Volume 11, Issue 3 — February 21, 2014
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Editorial Editorial Editorial
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Industry News rAVe BlogSquad Control & Signal Processing Cables, Furniture, Mounts, Racks, Screens and Accessories In Brief
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ISE Becomes World’s Largest AV Trade Show and Has Six Clear Tech Themes
By Gary Kayye rAVe Founder
Before the doors closed on the 2014 edition of the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) last week in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, nearly every exhibitor already knew it was a record show. NEC reported to us on Day 2 of the show that they’d seen a 40 percent increase on leads on Day 1 over 2013’s totals. Barco reported similar stats. Same for Sony, Panasonic, Cisco, AOpen, Lighthouse, Peerless-AV and Control4. All reported at least 40 percent increases in leads year over year. Final attendance was 51,003.
ISE is a combo-show in that it combines the best of InfoComm and CEDIA, thus it’s a showing of ProAV and HomeAV products in one giant show venue. But, it also includes an entire hall and a half dedicated to digital signage, one dedicated to nothing but videoconferencing and unified communications providers, one that houses over 40 manufacturers of giant LED screens and one hall that’s nearly exclusively staging rigs, gear and lighting. It’s like a half a dozen shows in one.
What was most interesting to me that, in over 20 years of exhibiting or covering international AV trade shows all over the world, I’ve never seen so many North American-based dealers and integrators walking a show outside of the USA. This may seem like a minor point, but, if you think about it, for years — well for over 20 years, international integrators have been coming over to the U.S. to attend AV shows like InfoComm and CEDIA Expo and now the tables are turned. And, as ISE falls right after CES and a full four months before InfoComm and seven months before CEDIA, it makes sense that ISE will just continue to grow. And, I’ll bet that more U.S. integrators will attend as 2014 marked a record number of product introductions at ISE. And, we know this for sure as we actually shot videos of all of them and posted them all on this site. Well over 1,000 new products.
And, for 2014, there were a few clear themes that you should know about as, not only will they be themes at InfoComm, but the will change integration of AV forever:
1. 4K isn’t 3D: A few years ago, 3D was all the rage. But, alas, it was hype. Not 4K. 4K is the real deal and will, in fact, have a huge impact on ProAV faster than any new display technological evolution in the last 15-years. And, no, not because of image quality. Yes, for the HomeAV market, the impact of image quality will drive 4K. But, the adoption curve will be way slower. Where 3D was driven by the consumer market and trickled up to ProAV, 4K will be driven by the ProAV market and will trickle down to the HomeAV market — when content is available. That will be a year or two away for most of us.
But, with 4K in ProAV systems, the impact will be quick and by InfoComm, some of you will have actually already integrated 4K systems in to meeting rooms and classrooms. Why? Well, 4K makes multi-imaging awesome. And, as you’ll see from theme number two (see #2 below), multi-imaging content, presentations and video is something we will all find very easy to do and something clients will ask us to do as fast as we can. Currently, using a 1080p projector or even a WUXGA resolution one and then sharing the screen between a videoconference an a Powerpoint presentation leaves a lot to be desired. The shrunk-down images and resolution, make the content quality poor. But, imaging building rooms where the screen is filled with native 1080p content (not scaled down) and a Powerpoint shown side by side and both in native resolutions — wow!
But, you’re only thinking short term if you see that as the wow’ing solution for your clients. Here’s where 4K will be big. Imagine replacing the entire (or most of it, anyway) with a giant projection screen and filling the front of the room with native content. You see, for years, we’ve designed rooms with the projection screen size based on the least-favored viewer (the guy sitting at the back of the room). And, with a single image projected on a screen, this makes sense as that image fills the screen. But, the trend in “collaboration” (that word being used for sharing multiple types of content on the same screen (e.g., a Powerpoint presentation and a website at the same time), with 4K you don’t need to lose resolution. And, in that case, both images should be considered — size wise — when sizing the screen for the least favored viewer. Thus, the screens need to be gigantic. Yes, it’s sort of like changing the way we envision a screen into more of the way an IMAX theater is built. And this makes sense. Shrinking down images to display them side by side means that people in the room can’t see the content being displayed. But, keeping the content the same size as specified by room design criteria, means that you need a much bigger screen when displaying two things (or more) at the same time. Think Barco ClickShare, WOW Vision and Christie Brio sharing on the screen you now have in most rooms you designed versus what I am proposing and envisioning. Do it my way and you’ll see all the detail of all four images being displayed no matter where you sit in the room.
So, Da-Lite, Draper, DNP, Projecta, et al. you need to start making larger screens as standard sizes — not custom orders!
2. Collaboration: Collaboration means different things in different markets. In the ProAV market, however, it means sharing multiple pieces of content on the screen simultaneously. So, while making a Powerpoint presentation, you can bring up a website or a spreadsheet and display both of them at their native resolution — so everyone can see everything. Well, at ISE 0214, there were a half-dozen new versions of this from companies like Christie, Sony, WOW Vision, Cisco, Panasonic and a couple I can’t talk about as they were shown to me privately — but, know they are BIG companies.
Sharing content this way is being made possible via two technological advances: the network and the devices. The network (wired or wireless) is capable of delivering any type of content to us without it ever getting on a VGA, HDMI, DisplayPort or DVI connector. And, it’s only a matter of time before projectors and LCDs have built-in network ports that play all types of content without a media player. Did you know that Barco’s already building its ClickShare wireless system into a few lines of projectors? You think we’re far from Sony, Christie and companies like Extron and Crestron doing it? Sure, there’s no way this concept of building systems will be the majority of the market over the next five years, but it will be a significant chunk of it — thus, the devices.
3. Cloud-Based Conferencing: On done form or another, every VTC and UC company that exhibited at ISE showed cloud-connectivity. Some are actually moving towards placing the entire codec in the cloud (like Pexip and Blue Jeans) or are allowing cloud connectivity (connectivity in to a video call via a browser) like the way Cisco and Polycom are doing it. And, then you have Skype (Microsoft will make its AV debut at InfoComm) and Lync and a few other competing “standards” on the horizon. However you do it, you will ALL be integrating Videoconferencing and/or (hopefully or as it’s better) unified communications as the network and the gear is way easier to do this (and fully integrate it in to an AV system) than it ever has been. In the 1990s when this stuff debuted, the phone companies couldn’t deliver on ISDN and T-1s as promised. Then, in the 2000s, the network wasn’t reliable or fast enough. Now, it all just works. And, the gear is easy to integrate and use.
4. Social Media Monitoring NOCs: Yes, the future of network operations centers (NOCs) and command and control systems is not limited to utilities, cities, governments and oil and gas. In fact, the real growth is in social media marketing. No other application is as data intensive as monitoring the thousands of daily mentions on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Vine, WeChat and the handful of other social media tools currently being used to mention company names, complain about customer service or ask for help for big brands. And, brands will be wanting to monitor it all just like a city monitors security and a gas company monitors all their assets. This will be huge and integrators will be integrating thousands of these command centers this year. This market will dwarf the current NOC market within three years. I guarantee it!
5. Digital Signage Simplicity: ISE brought more digital signage products than I’ve ever seen — way more than at the annual DSE — Digital Signage Expo. But DSE is in Las Vegas so the two don’t really compete as DSE is mostly a U.S. show. Most digital signage manufacturers were heading to DSE this week – directly from ISE – and so are we. We have a dedicated DSE MicroSite here (where we’ll post all the show videos we shoot, blogs and news too: www.ravepubs.com/dse2104. But, what’s happened at DSE was the simplicity of the DS system – thanks to the new generation of media players, was evident. Digital signage is for more than IT and HomeAV integrators now – ProAV is getting it.
6. Dante Dominates Networked Audio: There isn’t a single audio manufacturer that matters not using Audinate’s Dante for networking audio. Every company is doing it now — with Extron, Atlas Sound and Crestron being the latest two to announce it. You will be integrating all your audio on the network by the end of 2015. All of it.
Certainly, this doesn’t cover everything that my team saw at ISE. We had 17 reporters at ISE and we shot over 1200 videos, 1000 photos, 15 podcasts and 300 news stories and blogs and you can see it all here. I hope it helps you find the new products you’re looking for. Leave a Comment
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Are You Installing Or Are You Experimenting?
By Lee Distad rAVe Columnist
Not long ago, I received a phone call, out of the blue, from a friend who owns a distributor for Hi-Fi and automation system brands. The reason for the call was even more unexpected. My friend was calling for what I would call a retroactive reference check on a dealer that I know, both personally and professionally.
I call it a reference check because the exact question my friend asked was, “What’s the deal with this guy; is he crazy or an idiot?”
Long story short: The dealer-who-shall-not-be-named oversold a customer on using an IR/RF handheld remote control as a controller for managing the lighting control (a different brand from the remote) he had installed in the house.
Controlled, I might add, via a cunning network of IR repeaters.
While not exactly wrong per se and perhaps working theoretically, in practice it didn’t work at all, which led the dealer to reach out to my friend’s tech support department (his company vends the remote control brand), tying up man-hours and resources trying to make this abomination of a system (and I use that word in the loosest sense of the word) work.
Which brings me to the central thesis of this editorial: Are you actually running an AV business or this just a hobby?
How can you tell the difference?
That’s easy: One makes you money, the other costs you money.
I’d like to assume that nobody likes losing money. Yes, technical hurdles can happen, but professionals do their best to minimize that likelihood.
AV pros are not amateur inventors, puttering about their garage workshops, messing about with barely-identifiable contraptions. AV pros are contractors who’ve been paid to deliver a finished product. So it’s essential to act like one.
That said, there are going to be times that you have to try something new. Technical advances and innovations mean that sometimes you are going to need to experiment and learn something new in order to grow. And trying new things means new problems to solve.
Really, if we all wanted to play it safe and never take a chance, we’d all still be installing RG-59 and volume control knobs.
So what can you do to be a problem solver, while still running and actual business?
First, and I sound like a broken record here: Standardize all of your processes.They way you design, document, install and troubleshoot should all follow standard processes. A consistent approach to both design and install will drastically cut down on time fooling around in the field trying to fix a problem.
Keep it simple. Minimize the number of vendors in a single job is bang on. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, and the best system designs have the least connections that the system requires. More boxes and cables equal more opportunities for something in the connection chain to fail.
Don’t paint yourself into a corner. In situations where you’re going to go into new territory on a jobsite, bill for the actual time it takes you to deliver a finished project. This is something you have to reach an agreement with your client about, but you’re better off working that out in advance than you are if you make a wild guess as to what your labour bill will be, and you’re horribly, horribly wrong.
I can’t stress this enough: Innovate when you’re off the clock. The client’s house is not a good place to Beta test new ideas. Believe me, I speak from experience as I have wasted many hours and lots of dollars futzing about with problems that should have never happened in the first place.
If you want to experiment and try something that’s new, assign your best propeller-head technician (I know you have at least one) with the task of Beta testing new gear, and prioritize the completion of the tests the way you manage the rest of your work activities. Leave a Comment
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Smart TV Still the Wild West?
By Paul Gagnon DisplaySearch
The first Smart TVs shipped more than three years ago, and have been an area of intense focus by many of the TV industry leaders, highlighting CES booths alongside other developments such as 3D and 4K. But with all the time that has passed, there has not been a significant amount of consolidation around successful platforms, such as has happened in the mobile segments. Why not? Why do Smart TV companies insist so often on blazing their own path to the exclusion of industry progression and potentially better consumer adoption? This isn’t much changed from the early Wild West days of the Smart TV category.
I think the answer is simple: Brands still believe there is significant money to be made by attracting consumers to their protected platform.
However, there is little evidence of manufacturers finding success in such efforts, and the development effort and cost to continue with your own platform do not seem to pay off. At the same time, potential open-source efforts like Google TV and the Smart TV Alliance seem to have fizzled while Samsung and LGE announced complete new software environments for their Smart TVs at CES. DisplaySearch’s own consumer research suggests that people just want to use a lean-back device like the TV for a select few low-involvement activities, so complexity and proprietary applications seem unnecessary. With streaming one of the first significant sources of 4K content becoming a reality this year, perhaps there is a new opportunity to reignite interest in Smart TVs.
The success of other streaming devices connected to the TV also brings into question the value of integrating the function within the TV. It’s fairly easy for a consumer to take a 2 year old HD flat panel TV, and make it a Smart TV with the addition of a streaming set-top-box, Blu-Ray player or gaming console. Often, the cost of these solutions is less than the premium for a Smart TV over a basic set. Admittedly, it’s not an elegant wire-free solution, but over 90% of US TV households have put up with a pay-TV box for decades without significant complaint. Globally, the connected TV share of shipments has only improved from 30% in 2012 to 34% in 2013 according to the latest DisplaySearch Quarterly Advanced TV Design and Features Report, mostly as emerging markets fail to take up the technology. Developed Smart TV markets such as Japan and Europe have plateaued in recent quarters, but the US has seen stronger gains recently as the premium has dropped to more mainstream price points.
What does the future hold for Smart TV – more fragmentation or the development of true ecosystems? This and other topics will be explored at the upcoming US FPD Connected Devices conference with companies like Roku, TiVo, Samsung and SambaTV.
This column was reprinted with permission from DisplaySearch and originally appeared here. Leave a Comment
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Barco to Enter Residential Market in 2014One of the first products that Barco ever built was a radio — that was nearly 80-years ago. Now, nearly 40 percent of the digital cinema screens in the world at movie theaters are equipped with Barco’s projectors.
It was only a matter of time before they entered the home theater and home cinema markets.
Now, it’s official. Barco has launched a group called Barco Residential that will debut a line of home entertainment products in 2014. No products yet, but stay tuned, we will cover it. Leave a Comment
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Cedia’s Latest White Paper Aimed at DesignersCEDIA has introduced “A Designers Guide to Common Tech Words and Phrases,” a new white paper targeted at design professionals to allow them to better understand the terminology used in the home technology industry.
Design professionals are an important audience for CEDIA and thanks to a number of focus groups, the association better understands the needs of these professionals. To successfully work together, designers and custom installers need to be able to understand each other and the terminology used.
A Designers Guide to Common Tech Words and Phrases is an 18 page white paper which provides useful definitions for over 100 words and phrases. Besides explaining what words such as Ethernet, cabling and HDMI mean, the document also includes an explanation for CEDIA and a list of frequently asked questions. The White paper answers ‘Can homeowners install their own residential electronic systems?’ ‘How big is the home integration market?’, and ‘What are the benefits of hiring a CEDIA Certified professional?’
The sooner technology is incorporated into a project, the more likely it is to be able to avoid design complications further down the line. Cabling, positioning and stylish integration of the products installed requires advance planning, in order to give clients the highest standard of project completion. A Designers Guide to Common Tech Words and Phrases should aid this process as communication will be improved between design professionals and custom installers.
This new white paper supports CEDIA’s BIID & RIBA accredited CPD presentation ‘Designing Integrated Future-Ready Homes’ which is available to Design Professionals internationally.
To download the white paper, please click here. Leave a Comment
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CEDIA Electronic Lifestyles Awards Competition Now OpenThe Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association’s (CEDIA’s) annual Electronic Lifestyles Awards competition is officially open online here.
Awards entrants have benefited from exposure in industry and consumer publications as well as in project features on the CEDIA Blog, the inspiration gallery on the cedia.org consumer site, and features on HGTVRemodels.com.
- WHO: The Electronic Lifestyles Awards are open to CEDIA member home technology professionals (Designer Awards) and manufacturers (Manufacturers’ Excellence Awards).
- WHAT: Home technology professionals may enter their best projects in the following categories: Integrated Home, Special Project, Media Room, Hidden Installation, Showroom, $20,000 and under project and home theater. Manufacturers may enter products in the following categories: Best New Product, Sustainable Lifestyle Product Innovation and Product Hall of Fame.
- WHEN: Deadline for entering the Designer Awards is April 21, 2014. Deadline for entering the Manufacturers’ Excellence Awards is June 16, 2014.
Go here for more information. Leave a Comment
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ISE Attracts Record Attendance and Looks Forward to Largest-Ever Show in 2015After attracting more than 50,000 registered attendees for the first time in its history from Feb. 4 – 6, 2014, Integrated Systems Europe has cemented its reputation as one of the world’s most popular event for professional AV and electronic systems integration. The final total attendance of 51,003 surpassed even the most optimistic expectations, with Europe’s recovering economies and a record 952 exhibitors helping to fuel attendee growth of 15 percent over last year’s figure of 44,151. rAVe had 17 reporters there in Amsterdam and you can see all our coverage here.
Other highlights of the event were an enlarged Professional Development program, including off-floor training sessions hosted by ISE’s co-owners CEDIA and InfoComm International, with both associations also contributing seminars to the event’s new on-floor theaters dedicated to residential and commercial Solutions. Between them these sessions attracted over 2,400 people, with InfoComm experiencing an almost three-fold increase in its education traffic over 2013 after offering free session vouchers to every 2014 attendee.
ISE 2014’s pre-show events program included the third edition of the Smart Building Conference, the all-new Investor Showcase and Audio Forum, and an Opening Keynote Address, ‘Kick-Starting the Market for Building Automation’, by Cisco’s Dr Dirk Schlesinger. Between them these events attracted a further 1,000 attendees, with hundreds more also signing up for partner events during the show such as the SVGE’s Sport Facility Integration Summit, digital-signage market briefings and tours from Invidis Consulting and the Themed Entertainment Association tour.
Mike Blackman, managing director of Integrated Systems Events, says: “Our big theme this year was content, and we believe we have delivered on our promise to enhance our event – and attract more attendees – by offering a combination of technical training, market intelligence, real-world case studies and networking opportunities that is unmatched by any comparable event in Europe.”
While the show’s attendance continues to rise impressively, there has been no dilution in the spending power of ISE’s visitors if the show’s exhibitor rebooking trend is anything to go by. By the time the doors closed on Thursday 6 February, on-site rebooking for ISE 2015 stood at 33,450 net square metres, compared with the 2014 show’s total net footprint of 36,035. The rebooking figure is 10 percent higher than the equivalent a year ago.
“By all standards of measurement, ISE 2014 was extraordinarily successful,” said David Labuskes, CTS, RCDD, executive director and CEO, InfoComm International. “It was a great way to kick off the industry calendar, and a spectacular way to begin InfoComm International’s 75th year. What started out as a small show in Geneva 11 years ago has blossomed into a truly thriving event. That first ISE was an important early step in our association’s journey beyond its US borders, but would be largely unrecognisable to this year’s ISE attendees.”
“ISE 2014 was phenomenal in every respect,” echoes Wendy Griffiths, executive director, CEDIA Region 1. “This year’s event demonstrated outstanding international growth and CEDIA benefited hugely from this success. More CI companies became CEDIA members at the show than ever before, every CEDIA session in the new ISE Residential Solutions Theatre was jam-packed and CEDIA training courses available off the show floor were also well-attended.”
The next Integrated Systems Europe will take place at the Amsterdam RAI from February 10–12, 2015.
ISE’s website is here. Leave a Comment
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You Picked InfoComm and ISE to Win rAVe’s 2014 Trade Show BattleIn January, we asked the readers of rAVe which trade shows around the world matter enough for them to attend. As most segments of the ProAV industry continue to grow as our world economy finally starts its recovery, there are clear segments of commercial AV that are benefitting — for example, the digital signage, government and rental/staging segments.
And trade shows stand to benefit in 2014. In the U.S., both InfoComm and CEDIA came up as the two biggest beneficiaries of our survey when we asked ProAV’ers which trade shows they plan to attend in 2014 here in the United States. And, internationally, the big winners were ISE (Integrated Systems Europe) and IBC — both in Amsterdam, coincidentally.
Here are the results from last month’s survey, sponsored by EPSON Leave a Comment
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Extron Adds Open 4K Training, 4K WhitePaperExtron has added 4K technology instruction to the Extron Institute. Coursework for the School of Emerging Technologies now addresses designing with Extron twisted pair, fiber optic, signal processing, streaming and playback solutions for high-performance 4K signal extension, routing, and distribution systems. Instruction includes increased resolution demands, color bit-depth, frame rates, dynamic range and the impact these have on the data rate and infrastructure components. In addition, Extron has announced the availability of a 4K whitepaper that explains all about Distributing 4K and UHD Signals in Professional Environments. Just as with other courses from Extron Institute, the School of Emerging Technologies provides continuing and renewal credits for multiple industry certifications.
Extron says they have the industry’s largest variety of products that support 4K and UHD sources and displays and if you’re interested in learning more about the courses with 4K instruction, click here. Leave a Comment
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Atlona Ships AT-HD-M2C Audio Converter Atlona’s new AT-HD-M2C multichannel audio converter is designed to simplify mixed audio installations by converting Dolby and DTS multichannel audio into a two-channel audio format. This enables the reception of multichannel audio content, conversion into two channels and playback on endpoints that normally cannot accept multichannel sources — delivering full compatibility with both displays and legacy devices such as audio receivers.
To convert optimized audio signals from source to display, the AT-HD-M2C uses EDID (Extended Display Identification Data) which they say results in automatic signal detection and delivery and includes discreet status lights for PCM, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS Digital Surround and DTS-HD Master Audio allow users to determine the incoming audio signal at a glance.
For amplifiers and legacy audio receivers, a variety of output ports such as L/R analog audio, coaxial, and TOSLINK digital audio enable pass-through even without HDMI support, while retaining the ability to distribute both audio and video to HDMI displays.
Here are all the specs. Leave a Comment
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AudioControl Ships New 4K Receivers AudioControl just started shipping its new Concert AVR-6 and Concert AVR-8 Ultra HD 4K home theater receivers. Both are high-current amplifiers with the AVR-8 delivering 120 watts per channel into 8 ohms or 200 watts per channel into 4 ohms, all channels driven; and the AVR-6 delivering 100 watts per channel into 8 ohms, all channels driven. Both amplifiers are capable of passing, processing and scaling all signals up to 4K Ultra HD and 3D, have seven HDMI inputs; four COAX SPDIF; two Toslink; six RCA Phono; USB input, Ethernet. Both offer dual HDMI outputs (ARC compatible) and surround modes, including Dolby True HD; Dolby Digital Plus; Dolby Digital EX; Dolby Digital 5.1 Dolby Pro Logic IIx; DTS-HD Master Audio; DTS-ES 6.1 Discrete; DTS-ES 6.1 Matrix; DTS 5.1.
They have seven channels of what Audio Control calls ‘cool running’ Class H amplification, which reduces the need for rack fans. Control options have Ethernet, RS232, 12 volt trigger and IR control options.
Here are all the specs. Leave a Comment
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ihiji Debuts New Cloud-Based Remote IP Network Scan with Auto-Discovery and WAN Performance MonitoringAt ISE in Amsterdam, ihiji debuted a cloud-based IP Network Scan with Auto-Discovery and Internet Speed Test features. The ihiji invision system now features these new enhancements, which enable ihiji’s cloud-based network management solution for systems integrators and IT managers by providing increased capability to remotely detect, diagnose and resolve network issues while saving the time and cost of troubleshooting or rolling a truck.
The new toolset collects data about all connected devices on a given network and provides a detailed inventory reporting as to the IP address, manufacturer, mac address, last seen and first seen instances. The new Auto-Discovery feature can also convert devices into ihiji-managed devices, further simplifying the configuration process.
ihiji’s new cloud-based WAN Performance Monitoring feature allows technology integrators and IT technicians to check and confirm network functionality and relative upload/download speeds at each of their client sites, either as part of regular maintenance or to assist in resolving service issues. In addition to current Internet quality, this feature also logs and charts connection quality over time, providing Internet latency, upload speed, download speed and network jitter information.
Here are all the details. Leave a Comment
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Peerless-AV Promotes Brian McClimans to Vice President of Global Business DevelopmentPeerless-AV has announced the promotion of Brian McClimans to vice president of global business development effective immediately. McClimans will be expanding his role into a stronger international focus. He will be collaborating with Peerless-AV teams based in London, EMEA, Mexico and South America to further expand upon the European and Mexican team’s accomplishments and establish markets and new products to meet each country’s different needs.
To read the complete press release online, click here. Leave a Comment
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Michael Schaffer Named Scala Chief Financial Officer & Chief Operating OfficerScala, Inc. announced this month that it has hired Michael Schaffer as its new chief financial officer and chief operations officer. Reporting to Scala CEO Tom Nix, Schaffer started Jan. 20, 2014. Schaffer will be responsible for Scala’s worldwide finance, technology, facilities and human resources functions.
To read the complete press release online, click here. Leave a Comment
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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.
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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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