While Control4 didn't make a lot of fuss about the few new products that it rolled out at CEDIA, people knew about 'em, regardless. Easily one of the most packed booths at the Expo, this one showcased the full gamut of wares offered up by the home automation outfit. We snapped images from every angle imaginable, and we even got a few with the new touch panels and remotes. Don't believe us? Just have a look at the gallery, it's all there.

Make no mistake about it, the iPhone (and the App Store in particular) has made the lives of many home owners much, much easier. As it stands, there are already a few apps out there that interface with Crestron gear, but to date, there's no official Crestron app to fiddle with. But give it 60 days or so and there will be -- at least, that's the good word over at the company's booth today at CEDIA. Said application will be 100% free to download, and as you can see in the gallery below, it elegantly enables wired home owners to control lighting, temperature and all sorts of other things via WiFi or 3G, at home or anywhere else in the world. Users can even program in settings for multiple houses, enabling them to turn the AC on in Orlando while blasting the heat in Jackson Hole. So let's see, all you need now is an iPhone, a couple properties, a few dozen grand to blow on Crestron HA gear and a tiny bit of patience.

At CEDIA, home install is king. Thus, it shouldn't come as any shock to see Sony introducing a few products not exactly aimed at the consumer crowd. Enter the NHS-A30C / NHS-70C home automation racks and the HomeShare multi-room entertainment solution, both of which were generating a bit of buzz while we were bobbing and weaving in an attempt to snag a few shots. The HomeShare system seemed particularly amazing, with the wall-mounted touch panels being among the most attractive at the show. Check out the full walk-through below.

CEDIA just wouldn't be CEDIA without a few absolutely mind-boggling pieces of equipment that will only be acquired by the wealthiest among us. That said, even the laypeople in attendance can sneak over to "that guy's house" and check out one of Sony's two new fully-featured NHS rack systems. Picking up where the $85,000 NHS-130C left off, the NHS-A30C and NHS-70C are fully integrated racks that come pre-built, wired, tested and ready for installation. They provide Control4 home automation integration, iPod support, 5.1-channel surround sound (7.1 in the 70C), a built-in Blu-ray deck and a second zone of HD video (and a third for audio). The 70C also adds in a 400-disc DVD / CD changer, 160GB music server and room for three auxiliary devices like a cable set-top-box or PlayStation 3. Best of all, the prices on these are much more manageable than the aforementioned predecessor -- the A30C will run between $15,000 and $30,000, while the 70C rings up between $30,000 and $50,000. Full release after the cut.

If you thought Control4's 7-inch POE touch panel was on the large size, get a load of this. ELAN has just started shipping its 10.2-inch widescreen VIA! Valet10.0-EM, which will obviously look mighty peculiar in all but the most spacious of dens. Not surprisingly, ELAN even affirms that yes, this ginormous (comparatively speaking) display can indeed double as a video monitor, which certainly opens up even more possibilities. The unit features rear-placed Ethernet, power and sense input triggers needed for installation, but unless you've got $2,000 laying around unclaimed, that image above is as close as you'll get.

Handhelds (and handsets, in particular) have long since been used as tools for home automation, but the forthcoming App Store is likely to bring a niche concept to the masses... or some of them, at least. Beginning on July 11th (that's the iPhone 3G launch day, you know), a Crestron interface titled iLoveControl will be available for download; during the first 30 days of launch, said app will "offer a one-room Crestron solution free of charge, configured for the control of lights, drapes, HVAC, audio and video." If you're looking to control more than that, it'll cost you $250 per configuration. This is just one example of what's likely to fill the App Store, and quite frankly, we're pretty excited about the possibilities.

If Control4's Mini Touch screen just seemed too diminutive for your fat fingers, yet the 10.5-inch edition just engulfed your wall, why not check out the happy medium? The 7-inch POE Wall Mount Touch Screen arrives right between the other two in size, yet offers up the same home controlling abilities for tweaking your lighting, temperature, volume, etc. You'll also find a built-in screen saver application that you can customize with your own photos, and if that there just pushed you over the edge, you can snag the hard-wired version next month for $1,195. Looking for WiFi? You'll have to wait until "later this year."

The news is flowing hot and heavy from the hospitality sector today, as just moments after LG announced a slew of new LodgeNet-enabled flat-panels, along comes word that the aforementioned outfit and Control4 are teaming up to develop a swank new automation system for the lodging industry. More specifically, the two will co-develop an "integrated automation system for HDTV sets that will allow hotel guests to control lighting, room temperature, draperies and entertainment systems through the television with a single remote control." Better still, the eventual solution will be integrated into LG's hotel TVs, eliminating the need for yet another set-top-box in the room. Regrettably, there's nary a mention of when this (amazing sounding) system will be available (nor where it will be available), but we can definitely see this swaying the avid traveler when it comes time to book the next business trip.

Though we'd have to say this introduction was made just a hair too late, iPort has just introduced a revamped version of its in-wall iPod system that will accommodate the original iPhone. More specifically, each of the firm's five models features a re-designed faceplate that plays nice with Apple's older cellphone and all existing touch-wheel iPods. Aside from that, you're still looking at the same whole home approach to distributing iPhone / iPod content, and while we can't say for sure that the iPhone 3G will work outright, there's nothing that a little Dremel can't fix.

While the vPad will certainly push the buttons of some home automation freaks, the in-wall TouchClient12 is likely to float the boat of just about everyone else. The unit is designed to be mounted flush within a wall, and aside from packing a predictable 12.1-inch color touchscreen (1,024 x 768 resolution), you'll also find Windows XP embedded within. Unlike most of the outfit's products, this one is available to the public right from its website, giving DIYers and headstrong homeowners the ability to bypass those pricey installers (and potentially mutilate their wall). As for connections, all that's needed is power and a CAT5 wire, after which you can program the panel to control anything controllable on your property. Sure sounds nice, but $2,499 nice? We'll leave that one to you.

Sony's towering NHS-130C broke cover a few months back, but now this piece is getting set to ship to those able to cough up the $40,000 to $85,000 it typically costs to have one installed (with varying components already loaded in). Just to give you an idea of what it's packing, we're told to expect a DA3300ES receiver, CAV-CVS12ES Component via CAT5 Video Switch, BDP-S300 Blu-ray player, DVP-CX777ES 400 DVD changer, CAV-M1000ES A/V Switchers and a Control4 HC500 controller with 160GB of space for a skimpy audio library. In essence, having this in your crib will enable you to pipe audio / video to 12 separate zones, with the main rooms having outputs for HDMI, IR out and 7.1-channel sound. You'll be able to control it via ZigBee and the on-screen HD menu and integrate it with existing Control4 setups; there's even a trio of empty racks with component / HDMI hookups (Xbox 360 / PS3, anyone?). Chances are fairly high you'll spot one of these in 2009's Home of the Year, but 'til then, check out some sneak peeks in the gallery below.

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

Those looking to better unify your lighting, security, HVAC and home theater are in luck, as a new team has just been formed to investigate what you want, what you need and how to deliver it. Whirlpool, Bell Canada, Cisco, Direct Energy, HP, Legrand, Leviton, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Zensys and the Z-Wave Alliance have all come together to "conduct an in-depth study about the state and future of the smart home." More specifically, the crew will be asking consumers what types of connected home applications could be created or improved upon, with a few examples consisting of TV-based Caller ID screens, remotely controlled temperature / lighting and the ability to crank your home stereo to 11 when a crook breaks in. Yeah, we're totally bluffing on that last one, but you never know.

We know, the lack of SideShow support up until now is somewhat baffling, and while having Crestron onboard certainly won't hurt matters, we doubt this is just the boost Microsoft was waiting for. Regardless, the aforementioned figurehead in home automation has just announced that its touchpanels and control systems will support Windows SideShow, giving owners of such devices easy access to news feeds, sports scores, weather alerts, e-mail, etc. through a simple network connection to a Vista PC. For those curious if their devices are included in the fun, any touchpanel or 2-way device that supports dynamic text (such as the APAD wall mount controller and MLX-2 handheld remote) is game, and if you're eager for more, just head on down to the read link for Creston's official take.

Back at EHX in Orlando, VUDU's partnership extravaganza announcement was curiously light on details. Now, however, we're beginning to see how VUDU's positioning its movie set-top-box as a mainstay in the connected home. Reportedly, the deal with NetStreams will soon allow VUDU XL (vanilla VUDU left out?) owners to stream video around their domiciles using the VUDU XL as the video server. Reportedly, the box would have to be connected to the DigiLinX IP-Based Distributed Audio, Video and Control system, after which content could be accessed from other rooms. Unfortunately, that's all the details that have surfaced thus far, but we can't help but realize that the VUDU just got a whole lot more attractive for those with deep pockets.