Strategy in TECH...
Control4 Corp. announced today the launch of a line of outdoor audio solutions from their newly acquired Triad Speakers division. Called the Triad Garden Array outdoor speakers, the line includes a satellite speaker along with an outdoor subwoofer – all designed to be placed broadly throughout an entire outdoor entertainment space.
During the Sapphire Marketing NYC Road Show in Manhattan this week, we had the opportunity to spend time with Jeff Singer, Crestron’s Executive Director of Product Marketing, who shared with us the latest updates on the company’s major residential technology initiatives. He also helped us gain a better understanding of the company’s philosophy of product development and design, saying “We’re just trying to figure out how to solve real world problems for real world people.”
Control4 announced on Tuesday a new line of power monitoring and control solutions in its Pakedge PowerPak line. Saying, “Power monitoring and control is the first-line of defense in bringing a system or device back online,” these new units bring enhanced levels of intelligent control of power, the lifeblood of any system.
In November 2016, we learned that Samsung had acquired Harman International Industries in a deal valued at $8 billion. At that time, everyone pretty much assumed the deal was all about automotive audio – and area that inside-Samsung sources had identified as a market the company sought to penetrate. Now we learn that it wasn’t just about cars.
In reports out of Taiwan, sources say that Apple, Inc. has ordered 70 million bendable OLED panels from Samsung Electronics. An order of this size can only be for the upcoming iPhone 8, expected to be launched in late 2017. The order also suggests that Apple is expecting the iPhone 8 to be a big success.
Although many analysts criticize slowing innovation at industry powerhouse Apple, Inc., final results for global smartphone shipments shows Apple with four of the top five models. Not bad for a technology slacker!
Bloomberg News is reporting that, after a long wait, Google Alphabet’s Nest division is finally preparing to launch multiple new models. Nest, which is seeking to become a dominant player in the connected home space, has laid relatively dormant in the wake of the tumultuous exit of founder Tony Fadell. Now, Bloomberg tells us, things will begin to heat up with new models to expand the product segments in which the company participates.
One of the themes that appears to be emerging from the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) show taking place in Amsterdam right now is several new competing solutions designed to distribute 4K Ultra HD over IP. We told you yesterday about Savant’s prototype solution and now we have Crestron with their DigitalMedia NVX Series, which it says transmits 4K60 4:4:4 HDR video over standard 1GB Ethernet “with no latency – an industry first.”
An interesting aspect of the Integrated Systems Europe Show (ISE) show is that it addresses both the residential and the commercial integration segments, making it a powerful draw for both types of integrators – although in Europe, it can often be one integration company that services both markets. Addressing the commercial side, LG Electronics took new digital signage solutions to Amsterdam – and with both LCD and OLED solutions, they caught our attention.
Savant has launched a new 4K Ultra HD video over IP switching solution at ISE 2017 taking place now in Amsterdam, NL. This is its first major product launch since Robert Madonna returned as CEO replacing outgoing CEO William Lynch in September 2016. The company says this system will give their dealers an “advantage in delivering premium distributed A/V content to their residential and commercial clients.”
