NetStreams New TouchLinx Amplified Touchpad Delivers A Designer Friendly Sollution While Reducing The Cost Per Zone For IP-Based Audio And Control

Touchpad Offers Designers and Architects the Ability to Tailor the Touchpad’s Surface Look and Material to Match a Home’s Decor [The following is a release from NetStreams]

September 6, 2008

NetStreams™, the global leader in networked A/V systems based on Internet Protocol (IP) standards, has introduced a new amplified touchpad, the TouchLinX™ TLA250, here at the CEDIA Expo booth number 930, the world's largest exposition devoted to whole house entertainment and control systems. NetStreams’ new touchpad features a built-in 50-watt per channel amplifier and designer friendly glass finish faceplate that can be tailored to compliment virtually any home décor. Homeowners, designers, and architects are traditionally faced with the difficult task of trying to blend their home control and A/V distribution systems into the home’s décor. This choice can be one of the most frustrating aspects of choosing a system, and is something that almost always disrupts the experience an architect or designer is trying to create in the environment. Most solutions to date offer modest relief, providing different metal finishes or plastic with a variety of colors and patterns. A new approach was demanded by the industry. “Our new touchpad offers sophisticated technology and innovative design elements,” said Kevin Reinis, President and CEO of NetStreams. “The new glass faceplate features a completely flat look, operating with only touch sensitive buttons. Further, a design layer under the glass can be matched to virtually any surface, design or accent, thanks to a variety of standard and designer color options. The TLA250 features many of the control features of the NetStreams touch screens, TouchLinX TL430 and TL700, offering user-friendly features such as an Intercom for whole house paging, room-to-room paging, and room monitoring. The LCD screen can display meta-data (song, artist, album name), control any audio / video source connected, as well as any lighting systems, HVAC, and other home automation functions. The front of the unit includes an IR receiver to enable control from a universal remote, including the ability to pass through IR commands to control sources anywhere on the DigiLinX™ network. In addition to its control capabilities, the TL250 features the audio functionality available in the SpeakerLinX™ zone amplifier and controller products. The unit is powered by a 50-watt per channel, high efficiency amplifier, and features Burr-BrownTM analog to digital and digital to analog converters, as well as an EIM port for connecting local audio in a zone. The combined functionality of a TouchLinX and SpeakerLinX make this an ideal product for those zones where metadata is required but where a touch screen controller is beyond the available budget. NetStreams has also designed its latest TouchLinX to be one of the easiest to install and program on the market. When mounted the faceplate is slightly larger than conventional dual panel light switch, yet offers a 2-gang box configuration. Encased in ‘slim line hardware,’ at only 1½” in-wall depth (installed), it is one of the slimmest.

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