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WiFi-enabled Crestron touchpanel aids in stargazing

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 1st 2008 at 11:25AM

We've seen home automation touchpanels used for some -- shall we say, unorthodox -- activities, but this is taking things to another ~~level~~ galaxy. Franklin, NC-based Dan Quigley has whipped up a way for his WiFi-enabled Crestron TMPC8X to actually control a giant telescope. Rather than manually getting the 'scope into the right position, he simply touches a button and watches it automatically check to see "if and when that object is viewable." While he's at it, he can dim the lights around him and check the local weather, and once a celestial body is in view, he can snap a photograph or have the system channel the image to any computer / TV. Suddenly, astronomy has become entirely more attractive.

[Thanks, Chuck]

DirecTV's CEDIA booth tour

by Darren Murph, posted Sep 7th 2007 at 6:33AM

DirecTV's booth seemed entirely too small for the amount of people and LCD TVs that were stuffed within, but we survived long enough to catch a few shots of the newfangled HR21 Pro DVR and to hear some not-so-encouraging words about the next rollout of HD offerings. You know the deal, hop on over here for the rest of the dirt.

Crestron TPMC-8X to command your home

by Cyrus Farivar, posted Sep 14th 2006 at 5:51PM

CEDIA is just getting started, where there's a flurry of new products already hitting the show floor, and a few have caught our eye -- especially this one, the Crestron TPMC-8X. This tablet integrates Yahoo Widgets into a touch screen, making stock prices, weather or any other glanceable information accessible via a finger click. This magnesium-encased device is packed with Bluetooth as well, but better yet has biometric software, and will restore preferences based on each person's fingerprints. This $3,800 offering also has a pair of microphones and echo-cancelling built-in to improve your VoIP call. It also has a do-not-disturb option so you won't be interrupted by other applications a pesky Skype call when you're curled up catching up on your "Lost" DVDs. No word on when the TPMC-8X will be available, but while you're waiting you can peep the screen grabs on the flip side.

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