CEDIA Abuzz With Trends

"What I saw was absolutely the most exciting thing to hit home automation: Monster [Cable's] Einstein," he said from his company's Palo Alto, Calif., headquarters. "It's a real high-end networked approach to streaming HD video and music. The most interesting thing is how the system integrates a cell phone into a handheld remote for home theater, home control and VoIP. It can act as an overall communications device for the home. It also has a beautiful interface, is priced competitively and is based on open standards; it's not a closed attempt at a monopoly. It really opens up the sandbox."

Green sang the system's praises. According to Monster Cable, Einstein is expected to have a soft launch at the Consumer Electronics Show in January at the Las Vegas Convention Center, with an expected full launch to about 240 select dealers in March.

Like most CEDIA Expos, there usually is one product that generates an overall buzz. Two years ago, it was Control4, and last year it was Exceptional Innovation's Life|waretwo systems that helped make home control affordable to the masses.

Other ongoing trends highlighted at this year's show, included easier-to-use remote controls and systems, as well as more user-friendly interfaces. CEDIA members also were impressed with some of the new Windows Media Center PCs designed specifically for home entertainment applications. Many integrators, however, are still waiting for the Windows-based PCs, as well as the cost-effective control systems, to gain traction in the home integration markets before they add them to their product offerings.

In a nutshell, CEDIA members are looking for products with features, functionality and price points similar to what Rich Green raved about when he described Einstein, which was given a very limited preview at CEDIA Expo.

Chris Greene, product manager at Brisbane, Calif.-based Monster Cable, described the components of the Linux-based system and provided rough, preliminary pricing.

The system's core, called the Nucleus and priced at $4,000, is the head-in controller and media distribution unit. It's responsible for interacting with the home's automation elements, from lighting to security to VoIP and beyond.

The Electron, priced at $2,500, serves as the client interface and endpoint, acting as a media adapter and controller for the local systems.

The Photon, priced at $2,399, is a 200-disc DVD changer with duel transport, which means it can play two DVDs at once to any endpoint. It also is fully DRM compliant, Greene said.

The $4,900 Neutron is a RAID5 960-Gbyte storage platform that can scale up to 7.2 Tbytes.

The Astro, priced at $1,500, is a three-zone Sirius radio tuner. The $1,299 Tron is a 7-inch touch panel.

The Einstein system will support 1 Gbyte over Ethernet out of the box for high-definition video transmission and will support 802.11g/n, Z-Wave and Bluetooth wireless protocols, according to Monster Cable's Greene.

The Linux platform allows the system to behave more like a consumer electronics device than a PC, eliminating the boot process that delays startups and shutdowns, Greene added. The system also will include a "follow me" mode, which replicates user preferences from one room to the next.

User interfaces also are automatically replicated on the device that is used as a remote control, whether it's a universal remote, cell phone or VoIP phone, Greene said.

"This is a very sophisticated product; it's different because the overall solution has a strong emphasis on the client's lifestyle," CEDIA's Green said. "The whole use model of the cell phone as an integrated system control and communications device is so obvious because, if you look at it, the cell phone is the PC of the future."

Chances are the full Einstein system will be several thousand dollars lower than originally estimated, but integrators will still make 40 points on the hardware, Monster Cable's Greene said. Monster licensed the technology from Pluto, a Miami-based developer of fully integrated home control solutions.

"It's all about interoperability. If you walk into the house with a Bluetooth phone, a PDA, a touch pad [or] a notebook, the system will identify it as a control point and download the interface so that device can control the house," Greene said. "We want to create an ecosystem for home control where all the products are plug and play and don't require any additional programming to work."

Many CEDIA members acknowledge the importance of cost-effective, open-standards home control systems, saying the products should open up new markets beyond the limited luxury market to which expensive legacy systems, such as AMX and Crestron, usually cater.

Andy Willcox, president of Highland Park, Ill.-based ProLine Integrated Systems and last year's CEDIA president, said he was encouraged that Control4 and Exceptional Innovations had demonstrated some solid products and seemed to be gaining traction. He also said he'd be keeping an eye on Savant's Linux-based Rosie, a brand-new cost-effective home control system.

Despite those advancements, Willcox and other integrators say those companies have to build a deeper track record of real-life case studies before the majority of CEDIA members fully embrace them.

"We're getting closer to affordable, easy-to-program home control systems, but we're still not there yet," said Ray Lepper, president of Home Media Stores in Richmond, Va., and a past CEDIA president. "But they are advancing the conversation and pushing the technology and platforms. You have to do that before you get one that works. I still think AMX and Crestron have the market for now."

Many CEDIA members are still wary of Windows-based media center systems as part of networked home entertainment and control platforms, even though many new systems, including Crestron's Adagio and Exceptional Innovation's Life|controller, use an embedded, dedicated Windows XP operating system for added stability and security.

Several integrators pointed out Hewlett-Packard's new z565 and z560 Digital Entertainment Centers, as well as Niveus' rack-mounted Pro Series and Denali and Ranier lines, as examples of cutting-edge media PCs.

Other standout products mentioned by CEDIA integrators include: RTI's T2C and T4 handheld universal systems controllers and the RK3, a 3.5-inch fully programmable in-wall controller; enhancements to Niles Audio's IntelliControl ICS whole-house audio system, which includes the IM-NET module for integrating IP-based sources, the TM-HD-R module for incorporating HD Radio, and the RS232G Bi-directional gateway for integrating such subsystems as Lutron lighting controls and Escient and Request music servers; Sonance's new 875D SE eight-channel power amplifier and the iPod integration solutions by its iPort affiliate; Elan's Ole touch panel; and Meridian Faroudja's 1080p D-ILA projector.

Integrators will always flip over the coolest products, but they are starting to pay more attention to how those products fit into a well-designed fully networked solution, one that contributes more to a customer's overall lifestyle. That approach is also leading integrators to focus more on the business side of their companies, CEDIA members said.

"It's no longer solely about the technology; it's about the homeowner experience. It's about the user interface, the whole choice that's offered to the homeowner," said Helen Heneveld, president of Heneveld Dynamic Consulting and founder of Bedrock Learning, both based in Holland, Mich.

"The integrators have come of age, and their businesses are maturing. They are starting to make strategic business decisions, not just focusing on the cool products. They are approaching marketing and sales from a business standpoint," she said.