News

NuVo Technologies introduces Wireless Control Pad for it's Grand Concerto and Essentia E6G multiroom audio systems (29/9/2008)

CEDIA US Expo 2008

New handheld device offers dealers increased installation flexibility and end users unprecedented levels of control over NuVo's Grand Concerto and Essentia E6G environments.

NuVo Technologies today unveiled its Wireless Control Pad, an exciting new option for user control of its Grand Concerto and Essentia E6G multi-room audio systems, as well as the sources attached to them, such as satellite and terrestrial radio tuners, music servers, PCs and iPods.

The Wireless Control Pad is the newest option for controlling a NuVo multi-room audio system, joining NuVo's hard-wired, in-wall OLED Control Pads and web browser-based control via NuVo's Music Port. The small, sleek Wireless Control Pad features a 1.6-inch OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) screen, and is roughly five inches long, two inches wide and less than an inch thick, making it about the size of a smartphone.

A user can take the Wireless ControlPad anywhere in the home-the breakfast table, the couch, the kitchen, or anywhere in-wall Control Pads aren't conveniently accessible-and easily select music or sources on the NuVo system. The Wireless Control Pad also receives metadata and operational feedback from the sources connected to the NuVo system.

"Our new Wireless Control Pad enhances our Grand Concerto and Essentia whole-home audio systems with new levels of controllability and versatility," said David Rodarte, NuVo Technologies' president and chief operating officer. "It will open up new possibilities and applications for our installers, and it will enable our systems to become even more integral and enjoyable to our end users' everyday lifestyles."

The Wireless Control Pad breaks the previous paradigm of "one in-wall Control Pad per each audio zone." It can roam from zone to zone in a NuVo system (although it can be permanently tied to a single zone if preferable), and it is particularly compelling as a way to extend NuVo control to the backyard, by the pool or grill, or to any other indoor or outdoor location on a property where an in-wall Control Pad can't be effectively or conveniently mounted.

The Wireless Control Pad is a sensible alternative for rooms where it is impractical or impossible to install in-wall Control Pads-for example, where stucco, concrete, brick or rock walls exist, or where barriers make it difficult to string wire between the room in question and the NuVo audio distribution amplifier. Before the arrival of the Wireless Control Pad, such rooms often would be ruled out as potential audio zones.

The device also is ideal for the homeowner who, for cosmetic reasons, may not wish to have in-wall Control Pads in every room. Because it doesn't require cutting into a wall and pulling wire like an in-wall Control Pad would, the Wireless Control Pad particularly can enhance the appeal of installing a new multi-room audio system in an existing home.

The system consists of three components: the Wireless Control Pad itself, a Network Coordinator and a Charging Dock. The Network Coordinator acts as a bridge between the Wireless Control Pad and the hard-wired NuVo whole-home audio network (NuVoNet), to which it connects via CAT-5. Several Wireless Control Pads can communicate with one household Network Coordinator via the IEEE 802.15.4 radio frequency (RF) standard. The tabletop Charging Dock, which plugs into the home's electrical system, recharges the battery of the Wireless Control Pad.

The device features motion-sensitive operation. If it hasn't been moved or touched for a brief time, the Wireless Control Pad goes into power-conserving standby mode. When the user picks it up or touches it, the device automatically turns on again; there is no need to press a "power-on" button or any other buttons at all.

Unlike other wireless home entertainment interfaces, the Wireless Control Pad's functions are simple, specific and secure. It does not provide audio playback, and it is not a paging or intercom device. It does not use Wi-Fi and cannot connect to or access a home network or the internet, which provides dealers and homeowners increased peace of mind about the security of both the NuVo system and the home network.

The Wireless Control Pad's clean and modern design neatly reflects the NuVo multi-room audio system's purity of sound. When placed in the Charging Dock, the two forms join together to form a unit that exists in harmony with stylish home décor.

NuVo's Wireless Control Pad joins the recently announced NuVo Music Port in greatly expanding the available options for NuVo multi-room audio system control. Music Port enables any PC, Macintosh, Ultra-Mobile PC (UMPC) or Tablet PC with a web browser that is connected to the home network to control a NuVo whole-home audio system.

The Wireless Control Pad will ship in the fourth quarter of 2008. Pricing is TBA.

www.nuvotechnologies.com