A lot has changed over the last year or two with control and automation systems. New product and technology is being introduced at a faster pace than ever before in the custom integration space. We reached out to both automation systems vendors and to custom integrators to hear how these new products and technologies are affecting their businesses.

Manufacturers Speak Out

A number of automation and system control vendors were queried about their views on the changing state of whole-home control systems, and there seems to be a near-unanimous feeling that, contrary to popular belief, the expanding availability of smartphones and tablet devices is having a positive impact in the marketplace, especially in terms of consumer acceptance.

Control4

Jim Arnold, Senior Vice President of Residential Sales at Control4, notes, "Touch screens, iPads, Android devices and the like have had a dramatic effect on the market, on what we and our dealers sell, and which create additional opportunities at the consumer level, doing cool things and allowing users to do what they want in their house, wherever in their house. We had our MyHome app for the iPad and iPhone, which allows the user to control his Control4 home automation system, available on the very first day that the iPad launched."

Control4 previewed the company's new Android control app at the CEDIA show in September, and the app is on track to become available by the end of this year.

Control4 isn't relying entirely on tablets and smartphones, however; the company will introduce a portable 7" touchpad device sometime in Q1 2012 that will include video intercom functionality along with its own GUI design. The company's first 7" colour touch screen had an MSRP of US$1,600, and Arnold predicts that the pricing for the new 7" touch panel will be less than that. As well, Control4 is also planning to release a new IP-based lighting control system in Q1 2012.

AMX

At AMX Canada, Mark Gillner, Technical Resource Specialist and Technical Trainer, is excited about a number of recent product introductions, including the company's new Modero X series of ultra widescreen touch panel multi-media controllers. He notes that, "We see a shift in how users operate a system. Everything is now becoming essentially multi-tasking. Our new Modero X series touch panels offer true multi-tasking, to allow the user to control and access content, and they have multiple additional control capabilities. They also have Bluetooth wireless technology built-in, for compatibility with Bluetooth-equipped VoIP telephone handsets.

"They're also equipped with 720p HD cameras for video and conference calling, using H.264 coding for best picture quality, and the built-in microphone supports the G.711 sound standard," he notes.

Two Modero X models were introduced at CEDIA, in 20.4" and 19.6" sizes, and are available in both tabletop and wall mount versions. In 2012, the company plans to introduce additional Modero X models in 5", 7" and 10" sizes.

But the company has also whole-heartedly embraced consumer touch panel devices, and through a partnership with Touch Panel Control Ltd., offer apps that emulate an AMX touch panel and work with iOS devices such as iPhones and iPads. TCP now provides AMX-compatible apps for Android-based devices. And is also presently developing an AMX control app for Windows Phone 7 devices, and another for BlackBerry smartphones.

Control4 is working with tablets and smartphones through its MyHome app for the iPad and iPhone, and a new Android app that will be available by the end of this year.

AMX also offers a PC-based control system via the company's NXV-300 Modero Virtual Touch Panel adaptor ($900), which provides a Virtual Network Connection (VNC) between a PC or smartphone and an AMX control system. The interface supports two different resolutions, with 800x480 for tablet devices and 480x272 for smartphones, which allows the use of many existing touch panel page files.

AMX recently introduced two new smart matrix switchers, the DGX 16 and DGX 32. Both models feature the company's NetLinx control processor built-in, and include the company's HD-BaseT distributed digital video system for content delivery over Cat cable. Gillner notes that, "These new models offer full HDMI and HDCP compatibility over Cat5e, along with full control and Ethernet capabilities at the end points, and they also support multi-mode fibre."

The DGX 16 has up to 16x16 in/out capability, while the DGX 32 has up to 32x32 in/out capability.

"Both of these models are only 4U high, which means big savings in terms of rack space," Gillner points out.

One of the key features of these new products is that "They're equipped with AMX's InstaGate Pro technology, which has no HDCP key constraints at all, providing instantaneous HDMI switching and simultaneous HDCP handshaking with no delay," Gillner explains. "Say an HDMI source, such as a Blu-ray player, only has three HDCP keys. Our system allows full distribution capability to all video displays on the system, up to 16 for the DG 16 and up to 32 for the DG 32."

As well, he says that "Perhaps the most important feature of these new models is our SmartScale technology, which automatically adjusts video resolution at the outputs to exactly match each display's native resolution via EDID codes. The companion Cat5e receiver is also equipped with a SmartScale processor, which provides for the best HDMI picture quality, even over a long Cat cable run."

Audio Authority

"We've seen consumer electronics devices drive technology trends in the residential custom install industry at a level never seen before," says David Acton, Product Development Specialist at Audio Authority. "For example, iPads, iPhones and competing tablets have worked their way into control and AV content delivery through streaming, either from the cloud or local IP-enabled devices."

He goes on to say that "Huge equipment racks are being replaced by fewer ‘multi-purpose' devices, such as Blu-ray players and smart TVs, which stream content from the cloud or from local IP devices on the home network. As well, HDMI has staked its claim as the dominant platform for delivery of video sources in the home, and custom installers have either adapted AV/IT convergence or are dying a slow (and sometimes rapid) death."

Sleek and stylish, the new AMX Modero X ultra wide screen touch panels provide true multi-tasking along with HD video playback.

When asked about expensive touch panels transitioning to iPad, iPhone and Android devices, Acton says that "In many residential scenarios, yes, there's a transition to these types of devices. However, there is still a viable market for a custom ‘expensive' touch screen control purpose-built to control home AV and automation systems and nothing else. The idea of using a lower cost tablet is attractive at first, but can end up frustrating end users when they realize how many button presses they have to make to control what they want (i.e. a button to turn off a light in the basement that's buried three or four pages in on the user interface)."

As far as the commercial segment is concerned, Acton says that "The commercial sector is more of a purpose-built install, designed to be as efficient as possible. In many cases an iPad or iPhone won't cut it for mission critical situations, but more options are becoming available that are making consumer tablets a more viable solution.

"Touch panels have been the single biggest factor in smart home adoption," Acton says of residential installations. "If designed right, the touch panel makes home automation seamless. All of the racks of equipment and miles of wire disappear to the end user, and all that really exists is the user interface and the environment it creates."

He has numerous suggestions for integrators. "There are still plenty of installation opportunities for integrators out there; they just look different than they did five years ago. Integrators need to diversify into commercial or light commercial installations. They need to become familiar with the differences within that market, and one of the best ways to do this is through education with organizations such as InfoComm and NSCA. Opportunities include restaurants, sports bars, nightclubs, houses of worship, small businesses such as doctor's offices, and corporate boardrooms.

"As well," he continues, "integrators should try to at least understand IT tech and be familiar with the lingo so that they can communicate effectively with IT directors and managers. You don't need to be an expert, but the more you know and the more you work well with these guys, the more likely you are to succeed and thrive over the next five years."

He goes on to point out that, "The current and future direction of this industry is the user interface. The better you are at making the control of complex technology an ‘experience,' the more successful you will be. Tolerance for confusing user interfaces is becoming less and less acceptable."

The AMX NXV-300 Virtual Touch Panel adapter provides PC and smart device control, and delivers a viewable image that emulates that of an AMX touch panel interface.

As far as new products on the horizon, Audio Authority plans to introduce its SonaFlex SF-16, a 16 channel digital amplifier that provides 60 watts output per channel, and is equipped with IR, RS-232 and IP control of volume, muting and sound "scenes," and comes with the company's Cat5-based FlexPort inputs to accept consumer and pro audio sources from up to 1,000 feet away.

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