URC announces the addition of German language support to the TRC-1480 whole-house remote at ISE 2020. The remote features push-to-talk voice control, together with a 2.4-inch LCD touchscreen and hard buttons.

“End users want a number of options for easy control of their whole house or commercial facility, so we’ve added voice control to our Total Control system with our new TRC-1480 handheld remote," the company says. “Better yet, our new remote control features a pushto-talk microphone button to activate the voice control, so that end users don’t have to be worried about their conversations being monitored all the time. Simply put, the TRC-1480 whole-house remote with voice control listens to you only when you want it to.”

RTI announces a two-way driver adding control capabilities for the Revox Multiuser System through the RTI lineup of handheld remotes, touchpanel controllers and the RTIPanel app for mobile devices.

The Revox Multiuser System gives users access to numerous internet radio and streaming services, and allows them to incorporate music servers, CD players and TVs as sources. The system is built on a user-centric operating concept, meaning users simply need to select their name and the system starts playing already-specfied favourites at a defined volume level.

French home automation startup ProKNX launches what it claims is a unique, offline voice control system for the home-- Aragon, an internet-free voice assistant residing inside a flush-mounted box.

According to the company, so long an existing home automation system is in place, customers simply need to install an Aragon device in each room where voice control is desired. The system works with Snips (now Sonos) and does not require any cloud services, meaning the device is not dependent on an internet connection and users to do not need an associated account.

ProKNX says security is one of the biggest concerns of homeowners regarding voice assistants. However Aragon follows a privacy-by-design model, meaning it does not record or store conversations, and the software runs directly on the device. Software updates are also under user control, and as such never imposed. As for the device, it has a small form factor and fits inside a flush-mounted, in-wall box compatible with a wide range of switch fronts from a variety of different manufacturers.

Salt, a Swiss telco offering an Apple TV 4K as part of a domestic broadband TV bundle, launches an "alternative" remote control featuring a more traditional design for use with the Apple STB.

Reportedly developed in collaboration with Apple, the alternative remote comes after complaints by Salt TV customers regarding the poor usability of the Apple Remote included with the STB. The Salt remote does not requiring pairing with the Apple TV, and features directional arrows instead of the the glass Touch surface, a power button, a menu button, separate volume and channel rockers, and traditional media playback buttons.

URC releases a two-way IP module for the integration of the Total Control system with Russound MCA controllers, allowing easy control of Russound MCA-66 and MCA-88 controllers using any Total Control touchscreen, remote or smartphone app.

“Russound has a 50+ year history of leadership in distributed audio, and our award-winning MCA controller amplifiers embody our latest innovation, featuring analog and digital source switching, (including Bluetooth), integrated amplifiers, 12 volt triggers for home theater and power management, and the choice of fixed or variable output settings on select audio output channels,” Russound says. “Now that our MCA products feature two-way communication with URC Total Control system, our already flexible audio distribution system provides even more options for custom installers.”

AudioControl announces a collaboration with Josh.ai bringing control of AudioControl-powered entertainment systems using Josh.ai natural language and privacy-focused voice automation technology.

The integration includes AudioControl product auto-discovery, power toggling, volume and mute control, input switching, single-source to multi-zone routing and multi-source to multi-zone routing. As part of the Josh.ai distributed AV workflow, AudioControl Director Series amplifiers, home theatre Concert AVRs and Meastro preamp/processors will auto-populate within the Josh.ai web portal for configuration once connected to the same network, making setup intuitive for installers.