Strategy in TECH...
AudioControl, the Seattle, WA-based specialty electronics maker of innovative solutions, announced three new gems at CEDIA Expo 2018 – a new Rialto 400 zone amplifier, the Avalon G3 four-channel amplifier, and a new CM Series 70-volt line of commercial amplifiers. These new products are not only clever solutions to integrators needs, they absolutely personify the concept of flexibility.
Like past years at Expo, CEDIA presented a summary of their findings from the recently completed Size and Scope survey at Expo 2018. This year, however, the presentation was made by Grant Farnsworth of The Farnsworth Group, an Indianapolis-based market statistics consultant who did an excellent job in conveying a lot of detailed and important data to show attendees.
First stop on the press express at CEDIA Expo 2018 was LG – a company that offers what I have often said is my favorite core video technology, OLED. As in past years, LG did not disappoint. But their message at Expo this year was prominent and hard hitting – LG is all about custom installation.
Cool Things I Saw at CEDIA Expo 2018San Diego, we hardly knew ye’! CEDIA Expo 2018 wrapped up this past Saturday and after three days of running between meetings and walking the show floor, I emerge relatively unscathed. The bottom line – this first Emerald Exposition-produced show was a bit of a mixed bag with some positive elements and some dropped balls. But overall, most came away satisfied that it was a good show.
Are you ready for this? LG shows the “world’s first” 8K OLED TV at the IFA 2018 show taking place in Berlin right now. Noting that their are a leader in advance TV technologies with OLED, LG pushes the technological envelope again with 88-inch 8K OLED TV being shown to consumers for the very first time.
Seems like my good friends over at AVNation.tv didn’t learn their lesson! Once again, they invited me back to participate in a new episode of their popular ResiWeek podcast, hosted by Matt D. Scott (he insists on including the “D” in his name for some reason).
Monoprice, the company most successful at pursuing a low-price, cut-rate strategy in regards to cables, adapters, and accessories, and the bane of many upscale cable companies in the consumer electronics space, has continued to grow and expand, now adding housewares and home goods to their growing assortment.
A new report by The Information has roiled Amazon, punching a hole in the concept that users of their Alexa-powered smart speaker devices will use them to buy billions of dollars of goods through voice ordering. According to sources from inside Amazon, the company is disappointed that only about 2% of users of their devices use them for voice-enabled shopping – a result that throws shade at the company and industry analysts who predicted a tsunami of voice-powered purchases. The company’s spokesperson disputes the report.
SnapAV, the unique national manufacturer/distributor of custom integration products based in North Carolina, announced on Tuesday that it has launched a media over IP solution designed to offer a uncommon combination of tremendous flexibility along with simplicity. Part of their Binary line, this 900 Series Media over IP solution delivers 4K UHD content with HDR support from any number of sources to any number of displays.
With all that’s going on in the world of politics – or perhaps because of what’s going on in the world of politics – two senators are calling for an investigation of the Smart TV industry, citing concerns about a potential compromise of privacy for users of which they are unaware. This move is in response to news that emerged a few weeks back suggesting that Smart TV makers were tracking users viewing, unbeknownst to them.
