Volume 11, Issue 9 — May 15, 2014
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rAVe BlogSquad Industry News Control & Signal Processing Audio
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Non-Acoustic Room Treatments For Intangible Effects
By Lee Distad rAVe Columnist
There are two key ways that real AV pros set their work apart from the offerings of both the big box retailers and the hang-and-bang guys.
The first one is that their integration of multiple devices, sources, display and controls actually work.
The second is that they know how to set the stage. A really nice home AV system is more than just a huge display, a bunch of sources, and a sound system; it’s a whole experience.
Part and parcel of the experience is the room treatment. Not only the tuning of the room for acoustic performance (which is a huge subject in itself), but dressing the room for maximum enjoyment, better known as the “WOW!” factor.
Lighting control seldom gets the credit it deserves for well-designed AV rooms, but it goes beyond just dimming the lights when the movie starts. Visual accents such as star ceiling panels, fiber optic lighting in general and LED strips are décor accents that add enormous visual appeal to a home cinema.
Fiber optic lighting solutions, whether simple or complex, have been inexpensive and mainstream for years. Most of them can be sourced locally through electrical supply outfitters. Pick up a few catalogs or go online and browse.
LED strip lighting, which comes in flexible low-voltage strips and an assortment of corner pieces, can be used to create highlight glow effects around the perimeter of the ceiling or on their own, as accent lighting, depending on the color pallet that you choose.
Rope lighting can be used to delineate steps and risers in a darkened room. Every one that I’ve ever seen are dimmable in the same way as conventional light fixtures, and thus are controllable.
The products themselves are inexpensive and easy to acquire, but the visual appeal they create is quite stunning, and adding them into the room treatment is both aesthetically pleasing and adds labor dollars into the project.
Some off-the shelf fiber optic and rope light products are entirely low voltage and just plug in to an outlet, but some connect directly to the home’s 120v AC and need to be connected by a licensed electrician. Choose your products accordingly.
Possibly the most dramatic décor accessory that integrators can add into an installation is a star ceiling, composed of ceiling tiles embedded with fiber optics.
Acoustically absorbent, they’re typically configured in 24×24″, 30×30″ and 48×48″ square panels that can surface mount to finished ceilings or cloud mount below the ceiling, as well as 24×24″ drop in panels for suspended ceilings. The panels can be easily cut to accommodate lighting fixtures, smoke alarms and such. Triangle and quarter round end piece panels with stars are also available to accommodate odd-shaped rooms.
The big advantage to star ceiling panels is their simplicity. Over a decade ago, installing a star ceiling required drilling thousands of holes and manually running individual fibers back to a home run location.
That’s the kind of install task that I’d rather do almost anything else to avoid.
The simplicity of panel star ceilings makes them accessible to clients with a broad range of budgets. Even installed in a modest sized room on a modest sized AV system (say $10K and up) it’s an easy few hundred to couple of thousand dollars to secure agreement on from the client.
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Is Sony Reconsidering OLED?
By Chris Chinnock Display Central
Rumors have been flying today because of a story written by the Nikkei Asian Review claiming that Sony is getting out of OLED TVs to focus on 4K LCD TVs. On the other hand, we have seen reports that quote Sony as denying this development. What exactly is going on is unclear, but it is not unreasonable to assume that Sony is taking a measured look at OLED TVs with the outcome perhaps to be revealed soon.
According to the Nikkei report, Sony will reassign the people now working to develop OLED TVs at the Atsugi Technology Center and elsewhere to other tasks, including development of 4K-related products. At the same time, the company will take steps to cut costs in order to turn its TV business around. That includes plans to slash labor expenses for consumer electronics products by more than 20 percent.
Countering this report is news from the UK’s What-HiFi magazine that claims Sony sent them a statement denying the Nikkei report. Sony’s statement reads: “Sony has made no announcement in this regard. Sony continues developing and looking into reliable ways to mass produce OLED displays for consumers while continuing to build experience via providing OLED displays for professional, medical and broadcast use.”
If Sony is getting out of OLEDs, this will be the second time it has done so. Remember the Sony Xel 1 11.5″ OLED TV the company launched back in 2009 for $2,500? That didn’t last too long.
At CES 2013, it then showed a 56″ OLED TV prototype that it said was being developed with Panasonic and AUO. In December of 2013, Sony ended the partnership with Panasonic stating it would pursue development on its own.
There have also been rumors of Samsung reconsidering OLED TVs as its RGB OLED approach may be having troubling scaling to TV sizes with good yields. LG seems to be going full bore on OLEDs, however with their white OLED/color filter approach.
If Samsung is having yield issues, Sony, which also has an RGB approach, may be experiencing the same. And to be competitive, these OLED sets will have to offer 4K resolution — which will clearly have a yield impact as well.
Most forecasts for OLED TVs are quite modest over the near and midterm and will not make much of a dent in the LCD TV market. That may be OK if you can charge a good premium for the sets or you have other reasons to produce these models. Those reasons might be technology leadership, overlap with other OLED display segments, or brand leadership. Sony certainly wants to be a technology and brand leader in TVs, but has lost so much money over the last decade pursing that goal, that the idea of continuing this quest may be getting some serious push back.
Sony’s most recent financial statement revealed it lost $1.26B in its last fiscal year ended March 31, 2014, which included $248M in losses at its Home Entertainment and Sound Division (which includes TVs). Sales of TVs increased nearly 30 percent to $7.3B due to a larger share of higher-priced models, but the group still saw a loss of $250M. That’s better than last’s year’s loss of $683M, but will it ever get into the black?
Sony also makes a line of professional OLED monitors as well, so will these continue? In my discussions with Sony’s Professional group, it is clear that that part of the business is doing very well. At NAB, they announced new 2K OLED monitors and showed a 4K prototype, which should hit the market soon. These offer reference grade image quality.
But is it sustainable? Many say the market for such expensive displays is more limited than it used to be and alternatives are emerging. For example, quantum dot technology in LCD is going to give OLEDs a run for their money in terms of color gamut. The Rec 2020 color gamut is coming so what technologies can meet that need? Sony already uses quantum dots in their LCD TVs, so may be considering using quantum dots in the future and eliminating OLEDs — but that is mere speculation.
OLEDs offer the best black levels too, but with dynamic backlights and high dynamic range displays on the horizon, LCDs will start to rival OLEDs as well. In fact, OLED may be at a disadvantage for HDR displays because they may not be able to sustain the peak brightness levels without ramifications.
One area OLEDs clearly excel at is response speed. There are some LCD modes that hope to improve in this area, but none seem on the commercialization horizon right now. Maybe we will learn more about that at next month’s SID’s Display Week in San Diego. Leave a Comment
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Pakedge Debuts Replacement for K6x Router in K60D routerPakedge Device & Software has announced that its K6x routers have reached End of Life (EOL) status and will be replaced with the K60D series, based on the K60D Enterprise-Class Router. According to Pakedge, these new kits provide increased internal networking speed, throughput, and boast a session-count of up to 500,000 simultaneous sessions — allowing an unprecedented number of applications to run on a network.
Pakedge will continue to provide lifetime technical support for legacy K6x router kits. K6x units requiring replacement service during the warranty period will be replaced with the corresponding K60Dx unit. Pakedge technical support is available for those moving to the K60Dx routers, including assistance with updating previous router configuration files.
Each K60D router kit offers optional UTM provided by Fortinet, allowing an enhanced firewall with Intrusion Detection and Prevention, Application Control, Web Filtering, VPN, anti-spam and anti-virus — all directly at the gateway, ensuring that infected traffic can never access sensitive data on your network. K60D router kits integrate seamlessly with the BakPak, Pakedge’s cloud-integrated mobile and Web app.
Pakedge K60D router kits are available in the following configurations:
- K60D/K60DU: Gigabit Preconfigured Router with 10 ports
- K60D-S8Mpd/R60DU-S8Mpd: Preconfigured K60D with 8-Port Gigabit Managed Switch
- K60D-S8Hav/R60DU-S8Hav: Preconfigured K60D with 8-Port Gigabit PoE/PoE+ Managed Switch
- K60D-S24P8av/R60DU-S24P8av: Preconfigured K60D with 24-Port Gigabit Managed Switch with 8 Ports PoE
- K60D-S24P16av/R60DU-S24P16av: Preconfigured K60D with 24-Port Gigabit Managed Switch with 16 Ports PoE
- K60D-S24Pav/R60DU-S24Pav: Preconfigured K60D with 24-Port Gigabit PoE Managed Switch
- K60D-S24Hav/R60DU-S24Hav: Preconfigured K60D with 24-Port Gigabit PoE/PoE+ Managed Switch
- K60D-S24F/R60DU-S24F: Preconfigured K60D with 24-Port Gigabit Front-Facing Managed Switch
- K60D-S24HF/R60DU-S24HF: Preconfigured K60D with 24-Port Gigabit PoE/PoE+ Front-Facing Managed Switch
- K60D-S24av/R60DU-S24av: Preconfigured K60D with 24-Port Gigabit Managed Switch
The K60D Router Kit features:
- Preconfigured for small business and residential installations without the complexity of enterprise configurations
- Predefined basic and advanced settings with Pakedge support.
- A/V rack mountable, Fits standard 19” 1U slot. Kits will vary from 1U to 2U depending on switch selection
- Dual WAN ports for redundant Internet connections deliver higher availability and switch over to the other connection when the first one fails
- Multiple VPN tunnels
- 7 Gigabit internal switch ports
- Dedicated DMZ port
- Single USB port that allows you to connect a compatible third-party 3G/4G USB modem, providing additional WAN connectivity or a redundant link for maximum reliability
- Secure guest and employee network
- Pakedge VLAN technology compartmentalizes traffic into user specified subnetworks to reduce resource conflicts, simplify traffic management, support multiple diverse devices with no loss in performance
See all the specs here. Leave a Comment
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Wi-Fi On the SeaIf you do any marine business at all, you realize one modern problem of yacht owners is how to stay connected with the Internet. The tragic disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight MH-370 underlined for the public that there are still places on the high seas that are unreachable by what we think is our ubiquitous communications technology.
That’s where Zinwave Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) technology comes in. The company’s in-building wireless DAS also provides ubiquitous wireless coverage for super yachts, commercial vessels and cruise liners — and is already bring deployed by a number of ship building yards in the UK and Europe.
That’s right — Zinwave’s “in-building” wireless designed to solve connectivity issues inside the four walls of buildings is now on the horizon for many lovers of the open, fresh air of the high seas.
Most cruise liners, super yachts and commercial vessels have a limited onboard network infrastructure. Communication via satellite phone or laptop is no longer sufficient to meet passenger and crew demand for high speed access to voice and data services.
Reliable coverage is difficult to achieve because the metal structure of most maritime vessels blocks RF transmission, particularly on lower decks. In order to overcome these issues, not only do captains/boat owners require an onboard GSM network that supports international spectrums, they also need an effective means of amplifying RF signals to ensure optimal coverage in all areas.
Zinwave’s in-building active DAS is a solution because of its ability to do this cost effectively. Zinwave’s primary hub connects to the onboard base station or repeater, its secondary hub is used to distribute the required services (which can be changed depending on location or licensing agreements) and its remote antennas are discretely installed throughout the vessel to provide optimal coverage.
Zinwave’s wideband active DAS is frequency-agnostic and supports multiple services and frequencies between 150 MHz and 2700 MHz, regardless of modulation scheme or protocol. It is the only system globally, says the maker, that is capable of supporting commercial cellular services, public safety services, Wi-Fi services and private radio services, such as onboard walkie-talkie systems, on a single hardware layer.
It also eliminates the need for expensive infrastructure or hardware upgrades to accommodate new services, such as 4G LTE, as they become available, delivering the lowest total cost of ownership per installation and offering rapid ROI. With a portfolio of installations, Zinwave’s technology also serves other markets including hospitality, utilities, corporate enterprises, healthcare and public venues.
More information on the company’s marine applications is here.
This article originally appeared in rAVe Europe. Leave a Comment
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HDMI Forum Releases Compliance Test Spec for 2.0 HDMI Forum has released the Compliance Test Specification (CTS) for Version 2.0 of the HDMI specification, the document by which adopters can ensure that their 2.0-enabled HDMI products are compliant with Version 2.0 of the HDMI Specification.
Launched late in 2013, Version 2.0 of the HDMI Specification offers a significant increase in bandwidth (up to 18 Gbps) to support new features such:
- 4K@50/60 (2160p), which is four times the clarity of 1080p/60 video resolution
- 32 audio channels
- dynamic auto lip-sync and extensions to CEC.
Version 2.0 is backward compatible with earlier versions of the HDMI Specification.
The 2.0 CTS and the HDMI 2.0 Specification are available for download by licensed HDMI Adopters who have signed the 2.0 Addendum to the HDMI Adopter Agreement. Both documents can be found on the HDMI Adopter Extranet.
There are 12 Authorized Test Centers (ATCs) worldwide where licensed manufacturers can submit their products for compliance testing. In North America, it’s Silicon Image in California and in Europe it’s in France at Presto Engineering.
More information on the HDMI Forum is here. More information on HDMI 2.0 is here.
This article originally appeared in rAVe Europe. Leave a Comment
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CEDIA’s 2014 Line-up Impresses rAVe CEDIA has announced the special events line up for CEDIA EXPO 2014. In addition to the wide array of training to take and exhibitors to visit, CEDIA EXPO also offers a full schedule of events that provide an opportunity for attendees to learn, network, and just have fun. Home technology professionals looking for an 360 community engagement experience that goes beyond the show floor can find it at CEDIA EXPO.
The special events lineup includes:
- First Time Attendee Orientation – 4:15 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. Wed, Sept. 10 – The First Time Attendee Orientation was introduced at CEDIA EXPO last year as a way to familiarize and prepare new attendees to take advantage of every aspect of CEDIA EXPO as well as engage in networking with industry professionals early. Participants engage with both CEDIA staff, volunteers and CEDIA Board Members as they learn what to expect and how to be maximize their show experience.
- Opening Keynote – 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Wed, Sept. 10 – Colorado Convention Center. Sony Electronics COO & President Mike Fasulo will share his insights on the industry.
- Welcome Reception/Jam Session – 6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Wed, Sept. 10 – Colorado Convention Center. This year’s Welcome Reception will bring back the popular Jam Session as a showcase for the musical talent of CEDIA EXPO attendees.
- CEDIA EXPO After Hours Party – 6:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. – Thurs, Sept. 11 – Colorado Convention Center. After a busy first day at the show, attendees are invited to unwind with drinks, traditional bar food, and to battle it out with dueling piano entertainment.
- Manufacturer Rep Reception – 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. – Thurs, Sept. 11 – Peaks Lounge, Hyatt Regency. Open exclusively to manufacturer representatives, this event provides an opportunity to mingle with IPRO and CEDIA staff. During the reception, CEDIA will present the 2014 Representative of the Year award to one outstanding manufacturer representative.
- CEDIA Training Keynote – 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Fri, Sept. 12 – Colorado Convention Center – CompTIA CEO & President, Todd Thibodeaux will share his insights on Cybersecurity Trends and how integrators can work with IT solution providers to offer a larger suite of tech services to their clients.
- Latin America Social – 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. – Fri, Sept. 12 – Lobby D, Colorado Convention Center. CEDIA Latin American members are invited to attend the Latin America Social, to network with peers, check in and see how others from the region are doing, and get a brief check-up on CEDIA and to see what’s ahead for CEDIA members in Latin America.
- Volunteer Reception – 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. – Fri, Sept. 12 – Cottonwood Ballroom, Four Season’s Hotel. This reception is a thank you for all of the hard work and sacrifices of CEDIA volunteers. The Volunteer Reception is also where the CEDIA volunteer awards will be presented.
- CEDIA Electronic Lifestyles Awards Celebration – 6:30 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. Sat., Sept. 13 – Capitol Ballroom Hyatt Regency. Attendees won’t want to miss this year’s Fire & Ice themed bash and the unveiling of this year’s Electronic Lifestyles Award Winners.
CEDIA EXPO 2014 will be held at the Colorado Convention Center Sept. 10-13, show floor openSept. 11-13. Registration for CEDIA EXPO will open on June 4 here. Leave a Comment
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RTI Develops Driver for Tenflare’s Voice Viper System, Adds Voice Control to Home Automation RTI announced this week the availability of a new two-way driver for Tenflare’s Voice Viper CTL voice control system. The new driver makes it simple for integrators to incorporate voice control into RTI’s control and automation systems.
Voice Viper is a hardware solution developed by TenFlare, a company started by integrators, which adds voice control to AMX, Crestron, Control4 and now RTI systems. An in-wall microphone eliminates the need to hold a remote or smartphone, and even eliminates the need to press any buttons to activate the “listener.” Action commands are acted upon while ambient conversation is ignored. Simple to program and integrate into an RTI control system using the Integration Designer drag-and-drop programming environment, the two-way driver allows up to 256 different control phrases.
To execute voice commands, Voice Viper’s compact module communicates to an RTI control system via RS232 or Ethernet for quick, reliable control. Using just the user’s voice, the RTI system provides complete control over all electronic systems in a home or commercial facility from A/V equipment to HVAC, lighting, security systems, and much more.
The Voice Viper driver is available now on RTI’s website in the Driver Store. Leave a Comment
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Extron Global Configurator Professional Software for Control Systems is ReadyExtron has launched its Global Configurator Professional software for control systems and applications that range in scope from single projector classrooms to large and elaborate control system designs. It features conditional logic, variables and macros. The Controller Groups feature expands AV system design potential for much larger systems requiring multipleIP Link Pro control processors.
Global Configurator has two modes. Global Configurator Plus is designed for smaller scale applications requiring one control processor and one control interface, and is already available for download by customers with Extron Insider access. Global Configurator Professional duplicates all of the powerful features within Global Configurator Plus but is suited for applications requiring multiple control processors, enhanced functionality and advanced configuration. Access to Global Configurator Professional requires Extron Control Professional – ECP certification.
Here are all the details on the new software. Leave a Comment
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Crestron Ships TSW Screens Crestron announced today that it’s started shipping the TSW touch screens in the form of the TSW-552, TSW-752 and TSW-1052. The TSW family is integrated with what Crestron is calling Smart Graphics technology — basically saying that it’s bright, offers capacitive touch and can handle H.264 streaming.
One unique feature is that instead of navigating menus and scrolling through lists, customers can now just “tell” their Crestron control systems what they want to do. The new TSWs provide the ability to use voice commands to control virtually anything — from playing a song, to raising the shades, to locking the doors. With support for more than 25 different languages and dialects, the new TSW touch screens can be programmed to accommodate everyone who may need to control the system, including homeowners, guests and service staff. To watch the big game, all a customer has to do is press the Voice Recognition button on her new TSW and say “Watch ESPN” and Crestron does the rest.
The TSW also has built-in web browsing, email and, of course, it connects to a Crestron control system and controls AV gear.
Here are all the specs. Leave a Comment
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KEF Updates Blade and Blade TwoBritish loudspeaker manufacturer KEF has announced two additions of its flagship speaker line: the Blade Two and the Reference. At the heart of the Blade Two system is KEF’s signature Uni-Q ‘point source’ driver array — a 25-millimeter vented aluminium dome tweeter placed at the exact acoustic center of a 125-millimeter midrange driver, providing direction-agnostic high- and mid-range response. Blade Two incorporates four 6.5” bass drivers.
KEF says the parabolic curvature of Blade Two’s polyurethane enclosure increases cabinet rigidity and, with the drivers fully decoupled, sound is only generated from driver movement and not from the cabinet and it’s smaller in height and depth than the original Blade.
The Reference system features the latest version of KEF’s Uni-Q driver featuring 6.5” bass drivers and spec’d to deliver 1000 watts as a subwoofer. The Reference’s distinctive front baffle is made from laminated aluminum and a resin composite that’s formed in extreme temperatures and pressure to add rigidity to the cabinet structure and providing acoustic damping.
There are five Reference designs: a three-way bookshelf speaker, two formidable three-way floor standers, a three-way timbre-matched center channel and the powerful twin-driver subwoofer.
The Blade Two is $24,000 / pair and will ship in August and the Reference pricing is:
- REFERENCE 1 Three-way bass reflex bookshelf – $7,500 /pair
- REFERENCE 3 Three-way bass reflex floorstander — $13,000 /pair
- REFERENCE 5 Three-way bass reflex floorstander — $18,000 /pair
- REFERENCE Center Three-way bass reflex center channel — $7,500 /piece
- REFERENCE Subwoofer – $5,500 /piece
All the specs are 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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