Smarter Spaces Podcast

GUEST: Leah Martinez, Crestron Product Manager, Control and Environmental Solutions If you’ve decided you need new window coverings — for a new home, a renovation project, or just a room refresh — the first thing you’ll notice is that the number of options are staggering, from styles to fabric to controls and more.  If you’re buying shades, where do you even start? In this episode, we’ll cover: Ho...

One of the key aspects of making great electronics, software, and other solutions is ensuring quality and durability. Here’s a look at how (and why) product testing happens at Crestron: we try to hack ‘em, break ‘em, freeze ‘em, and bake ‘em. What do we learn in the process, and how can that impact the broader industry? Crestron’s Christopher Angello, Vice President, Quality, joins us with the ans...

You’ve likely heard a great deal about AV-over-IP solutions, but sending audio only over network cabling offers its own distinct set of advantages. In this episode, we delve into the benefits of Audio-over-IP and what specifiers should know about these solutions. Our expert on the subject actually developed Crestron’s system: Ekin Binal, who’s VP of Core Technology and Strategic Partnerships.     ...

Before any residential project begins, there is one critical step: the discovery process. In this episode of Smarter Spaces, we hear how luxury integrators uncover what clients really need — often before clients even know themselves. From asking the right questions to introducing innovative solutions, discovery is where great experiences are built. Joe and Joey Calise of Sights-N-Sounds, a family-...

Why would a dealer decide not to specialize – taking on both commercial and residential projects? How does a dealer tackle both residential and commercial projects? What crossover exists? Are they separate departments? Service teams? Don Cavicchi, Founder and CEO, CAV Custom Solutions, answers those questions and many more. Learn more: https://www.crestron.com/News/Smarter-Spaces  Stay Connected,...

Commercial lighting is much more than illuminating tasks or lighting eating and shopping spaces — it’s about supporting the architectural and interior story by creating an environment. Here we’ll explore just what’s involved in lighting design for commercial spaces with Avraham Mor, founder and CEO of Morlights: www.morlights.com/. (Avraham has his own podcast as well: lightingmatterspodcast.com ....

Earlier this year, Crestron rolled out our Modern Workplace Certification path. Now we’re releasing an online version. It was built for workplace designers, sales teams, consultants, and on-site IT and AV professionals. But how do we define modern work — and how do we determine just what tech and training needs to be part of the curriculum? We dig into those questions with Kyle Marles, manager of...

We hear a lot about “high-impact spaces” — those rooms where critically important decisions are made and vital information is shared. A great example is the New York Giants Draft Room, a place we’ve visited before. In this podcast, however, we’ll talk about the engineering that’s “under the hood” of a space that’s this important — recorded right in the room itself. We’ll also learn how one high-im...

What are the benefits for higher ed institutions looking to create their own in-house AV/integration teams? What issues might they face? And what about academic institutions that already have such teams in place — how are they meeting evolving challenges? To find some answers, we’re joined by Ryan Gray, editor-in-chief of Higher Ed AV, and Crestron’s John Hulen, director of channel marketing for e...

How do we design spaces for the hybrid workplace, as well as other verticals? How do we integrate technology properly for these spaces, and what might complicate that integration? Scott Srolis, president of Salamander Designs, knows how it all fits together.   Learn more: https://www.crestron.com/News/CresTV-Podcast Stay Connected, SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/c/CrestronElectronics Subscribe...

Imagine an RV that expands out and up when it’s parked — one that turns into a three-story building. Now imagine outfitting it with everything you’d find in a residential technology integration. Just keeping the cabling straight as parts slide in, out, up, and down is a challenge, for example. Jon and Cameron Gould of Gould Sound & Light give us all the details on how their firm brought the te...

The number of technological solutions directly involved in — or adjacent to — pro sporting events is staggering. From game-day presentations to behind-the-scenes connected rooms, there’s a lot to talk about. In this wide-ranging conversation, we’ll discuss: ·       Game-day AV and special effects, from player introductions to fan activations or lighting installations, ·       Stadium lighting and...

We delve into what modern work looks like in 2025, and how we train people to meet this moment. Our guests are Tim Albright of AV Nation and Brad Hintze, EVP of Marketing at Crestron. Recorded at Crestron Masters 2025, where Modern Work at Crestron Masters was offered for the first time — including courses and certification.  Learn more: https://www.crestron.com/News/CresTV-Podcast GUESTS   Tim Al...

Some have the notion that a sustainable, “green” residence must be a spartan structure, devoid of comfort and hardly a place of luxury. We’re about to prove that idea completely wrong: In this podcast, we’ll take you into the world’s first state-of-the-art, energy-self-sufficient show home. Our guest, builder Brad Leavitt of A Finer Touch (AFT) Construction, has all the details.  GUEST   Brad Leav...

The technology that’s available in the hospitality industry can make the luxury experience for guests truly memorable — especially when it comes to providing wellness solutions. Our approach to those solutions, however, needs a reset — instead of thinking about a traditional “spa” in a hotel, and what happens only in the treatment room or fitness center, consider a total wellness experience that i...

Sustainability — it’s more than just being a good corporate citizen. It can improve your bottom line. The tech industry and their clients are embracing these practices, from the things we make to the way we make them. A new nonprofit called SAVe (Sustainability in AV) aims to help us.  GUESTS   Jürgen Defroyère, Crestron senior director of sales and operations planning   Christina De Bono, preside...

Intelligent video solutions are excellent for hybrid meetings in any organization's high-impact spaces. We know because we use them ourselves. A prime example: The system the Crestron team uses every day in our offices in Cypress, CA. Here’s how it’s all put together.  Learn more: https://www.crestron.com/News/Smarter-Spaces/Smarter-Spaces-Resources?filter=Podcasts GUESTS   Matt Olsen, Direct...