Crestron’s latest offerings cover all the bases: scalable, simple to use, secure, and easy to integrate with third-party products

March 20, 2024 - When Crestron was founded just over 50 years ago, the man who started the company was a tinkerer — someone who loved the odd job, the electronic problem solver. But the first product that put George Feldstein and his company on the map was a control solution, as we noted on the Crestron blog:

There was a time before PowerPoint® software — and slides were just that, slides that sat in a carousel in a projector. The best way to present a combination of data and images was to gather one’s colleagues in a dark room, pull down a display screen, and fire up the slide projector. Feldstein saw an opportunity to refine this presentation tool. “The slide projector control went beyond just forward and advance; it also included fades and dissolves; you could incorporate multiple stacks of projectors into a timed presentation,” remembers Crestron VP of Channel Marketing and Sales Enablement Ray Coneys. That interest led to controlling not just the projector but drawing the shades in a conference room remotely as well — and ultimately achieving more and more functions without cables.

Feldstein and his team soon saw the potential for broader control solutions that were packed with forward-thinking features. Crestron introduced the first control system with an Ethernet port, and Feldstein was an early adopter of the HDMI® connectivity standard. Even as the company moved into other product segments — with a portfolio that now includes everything from best-in-class AV-over-IP systems to high-end home automation platforms — Crestron is still striving to make its control solutions the most innovative, robust, and reliable products you can buy.

To put it simply: When you see a touch screen with that familiar swirl and the CRESTRON logotype, you know that all the technology in that room is reliably run by a Crestron control system.

The Power of a Great Control System

The beauty of the right control solution is that any room — in any given situation — can create the perfect environment in an instant. Do I need to share content? Do I need the lights and shades to dim for a video presentation? Can the room be pre-set to the perfect temperature ahead of time? The answer to all those questions is, “Yes — and more.” Imagine a space that’s attuned to every need in such a manner that the end user only needs to press a single button, a literal one-touch solution that creates the perfect experience, almost as if by magic.

While the elder Feldstein certainly predicted that this could happen at some time in the future, we’ve now reached the point where it’s all quite possible. The only limitation to what can be achieved is the imagination of the specifier. If a client can think of it, a dealer can execute it with the tools, systems, devices, and support that Crestron can provide.

Crestron enables you to create an integrated experience in the room, where the solution controls all the devices and systems in that space. Imagine the moment someone enters a room: The occupancy sensor detects someone, and the system then turns on the display and sets the temperature and light levels. All that’s left is for the meeting organizer to push a “START” button on a screen and the room dials into the meeting they’ve scheduled. All of these functions are a given for Crestron programs, but because they run standard programming languages such as C# and Python, the system is capable of much more. Imagine ordering food and drinks or requesting a temporary Wi-Fi® password for your guests — all from that same touch screen. It’s all part of the Crestron mantra: “We make simple things easy, and hard things possible.”

Making it All Work Together

There’s another through-line carried from the early days of Feldstein’s forays into control systems. Crestron didn’t make slide projectors when the carousel controller was introduced. At that time, Crestron hadn’t yet ventured into lighting and shading. But the team knew that Crestron controllers had to work with a wide variety of devices from other manufacturers — and it’s a philosophy that’s continued into the present day.

The underlying mission statement for every Crestron Control solution: Bring all the different protocols and technologies into a unified system — one that creates seamless communication between every bit of hardware and software, regardless of the manufacturer. Again, the result should be experience-driven: A user walks into a space and the room comes alive, whether that’s through one-touch activation or a completely automated solution.

That notion has never been more important. In the hybrid work environment, with its blend of in-person and remote staff, every space needs the kind of connectivity that was likely once reserved for a few select rooms in an organization. From the smallest huddle niche to the most expansive boardroom or lecture hall, the systems that drive these rooms — from AV to unified communications to lighting, shading, and even climate control — have never been more complex. Simplifying — and automating — the control of these disparate functions and devices is absolutely vital to increasing productivity, alleviating user frustration, and fewer calls to the help desk.

It's a simple equation: When collaborators can focus on their work without struggling to make the gear function, more gets done.

Crestron Control App for Zoom Rooms Software

As you’re likely aware, Zoom® software saw incredible growth during the pandemic, with remote work becoming the norm. The new status quo — “hybrid permanence” — meant that the need for reliable videoconferencing platforms was here to stay, and Zoom software became one of the most popular.

The downside? Users deploying Zoom software in their connected meeting spaces quickly realized they had two screens to concern themselves with.

Crestron has the answer: A software control application that allows existing Zoom Rooms® video conferencing systems to use Crestron Control to expand its capabilities natively. Everything from lighting, shades, AV solutions, and peripherals to the Zoom Rooms software platform itself can all be controlled by a single user interface.

The result is an intuitive experience that controls every function of a meeting space along with the Zoom Rooms conferencing platform with the touch of a single button. The interface is designed so that even the most “techno-phobic” user can learn how to operate the solution in mere moments. And on top of all that, the interface simply looks great.

The integration possibilities with this solution mean that Crestron Control can now be added to a growing number of new or existing Zoom Rooms software-enabled spaces, regardless of the brand. You can quickly create user interfaces using Crestron HTML 5 (CH5), Crestron Construct™ software, and the .AV Framework™ platform (coming soon). And once you’ve created an interface that can work in multiple spaces, it’s a snap to mass deploy and repeat that design anywhere and everywhere across an enterprise. That means Crestron Control solutions allow you to scale up Zoom Rooms software as an organization grows, from a few rooms to every connected space.

CONTIUED

By Toine C. Leerentveld, Director of Product Management, Cloud and Control Services

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