Volume 14, Issue 2 — January 30, 2017
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Editorial Editorial Editorial
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Industry News Control & Signal Processing Audio Cables, Furniture, Mounts, Racks, Screens and Accessories
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Should Distributors Sell To End Users?
By Lee Distad rAVe Columnist
Everybody likes to make money, and see their business grow. That’s hard to dispute. When business is slow, it’s entirely natural to seek new business partners, both inside your channel as well as out.
But how far should one go, and how far is too far?
When searching for growth opportunities, the guiding question should be whether an opportunity is totally new business, or could it potentially be cannibalizing sales from an existing partner? Sometimes that’s a difficult question to answer, and sometimes it’s glaringly obvious. What about instances when potential new business seeks you out?
A perfect example is end users who reach out to you, the distributor, inquiring about buying your products. This happens a lot.
I know it does, because I personally get queries from end users on a weekly basis. My phone number and email are right there on the website, so it’s entirely natural that interested end users would reach out to me.
My task, when that happens, is to pre-qualify the lead I’m talking to. Who are they? What are they looking for? Where are they based? And then direct them towards whichever of my dealers is the best fit for what they need. My job boils down to “help my dealers sell more of my stuff” and directing end users in the right direction is an obvious extension of that. However, not everyone feels the same way I do.
More than once, dealers of mine have vented to me about their displeasure when they’ve learned that my competitors are selling direct to end-user corporate accounts. Even better (or worse, depending on your point of view) some of those competitors go beyond simply fielding inbound queries from end users, and actively have their sales reps cold calling prospective corporate accounts — including accounts that already have business relationships with the distributor’s authorized dealers.
Poaching your customers’ customers. Think about how that sounds.
Would you want to get caught doing that by your customers? Would you want to have that conversation? I know for a fact that a distributor’s greed to make a sale, especially if that sale is at the expense of their dealers’ business, has damaged their professional relationship — sometimes permanently.
Should distributors sell to end users? No, because that’s what you have dealers for.
If, as a distributor, you elect to sell direct to your dealers’ customers, that’s not net new business: That’s business that you would have had anyway, through your dealers. You’ve just cut your authorized dealer out of the loop and taken away business from them.
In the context of long-term business growth, that makes no sense.
In order to help their dealers grow their businesses, I think that distributors should absolutely make efforts to reach out to end users through marketing initiatives, both through conventional advertising and social media. But the message that’s communicated to the end users should be to direct them towards an authorized reseller. That way, the end user gets the product they wanted, the dealer gets a sale, and the distributor and the manufacturer get a sale.
That’s a win/win/win/win outcome. Leave a Comment
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Quick Cuts
By Hope Roth For Christmas, my husband gave me a Cricut cutter. It’s a machine that you can use to cut out pretty much any material, from iron-on vinyl to construction paper. It’s mostly a craft tool, but it’s also a fairly impressive piece of gadgetry. To set up your cuts, you hook it up to your computer with a USB cable, or use a phone app and Bluetooth. Then you pick designs out from fairly large library or import your own. Load your material, hit the cut button and it slices everything up for you.
My Dad, who owns a screen-printing company, was impressed with what I can make with my little machine. It wasn’t that long ago, he said, that a similar piece of equipment would have been heavily industrial and cost in the thousands of dollars. Now I can make my own shirts at home with a pretty little machine that fit under the Christmas tree.
In many ways, this is just the way of the world. It wasn’t too long ago that we were all selling our customers expensive video servers to store all of their videos. Now you can get a Roku or an Apple TV for less than a hundred bucks. My extensive CD collection has now been replaced with a monthly subscription to Spotify. There are plentiful options for people who want to DIY their own camera systems or automate a few lights at home.Technological improvements put equipment that never used to be accessible to anyone but the super rich or the super techie in the hands of anyone who has some spare time and patience.
Of course, the new availability of commodity equipment and DIY options also takes its toll on existing businesses. My Dad has seen big changes in the screen printing world. It’s not enough to have the equipment these days. In a world where someone like me can whip up their own onesies at home, you need to provide real value to your customers.
The same goes for the AV industry. How many of us have heard from a customer, “Why should I buy that from you? I’ll just go to Best Buy and pick up a flat screen and an Apple TV?” If you don’t have a quick comeback for that, your long-term prospects are not looking good.
Just because I can make some basic shirts at home doesn’t mean I’m never going to buy another shirt (or in my case, take another shirt from my Dad) again. There are designs that are too complicated to make at home. There are designs with trademarked characters on them that you’re not supposed to make at home. There are things like my work shirts that would take too long to make in bulk with home equipment (besides, my boss wants to order those from a professional).
Similarly, there are systems that would be too much of a hassle for a homeowner to install themselves. There is experience that we bring to the table that can’t be replicated with a google search. There is the beauty of a system with impeccable cable management. There is the sense of security in knowing that someone who knows what they’re doing installed your enormous TV, so it’s not going to fall off of the wall.
Changes in our industry mean that we all need to step up our game. Standards for technology are higher, and I think that’s a good thing. Technology is more accessible to everyone, and I think that’s a great thing. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some ridiculous onesies to make for my new niece.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BO3h7BIBmBV/?taken-by=beerandpie Leave a Comment
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Is Apple’s Siri Already Smarter Than Zuckerberg’s Jarvis?
By Jared Ross CODEDOC
When Mark Zuckerberg first announced his plan to build AI control for his home, I’ll admit it… I was slightly apprehensive that the billionaire entrepreneur would put my home system to shame.
Zuckerberg and I definitely agree that Crestron is the most reliable backbone for our AI home control solutions. However, rather than attempting to build my own AI assistant from the ground up, I chose to use Apple’s HomeKit to harness the already ubiquitous (not to mention super-friendly) AI assistant that Apple has conveniently embedded in my phone, tablet, laptop, watch and car… Siri!
This first and very important decision gives my AI home control solution two advantages over Zuckerberg’s: Everyone already has the incredible power of Siri’s natural language voice recognition on or near them 24/7 (you can also type to Siri) and I can swipe up on my iPhone to control my home. Using HomeKit auto-magically reveals a third “dot” in the tray of iOS devices when you swipe up from the bottom of the screen. I’m not aware of any third-party apps that can utilize this insanely accessible instant-on screen-space.
While Zuckerberg has been busy creating Jarvis (also running his little company, being a philanthropist and wearing t-shirts), I’ve spent my spare time (read: the middle of the night when I should be sleeping) developing a home control AI solution of my own.
Since my house was already controlled by Crestron and Siri is already never more than a button press away (or a “Hey Siri”), my mission was clear… teach Siri and Crestron to play together nicely.
How does my system stack up against the Facebook CEO’s?
Here’s a quick run-down of what I can control: TVs, theater, music, lights, shades, thermostats, door locks, garage door, alarm (all door/window/motion sensors, etc), intercom, surveillance, sprinklers, organic pest control (through sprinklers), robot vacuum, invisible dog fence, cappuccino machine and, my personal favorite, The Big Green Egg Smoker.
Please leave your comments, questions and judgments on this post. I’ll try to consider, answer and ignore them (respectively) if I can figure out how to use this Internet.
BTW – @MarkZuckerberg, I have a solution that controls The Big Green Egg. If you’re sleeping and the smoker temperature drops too low, you can slowly raise the lamp and then the music on your side of the bed. Here’s the data from my 13+ hour July 4th weekend cook last summer:
Feel free to reach out if you’re interested; I’d be happy to share!
Watch my video here.
This column was reprinted with permission from Jared Ross of CODEDOC and originally appeared here. Leave a Comment
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CEDIA Show Sold to Emerald ExpositionsCEDIA today announced that it has sold ownership of the CEDIA show (the actual trade show) to Emerald Expositions, the largest B2B trade show operator in the United States. CEDIA will continue to be deeply involved in the show, working hand-in-hand with Emerald on overall show direction, as well as retaining control and ownership of all educational programming.
What the heck? Why? Vin Bruno told us, “CEDIA is in the best position that the association has ever been with this partnership.”
In the release, he also says: “CEDIA first and foremost serves its members, and as home technology continues to proliferate, our members need comprehensive tools, resources, and support to assert their position as the single point of contact for technology in the home. Emerald acquiring and consequently taking over the operational responsibilities of the show will allow CEDIA to reallocate staff to develop programs and initiatives that will drive member success across the board,” said Vin Bruno, CEDIA CEO.
CEDIA Chairman Dennis Erskine adds, “More than half of the CEDIA professional staff spends the majority of their time annually preparing for the show; as the board and CEDIA leadership considered Emerald’s offer, we saw this as an incredible opportunity to concentrate on bolstering the year-round CEDIA member experience.”
Bruno continued, “With the resources we will now have available, CEDIA will seek to address the most important needs of our members: workforce development, education delivered more conveniently to members, consumer awareness, industry outreach, and providing more robust digital tools that will drive business to CEDIA members. At the same time, Emerald will bring considerable expertise, energy and fresh ideas to the show, helping to improve the experience for all participants in the years ahead. The future is bright for CEDIA members and the show.”
David Loechner, president and CEO of Emerald Expositions, said, “We are excited to add the CEDIA show to our portfolio. It is very successful with a rich history, which is a testament to the CEDIA organization and its members. I am confident that the combination of Emerald’s deep experience, professional capabilities, and unrivalled scale in operating trade shows, together with CEDIA’s clear vision, market affinity, and preeminent educational content will propel the show forward for the benefit of the entire industry.”
2017 will be a transitional year operationally as CEDIA will continue to manage many facets of the show, working alongside the Emerald team. Beyond 2017, Emerald will be responsible for all operational aspects of the show excluding educational programming and the CEDIA Awards event. Emerald has deep knowledge of the trade show business as the largest show operator in the United States. They run shows in numerous industry sectors, including gift, home and general merchandise, sports, design, construction and technology.
“CEDIA will continue to be incredibly involved with the direction of the show to ensure that it continues to be our industry’s leading trade event. It won’t lose its character and will continue to be an amazing environment for networking and friendship. Whether an exhibitor or an attendee, your expectations will continue to be not only met, but exceeded,” said Bruno.
CEDIA members will continue to enjoy complimentary access to the show floor, special savings on all CEDIA education and training, and preferential access to hotel blocks based on join date. Exhibiting member companies will continue to enjoy savings on their booth space and accrue priority points for booth selection. The 2017 CEDIA show will take place September 5-9, with the tradeshow floor open September 7-9, in San Diego, with future show locations identified and space booked through 2023.
“The stage has been set for so many exciting opportunities for CEDIA to amplify the support we provide to our members. Our agreement with Emerald lets CEDIA concentrate on our members’ needs, while allowing a professional trade show company to deliver a premier trade show for all attendees,” said Bruno.
The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. And, of course, CEDIA is here. Leave a Comment
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CEDIA Hosts 30+ Training Sessions at ISE CEDIA is set to host more than 30 high quality training sessions over the four days of the event, so it will be the perfect time and place for visitors to increase their knowledge and skills and learn how to improve their business for the years ahead. CEDIA’s ISE Training Programme is full of content, packed with important information for businesses keen to succeed and delivered by expert practitioners.
You can also take CEDIA’s Electronic Systems Certified Technician (ESC-T), Designer (ESC-D) and Networking Specialist (ESC-N) Certification examinations on-site.
Among the CEDIA Training highlights at ISE 2017 will be:
- Workshops in Home Cinema Design, Rack-Building and Project Management
- Courses in Advanced Networking, Remote Management and Immersive Sound
- Specialist sessions on SuperYacht Integration, Voice Control and much, much more!
You can book as many of these and other sessions as you like with the CEDIA Training Pass for ISE 2017, all for a fantastic price of €325 (€400 for non-members). A la carte classes are also available. All the details are here. Leave a Comment
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Atlona Debuts New 4K HDR Devices at ISE Atlona will introduce two new products for addressing AV integration-related challenges at the forthcoming ISE 2017 show, both specifically for AV systems with HDR (high dynamic range) video as well as 4K/UHD @ 60 Hz with 4:4:4 chroma sampling. To be presented at Stand 5-S92 at the Amsterdam RAI from February 7-10, the new Atlona Etude Sync (AT-ETU-SYNC) and AT-HDR-M2C resolve AV system design and installation issues frequently encountered with audio and video format compatibility, signal integrity and EDID communication. Both products are HDCP 2.2 compliant and support HDMI 2.0 data rates up to 18 Gbps.
The Etude Sync provides EDID emulation and Hot Plug Detect communication between HDMI sink and source devices. It detects and corrects for signal integrity issues associated with cabling or connections, and can resolve compatibility problems between a source and destination. In addition, the Etude Sync reports HDCP compliance at the source and sink. It can manage EDID communication with the source, by delivering EDID from the display or the Etude Sync’s internal memory. It can be powered via USB by the included power supply, a laptop, or any available USB port nearby.
The AT-HDR-M2C is an audio converter for extracting and downmixing multi-channel PCM, Dolby and DTS audio from HDMI sources. It is ideal for commercial and residential applications requiring playback of multi-channel source content over displays, distributed audio systems and whole-house audio systems. The HDR-M2C features an HDMI input with pass-through, and delivers stereo downmixed audio over HDMI, two-channel analog unbalanced audio, and TOSLINK digital audio outputs. The HDR-M2C is compatible with all Dolby and DTS formats and de-embeds HDMI audio with or without connection to a display or other destination. This audio converter includes EDID management features as well as audio volume and bass / treble controls, all available via Ethernet through the free Atlona Management System (AMS), the web GUI or a control system.
The Etude Sync and HDR-M2C begin shipping April 2017. The Etude Sync will be available for a suggested retail price of $249.99, while the HDR-M2C will retail for $449.99.
Atlona is here. Leave a Comment
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RTI Adds Control Driver and BluOS Multi-Room Music App RTI today announced a new two-way driver for the full portfolio of BluOS-enabled devices from Bluesound and NAD Electronics. Developed by Lenbrook, the parent company of Bluesound and NAD, the new driver incorporates the BluOS into RTI’s automation and control ecosystem.
BluOS is the operating system that powers select NAD devices and all Bluesound Players. The proprietary system allows any BluOS-enabled device to connect to a home Wi-Fi network to access many popular streaming music services or a networked library of music. The music can then be “sent” to one or many BluOS devices, even if the devices are located in different rooms of a home. The two-way driver allows integrators to connect, manage and control an entire BluOS networked music system in a connected home through a single RTI user interface. The driver supports automatic discovery of players; presets, queue and individual streaming service browsing; metadata retrieval; analog and optical inputs; music player controls; switching between the RTiPanel and BluOS Controller Apps; and player grouping.
More details of the partnership are here. Leave a Comment
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Tannoy Debuts CMS 3.0 at ISEClaiming the reinvention of the Dual Concentric driver, Tannoy is launching the CMS 3.0 at ISE in Amsterdam next month. The latest line of Dual Concentric equipped CMS comprises five models — CMS 403DCe, CMS 503DC, CMS 603DC and CMS 803DC — each designed to replace previous equivalent iterations — plus an all-new CMS 803DCQ 8” high-Q model, designed for high-ceiling/longer throw applications.
The new driver features what Tannoy is calling Omnimagnet technology and a Torus Ogive Waveguide assembly that they said is deigned to deliver more consistent and controlled directivity, with notable improvement in higher frequency ranges, in comparison to previous generations. The CMS 3.0 also features mechanical and aesthetic changes that make the process of specifying, installing and commissioning easier, with new back cans and clamp designs to more convenient termination panels and a choice of grille fixings, from the classic bevelled edge to the new Arco Grille accessory.
CMS 3.0 utilizes a 16 ohm driver, making it able to be used in high performance low-impedance systems powering 8 CMS 3.0 loudspeakers per channel — with optimized performance when used in conjunction with LAB GRUPPEN LUCIA amplifiers.
Here are all the specs. Leave a Comment
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Wisdom Audio to Introduce Architecture-Friendly In-Ceiling Loudspeakers at ISE 2017 Wisdom Audio today announced the first in-ceiling loudspeaker as part of its Sage loudspeaker series. Targeting high-performance entertainment audio applications where architectural design aesthetics are important, the Sage Series ICS7a in-ceiling loudspeakers is designed as a multi-channel solution in a media room or overhead channels in an immersive home theater. Wisdom Audio will showcase the new in-ceiling speaker product alongside its new Sage Series Superbars on stand 5-U120 at ISE 2017, Feb. 7-10 in Amsterdam.
Inside the Sage Series ICS7a in-ceiling speaker is a redesign of Wisdom’s Sage P20 driver. This re-engineering introduces a change in the power shading capabilities of Wisdom Audio’s planar magnetic driver (PMD), delivering a fully passive Sage Series point-source product that’s capable of achieving high output down to 57Hz. To ensure maximum clarity, the angled PMD design allows the on-axis energy to be focused straight at the listening area. An optional laser alignment tool (LAT-IC) — sold separately from the system — was created to assist installers in achieving ultra-precise driver orientation, improving focus and delivering incredible imaging. The system does not require active crossover or bi-amplification, allowing dealers worldwide to offer Sage Series performance at a lower price point.
All the specs are here. Leave a Comment
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Middle Atlantic Steps Up Universal Control for AV Applications Middle Atlantic Products has expanded its lineup of power solutions with the new Controlled Wall Plate. Designed for simplified and convenient universal control and efficient integration, the Controlled Wall Plate provides extended power and control capabilities to AV, residential, and security devices within a compact, single-gang design.
Available with 15A NEMA or 20A Neutrik PowerCON receptacles, the Controlled Wall Plate has an internal power supply that completely removes reliance on external input voltage, which is susceptible to voltage drops on the wire, furthering the system’s reliability. Both models feature LED indicators and low-voltage, integrated contact connections at the rear of the unit, which alleviate the need to run exposed control wires to the front of the wall plate. The PowerCON receptacle option provides the additional security of locking the power cable to the device and wall, mitigating the risk of the powered device becoming unplugged.
Its compact, decorator-style single-gang form factor fits standard wall or floor boxes as well as within a partitioned, multi-use box. You can check it out here. Leave a Comment
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Stewart Filmscreen Ships HDR-ready Phantom HALR Screens Stewart Filmscreen says its Phantom HALR (High Ambient Light Rejecting) screen material is available now — following in the footsteps of dnp who was the first screen manufacturer to debut the technology. A flexible front projection material designed for fixed-frame wallscreen or electric roller screen applications, Phantom HALR works day or night.
Phantom HALR is seamless sizes up to 40-feet by 90-feet (12.1-meters by 27.4-meters) but the Stewart version of Phantom can also be perforated for acoustic transparency, which includes Stewart Filmscreen’s proprietary Cinemaperf or Microperf X2 THX Ultra technology.
To see Phantom HALR and learn more about Stewart Filmscreen’s line-up of next generation, 16K+ projection screen solutions, visit stand #1-F41 in the Amsterdam RAI, February 7-10, 2017 or go 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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