Savant at CEDIA 2026: Browser Blueprint, AI-assisted design and new controls

At Savant’s Denver presentation, I saw a preview of changes that reach from the engineer’s design software to the controls you use at home. Blueprint is heading into the browser, AI is being built into the configuration workflow, and Savant is rethinking how hosts, software licences and new touch controls fit together.

For someone planning a home or considering an upgrade, the interesting part is what this could make easier: designing the system, expanding it later and keeping everyday control straightforward. Here is my first look at what was shown, alongside Savant’s published announcements.

Some developments are previews; others already have published product listings. Browser Blueprint and its AI-assisted workflow remain forthcoming, while Savant’s store now lists the new V3 touchscreens with specifications and UK availability. Stock and project suitability still need checking when specifying them.

Browser Blueprint is coming

Blueprint is the software used to configure a Savant system: the equipment, its connections and the services available around the home. The browser-based direction shown in Denver is intended to open that programming workflow to Windows machines, moving beyond the existing Mac-based design environment.

That could give the team designing and supporting a property more flexibility in the computers they use. It is a change to the professional tools behind the installation; homeowners would continue to use their system’s supported controls.

The programming computer and the installed Savant host have different jobs. Being able to design a system through a browser on Windows does not mean replacing the home’s host with a Windows PC.

The current SavantOS 11.2.4 release documentation still specifies a Mac-based development environment. Existing systems should continue to follow their supported software requirements until the new workflow is released, including its supported browsers and Windows versions.

AI-assisted design: describe the system you want to build

The browser is only part of the story. The Denver preview also showed the direction for AI-assisted configuration: describing the equipment in plain English and having the software help assemble the system.

To give an example of the idea: “Build my system with two Sonos devices, three Sony TVs and a Savant processor.” That is an illustrative brief, not a published command syntax. The aim is to turn a description into a useful starting configuration.

The equipment list is the starting point. We would still establish which models are involved, which rooms they serve, how they connect and what the client wants each control to do. Installation and commissioning then check those decisions against the equipment in the house.

For example, three televisions might serve a cinema, a family room and a guest bedroom. Each room could need different sources and a different control experience. AI assistance could reduce repetitive setup while the installer concentrates on those practical choices and tests that the finished system behaves as intended.

This design assistance is distinct from a conversational assistant used to control the home. One helps the installer build the configuration; the other helps the household interact with the finished system. The equipment-list example above reflects my understanding of the Denver preview, with the supported scope still to be confirmed.

Available now, and the direction of SavantOS 12

At this review, Savant’s software portal lists SavantOS 11.2.4, released on 19 August 2026, as the latest production release. Its notes cover practical improvements to existing systems, including Lutron integration, KNX Manager stability and touchscreen behaviour. For a home combining Savant control with Lutron lighting and shading, reviewing those changes against the installed configuration can be more immediately useful than waiting for a future product launch.

An update still needs planning around the host, connected equipment, backups and testing. A published fix is a reason to assess a system, not a guarantee that an update will resolve every fault.

In its 20 August announcement, Savant set out an autumn launch plan for SavantOS 12. It described a unified software platform, simpler licensing, additional value within Savant Essentials and AI assistance spanning configuration and service. A forthcoming conversational assistant was also outlined as a subscription offering.

For an existing installation, we would assess an upgrade against the host, connected equipment and features the owner actually wants. The announcement provides the direction; the release documentation will establish what a particular home can adopt.

Hosts and licences: planning for a home that changes

The host is the controller at the centre of the Savant installation. Alongside the hardware discussion, the Denver slides introduced a licensing approach built around a Base Key, Expansion Keys and an Unlimited Key.

The illustrated path began with a host and Base Key, followed by a move to a larger host as a project grows. The slide described transferring settings and the Base Key through Backup & Restore using Savant Essentials, adding Expansion Keys as needed. It also showed a bring-your-own Mac mini route with a purchased Base Key.

For a homeowner, the useful idea is continuity. Adding a cinema, extending into a new wing or bringing more rooms into a whole-home system should begin with an assessment of what can be retained and where capacity needs to grow.

At the Unlimited Key stage, the presentation described Base and Expansion Keys returning to the account for future projects. The precise entitlement and transfer rules need checking against the final terms; that slide should not be read as a customer refund promise.

London Electricals editorial redraw from Mark’s presentation photograph. Final eligibility and UK terms remain to be confirmed.

The current store catalogue should be read separately from that preview. For example, the PKG-OSL-BRIDGE-CORE package lists a Mac Core runtime licence alongside third-party lighting, music, shading and energy-storage entitlements. It also specifies an active Savant Essentials subscription at configuration upload for Mac Hosts. This listing does not establish how those entitlements will map to the Base/Expansion/Unlimited Key approach shown in Denver.

We would set out the host, software entitlement, any ongoing manufacturer subscription, installation and our own support service separately in a proposal. That makes both the initial scope and continuing costs easier to understand. A manufacturer subscription and a tailored London Electricals care agreement provide different things.

New touch controls and a new handheld remote

The demonstration included Savant Touch interfaces in landscape and portrait arrangements, with physical rotary controls, as well as a button-based handheld remote. My photographs below show the two touch displays.

There is now more detail in Savant’s product catalogue. The 5.9-inch AMOLED model, ITP-E5900V3B-00, has a compact format and a 1080 × 2220 display. The 8-inch ITP-E8000V3B-00 supports portrait or landscape mounting. The larger ITP-E10100V3B-00 is sold as Savant Touch 10, with a 10.1-inch display specified in its technical details. The store lists black and white variants across these sizes.

All three black-model pages list Power over Ethernet, pairing with a Savant Host and a minimum of SavantOS 11.2.0. They include the United Kingdom in their availability lists. These listings give us a firmer basis for discussing an upgrade, although they do not confirm distributor stock or a delivery date. The demonstration assemblies in my photographs are not being assigned these model numbers without a confirmed match.

A good interface should suit its setting. In a media room, physical buttons can be convenient for familiar actions. A wall touchscreen can offer a wider view of the home’s available services. The choice should follow how the household uses the room, alongside positioning, cabling and the supported system configuration.

Mark’s Denver demonstration photograph, retouched to remove surrounding display clutter.

The handheld remote remains a separate preview in this report. Savant’s regional APAC report from ISE also mentioned a button-only remote, but the store pages checked here did not establish a matching new model or its UK release date. An existing Pro Remote X2 package in the catalogue should not be mistaken for confirmation of the remote shown in Denver.

Denver demonstration photograph, retouched to remove a hand and surrounding display clutter. The product shown was a demonstration unit.

What should existing Savant owners do now?

There is no reason to replace a working system solely because a new range has been previewed. The starting point is the home you already have and what you would like it to do better.

Before an upgrade, useful starting information includes the host model and software version, any available configuration backups, the rooms and equipment involved, and the changes you want to make. If those records are missing, an initial survey can establish what is installed and what access is available.

If, for example, a new cinema is being added, we would review the existing system, network and proposed AV equipment together. That helps establish whether a targeted addition is practical or whether a wider upgrade serves a clear purpose.

If you have inherited a Savant installation or lost contact with its original installer, our Savant system takeover service starts with understanding and documenting the installation. Ongoing care can then be discussed through a tailored maintenance and support plan.

For a new installation, explore our Savant design and installation service. We can help turn the plans for your home into a considered brief, with new product choices introduced when their release details and suitability are clear.

Information reviewed 26 September 2026 against Savant’s announcements, store listings and current release documentation. This first-look report also includes Mark’s account and photographs from Denver. Browser Blueprint, its AI-assisted workflow and the proposed licensing changes remain previews. The V3 touchscreen specifications are published; new host details, final licence-transition terms and the previewed remote’s UK release remain to be confirmed.