Inside Columbia Magazine Installs ELAN g! System To Gain Total Control In Kitchen

When Fred Parry, publisher of Inside Columbia magazine, was looking to enhance the publication’s in-house cooking class, Culinary Adventures, he wanted his chefs to have instant control of the live video camera so they could easily manage how the classes are presented to attendees.  While planning their new state-of-the-art kitchen classroom, Parry asked the custom installation team at D&M Sound if there was a control system that would give his chefs complete control of the kitchen and provide fast, simple control of the audio, video, lighting, HVAC and surveillance systems.  D&M rose to the challenge by equipping the new kitchen with an ELAN g! Entertainment and Control System that gives the staff the ability to control everything with the push of a button!

With the ELAN g! system the staff can now easily control the camera that films live culinary details and display the video feed on three flat screen TVs that hang above the kitchen.  The cameras serve double duty when classes are finished, providing 24/7 security and monitoring for the expensive professional-grade kitchen. Each ELAN g! audio zone can play audio from CD players, iPods, traditional radio, TV or computers.  The system also allows the chefs to direct the live audio from their microphones to any or all of the audio zones. The g! system is easy to use and can be accessed from anywhere in the world using any laptop or iOS or Android mobile device.

“Inside Columbia was looking for a system that would not only give them total control over every aspect of the kitchen, but would also be easy to learn,” said Anne Moore, owner of D&M Sound. “We knew right away that the ELAN g! system was the perfect choice. The simple-to-use interface allows the chef to have complete control over the production of the class, so that when he’s teaching a class, he can use one of the 8 camera presets to personally choose the camera angles and decide when to zoom in on the food.”

The system uses the ELAN HC8 controller, one ELAN NWA 18 network router and switch, one ELAN M86 6-zone audio controller, four Paradigm speakers and a Xantech video distribution amp used to feed the three TVs. The chef’s counter features a custom set of buttons that allow the chef to control the movement of the overhead camera, and two wireless microphones allow the audience to clearly hear the cooking presentation.

Parry demoed a number of control systems before eventually deciding that the ELAN g! system offered everything he was looking for. “We were looking for a system that could offer close-up shots of what our chefs are doing with their hands, as well as a number of other key shots during the classes,” said Parry. “Our goal was to give our cooking class participants a ‘front row seat’ in the kitchen, and the ELAN g! system allowed us to accomplish that.  Other systems we looked at didn’t even come close to offering that level of versatility or flexibility.

“The g! system has significantly increased the production value of our cooking presentations. Our guests can now watch our chefs cook on crystal clear monitors that we can easily control from an iPad. I would highly recommend the system to anyone who has a similar need for total control.  There’s a big ‘wow’ factor in our ELAN system and we couldn’t be happier with it.”

The ELAN g! Control System provides users with the most uniform and intuitive icon-based control from their favorite devices including TVs, touchscreens, touchpads, PCs, iPhones and iPads. The standardized interface works across platforms, so that the trendy g!Mobile app users love on the iPhone appears and works similarly on ELAN touchscreens, valets and handheld remotes as well as users' televisions and mobile devices. And the system's IP backbone makes it just as easy to control the system from across the room - or across the globe.

Individual "apps" for each subsystem allow the user to control security, climate, lighting, media, irrigation, pool/spa, messaging, video and photos with the flick of a finger. Access is fast and secure through any ELAN home interface or globally with mobile Internet enabled devices like the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Netbooks and PC Tablets. Since the intuitive interface empowers users with personalized scheduling and detailed history views, high consumption subsystems like lighting and climate can be closely monitored and managed for a greener lifestyle - and substantial energy savings.

All photos courtesy of LG Patterson.

About ELAN Home Systems:

Since 1990 ELAN® Home Systems has been an industry leading manufacturer of innovative, award-winning Multi-Room audio/video systems. ELAN systems were the first to integrate audio, video, phones and third-party products to create a seamless, easy-to-use "whole house" solution. ELAN systems and products are distributed through a comprehensive channel of select Dealers and Distributors throughout the United States, Canada and more than 58 countries worldwide.  To learn more, visit www.elanhomesystems.com.  ELAN is part of the CORE Brands division of the Nortek Technology Solutions Segment (www.nortek-inc.com).  CORE Brands combines the product and marketing strengths of ten iconic audio, power management and control brands into a single business unit that includes ATON®, BlueBOLT®, ELAN®, Furman®, Niles®, Panamax®, Proficient®, SpeakerCraft®, Sunfire® and Xantech®