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Volume 10, Issue 14 — July 31, 2013
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Airplay Is Here — Get Over It
By Lee Distad rAVe Columnist
So it’s been a couple of years now, and Apple’s AirPlay has reached, while not ubiquity, certainly a presence in the marketplace.
For those of you who just awoke from a spell cast upon you by a wicked witch, AirPlay is Apple’s vehicle for streaming through networked devices. Beyond just Apple TV and devices running iTunes, such as computers, iPhones and iPads, AirPlay is being integrated into all manner of residential and commercial AV hardware.
Sending and controlling the content via the sending device is simple to anyone who’s familiar with Apple’s interface which itself qualifies as ubiquitous today — which brings us to the issue of how AirPlay affects the business of the AV install pro and the specialty AV retailer.
Simply put, AV pros and specialty dealers need to embrace these features. It’s tragically common to see dealers with feature-rich devices in their showroom but haven’t connected the features to make them work as part of their demos. That’s true of not just AirPlay, but plenty of other connectivity features, such as the Ethernet connections on TVs and AVRs. These AV products have these features, so why wouldn’t you promote their benefits to customers?
This is the world we live in now, and AV pros need to get used to it. This kind of connectivity isn’t going to go away, it’s only going to become more prevalent and AV pros and specialty dealers need to embrace this change and, most importantly, find the angle that’s going to allow their company to profit from it.
In truth, the situation is actually far better for dealers than it is for vendors. It wasn’t long ago that iPads consigned hideously expensive touch panels (I cringe when I think about the $20,000 Crestron TPS units I specified into whole-home jobs seven or eight years ago) to the recycling bin, and now the ability to share content from mobile devices to AV systems via AirPlay makes obsolete an awful lot of AV distribution equipment.
Just remember that from the perspective of you, the seasoned AV pro, AirPlay devices are ridiculously easy to configure, but what you need to remember is that your clients don’t always think so. And the fact is that people who can do it themselves aren’t your client anyway.
The ones who are your client come to you for your expertise in all things AV-related, and no matter how easy you think control and networking are, it’s a foreign language to them and they just want you to take care of it. In that light, it’s no different from taking care of their Wi-Fi network for them.
It’s also worth pointing out that when iPads replaced touch panels, dealers found better margin opportunities by balancing out their product selections. Really, a client’s budget is what it is, regardless, whether it’s fifty thousand dollars, a hundred thousand dollars, five hundred thousand, whatever.
AV pros quickly learned that once they scratched touch panels out of the design, which might have taken up 25 percent or more of the budget suddenly there was they ability to specify better, higher margin audio or even higher end video projectors.
History repeats, and in this business it repeats quickly. Think of how much nicer the audio and video you can specify into jobs if you don’t have to allocate as much to the distribution end of your design.
Everybody knows that technologies go extinct, but AV pros don’t have to. None of you are still installing volume control knobs (Right? Right!?); you’ve evolved beyond that. So while the face of both AV content distribution is changing (again), that only means that AV pros dealers to capitalize on the new opportunities rather than complain about the loss of old categories.
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Time Warner Cable: The Definition of a Non-Value-Added Reseller
By Gary Kayye rAVe Founder
Many of you who read rAVe regularly work for what’s typically referred to as a “value-added” reseller. And you live by those words.
You may just re-sell AV gear, but the value you add is immense. This includes everything from advice on how a piece of AV gear can solve a work-flow problem to building complete room systems by using your intellectual expertise on how to make things work together to make a seamless classroom or meeting room, one that anyone can walk-in and use.
And, some of you even integrate products into turn-key system solutions that are purpose-built; for example, building a portable AV system for a hospital that can process patients, can be used to educate them on a drug or disease and can be used as a video-on-demand-like entertainment system — all the while capable of being portable and pushed from room to room as needed.
Or, maybe you take a commodity, like a projector, and use it as the backbone of a museum display, a planetarium system or integrate them into classroom on a college campus and make them capable of being connected to via anyone — an instructor or even a student.
You see, adding value can be as simple as knowing how to make things work together, providing a solution — or it can be as complex as taking hundreds of AV components and putting them together to build a room system. Even something as simple as answering a question on a product specifications or features can be considered as adding value. Sometimes, that’s all a customer really needs — to know that something can be used the way they want to or how to make something work.
In fact, adding value doesn’t have to be complex. For example, you could argue that Amazon.com adds value by letting you see customer comments on products they sell, eBay adds value by letting you see seller reviews and even Netflix adds value by using the information about what movies or TV shows you’ve watched and enjoyed to recommend some you may not have heard of that you might like.
But, hopefully, none of you reading this work for Time Warner Cable, which is the definition of non-value-added company (hereby dubbed N-VARs).
Why do I say this?
Well, let’s take an in-depth look and we’ll even explore a personal experience:
The service of providing me with the ability to watch TV isn’t of value to me. That’s something I can get from everyone from Netflix to DirecTV to AT&T U-Verse to Hulu. Back when I was in high school, it was of value to me as there was only one option to watch TV — the antennae. But now, there’s more to choose from.
So, when Time Warner considers itself a value-added service company because they provide you with a cable box, it is woefully misguided. In fact, all it is doing is giving you access to its network of TV stations — and even decided, for you, what’s the best way to watch them. For example, it decided who gets channel 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 and even channel 100.
But, really, what is TWC doing? Is this really of service to me? And, even if it is, is there some inherent “value” in Time Warner providing me TV shows to watch over Hulu, Netflix of DirecTV? I think not. I think, in fact, they are doing me a great dis-service by deciding, for me, what channels go where. You really want to provide me a service? Let me decide what goes where.
But, I am getting ahead of myself — because all this is assuming it works flawlessly.
So let’s back up.
If you’ve ever made an appointment to get Time Warner to install something, my condolences. Clearly it’s already jacked up the install price the $20 it will, no doubt, credit you for when the technicians show up late (if they show up at all). TWC will assign you two- to four-hour windows for installing the “service,” but they will be late. So, count on it. If you’re like me, you’ll experience an even sadder scenario where they not only come late, but, they won’t bother to call you to let you know what’s going on — or when they will in fact show up.
In my ridiculously example, they not only didn’t show up, didn’t call, but waited until I had called them three times the day after the scheduled install time to “apologize” for not showing up and assigning an all-new, four-hour install window. That, too, was missed (yes, they did miss two different scheduled install times and days) and, you guessed it, no phone call.
So, I started Tweeting at them. But, this was not successful either — the folks monitoring Twitter couldn’t do anything for me as they were trained only to respond to sales-oriented tweets from people asking questions about Dish Network or DirecTV (and why they should or should not choose Time Warner instead.
Answer for future reference: NEVER, EVER, EVER choose Time Warner if you can help it.
On day 3, Time Warner’s installer (let’s call him Mr. Grumpy) showed up and told me it wasn’t his fault he was late (oh, did I mention Mr. Grumpy showed up after his four-hour window too??) as the rain hampered his last install and his cell phone wasn’t working for him to call and give me the “I’m going to be late because…” courtesy call.
Mr. Grumpy did end up getting my high-speed internet installed (Oh, you thought I was using Time Warner for TV? No, I use DirecTV, the definition of value-added TV.) and after telling me my brand-new Apple Airport Extreme was going to provide a funnel for bandwidth (meaning, would slow down the ‘quality of service’ that Time Warner delivers – no, the irony of the word “quality” was not lost on me) and that I should call the Time Warner office and schedule them to come out and replace my cable modem with one “designed to work with the high-speed network that Time Warner has,” thus, provide me with a better pipe than Apple’s Airport Extreme.
Uh, no thanks.
Time Warner, you suck. Everything about you sucks. Your customer service (or, maybe it should rightfully be called disservice), your on-time guarantee, your in-field service and the quality of service you deliver (consistency) all suck. You are on the verge of becoming irrelevant with the way TV can be delivered via everything from the AppleTV to the new Google Chromecast and all the other IPTV devices coming along. And, I, for one, can’t wait until the day you go away.
You are only surviving thanks to the thousands of monopolistic cities you “own” and bully into making sure no one else has the ability to provide high-speed internet service. But, that, too, will end. Like the assault on TV from the likes of Netflix, Apple, Google and soon, Amazon and Facebook, high-speed Internet will turn to a free and open market and you will, eventually, see the same fate as Western Union and Morse Code.
So, more power to the value-added service providers like, well, any company in America except Time Warner Cable.
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4Kx2K TVs: Will They Stimulate or Slow the Market?
By Paul Gray DisplaySearch
Consumers can react in two ways in a market with rapid innovation: They either get excited by the new value propositions and capabilities and jump in or instead they can opt to wait until winners emerge and choices become simpler.
Looking at the long-term history of the TV market in Western Europe, an intriguing pattern emerges, as shown in the graph. (I am grateful for the help from several TV brands in reconstructing this history.) A rolling four-year trend is included to remove much of the noise from normal economic cycles.
Overall we can see several distinct eras in the market:
- The market was initially driven by consumers buying a first color TV — typically around 20”. In the 1970s, TV rental was common (a set cost as much as a small car in 1972), but economies of scale and intensification of competition as the Japanese entered the market brought prices down.
- There was a brief surge in 1990-1991 as the Iron Curtain fell: Many eastern Europeans spent savings on TVs from western brands, often buying one during a visit. The market then entered a period of stability with only incremental innovation: Widescreen broadcast standards such as PalPlus and MAC failed to gain a foothold and consumers had a choice only between drab matte gray sets with 4:3 screens. However, the new DVD format was wildly successful.
- Sony’s introduction of Real Flat CRT and Philips Plasma TV in 1996-7 had a surprising effect. They both pointed the way to a flat future, but were constrained by supply and cost respectively. The effect on consumers was to render curved CRT sets obsolete but with no affordable alternative. Consumers replaced sets reluctantly, only on failure. As a result, the market stagnated.
- The explosion of thin TVs in big screen sizes and at ever lower prices caused a steady surge in the market; this was further boosted by digital broadcast switch-over and HD services.
- We are now in a time of uncertainty: There is no obvious new force to accelerate the market, 3D has failed to fire consumers’ enthusiasm, while consumers face ongoing reductions in spending power due to weak economic conditions. Furthermore, hot new mass market products such as tablets and smartphones cost the same (or less) than a TV and compete directly for some video usage.
Possibly the worst outcome is that 4Kx2K does indeed catch consumers’ imagination: Its high cost would mean a similar pause in the market like that following Philips first plasma TV in 1997. We will be thinking about exactly this point at the IFA DisplaySearch Business Conference in September.
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2013 Best of InfoComm Awards
Welcome to rAVe’s annual Best of InfoComm Awards! This year’s InfoComm show, held last month in Orlando, Florida, was one of the best — or, actually, the best if you’re measurement is attendance. But, attendance aside, the amount of new technology and product innovation was more than the past three or four years, combined. It’s clear that most manufacturers see the next few years as promising and growth oriented.
But, because there were so many new products and technologies shown at the 2013 version of InfoComm, it made our job harder. There were more products to consider than in recent memory. Considering all this, those that did win should be proud of their accomplishment as they, obviously, represent the best-of-the-best. So, congratulations!
Click each link below to see the winner and read about the product.
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Recently from rAVe’s BlogSquad
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Linn Ends Relationship with U.S. Distributor; Goes Direct
Scottish audio manufacturer Linn announced today that it’s establishing its own direct distribution in North America. Linn’s agreements with current distributor, TC Group Americas Inc., will cease to exist in two months (on October 1st, 2013).
“Linn have enjoyed a long and successful relationship with TC Group Americas and we thank them for their valued contribution. We are looking forward to working directly with our specialist dealers in North America and investing in a territory that plays an important part in our strategic growth,” said Tony Owens, finance director at Linn.
North America is a vital market for Linn, contributing significantly to the brand’s success in recent years. Both TC Group Americas and Linn are striving to ensure a seamless transition for the dealer base, and to aid this transition, Linn will be retaining key personnel operating in both Canada and the USA. But, this can’t be a good thing for TC Group.
Marc Bertrand, CEO of TC Group Americas, comments “A great deal of care will be taken to make this handover virtually transparent to our dealer base and we wish Linn all the best for the future.”
You can check out Linn’s entire line here.
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40 Percent Early-Bird Discount for CEDIA EXPO End This Friday
CEDIA has announced that early-bird discounts for CEDIA EXPO 2013 will end at 5 p.m. PDT this Fri., Aug. 2. Attendees who register prior to the early-bird deadline will save 40 percent. Attendees will still have the opportunity to save 20 percent until September 23.
CEDIA EXPO gives home technology professionals executable tools and focused resources to adapt and evolve their businesses. CEDIA EXPO will offer education and training focused on both the technical and business sides of the industry, opportunities to get certified, and emerging trends and technology that will shape the way home technology professionals do business now and in the future.
The show will be held at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver September 25-28 (show floor open September 26-28). Register here.
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Middle Atlantic’s Bob Schluter Named 2013 CEDIA Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient
CEDIA has named Bob Schluter, chief engineer and founder of Middle Atlantic, as this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. Schluter will be recognized at the annual Electronic Lifestyles Awards Celebration at CEDIA EXPO on September 28, 2013.
CEDIA’s Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an individual who has exhibited outstanding, creative, innovative, and visionary leadership in the growth and advancement of the residential electronic systems industry. Nominations are submitted by industry professionals and are evaluated on the basis of achievement and service within the industry.
A holder of multiple patents, Bob Schluter has been active in the professional audio, video and computer industries in various capacities since 1976. From his early involvement in electronic equipment design and recording studios through his 30+ years as chief engineer and CEO at Middle Atlantic, Bob has been intimately involved in integrating and installing audio, video and computer systems, and adapting rack enclosures to accommodate rapidly changing technologies.
Schluter’s universally recognized white papers on the management of power, cabling, and heat in racks and cabinets have contributed significantly to the industry and remain a valuable resource for home technology professionals.
“Middle Atlantic’s growth over the last several decades under Bob’s leadership is an example of a true success story in our industry,” said Federico Bausone, CEDIA chairman. “We are proud to recognize Schluter’s vision, leadership, and commitment to excellence, which are largely responsible for equipment racks as we know them today.”
Tickets for CEDIA’s Electronic Lifestyles® Awards Celebration, which will also recognize the award-winning work of CEDIA member electronic systems integrators, manufacturers, and volunteers, may be purchased through the registration process for CEDIA EXPO at www.cedia.net/expo or onsite. CEDIA EXPO will be held September 25-28 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver.
See all the past award winners here and you can register for CEDIA here.
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CEDIA Planning Tips for Denver Expo in September
CEDIA EXPO, hosted at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, USA, 25th – 28th September, is fast approaching, and you should head to www.cedia.net/expo to make the most of your trip.
First off, there’s still time for attendees to take advantage of the Early Bird savings, including a 40 percent discount off registration fees, on offer until 2nd August, 2013. All registration details are on the website.
Once registered, the next stop is the website’s Travel Info section – the place to go to for hotel reservations, transportation & flights, and other useful travel details.
CEDIA EXPO’s First Time Attendee Guide also offers useful trip planning tips. To get all the admin in place, there are also handy templates on the website, including the pre-show planning meeting template and travel policy template.
The CEDIA EXPO website also has a live chat feature for any questions relating to the event.
There are great deals to be had on CEDIA EXPO’s extensive 107 training sessions, with 36 of those brand new, including, Delivering Custom on a Standard Budget, designed to keep attendees up-to-date on the business of home technology and its latest trends. Purchasing a special CEDIA Training Pass entitles attendees to register for as many of the training courses as they can fit into their schedule.
CEDIA’s two keynote presentations will be given by Tony Fadell, CEO of Nest and former senior vice president of Apple’s iPod division, and Gene Marks, of The Marks Group, P.C., and contributor to The New York Times, Forbes and The Huffington Post.
A series of Roundtable sessions, taking place during the EXPO will develop these themes by delving deeper into emerging trend topics such as New Technologies Update, LV & LED Lighting: Your Brightest Opportunity, Future Technologies: The Inside Scoop from Silicon Valley, and No New Wires: Retrofit Technologies & How They Can Work Together.
The CEDIA EXPO virtual registration brochure offers more information on the CEDIA training as well as other events planned for the show. For general information, as well as registration, visit the CEDIA EXPO website.
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AudioControl Ships Rialto 400 Amp
The AudioControl Rialto 400 is a compact, high-powered amplifier with a built-in audiophile-grade DAC (digital to analog converter) designed specifically to provide greater performance and higher sound quality for all analog and digital systems, including Sonos home entertainment systems.
The Rialto 400’s amplifier delivers over 100 watts of power per channel into 8 ohms and 200 watts per channel into 4 ohm loads. Features a built-in high-performance Wolfson DAC that drastically improves audio quality, digital and analog audio-systems can perform with better speakers across the home. AudioControl says its patent-pending AccuBASS circuitry in the Rialto 400 adds bass response lost in most digital compression schemes and brings it back to the signal path. The company says this results in a richer and fuller audio performance with better bass and mid-bass response often missing in today’s compressed music. Hmm, bringing something back after it’s gone? Not sure about that claim?!?
The Rialto 400 has both digital and analog inputs, including PCM to connect with digital audio outputs from televisions and a 12V trigger for use with control and automation systems. Toslink, coaxial, line level RCA, 1/8″ audio and speaker level inputs for interfacing with source units without line level are included in the specification. This plethora of inputs eliminates the need for additional expensive outboard components. The Rialto 400 also features an integrated headphone jack to allow it to be used in other applications such as gaming systems or with personal audio products such as headphones.
Here are all the specs.
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Samsung and LG Both Debut Curved Large Screen OLEDs
As with all new display technologies, the first generation is expensive, but we expect the second generation of curved OLEDs from both LG and Samsung will be half the $15,000 list price these new 55″ displays carry at today’s official launch in New York City.
OLED has been talked about for years, and at InfoComm, we saw the first large-format OLED shown publicly in the Sony booth — a 55″ flat-screen OLED that was intended to list for $20,000 (as it was 4K resolution).
These new curved OLEDs from Samsung (the KN55S9) and LG (55EA9800) are both 1920×1080 resolution displays that include all the normal features and specs of every other HDTV out there (four HDMI inputs, LAN connectivity, 3D capability) and, unlike the Sony, are 100 percent aimed at consumers — and will be sold in consumer retail shops for about $15K.
Both 55″ OLEDs are LED edge-lit LCD displays that incorporate SmartTV functionality.
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Integra Debuts Consumer A/V Processor and Receiver Supporting HDBaseT
Integra’s new mid-range, THX-certified AV preamp processor and A/V receiver, the DHC-60.5 and DTR-60.5, are the first Integra products to support HDBaseT technology, which allows HD audio/video signals to be transmitted over much longer distances using Cat5e cables.
By incorporating HDBaseT technology, the DHC-60.5 and DTR-60.5 are optimized for whole-home distribution, connecting to compatible entertainment devices through a single CAT5e/6 cable. HDBaseT enables long-reach wired connectivity up to 328 feet for uncompressed full HD multimedia content including 3D and 2K/4K Ultra HD. The HDBaseT port can be assigned for use in either the main zone or a second zone, while the HDMI output is used exclusively for the main zone.
The new DHC-60.5 7.2 channel network A/V preamp processor is THX Ultra2 Plus certified. It includes built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, as well as full support for the new 4K Ultra HD video displays using either the 4K pass-through feature or up-scaling for conventional HD video sources via a Marvel QDEO processor. There are connections for nine HDMI inputs and one output, plus HDBaseT, along with 7.2 multichannel balanced XLR pre-outs (with front-channel bi-amp capability) and two-channel balanced XLR audio inputs. The DTR-60.5 is a 9.2 channel, THX Select2 Plus network A/V receiver that claims 135 watts per channel of power.
The Integra DHC-60.5 AV preamp processor and the DTR-60.5 A/V receiver will be available in August with suggested retail prices of $2,000 and $2,300 respectively.
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Kramer Adds Two New DisplayPort Distribution Amplifiers
Kramer Electronics introduced today the VM-2DP and the VM-4DP DisplayPort Distribution Amplifiers.
The VM-2DP 1:2 DisplayPort Distribution Amplifier accepts a DisplayPort (DP) input signal and distributes it to two DisplayPort (DP) outputs, while the 1:4 VM-4DP distributes a DP signal to four DP outputs. Both offer a maximum data rate of 10.8Gbps (2.7Gbps per graphic channel) and a maximum resolution capability of 2560×1600 @ 60 Hz. They are also HDTV compatible and HDCP compliant.
The VM-2DP and the VM-4DP feature Kramer’s I-EDIDPro Intelligent EDID Processing technology, in which an Intelligent EDID handling and processing algorithm ensures Plug and Play operation for DisplayPort systems. The VM-2DP and the VM-4DP also feature Kramer’s Equalization and re-Klocking Technology, which rebuilds the digital signal to travel longer distances.
The VM-2DP is a compact DigiTOOLS — three units can be rack mounted side-by-side in a 1U rack space, whereas the VM-4DP is a standard 19” rack mount 1U size. Rack ears are included.
Both the VM-2DP and VM-4DP are shipping now. For more information about the VM-2DP, click here and for more information about the VM-4DP, click here.
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SurgeX Announces Control4 Certified Products
SurgeX has announced that the Axess SX-AX15, Axess Elite SX-AX15E and Axess Ready SA-82-AR are now Control4 Certified. The Axess line is an IP-addressable, surge eliminating, power conditioning and management system that allows monitoring and control of power distribution platforms via the Internet 24/7. Integrators can remotely customize, synthesize and monitor individual outlets and power settings on integrated IP-enabled devices, for a grid-like view of Axess installations. Custom sequences can be created across the entire network with e-mail notifications sent about power phenomena, based on user-defined conditions.
Axess and Axess Elite feature SurgeX’s patented core technology — Advanced Series Mode (ASM) Surge Elimination Technology. SurgeX says the ASM Technology is completely non-sacrificial and eliminates surge energy without producing harmful side effects such as ground contamination or common-mode disturbances. This proprietary technology protects AV and other equipment from power disturbances that can disrupt sound quality and digital performance, and is part of a professional grade power product line offering greater protection than traditional surge suppression solutions.
Here are more details.
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SANUS Partners with Safe Kids Worldwide to Build TV Safety Awareness
A new study released by the American Academy of Pediatrics was published this week that calls attention to the dangers of TV tip-overs. SANUS supports the study’s senior author, Dr. Gary Smith, in his lead to take action via TV mounting, against this increasing problem. According to the study, more than 17,000 children – one every 30 minutes – are treated in emergency rooms across the country for TV related injuries every year. The rate of children hurt from TVs tipping over has nearly doubled in two decades.
According to the study, the number of kids injured by a TV falling on them grew 125 percent between 1990 and 2011. This information was gathered from emergency room records, bringing awareness to the need for greater prevention efforts. With the release of the study, Dr. Gary Smith, a pediatrician at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio was quoted saying, “This is a serious problem, a child is dying once every three weeks from a TV tip-over. The numbers are going up. This is a call to action. These are 100 percent preventable injuries.”
Due to increasing size and new ultra thin designs, today’s flat panel TVs can tip when bumped or pulled, causing them to topple off furniture, potentially causing injury or even death. In support of Dr. Gary Smith’s findings and solutions, SANUS encourages parents to take proper precautions to decrease these preventable accidents by mounting TVs in the home. This year, SANUS and Safe Kids Worldwide partnered to educate consumers about the risk of unsecured flat panel TVs tipping and provide safety solutions.
Safe Kids Worldwide is engaging local coalitions for a grass roots educational movement while SANUS recently launched an educational site, www.tvsafety.org , as well as a national safety awareness consumer ad campaign. TV tip-over deaths are needless and steps can be taken to decrease these preventable accidents from occurring. Use of a flat panel TV wall mount is a safe and secure way to avoid injury. At SANUS , safety is the #1 priority and the company takes extensive measures and works with independent safety certification agencies to ensure that SANUS TV mounts meet US safety standards.
“The growing rate of injuries associated with TV tip-overs is sobering,” said Steve Decker, President – Consumer Products, SANUS. “We believe wall mounting provides a safer alternative to an unsecured TV. It is our goal, through this partnership and safety initiative, to reduce TV tip-over related injuries and help create a safer environment in the home.”
Sanus has a dedicated website addressing kid’s safety here.
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For all you REGULAR readers of rAVe HomeAV Edition out there, hopefully you enjoyed another opinion-packed issue!
For those of you NEW to rAVe, you just read how we are — we are 100% opinionated. We not only report the news and new product stories of the high-end HomeAV industry, but we stuff the articles full of our opinions. That may include (but is not limited to) whether or not the product is even worth looking at, challenging the manufacturers on their specifications, calling a marketing-spec bluff and suggesting ways integrators market their products better. But, one thing is for sure, we are NOT a trade publication that gets paid for running editorial or product stories. Traditional trade publications get paid to run product stories — that’s why you see what you see in most of the pubs out there. We are different: we run what we want to run and NO ONE is going to pay us to write anything good (or bad).
Don’t like us, then go away — unsubscribe! Just use the link below.
To send me feedback, don’t reply to this newsletter – instead, write directly to me at gary@ravepubs.com or for editorial ideas: Editor-in-Chief Sara Abrons at sara@ravepubs.com
A little about me: I graduated from Journalism School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (where I am adjunct faculty). I’ve been in the AV-industry since 1987 where I started with Extron and eventually moved to AMX. So, I guess I am an industry veteran (although I don’t think I am that old). I have been an opinionated columnist for a number of industry publications and in the late 1990s I started the widely read KNews eNewsletter (the first in the AV market) and also created the model for and was co-founder of AV Avenue – which is now known as InfoComm IQ. rAVe Publications has been around since 2003, when we launched our original newsletter, rAVe ProAV Edition.
rAVe HomeAV Edition, co-published with CEDIA, launched in February, 2004.
To read more about my background, our team, and what we do, go to https://www.ravepubs.com
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Copyright 2013 – 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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