Lutron and Kaleidescape partnered on a control integration via Lutron’s RA2 Extensible Application Protocol, they said Wednesday. Direct integration of Lutron’s HomeWorks lighting control system with current Kaleidescape movie players allows users to control Lutron’s Sivoia QS shades and Ketra intelligent lighting. When a user hits play, Kaleidescape sends metadata about the movie so the control system can adjust screen masking, projector lens shift and lighting triggers that close shades and dim lights. When the credits roll, the lights automatically come on slowly, they said. The feature is due to be active in October.

Crestron introduced a smart thermostat using a two-wire installation design vs. battery-powered. The $599 Horizon thermostat “ends the dreaded replaceable battery design,” said Crestron Monday, calling it more reliable control in an “always-working” environment. The Wi-Fi-based Horizon can react to dynamic routines in response to data from onboard temperature, humidity, and proximity sensors, Crestron said, and it works with lighting and shading in a Crestron-controlled system. The company plans a free April 21 webinar on the thermostat.

RTI added a free, single-device ProPanel mobile app license with every R Series or Z Series processor purchased, it said Tuesday. The company billed the license as a value-add for integrators looking for a single-room control solution. The processors' Pro Control Studio software guides integrators through setting up single-room or whole-home systems.

Supporting its efforts to expand in lighting control, ProSource said Tuesday it will open a learning center in the Dallas Market Center in January for lighting technology. The center will allow retail and design-build customers to learn about lighting applications in an immersive setting, said the buying group. The learning center space, designed by Light Can Help You executives David Warfel and Mark Langston, will be supported by ProSource vendor members Proluxe by American Lighting, Colorbeam, DMF, Savant/USAI, Vantage and AiSPiRE. The Dallas Market Center is home to the Lightovation trade event.

Savant partnered with Devialet to distribute its Phantom Reactor Custom active speaker to the custom installation channel. The Devialet speakers are targeted to customers looking for a premium active speaker that makes a “bold design statement,” said George Katsiris, Savant vice president. Savant and Devialet teams have a future road map to create a “tight integration experience and exclusive connectivity features" for the CI channel, he said. With the active speakers, users can change sources and control volume from within the Savant app or by using voice commands, Savant said.

Crestron and Delos partnered on an integration platform combining control and wellness, said the companies Wednesday. Crestron is offering Delos’ Darwin Home Wellness Intelligence Network to integrators and dealers in North America, in response to a demand for “well-living and design during the COVID-19 pandemic,” they said. Crestron’s 3-Series control system integrates with Darwin to control lighting, shades, HVAC and audio within the platform. Control of tunable lighting, circadian cycles and Delos’ dawn simulation feature can be accessed by Crestron’s TSW touch screen or a mobile device. Darwin uses Delos' wellness algorithms and sensor technologies to create spaces said to help reduce stress, improve sleep quality and performance, and enhance well-being. Darwin intuitively responds to the conditions in the home, purifying air and water, and providing dynamic lighting that helps regulate the body's natural circadian rhythms, said Delos.

Hunter Douglas added two installation solutions in its automated window shade line. The PowerView+ is a low-voltage, hardwired shade; the AC-powered PowerView is designed for large windows or banks of windows up to 240 inches wide. Both PowerView+ and PowerView use Hunter Douglas “ultra-quiet motors” and are paired with the company’s PowerView Hub interface for control by third-party systems from Control4, Crestron, Savant, Elan and URC, Scott Stephenson, director-product management, told us Monday. Most of Hunter Douglas’ shade styles can be automated with PowerView, he said.

Adoption of home control systems had a 38% year-on-year growth rate at the end of 2019, blogged Parks Associates Tuesday. Just under a fifth of U.S. broadband households have a home control system; half of those bought the system with their first smart home device, Parks said. “The conversion of legacy security subscribers to interactive security services that support smart home automation is driving the increase in home control systems,” said analyst Brad Russell, while adoption of do-it-yourself home control systems independent of security “has remained flat.” A survey of 10,000 broadband households said consumers are most likely to acquire a home control system in the early stage of smart home adoption vs. at a later stage when they own multiple smart home devices. “Most consumers do not buy three or more smart home products and then look for a system to control all their devices, so migrating consumers from multiple devices to a system is currently a challenge for the industry,” he said. Most owners of smart homes use multiple apps to control their devices; as more become multi-device households, they will “start to seek out a simple, unified experience.”

Genie garage door openers can now be controlled by Brilliant in-wall touch-screen control panels, said the smart home company Tuesday. Brilliant works with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, HomeKit, Sonos, Ring, Schlage, Honeywell, Ecobee, Philips Hue, LIFX, Wemo and ButterflyMX. The $299 smart controller supports hubs such as Samsung SmartThings for connecting Z-Wave or Zigbee products and can connect directly to bridge products from Philips Hue, it said.

Nortek introduced the Panamax VT1512-IP ($549), a slimmed-down power conditioner designed to take up minimal space in an equipment rack. It has Panamax’s BlueBolt technology, which allows remote reboot of 12 individually controlled outlets and the ability to monitor energy use, set alerts, program scheduled commands and perform network pings, said the company.