A start-up called Aereo has quietly rolled out a service that will allow for over-the-air TV via the cloud. Although only available in New York right now, Aereo, for $12 per month, streams live TV (including ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, FOX and CW) via the Internet and even allows you to call up programming on-demand and record TV for later (like a cloud-based DVR).
Using only an iPad or iPhone App or via streaming from web browser, Aereo actually streams 27 local channels (in NYC for now) and is going to roll out nationwide later this year. The company received a $25 million investment from InterActiveCorp (who also owns Ask.com and Match.com).
Aereo is freaking out the NY-based cable TV companies who are crying foul and claiming exclusive rights to non-antennae based broadcast TV.
Why?
Well, cable TV companies actually pay for the right to re-broadcast local TV and national station content (even though it can be picked up over-the-air for free). But Aereo is actually using a postage-stamp sized antennae (literally small enough to fit on your fingernail) that can be used individually by a viewer or even shared via neighborhoods or apartment buildings. These digital antennas pick up signals through larger "antenna-farms" — much like server-farms — that are placed strategically around the city to pick up over-the-air TV signals. Since Aereo is picking up the signal technically over-the-air, they don't have to pay for it.
So, no cables, no cords — just a digital antenna that you place anywhere in your home that allows for re-transmission of HD signals to any device that they stream to.
What's next?
Well, if history is perspective, instead of building a better mouse-trap (meaning instead of the cable TV companies trying to be creative and allow for cheaper, easier access to their own content), the cable TV companies will likely fight this in court – just like they did when DirecTV starting kicking their butt back in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Time Warner and the like decided, back then, the best way to compete with satellite TV was to defend their exclusive deals in court. So, no signal improvement or lower cost, just lawyers.
I applaud Aereo for this creative approach to getting TV to people where and when they want it. CableTV, you suck and you are in trouble — even more.
If you want to know more about Aereo, go here: https://aereo.com/
Gary Kayye is the founder of rAVe [Publications]. Reach him at gary@ravepubs.com
By Ken Werner Senior Editor and Analyst, Insight Media
In World War I, going "over the top" of your trench into often-withering machine-gun fire took tremendous courage — and ended the lives of millions of soldiers. The consequences are not as dire for the new management team at troubled Dish Network, and the company is light-heartedly hopping over the top with the help of two kangaroos as mascots and logos. Still, new CEO Joe Clayton is dramatically remaking his company’s mission — and the company’s health, if not its survival, is in the balance.
As he demonstrated at his company’s press presentation at CES, Clayton is a huckster of the old school — and a brilliant one. In keeping with the presentation’s (and Clayton’s) over-the-top style, recorded cheering and applause accompanied Clayton’s appearance with a live joey — that is, a young kangaroo. The other half of the mascot/logo team is Hopper, an adult kangaroo. Why? We’ll get to that.
One of Clayton’s favorite words was "new." He was presenting, he said, a new Dish, with a new brand, new mascots, new management team, new CEO (him), new corporate partnerships, new logo, new products, new services and promotions, new website and new advertising.
Dish’s transformation is striking. Instead of being primarily a satellite TV provider that is steadily losing market share to competitor Direct TV, the company’s new focus will be to provide a whole-home set-top box (STB) fed by broadband. Satellite services will remain, and be enhanced, for those without broadband access.
As well as being Dish’s new logo, Hopper is the name of the company’s new "whole-home" set-top box (STB), and will be the conduit for, in Clayton’s words, "more music, more movies, more magic." Joeys are small auxiliary STBs for TV sets in other rooms. Hopper includes a 2-terabyte hard drive that stores hundreds of hours of programs. With "Prime Time Anytime," which includes Sirius XM Radio, you can automatically and simultaneously record all prime-time programming from the four major networks, plus two additional programs of your choice, and you can simultaneously play back four of them to different Joey satellite STBs throughout the house, and TVs can be controlled separately as long as each one has a Joey.
Dish’s purchase of Blockbuster last year was not greeted with unanimous praise, but Dish is incorporating Blockbuster@home, and its ability to stream 10,000 different movies, into its services.
If you don’t have access to broadband, there is Blockbuster unplugged, which downloads movies via satellite to your Hopper hard drive at less than real-time rates.
Communications VP Stephanie Pence quoted research that says 87 percent of TV households subscribe both to pay TV and broadband; 83 percent of Netflix subscribers still maintain pay TV subscriptions. And that’s the new Dish’s target. They will supply something approximating a cable TV experience using just your broadband connection. If you want a free sample, you can register on line for the "Dish Test Drive" and receive 24 hours of typical content.
Back to Joe Clayton: "The Dish brand will start growing again in 2012. We are re-launching our company and restoring our brand." The ad campaign will roll out this quarter.
This is going over the top with a vengeance and cable should be worried. Even if Dish does not get the viewer experience and pricing quite right, somebody else will, and soon. Once that happens, what will the much-hated cable companies have to sell?
One of the best parts of the AV and automation channel is how technology turns dreams into reality. I still recall situations in years past where I looked at a site survey and thought “Damn, I wish I had an easy way to do this,” — only for those solutions to be commonplace a few years later. Wireless transmission of AV and control is one such solution. Another is IP based remote hardware and system monitoring.
I still recall the first APC power centers we specified into systems at my old job that were network-enabled and allowed us, even on basic installations, to do power cycle locked up control processors and HD-PVRs at a client’s house without leaving our desk.
This is not to mention the ability even years ago on our larger Crestron systems to log in to our clients system to make and test changes without rolling a truck. One time, my colleague was on the phone to a client, playing with her lighting control, unaware that while she was in her place in Victoria BC he was logged into the system for her Calgary home. He realized his error, but not before he scared the client’s Calgary housekeeper half to death: with the lights going on and off on their own she thought the house was haunted!
And today integrators can do so much more. But where it gets hairy is that as IP connectivity continues to increase, the performance potential of integrated AV and control systems, it increases the complexity and the potential for service issues. Fortunately, the technology that increases system complexity also provides an avenue to monitor and maintain those systems. The major hurdle for integrators is scalability, especially if they have a large number of active systems installed in the community. That’s why there are companies bringing that scaling to market: third party remote monitoring of integrated systems, and the promise of decreased service costs and potential recurring revenue for integrators.
It’s practically a whole new sub-channel to integration, and in several cases is the baby of integrators who began devising solutions to monitoring their own systems, and then turned their solution into a product. Hagai Feiner, CEO of Access Networks, took his fist foray into monitoring when a commercial integration client of his asked him to install “the exact same” IT network in his residence that Feiner installed in his office. The concepts his team developed on that project led to a new business.
Talk to other principals at integration monitoring companies, and they all tell the same story. Companies I’ve come to know include ihiji, Varan Monitor and Nuage Nine. All of them started as integrators.
The cardinal advantage of third party monitoring is repeatability and outsourcing the hard stuff. As Michael Maniscalco, president of ihiji explained to me, the value of a solution provider like ihiji is that the integrator
doesn’t have to have an IT genius on staff, but just needs to understand standard networking. The monitoring vendor does the rest.
For integrators, there are two primary motivations for adopting remote monitoring: decreased expenses through increased service efficiency and increased revenue through monitoring contracts. The bottom line with service efficiency is that remote monitoring and control pre-empts the truck rolls that integrators have to make for issues both major and minor. Time is money, and the productivity lost to rolling a truck is money that can be better spent elsewhere.
At the same time, getting in depth analytics and troubleshooting from the monitoring system means that when a truck does roll, the technician knows what to load up on for the job, further increasing efficiency.
Considering that hardware margins seem to evaporate, and what’s profitable to sell and install one year may not be the next “recurring revenue,” has appeal. With monitoring comes the need to sell service contracts. This is old hat to commercial AV and security integrators, but relatively new to the residential channel. Whereas service contracts are commonplace in industry for everything from security systems to elevator repair, HomeAV clients often have a very retail-centric view of service. As a result, some may also that the service is included free, forever, because "that’s the integrator’s job." Education and a little bit of salesmanship is required to get past that and promote the benefits of a monitoring contract.
As with anything, dealers need to do their homework, and pick a monitoring vendor partner that’s right for them. Make a solid choice and integrate it into your business, and you and your clients will benefit.
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
By Chris Chinnock Senior Analyst and Editor, Insight Media
For today’s Display Daily, I have recorded a video to detail my top 10 challenges facing the 3D industry. It is a short video and there is obviously lots more to save about these challenges, but perhaps this provides a useful quick summary.
Ignoring the importance of networking skills at this point would be like calling home theater a “passing fad” in the mid-‘90s.
We have known for some time that the network would play a growing role in the home. This is just one piece of the emerging trends puzzle our industry must solve and embrace in order to stay relevant and profitable.
Q. Why do ESCs need to know the fundamentals of home networking?
A. Networking is now a necessary skill set. Without it, your system designs, control, and functionality will soon be outdated.
Everything is going to IP. The residential network supports streaming audio and video, system control, voice over IP, and a variety of other devices and functions…simultaneously. ESCs must design and implement networks robust enough to meet these new demands.
Many technicians have some basic network configuration skills, but the demands on the network now require more advanced setup to ensure smooth delivery of audio and video as well as seamless system control.
One example of what we’ll be expected to do is prioritizing network performance. It’s no big deal if an email is a second late, but if a streaming video is interrupted by a second, the experience is severely impacted.
Q. What are the business opportunities associated with this trend?
A. With the onset of the internet of things IoT and IPv6, the network will become the backbone of nearly everything the ESC does in the home, and it must be designed, installed, and configured correctly.
One of the most compelling aspects of this “internet of things” is the introduction of smart appliances. A combination of communication and control in refrigerators, stoves, and such will bring a new level of convenience, awareness, and energy savings to the connected home, or as we are beginning to call it, the “intuitive home.”
There is still a big question mark as to who will do the configuration of this new set of devices. We have the experience and the customers. But we need to pay attention and keep an open mind. If we lag behind, we could lose market share to the utilities, security companies, or other service providers.
Q. I know my technicians and designers need this training. Where do we start our training plan?
A. The CEDIA University course EST243: IP for Technicians is available online as an archived webinar delivered in three 1-hour segments. CEDIA recommends taking this course before you arrive at CEDIA EXPO this fall just to refresh yourself on the fundamentals and lay the groundwork for additional courses at the show.
At CEDIA EXPO, there will be three new advanced courses for a total of eight half-day networking courses. In addition, lab space has been tripled to three full computer labs. Other popular course topics include mobile control, streaming media, and all of the other emerging technologies that depend on the network.
Additionally, a new CEDIA Residential Networking Specialist credential will debut at CEDIA EXPO. The new credential will identify those who have shown mastery in the body of knowledge related to the home network.
Savant Systems, known for its Apple-based HomeAV and ProAV control systems, has acquired LiteTouch, Inc. of Salt Lake City, Utah, a manufacturer of residential and commercial lighting control systems.
Savant, already considered a major player in HomeAV control, along with AMX, Crestron and Control4, will now have to be respected in ProAV control too – a market currently dominated by Crestron, Extron and AMX.
Savant CEO Robert Madonna said of the acquisition, "LiteTouch brings to Savant a comprehensive lighting control system including a broad range of aesthetically pleasing keypad solutions from a respected and recognized supplier and our sales channel has been asking for a lineup of lighting control and integrated keypad products from Savant that operate in concert with Apple iOS devices to manage and control a vast array of connected home and commercial technologies."
Samsung is losing money selling LCD HDTVs and wants the product line to have its own P&L and company ID as it moves into the next phase of totally-networked based TVs.
So, Samsung Electronics has decided to spin off it's money-hemoraging LCD TV business into a separate company to be called Samsung Display Corporation. The Samsung Board of Directors approved the move last night and the separate company will begin operating on April 1st.
Like most LCD-based HDTV companies out there, Samsung's TV group has lost money – with 2011 estimates set at over $900 million. And, as you may have read, Sony also bailed out on its partnership with Samsung late last month making the losses totally Samsung's for 2012. So, they had to make a move – either stop making HDTVs or spin it off into a separate company that has to stand on its own – a la VIZIO.
And, the market is near saturation as the transformation to HDTV, globally, is nearly complete. So, the future for standard LCD production is expected to decline – DisplaySearch recently issued a statement that claims at least an 8 percent decline by 2015.
So, what's next for Samsung – the parent company? Well, the company's putting all its eggs into the OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) displays basket – a market that is not only growing, but is also commanding high-dollar sales returns and will be at least $20 Billion by 2018.
Samsung Starts IP Institute for Integrator Training
We all know that everything is becoming IP-enabled. Well, apparently Samsung is tired of waiting around for its dealers and integrators to become IP experts.
The new Samsung IP Institute (SIPI) is a targeted industry training course that will provide the latest in IP video based, network design and integration skills. The SIPI Institute will provide targeted IP Video Integration training, plus design tools for anything and everything an industry savvy Integrator needs.
Samsung told rAVe that the Samsung Techwin IP Institute (SIPI) was created to address the need for higher level technical expertise in the expanding IP Video integration space. IPVN or IP Video Networks have become the norm in video surveillance and video over networks. The SIPI training will provide technical sales, security rep firms and AV integrators with the basic design skills needed to provide a scalable video network for a small to midsize client. In addition to the expertise gained in the class all participants upon successful completion will receive 15 CECs, which can be utilized for industry recognized certifications such as ASIS and BICSI.
It's a two-day course that includes topics like an Introduction to IP Video Design, Open Systems Interconnect Model, TCP/IP Packet Structures, Video LAN Connectivity and Video Network Optimization. This SIPI targeted technology module approach provides the participant with the skills and tools needed to provide their clients with a scalable IP Video Network design and implementation.
Atlantic Intros Sub with Woofer Vent on the Bottom
Atlantic Technology has introduced what it is calling a "down-firing" sub – basically, the woofer and bass vent are on the bottom of the speaker cabinet. Dubbed the SB-900DF, it's designed to be somewhat compact and can be squeezed into tight spots behind furniture with no concern of the output being muffled by the back of furniture as might be the case with the original SB-900 front-firing subwoofer.
While the new Atlantic Technology SB-900DF is relatively small, it's deep. The 8-inch long-excursion woofer has an oversized surround and high-energy magnet. It includes a 125-watt power amplifier and all the basic range of tuning controls to improve the system's interaction with the room, including an adjustable crossover and a phase switch. Auto-on sensing saves power and the need to manually turn it on and off.
The Atlantic Technology SB-900DF has a peak output of 102 dB SPL in a 2,000 cubic-foot room and a frequency response for 32 to 200 Hz, ±3 dB. The black-finished cabinet measures 10-7/8 wide, 13-1/8 high and 13-1/16 deep, and weighs 28 lbs. The SB-900DF and SB-900 (front-firing version) are both shipping and list for $349.
Today Acer announced a new home theater projector, the Acer H6500. The 1080pH6500 offers 2,100 ANSI lumens in brightness, which can be dimmed to 1,680 lumens to save power, and has a specified contrast ratio of 10,000:1. Inputs include composite, component, USB, D-Sub and HDMI, plus a multiple-PC source input so several PCs can be connected to the projector at the same time. With the installation menu, signal input from a notebook is no longer required to enable the on-screen display (OSD) menu, making projector installation on the ceiling quicker and easier.
The IR remote control features the Acer Empowering Technology key, which provides instant access to all Acer projector technologies that include ePower Management, eTimer Management, eView Management and eOpening Management. With Acer eView Management, adjusting projector settings to suit any environment and content is fast. eOpening Management allows users to easily create a customized start-up screen for their projector, which can include favorite photos. This model also comes with Acer SmartFormat Technology, which supports comprehensive wide-format PC signals, so there is no need to change the resolution of a wide-format notebook and wrestle with "signal not supported" issues.
This Acer projector, a GreenAV product, also provides up to 3,500 hours of standard lamp life, 5,000 hours in ECO mode and as long as 6,000 hours in ExtremeECO mode.(1) With ExtremeECO, the power consumption of the projector can be reduced up to 70 percent and the lamp life can be extended as well. The projector will automatically enter ExtremeECO mode for saving power if there is no signal input.
It weighs in at just 5.6 pounds and has an MSRP of $899.99. To see all the specs, click here: http://www.support.acer.com/acerpanam/projector/2011/acer/H6500/H6500sp2.shtml
LynTec, known for its controllable A/V/L circuit breaker panels, has integrated SurgeX protection to its panels as "sidecars" that provide individual surge protection on a per circuit basis. SurgeX protection can be provided on any or all of the circuits within the panel. Any circuit protected by SurgeX includes the full SurgeX connected warranty of protection that insures any equipment connected to the SurgeX protected circuit.
Pakedge Device & Software launched a new router in the form of the K63, a preconfigured, Multi-VLAN Gigabit router and Power over Ethernet (PoE) switcher. The 24-port K63 is designed for smart home networking and security and provides eight ports of full PoE — plus, each port can be individually and remotely power cycled.
Pakedge says the K63 is capable of providing up to six VLANs with Quality of Service (QoS) via its gigabit ports. In addition, the K63 provides four fiber-capable ports for longer cable runs and can operate as a fiber hub. It also has dual WAN (Wide Area Network) ports and a DMZ port for connection of web servers, ftp servers or gaming consoles without additional configuration.
SANUS has just started shipping the VMA401 – an on-wall component shelf with a tempered-glass desogm that mounts to the wall directly below an HDTV. The VMA401 supports up to 15 lbs. and is designed for holding DVD players, gaming systems, cable boxes or audio gear. It features an integrated cable management system that hides and organizes cables, is 1.34" thick and includes a micro-adjustment feature so it can be fixed to level with all sorts of walls.
THIEL Audio Appoints New Independent Reps in California
THIEL Audio has announced the appointment of two independent sales rep firms in California. Clarity Business Group will cover southern California and Rich Jackson will cover northern California.
To read the complete press release online, click here.
Global Caché and geekazoid Form Strategic Alliance
Global Caché and geekazoid e.U., the creator of the reYmote Universal Remote Control software for Android, announced this month that they have entered into a strategic partnership. The agreement provides a platform for co-marketing and product compatibility. The Android application, reYmote, in combination with a Global Caché iTach IP2IR or WF2IR, transforms Android smartphones and tablets into infrared remotes.
To read the complete press release online, click here.
Elk Products Announces New Interface for Lutron's RadioRA 2
Elk Products, a manufacturer of security and control components, has announced a new interface integration from the M1 Cross Platform Control to Lutron’s RadioRA 2 wireless total home control system. The ELK-M1XSLU M1 to Lutron serial interface connects directly to the RadioRA 2 main repeater and enables the M1 to control and adjust the lighting, thermostats, shades and scenes of a premise.
To read the complete press release online, click here.
Savant Debuts Comprehensive Dealer Education Program
Savant Systems, having delivered the first complete Apple-based home automation and commercial control system, has announced the introduction of a new and improved Savant University, a comprehensive training resource for integrators that combines both classroom and online learning programs. Savant has adapted the BlueVolt™ learning management system for enhanced usability and course access.
To read the complete press release online, click here.
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.
Copyright 2012 – 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
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