The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the owner and producer of the International CES Show, today announced that verified attendance at the 2015 International CES reached a record 176,676 industry professionals with 48,833 coming from outside of the U.S. The 2015 CES also set a number of other records, including more than 3,600 exhibitors, more than […]

When business owners think about education and training for their employees, the most obvious reason for training is to equip employees with the necessary skills and abilities to perform their job to a minimum standard of competence. But there are more important reasons than that, not least of which is the ability to excel, and […]

Crestron’s AIR line of Landscape Speakers (LS4T and LS6T) and In-ground Subwoofer (IGS82T) include selectable 8-ohm, 70-volt or 100-volt operation as well as the ability to be attached to a post or wall, or secured directly into the landscape using the 18-inch mounting stakes provided. These extra-long stakes allow the speakers to be implanted into […]

Mark your calendar for October 14-17, 2015, when CEDIA EXPO will descend upon the Lone Star State for the first time in several years. The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas will host thousands of home technology professionals for the industry’s most wall-to-wall week of product news, training, networking, and more. And CEDIA EXPO […]

Remote Technologies Incorporated (RTI) has started their T3x wireless controller – a two-way controller that includes video intercom capabilities, a haptic feedback touchscreen, and grip sensors while sustaining an incredibly sleek design and a lower price than its predecessor. RTI’s T3x remote control is promoted as being completely customizable with a 3.5-inch LCD touchscreen interface […]

Joy Carpets & Co. continues to expand its Any Day Matinee Collection with new introductions for Spring 2015. These unique styles have broad appeal and range from whimsical and casual to sophisticated and modern. A first in the floor covering industry, Any Day Matinee allows homeowners to break free from the mainstream and express personal […]

Extron has launched the SM 28 SpeedMount Surface Mount Speaker, a two-way speaker with a patent pending, concealed wall mounting system. It features an 8″ (20.3 cm) woofer with dual tuned ports and a 1.1″ (2.8 cm) tweeter. The SM 28 provides a frequency range from 59 Hz to 22 kHz, and a power rating […]

The Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) has opened nominations for a new Humanitarian Award that will recognize a company or individual who is working to improve life at home for those with special needs. “Our industry was formed by passionate individuals and companies seeking to improve and enhance the lifestyles of their clients […]

According to Pakedge, the WK-1 is an enterprise-grade 802.11ac wireless access point with a built-in 2×2 radio (claiming speed three times the speed and throughput of wireless-N access points). Available in white, making it ideal for most indoor installations, the new wireless-AC access point can also be painted to blend in to almost any architectural […]

Beale Street Audio is broadening its product line to include Beale Xpress, a line of amplifiers, subwoofers and speakers designed for integration and featuring its Sonic Vortex Technology. The line includes residential audio solutions, 70/100v speakers for commercial applications and products for the international market. Initial Beale Xpress speaker offerings will include: 4, 6.5 and […]

Not long ago I was chatting with my friend Aaron Craig, owner of NT Designs, a freelance automation programming company. One of the themes in our discussion was that “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” (the more things change, the more they stay the same). The touchscreens that programmers are creating GUIs for […]

DVDO today announced the iScan Micro, which is basically a cable-dongle that converts SD and HD signals up to 4k @ 60Hz (according to DVDO’s specs). The iScan Micro incorporates DVDO’s VRS ClearView technology, which it says uses a “studio-grade 4K Ultra HD adaptive scaling engine,” as well as other noise reduction and picture enhancement […]

Pakedge Device & Software has announced the launch of the Pakedge Custom Engineering program. This program gives systems integrators the opportunity to embed their custom configurations into the router firmware itself. In addition, integrators can co-brand their logo into the router’s graphical unit interface (GUI) and onto the unit label. In contrast to loading a […]

Control4 Corporation has introduced a line of 4K Ultra HD matrix switchers (designed by leaf) that they are specifying as fully HDCP 2.2 compliant. Available for order today, the new line of Control4 4K UHD Matrix Switches claims to provide the ability to distribute 4K content, including copy-protected content, to every room in the Control4 […]

Crestron’s app for the Apple Watch allows users to access common commands and home scenes via a Crestron control system. At a glance, users can check the status of their home devices, check the current settings of their lights, shades, security systems, access and control of any device and customizable the user interface display. With […]

CEDIA has announced the panel of judges that will evaluate the home technology professional categories in the 2015 Electronic Lifestyles Awards. Unveiling the judging panel was one of the key changes adopted for the CEDIA Electronic Lifestyles Awards with the input of members and the Board of Directors. “We are thrilled to let the industry […]

Global Caché announced today they have begun shipments of its newest connectivity products, the Flex Link Relay & Sensor cable and the Flex IP with Power over Ethernet (PoE). Global Caché’s products connect almost any electrical device to a Wi-Fi and/or IP network so it can be controlled, automated and maintained by network-based software. The […]

By David Hsieh DisplaySearch Recently, there has been discussion in the Chinese LCD TV supply chain about offering free LCD TVs as a promotional tool. The conversations are a result of Alibaba, the big e-commerce provider in China, possibly planning to introduce a TV, the Ali-TV, as a shopping platform for its users. The biggest […]

James Loudspeaker has added to its lineup of Small Aperture architectural speakers with the introduction of the 63SA-4 in-wall/in-ceiling loudspeaker. The 63SA-4 is a three-way speaker system delivering superb room-filling musical playback through a discreet, paintable 3-inch round or square grille. Constructed of premium aircraft-grade aluminum, the Small Aperture series loudspeakers have been engineered to […]

Origin Acoustics just started shipping its Seasons outdoor loudspeakers just in time for warmer weather. With the dramatic increase in demand for quality outdoor sound, Origin completely rethought the category and has developed speakers that offer greater output and deeper bass. The line currently features six models in either single or dual channel versions. The […]

If there’s a single word that summarizes what AV dealers need, it’s this one: efficiency. Dealers need to have efficient installation, efficient project management, and most of all efficient back office processes. Time, after all, is money. It’s one thing to say it, it’s a lot harder to achieve. Seeing an opportunity to help dealers […]

Pakedge Device & Software has expanded its router kit lineup to include the RE2 router. The new router kits feature Pakedge switch technology, designed specifically for AV and automation applications. Pakedge customers can choose to pair the RE2 router with one of two managed switch options — the S8Hav or S8Mpd. The S8Hav is an […]

Auralex Acoustics is now shippping its new Deep6 Low-Frequency Absorber, a 2′ x 4′ x 6″ powder-coated, black steel frame-enclosed absorption device. The Deep6 Low-Frequency Absorber is specifically designed to be installed on a wall or across a vertical corner to improve low-frequency absorption throughout the room and accuracy at the mix position, but without […]

Screen Innovations (SI) has launched the Short Throw (ST) projection screen designed exclusively for bottom-throw, ultra short throw projectors. The ST 5 Series screens will be sold to authorized SI dealers and distributors worldwide. SI has also partnered with Sony to distribute the 5 Series Zero Edge ST screens with its new 4K ultra short throw projector for commercial installations and is available […]

Like any business, AV pros face many challenges. Margins, product availability deadlines — all the ones you might expect. I want to focus on just one for this column: Your prospective customers don’t like you. This is not a challenge that’s unique to the AV channel by any means. I don’t like car dealerships, their […]

Sometimes you find yourself dealing with existing structures where retrofit solutions are challenging, at best. As much as AV pros can pride themselves on making the impossible possible sometimes wisdom requires taking the path of least resistance. Or, if it makes you feel better to think of it this way, be like Alexander the Great […]

Control4 this month introduced a new Associate Installer online training program to certify entry-level technicians as a first step in their career development in automation installation, programming and design. Control4’s network of independent authorized dealers can leverage this free online Associate Installer Certification curriculum to train employees on basic installation skills utilizing Control4 Composer Express, […]

Crestron announced new features of the Crestron Pyng app including faster deployment of lights, shades and complete Crestron home automation. And now, integrators can set up and control whole home audio distribution systems and TSW touch screens right from the iPad. The new version of the Pyng app makes it easy to set up audio […]

AMC Theatres and Dolby Laboratories today announced Dolby Cinema at AMC Prime, a premium cinema offering for moviegoers that makes every visit a completely captivating event. Dolby Cinema at AMC Prime combines spectacular image and sound technologies with inspired design and amazing comfort. Moviegoers will be wowed by Dolby Vision laser projection and Dolby Atmos […]

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association’s (CEDIA) R10 Residential Systems committee and InfoComm International today announced the publication of ANSI Standard J-STD-710 Audio, Video and Control Architectural Drawing Symbols. This new standard defines a common set of blueprint icons that represents all facets of pre-wire and installation of electronic systems, […]

TASCAM’s new TM-80 is a condenser microphone designed and priced for home recording and simple application recording. The condenser mic features an 18-millimeter aluminum diaphragm with a cardioid pickup pattern that sounds great on anything from vocals to acoustic instruments. Internal circuitry is optimized to reduce noise and distortion while retaining rich, full sound quality. […]

Peerless-AV just launched a new product called the LCT620A Desktop Mount. Aimed at education, commercial office space and gaming applications, the LCT620A Desktop Mount can be customized to fit users’ needs, with the ability to be configured in single, double, triple and quad arrangements. The LCT620A uses polished aluminum articulating arm(s) with chrome and gloss […]