can pro-vide multi-imaging capabilities. Real TimeServices created an innovative solution toovercome the challenge of a visual obstruc-tion between the audio board area and thestage. A camera was placed above one ofthe projectors, giving the operator in thesound area a clear view of the stage via amonitor at the control board.

The size of the venue is a challenge in

itself. “That challenge is compounded bythe fact that there are no ceilings and nowalls. Everything is made out of logs,” saysKabatsky. “The biggest problem on-site waslocating cable in the proper locations. Atone point we had to take the entire crossbeam log off just to trace a single cable.”

The rack was located on the second flooron the other side of the cabin and every-thing else was on the first floor towards thecenter and front of the cabin. “All thecables ran through the basement,” saysKabatsky. “There was a lot of runningaround — up and down.”

The Crestron ST-COM was a pivotal pieceof equipment for Kabatsky and his crew. TheST-COM is an RS-232 COM port that inte-grates two ports. “We mounted themremotely,” says Kabatsky. “Since the distanceis so great, a regular RS-232 signal would notreach its destination in the tabernacle. Inorder to get control of the plasmas, we hadto extend them using the Cresnet cable,which transfers power through the cable andallows us to get longer cables out there.”

The PRO2, which is the brain of the sys-

tem, has only six COM ports. They neededmore than 12 of them to accommodate theadditional rack gear. “We took three ST-COMs and mounted them in the field,” saysKabatsky. “That provided us with control tothe plasmas.” Two of the plasmas sat on oneST-COM since there are two ports per unit.The team created custom brackets for theplasmas to mount the ST-COMs behind thedisplay. “There were three ST COMs mount-ed in the structure,” adds Kabatsky. “Thekey is to hide them.”

The physical installation started in June2007 and the RTS crew was finished by lateJuly. Feedback from the users has been verypositive. “Last I heard they loved it,” saysKabatsky. “They love the ease of the systemand they love the way it sounds.”

They also love the way the system inte-grates with what they’re doing on a dailybasis. “They can use any microphone justabout anywhere on the stage,” saysKabatsky. “They can view any image on anyplasma or any projector. They can do anymix they want. Ease of system use makeseverything so accessible.” ■

I N T E G R A T I O N 2 3

The snow had been falling for hours inMarquette, Michigan, and as the inchespiled up, residents of the Upper Peninsulawere watching it closely. Just 90 milesaway, at Michigan Technological University,David Chard, manager of instructionalresources, was wondering how he wouldget a message out quickly to faculty andstudents in the classroom — the schoolwould be shutting down early if the stormgot worse. In the end, Marquette received25 inches of snow, but Houghton, home toMichigan Tech, received only six.

“We were lucky this time,” says Chard,“But we realized it would be prudent tohave a way to communicate with the class-

rooms directly and effectively.” With that inmind, Michigan Tech is about to install newsoftware conceived and designed by KurtElfers of AVI Systems in New Berlin,Wisconsin. The software, AVI EmergencyMessage Transport (EMT) is designedspecifically to display messages on theCrestron touchpanels so prevalent on uni-versity and college campuses across thecountry. Forty of Michigan Tech’s newlyrenovated math and science classroomsalready have Crestron panels controllingthe AV systems. With the technologyalready in place, the new software promis-es a cost-effective, efficient way for real-time communication across campus.

Crestron in ControlAt the heart of Michigan Tech’s classroomtechnology are networked MPS-100 sys-tems, which provide AV control, switching,and audio amplification. “We designed theclassrooms according to their primary use,”says Chard. “Some have one projector,some have two, and some have multipleplasma monitors and projection screens.”In the same way, the classrooms areequipped with touchpanels ranging from 4to 15 inches diagonal, depending on thesophistication of the system. “We havethree lecture halls with video camerasmounted on the ceiling that we use forphysics experiments. The instructor can

[ ]NOTIF ICATION SOFTWARE LEVERAGES EXIST INGCRESTRON EQUIPMENT TO ALERT UNIVERSITY STAFFAND STUDENTS TO OUT-OF-THE-ORDINARY SITUATIONS

By Wendy L. Ellis

PREPARING FOR THEUNEXPECTED

2 4 I N T E G R A T I O N

zoom the cameras in on the experimentand show it on the plasma screens or thelarge projection screens so every studentcan view the information clearly.” EachMPS-100 is tied into the university’s net-work, and the entire system is monitoredby Chard and his team using RoomViewsoftware from the AV office.

The EMT software itself actually resideson a Windows PC. “The idea was that theusers who need to send the message in anemergency would be more comfortablewith a program on a Windows machine,”

says Elfers. “True emergency situationsdon’t happen very often, so they don’twant software that’s confusing and hard toremember.” The message is currently limit-ed to four lines of text with 20 characterseach, and the font adjusts to the screensize of the touchpanel receiving it.

A Crestron AV2 controller acts as thehead end of the messaging system. “TheWindows software actually talks to the AV2controller over the network and the infor-mation is then disseminated to every wiredCrestron touchpanel on campus. Linking

the Crestron to the Windows software wasthe key to the whole thing.” Elfers says asmall modification to each touchpanel’sprogramming, allowing it to “listen” forincoming messages, is all it takes to addthe EMT software to the classroom.

Chiming InElfers’ software takes advantage of a fea-ture of all Crestron touchpanels: two waycommunications. “If you want a button onthe touchpanel to close the drapes,” heexplains, “that’s one direction — just thepanel sending a message to the controlsystem.” But then the control systemgives the panel feedback to confirm that ithas received the message. If the paneldoes not receive that feedback, it sendsthe message again. “In the same way, ifwe want to put a message on the panel, ithas to come from the system to the panel,and that requires communications in thesecond direction as well.” Though everyCrestron touchpanel provides communica-tions in both directions, for a number ofreasons — not the least of which is thatvery few universities buy wireless panelsbecause of possible loss — Elfersdesigned his software to work with wiredtouchpanels only.

If university staff decides to send amessage, an alert tone will emanate fromany touchpanel equipped with speakers.Different tones and loudness levels indi-cate different degrees of urgency, as doesthe color of the message screen. “We canuse this system for any kind of notifica-tion,” says Elfers. “The message doesn’thave to be bright red and accompanied bya loud tone if it’s just about the team’s bigwin last night. For informational messageswe use a mild chime. For more urgentmessages we use something more like atelephone’s ring tone.” For those class-rooms equipped with touchpanels withoutspeakers, the message comes throughwithout the tone.

I N T E G R A T I O N 2 5

More to ComeAt the suggestion of another Michigan uni-versity also implementing the software,Elfers is adding two new features. Theclassroom’s sound system will be muted if amessage comes in, assuring that the classwill hear the touchpanel chime should theybe watching a video or listening to a lec-ture. The other programming change willallow a university to target a message toindividual buildings rather than the wholecampus. This change eliminates the needto interrupt a class unnecessarily if the mes-sage isn’t meant for them.

The main goal of the system is to reachthe maximum number of staff and studentsin the minimum amount of time. Elfers saysAVI is exploring the possibility of allowingthe EMT software to address campus digi-tal signage programs like those from Scala.The EMT software would override the mes-sages posted on monitors in lobbies andhallways around campus and post theemergency message instead, effectivelyreaching anyone not in class at the time.

AVI is also considering linking the EMTsoftware to cell phone messaging systems.

A redundant system has its advantages, asit may take a combination of technologiesto achieve full coverage. “We could link totheir systems, or they could link to ours,”says Elfers. “Then when the message goesout to all the cell phones it also goes out toall the touchpanels.” Cell phone messagingalone has its drawbacks. Cell phone recep-tion can be nonexistent inside some build-ings, and many phones are turned off dur-ing class time.

In the meantime, the EMT softwareoffers an exciting solution to the problemof sending last-minute messages to teach-ers and staff. “Right now, we are looking ata relatively low-cost, effective method ofdoing this,” says Elfers. “We’re leveragingexisting Crestron systems that are alreadyin each room to display the message. It’smuch less expensive than installing newhardware and it gets the message across.”The AVI-EMT software can be put to use inany educational or corporate setting whereCrestron touchpanels are found.

So the next time the snow begins to fallominously at Michigan Tech, David Chardwill have one less thing to worry about. ■

It’s a Sunday afternoon in Houghton,Michigan. Bob Hansen, manager of institu-tional resources, is logging on to his homecomputer just to make sure all is well in the40 classrooms at Michigan Tech wheresophisticated AV systems play a major role.Hansen is one of a handful of MichiganTech employees who have access to thestatus of those systems on a 24/7 basis withCrestron’s RoomView Enterprise software.

Hansen and other tech specialists nolonger spend hours crisscrossing campuschecking on equipment and offering solu-tions to equipment problems. When thereis a problem, most often the techs candiagnose and solve the problem usingRoomView. Maintenance, too, is simpli-fied. “Every hundred hours you have toclean the filters in these projectors. Nowrather than having to run to every class-room to check, I can just open up myCrestron software, click on a room, andsee how many hours it’s been since the fil-ter’s been cleaned.”

Security, too, has been simplified. “Ifsomebody disconnects a projector or cutsthe wires, an alarm goes off letting usknow it’s been disconnected,” saysHansen. “On our screen there would beaudio and then a red flashing light thattells us the projector in this room has beendisconnected.”

For Paul Raymond, the AV specialist whoprogrammed RoomView to fit MichiganTech’s needs, flexibility was the key. “TheCrestron control systems have two pro-gramming components — a logic compo-nent and a user interface component. Theuser interface is the Crestron touchpanelconsisting of various sources and destina-tions. Available features vary in differentinstallations. The RoomView monitoring sys-tem allows us to organize the monitoredsystems any way we want. In our case, wehave organized the rooms according tobuildings and room classifications.RoomView was designed to be flexible andcustomizable to fit our needs.”

Whatever the day brings, MichiganTech’s AV support specialists are nowequipped with real-time knowledge of theequipment in their care. As the universityexpands its classroom technology,RoomView reaches out and welcomes it intothe fold.

ROOMS WITHA VIEW ATMICHIGAN TECH

2 6 I N T E G R A T I O N

800.237.2041 l www.crestron.com

The new Crestron DVPHD, High Definition Digital Video Processor displays

up to eight sources in scalable video windows simultaneously. The DVPHD

processes DVI/RGBHV and HDMI signals with native rate resolutions up to

1080p or 1920 x 1200. The DVPHD is the only video processor that is HDCP

compliant, enabling the display of protected content in HD. True 10-bit video

processing and state-of-the-art Gennum VXP scalers ensure the highest

quality video images. Native touchpanel graphics and dynamic text make

the DVPHD the world’s only true HD Presentation Display.

TRUE……High-Definition Display

Available Models:

> DDVPHD-DUALTwo scalable video windows

> DDVPHD-QUADFour scalable video windows

> DDVPHD-PROEight scalable video windows

The NEW

DVPHD…High DefinitionDigital Video Processor

BY DAWN ALLCOTIt’s Saturday afternoon in midtownManhattan and a 58- x 45-foot LED screenbeckons pedestrians from the street.Oversized moving graphics constantlycompete for tourist attention in TimesSquare and on the surrounding streets, butthe wholesomeness of this image tugs atyour childhood memories and you stop.

You pull open the heavy glass door onBroadway and are transported immediate-ly into a chocolate wonderland, where

M&M’S nostalgia and modern cartoonimagery blend to create a treat for allages. You inhale the scent of chocolateand hard candy shell and, in the back-ground, hear the slow rumbling of a race-car engine. Lively background music isdetected just above the din of excitedchildren. The store is warm and crowded,but abuzz with New York City excitement,so you venture upstairs to see what treas-ures further investigation will unveil.You’re not disappointed.

Unique Venue For AVThe M&M’S World store in New York City,one of only three stores of its kind devotedto the 66-year-old candy treat that “meltsin your mouth, not in your hand,” useshigh-tech audiovisual equipment and aCrestron control system to create an inter-active experience that blends the conceptsof theme park attraction, tourist site, andretail environment. The systems, designedand installed by Excel Media Systems ofNew York, New York, span three levels and

THE M&M STORE STANDS OUT FROM THE REST IN NEW YORK CITY'S TIMES SQUARE

MARKETINGTHAT MELTS IN

YOUR MOUTH

2 8 I N T E G R A T I O N

21,000 square feet of prime real estate at1600 Broadway, near Times Square.

M&M’S Candy, manufactured by Mars,Inc., has a rich marketing history, and ele-ments of that history are evident throughoutthe store. The modern animated M&M’Scharacters that star in today’s television commercials stand on display next to retro t-shirts featuring weathered M&M’S logos.

The AV centerpiece of the store, a high-tech interactive system called the M&M’SProfiler, also blends new technology withretro advertising. The Profiler uses a mix ofblack and white and full-color graphics onvideo screens to set a mood, and, when visitors step into the Profiler, they are treated to a 21st century adventure.

Excel Media Systems’ director of engi-neering, Eric Cox, explains: “One of thehighlights of the store is the Profiler. It’s agraphic simulation of a video scanner,which essentially assigns visitors a randomM&M’S color and a cute, little personalityprofile that goes with that color.”

Interestingly, one of the key innovatorsof the technology behind the project, ExcelMedia Systems president Robert A. Menell,has never experienced the Profiler himself.“I’ve never stood still that long!” he offers.

ChallengesChallenges to the project, according toMenell, included an extremely tight deadline,a reverberant acoustic environment, andcoordination between the different contrac-tors involved in the project, including con-struction, lighting, in-store display, signage,architectural, and electrical.

“There are always challenges,” Menellsays, “but this one had a particularly diffi-cult one!” Menell’s outgoing, no-holds-barred personality and “get-it-done” atti-tude was evident throughout our inter-views; his demeanor makes it easy to seewhy he and Excel Media were selected tomanage the AV design and installationaspects of the M&M’S World store.

Menell is a New Yorker through andthrough — fast-paced yet meticulous, per-sonable yet business-like.

“We were local talent,” says Menell, out-lining his qualifications and the client’sneeds in the same breath. “We knew whatwe had to do with the unions, we knewhow to deal with the construction processin New York, and we were familiar with the technology.”

This fact should, perhaps, be a given onan upscale, high-profile project such as theM&M’S store, but Menell reveals that hiscompany was called in late in the game toredesign the system, working with mediaprovider Show & Tell Productions, BrianDixon of Dixon Entertainment Arts, andJeff Uter, principal of PremiereManagement Alliance and project managerfor the M&M’S store.

September to DecemberExcel signed on in late September; theproject had to be done by mid-December.Menell got to work right away, calling allthe trades together for a four-hour meet-ing, during which they established theclient’s needs, looked at conceptual draw-ings, then boiled those drawings down tothe very fine technical details.

“After one meeting with all parties,

I N T E G R A T I O N 2 9

including the general contractor,Mackenzie-Keck, we established what wehad to do to meet the client’s requirementsand a schedule with milestone dates,”Menell says. “Time was running short.Drawings had to be done and approved,equipment had to be ordered, and infra-structure had to be installed. All of this wascritical for the success of the project.”

To expedite certain aspects of the instal-lation, Excel Media provided the electricalcontractor, E.J. Electric, with cable pullschedules and diagrams of hard mountingpoints, which Menell says helped clarifytheir role within the large-scale project.

“Honestly, I’ve never been involved in aproject before where everybody was so will-ing to work together to get the job done.We all worked in the same direction, we alltook our instructions to heart, and we gotthe job done. We had a great, talentedstaff, and everyone contributed their skills.”

First Floor AV SystemsThe three-level installation includes zonedpaging systems and background music onevery level, controlled through a Crestron sys-tem with a wired 10-inch color touchpaneland a portable 10-inch WiFi panel with dualEthernet card for remote control from anylocation. The systems are easy to use: In themorning, the store manager fires up the sys-tems storewide with the touch of one button.

The manager-on-duty can control vol-ume and on/off functions in the differentzones, raising the volume levels in high-traffic areas during busy parts of the day, orlowering the background music when busi-ness is slow. The first floor includes zonedpaging and background music throughSoundTube RS800i ceiling speakers. Theboxes are custom-painted in “M&M’Sbrown” to blend in with the décor.

Tall ceilings and glass windows createdacoustical challenges in the room. “It took

several tries to tweak it to the point whereit gave the kind of punchiness the clientwanted out of the sound system,” Coxexplains. SoundTube 601 subs offer low-end frequencies on the first floor.

The SoundTube 800i 8-inch speakersoffered a wide coverage pattern, shootingdown from the 21-foot ceiling, at 70 volts.“The SoundTube speakers did such a goodjob, even at that elevation, we needed lessto cover the store,” Cox notes.

Second Floor, NASCARAs the primary colors and hustle-bustle ofthe main floor attract people into theM&M’S store, low rumblings of a racecardraw people upstairs to the second floor,where an actual NASCAR vehicle sits on aplatform. The NASCAR exhibit operates inits own zone, permitting separate control ofthe Tannoy TS10 subwoofers that simulatethe sound of a racecar revving its engine. “If

3 0 I N T E G R A T I O N

you’re not paying attention to it,” Eric Coxsays, “you just hear a quiet rumbling in thebackground, and then it gets louder and itsounds like the car is actually running.”

This “AV magic” is accomplishedthrough JBL Control 28s and the Tannoysubs mounted beneath the car, playing atextremely low frequencies.

Background music and paging on thesecond floor are accomplished throughadditional SoundTube 800i ceiling speak-ers, with Altec Lansing CommStar speakersproviding coverage beneath the third-floorbalcony and in the restrooms.

M&M’S ProfilerThe NASCAR exhibit, background music,and colorful displays contribute to theambiance and magic of the store’s secondfloor, but there’s another fun reward forshoppers who venture upstairs, too: theM&M’S Profiler. Anyone who’s seen thecurrent M&M’S commercials, with thesmiling, talking, walking candy, can relateto one character or another. Step into theM&M’S Profiler, and modern technologywill tell you which M&M you are!

Customers step onto an M&M’S circleon the floor and the scan begins. A remotecontrol infrared lighting sensor activatesmoving lights when it detects a personwithin the circle. This simulates a scanningeffect. At the same time, the customer’simage appears on a 26-inch LCD screen,thanks to an Elmo microvideo cameramounted above the display.

The camera captures the user’s image asthe light “scans” back and forth. Remote-controlled pan/tilt and zoom functions onthe camera enhance the effect of the cus-tomer being “scanned.” Audio files, acti-vated through the Crestron control system,tell users that their mood is being detectedthrough the Profiler. Dual JBL Control 23speakers provide the audio.

Moments later, an M&M’S color and per-sonality profile graphic are randomlyassigned and appear on the screen. Usersstep out of the scanner knowing their M&M’Spersonality profile and color — for now!

Two Stewart Filmscreen custom-

designed round screens, two LC-XT3 Eiki10,000-lumen projectors, and four Fireflymedia players from Focus Enhancementsdisplay M&M’S graphics to help set themood with a combination of black-and-white and full-color graphics. All of thehardware is controlled by a CrestronPRO2 Control System.

Digital SignageExterior signage completes the overall AVpackage for the M&M’S World New YorkStore. Two large plasma screens provideongoing content at the street level. Dual

LED displays measuring 32 x 32 feet and58 x 45 feet provide “eye candy” (so tospeak) for pedestrians outside the store,hinting at the level of technology they willfind inside. One LED faces Broadway,while the other is located on 7th Avenueand 48th Street, facing downtown. Videocontent is provided via the Internet fromShow & Tell Productions, the companythat also provides audio content for insidethe store.

This article originally ran in the July 2007issue of Sound & Communications.

“The wholesome-ness of this imagetugs at your child-hood memoriesand you stop.”

I N T E G R A T I O N 3 1

Located about a mile from its original site,the Jamestown Settlement in Williamsburg,Virginia, tells the story of America’s firstEnglish colonists and their interactions withVirginia’s Native Americans through galleryexhibits, film presentations, and impressiveoutdoor living-history displays recountingthis integral period in 17th-centuryAmerica. Not far away, the YorktownVictory Center offers timelines, thematic

exhibitions, and outdoor demonstrationsthat concentrate on what life was like forordinary men and women during theAmerican Revolution.

Several years ago, the JamestownSettlement called upon the Virginia Beach-based office of AV systems integration firmThe Whitlock Group to install a turnkey AVsolution for the facility’s main theater,which uses a Crestron control system to

replay a short movie in 15-minute intervalsand to automatically adjust the lighting lev-els and doors.

Systems integration work on the facilityresumed recently when The WhitlockGroup concluded an installation in theJamestown Gallery, a multi-exhibit spacefeaturing a full Crestron control system thatoversees functionality for the AV technolo-gy in the exhibit.

HIGHTECHHISTORY

JAMESTOWNCAPTIVATES VISITORS WITH AHIGH-POWEREDAUTOMATEDAUDIO/VIDEOSYSTEM

BY CAROLINE HEINZE

3 2 I N T E G R A T I O N

Interacting with History“The client wanted something user-friendlythat would allow them to do more than justdisplay artifacts,” says Rodney Coronel,account manager at The Whitlock Group.“There are some interactive exhibits withnewer content, as opposed to a traditionalmuseum where there is a lot of readinginvolved. They are doing a lot with film andinteractive displays.”

Therefore, a Crestron IP-based controlsystem, featuring e-Control®2, enableswireless remote operation of all systems on the site.

“There are approximately 16 exhibitsthat are tied to the Crestron control sys-tem,” says Phil Raymond, AV systemsdesign engineer at The Whitlock Group.“Everything is automated: it is set up sothat it comes on at a certain time and goesoff at a certain time in the evening, and itruns all day long.”

According to Brian Eckenroth, seniorproject manager at The Whitlock Group,the new gallery features three exhibits withinteractive audio, one of which also fea-tures theatrical lighting control. All theexhibits feature the same equipment —two audio players, an amplifier, and twoSoundstik handheld loudspeakers fromVista Group that are triggered magnetical-

ly. “The Crestron system detects this trig-ger and tells the [audio player] to play theaudio track,” Eckenroth says. “When theSoundstik is hung up, the Crestron stopsplayback of the track.”

The audio tracks feature backgroundsounds such as birds, water movement, ortrees being chopped. One of the tracksalso features background audio thatchanges to match day and night scenes.

Raymond notes that the open-conceptconfiguration of the gallery called for high-ly directional loudspeakers. “Since thegallery is one big, open box, there had tobe a lot of point source loudspeakers inthere that would still fill a large space with-out bleeding over into the rest of thegallery,” he says. The Whitlock Group’ssolution was to install a number ofSoundTube 6.5-inch coaxial open ceiling-and surface-mount loudspeakers.

Total ControlThe “Contrasting Technology” exhibit isequipped with a 42-inch Panasonic plasma,a touch-sensitive 19-inch NEC LCD moni-tor, and a Tannoy in-wall loudspeaker. TheNEC monitor allows visitors to choose oneof three options. The monitor then commu-nicates their choice via the video distribu-tion system to a Dell computer that stores

the media. The chosen media is displayedon the 50-inch plasma, with audio playedthrough the loudspeaker.

The African Object Theater, which isequipped with three Panasonic projectorsand Soundtube loudspeakers with an 8-channel amplifier, does not feature hands-on functionality, but a Crestron Pro2 con-trol system controls its lighting to corre-spond with the movie, displaying the dif-ferent exhibits as they appear in the movie.

“The Crestron control system in themuseum is very detailed,” Eckenroth says.“It is constantly controlling the interactivedisplays, as they are in use all day. Thereare controls to allow for extended times in the busy visitor season. The wireless controller allows the [Jamestown staff] towalk around from exhibit to exhibit andmake on-the-fly adjustments for sound levels if needed.”

Also, for special occasions, any moviethat is displayed can be stopped andrestarted to allow for questions. “The con-trol system at Jamestown is linked withother systems at the Yorktown VictoryCenter, as well, allowing Jamestown’s AVspecialist, Jan Heuvel, to monitor and con-trol the Yorktown systems from his office atthe principal site. “I can sit in my office andcheck the system out,” Heuvel says. “We

I N T E G R A T I O N 3 3

have a lot of functions here, which are afterhours, so we need to turn the system onand off and put it back into automaticmode.” He adds that Crestron RoomView®

software helps him to keep track of lamplife on the projectors.

Raymond adds that Heuvel and his teamhave manual control over the system whennecessary — a feature that comes in handyduring special events. “We have given himmanual control over everything, as well asfull automation, so that if, for example,they have a large group coming in for anexhibition, he can restart things and makethe system work without having theautomation take control,” Raymond says.“They wanted it to be automatic and user-friendly, but they also wanted manual con-trol.” Heuvel says that the simplicity of thesystem also makes it easier for otherstaffers to operate it. “We tried to simplifythe touchpanel,” he says. “If somethinggoes down, they are able to turn the sys-tem back on. I don’t find it a hard system touse — it’s pretty simplified.”

Lighting and Video ConvergenceBill Schafer, director of product and channeldevelopment at Crestron Electronics inRockleigh, New Jersey, notes that museumssuch as the facility at Jamestown aredemonstrating considerable use of automa-tion technology in all aspects of their oper-ations these days. Behind the scenes, con-trol technology is used for primary buildingfunctions, such as lighting and HVAC.

“One area is running the building: wehave a lot of lighting control systems that areused to manage the property as well as envi-

ronmental controls,” Schafer says. As tech-nology continues to progress, how museumvisitors interact with various kiosks and dis-plays will grow more sophisticated, too.

After a decade of rising dominance, theconvergence of AV and IT remains an issuethat still retains its significance. Today, how-ever, Schafer says there is another conver-gence taking place: that of lighting andvideo. “Those two are merging, and Ibelieve that they will have a future in a lotof museums,” he says, noting that the tech-nology exists to enable lights to play backvideo, or have their color temperatureadjust in accordance with a video clip oreven an audio clip. “They are definitelymaking an impact in the theatrical world,and I believe that [the technology] will havean impact in the museum market as well.”

In the end, the pressure in theJamestown installation stemmed from itshistorical importance. “It isn’t just any

museum — it’s Jamestown,” Eckenrothsays. “There was a lot of pressure for this toall work and look and sound the best. Afterall, the Queen and President Bush came tovisit for the 400th anniversary celebration.”

This made it even more important toensure that the AV and control technologywas kept out of sight. “Nearly everythingis invisible,” Eckenroth says. “I spent moretime hiding and disguising equipment soit could not be seen than probably any-thing else. This museum flows well. Allexhibits play their part and tell a story. Theequipment we installed fits perfectly intocreating what the customer wanted. Themuseum is unique for having actual histor-ical artifacts on display, and the installa-tion is unique in that it is able to workaround all of those irreplaceable items,and in the large number of audio andvideo files that work together to tell thestory of our country.” ■

3 4 I N T E G R A T I O N

AmplifierModels available with choice of 40 w stereo,70V, or 100V amplifier built-in to support screen-oriented or distributed ceilingspeaker systems.

2-Series Control SystemFeatures a built-in Crestron 2-Series Ethernetcontrol system with e-Control® Web server,RS-232, IR, digital input and relay control portsfor integration with third-party equipment.

8-Channel Mic Mixer2 gated mic/line inputs included on most MPSmodels. Up to 6 additional microphone signalsaccepted through 3 QM inputs. Features 4-bandEQ per mic.

Professional Audio8 stereo inputs accept balanced or unbalancedline-level signals. 3 QM inputs for additionalaudio sources. Discrete PROGRAM, SPEECH and RECORD outputs feature matrix-mixing,12-band parametric EQ and speech delay.

QuickMediaTM MatrixIn addition to conventional video and computersignals, MPS also accepts and routes CrestronQuickMedia signals.

System SwitcherMPS provides high performance switching ofvideo and RGB computer sources. Video switchingprovides discrete and simultaneous RGB,composite, S-video, and component outputs.

Crestron MPS System integrates a 2-Series Control System,

Multimedia Matrix Switcher, Amplifier, Mic Mixer, Audio Processor,

and QuickMediaTM distribution center all into a single rackmountable

package. MPS brings a complete presentation control and signal routing

solution to boardrooms, classrooms and auditoriums. MPS works right

out-of-the-box; no separate control system, no programming, and no

laptop for configuration.

>> Dedicated touchpanel preview output

>> Gated mic inputs and mic mixing

>> Compatible with RoomView® Remote Asset Management

>> 12-band parametric equalization & delay

>> Out-of-the-box switching & audio control

>> Balanced audio inputs and output

>> Discrete program, speech, & record outputs

>> QuickMediaTM Connectivity

>> Seamless plug-and-play connectivity

>> Easy setup with MediaManager Wizard

>> True native HD & high resolution RGBHV signal outputs

800.237.2041 | crestron.com

T E C H N I C A L

The need for real “green” solutions is rapidly increasingas state and city governments are passing legislationrequiring new commercial construction projects to attainLEED certification. Even the Federal government nowrequires all new government and military spaces be LEEDcertified. Unfortunately, most companies in our industrylack the vision or leadership to provide little more thanmarketing tag lines. Dealers hunger for answers and growmore frustrated each day as they sit across the table from

potential clients empty-handed. With one exception, the brightest ideas that our industry hasprovided is to dim the lights and automatically turn off a plasma or projector.

Crestron has published a research study, which is cleverly dubbed a “green paper,”that provides compelling data to support the concept of a fully integrated solution in which

AV and environmental systems all intelligently communicate with each other via a central con-trol system, and react to varying conditions to optimize energy and cost savings. Variablessuch as natural light, temperature, time of day, occupancy, and room usage are all weightedin an algorithm and each device or sub-system is then adjusted, turned on, or turned off.

For example, a room that is not used every day is booked for a meeting. The normal statefor that room is “unoccupied” in which the shades are closed, the temperature is set to acertain level (lower in the winter and higher in the summer — shades may also raise or lowerbased on time/season to keep a consistent room temperature) and all the AV equipment is“off.” Fifteen minutes before the meeting is scheduled to begin, the temperature is auto-matically adjusted to a more comfortable level; ten minutes before the meeting begins theprojector turns on to warm up; five minutes before the room is scheduled (or if occupancyis sensed prior) the shades raise and the lights turn on. When the meeting is finished andvacancy is confirmed, the room returns to the “unoccupied” or normal state.

This type of high-level functionality requires sophisticated programming, is not for thenovice, and could certainly be time consuming. Crestron has that covered, too. As part ofthe CRESTRON GREEN LIGHT™ product line, developers are writing the code for a “greenmodule.” Once the control module is complete and fully tested, it will be posted free ofcharge to all Crestron dealers and programmers on the Crestron website. Once down-loaded, as with all Crestron control modules, the program will reside as an icon within theSystemBuilder™ application. At that point, providing the most powerful, fully integrated“green” solution is as easy as drag-and-drop.

The plan for the “green” module is to provide the basis for robust control of all Crestron light-ing solutions, including dimming, switching, motor, and fan control, thermostat and humidistatcontrol, shade and drape control, and audio-video control (such as sync sensing, auto standby fea-tures, etc.). Advanced features such as automatic load shedding, daylight harvesting, and powerconditioning will also be included.The module will provide an excellenttemplate from which programmerscan modify controllable systems,dimming and temperature levels,and schedules for each project.Crestron features a look at its new“green” graphical interface on itswebsite.

The GUI demonstrates yetanother impressive feature of CRE-STRON GREEN LIGHT solutions.The GUI design and functionality isbased on data collected from the

award-winning EcoManor project inAtlanta, and research conducted by theUnited States Green Building Council(USGBC), which suggests that people willmodify their behavior to conserve energy ifthey see what they are consuming andspending.

Bi-directional communication directly withlighting loads, rather than with dimmers, pro-vides true real-time information back to thecontrol system, which in turn can be graphi-cally displayed on touchpanels. Some touch-panels even support Flash 9 for incrediblydynamic graphics and animations. Thetouchpanel displays intuitive and interactivegraphics that illustrate precise levels forevery load, thermostat, and shade in a room,floor, or building. Furthermore, calculationsmade in the background determine currentenergy usage, costs, and carbon output,which are all displayed on the touchscreen.

By using the touchpanel to select differ-ent pre-set conditions or “scenes,” or tomanually adjust individual loads, the usercan watch the energy consumption, costs,and carbon output change on the fly. Forexample, selecting “green” mode dims thelights 10 percent and sets back the temper-ature a few degrees. The real dollar savingsand carbon footprint reduction is immedi-ately quantified and displayed. Next, select“Statistics” to see, based on the current set-tings, real energy and cost savings over var-ious time periods such as month, year, fiveyears, and ten years. Projected lamp life isalso indicated on the GUI screen.

While no single system can achieveLEED certification, it’s this type of creativevision and leadership our industry needs to remain relevant and competitive in the future.

To experience live CRESTRON GREENLIGHT demonstrations online, go towww.crestron.com/gogreen.

Getting the GREEN LIGHTCrestron offers a real solution for companies looking to go green

3 6 I N T E G R A T I O N

T E C H N I C A L

Reviewer: Tony Caliento, President and Chief Engineer, ATC AudioKey Crew: Bob Pelletier, Systems Specialist/ProgrammerWayne Krupa, Systems Specialist/Programmer

Based in West Springfield, MA, ATC Audio specializes in the sale, installation, design, service,and rental of pro audio, video, and lighting equipment. The company is also factory-trained inproduct system design and has won a number of awards for its customer service.

Recently, ATC Audio received the very first shipment of MPS-300 Multimedia PresentationSystems and successfully integrated the solution in a multi-use room in Western Massachusetts.

For our most recent project— a multi-use room in a mil-itary institution that we do alot of work with — we origi-nally designed the wholesystem with QM routers.The client needed a reliablesolution that would give

them superior audio performance in a single- or split-room setup, as the room can be splitdown the middle and used as two separate spaces. So our original plans called for QM, butwhen we saw that the MPS-300 would soon be available, we waited the extra time for theproduct to ship so we could fit them into the design we had in place. From a functionalitystandpoint, it offered us the same versatility and power that a lot of our previous MPS-200projects demanded, but with the front-panel controls we were able to provide the level ofcontrol redundancy that is vital for military facilities.

The MPS-300 also condensed a lot of everything we love about a Crestron solution intoone unit. We choose a number of QM-WMC panels with microphone inputs for the room, androuting those inputs through the 300 via CAT5 and Cresnet® just made the entire system somuch more streamlined and neat — not to mention less wire to pull. This solution took theplace of bulky analog cabling and line driving amps, which would have meant just a mess ofaudio, video, and control cabling.

The DSP capabilities on the MPS-300 are just outstanding. It was very easy to setup andcalibrate the systems using the Crestron Toolbox™ — aligning video signals and also laying outvarious EQ functions to account for room EQ, feedback, time delay, noise gating, and com-pression on the mics.

We installed one MPS-300 in the front of room rack with other sources for the room, andanother MPS-300 in the back of the room rack. If the operators need to split the room for acertain function, they can do so very quickly with one button touch via any of the touchpan-els that are mounted throughout the room.

We worked very closely with Crestron tech support throughout the entire project, and theywere very helpful, especially with the SIMPL programming. Mark Reilly and his team were great.

All-in-all, we are only scratching the surface with regard to the functionality of the MPS-300.While this is the first shipment of the MPS-300, we have had no problems or glitches with theunits, and we have it quoted for future jobs already. It speaks volumes about Crestron andquality of product they manufacture.

The MPS-300 gives us a whole new way of designing. With the QM I/O built in, we candesign a system that runs source and control signals at almost any distance without concern.The product is truly a joy to work with. ■

MPS-200: 5 QuestionsMitch Brown, CTS, Assistant Director of Media Technology Services, Claremont McKenna College offers his views on the MPS-200

Describe the application or environment in which you installed MPS.MITCH BROWN: All the MPS-200 units areinstalled in classroom locations. The majority ofthem are 70V systems that replaced an existingcontrol system. Most of the rooms contain anLCD projector, DVD, VCR, and two VGAsources. They also have a 70V audio system, aswell as ceiling mics and one wireless mic.How easy is it to install? Does it change the way you design or install systems?The installation process was fairly simple. Allthe connectors are provided and the manualis very detailed. This system streamlined ourequipment needs. We were able to removetwo switchers, an amp, an equalizer, and afeedback suppressor. What features are particularly important to you?For our applications, the important featuresare the number of conventional inputs and thenetwork interface. We are able to upload andtroubleshoot via a network connection fromanywhere on the network. Having the com-bined switching, audio amplification, mixing,and control all in one box is a great advantage.What challenges did the technology help to overcome or improve?We improved the reliability of the system byeliminating quite a few older components andconsolidating them into one unit. We have lessequipment to monitor. Network managementwas one of the greatest improvements. Also,the use of RoomView with this system enablesreporting and real-time status, which is usedby our help desk to solve minor problems.Would you standardize on MPS for presentation and classrooms? The unit works very well. We have standard-ized on this unit for our classroom installs. Wecurrently have 14 rooms installed, and will beadding 18 more this summer.

MPS-300 MultimediaPresentation SystemA real-world review from an integration expert

I N T E G R A T I O N 3 7

T E C H N I C A L

Like it or not HDMI is here to stay. Presentation systems display content, usually from com-puters, laptops, and DVD players. Dell PCs and DVD players all have DVI or HDMI outputs,and Macs have DVI connectors. Up until today, dealers have been able to tell clients thatHDMI is not ready yet and avoid switching and distributing these types of signals. Often aHDMI signal is knocked down to an analog component signal for distribution. Soon, how-ever, clients that are spending big money on 1080p displays and are used to true HD qual-

ity images at home will demand the same quality in the office or university. High-end displays, video games and Blu-ray players are driving HD specs

and customer expectations through the roof. Today’s HD displays arecapable of 1080p, 60 Hz and 24-bit color. The HDMI 1.3a specification

increases its single-link bandwidth from 165 MHz (4.95 Gbps) to340 MHz (10.2 Gbps) to support the capabilities of next-gen-

eration displays such as 1440p (2560x1440), 120 Hz, andDeep Color. Deep Color enables the processing

and transmission of billions rather than millionsof colors, greatly increasing a display’s contrast

ratio, vividness, and accuracy. While HD content such as HDTV (satelliteand cable) and Blu-ray are delivered as com-pressed MPEG streams, all outputs on theplayback devices are uncompressed video.

Only HDMI can transmit full uncompressed HDsignals with Deep Color and deliver optimal refresh

rates, which eliminates jerkiness of movie content and optimizes the display’s capabilities. More importantly, now that the HD signal wars are over, DVD players will join VCRs in

trash bins and yard sales, replaced by Blu-ray players, which will be integrated into laptopsand computers. Content is king, and Blu-ray embeds High-Definition Content Protection(HDCP). Component HD signals do not carry HDCP encryption, so all HD signals must betransmitted as HDMI.

HDMI signals deliver full picture quality, but are limited to short cables, making true HDdigital distribution nearly impossible. In-line amplifiers may not help if they simply boost thesignal, adding noise that may result in lost data, rather than regenerating the digital signal.A bad HDMI signal can result in dropped or frozen frames, HDCP errors, or complete sig-nal loss, which will stop playback.

The critical issue withdistributing HD content,however, is not drivingthe signal over long dis-tances. Certainly theHDMI 1.3a specificationof a mere 50 feet is achallenge, but one that isbeing addressed by sev-

eral experienced distribution and switching companies in our industry that are making bet-ter line drivers. The problem lies in processing and distributing the control signal embed-ded in the content and transmitted via HDMI or DVI. HDCP is a highly complex technologydeveloped by Intel to control the distribution of digital content. (See related HDCP story onthe next page.)

In this digital age, where anyone can record or download content, and instantly dis-tribute that content globally on the Internet, movie studios are understandably concernedabout piracy. Financial institutions and universities are also concerned about protectingcontent. Investment banks and hedge funds conduct morning video teleconference meet-

ings in which they discuss stocks and commodities they will buy and sell thatday. Millions of dollars are at stake if theinformation is intercepted. Universitiesrecord and distribute classes and conductdistance learning courses. Students arenow recording these lectures and postingthem on YouTube, which costs universitiesthousands of dollars in lost tuition each semester.

HDCP is designed to prevent contentfrom being recorded, played, displayed, ordistributed without authorization. A simpledigital video switcher cannot manage themultiple levels of encryption, key codes, andhandshakes that are required to distribute anHD signal. HDCP is designed to block non-compliant signals. If the HDCP encryption isnot properly managed by the mid-streamdevice, the signal will not be displayed.

Technically, HDMI distribution is a controland communications challenge. As the con-trol systems leader, Crestron has been man-aging HDMI/DVI with HDCP for years. Forexample, the DVPHD is a multi-window HDvideo processor that accepts multiple HDMIsignals and processes and decodes all thelayers of encryption, then regenerates themon each of the outputs to deliver pristine1080p or 1920x1200 HD signals in multiplevideo windows simultaneously. No othermulti-window display or video processoravailable today can do that. Similarly, theAdagio Media System with AdvancedImage Processing (AMS-AIP) features anintegrated video source switcher thataccepts HDMI and DVI signals and process-es the selected signal, including the contentprotection, then regenerates the signal tothe display to deliver a pure HD image.

Crestron is also introducing a revolution-ary new technology called DigitalMedia™,which is designed to route and distributeHDMI signals over extended distances whileprocessing and managing HDCP contentprotection.

For a sneak peak at DigitalMedia go towww.crestron.com/digitalmedia.

“HDMI distributionis a control andcommunications

challenge.”

Dealing with HDMIBe prepared to service your clients with the digital video standard

3 8 I N T E G R A T I O N

T E C H N I C A Lfour differential pairs from the source to the sink.

DDC. The Digital Display Channel (DDC)is a communications interface. This interfaceprovides two-way communication in a mas-ter-slave relationship. The upstream deviceis the DDC master and the downstreamdevice is the DDC slave.

Hot Plug Detect. The sink indicates itspresence to the source with the Hot PlugDetect (HPD) signal. The sink can toggle theHot Plug Detect signal to reset the HDMIconnection (and thus the HDCP session).

RxSense. Though not specifically definedby HDMI, many devices support a featureknown as RxSense. Similarly to HPD, this signal can be used to detect the presence of a sink.

HDCP OverviewTo protect content, the HDCP system firstauthenticates HDCP devices and thenencrypts the content. Authenticationoccurs over the DDC channel and assuresthat all devices receiving the content arelicensed and authorized to receive the con-tent. After successful authentication, theTMDS data streams are encrypted to pre-vent other devices from eavesdropping onthe content during transmission.

HDCP devices are organized in a treetopology, as shown in the figure 1. The treemay have at most 127 devices and may beno more than 7 levels deep.

A single point-to-point HDCP link caninvolve only one HDCP transmitter and oneHDCP receiver. As such, a repeater mustdecrypt the content at the HDCP receiveron each of its inputs. The repeater mustthen re-encrypt the data with an HDCPtransmitter on each of its outputs. Therepeater must inform the upstream deviceof its downstream connections, and it is therepeater’s responsibility to maintain thoseconnections. (See figure 2.)

HDCP Implementation ElementsThe HDCP specification doesn’t addressimplementation, but, in practice, device manufacturers typically buy HDCP chipsfrom a DCP-licensed silicon vendor. Thesechips usually also provide TMDS encodersor decoders and other HDMI-specific features. Every transmitting device willhave at least one HDCP transmitter chip andevery receiving device will have at least oneHDCP receiver chip. The HDCP transmittersand receivers frequently require a micro-processor to implement the authentication.

BY ROBERT CARTERDigial content providers and institutions that distribute digital content are increasingly concerned about pirates copying and sharing copyrighted material. To protect digital con-tent as it’s transmitted over cables between devices, Intel developed a DRM scheme knownas the High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection system (HDCP). HDCP has recentlyenjoyed rapid, widespread adoption in the consumer electronics space, but has beenplagued by interoperability issues.

HDMIHDCP was originally designed to protect AV content transmitted over the Digital VideoInterface (DVI), then the High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI). The HDMI specifi-cation defines an interface for carrying digital audiovisual content from a source to a display device. Repeaters, such as switches or AV receivers, may accept and re-transmitHDMI content.

Repeaters have two separate HDMI connections: the upstream connection with the sourceand the downstream connection with the sink (or another repeater). Within each connection,the upstream device sends audiovisual data to the downstream device.

The physical HDMI cable carries many signals:TMDS. The audiovisual data is encoded into three Transition Minimized Differential

Signaling (TMDS) data channels. These channels and a TMDS clock are carried over

The ABC’s of HDCPUnderstanding the copy protection system that protects content transmitted over HDMI

Figure 1: An example

of an HDCP tree.

I N T E G R A T I O N 3 9

T E C H N I C A L

To support HDCP, each transmitter and receiver must possess the followingelements:

Keys. Each HDCP transmitter andreceiver has 40 unique 56-bit private keys.

KSVs. Each HDCP chip also has a public40-bit value known as the Key SelectionVector (KSV). The KSVs and keys of alllicensed HDCP devices are mathematicallyrelated according to a cryptographic keyexchange protocol similar to Blom’sscheme. In this scheme, any two licenseddevices can swap KSVs and use them,along with their private keys, to come upwith a shared secret key. This shared keycan be used to encrypt and decrypt theTMDS stream. The KSV can also be used touniquely identify a transmitter or receiver.

HDCP Cipher. Each chip must imple-ment the HDCP Cipher. The cipher acceptsa seed value and uses it to generate adeterministic pseudo-random stream ofdata. This publicly defined cipher is usedduring both authentication and encryption.

Registers. Each HDCP receiver must provide a series of pre-defined DDC-accessible registers. All of the HDCP com-munications between the source and sinkoccurs by the source reading from and writ-ing to these registers.

The Authentication andEncryption ProtocolsHDCP authentication consists of three parts:Part 1. The source authenticates with thedevice connected to its output. If successful,

encryption is enabled and AV content trans-mission begins. Part 2. This part is only used if the down-stream device is a repeater. The repeaterauthenticates with the devices connected toits output(s) and passes the HDCP tree topol-ogy information up to the source. Part 3. The source performs periodic checkswith the downstream device to ensure thatencryption is in sync. HDCP also supports a key revocation mecha-nism that is designed to prevent contenttransmission to hacked devices. If any part ofauthentication fails or any revoked devices arefound in the HDCP tree, the transmitter muststop sending protected content and authenti-cation starts over at Part 1.

Interoperability IssuesConsumers have been plagued with flashingand snowy screens, long authentication times,disabled outputs, and complete failure. Manyof the problems can be ascribed to the fol-lowing causes:

Complexity. The HDCP protocol is man-aged by a microcontroller running complexstate machines. Many manufacturers didn’tinitially appreciate this complexity whenselecting components and establishing devel-opment schedules.

Implementation differences.Manufacturers implemented some seem-ingly minor details in different ways. HPDand RxSense behavior, for instance, isn’twell standardized. Small differences canwreak havoc on the HDCP state machines

of attached devices and cause video prob-lems for the customer.

Requirement Confusion. There is confu-sion regarding legal requirements for HDCP.Some device manufacturers have encryptedeverything regardless of whether or not thecontent required it. Some disable analogoutputs while HDCP is active. Some restarttheir content from the beginning uponauthentication failure. Others sources com-pletely ignore authentication failures andtransmit content anyway.

Repeaters. Adding an HDCP repeater toan installation greatly increases occurrence ofproblems. Repeaters are especially prone toproblems because they have responsibilitiesof both a transmitter and a receiver. Add mul-tiple inputs and outputs to the repeater, andthe problem increase accordingly.

HDMI. HDMI has its own complexityissues. Resolution, color space, and audioproblems can’t be blamed on HDCP.Furthermore, HDMI problems can causescreen flashing just like HDCP.

Implementing HDMI and HDCP is a com-plex process that can cause serious problemsfor those unfamiliar with the layered andnuanced communication required among alldevices in the system. Fortunately for ourindustry and our clients, more sophisticatedHDMI solutions are in development andscheduled for release later this year.

This article is excerpted from the engineeringwhite paper, “HDCPP Nuts and Bolts.” Forthe full paper, go to www.crestron.com/hdcp.

Figure 2: Repeater diagram.

4 0 I N T E G R A T I O N

The Adobe® Flash® CS3Professional software, fea-turing a streamlined userinterface and advancedvideo tools, has beenseamlessly integratedwith Crestron control sys-tems with the SoftwareDevelopment Kit (SDK).

The new Adobe Flash ActionScript 3.0scripting language was used to develop thisSDK for use with Flash Player 9 or later.

The addition of the e-Control componentto the Adobe CS3 development suite allowsfor a direct socket connection to one ormore Crestron control processors. Multiplecontrol processors can be connectedthrough a single web interface.

Full two-way communication of digital,analog, and serial Crestron data is availablethrough the e-Control component, allowing aFlash developer to merge Crestron controlcapabilities with the power of the Adobedevelopment environment. Control function-ality can be added to any Flash CS3 elements.

e-Control Software DevelopmentKit for Adobe® Flash®

Create interactive content and add a world of new possibilities for GUI design and control withvideo, graphic effects, action scripts, and animation

T E C H N I C A L

Crestron touchpanels and control systemsnow support Windows® SideShow™, provid-ing access to a wide-range of PC and web-based content such as newsfeeds,sports scores, stock tickers, weather alerts,media guides, email messages, andappointment notifications all through asimple network connection to a WindowsVista™ computer. SideShow content can beviewed on all Crestron touchpanels and 2-way devices that support dynamic textsuch as the APAD wall mount controllerand MLX-2 handheld remote.

Windows® SideShow™ is a new technolo-gy in Windows Vista that supports a second-ary display screen to view flight reservations,news, weather, sports, or read email even if the laptop is “off” or in “sleep mode.”Crestron now provides support through its SIMPL Windows program to also deliverSideShow data to its touchpanels and controllers, including the APAD and MLX-2.

Crestron has provided access to RSS feeds

and other services on touchpanels for severalyears, but only for its Isys i/O™ line withWindows XP Embedded. “We wanted tohave it work with every Crestron touchpanel,even those without full graphics capabilities,”says John Pavlik, senior marketing and devel-opment engineer for Crestron. The SideShowsupport adds no cost to the Crestron con-trollers, Pavlik notes. “It’s just something elseyou can do with a Crestron touchpanel.”

Crestron control systems retrieve

SideShow data from any mobile or desktop PC running Vista via basicEthernet communication. SideShow sendsdata from the SideShow gadget, display-ing text information and even providingsome control functionality. For example,Crestron SideShow-enabled controllerscan access the Windows Media Playergadget to allow users to browse medialists and play selections directly fromtouchpanels.

“One of the nice things aboutSideShow is that there are already a bunchof applications — stocks, RSS newsfeeds,etc.,” Pavlik says. “It doesn’t take a wholelot of configuration. Just set it up in Vistaby checking a couple of boxes. It’s just avery simple design.”

Windows SideShow is available inWindows Vista Home Premium, WindowsVista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise,and Windows Vista Ultimate.

WINDOWSFirefox, Mozilla, Netscape, AOL, InternetExplorer, OperaMACINTOSHFirefox, Mozilla, Netscape, AOL, SafariSOLARISFirefox, Mozilla, SeaMonkey, OperaLINUX Firefox, Mozilla

Platform/Program Support

In Touch(panel) Windows SideShow™ now delivers information from your computer to Crestron devices

I N T E G R A T I O N 4 1

I N F O C O M M

4 2 I N T E G R A T I O N

Crestron had an incredibly successful show this year at InfoComm 2008in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 10,000 square foot booth was the largestInfoComm booth ever, anchoring the new North Hall Exhibits. The gor-geous and dramatic booth design made quite an impression on all whovisited, as did the 70 new products that were introduced at the show.

The Crestron Research Center, which houses more than 300 full-time engineers, is in full swing, producing an unprecedentednumber of new products and technologies at a breakneck pace. Thisimpressive dedication of resources certainly underscores the company’s commitment to delivering the solutions our industryneeds today and the vision to create opportunities for tomorrow.

Some of the exciting new products on display at InfoCommincluded the TPS-6X touchpanel, MPC AV presentation controllers,HDMI and RGB switchers, Software Development Kits, and severalnew QuickMedia™ solutions, including the MPS-250.

Looking ahead, Crestron showcased innovative new technologies and integration solutions. Crestron DigitalMedia™ (DM) is revolutionizing the way the industry is thinkingabout HD and digital content distribution. DM does not merely route and distributeHDMI — it manages all the data transmitted on the signals as well, including HDCP andEDID. In addition to HDMI, DM accepts, manages, and distributes all analog video, allanalog audio — including stereo, SPDIF, and 7.1 surround sound — Ethernet, USB, KVM,power, and control over CAT5e or fiber.

InfoComm 2008 Highl ights:

BIGGER AND BETTERTHAN EVER

Crestron also highlighted its new“Green” control module and GUI tem-plate. Following up on its recent whitepaper (a.k.a. “green paper”), Crestron isoffering a program that intelligently inte-grates all environmental systems, such asHVAC, lighting, shades, and AV. Thesophisticated communication and algo-

rithms behind the intuitiveinterface provides high-levelintegration and coordinationamong the various sub-sys-tems, and then calculates anddisplays energy usage, costs,and carbon output in real time.

Crestron was also on dis-play in 68 other exhibitsthroughout the show floor. Asa testament to the strength ofthe industry and the CrestronIntegrated Partner program,dozens of partner manufac-turers showcased Crestroncontrol and integration oftheir products in their booths.Each exhibitor indicated thatdemonstrating Crestron con-trol of their product gener-ates interest from attendees,adds tremendous value, andultimately has a positiveeffect on sales.

I N F O C O M M

I N T E G R A T I O N 4 3

System Programming and GUI Gallery

Crestron once again sponsored the thirdannual “System Programming and GUIGallery” at InfoComm 2008. A beautifullydesigned exhibit was on display outside the

main entrance to the Las Vegas ConventionCenter. This year’s GUI Gallery was morethan three times the size of previous year’sand featured two dozen exhibits. TheGallery provided CAIPs with a fully functioning, interactive display to educatethe industry about the tremendous value

independent programmers offer and toshowcase their creativity and talents.Participating CAIPs displayed their designson Crestron TPS-15L wall mount touchpan-els and on the new TPS-6X.

Party TimeLas Vegas is great place to play and havefun, which is exactly what Crestronemployees, dealers, and partners did.The MGM Grand Pool was a beautifulsetting for the cocktail reception, whichfeatured synchronized swimming mer-maids in the pool. The drinks wererefreshing and flowed freely to cool offthe guests who enjoyed the sunshineafter a full day in the convention center,but needed relief from the desert heat.Next, Crestron reserved the KA Theaterwhere guests were treated to an exclu-sive performance by Cirque du Soleil.The party continued at Studio 54 afterthe show. The famed club was open toinvited Crestron guests only, who hit thedance floor and got their groove on wellpast the midnight hour. ■

I N D U S T R Y

To start 2008, Rosanne Lang, Crestron tradeshow manager, waselected by the members of InfoComm International to serve as the2008 InfoComm Exhibitor Committee Chair. As Chair, Langbecomes an active member of the InfoComm Board of Governors,and will play an integral role in representing all of InfoComm.

“I’m honored to sit on the InfoComm Board,” says Lang.“InfoComm was nominated as one of Tradeshow Week’s fastest grow-ing shows, so it’s very exciting to be part of the organization that bestsupports our industry and contributes to its continued growth.”

Crestron’s Dave Silberstein also plays intricate role in a numberof industry associations, including the InfoComm Manufacturers Council. As one of thelargest companies on the 300- to 400-member council, Crestron isvery actively involved, taking part in annual leadership forums andsteering the council to make decisions that will benefit all of theparties involved with InfoComm. “Just getting all of these manu-facturers together in the same room is an accomplishment in itself,”says Silberstein. “Once we are there though, the ideas start to flow,and we get the opportunity to weigh in on what works best for theindustry and our dealers. A perfect example of this would be thecreation of the EZip Format Committee.”

The EZip Format was a direct result of the InfoComm Dealerand Manufacturers Councils. This co-council initiative helped create a standardized elec-tronic method for dealers to download pricing information for every manufacturer they rep-resent. The format eliminates the need for dealers to enter this information by hand, savingthem countless man-hours and helping them prepare bids and proposals even quicker.Crestron played an instrumental part in developing the format, as Silberstein lent a handwriting help files and determining the format for price sheets.

Crestron is also highly involved in the Professional Education Training Committee(PETC). The PETC is responsible for overseeing the educational programs and developingcurricula offered by InfoComm, including the CTS certification. Again, Silberstein sits on thePETC steering committee and recently helped drive an InfoComm certification initiativefrom the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

“One of the newest PETC ini-tiatives is the SystemsCommissions Taskforce,” saysSilberstein. The Taskforce isdeveloping, essentially, a final

checklist that technicians can use when a project is completed, to determine whether a projecthas, in fact, been completed correctly. The goal is to eliminate guesswork and ensure that, whena contractor leaves a site, they won’t be called back again in short time to correct what may havebeen an obvious mistake.”

Crestron is a founding member of the Dashboard for Controls Steering Committee.The Committee has created a set of basic touchpanel commands, configuration, and

designs that have help standardize touch-panel GUI layout. “The basic concept is tomake operating a touchpanel as easy asdriving a car,” says Silberstein. “Any timeyou pick up a touchpanel, you shouldexpect to at least find the basic functionslisted. Similar to when you get behind thewheel of a car.”

While the Committee was instrumentalin creating these designs, this year they aresupporting InfoComm in having thedesigns tested by a leading usability test-ing group. “This group is frequently taskedwith testing the usability of gadgets andinterfaces that we interact with in our dailylives — ATM machines, ticket machines,etc.,” continues Silberstein. “They examineevery aspect of how a user interacts withsomething and rates how user-friendly thatproduct is. Each of our GUI designs will gothrough a rigorous testing phase — typi-cally on Crestron solutions — and receive arating as to how effective they really are. “

These are just a few of the industry ini-tiatives that Crestron is involved with, butwatch this space for even more from us inthe future. ■

Upcoming Events:July 29-July 30, 2008Campus Technology 2008Westin Boston Waterfront HotelBoston, MA

October 20-October 23, 2008SATIS 2008Paris ExpoPorte de Versailles, France

October 28-October 30, 2008EDUCAUSE 2008Orlando County Convention CenterOrlando, FL

October 30-November 1, 2008Integrated Systems Russia 2008Crocus ExpoMoscow, Russian Federation

November 6-November 7, 2008WFX Fall 2008George R. Brown Convention CenterHouston, TX

November 19-November 21, 2008InfoComm Asia 2008Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition CentreHong Kong S.A.R., China

Association UpdateCrestron works with leading industry associations to help dealers work more efficiently

As an innovator and leader, Crestron remains committed to var-ious associations and groups that continue to drive growth andproductivity within our industry. This involvement underscoresCrestron’s commitment to its dealers as we continue to play aninstrumental role in many of the industry initiatives that will ultimately help dealers work more efficiently and effectively.

4 4 I N T E G R A T I O N

Traditionally, visitations within the prisonenvironment are an inherent security risk.Moving the incarcerated individual to andfrom secured detention can put guards,employees, or other visitors at risk. A newvisitation solution from TANDBERG andCrestron can minimize these risks, allowingvisitation while keeping the incarceratedindividual in secure detention and the visitor away from the secure area.

Why TANDBERG and Crestron?For over 20 years, TANDBERG and Crestronhave been working together to provide inno-vative, reliable, and high-quality solutions forvideo communications. As a result, all TAND-BERG codecs seamlessly operate in aCrestron system environment, and Crestronand TANDBERG have worked together tocreate a seamless visitation solution.

The Visitation Solution fromTANDBERG and CrestronIn addition to increased safety and conven-ience, the Visitation Solution from TAND-BERG and Crestron allows a facility to con-trol contraband and conduct more visits withfewer personnel at more available times. Thisresults in more civilized visits, better treat-ment of the incarcerated individual, andbudget savings. With systems that fit any-where and that can also be used for visitation

or connectivity with the courtroom, theVisitation Solution from TANDBERG andCrestron is an IP-based correctional facilityvisitation system that includes:• Endpoints or “Stations”• Easy-to-use administrative connectivity

hardware/software provided by Crestron’snetwork of authorized dealers

Features• Complete system in an enclosure designed

specifically for the environment• Hands free (visitor station only) or

handset operation• Simple administrative controls• The TANDBERG End-to-End Solution,

including an integrated Crestron control sys-tem, provides a complete solution for court-room and jail/prison visual communications.

Crestron Administrative Control• Administrator control• Touchscreen• Specialized feature sets for jail/prison

visitation environments- Icon based connectivity between

visitor and inmate stations- Visitation timing functions- Lockdown functions- Visual feedback of status- External connectivity- Administrative help

Partner Solutions:TANDBERG

that affects the environment within buildings. “We get heat, heat loss, heatgain, natural sunlight, glare, privacy, andUV protection of the interior contents,”Iommi says. “If you look at the wayhomes and buildings are being con-structed right now, it seems like theycan’t get enough windows.

“You can program the Crestron control so that at six in the morning, before anyonecomes into the office, it’s turning the heat up and opening the window treatments, letting the morning sunshine in and quicklybringing that room to business-time comfortand efficiency,” Iommi adds. “By daylightharvesting, you don’t have to use as muchfuel to heat up a room. When you managethe light coming through your windowsproperly, you’ll reduce costs and be green.”

But Crestron/Somfy solutions aren’tjust limited to temperature control applications. Consider an auditorium,boardroom, or lecture hall. It could have windows, a projection screen, stagedraperies — anything that can be motor-ized. When the facility needs to be prepared for a particular event, onetouch on a Crestron touchscreen can put everything in motion and bring it to the desired mode.

“You have the customer whose conference room is used for several meetings throughout the day, each one is different and you don’t want to have tocall the facility manager every time to prepare the room,” Iommi says. “It may be private, it may be all projector or all pres-entation, or it may be that we need the windows closed or kept open to let the sunshine through. With the touch of an icon,Crestron is able to convert the environmentto exactly what is needed by the peoplewho are going to be there.”

Iommi could not be happier withCrestron’s contribution to his corporateshowroom, and the expertise of its integrator, Florida-based ETC. “Crestronmakes the best product in the world, and it’s amazing what can be done with it whenit is placed in the hands of the best integrators in the world,” he says. “OurHome Motion Center had to rock. It had to stimulate all the senses. I don’t know how we would have done it withoutCrestron’s help.” ■

Show and Sell(continued from page 15)

• Alrolith• Arrive• Ashly Audio, Inc.• Benq• Bid Magic• Broadata

Communications, Inc.• BSS Sound Web• Channel Master• Color Kinetics• Community Professional

Loudspeakers

• Contemporary Research• Daikin• DVDO• EIKI• Electrograph • Elmo USA• Focus Enhancement• Harman Music Group• JK Audio• Lencore Acoustics Corp.• Listen Technologies

Corp.

• Meridian Technologies• Salitek• Sierra Video• Olevia• TIVO• Totevision• Trak Kit• Vbrick• Wavetrend• WolfVision Inc.• Zektor

New PartnersHere is a list of the latest additions to Crestron’s Integrated Partner Program.

I N T E G R A T I O N 4 5

BY BILL SCHAFERGood news doesn’t exactly abound these days, as even a cursory look at the daily headlines indicates. It’s times like these when getting back to business basics is a good idea. It’s also a good time for refocusing yourbusiness’s strength in tough times, with an eye towards long-term pros-perity when the current climate abates.

We’ve been fortunate in this industry — for the past ten-plus years all you pretty much had to do was hang out your shingle and the business

seemed to find you. Now we are faced with having to dig up new business and many integrators are feeling anxious about it. It’s not that we aren’t willing; we just haven’t had to do it for some time.

So, where are you going to find this new business?We have all heard the phrase, “you can’t see the forest for the trees.” Well, sometimes

that’s how it is. So start with the business you already have! Over the past ten years technology has increased at such a rapid pace, it is time to go back to your existing cus-tomer base and sell them those upgrades. I know you have been selling them systems foradditional rooms as corporations have expanded or universities have upgraded and builtnew campuses, but what about adding new things to existing rooms?

This issue of Integration is full of case studies and technical information about goingGreen and selling towards LEED certification, so why not go back to those existing customers and look to sell upgrades such as lighting or shade control? Today, video is a constantly moving target, and the new products and technologies discussed in this issue are available to those customers as well.

What about new markets? In the past year we have seen a spike in the hospitality market. Now I know some of us are currently doing work in hotels on the AV side, but stop

Take Charge ofYour Own SuccessTips on being successful in a rough economy

short again of addressing the lighting and building management sides of theproperty. Today there is more to considerthan just the meeting rooms, ballrooms,and common areas. What about the hotelrooms themselves? It is common for mosthotel rooms to be empty about 12 hours a day, and in most cases the lights, HVACare running non-stop! Currently Crestronhas several products such as infiNET thatare perfect for the hospitality market —combine these with new, compact, lowercost processors and you can have a man-aged room that will use less energy, andsave money, when unoccupied.

The room on its own would only be partially efficient if we could not adoptthe Intelligent Efficiency concept. To do that we count on the power of Crestron e-Control and our extensive integrated partner relationships. New relationships with companies that provide PropertyManagement Systems and hospitality networks make it easier for you to connectthe hotel room and not only provide convenience, but also provide proof of savings with real-time logging made available via CRESTRON GREEN LIGHT™

and RoomView®.This is just a couple of ways to find new

business, but I would caution that you doyour homework before you just jump intomarkets like lighting or hospitality. Bothrequire some additional knowledge —knowledge that is easy to obtain, but doesrequire time and effort.

The larger point is to avoid being discouraged by the media’s daily trumpet-ing of woes here and abroad. Trendsreverse themselves, some sooner thanothers. In the meantime, get ready for the next bountiful period by taking timenow to reinvent your business. Foresightpays off — sometimes literally. ■

F I N A L W O R D

4 6 I N T E G R A T I O N

Crestron delivers the only solution that can monitor and control all the technology,

including audio, video and lighting, in thousands of rooms around the globe on the

Microsoft® network.

Microsoft® uses the Crestron TPMC-8L and TPMC-8X touchpanels for room

control and scheduling, and connects all their rooms on the managed network

with Crestron RoomView® Server Edition software. RoomView enables

room scheduling using Microsoft Outlook® via Exchange Server directly from

any Crestron touchpanel or any remote PC, and the ability to monitor and

control all devices in all rooms throughout the enterprise.

Crestron and Microsoft®, two technology leaders, are working together to develop

future digital media solutions to grow the AV industry. This certified partnership is

the true convergence of two industries and two great companies that will create

new opportunities, and make our industry the technology leader of tomorrow.

Microsoft® chose CrestronMicrosoft® chose Crestron as its certified partner to manage all AV and meeting room resources worldwide.

TPMC-8L

Using Crestron RoomView®

Server Edition Software

800.237.2041 l crestron.com

800.237.2041 | crestron.com

extraordinaryThe TPS-6X has arrived.

GENERATION NEXT