Volume 10, Issue 21 — November 20, 2013
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Gamers: An Untapped Market for AV Integrators
By Matt Cooper Lead Designer
This is the first installment of rAVe’s new series about gaming in the HomeAV market. It’s no secret that gaming’s demographics have evolved from children to a majority of adults — and those adults have access to a substantial entertainment budget. As AV integrators, we have particular access to people already spending thousands on entertainment with custom AV and control setups, which gives us an edge.
More and more people want to spend their time and money on games instead of movies – the traditional wheel-house of HomeAV integrators. Here are some 2013 quick statistics provided by the ESA game industry association:
- 58 percent of Americans play video games
- There are an average of two gamers in each game-playing U.S. household
- 51 percent of U.S. households own a dedicated game console, and those that do own an average of two.
- The average age of game players is 30 and 36 percent of total gamers are over 36 years old.
- The average age of the most frequent game purchaser is 35.
- 43 percent of game players believe that computer and video games give them the MOST value for their money compared with DVDs, music or going out to the movie. Just think about it – an average new game release price is $60. For a game that can provide 150 unique hours of play during its lifetime, that works out to 40 cents for an hour of fun. Compare that to an average of $6 an hour for a movie. And only two unless you buy the move later and re-watch.
- Of gamers who are playing more games than they did three years ago, they are now spending a lower percentage of their time on watching TV (49 percent less), going to movies (47 percent less), and watching movies at home (44 percent less).
- 42 percent of game console owners use the consoles to watch movies
- And – not surprisingly – 58 percent of parents play with their children at least monthly.
- In 2012, consumers spent 20.77 billion dollars on games and hardware.
If you’re a regular reader of rAVe Home AV, these number shouldn’t be a huge surprise. And yet, many game setups in theaters and integrated living rooms are usually an after-thought. One possible reason is that game hardware has no margin and can be installed by a 8 year old with access to open HDMI port. But, if there’s one thing Gary has emphasized in countless articles and seminars, it’s that we need to focus on service and service contracts! We can take that game system, and bring it from an after-thought to an EXPERIENCE. We can use audio and video to immerse clients in the virtual environment in a way that plugging in to a 32” LCD will never replicate. We can customize the UI experience to add to the existing hardware and interface instead of fighting it. We can customize game hardware integration into rooms in a way that is clean, professional and convenient. We can show them what’s possible in a way they’ve never seen.
We can also introduce them to new technologies they didn’t even know they wanted. Virtual reality is finally getting ready to hit the mainstream with products like the Oculus Rift, Sony’s 3D OLED headset, Omni walking controller, and the Sixense 3D motion controller. VR is not quite mainstream yet, but putting these products in their hands and on their head will push any gaming lovers right over the chasm into this new category of products you can offer. 3D products, which you’re probably already selling will have a new life as well, enhancing the value of your existing systems.
But part of the way you can reach clients with what you can do for them and sell them on gaming rooms is to stay current on game hardware capabilities. What’s the hottest selling game and what kind of client is interested? What hardware accessories are available? What game system suits a client best? How can they bring computer gaming into the gaming room and out of the crammed home office (a largely untapped AV market possibility)?
In upcoming articles I will keep you updated on all these issues. I’ll especially give a spotlight to the imminent release this month of the Xbox One and PS4 consoles and what their respective capabilities mean to our industry. I’m excited, and I hope you are too! Leave a Comment
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Electrical Safety For Non-Electricians
By Lee Distad rAVe Columnist
If you’re not a licensed electrician you won’t be working on high voltage wiring on a job site, but if you’re an AV Pro odds are that you’re working near them on a regular basis. The current in a 120- or 220-volt circuit can kill you, and even the much lower power of 24v and similar in LED and other low-power lighting systems can still give you a jolt (I know this from experience).
Regardless of how often this topic is covered in safety literature and training programs, it never hurts to have it repeated. Even today, I find myself spending a lot of time in proximity to high voltage systems, so these rules bear repeating.
According to safety literature, there are four types of injuries from contact with electricity. They are: electrocution, electric shock, burns and falls from a height after being shocked. There are also a variety of ways to receive these injuries, including but not limited to direct contact with an energized electrical circuit, an arc of electricity jumping and grounding through you and burns.
Here’s a list of safety practices to follow on the job site. For more information, and for handouts and materials for your workplace check with your local regulatory body, such as the electrician’s union.
- First, always assume that a circuit is energized until you test it yourself. Use your multimeter or dedicated tester to ensure that a circuit is dead before working around it.
- Inspect tools, power cords and electrical fittings for damage or wear prior to each use. Repair or replace damaged equipment immediately.
- Always tape cords to walls or floors when necessary. Nails and staples can damage cords causing fire and shock hazards.
- Use cords or equipment that is rated for the level of amperage or wattage that you are using.
- Unusually warm or hot outlets may indicate that unsafe wiring conditions exists. Unplug any cords to these outlets and do not use until a qualified electrician has checked the wiring.
- Know where the breakers and boxes are located in case of an emergency.
- Do not use outlets or cords that have exposed wiring.
- Do not touch a person or electrical apparatus in the event of an electrical accident. Always disconnect the current first.
- Keep power cords clear of tools during use.
While most experienced AV Pros have plenty of stories about job site safety that are funny in hindsight, when it comes to working around electricity I don’t have any to tell, and I like it that way. So should you. Leave a Comment
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What Can Be Learned From Panasonic’s Exit from Plasma?
By Paul Gray DisplaySearch
Panasonic’s final announcement of its exit from plasma display manufacturing signals the end of the road for the technology. It is worth reflecting on some conclusions:
- When Panasonic started its plasma business, it was by no means clear that large (say 40”+) LCD displays would be viable. There were a number of other approaches: plasma addressed LCD (PALC) for one, along with field emission displays (FED/SED). Strategy is about choices and Panasonic’s decision to go with PDP was unfortunate only in hindsight. Sharp made the right bet (LCD) but had a poor outcome: branding and timely investment seem to have had as much effect on the outcome as technology choices.
- Competing with a different but non-disruptive technology is dangerous. Plasma’s biggest problem was that far more companies had committed to LCD. Samsung and LGE were at best uncommitted to PDP. Panasonic’s PDP research team had to counter every move in LCD and translate it to their technology supported only by their own turnover. Inevitably they slowly lost ground, in the same way that Philips lost to TFT with its TFD (thin film diode) LCD process in the 1990s. Toshiba’s SED never got beyond the demonstration stage.
- The best technology doesn’t always win. Consumers buy benefits, not technology or features. A superior technology gives a head start, but perhaps little more.
- ‘Good enough’ is good enough. Markets move in sudden leaps, not steady incremental improvements. HD is good enough for most consumers: few can see the subtle display differences on real programming content and even fewer will pay extra.
There are some stark lessons for OLED. One of its benefits has been explained as ‘it’s an emissive technology.’ Plasma is emissive, yet that wasn’t enough to save it. OLED has to compete with an entrenched, depreciated, mature technology in LCD. This is a very different situation to the dash towards flat panel TV that we saw in the last decade. Furthermore, high-value TV markets are saturated and OLED offers only incremental benefits over LCD at this time.
OLED may well be a winning solution in other applications where extreme thinness, lightness, color and contrast are truly valued. Camera viewfinders, aerospace and mobile look to be far more fertile opportunities. Smart phones are growing far faster than TV, while markets like lighting could be completely revolutionized by OLED. Perhaps the obsession with OLED TV is a distraction from playing to OLED’s real strengths.
This column was reprinted with permission from DisplaySearch and originally appeared here. Leave a Comment
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Sony Tanks Again (But Apple Can Save Them!)
By Gary Kayye rAVe Founder
While most of you were sleeping last night, Sony execs were mostly sleepless as they’d just announced a huge loss — one of the worst in company history. I mean huge. In fact, after releasing a 40 percent reduction in their 2013 profit forecast and a nearly $200 million loss for the most recent quarter, their stock tanked over 10 percent on the Tokyo Stock Exchange right after the announcement.
What the heck is wrong? Is Sony leadership clueless?
They are, at best, an also-ran right now in consumer electronics without a single innovation since their famed PlayStation home video game player. Nothing.
Sony had decades of pioneering with awesome gear including the Walkman, the Video8 format, Blu-ray, Betamax, SDDS sound, the CD (with Pioneer), the floppy disc for computers, the memory stick and DVD-Audio — all inventions that were huge successes; heck, even the ones you think weren’t successful, in fact, were. Take Betamax, for example. Betamax lost the home video format war of the 1970s and ’80s, but every studio, production company or TV field camera used the format for over 20 years — Sony sold millions.
But, since the company’s heyday in the 1980s and ’90s, it’s floundered, at best as a “me too” manufacturer — with one exception: PlayStation.
And, thank goodness for Sony, the PlayStation 4 (aka PS4) is about to ship — otherwise, it’d be a total train wreck heading towards nothingness.
But Sony’s 4K projector is amazing. Its XBR series of flat screen HDTVs are incredible. But, nothing else excites anyone (minus the PlayStation 4 — which will miss the 2013 Christmas season of sales). But Sony, in nearly all areas of consumer electronics, faces stiff competition from Korean manufacturers LG and Samsung with both 4K and high-end HDTVs. And, as both those two companies are flying high — and have much better brand recognition and respect among up-and-coming Millenial buyers, Sony is doomed.
Or, are they? What can they do to recover and climb back up to the top of the consumer electronics pinnacle?
Here are two suggestions:
1. Partner to Innovate: Sony just isn’t doing any right now. None. It’s like it’s given up and are reacting to what everyone else is doing in nearly every product category. Sure, it tried a tablet, a phone and a set-top box, but all three have been nothing special. No unique features, no great “gotta have it” at all. So, Sony NEEDS to partner to survive. And, it can’t be a normal partnership — no using Android to build phones or new tablets or a set-top box or even Smart TVs. It needs to differentiate as that’s what Samsung, LG, et al. are already doing. So, what do they do?
Partner with Apple — in a BIG way (i.e., Apple, which is sitting on a mountain of cash, should buy Sony). Apple, too, is about to go through what Sony went through in the early 2000s – Apple’s been on top for nearly a decade and is starting to slip thanks to the same set of manufacturers that have chipped away at Sony’s market share in recent years. But, unlike Sony, Apple has innovative technology and intellectual property (and a built-in LOYAL user base that won’t just go away). And, if Apple were to partner with anyone in consumer electronics, it should be Sony. Everyone else is partnered with either Microsoft or Google (Android), so Sony needs someone else. And, NO it can’t do it itself. If it did, go ahead and start digging Sony’s grave as IT WON’T WORK.
So, why would Apple even entertain this? Simple — the studio (aka content for iTunes and the Apple TV) AND a way for Apple to integrate iOS, its mobile operating system, into a plethora of consumer electronics gear it currently doesn’t make (e.g., TVs, Blu-ray players, whole home AV systems, receivers and, dare I say it, a different line of phones). It’s a win-win.
2. Sell it Yourself: Best Buy’s turned into the biggest bait-and-switch retailer in the country. You never know what they’re going to recommend (unless you happen to have access to their weekly spiff sheets) to a shopper who walks in its stores. But, nine out of 10 times, it won’t be Sony. So, how do you even get something from Sony if you wanted it? Sure, a lot of people buy online and will use SonyStyle.com to shop, but most still buy home entertainment products via the showroom and Best Buy controls that nearly everywhere. So, Sony needs its own retail presence. So, get some (more) stores. Or, better yet, see suggestion #1 above.
Look at it another way: Apple is strong in innovation and has brand loyalty wrapped up among the teens, 20-somethings and 30-somethings. Sony is lacking innovation but has brand loyalty only with 40-somethings and above and has the manufacturing capacity Apple lacks (Apple outsources all manufacturing to third party companies around the world like Flextronics). So, Apple would gain manufacturing capacity, integration of its iOS mobile operating system into everything Sony makes and buys brand loyalty for the older crowd. Sony gets access to innovation, instant brand loyalty from the younger crowd and one of the best retail channels on the planet.
Apple should buy Sony before there’s not a Sony left to buy. Leave a Comment
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Apple Save Sony? Apple Can’t Even Save Apple!
By Lee Distad rAVe Columnist
Gary just wrote a very persuasive post, detailing the synergies to be had if Apple were to purchase Sony.
I’m not entirely sure that I can agree. The root of my disagreement is that Gary’s argument focused on why a buyout would be good for Sony, but didn’t really address why it would be good for Apple. I’ll address Gary’s two points in order:
1: Partner to innovate. What does Sony have that Apple needs?
Will Sony help Apple lock down the consumer’s living room? They seem to be doing a pretty good job on their own, if the Apple TV connected to my 60-inch display, and the iPads my wife and I are holding while we watch TV are any indication.
Manufacturing? Not anymore, at least not like they used to. Sony became an assembler ten years ago, putting other people’s components into Sony-branded boxes.
Apple already knows how to manage the assembly supply chain, and today Sony doesn’t have any greater expertise than Foxconn, Samsung, or two dozen Chinese companies you’ve never heard of.
Where I can see ownership of Sony benefiting Apple is on the content management and distribution end: Having Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment under Apple’s umbrella would be of strategic benefit for keeping iTunes on top of the streaming content heap, but on the hardware side, I see Sony as a burden to Apple, not an asset.
2: Sell it yourself. Apple has done an astonishing job of both running their own retail outlets while simultaneously getting merchants worldwide to vend Apple’s goods for them.
It’s doubly remarkable, when you know how highhandedly and imperiously Apple treats its business partners on the retail end. I could elaborate, but it would probably get me into trouble at work.
On the retail side, with both their online store and the bricks and mortar Apple stores have achieved staggering metrics.
Sony retail outlets, by comparison, can best be summarized as expensive gambles/experiments that never really paid off.
I’ll conclude with my own point, that the reason why Apple shouldn’t buy Sony is that past is prologue: The state that Sony is in today foreshadows where Apple is likely to be in ten years time.
Sony is at the bottom of a hill that they’ve been sliding down for a long time. That slide began when Sony’s founders no longer exercised absolute control over Sony’s innovations. Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita both put their stamp on the company, but it was especially Morita’s vision, will, and sheer personality that guided Sony to its dominant position as the greatest electronics manufacturer in the world.
In the wake of Morita’s departure in 1989 control of Sony passed to a succession of corporate salarymen whom, regardless of their strengths and talents, lacked that core vision that the founders brought to the Sony brand. And while they were able to capitalize on Morita’s vision all the way through the 90s, by the early 2000s the brand was already a shadow of what it once was.
Apple is still at the crest of that hill, waiting to slide. Steve Jobs is gone, and while Tim Cook is clearly an exceptional individual, he won’t be around forever either. Apple is still running on the inertia of Jobs’ vision, but that won’t last forever.
That’s not to say that I think Apple will tank next year, but long-long term, the prognosis for tech companies is seldom good a decade past their peak.
In that context I have trouble visualizing an upside to Gary’s proposed purchase. I doubt that Apple can save Sony, and I worry that Sony would only drag Apple down and hasten its demise. Leave a Comment
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4K TV Boom — Over 30M in 2014?
By David Hsieh DisplaySearch
As shipments of LCD TVs passed the 200 million level and entered a more mature stage, panel makers and TV brands have been discussing how to grow the TV business to the next level. New features and smart TV are possible ways to drive growth. While consumers always rate “picture performance” as a top priority in our ongoing multi-country research, it is not easy for the supply chain to understand what features end users will pay for. 3D TV, driven by panel makers, TV brands, and other parts of the ecosystem, is not reaching as high a penetration rate as was expected, especially in an environment that consumers always care more about size and price. Panel makers are very aggressive in driving the 3D TV market but the results are not paying off. After 3D TV, everybody is asking what’s next.
Now we have 4K TV.
High definition has proved to be an important trend in smart handheld devices, and as it provides an improvement to the viewing experience, 4K TV might be a feature end users are willing to pay a premium for. But the problem is that the supply chain is moving faster than the ecosystem and end-market.
4K, also called UHD (Ultra High Definition), is not just a flat panel TV specification but is becoming an indicator of differences among regional markets. We have pointed out how Chinese consumers are buying 4K TVs at relatively low prices, without content, broadcasting, or other elements of an ecosystem. We have been pointing out how low 4K TV prices are in China. In part, this is due to the fact that most 4K TVs in China run at 30Hz or 60Hz frame rates, or use FRC (frame rate conversion), which do not enable true 4K motion pictures.
However, outside of China, global TV brands position 4K TV as a premium product for consumers willing to pay a premium and who can acquire other parts of the 4K ecosystem. According to our high resolution report, 4K LCD panel shipments will be 2.7M in 2013, while 4K TV set shipments in 2013 might be about 1.5M, with one million in China alone.
China has become a booming market for 4K TV, as domestic TV brands heavily promote 4K as an advanced TV, while 4K TV prices are low enough to make it easy for consumers to adopt. Meanwhile, the promotions have led consumers in China to associate 4K with high resolution. The Chinese market opportunity has led many panel makers to adopt aggressive production plans for 4K panels in 2014. In our latest value chain survey indicates that panel makers, led by Innolux, are planning to ship over 30M 4K TV panels in 2014. If the panel makers achieve their targets, it would mean that 4K will quickly become the most adopted TV feature. The 4K market is supply driven, so cost and price will the key. Panel makers are putting great effort into reducing 4K panel costs, including:
- Lower driving frequency to reduce panel electronics cost
- Integration of 4K panel electronics, such as timing controller
- Revised backlight and LED structure to improve luminous efficiency
- Use of subpixel designs like RGBW with for higher brightness and yield rate
- Increased production scale to reduce depreciation cost and enhance yield rate
If 4K panel costs can be reduced, it can help TV brands reduce set prices, driving 4K adoption. The question is whether China alone can hold support such big growth or whether other regions develop like China to grow 4K TV, especially given the immature 4K TV ecosystem.
This column was reprinted with permission from Display Search and originally appeared here. Leave a Comment
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Wi-Fi? Make Way for Li-Fi
What if any illuminating source — your TV, your tabletop lamp, an advertising sign, a street lamp — could double as a wireless hotspot?
UK researchers at the Ultra-Parallel Visible Light Communications (UP-VLC) project can now make visible light communications (VLC) reach data transfer speeds of 10 Gbps with a system using tiny micro-LEDs.
Light fidelity is a potential low-cost alternative to radio-based wireless internet. Now known as Li-Fi (a term coined by Harald Haas from the University of Edinburgh, a member of UP-VLC), visible light communication technology is getting closer to a commercial availability to deliver a networked, mobile, high-speed communication solution in a similar manner as Wi-Fi.
Unlike incandescent and fluorescent bulbs, LEDs as solid-state electronics can be controlled in much the same way as any other electronic component. You can switch them on and off at a high speed. Li-fi is essentially WiFi — but using terahertz radiation (light) instead of microwaves (Wi-Fi).
Think of a shower head separating water out into parallel streams. That’s what researchers can now do with micro-LEDs that handle millions of light intensity changes per second with Orthogonal Frequency Divisional Multiplexing (OFDM), a digital modulation technique that emulates an extremely fast on/off switch.
Li-Fi could become a new paradigm for wireless technology as increasing demand for higher bandwidths, faster and more secure data transmission as well as environmental and user-friendly technology could shift wireless technology from RF to optical technologies.
A Li-Fi-equipped TV could communicate with your iPad, smartphone and other peripherals. Highway lighting could up-date traffic reports, and provides internet access to the kids sitting in the back of your car. Or think about digital signage where the display can offer messaging via internet chat.
In China, researchers have hooked up as many as four computers to Internet through a single one-watt LED bulb.
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TruAudio Creates Ghost In-Ceiling Speaker That Fits in Recessed Can TruAudio has created a 4-inch version of its Ghost line of in-ceiling speakers that match the exact diameter of standard can lights. Ghost in-ceiling speakers include a magnetic grill that has a mere 2 millimeter reveal. By matching recessed can lighting, the Ghost is less noticeable as a speaker. TruAudio says this product was created at the request of an interior designer.
The Ghost 4” is made of white glass fiber woofer/titanimum tweeter as well as a polypropylene woofer/silk soft dome swivel tweeter.
All the details are here. Leave a Comment
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Community Adds DP8 Pendant Loudspeaker to Distributed Design Series Community Professional Loudspeakers has expanded its Distributed Design Series of ceiling, surface mount and pendant loudspeakers with the new DP8 Pendant. Available in paintable white or black, the DP8 is an 8-inch coaxial loudspeaker with a tapered style designed to be used in modern open-architecture environments like restaurants, lounges, hotels, ballrooms, convention centers, etc. integrating a weather-resistant enclosure, grille and components, Community says the DP8 may also be used outdoors in covered locations.
According to Community, the DP8 achieves a uniform sound and acoustical design and by sharing its transducers and crossover network with the Distributed Design D8 ceiling loudspeaker and DS8 surface-mount loudspeaker. The DP8’s shared coaxial transducer features a separate compression driver coupled to Community’s proprietary Tru-Phase waveguide and mounted to an 8-inch woofer with Community’s patented Carbon-Ring Cone technology. This combination claims to produce a high-performance loudspeaker with high power capacity, a wide, smooth dispersion pattern, high sensitivity and extremely low distortion.
For system designers and installers, the DP8 is ETL listed to comply with UL1480. It includes a 120-watt autoformer with easy-access tap switch for 70-volt/100-volt distributed systems and a simple suspension and wiring system inside its integrated rear cover. Two Distributed Design Series subwoofers, the DS8SUB (surface-mount) and DS10SUB (ceiling-mount) are available to bring enhanced warmth to a DP8 musical sound system.
Here are all the specs. Leave a Comment
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Meridian Adds New G65 Digital Surround ControllerMeridian’s new flagship audio-only processor is its G65: a 19-input digital surround processor with eight SpeakerLink digital (RJ45) and eight analog balanced (XLR) outputs. The 19 inputs include one MMHR (Meridian Multichannel High Resolution) port that is designed to accept audio from their own HDMI switcher, two SpeakerLink inputs, six S/PDIF inputs, two Toslink ports and eight analog phono (RCA) ports. In addition, the G65 includes a 12-volt tripper, an IR port, plus USB and RS232 control.
G65 includes the full range of DSP presets from Meridian, including cinema and discrete, as well as a trifield system setting, which uses the entire surround playback system to bring an immersive listening experience to two-channel content. Trifield fully decodes the stereo stage for left, center and right front-stage loudspeakers, instead of solely left and right, giving it a more stable image.
Meridian says that central to the G65 is its DSP engine made up of five Freescale processor devices delivering 750 MIPS (million instructions per second). All processing is carried out at high sample rates and with up to 48-bit precision, far beyond human hearing. This DSP engine is also responsible for G65’s comprehensive bass management system which can support up to three separate subwoofers, and for managing the up to 60 filters created by Meridian’s Room Correction software.
Full specs can be found here. Leave a Comment
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BenQ’s Revamped 3000 Lumen M5 Projector Series Debuts BenQ America just introduced its revamped line of M5 series projectors: the MS504, MS521, MX505, MX522 and MW523. These projectors are aimed at small- to medium-sized spaces, specified with 3,000 ANSI lumens and a 10,000 hour lamp life. Every model uses BenQ’s SmartEco technology that includes a “no source detected” mode that automatically lowers brightness to 30 percent when no display has been detected for more than three minutes and a standby mode with power consumption to less than 0.5 watts during periods of inactivity.
Available in SVGA (MS504 and MS521), XGA (MX505 and MX522) and WXGA (MW523) resolutions and the new projectors use BenQ’s Colorific image system that they claim gives contrast ratios of 13000:1.
For 3D applications, the MS521, MX522 and MW523 feature 3D Blu-ray compatibility while the MS504 and MX505 are capable of stereoscopic 3D-ready projection. Available end of November, BenQ’s new MS504, MS521, MX505, MX522 and MW523 retail at $429, $489, $499, $529 and $749, respectively.
Complete specs are here. Leave a Comment
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Extron Now Shipping Three Input Switcher with Integrated DTP TransmitterExtron’s new DTP T USW 233 is a three input switcher for sending HDMI or analog video, audio and control up to 230 feet (70 meters) over a single CATx cable to an Extron DTP 230 receiver. It is HDCP compliant and provides two HDMI inputs, one RGBHV or component video input and one DTP 230 twisted pair output. Analog video input signals are digitized to ensure a high quality digital video signal is transmitted to the DTP 230 receiver. The switcher also offers features including EDID Minder, Key Minder, auto-switching between inputs, audio input assignment and remote powering. The low profile enclosure makes the DTP T USW 233 ideal for discreet placement in lecterns, beneath tables or in other environments requiring input switching and signal transmission.
The DTP T USW 233 provides reliable switching and transmission of HDMI signals, supporting Deep Color up to 12-bit and embedded HD lossless audio formats. For simplified operation, the DTP T USW 233 can automatically switch between the digital and analog sources. In addition, the analog audio input can be assigned to any of the three video inputs, or it can be set to follow the input switch.
The switcher includes an RS232 and IR insertion port, enabling simultaneous transmission of bidirectional RS232 and IR signals from a control system using the same twisted pair cable that transmits video and audio. For added installation flexibility, a single external power supply can be used to remotely power the DTP T USW 233 transmitter or a DTP 230 receiver over the twisted pair cable. The DTP T USW 233 offers convenient control options, including front panel control, RS-232, and contact closure with tally output for easy integration into a variety of environments.
Here are the details. Leave a Comment
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Smarter Software From URC and Amber InternationalControl and home automation specialist, URC, has recently added further functionality and compatibility to its Total Control system, which now works with an increased variety of third party products and streaming services. The newly upgradable system is available through EMEA distributor to the CI industry, Amber International.
To read the complete press release online, click here. Leave a Comment
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BTX Hires Jessica Tropea as
Fiber Optic Business Development ManagerBTX Technologies, a value-added distributor and manufacturer of interface, integration and system products, has announced that Jessica Tropea has been appointed as the company’s new fiber optic business development manager. In this new position, Tropea will be responsible for the growth of the company’s fiber business to existing and new customers, as well as expansion into new markets. She comes to BTX from Fiber Instrument Sales where she served as an account executive.
To read the complete press release online, click here. Leave a Comment
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Stampede Hires John Marcolini as VP of Product ManagementStampede Presentation Products, Inc. has appointed John Marcolini to the position of vice president of product management. Marcolini brings 18 years of telecommunications and software experience to his new position at Stampede. Most recently, he served as senior director of product management at Qualcomm Atheros where he was responsible for strategic product roadmap definition and worldwide business development for the connected home product line.
To read the complete press release online, click here. Leave a Comment
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CINE Living Joins SAVANT’s Partners in Excellence Cooperative ProgramSavant Systems, LLC has announced the addition of CINE Living to its PARTNERS IN EXCELLENCE cooperative program. Savant’s PARTNERS IN EXCELLENCE initiative has been targeted to achieve global compatibility between Savant’s control systems and a diverse group of best-in-class manufacturers from the audio, video, lighting control, HVAC, and security industries, as well as value-added partners from many related markets.
To read the complete press release online, click here. Leave a Comment
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Lowell Manufacturing and D-Tools Renew PartnershipD-Tools Inc. has announced that Lowell Manufacturing has renewed its agreement to participate in the D-Tools MVP program. Located just southwest of St. Louis, Missouri, Lowell manufactures rack, power and audio products for the professional AV, custom installation and broadcast markets. Through its participation in the D-Tools MVP Program, Lowell’s entire family of products is available in the database, making detailed product specifications directly available to users of D-Tools System Integrator software for use in their client engagements.
To read the complete press release online, click here. Leave a Comment
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For all you REGULAR readers of rAVe HomeAV Edition out there, hopefully you enjoyed another opinion-packed issue!
For those of you NEW to rAVe, you just read how we are — we are 100% opinionated. We not only report the news and new product stories of the high-end HomeAV industry, but we stuff the articles full of our opinions. That may include (but is not limited to) whether or not the product is even worth looking at, challenging the manufacturers on their specifications, calling a marketing-spec bluff and suggesting ways integrators market their products better. But, one thing is for sure, we are NOT a trade publication that gets paid for running editorial or product stories. Traditional trade publications get paid to run product stories — that’s why you see what you see in most of the pubs out there. We are different: we run what we want to run and NO ONE is going to pay us to write anything good (or bad).
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To send me feedback, don’t reply to this newsletter – instead, write directly to me at gary@ravepubs.com or for editorial ideas: Editor-in-Chief Sara Abrons at sara@ravepubs.com
A little about me: I graduated from Journalism School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (where I am adjunct faculty). I’ve been in the AV-industry since 1987 where I started with Extron and eventually moved to AMX. So, I guess I am an industry veteran (although I don’t think I am that old). I have been an opinionated columnist for a number of industry publications and in the late 1990s I started the widely read KNews eNewsletter (the first in the AV market) and also created the model for and was co-founder of AV Avenue – which is now known as InfoComm IQ. rAVe Publications has been around since 2003, when we launched our original newsletter, rAVe ProAV Edition.
rAVe HomeAV Edition, co-published with CEDIA, launched in February, 2004.
To read more about my background, our team, and what we do, go to https://www.ravepubs.com Back to Top |
Copyright 2013 – rAVe [Publications] – All rights reserved. For reprint policies, contact rAVe [Publications], 210 Old Barn Ln. – Chapel Hill, NC 27517 – 919/969-7501. Email: sara@ravepubs.com
rAVe HomeAV Edition contains the opinions of the author only and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of other persons or companies or its sponsors. |
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