November 22, 2005 | Volume 2, Issue 21 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
News Thank you to our sponsors of this issue: |
Introduction Editorial
Special Announcement
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Introduction Today, we bring you news items of great products we saw at EHX and that includes companies taking Windows Media Center Edition and value-adding functionality, such as Life|ware, which adds home control and One Voice, which adds SkypeOut integration for PC-to-phone calling. We also cover the best outdoor LCD TV we’ve seen – a product that’s a great excuse to go back to your customer base to see if they want TVs by their pools. In our editorial, we also take a look at one of the most important partners a home theater/home automation company can have.
Editorial When the well-to-do construct a new home or buy a hundred-year-old Victorian, there is one phone call they make before all others: that is to the interior designer. The designer is the one who will help decide all things remodeling, including which wall to tear down, which room to use for an office, a den, a playroom and yes, a home theater. This is a vital audience for custom home integrators. Other than customer referrals, interior designers may provide the most significant referral base you’ll ever have. On the flip side, designers NEED good home theater integrators they are sure they can trust to do a good job. Here’s what else I like about interior designers: 1. They understand quality. They know the cheap from the quality and they appreciate that you do get what you pay for. So they don’t tend to scrimp on what they recommend. That means they’ll also appreciate that excellent home theater/home automation won’t be cheap, but a great design will be worth every penny. They’ll be your advocates with their clients. 2. They are a filter, of sorts, between those who want sophisticated media management and control systems and those who don’t. Your staff can blanket a city with marketing flyers, ads, etc., but that won’t be targeting those who are ready to by what you offer. The interior designer knows exactly who is ready, and what exactly they’re ready for. 3. Your selling costs plummet. Sure, there will still be some homeowners who want five meetings and ten designs before they’re happy. But this is WAY unlikely when you’re working with an interior designer. The designer already recommended you (so you won’t have to sell yourselves to the extent you normally would). You’re collaborating on the actual design with the designer and the client together, so since the designer already has a good idea of the design they want in the room and home, there will definitely be less flip-flopping. Finally, when a designer brings you in to meet with the client, it’s far less an “if” proposition than an “either/or.” The client is less likely to be deciding if they want to hire you, and more likely to be deciding between menu items on your proposal. If you haven’t already, assign (or hire) a design-savvy employee to develop and work an interior designer outreach program. Here’s what they can do: Pick up the phone, set up meetings. You want to make the interior designs familiar with your company, your reputation and your experience. The goal is to set up a meeting, and most interior designers would be glad to have that meeting. As mentioned earlier, they’re as interested in having good sources are you are in getting the referrals. The ideal meeting. Once you have the designer on the phone, propose a short (half hour only) meeting. The meeting can always go longer, but if you suggest a half hour it’s far more likely the designer will say yes. Suggest a 4:30 or 5 p.m. meeting so that no one is rushed to go off to another meeting. Have hors d'oeuvres (and wine and soft drinks) and have it at your offices. (No peanut butter on celery here – have something classy.) If you have showrooms, of course, guide the tour. But even with a showroom, be sure to have plenty of high-gloss photos to show of actual installations, or even better, if your website has a gallery, put it up on a large-screen plasma, LCD or projection screen. You could easily host five designers a week with this arrangement. Importantly, you’ll want to invite them to show you their work as well. The more you learn about their design work, the better you’ll work with them. So have them bring an album, or if the have a website, you can go through that on the large screen also. The follow-up. You need to keep in touch with the designers after the meeting. You can do mailings with photos of recent installations, but be sure to place phone calls occasionally to check in. You can also invite them back for another half-hour meeting to see photos of the newer installations. If you had good food, they just may say yes, knowing they’ll get a nice snack and can be in and out quickly armed with more education about what you do and what’s possible. Refer them first. Once you’ve learned which designers are working with your ideal target client and you decide which would be the best partners for your company, you can begin referring them to your clients as the opportunities arise. The designers won’t forget those referrals and they’ll think of you for their upcoming jobs. Other ways to reach designers. You can also find out which designers work in your target market at the local furniture and home improvement stores. A casual chat with any of the long-time employees there should give you a few names to add to your list. When you do get in the door and present your proposal, do NOT forget to add a service contract to the deal. Your service can include troubleshooting at any time and regular maintenance visits. That ongoing contact gives you a continued revenue stream for services they truly need with a complex home theater/home control/home automation system. It is the best way, too, for you to recommend new products, systems and setups as you discover them.
CEDIA Management Conference 2006 Now is Your Time to Profit from Experience The 2006 CEDIA Management Conference will be held February 20-23 in San Francisco, CA. Management Conference has become one of the premier events for business owners, presidents, and decision makers in the custom residential electronic systems industry. If you haven’t been to Management Conference before, now is the time! The conference will feature two keynote speakers, including Harvey Mackay who will teach you how to out sell, out manage, out motivate, and out negotiate your competition. Also, you will witness Jeffrey Fox’s no-nonsense, crystal clear message taught around the world, how to become a Rainmaker. There will also be Cross Industry presentations from top companies in their fields such as Ritz Carlton Hotel Company and Dale Carnegie Institute, as well as Small Group Forums on the following business issues: • Industry SWOT • Customer Relations • Success with Manufacturers • Marketing/Advertising • Production Home Market • Sales Processes • Project Management • Service Department • Skilled Employees • Crisis Management To find out more about Management Conference visit www.cedia.org, click on ‘CEDIA University’ and then ‘Management Conference'. CEDIA Electronic Lifestyles® Forum – New For 2006! The Future of How We Live CEDIA is unveiling a brand new event in 2006. The Electronic Lifestyles® Forum will take place directly after CEDIA Management Conference February 23-25, in San Francisco, CA. This event will bring together professionals from the custom installation industry and the residential homebuilding/design market including architects, home builders, and interior designers. This event will feature keynotes including Nicholas Negroponte, round table and panel discussions featuring ASID incoming president Robert Wright and CEDIA Past President Ray Lepper. These discussions will bring new ideas in order for all industry partners to work more efficiently together. For more information on the Electronic Lifestyles® Forum please visit http://www.cedia.org and click on 'Electronic Lifestyles® Forum'. Discriminating custom installation specialists choose wisely. Click above for more information News Have a news tip? Send them to rAVe Editor-in-Chief Denise Harrison — dharrison@kayye.com
Industry News
1. Networks and Providers Announce Deals to Offer TV Shows On Demand The beauty of TiVo and any DVR is, of course, being able to time-shift shows and watch them at your convenience. Broadcasters are catching on to the fact that there is a market for selling already-aired shows. Following the ABC deal which will allow iPod users to purchase episodes of a number of ABC’s original series, now CBS and Comcast and NBC and DirecTV are in similar deals. Shows such as CSI, The Amazing Race and more will be offered on demand starting in January for $.99 each for Comcast customers. Once bought, the shows can be watched ay time for up to 24 hours after they’re ordered. The on-demand shows will have the same commercials and will be available up until the day before the new episode airs. Certain Comcast systems also may make CSI and NCIS available in high-definition for customers with HD-enabled Comcast digital cable set-top boxes. In a similar deal, DirecTV customers can get selected NBC programs for $.99 through the (purchase required) DIRECTV Plus DVR. They’ll also be able to get some programming from NBC-owned networks such as USA, SCI FI and Bravo. And they can get them without commercials. Deals are already underway to provide TV programming to cell phones, too. Speaking of TiVo, what does this mean to such a service? Well, since as of now, no one provider offers all the networks, TV shows on demand might get consumers even more interested in TiVo for its Season Pass and Wish List functions, and with no 24-window for watching. Since DirecTV requires its DVR, it may prompt the consumer to “shop” DVRs rather than just use the one from DirecTV. But TiVos and DVRs don’t offer on-demand of past episodes, so the different deals struck by the networks represent something entirely new to the television viewing experience. Being able to see last week’s episode of a favorite series is a convenience, but if you’re a fan of a series you probably saw it anyway. Where this could really come into play is specials, say, a concert that you hear about at work the next day that was supposedly great. So, for the consumer it’s unclear just how often one customer would purchase a show. But for the providers and networks, it could mean millions of $.99 a year, so it’s a definite win for them either way. Now, if I were TiVo, I’d strike a deal with all three networks to get the popular shows a day BEFORE it airs and charge $5 a pop. (But TiVo has made a move in this space – see story below.) For more information on the CBS-Comcast deal, go to http://www.cmcsk.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=147565&p=irol-newsArticle&t=Regular&id=779625& For more information on the NBC-DirecTV deal, go to http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/aboutus/headline.jsp?newsId=300002
2. TiVo to Put TV Recordings on iPods, PSPs This is an enhanced version of TiVoToGo, which lets users download TiVo content onto PCs, and this new software will let users automatically load shows from PC to iPod or PSP. Reports indicate beta tests begin this week and the service could be available in the first quarter of 2006. This is really the first time anything competes with the ARCHOS players, which allow users to pre-schedule and play recordings from TV and set-top boxes. Although this solution from TiVo is not as simple as the process used by ARCHOS (the TiVo solution appears to require a computer in the middle), it’s a brilliant move by TiVo. Certainly, TiVo subscribers will consider buying iPods now if they haven’t already. But more importantly, iPod owners may well look to TiVo as their DVR of choice. For more on this story, go to http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051121/ap_on_hi_te/tivotogo_expands
3. Cisco Buys Scientific-Atlanta Cisco's purchase of Scientific Atlanta is TRUE convergence, finally. Cisco is the leading (by far) computer networking company and Scientific Atlanta is the leading cable set-top box and receiver box manufacturer. This gives Cisco the quadruple play that every cable TV company and telephone company has been dying to have: Video, voice, data and wireless. This is a perfect merger of talent to get them there. 4. Home Theater Store Scores Time Warner Cable Deal Speaking of good deals, Home Theater Store is now an authorized activator of new and upgraded services for customers in Houston. The point in this isn’t the low margin cableTV business, but this gives Home Theater Store a huge base of potential home theater customers. It also offloads some of Time Warner’s tech support onto the retailer – include installation – so both companies benefit. There’s reason to think the same sorts of deals will be, or are, happening all over the country. And any HomeAV integrator could get in on this trend, wherever you’re located. Home Theater Store has a retail space and that’s probably ideal. But it’s not necessary if you’re taking the workload off your local cable operator and delivering good service. It also means every installer needs to be trained in sales, since they’ll be in the customers’ homes viewing, first hand, the opportunities. For more information on Home Theater Store, go to http://www.hometheaterstore.com/index.php
5. Consumer Video/Audio Calling – Free – From Sony, GlowPoint Sony and GlowPoint, which offer a video and voice conferencing system called IVE for the commercial market, are bringing the technology to the consumer, and offering it for free. IVE, or Instant Video Everywhere, combines Voice over IP with live video. It’s a free download at http://www.sonyive.com IVE offers free and unlimited video and voice calls, and calls can be placed to cell phones, telephones and any other traditional video or audio conferencing system. IVE can be used from any broadband location. And IVE users aren’t limited to communicating only with other IVE users. Sony says IVE users can communicate with those who use other standards-based systems, or with those who don’t have video or webcams. IVE offers a good setup. Each user gets his/her own personal video number and calls can include up to six people. The service offers a video call mailbox for video or just voice and IVE users can personalize their video outgoing messages. There is even a live video operator available for directory assistance, call transfers, etc. Of course, not all those features are free. There are three different plans offered, with the highest level at only $19.95 a month. For more information, go to http://sony.glowpoint.com/index.aspx 6. HDTV/PC Scan Converter Puts HD Into Old Sets The AVT-3190HD can support PC input up to and including UXGA (1600×1200@60 Hz), and manages HDTV input up to 1080i, as well as VGA refresh rates extending to 140 Hz. It also has switchable PC or HDTV inputs, built-in test signals, image zoom, pan, and positioning, a 2-D flicker filter, and aspect ratio adjustment. Control is with front-panel switches or IR remote with on-screen display and RS-232. The AVT-3190HD is shipping with MSRP of $495. For more information, go to http://www.avtoolbox.com/
7. Windows XP Media Center Gets PC-to-Phone Capability Media Center Communicator from One Voice is an in-home multimedia communications package for Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. It lets users speak, and using voice recognition, play and view digital content from MP3 music, digital photos, slideshows, videos, live TV, etc. Media Center Communicator also comes with a suite of communications features to send and read e-mail, SMS text messaging to mobile phones, Instant Messaging, full motion PC-to-PC audio and video chat and PC-to-Phone calling with a Skype account. For more information, go to http://www.onev.com/News/disp_release.asp?d=10+November+2005&r=2005_11_10
8. Knoll Shows Audio and Video Distance Over Cat5 The component video transmission system has a send unit for transmitting the video signals and a receive unit for receiving the video signals. In the case of whole house distribution, required, send units can be installer-adjusted to allow multiple send units to be ganged together using "Y" cords. For larger systems, the US3-Hub sends component video signals to six receivers using one Cat5 wire each up to 500 feet (150m). It needs to be connected to up to six Knoll receiver modules (UR-P3 in-wall or UR-V3 enclosure). Send and receive units run on 12 VDC and are powered with a power supply on the send unit only. The send and receive units are available in an in-wall Decora version or mounted in a black enclosure. In-wall and enclosure versions can be mixed or matched. For more information, go to http://www.knollsystems.com/prod-component.html 9. MemoCam Features Camera and DVR With Motion Detection – For Security MemoCam units are available in a range of configurations including mobile units, desktop clock models, and models that can be networked and managed from anywhere anytime via the internet. The newest of the products is the MemoCam D-V56 / D-V58, which are stand-alone, miniature DVRs with integrated Video Motion Detector that record digital color video onto a removable SD card. The D-V58 has, in addition, power-saving features, so it’s well suited for battery-powered operation and mobile applications They are single channel, miniature solid state DVRs without any mechanical moving parts, so there is no need for day-to-day intervention and no maintenance. They automatically record events on an SD card of up to 1GB memory, and alarms can be activated by external triggers and/or by the integrated Video Motion Detection, which lets a user define specific areas of interest within the picture frame. The remote control supplied with the unit lets users arm or disarm the unit, set up the recording process or record events manually. It can also function as a panic button. Also new is the MemoClock, which looks like a traditional desktop clock but has a covert digital video recorder concealed in it. The unit automatically records images on video motion detection on a removable multimedia card. The MemoClock includes PC and Pocket PC software, a remote control, an SD card & USB SD reader, as well as a power adaptor. For more information, go to http://www.vdomain.com/products/memocam/default.asp 10. Electronic Paper Push From HP This technology could be fun stuff. And practical. For avid book readers, it would mean fewer spines taking up space on the shelves. When finished with the e-book, readers would simply plug in the electronic display and replace the old one with a new one. Similarly for magazines, readers could replace old issues with new, in an ideal save the trees initiative. Where it could get interesting is if/when they can be used for video. Imagine a layover at an airport, walking up to a kiosk, plugging it in and buying a recent episode of a TV show, or a full motion picture to watch during the wait. And think of video stores, which could sell the download rather than rent a physical DVD, incorporating a timer when the movie erases itself and eliminating the late fee dilemma. It also might allow movie rental downloads over the internet finally take off. More basically, it could let someone watching a show carry it all over the house – even outside. To read the article, go to http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/11/07/BUGP0FIINV1.DTL&type=tech 11. The Race to be the Fastest Gun in the West? The BenQ FP93G X is an LCD monitor using the company’s Advanced Motion Accelerator that increases the voltage to the liquid crystal. It is specified at 700:1 contrast ratio, 1280 x 1024 resolution, and dual input for D-Sub and DVI-D. It will be available in January for just $419. For more on this, go to http://www.benq.com/News/News.cfm?id=1243 ViewSonic’s VX922 is also competitively priced, at $429, and will be available in December. For more on this, go to http://www.viewsonic.com/companyinfo/pressrelease_detail.cfm?key_press_release=1056 12. SunBriteTV Demos Outdoor LCDs The panel is specified at WXGA (1366 x 768) resolution, 1000 nits of brightness and 800:1 contrast ratio. It has dual S-Video, dual Composite Video and DVI-D connector. They are the best looking outdoor LCD TVs we’ve seen so far. Both the 32- and 20- inch models come dual-element, water-resistant speakers (10-watt for the 32-inch and 5-watt for the 20-inch). They have a built-in heater that kicks in when the thermometer reaches 32 degrees, a fan for hot weather, and a water tight cable entry system. The 20-inch, 2010A-Pro, is specified at 800 x 600 resolution with 1000 nits of brightness and 500:1 contrast ratio. Both units are protected from rain, dirt, and debris by a low-glare, impact- and scratch-resistant window built into the enclosure. MSRP on the Model 2010A-Pro is $2,695. MSRP on the Model 3200HD-Pro is expected to be $4,695. For more information, go to http://www.sunbritetv.com/default.php Players 13. Podmaxx Adds PC Functionality to iPods Users can also back up their entire PC and use the iPod as a portable hard drive. This is a software product and retails for just $19.99 in stores or via download from the company website. For more information, go to http://www.podmaxx.com/ 14. Emerson Radio to Launch Entire iPod Compatible Line The line ships in January. For more information, go to http://www.emersonradio.com 15. PQI Introduces Clamshell-Style Multimedia Player The MSRP on this is just $149 and it’s available on the website or from selected distributors. For more information, go to http://www.pqi.com.tw/product2.asp?oid=8&CATE1=8&PROID=42 Playback is done using a series of on-screen menus and a remote control, but no computer is needed. But files have to be stored on a computer to get them onto the drive. The ScreenPlay drive holds up to 240,000 photos, or 90 hours of DVD-quality video, or 1,110 hours of music. MSRP is $219.95 and it is available from the Iomega website or select online retailers. For more information, go to http://www.iomega.comMedia Distribution and Recording 17. Media Center Notebooks Arrive The LifeBook N3410 and the LifeBook N3520 notebooks have 15.4-inch displays, and the LifeBook N6110 and LifeBook N6220 notebooks have 17-inch displays. Starting price is $1,199 after rebate. They are especially designed to take advantage of the growing base of wireless internet systems in homes. Media Center Edition allows recording of TV shows and ordering movies from select online services. For more information, go to http://www.computers.us.fujitsu.com/www/MCE.shtml 18. One More Reason to Love TiVo – Yahoo! TiVo and Yahoo! now make it possible for TiVo users to schedule recordings from the Yahoo! TV page. Users just go to the Yahoo! TV page at http://tv.yahoo.com/ then go to the TV grid and click on a program title and look for the “Record to my TiVo Box” link. Users will have to sign up for a Yahoo! ID but it’s free and quick. Users also need to have networked TiVo Series 2. TiVo has long allowed programming over the internet from their website. But now, users can use the easy Yahoo! TV grid schedule and read show descriptions while deciding what to record. The companies also announced they will soon make some Yahoo! services, including photos, traffic, and weather available as part of the TiVo service. For more information, go to http://www.tivo.com/cms_static/press_64.html
19. tecStream Turns iMacs Into Home Entertainment Networks The tecStream network allows up to eight locations with networked televisions and can run up to 16 independent streams of high bandwidth video (30 Mbps and higher) simultaneously. It encodes analog streams from VCRs, set top boxes and DVD players, and includes an IEEE 1394 interface for incorporating digital recording devices such as AV Hard Disk Drives and Digital VHS decks. For more information, go to http://www.tecstream.com/ 20. Home Automation and Media Control, Together, in Life|ware Exceptional Innovation’s Life|ware’s product is based on Windows XP Home Media Center Edition 2005, which controls digital entertainment, and adds control of the home lighting, climate, security, surveillance and audio distribution. If there was a killer product at EHX, this was it. It’s hardware agnostic, so any PC with Media Center Edition can be specified. Users access Life|ware via a My Home option on the main menu of Media Center Edition 2005, and then can control any of the home functions from there on the screen. The company uses Web Services for Devices (WSD), so Life|ware can control products from a number of vendors and the system can scale from one room up to a mansion. For more information, go to http://www.exceptionalinnovation.com/index.php?page=home 21. Colorado vNet Introduces Distributed Intelligence Home Automation, Touch-Sensitive Pad The home automation uses “distributed intelligence” so that processing is done at many points rather than on a central computer. The system can be changed over the internet, and the company says it is scalable from a small home theater to a large commercial building with 8,000 individual modules. The company’s vNet Builder software gives integrators a step-by-step design and configuration tool for building a system. The software includes a simulator which makes it easy to demonstrate to customers exactly what individual pre-determined scenes will look like. The new keypad used with the system is the TP1-1D, which uses touch-sensitive technology. For example, a single touch versus the duration of a touch will have different results, such as a single tap for switching lights on and off or a longer touch to dim lights. The design cuts down on the number of buttons required. It has no moving parts – a removable and washable acrylic face. It can be mounted vertically or horizontally. For more information, go to http://www.coloradovnet.com/news/press.aspx?id=4 Click above for more information The HDTV Business Conference will be held on January 4, 2006, the day before CES 2006 begins, at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. This one-day executive-level event will cover the hottest topics in the HDTV industry. Topics to include: HD content, ipTV, mobile video, MSO competitiveness, digital rights management, HD DVD vs. Blu-ray, MD-TV, LCD-TV, PDP-TV, retailing and merchandizing, new channels of distribution and who is making money? Confirmed or likely speakers are from Qualcomm, Comcast, Microsoft, Intel, Toshiba, ESPN, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Samsung, Texas Instruments, Tweeter, Syntax-Brillian and SG Cowen. Who should attend? • Technologists and executives participating in related industries • Newcomers to the world of HDTV Why attend? • Hear from top industry executives about the strategic issues facing the Digital TV industry • Understand the key positions of industry leaders and where they are taking their companies • Build knowledge in all aspects of the HDTV industry • Gain insight to make strategic business decisions • Network Reception with the industry’s movers and shakers • Enhance your CES experience For program, conference registration, and sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.hdtv-bc.com. Or call Insight Media at (203) 831-8464.
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Thanks for reading, and tell your friends by clicking on the “forward” button at the top of the newsletter or sending them to Copyright 2005 – Kayye Consulting – All rights reserved. For reprint policies, contact us at Kayye Consulting, Inc. Editorial: dharrison@kayye.com Gary Kayye's rAVe contains the opinions of the author only and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of other persons or companies or its sponsors. |