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Houzz Smart Home Study Results Offer Some Surprises

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Houzz title slideSecurity & Thermostats are Top Smart Home Priorities

Being the marketers that we are, when we heard that Houzz was going to present the results of their first ever Smart Home Trends Study at CEDIA 2016, well we put that on our schedule. At the appointed hour, we listened closely as Liza Hausman, Houzz’s Vice President of Industry Marketing and Dave Pedigo from CEDIA patiently went through and explained the results – and while the results were unremarkable, they were interesting nonetheless. And, there were a couple of surprises.

See details on what the results from the Houzz study were… [Read more…] about Houzz Smart Home Study Results Offer Some Surprises

Are You Selling Movies, When the Client Wants Music?

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An Important Look at Integrators’ Sales Process

Cover of October Residential Systems MagazineRecently, while researching the “analog renaissance” phenomenon, we spoke with an integrator who told us he had to scramble when he realized he was missing the trend for 2-channel analog and vinyl systems. But how could he miss this trend as it was clearly a result of customer demand?

“Don’t be so surprised,” a manufacturer told us. “Integrators have no idea on how to connect with customers and ‘sell.'” Is it true that integrator’s don’t know how to sell? Or is the sales process changing?

See what Strata-gee’s Ted Green discovered in his Residential Systems article… [Read more…] about Are You Selling Movies, When the Client Wants Music?

SpeakerCraft’s Remarkable AIM LCR5 FIVE Series 2 Speakers Now Ready

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Photo of Mike Strange
SpeakerCraft’s Mike Strange

We first reported on the new SpeakerCraft Dolby Atmos enabled AIM speakers at the 2015 CEDIA show (then called the Expo). A clever way to extend their line and tap into the enthusiasm many have to advanced surround sound systems like Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and Auro3D – SpeakerCraft designed a high-performance alternative to standard in-ceiling height speakers.

Prototypes last year, but company says it’s ready to ship shortly. Check it out… [Read more…] about SpeakerCraft’s Remarkable AIM LCR5 FIVE Series 2 Speakers Now Ready

New Size & Scope Survey Results Released at CEDIA 2016

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CEDIA study cover pageAs is their normal practice, CEDIA released selected results from their 2016 Size and Scope of the Residential Electronic Systems Market survey in their booth during CEDIA 2016. The presentation this year, like last year, was made by Dave Pedigo. However, unlike last year, this year Pedigo has been put in charge of market research, a post that has been open since Erica Shonkweiler left some time ago.

Last year, we reported on the some of the surprising results from the survey. Some of those results were so surprising, they were unbelievable – and even Pedigo agreed with us that some didn’t appear proper. This year? Some of the results, if accurate, could be troubling.

See the results CEDIA shared with members at CEDIA 2016… [Read more…] about New Size & Scope Survey Results Released at CEDIA 2016

CEDIA Attendance Flat Again – CEO Says It’s Good News

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Photo of crowd from CEDIAThis week, CEDIA released their attendance figures for CEDIA 2016 (formerly the CEDIA Expo) which closed last week in Dallas. The total number of attendees was said to be 18,750 or flat with the 18,700 that attended last year.

See why CEDIA management tells us this is a positive result… [Read more…] about CEDIA Attendance Flat Again – CEO Says It’s Good News

Will This Be A Different CEDIA?

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Keynote crowd at past Expo
A past CEDIA crowd

Copious numbers of jet planes have made, and are still making their way to Dallas, each carrying within their fully-loaded bellies, hoards of passengers on their annual pilgrimage to the Mecca of technology – the event formerly known as Expo, now known simply as CEDIA 2016.

But will this be a different CEDIA?… [Read more…] about Will This Be A Different CEDIA?

Panasonic Going Global With…Wait for It…OLED TV

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Is Panasonic Back in the Consumer TV Business?

Photo of Panasonic OLEDPanasonic Corp., in a sharp departure from its previous TV strategy, launched an OLED TV in Europe last fall, using panels procured from LG. At the IFA 2016 show in Berlin that just wrapped up this week, Panasonic announced that they would start making their OLED TVs available in other markets, starting next year.

This is a big announcement.

See more on this new player in the OLED game… [Read more…] about Panasonic Going Global With…Wait for It…OLED TV

Will CEDIA 2016 Be The Sonos Show?

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Sonos Launches Integration Partners Program with Software, Music Service & Hardware Companies

Sonos logoSonos surprised the industry this week with several announcements, some of which were directly targeted at the custom integration market just two weeks before the launch of the CEDIA 2016 show. But one announcement didn’t surprise us – we first told you about it a month ago when we revealed that we had learned that after announcing they were pulling out of the show, Crestron was back…in partnership with none other than Sonos.

With so many announcements at CEDIA 2016, will this be the Sonos show? [Read more…] about Will CEDIA 2016 Be The Sonos Show?

Promoters of 8K Broadcasting in Japan Admit They’re Getting Pushback

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8K Super Hi-VisionA consortium of companies in Japan, including large public broadcaster NHK, this month began testing a broadcast system of 8K TV signals via broadcast satellite (BS) channels. This test of an 8K broadcast system has been in the works for a couple of years now, as the country races to prepare for Ultra High Definition broadcasting of the upcoming Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

But promoters of the system admit they are getting significant pushback. Why? Read on to see what the detractors are saying.

See who is pushing back and what they say are significant and unaddressed concerns…. [Read more…] about Promoters of 8K Broadcasting in Japan Admit They’re Getting Pushback

Changing Its Mind, Sharp to Negotiate to Buy Back the N. American TV Biz

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Photo of Sharp solar panelSharp Corp., a division of Taiwan’s Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. – better known as Foxconn – is rethinking its previously determined plans for business success. As the company was struggling with financial hardships prior to the closing of their acquisition by Foxconn, Sharp made several cost cutting moves, including selling the North American and Europe rights to the Sharp TV brand to certain OEM manufacturers. Now, as they ponder how to drive revenue growth, there are reports they are changing their minds on these and other deals.

See more on this major planning flip-flop by Sharp… [Read more…] about Changing Its Mind, Sharp to Negotiate to Buy Back the N. American TV Biz