Crestron Versus Savant

Even before CEDIA Expo last month, the automation space in the custom installation channel had been heating up. At the same time that established automation vendors have been branching out into new directions, the number of competing brands has increased.

In some cases, well-known names are getting involved, such as the lighting manufacturer Lutron (which has dived into full automation), or the audio company Speakercraft (which has launched Nirv equipment). In other cases, younger brands are gaining increased traction in the channel.

One automation vendor that's been setting tongues wagging in the last year is Savant Systems. A system engineered around the Apple OS is virtually guaranteed to generate some buzz among the tech-savvy. I've written about them in the past, both for Marketnews and elsewhere; and Savant since its inception, has been surrounded by an air of anticipation, (not always in a good way).

At CEDIA Expo 2008, I recall talking to a veteran integrator from Toronto who expressed a curiosity and interest in Savant's concept. He quipped: "They're going to actually have to ship some product before I commit to trying them out."

Fast forward to today, and Savant is not only shipping product, but growing. They're now being distributed in Canada by Evolution Entertainment, and the hype is starting to reach a fever pitch. So it seems like a timely issue to address the questions that integrators are asking: how do Savant Systems stack up versus the established automation giant Crestron? How do they differ? What are their comparative strengths and weaknesses?

To be clear, my intention here is to write neither a hatchet job on Crestron, nor a fluffy piece of cheerleading for Savant (or the reverse, for that matter). Just the facts. In order to do that, I sought ought a dealer who had enough experience with both brands to be able to offer an educated and informed opinion on both systems.

Not surprisingly, I had to go pretty far afield to find a veteran integrator who knows both brands inside and out. Rick Smith, owner of Theatron Home Theater, an integration company based in Purcellville, VA has been a Crestron dealer, as well as experienced with AMX, handling both installation and programming for over 10 years. He switched over to Savant in the past year. While obviously very pro-Savant, he spoke objectively about the two.

In a nutshell, it comes down to hardware versus software solutions. The cardinal difference between Crestron and Savant, according to Smith, is their core philosophy. Crestron is a very hardware-focused company, with literally thousands of individual modules, boxes, adaptors, and devices for every conceivable application. It's through all the individual compatible devices that Crestron's control processors pull the strings.

In part, it's Crestron's galaxy of in-house products, not to mention the enormous number of compatible third-party devices in its Approved Partner program, that has cemented Crestron's position as the number-one automation brand. You can find legacy Crestron systems from the ‘80s that are still operating, which speaks volumes for how rock solid they can be.

In contrast to Crestron's hardware focus, Savant's core is its software, running on the Apple-based processor. Smith's view is that the greater speed and processing power gives him a lot more options, with not only graphic capabilities, but moving forward, as the custom channel is required to handle more and more interactive streaming media.

Additionally, as a programmer, Smith points out that Savant's programming interface cuts down, not only on initial programming, but later changes. Using the classing example of adding a DVD-player after the fact, he notes that recently in a client's house, they made exactly such a switch, and the Rosie controller automatically reconfigured all the touchpanels in the home to access the new device. With Crestron, Smith would have had to reconfigure them himself; not an onerous chore with cutting and pasting, but still more work than that.

Another keen difference is that Savant is not only a start-up, but an upstart, and the firm's personnel understands that. Just like car rental company Avis' slogan in the ‘60s was "We're #2, so we try harder," Savant appears prepared to go to great lengths to sign up new dealers and keep them happy.

The previous statement is in no way intended to reflect negatively on Crestron. In my own experience with their support, I've received prompt and in-depth aid from help-desk people, and also from Crestron's own engineers and programmers. Smith has had similar experiences.

However, he asserts that Savant's responsiveness to dealer's needs in the field is at a whole other level."I have never had this level of support from any other vendor," he tells me. "Their openness and willingness to work out solutions to our issues is appreciated."

He qualifies his statement by pointing out that right now, Savant is still small and hungry. "I don't know if they'll be able to stay this way five years from now as they keep growing, but right now it's a big plus for them."

That's a level of flexibility that Crestron can't keep up with. It's just as a factor of its size, and the breadth of its product lineup. There's a lot of work on the back end, bringing a new SKU to the market.

I've often joked that when Crestron announces that a new box will ship in March, they really mean October, and not necessarily the same year! Of course, I would also argue that this actually a check in Crestron's favour: when they do release a new piece of hardware, it's been so thoroughly tested that integrators can count on it working right, more often than not.

In closing, as competing brands, both Crestron and Savant have something to offer the integrator. When asked about target clients, Smith maintained that they're the same for both brands. Both offer solutions for projects that go from the midrange all the way to the high end. He says he's installing Savant systems in the same kind of environments that he previously did Crestron systems.

We weren't looking to crown a winner in this week's column, nor to endorse one over the other; just to take a step beyond the marketing thunder, and talk about the pros and cons from an integrator's perspective.

If anything, the coming year is primed to be full of excitement in the automation category, and we look forward to seeing what both brands do for the custom channel as we go forward.




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