Introducing the Crestron Construct Media Player Component
A powerful, flexible media player has just been added to the Crestron Construct™ UI editing tool
December 9
Introducing the Crestron Construct Media Player Component

For those unfamiliar with the product, the Crestron Construct UI editing tool leverages HTML5 to drive a solution for developing custom, intuitive interfaces quickly and easily. Its drag-and-drop WYSIWYG layout functionality makes it easy to deploy — and it can send consistent interface designs to Crestron touch screens across an organization, no matter their size or orientation.

The results it’s been yielding are terrific, as was evidenced this past August when Crestron announced the winner of the Crestron Construct UI Design Contest. Polish firm Bestau took top honors with a design that’s easily customizable for a wide variety of clientele.

The Latest Feature: A Media Player

Tomasz Pajak, CEO of the winning firm, sums up just how impactful the Crestron Construct UI tool has been:

“Creating and implementing this solution with the Crestron Construct UI editing tool took about two days,” says Pajak, whose firm handles everything from enterprise to superyacht integrations. “A custom HTML design from scratch would have easily taken two or three times as long.”

“This was really the first time we’d used the tool, and what we achieved, I think, really speaks to both the talent we have on staff and the ease of use and quality of this Crestron solution.”

And the quality that Pajak speaks of has just gotten a significant upgrade: The tool has just been updated with a powerful new component: a new media player, which enables dealers to easily integrate audio control for music into Crestron Construct projects for UIs with minimal programming.  

Key Features of the Crestron Construct Media Player

  • The Ease of the Crestron Construct Tool: The media player is now available on Crestron’s go-to platform for building HTML5-based user interfaces, designed to streamline workflows and empower dealers with modern tools and components.
  • A Variety of Solutions: The new media player component enables dealers to easily integrate audio control for music into Creston Construct projects for UIs with minimal programming, along with support from leading audio solution partners (Crestron DM NAX® Audio-over-IP technology, Autonomic, Bluesound, Sonos).
  • A Seamless Audio Experience for End Users: End users benefit from intuitive, responsive control of music from their media player devices, across zones and sources, delivered through a sleek, embedded interface.
  • Parity with VT Pro-e® software: With the addition of the media player, Crestron Construct continues to further support all essential components from VT Pro-e software, making it easier than ever for dealers to migrate and modernize their projects.

The Evolution into HTML5

As we noted when we introduced the tool in 2023:

Over the years, we’ve provided our design community with an ever-evolving series of tools to help them create the most intuitive and efficient user interfaces on Crestron touch screens. In the past, that had included Crestron VisionTools® software, Crestron VisionTools® for Windows® OS, and VT Pro-e® software. The pace of advancing technology that powered that software led to Crestron developing its original SmarTouch™ touch panel, which was followed by Isys, the Synapse™ image rendering algorithm, and, most recently, Smart Graphics® software.

As a result, Crestron shifted its user interfaces to run the new industry standard, HTML5.

Crestron’s Senior Product Manager of Cloud and Control Services, Ara Seferian, says, “We know that for dealers moving from VT Pro-e software, having the right components in Crestron Construct is critical. The media player was one of the last key components missing from our library — until now.”

Commercial Use Cases

The media player in the Crestron Construct tool opens up a world of potential use cases, including (but not limited to):

Corporate Offices
  • Lobbies: Background music for a welcoming feel
  • Breakrooms: Relaxing playlists to boost morale
  • Training rooms: Audio for onboarding and instructions
Education
  • Classrooms: Audio lessons and music appreciation
  • Libraries: Ambient or educational sound
  • Kiosks and hallways: School announcements
Healthcare
  • Waiting rooms: Calming music to help ease stress
  • Therapy rooms: Guided meditation and soundscapes
  • Staff lounges: Music for relaxation
Retail and Hospitality
  • Stores and hotel lobbies: Music that matches the brand
  • Service areas: Audio for guidance and promotions
  • Bars and restaurants: Creating the perfect ambiance

The Media Player

“We developed and published a media player API that several of our partners have successfully integrated into their devices,” explains Seferian. “This component makes it simple to control those devices — just drop it into your project, connect a few signals within the control system program, and you’re ready to communicate with the media player.”  The Crestron Construct media player is a feature-rich component that makes controlling audio in any environment easy. “You can switch sources in your SIMPL Windows program, or even SIMPL Sharp Pro, and you can write in C# as well — no matter what you’re using, you can communicate with different hardware devices that have implemented our API.”

In addition to easy integration with a variety of other audio solutions, the media player’s a natural fit for Crestron DM NAX Audio-over-IP systems.

The additional component is one of three major updates and refinements the tool has seen since its release — but more features are on the horizon. “We’re always improving the product, and as we get feedback, we’ll continue to meet the needs of our dealers and our markets,” says Seferian. “And with that in mind, be on the lookout for version two of this media player sometime next year.”

featured products

image 1 text field
Crestron Control

The brains of your technology ecosystem, Crestron Control Solutions ensure that everything in the room that makes your organization work–from A/V to lighting, and temperature–works together seamlessly. Designed to help you deliver consistent, intuitive in-room experiences–from a single room to a global footprint. Intelligently. Efficiently. Securely.

Learn More
image 1 text field
Crestron DM NAX Audio-over-IP technology

Send high-fidelity sound from any source to any space. Every note. In no time flat. It’s done with DM NAX Audio-over-IP technology. From video conferencing to background music, networked audio distribution gives you a flexible, scalable, and secure solution.

Learn More
image 1 text field
Crestron Flex video conferencing

For teams at their best, ​Crestron Flex comes first. Combining your choice of UC platforms with Intelligent Video and Intelligent Audio, Crestron Flex lets you bring seamless, consistent, high-quality hybrid meeting experiences to any space.

Learn More

We’ll contact you.

If you prefer to have Crestron contact you, please complete the form below and a representative will call you.

​

By submitting your information you consent to the use of that information as set out in the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

related posts

image 1 text field
The DGE-1000: A Digital Graphics Engine for Every Application

The Crestron Digital Graphics Engine 1000 — the DGE‑1000 — instantly transforms an HD touch screen display into an advanced Crestron controller. It works with large touch screens and third-party apps, making it perfect for a variety of installations, from enterprise to education, from residential to restaurants, and more.

Learn More
image 1 text field
Introducing the Crestron Construct UI Editing Tool

As it becomes the industry standard, Crestron has leveraged HTML5 to drive a solution for developing custom, intuitive interfaces quickly and easily: The Crestron Construct™ UI editing tool. Its drag-and-drop WYSIWYG layout functionality makes it easy to deploy — and it can send consistent interface designs to Crestron touch screens across an organization, no matter their size or orientation. It’s control simplified — both for you and your clients.

Learn More
image 1 text field
Virtual Control, Part One: An Introduction to Software Solutions

In the first in a series of excerpts from Crestron’s latest eBook, Virtual Control Solutions for the Modern Workplace, you’ll get an overview of how solutions such as VC-4 can solve problems (and save resources) for your organization’s IT department.

Learn More