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New, Larger SnapAV: The One-Stop Shop of Smart Home

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Strata-gee Interviews SnapAV’s John Heyman & Charlie Kindel

The industry is still adjusting to the new normal of SnapAV combining with Control4…even as it continues to gobble up more local distributors and talk about their e-commerce prowess. It can get a little confusing. Is SnapAV a manufacturer? An e-commerce play? A local distributor? Or are they attempting to be all of the above?

I spoke with SnapAV’s John Heyman and Charlie Kindel to try and help our readers sort this all out. It’s certainly a new world out there…but just what planet are we on?

See what I learned from these top SnapAV execs…

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EXCLUSIVE: Strata-gee Tours James Loudspeaker’s New Nevada Factory

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Newer, Bigger, More Efficient, Higher Output

James Loudspeakers new Minden, NV factory and headquarters
Main Entrance: James Loudspeaker’s new Minden, NV factory & headquarters

It was like my Uber car was actually a time machine. After landing in Reno, Nevada, my Uber driver – an eccentric older fellow who is both a ride-share driver and a real estate agent – demonstrated an uncommon grasp of the local geography and history. Heading south on I-580 out of Reno there was a dramatic ridge of mountains to my right and a nonstop running monologue from my old-West style stagecoach driver: “Those are the Sierra-Nevada Mountains,” he helpfully offered. And on the left…the high desert.

This was going to be an adventure…

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Inside Crestron’s Amazing Research Center

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It’s Like Disneyland for Geeks

Crestron's remarkable Research Center
[Click to enlarge]

Sometimes, I’m amazed at what I’m able to pull off. A year or so ago, John Clancy, Crestron Vice President of Residential, invited me to tour Crestron, a place I’ve heard much about but have never seen. OK…it was at a tradeshow cocktail party and John may have been drinking…but I immediately jumped at the opportunity. Just a few weeks ago, that visit finally happened and Crestron – much to their credit – granted me unlimited access to whatever I wanted to see…and photograph.

Go inside the amazing Crestron Research Center with Strata-gee…

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LG Adds Apple AirPlay 2 & HomeKit to Select TVs

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Says It’s the First Global TV Maker to Support HomeKit

LG adds Apple AirPlay 2 and HomeKit to Thinq AI TVs

LG Electronics announced today that starting tomorrow Apple AirPlay and HomeKit will be available on its 2019 Thinq AI TV line. The company says this makes them the first global television manufacturer to support HomeKit.

See more on LG offering Apple HomeKit on its TVs…

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SnapAV Slammed with Credit Downgrade by Moody’s

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SnapAV logo

Credit rating agency Moody’s Investors Service has downgraded the credit rating of Wirepath LLC (corporate name of SnapAV) from B2 to B3 in the wake of their announced acquisition of Control4. The primary reason for the downgrade is due to the fact that SnapAV will be forced to increase their debt by an additional $390 million to a new high of $683 million in order to close on this acquisition.

See more on SnapAV’s credit downgrade…

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Ex-Nortek Exec Speaks With Strata-gee, See What’s On His Mind

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Photo of Joe Roberts from 2017 CEDIA Show
Joe Roberts, EVP of Products and Marketing, at 2017 CEDIA Show

The last ninety days or so have been somewhat turbulent at Nortek Security and Control (NSC), with two top executives departing under foggy circumstances. First, in May we learned that President Mike O’Neal had left the company. Then, last week, news emerged that Joe Roberts, Executive VP of Products and Marketing had also departed.

I reached out to Joe Roberts to try to find out what was up with all of these changes at NSC.

See what Roberts had to say about Nortek…

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TiVo Partners with LG in Global IP Licensing Deal

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TiVo logo

TiVo Corporation announced this week that it has entered into a global IP (intellectual property) licensing agreement with leading home electronics supplier LG Electronics, Inc. (LG). This deal is consistent with the company’s persistent efforts to deliver a more comprehensive, unique, and easy-to-use feature pack and user experience on their premium TVs.

See more on this TiVo & LG partnership…

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CE Week: Acoustic Innovations Wallscapes Improves Both Design & Sound of Rooms

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Acoustic Innovations booth at CE Week

At CE Week last month, I was prepared to see the usual crop of gadgets and doodads designed to be sold to the masses through the retail channel. However this year, I was pleased to see a few more exhibitors offering products responsive to the custom integration channel. That includes the acoustics experts from Acoustic Innovations.

See what Acoustic Innovations showed at CE Week…

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CE Week: Plott AR/XR Measuring Tools May Change Everything

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A photo of the Plott booth at CE Week

One of the more interesting booths I visited at CE Week earlier this month was by a company called Plott, a startup that offers very cool digital interactive measuring tools featuring augmented reality (AR) – or what they like to call extended reality (XR) – technology that interacts with an app on your smartphone in remarkable ways. This could be a game changer not only for the consumer, but for the construction, remodeling, custom integration communities as well.

See more on the very clever Plott tools…

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SnapAV and Klipsch Join in Distribution Partnership

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Klipsch logo

Showing they can effortlessly walk and chew gum at the same time, SnapAV announced today the have reached a distribution agreement with Klipsch – an action they are taking while still in the middle of the process to buy Control4. As SnapAV has taken aggressive actions to grow their distribution infrastructure, they have been seeking these types of partnerships with brands to help better leverage their investment. This new agreement with Klipsch helps drive that goal.

See more details on SnapAV’s distribution of Klipsch…

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