In December 2017, Australia-based integrator Chase AV wrapped up a one-year installation in a new three-bedroom home in Sydney. Among other amenities, the residence features a living room, home theater, and pool room outfitted with high-end AV technology to entertain residents and guests. Video sources in all three spaces include Foxtel cable set-top boxes and Apple TVs, with the home theater adding a Pioneer Blu-ray player. Integra AV receivers are located in both the living room and the theater. The living and pool rooms feature Samsung displays, while the theater offers an Optoma projector. In addition, all three areas offer Clipsal C-Bus lighting and blind control.

With a penchant for hosting parties, the owners of the Sydney home would be putting their AV components to good use during gatherings. However, they wanted to make sure they wouldn’t be spending time working out the AV system to play music or videos when they could be visiting with guests. With that in mind, an exceptionally easy-to-use control system became a priority in the installation. Furthermore, the client wanted the system’s interfaces to offer a slick, modern look. To meet both of these needs, Chase AV selected RTI.

“Early in this project, I was at a fork in the road when committing to a control system,” said Erin Murphy, founder of Chase AV. “I was considering a few solutions, and in the end, I chose RTI. I couldn’t be happier with my choice. As the scope of the project continued to grow, I knew that RTI could handle anything that was thrown at it. At each meeting I could confidently say to our client, ‘Yup, I can do that.’ That wouldn’t have been the case with other solutions.”

Chase AV built the home’s control and automation around RTI’s XP-6 control processor, supplemented with a PCM-4 port control module and two ZM-24 Zigbee® transceiver modules for control communication between the processor and the handheld remote controls. The XP-6 is controlling the Samsung displays, Foxtel set-top-boxes, three of the four Apple TVs, and Pioneer Blu-ray player via IR. The Optoma projector is controlled by RS-232, while two-way IP drivers created by My Device provide seamless integration with an Apple TV 4 and the Clipsal C-Bus lighting and blinds system.

The homeowners have complete control over their technology using three T2x handheld remote controls, in addition to an iPhone and iPad running the RTiPanel app. They can also view feedback from the Apple TV 4 and Clipsal system on the devices, such as song or movie information, volume levels, and the status of lights and blinds. Furthermore, RTI’s user interfaces are completely customizable using the company’s Integration Designer® APEX programming software. To give their client the sleek look they wanted, Chase AV incorporated Noel Blackman’s Aleera graphics template, as well as professional photos taken of the completed home.

“Our client loves their control system; the power of RTI combined with the Aleera graphics gave them exactly what they were looking for,” adds Murphy. “Not only did RTI solutions make a complicated system very easy to use, but their ability to deliver extra touches for our client - like incorporating their own photos into the interface - set them apart and makes me very glad I chose them for this project.”

Homeowners are extremely pleased with their control and automation system, and when they add another level to the home in 2019, RTI will enable simple expansion to that level too.