Your browser is out-of-date!

Update your browser to view this website correctly. Update my browser now

×

Sponsored

Future innovation

At ISE 2020, in an industry first, Crestron provided a glimpse at what it has in store for the future. Ranjan Singh, EVP, product and technology explains what motivated the company to create the Future Innovation area of its stand, and discusses the technologies that will lead the way

In planning the company’s ISE stand, Randy Klein, Crestron president and CEO, wanted show attendees to gain insight into what’s next for the AV industry in a way that’s never been done before. Because future innovation has always been Crestron’s driving force, the company thought about how auto manufacturers showcase concept cars and decided that approach could work here as well. Daniel Jackson, head of digital workplace products, led the concept to realisation in conjunction with the product and marketing teams.

Crestron Future Innovation
Crestron’s stand at ISE 2020
Game-changers

A lot of companies offer glimpses into what they’re working on or have their customers sign an NDA, but as an industry leader, Crestron didn’t want to take that route. The company was excited by the prospect of sharing with customers what was being working on today, and what will likely be working on in the future. Some of the products that were on display in the Future Innovations hub will be launched later this year, some in two years. And then some might never come to market. 

While Crestron is investing in many products that will impact the industry landscape, several have already proved themselves as game-changers. One of them is the DM-NVX-D80, a network decoder created with Intel that slips neatly into a display’s Open Pluggable Specification slot. The D80 instantly transforms displays from the world’s largest manufacturers into native DM NVX AV-over-IP endpoints to deliver flawless 4K video and audio across any size network.

Another high-impact development is the partnership with Logitech, announced at ISE 2020, which will enable Crestron to offer Crestron Flex UC solutions for every possible space. As a company, Crestron is proud of where it’s headed with Crestron Flex and believe it’s revolutionising the industry. Its continued evolution will include several more value-add software-based products. 

Continuing relevance

One of the goals with the Future Innovations area, along with the rest of the stand, was to demonstrate that legacy Crestron products don’t become irrelevant. Crestron believes it owes it to customers to increase the value and improve the functionality of products in which they’ve made large investments. Through software upgrades, these products get better over time. Technology evolves, but that doesn’t mean that customers have to buy new products with every update. Crestron will continue to add value.

One example of this is the DM-NVX-E760, which will enable customers to enhance their existing Crestron DigitalMedia HDBaseT solutions with AV-over-IP, as needed. Also on the near horizon, by employing a third-party gateway interface, customers will be able to use the Crestron XiO Cloud IoT-based service to provision and manage third-party products, in addition to Crestron products. 

Looking further down the road, Crestron is focused on several areas: 

End user experience

Historically, simplified user experiences, such as one-touch join with room controls, were the domain of boardrooms. Crestron’s intent is to deliver those experiences in rooms of all sizes. 

Operationally scalable solutions

Because no large organisation can afford to send a tech to every room to perform updates, Crestron is investing in operationally scalable solutions. The company wants to deliver efficiency by enabling organisations to deploy a product, connect it to the network, and then walk away from it because it can be managed and upgraded remotely. 

Automation

Automation is the key to drive efficiency. To that end, Crestron is focused on creating APIs that customers can script and build into their processes.

Commercial models

Last but not least, Crestron is looking at enabling commercial models, such as Software as a Service and AV as a Service. Large and medium-sized organisations want to outsource everything, and direct customers, dealers and installers are excited to jump in. Crestron’s goal is to empower them to do that.

While Crestron is steadfast in its commitment to lead the way in future innovation for the industry, it is also rooted in providing integrators and organisations with the solutions they need to be successful right now. The future is bright, and so is the present.

For more information about future innovation at Crestron, visit www.crestron.com/ISE.