Since 2000, I have developed 15 or so courses and keynotes designed specifically to motivate or move ProAV integrators towards continual profitability. Back in the late 1990‘s, I developed a course that, literally, turned box-houses into systems integrators. In 2000, I started presenting my course on selling and maintaining profitable, proactive service contracts and in the mid-2000’s […]

By Gary Kayye, CTS Almost two decades ago, InfoComm launched the commercial AV industry’s first certification designation, called CTS – Certified Technology Specialist. Although the program has unofficially been around for years, until now-InfoComm Executive Director & CEO, Randy Lemke, arrived from Northern Virginia Community College where he served as Director of the Extended Learning Institute, the program was used sparingly […]

As a kid, I was taught that I should respect old people as they have the knowledge gained from experience. At seven years old, I hadn’t a clue what that meant. But, I did it. I had to. Whenever I went over to my grandparent’s house, I ate whatever was served, I never complained that […]

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 […]

This show’s been nothing short of AWESOME! And, in case you’re not here, here’s some observations from the show floor this morning as the gates opened at 9am. Sony’s Blu-ray Secret: Check this out – these pics were taken this morning by rAVe Pubs and isn’t this foretelling: Blue-ray barely takes up a 6’x10′ space in their booth while on-line, streaming video content partners […]

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 […]

Most people see CEDIA Expo as the show of shows in the HomeAV market and make the time it takes to peruse the show, completely. The four-day event is the ultimate opportunity to see the new technologies and products that’ll make or break your year in high-end consumer electronics. And, best of all, it doesn’t have the huge crowds […]

Wake up! Is anyone else [besides me] shocked that less than 20 percent of the DS market is being integrated by the ProAV channel? Do you realize that digital signage is LITERALLY the fastest-growing segment of the AV market? And, to top that off, it’s the largest segment of the “sell AV as a service” market outside […]

If you think it was tough getting old people in your company to adopt new technology, wait until you see how tough it will be for YOU to employ new talent. Generation Y is entering the workforce and they grew up not just playing video games, but mastering them on the first try. They never […]

In my recent writing and speaking, I have discussed the convergence of the HomeAV and ProAV markets and how close they are moving to mirror each other. Now, let’s take a look at the two major industry associations (and their tradeshows) and how they may evolve over the next few years. In case you’ve been living under a rock, InfoComm is THE ProAV association […]

You think the economy was bad for business, wait til you have to compete with Best Buy in the ProAV integration space. That’s right! Best Buy has officially launched themselves into commercial AV design and integration and is actively seeking employees who want to get on the ground floor of their new ProAV strategy. Don’t believe me? Check it out for […]

By Bob Snyder and Gary Kayye, CTS A white box with a touch screen on the outside cover that lets heart patients make video calls with their clinicians may prove the basis for an emerging home health market. Yep, it’s true! Aetna released preliminary results of a joint study with Intel showing chronic heart failure patients […]

One of the ProAV industry’s first “national” dealers was MCSi. After buying up more than 20 AV dealerships including Technical Industries of Atlanta, Fairview AFX from Tulsa, OK and DuoCom based in Canada,MCSi racked up sales of $686 million and was even a high-flying with a Fortune Magazine 100-Fastest-Growing-Company ranking in 2000. They had more than 150 offices and 2000 or so employees. MCSi went […]

If you’re a regular reader of rAVe, then you know that I despise Atlanta and think they did a terrible job hosting CEDIA in 2009 – although we did appreciate the city’s warning, for those of us staying in downtown hotels, not to veer too far from the hotel’s front door after 11 pm. Thanks. But, one must […]

We are about to witness the largest deployment of digital signage in history. That’s right – the largest deployment of digital signage technology, ever. How big? Well, well over 100 million (yes, million) people (translation: sets of eyeballs) will instantly be part of the world’s largest digital signage network tomorrow (July 1st) when Apple launches iAd on the […]

By Gary Kayye, CTS I cannot tell you how excited I am about this year’s InfoComm show! Held every summer, InfoComm, as I hope you all know, is the ProAV industry’s premiere trade event (I use that term intentionally as trade show doesn’t do it justice — it’s really, truly an event) that anyone and […]

In this month’s rAVe HomeAV Edition issue, there’s an article about CEDIA and HDMI, LLC (basically, the HDMI police) partnering to educateHomeAV integrators about the upcoming, impending analog sunset issues – when we turn off component video for good. Believe it or not, that happens sooner rather than later. In fact, many Blu-ray disc players will totally turn of the HD output of their component video […]

Have you ever wondered (or maybe been frustrated about) why your company’s marketing efforts are banal, boring and, well, just plain bad? In fact, in the AV world, sales is way, way better at generating leads than marketing, right? Why is this the case? I’ll tell you why!  We’re an industry run by old dudes! Yep, that’s […]

…LOADING….. I’ve always been a HUGE Blu-ray fan! I even touted the benefits of Blu-ray during the heat of the HD-DVD v.Blu-ray format wars, something that drew great criticism from many readers who clearly though HD-DVD was a better format. …LOADING… So, I think I am justified and, to be totally frank, maybe in the best possible position to now say: […]

I don’t ever really pay attention to new hire press releases except if (1) the person is a big name making a move in the industry, or (2) I know the person. However, I’d been hearing how Crestron hired a “buildings guy” also known as David Wilts, Crestron’s new director of integrated building technology (see the announcement here.) This buildings […]

It’s time once again to ask that age old question: “How do I plan for the future without a Crystal Ball?” Most everyone has been teased with quality 3D by means of the runaway 3D hit Avatar, and some have seen killer demonstrations of 3D on flat panels or via the state-of-the-art performance of DP’s […]

Six months ago, a group of very smart economists and mathematicians proclaimed that the Great Recession was over. Well, maybe, but it didn’t feel like it at the time. Today is a different story. I’m hearing from some integrators that business is picking up, new inquiries are coming in more regularly, and that customers seem […]

rAVe readers, especially home AV installers, are reminded that the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Renovation, Repair, and Painting Rule goes into effect April 22, 2010. The deadline is coming fast, especially for anyone who has not completed the certification. To quote the EPA’s requirements: “Common renovation activities like sanding, cutting, and demolition can create hazardous […]

Installers, hold onto your hats because Behringer is the new name in town for installed products. According to Audio Pro International, the line includes “microphones to speakers and everything in between,” as well as the creation of a new department within Behringer, the Behringer Install Group (BIG). (The line is so new that there is no mention of the new product […]

Some of you may remember back in 2005 when retail giant Walmart stopped its struggling effort in online DVD rentals with the excuse that they wanted to concentrate on DVD sales. Rival and category creator NetFlix absorbed its operations and both went on their merry ways. Fast forward five years and now comes news that Wal-Mart has purchased Vudu , an online high […]

Since THE DAY that Apple launched the iPad, I’ve received at least a handful of emails every day asking my opinion on the iPad and its potential impact on the control system segment of our market – most specifically, the touch panel segment of the control market. Let’s get this out of the way:  I’m […]

If there’s anything I know about rAVe readers, it’s that you all have opinions – and strong ones. Now is your chance to exercise those opinions and add comments to the FCC ruling that bans wireless microphone systems that operate in the 700 MHz band after June 12, 2010. The comment period is open until March 1, 2010.  Microphone manufacturer Shure recently petitioned […]

There were lots of happenings this weekend that garnered attention – the Olympics, bad weather in the South, and school vacation week activities to do with your kids. The national and local news were focused on these subjects and reporting from every angle. But in theTwitterverse, Southwest Airlines and actor/director Kevin Smith were in a […]

I promise that, after today, I will stop geeking out about the Olympics. Yesterday I posted about the 3D tie-ins, but today’s focus is on the massive fiber network that serves as the backbone to the event. The 2010 Winter Olympics is a showcase of the AV/IT and social media convergence that is a reality, not a […]

The 2010 Winter Olympics start tomorrow and that alone may not excite you. Yes, there is drama and competition and achievements of the human spirit. *Yawn* But there’s also lots of 3D tie-ins that are happening with the Games this year. First is that Panasonic will open its Full 3D HD Theatre where visitors can watch 3D footage […]

NEC, Christie, Sanyo and Digital Projection all took bold steps to become more than just also-ran “projector manufacturers” in 2009. NEC, in fact, created a totally new market segment for the ProAV Integrator with VUKUNET by allowing us to tap into the huge revenue streams created by digital signage.  Instead of simply sitting back trying to figure out how to make their […]

No question that social media is a part of today’s modern life, but who has enough time in the day to check Twitter, Facebook,FriendFeed, chat, Foursquare, texts, news links, and email?!?! Some of us try to do it all, but it takes work. To address this problem, Google has announced Buzz, a tool to help […]