A Kramer with a Crestron badge is still a Kramer...

I am writing you to set the record straight. As you can imagine, with 25 years of manufacturing history and so many products, there's always some company making a claim or taking aim against one or more of our product lines. Most of the time, AV integrators and consultants see through the veil of misinformation written by many marketing departments. Sometimes, however, claims are made that cannot be ignored. In this particular case, these claims are from a reputable company that is maneuvering their "new" matrix switchers to gain traction in the market. In this case, I feel I must set the record straight.

We may not have invented the matrix switcher, but we re-engineered them for our market, developed and patented better technologies, and set a new standard for engineering excellence that cannot be overlooked. And, that means our specs aren't written by our marketing department and our engineering isn't done by someone else. Extron is Extron. I stand by this every day.

A Kramer matrix switcher disguised as a Crestron matrix switcher is still a Kramer matrix switcher. Sure, Crestron may have a better way to control it, but it's still a Kramer product. We cracked one open for you to see for yourself - check out these photos. These two products aren't just similar, they're virtually identical.

   

Claims are being made that Kramer, a.k.a. Crestron, switchers are equal to ours. Well, we have tested them and this is simply not true. Extron CrossPoint switchers are in their 4th generation and reflect a mature state of design and technological development. When we looked at their matrix switcher in comparison to ours, we did so knowing that even though our bandwidth continues to measure higher, all of us have more than enough. Our customers are now telling us they are also selecting products based on power consumption, efficiency, the amount of heat generated, reliability, and control flexibility.

 

Power consumption

Despite broad claims about "green" products, neither Kramer nor Crestron deliver the same efficiency of a CrossPoint matrix. Their switchers consume two times the amount of power and generate nearly twice the heat of the CrossPoint 450 Plus.
 

Factor	Extron 12x8	Crestron 12x8	Kramer 12x8
Power consumption (measured, 120 VAC - fully loaded)	30.1 watts	58.8 watts	57.1 watts
Heat generation in BTU/hour (calculated from measured power consumption)	109	201	195

 

Efficiency

Our CrossPoint matrixes are engineered to be the most efficient on the market. We use cool-running, highly-efficient power supplies with exceptional reliability. As a result, we do not need to use a fan to cool any of our CrossPoint switchers for models up to 16x16.
   

Reliability

Extron CrossPoint matrix switchers are now in their 4th generation of design. Kramer/Crestron matrix switchers, by our estimation, are similar in design to our earliest generation CrossPoint. Compare the number of separate boards and cable connection points in our matrix switcher to theirs. Extron patented connectivity allows us to reduce board count and maintain high performance specifications. As you know, every separate board, cable connection, and especially every fan, is a potential point of failure.
   

Control flexibility

You may be surprised to learn that the Crestron matrix does not provide RS-232 serial control. We have heard from Consultants and Resellers alike that they were not aware of this functional limitation in the Crestron matrix. All Extron matrix switchers include RS-232 serial remote control. All Extron CrossPoint matrixes also include IP Link® Ethernet control and work with any control system, using our well-known SIS Simple Instruction Set command protocol.
 

Factor	Extron 12x8	Crestron 12x8	Kramer 12x8
RS-232/422	Yes	None; Cresnet only	Yes
Ethernet control	Yes: IP Link	Yes	Yes

 

Price and Performance

One final point - by now you should know that we discontinued the CrossPoint 300 series in December 2007 and replaced them with our CrossPoint 450 Plus series at the same price. Although our CrossPoints outperform the Kramer/Crestron matrix switchers and represent a better value, we will continue to offer the CrossPoint 450 Plus switchers at a comparable price now and in the future.
 

With Extron, what you see is what you get - quality products, designed, engineered, and built by us to the highest standards in the industry. Our products are backed by uncompromising service and support and my personal guarantee of satisfaction. It's a simple formula, and one which has served our customers well for 25 years.

If you have any comments, email me: [email protected]

Sincerely,



Andrew C. Edwards
President, Extron Electronics