BluOS, the music management and operating system that is part of Lenbrook International, announced a couple of important integration partnerships today – and in so doing, demonstrate their growing influence as a leading premium music system user interface in the industry. The company says it has new integrations with both URC and Crestron.
Archives for 2020
In the Age of COVID, Savant Recasts The Showroom Experience in NYC
In what constitutes just one more sign that the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to have a lasting impact on how we do business for the near-to-medium-term future, Savant has come up with a cool way to cleverly optimize the showroom experience in this new difficult environment. The company was in the process of building an all-new Savant Experience Center in New York City when the pandemic hit. Then, when construction was completed, company managers looked at each other and said, now what?
What did Savant come up with? Read on…
[Read more…] about In the Age of COVID, Savant Recasts The Showroom Experience in NYCCrestron Intros New 70 Series Touch Screen Line That’s Both Elegant & Tough
Don’t Be Fooled by the Pretty Face, It’s a Beast
The innovation train keeps rolling down the track at Crestron who has had a string of new introductions in 2020. The company announced today a new line of touch screens in what they say is their “next generation” design known as the 70 Series Touch Screens. But if you only see photos of it, you won’t truly appreciate what it offers – a balance of both elegant design with tough, all-aluminum construction and a solid weighty feel.
Learn more about the Crestron touch screens…
[Read more…] about Crestron Intros New 70 Series Touch Screen Line That’s Both Elegant & ToughHelp Lightning Virtual Support Offers Free 60-Day Trial to CEDIA Members
Help Lightning, a new support solution the company likes to call “virtual expertise,” not only offers a new potential benefit for integrators to increase the amount of safe in-home support for their clients in these COVID-19 times – they also offer CEDIA members a free 60-day try-before-you-buy experience to test it out in your market with your clients. And in the middle of the pandemic, there has never been a better time to look at offering clients a new support solution that adheres to strict safety standards by limiting person-to-person exposure.
Learn more about Help Lighting’s free trial
[Read more…] about Help Lightning Virtual Support Offers Free 60-Day Trial to CEDIA MembersCEO Confidence Explodes, But Consumer Confidence Remains Strained
Political newsletter Axios ran a surprising graph this week showing a stunning disconnect between the confidence of consumers – measured by the Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index – versus the confidence of CEOs (tracked separately by the Conference Board). While it is not entirely clear just what the ramifications may be of this huge disparity in how these two groups are feeling about the economy – it is nonetheless a notable disconnect.
See Axios’ Graph based on Conf. Board Data…
[Read more…] about CEO Confidence Explodes, But Consumer Confidence Remains StrainedHousing Starts Split Again in September for Good News/Bad News Result
On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Commerce released their latest report on residential construction for the month of September 2020. Like last month, the results on housing starts were mixed, with both good news for custom integrators and bad news for the overall industry – suggesting again that housing growth, while robust, is beginning to moderate.
See housing starts results for September…
[Read more…] about Housing Starts Split Again in September for Good News/Bad News ResultHarman’s Mark Levinson Brand Launches Lower Cost 5000 Series; Seeks Expansion into Broader Market
Last week, in dramatic fashion, Harman (part of Samsung) brand Mark Levinson announced the launch of an entirely new 5000 series family of products, whose lower price tag is designed to appeal to an expanded share of the market of audio enthusiasts. In a combination of well-produced video segments, coupled with live presentations to the industry media, Harman executives laid out their vision for the brand and presented the details of the engineering and craftsmanship behind their new line of electronics and sources that included a preamp, power amp, turntable and streaming SACD player
Learn more about the new Mark Levinson 5000 Series…
[Read more…] about Harman’s Mark Levinson Brand Launches Lower Cost 5000 Series; Seeks Expansion into Broader MarketSuspicious Changes at CEDIA; CEO O’Connor is Out With No Explanation
This News Follows Other Prominent Departures
The Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association (CEDIA) announced at the end of last week that Global President and CEO Tabatha O’Connor will “depart” the organization at the end of her contract period in January. The news caught many by surprise and the organization’s announcement gives no clue as to any of the reasons behind this leadership change.
See more on O’Connor’s departure from CEDIA
[Read more…] about Suspicious Changes at CEDIA; CEO O’Connor is Out With No ExplanationChange of Strategy: Emerald Board Tells Company Managers to Buy Stock…Theirs
Emerald Holding, Inc. (Formerly Emerald Expositions Events, Inc.) [NYSE: EEX], the company that owns the CEDIA Expo show and CE Pro, announced last week that its Board of Directors has authorized company managers to purchase up to $20 Million of Emerald’s stock in a share buyback program. As Strata-gee noted back in May in a report on the company’s large fiscal first quarter loss, this program had previously been suspended when cash had tightened up after the cancellation of their events due to COVID-19.
Now the company has been recapitalized, thanks to help from sugar daddy Onex who now owns more than 80% of the company, and – gosh – the stock is so darn cheap. Maybe now is the time to buy…
See more on this stock purchase by Emerald
[Read more…] about Change of Strategy: Emerald Board Tells Company Managers to Buy Stock…TheirsSnapAV Unleashes a Broad Array of New Products at Snap Pro Live
Kicking off their first ever virtual dealer event called Snap Pro Live, SnapAV unleashes a broad array of new products covering their wide gamut of product and service segments. Snap Pro Live runs for three days and kicked off today (Tuesday) afternoon with a keynote from CEO John Heyman – and this major product launch.