The CEDIA Awards for Best New Product get better every year. In 2021, we welcomed a flood of fresh ideas coming from a renaissance year for the custom integration channel. Over the past 18 months, more folks have found comfort within the walls of their home, and in return sought the best solutions to upgrade their spaces. The manufacturers in our industry rose to the challenge and exceeded our expectations.
The CEDIA Awards program for Best New Hardware Product and Best New Software Product recognizes technical excellence and innovation in the fast-evolving home technology industry. This year’s entries exemplified the emergence of some of the most impactful developments the home technology sector has ever seen — from wellness technology and human-centric lighting to networking solutions to software and everything in between. Finalists, winners, and Hall of Fame honorees are selected by industry professionals through a rigorous evaluation process.
At the foundation of the smart home, companies like Josh.ai are delivering exemplary innovation in home control and the accessories that connect the experience. The Josh Core, for example, brings the brains to home automation and control, serving as a central intelligence point that communicates to a robust network of devices. This device is focused on fortifying the experiences offered by the modern smart home. Since Josh.ai premiered at CEDIA Expo 2016, its product portfolio and core have experienced tremendous growth and innovation, and we’re excited to see the continued growth and implications for our industry.
Especially from self-proclaimed homebodies seeking grand theater experiences, the home theater has received a jolt of energy this year. Leading brands in the space, as well as some new faces, have brought the thundering sound systems, ultra-fast connectivity, and bright visuals to the space to tie together any media room an integrator faces. At the foundation, finalist SurgeX offers its ultra-quiet but powerful UPS + Isolation Transformer for power protection and conditioning, an innovation much needed to protect the investment of a new home theater. Sony, of course, continues to deliver to the home theater, too, with its VPL-GTZ380 4K HDR home theater projector earning a spot on our finalist list. For more viewing pleasure, Christie Digital, Barco, and more all bring additional projector options to the integrator’s portfolio. If you’re someone who needs to hear greatness to believe it, Snap One, Harman, Wisdom Audio, Perlisten Audio, and more finalists are delivering on the demand for high-quality sound.
Of course, home technology is infiltrating every room in the house, and our product finalists have a deep understanding of the importance of versatility. Lutron takes lighting control to the next level with the Alisse Wall Control, while Screen Innovations delivers screen shades to curb natural sunrays in any room. For all-around ease of control, Russound brings its Alexa-powered voice automation and audio streaming to a simple, sleek keypad. Other solutions from Simplified Manufacturing, Crestron, and others deliver the AV-over-IP and HDMI-over-Ethernet AV solutions that modern home automation requires, ensuring connectivity across the house whether the customers are working from home or video chatting with their family.
This just outlines a taste of our comprehensive roundup of finalists. While we’ll soon select the winners for this year’s program, every innovation on our finalist list carries incredible, transformative value for our industry. We look forward to celebrating the winners of Best New Software Product and Best New Hardware Product awards on November 11, 2021, at the CEDIA Awards livestream on our YouTube Channel. Additional honorees at this event will include the 2021 class of Product Hall of Fame inductees, and individual and project award winners will be recognized as well. We hope to see you online with us to celebrate the accomplishments of the CEDIA community.
