Industry audio/visual manufacturer ClearOne [NASDAQ: CLRO] has filed an application to register a trademark on the characters “MAGA.” According to multiple comments on Twitter on the matter, ClearOne apparently intends for MAGA to represent Make Audio Great Again. This is very close to a political slogan that has became quite controversial in America. From the looks of the comment stream I saw on Twitter…this is going to be the topic of a lot of discussion.
Marketing
Top AudioControl AVRs and Pre/Pros are Now Certified Roon Ready
AudioControl announced this week that their top-rated X-Series audio/video receivers and preamp/processors are now certified to be Roon Ready. What this means is that these models can auto-discover and connect to Roon without any user or integrator involvement with advanced configuration steps.
See more on AudioControl and Roon…
[Read more…] about Top AudioControl AVRs and Pre/Pros are Now Certified Roon ReadyVanco Feels the Need, the Need for Speed, in New HDMI 2.1 Cable Line
Vanco continues to impress me with their wide assortment of solution products needed and used by integrators every day. But they aren’t just an outlet for useful tools and gadgets – they also know how to push the envelope in core product performance. No better example of that exists than their latest announcement of the launch of a new line of Ultra High Speed HDMI 2.1 cables.
These cables aren’t just fast…they are certified fast by HDMI themselves.
See Vanco’s latest line of Ultra High Speed HDMI cables…
[Read more…] about Vanco Feels the Need, the Need for Speed, in New HDMI 2.1 Cable LineAmazon Readies Entry into Step-Up Smart Home Control Market
Amazon Looks to Compete with Control4 & Others
Amazon.com Inc.’s secretive tech innovation development center, called Lab126, is said to be working on a more robust, step-up smart home control solution designed to be mounted into the wall, in a bid to take share in the custom integration channel. The move, first reported by Bloomberg News, is designed to take on major players such as SnapAV’s Control4 and other “professionally installed smart home control” providers.
But will it cannibalize their own Echo Show line?
[Read more…] about Amazon Readies Entry into Step-Up Smart Home Control MarketCES 2021: Sony Evolves From Hardware Maker to Experience Creator
“Please join us in looking forward as we continue to evolve as a ‘creative entertainment company,'” said Kenichiro Yoshida, Sony Chairman, CEO and President to kick off Sony’s presentation to the media on CES 2021’s press day this past Monday. It was a carefully crafted opening, with words of particular significance that contrasts strongly with previous company characterizations. Sony is changing.
Has the train jumped the tracks? Or has Sony hit the hyper-drive taking us to a new and exciting unexplored planet?
See more from Sony’s press presentation…
[Read more…] about CES 2021: Sony Evolves From Hardware Maker to Experience CreatorThanks to Readers, Strata-gee Hits Stratospheric Heights in 2020!
See What Drove Results for Strata-gee
I can hardly believe I’m saying this, but thanks to Strata-gee’s amazing readers, both long time subscribers and many, many new converts, Strata-gee had its biggest year ever in 2020! The data are clear and unequivocal, pageviews this year were not only greater than last year…they exceeded it by a margin far greater than I could have ever dreamed possible! And that’s just one example of surprisingly positive stats in Strata-gee’s 2020 results in the wake of a branding and web presence overhaul.
See more on this amazing result, coming out of a crazy 2020 year…
[Read more…] about Thanks to Readers, Strata-gee Hits Stratospheric Heights in 2020!Impressive Savant Experience Center Tour Reveals Smart Home Possibilities
Savant Integrators Should Sign Up Clients & Prospects for a Tour Now
Just last week I was an invited guest to an event that I wasn’t entirely sure would be all that exciting – yet another Zoom meeting in a year full of Zoom meetings. Or so I thought. My invitation came from industry powerhouse Savant, who wanted to host me on a virtual tour of their new Experience Center in Manhattan. Boy!…am I glad I agreed to participate….
What a delightful surprise that tour delivered…
[Read more…] about Impressive Savant Experience Center Tour Reveals Smart Home Possibilities2020 Audio Shows Were a COVID Bust; Here’s the Status of 2021 Shows
Compiled by Bill Leebens
UPDATED – All Dates and Status Info Updated – For the most part, when it comes to audio shows, either trade or consumer, 2020 has been a bust. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, with one exception – the Florida Audio Expo in Tampa, FL in February – all other events were cancelled. So what does that mean for 2021? Guest poster Bill Leebens has compiled a list of top audio shows for 2021 showing their current status…
See today’s status for 2021 shows…
[Read more…] about 2020 Audio Shows Were a COVID Bust; Here’s the Status of 2021 ShowsTheme Song for 2021 Audio Shows? Maybe ‘The Sound of Silence’
A Bill Leebens Guest Post
We may have been aware of every agonizing second of Plague Year 2020 as they slowly ticked by, but as far as audio shows go—2020 was literally a no-show. In the US, February’s Florida Audio Expo in Tampa was the first and last audio-only show of the year. Since then, show after show has been delayed or cancelled—in several instances, delayed, and THEN cancelled.
What does 2021 Hold for Audio Shows?…
[Read more…] about Theme Song for 2021 Audio Shows? Maybe ‘The Sound of Silence’CEDIA Propel: Member Benefit? Or Quasi-Buying Group?
Last week, CEDIA announced their CEDIA Propel initiative, said to be a new “Affinity Program” designed to offer members a new kind of benefit. The announcement caught my eye almost immediately because this program is unlike other other affinity program with which I’m familiar. Typically such programs offer members benefits such as special pricing on health insurance or discounts on UPS shipping and the like. In this case, CEDIA is recommending technology brands who offer discount programs to CEDIA members on their products.
To me, this sounded at least a little bit like the kind of service provided by a buying group.