A Legacy of Leadership in Innovative Touch Screen Design & Technology
Crestron Electronics announced this week the launch of an all-new 80 Series Touch Screen line, its most advanced touch screen design ever. What specifically has changed in this series as compared to previous versions? According to a company source, only one thing has changed: everything!
Learn all about the new Crestron 80 Series Touch Screen control interface…
Crestron announced on Tuesday that it has launched a new series of its popular touch screen control interface, known as the 80 Series. The company says this new series features a highly refined design, with faster performance and native Crestron Home OS integration.
Founded in 1972 in Cresskill, NJ, in 1980, Crestron Electronics launched its first AV product – a remote controllable slide projector – for which it provided a button-press remote control. This was its first-ever application-specific remote control from Crestron engineers. Then, in 1993, the company introduced its first-ever touch panel, known as the VT series, which added color, video, and computer graphics. This was soon followed in 1995 by the world’s first RF wireless control solution, known as Smart Touch. Ever since the introduction of the VT Series in 1993, Crestron has remained a leader in touch screen system control solutions by continuously investing and innovating to move the category technology forward.
Crestron Becomes a Pillar of the Industry and a Cornerstone Partner to Integrators
Little did we know back in 1980 that Crestron would go on to become a pillar of the custom integration community and a cornerstone control line for a major share of all integrators. Part of how it seemingly grew so rapidly to become so significant in CI was the company’s ongoing commitment to developing ever-improving control interfaces…especially touch panel interfaces.
Continuing on with the historic progression of notable Crestron touch screens over the years, in 2001, the company introduced its iSYS, the world’s first modular touch control interface that was wireless and included intercom capability. This was followed up on in 2004 with a growing family of touch screen solutions known as the iSys i/o + TPMC series. Crestron tells me that the iSys i/o + TPMC line had a sexier touch screen layout and included animations driven by the touch screen itself (instead of the control system). The commercial versions could run applications, such as Microsoft Word Viewer and Excel Viewer, and they featured Crestron Smart Graphics.
Crestron Touch Screens are the ‘Gold Standard’
Then, in 2012, the company launched a new generation of touch screens known as the TSW series. The TSW series was a foundational change that would go on to form the basis of development for advancing the designs from the initial 50 Series…to the 60 Series…to the 70 Series…and now, to today’s 80 Series.
Michael Short, Crestron VP, Residential, told me, “Our decades of innovation and expertise have allowed us to set the standard for what a touch screen in the home should be. So the expectations from our customers are that Crestron is always the gold standard when it comes to touch screens. This is the reason that we continually sell touch screens for nearly every project.”
Crestron has a Legacy of Leadership in Touch Screen Design & Technology
This company suggests persuasively that it has demonstrated a Legacy of Leadership in Touch Screens, over the decades, and this leadership in the category remains a standard the company strives to live up to, to this day. And in the case of this new 80 Series, Crestron says it has created its finest touch screen to date.
The company says this latest 80 Series touch screen line is truly engineered for today’s connected homes. Thanks to the line’s combination of refined industrial design, dramatically enhanced performance (more on this later), and native Crestron Home OS integration, the 80 Series delivers an elegant, always-ready control experience in every room.
Offered in 8- and 10-Inch Screen Sizes
This new series is available in 8-inch and 10-inch versions. The company will also continue with an existing 5-inch version from the 70 Series. This is a popular size for smaller spaces, Michael Short tells me, such as wine cellars, bathrooms, kids’ bedrooms, and the like. In the past, the “standard” model was a 7-inch screen size. Now, at 8-inches the standard model is 1-inch larger, which sounds like a small upgrade but seems larger than that when you see it in person.
These new models are also available in both desktop and wall mount versions. Each version is also available in either a gloss black or white finish. I asked the company if they have any thoughts on which size and/or mounting preference they think will be the biggest sellers. Without hesitation, Short believes the most popular will be almost 50/50 between 8-/10-inch versions mounted on-wall.
Screens Can Be Mounted in Landscape or Portrait Positions; Upgraded Processing Power
One final note: each wall-mounted touch screen can be positioned in either landscape or portrait mode. The choice is the user’s, or perhaps the decorator, if portrait mode more properly fits the available space at the desired spot for the touch screen mounting. It is a simple matter of setting the screen configuration preference in the operating system.
I should also mention that there will be both residential and commercial versions of the 80 Series touch screens. Of course, each will be optimized for its intended channel, but much of the hardware platform is common to both. Why is that important? Because Crestron engineers went deep in refining this model, including dramatically upgrading the built-in processing power.
Offered in Both Residential and Commercial-Optimized Versions; Built on a Common Platform
In truth, there is probably more processing power than is necessary for the residential channel today. But that extra horsepower will come in handy in the future. Michael Short said that the company is planning to regularly push out new firmware updates over the near- and longer-term future. These updates will be executed through either the Crestron Home OS or through the hardware to add powerful, all-new features and allow the 80 Series touch screens to further evolve.
And many of these planned features, Short told me, his voice dropping to a dramatic, low whisper, will be “incredible.” I tried my hardest, but I couldn’t get Michael to spill the beans and reveal some of these coming features (the coming attractions, so to speak). But I’m convinced they must be exciting, or he wouldn’t have focused so heavily on this capability.
Includes m def Technology, an Uncommonly Powerful Security Solution
Another advantage of the fact that both versions are built upon a common platform is that residential users will receive a product with an uncommon level of security technology included. Due to the fact that Crestron commercial products are widely implemented in government facilities, including high-security installations, the company is required to build products to m def specs.
Part of the Microsoft Defender series of cybersecurity solutions, m def is a higher level of security than is typically earmarked for inclusion in devices targeted for consumer use. But Crestron residential installations utilizing any of the Series 80 touch screens will have this advanced security included.
All-New Upgraded Sensors Bring a Big Improvement in Effortless Usability
When I said everything was new, I meant it. The 80 Series includes all-new sensors with upgraded technology, such as a radar-based proximity sensor that wakes the unit up as you approach. Using the latest mmWave radar technology – a technology that utilizes short-wavelength radio waves – this state-of-the-art sensor is known to offer high accuracy, non-contact presence sensing, static presence sensing…even through materials like fabric…making it ideal for this purpose.
There is also a new ambient light sensor that dynamically adjusts screen brightness for perfect visibility, no matter what the lighting scenario is in the room at that moment. It requires no action by the user and just magically presents the perfectly rendered image at all times.
The Ultimate Luxury Operational Experience
These new sensors make using a Series 80 touch screen really feel like an upgraded experience, as it seems to automagically intuit what the client wants to do next…quickly and painlessly. These are little things (sensors, I mean) that can delight the client with the ultimate luxury operational experience.
Crestron has upgraded the microphones in the unit, now using far-field microphones for a vastly improved interaction with the paging/intercom system. No longer do you have to be on top of the touch screen to be heard over the intercom – now, you can be just about anywhere in the room and still be heard clearly by the party on the other end.
Upgraded Speakers for a More Natural Communication Experience
Along the same lines, the company has upgraded the speakers in the unit as well. This upgrade, like the refined microphone system, helps dramatically improve the intercom and paging feature of this unit, helping the user by raising the intelligibility of the room-to-room communication. The company says voices are much more natural, and the performance is much more reliable.
Here is a cool plus: Crestron has added a physical on/off button with an indicator light on the unit to turn off the microphone. This will be a huge plus for your security-conscious clients. Surveys have shown for years that a significant percentage of consumers don’t trust equipment with live microphones always on. Here, Crestron has removed that objection to having a home full of Series 80 touch screens in every room. Simply switch the microphone on and engage the intercom to speak with someone in another room…and then turn it off when finished. Your privacy is fully protected.
A Simply Sophisticated Design Visually Integrates into Any Environment
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs once famously said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” I agree with that concept, and while he was likely referring to device functionality, I would argue it holds true for industrial design as well. Crestron points to the 80 Series touch screen’s ability to seamlessly integrate into a home system, largely thanks to Crestron Home OS.
Of course, in saying that, Crestron’s materials are referring to electronically or systemically integrating into a system. I would argue that the subtle sophistication of its industrial design also allows it to seamlessly integrate visually into any home. Designers clearly chose a sophisticated, minimalistic approach, with slim profiles, elegant and unobtrusive styling, and high gloss black and white finishes
Installation and Connection Flexibility
I think that Crestron product planners and engineers thought of just about everything as they developed the 80 Series touch screens. For example, flexibility is the name of the game with this series, such as the inclusion of both Power over Ethernet (PoE+) and Wi-Fi connectivity. This makes the Series 80 touch screens perfect for any installation scenario, whether new construction or retrofit.
In addition to this, the Series 80 also offers installation flexibility, with the ability to utilize either a wall-mount or a tabletop configuration. This added flexibility gives the integrator and the client options to choose from, such that they can select the one that best meets their needs…even on a space-by-space basis.
Designers and integrators need a touchscreen that can go anywhere the homeowner wants control, without compromising the look and feel of the space. The 80 Series gives them that flexibility; clean, architectural wall mounts or elegant tabletop options, all with the same refined aesthetic and performance.
Georgio Galaris, Crestron Manager of Residential Marketing
Series 80 Availability
Crestron’s Series 80 Touch Screens for the residential channel are planned to be available at the beginning of the second quarter in 2026. They can be pre-ordered now through authorized Crestron dealers and partners.
Learn more about the remarkable Crestron Series 80 Touch Screens by visiting: www.crestron.com/80Series-Home.
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