By Lee Distad In case you hadn’t noticed, the CE industry is square in the middle of a major shift in how entertainment media is distributed to consumers, as well as how it is stored and played back. The key question, which has yet to be truly answered is: Who are going to be the key […]

This month CEDIA will wrap up elections for the CEDIA Board of Directors. There are five open positions on the Board of Directors for the 2013-2014 term. This year CEDIA refined the nomination process, asking for candidates that not only embrace CEDIA’s mission but possess some of the key skills and experience necessary to help […]

Atlantic Technology is shipping its H-PAS PowerBar 235 sound bar. This 43-inch wide sound bar claims to deliver theater-level performance without an external subwoofer. It can be mounted above or below a TV, either on a shelf or using a wall-mounting bracket. The PowerBar 235 features Atlantic’s patented H-PAS bass system, which the company says […]

Today, Polycom introduced the industry’s first open standards-based Scalable Video Coding (SVC) protocol, which Polycom says delivers 3x the previous capacity for HD multipoint video calls for greater scalability, dramatically lower TCO, superior performance and backwards- and forwards-compatibility to protect customer investments. Last week Polycom announced support for open standards-based SVC, an extension to AVC […]

Tiverton Audio has added new Lutron colors to its lineup of low-voltage custom wall plates, bringing its total color choices up to 18. The company offers custom wall plates built to order with any combination of more than 60 different connectors. Tiverton also says its built-to-order wall plates can be fabricated and shipped in two […]

Logitech announced this month the next generation of its line of Harmony remotes, the Logitech Harmony Touch. The Logitech Harmony Touch lets the end user or integrator add, remove and re-order up to 50 favorite channel icons from a cable or satellite provider right on the 2.4-inch color touch screen. After online setup, a user […]

HAI by Leviton announced today the launch of its new Omni LTe home control system. Omni LTe controllers are CP-01-compliant and UL-listed residential security and fire systems, detecting intrusion, smoke and fire, carbon monoxide, water and other hazards with wired or wireless sensors. The Omni LTe can control up to 32 individual lighting loads, accommodate up to four […]

VIZIO announced today a new 60” (part of their high-end E class) Razor LED Smart TV (model #: E601i) priced at $999.99 and available now. The newly designed E Series 60” Razor is native 1080p, LED-edge lit, includes Wi-Fi connection for apps like Netflix and Hulu and includes both HDMI inputs as well as component video for HDTV […]

Ube (pronounced “yoo-bee”) today unveiled what they are calling “disruptive technology” for the connected home market, bypassing central home processing units and expensive programming with a free mobile app and IP-connected “appcessories” at DEMO Fall 2012, world-renowned for launching the most innovative companies in enterprise, mobile, cloud computing, consumer, social media and disruptive technologies. Translation: Ube aims to […]

URC is now shipping the new MX-1200i, MX-780i and water-resistant MXW-920i, which are all one-way wand style remotes offering both IR and 433MHz Narrow Band RF operation. They are also programmable via URC software. The MX-1200i, the company’s flagship model, has hard buttons and a 2.4” color LCD touch screen. URC’s entry-level remote is the […]

Taking aim at Roku and Apple, Sony has launched an all-new media player, the SMP-200, which streams Netflix, Pandora, Hulu, YouTube, plus both 2D and 3D imaging. Priced at only $50, Sony’s SMP-200 is a wireless network appliance that outputs all content via HDMI and component video, upscaling it to 1080p. Sony’s only hope for […]

Pacific Media Associates has just released its latest quarterly forecast for the projector industry. Expectations are that sales of home theater projectors will hit $915 million by year’s end with strong growth on both a volume and revenue basis over 2011. “During last year’s holiday season, sales of home theater projectors hit an all-time high,” […]

When clients first decide that they first want a media room, their main focus is inevitably on how big their screen and sound system can be. If they’ve really thought things through, they’ll have factored theater seating into their dream space. The one thing that won’t occur to them is that having you engineer adequate […]

Insight Media visited Digital Projection International (DPI) at CEDIA and see their LED projectors but had little time to talk. Therefore, I did a follow-up e-mail interview with DPI’s Director of Marketing, Michael Bridwell. In particular, we focused on DPI’s LED projectors, the M-Vision LED and dVision LED projectors. Not surprisingly, when asked directly about […]

Chief is now shipping its new iPad mounts designed to mate with the Kontour line. The iPad mounting kits include:   Kontour single display pitch/pivot flush mount with secure iPad interface Kontour single display pitch/pivot flush mount with portable iPad interface Kontour single display column mount with portable iPad interface and weight plate accessory Kontour […]

Crestron is bringing its control and automation to the world of kitchen appliances. Crestron has added Sub-Zero and Wolf Appliance to its Integrated Partners program thus, adding the ability to monitor, manage and control the companies’ refrigerators effortlessly. Homeowners can also automate tasks such as making ice overnight, reduce power consumption when away on vacation, […]

Parasound has announced that its flagship HALO product line will now be offered in a black finish in addition to the titanium-silver finish that has been covering the HALO since it’s launch over ten years ago. The new front panels are made of extruded aluminum, with a brushed hairline black anodized finish. The recess in the front panel is bead-blasted for […]

The Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association (CEDIA) has partnered with Global Warranty Group and Pay Anywhere to provide CEDIA members with new and valuable business benefits. Global Warranty Group is a registered warranty administration company that has created a comprehensive customized service plan program to meet the specific needs of CEDIA member businesses. The RepairGuardian Service Plan offers members […]

At CEDIA Expo, Pakedge Device & Software introduced the W6 family of ultra-high-power wireless access points. Pakedge says these new W6 wall-mount/desktop, W6C in-ceiling/in-wall, W6R rack-mount and W6O outdoor wireless access points (WAP) offer improved range, data throughput, reliability and stability, plus different configurability options. Designed specifically for custom-installation and audio/video bridging (AVB), the W6 […]

Fusion Research has announced several new audio streaming products for the custom install market. The three Ovation servers offer three to five independent zones of audio playback and feature two dozen apps, including Pandora, Radioio, SiriusXM, Last.FM, Slacker and MOG. The company is offering streaming-only unit or, for a small upcharge, units with optional storage […]

It seems like yesterday when we were saying goodbye to 2011 and ushering in 2012 with new business goals, training opportunities, and clients. But trust us; you are not alone when you feel like there are so many more items on your list to be checked-off before the year closes out. If you are looking […]

Onkyo has introduced the DS-A5 iPod/iPhone/iPad Docking station, which adds AirPlay wireless streaming capabilities to Onkyo A/V receivers and many other audio products. The Onkyo DS-A5 allows owners of recent Onkyo A/V receivers — as well as older models lacking a USB port or an Ethernet connection — to receive content via AirPlay (wireless streaming […]

Manufacturers appear to be gearing up to produce 4K displays, with a resolution of 3840×2160 — each dimension having twice the number of pixels of an HDTV display, providing an astounding 8 million pixels. Is bigger always better? Sony recently announced that it will begin a worldwide phased launch of its latest Bravia LCD television […]

Screen Innovations (SI) demonstrated at CEDIA Expo 2012 a series of new screen materials and products. The new Black Diamond Motorized uses SI’s Black Diamond ambient light rejection screen technology, which the company says reduces light scatter by over 75 percent, and is described by SI as an alternative to a flat panel display. Utilizing […]

Sanus has started shipping its VMT35 tilting wall mount for 26″ to 40″ TVs. Modeled after the company’s popular VMPL50A, the new VMT35 can be installed to single as well as dual studs. Features of the VMT35 include:   Virtual Axis, which provides smooth tilt with the touch of a fingertip ProSet height and level […]

CEDIA has released key findings from CEDIA’s annual market research report – Size and Scope of the Residential Electronic Systems Market in the USA. The report is a part of CEDIA’s research offerings, which are designed to provide CEDIA members, industry businesses, and other key stakeholders with market data that will enable them to make […]

LG Display’s 55-inch OLED-TV panels will not see volume production until 2013, reported Digitimes’ Julian Ho and Alex Wolfgram this morning, citing an unidentified “report from Japan.” Although this is not the strongest imaginable sourcing for a story, it is highly plausible. Let’s see why. It’s September. If LGD hasn’t gotten beyond pilot production by […]

Hosts: Tim Albright, and  Gary Kayye A few months back, Nortek had all these products spread out among different companies. Some of them even making the same thing; like speakers. Gary wrote a piece where he encouraged Nortek to put them under one company and brand them as such. Enter Core Brands, Nortek’s new group […]

Following the wiring phase, the next and arguably the most important step in any installation is testing and validating the lines and connections. Because of that, reliable testers are a critical tool. While a lot of testing can be accomplished with an off the shelf multi-meter from the hardware store, including checking voltage, and testing […]

There is a great technical white paper on the Wireless Speaker and Audio Association (WISA) website that I highly recommend reading if you get a chance.  It delves into the challenges and benefits of wireless home theater, along with the recent advances in technology. If you don’t get a chance to read the entire paper, […]

A U.S. federal jury in San Jose awarded Apple $1.05 billion in damages from Samsung for infringing on six patents. In a patent case that may alter the high tech landscape, the jury decided Apple’s patents are valid. The jury believed Apple did not violate any of Samsung’s patents. They also concluded Samsung willfully violated […]

Yamaha has announced a complete home theatre solution — the YHT-679BL, which is a system in a box offering an Apple AirPlay compatible receiver and a full 5.1 speaker package. The speakers include two front tower speakers, three compact satellites for the surrounds and center channel and a 6.5-inch 100-watt subwoofer packing Yamaha’s Advanced YSTII […]