Latest headlines: Gary Kayye with the top 10 rAVe stories of 2020, Lee Distad on seeking referrals, plus news from Sony, AV Planners & more
January 6, 2021 | Volume: 18 | Issue: 1
At CEDIA 2019 (remember trade shows?), I shot a rAVe product video for this golf simulator. It was for a company called GOLFZON — pronounced golf “zone” — and I remember sitting on the couches in their trade show booth just a few minutes longer than I should have. Mostly because my feet hurt but also because the line to try the simulator was pretty long. This week, I’m brought full circle with the news that AV Planners has partnered with GOLFZON to offer golf simulators to residential homes and corporate spaces near you. I’ll take one of the Premium models, please.
Speaking of full circles, Gary Kayye is back with two features: one on rAVe’s top 10 news stories of 2020, another a prediction on the future of the cinema. Re: the latter: as a movie (and Star Wars) buff, you might know Gary likes to report on this beat — he’s done a couple of these stories now, and they always spark a lot of debate. Drop your thoughts on the article on his LinkedIn post.
We also have two additional, important columns from Lee Distad (“Seeking Referrals”) and Steph Beckett (“My New Year’s Resolution Is to Obtain a CTS Certification. Come Study With Steph!”). We learn that the 8K Association (8KA), established two years ago, has published an updated performance specification for the 8K Association Certified mark program. And we get a look at Sony’s new C Series and B Series Crystal LED. That, and more, for your reading pleasure below.
In a challenged marketplace where everyone is struggling, I’d argue that networking is more important than ever. We all know that business opportunities often come down to who you know. So that makes a case for getting to know more people. I’ve commented before that despite the obstacles and general weirdness this year has thrown at us, reaching out to new contacts is easier in some ways. Sure, in-person meetings are rare, meaning you’re limited to phone and emails mostly, yet cold-calling has been easier than in the past. I think we’re all feeling isolated, and maybe a little lonely, so prospects are more likely to return your calls.
It’s that time of year again where everyone makes ridiculous resolutions they probably won’t keep. Instead of doing all that this year, I wanted to make a resolution that would be achievable — no matter how hard it seems. So, I am studying to get my CTS! To keep me accountable, my co-workers at rAVe encouraged me to make a corresponding podcast. Hence, Study With Steph was born.
There will always be people like me — people who want to see big-budget movies in big-time exhibition houses. In fact, I nearly always see the big movies either in an IMAX theater (whose stock has nearly recovered from its lows in March 2020 to pre-pandemic levels) or in a Dolby Cinema theater. But, for all others, I’ve always been fine seeing them in my home theater or even on my 75″ Samsung QLED. What happens next is clear. Just watch the big-five studios (since Fox is now also part of Disney). Three of the five have streaming outlets and the other two will by mid-2021. If they start releasing movies there, the theater chains will never recover. Never. It’s all about the money. If they can keep it all, they will.