By aggregating trends from the past, we have a significant indicator of future trends and shifts in the House of Worship market. The word cloud graphic for this article lists the top 25 recurring words from all of the previous columns written here about the church market on rAVE, and they are an excellent look […]

Do you think of the typical church buying audio, video and lighting (AVL) technology as the old church down the street with a few cars parked in front of it on any given Sunday? Or has your firm yet experienced the technology shift that’s happening in the House of Worship market in churches that are […]

There are three main reasons churches upgrade or outright add new equipment: when entering a new building program, when renovating an existing building or when expanding into new technology areas such as multi-site or online services. Given the history most churches had with learning their technology lessons on audio systems (the first systems they use), […]

FIBARO will debut a suite of lighting modules featuring advanced energy monitoring at CEDIA EXPO 2016. Dimmer 2, an advanced lighting module with unique features, as well as Relay Switch 2, available as a single and double option, will be featured in booth 7800. One of the first FIBARO lighting control devices in the U.S. […]

GLP is now shipping their new GT-1 hybrid that functions as both a Spot and a Beam as it’s loaded with the combination of a 470W discharge lamp and optical system has resulted in an enormous 22:1 ratio zoom range (from 2.5° to 55°). With its unique baseless design, the GT-1 also features inbuilt wireless […]

I suppose if the Cobbler’s kids had no shoes, then I shouldn’t be surprised that the Audio, Video, and Lighting (AVL) industry doesn’t use video well to reach potential customers. And yet, here in the 21st century, I am surprised and disappointed in the spotty to non-existent use of video as a content marketing medium […]

Somfy Systems has announced the launch of the Dimmable LED RTS Light Kit, a convenient lighting solution for awnings and pergolas. Saying they are easy to install and operate, Somfy says the light kit can be controlled with the same remote used to operate Somfy motorized awnings. App control is also offered through the Somfy […]

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 […]

Church online: where local churches are hosting either live or video on demand services for attendees who are not at their physical church campuses. Yep, thanks to the technology the Audio/Video/Lighting (AVL) industry manufactures, a rapidly growing number of churches have taken their church services to the congregant, online. In my study of this growth, […]

FX Luminaire has announced the release of six new products, including the NR, the company’s first copper LED up light. FX Luminaire says the NR is engineered to withstand coastal conditions and other harsh outdoor environments. Each fixture is compatible with the Luxor system and includes four colored filters (amber, blue, green, and clear frosted) for […]

GLP’s tiny, lightweight and budget-conscious impression X1 is now in production. The X1 marks a departure from other products in GLP’s X range, featuring four high powered, 15-watt RGBW LEDs, with a narrow fixed beam output that offers continuous pan and tilt motion in a compact housing; it’s this continuous motion that gives the product […]

Slowly but surely, we’re moving towards the future of lighting. In January of 2014, Canada legislated to ban 75- and 100-watt incandescent light bulbs. Then in January of 2015 40- and 60-watt incandescent bulbs were outlawed. Businesses are still allowed to sell through their existing inventory, which is why 40- and 60-watt bulbs are still […]

Is selling into the house of worship market about more and better leads or about better follow-up to existing clients? The answer is ‘yes;’ the better question is ‘How?’ to get both. Content marketing automation is not new, but it has grown up. The digital sales pipeline represents a huge opportunity for getting more leads, […]

For lighting designers looking to switch to wysiwyg lighting design and previsualization software for special projects, CAST Group announces the introduction of wysiwyg Design and Perform three and six months leases. wysiwyg Design: Created specifically for live events pros wanting to use an all-inclusive production design tool, wysiwyg Design Suite offers a customized 3D CAD […]

The range features two fixtures, the X4 Bar 10 and X4 Bar 20, both of which are high performance battens offering flexibility to today’s lighting designer across multiple applications. The GLP impression X4 Bar uses high output RGBW LED’s that are packed tightly to give a full batten of light, with 20 LEDs used in […]

The debate between those who want technology turned off during church services versus those who not only want it on, but want to actively use it as part of the church-going experience, is a matter of personal preference. That being said, there are plenty of churches using passive technology that would jump at the chance […]

The old sales trick of providing a list of desired features and benefits to overcome purchase barriers may still work with some church leaders, but the Internet has taught consumers a thing or two about what is offered and what they really want. To justify the expense, churches need metrics from real data. Rethinking Repairs Technology […]

Audio. Video. Lighting. Budgets. Safety? When churches think about audio, video and lighting (AVL) technology, safety isn’t on the radar for the vast majority of pastors. However, with the exponential increase in the use of flown speaker arrays, screens, and lighting fixtures, keeping the technical staff and congregants who sit below these devices safe needs to […]

Crestron is changing the way lighting control systems are designed, specified, and installed with the new SpaceBuilder design-based solutions. Crestron says its SpaceBuilder is the fastest way to design, install and start up commercial lighting controls for any size building or system. According to Crestron, the advantages of a SpaceBuilder system include: Faster quotes Faster […]

When churches realized the value of video had also intersected with high brightness and low cost, the multi-site and satellite campus model went from a handful of mega churches (churches with greater than 2,000 in weekend attendance) to tens of thousands of churches. With this exponential explosion of multi-site churches — that is, a separate […]

Crestron’s new universal dimmer modules (CLX-1DIMU4 and CLX-2DIMU8) that are designed to provide 4 or 8 channels of universal dimming for LED, electronic and magnetic low-voltage, incandescent, and 2-wire dimmable fluorescent lighting loads are now shipping. They include forward and reverse phase dimming as well. The universal dimmer modules eliminate the need to spec different […]

One of my favorite axioms (and if you’re a regular reader you know that I LOVE axioms) came to me from engineer friends. I find it incredibly apt for many scenarios, not least to AV install and design. The axiom is: “Every solution has two problems.” AV pros need to remind themselves that their equipment […]

Fellow geeks have united and converged upon Las Vegas, Nevada once again for the annual tech-fest that is the Consumer Electronics Show, and the future’s digital handwriting is on the proverbial wall: audio/video/lighting (A/V/L) technology is once again the dominant technology. With prognostications aside, the trends of these present-future technologies have a direct impact on […]

The life of an integrator can appear to be ‘all business,’ as there’s so much that goes into getting it right. But at the end of the day, we can all relate to the joyful feeling of seeing a completed project that we have worked on come to life. In the spirit of the most […]

“This church market — it’s kind of a thing now, eh?” This is how the A/V/L industry sees the church market. Manufacturers and systems integrators are highlighting their House of Worship (H.O.W.) market products and installations more than ever before. The emphasis is directly correlated with the increase of sales into churches, which are starting […]

URC today announced the Vivido Series of two-way designer lighting solutions for Total Control and ccGEN2 whole-house home automation systems. The new lineup includes everything needed for integrated lighting including master and accessory light dimmers, switches, a lamp dimming module, an appliance switching module and more. URC systems will control and dim all loads including […]

FX Luminaire released this week the new VE, a hanging LED fixture that complements both commercial and residential landscapes with soft, overhead illumination. The VE is available in a choice of four metal finishes on a copper sleeve, and ten powder coat finishes made of anodized die cast aluminum with 1 or 3 LED for […]

URC today announced URC LED Lighting, a ZigBee based wireless lighting control system that the company says is so easy to install that no high voltage experience is required. These new, affordable products are installed as part of a Total Control or ccGEN2 whole-house home automation project. The initial URC LED Lighting products include an […]

Taking aim at Philips’ Hue, WigWag today announced availability for Filament by WigWag, the smart, dimmable and full-color LED light bulb with price point and lifespan that allow for broad implementation and usage in home or office, as well as compatibility with other brands’ smart devices using the WigWag platform. Filament light bulbs are controlled […]

Taking aim at Lutron, who’s lagging behind in network-based wireless systems, Clare Controls will unveil its ClareVue lighting line this week at CEDIA. ClareVue is a wireless lighting system using Z-Wave certified lighting components – dimmers, switches, keypads, and receptacles. All of it is network and cloud-based using Clare’s ClareHome automation system. ClareVue lighting is […]

Is it better to spend more on a higher priced technology than to go for the cheaper alternative? This is a question of the ages that has been exploited on both sides of the same coin by the marketing teams at manufacturers, seemingly forever. We’ve all had situations where the axiom “you get what you […]

There are many A/V/L systems in place at churches of every size, location and style. Many are there because they were the lowest bid price point; others are stitched together over time, mostly borne out of necessity — and yet others are in place because an integrator specified what worked in other churches. Finally, there […]