Custom Briefs

By TWICE Staff -- TWICE, 2/23/2009

Brands Go On Tour

LEXINGTON, KY. — Sister brands Elan Home Systems, Sunfire, HomeLogic and Aton will replace annual shows at their headquarters with traveling events to help installers and reps manage their budgets better.

The tour of more than 45 major U.S. markets beginning in the spring will attract more than 4,000 dealers and reps, exceeding the number who attended the companies' most recent conference, a spokesperson said. The tour will showcase more than 30 new products and educate installers on new selling strategies.

The locations are within a short drive of about 90 percent of the companies' dealers. The first event will be March 11-14 in Orlando. The other events will begin April 1 and will continue for several months.

In the past, the companies hosted annual Tech Week and Elan Trio events on an alternating biannual basis in Lexington.

17-Inch Touch Panel Debuts

ROCKLEIGH, N.J. — Crestron launched its largest touch panel to date, the $12,000 17-inch Isys TPS-17G-QM for home and commercial use.

The WXGA widescreen touch panel features high-def display, dual-window video, RGB and wide viewing angle. It joins the 12- and 15-inch Isys models.

It connects to conventional A/V sources and to PCs, enabling remote access to PC-based applications such as media players and Web browsers. Crestron QuickMedia technology simplifies system design and installation by simultaneously transmits all audio, video and computer signals up to 450 feet on a single CAT-5e cable.

Tabletop Touchscreen Ready

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH — Control4 plans February shipments of a 7-inch tabletop touchscreen to control whole-home systems via Wi-Fi network or wired Ethernet.

The $1,299-suggested 16:9 touch panel controls is designed to add an additional “point of navigation” to any room to control home theaters, multi-room audio systems, temperature controls, security cameras, lighting systems and the like. The company already 10.5-inch portable and wall-mount touchscreens, 7-inch portable and Power-Over-Ethernet (POE) wall-mount models, and mini touchscreens. The new model accesses online Rhapsody accounts.