New touch-panel technology showcased
CEDIA plays host to some touchscreen delights
Touchscreen as a technology seems to be integrating itself seamlessly into high-end home cinema products at the moment.
One of the stand-outs in this sector was launched at this week's CEDIA Expo. Made by Opus Technologies, the WCU600 touchscreen keypad is designed to seamlessly control both the Opus 500 system and a number of third party lighting and other smart home products. That's right, one-touch accessibility to things like your audio/video servers, iPod docks and even your lights.
As you can see from the image, the new menu system is made up of a high-resolution, high-contrast screen, with hand icons to decipher which bits of kit you are controlling.
The Opus WCU600 keypad is on sale now for £490.
You've got the touch
Another touchscreen device that caught our eye was the Crestron TPS-6X. This slick-looking smart panel is a 6-inch touchscreen controller that can be used as a handheld device or mounted on its stand.
Like the Opus WCU600, the TPS-6X has the ability to show full-motion video on its screen, so if you want to use it to monitor a security camera, you can, or you can also use it to preview, say, a DVD.
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Crestron claims that the TPS-6X provides functionality previously found in nine separate touchpanels, and can be used as a wireless, tilt-case and permanent panel.
The Crestron TPS-6X is out now. Consult your local AV dealer for prices.
Marc Chacksfield is the Editor In Chief, Shortlist.com at DC Thomson. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.