Tributaries announced today that it offers a historical first – a passive 10-meter HDMI cable that has been certified by DPL Labs and ISF as offering a true 18Gbps data speed for genuine 4K/60 HDR performance. According to the company, this cable, known as the UHDT Titan Passive, is the longest passive HDMI cable certified by independent testing labs as reliably offering a true 18Gbps level of performance.
Tech Trends
Consumers Deeply Worried IoT is Prone to Hacking
Survey Shows Concern about Smart Device Security is Global
New research from Irdeto, a digital platform security firm, shows that a wide majority of consumers around the world are deeply concerned about the security of IoT (Internet of Things) devices. While the rollout of IoT devices continues to balloon, consumers are telling researchers that they are worried these devices are prone to destructive hacking.
See more on this latest research… [Read more…] about Consumers Deeply Worried IoT is Prone to Hacking
Amazon Invests in Another Smart Home Startup
Popular Executive Leaves the Company
Just one week after Amazon made a widely reported purchase of video doorbell maker Ring (for a reported eye-popping $1 billion), we learn that it has made another investment into the smart home space, taking a share of smart thermostat maker Ecobee. Although this was an investment made through their Amazon Alexa Fund and not an outright acquisition, it seems pretty clear that Amazon is getting very serious about the smart home business.
See more on this unexpected development from Amazon… [Read more…] about Amazon Invests in Another Smart Home Startup
In Battle with Sonos, D&M Takes Yet Another Blow
Sonos Seeks Permanent Injunction Against Infringing Products
The battle rages on between D&M Holdings and Sonos over the patent infringement lawsuit brought by Sonos in 2014 against the HEOS by Denon line, and in which Sonos won the first set of their claims in a bellwether trial that concluded this past December. In retaliation for the Sonos lawsuit, D&M Holdings filed a countersuit that is now heating up, and in which they just lost a major decision from Judge Richard G. Andrews.
See more on D&M’s loss in this ongoing matter… [Read more…] about In Battle with Sonos, D&M Takes Yet Another Blow
So How is Amazon Go…er…Going?
Unless you live under a rock, you most likely have heard about Amazon Go, the experimental grocery store that uses technology to allow shoppers to bypass the checkout counter and simply walk out the door with their purchases. Within minutes of leaving, they receive an email of the items they left with, and the receipt with the charges to a card of their (previously registered) choice. The idea is to eliminate a signficant pain point – standing in line for the sometimes time-consuming checkout process.
But what do consumers think about the idea? You might be surprised… [Read more…] about So How is Amazon Go…er…Going?
Scientific Breakthrough: New Holographic 3D Projection Uses Invisible Particles
Major news services are reporting that a significant scientific breakthrough has yielded a new projection technology that offers incredibly realistic 3D holographic images that are eerily similar to that scene in the original Star Wars movie when R2-D2 projected a holographic image of Princess Leia delivering a message to Obi-Wan Kenobi.
See more on this new holographic technology and what it can do… [Read more…] about Scientific Breakthrough: New Holographic 3D Projection Uses Invisible Particles
From James Loudspeaker – Not Your Father’s Soundbar
James Loudspeaker, the scrappy, custom creation-centric speaker manufacturer, announced this week a new series of 2.1 soundbars. By 2.1, they mean the soundbar reproduces left-channel audio, right channel audio, and deep bass via an included subwoofer…all in one. Because of this unique configuration, James calls it their LR-S soundbar.
Learn more about this remarkable James soundbar… [Read more…] about From James Loudspeaker – Not Your Father’s Soundbar
Strata-SERIES: RMR – Series Wrap-Up
One month ago, on December 6th, Strata-gee launched a series of articles on recurring monthly revenue (RMR) programs based on research conducted for a cover story in the December issue of Residential Systems Magazine. That Series, called Strata-SERIES: RMR, ran the entire month of December and into January with a total of five posts of content, plus an additional Series introduction and this Series wrap-up.
What did we learn about RMR? Much! Read on… [Read more…] about Strata-SERIES: RMR – Series Wrap-Up
Strata-SERIES: RMR – Smart Help for a Quick Start in RMR
[NOTE: This post is part of a series of articles on recurring monthly revenue programs we call Strata-SERIES: RMR. It will likely make more sense to you if you start by reading our Series Introduction here… and then our Topic Introduction and First Installment here…]
Because he had worked with an alarm company for the last twenty years, Matt Walin of Costa Mesa, CA-based Brilliant AV was very familiar with the concept of RMR programs as it related to central station security system monitoring. But as it specifically relates to residential AV and home automation solutions, it was about two years ago when they began exploring the process of offering their clients some form of a maintenance agreement covering their system installations.
Residential AV RMR, it turned out, was a horse of an entirely different color… [Read more…] about Strata-SERIES: RMR – Smart Help for a Quick Start in RMR
Control4 Acquires Ihiji Validating Importance of Remote Management
BREAKING NEWS
Control4 announced today that it has acquired remote system monitoring and management pioneer Ihiji of Austin, TX. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The deal sends a strong signal of the growing importance of remote installation monitoring and management systems for integrators moving forward.
