- Two powerhouses have joined forces: Microsoft’s highly anticipated Surface Hub will be controlled natively by Crestron.
- The large format Windows touch display will be paired with Crestron’s DigitalMedia Presentation System (DMPS), TSW touchscreens, TSS scheduling panels, and a set of USB extenders, enabling display on the Surface Hub from any device in the room or enterprise. Touch functionality will pass seamlessly from the Surface Hub to any of the connected devices, and Windows 10 apps—such as Skype for business—can launch on any of the devices, up at the display or at the table. Environmental settings can be adjusted directly on the Surface Hub using Crestron’s App, including shades, lights, and temperature.
“We have our application that runs on the system, and our different solutions have all been tailored so that we can pair natively with it,” explained Joe Sarrasin, Crestron’s product manager for UCC solutions. “Our TSW series touchpanels can control different aspects of the room from the table; you can marry it with our scheduling panels, and you can use our DMPS and USB extenders to route video and touch and scale 4K and 1080p, and all the things that you would expect to do with our DM products, but you can do them within the Surface Hub environment now.”
The other key feature to note is that the 84-inch Surface Hub has been Crestron certified for 4K, ensuring the device works perfectly in a DigitalMedia matrix-switched environment, delivering true 10 Gbit/s data rates for signal transport, interfacing with DM to handle cable lengths in integrated AV systems, and assuring compatibility with other 4K products in a DM system. “It passed right through all our 4K certification testing, which is not easy,” Sarrasin said. “Not every display that claims to be 4K can pass our certification testing.”
The added benefit of native hooks brings a solution like Crestron Fusion into the system, allowing remote management and control of the individual devices in every room across the enterprise, along with instant alerts if issues arise. Room use data analysis reports help IT managers in key decision making for future technology investment, a major demand from enterprise users today.
Traditional Office applications have been adapted specifically for Windows 10 and the large format version of it that runs on the Surface Hub, so Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are all available natively, along with what Sarrasin described as a really impressive version of One Note for whiteboarding.
The Surface Hub is available to order directly from Crestron July 1. Dealers will be able to purchase the Surface Hub directly from Crestron. Demonstrations will be highlights of both companies’ booths at InfoComm 2015 in Orlando, June 17 to 19.
For an industry veteran like Sarrasin, developing this solution is something he believes will be really big for AV integrators. “Our Crestron solution paired up with this awesome new Surface Hub solution is going to be pretty amazing. I think a lot of people are going to be very excited about it when they see it at the show.”
Read more about the Surface Hub features and reseller partners, here.
