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 programmes simultaneously, all communicating with each other on the same platform, says the company. 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.
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.
"As an industry, we have to start thinking about AV as infrastructure, rather than as a standalone entity," says Crestron UK's Robin van Meeuwen. "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."
(Jim Evans)
