CEDIA 2009 Atlanta – AMX entered the HDMI distribution market, brought
out tabletop versions of its in-wall keypads and select touchpanels, and launched
its first in-wall touchpanel at less than $1,000.
The company also
introduced a product that lets iPod Touches and iPhones control AMX home
systems via Wi-Fi.
During the CEDIA Expo,
here, the Richardson, Texas-based company introduced three HDMI-distribution
products, all with HDMI HDCP-key caching to ensure that multiple displays don’t
temporarily black out when other displays are turned on in other rooms. All are
promoted as priced “significantly less” than the competition, with one model
retailing for 25 percent less than competing products, a spokesman said.
One of the HDMI-distribution
products is a $6,900 8×8 switcher/distribution system that distributes 1080p HDMI
video up to 65 feet over HDMI cables. Another 8×8 model at a suggested $11,900 distributes
HDMI signals up to about 100 feet over unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cable
rated at Category 5 and up. The third option is a $4.700 8×8 board that can be
inserted into previously-installed AMX Optima matrix switchers to upgrade them to
offer HDMI output. AMX’s Optima supported component output and DVI.
In new tabletop
controllers, the company launched tabletop versions of one-, two- and
three-gang in-wall keypads at a suggested $300 each. They use a single Ethernet
cable to get power and send/receive control signals. They’ll be joined by the
first tabletop versions of AMX’s 4.3- and 5-inch touchpanels. The tabletop
versions are also priced at $300.
A new in-wall
touchpanel, the $995-suggested NXD-430P/435P, is available at a suggested $995.
It’s the company’s first portrait-mode touchpanel designed as a keypad
replacement. It will display album art and other graphics.
To enable Wi-Fi
control of AMX systems from a Touch or iPhone, the company launched the
NXV-300, a component that plugs into a home’s Ethernet network to serve up an
AMX interface on a Touch or iPhone. Pricing was unavailable.
