Speaking of wars…  Akin to the pushing between Coke and Pepsi, McDonald’s and Burger King,  or Ford and Chevy, the two control systems manufacturers AMX and Crestron have been serious competitors for a couple of decades. Recent press releases reveal that for some, the stakes have become very high indeed.

Although GHA normally uses Crestron gear, really either of these two systems can provide truly elegant control of almost anything that can be controlled. Much bantering goes back and forth between the two camps regarding differences, capabilities, reliability, yadda, yadda. When it comes right down to it, if you’re not enjoying a great movie a few moments after pushing the “Watch DVD” buttton on your custom remote control or shiny wireless touchpanel,  the problem most likely has to do with the initial design or programming. Systems like AMX  and Crestron come out of the box with absolutely nothing programmed into them - no buttons, no colors, no settings, no fancy intuitive logic. Everything that happens when you press a button (or not) is totally due to the integrator’s application and programming of the product.

The insider advice says - don’t shop for product brands or logos. Choose the best integration company. One that does very thorough client interviews, project scope definition, engineering layouts and diagrams (before work starts), continuous project management, and exhaustive quality control on every project. Come to think of it, I know of a great group of people that just happens to fit the description…

 shotchkiss@grandhome.com