MC3 is More Than Just a New Control System, It’s the Platform for the Future of the AV Industry
Rockleigh, NJ, February 15, 2011 – Crestron announced today the immediate availability of its new generation MC3, the first 3-Series™ control system powered by Core 3 OS. Developed and engineered like an IT platform, rather than an AV system, the 3-Series platform is a cloud-based architecture designed to provide a foundation for powerful integrated building technology and advanced home control.
The MC3 combines the agility and speed of a computer operating system with the reliability of a network appliance, enabling real-time multitasking to seamlessly run up to 10 independent programs simultaneously, all communicating with each other on the same platform. A fully-integrated 3-Series platform unleashes more processing power, faster speeds, more memory, enhanced security and powerful multitasking capabilities that simplify the design and implementation of integrated building management and home technology.
“The MC3 represents the future of our industry. It’s the first control system built like an IT platform, designed for intelligent home and building management,” explains Crestron Executive Vice President, Randy Klein. “The MC3 is just the first in what will be a full line of 3-Series control systems powered by our Core 3 OS.”
When performing upgrades to any single part of the control system, it is no longer required to take down and update the entire system. Because each module is partitioned, a restart or upload of one program does not affect the others, resulting in less programming and no downtime.
Upgrades can now be performed on any individual subsystem - AV, lighting, climate control, and security systems for example – while allowing the other programs to run seamlessly in the background, the same way IT performs upgrades. Until now, to make a change to one subsystem, the whole system had to be shut down.
This exclusive IT-based architecture enables integrators to perform system maintenance and expansion in ways never before possible, increasing run-time efficiency and stability. For corporate campuses and universities with dozens, hundreds or thousands of rooms, and organizations with facilities in cities around the world and in different time zones, maintenance, troubleshooting, upgrades and debugging can be executed quickly, securely and seamlessly.
“As an industry, we have to start thinking about AV as infrastructure, rather than as a standalone entity,” said Crestron VP of Technology, Fred Bargetzi, “The decision makers are no longer the traditional AV manger, they’re IT managers, facilities managers, architects, real estate developers, and builders. They want all their systems - lighting, HVAC, AV, building management, and others - on a single platform, but until now, no one has been able to offer a solution.”
On a single 3-Series platform, fully-integrated control of entertainment, AV and environmental systems in commercial buildings, homes, schools, hotels and casinos, command centers and multi-campus environments is faster, simpler, and more efficient than previously possible or imagined.