Strategy in TECH...
Strata-gee has learned that the popular Integra AVR model DRX 3.4 is now available at NY retail & online dealer Adorama. While Adorama was previously selling Onkyo- and Pioneer-branded models, the addition of this Integra unit appears to be an entirely new development. Not only that, but the consumer deal website Slickdeals has a special deal on the DRX 3.4, with a 50% discount, via a link to purchase at Adorama.
One of the longest-running custom integration technology events, the Northern California Technology Conference, known as the CI Expo, will hold its 15th annual dealer show this month at the Hilton Oakland Airport on May 30th. An early proponent of knowledge sharing and bringing the technology to you, this event is free for integrators. You can’t get a better deal than that!
On Tuesday this week, a previously announced program being offered by Snap One – now Resideo – has begun. This program, called Control4 Connect, is a mandatory program that requires all integrators to connect all new client installations of Control4 products directly to Snap One’s central station for future software updates and data collection.
It is a new kind of transactional connection that establishes a direct relationship with the client for direct-to-user system updates and base-level client support supplied – not by the local integrator – but by Control4 support.
Like many companies, Snap One brands are the subject of several discussion Groups on Facebook, some run by the company and others run by third parties. In the days following their recent announcement of existing program changes, new program mandates, and new optional programs, many dealers took to Control4-related groups on Facebook to protest the changes immediately, vociferously, and even (in a few cases) profanely. It was an outpouring of emotion that group admins and participating Snap One executives like G Paul Hess and others struggled to stay on top of.
Snap One executives told the dealers in the group of an upcoming webinar in which the company plans to explain everything regarding the program changes to their dealers.
Days after Snap One announced a major program initiative in an effort to change the integration industry business model, the company held a media presentation in which 5 members of the 23-member Control4 dealer advisory panel that helped the company design the program were made available to select members of the media for a short question and answer session. This was organized by Snap One specifically because I had asked to speak with the panel. How do I know that was the reason for this media opportunity? Because company executives told the media that I was the reason they chose to hold this event. This may, or may not, have endeared me to the other media.
Crestron Electronics, a leading industry supplier of smart home and next-gen workplace technology, announced today in Barcelona, Spain at the ISE 2024 show that its popular DM NVX AV-over-IP solution is approaching one million units installed – a major milestone achieved in just a few short years. The company salutes the integrators and their projects incorporating the technology for propelling widespread adoption of DM NVX around the country and the world.
Snap One announced today the launch of three new services, part of a Software-as-a-Service subscription program that gets the manufacturer in direct communication with end users of every Control4-based system sold and provides new levels of customer support. The program is said to include a revenue share for its dealers. These programs are called Control4 Connect, Control4 Assist, and Control4 Assist Premium and allow for direct-to-consumer support by the company.
Wow! It’s crazy that 2023 is now just about behind us, and what a dramatic and dynamic year it was! What were the key themes of the year? At the beginning of the year, I think most would say their greatest concern was the economy and their least concern was the tech industry. Yet the year turned out to be almost the exact opposite of that.
Fyne Audio, a U.K. manufacturer of advanced high-end audio loudspeakers based in Scotland, has appointed Harmonia Distribution as its distributor for the United States market, effective immediately. Harmonia, formerly known as Upscale Distribution, said in an announcement that it is proud to have been selected by Fyne, a manufacturer that represents a blend of the best of “contemporary and traditional designs.”
One of the hottest displays at this year’s CEDIA Expo 2023 was the AVA, Inc. booth where the young company was launching its new Cinema Remote. I was there and the booth was consistently packed with integrators interested in its new remote. In fact, I named AVA as one of my top stories of the Expo as a promising newcomer.
From my conversations with several integrators, I believe AVA wrote a lot of preorders for the Cinema Remotes at the show, as its unique design and clever features were indeed attractive. Now I have learned that the company’s first shipment of remotes has been delayed.
