Gary Kayye

Gary Kayye

Gary Kayye, founder of rAVe Publications, is one of the most prominent personalities in the audiovisual industry. He has been a contributor to WIRED magazine and a technical advisor and columnist for Sound & Communications magazine as well as an opinionated columnist for rAVe [Publications] since 2003. In addition to his writing and market analysis, Gary has been a product, marketing and business operations consultant to dozens of AV companies in the U.S. and overseas. Clients have included companies such as Sony, Sharp, Epson, Lutron, InFocus, Sanyo, Mitsubishi, NEC and Philips.   Gary, who has been involved with the audiovisual market for over 20 years, was the recipient of the InfoComm 2003 Educator of the Year Award and the 2007 NSCA Instructor of the Year Award. Over the years, he has donated much of his time as an active volunteer in the AV industry’s trade association and served as chairman of InfoComm’s Professional Education & Training Committee (PETC), chairman of the ICIA Design School Committee and chairman of InfoComm’s Installation School Committee. In addition, he has served on the InfoComm board of governors. He also helped grow the InfoComm Projection Shoot-Out as the premiere AV industry trade show special event serving on the committee from 1991 through 1997, and was instrumental in launching the Shoot-Out in the European market at the Photokina Expo in 1994 and 1996 as well as the Asian market at the 1995 and 1997 INFOCOMM Asia shows.   Prior to founding his own company, Gary was vice president of sales and marketing for AMX Corporation (www.amx.com), a manufacturer specializing in professional AV and residential AV control systems. Prior to AMX, Gary spent nine years at Extron Electronics (www.extron.com), rising to the position of vice president of sales and marketing. Gary earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1987 from the University of North Carolina and is currently Adjunct Faculty at UNC in the School of Journalism teaching a class on how future technologies will affect the future of advertising, PR and marketing.   He is also the founder of Swim for Smiles, a non-profit that raises money for the N.C. Children’s Hospital through swimming and other fitness-related events for kids. You can contact him at gary@ravepubs.com..

Legrand Nuvo Adds Line of 8-Inch Passive Subwoofers and Digital Amplifiers

Legrand today introduced a new family of Nuvo 8-inch in-ceiling and in-wall passive subwoofers and matching digital amplifiers. Designed for small, medium and large home theaters and audio installations, the three compact single and dual subwoofers deliver low-frequency impact, while the wall- and rack-mount amplifiers are designed specifically for use with them. For smaller installations, […]

Legrand Nuvo Adds Line of 8-Inch Passive Subwoofers and Digital Amplifiers

OSD Black Drops TreVoce Powered Subwoofers Ahead of CEDIA Expo

OSD Black just introduced two powered stand-alone subwoofers, the 800-watt TreVoce 12 and the 500-watt TreVoce, which are aimed at in-home theaters, media rooms and high-end listening spaces. Designed for the custom integration market, these stand-alone subwoofers include an active woofer and two symmetrically-built passive woofers. According to OSD, the active subwoofer is self-contained and […]

OSD Black Drops TreVoce Powered Subwoofers Ahead of CEDIA Expo

LMS206 from Amate Audio Debuts

Amate Audio has introduced the new LMS206 loudspeaker management processor, making the advanced system configuration capabilities of its NÍTID active loudspeaker series available for use with passive audio systems. The LMS206 is the first of a series of next generation loudspeaker management processors, providing continuous ‘round the clock’ uncompromising operation, employing a 64-bit DSP architecture. […]

LMS206 from Amate Audio Debuts

Primacoustic Paintables Are Now Available in 48″ Square Acoustic Panels

Primacoustic has expanded its Paintables line of acoustic panels with the introduction of the new Broadway 48” x 48” Broadband absorptive wall panel. Primacoustic Paintables is a line of acoustic panels that gives architects and interior/room designers the ability to integrate matched color or printed graphics into the acoustic design spec for a room or […]

Primacoustic Paintables Are Now Available in 48″ Square Acoustic Panels

In An Effort to Stop the Bleeding, Eiki Appoints Schippers as COO

Eiki International just told rAVe they’ve hired John Schippers to the position of chief operating officer. As an Eiki employee for over 11 years, Schippers is well-versed in the company’s operations, making him well-suited to assume his new responsibilities. As the company’s chief operating officer, Schippers has oversight of Eiki’s operations in the U.S., Canada, […]

In An Effort to Stop the Bleeding, Eiki Appoints Schippers as COO

Updated: Eiki’s Survival Is Questionable

Update: Please see below a response from Eiki to this story. Things took a turn for the worse on Friday as Eiki laid off another round of greatness, including their 15-year general manager, Steve Rubery, and, according to one source, 50% of their tech and sales support teams. In addition, their dealer network was notified […]

Updated: Eiki’s Survival Is Questionable

Philips Details GoBright Partnership for Room Management

Philips Professional Display Solutions has announced a partnership with meeting room management platform provider GoBright BV. The agreement between the two Amsterdam-based companies sees the Philips 10BDL3051T multi-touch 10″ T-Line display become fully certified and fully compatible with the GoBright platform for the first time. More Philips models are to be added shortly. The GoBright […]

Philips Details GoBright Partnership for Room Management

NSCA’s Growth Stats Are Wrong, But, Here’s What They Say

NSCA’s Electronic Systems Outlook report has been updated for Summer 2019 and includes construction outlook information based on actual data from Q1 and Q2 of 2019, as well as a forecasted outlook for the remainder of 2019 and beyond. This report was initially created as a response to integrators asking about market conditions and trends […]

NSCA’s Growth Stats Are Wrong, But, Here’s What They Say

AVI-SPL Buys Digital Video Networks

AVI-SPL today announced the acquisition of Digital Video Networks (DVN) in the southwestern United States. A continuation of the company’s strategic growth plan, the merger will further strengthen AVI-SPL’s market leadership with additional talent and resources in a growing region while expanding the company’s leading global support and services delivery capabilities to current and prospective […]

AVI-SPL Buys Digital Video Networks

DMP 128 FlexPlus DSP for Dante Systems Ships from Extron

Extron announced the availability of the DMP 128 FlexPlus series of compact Dante Digital Matrix Processors, featuring twelve FlexInput channels with full DSP, including AEC and Dante connectivity, in only a half rack space. With an extensive mix matrix, a USB audio interface and analog compatibility, the DMP 128 FlexPlus provides the ability to easily […]

DMP 128 FlexPlus DSP for Dante Systems Ships from Extron

Rants and rAVes — Episode 900: SnapAV’s OvrC Platform is Aimed at Commercial AV Market

THIS IS A PROMOTED POSTLongtime HomeAV distributor and manufacturer, SnapAV, is now aiming its sights on the Commercial AV market. And, their plan includes using their OvrC support platform to do it. What’s OvrC and how does it work? Well, watch this video cast with SnapAV’s Scott Normand, Director of Commercial, who demo’s OvrC live […]

Rants and rAVes — Episode 900: SnapAV’s OvrC Platform is Aimed at Commercial AV Market

Jeremy Burkhardt Finally Gets CEDIA Fellow Designated, Better Late Than Never

CEDIA says that, finally, Jeremy Burkhardt will be inducted to the CEDIA Fellows program at CEDIA Expo 2019. The CEDIA Fellows program honors longtime CEDIA members and volunteers who have contributed significantly to the association’s success. Burkhardt is well known throughout the industry, currently as chairman of Origin Acoustics, as well as former CEO, architect […]

Jeremy Burkhardt Finally Gets CEDIA Fellow Designated, Better Late Than Never

Powersoft Mezzo Will See CEDIA Debut of Newest Amplifier Platform

Powersoft (CEDIA EXPO booth 335) will demonstrate its newest amplifier platform at CEDIA EXPO. Integrated into a half-rack enclosure with lots of connectivity options, Mezzo is designed for the AV/IT markets, commercial and residential installations. The new line consists of eight amplifier models in all, each offering different power and connectivity options. We short a […]

Powersoft Mezzo Will See CEDIA Debut of Newest Amplifier Platform

Audinate Releases Dante AV Reference Design

Audinate has partnered with NXP Semiconductors to release a reference design kit for the NXP i.MX 8M Mini QuadLite SoC — providing Dante audio-over-IP to OEMs as on-chip software. Solutions developed for standard computing hardware platforms such as ARM are increasingly becoming the most cost-effective and flexible way to design and deliver AV products, shifting […]

Audinate Releases Dante AV Reference Design

DSS Europe Was Awesome – We Shot Videos There, Too!

Integrated Systems Events today announced the successful return of the Digital Signage Summit Europe (DSS Europe) to the Hilton Munich Airport hotel. DSS Europe, which took place this year 3-4 July, is Europe’s leading strategy conference for the digital signage and digital-out-of-home (DooH) industry. In a packed two-day, two track conference programme nearly 500 attendees […]

DSS Europe Was Awesome – We Shot Videos There, Too!

Updated: Shure Fights Back — Files Suit Against ClearOne Alleging False Statements

Shure, Inc. today announced that it has filed a lawsuit against ClearOne in the U.S. Court for the District of Delaware. The lawsuit alleges ClearOne’s BMA CT product, launched in February of 2019, infringes Shure’s U.S. Patent No. 9,565,493 (“‘493 Patent”). The ‘493 patent, which protects the architecture of Shure’s ceiling array microphone offering powerful acoustic benefits with flexible mounting options and minimal aesthetic […]

Updated: Shure Fights Back — Files Suit Against ClearOne Alleging False Statements

Barco Books Over $560 Million in First Half of 2019, Net Income Is $45 Million

There aren’t too many publicly traded companies in the pro AV market so when one announces earnings, it should be paid attention to as a bellwether of the market. Today Barco announced financial results for the six month period ended June 30, 2019. Orders and sales increased in each division resulting in a consolidated growth […]

Barco Books Over $560 Million in First Half of 2019, Net Income Is $45 Million

Audinate Dante AV Is a Thing

Audinate today announced that the new Dante AV Module and the Dante AV Product Design Suite are now commercially available for order by manufacturers. Patton Electronics has announced that they will adopt the platform into a new generation of AV-Over-IP products. Dante AV is an integrated audio and video networking solution, bringing to video all the benefits that have […]

Audinate Dante AV Is a Thing

Rants and rAVes — Episode 899: If You Integrate Control Rooms or Digital Signage, You Should Know Who Monitors Anywhere Is!

Monitors Anywhere basically makes the ClickShare of monitor walls. Using USB to HDMI adapters or thin-client Android computers, you can build network-based digital signage systems or fill video walls with content – in any configuration. So, no digital or analog signal processing – all network-based. If you don’t know Monitors Anywhere, this is the podcast for […]

Rants and rAVes — Episode 899: If You Integrate Control Rooms or Digital Signage, You Should Know Who Monitors Anywhere Is!

CEDIA Lifetime Award Winner Spent a Lifetime in CEDIA

CEDIA announced that Mitchell Klein was chosen as this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. Klein will be honored at the CEDIA Expo Opening Keynote hosted at the Colorado Convention Center on Wednesday, September 11, 2019.The CEDIA Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an individual who has exhibited outstanding, creative, innovative and visionary leadership in the growth and advancement of […]

CEDIA Lifetime Award Winner Spent a Lifetime in CEDIA

Rants and rAVes — Episode 898: The Post Visix InfoComm 2019 Videocast

In this episode of Rants and rAVes, Gary is joined by Visix founder Sean Matthews. They discuss (and shows) viewers all six new products Visix launched at this years InfoComm, including explaining VUI voice activated wayfinding, and a four output video player. Watch as Sean shows everything that Visix brought to InfoComm 2019. You can […]

Rants and rAVes — Episode 898: The Post Visix InfoComm 2019 Videocast

V5 of Martin’s P3 Controller Software Drops

Martin P3 System Controller Software version 5.0.0 brings significant new functionalities to Martin’s range of P3 System Controllers, consisting of the P3-050, P3-100, P3-150, P3-200, P3-300 and P3-PC. Moving heads and lighting fixtures such as the Martin MAC Allure and VDO Atomic Dot families can now be driven via the P3 System Controller. With the […]

V5 of Martin’s P3 Controller Software Drops

CEDIA Home Cinema Masterclass to Be Led By Three Home Theater Gods

Three of the biggest names in home theater integration will offer an unparalleled learning opportunity. The CEDIA Home Cinema Design Masterclass — featuring Imaging Science Foundation founder Joel Silver, Grimani Systems President Anthony Grimani and TK Theatres and RAYVA founder Theo Kalomirakis — will provide an in-depth examination of several key topics. The CEDIA Home […]

CEDIA Home Cinema Masterclass to Be Led By Three Home Theater Gods

Why in the Heck Would Biamp Buy Community and Apart Audio? Hint: QSC

By now, you’ve probably heard the news that Rashid Skaf-led Biamp is buying Audioprof Group International, which is the parent company of Community Loudspeakers (based in Philadelphia) and Apart Audio (based in Antwerp, Belgium) from 3d Investors of Gent, Belgium. Bruce Howze founded the company in 1968, which was first named Community Light and Sound. […]

Why in the Heck Would Biamp Buy Community and Apart Audio? Hint: QSC

Microsoft Teams Rooms and Surface Hub 2 Gets Pexip CVI

Pexip has announced it will offer free Cloud Video Interop (CVI) services for customers of Microsoft Teams Rooms and Surface Hub 2 systems. The offer is available directly via Pexip and participating partners and is valid for new customers of Microsoft Teams Rooms and Surface Hub 2 solutions. Cloud Video Interop enables third-party video conferencing […]

Microsoft Teams Rooms and Surface Hub 2 Gets Pexip CVI

Z-Wave Rolls Out Z-Wave Plus v2 Certification

The Z-Wave Alliance is unveiling details about the Z-Wave Plus v2 certification designed for devices built on the new Z-Wave 700 platform. The updated certification will deliver a significantly improved consumer experience by mandating the inclusion of SmartStart, a setup feature that will truly bring plug and play to the consumer smart home. Removing the […]

Z-Wave Rolls Out Z-Wave Plus v2 Certification

Rants and rAVes — Episode 897: Why AV-over-IP Should Be On a Separate Network

Will you succeed in putting video onto your existing data network? Laurent Masia, of Netgear, thinks not! See the full blog post here. Make sure you listen to this episode of Rants and rAVes to hear from Justin Kennington and Gary Kayye as they talk about why #AVoverIP should be on a separate network.   […]

Rants and rAVes — Episode 897: Why AV-over-IP Should Be On a Separate Network

PixelFLEX VisionPro HD Is Pre-Packaged LED Wall (on Wheels)

PixelFLEX LED just launched VisionPro HD, a giant LED-based Smart TV of sorts. VisionPro HD is constructed with a reflection-free surface, to reduce any room or light interference, is bezel-less, since it’s LED and is available in four models; a 110-inch display at 1.2mm pixel pitch, a 138-inch display at 1.5mm pixel pitch, a 165-inch […]

PixelFLEX VisionPro HD Is Pre-Packaged LED Wall (on Wheels)

Upstage Video Debuts 8-Foot Wide LED Package for Rental Applications

Upstage Video today debuted the EZ LED, aimed at rental LED applications. The self-contained LED features a 5×8-foot, 2.6-millimeter pixel pitch LED screen that can be elevated up to 11 feet in the air. The screen is mounted inside a steel-constructed container on wheel thus, set-up takes about 15 minutes and it’s preconfigured with an […]

Upstage Video Debuts 8-Foot Wide LED Package for Rental Applications

Rants and rAVes — Episode 896: When Will LEDs Truly Replace LCDs and Projectors? Not As Soon As You Think!

For years, industry pundits have predicted the immediate demise of the projector, due to flat panels. Now, there’s a cry that the flat panels will disappear, any day now, due to LEDs. Do you believe the hype? Well, here’s what Absen’s Director of Sales, Mitch Rosenburg, thinks — and this matters as, not only is Absen the […]

Rants and rAVes — Episode 896: When Will LEDs Truly Replace LCDs and Projectors? Not As Soon As You Think!

Hall Research Adds 1G AV-Over-IP Versa Product Line

The VERSA-4K from Hall Research is an AV-over-IP product line for 4K video, IR, RS232, audio and USB over a 1 Gigabit network. The system also offers automatic KVM switching, Telnet and web GUI control, USB device class filtering and PoE (Power over Ethernet) support. The sender/encoder accepts any HDMI resolution including 4K, 60 Hz […]

Hall Research Adds 1G AV-Over-IP Versa Product Line

AV Junction Gives It Another Try – This Time with Free Online Platform

If you’re looking for either contract and full time AVtweeps, AV Junction now has a free web platform. AV Junction provides companies with access to “pre-vetted” (this is their term and not verified or validated as to what exactly this means) AV professionals. This is a dedicated online marketplace for AV people. AV Junction says […]

AV Junction Gives It Another Try – This Time with Free Online Platform