Crestron announced today that Denon® and Marantz® have joined the family of Crestron Connected™ devices. Thanks to an exclusive partnership agreement between Crestron and D+M Group, select Denon and Marantz receivers will now include Crestron Connected technology, enabling their integration into home automation systems as native Crestron devices. The new technology can now be downloaded via a free online firmware update to the Denon models: AVR-X3000, AVR-X4000, and AVR-4520CI and Marantz models: SR6008, SR7008, AV7701*, and AV8801. With Crestron Connected, these popular AVRs now make it easier for custom installers to provide additional surround sound rooms with complete control and two-way feedback, including built-in network streaming.

Steve Samson, Director of Business Development for Crestron, commented: “By embedding Crestron intelligence in Denon and Marantz receivers, it allows for seamless communication with Crestron home automation solutions, giving installers a simplified home theater solution and homeowners complete control of their home entertainment system.”

“We are pleased to make Crestron Connected readily available to our customers. With this partnership with Crestron, a world class leader in advanced control and automation services, we have been able to simplify the integration process for the many custom integrators who sell our products,” said Paul Belanger, Product Manager for D+M.

With Crestron Connected, Denon and Marantz receivers integrate natively with Crestron home automation systems using standard Ethernet cable, eliminating the need for developing a software module. Installers can easily customize the AVR interface for source switching, volume control, and internal controls such as Internet radio, using prebuilt UI templates or by designing their own.

To access Crestron Connected Denon and Marantz, installers can simply select the firmware update option via the system setup menu in the AVR.