BLOG
Control Systems
FEBRUARY 2022
Our Global Sales Director, Marc Waple discusses AV Control Systems and how Pulse-Eight can work seamlessly alongside major brands.
Watch the video or read the summary below
Estimated Reading Time: Under 3 minutes
What is an AV Control System?
An AV Control System is essentially a computer that runs your property. Whether that be managing your security or remote monitoring or your climate control or your lighting, or, from a Pulse-Eight point of view, management of all your video and audio distribution devices. It’s essentially one thing, with one interface, that controls your entire your house.
"It’s essentially one thing, with one interface, that controls your entire your house. "
What makes an AV Control System so important?
I think real
fundamental basics, if you take
an example when you walk into a room, be it your cinema or your lounge room,
typically we pick up a remote control and turn on the display, source and
audio. With a control system we can simplify that to one button.
Whether that
be a macro depending on the brand of the control system but essentially
you can hit a button that says ‘watch movies’ and everything happens in the
right sequence at the right time including dimming your lights and closing your
electric blinds and shutters to make that user experience for your client just
that one bit simpler. That’s one of many examples of how control systems can
help people.
Which control systems are compatible with
Pulse-Eight products?
We pretty much work with them all. Control 4, Crestron, Savant, Elan, RTI and the list goes on. But for those new to control systems, that are fresh to the market. We also have a completely open API that give us the functionality to unlock the code which means that our products can work with anyone’s stuff.
CEC or Control Systems
I think
before I answer that, it’s important just to explain a little bit about what
CEC is. CEC (Consumer Electronic Control) is that ability for you to grab the
Sony remote control that came with your flat screen TV and control connected devices.
Now those connected devices may be connected directly through the HDMI®
connections on your display or via your video matrix. But CEC gives you that
functionality to just grab that remote in any zone and control those devices. Now
of course, a control system takes that one step further, with all the macros
and things we talked about previously. But, of course, they’re not mutually
exclusive, they do work together.
In certain zones you may want an intelligent,
multi-faceted touch screen remote or an on-wall keypad to control that zone.
But certainly, in lesser rooms, for example the kid’s rooms, you don’t want to
put that expensive hand-held remote and give it the kids. You want to give them
the remote that came free with the display and the kids can throw that around
and you’re not too worried. At Pulse-Eight with our products and the drivers
that we write for our products, we do both. CEC in one zone, control in another
or a mixture of the two.
Marc Waple
GLOBAL DIRECTOR OF SALES
Marc has over 20 years-experience working in the custom install AV industry. Marc is one our go-to experts with regards to both the residential and commercial space and is often described as the face of the Pulse-Eight brand.
In his spare time, you can find him paddle boarding or fixing up his VW Transporter, Betsy.
