Crestron

[pucho812]

Does anyone around here deal in crestron?
I can’t get a straight answer out of them other then contact a dealer.
I clearly need to make changes to a setup but they won’t provide end user tech and engineers anything to do that. Just to contact the seller who will send a tech out for an arm and a leg.

Inspired by Ian jumping through hoops to write this as it is my latest hurdle of random stuff.
Currently my work around was exactly as needed. However since this post place has the gear programmed might as well use it.

 

[Recording Engineer]

Luckily, I somehow (can’t remember how now), met-up with a guy who can do all the Creston stuff. The studio owner bought what the guy said on eBay and he set it all up for us. He was just starting a job at UC Davis at the time.

 

[pucho812]

Luckily, I somehow (can’t remember how now), met-up with a guy who can do all the Creston stuff. The studio owner bought what the guy said on eBay and he set it all up for us. He was just starting a job at UC Davis at the time.

they are very tight lipped about anything. it's a bit of a pain in the ass. I would tell them how we are going to ditch the stuff because of that but they wouldn't care as it's already been in use. LOL

 

[Brian Roth]

I am somewhat familiar with the product lines offered by Crestron. They and AMX (now owned by Harman) sell automation products for corporate conference rooms, high end houses ("Please dim the lights in the media room, advance the toilet paper roll and flush the commode." <g>) The user controls are touch screens or panels with "hard" pushbuttons.

I designed and installed five "fancy" conference room systems in the offices of a regional media company back in the 1990's The rooms included Barco "light cannon" video projectors, audio systems , video conferencing systems and other Partridges in Pear Trees. The cost of the equipment in each room was in the five figures.

I was using the products from AMX. It was an interesting system design concept. They sold rack frames with various plug-in PC boards that performed a variety of functions. One card offered contact closures, another RS-232 or 422 serial I/O, one operated pan/tilt and camera control (for the video conferencing), one emitted a signal to IR emitters for control of stuff like VCRs or CD players, and so on.

A CPU card held software custom written for each system. Touch screens and "hard button" panels connected into the frame(s). I learned the AMX control language (called Axcess) for the apps after attending a class at the AMX headquarters in Dallas. It was quite interesting to me.

Crestron had very similar offerings. Somewhere I have the manual for Crestron's software that controls their hardware, but I never dug too far into their products.

I find it interesting Crestron has a place in recording or broadcast facilities....

Bri

 

[pucho812]

I find it interesting Crestron has a place in recording or broadcast facilities....

Bri

It usually doesn't. But I am not the first here and the that were saw a big $$$$ and spent budget. Sadly ROI didn't match what was spent. Not sadly, it got me in the place to make it right. Here the creation does 2 - 3specific things. it's nice touch screen turns the big tv on and off, switches HDMI inputs so that you are either looking at pro tools or Apple TV and it runs as a remote for Apple TV. At least that is what it is supposed to be doing. I got one mix room where it works like that and an identical mix room where it does not work like it is supposed to. I get the Apple TV control but I don't get the tv power on and off, or pro tools on the screen. it doesn't looking like a routing issue. but it might be, still debugging things.

 

[Brian Roth]

@pucho812 Is the Crestron a control frame system like I described for the ancient AMX systems? IE, cards for individual functions? Do functions show up on the touchscreen, but do nothing? Wish I could help more, but those type of setups went away from my wheelhouse decades ago...lol But, glad to yack about it...

Bri

 

[Brian Roth]

Also,,,,from what era? I found some Crestron docs here dated 2003....

Bri

 

[Recording Engineer]

I find it interesting Crestron has a place in recording or broadcast facilities....

It’s been so great in the studio! Cameras in every room routes to TVs in every room; all just by dragging a finger on the little screen in the comfort of the chair. I’m constantly changing it! Can even control zoom-pan from it so easily! Throwing up PT on any tv is great for cues for overdubs or when they want to tell me exactly where they want to punch-in. We even have a camera on the converter meters in the machine room and I’m regularly pulling up when getting levels.

 

[Brian Roth]

@Recording Engineer That is an application which never occurred to me in Ye Olde Daze with that type of system. I was worrying about a "user friendly" setup that an older, senior "suit" guy could run to make a presentation to clients in a conference room.... without a having a train wreck.

I recall designing the touch screen with "What do you want to do?" ""Touch here for video conference" "Touch here for video playback" etc etc etc

While I've had no need for that sort of system in many years, you've now intrigued me. Is the system still a rack frame with various cards for various functions and custom "software code" to control the functions?

I recall programming the AMX system to communicate with external video switchers via RS232, spitting out command strings to IR emitters which controlled VCRs and so forth. One "command" lowered the window shades and dimmed the lights. Other commands raised and lowered the volume of the audio system. Yada yada.

I ended up with a "Mayday/Abort" button on the touch screen... basically a Go Back one screen when the "suit" finger-fumbled. To make it bullet-proof, other panels in the room allowed the younger men/women in the meeting to correct mistakes made by the "suit". Of course, that confused the "suit" lol

For high stakes presentations, we had a guy in the "back room" running the show....

Ahhhhh yes...Dog and Pony shows with all that AV equipment!

Bri

 

[pucho812]

@pucho812 Is the Crestron a control frame system like I described for the ancient AMX systems? IE, cards for individual functions? Do functions show up on the touchscreen, but do nothing? Wish I could help more, but those type of setups went away from my wheelhouse decades ago...lol But, glad to yack about it...

Bri

the system is all IP based now. so there is a mainframe unit that sends rs232 and ethernet out to the various panels.
On the touchscreen interface yes things show up on the touch screen. For example in the one room where it all works correctly, I get power on and off for the TV and switching HDMI inputs for the TV. in the room where it doesn't work, I can't control the TV with it and I can't get it to do the HDMI switching. I did a great work around but considering the studio purchased the dam thing, it should work and not just be a fancy touch screen with a clock.

 

[Brian Roth]

Just as a place to begin, does the failure follow the touch screen if you swap them between rooms?

Bri

 

[pucho812]

Just as a place to begin, does the failure follow the touch screen if you swap them between rooms?

Bri

Actually, you can’t even do that as a test because every touchscreen has its own IP address and the system won’t let you change IP addresses. You have to use their software to do all that which if you’re not a dealer, you do not get access to that.

 

[Brian Roth]

Hmmmmm....I'm out of ideas. Guess it's back to the dealer....

Bri

 

[pucho812]

Hmmmmm....I'm out of ideas. Guess it's back to the dealer....

Bri

Well thanks for trying. My idea of a work around was to broadcast Apple air play from computer to tv and it worked without issues. As the main reason was video files on the big screen. It does the job without issue