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Volume 10, Issue 6 — March 26, 2013
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Making Motorized Shades Work For You
By Lee Distad
rAVe Columnist If there’s any bellwether that can be used to ascertain whether a product category has reached the big time, it’s the number of groups who are trying to get a piece of the pie.
Automated window coverings have been a growth category for AV pros for years now. In addition to growing demand from clients who desire both the convenience and energy savings that motorized shading offers, in the last year I’ve noticed a clear indication of its continued growth: Custom window covering companies are diving into automation, both manufacturers of shades and blinds and the otherwise décor-centric sales and design companies who’ve decided to get the motorization business in addition to the drapery business.
In some ways this mirrors the thinking behind the expansion of theater and entertainment seating in years past: Your customer is going to buy it anyway, so instead of letting them buy it from a furniture store get them to buy it from you!
If your company’s primarily been an AV focused firm in the past, don’t worry: Motorized window coverings are easy, and I’m about to make it easier.
First, swallow your AV nerd pride, and partner up with your client’s interior designer.
I know full well that, under normal circumstances AV pros and interior designers (DON’T call them decorators!) get along as well as Pirates and Ninjas. However, having professional interior designer on your side in your local marketplace is a huge asset, not just in terms of smoothing out disagreements on the jobsite, but also for lining up future business referrals.
Motorized window coverings is one category where both you and the designer can find common ground. Designers often show a great deal of interest in motorized shading, and since much of their ability to make their client’s dreams a reality comes from “knowing a guy,” you want to be their automation guy.
Beyond getting along, partnering with the designer is crucial because you need to know the intimate details of the designer’s choice of both the type of window coverings and the materials used.
So you’re going to have to learn to speak their language: horizontal, vertical, venetian, drapes, muslin, silk, plastic, bamboo and so on. Why? Because knowing exactly what kind of covering is going on each window, and their dimensions and mass is central to getting the job done.
There’s no such thing as a universal one-size-fits-all window shade motor, so the dealer is going to need to order an exact match from your shading vendor for each window. Think this through — in a big house there, will be 20 or more unique motors on a single job.
Obviously, you need to take exact measurements. Since motorized window coverings are almost always made custom order, you need to measure each window area three times at least for each measurement: height, width, sill depth and casement offset. YOUR team needs to take these measurements too; don’t rely on getting them third hand from the general contractor, and don’t take the measurements on the architectural drawings at face value either.
Never mind “measure twice, cut once;” measure THREE TIMES, ORDER AND INSTALL ONCE.
That’s a lot of design work, especially for big homes, and it may seem like a hassle, but it’s nothing like the hassle that will come from having motor fixtures that won’t properly fit the client’s windows. That may sound daunting, but don’t worry: your team are trained professionals with great attention to detail. You’ll be fine.
Finally, develop a partnership with your motorized shading vendor.
Let me tell you a secret: Even if they haven’t met you yet, shading vendors love you and want your business.
The level of support you can expect from a shading vendor is well beyond anything you’re used to from AV manufacturers. The sales reps for these vendors typically have significant design and install experience, and will happily schedule time to meet the install team on a jobsite and do on-the-job training, from taking proper measurements to assisting in the final install.
That just makes sense. It’s in their best interests for dealers to be crack installers, and the investment in supporting dealers pays off in long term shading business. If only more manufacturers in the AV business felt that way…
Lee Distad is a rAVe columnist and freelance writer covering topics from CE to global business and finance in both print and online. Reach him at lee@ravepubs.com
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Display Makers Must Stay Close to End-Users
By David Barnes
DisplayDaily Four recent news stories illustrate why display makers must stay close to end-users.
- Panasonic may exit the TV business
- Sharp missed Qualcomm’s targets for investment
- CPT is repurchasing the assets it sold to Giantplus
- Samsung advances mobile AMOLED technology to FHD
Nikkei in Japan published unattested reports that Panasonic would exit the TV business entirely over the weekend. Similar rumors have been circulating for some time and several analysts note that the new president of Panasonic earned his way to the top by making tough decisions, such as closing two of its three plasma TV plants in 2011. In January, Panasonic announced the closure of its plant in Shanghai. Earlier this month, projections published by DisplaySearch indicated Panasonic is reducing production of LCD TV panels, also. Panasonic’s panel output was 10.4 million in 2011, but its output in 2013 is expected to be only 4.0 million. The projection for Panasonic LCD TV sets remains flat at 10.5 million in 2012 and 2013, however. Apparently, Panasonic is managing costs by buying panels from other producers.
Looking at financial results from AU Optronics (AUO) and LG Display (LGD) from 2004 through 2012 shows why Panasonic may be smart to buy rather than make TV panels. The chart converts consolidated financial results for both producers into US dollars at year-end and adds those together. Over nine years, their combined free cash flow was minus $871 million. The leading merchant LCD suppliers put more money into the ground than they dredged up with all that hard work. Standing outside the money pit, it makes sense to buy the panels at a discount to full cost rather than dig your own hole.
Over the nine years, the sales price per square inch of LCD decreased 15 percent a year for the two suppliers combined while their EBITDA (profit without depreciation or tax charges) per square inch decreased 23 percent a year. Given the pace of price reduction, even with the improving market for mobile panels, their area cost remains about 7 percent too high for sustaining a profit margin.
Given the commodity pressures on TV prices worldwide, it is unclear how a traditional electronics company makes money in TV, even if it stays close to its distribution channels. We have already seen old-line firms such as Philips divest its TV assets and it seems likely that Panasonic will follow that lead. The market belongs to younger companies in lower-cost regions with less need for financial returns to satisfy Wall Street or The City.
The problem for Sharp is similar but it has less control over product plans and technology objectives beyond its branded TV market. In the past, when Sharp had stronger positions in the gadget market, the company was able to coordinate technology and end-product plans between its panel and gadget businesses. With the rise of Apple and Samsung, Sharp has less control. The panel business is farther from its end users.
Stories about Qualcomm pulling back from its second round of investment in Sharp this week highlight this problem. Apparently, Sharp missed some milestones regarding the metal-oxide TFT work for Pixtronics’ MEM display project. As we saw with delays for metal-oxide LCD last year, perfecting new semiconductor technology is not easy and its harder if the supplier faces external deadlines. This is a difficult period for Sharp as it becomes more dependent on outside investment while its end-user markets are a step beyond Sharp’s customers (e.g., Samsung).
Getting closer to end-users seems to be a good explanation for recent machinations by Chunghwa Picture Tubes (CPT). Back in 2007, CPT announced the sale of its Gen-3 LCD line to Giantplus for cash and stock. That made sense if CPT was able to establish a strong position in large panels while Giantplus supplied small touch screens.
CPT has done better in the small panel business, however. As a result, it is better off in high-touch market segments; so selling its TV module line in Shenzhen to CSOT (a TCL affiliate) and buying its Gen-3 line back makes sense.
Samsung’s introduction of full-HD in the Galaxy S4 illustrates the value of coordination to me. The display business (SDC) was able to use PenTile technology for a mosaic-like pixel pattern that achieves something like 400 ppi resolution. The Samsung group had to change several things in the AMOLED process as well as the overall display-product design to map this new space. That would have been much more difficult and could have been riskier if the display and product businesses had not been affiliates.
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South by Southwest Interactive Recognizes User Interface Advances
By Phil Wright
DisplayDaily The recently concluded South by Southwest Interactive (SXSW Interactive, March 8-12, 2013, Austin, Tex., USA) has awarded its Breakout Digital Trend Award to Leap Motion for its Leap Motion Controller hardware and software. This is scheduled to ship to consumers beginning May 13, 2013 with pre-ordering available now at a price of $79.99. Leap Motion’s approach to promoting their user interface technology has been to provide demos of their device (photo below) illustrating that it is responsive and accurate for 10 finger tracking. They also have seeded a large number of developers with sample units, and discussed the applicability of their hardware and software for embedded applications in notebook and desktop PCs, mobile phones and tablets and other devices.
To date, Leap Motion has shipped more than 12,000 devices to developers to stimulate adoption of its motion control technology. Mike Zagorsek, vice president product marketing at Leap demonstrated the operation of the Leap Motion Controller at SXSW as shown in the video here:
Source: Engadget
The Leap Motion Controller consists of the device hardware, a software development kit (SDK) for developers, and an app store named Airspace that will launch in May when consumer device shipments begin.
As an input device for a notebook or desktop PC, the Leap Motion Controller acquires and tracks all ten fingers of the user in a 2x2x2 foot cube over the device as illustrated in the video. The Leap developers believe that the Leap Motion Controller can become the preferred input device for 3D content creation and manipulation, and for navigating 2D content on large displays where touch sensing is not appropriate. In addition to pointing, the Motion Controller can be used to select, tap, swipe, poke and enter gestures.
Leap’s CEO Michael Buckwald has stated that he does not envision the Leap Motion Controller replacing the keyboard and mouse input paradigm when the device launches on May 13. However, Syntellia, Inc. the developer of the Fleksy text input application was also at SXSW this week showing its software working with the Leap Motion Controller to provide gesture-based typing input. It’s too soon to assess whether the Leap controller will become as ubiquitous as keyboards, mice and trackpads. However, given the market acceptance of devices such as Microsoft’s Kinect, and consumers’ interest in improved user interfaces for their consumer electronics products, we look forward to continuing new and hopefully improved user interface approaches to come.
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Share Article Back to Top 4K×2K LCD TV Panel Shipments Expected to Reach 2.6M in 2013, NPD DisplaySearch Reports According to the latest NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Large Area TFT Panel Shipment Report, TFT LCD panel suppliers are forecast to ship 2.6 million 4K×2K LCD TV panels (also known as Ultra HD) worldwide in 2013, up more than 40-fold from 63 thousand in 2012.
Figure 1: 4K×2K LCD TV Panel Shipment Forecast by Size (Q4’12-Q4’13)
Source: NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Large Area TFT Panel Shipment Report
TFT LCD panel suppliers play a pivotal role in 4K×2K LCD TV adoption, providing innovative cost-effective technology solutions that will meet the anticipated demand for these devices. Specifically, they are focused on leveraging new technologies, such as high-transmittance cell designs, high-output driver integrated circuits (ICs), and high-efficiency backlight units and integrated up-scaling circuits for 4K×2K panels.
“To date, Innolux Corp. has been the most aggressive panel manufacturer in this market segment, developing a full line-up of 4K×2K panels in the 39" to 85" range,” noted David Hsieh, NPD DisplaySearch Vice President, Greater China Market. “Despite this, 4K×2K panel manufacturers’ shipments are primarily focused on 50", 55"/58”, and 65" sizes, which are expected to have the highest volume shipments, especially in China.”
Panel manufacturers are also looking to accelerate 4K×2K panel adoption by strengthening their relationships with LCD TV brands with more aggressive manufacturing and sales efforts.
Table 1: 4K×2K LCD TV Panel Suppliers and Customers in 2013
Source: NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Large Area TFT Panel Shipment Report
Hsieh added, “4K×2K LCD TV is the newest TV technology available, and in order for it to be successful, it will be critical for the supply chain to avoid falling behind when making their purchases, even if content is still scarce. Some panel makers are also working with design houses to develop circuits built into the panel, to enable up-scaling of HD to 4K×2K content. This will help to drive the 4K×2K LCD TV market and encourage panel makers, especially those that have already started design-in work with TV brands in 2013.”
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Global LCD TV Shipments Fall for the First Time in 2012; Outlook Cautious for 2013 Annual global LCD TV shipments declined for the first time ever in 2012, down 1 percent to 203 million, according to the latest findings published in the NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Advanced Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report. Q4 was the only quarter to see any growth, rising 0.6 percent, but it was not enough to offset declines from the first three quarters. The preliminary outlook for LCD TV growth in 2013 is cautious, despite significant reductions in demand for plasma and CRT TV and global economic conditions that continue to be challenging.
“Global demand for LCD TVs declined 18 percent Y/Y in developed regions in 2012, and the growth in emerging markets was not nearly enough to offset this decline in some of the world’s highest volume regions,” observed Paul Gagnon, director of global TV research for NPD DisplaySearch. “Economic conditions certainly had an impact on demand, but a very mild price erosion also played a role, as global average selling prices for flat panel TVs fell a mere 2 percent Y/Y in 2012 compared to a 5 percent decline in 2011 and double digit declines in 2010.”
Total global TV shipments fell over 6 percent Y/Y in 2012, from 249 million to 233 million. On a regional basis, North America shipments were essentially flat in comparison to 2011, with the US accounting for 89.7 percent of North American volume according to new data available from NPD DisplaySearch. However, shipments to both Japan and Western Europe fell sharply, declining 68 percent and 15 percent Y/Y, respectively. China was once again the world’s largest market for TV shipments, with demand rising 6 percent to nearly 52 million, signaling the first time any region has reached an annual volume of more than 50 million. Growth slowed in the other emerging regions, including Asia Pacific, MEA, and Latin America, all of which declined in volume. Eastern Europe was the only region with strong growth in 2012, rising 17 percent Y/Y in volume as analog to digital transitions drove purchasing. Source: NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Advanced Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report
Samsung Reaches New Flat Panel TV Revenue Share Record in 2012
Samsung’s global flat panel TV revenue share reached a new record high of 27.7 percent in 2012, up from 25 percent in 2011, with total flat panel TV revenues increasing 6 percent Y/Y. LGE ranked second in 2012, with the company’s shipments accounting for 15 percent of global flat panel TV revenues and also enjoying revenue growth during the year.
Japanese brands Sony, Panasonic and Sharp rounded out the top 5 global flat panel TV brands on a revenue basis, but their collective share declined 6 percent in 2012. The revenue share for all Japanese brands fell by over 8 percent as their focus shifted from volume to profits. Japanese TV brands have also been hit hard by the massive decline in the Japanese TV market. Chinese TV brands experienced strong growth in 2012, because domestic growth was strong, but they also gained share outside of China. Collectively, Chinese TV brands accounted for more than 20 percent of global flat panel TV revenues and are aggressively targeting expansion overseas.
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Share Article Back to Top Almo Wins rAVe Readers' Favorite Distributor Survey The results are in and Almo Professional A/V has been named the “Most Used and Favorite Distributor” following the results of a survey conducted by rAVe – with more than 3,800 responses. Parent company, Almo Corporation, has also been selected as one of the Philly.com 2013 Top Workplaces in Philadelphia. The rAVe survey was sent to readers of rAVe ProAV Edition, with more than 4,200 responses received. Results showed that of the 93 percent of AV dealers and integrators who buy from distributors regularly, Almo Pro A/V not only was voted the “most used” distribution company, but also ranked as the favorite. “To see that the nation’s AV resellers, integrators and consultants are choosing Almo Pro A/V first confirms that our formula for taking care of our partners’ distribution requirements works — we truly care about their success,” explained Warren Chaiken, president and COO for Almo Corporation. “We have assembled a high caliber team of sales, business development and marketing talent while aligning with a carefully selected group of manufacturers. We augment this with the most in-depth training and education programs available to continually help our partners boost their businesses and stay profitable.” According to Gary Kayye, founder of rAVe Publications, “The results of the survey speak for themselves. Integrators notice when distributors are focused on them verses making AV just part of a giant product offering or as an ‘oh, by the way, we do AV too’ approach to distribution.” The Philly.com Top Workplaces are determined based solely on employee feedback. The employee survey is conducted by WorkplaceDynamics, LLP, a leading research firm on organizational health and employee engagement. Almo Corporation is one of 100 companies in the Philadelphia region selected for the 2013 Top Workplaces award. “It is a great honor for Almo Corporation to win this award, but to me it is not a surprise,” said Sam Taylor, executive vice president and COO for Almo Professional A/V. “Gene and Warren Chaiken treat their employees like an extended family. They have a created a workplace where people enjoy coming to work and love the company they are working for. People come to work for Almo and they stay because of the positive business environment.”
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Share Article Back to Top Recently from rAVe's BlogSquad Back to Top Crestron Cameo infiNET EX Provides LED In-Wall RF Dimming Crestron's new CLW-DELV wireless dimmers are in-wall RF dimmers capable of controlling incandescent, halogen and LED light sources. Available in 120-volt, 230-volt, and 277-volt models, CLW DELV will begin shipping on April 1 and use 2.4 GHz mesh network technology. Cameo in-wall dimmers feature field-replaceable, engravable buttons, can be configured with various button layouts and are available in a wide variety of designer color options. Each CLW dimmer and switch is shipped with a full assortment of blank buttons for future use, keeping installers fully prepared should interior design plans change.
Here are the complete specs: http://www.crestron.com/resources/product_and_programming_resources/catalogs_and_brochures/online_catalog/default.asp?cat=1041
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Share Article Back to Top HAI by Leviton Announces KNX Gateway HAI by Leviton announced today the launch of its KNX Gateway, an interface allowing the company's Omni and Lumina Ethernet-based controllers to communicate with and control KNX devices through KNX’s standardized network communications BUS protocol. Lighting devices, temperature and energy management, motors for window coverings, shades, shutters and more are among the many KNX devices that can be controlled in homes and businesses from an HAI by Leviton interface or automated via controller programming.
The KNX Gateway maps specific data points of each KNX device to a unit or thermostat number on the HAI by Leviton controller. The interface between the KNX Gateway and the HAI by Leviton controller utilizes a RS-485 serial connection. Compatible controllers include the OmniPro II, Omni IIe, Omni LTe, Lumina Pro and Lumina. The KNX Gateway is powered either via a PoE Ethernet connection or 12-24V AC/DC.
Learn more here: http://www.homeauto.com/main.asp
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Share Article Back to Top BenQ Ships $1,299 3D Short Throw Theater Projector BenQ is now shipping its W1080ST short-throw full HD 3D home projector, which delivers 1080p resolution on a 100" screen from just six feet away. The 1-chip DLP projector incorporates NVIDIA 3DTV Play, DLP Link and dual HDMI. Designed with the high-end DLP Dark Chip 3 (DC3), the W1080ST is spec'd at 10,000:1 contrast ratio, and has built-in 10-watt stereo speakers.
To safeguard close-range installations, the W1080ST also features an "Auto Blank" mode that blocks light output when objects are detected in front of the lens. Especially useful for coffee-table setups and other short-throw scenarios in small spaces, the mode avoids flashing light directly in users' eyes when crossing the projection.
Here are all the specs: http://www.benq.us/product/projector/w1080st
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Share Article Back to Top Audience Ships the ClairAudient The ONE Audience is now shipping its ClairAudient The ONE single-driver loudspeaker, which is a 7×5.5×7" (HxWxD) desktop and surround sound home theater speaker.
The ONE incorporates the same A3-S full-range, crossover-less driver as every Audience ClairAudient loudspeaker, along with a passive radiator. The A3-S is a full-range, high power, 12 millimeter excursion, "ultra-low distortion" transducer. Audience says it eliminates the need for a separate woofer, midrange driver, tweeter and crossover network — and their inherent sonic compromises of sonically dissimilar drivers, phase distortions, loss of resolution and transient response degradation.
Available in a choice of high-gloss finishes including black, red, white and blue with black grilles, The ONE is a point source loudspeaker but without crossover. The ONE is direct-coupled to the amplifier it's connected to, enabling the full damping factor of the amplifier to be directly applied to the A3-S driver's voice coil. By allowing the amplifier, speaker cable and driver to act as a single coherent system, Audience says a level of control over the driver is achieved that is not possible with any speaker with a crossover.
The ONE presents a benign load to an amplifier, resulting in compatibility with a wide range of tube and solid-state amplifiers. The ONE is flat from 50 Hz to 20 kHz in-room response when placed on a desk or near a wall; a subwoofer is required for full-frequency response when The ONE is situated away from a wall.
Here are all the specs: http://www.audience-av.com/
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Share Article Back to Top IED Licenses Audinate for Dante Innovative Electronic Designs (IED) has licensed Audinate's Dante digital-media networking technology and will incorporate Dante into several new products in 2013 and beyond. Audinate's patented Dante solution is a media networking solution suite designed to transport many channels of high-resolution, uncompressed, low-latency digital media over relatively long distances and to multiple locations using a standard 100 Mbps or 1 GB Ethernet network. It has become the solution of choice for a variety of professional applications because it delivers tightly synchronized, sample-accurate playback while simplifying installation and configuration of AV networks.
IED is a division of Mitek – the parent company of Atlas Sound, Soundolier, MTX, ETA and a dozen other ProAV and HomeAV audio-centric companies. Audinate's Dante has been licensed by over 25 companies in the ProAV and HomeAV space including Yamaha, Extron, Bosch, Harman, Peavey, Shure and Stewart Audio.
You can see the entire list of licensees here: http://www.audinate.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=343
IED is here: http://www.iedaudio.comp
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Share Article Back to Top TruAudio Launches Dual 70V and 8-Ohm Combined Landscape Speaker TruAudio's new Acoustiscape is a landscape speaker that's compatible with both 70-volt and 8-ohm amps (the only one we know of, by the way). While most companies have a 70-volt or an 8-ohm landscape speaker, TruAudio combined them into one speaker that uses a switch on the back to switch the speaker to whichever system your whole house amp is using. And, with the 70-volt setting, you can daisy-chain the wire from speaker to speaker.
The in-ground mounting design gives it full range of motion so you can position the Acoustiscape and direct the sound exactly where they want it to go. With a two-way design, the Acoustiscape utilizes a 4.5” injected polypropylene woofer and ¾” soft silk dome tweeter and includes a 14 inch (355mm) metal ground stake. The Acoustiscape wiring is all concealed in the ground stake (just like any landscape lighting system has), so nothing is exposed to the elements. And, it's all housed in a non-corrosive sealed enclosure that TruAudio says makes it waterproof, weatherproof and impervious to the elements.
Here are all the specs: http://truaudio.com/products/8/Outdoor_Speakers/AS-1
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Share Article Back to Top Bryston Unveils Complete Loudspeaker Lineup Bryston has announced the introduction of a complete line of high performance loudspeakers engineered for both music and home theater applications. The line will consist of eight models:
- Model T (MSRP $6,495 pair) shipping now
- Model T Signature (MSRP $7,495 pair) shipping now
- Model T Active (MSRP $9,495 pair — requires 6 channels of amplification not included) shipping now
- Middle T (MSRP $4,600 pair) shipping May, 2013
- mini t (MSRP $2,695 pair) shipping now
- TC1 Center (MSRP $3,200 each) shipping now
- TC1 mini Center (MSRP $2,200 each) shipping May, 2013
- T Sub (MSRP $4,195 each) shipping now
- T IW (in-wall) (MSRP $560 each) shipping Q3, 2013
- T OW (on-wall) (MSRP $560 each) shipping Q3, 2013
The 52.5-inch tall three-way floorstanding Model T is available in three formats: the standard speaker with an internal passive crossover network, the Signature model with an external passive network that utilizes custom-made components including air-core chokes and Bryston-proprietary film capacitors and a flagship Active version that comes with a Bryston 24-bit digital electronic crossover (instead of a passive network) enabling tri-amplification of the system. All three versions of the Model T utilize three 8-inch woofers, two 5.25-inch midranges and two 1-inch titanium dome tweeters.
The Middle T is a smaller floor-standing three-way loudspeaker utilizing two bass drivers, a midrange and a tweeter. The mini t is a smaller version of the Middle T using a single bass driver also in a three-way configuration. Both the TC1 and TC1 mini are three-way speakers providing center channel options of different sizes. The T Sub utilizes three 8-inch woofers powered by an internal 600-watt amplifier. Both architectural models, the T IW and the T OW, are three-way sealed enclosure designs. Bryston loudspeakers come in three high-tech vinyl-wrapped standard finishes: Black Ash, Natural Cherry and Boston Cherry. Optional hardwood veneers and high gloss painted finishes available at additional cost.
Here are the specs: http://www.bryston.com/
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Share Article Back to Top Screen Innovations Ships Black Diamond Motorized Screen Screen Innovations says that its Black Diamond ambient light rejection screen technology is what makes this screen unique. Utilizing one motor, four custom helixes and a spool of slender aircraft cable, Black Diamond Motorized lowers a thin wing containing the rolled Black Diamond screen downward from a recessed ceiling-mounted cassette. The cable-hung wing then stops, and from it, a small tube quickly emerges and lowers itself down to an adjustable, pre-determined image height, leaving only the image space in sight. Because Black Diamond screens do not require masking or any black drop material whatsoever, there is no visible material above, below, or on either side of the screen surface, allowing the images projected on Black Diamond Motorized to appear as though they are suspended in air.
Here are all the specs: http://www.screeninnovations.com
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Share Article Back to Top CINEAK Intros the Strato + Plus CINEAK has introduced the Strato+, which is a slightly modified version of the standard Strato. The height of the headrest has been extended by 4” (10 centimeters) to offer extra head support, especially for taller users. The overall depth of the back of the chair has increased by 4 inches (10 centimeters) and the backrest is slightly slanted, providing an elegant change in overall look of the Strato.
In addition to its clean-cut form, this design is appealing thanks to its concealed dual motorized incline relax system. This system allows the user to control the movement of the seating part, position of the footrest and adjust the height of the headrest independently. All are controlled from a push-button in the armrest.
The D-BOX ready option is also available on single and double seats.
Here are the details: http://www.cineak.com/seating/media-living-room/stratoplus/
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Share Article Back to Top BenQ Debuts 27" Monitor Aimed at Gamers BenQ America has added the biggest monitor to date to its flagship XL Series with the launch of its XL2720T gaming monitor for professional and competitive first-person shooter (FPS) play. Featuring a 120Hz refresh rate, a 1-ms response time and a very low 0.002-frame input lag, BenQ says the XL2720T synchronizes action without latency from mouse motion to give the player complete control over the gaming experience.
With dual HDMI ports, the XL2720T is engineered to provide full HD connectivity with other devices (including a cable/satellite set-top box for watching TV in your room, in the dark, alone). Gamers will love this 27" (16:9) monitor — it offers 12 million:1 dynamic contrast ratio and LED back-lighting, plus it's certified for NVIDIA 3D Vision 2 and supports full HD 3D gaming.
It lists for $549 and all the specs are here: http://gaming.benq.com/
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Share Article Back to Top Atlona Partners with Pacific Cabling Solutions Atlona today this week announced a significant expansion to its North American network by forming a distribution partnership with Pacific Cabling Solutions (PCS), a specialty distributor of connectivity products and solutions. Under the agreement, PCS will distribute Atlona's entire range of integration solutions across Canada.
To read the complete press release online, click here. Back to Top Bryston Appts Michael Chafee Enterprises as Sales Rep in Florida Bryston, LTD has appointed Michael Chafee Enterprises as its independent sales rep for the state of Florida. The representation includes both Bryston’s consumer and professional audio product lineups. The appointment is effective immediately.
To read the complete press release online, click here. Back to Top Stewart Filmscreen Adds Three New Hires Stewart Filmscreen announced this month the appointment of Victoria Ferrari and Stephanie Hunter to the positions of regional sales managers, and Zach Hurvitz to the national consultant liaison position. All three new team members will be instrumental in developing new business opportunities and managing customer and partner relations throughout the U.S. and Canadian commerical A/V markets.
To read the complete press release online, click here. Back to Top 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).
Don’t like us, then go away — unsubscribe! Just use the link below.
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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