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Volume 9, Issue 5 — March 15, 2012
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Security System Pros And Cons For AV Integrators
By Lee Distad
rAVe Columnist It sometimes seems as if there are two kinds of AV integrators: ones who resign themselves to offering their clients security systems and monitoring, and ones who loathe security and want nothing to do with it.
That’s a totally unfair assessment, but as I said, sometimes it seems that way. Excepting for the security integrators who do security systems all day, every day, most of the AV guys I’ve ever known would rather subcontract it out, and specify their automation requirements to the sub, but otherwise keep their hands off the security.
How do you, the AV integrator, decide whether to offer security in your portfolio of products and services? Like any business decision you have to weigh the pros and cons.
Pro: Recurring Revenue
How does that sound? I like money, and I’m guessing that you like money too. The cardinal business reason for doing security installs is receiving a residual check every month from the monitoring company that your firm deals with.
Now, from an integrator’s perspective, the flipside of that is the way that the big national alarm companies practically give away the hardware and the installation and seek to profit on the residuals of the monitoring contract. I still remember an instructor at CEDIA Expo ranted to us for more than fifteen minutes about how recurring revenue was terrible, and how it had ruined the business.
What you have to overcome is the perception, thanks to the big alarm company business model, that there’s no inherent value in the security install. I’ve actually had clients laugh at me when the quote for the security subsystem part of the project was a couple of grand, as opposed to “FREE.”
Anyway, back to recurring revenue; shop around for an alarm company that you can work with. As an AV company, you won’t be able to retire on your residuals, but it will be a welcome addition to your P&L every month.
Staying In Control
The most compelling reason to take on security jobs is to maintain control over every device in the house. You always need to check with your automation vendor for a list of security panels that they know are compatible with their controllers. Just because a panel has an RS232 or RS485 port doesn’t mean that it’s going to easily integrate for two-way communication with your controller: some brands use quirky control language. A non-approved panel will take hours and hours of programming code to allow the controller to poll the panel for its status. By contrast, your automation vendor will already have modules written for approved panels.
Sometimes the client already has a relationship with a security contractor, such as for his office, and he wants to have them handle his residence as well. In those situations, you need to partner with the security company, and politely ask them to use a panel from your automation vendors’ approved list.
Con: Tiny Little Projects
You don’t want to be pigeonholed as a security contractor when your real expertise (and profit center!) is AV. It’s one thing to install a security system as part of a whole-home A/V project, and you might get away with doing a security job or two as a “favor” for a long-time client or family friend, but do too many of them, and you’ll either lose tons of money, or you’ll wake up one day and find that your company has transformed into a commercial/industrial security firm.
There’s not only a bottom line, but also a top line minimum cost to each project you do that will make you profitable. If it’s $20,000, then you literally can’t afford to be in the business of doing $1,500 residential security installs, end of story.
It’s A Tough Racket
Like I said earlier, national alarm companies low-ball their installations at break-even or even lower, in order to secure long-term monitoring contracts, which is where their profit lies. This has had the effect of making life really difficult for small installation companies, unless they partner with, or sell out to, the monitoring company.
There’s two reasonable ways to deal with this. The first is to not offer security at all. The other is to be blunt and straightforward ahead of time that due to the nature of the security business, it costs you “X” to do security installs, whereas a big alarm company will practically give away the install to get the monitoring contract. If you’re honest about the realities, your client can choose to give you the business because he has confidence in your value as an integrator, or he can opt to save his pennies, and get the alarm company to tackle that part of the job, and you can work with them as I said earlier.
Ultimately, you’re going to be the best judge of whether doing security installs is right for your company. Some owners love it, and others hate it. Figure out what’s going to work for you.
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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Is Apple’s Television the Yeti of Consumer Electronics?
By Paul Gray It’s now the second time we have had a refresh of the Apple TV box and both launches have been preceded by increasing chatter about Apple’s imminent entry into the television market. Yet again the faithful have been disappointed.
Apple almost certainly buys large displays in sample quantities to build concept TV products, and no doubt a call from Apple for samples is welcomed by a display vendor. Any sales manager would like to be famed as the one who won the Apple business. No doubt these tales then circulate through karaoke bars and leak into the media, gaining in credibility each step of the way.
However, the question of Apple’s living room strategy remains. Apple does not play in low-margin businesses and TV set making remains stubbornly challenging. Apple would need to find enough space to re-shape the experience, which in turn could revolutionize the market, as it did in audio. However, there are significant limiting factors: - Most people watch broadcast TV most of the time – which limits what Apple can control.
- Most people watch fewer than 20 TV channels, so the navigation problem is an order smaller than a music collection.
- Premium content access is controlled by pay-TV providers. At the same time, just as Apple has not generally put FM radios into its products because it does not provide a revenue stream compared to iTunes, it is not clear that broadcast TV content would be of interest. Apple can’t escape the challenge of tackling the media companies head on – one of the failures of Google TV was that it was blocked by Hulu and Internet services from ABC, CBS and NBC.
- While iTunes is dominant in audio content, it is not in TV content, and Apple will need to trade off a desire to keep users in the iTunes environment (or approved streaming services like Netflix) against allowing access to the open Internet to download content and install apps. So far, Apple TV has been focused on iTunes and has not included Safari or other browsers.
Apple could doubtless make a TV which would be slick and beautiful. At the kind of margins Apple is accustomed to, that means a niche high-end product, like those of B&O or Loewe. While Apple aims for the nexus of a highly profitable product with high volumes, most TV buyers are not early adopters. So it would be a challenge to match the success of the iPhone or iPad. The other aspect of Apple’s formula for success is to offer only one model (with a few variations for memory configuration or screen size) to the global market. The TV market on the other hand requires wide product ranges (the combination of four sizes and four digital broadcast standards alone requires at least 16 different models worldwide) even before you consider color or styling choices – compared to the sparse ranges of Apple’s other products.
For the time being, Apple can sell a $99 box which extends its iTunes universe into the living room, while the CE world continues to ship displays at low margin. Those same CE vendors are also compelled by their consumers to develop iOS apps for their Smart TVs. Apple probably does not consider that to be a bad outcome. As Daniel Danker of the BBC iPlayer noted, while the BBC has twice as many connected TVs as iPads accessing iPlayer, those iPads generate four times the traffic.
The column was reprinted with permission of DisplaySearch and originally appeared here. Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top Will 2012 FINALLY Be the Year of OLED?
By Dawn Meade
rAVe Columnist One of the greatest benefits of being part of the AV industry is the ability to see up-and-coming technologies way before the general public thanks to trade shows, industry publications and inside sources at manufacturers. Of course, this is also one of the greatest frustrations of the industry when you see glimpses of a great new technology only to find it turn into that bane of all tech shows – vaporware. A decade ago, a fantastic new possibility started showing up in tech publications and trade shows – OLED displays. Now, research into organic light emitting diodes and organic electroluminescence began as far back as the 1950s, but practical prototypes of OLED didn’t arrive until the early 2000s.
Being a big AV geek, I get super excited when really radical new tech comes out. Flat panel displays themselves thrilled me when they came out but the sheer size and weight of them was daunting. While it was cool to have a TV that wasn’t a huge piece of furniture (or need to sit on one), anything requiring additional construction to add extra blocking and support to walls before hanging it was just too much for your average Joe. Plus, we had commercials taunting us with the promise of flat-panels that they simply couldn’t deliver. Anyone else remember the commercial with the two roomies carrying a flat-panel around their small house, “hanging” it in various spots til they found the one perfect hanging spot? Where was their massive construction? It looked like they just put a nail in the wall and stuck it up there! Or, even worse, the commercial with a couple who installed their flat-panel on the ceiling above their bed… without major reinforcement or a safety barrier between the hanging panel and their helpless sleeping bodies… in an era where even tipping a panel too far from vertical during shipping could crack the screens. Oh, advertising, you evil master of deception!
But then news came out about a new technology that would render the plasma vs. LCD debate moot by supplanting them both. Then, we heard about the OLED. It was to be magical. The same amazing images created by the cumbersome flat-panels of that day, but on a medium far thinner and far lighter… and even flexible! Why, the day was coming that reality would surpass those taunting commercials. Just imagine – buying a 70" OLED display and bringing it home by yourself, with it all rolled up like a poster. Just unroll and stick to the wall… or ceiling… or wherever! True, at the time, the technology was in early stages of research, but the promise made techie geeks like me giddy with anticipation. It sounded like sci-fi come to life and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it.
And time goes by so slowly… Occasionally news comes out of Asia that one manufacturer or another has advanced the technology oh-so-incrementally, but each story rekindles the dying hope of the promised uber-thin panel glory. Someone made a 2" OLED display and is using it in their new cameras?! Huzzah, it isn’t vaporware! I mean, 2 inches is not 70 inches by any stretch of the imagination, but it EXISTS. And hope lives on.
Well, now it is 2012… It has been 10 years since Philips announced that it was the world’s first manufacturer of polymer-based OLED displays to ship in volume… for use in tiny little camera displays and phone displays. Ten years of prototypes using the technology to show at CES and other trade shows, only to disappear back into the murky shadows of R&D, or brought to market in small 10-15" displays. Ten long years of dreaming about the wonderful technology promised by the early hype and, at long last, CES this year unveiled OLED displays from two manufacturers that are finally approaching the promise of a decade ago. Samsung and LG each showed 55” 3D OLED televisions that, reportedly, will be available for sale in the last half of 2012. The OLEDs are only 4mm thick and provide super crisp images while only weighing around 16.5 pounds — less than my small west highland terrier! Still priced at a premium, the very existence of these displays fills my heart with a sense of long-delayed joy that OLED has finally arrived.
And yet, my joy is somewhat soured by a sense that time may have blown by this once-paradigm shattering technology. Newer and brighter possibilities are on the horizon. Sony, one of the early proponents of OLED technology — and the company who sold the first OLED TVs, an 11" model called the XEL-1 — announced this month that it was completely abandoning OLED technology development in favor of Crystal LED technology. Meanwhile, “old-school” LCD displays themselves have improved exponentially. The thinnest LCD display on the market is only 2.6mm thick, while the largest LCD screen for sale has topped 100". OLED’s early promise of super-thin, super-light, super-large has become common place in the LCD market, while OLED itself has only reached 55".
So, will 2012 FINALLY be the year of OLED or has that ship sailed? Call me a crazy optimist ("You’re a crazy optimist, AVDawn!"), but I think there’s still potential for OLED, particularly if manufacturers focus development on the technology to catch it up to LCD, size-wise. OLED provides deeper blacks and greater contrast for more striking images, plus they consume significantly less power to run than standard LCD, so the Green folks will love it. Plus, there is the flexible factor. Neither LCD nor Crystal LED has the ability to make bendable, flexible screens. Granted, this isn’t “for reals” yet in OLED beyond some years-old small-size flexible display prototypes, but in October, Samsung announced at Nokia World that it would have flexible display phones using OLED screens ON THE MARKET in 2012. So, with OLED finally growing to size and even coming to market in "bendy phones," I think it's only a matter of time until we finally see those rolled up 70” displays coming home from the store. And when it happens, I'll be right there, unrolling mine and sticking it to the wall at long last!
Photo: Bendy phone OLED display prototype from Nokia World 2011 – http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/42782/samsung-promises-flexible-screen-phones-2012
Dawn Meade, CTS – also known as AVDawn – is an industry veteran with experience in integration, AV sales, and social media. You can find AVDawn on Twitter (@avdawn) and on her AV tech blog (www.avdawn.com) as well as on the rAVe BlogSquad and the AVNation podcasts. Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top What Can Apple Teach Us About Selling? SnapAV A lot of people (technical people, in particular) HATE Apple products.
There, we said it. Those folks think the beloved fruit company's products are overpriced and under spec'd. They think it's insulting that Apple doesn't let consumers change their own batteries. They think iTunes is limiting. The list goes on…
But one thing that can't be said about Apple products is that they lack focus. The user experience they provide is the #1 reason for their success… and the #1 reason compromises exist in their designs — which makes some people hate them.
So, what's the point?
Whether you love or hate Apple products, user experience is important to, well… users. And while many dealers spend a lot of time focused on the user experience of their system designs, the same isn't always true of their sales processes.
Here are a few examples:
Let's say your customer has a large room—much too big for a single pair of speakers to cover adequately… but your customer doesn't want to pay for another pair. Do you: - Explain, "Mr. / Mrs. Customer, the size of this room requires two pairs of speakers for adequate coverage. I don't want to put my name on a system that's designed incorrectly.
- Say, "OK, but I don't think you'll be happy with the result… it just won't sound very good. I'd rather see you downgrade the speakers to put two pairs in for the same price as a single pair of what I originally specified."
- Ask, "Have you ever been to a party and had to move somewhere quieter to have a conversation, because the music was too loud? Two pairs of speakers will ensure that everyone in the room will be able to hear the music, but nobody will find it too loud to talk over."
Now let's pretend your customer is asking why it costs so much for you to program a remote. They say, "For that much money, maybe I'll just switch back and forth between remotes." You explain:
- "A professional quality product requires professional programming. This is a very fair price and I would put it to the test against any other professional's price."
- "OK, I can point you in the direction of a remote that you could program yourself… It won't be as good a result, but at least it will stop you from switching back and forth between remotes."
- "I understand that it sounds like a lot of money, but the remote is going to be the only way you interact with your system. When I custom program it, we can include things like a command to ‘watch a movie at night' which will calibrate the system so that the subwoofer won't wake the kids up during an action scene."
You're helping a client choose between a 60" TV and a front projection system. In explaining the pros and cons of each, you:
- Discuss the superior performance of a flat panel TV when ambient light is present.
- Explain how with a 1080p projector, even a very large image will still look natural and detailed.
- Discuss how one of your clients has a family movie night each week and that a front projection system really makes it a special event for the whole family. They make popcorn together, turn off the lights, and everyone brings blankets and pillows into the theater. The kids like it better than going to the movies with their friends.
If it's not obvious, the user-experience focused choice is "C". It has nothing to do with system design… it has to do with how you sell the benefits of a system using consumer-speak. Think about this as you watch the Apple commercial: http://www.youtube.com/embed/-G8fG1bKgQo
Selling (not just designing) with a singular focus on the customer experience means making the technology real to them. It's about telling stories and relating to the real-life situations that your clients are trying to enhance by hiring you. It's not about technology… scare tactics… or negotiations.
The best thing about focusing on the user experience? It means you're not focused on price. So whether you personally love or hate Apple products, there is a reason they are the world's richest company.
How do you sell? Do you have creative techniques for media distribution, surveillance or other categories?
This column was reprinted with permission from SnapAV and originally appeared here. Leave a Comment
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Recently From rAVe NOW's BlogSquad Back to Top The Power of the Referral Last month a little sporting event called the Super Bowl happened in Indianapolis (hometown of CEDIA headquarters). A little more than 1.1 million out-of-town visitors descended upon our city, and aside from clogging up a few highways, hotels, and bars, the biggest trend with our out-of-town guests was the number of questions they had for us locals regarding the best places to eat, sightsee, shop, and more.
And though Indy is no stranger to major sporting events – the Indianapolis 500, Brickyard 400, and NCAA Final Four to name a few – it was expected that local business would see much more foot traffic… and they did.
So what does this have to do with you? With each inquiry on the “best place to grab a burger,” that business received a golden ticket: the word-of-mouth referral. The best traffic-driver there is.
Your business is no different. Everyone knows referrals are the lifeblood of small, medium, and even large businesses.
According to the 2011 CEDIA Benchmarking Survey builders, interior designers and architects were consistently ranked among the top three sources of referrals. But how do you get “in” with that group? It’s easier than you think.
As the extended arm to our members’ businesses, CEDIA has created a program that not only creates new business opportunities for members, but it also gets them in touch with top referrers in the industry.
CEDIA Registered Outreach Instructors (ROIs) are given the tools and training necessary to deliver technology education to these design and build professionals. By showing your expertise and giving your company a solid shot of credibility, an active CEDIA ROI, on average, secures three extra projects each year from presenting ROI education and that golden-ticket referral.
How do you become a CEDIA ROI? Simple: You get trained. We have the perfect opportunity to attend a CEDIA ROI “Train the Trainer” class coming up in Washington, D.C., March 23. For more information on this event, click here. Back to Top |
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Kaleidescape Loses Court Case, Ordered to Stop DVD Storage Kaleidescape's been fighting a court battle to keep its DVD-server business alive nearly since its inception back in 2001. The company started out as a $50,000+ DVD server company that aimed its wares at the high-end HomeAV market (i.e., CEDIA) and even added Blu-ray (and HD-DVD way back when) to its ripping and storing services so that anyone can serve up their DVDs whenever they wanted across a home network or in a home theater.
Not any more, said Judge William J. Monahan of the California Superior Court, who ruled last week in favor of the DVD CCA (DVD Copy Control Association). The court ordered Kaleidescape be enjoined (instructed) to stop immediately. The DVD CCA is a corporation controlled by the six major motion picture studios in concert with the largest consumer electronics and computer companies. The DVD CCA licenses the copy control system used on DVDs.
Kaleidescape's founder and CEO, Michael Malcolm, said "not so fast" and plans to file an appeal, but in the meantime the company will have to wait out an appeal decision. He went as far as to compare their plight to Apple's iPod and the Sony Walkman saying, "Imagine a world where Apple wasn’t allowed to build the iPod because Sony wanted a 'level playing field' for the Walkman" and called it a "ruling against the consumer."
Kaleidescape won its first trial in 2007 when Judge Leslie Nichols of the California Superior Court found that Kaleidescape's products comply with the CSS license agreement. The DVD CCA appealed to the California Court of Appeal, who in 2009 sent the matter back to the California Superior Court for a second trial.
Judge Monahan entered his statement of decision and injunction order on March 8, 2012. Kaleidescape filed its appeal on March 9, 2012. Kaleidescape believes that under California law, the injunction order should not come into effect unless the California Court of Appeal affirms Judge Monahan's decision. Kaleidescape is confident that when the Court of Appeal reviews the facts of this case, particularly in light of the complete absence of any harm to the DVD CCA or its members, that it will reverse the trial court decision. The appeal process may take one to two years.
Here's the legal injunction over Kaleidescape: http://www.kaleidescape.com/files/legal/DVDCCA-vs-Kaleidescape-Injunction-Order-20120308.pdf Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top DisplaySearch Says 21 Million 3D TVs Were Sold in 2011 Shipments of 3D LCD TV panels spiked to 7.8 million in Q4’11, up 26 percent Q/Q. As a result, total 3D TV panel shipments in 2011 reached 21.2 million, accounting for 10 percent of all LCD TV panels shipped According to the NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Large-Area TFT LCD Shipment Report – Advanced LED + 3D, panel makers are targeting very strong growth of 138 percent for 2012, which would lead to 3D LCD TV panel shipments of 50 million units, for a penetration rate of 21.6 percent of all LCD TV panel shipments.
“As brands continue to promote 3D, end-user awareness and interest is growing. While there are still concerns about the lack of 3D content and services, as well as end-users' needs, LCD TV panel makers have pushed 3D capability via lower prices and the introduction of new, cost-effective technologies,” noted David Hsieh, vice president, Greater China Market for NPD DisplaySearch. Hsieh added, “Many TV brands have started to list 3D as a basic feature for their models above a certain level. This, along with reduction in 3D panel premiums, will be the main driver for 3D penetration in TV panels. Meanwhile, improvements in patterned retarder film manufacturing and lamination stability will increase output through yield rate enhancement.”
According to the report, shutter glass technology use is still larger than patterned retarder technology, with 6.2 percent penetration in total LCD TV panel shipments in 2011, with patterned retarder accounting for 3.9 percent. According to the NPD DisplaySearch estimates of panel makers’ shipment targets, 2012 penetration rates will increase to 11.6 percent for shutter glass type and 10 percent for pattern retarder type.
In addition to TV, panel makers are aggressively promoting 3D monitor panels, especially for consumer entertainment and gaming PCs. In 3D LCD monitor panels, pattern retarder manufacturers are more aggressive than shutter glass makers. Panel makers are targeting shipments of more than 1.5 million per quarter from Q2'12 onward. This is up from 235K in Q4'11.
The complete report is here: http://www.displaysearch.com/cps/rde/xchg/displaysearch/hs.xsl/quarterly_large_area_tft_lcd_shipment_report.asp Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top HDTV Sales Decline In 2011, worldwide TV shipments fell for the first time since NPD DisplaySearch began tracking global TV shipments in 2004, slipping 0.3 percent to 247.7M units. As reported in the latest NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report, LCD TV shipments increased by 7 percent to just over 205M units in 2011 — a substantial slowdown from the double digit growth in previous years. With plasma TV shipments declining almost 7 percent in 2011 to 17.2M units, the largest decline yet, and CRT shipments falling 34 percent, LCD growth was not enough to offset these declines.
"The causes of slow demand in 2011 were complex, and although LCD TV showed growth, results were well below industry expectations," noted Paul Gagnon, NPD DisplaySearch director of North America TV research. Gagnon added, "The low level of shipments were partially caused by excessive inventory levels early in 2011 for the US and European markets, as well as a sharp drop in demand in Japan following the end of the government sponsored Eco-Points program that caused a surge in replacement activity during 2009-2010."
Q4'11 shipments were down 4 percent Y/Y globally to 74.2M units, with LCD TV shipments rising just 1 percent (also the lowest growth rate since NPD DisplaySearch began tracking shipments). Plasma TV units were down 8 percent and CRTs were down 43 percent. The decline in units was most pronounced in Japan and Western Europe with only mild growth in North America. Collectively, TV shipments in the developed regions (North America, Japan and Western Europe) declined 21 percent Y/Y in Q4'11. TV shipment growth in emerging regions continues to be strong though, increasing 12 percent Y/Y in Q4'11 with LCD TV unit shipments rising 20 percent.
The LCD TV shipment share increased to a record 86.5 percent of global TV shipments in Q4'11, up from 83 percent in Q3'11 and 82 percent one year ago. LCD TV shipment growth is strongest in larger screen sizes with very aggressively priced models shipping for the holiday season. Shipments of 40" and larger LCD TVs rose 20 percent Y/Y while sub-40" fell 7 percent. Average prices for 40/42" LCD TVs were down 11 percent Y/Y, and 60"+ average LCD TV prices were down more than 16 percent Y/Y. LED backlight penetration continues to grow slowly, rising above 50 percent of LCD units for the first time in Q4'11, although only about three percentage points higher than in Q3'11. The high premium for edge-lit LED LCD TVs is still an inhibitor to adoption, but new low-cost direct-lit LED models arriving in 2012 will help speed adoption.
Plasma TV unit shipments continued to decline, falling 8 percent Y/Y in Q4'11 after a 14 percent decline in Q3'11 and 6 percent decline in Q2'11. This decline demand coincides with a shift to larger screen sizes and focus on greater profitability, with the 50"+ share of plasma TV shipments increasing more than 50 percent for the first time in Q4'11.
Get the full report here: http://www.displaysearch.com
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Integrated Systems Europe Grows, Again In response to higher-than-expected demand from its exhibitor community, Integrated Systems Events is delighted to announce the addition of further space to the footprint of ISE 2013. Following a rebooking process that has resulted in more space than ever being reserved for the next Integrated Systems Europe, the show’s organizers have decided to make a part of Hall 8 of the Amsterdam RAI available to both new and existing exhibitors.
“This is not a decision we have taken lightly,” comments Mike Blackman, managing director of Integrated Systems Events. “However, the response from exhibitors to our 2012 show has been overwhelmingly positive and, in the end, we felt we had no option but to expand our footprint for 2013.
“This extra space will allow us to accommodate those 2012 exhibitors who have not yet rebooked for next year, as well as new companies who want to bring their products and services to our audience of 40,000-plus electronic systems professionals for the first time.”
During ISE 2012, at-show rebooking for 2013 resulted in 28,300 net square meters of floor space being reserved by existing ISE exhibitors. Since then, further bookings have taken that figure to almost 31,000 square meters – more than the total occupied at ISE 2012, and 9 percent ahead of the booking rate at the comparable time last year.
“Without the addition of Hall 8, we would now have only 1,500 net square metres still available,” adds Blackman. “And, since a large number of companies have enlarged their stands from ISE 2012, there is still around 5,000 square meters' worth of space that has not been rebooked from this year’s show. We simply had to find some extra legroom from somewhere!”
ISE intends to use Hall 8 for a mixture of technologies, with digital signage being the most immediate beneficiary. The layout of the RAI allows the show to expand its Digital Signage Area from Halls 9 and 10 (which are now sold out) while retaining a single, contiguous space for this in-demand technology. Other product areas to be featured in the Hall will be professional audio, lighting control and building automation.
From a show experience perspective, the new space will also bring benefits, allowing ISE to open up a key walkway between Halls 7 and 8, easing traffic congestion at the front of the venue and encouraging attendees to take a rotational route around the whole of the RAI, which has not been possible until now.
Mike Blackman concludes: “These are really inspiring times to be associated with ISE. Those with long memories will recall that Hall 8 was the part of the RAI we used when our event first came to Amsterdam in 2005, so this addition has great symbolic resonance for a show that grown substantially and consistently in stature and influence since then.
“We look forward to taking bookings from companies keen to occupy this new space, and feel sure that exhibitors will appreciate we are doing everything we can to accommodate their requirements.” Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top Crestron Courts Interior Designers Crestron recently announced a new Interior Design Partner (IDP) Program, which connects designers with the resources and tools to incorporate integrated technology as part of their designs and deliver the best client experience. By partnering with Crestron, designers stay informed of the latest integrated technology developments.
The IDP Program provides benefits to interior designers that include preferred access to the Crestron Design Showroom at the D&D Building in New York and Pacific Design Center in California, direct access to Crestron design consultants, partner rewards, website directory listing, VIP invitations to exclusive events, marketing support and much more.
The IDP Program presents interior designers with the latest technology solutions that seamlessly blend into their designs. Ultimately, clients enjoy optimal convenience, security and energy savings.
Authorized Crestron dealers can also participate and benefit from the IDP program by becoming part of the IDP referral network.
If you’re an Interior Designer or Authorized Crestron Dealer interested in learning more about the Crestron Interior Design Partner Program, visit http://www.crestron.com/idp Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top Parasound Debuts Half-Rack Width CD Player Parasound has introduced what it is calling the Zcd Compact Disc Player as part of its popular Z Custom line of rack-mountable components, which are half the width of a standard 19-inch equipment rack. The Zcd includes a Cirrus Logic DAC and a fully independent power supply for the analog circuits and built-in preamplifier functions while playing both conventional Compact Discs as well as MP3 files from a CD-R. It also functions as a basic DAC-preamplifier with a USB input for MP3 files on a flash drive.
The Zcd has fixed and variable line outputs as well as coaxial and optical digital audio outputs and the Zcd volume adjustments are controlled by an independent analog volume control IC, not digitally inside the DAC.
The Zcd uses a 24-bit, 192 kHz-capable Cirrus Logic CS4353 DAC with a Cirrus Logic CS8416 digital receiver. The circuitry boasts fifth-order multi-bit delta-sigma architecture with low latency digital filtering. It also includes analog filtering and differential linearity along with a high tolerance to clock jitter.
For custom installers, the Zcd has a rear-panel IR input and one-way RS232 serial control port. There are three turn-on options: manual, automatic when AC is supplied, and 12V trigger. There is even a 12V trigger output to turn on a Zamp v.3 amplifier automatically.
Go here for all the specs: http://www.parasound.com/ParasoundZ/ Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top Platinum Tools Launches New Coax Clarifier Layout/Fault Finder Platinum Tools debuted this week the new Coax Clarifier layout/fault finder, which the company says determines individual run quality as well as the ability of the overall system’s capability to deliver good quality video for high definition levels. With a backlit LCD, the Coax Clarifier shows loss levels on each coax cable run and displays a bar graph of quality for each. The Coax Clarifier uses inexpensive wiremap remotes that allow the technician to singlehandedly “map” an entire system easily and quickly including cable length measurements, signal quality measurements and wiremapping — all in one tester.
The Coax Clarifier offers the ability to measure cable lengths up to 1,500 feet (457 meters), has four unique tones to distinguish between respective outlets, wiremaps up to 12 coax locations, is battery operated and list for $379.
Complete specs are here: http://www.platinumtools.com/products/tcc200.php?cat=42 Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top Pioneer Adds AirPlay, Again Pioneer's newest line of receivers integrate Apple's AirPlay in a big way with four new models. All four also support DLNA, but AirPlay is the big news here with Pioneer betting on Apple's continued integrated success into the HomeAV world.
The four new models include three models with six HDMI inputs with the differentiator being the audio channels: the VSX-822 is a 5.1 channel receiver, the VSX-1022 is a 7.1 receiver and the new VSX-1122 is a 7.2 channel receiver that also offers four digital inputs for audio as well. The fourth model is the VSX-522 and offers four HDMI inputs and only two extra digital audio inputs. All four models handle 3D video, have stand-by pass-through, ARC audio, front panel USB ports and include on-screen or iPad control. List varies from $250 to $600 and all will ship in March.
For complete specs on each, go here: http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Home/AV-Receivers/Pioneer+Receivers/VSX-1122-K Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top SANUS Ships EcoSystem SANUS is now shipping the SANUS EcoSystem, a multi-volt power supply and suite of AV rack accessories designed to create a seamless interaction between racks and low-voltage devices.
What is included with the SANUS EcoSystem?
• Multi-volt power supply
• Front and rear light control switches
• Master power switch
• 12 outlets with both 12V and 5V options
• Three back side 5VDC USB charging ports
• Six back side 12VDC ports with always on, switched and triggered options
• Thermostat kit to actively monitor air temperature inside the rack
• Automatically activated, temperature-sensitive fans
• Front side task light port and rear side task/work light
• Cable management channel
Here is more information: http://www.sanus.com/us/en/EcoSystem Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top Platinum Tools Debuts Snap Shot Platinum Tools debuted the Snap Shot yesterday – a fault-finding and cable length measurement tool. Utilizing an advanced form of "Spread Spectrum Time Domain Reflectometry" that allows its use over energized cables, Snap Shot TDR accurately detects, locates and identifies fault conditions such as opens, shorts and arc faults on energized cable of all types up to 3,000 feet in length. Integrated with a large backlit LCD display that shows lengths in both feet and/or meters with an accuracy of what Platinum claims is better than one percent for pinpointing any fault or condition. Dual internal memory allows users to store cable parameters for easy reference, while a built in tone generator with multiple tone capabilities trace found faults.
Additional Snap Shot features and specifications include: - Auto power-off
- Four different tones
- Calibrates any cable NVP value
- Size: 6.8 x 3.15 x 1.3 inches
- Weight: 12 oz (with battery)
It lists for $259 and details can be found here: http://www.platinumtools.com/products/tss200.php?cat=42 Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top | Aurora Debuts HDBaseT Extender Aurora's new DXE-CAT-S2 is an HDBaseT extender that can uniquely do Power over Ethernet (PoE) or you can place an AC adapter on the transmitter or receiver end. With a single CAT 5e/6/7 cable, Aurora claims the DXE-CAT-S2 can go up to 330 feet at 1080p 60Hz 48bit color depth with bi-directional RS-232, IR and LAN. It offers 340MHz bandwidth with support for 4Kx2K resolutions and is housed in a 4"x3" compact metal enclosure.
More details are here: http://auroramultimedia.com/?section=products&id=228 Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top Tiny Plug-n-Play Pico Projector Offered for iPhone Under the company's sub-brand MobileCinema, Aiptek’s i20 is the smallest plug-n-play pico projector for an iPhone. With its tiny size, the MobileCinema i20 is a two-in-one gadget that projects the phone contents — and charges the phone.
Plug it in an iPhone with the 30-pin connector, and it will provide nearly two hours projection up to 50” display by 1.6 meters in a relatively dim environment. The projection resolution can reach 1080p. Despite many restrictions upon iPhone’s 30-pin connection during projection, the MobileCinema i20 allows iPhone users to do the typical Apple pinch and slide control functions on their iPhones as they normally do. It even turns an iPhone into a visualizer that shows what the iPhone camera sees onto a wall real time.
Besides i20, the company also has the MobileCinema i50S, an iPhone 4/4S sleeve pico projector. Just slide your iPhone 4/4S into i50S and your iPhone 4/4S seamlessly becomes projector-enabled, offering a 50-lumen DLP optic light engine.
Get more info here: http://www.aiptek.com/ Leave a Comment
Share Article Back to Top Stewart Hires Mark Robinson as Vice President of Technology Stewart Filmscreen has appointed Mark Robinson to the newly created position of vice president of technology.
To read the complete press release online, click here. Back to Top Crestron Opens New Experience Center Crestron Electronics has opened another Experience Center, this one in Cypress, Calif. Crestron has other Experience Centers and Design Showrooms in New York City, Las Vegas, Phoenix and at its headquarters in Rockleigh, N.J.
To read the complete press release online, click here. Back to Top HTSA Adds Lenbrook to Vendor Roster Lenbrook America, a distributor for AV brands such as NAD and PSB, announced that it has been invited by Home Technology Specialists of America (HTSA) to join as a vendor member. HTSA is a national association of leading electronic system technology experts, who service the residential and business markets. The group represents 63 members, 95 storefronts and over 400 installers across the U.S.
To read the complete press release online, click here. Back to Top Artcoustic Added to D-Tools' MVP Program D-Tools announced this month that it has added Artcoustic, known for high-performance wall mounted speakers, to its Manufacturers Vantage Point (MVP) program.
To read the complete press release online, click here. Back to Top Screen Innovations Adds to Engineering Team Screen Innovations (SI) announced this month that it is experiencing 40 percent growth, and is expanding the company with new hires. It recently added Brandon Holmes and Dan Poirier to its engineering team.
To read the complete press release online, click here. Back to Top CDMI Home Theater Showroom to Open Next Month in Chicago Midwestern independent sales rep firm CDMI will open a home theater showroom in downtown Chicago on April 1 at the River East Arts Center near Navy Pier and the Magnificent Mile.
To read the complete press release online, click here. Back to Top ISE Adds Extra Exhibit Hall ISE has added an additional part of Hall 8 to the ISE show next year to make more space available to existing and new exhibitors.
To read the complete press release online, click here. Back to Top Severtson Screens and Current Marketing Join Forces Current Marketing has been appointed by Mesa, Ariz.-based Severtson Screens as its manufacturers' representative in Arizona, New Mexico, Clark County, Nev. and El Paso County, Texas.
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 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
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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