New and Enhanced BluOS CI Drivers Will Simplify Installation and Provide a Premium, Full-Featured Music Experience

Strategic development in home automation brings major updates to Control4, Crestron, and ELAN systems and redefines music distribution for custom installers. 

ISE 2018, AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS, FEBRUARY 5, 2018 – Lenbrook International, developer of the BluOS wireless hi-res audio streaming technology, announces major updates for its integration with the leading home automation systems, Control4, Crestron, and ELAN. Customer installers can now build and program integration systems with a trusted, full-featured music app that delivers lightning-fast hi-res streaming performance for all BluOS enabled speakers, systems, and multi-zone amplifiers.

By strategically aligning with the leaders in smart home automation, and through continued collaboration and development, BluOS will expand on these platforms and further its commitment to a professional, hi-res audio solution that can be trusted by dealers and integrators. Each driver is certified and has passed interoperability tests to provide seamless integration of BluOS functions including full playback controls, browsing and searching music streaming services, local input selection, access to presets, and play queue management.

“Our BluOS engineering team worked closely with our industry CI partners, key Installation Dealers and driver developers to add a CI centric browse model that revolutionizes memory and processor requirements and drives a much easier setup in new projects,” said Andrew Haines, BluOS Product Manager. “Through this work, we have taken key steps to transform the BluOS experience, making it easy-to-install for integrators and extremely intuitive for homeowners.”

ELAN
Working closely with ELAN’s development team and being one of the first to implement their new media renderer interface and streaming protocol, the new BluOS driver is currently in development and will bring a cutting-edge user interface and transport controls to the ELAN home automation system. Not only does this enhance music experiences for homeowners, it also means that a hi-res music distribution system can be perfectly integrated into existing control systems and work alongside other connected smart home devices with multi-level navigation. A working system will be on display at ISE with features that include a rich interface with album artwork, playback and volume controls, play queue management, and pre-set selections.

Control4
With the new BluOS driver, version 2.8.1 available now in Control4’s Online Driver Database, Control4 home automation systems can be integrated with any BluOS enabled device from NAD Electronics or Bluesound Hi-Res Multi-room Streamers to provide blazing-fast response times for homeowners with little to no lag and full access to BluOS functions and commands. Additionally, certified Control4 installers and dealers can integrate BluOS into smart home projects with confidence that it will offer the best hi-res music experience. This new driver will be on display at ISE, with future developments and updates forthcoming that include new features and enhancements.

Crestron
Completely re-designed and built specifically for the future of the custom integration market, the new BluOS driver for Crestron, version 2.0, utilizes the latest API enhancements and delivers exceptional functionality for Crestron’s control interfaces including touch screens, handheld remote controls, wireless keypads, and the Control4 app for mobile. Through rigorous field testing with certified Crestron installers, the driver was developed with the integrator in mind and provides support for browsing local content and music services, selecting inputs and pre-sets, managing the play queue, and direct access to playback controls.

BluOS is offered in a wide variety of hi-res audio solutions that meet the needs of music-loving homeowners and installers alike, with products ranging from NAD Electronics’ traditional hi-fi components and custom rack-mounted multi-zone amplifiers, to Bluesound’s award-winning line of all-in-one wireless speakers and streaming components. A premium music operating system and software recognized by the industry’s top brands and installers, BluOS is vertically integrated into the devices’ advanced hardware architecture. This allows custom integrators to install end-to-end solutions that offer rich, intuitive music experiences and custom control applications that seamlessly integrate with popular integration systems.

The Control4 and Crestron drivers are available now in their dealer portals, while the ELAN driver is scheduled to be released in the near future. All BluOS CI drivers are also available for download at bluesound.com/downloads and on nadelectronics.com under each support BluOS enabled product.

All BluOS CI drivers will be on display with NAD Electronics and Bluesound at ISE 2018 in Hall 15, Stand E200, including live demonstrations and Q&A with BluOS product experts. For more information on BluOS at ISE 2018, visit bluos.net.

Press Contacts:

Mark Stone
Marketing, Lenbrook International
mstone@lenbrook.com

Peter Hoagland
North American Media Relations, Lenbrook International
peter@hoagland.us

Richard Stevenson
International Media Relations, Lenbrook International
richard@rspr.co.uk

About BluOS
BluOS is a premium multi-room audio ecosystem that manages stored and cloud music sources and playback, with support for high-resolution audio streams up to 24/192. Adopted by some of the most renowned hi-fi audio brands and integrated with numerous smart home control systems, BluOS allows for interoperability among enabled devices across brands for maximum versatility and use cases. Integrations with popular streaming music services like Tidal, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Deezer, as well as featuring support for FLAC, WAV, MQA, and other high-resolution formats and codecs, BluOS offers virtually unlimited access to music of all genres for any occasion. Made up of an operating system and a control application for smartphones, tablets, and PC desktops, BluOS is the ultimate choice for the modern audiophile. For more information visit www.bluos.net