Not that I seriously believe that anyone has been following the saga of my rebuilding of my Media Room post-flood, and my search for a new control system for my AV gear. BUT IF YOU WERE, you might be interested to know that after much research and discussion with knowledgeable AV Pros, I elected to […]
Recent experiences have brought security installations to the forefront of my thinking. Security subsystems are something that AV pros have polarizing opinions on. Some don’t mind handling them, some do so only grudgingly, and others won’t touch them. Like everything, when deciding whether to do security at all there are pros and cons. The most […]
I get asked periodically for a copy of our catalog. That’s when I refer them to our website and say “that’s our catalog now.” In any channel where technology advances quarterly, or even more often, and what’s hot can change weekly, combined with printing costs, and a general rise in eco-friendly sentiments have put print […]
I’ve written a lot of columns that can categorized as either “How To Not Screw Up” or “Someone Screwed Up And Here’s How It Got Fixed.” It’s not lost on me that sometimes it sounds like I’m moralizing, and that feels awkward. Heaven knows I’ve made my share of mistakes — probably more than my […]
The big story last week up here in the Great White North was the demise of streaming video service Shomi. It took not even two years for Shomi, a joint project of broadcasters Rogers and Shaw to throw in the towel. It was never clear in Shomi’s publicized “900,000 users” how many of those were […]
We’re all familiar with the depreciation of AV equipment. And all of us who’ve been in the business for a long time have endless stories we can tell about what things used to cost, versus what they cost now. That explains why reading the ads on online HiFi Buy/Sell marketplaces is vaguely depressing. The rate […]
I like to say that every solution has two problems. However, sometimes there are more. Long story short, my basement flooded over the May long weekend, as I think I’ve mentioned before in my blog. I can tell you that it’s a good news/bad news situation. The salvage and restoration company (who did a fantastic […]
I just finished off a longer editorial titled Finding The Levers. Spoiler alert: it was about fishing for the cues that will lead to buying decisions from end users. As is often the case, while working on my editorial, one thing led to another, and inspired me to write a more brief blog post on […]
So, there’s going to be a new iPhone announced this Wednesday. There are things about it that I know, there are things about it that I think that I know, and there are things about it that I suspect. Most of which I’m not actually allowed to talk about publicly. What I can talk about […]
I think we can all agree that, in principle, it’s a great idea for vendors and manufacturers to maintain a “FIND A DEALER” database on their website. It’s a splendid idea — in principle. It will pre-qualify interested prospective customers who’ve been doing their research and funnel them towards resellers or installing dealers in their […]
It’s been said that for many people the opposite of talking isn’t listening, it’s waiting. I’m not perfect at it, but I endeavor to listen more than I talk, and I ask a lot of questions. Not just specific questions, but general ones as well. You should always listen to what people are saying. It’s […]
I witnessed something a couple of weeks ago that was, frankly, something you just don’t see every day. At the end of July I spent a week visiting my customers up on the far reaches of Northern Alberta. Despite the fact that 90% of my job can be done by phone and email, it’s important […]
There was a time, long ago, when I venerated cables and connectors. As a self-described audiophile, and as a salesman of audiophile gear to other self-described audiophiles, I bought into the doctrine that cables were important; that they were special. Cables are still important: they take the signal from where it originates and transport it […]
It’s been a huge boon to AV that wireless solutions now exist that were little more than wishful thinking ten years ago. Today I find myself looking at the specs of things like wireless HD video dongles and I think back to specific projects and site surveys in years past where I thought, “Man, this […]
My home renovation is complete. I haven’t yet reinstalled the AV system in the Media Room, but that’s another story. With the completion of my renovation, now seemed like an opportune time to check in, and conduct an audit of how many light fixtures are now using LED bulbs. The last time I did this, […]
As I mentioned in previous blog posts, my basement flooded on the May long weekend, necessitating the complete demolition and renovation of the rooms downstairs. The restorations and renovations are almost complete. Which leaves me at a crossroads. When I installed what I loftily called a MEDIA ROOM the kids were still babies; their entertainment […]
I reached a milestone this past week. I finally had to change the batteries in my electric tape measure. “What’s that?” you ask. “An electric tape measure? You’re kidding, right?” No, I kid you not. I’ve had it for ten years, and in that time, despite being made by the down-market Black and Decker brand, […]
It’s been said that it’s a mark of greatness to create a legacy that leaves something wonderful behind you for future generations. Years before I began working there, at one HiFi store an enterprising general manager had brokered deals with two professional organizations to extend to them a corporate discount program. What that meant was […]
Big box retailers are like the weather: We all like to complain about them, but none of us ever do anything about them. But as entertaining as it is to hate them, and make jokes at their expense, the relationship between big box retail and boutique professional firms is nuanced and complex. The business practices […]
One of the principles that guide me is actually an aphorism that was in much of my CEDIA training back in the day: “Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment.” History is littered with things that seemed like a good idea at the time, but didn’t have lasting appeal. For your morning […]
Over the years, I have sat through what sometimes feels like an endless procession of training sessions. Some were great, and some were less so. As the great wheel of existence turns, now other people have to sit through my vendor training sessions. It’s my expectation, whether I’m receiving or presenting, that in return for […]
Most of the time, the Clutter folder in my new Outlook works great. Sometimes Outlook buries important emails from people I want to hear from in the Clutter folder, and as a result I have to browse it regularly to rescue them, but that’s another story entirely. Instead, let’s look at what the Clutter folder […]
How often do we over-complicate things? In my case, despite my best intentions, sometimes I do. A lot. Occam’s Razor says, as you all know, that “among competing hypotheses, the one with the fewest assumptions should be selected.” The truth of that was borne out for me (again!) last weekend. The charging port on my […]
Things change; that’s a message we repeat on a regular basis in the trade media. Disruption, commoditization, price erosion, there are a whole host of factors play into changing the business landscape. Sometimes the evolution of a business is gradual and easy, other times it can be a little rocky. At some point or other […]
My love for tools needs no introduction, so I’ll proceed. In the course of procrastinating on the things I need to get done, I was browsing Tumblr, when this thing caught my attention: What is it? It’s simple, it’s one of these: In other words, it’s a multi-tool! How cool is that? I imagine that […]
Although it’s verity has long since been debunked, there’s a popular adage about how during the height of the Cold War and the Space Race, NASA spent millions developing a ballpoint pen that could write in zero gravity, while Soviet Cosmonauts just used a pencil. Regardless, the moral of the story as I’ve always applied […]
I just realized that it’s been over a year since I regaled rAVe readers with bizarre tales from my time working in retail electronics. Time to fix that! I don’t miss much about working in retail. One thing that I sort-of miss, that I don’t get to experience working on the distribution side, dealing with […]
On an almost weekly basis I have a variation on the following conversation. I get phone calls and emails from my dealers that fall along these lines: “Yeah, hi Lee. I’ve got a problem with one of these [Brand X] of yours.” “Oh, really?” I ask. “What’s the nature of the issue?” “Well, they’re doing […]
We all know that consistency and accuracy are crucial standards for AV pros. When hanging a video display on the wall, or cutting out holes for speakers, and especially when hacking holes in your client’s house during retrofit installs, “eh, close enough” doesn’t really cut it. Accuracy is always a virtue: “Measure twice, cut once,” […]
It’s been a while since I’ve searched for blog inspiration amongst the dreadful spam emails I get from would-be vendors. There are two key reasons for that. The first is that I’ve been busy. The second is the new Clutter folder in Outlook for Windows 10. To Microsoft’s credit, the Clutter folder has done an […]
It just occurred to me that I haven’t bored updated rAVe readers the state of my light-bulb quest since November of last year. No time like the present, I always say. Last time I checked in on my efforts to switch my home over to LED lighting, the grand total sat at 58% LED, with […]
Some business topics get all the headlines, and get written and rewritten over and over. Yet others receive very little attention, even though they can be as important, or even more important than the hot topics of the day. Succession planning is kind of managerial task that company owners and general managers roll their eyes […]
