|
Click above for more information
If you’re a systems integrator still trying to make money selling products, you’re running out of time. The price reductions on TVs covered in this week’s edition of rAVe are indicators of very fast price declines. With the market so crazy, every manufacturer of every hardware device is going to play the price game. Be sure your business model is based on service and be sure your design staff is creative, with plenty of suggestions and options for customers.
Also this issue, we cover the news that iTunes will now let users subscribe to and manage Podcasts. A year ago, iPods and iTunes may not have had a lot of impact on system integrators. But iTunes has become an actual platform – third party manufacturers are coming out with products that connect the iPod to home theater systems and products that distribute iTunes around the entire house. Since there are now 15 million iPods out there and more than 25 million iTunes users, no doubt your clients probably use them. That means new opportunities, for you — new offerings you can bring to new and existing customers. And, believe me when I say that iTunes will SOON allow you to download movies on demand – who do you think will win that war? I’m betting on Apple and am calling my broker today! Enjoy! –Gary Kayye, CTS
Click above for more information
Editorial Best Buy? You Gotta Be Kidding
By Gary Kayye, CTS
Last month, Best Buy announced that their entire “custom install” group was going to be certified as experts in AV technology to better serve their home theater clients. You’ve got to be kidding me. Best Buy is a great place to get vacuum cleaners, refrigerators, headphones and even DVD. But, here’s why I don’t think this scheme will work. I used to get all my CD’s at Best until Apple’s iTunes started selling them on-line – and their non-existent on-line support is better than anything I’ve ever gotten from Best Buy. OK, maybe by now you think I am really pissing off some Best Buy exec who is reading this column, right? And, he or she is disagreeing with everything I am saying. Well, ok, let’s test the theory. Pick up the phone, right now, call any Best Buy in the country and when the auto-attendant comes on, press “0” to get a human. Then ask for the department that sells TiVo or HDTV’s, or TV’s (fill in anything you want) – now wait on hold and see what happens. Done? Well, you don’t even have to tell me what happened; I know. Either you were on hold a heck of a long time or maybe even had to call back. Or, maybe you held a long time (listening to their hold recording telling you how important your call is to them) and then actually, eventually rang back to the operator. Or, if you did get through to the TiVo, TV, HDTV or department you asked for, ask ANY question you would like an answer to – they can’t answer it – unless it’s about stock/inventory numbers.
Still don’t believe me, well, go in the store and try and find help. You might find someone, but they are not customer friendly. Listen, my point is that learning technology is only part of the equation – customer service, knowledge and personal responsibility is a bigger part. And, that’s not part of that course they will all be taking…
The PSB CustomSound designs settle the long standing conflict between sound and design.
Finally, custom installation specialists can employ Platinum performance in-room, in-wall or in-cabinet. Click above for more information
Tuesday, September 6 The Brickyard Crossing Golf Course Shuttle Pick-up at Convention Center: 7:15 a.m.
Onsite Registration at Golf Course: 8:00 a.m.
Putting Contest: 9:00 a.m.
Shotgun Start: 10:00 a.m.
Take the opportunity to network with custom electronics industry professionals while golfing at the historic Brickyard Crossing Golf Course. The Brickyard Crossing Golf Course offers a one-of-a-kind golfing experience because of the four holes located on the infield of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Allstate 400 (formerly the Brickyard 400) and the Indianapolis 500. Prizes range from an all expenses paid trip to Super Bowl XL to a Mitsubishi HD-Upgradeable 55" TV, as well as seventeen other premium contest prizes donated by generous CEDIA members. Every golf outing participant will receive free giveaways as well as food and beverages provided by Impact Acoustics and Artison. Do not miss this opportunity to network with industry professionals in a fun-filled atmosphere. Participation is limited to the first 100 registrants, so be sure to reserve your spot on June 1, 2005 when registration opens!
Please direct golf outing questions to Bridget O’Hara at 800-669-5329 x140 or bohara@cedia.org
CEDIA EXPO – Early Bird Deadline: July 15 September 7-11, 2005 – Indianapolis, IN Register for CEDIA EXPO before July 15 and save! You could save hundreds of dollars just by registering early! Register now at http://www.cedia.org/expo Benefits for Registering Early include: Discounted price on all courses
FREE Trade Show admission for CEDIA Members
Reserved seating for Keynote Breakfast
Reserved seating for CEDIA Members at the Annual Meeting
Discounted price for the Golf Outing and Awards Banquet SPECIAL EVENTS AND AWARDS COMPETITION
Attendees have access to FREE manufacturer product training, education courses and seminars, as well as many special events: Golf Outing , Tuesday, September 6 – prizes given away
Keynote Breakfast, Friday, September 9 – Ray Kurzweil – sponsored by Texas Instruments DLP
Opening Reception, Friday, September 9 – sponsored by SpeakerCraft
Annual Meeting & Membership Luncheon, Saturday, September 10 – sponsored by Capitol Sales
Electronic Lifestyles® Awards Banquet, Saturday, September 10 – VOTE FOR THE WINNERS ONSITE AT CEDIA EXPO
Installer Olympics, Friday and Saturday, September 9-10
Professional Billiards player, Striking Viking,
Friday – Sunday, September 9-11
CEDIA Electronic Lifestyles Awards Voting Make Your Vote Count- Voting Opens Wednesday Sept. 7 at CEDIA EXPO 2005 With Designers' Choice Awards entries up over 50% from last year it looks like the awards will be more competitive then ever. Don't miss your chance to vote onsite CEDIA EXPO 2005. You will receive your voting book during registration and then be able to cast your vote electronically at the Electronic Lifestyles® Awards Voting Booth onsite at CEDIA EXPO. Remember only registered residential electronic systems contractors will be able to vote. Winners are announced during the 2005 EXPO Awards banquet, Saturday September 10. Don't forget to purchase your tickets while registering for EXPO. Seating is limited!
Click above for more information
News Industry News 1. Watch HDTV Conference on HDNet
This year’s DisplaySearch HDTV Conference, to be held at the Beverly Hills Hilton August 23 and 24, will also be aired on HDNet — http://www.hd.net/ — the high definition television station carried on cable and satellite services. The conference will focus on trends in HDTV content, HDTV content distribution, the TV market, TV technology, TV resolutions, different TV sales channels and TV electronics.
Executives from HP, LG Electronics, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Pioneer, Samsung, Sharp, Sony and Syntax will be participating as keynotes, invited speakers and panelists at this year's event. These nine brands represent six of the top seven North American brands in terms of total TV revenues.
Some of the events include HDNet’s Mark Cuban, Panasonic’s Jeff Cove, Samsung’s Jim Sanduski, and Sony’s Greg Gudorf with keynote addresses, as well as panels on plasma and LCD TVs.
HDNet is available with some cable and satellite systems as a channel that comes only when you subscribe to the optional high definition service. It might be worth it just to watch Boomtown and Hogan’s Heroes, two of the shows currently airing on the channel.
For more information on the conference, and to register, go to http://www.displaysearch.com/hdtvconference/
Displays 2. Sony Announces New 3LCD HDTVs Sony has four new Grand WEGA 3LCD high definition TV sets ranging in size from 42 – 60 inches. The models include the KDF-E60A20 (60-inch), KDF-E55A20 (55-inch), and KDF-E50A10 (50-inch) — begin shipping this week. Additionally, the KDF-E42A10 (42-inch) model will ship in late July.
The design of the 42 and 50 inch models allows for a thinner set than CRTs – just 14 – 16 inches deep, making it easier to fit into cabinets if desired. These new sets also have invisible speakers located at the bottom of the set. They use the 1280 x 720 native 720p LCD chip-set.
The 55 and 60 inch models use a proprietary LCD Optical Engine with Sony's WEGA Engine for better digital-to-analog conversion. These models also incorporate 3LCD panel technology and are specified at 1366 x 768 resolution.
The KDF-E60A20 is available for about $3,500 and the KDF-E55A20 for about $3,000. In July, the KDF-E50A10 and the KDF-E4210 will be available for about $2,800 and $2,300, respectfully.
For more on Sony HDTVs, go to http://www.sonystyle.com/
3. Fujitsu Chops $5K off 63-Inch Plasma TV
Fujitsu announced a price reduction on the company’s Plasmavision P63XHA40US 63-inch HDTV monitor. The MSRP was dropped $5,000 from $17,999 to $12,999.
This model has a 10-bit video processor, is specified at 1366 x 76 resolution and has HDMI input. For more information, go to http://www.plasmavision.com/Plasma_PDF/2005/P63XHA40US%20Price%20Reduction.pdf
4. Dell Re-Prices 42-Inch Plasma to Under $3K
Dell, too, announced a price drop on one of the company’s plasma TVs. The 42-inch W4200HD TV now carries an MSRP of $2,999 from the previous $3,499 price.
Dell also announced drops on LCD TVs. The W3000 30-inch LCD TV is now priced at $1,799 and the W2600 26-inch LCD TV at $1,499. What’s next; buy a PC get a TV? Actually, could that be too far away? In reality, no. Dell makes more money selling plasmas and LCDs than they do on many of their bundled PC offerings. But, it should be noted that Dell is climbing up the sales charts and will be number one, soon. This will change the dynamics forever- for the good. I say that as HomeAV dealers need to, sooner rather than later, focus on the service offerings of systems design, 24-hour support and expertise rather than simple product sales. This will help drive that – good or bad. For more on Dell TVs, go to http://www.dell.com/tvs
Media Distribution
5. Motorola Announces Whole-Home Strategy
Motorola plans to offer integrated and compatible hardware and software solutions that provide everything needed to move digital media throughout the home. The company introduced the new initiative at the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers Cable-Tec Expo in San Antonio earlier this month. In fact, Motorola plans to offer this technology to cable operators, which will then offer it to customers.
The plan is to integrate the Motorola digital set-top boxes with home media networking software. It also includes an application suite from Ucentric, the Digital Home Platform, which was acquired by Motorola earlier this year. This suite of applications enables seamless access to digital entertainment — such as recorded video on a set-top, music on a computer hard drive, or pictures on a laptop — stored on any connected device in the home.
Motorola plans to offer this, including extensions that make the technology compatible with the open cable applications platform, by the summer of 2006.
The first step in this strategy is Motorola's introduction of the DCT3412, an all-digital, dual-tuner, high-definition digital video recorder. This model, along with the widely-used Motorola DCT6412 set-top (which also includes analog recording), can serve as the centerpiece of a whole-home media network, according to the company. The operator can select the hard drive size among 120GB, 160GB, 320GB, and users will be able to access hours of digital recordings, along with music, pictures, and more, from any room in the home. Motorola will also provide digital set-tops with built-in adapters designed specifically for secondary rooms.
For more information, go to http://www.motorola.com/mediacenter/news/detail/0,,5638_5622_23,00.html
Integrator Solutions 6. Panamax Introduces New Power Conditioners for the Home Theater
Monster gets all the attention, while Panamax makes the better product. Panamax announced five new power conditioning and protection products in its MAX EX Home Theater series. The series includes the M5500-EX, M5300-EX, M5100-EX, M4300-EX and M5400-EX.
The EMI/RFI noise filtration capabilities vary by model ranging from Level 2 for the M4300-EX to Level 6 for the M5500-EX. Panamax also focused on the appearance of the products, designing them with silver highlights on a black chassis with blue power status indicator lights. There is also an optional silver bezel.
The M5100-EX features a blue LED voltmeter, and the M5300-EX, M5400-EX and M5500-EX have digital voltmeters with blue readouts. The M5400-EX and M5500-EX also feature a digital ammeter.
The conditioners have a number of features that accommodate, and don’t temper, loud theater sound and include the company’s Automatic Voltage Monitoring Circuitry for maintaining safe voltage conditions.
The MAX EX line ships in July with prices ranging from $250 to $1,000.
For more details on the models, go to http://www.panamax.com
7. Apple Makes More Than 3,000 Free Podcasts Available to iTunes Users
Apple announced the company will provide all the technology necessary for iTunes users to discover, subscribe, manage and listen to Podcasts using iTunes version 4.9. iTunes users can now subscribe to more than 3,000 free Podcasts and have each new episode automatically delivered over the Internet to their iPods or computers.
The new Podcast Directory in iTunes 4.9 features more than 3,000 free audio programs, making it one of the largest Podcast directories in the world, says Apple. Podcasts include content from ABC News, Adam Curry, BBC, Clear Channel, The Dawn and Drew Show, Disney, Engadget, ESPN, Newsweek and NPR member stations such as KCRW in Los Angeles and WGBH in Boston.
Besides automatic download of programming, iTunes also provides ways to organize Podcast subscriptions by episode and date. iPods now offer an easy to use Podcast menu, including bookmarking within a Podcast and the ability to display color Podcast artwork.
Apple says the company has sold more than 15 million iPods and that purchases and downloads from the iTunes Music Store now exceeds 430 million.
iTunes 4.9 for Mac and Windows includes the iTunes Music Store and is available immediately as a free download from http://www.itunes.com
The new Podcast menu is available via a free iPod software update for all Click Wheel iPods and iPod minis from http://www.apple.com/ipod
iTunes 4.9 users can download and subscribe to Podcasts with no additional software required, since support for Podcasts is built right into iTunes and iPod.
For more information, go to http://www.itunes.com/
8. TiVo Gives Thumbs Up to NVIDIA for TiVoToGo
NVIDIA’s PureVideo Decoder was approved by TiVo for playing content using the TiVoToGo feature. TiVoToGo feature allows TiVo subscribers to transfer recorded television programs from their TiVo Series2 DVR to their PC. Viewing TiVo programming on the PC requires an MPEG-2 decoder, such as the NVIDIA PureVideo Decoder.
The NVIDIA PureVideo Decoder provides DVD and MPEG-playback and Dolby Digital surround sound.
Pricing on the NVIDIA PureVideo Decoder starts at $19.95 and is available for download in three editions: Bronze, Gold, and Platinum. The software is also available free of charge for a 30-day trial.
For more information, go to http://www.nvidia.com/object/dvd_decoder.html
| |