Trimmed-down electronics and iPod compatibility were the main themes at the Custom Electronics Design & Installation Association trade show in Indianapolis last September. An abundance of flat-screen TVs and slim speaker solutions responded to an increasing appetite for low-profile electronics, while audio companies scrambled to build iPod functionality into multiroom music products. Here are a few highlights. - Rebecca Day

Click photos for a closer look.
		MP3 wall docking station With iPort’s IW-4 iPod dock, now the iPod can become an additional music source to a distributed audio system. The iPort dock mounts in the wall, where it wires into a whole-house audio system and electrical power. An infrared sensor at the bottom of the port accepts commands from an iPod remote control across the room or from a radio-frequency-controlled, touch-screen remote located elsewhere in the house. Alternatively, users can control the iPod from the port, which doubles as a battery charger. iPort, San Clemente, Calif. www.iportmusic.com  [ Reader Service January 2006 # 200 ]
		Thin is in The boxy loudspeaker has gone the way of the bulky tube TV. Infinity’s Cascade series of thin and shallow loudspeakers represents the new generation of loudspeakers that are engineered to complement flat-panel TVs. To achieve the thinner design, Infinity created a new, flat-panel midrange driver to replace the large cone driver used in traditional floor-standing speakers. The five models in the Cascade line are available in cherry veneer, high-gloss silver, or high-gloss black finish. Infinity Systems, Woodbury, N.Y. www.infinitysystems.com [ Reader Service January 2006 # 201 ]
		One touchy keypad Colorado vNet replaces keypad buttons with a programmable touch-sensitive plastic surface that responds to various types of button taps. The configurable keypads replace the need for multiple keypad SKUs, and installers can modify the behavior of the touch pad to respond to the duration of touch. A single tap could mimic flipping a light switch or setting a lighting scene, while a longer touch could increase the intensity of lighting. A backlight reacts to ambient lighting to create an appropriate setting for the light level in a room. LEDs and audible tones provide feedback that commands have been implemented. Colorado vNet, Loveland, Colo. www.coloradovnet.com [ Reader Service January 2006 # 202 ]
		Home theater experience for smaller footprints Da-Lite’s Acoustical Imager provides a speaker solution for homeowners who can’t accommodate floor-standing or in-wall loudspeakers but still want the home theater experience delivered by a projection TV screen. The Imager’s frame incorporates left, center, and right front speakers, and a subwoofer with an additional pair of table- or floor-mounted speakers for surround sound complete the package. The screen is available in 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratios and its Pro-Trim fabric covering is said to absorb light in the viewing area. Da-Lite Screen Company, Warsaw, Ind. www.dalite.com [ Reader Service January 2006 # 203 ]
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