Volume 11, Issue 11 — June 12, 2014
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Editorial Editorial Editorial
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rAVe BlogSquad Industry News Audio Media Players, Recording & Distribution Control & Signal Processing In Brief
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Coming At Trade Shows From Another Angle
By Lee Distad rAVe Columnist
If there’s anything that I’ve done more often than attending trade shows, it’s been writing about attending trade shows.
That includes both editorials and blog posts about how to work the show as an exhibitor to get the maximum return on your company’s investment, as well as suggestions on how, as a member of the press, to do the best job of covering the news coming out of the show. Not to mention giving advice on how to survive the daily (and nightly) grind of being either exhibitor or attendee.
Today, I’m going to take a different tack and talk about how best to use trade shows to find new business leads, not as an exhibitor, but by cold calling the exhibitors at the show!
As the job-title implies, being a sales rep involves, you know, actually selling. And being a manufacturers’ rep, I’m responsible for growing my brand’s business.
There are a couple of ways to go about growing the business. I can depend on my existing dealer network to deliver sales growth on their own. OR I can go out and find more dealers.
If, like me, you find that you’re already at or nearing saturation in your primary business channel, that’s when it’s time to get creative, and start looking outside at new channels where your products would be a good fit.
Being pretty old school, I believe that nothing is better than face to face cold calling. Cold calling by phone, or, even worse, by email seems incredibly lazy to me. It’s also far less effective than meeting in person, and giving your prospect a chance to size you up.
Where better, then, to find new business partners than in a trade show dedicated to that specific channel? Dozens, perhaps hundreds of prospects all under one roof!
So, if you’re going to hit a trade show with the purpose of prospecting the exhibitors, here’s some advice:
- Do your homework in advance. Trade show websites list all their exhibitors, and include links to their websites. Research your prospects ahead of time.
- Make a shortlist. If there are 150 companies exhibiting at the show, odds are that not all of them are going to be the kind of businesses you’re looking for. The objective of researching your prospects is to winnow down the list to a smaller number of likely prospects that you’re more likely to be able to make a deal with.
- Hit the show on the first day. Most trade shows run Thursday to Sunday, occasionally starting on Wednesday. Regardless, the first day of every show is always the quietest, while the weekends are far crazier. You have a better chance of achieving your objectives on the first day of the show when the crowds are thinner.
- Most of the booth staff at a show are salesmen like yourself: They’re there to find new prospects themselves. Be courteous and polite with them but brief. Get them to point out the boss.
- Unlike a regular day in their office, the owner or general manager of your prospect isn’t going to be hidden in his office behind a gatekeeping secretary or receptionist.
- Even so, when cold calling, get to the point: Introduce yourself, make your elevator pitch, and ask if that’s something their company would be interested in. For those of you who don’t know, an elevator pitch is short, to the point, and takes very little time, as if you had 30 seconds in an elevator to network with someone new.
- When they’re interested, exchange contact information, and follow up in more detail after the show. If they aren’t, thank them and move on.
Keep those points in mind, work your list of prospects at the show, and you should leave the event that day with some new business. Leave a Comment
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Five Ways To Avoid an AV Installation Horror Story
By Mike Lutrell Peerless-AV
Imagine this: As you walk away to take a break from an AV installation where you installed 20 cables, an HVAC tech takes a chainsaw to the bottom of the stud bay, cutting all the cables in one swift hack.
From brand new to retrofits, I’ve (nearly) seen it all in the past 18 years in terms of AV installation horror stories. Some errors are just an annoyance while other mistakes like the one I mentioned above can cost serious man-hours and dollars to fix.
And no matter how big the AV installation is, the number one goal is that set-up should be efficient and follow best practices.
To avoid an AV horror story of your own, here are some tips on how to stay on top of your game:
1. Measure Twice.
If you don’t measure correctly, you’re going to end up with a less than perfect installation that you’ll have to take down and redo.
An easy way to avoid this is to measure the area where you’re working in when you first get to a job, and again right before you start integrating.
One time we had a 36″ widescreen tube TV being put into a custom cabinet. After hooking everything up and terminating all of the wires, of course the TV didn’t fit. We had to box and measure it again since the measurements, taken by someone else, didn’t add up.
2. Learn Something New Every Day.
Technology changes frequently, whether you’re setting up a wall mount, AV receiver, projector, or an emerging technology solution. I’ve seen hidden menu systems where you can only go in certain protective settings to adjust it properly.
Manufacturers often offer free product training – be sure to take advantage of this. You’ll be more knowledge about the product so you can confidently approach the customer and you’ll have a leg-up on the competition.
3. Achieve a Clean Look.
Improper labeling will result in lots of unnecessary troubleshooting which can be prevented by utilizing an efficient, company-wide labeling system. This system should be taught to every integrator on the team because it will save time, money and frustration.
I worked with one guy who cut all the wires to length at the rack locations and didn’t label them. When it came time for integration, he had to go back up and tone out 10 locations. Lesson learned.
This also applies to consistent wire termination. For example, there are two standard ways to terminate a Cat5. All it takes is a talk with your team and a unified way to terminate your wires. Wire termination, especially in the residential world, is a big deal.
I also see wires dangling in restaurants, bars and other applications way too often. As the integrator, it’s your job to find a way to hide the wires as much as possible to achieve the clean look the customer is always looking for.
4. Strategic Placement.
It’s crucial to put equipment in the right place so the user has easy access to it. The most notable examples are for digital signage in hotel lobbies and TVs in bars and restaurants.
Digital signage has a purpose – to offer a better customer experience. Sometimes that means a floor-standing kiosk works better than a large screen that gets lost in the corner.
5. Get it Right.
As an installer, integrator or distributor, every day you walk on a job with a mission to get it right the first time.
That should be our mantra in the industry because it truly does allow all of us to offer the best products so that you can deliver the best solutions for your customer. It’s a shared commitment to help one another make the best out of our combined experience and skill for a flawless finished job.
How do avoid an AV installation horror story? Let me know in the comments below!
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InfoComm 2014: For What I’ll Be Looking (A Pixel-and-Ink Stained Look Ahead)
By Leonard Suskin Pixel and Ink-Stained Wretch
InfoComm time is almost here! I’ll resume my tradition from last year and share with you my thoughts on things for which to look on the show floor. Those of you following the discussion online should be aware that my esteemed colleague, AV wunderkind Alex Mayo has already weighed in on this from the cubicle next-door. He has much of it right, and perhaps missed an item or two which I’d have found interesting.
Things for which I’m not looking
I’ll start off taking a step backwards at what I’ll not be looking for. If you’re looking for me on the show floor, this is where to not find me (and if you’re avoiding me, this is where to go):
HDBaseT. Yes, I still use HDBaseT in many, many designs and don’t see it going away. It’s just reached the point at which it is somewhat commodified and not all that interesting. Without thinking too hard, I’m sure most readers of this blog can think of a half dozen or more companies with the same product line: modular matrix switcher, all-in-one presentation switcher, two-gang wallplate transmitter, standalone transmitter, scaling receiver, etc. Nice technology, but the differences have become fine enough that there isn’t all that much more to learn. It certainly isn’t the future.
Big Manufacturers. I don’t like to do “booth tours” with the big players in the industry: the Crestrons and AMXs and such. It’s one reason that Extron’s disappearance from InfoComm-land doesn’t affect me all that much; I know what Crestron and AMX are up to. I know what QSC and most of the Harman family are up to. Between training classes, social events and the like I’ll probably only have about six hours or so on the trade floor; I don’t want to chew those up visiting things that I’ll read a press release about the next day anyway.
So for What Will I Look?
That’s the big question: What is the story this InfoComm? Last year part of what caught my attention was the UC pavillion with various hardware, software, and virtualized MCUs and bridging services. Last year also showed us the first Lync room systems, which represented a push for Microsoft to leverage their success in desktop conferencing to larger spaces. What will we see this year? A few things.
AVB. “The breakout year for AVB” has been predicted every year for at least three years now. In the meantime, Dante has overtaken it as the de facto standard of audio transport over networks (and yes, I know that Dante isn’t an open standard. Neither was CobraNet, but that had a very central place for a long time). That said, I’ve heard some rumblings about finally sending video over AVB, including rumors of some video products in varying stages of development. If we’re to move towards a more “converged” world, there will need to be some way to synchronize audio and video streams from different network devices. It is my hope that AVB’s time synchronization protocol (IEEE 802.1AS) will achieve this. If so, AVB suddenly becomes very interesting. There’s been at least one manufacturer teasing a video product, which may or may not see the show floor.
Dante: With AVB dragging its heels, Dante has emerged as the dominant technology for audio transport over networks. Audinate has announced that its 150th partner product will be unveiled at InfoComm AND that they have a new and “disruptive” (their word) software update. Is this a grab for attention, or is there something exciting there? Audinate’s track record is such that I’ll at least check.
4K, Uncompressed: Like it or not, have skepticism or not, 4K is coming. With the Valens HDBaseT chipset lacking the bandwidth to deliver 4K (or UHD), content at 60 frames per second with a 12-bit color depth the field is wide open. A few manufacturers have teased solutions and strategies, some of which may see the show floor.
4K, Compressed: 4K content requires quite a bit of bandwidth, and that means some form of compression. Haivision unveiled an HEVC (aka H.265) encoder at NAB; one other manufacturer has hinted that they might be looking at the open-source VP9 as an alternative. Which of these takes the biggest market share will be interesting.
Something Different
This falls under the “I’ll know it when I see it” category. There’s a temptation to take the new and treat it as an extension of the familiar. To think of an IP-based AV transcoder, for example, as an endpoint for a virtualized “matrix switch.” To think of Dante and AVB as audio transport busses rather than routable protocols adding some freedom. As I said in the HDBaseT section, there are quite a few manufacturers – on the audio and video side – offering near-identical product lines. For an example of thinking differently, I’ll look at one product not appearing at InfoComm: Extron’s five-mic input Dante expansion box. This isn’t a break-in box so much as a complete DSP with no analog outputs. Rather than send audio from a break-in box to a centrally located DSP for processing, Extron chose to apply filters, EQ and even AEC locally in a little half-rack sized mini-processor box, then send the processed audio (plus dry) via Dante. It’s a fundamentally different approach and, along with Virtual Soundcard, can lead to some interesting design alternatives.
That’s where my eyes will be on my whirlwind through the show floor. As I said, I’ll also be taking some classes (more on those when I get back), and meeting some AV friends. Socially, you can expect to see me at the AVTweeps Tweetup and, of course, to see the Drunk Unkles at the Hardrock. Fun fact: With my current position at Shen, Milsom and Wilke I’ve now worked with two of the “Unkles” – Steve Emspak now, and Felix Robinson back in my AVI-SPL days.
I’m including some random snapshots from last InfoComm, in no particular order and for no particular reason. I look forward to seeing some of you, my readers, there. If you spot me, feel free to say hello! Leave a Comment
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Kaleidescape and DVDCCA End Decade-Long KerfuffleKaleidescape and the DVD Copy Control Association, Inc., the licensor of CSS (Content Scramble System), announced this month an agreement to jointly end their decade-long lawsuit.
Kaleidescape and the DVD CCA jointly settled the case in the 6th District of the California State Court of Appeal and the Superior Court of Santa Clara County. Under the terms, Kaleidescape agreed to drop its appeal of the superior court injunction, which has been stayed by the Court of Appeal since 2012. DVD CCA and Kaleidescape have agreed that Kaleidescape will be subject to the injunction starting on November 30, 2014. Systems sold by Kaleidescape after that date will no longer be able to import CSS-protected DVDs, and such DVDs will only be playable from the physical disc. It will still be possible to play a physical DVD starting at the beginning of the feature, or jump directly to a favorite scene or song.
The superior court, at the request of the companies, modified the injunction so that it takes effect Nov. 30, 2014, allowing Kaleidescape to continue selling systems that import CSS-protected DVDs through Nov. 29. By then, Kaleidescape expects to have most DVD movies available for download from the Kaleidescape Store in the U.S. For markets outside the U.S., the Kaleidescape system will be sold after November 29 as a Blu-ray movie server only.
Kaleidescape is here. Leave a Comment
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48 New Courses, 1 New Certification to Debut at CEDIA EXPO 2014Registration for CEDIA EXPO 2014 has now opened, offering a full schedule of training and after hours events as well as early bird discounts. The 2014 event will be hosted at the Colorado Convention Center Sept. 10-13. 110 CEDIA training sessions will be available at the show; of those sessions 48 are new covering hot topics such as 4K, telemedicine, security, networking and more.
CEDIA is also rolling out a new entry-level certification that covers the broad scope of the residential electronics system industry and opens the doors to more than technicians and designers getting certified.
Review sessions for the Gateway and EST II certification exams will be available at CEDIA EXPO, as well as certification exams for the CEDIA Gateway Certification, EST II Certification, Designer Certification and Residential Networking Specialist Certification.
In addition to the new courses and new certification, over 45 exhibitors will be making their debut at CEDIA EXPO. Other show floor highlights include Rookie Row, High Performance Audio Rooms and the New Product Launch Pad.
Attendees ready to start planning can use a new live, searchable, dynamic schedule that can be accessed outside the registration system. This new feature provides real-time updates for CEDIA Training, events, and manufacturer product training. Attendees may also get their CEDIA EXPO questions answered throughout their registration process with the live chat function.
Registration for CEDIA EXPO 2014 is open here. Individuals may save 40% on registration fees until July 18. Attendees looking to take full advantage of the training offered can purchase a CEDIA Training Pass for $359** which allows them to register for as many courses as they can fit in their schedule. For more information, go here. Leave a Comment
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Crestron Ships Audio Streaming Box for the Home Crestron announced its new Network Stream Player (CEN-NSP-1), designed to provide both wired and wireless options for streaming music from iPod, iPhone or iPad to a Crestron audio distribution system. Anyone in the home can access all her iTunes music. Basically, this is a fancy version of an Airport Express — integrating Apple Airplay (for audio-only) into a Crestron control system.
As everyone who uses Apple likely knows, AirPlay creates a dedicated network to stream audio. When integrated with a whole house audio system, such as the Crestron Sonnex, the family member can use the Crestron app on her device (or a Crestron touch screen) to direct that music to any room or every room in the house.
The Network Stream Player will natively stream Internet radio sources — so the tunes don’t stop every time the phone rings. This feature will be available soon, requiring a remote firmware upgrade as sources become available. The Network Stream Player does not require programming or GUI design work required. Once the firmware is upgraded by the Crestron dealer, homeowners can sign into their accounts as they normally do to activate the new services — right from the touch screen. Crestron will update dealers and their customers as subscription services become available.
The Network Stream Player is shipping now. Here are all the specs. Leave a Comment
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Autonomic Adds MMS-2A Music Player to Mirage SystemAutonomic has introduced the new Mirage MMS-2A music player, which delivers what the company says is reference quality high-resolution audio through three independent streams to a multi-room system with as many as 96 zones. A new generation of the company’s cloud-based media server, the MMS-2A will store, sync, schedule and stream an entire music collection along with the most popular online streaming services.
Features include:
- Fanless, passive cooling design
- 100 percent solid state drive – 128 GB SSD, supports approximately 25k songs with expandable storage capabilities via USB or networked attached storage
- 1RU chassis – Rack mountable (rack ears included) or feet included to display the unit
- Outputs: 1USB, 1 coax digital, 1 analog
- Supports 24-bit/96 kHz content
- Streaming services: Pandora, SiriusXM, Spotify, Slacker, Rhapsody, TuneIn
- Two Airplay receivers (1 per stream)
- HDMI and VGA outputs for OSD
The MMS-2A is listed at MRSP $1,995, the same price as its predecessor. Autonomic is now offering Mirage Audio System two or five-stream base packs featuring the MMS-2A and MMS-5A music players. 16-zone packages start at $499 per zone ($7,995 MSRP) with four-zone, two-stream packages starting at $3,995 MSRP. All Mirage Audio System packages are expandable to 96 zones.
The MMS-2A is available now. More information is here. Leave a Comment
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Contemporary Research to Debut New Modulator/IPTV Encoders at InfoComm Contemporary Research’s new QMOD-SDI 2, QMOD-HDMI 2 and QMOD-YPB2 HD Modulator/IPTV Encoders will officially debut at InfoComm. Integrated scaling can accept 1080p and 3G SDI, 59.94/60 Hz video as well as international 50 and 25 Hz formats. An optional upgrade key adds the ability to cross-convert resolutions, such as scaling all input formats to 720p or 1080i.
The QMOD-SDI 2 HD Modulator-IPTV Encoder converts inputs from two SDI sources for distribution as HD in-house cable channels. Supports up to 3G 1080p, embedded AC-3 audio, 708/608 captions, and dual language audio tracks. Audio can be inserted from analog and SPDIF inputs, as well as Line 21 captioning data.
The QMOD-HDMI 2 HD Modulator-IPTV Encoder converts two HDMI (non-HDCP) sources into HD in-house cable channels. Perfect for DirecTV receivers, the unit outputs two sub-channels with AC-3 audio and Line 21 captioning, audio from HDMI, SPDIF and analog stereo inputs.
The QMOD-YPB2 HD Modulator-IPTV Encoder converts inputs from two Component sources into HD in-house cable channels. Perfect for integration with satellite/cable boxes, the unit outputs two sub-channels with AC-3 audio and Line 21 captioning, audio from SPDIF and analog stereo inputs.
For all three encoders, setup and monitoring are done via Ethernet, and the encoders can also output an IP video stream.
The specs on all three are here. Leave a Comment
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Extron Integrates Third-Party Touchscreen Capability with Extron Pro Series Control Processors Extron has just started shipping its new TLI Pro 101 TouchLink Interface that allows a third party touchscreen display to be used as a point of control with Extron Pro Series control systems. The TLI Pro 101 includes a scaled HDCP-compliant HDMI input for video preview. The scaled output supports displays from 800×600 to 1920×1200, as well as HDTV 1080p/60 and 2K. The TLI Pro 101 works with any Extron IP Link Pro control processor, enabling third party touchscreen devices to be used for complete, interactive control of a broad range of source devices.
As with all TouchLink Pro touchpanels, the TLI Pro 101 operates using standard network infrastructure and is easy to install with reliable and cost effective Ethernet cable. All TouchLink Pro touchpanels are customized using Extron GUI Designer software. This powerful interface design software offers ready-to-use resource kits to help design a wide variety of interfaces for rooms and presentation environments.
Here are all the specific tech specs. Leave a Comment
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URC Announces Integration Module for Philips Hue URC announced last month the Total Control two-way integration module for Philips Hue Personal Wireless Lighting, which was developed by Extra Vegetables and URC. The module can be downloaded by Authorized URC Total Control dealers from Extra Vegetables’ website.
After replacing conventional bulbs with Hue lamps and connecting the Hue Bridge to the home wireless network, the new integration module allows URC’s Total Control products to communicate with the lighting system. Users can still operate the Hue system using the standard Android or iOS app method. The Philips Hue system consists of user-replaceable LED lamps that screw directly into existing sockets. Users control intensity and color temperature from cool bluish white to warm yellowish white and all of the vibrant colors in between.
Supported features include the ability to control all Hue devices from Total Control interfaces, create and edit Lighting Scenes and Groups, and add Macro commands to recall a specific light level, color or color temperature. The new Philips Hue two-way module is also compatible with ccGEN2 interfaces including keypads, the RM-2 remote and ccGEN2-iOS app.
Download the module here. Learn more about Philips Hue here.
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DPI Promotes Michael Bridwell to VP of Marketing and Home EntertainmentDigital Projection International (DPI), a manufacturer of high-performance projection systems, announced this month the promotion of Michael Bridwell to vice president of marketing and home entertainment. After six years of leading the marketing strategy for DPI in the Americas, this new role expands his responsibilities in the residential market. Bridwell assumes his new roles immediately.
To read the complete press release online, click here. Leave a Comment
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Bay Audio Adds Aaron Gutin as North American VP Sales and MarketingBay Audio, a manufacturer of premium loudspeaker solutions for AV integrators and specialty dealers, has announced the appointment of Aaron Gutin as VP of sales and marketing for North America. Gutin will be showcasing Bay Audio’s premium selection of architectural loudspeakers, custom soundbars, home theater solutions and outdoor loudspeakers to top A/V dealers and technology integrators throughout the region.
To read the complete press release online, click here. Leave a Comment
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ihiji Launches Webinar Series and Cross-Country Training Tourihiji has announced its robust training lineup that will culminate at the CEDIA EXPO 2014 in Denver. Dozens of learning opportunities scheduled both online and in various locations across the United States. More information on the various events is here.
To read the complete press release online, click here. Leave a Comment
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Screen Research and Grace Motif Announce North American Distribution PartnershipAdeo Screen of Poland, owners of Screen Research, has announced their partnership with Scottsdale, Ariz. based, Grace Motif, Inc., a national distributor of specialty residential and commercial AV products. Beginning June 1, 2014, Grace Motif will now act as the exclusive North American distributor for Screen Research for the residential custom installation market.
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).
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.
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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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