Volume 8, Issue 19 — October 5, 2010

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Welcome to another issue of rAVe ProAV Edition!

We're just back from CEDIA Expo in Atlanta. We won't put too much CEDIA news here, but you can read my review of the show below in our Editorials section. We also have an article from rAVe columnist Lee Distad on using iPads in commercial installs, plus another article I wrote about what you can do to "green" your company now. Finally, we have an interview with Polycom executive Randal Riebe, and a column from NSCA Executive Director Chuck Wilson about the new language you'll see in contracts now that integrators are dealing more with IT professionals.

As always, let me know what you think. Email me at gary@ravepubs.com anytime.

Enjoy the issue!

–Gary Kayye, CTS

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$*IT Contracts…

By Chuck Wilson
Executive Director, NSCA

I’ve been writing a lot lately about the risks, traps and pitfalls of contracts our members are seeing lately and I have come to yet another conclusion. I’m starting to believe that much of this ridiculous contract language is coming from the IT departments within the companies. Is the contract language used to “purchase software, equipment and services and to own the intellectual property (IP)” being forced on us because security, AV and other communications systems are networked?

Following my “Risky Business” blog, a member sent me a contract that I couldn’t believe. No business owner would have willingly obligated their company to the provisions in this thing… that is, if they had read it. I’m sure another integrator did just that. It was the most one-sided contract I have ever seen.

Contracting is about the contract. Regardless of whether you call yourself a contractor or an integrator, your company obligates itself via a legal, binding agreement or contract to perform a service or function for monetary exchange. I know what you’re thinking, “We can get out of that; we’ve worked with this customer before with no enforcement. We can justify our exclusions. The consultant must know how the IP transfers,” etc, etc. Yep, I’ve heard all that before.

My point is that we are dealing with a new type of client. This client has far greater expertise than most of us have in software licensing, transfer and ownership rights of IP, ability to recreate and duplicate software for worldwide use, perpetual usage, etc. The IT professionals have huge budgets and complicated contracts with major vendors who have their own attorneys scouring every word of these documents. They seem to be moving downstream to the smaller systems that IT is influencing, yet still contain the same onerous language. Try as hard as you can to offer your customers a contract for them to sign with your terms and conditions, not these.

As another example, I read a contract last week with a $1 million errors and omissions policy required. The sales manager who bid the project thought it fell under the general liability umbrella. He assumed they could simply get that language changed after the project started.

My point is that the contract is not only legal and binding, but it’s how we get paid (or not) on these larger projects. I also received a contract that had a pro rata provision that seemed to read as if the owner could cancel the contract, with or without cause, and the supplier would have to reimburse them for selling them the wrong equipment. What?

Carefully review what you are about to commit to in a contract. Another member suggested, when in doubt, to send the contract to your insurance underwriter to get their impression of the obligations. I like that advice, too.
As a rule, never ever sign a contract that is not 100 percent clear that you have the rights from the manufacturer and original software developer to buy and resell the software. Most of the time you don’t. I don’t know of a single manufacturer that would ever allow you to provide your customer source code, unlimited copies, perpetual usage, etc.

Risk management in systems integration and contracting has become a “business” issue and one we need to better understand. We thought only construction contracts were bad, but some of these that are originating from the IT world seem even worse.

Chuck Wilson is the executive director of the National Systems Contractors Association (NSCA), a not-for-profit association representing the commercial electronic systems industry. At the helm of NSCA, much of Wilson’s time is spent assisting contractors with the challenges of today’s business environment. He often gives lectures and presentations at key industry events, and has been published in numerous leading trade journals. Reach him at cwilson@nsca.org

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The iPad As An Interface For Commercial Projects

By Lee Distad
rAVe Columnist

With all the words printed on the subject so far this year, it’s clear that the iPad is pretty much the number one story in electronics, dominating the conversation in almost every channel, from home computing, to mobile wireless, to custom installation. The iPad, according to a number of channel observers, myself included, is redefining the installation channel in much the same way as the iPod redefined handheld entertainment. How many other brands of mp3 player can you name off the top of your head?

Honestly, I love hating on Apple as much as the next person, but the reality is that they've sold more iPads in a quarter than other automation channel vendor have sold touch panels since the invention of the touch panel. That's pretty sobering news for rival manufacturers.

So why is the iPad eating everyone else’s lunch? A huge part of the reason for that is the fact that an "intuitive" interface is the touchstone of a truly useful touch panel and yet for years so many others in the industry just couldn’t get their heads around that. The need for friendly interfaces are a drum I’ve been beating for a long time, yet too many people in this business don't get that the customers are not the tech wizards that the people who design this stuff are. Give the people what they want. The fact that my two year old can use my iPhone and that 80-year olds can use an iPad without having a mental breakdown is a pretty big deal. It pains me to sound like a fanboy, but there you go.
 
Consequently, the iPad has made inroads into the automation channel with remarkable speed. And it’s not just making its presence felt in residential installations; it’s rapidly becoming a go-to interface for commercial automation projects as well.

Toronto, Ontario integration company Sound Designs has been implementing Savant’s Apple OS-based automation in several Oliver & Bonacini restaurants in the greater Toronto area, including the new Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) building. At some restaurant locations, the automation is pretty elementary: control of TVs and audio in the patio area, the two TVs at the bar and a total of 65 speakers located through the restaurant. The shift managers all have iPhones, and there’s an additional iPod Touch floating around from which music and volume can all be controlled. iPad upgrades are something that’s been set to bring up with the owners.

The real cool stuff however is in the newly completed TIFF. “There’s four different spaces in the TIFF that we’ve automated,” says designer Peter Williams. “In the first three dining locations in the building, Canteen, Luma, and Blackberry Lounge there’s only audio control, with sources tied back to a single iTunes library.” But in the meeting and event space, that’s where things get exciting. Williams says, “there we’ve got two screens and two projectors (video sources include an iPad dock for interfacing mobile video with the system), both dropping down out of the ceiling on lifts, shade control and Lutron lighting.” All of these are controlled through the control App.

Williams also mentions another project they’re currently finishing that includes two in-wall iPad docks (the clients have one each), plus a third iPad that’s intended to roam around the building. “Moving forward, touch pads are going to be a really tough sell,” Williams says. “ It will be interesting if you’ll see other tablet makers come to the table with units that integrate as easily as iPads do.”

It’s worth noting that the consensus amongst integrators is that the demise of $10,000 Wi-Fi touch panels is no great loss. Ultimately, on most projects the budget is the budget. I’ve had a lot of conversations on the subject this year, and every dealer, and a surprising number of contacts at automation vendors have pointed out that if an integrator pulls all the touch panels out of a job in favor of iPads and puts those dollars to work in video and audio, the end result is a finished project that’s even more dazzling for the client, and with much higher margins for the dealer. As one integrator put it, if you spend $20,000 more on speakers you don’t have to spend as much time debugging them as you do with Wi-Fi touch panels.

Nicholas DeClemente is Managing Director of Concierge Direct, a New York-based high-end integrator that as he describes it, sits squarely between residential and commercial integration. They do an enormous number of mixed-use properties: hotels, condos and co-ops, as well as straight-up commercial projects. DeClemente observes that he’s found that by utilizing Savant as an automation platform and iPhones and iPads as the interface that it’s really brought the point of entry for advanced automation down into what for Concierge Direct could be considered “mass market.” Even in upscale buildings, price is everything with builders.

“One of the least expensive subsystems in high rise construction is the intercom,” says DeClemente, “and with legacy automation the builder would look at the proposed cost of integrating the intercom into the suites’ automation and say ‘Are you kidding me?’” Instead, he says, “iPads give us the price and horsepower to not only do push-to-talk interfaces, but also video calling and access to a 24/7 concierge call center right from the touch panel.”

With regard to light commercial work, DeClemente is just as avid about the potential the iPad has given his company’s projects. It’s his observation that more and more C-suite executives are traveling with their own iPad, either instead of or in addition to their laptop. That means it makes sense to design boardroom and meeting room automation systems to accommodate AV connection from an iPad to a projector, not to mention control for AV, lighting and shading.

While the two integrators I tapped for this story happened to be Savant dealers, every other automation vendor in the channel have already rolled out their own iPad apps, in the same way that iPhone control Apps became so commonplace two years ago. Crestron, AMX, Control4, all have their own interfaces for the iPad. Clearly, the response the automation channel has to Apple is that “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”

Lee Distad is a rAVe columnist and freelance writer covering topics from CE to global business and finance in both print and online. Reach him at lee@ravepubs.com

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What Can You Do to Go Green Now?

By Gary Kayye, CTS

As the GreenAV movement is under construction, there aren’t many GreenAV products, to be perfectly honest. You can search and search, but they’re coming slowly. The good news is they’re also coming more profitably. And, integrators are reporting to us that in the majority of their bids, when they specify GreenAV side-by-side with old AV, the Green stuff is winning more than losing.

So, step one for you is to SPECIFY GreenAV products. We’ve already reported on almost a dozen of them in just the first two issues of rAVe GreenAV – check here to bookmark our archives and read over Issue 1: http://www.ravepro.com/green/

But there’s still more you can do! Here’s a guide to what you can do now in specifying AV systems to be MORE GREEN!

1. Use Smart Power: Our favorite is SurgeX (www.surgex.com) but whomever you use, you’d better be using power conditioning in EVERY RACK — and not just to save your AV gear from power surges and failures. Smart power is way, way more than that. Did you know that you can turn off unused AV gear that’s a huge power hog when you’re not using it? Think about the temperature of your DVRs, your CableTV boxes, your satellite receivers and your audio amps when you’re not using them. Where do you think that heat comes from? You go it: power = hot. Smart power conditioners can automatically (or via programming) turn off boxes that simply don’t need to run all weekend when you’re not at the office or during the day when you’re not at home. Not only will this save you money, but also it’ll make you greener!
   
   Here’s another thing smart power will do — some of these Smart Power conditioners   are even IP-controllable (networkable). With IP-controllable AV stuff, you can take control of and power on and off gear via a network — powering it only when you need it.
    
2. Get Educated on Green: The standards for GreenAV are being written right before your own eyes. Below, you’ll see a story on InfoComm’s Sustainable Technology Environment Program and they’re asking for YOU to provide input on what the GreenAV standards and practices should be. This is a landmark document that will leave an indelible impact on the AV market for decades! Don’t you want to be a part of it?
    
3. Use GreenAV Stuff: Some of the GreenAV marketing coming from manufacturers right now might be hype, but most of it is better than nothing. In fact, statistically, clients are asking for green gear more than ever before. And, it’s only a matter of time before all government purchasing favors green over non-green stuff. It’ll happen. So, why not lead with GreenAV? Again, make sure you’re tracking everything we’re writing about in the world of GreenAV and you’re doing your part by selling green — and making more money in the process.

Sure, we’d like to see more GreenAV gear already and 2011’s going to be THE GREEN YEAR in AV gear. Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised to see it as Crestron’s theme at next year’s InfoComm or CEDIA shows — along with dozens of other companies out there who need to take a stand in GreenAV and are still not sure of their plan.

But, we’ll keep asking and asking and asking them all until they finally build it — you’re here, so it will come…

This editorial originally appeared in rAVe GreenAV. To subscribe to rAVe GreenAV, go here: https://www.ravepubs.com/subscribe

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CEDIA 2010 – What a Show!

By Gary Kayye, CTS

Well, well, this year’s CEDIA blew away everyone’s expectations, including mine. I was hoping for a show that might come close to the 2009 numbers, but not expecting it. I was hoping for a show with some major new innovations, but not expecting it. I was hoping for a show that buzzed with excitement about a potential market recovers, but didn’t expect it. And, I was hoping we, rAVe, could shoot a video at every booth, but certainly wasn’t expecting it.

My expectations we’re blown out of the water.

Not only did we cover the entire CEDIA 2010 floor and shoot a video at every booth that would let us (or was open), but there were a ton of new innovations, the buzz was amazing, the talk of the economic woes turned to the excitement of the potential growth of 2011 and how the commercial AV market (e.g., digital signage) are exploding opportunities for the HomeAV integrator and 2010 attendance was nearly 1000 higher than 2009. Yay!

But, best news of all, bye, bye Atlanta! The 2010 show returns to its home turf of Indianapolis and there are no complaints coming from rAVe [Publications] about that shift in locale.

In case you didn’t get to attend the 2010 Expo or maybe you walked the floor but didn’t see EVERY booth there, we’ve got a treat for you!

First of all, I’ve written a show review for you that highlights the trends and new tech I think you’ve got to be aware of from the 2010 Expo. So, read on…

Secondly, after reading my review, head on over to our CEDIA portal here and you can literally see the show floor the way we did – through our nearly 600 videos of new products “in their words” – straight from the manufacturer’s mouths.

Third, we posted more than 200 Tweets from the show floor and you can read them ALL here: http://twitter.com/ravepubs

Finally, my show observations:

The Blockbuster Effect: They’re bankrupt! Sure, they’ll attempt to reorganize and waste countless millions of dollars failing, again. Look, the market’s going streaming! People aren’t going to buy huge collections of Blu-ray discs or any other fixed media format. We are learning to use media that’s intangible and we like the freedom that anywhere, anytime brings. My money’s on Netflix, Hulu, iTunes and Amazon — as they stream thousands of movies, TV shows and personal video content to broadband homes! Sure, we’re all afraid of the “network” and its reliability, but why not become Cisco Certified and learn to perfect networking yourself?!?

Proof: Take a look at this photo that I took at CEDIA Expo in the Sony booth (normally we don’t post full-sized photos, but I want you to see this, carefully). Notice how much space (all those monitors) Sony gave its TVs and AV receivers new online streaming video services compared to Blu-ray (that lit up rack on the left). Blu-ray barely takes up a 6'x10' space in their booth while on-line, streaming video content partners take up well over 30'x30' of their booth! Where do YOU think Sony thinks the future of HD movies are headed? 🙂

HomeAV’s Going Commercial!: I can’t tell you how many people at the show told me  that commercial AV integration (e.g., digital signage, meeting rooms, doctor’s offices) saved their businesses over the past two years. Go for it! The digital signage market is ripe and low-hanging fruit that even the ProAV integration channel hasn’t mastered (less than 16 percent of DS projects in 2009 were integrated by ProAV integrators). So go for it! And, make sure you consider attending the DSE (Digital Signage Expo in Vegas in February).

The iPad Show: iPad docks have found their way on to high-end component speakers in every booth from SpeakerCraft to JBL and iPad control is not only in the entry-level software-only control systems, but the iPad is prominently displayed in booths such as AMX, Crestron, Savant and even Sony — yes, Sony — a company that rarely ever displays any technology other than its own.

Apple dominated CEDIA and didn’t even exhibit.

Four years ago, the day CEDIA opened, the new iPods arrived and took the show by storm as their connection – although looked identical – was totally different than the previous generation stuff. So, everyone was scrambling to make the old docking systems work with the new gear.

Flash forward to 2010 and Apple’s all over the show, again, but this time with seamless integration with everything from iPods to iPads to iPhones. Demos abound all over the floor with manufacturers claiming that the “i-line” of Apple gear is capable of being a music server, a movie server, a room management system and even a touch panel capable of controlling everything in the house.

Listen, we’re big fans of the iPad – heck, EVERY SINGLE EMPLOYEE of rAVe (full-time and part-time) has been issued the tablet-like Mac handheld. We love them! But, let’s be honest here — this is not the savior of the lagging high-end HomeAV market. Yes, it’s exciting to see them being integrated in the home as we know our clients will want them – fast. But, we’ve got a lot more to offer than that.

Android Apps: For two years the iPhone, the iPod and, as I mentioned above, at CEDIA 2010 we saw the iPad all over the place. But, our money's on Android Apps for 2011. Sure, the iStuff from Apple will still be supported – and prominently displayed all over the place, but there's talk of all sorts of Android HomeAV apps ahead of the forthcoming Android Tablets, Pads, handhelds, etc. Watch for them to swarm the AV market in mere months.

Thinstall: It all started with Chief Manufacturing and the super-thin mounts for those LED TVs and now the emulators (imitators) abound. Every mount company has thin mounts, and the TVs keep getting thinner. We have a video, below, that shows Chief’s new thin, automated swivel and tilt mount, too!

3D: As expected, 3D was everywhere at CEDIA 2010 and even Monster's gotten into the action launching a line of universal, RF Monster-branded 3D glasses priced at, you go it, about 30-50 percent higher than the manufacturers' own — but, they’re universal — we’ve posted a video demo of them below, too. 3D is hot and even if you don't think it'll be in everyone's living room, there's no question it will be a HIT with gamers – and the average age of game buyers, by the way, is 39 — are you selling to them, yet?

Terrible 3D: Want to see bad 3D? It was all ove the place at CEDIA, but a special shout-out to the worst: the Mitsubishi demo of 3D – projector light output noticeably drops more than any I've ever seen, but the demo doesn't do justice to Mitsubishi’s quality — they'd have been better off not using it as I know it can look way better than what they showed at CEDIA — shame, shame. Oh, I can't mention terrible 3D without telling you that LG's 3D projector demo was noisy (packed with artifacts) and distracting — get better stuff to show in 2011.

Vivitek: Their 3D demo from A Christmas Carol was stunning — who'd have thought? Vivitek?!? Weird. Congrats. Digital Projection also used a clip from the same movie, and looked awesome. Sony and Runco both looked great — as expected. Sony's is extra good as it includes 3D stuff YOU can do yourself — featuring 3D point-and-shoot digital cameras, handicams and an SLR that shoots in 3D and you can show your own home movies and demo them in 3D. Maybe your neighbors won’t mind looking at your lame vacation shots if they're in 3D – but don't forget to buy a few extra pairs of the $200 Monster 3D glasses.

Middle Atlantic had some great cooling stuff for residential racks. HomeAV gear is, as we all know, getting HOTTER and HOTTER — literally. My AppleTV, DirecTV and Netflix boxes are all hotter than my audio amp in my theater. So, Middle Atlantic has all sorts of creative cooling solutions – including drawers loaded with fans, LED-front panel fans to show off your rack and even in-rack fans that can be attached to the inside walls. Kudos.

A Creative Retrofit Ceiling Can Speaker/Light: I have to tell you about a product that I saw that was pretty cool. Sure, this isn’t a high-end in-ceiling speaker, but Klipsch debuted a speaker/LED light (wireless) that literally fits into ANY 6” ceiling can light and turns it into a light/ceiling speaker (with no tools or time required to do it). It’s a four-room, eight-speaker whole-house audio system that’s designed for retrofit applications (and runs on less than 10 watts). It’s specifically designed for small home and apartment retrofits as well as low-end, entry-level, whole-home audio applications. I posted a video of it below in the news section; it’s worth watching.

This Christmas: This Christmas will usher in a plethora of new potential clients for us in HomeAV for 2011. The market’s seeded with all new entry-level technology as the high-end users will rise to the top and come ask us to make it’s easier to use and totally integrated seamlessly with everything else. So, sure, TVs will be plunging in prices by Thanksgiving (almost 30 percent less than 2009), but we’re in the business of selling expertise, not gear. So, I’m not worried! I’m excited!

Ad Notam has some really nice mirror TVs, including in-cabinet TVs, but we were especially impressed with the multi-touch mirror TV, which has really nice styling (and would be awesome for digital signage, even though this is a HomeAV show). Here is the video for the multi-touch mirror TV. They also have the requisite 3D TV, which you can see a video of here.

Smyth Research had a tiny booth in the back corner of the show, but has a really neat audio product and demo (though we're not sure how often you'll actually need to sell it). The Smyth Realiser A8 is a suite of products, including a head set and set of calibration tools that recreates a specific theater's surround sound experience. The system uses calibration mics, a head motion tracker, tracker reference, and a processor to record and track what it's like to sit in your own home theater (or another's) and listen to the surround sound set up, which you can then emulate on the speakers. The system can then take the emulated listening environment anywhere. The system obviously has a lot of potential commercial applications, but gamers and other home users may also be interested. At CEDIA, Smyth let attendees do the calibration and then listen to the system. Our video doesn't do it justice, but here it is anyway. You can find out more about the technology on the company’s website.

Networked HomeAV and Automation: We’re getting close to seeing the death of custom protocol-based control systems. We’re seeing TCP/IP integration all over the place. Everyone’s embraced the network as not only a content provider, but also as a way to seamlessly control everything. Everyone from AMX to Xantech had networked everything – heck, Sony even integrated a four-port network switch/router into its new ES line of receivers to help you connect all your components to the network and the Sony ES receivers even manage content flow data rates for you! Wanna see it? Go here.

SpeakerCraft: This company is simply amazing in its approach to HomeAV. On Day 1, it launched a line of retro-ish stand-alone audio players (iPad/iPod-dockable speaker called FloBox, small Hi-Fi receiver, called Vital 250) with an integrated iPad/iPod dock and stand-alone subs called ROOTS — all integratable with NIRV, the whole-home  control and AV distribution (via Cat5e) solution coming Q4 2010. But, the writers at their press conference couldn’t get beyond the fact that SpeakerCraft founder Jeremy Burkhardt said they’d be sold in Best Buy. What they didn’t get is they’re an amazing entry point for buyers to get into whole-house NIRV applications — something the CEDIA channel will totally get. We love the new gear — check it out at: www.speakercraft.com (the new stuff isn’t on there, yet, but we’re told it will be soon).

And, the Next Big Thing? GREEN! Everyone on the show floor is looking for the GreenAV gear and technologies. Lutron’s the leader here with Control4 and AMX right behind them with a lot of Green power and AV management solutions. And, watch for all sorts of real, actually GreenAV solutions to debut in 2011. I’ve talked to more 30 manufacturers planning GreenAV gear and software management tools for the home that will allow us to take a lead in sustainability.

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An Interview with Randal Riebe of Polycom

Last issue, we interviewed Paul Depperschmidt at TANDBERG to find out what has changed for TANDBERG ProAV dealers since the company was acquired by Cisco. This month, we’re talking to Randal (Randy) Riebe, director of AV integrator business development at Polycom. He answered our questions about how Polycom is adapting to the changing market, and how they are helping ProAV dealers wanting to integrate videoconferencing.

rAVe: Polycom seems to have a more structured focus on the ProAV channel. Has there been an organizational change or is it just that I haven't been paying attention?

Randy Riebe: The ProAV channel has been, and continues to be, an important route to market for Polycom. We believe that this global community of AV integrators will grow exponentially in the coming years and my focus, since joining the company in May, is around developing and implementing the programs and resources to support this growth.   

rAVe: Are there separate lines of products coming from Polycom specifically for the ProAV channel?

Randy Riebe: Polycom has a very broad product portfolio with offerings in voice, video, telepresence and unified communications solutions. Within these categories we offer products that are more suited to the needs of the AV integrator, such as SoundStructure on the installed audio side and the HDX 9000 series codecs.  We are also seeing growth from the AV integrator community in our digital signage products, our streaming media lines and our conferencing infrastructure.

rAVe: If you could set up the perfect Polycom ProAV integrator, what skill set would they have and which Polycom products would they focus on?

Randy Riebe: As a professional AV integrator we would assume that they are highly skilled in the fundamentals of AV as well as the integration of technology into architectural environments. Additionally they would be network savvy, with the ability to work effectively with the IT world. Their sales strategies would be based around a total solution sale that includes all aspects of the unified communications and collaboration environment. And last but not least, they would have a strong services model to support the customer after the sale.  

rAVe: Should a ProAV integrator have a separate sales team focused exclusively on Telepresence? Is it that kind of sale?

Randy Riebe: Having a separate sales team is less important than having the right sales team. Telepresence-type sales are typically a top-down initiative based upon improving a business process. Having a sales team that is effective in C-level selling is essential.

rAVe: Are Telepresence sales bringing in other AV opportunities?

Randy Riebe: As the C-Level executive experiences the business contribution of Telepresence, they quickly begin to see additional applications for the technology within their organization. As the technology is integrated into their daily routines it becomes a requirement in all meeting spaces and meeting spaces, meaning more AV opportunities. 

rAVe: What are the top four markets for VTC technology over the next two years and where should ProAV integrators focus?

Randy Riebe: We are seeing tremendous growth in variety of markets. We continue to see ongoing growth in the education market, which will only become greater with the current administrations focus on improvements in education. We are only scratching the surface for uses of the technology in the medical field with telestroke and telepsychiatry seeing strong growth. Government, legal, manufacturing and financial services are also key markets.

rAVe: I realize you won’t tell us what new products are coming, but what new expertise should ProAV integrators be focused on having as VTC technology evolves over the next five years?

Randy Riebe: Without a doubt, AV professionals should become knowledgeable in the technologies and associated expertise requirements in all elements of unified communications. UC is predicted to be a $14 billion-plus industry by 2015 and Polycom will be a key component.

rAVe: There are way more integrators that don't integrate VTC than do. I think some of that stems from the complexity of VTC systems in the 1990s, the last time they tried to do it. If an integrator not doing VTC installs now, what's the steps the company should take to become engaged with Polycom? What's the commitment?

Randy Riebe: Polycom makes it very easy for AV integrators to become engaged through the Polycom Choice Partner Program. The program is objectives-based with an emphasis on competency and offers a variety of specializations, including an AV Integrator Specialization. There is additional information on our website (www.polycom.com) and if you are interested in registering for our program please go to www.polycom.com/partner_registration

rAVe: Finally, what's the perfect class that every VTC integrator should take to understand and master the ability to design and sell VTC systems?

Randy Riebe: Polycom University offers a large variety of sales and technical classes both online and instructor led. One of the most comprehensive is the Certified Videoconferencing Engineer (CVE 2.0). Curriculum is a lecture-theory course focused on four major areas: Audio, Video, Networks and Standards. The instructor presents a comprehensive review of the core technologies for videoconferencing planning, implementation and support.

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Pacific Media Predicts 40 Percent Growth in Projector Sales for 2010

According to Pacific Media Associates (PMA), the industry’s best projector market research firm, the worldwide front projector market will grow to a total of 8.65 million units in 2010 from its 2009 level of 6.33 million units. Although some of the growth is because of comparison with a relatively weak 2009 due to the recession, the rest is due to stronger demand for a number of recently-introduced products that have responded to changing buyer demands.

PMA has dubbed 2010 “The Year of the Projector” because numerous supply-side product innovations, combined with rapid demand-side growth in developing countries, have breathed new life into what had become a mature industry with single-digit growth rates. “Innovations such as 3D-ready ultra-short-throw models, built-in interactivity, PC-free presentations, and LED or laser illumination are responding to user needs, in some cases expanding the lists of applications or buyer types for which projectors can be used,” said Dr. William Coggshall, President of Pacific Media Associates. “And countries in MEA (Middle East and Africa), Latin America, the ASEAN countries, and China are growing at rates outpacing those in the historically larger markets, often due to major national programs for education.”

Although it is not the largest category within the overall projector market, the New Era (sub-500 lumen) category is the fastest-growing one, and is expected to grow from 512,000 units in 2009 to 1,143,000 units in 2010. “The two sweet spots in this category are the tiny battery-powered pico projectors currently offering a brightness maximum of 50 lumens, and their larger wall-powered personal projector siblings,” said Coggshall. “During 2010 we expect the pico projectors to account for roughly three times as many units as the personal projectors.”

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rAVe Founder Speaking in San Francisco This Month!

Are you using social media in your marketing efforts yet? If you’re not, our founder, Gary Kayye, will be in San Francisco on October 21 for the Synnex FOCUS event delivering a session entitled: Social Media: What Every AV Dealer Should Know

The session is free and has helped more than 400 ProAV integrator focus in on their social media marketing plans already since Gary first delivered it at InfoComm 2010. The seminar specifically talks about how to integrate Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, as well as YouTube, into your marketing plans in an amazingly cost effective way — free!

Want to attend? You need to register here: https://www.signup4.net/Public/ap.aspx?EID=FOCU27E

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rAVe Founder to Debut All-New Digital Signage Seminar at ALMO E4 Show

Did you know less than only 16 percent of digital signage installations are done by ProAV integrators? Even the HomeAV market’s doing more digital signage installations than ProAV! Gary has partnered with ALMO Pro A/V to fix that. He’s developed a six-step process for adding a profitable digital signage department to your business. And, it all includes products and technology on display right after his ALMO E4’s spotlight course.

Want to attend? Well, there are two opportunities for you to hear Gary in 2010; Washington, DC on November 10th and New York City on December 15th. Go here to register: http://www.almoproav.com/Events/e4/

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Mitsubishi Intros World's First Large-Scale OLED Screen

Mitsubishi launched its Diamond Vision OLED last month in Europe, saying that it’s the world's first large-scale display system in the 100"-plus size range to use OLED technology.

The Diamond Vision OLED, designed for indoor use, offers decently wide horizontal and vertical viewing angles at approximately ±80 degrees, a brightness spec of 1200cd/m2 at what they claim is approximately double the contrast of a comparable LED screen. It’s being marketed for use in relatively bright areas as a digital signage display.   Built from standard 128×128 pixel OLED modules, each measuring 384mm square (approximately 16 inches) and weighing about 17 pounds each, Mitsubishi says the Diamond Vision OLED can be used to create a wide variety of screen sizes or shapes. The screen depth is 99mm, approximately four inches.

Using an OLED technology jointly developed between Mitsubishi and Pioneer, the technology basically creates light by a process of electro-luminescence (EL), but unlike 1980s EL technology, this is in color. Each pixel consists of an anode and cathode separated by a thin organic membrane.

This product is not available yet on the Mitsubishi website.

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Christie Debuts 8,000 Lumen 1080p DLP Projector

Last month, Christie launched the new leader in pro-grade single-chip 1080p projectors in the form of the DHD800. The native 1920×1080 is a one-chip DLP using TI's BrilliantColor 10-bit image processing and, in a first for a one-chip DLP at this price, Christie has empowered it with four-sided image blending and color matching. 

Replacing the DHD700, Christie is aiming it for both large venue HD meeting room applications since it has a series of lenses for both long-throw and short-throw applications and is specified at 7500:1 contrast ratio. Although not totally a GreenAV product, it does only use 23 watts of power in standby. 

Here are all the specs and details: http://www.christiedigital.com/AMEN/Products/ChristieDHD800.htm

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JVC Uses Three D-ILA Images in New 1080p Simulation Projector

The JVC DLA-VS2100U has a new optical engine that uses three D-ILA imagers to deliver 1920×1080 native resolution and what JVC claims is 20,000:1 contrast ratio, which is double the contrast of JVC’s current model, the DLA-VS2000U. Featuring a new 220W UHP lamp that delivers a 1000 ANSI lumens spec, the DLA-VS2100U was launched with a press release that included the statement “a key new feature is an anti-smear reduction mode, which reduces image smearing during fast-motion scenes through frame insertion or black frame insertion without sacrificing light output.” Hmmm.

Delivering in February 2011 and outfitted with two HDMI ports and one VGA input, the DLA-VS2100U supports 1080p/60 and 1080p/50 video formats, includes horizontal and vertical lens shift and ships with a 1.4-2.8:1 zoom lens. The projector is also available without a lens (DLA-VS2100NL), allowing the use of JVC’s optional 1:1 and 1.2:1 fixed lenses.

For more detailed specs, go to: http://pro.jvc.com/prof/attributes/category.jsp?productId=PRO2.3

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Sanyo Claims 10K Lumens in a 2K Resolution Projector

Sanyo has launched their first QuaDrive projector with 2K resolution in the form of the PLC-HF10000L. With 2048×1080 resolution, this native widescreen 3LCD projector is specified at 10,000 ANSI lumen brightness with a 3000:1 contrast ratio.

The QuaDrive engine adds a yellow color control device to the red, green and blue elements of the projector's 3LCD system. By automatically controlling the amount of yellow light in the image, Sanyo claims it improves color accuracy, produces a wider color gamut and enables higher brightness levels. In addition, the PLC-HF10000L includes Sanyo’s PJNet, built-in LAN networking through standard CAT5 network cabling, and a mechanical shutter system. Inputs include HDMI 1.3; DVI-D; D-sub 15 pin RGB; BNC for RGBHV and CV/Y-Pb/Cb-Pr/Cr; and S-Video, with optional boards available for HD/SD-SDI and Dual Link SDI.

This projector isn’t on Sanyo’s website yet, but when it is, it will be here: http://us.sanyo.com:80/Commercial-Projectors

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Dukane Ships Budget-Priced Projector

Dubbed the 8788, Dukane is attacking the low-end of the projector market with a box they label as budget-priced. It’s a native XGA resolution (1024×768), 3LCD projector with 2200 lumens (not specified as ANSI), top lamp access for convenience (using a 3000-hour lamp), built-in theft security, audio pass-through and instant on/off. Aimed at the education AV market, the 8788 is set to ship late this month and has a Minimum Advertised Price of $645.

For complete specs on the 8788, go to: http://www.dukane.com/av/products/Item_dvProjectors.asp?Model=8788

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AMX Debuts PoE Switcher

Designed specifically for AV-network applications in small business situations, the NXAENET8PoE Gigabit Ethernet Switch features eight 1000 Base-T ports and integrated Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) capability. Designed to transmit both power and data through a single cable to eight remotely located PoE-enabled devices (e.g., AMX touch panels, wireless access points, VoIP phones and IP surveillance cameras), the NXAENET8PoE allows for a managed network to efficiently handle voice, video, and data applications.

For more information, go to: http://amx.com/products/NXA-ENET8POE.asp

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L-ACOUSTICS Simplifies Acoustics, Again

L-ACOUSTICS announced that a new GLL (generic loudspeaker library) is now available for its WST systems, including KIVA, ARCS, KUDO and KARA. The development now provides complete compatibility between L-ACOUSTICS' SOUNDVISION and AFMG's EASE software applications for acoustic source data, as well as for audience area. The new GLL format allows quick insertion and setup of L-ACOUSTICS WST systems in EASE 4 system design software. The library provides true line source radiation patterns, and audience area data can be shared by both applications using import/export functions. According to L-ACOUSTICS, systems integrators will benefit from this new feature, as using EASE allows increased accuracy, taking into account the acoustics of the room and providing compatibility with projects being worked on by acoustic consultants.

For more information, go here: http://www.l-acoustics.com/

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Extron Releases Design Guides

Normally we don’t highlight catalogs, literature or collateral from manufacturers, but when we see technical expertise like this, we’ve got to tell you about it. So far, Extron has released four booklets that they’re calling Design Guides. Sure, they’re filled with Extron product information, but what they are, in fact, are textbooks for each subject they cover. For example, one is on streaming AV over IP. It educates you in everything you need to know about IP-based AV systems. It includes a step-by-step process for both HomeAV and ProAV market applications as well as what you can expect the tradeoffs to be vs. traditional AV routing. In addition, it talks about what technical limitations are found in the technology – even in Extron’s own products.

The four Design Guides include:

1. Digital Design Guide – What you need to know about moving from analog routing to digital signal routing (e.g., VGA vs. HDMI).
2. Fiber Optic Design Guide
3. Streaming AV Over IP
4. SDI & HD-SDI Guide — This one’s for the true HD geek!

Check them out yourself at: http://www.extron.com/company/article.aspx?id=designguidead
 

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InfoComm's Adds CTS-Design Bootcamp — Sort of…

Considering going for your CTS-Design certification? Whether you were on the fence or the dates didn't fit your schedule, you can still become a design master and get a taste of the rigor of AV Design Bootcamp. Make one trip to the InfoComm Academy in Fairfax, VA, to tackle two courses to help you prepare for your CTS-D:

DES212 Design Level 1: Environment — Oct. 24-26 | Register
DES213 Design Level 2: Infrastructure — Oct. 27-29 | Register

Although not really an official boot camp, this course line up is not for lightweights. Bring your stamina for hands-on training. To register, contact Amanda Eberle at aaeberle@40infocomm.org or call +1.703.273.7200.

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News from Wolf-Vision, AVI-SPL, Magenta Research…

WolfVision has launched an iPhone App called the WVRemote that allows control of its visualizers direct from the App… AVI-SPL is doing a projector giveaway for educators and is giving away prizes via Facebook and Twitter for AV Week. More information can be found on its blog… Brawn Consulting is conducting an ISF Commercial and Digital Signage Display Experts (DSDE) display technology, screen optimization, and calibration course as a single event on November 8th and 9th in Redmond, Washington… Community Professional Loudspeakers has been granted a patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office for its work on carbon ring cone technology… Lutron has joined ClearOne's StreamNet Ready Partner Program… Magenta Research has hired Gregory Bedross as eastern regional manager…  Procella Audio and SIM2 Multimedia have joined D-Tools' Manufacturer Vantage Point (MVP) program… Projector Lamp Services have opened a new sales office in Tampa, Florida to service the southeastern United States… AVI-SPL has hired four new salespeople: Doug Lanham and Paul Solarz have both joined the Chicago office as an account managers; Sean McCullough has joined the Dayton, Ohio office as a sales bid estimator; and Spencer Quint has joined the San Francisco office as a video conferencing specialist… Kramer has promoted Kent Cawthorne to national sales manager for all Kramer and Sierra Video brand products.

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For all you REGULAR readers of rAVe ProAV 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 ProAV 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.

Everything we publish is Opt-in — we spam NO ONE! rAVe ProAV Edition is our flagship ePublication with what we believe is a reach of virtually everyone in the ProAV market. rAVe HomeAV Edition, co-published with CEDIA and launched in February 2004, is, by far, the largest ePub in the HomeAV market (we blow away ANY other Publication in the high-end home AV market.  We added rAVe Rental [and Staging] in November 2007, rAVe ED [Education] in May 2008 and then rAVe DS [Digital Signage] in January 2009. You can subscribe to any of those publication or see ALL our archives by going to: https://www.ravepubs.com

To read more about my background, our team, and what we do, go to https://www.ravepubs.com

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Copyright 2010 – rAVe [Publications] – All rights reserved – 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 contains the opinions of the author only and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of other persons or companies or its sponsors.