This camera-equipped smart soundbar upgrades your Netflix binges as well as your Zoom conferences!

This year has been the year of Netflix and Chill. Movies are now releasing on the streaming platforms because theatres are closed and that has led to many of us investing in a better sound system for our homes. Since we aren’t spending on cheap tickets and expensive popcorn, we can upgrade with tech like this Crestron UC video soundbar! It does a lot more than make binge-watching better, it is actually a smart soundbar that also features video conferencing capabilities and a camera to give your work from home setup a boost as well!

The modular soundbar is available in three different versions, both the camera and sensor are attachable accessories depending on when they are needed. “The basic principle of the design is an architectural hierarchy, that optimizes the use of design elements and material,” describes the team. To make the soundbar more visually streamlined and ‘clean’, all technical elements of the product were moved and placed in a way that they are minimally visible.

The wall bracket, ventilation, and the space for storing cables were especially hidden away to give the soundbar unobtrusive aesthetics. “To reach this area, the entire front part of the product can be easily opened. The front includes the interface with display, speakers, camera, sensor, and led bar, as part of the functional level,” says the team. The Crestron UC video soundbar’s linear and smooth design make it a great addition for your sound system but since we are working from home and our lives are one giant zoom call, I guess this can count as an essential “business expense”!

Designer: Noto Design for Crestron

Crestron’s new smart home OS is made for ballers with multiple houses

Crestron, like other high-end home automation companies, is in a tough spot -- how does it stay relevant when anyone with connected devices and some know-how can replicate much of its wizardry? By offering software that's harder to match, apparently...

VidaBox unveils vPlayer and vStreamer Media Extenders with slicker looks, green credentials

VidaBox unveils vPlayer and vStreamer Media Extenders with slicker looks, green credentials

Most VidaBox Media Extenders have borne a closer similarity to mini PCs than to the kind of equipment you'd stack on top of a home theater receiver. That's already been changing, but the company's new vPlayer and vStreamer are virtually invisible in the living room by comparison. Either has a newly streamlined, stackable design that feels entirely at home in the den and keeps the noisy buzzes and whines to a minimum through a new cooling system. Although VidaBox is wonderfully vague about specs -- both hubs tout a "dual core processor," for example -- its units have been modernized enough to use a thrifty 35W of typical power. The boxes lack dedicated media storage space and curiously have to be factory upgraded to get HDMI 1.4 instead of 1.3, but they'll output 7.1-channel audio and 1080p video while integrating with most common home automation systems over RS-232. We haven't been quoted prices to simplify any buying decisions; we expect the gap to be small between the two offerings, since the vPlayer and vStreamer are identical on the inside except for the vPlayer's Blu-ray drive. Dealers will have a better answer for you when VidaBox starts shipping the extender duo on September 4th.

Continue reading VidaBox unveils vPlayer and vStreamer Media Extenders with slicker looks, green credentials

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VidaBox unveils vPlayer and vStreamer Media Extenders with slicker looks, green credentials originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 Sep 2012 05:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UFO Waterproof Remote found floating in the company of the rich and famous

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Dreams are nice. Yachts are better. So while you cling to far-flung notions that you'll ever truly know what 'money to burn' means, the Barry Dillers of our world are crisscrossing international waters, drenching models with diamonds and dropping their universal controllers in the hot tub with abandon. Rescuing these rapscallion, modern-day robber barons from the pitfalls of excess is Crestron, with its UFO Waterproof Remote made specifically for H2O hanky panky. The disc-shaped unit, which admittedly looks more like a pool toy than high-end control hub, comes encased in a rubberized shell and features a 2.8-inch display, giving Greek shipping heirs and their ilk instant access to lighting, security systems, A/V equipment and thermostats from the comforts of their sun deck jacuzzi. Alright, so the 1% aren't the company's sole market base, as the unit's also ideally positioned for use in hospitals, owing to its ability for easy sterilization. But let's be honest, the real reason this floating controller shares a frisbee-like shape is aerodynamics. All the better to hit your staff with, right Ms. Campbell? Official PR and its hydrophobic emphasis after the break.

Continue reading UFO Waterproof Remote found floating in the company of the rich and famous

UFO Waterproof Remote found floating in the company of the rich and famous originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Mar 2012 20:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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