Volume 13, Issue 23 — December 12, 2016
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Editorial Editorial Editorial
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Industry News Audio Control & Signal Processing TVs
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Fewer Customers, More Money
By Lee Distad rAVe Columnist
I wanted to use that title, so I’m going to break my moratorium on too many editorials with too many Jerry McGuire references too close together.
While the business climate seems to be slowly improving, I have yet to talk to anyone in the various channels of the AV and CE business who’s told me that things are amazing. It’s much easier to make sales when business is booming. When things are slow… it’s not so easy.
We all love picking the low hanging fruit but it leads to bad habits. Salespeople tend to get lazy and managers tend not to manage their salespeople as diligently as they should. When prospective customers aren’t banging down your door, now is the time to ensure that your sales team review their process and make sure that they’re bringing their A-game.
Symptomatic of slow periods is fewer prospective clients coming your way. If there are fewer prospects then obviously you need to convert prospects into clients at a higher rate. “But HOW?”, every salesperson asks.
By going back to the basics.
By not being lazy.
By paying attention to actually following the steps in the sales process that, amazingly, salespeople forget to follow during boom times when people are lining up to throw money at you.
First, actually take your prospecting seriously. Every seasoned sales manager has heard about hunters and farmers, and how they differ. If this terminology is new to you, “hunters” are the salespeople who have are talented at going out, cold calling, and drumming up business. “Farmers” are salespeople who do better serving business that’s been put in front of them, whether it’s handling existing clients or dealing with people who walk in the door in a retail setting.
When business slows down, even though it’s not their strong suit, farmers need to learn to be hunters. They’re going to have to go out and prospect for new business.
I could write about prospecting strategies all day, and I probably will. In the meantime salespeople need to stop wishing for low hanging fruit and go find ones on higher branches. Sitting at your desk waiting for the phone to ring isn’t going to do it.
Once you find a prospective client, you need to qualify them properly. Qualifying prospects is arguably the most undervalued aspect of sales. It’s imperative to determine not just what they think they need, but also uncovering hidden needs, like what they didn’t know they wanted until you showed them.
I can confidently state that follow up is the least-observed step in the sales process. No one, no matter how good they are, closes every prospect on the first meeting. The “I-need-to-think-about-it” customer is dreaded everywhere, but salespeople need to be proactive, and not only collect contact information from their prospects, but follow up diligently.
No one needs to stalk them prospective clients, but rather mine the list of prospects regularly and consistently.
If they say they’ll be back tomorrow, call them the day after. If they won’t be ready to make a decision for six months, call them back in three. Take the time between now and then to build rapport, make sure that they know you’re the one for the job and be diligent about keeping your promises to follow up.
This is a rare trait in salespeople, sad to say. Speaking from experience, on average, four out of five salespeople don’t do it. Ever.
If you’re the one salesperson in five who does, you’ll get more business than the other four. I’ll draw your attention to the embedded graphic. Quibble about the exact percentages if you wish, but it doesn’t change the fact that if you follow up while others don’t, you’ll be farther ahead.
Professionals need to regularly revisit their install best practices, analyze their activities, and identify the weaknesses they need to correct. Fix those weaknesses, work the sales process and you will see a higher closing ratio, as well as better business prospects.
Be professional, be proactive and follow your sales process and your clients who will show you the money.
Top image via Jerry Maguire Leave a Comment
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Our Life With Alexa
By Hope Roth “Alexa! Alexxxaaaaaaa!!!”
My four-year-old daughter is trying to wake up our Amazon Echo. Alexa gets better at understanding her every day, but she still only wakes up for her about half the time. Once Alexa is awake, however, she has an uncanny ability to figure out what my daughter is asking for.
(Alexa wakes up for me just about every time).
“Ah. Lex. Ahhhhh!”
The little blue ring illuminates. Alexa is listening.
“Alexa, play Harry Potter Audio Book on Spotify!”
Somehow, out of all that word soup, Alexa knows to play Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s stone from my Audible account. LJ knows that she wants Harry Potter. She knows I listen to a lot of Spotify. She’s just not 100 percent sure how to put it all together. It doesn’t matter, because Jim Dale’s soothing voice is now filling our bedroom. (I’m sorry, Amazon engineers, for what my daughter is doing to your machine learning).
I yell at Alexa from the other side of a wall and she hears me. I yell at Alexa from the shower in the next room over and she hears me. My daughter yells nonsense at her, and she mostly hears it. The Echo’s voice recognition is spot on.
We’ve come a long way from “Eat Up Martha” to “Alexa, play the Red Sox game.”
There are some drawbacks to using an Echo, of course. You can’t group your Echos together, Sonos-style. And most of what I listen to is on premium audio services. Which means that, if I’m in my office upstairs, and I fire up an audio book… there is going to be a very sad little girl running up to ask why Harry Potter went away.
Browsing for music doesn’t work very well using voice control. You can say, “Alexa, play Adele” but you’re going to get the same top five tracks every time you ask. She sometimes understands that I’m asking for a Spotify playlist, but she mostly gets confused when I ask her for “Relax and Unwind.” I usually fire up music from my phone or laptop (the Echo will show up as an available Spotify device from the app) and then say “Alexa, pause!” and “Alexa, resume!” as I take phone calls over the course of the day.
Every Friday, I get an email from Amazon letting me know “What’s New With Alexa.” Some of it is pretty corny (she told us some truly terrible Star Wars-themed jokes on May the 4th), but there are some pretty cool skills available as well. It took some doing to enable the Major League Baseball skill (mostly because MLB accounts are a total pain to manage), but now I can listen to any baseball game I want on our Echos (I was already paying for MLB Premium). Alexa will tell you about current events. She delighted my daughter by singing Happy Birthday to her. And she makes a very persistent alarm clock.
All of the major residential controls manufacturers have announced partnerships with the Echo (more on the Crestron skill when it’s officially released), meaning that our clients are probably going to start asking to integrate them into their houses. None of is going to get rich installing $50 Echo Dots (Amazon isn’t either, they’re hoping you’ll use your Echos to order more toilet paper from them). But we can make ourselves relevant by providing extra programming, guidance, and training. The Echo works pretty great right out of the box. But it takes some real configuration to realize its full potential. Tell Alexa where you work and she’ll give you traffic information. Let her know what your favorite news outlets are, and she’ll use them for a flash briefing. Not only did I link her to my Spotify account, I went into my settings and set Spotify as my preferred music player. Now when I say “Play Adele,” I don’t have to add “on Spotify.”
Some people might find Alexa’s dossier on me slightly creepy, but I am one of those jaded millennials (I’m at the tail end of the generation, but I am *technically* a millennial) who assumes that most of this information is already out there anyways. I fully admit that I have given Amazon a bunch of my personal information in exchange for a honey-voiced personal assistant.
Alexa’s other biggest downside is that a certain little girl can now wake us up at 7 a.m. on a Saturday by blasting Harry Potter at us. But I think that one falls under “parenting.”
Top image via Michaeljzealot on Flickr. Bottom image via Amazon. Leave a Comment
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Practicing Safe Automation
By Hope Roth
A couple of years ago, I was on an AV podcast and someone asked me if I would ever put a smart lock onto my house. I said I’d need to think long and hard about the security aspects of it before I considered it. Flash forward to today, and I just put in an order for an additional smart lock for my house. What changed my mind?
For the most part, I realized that if someone *really* wanted to break into my house, they would probably just break a window. In fact, when we got robbed a few years ago, that’s exactly what the criminals did. We have since installed an alarm system. A dedicated criminal might try to hack into my house’s RF network, but anyone with that kind of dedication is probably going to find several easier ways to break in. The easiest one being a large rock.
There are many important ways of securing a smart home. Don’t use open Wi-Fi networks. Don’t use default passwords. Lock down remote access. I could go on and on. If you have followed best practices, the home’s automation system shouldn’t be a security vulnerability. In fact, it just might make you safer.
With properly configured smart locks, you can program your way around human error. Does your husband sometimes forget to lock doors behind him (mine has been known to do that)? My smart lock has an auto-lock feature. Even if he forgets in the morning, the lock will secure itself. I also have our lights tied into our goodnight lighting scene. Now I can hit a button on my nightstand and have all the lights in the house shut off, and the doors lock. Now that’s some peace of mind.
Do you sometimes worry that you might have forgotten to lock the door? With (secure) remote access, you can easily double check. And if you forgot, one push of a button will lock it for you.
Do you have to give people temporary access to your house? Our cleaning lady has her own passcode to get in our front door. Now we don’t have to hide a key for her (a spare key in a flower pot has to be one of the biggest vulnerabilities out there). And if we ever parted ways, we can wipe her code without having to change the locks. You can even lock down access to specific days, or keep logs of who has locked and unlocked the door.
And then there’s the convenience factor. I can go for a jog through the neighborhood without having to carry any keys. And I’ve programmed my lights to come on at night when the front door is unlocked.
There are many reasons to be skeptical about how the Internet of Things might affect our security. But if you purchase the right equipment, set it up properly and then train everyone on how to use it, a smart house can be a very safe place. Leave a Comment
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In Wake of Samsung’s Wave of Announcements, LG Has a New CEOLG announced last week that Jo Seong-jin, the head of its Home Appliance & Air Solution (H&A) Company and one of the three representative directors responsible for key decisions of the entire organization, has been promoted to the position of sole chief executive officer, effective immediately. Jo’s responsibility will extend across all of LG Electronics’ business units including the H&A Company, Mobile Communications, Home Entertainment and Vehicle Components and oversight of over 120 operations around the world.
Remember, all this is in the wake of Samsung’s recent move squarely into controlling the in-car entertainment experience with the purchase of Harman. Harman has been in the news a lot in the AV space due to this acquisition (since they own AMX, Martin, JBL, Crown and eight other ProAV companies — now all part of Samsung).
Jo joined Goldstar in 1976, becoming part of the team which developed LG’s first automatic washing machine in 1980. Prior to becoming president of the H&A Company in 2015, he was the head of LG’s H&A washing machine division. Jo was instrumental in LG’s move into premium appliances with the introduction of the LG SIGNATURE brand and built-in Signature Kitchen Suite as well as building the foundation for future businesses in the areas of IoT and smart homes.
The board of directors also promoted Song Dae-hyun, currently head of the CIS Region and president of LG Russia, to president and CEO of the Home Appliance & Air Solutions Company, replacing Jo. A 33-year veteran of LG Electronics, Song has been involved on the business side of nearly every major product line of the H&A Company, including air conditioners, refrigerators and cooking appliances. As head of Russia and CIS since 2012, Song was responsible for successfully growing LG’s business in the region during an economically challenging period.
In addition to the promotions of Jo and Song, five others were promoted to executive vice presidents, thirteen executives were named senior vice presidents and thirty-eight individuals were made new vice presidents. New roles and responsibilities take effect today, Dec. 1, 2016, with promotions going into effect on Jan. 1, 2017 after the general meeting of shareholders.
LG is here. Leave a Comment
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SnapAV Acquires Music Streaming and Audio Distribution Company AutonomicSnapAV announced this week that it has purchased Autonomic, a manufacturer of music streaming and multi-room audio distribution solutions for the custom install market. Autonomic “makes the consumption of digital media easier” for customers by offering a distributed audio system that’s controllable with iOS and Android devices or via a control system.
SnapAV distributes audiovisual products and manufacturers its own. It was started 10 years ago by CEDIA integrators to meet needs they saw being unfulfilled in the market. Other brands SnapAV owns include SunBriteTV (acquired in 2015), Araknis Networks, Wirepath, Dragonfly, Luma Surveillance and more. See all SnapAV brands here.
Autonomic products will be for sale through SnapAV starting in January 2017. Until then, customers may purchase Autonomic products directly through Autonomic. SnapAV will also honor 2017 pricing for Autonomic dealers who have achieved sales numbers to lock in pricing, credits and/or other dealer incentives for the year.
Find out more about SnapAV or apply to become a dealer here. Autonomic is here. Leave a Comment
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Adoption of Latest Bluetooth Specification (Bluetooth 5) Finally Happened The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) officially adopted Bluetooth 5 as the latest version of the Bluetooth core specification this week. Key updates to Bluetooth 5 include longer range, faster speed, and larger bandwidth, as well as what the SIG says will be “improved interoperability and coexistence with other wireless technologies.”
There is no doubt that Bluetooth has revolutionized how people experience wireless connectivity, and the eventual IoT (Internet of Things). But, does Bluetooth 5 mean anything for AV?
Key feature updates include four times range (that means 400 feet), two times speed (that means 2 Mbps) and eight times broadcast message capacity (data packet of up to 255 octets). Longer range powers whole home and building coverage, for more reliable connections. Higher speed enables more responsive, high-performance devices. Increased broadcast message size increases the data sent for improved and more context relevant solutions.
So, to translate, the Barco ClickShare could be totally wireless via Bluetooth now. This would mean that future wireless collaboration systems could leverage Bluetooth for connectivity (and sending video and audio) and still be connected to Wi-Fi therefore you could be using a ClickShare-like product and still browse the Internet.
In the home, virtually everything you are networking today via Wi-Fi could be done with Bluetooth 5. So, this will certainly boost and simplify app-based home controllers.
Bluetooth 5 also includes updates that help reduce potential interference with other wireless technologies to ensure Bluetooth devices can coexist. And, Bluetooth is downwardly compatible.
Consumers can expect to see products built with Bluetooth 5 within two to six months of today’s release. If you’re into all the tech specs of Bluetooth 5, go here. Leave a Comment
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James Loudspeaker Intros the Omni Series Landscape Speaker James Loudspeaker has introduced the Omni48AT landscape satellite speaker and the Omni89AT satellite/subwoofer package. Both are made from marine-grade powder coated aluminum enclosures.
The James Loudspeaker Omni48AT is designed to deliver 360-degrees of sound from a single location. Utilizing four coaxially mounted 0.75-inch aluminum dome tweeters over proprietary high-excursion 4-inch woofers mated to a crossover network, these outdoor speakers say they will deliver a balanced musical presentation at any output levels. The 4-inch woofers feature an aluminum cone and Santoprene surround to withstand harsh outdoor environments.
The Omni89AT is an Omni48AT combined with a matching down-firing 8-inch subwoofer also housed in an aluminum enclosure. The Omni89AT delivers full range omnidirectional sound from an above ground solution that is designed to be unobtrusive. Typical applications include rocky landscape areas where traditional satellite/in-ground subwoofers cannot be installed, or a large area of open seating where full omnidirectional coverage is beneficial. The Omni89AT allows a single enclosure to do the same job as four 42AT All-Terrain satellite speakers with a subwoofer, delivering what the company says is high performance in a more compact single-chassis above-ground unit.
Both Omni Series models are available in 15 standard finishes as well as unlimited custom colors and coatings to allow seamless integration into all outdoor environments. Additionally, both models are available in 4-ohm or 70-volt versions to accommodate any system architecture. The 70-volt models use high-quality, low-loss, toroidal transformers. The system can also be custom ordered in a bi-amplified configuration, allowing more control over bass performance.
Prices:
- Omni48AT4 4-ohm $1000 each
- Omni48AT70 70-volt $1100 each
- Omni89AT4 4-ohm $1800 each
- Omni89AT70 70-volt $2000 each
All the details are here. Leave a Comment
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Meridian Dealers Can Now Sell Barco and Cinema-ATS Acoustic Treatments Meridian Audio just announced a new partnership with Cinema-ATS, a supplier of acoustic treatment solutions for home cinemas. As part of the new agreement, Meridian dealers will be able to specify and deliver the full range of Cinema-ATS products — without having to commit to any minimums. This arrangement is part of a strategic plan to establish a complementary high-performance network of brands that make their products available to dealers around the world, including brands like Barco, DT Screens and QNAP. Meridian tells rAVe more partnerships are coming, too.
As anyone knows, audio quality is critical in a home cinema and one of the most important factors is acoustical treatment of the walls and ceiling. Cinema-ATS provides innovative and comprehensive solutions that have been specifically designed to address the Three “R’s” of acoustics and the most common problems found in home cinema audio: resonance, reverberation and reflection.
The Cinema-ATS Complete line is designed for installation on all four walls and if also desired, the ceiling. It combines scattering panels to optimize reverberation and reflection, and the Multipanel, a dual-purpose absorber, which effectively tackles resonance for total system design flexibility. The scattering panels and Multipanel are just 50 millimeters deep, much shallower than conventional acoustic systems. This significantly increases the range of projects where the system can be installed, as many home cinema owners are unwilling or unable to sacrifice the space required for conventional, much deeper acoustic treatments.
Offering standard layouts and fixed quantities of materials, the Cinema-ATS Packs line is a simplified solution that makes it particularly easy for integrators to specify and install acoustic treatments. Each Pack includes 12 scattering panels and 12 Foamsorber panels that are combined to optimize reverberation and reflection. Guidelines for subwoofer positioning are supplied to tackle resonance and ensure that the Three “R’s” of acoustics are well managed. The simplicity of the Cinema-ATS Pack not only allows dealers to reduce to the time they spend on an installation, but the easy packing and storage of the Cinema-ATS Pack means that they can safely stock product and easily transport it to the job site.
To help create home cinemas, Meridian offers a free Design & Specification Service for dealers to assist dealers in planning their projects. Cinema-ATS is now fully integrated into this service, alongside Meridian’s own audio systems and Barco’s projectors, to provide installers with a complete audio-visual scheme.
Here are the details. Leave a Comment
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Harman Debuts Six New Products In DecemberHere are the six newest Harman family of products launched in December:
Crown DriveCore Install DA Series Amplifiers: A new line of amplifiers that feature Dante networked audio transport. In addition to being able to send and receive Dante audio, the DCi-DA Series includes many of the same features as the DCi-Network Series, such as the inclusion of a high-level DSP with JBL tunings, network control/monitoring, highly efficient design, and the ability to drive 2/4/8 ohm, 70V and 100V speaker loads out of each channel without the need for an external transformer. Pricing is $6,500 for the DCi 8|300DA, $9198 for the DCi 8|600DA and $6598 for the DCi 4|1250DA. Here are all the specs.
JBL Commercial CSA Series 1300Z / 2300Z Amplifiers: The CSA Series provides a DriveCore-based sound solution, replacing up to 500 parts with one small chip, reducing the part count and increasing reliability while maintaining superb performance. Available with one or two channels and powerful 300 W output, these amplifiers support 70V and 100V installations out of the box. The are priced at CSA 1300Z: $698 and the CSA 2300Z is $898 list. Here are all the specs.
Martin Exterior Wash 100/200/300 Series Architainment LED Light Fixtures: The Exterior Wash 100/200/300 Series is designed for narrow beam applications with separate LED’s for red, green, blue and white. The three models illuminate various sized architectural and landscape features with the 100 model being used for small elements and the 300 model for larger building features with up to 10,000 lumen at full output. The product lines feature 6 beam angle options starting from a tight 7-degree beam angle and a compact and rugged IP66 housing, rated for permanent outdoor use. Here are all their specs.
Martin Exterior Wash 120/220/320 Series Architainment LED Light Fixtures: The Exterior Wash 120/220/320 Series is designed for variable color temperature applications ranging from 2700K – 6500K. The three models illuminate various sized architectural and landscape features with the 100 model being used for small elements and the 300 model for larger building features with up to 14,700 lumen at full output. Both of the product lines feature six beam angle options starting from a tight 7-degree beam angle and a compact and rugged IP66 housing, rated for permanent outdoor use. Here are all the options.
AMX N-Control Touch Panels (SVSI): The NT-SD-701 (Wall) and NT-ST-701 (Tabletop) N-Touch Panels allow a control interface to be added to an SVSI system. Each touch panel combines a high-quality user interface and controller into a single unit. The NT-SD-701 can be mounted on any flat surface (including glass). Key features include control of network-based devices, a brilliant 24-color depth, and PoE connectivity Priced at NT-SD-701 (Wall): $1,900 NT-ST-701 (Tabletop): $1,995 and here are the specs.
JBL Professional Intellivox HP-DS170 Active Beam Shaping, Self Powered Column Loudspeaker Array: A self-contained, especially high-power and high-output, 2-way, wide-bandwidth beam-shaping powered column loudspeaker with a high degree of outdoor capability. Capable of delivering up to 106 dB SPL at 30 meters (100 ft) and has a horizontal dispersion of 100°. Enclosing ten, high efficiency, 6.5” loudspeakers and two coaxially mounted 1” compression drivers, each with dedicated amplification, the Intellivox HP-DS170 is capable of covering a substantial audience area while maintaining an even sound pressure level throughout. All the specs are here. Leave a Comment
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AudioControl Adds DTS:X and DTS Neural Surround to Home Theater Receivers and Preamp/Processor AudioControl has announced the availability of DTS:X and DTS Neural Surround for its Concert AVR-7 and AVR-9 home theater receivers as well as their Maestro M9 theater processor. These surround formats are available now and can be added to models already in the field via firmware update.
DTS:X is an immersive surround format that delivers an exceptionally lifelike sense of dimensionality and accomplishes this without dictating any specific speaker layout. DTS:X enables integrators to deliver a visceral cinematic experience to their clients using loudspeaker locations that suit décor. AudioControl’s advanced auto-calibration and object-based surround processor will determine proper levels and placement for dialogue and sound effects, and integrators can bring added value by fine-tuning critical parameters for the finest entertainment experience possible. DTS Neural Surround up-converts conventional stereo sources such as streaming content, TV broadcasts gaming soundtracks and others into captivating 5.1 or 7.1 surround as well as a 7.1.4 immersive format.
AudioControl has made both DTS formats available via the mode selection menu on the company’s home theater receivers and flagship M9 processor — all of which are also now available in a recently unveiled sleek Expresso Black brushed aluminum finish.
Here are the details. Leave a Comment
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Compact SV8 Monitor by BASSBOSS Aimed at Restaurants, Bars and Gyms BASSBOSS just launched the new SV8 Powered MicroMain — designed as a main or fill speaker in clubs, gyms, restaurants or as a recording studio monitoring solution. With 117dB of sustained output in satellite mode and maximum output of 120dB, the SV8 Powered Micromain is capable of output levels that compare to some 12” powered boxes, but the SV8 offers what the company says is superior quality and detail.
All BASSBOSS loudspeakers feature power amplification built in. The SV8 includes a digital signal processor built right into its 700 watt Powersoft amp, providing four presets. The presets allow the speaker to be used either as a full-range system, a satellite for a small subwoofer or as a main speaker with a larger subwoofer. Preset 1 has the SV8 in full-range mode, offering an impressive frequency response down to 40Hz. Preset 2 offers slightly more SPL and response down to 60Hz. Preset 3 provides another step up in SPL with the high-pass filter moved to 80Hz. Preset 4 offers the highest peak SPL with the high-pass filter set at 100Hz. These presets ensure that the SV8 is achieving peak efficiency for any application and helpfully eliminates the need for any external processing. All presets have limiting to protect the drivers and maintain balanced response at all levels. The built-in processing is optimized for use with BASSBOSS subwoofers but also ensures they are compatible with all subwoofer options.
The BASSBOSS SV8 is shipping now and is priced at $1,495. Here are the details. Leave a Comment
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Phase Tech Ships New IW210 Low Profile 10″ In-Wall Subwoofer Phase Tech’s new 10″ Low-Profile In-Wall IW210 Subwoofer is shopping. The IW210 is a 10″ in-wall sub with a 10″ passive Bass Radiator in a retrofit enclosure. It includes Phase Tech’s patented Positive Clamping Mounting System as a turnkey solution for music and home theater systems.
Easily installed post-construction with an enclosure measuring (22”x13”x 3.875”), the IW210 is capable of producing deep bass with its newly designed low-profile 10″ subwoofers. The unique Positive Clamping Mounting System isolates the transmission of the subs motion to the mounting wall, ensuring accurate control of its low-end performance. The IW210 ships with a magnetic, no-bezel grille that can be painted.
It lists for $ 950 and here are all the specs. Leave a Comment
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Comprehensive Intros CSW-HD442-4K60 4×4 4K Matrix Comprehensive Connectivity Company just launched an HDMI matrix switcher (CSW-HD442-4K60) with four HDMI inputs and four HDMI outputs that’s specified to switch 3840×2160 signals @60Hz (YCbCr4:2:0).
Comprehensive’s HDMI Matrix Switcher routes any four sources to be shown on any of the four displays, simultaneously, while supporting 4Kx2K@60Hz (YCbCr4:2:0). Multi-channel HDMI digital audio sources can be selected through on-panel buttons, IR remote controller, RS232 port or IP control.
Tech features include:
- Switches any four HDMI inputs to any four HDMI outputs (including 720p, 1080p and 4K)
- Supports all HDCP 2.2 specs
- Maintains resolutions up to 4Kx2K@60Hz (YCbCr 4:2:0)
- IR remote control, through RS232 or over IP
- Supports reception of any audio data conforming to the HDMI specification (e.g., PCM at up to 192kHz, compressed audio IEC 61937, DSD, DST, DTS and HBR
- Supports four channel ARC control
All the specs are here. Leave a Comment
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Middle Atlantic Products Now Sells C2G’s Commercial Line to Residential Integrators Too Middle Atlantic Products announced today that C2G’s commercial solutions are now available to residential integrator partners along with Middle Atlantic along with their power and AV system foundational products. C2G’s entire product line (and their 4K stuff) will be available including access to their RapidRun Optical modular cabling system. The system’s runners are now available in 15- and 25-feet options, allowing integrators to provide all the performance necessary to transmit 4K/UHD 4:4:4 signals (@ 8Bit color).
The RapidRun Optical solution features modular options of break-away flying leads and wall plates that simply attach onto the appropriate length runner cable to carry 4K/UHD 4:4:4 signals. With shorter runner lengths now available, integrators have more options to fit their installation needs. The fiber-based solution features 18 Gbps bandwidth, enabling it to support 4K signals today and provide a solid foundation for any future connections. RapidRun is engineered so integrators only need to swap out the flying leads as formats evolve, eliminating the time-consuming task of pulling cable again. It also boasts a diameter of just a half-inch and a tight bend radius of just 5 millimeters — enabling integrators to easily bend it around sharp corners, pull it through tight spaces, and snap on the flying leads. The system is OFNP (plenum) rated, resists electromagnetic interference and operates from a single low-voltage USB power port on the display end of the cable, eliminating the need for additional AC outlets and simplifying installations.
Here are all the details. Leave a Comment
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SunBright Ships Signature and Veranda SeriesSnapAV’s SunBright division is shipping their new Signature Series outdoor TVs. SunBriteTV’s new outdoor Signature Series screens are spec’d to be up to three times brighter than typical indoor displays and come in three 4K UHD (3840×2160) sizes. With weatherized capabilities and a guaranteed operating range of -24°F to 122°F, they can be placed almost anywhere outside. They come in 43”, 55” and 65” sizes and are priced at $2,799, $4,499 and $7,999, respectively.
If you have a shaded outdoor space, you can use the less expensive Veranda Series outdoor TV display. The 4K UHD (3840×2160) Veranda Series displays are guaranteed to operate from -24°F to 104°F and the screens are up to 30 percent brighter than typical indoor displays, which makes it a safer and better viewing option than bringing your indoor display outside. They also come in 43”, 55” and 65” sizes and are priced at $1,499, $1,999 and $3,499, respectively.
SunBright is here. Leave a Comment
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LeEco, Parent Company of VIZIO Halts Stock Trading After Major Cash CrunchYou may recall that we were the first AV publication to report the purchase of VIZIO by a Chinese company called LeEco. LeEco is a giant (multi-billion dollar) private holding company started by Chinese billionaire Jia Yueting, the founder of Le.com (aka LeTV). Well known in China, LeEco holdings include a cell phone company, a music company, a motion picture studio and a sports TV channel. In addition, they have an Amazon-like on-line company called LeMall and sell everything from electronics to bikes and even cars. In fact, the company co-financed and co-produced the forthcoming movie The Great Wall with US studio Legendary Entertainment.
Jia Yueting wanted to make a big splash here in the U.S. and take major market share, quickly, so he did it by buying the most profitable TV manufacturing company in the world, VIZIO. It was a $2 Billion deal and closed a few weeks ago.
However, suddenly this week, the share price on the Chinese Stock Exchange slid nearly 10 percent and the stock stopped trading Wednesday. This is a big deal as the stock price has declined over 50 percent since the VIZIO deal and the Wall Street Journal reported today, that LeEco is having a major cash crisis.
Apparently this wasn’t totally unexpected as, last month, Jia Yueting wrote a letter to the company saying it was growing too fast and it’s growth had created a cash flow problem. But, to lose 50 percent of your stock value in one year is a tough one to recover from.
So, this could weigh heavily on VIZIO.
Just thought you should know. 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.
To read more about my background, our team, and what we do, go to https://www.ravepubs.com Back to Top |
Copyright 2016 – 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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