Volume 10, Issue 15 — August 19, 2013
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Really Big Jobs: How To Survive And Thrive
By Lee Distad rAVe Columnist
Despite the fact that cost-is-no-object HomeAV projects occupy only the smallest top percentile of all the work done in the channel, they garner the most attention: features in magazines (both AV and architectural), awards like CEDIA’s annual systems competition, and of course the press releases of the manufacturers whose gear took center stage in the project of some celebrity or other.
In that light, large projects are held up as an aspirational goal for residential AV pros. It’s implied that AV dealers, if they work hard and brush their teeth can “graduate” into the realm of routinely doing high-six and low (or even high) seven-figure projects.
Of course, the truth is a little more complicated than that.
For those that don’t already know, I’ll tell you right now that there is a huge difference between executing five figure projects and ones that are much, much larger. Furthermore, I’ve seen firms eagerly bite off on large projects without having the necessary capabilities to deliver it, and it’s sunk them.
Any good salesman can land a half-million or million-dollar project. That’s the easy part. But it takes a symphonic effort from the entire AV team, designers, programmers, installers and office admin to actually pull it off, and do it profitably. In the next few columns I’ll endeavor to suggest how to make that happen.
The first requirement is actually more of a soft skill: discretion.
Despite the temptation to brag to friends and colleagues, being responsible for a million dollar project requires you to be modest and keep that information to yourself. More often than not, high net-worth individuals prefer to keep a low profile.
On one large job I did a few years ago, the homeowner had to hire security for the job-site on weekends when she learned that neighbors were walking through her half-built home, giving themselves tours of the monumental architecture. And when your clients include not just industrial magnates but celebrities and media personalities, you’ll be required to protect your client’s privacy to a greater degree than you already do.
Most of all, an AV company’s business management has to be sound. Million dollar jobs can cripple an installation firm if not managed well. A well-managed large-scale project has a firm keeping on top of all aspects of the project.
Financials, such as collecting deposit checks at various intervals along the design, install and finish stages need to be carefully controlled. Additionally, change orders along the way have to have a rigid process.
You absolutely need to have a contract signed at the beginning stating who has authorization to request changes, with proper paperwork signed off every time a change is requested. These can add up quick and can really put a dent in profits if this is not laid out in the beginning at the quote stage.
You’ve also got to be equipped to deal with complications that are beyond your control. As everyone knows, delays in other aspects of the house construction can delay the AV side of the job, and therefore delay your cash flow. Although delays may have nothing to do with you, it is something that you have to deal with all the time, and on a project where you’re waiting for a hundred-thousand dollar progress payment, it becomes even more significant.
Let’s go a little farther into business management side. Wanting to do big jobs is one thing, but that’s not enough. For one thing, do you have the experience with large jobs to price the quote correctly? What that really means is: Can you do the job profitably?
Financially, can you really afford to take on a job that will tie up your resources for months or years? On that note, what is the opportunity cost to your business (lost revenue and opportunity) while you’re married to this job?
Do you have the discipline to keep the project deposits separate from your operating account? In other words, you’re not spending the profit before you earn it.
Still more operational and financial questions need to be answered: Do you have the credit lines with your manufacturers to support the amount of purchases necessary to deliver on this project?
No matter how big the job and how carefully you’ve structured your payment schedule, you need to have a backup plan and the ability to handle a little bleeding. What happens if the client is slow to pay? What happens if the client cancels mid-job? Even with an ironclad contract, can you spend years litigating while being owed half a million dollars?
This can never be said enough: Get every change order signed. Never, ever have a verbal agreement for changes. If you do, you will be sorry. Most important of all is what you must do before making a deal at all. Investigate the client before signing on. If his reputation precedes him, run far away. The best thing you can do for your competitor is step aside and allow them to jump on an “opportunity” that puts them out of business.
Funny story: I once inherited a project for a local real-estate magnate with a bad reputation who, had it been up to me, I never would have agreed to work with. However, we were still only in the pre-wire stage when fortune smiled upon me: The client shopped around and found a hungry young AV company who poached the project by underbidding us. I took this as divine intervention, and after consulting with our company president, walked away. In total we only lost about five grand on the terminated project.
The punch-line came eighteen months later. One of the owners at the rival company approached us and asked if we would either testify on their behalf in a civil suit: The client had stiffed them, owing them over a quarter million dollars. We politely declined, although behind closed doors we laughed and laughed.
With that object lesson in mind, craft a deposit schedule so you’re always working with the client’s money, never your own.
Also, jobs like this can take two years or more to finish. In that time, specific models of product will come and go. Build in fine print to the contract that allows for model and technology changes in the case of discontinued gear, which actually protects both you and the client.
On the operations side, the system design must be sound, much more so than in smaller jobs, as the price to fix a bad design can be more than the profit built into the original quote.
Regardless of the size of the system, it is the AV pro’s job to make sure the system is working 100 percent. Ultimately this boils down to the principle of simplicity. The best systems, no matter how large, are ultimately simple. By contrast, a poorly designed system, regardless of the price is so unnecessarily complicated and filled with so much stuff that it’s doomed from the moment the contract is signed.
A perfect example of this is an instance where a client of my old firm was building a home on Vancouver Island. Mindful of the travel expenses, we advised him to solicit a design quote from a local integrator, which he then passed to us for review. (By the way, to be fair, the client did pay the local AV pro for their quote — and to be honest, for this individual a few thousand dollars was pocket change.)
While the un-named integrator was clearly enthusiastic, their design was, to be kind, haphazard. After much discussion, the client decided that they would be much more comfortable paying us the travel costs to fly back and forth between Edmonton and Victoria to carry out the project.
Do you have any advice or good stories about really, big jobs? Let us know in the comments! Leave a Comment
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The Chromecast vs. Smart TV
By Paul Gagnon DisplaySearch
Last week Google announced a new Smart TV product, the Chromecast. Immediately this generated a great deal of interest among the tech-enthusiast community. Having received one and set it up, preliminary conclusions are that it is not a Smart TV device, and is far less capable than an Apple TV or Roku or any of the major Smart TV platforms; however, it is a very simple and effective device for streaming content from a smartphone, tablet or even a PC. This usage scenario (limited functionality, functional streaming, low-price, easy to use) is probably just fine with most consumers, and may have a significant impact on the future of connected TV.
Setup The setup of the device was very easy, but some owners of older TVs may have trouble. The device relies on external power from a USB connection, although there is some speculation that HDMI 1.4 or MHL enabled ports could supply direct power. Also, the Chromecast is able to use CEC functionality to turn the TV on if it is sent a signal, but ONLY if it is power by a wall adapter. On-board USB ports on the TV are switched off if the set is powered down.
Connecting over Wi-Fi and downloading setup software was very straightforward with clear instructions and minimal steps. Chromecast was somehow able to determine the network password… which was a bit unnerving.
Usage
The functionality of Chromecast is essentially identical to Apple’s Airplay technology. There are no native applications on the Chromecast, as there are on other Smart TV STBs and TVs. It is only used to stream content as directed from another device. This is also why the package is so small (the size of a large USB memory stick) and cheap at just $35.
For mobile devices, the YouTube, Netflix and Google Play apps have an icon that when pressed, direct the Chromecast to start streaming the same content stream. Support from other apps is forthcoming, such as Pandora and Vimeo. The device is not streaming peer-to-peer (P2P), but rather accessing the same stream over the Internet. The advantage of this is that you can switch applications on the mobile device and not disrupt the stream. It also does not consume smartphone or tablet resources to stream the content, but rather leverages the mobile device to search, select and control the content.
While the mobile device operation is very similar to Apple TV, the ability to send content from a PC via the Chrome Tab Casting feature is unique to the Chromecast and extremely useful, only requiring an extension to the browser, which allows emulation of any tab on the screen, in fairly high resolution, and in full screen mode on the TV.
Some websites do not have apps for streaming on other Smart TV platforms, so there is no option to stream this content aside from directly on the PC, or via a PC connected directly to the TV. Even some applications like Hulu do not offer the full selection of content on their apps. With Chromecast, almost ALL web content is viewable via tab casting, and since the PC is vastly easier and more familiar for consumers to use to find content, the familiar experience eliminates confusion found on most Smart TV platforms.
One limitation is that ‘tab casting’ from the Chrome browser to the Chromecast sends the full signal through the home Wi-Fi network. As a result, there can be performance limitations (buffering, resolution, lag, jutter) from network or PC performance.
Implications for Smart TV
For $35, there is no equal in terms of function, form and value for streaming web content to the TV. This could be the future of Smart TV: The intelligence to find and play content resides on mobile devices (or PCs) and the TV is just a playback screen streaming content from the Internet.
Our research indicates that the percentage of TVs which are connected will increase to 23 percent in North America, though this is well below the global average of 36 percent and behind expectations. The low adoption rate of connected TV in the U.S. relates to the proliferation of other devices that can duplicate the function of Smart TVs for little or no money. Gaming console owners already stream from web apps. Roku and Apple TV are relatively cheap at $60-$100. The Chromecast, at $35, significantly devalues connected TV functions (and may be followed up with an Android game console).
For smart TV makers, this is a big challenge. To date, their solution has been to increase the functionality, complexity and componentry of the Smart TV to compete with other devices in the home. However, this increases the cost while consumers see decreasing value in Smart TV hardware (and set makers struggle with Smart TV obsolescence). The Chromecast will widen this gap further, and appears to be a hit among tech enthusiasts.
This column was reprinted with permission from DisplaySearch and originally appeared here. Leave a Comment
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4K Displays: Is That the Cost or Something Else?
By Steven J. Thorburn, PE, LEED-AP Co-founder, Thorburn Associates
In a word — yes! It is both a cost and a reference to resolution. In the world of film and video, 4K resolution is a picture that has 4096 pixels side-to-side by 2160 pixels top-to-bottom. In the world of flat panel displays, a 4K display or ultra HD has a resolution of 3840×2160 pixels.
So what does all of this mean? It is a reaction to “bigger is better.” Your flat panel TV at home most likely has 1920 pixels side-to-side and 1080 from top-to-bottom. The ratio of 1920 by 1080 is part of the HDTV standard for a display to have an image ratio that is 16 units wide by 9 units tall.
In terms of camera resolution, this would be a 2-megapixel image. A picture or image with this resolution looks great on 30-, 40-, 50-, 60- and 70-inch displays. When we move into 90-inch and larger displays, some people say there is not enough information for a display that large; they say it seems fuzzy.
This discussion about pixels vs. display size is reminiscent of an article we authored on digital cinema a number of years ago when 4K projection was just coming out. As it was then and still is now, it’s all about pixel density. If you do the math, a 45-inch diagonal display is about 40 inches wide and 22 inches tall. That 45-inch display, in HD format has a pixel density of about 50 pixels, or dots per inch (if you are old enough to remember dot matrix printers) side-to-side on the display. If we were to look at a 90-inch diagonal display, it is about 80 inches wide and 45 inches tall and has a pixel density of about 25 pixels or dots per inch. Pixel density and the distance to the display provide you with the clarity factor. If you are so close you can see the display process, that is not good. It is like looking at an image through a screen door.
If we were to look at that same 90-inch display with an ultra HD signal with 3840 pixels across rather than the 1920, then you would be back to looking at about 50 pixels per inch.
So where is this extra information needed? It’s needed anywhere we need images that need to be close to photo realistic, including remote medical diagnostics, map making, CAD/CAM or direct view displays larger than 100 inches. History is a great teacher. This is the same challenge that digital cinema went through: How many pixels do they need to put on the screen to make an image that is good enough, not equal to film, but good enough in the consumer’s view? Digital cinema is stuck at 4K resolution right now, on a 20 to 40 foot if not wider screen. A 4K image on a forty foot screen is about 8 pixels per inch… so it is all about what you want to see: 8 to 16 pixels per inch for the movies, 25 to 50 for TV at your home, or 100 on your laptop. The question is how much information do you want and where?
As to the price, You should be able to get a 4K display at your favorite box store for about $6,000 right now. The price should be down to about $4,000 dollars for the holidays and definitely for the Super Bowl. Ultimately, the questions we always ask is, what are you looking at, what do you need to see, how much resolution is needed to support your computer desktop, or is a life at stake? These are the questions that will help you decide if 4K is needed or if it is just the next wow factor. A 4K image on a screen less than 80 inches just to watch movies or sports… you will have the bragging rights of the neighborhood, but will you see the difference? Most experts would say no.
Steven J. Thorburn, PE, LEED-AP is co-founder of Thorburn Associates, Inc., an acoustics, technology and lighting design firm with offices in California, Florida and North Carolina. He is a recipient of InfoComm’s Educator of the Year award and is active in the design and development of projects around the world. Leave a Comment
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LCDs Are Knocking at Your Door
By David Barnes DisplayDaily
A recent report by IHS describes a nascent market for front-door security displays. Does this mean LCDs are knocking at your door? Reading the news, I get the sense LCDs are knocking on everyone’s door, as panel makers seek to enter every conceivable market. The IHS report notes how price competition in conventional audio systems for checking who’s outside your door leads to interest in new value propositions, such as video and audio surveillance, but that implies highly elastic demand relative to price. A rising demand for door-mounted LCDs requires falling prices.
Indeed, the latest issue of NPD DisplaySearch’s PriceWise shows prices declining from last August, especially prices for mobile phone panels. Looking at the venerable 2.2” mobile panel, we see a 13 percent price decline from August 2012 (YoY). Looking back to August 2009, we can see an exponential decline of 8 percent a year, with greater declines in 2010 and 2013… the typical three-year crystal cycle. Prices for more modern phones decreased also: 12 percent YoY for 2.8” panels and 14 percent YoY for 3.5” panels.
Several market research firms have released Q2’13 figures for smartphone market shares and these help us understand why panel prices are declining now. The pace of small panel price decay was slower in 2011 and 2012, which attracted panel makers to allocate more capacity to mobile applications. As many analysts and journalists have noted, demand for premium smartphones may be peaking in rich markets, so producers are pushing into poorer ones. The thing about less rich countries is that consumers have less to spend, so prices must come down.
Canalys tells us that five Chinese phone vendors shipped 20 percent of the world’s smartphones in Q2’13. The two largest of these, Yulong (the Coolpad brand) and Lenovo grew shipments 166 percent YoY and captured 4 more points of market share. IDC tells a similar story but ranks ZTE above Yulong.
The picture becomes clearer when we look at regional shipments. Canalys reports China and India consuming 41 percent of all smartphones in Q2’13, up from 29 percent in Q2’12. India accounted for only 4 percent but that was a 131 percent increase in unit terms. No wonder phone and tablet makers are gearing up for mid-market price points… most consumers cannot afford the little jewels from Apple or Samsung.
The large panel market has had its troubles, also. Temporary effects from China’s decision to let TV subsidies lapse included inventory build-ups, which are being worked through by cutting orders and prices. The PC market remains in the doldrums also. Even the touch features of Windows 8 have not pulled consumers away from their phones and pads. Nevertheless, financial results from AU Optronics (AUO) indicate that it was better to be in the large panel business last quarter. Charting AUO’s implied display area revenue (price) per square meter from Q1’02 through Q2’13 shows price decay of 16 percent per year (on an exponential trend line). Recent results (with solar cells removed from consideration) have been above the trend. I think some of that upside comes from a small, small panel business. AUO shipped only 4 percent of its display area into small-medium panel markets last quarter, up only slightly from 3 percent in Q2’12. That is quite different than the mix for other Taiwanese producers, which have sought ways to avoid head-on confrontation with Korean and Chinese producers of large panels. Competition in the premium UHD TV segment has intensified, of course, but AUO’s large area price fell only 5 percent YoY while its small area price fell 16 percent YoY. It’s a good time not to be in the commodity market for small panels.
I must also credit AUO management for wise choices about investing. The company has put only $1 billion into the ground in the most recent four quarters compared to nearly $1.8 billion during the Q3’11-Q2’12 period. Shareholder equity declined but AUO generated a positive $1 billion of free cash flow instead of the negative $1.6 billion it generated in the Q3’11-Q2’12 period. This lifts the long-term aggregate flow to a positive $38 million since Q1’02. That’s not much but it’s more than most panel producers can show… AUO is knocking on the door of economic success. Back to Top |
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CEDIA Announces 2013 Manufacturers’ Excellence Awards Finalists CEDIA has announced the 2013 Manufacturers’ Excellence Awards finalists. The finalists include 31 products in the Best New Product category and two products for the Sustainable Lifestyle Product Innovation category. The winners will be announced at a press conference on Sept. 27 at 9:00 a.m. at CEDIA EXPO 2013 in Denver. In addition, winners will be recognized at the annual Electronic Lifestyles Awards Celebration on Saturday, Sept. 28.
2013 Best New Product Finalists
Atlona: AT-PRO3HD66M (6×6 HDMI to HDBaseT Matrix Switcher)
Lutron Electronics Co., Inc.: Lutron XL Pleated Shade
Autonomic Controls, Inc.: Mirage Audio System, MAS-8
Lutron Electronics Co., Inc.: The Lutron Coulisse Collection
Control4: Control4 Wireless Music Bridge
OnQ/Legrand: Four-Port Coax Network Adapter
Control4: Control4 Wireless Lighting
OnQ/Legrand: Vantage Equinox 73 & Companion Tablet Apps
Core Brands: Niles SI-1650 Amplifier
PRIMA Cinema, Inc.: PRIMA Cinema
Core Brands: Niles Cynema Soundfield
Snap AV: EA-MINI-3D-35 Episode 35 Watts per Channel Digital Mini-Amplifier
Core Brands: Panamax SP-1000 SmartPlug
Snap AV: WPS-750-BUL-IP Wirepath Surveillance 750-Series IP Outdoor Bullet Camera
Crestron Electronics, Inc.: TST-600 5.7″ Wireless Touch Screen
Snap AV: WB-600-IPVCE-12 Wattbox IP+ Controllable 12 Outlet (8 Controlled) Rack Mount Power Conditioner
Fibaro: Home Center 2
Snap AV: Binary HDBaseT16x16 Matrix Switcher with HDMI and HDBaseT Outputs
Hidden Vision: Flip-Around TV Mount
Somfy Systems, Inc.: animeo IP Automated Total Solar Management System
Honeywell Cable: Tuxedo Touch with Total Connect
Sonance: Sonarray SR1 System
Hunter Douglas: Hunter Douglas Platinum Gateway Integration System
Sonance: SLS High Output
ihiji: ihiji Client Care Plan
Sonance: Visual Performance VP66 In-Wall Speaker
Kaleidescape, Inc.: Kaleidescape Cinema One
Wilson Electronics: AG Pro Quint Cellular Signal Booster
Kordz Pty Ltd: Neo-S3
Wyrestorm: Wyrestorm’s AMP-001-010 HDBaseT D Class Digital Audio Amplifier
Kwikset: 2nd Generation SmartCode Deadbolt Lock with Home Connect™ Technology
Sustainable Lifestyle Product Innovation Finalists
Crestron Electronics, Inc.: Crestron Fusion EM Software
Somfy Systems, Inc.: animeo IP Automated Total Solar Management System
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Crestron Introduces New Battery-Powered Two-Button Wireless Keypad Crestron has introduced a new two-button wireless keypad (HTT-B2EX-BATT) to its line of infiNET EX wireless lighting control products. Available in black or white, the HTT-B2EX-BATT is battery-powered, portable and designed to control a wide range of applications, including as a bedside controller in homes and hotels, a personal workspace controller or a conference room presenter selector.
Aimed at both the home and pro markets, Crestron promotes the keypad as a simple wireless controller for lighting, automation and entertainment. As a bedside remote, it’s fully-programmable to perform tasks such as turn on/off lights or open/close shades. Customized “Good Morning” or “Good Night” presets enable one-touch control of several room features at once. The optional lamp cord tether provides convenience with added security, so the keypad never checks out of the room. Similar to its use in hotel guest rooms and suites, the two-button wireless keypad is also perfect for homes as a portable bedside controller.
For commercial applications, Crestron says that the two-bottom keypad is a cost-effective presentation interface offering one-touch control that makes starting a presentation and switching between presenters is easy and intuitive.
The two-button keypad wirelessly connects to a Crestron control system, substantially reducing wiring and related labor costs of traditional wired systems. Using Crestron infiNET EX 2.4 GHz mesh network technology, the HTT-B2EX-BATT ensures high performance in even the most extreme RF environments. Crestron says the redundant nature of its mesh networking technology means that a command will never be missed which results in faultless operation. Ideal for new and retrofit applications, HTT-B2EX-BATT is powered by two lithium coin cell batteries.
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Vizio Updates Smart TV Platform VIZIO today announced the availability of its all-new connected platform — VIZIO Internet Apps Plus. The new smart TV experience debuted on VIZIO’s all-new M-Series Razor LED smart TV collection that includes sizes from 32″ to 80″.
The new platform features a full-screen app browsing and discovery mode with the ability to control apps with mobile devices and a more intuitive app launcher than the company’s last version. Consumers can not only navigate quicker and easier, but the redesign also provides access to a newly expanded full-screen app library, making it easier to find, organize and browse the full collection of apps. The new interface also overlays an app launcher along the bottom of the screen for quick, at-a-glance access to seven of the user’s favorite apps. With the selected app now in center focus of the display, users can better view the previous three and next three apps in the carousel for faster navigation.
Users can now control apps with a mobile device, paving the way to seamless second screen interactivity between phones, tablets and smart TVs. The YouTube “Send to TV” feature (nearly identical to how Apple AirPlay works) allows consumers to send a YouTube video from their mobile devices to the TV when both are connected on the same Wi-Fi network.
For more information on VIZIO’s all-new VIZIO Internet Apps Plus smart TV platform or the latest M-Series HDTV collection, click here. Leave a Comment
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Vizio Debuts Three New Sound BarsVizio’s newest sound bars include a new 29″ 2.0 Home Theater Sound Bar (S2920w), a 38″ 2.0 Home Theater Sound Bar with what it’s calling “integrated deep bass” (S3820w) and a 38″ 2.1 Home Theater Sound Bar with a wireless subwoofer (S3831w). They all share the same design as VIZIO’s borderless M-Series Razor LED TVs.
Featuring DTS audio technology, the sound bars are rated at audio output specs of 95 dB, 98 dB and 100 dB for the 29″, 38″ 2.0 and the 38″ 2.1, respectively.
The 29″ is priced at $80, while the 38″ 2.0 is priced at $120 and the 38″ 2.1 with wireless sub is $180. Get all the specs here. Leave a Comment
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Sharp Intros 20-Inch LED Display That Can Be Used In Any Configuration Sharp has debuted a unique, multi-touch LED 20″ display that can be used while flat, angled or while hanging or mounted. When flat, it can be mounted in tables or lecterns in classrooms. When angled, it sits at 75-degrees with the included stand. It can also be used as an interactive second computer monitor, or when vertical, it could be used as a digital signage kiosk.
The 1920×1080 resolution LL-S201A uses an edge-to-edge glass design; it weighs in at just over 5 pounds and is 1″ thick.
Sharp Pen Software makes the 20″ LCD like an AQUOS BOARD Interactive Display as it’s integrated with Windows 8 compatibility. A palm cancellation function prioritizes the touch of the pen over touch – making it easy for any sized hand or user. It supports up to 10 touch points, and can be used in a wide variety of applications, including corporate, digital signage, creative work and proofreading, medical, education and even gaming or as a personal tablet.
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BenQ Claims World’s First Projector with Wireless WHDI BenQ’s newest projector is the W1500, a native 1920×1080 DLP projector that claims to be the first with the Wireless Home Digital Interface (WHDI). WHDI is a consumer electronic standard for a wireless HDTV connectivity that allows for uncompressed HD video over a wireless RF frequency of 5 GHz. WHDI is supported and driven by AMIMON, Hitachi Ltd., LG Electronics, Motorola, Samsung Group, Sharp Corporation and Sony as well as BenQ. It means that you can connect any WHDI device to the BenQ projector without any cables — as long as the Blu-ray player, HD set-top box, phone, etc. has WHDI integrated as an output. Alternatively, you could use a WHDI transmitter that converts HDMI at 1080p to WHDI, such as those made by StarTech or Peerless-AV’s PeerAir system.
Using so-called BenQ’s Colorific image quality, the 2,200 ANSI lumen W1500 uses a DarkChip3 DLP chip and features a six-segment color wheel, allowing it to reproduce the Rec. 709 color gamut. In addition, the projector is ISFccc-certified by the Imaging Science Foundation (ISF), enabling viewers to enjoy a professionally calibrated picture with two optimized modes — ISF Day and ISF Night — for an enhanced entertainment experience.
Using the 5 GHz radio transmission band, the W1500 projector transfers both 2D and 3D HD video and audio with the same zero-latency as a wired connection over distances of up to 65 feet. If you want to use it in 3D, the projector supports HDMI, full 3D timing, NVDIA 3DTV Play, and 2D to 3D conversion. In addition, the W1500 is integrated with vertical lens shift, and 1.6x zoom lens and the projector’s built-in lens can project an 84 inch image from 6 feet away.
In “Eco Blank” mode, the projector blanks out the screen whenever projection isn’t needed, saving up to 70 percent of lamp power while a “No Source Detected” mode automatically lowers brightness to 30 percent when no display has been detected for more than three minutes. In “Standby” mode, the W1500 lowers power consumption to less than 0.5 watts during periods of inactivity.
BenQ’s W1500 FHD wireless projector is now shipping and lists for $2,299. Full specs are here. Leave a Comment
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Crestron Adds New IOEX Control Modules for IR, Series, Relay DevicesCrestron has announced the release of two new infiNET EX IOEX Wireless Control Modules. Designed for retrofit applications, the IOEX modules offer a way to add wireless control of serial, IR and relay devices in homes and commercial buildings. The INET-IOEX-IRCOM enables long distance wireless communication between 3-Series control systems and devices such as TVs, cable boxes, displays, projector screens, AV components, switchers and other equipment that is controllable using basic serial or IR commands. The INET-IOEX-RYIO provides a low-voltage relay and digital input control interface for remote devices such as garage door openers, sensors, motorized screens and other relay-controlled devices, while providing the same wireless communication to a Crestron control system. Using either or both modules, the connected device can then be controlled from any Crestron user interface or from any Apple or Android mobile device.
The INET-IOEX-IRCOM features one RS232 and two IR control ports and can be mounted discreetly behind a display or inconspicuously on a wall near the desired device. INET-IOEX-RYIO provides two isolated relays and two digital input ports while communicating with a Crestron control system over the infiNET EX wireless network to enable control and monitoring of the remote equipment.
Get the specs for the INET-IOEX-IRCOM here and for the NET-IOEX-RYIO here. Leave a Comment
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Atlona Ships New 6×6 HDMI to HDBaseT Matrix SwitcherAtlona is now shipping its PRO3HD66M 6×6 HDMI to HDBaseT matrix switcher that uses HDBaseT and Power over Category cable (PoCc) to extend up to six sources to six HDBaseT outputs and two mirrored HDMI output connections over a distance of up to 230 feet (70 meters). The device powers zone extenders eliminate the need for remote receivers to require a separate power source and result in increased cost-effectiveness. In addition, control via IR and RS232 or Ethernet is available too.
The PRO3HD66M switcher’s S/PDIF outputs support multichannel audio up to Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1. In addition, Dolby TrueHD lossless HD digital audio and DTS HD Master Audio are supported on two mirrored HDMI outputs, enabling multichannel HD digital audio from Blu-ray sources.
Here are all the specs. Back to Top |
BitWise Controls Unveils Its Newest Product, the BitWise Room Remote BitWise Controls has a new handheld RF remote that can be used to control all BitWise-connected devices in a room. Called the Room Remote, it includes keys for the most common functions and it allows a room to be controlled with the remote as well as by BitWise apps. The remote and apps stay in sync during use, which means a selection made via control app is automatically transferred to the remote and vice versa — so there is no need to re-select.
Integrators will be able to add a Room Remote and RF receiver to any BitWise controller, and multiple remotes can communicate with a single RF receiver. Additionally, up to 255 remotes can be incorporated into an installation, making this a scalable option for commercial projects — like bars and restaurants. The BitWise Room Remote will be debuting at CEDIA but full specs are here. Leave a Comment
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Kramer USA Moves to New Headquarters FacilityKramer Electronics announced the opening of its new United States headquarters facility, the new home for the Kramer USA sales, marketing and product development/support teams. The new facility is located in the Township of Union, in Hunterdon County, NJ; about two miles from the company’s previous U.S. headquarters facility.
To read the complete press release online, click here. Leave a Comment
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BitWise Controls Launches A New Dealer StoreBitWise Controls announced this month the launch of a brand new Dealer Store for its authorized representatives, integrators and dealers. The BitWise Dealer Store was built to provide a one-stop-shop for integrators designing commercial and residential automation systems. Along with GUI templates, the store carries BitWise and third-party programming modules for easy download. The modules are single files that combine device programming and pre-configured GUI content, allowing integrators to skip the time-consuming task of writing custom two-way device drivers.
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Almo Professional A/V and ClearOne Partner to Expand Distribution of AV SolutionsAlmo Professional A/V and ClearOne last month announced a new distribution agreement that gives Almo partners access to ClearOne’s software-based video conferencing solutions, select audio conferencing products, multimedia streaming and digital signage.
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Atlona Announces Distribution Partnership With HermanAtlona, a digital connectivity solutions provider, has announced that the company has formed a new distribution partnership with Herman, a provider of AV products, procurement services and labor resources to systems integrators in the commercial AV and broadcast industries. Under the agreement, Herman’s customers will obtain access to Atlona’s wide range of advanced connectivity products.
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Mersive Adds New Executives Rick Emery and Thomas RugeMersive announced this month it has added two new executives to support the growing demand for its recently released Solstice product. Rick Emery has joined as the vice president of sales and business development and Thomas Ruge has joined as the vice president of product development.
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CastNET Hires Joe Bailo as West Regional Director of SalesCastNET announced last month the hiring of Joe Bailo as the western region director of sales. Prior to joining CastNET, Bailo had 19 years experience in sales management and senior management positions with several companies who marketed gaming and casino technology systems.
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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 Back to Top |
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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