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Today’s Boomers – Contributing,  Savvy, Buying

 “I was there, I can prove it! When I was a kid, you could buy meat anywhere! Eggs they had, real butter! Not this... crap!” – Sol, “Soylent Green,” MGM, 1973

A few months ago, we read a mouse type news item – with our glasses on – that noted we had just passed the seven billion mark of humans on the planet.

We were a little worried, being in the boomer category until we heard Dr. Peter Diamandis, co-founder of Singularity University (check Wikipedia), give a presentation on Abundance.

The truth is, boomers are not only a huge segment of the world population.

They’re living longer.

They’re productive longer than previous generations.

They’re abundantly tech savvy.

Best of all, they’re big spenders -- not just for themselves but for the C generation (i/sub-Y generation). 

True, marketing people often focus on the Gen X, Y markets to sell stuff, while senior managers are looking around and seeing they’re edging toward a skills shortage.

And it isn’t a problem facing just one country; it has global implications because no nation can produce enough creativity, talent, knowledge to meet the marketplace’s demands.

It is true that every country has major unemployment issues; but usually these groups don’t have the training or the skills needed for the challenges that lie ahead. 

Professional services company Deloitte noted that while for the past three years, firms were focused on reducing headcount; today, companies are faced with the bleak possibility of not being able to fill key positions with the experience, expertise needed today and tomorrow. 

Shortages Remain

According to Deloitte, one-third of US manufacturing companies are suffering from a shortage of qualified workers (engineers, scientists, designers, senior technicians); 38 per cent of the rest expect shortages.

There’s no quick, easy fix because young people have shied away from education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Okay, that’s not really true globally. 

China and India are focused on training the next generations of engineers; but for the rest of the industrial world, it’s still bleak.

Rather than get into a war for talent or accept less than qualified employees, companies are eyeing boomers, not just as potential customers, but also hanging around to develop the next generation(s) of newer, better, more exciting products, services, technologies. 

Fortunately, pre-, early boomers are hanging around the workplace. 

Why?

• have you seen your 401K lately?
• companies are making it “attractive” to keep all of that expertise, experience from walking out the front door en masse
• they aren’t old mentally or physically -- according to a Pew Research study nearly half of the 50 plus respondents feel at least 10 years younger than their chronological age

So if you feel younger, want to/can/need to contribute to an organization’s growth/profitability; it’s important to stay abreast of our constantly changing technology.

And…they do!

Our kids don’t like to hear it, but devices have become popular across generations.

A majority of adults now own cell phones, laptops, tablets, desktop computers.

True, younger adults are leaders when it comes to mobile technology, preferring laptops to desktops, smartphones for practically everything -- internet, email, music, games video – and increasingly, tablets (iPad) for well just more of the same thing.

On-the-Go – Home and mobile technology is increasingly blind to age differences.  The devices are easier to use and becoming indispensible to the way people work, play and entertain.  Especially since young people look and feel more than their age and boomers plus feel younger than their chronological age.  Source – Pew Research

Among the findings:

• Cell phones (increasingly, smartphones) are the most popular device among adults (85 percent own at least one) who prefer non-voice (pictures – 76%, texting – 72%) to calls
• Far from dead, desktop computers are still the most popular with adults ages 35-65 -  69% of Gen X, 65% of Younger Boomers, 64% of Older Boomers
• Millennials, C Geners are more likely to own a laptop or tablet (70% laptop, 57% desktop, 10% tablet.
• Tablets are rapidly increasing in popularity with adults 65 and younger usually as their third screen device  

In it Together

In addition to being extremely comfortable with today’s constantly changing mobile technologies, the youngest and oldest generations are online and active.

Socially Involved – With major and niche social media sites constantly adding services and capabilities, they’re becoming a great way for people to stay in touch – friends, family, former business associates, professionals, school buddies. Almost any segment you want to connect with is on the web.  Source – Anderson Analytics

The online activates are pretty similar across all age groups:

• Email
• Search engine use
• Seeking health information
• Getting news
• Buying products
• Making travel reservations or purchases
• Doing online banking
• Looking for religious information
• Rating products, services, or people
• Making online charitable donations
• Downloading podcasts

Even in areas dominated by the younger generations, the tested generations are making gains in such areas as online communication/entertainment activities--especially in using social media sites.

Source – Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project

 

They Know You – The one fact that we can all agree with when it comes to the Internet and social sites is that the organizations can very precisely identify you by your key information – sex, age, race, income, education, you name it.  This enables people with like interests to associate on the Web right along with interested advertisers.  Source – Pew Research

In addition to staying current with today’s mobile world and staying in touch, the growing boomer population also uses its purchasing power to buy environmentally safe brands, according to research conducted by Focalyst.

Sorta’ figures if you’re going to hang around longer, you probably need to pay a little closer attention to your environment.

This large, green boomer population is often more demanding of quality in the products and services they buy (and they decidedly understand the differences in quality).

Environmental Concern – Regardless of the generation, men and women are interested in carrying out activities that will protect our environment and improve their individual quality of life.  Source – Pew Research

The good news is they also have a greater brand loyalty.

A number of researchers speculate that buying environmentally safe brands correlates with age, and mature consumers are more aware of their legacy. 

Green, Flush

Other key Focalyst findings include:

-  Green boomers watch less television, spend more time online.

-  Boomers are increasingly watching/posting videos, playing video games, connecting across generations on social sites.

-  Surprisingly, boomers with annual incomes of less than $50,000 are more “green” than boomers with incomes of over $150,000 (57% vs. 50%).

No Rocking Chair – Boomers have traded their TV time for surfing time on their devices and the Internet.  The ability to thoroughly research products/services before they make a purchase for themselves or their family has become an important tool that they use regularly.  In addition, they continue to have an interest in learning more about the world around them.  Source – Focalyst

The number of consumers ages 50 and over will increase from 94 million in 2008 to about 119 million in 2020 -- a 26-percent increase. 

In the U.S., they represent 31 percent of the U.S. population.

By 2020, they will increase to 35 percent.

There a lot of times you question it; but as Dr. Diamandis and McKinsey note, the older population is sizable both in numbers and income.

As a result, they’re an important market segment for consumer technologies.

The CEA noted in their “Greying Gadgets” study that Americans over 50 are comfortable shopping for/using/working with consumer electronics.

Our kids never knew a world without DVRs, Internet, cellphones, mobile everything…we can’t imagine a world without them.

While they start from a lower user base, boomers are embracing technology 20 times faster than the younger generation, according to Accenture:

• 67 percent increase in reading blogs, listening to potcasts compared to one percent increase for Gen Yers
• 59 percent increase in social net connections compared to two percent increase
• 52 percent increase in playing video games on their mobile device compared to two percent
• 49 percent increase in listening to music on iPod or portable player compared to 12 percent increase
• 35 percent increase in watching/posting videos compared to two percent increase

Since 1990, the number of boomers has held pretty steady in the U.S., but it will start rising again this year as the country’s first true baby boomers turn 65.  According to Pew Research projections, one-in-five Americans will be over age 65 by 2050. 

This will put the U.S. in roughly the same position Japan, Italy and Germany–the three “oldest” large countries in the world–are in today. And with a global population over seven billion that puts a strain on everyone to be as overly productive as possible.

Fortunately, we have a few years before we hit that mark; but it’s still great see boomers will continue to make contributions and hear Dr. Diamandis explain we’ll solve the challenges that lie ahead.

It has to because as Det. Thorn pointed out, “You know, there are 20 million guys out of work in Manhattan alone just waiting for my job.”

He also knew the main ingredients in Soylent Green.

And we’re a vegetarian!

 

 

 

 

 

Products Used and Tested With:

• KanexPro CubeUp™ Switcher with 3D Converter
• Panasonic BDT-310
• Panasonic AE7000U projector
• Standard HDMI cables
• Movies: Conan, Piranha, The Immortals, Green Hornet

The Skeptics

There are two types of skeptics in the AV industry. The first kind is the type who is unwilling to even try something out because their minds were made up. The second kind is the type who is leery of everything until they test the claim to their satisfaction regardless of the outcome. I belong in the second group.

Logically 2D to 3D conversion cannot be done in real time. There are too many parameters for any processor to compute in an instant without some kind of a very powerful processing power. I've reviewed 2D to 3D conversion built into Blu-ray players and all of them result in grainy and unconvincing 3D image. I've reviewed far too many 2D to 3D conversion built in to TVs and projector that use spherical approach (imagine half a ball, any image closest to the apex will be exaggerated to create a 3D illusion) and vanishing point approach (images in the top third or half of the screen are being perspectively forced to create the 3D effect).

So far, not a single built-in conversion worked well. Some I can stand for a 30-minute viewing, some I can only stand for a few seconds because the conversion is so atrocious. Unfortunately, the same thing can be said about Hollywood's poor excuse of a series of movies. Conan, Piranha, The Immortals, Green Hornet, they are a few of a truckload of badly yet professionally converted 3D movies. Most of them were converted in the price range of tens of thousands of dollars, if not more. Definitely something you don't want to pay extra (usually $10 to $15 more) for the 3D Blu-ray Disc version.

So here comes KanexPro 2D to 3D converter / scaler / HDMI switch to the rescue, or so they claim. In the back of my mind, however, I'm thinking, "seriously? What can a $400-ish tiny black box can do?” Intrigued with their claim I asked for a sample and one arrived within the week. That's usually a good sign. Companies who truly believe in their product are always eager to have their item to be reviewed.

Opening the box:

The unit is a tad underwhelming, almost unimpressive. There is nothing wrong with the half-width sized component, but I've been coddled for far too long from using video processor that are at least 2U rack-unit in height with full-width enclosure. The built quality is very solid and all the buttons are not flimsy with discernible click when you pressed them. Connection is simple. There are multiple HDMI inputs, a single HDMI output and three video processing modes to choose from. The mode configuration is a bit illogical from my point of view. Mode 1 is 2D to 3D conversion, Mode 2 is bypass, and Mode 3 is 2D scaling. Wouldn't it makes more sense if Mode 1 for bypass, Mode 2 for 2D scaling and Mode 3 for 3D conversion?

So how is the performance?

I'll start with the bypass mode. Any processor worth its salt should be able to do a straight bypass with the video signal untouched. Doing an A/B comparison between connecting my Panasonic BDT-310 straight to the Panasonic PT-AE7000U projector vs. having the KanexPro converter in between using my colorimeter, there is no difference between the two. However, from the delayed video (using an audio/video sync test signal), I find the KanexPro results in a couple of frames delay in video. So my deduction is that KanexPro's bypass mode is not a true bypass but having the signal goes through the processing chip with all the parameters set to null. (Note: further investigation using resolution chart, it seems like even in by-pass mode some level of DNR is applied)

As far as scaling mode goes, it's good. In fact, I prefer the scaling on the KanexPro than the one built into my receiver (Genesis Torino). Although on the other hand, it is not as film like as the Marvell Qdeo Kyoto II. All in all, it's a matter of preference. Most people, I think, will gravitate towards the KanexPro scaling result over the Marvell. The only caveat is that the video delay jumped from 2 frames to 6 frames. That's quite a lot of a delay although most receivers and pre-pro allow the user to set the audio delay long enough to match the 6-frame video delay.

So how's the 2D to 3D conversion?

To put it simply, it's the best sub-$5,000 converter I've ever encountered and leaps and bounds better than the internal conversion built into various Blu-ray players and display units. I find that using 2D Blu-ray sources such as The Immortals, The Green Hornet, Conan and Piranha, I actually prefer the effective and more natural approach of the KanexPro unit. There are, of course, moments that parts of a frame that got a tad messed up where the background was more forward than the foreground. However this occasions are few and far in between and only happened in very complex scenes. Bear in mind that these mistakes also happen with on-the-fly 2D to 3D converter at any given price. Heck, this problem can also be seen in more than a handful of instances in the 3D theatrical presentations of Piranha, Conan, Green Hornet and The Immortals and each movie cost the studio in the six-figure area!

So is this product a perfect 2D to 3D solution?

Of course not! How a $500 unit beats $100,000-plus solutions out there? It will never happen. However, it does its job marvelously to the point that there is no reason to buy most 3D-converted Blu-ray movies. For the entire two months I reviewed this unit using various inputs including Laserdiscs, DVD, HD cable and Blu-ray, I'm always amazed in how effective this product worked. Often time I forgot that I'm watching a 3D-converted program. It is THAT good and it is a definite MUST BUY for anybody who even remotely interested in 3D... And for $500, it's a steal!!

So, you finally bought that big flat panel TV for your living room.  You used the proper wall mount or stand, and even wired it to your audio receiver.  It sounds great for sports and TV, but oftentimes, you wish you had surround sound for watching movies, or for video gaming.

Typical challenges of wired systems

In traditional home theater surround sound systems, there is a receiver wired to 6, 7, or 8 different speaker cabinets.  You look at your living room and you start to imagine where you could put the subwoofer(s) and where the surround speakers might go.  You start to get excited, almost debating with yourself where the sound might be best in terms of coverage and quality. Ok, so your living room is not exactly setup for home theater speakers, but you could make it work, right?

But then, right then, you start to think about the copper speaker wires, and how you would hide them. One side of your living room opens to the kitchen. The other side of the room has a staircase, good luck getting wires around that without creating a trip hazard. It can’t be done without hiring an electrician or expensive home theater installer, who will charge you an arm and a leg, just to pull the wires through the walls and ceiling.  You would do it yourself, if you had the drills and the tools needed to pull the wires, but you don’t.  You want to do it right, but it seems like a huge cost and commitment.  Won’t the investment be lost if you decide to move, or just decide to rearrange the living room?

Don’t feel alone; this is the point where most home owners and renters get discouraged, and give up on surround sound.  Or, they just run the cables under carpets and throw rugs, and deal with the eyesores.

Who wouldn’t want to go wireless?

The concept of wireless speakers is not a new one. The most common wireless audio technology uses the 2.4 GHz spectrum, which is also used by 802.11b/g wi-fi devices, and is also integrated with most smart phones too. With billions of devices operating in this spectrum, the result is dropouts and poor audio quality.  The 16-bit compression algorithms needed to compete in such hostile wireless environments have turned off audiophiles.  These are the same purists who cling to vinyl records while the masses download mp3s of various bit rates.  Obviously neither extreme is correct for the home theater environment.  Most people want a digital solution that works with their movies and music, that sounds good, and is easy to setup.  And it would be great if it was affordable, or scalable.

Why WiSA Compliant wireless speakers are different

WiSA™ (Wireless Speaker and Audio) compliant products use spread spectrum technology in the 5 GHz Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) frequency band.  This avoids interference by other consumer wireless devices.  The result is audiophile-quality, 24-bit surround sound at up to 96kHz, with no delay in audio from source to speaker.

 

 

WiSA compliant products are affordable because of scalability. 

You can buy a basic WiSA compliant 2.1 system initially and then add the surround sound speakers at a later date.  Or maybe you decide to get a bigger subwoofer, and give your old one to the kids. You can upgrade from 5.1, to 6.1 to 7.2, and the technology works the same.

Each WiSA compliant speaker will have a built-in amplifier that will be customized to the combined impedance load of the driver and cabinet.  These are called active speakers or powered speakers.  You may never need to purchase a separate AV receiver again.  The big stereo component racks are a thing of the past.  Hidden is “in”, and with a WiSA solution, the master/transmitter can also be the DTV, Blu ray player, game console, etc. It’s currently in a small wireless hub.  

Another big difference about WiSA compliant devices is the interoperability between manufacturers.  WiSA enabled products will be tested to ensure compliance with the WiSA standard.  Consumers and installers will be able to purchase Blu-ray players, HDTVs, A/V Receivers and gaming consoles displaying WiSA™ logos, knowing that those devices will work with various speakers brands that also display a WiSA compliance logo.  The result is a plug-and-play scenario for the home speaker market.

But seriously, does it sound good?

Early wireless systems were plagued with hiss, hum, and artifacts due to interference with other devices operating on the same RF transmission bands. In addition, many wireless speakers compromise the sound quality by using compression and 16-bit algorithms. Here are the technical highlights of the WiSA compliant technology:

• 24-bit uncompressed audio (instead of 16-bit compressed like most use)
• Sample rate that matches the content: 32, 44.1, 48, and 96k samples/sec  
• Realistic sound, perceptibly 50% better than CDs, HD Audio quality
• Rapid error detection and recovery – smooth, uninterrupted sound
• 5 ms fixed latency – perfect lip sync in movies and video games
• Under 160ns speaker-to-speaker delay
• Amplifiers and speakers matched and balanced as a unit
• iPhone and Droid apps that allows easy setup and tuning of sweet spot (apps not yet available)

It's so easy, your parents could do it

One of the biggest selling points of the WiSA technology is the mobile phone application, which allows you to easily change the “sweet spot” within your  living room.  You can also rearrange your living room and the WiSA home theater speakers will time align themselves at the push of a button.

The typical WiSA certified home theater system setup would go something like this:

• Unbox everything and toss away the instruction manuals.  Not really, I’m just checking to see if you were actually paying attention.  Read all the instruction manuals, cover to cover, twice.
• Mount your TV on the wall or use a pedestal type stand, carefully following the instructions.
• Using two HDMI cables, wire the Blu-Ray Player to the WiSA enabled transmitter unit, to the TV
• Place your speakers around the room, roughly where you want them (you can adjust later).
• Power up the amplifier in each speaker using any standard wall power outlet.
• If the speakers are outfitted with ultrasonic transducers (higher end models), they can auto-configure themselves, including the channel assignments (right vs. left), proper delay times, etc.
• If the speakers are not outfitted with the transducers (more affordable models), simply download the app and configure the speakers with a few clicks on your smartphone. (Please note: mobile apps not yet available)  Or use the remote to walk you through the setup process

Now, you are good to go; just sit back and enjoy the premium high quality surround sound.  Show your friends and family how you can set the sweet spot with your smart phone, adjust the volume, even change the source (Cable, Blu-ray).  It’s okay to let them play with it, you can save your own settings to be recalled when they are done.  For more information, please visit www.wisaassociation.org and follow WiSA on Facebook and Twitter.

 

About Paul

Paul Konikowski CTS-D, B.S. Computer Engineering, Georgia Tech, LEED® Green Associate is an independent technology consultant for WiSA. Paul is the Digital Media Manager for Sustainable Fairfax, a member of Infocomm, and the U.S. Green Building Council.

 

 

 

 

Many people familiar with home automation controls are aware that integrating other systems such as lighting control, security, pool/spa, motorized shades, and HVAC are relatively easy and common practice when installing a Crestron, Savant, Control4 or AMX home automation control system (aka 'smart home' system). What most people don’t know or are afraid to ask is “what else can I do with it?”

In order to help illustrate the creative options of a whole house automation, I dug deep into the malted-barley filled cracks of my brain to come up with a few instances from the past that may spark an idea for your home.

Anti Dog Poop System

I once had a very sweet lady ask me jokingly if I could keep the neighborhood dogs from pooping on her lawn. After thinking about if for a few seconds I told her yes! She was surprised and intrigued. I then explained that her grass is not fenced in but has two pilasters at each corner where I could install an outdoor security beam which would let her home automation system know if someone has walked on her lawn. The control system could then turn on a sprinkler that would deter unwanted dogs and their owners.

Additional integration cost: $600.00

Turn This Car Around

You may have seen a car on display spinning on a large carousel at your local sports car dealer. The very same automotive carousel display can be installed in your home by Carousel USA. One of my clients was building a new home in Newport Coast (Orange County, CA) and wanted to use the carousel to help turn his car around without having to make a five point Austin Powers u-turn. The carousel solution was ideal, the only hitch was operating it from inside the car. We ran a wire to the carousel's control unit located in the garage and connected it to the home's Crestron home automation system. We then added the ability to operate the carousel from the client's iPhone using Crestron's home control app. Now, no matter what car he is in he can quickly get in and out of the garage without any hassle.

Additional integration cost: $1000.00

Water slide with water

Who wants to slide down a dry water slide? No one! A few years back a client of mine was building a large pool with slides, water cannons and waterfalls for his family to enjoy. Since we were using a Crestron control system to manage the pool and spa, it made sense for the builder and owner ask how can we control the water slides and water cannons without leaving the pumps turned on all the time. The solution?...we installed waterproof buttons at the top slide and base of the cannon that, if pushed, would turn on the water pumps for that area for a predetermined amount of time.

Additional integration cost: $350.00

Beach Sand Vacuum System

If you have ever lived by the beach you know that life is grand, with the exception of that pesky sand getting tracked into your home daily. I was approached with this problem by an innovative real estate developer in Laguna Beach (Orange County, CA). They had a door that went from the kitchen area to a sandy beach patio and wanted to know if a custom recessed floor vacuum vent could be turned on every time the door opened. This was simple to do and worked very well. We used a common alarm door contact that sent a signal to the control system every time the door opens which was programmed to turn on the floor vacuum.

Additional integration cost: $800.00

You got mail...in your mailbox

Have you ever wanted to know if that important letter or package has arrived? To one of DSI's clients this was a big deal. We engineered a simple sensor within his mailbox that would send a message to all of the home's in wall touchpanels that his mail had arrived. Simple and very effective.

Additional integration cost: $500.00

I hope this gives you an idea of how powerful a "smart home" control system can be. Not every audio video integration company has the skills to pull these solutions off, so be sure to do your due diligence before you spend your hard-earned cash with someone who may be in way over his or her head.
 

Source: http://blog.dsientertainment.com/

 

“’The water sleeps until the great snake.’ These aren't just drawings, they're directions. Get me a map!” – Indiana Jones, “Indian Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” Paramount, 2008

We love buzz words.

You know, innovation…marketing ROI (Return on Investment)…social media…branding…positioning…differentiation…segmentation.

Yeah, they’re all cool; but do you know the words we like better that the boss likes?

Sales…customer…customer satisfaction…customer retention!

We know, crass…very crass.

But we like a paycheck every now and then. Stockholders like results. Vendors like to be paid.

Whether you sell online or at retail, the best place to start with our favorite words is with your much- maligned website.

Back in the day, people spent buckets of money to make their website elegant. Then, with each new social media solution that came on the stream, the website slipped further and further down the priority list.

It wasn’t long before the website was supported by whatever loose change fell off the table.

After all, there was important (read sexy, fun) stuff we needed to use to leverage your marketing budget and get that ROI.

You know – Facebook page, Printerest stakes, YouTube elegance, Twitter stuff, mobile ads and marketing stuff like that must be better for you because “everyone” is talking about it.

The problem is, nothing happens until people come inside and get “served.”

As Indie said, “I've got a bad feeling about this.”

Web designers love to show you their elegant sites and how beautiful the Flash/HTML 5 stuff looks, what artistic videos they have, how gorgeously everything is laid out.

Self-Adolation

Sorry, but folks aren’t there for the show; they come to a website to get product/service information, to buy and get on with their lives. It’s all about the instant, the moment.

Small Window – People who make their money – Google and other search engine folks – from helping you find the product/service information you need know you don’t have a lot of patience when it comes to slow opening web pages. After four seconds, they begin to leave pretty quickly; and by 10 seconds, they’re not only gone but many will never return. Source - Google

That’s why Google, the people who make their money serving up clicks--and answers 34,000 questions a second, reported:

• Slowing delivery 4/10^th of a second reduced searches by 8M a day
• 25 percent of web users search only on their smartphone
• 50 percent of mobile users abandon a site that doesn’t load in 10 sec., 3 out of 5 won’t return
• 79 percent of mobile web consumers use their phone for shopping, 40 percent abandon after 3 sec.

That’s probably why Amazon, which racks up $67 million a day in online sales, estimates they could lose $1.6B in sales with a one-second page delay!

Bezo’s team doesn’t focus on being the sexiest site in town…just functional.

Of course, the same is true of Craig’s List. Ebay, Twitter, Facebook, Google and a lot of other etailers we could mention. 

It’s why fastfood does so well. It’s not about ambiance; it’s about eating, getting on with your life. 

An interesting fact we found when researching this piece was that every year, millions of American’s look for true love in 3- to 8-minute speed-dating sessions.

It’s all about getting the information, the answers!

Don’t Deliver

But back to your website. Go to most manufacturers’ websites and they’re works of art. They have:

• Slow-loading product pages which have tons of engineering features, specifications but nothing about how you can use it, benefits to ordinary folks
• Details that are important to everyone (except the customer)
• Videos that are well-scripted, well-shot, well-edited and appealing for the boss but not the customer
• In-site searching that leads you to 10-20 different areas they think you’ll find “interesting”
• Menus normal people can’t find/don’t understand, links that don’t work or take you nowhere

The problem is most people don’t use the tools that are readily available to analyze their sites and traffic. 

Or, as Indie said looking at the situation, “Leave it to Ox to write a riddle in a dead language.”

Looking, Being Better – If you focus on social media tools because “no one” visits your web site or don’t do anything once they stumble across your site, it’s probably because you don’t spend enough time tuning the site. Today, it’s not enough to build it and they will come; firms need to continually focus on improving the experience. Source – Demandbase

Analytic tools allow you to monitor how your website is doing in terms of visitors, conversions.

Google Analytics are free tools that allow you to study your website in detail:

• where visitors come from
• pages they visit
• length of page visit
• which keywords people search to boost your search rangings, be more quickly located
• exactly how people interact with your website

By using the analytics, you can determine which locations and what information resonates with real people (customers), not just the folks with a vested interest in looking good (designers).

Admittedly, it’s not very creative work; but it helps you determine the real quality of your site.

Learning More – Free metrics tools are available to help marketing departments analyze information about web site visitors, including not only how they got to the site but what areas they visited and what they wanted to find. The more the company knows about visitors, the easier it is to attract – and reward – more visitors. Source – Demandbase

Just imagine what you could do if you could do if you could understand your visitors and learn more about them.

Whooppee!!

It’s not really about having 20,000 Facebook Likers or 40,000 Printerest visitors.

Instead it’s like Indie said, “You want to be a good archaeologist...”

It’s about understanding the people who are important to your company, you – your prospects, your customers.

All About You – The more work companies do in helping web site visitors personalize the site to their individual wants and needs, the more productive (and profitable) the firm’s online presence will become. Sometimes it’s difficult to remember it isn’t about the designer, the person who writes the copy or the person who does the video when it comes to understanding what makes a good or so-so web site. Source - Maxymiser

Businesses – products/services – need to understand more about the quality of leads/sales the website generates.

Just remember its quality…not quantity.

That means if the website visitor registered with you, what happened afterward?

Were you able to turn the suspect into a prospect, a customer?

If not, where did you lose them? Why?

It could be as simple as not having all of the information immediately available that they want/need to make a purchasing decision. 

Do you have:

• Fresh, interesting blogs that give people insight into the company, its business philosophy and insight into product plans/applications
• Fun, interesting, educational videos. Today, more than 72 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute! Some of the best and most popular are those that feature industry thought leaders who present critical thinking (TED) and how-tos – how-to install, how-to use, how to troubleshoot, how-to get the most from their products (like OtherWorldComputing). It’s all about being a valuable resource for people looking for you who don’t even know you exist.
• Free stuff is always popular. You know, free information, free ideas, free industry news, free insight into how your developers/engineers evaluate/test/prove products/services before they are offered to consumers.
• Use social media tools such as allowing people to Tweet and post on your Facebook wall, content they can quickly/easily share.

Doing all of the analysis and checking off all the things you need to have to make your web site interesting and useful is great as long as you test the work to see if it resonates with people.

Real People Tests

No, not the guy/gal in the next cube, not your spouse/kid (think they’re going to hurt your feelings?), not the boss (‘nuff said).

Instead, have people completely unfamiliar with your business determine how quickly and easily they can find specific information that would help them find out about your products/services and maybe even purchase…a couple of your neighbors, the in-law you’re certain isn’t all there.

They may tell you as Marion did, “Not like you did any better.”

Sure, getting traffic to your landing pages is important; but that isn’t what produces sales and revenue.

What you really want to do is improve the customer’s experience and reduce the cost of acquiring the customer, retaining the customer. 

Do it right and constantly test/review your website personalization and it won’t be long Professor Oxley will say you’ve found the answer, “A portal! A pathway to another dimension!”

World On-demand Video Market

Today’s entertainment market is experiencing a rapid increase in the availability of on-demand video, and viewers are responding positively, resulting in strong growth in the consumption of these videos. In the study Business Model Evolution in OTT and On-demand Video Markets – 2012 Edition, IMS Research estimates that in 2011 the market for on-demand video reached 998.9 billion video transactions. Pay transactions are estimated at 7.2 billion streams/downloads in 2011, generating $16.2 billion in revenues.

Many factors will drive the uptake of on-demand video over the next five years, including: increasing broadband Internet speeds; growing penetration of connected CE devices; and more intuitive user interface technologies simplifying the acquisition of digital video. On the supplier side, OTT technology has been a way to expand services to multiple devices, to extend the reach of existing pay offerings, and monetize on existing content.

Regional Dynamics

Regional dynamics for on-demand video are quite diverse. North America is considered to be the most developed on-demand video market, with various pay-OTT services, an OTT subscriber base, strong closed-network VOD uptake, and several large ad-funded services. It is expected that North America will retain the largest share of on-demand video transactions during the period, both in terms of pay and ad-funded/free videos. The North American market for on-demand video is forecast at $16.9 billion.

The European market is forecast to surpass North America in terms of on-demand video revenues starting in 2017. This is partially due to higher pricing for pay-OTT services and pay-per rental transactions accounting for a large share of the market.  European broadcasters’ distribution via on-demand will also result in significant growth in OTT advertising revenue in the region. IMS Research forecasts the European on-demand video market at $17.7 billion in 2017.

Growth in on-demand market revenues in Asia Pacific is predicted to come mostly from closed-network VOD services from cable MSOs and telcos. It is expected to become a more significant market for OTT starting around 2015, as more broadband is rolled out throughout the region. Latin America is forecast to have the strongest compounded average growth rate during the period for on-demand video transactions. Yet, the region is forecast to generate only $4.2 billion in 2017. In most Latin American countries, pay on-demand services are very new, and there is still a general lack of awareness about them with the mass public.

Content Mix

With the growing volume of on-demand video viewings, service providers are now trying to figure out what type of content is best suited for on-demand distribution via managed networks versus OTT, and which is better suited for pay-per services, versus subscriptions, versus free/ad-funded. Most of the content available today on operators’ closed-networks includes full-feature films and serial TV content (falling within the category of long form content). The latter has seen the most significant growth in VOD services, driven by the growing popularity of catch-up TV offered via pay-TV operators’ set-top boxes. The OTT segment is mostly comprised of user-generated content (UGC), estimated at 80.3% of all OTT video transactions in 2012.

In the OTT video market, the content mix falls into a 70/30 scenario: about 70% of OTT market revenues are generated by 30% of long form video transactions; while the short form segment accounts for about 70% of transactions but only about 30% share of revenues. Long form content is expected to continue to increase its share of the OTT market both in terms of transactions and revenues. This is a result of people becoming more comfortable with watching serial TV content on an on-demand basis and more premium OTT services becoming available.

Business Models

There is a rapidly growing array of service providers within the on-demand video market, spanning broadcasters, retailers, OTT portals, pay-TV operators, telcos, premium channels, and CE suppliers. With such a breadth of providers, the business models shaping on-demand video services, particularly in the OTT segment, are expected to become quite diverse over the next five years. Service providers, particularly in North America and Europe, are experimenting by blending pay-per, subscription and ad-funded business models in order to develop effective ways to monetize on-demand video delivery.

Currently, the three most common business models for pay on-demand video are subscription, pay-per rental (also referred to as digital rental or streaming services), and pay-per purchase (also referred to as digital retail or download-to-own). The advertising model is used by many OTT portals and broadcasters in provisioning UGC and serial TV content. In addition, pay-TV operators often offer free VOD services, such as catch-up TV, as a retention and up-selling tool for digital TV subscribers.

Despite the efforts of many companies to aggressively pursue pay strategies via on-demand distribution of premium content, ad-funded and free videos will continue to dwarf pay video streams/downloads. Around 99% of world video transactions during the entire period are forecast to be ad-funded or free, with UGC accounting for a majority share of these. OTT advertising revenues are estimated at $5.4 billion in 2011, exceeded by $10.8 billion from pay on-demand services (of which about half comes from pay-OTT). The growth in in-video OTT advertising revenues is forecast to accelerate towards the end of the period, with the growth of the OTT viewer base in mature markets and due to the continued rollouts of ad-funded services in Asia Pacific.

Distribution Channels

Over the next five years, an increasing number of companies throughout the world will use OTT technology to distribute video entertainment. Media and content companies that have strong brands will experiment aggressively with direct-to-viewer strategies. Additionally, a growing number of pay-TV operators throughout the world will deploy and improve closed-network VOD offerings. These efforts on the part of video service providers are an important factor driving the availability of on-demand video.

The world OTT market in 2011 generated about double the revenues of pay-TV operators’ VOD services. Although pay-TV operators are forecast to account for only a small percentage of OTT revenues, they will retain a significant share of the overall on-demand video market, reaching 40.5% in 2017. These companies are expected to continue to pursue managed VOD services via their own networks, if and when possible, to retain control and maintain their quality of service standards.

OTT video portals such as Netflix, YouTube and Apple’s iTunes are expected to retain the majority share of the global market. The OTT video portal distributor channel is forecast at $21.7 billion in 2017. Broadcasters are another distributor channel that will make a positive impact on on-demand video revenues, with the segment forecast at $5.9 billion in 2017. Broadcasters revenues will be generated by catch-up TV, funded by in-video advertising, and offered via the web and on connected CE devices. Although many broadcasters in emerging markets are still somewhat apprehensive about launching OTT services, this is expected to change towards the end of the period. Retailers will also play a role in OTT video distribution, as the segment tries to replace revenue losses from physical media sales. Retailers are forecast to generate 8.1% of global OTT revenues in 2017.

Connected CE Devices’ Impact on OTT

The PC is the primary device for OTT video viewing during the forecast period. There is significant growth expected for OTT video consumption via connected CE devices, particularly tablets, TV sets and games consoles, especially in the long term. Over the next few years, though, devices such as Blu-ray Disc players and specialty retail set-tops (such as Apple TV and Roku box) will account for a large share of OTT video streams. These devices will be used by viewers to enable legacy TV sets to support new protocols and standards and connect to available OTT services.

Market revenues generated from OTT activity on the PC is forecast to increase to $9.2 billion in 2017, although the share of total revenues will decrease to 44.5% that year. It is expected that consumers will use in-home fixed devices, such as TV sets, Blu-ray players and game consoles more frequently for OTT video purchases, especially as the installed base of these devices grows.

The impact that portable devices have on OTT video consumption is also important, particularly for service providers offering free and promotional content (although promos and trailers are not included in OTT video market sizing). Service providers envision that smartphones will be used by customers to preview shows, and if viewers like a show, they will purchase it on the larger screen. Tablets will become more common for watching long form content such as TV series because they tend to rely on Wi-Fi versus mobile broadband networks.

About Anna

Anna Hunt is a principal analyst in IMS Research’s Consumer Electronics Group, and focuses on portable CE device markets, convergence in the CE and mobile space, and new digital TV platforms such as mobile TV and 3D TV. In addition, Anna is part of IMS Research’s consultancy team that focuses on serving global CE and semiconductor clients. Prior to this role, she was the Group’s research director, responsible for the Group’s strategic direction. Anna has seven years of expertise in the areas of digital set-top boxes, the global digital TV ecosystem, and consumer electronics. She is part of the judging panel for The Cable & Satellite International Product of the Year Awards, and has presented and moderated at several international conferences, including Mediacast, IP Trends, Digital Hollywood, 3D-Next, and Display Week – The Future of TVs.

Prior to joining IMS Research, Anna was the Americas region marketing and communications director for French enterprise software company, ICOM Informatics. She has over a decade of industry experience in market research, MARCOM, and branding in enterprise technology sectors, and is able to communicate in three languages.

Anna holds a bachelor of business administration in international business from The University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from St. Edward’s University. She is based in San Jose, Costa Rica, and may be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Broadband as a Conduit for New Applications

Increased broadband penetration is causing operators to modify their strategies.

Operators’ revenue and subscriber growth rates are down as a result of this near saturation in developed countries, so service providers are anxious to compensate. They also want to leverage their established infrastructure, including installation technicians, customer connections, and the strength of their brands, to offer new value-added services.

Opportunities for value-added services span such categories as entertainment, technical support, home management, energy services, and healthcare. Each one offers a unique value proposition, and service companies view these services as means to retain customers and as platforms for future revenue growth.

Video is often the cornerstone of bundling strategies and service plans; however, this white paper will focus on the other value-added service opportunities, including music, gaming, energy, security, and health. Parks Associates has addressed and analyzed the opportunities in video services in multiple other publications, including the recent white papers “Getting Over-the-Top Video Right” and “The Data-driven Video Discovery Evolution.”  Visit http://www.parksassociates.com/ for more information.

Entertainment—Music

While use of music download services remains substantial, Internet radio and subscription-based music services have been increasing in popularity. Pandora has 125 million registered users for its streaming music services. Spotify’s U.S. user base is about 2.4 million users, and globally, the service has 10-12 million registered users.

Subscription service is not a new business model for the music industry, but the presence of big-name competition, notably iTunes, has made it challenging to successfully launch new music offerings. More recently, momentum for these service offerings is building due to several key trends:

• Growing adoption of mobile devices capable of streaming & accessing music services
• More effective discovery mechanisms
• Use of social networking tools for users to share music and related information
• The increasing number of connected CE devices
• Growing consumer acceptance of  the cloud delivery and access model
• The willingness of diverse industry players such as ISPs, mobile carriers, OEMs, and car makers to partner with music service providers in order to enhance their offerings

Many of the early successes in operator-provided music services were in Europe. Danish broadband provider TDC; France Telecom, under the Orange brand; and Telia have successfully implemented music services.

In the U.S., Verizon has partnered with Rhapsody to create its V CAST Music offering. The company offers a subscription-based service for approved CE devices, with a Media Manager that provides online storage of personal music libraries.

Entertainment—Gaming

The number of gamers in the U.S. increased from 56 million in 2008 to 135 million in 2011

The majority of these new gamers are in the “casual gamer” category. Typically, they use new platforms such as smartphones and tablets to play low-commitment titles.

This territory is familiar to many providers, with companies including AT&T, Verizon, Orange, and Telstra offering casual games as a core element of their offerings. There are many benefits to providers in offering gaming. The service has broad appeal, with an opportunity for bundling and as an enhancement to established business models. For example, TELUS offers a free Xbox 360 to fiber high-speed customers who sign a two-year service commitment, and the game console can be used as a set-top box for additional services.

AT&T’s offering AT&T Games is a good example of a broad-based service.

It is an online portal for PC and mobile games that includes free games and game demos with service subscription options and games for purchase. It derives revenues from these sources and from advertising.

The gaming market also comes with its share of challenges. There is ample competition from a variety of sources, and the associated costs in acquiring content keep revenues relatively low.

Finally, broadband providers do not have a reputation as “serious” players in the gaming market. Most traditional gamers (often referred to a “hardcore gamers”) do not associate their service providers with gaming.

IP Services and New Players

Crossover Appeal of Gaming

Gaming has applications in other service segments, with a variety of different companies using games as a means to engage their consumers. Utilities use “gamification” to encourage customers to compete for energy savings. In the health market, games encourage physical and mental activity. For example, Nintendo Wiis are deployed as part of health and activity regimens for sick or infirm patients.

There are a variety of different IP-based services that providers could use to enhance their offerings:

• Energy monitoring
• Managing major appliances
• Home security & monitoring
• Health-based services
• Energy management, control, and convenience

Connected Home Management Services

Home systems and home management products are evolving to become connected home systems and products, and these IP services are going mainstream as players such as Verizon, Comcast, AT&T, and ADT Security pursue their own IP-based connected home strategies. 

Broadband providers in particular recognize a nearly unprecedented opportunity to establish a dominant role for IP connected home management bundles at home. They bring superb billing systems, marketing clout, and millions of customers as a target base. They also know how to run complex networks.

Even beyond these strengths, broadband providers perceive unexplored bundled service options in new categories such as energy management and lighting control.

IP-connected home service bundles are attractive to service providers for several reasons:

• The services are offered to the operator’s existing customer base
• The services leverage existing strengths, including their communication network, call centers, and monthly billing relationship with customers
• The services are outside of core offerings, allowing new bundling opportunities

The promised long-term growth of IP connected home management services can also help broadband providers defend their current businesses and fill the gaps of slowing growth.

Recession, diffusion, and OTT competition all impacted pay-TV services, which dropped to a CAGR of 1.9% in 2009-2012. Parks Associates expects some economic improvement over the next several years, and this combined with new provider offerings (designed to compete against OTT providers) should proved a modest improvement of 2% CAGR.

By contrast, the CAGR for connected home system bundles including just home security systems and home control systems, without including single product offerings with fee-based services, exceeds 25% from 2011-2015. 

Energy & Security—Value in Bundling

The three categories for home management services that score the highest interest among U.S. broadband householders are security, energy management, and control, but the value propositions for each service have unique challenges.

Bundling energy management and security services is an important strategy to increase consumer interest in these services.

Energy

Energy management is not valued as intensely as security, but its span across broadband households is broader.

As a result, the U.S. target market for residential energy management & home security technologies, deployed by utilities, service providers, or retailers, will exceed a combined 60% of all households by 2022.

The combination of IP proliferation and smart meters provides electric utilities more options to expand their services and create new relationships with their customers. Smart meters, which will be deployed in 56 million households by 2015, create a variety of new service opportunities, many of which may reach inside the home (e.g., appliance control). However, many utilities see the meter as their line of demarcation, and while new market conditions and the promise of cost savings may prompt them to expand their offerings, they are likely to seek partnerships for new IP-based service offerings.

Partnership opportunities are abundant as widespread broadband and connected CE adoption, combined with the early, and hence unsettled, nature of the new IP-driven connected home management bundles market, prompts many different types of firms to enter this area.

• Security, Broadband Service Providers
• Communications & IT Infrastructure
• Home Control Platforms
• Energy Management Components
• Metering Solutions Manufacturers

However, for energy monitoring as well as energy management alone, the potential for incremental monthly revenue from these services is limited. Consumers exhibit high price sensitivity to energy services overall, and there is no consensus for preferred pricing plans among those interested.

In almost all consumer segments, households seek to manage their energy costs while remaining comfortable in the home. Consumers are often their own strategists when it comes to this sector and gauge the ROI for energy savings carefully, reluctant to invest more than they can save.

For utilities, appliance and CE manufacturers, and service providers to improve consumer engagement for their energy-related offerings, they must enhance their value proposition while managing costs relative to consumers’ high price sensitivity.

As a result, there are several viable paths to the market—but the top strategies bundle energy management with complementary services.

Verizon &  Ingersoll Rand

(through its NEXIA offering)  bundle energy management with remote control and monitoring, charging a fee of $9-$10/month

Time Warner Cable

packages energy management with security and remote control, charging $34-$40/month in an effort to grab share in the security market. This offering could take share from ADT, the market leader in the security space, which charges $57/month for a similar package of services

Security

The security provider industry has remained at 15%-19% of U.S. households with monitoring services for nearly a decade, with indications that the percentage of households with fee-based monitoring has declined slightly. Most of the factors for this slight but significant decline tie back to the recession, including consumer spending reductions, low to nonexistent numbers of new starts, and a rash of foreclosures in the housing market.

Consolidation across the security industry has also dropped the count of active dealers. Often those who have been successful in this difficult time expanded their residential offerings to include other system categories, including home theater or lighting control, to increase their per-customer revenues.

At the same time, traditional security providers (e.g., ADT, Protection One) managed to raise their monitoring fees over the past few years without an appreciable loss in their core customer base. These long-term security customers are above average in most standard socioeconomic demographics notably in age, education, and income. They are able to absorb the added cost and see it as part of the daily cost of operating a home.

Segments UnderServed

Given the characteristics of the average monitored security household, there are significant population segments that security providers have yet to serve. For
example, young heads of household (18-34) have the highest rates of ownership and usage for new technologies, but they are much less likely to have a security system.

Players Seeking to Capitalize

With so much of the market underserved, and IP lowering entry costs, the number of players seeking to capitalize on the security market is increasing. Security monitoring services generate $30-$50 per month. They can increase average revenue per user (ARPU) for service providers, and players are employing a variety of strategies, including price competition, bundling, and extending alerts to mobile and connected platforms.

Current Security Offerings

• ADT launched ADT Pulse in October 2010 using the iControl platform. System includes energy monitoring, home security, and lighting control.
• Alarm.com introduced the “emPower” home automation package in June 2010. The package includes a lighting control system, Z-Wave-enabled two-way communicating programmable thermostats, and a door lock control system.
• Vivint (formerly APX Alarm) expanded its control and energy portfolio to accompany its security offering.
• NEST announced its communicating thermostat in 4Q 2011, and Honeywell announced its Tuxedo system in 2012. 

2012 Security Announcements

AT&T Digital Life, a new division of AT&T, announced its global monitoring and automation platform in February 2012. This offering is available under license to service providers outside the U.S. and debuted in the U.S. in May 2012. According to AT&T, the platform will address multiple segments, including aging-in-place, energy management, and security, with a scalable design capable of growing based on consumer demand.

Lowe’s announced Iris, a monitoring and home automation system based on the AlertMe platform, in 2011, with launch scheduled for the third quarter of 2012. As with AT&T, Lowe’s Iris will integrate multiple product categories, such as locks, lighting controls, energy management devices, and IP network security cameras.

The entry of these two players will have ripple effects in multiple markets.
Both have tremendous reach into the consumer market, and they will make 2012 a very interesting year for connected home services.

Health

In the U.S., about 20 million households are caring of one or multiple family members with age-related problems. An additional eight million households anticipate looking after an elderly parent with either age-related problems or chronic ailments.  

Parks Associates’ research shows consumers have considerable interest in home health monitoring solutions overall: 

• 42% of U.S. broadband households surveyed found the independent living service concept appealing
• 37% found a vital-sign monitoring service appealing

Market interest in independent living and health monitoring services is increasing in tandem with the expansion of IP as the backbone of all service delivery platforms for the home. Broadband/telecom service providers have been eyeing the home health monitoring market for more than five years. Early trials fared poorly with end users, including Sasktel’s LifeStat service, Orange France’s GPS tracking service (enabled by Medical Intelligence), and Comcast’s home monitoring service using BL Healthcare’s solution.

These high-profile failures highlight the challenges faced by broadband service providers. They lack (or are perceived to lack) brand power, consumer trust, and established expertise in distributing health-related devices and services. These early disappointments have not deterred service providers; however, they have been playing more of an integrator role enabling service delivery than directly selling services to consumers. For example, AT&T partnered with WellDoc, and Verizon is collaborating with BL Healthcare in developing and deploying digital health offerings.

This approach, although offering smaller and less immediate revenue opportunities, reduces service providers’ business risks, helps them gain expertise, and enables them to build broad partnerships with health monitoring technology providers and healthcare service providers along the way.

From an application perspective, broadband service providers’ interest crosses all major service categories in digital health, with a strong focus on chronic disease management and senior independent living service. In these two areas, they actively pursue partnerships with solution providers, platform enablers, and service renderers. In other areas, such as GPS location tracking, medication monitoring, and chronic condition diagnostics, they are currently content in the role of backend infrastructure providers, collecting revenues from their partners for use of their network on a per-device basis.

Interoperability: The Need for Standards

A key driver for all these services is the proliferation of connected CE and mobile platforms. Consumers are buying tablets, smartphones, and smart TVs, and these devices are removing barriers that once stood between different service categories. For example, a key point of the AT&T Digital Life is that owners can control the home system, including lights, locks, and security cameras, from an iPad app. Whole-home systems that once had to supply their own controllers now must connect to platforms already in the home.

Consumers will have CE, appliances, home systems, and energy management components from multiple manufacturers in their homes, and they will expect, rightfully, all these disparate devices to communicate and share data.

Several organizations in these industries are taking the necessary steps to ensure interoperability. On the entertainment side, DLNA has been a successful model. In energy management, the NIST created the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel (SGIP) with the specific task of developing these necessary communication protocols. OpenADR is another piece of the puzzle; it is an automated demand-response (DR) protocol that is also IP based. Both ZigBee and Z-Wave are prominent in the energy industry, so players in the market are looking to the best methods to bridge the two standards.

These are all important efforts in opening the home and its disparate systems to new technologies and products.

Parks Associates is an internationally recognized market research and consulting company specializing in emerging consumer technology products and services. Founded in 1986, Parks Associates creates research capital for companies ranging from Fortune 500 to small start-ups through market reports, primary studies, consumer research, custom research, workshops, executive conferences, and annual service subscriptions.

The company’s expertise includes new media, digital entertainment and gaming, home networks, Internet and television services, digital health, mobile applications and services, consumer electronics, energy management, and home control systems and security.

As expected, CEDIA was full to the gills with cool and interesting products. In the article below, you can read about our take on industry trends and see what products we considered noteworthy.

4K

4K was prominent, but largely in the projector space. Planar showed a technology demo of a 4K flat panel in dealer and press events, but one of the stars of the show was undoubtedly the 84” Sony XBR-84X900 LCD TV.

Mixed-use Rooms

In an economy where dedicated home theaters are increasingly disappearing from blueprints and the living room or family room has to double as the home theater, an expanding array of products are springing up (or being re-designed) for use in mixed-use rooms. Products in this category included high ambient light projectors and screens, in-wall projectors, hidden speakers, high-end sound bars, wireless surround sound systems and impossibly slim flat-panel mounts.

Wireless

As expected, wireless was everywhere. Several vendors showed new wireless audio and video solutions and the emerging WiSA organization showed some impressive sounding wireless speakers.

NFC

NFC was popular. Crestron’s AirConnect was probably the most impressive demo of NFC at the show. (See hot products below.) With an increasing number of NFC-capable mobile devices coming to market, this is destined to be a huge growth area.

Low-cost Home Automation

There were several vendors showing, low cost home automation solutions. Many of these were simply IOS or Android Apps using off the shelf hardware, such as Global Cache products (iRule). Others were basic HTML only apps controlling proprietary hardware (Gefen’s GAVA). Several remote control vendors showed solutions that allowed an entry in home automation with RF remotes and a main controller for under $2,000 (ProControls, URC).

Tablets and Tablets Accessories

Both Crestron and AMX showed an array of new tablets and there were more iPad mounts and accessories than I could count: I’m sure there’ll be a lot more Nexus accessories next year, but the iPas is still the dominant force in this arena.

Shading Solutions

With rising energy costs and increasing environmental awareness, many homeowners are turning to motorized shades for daylight harvesting as part of a holistic energy management solution. Crestron launched an impressive line of shading products a few days prior to the show.

HDBaseT

As one would expect, there were plenty of vendors showing HDMI switching solutions. Without exception, every one of them showed HDBaseT solutions. On the HDBaseT alliance booth, a concept TV connected by a single cat6 cable (including power) was demonstrated.

And here are some products of note:

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Mitsubishi Electric - 3D Home Theater Projector

The HC7800D HD projector offers DLP, high-precision conversion and original 3D glasses with high-speed liquid-crystal shutter to deliver amazing performance. Using motion-vector analysis technology, 2D images converted to 3D have a natural sensation of depth. The optional glasses best match the high-speed DLP system. High-speed switching is over ten times faster than TN liquid-crystal shutter glasses, reducing blanking to 1/20 and resulting in amazingly low levels of eye fatigue.

 

 

 

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HAI by Leviton - 600W CFL/LED Dimmer

The device is UL listed for CFL and LED bulbs with the ability to control up to 600 Watts of incandescent or Halogen bulbs.  The 600W CFL/LED Dimmer – HAI by Leviton part number 35A00-1CFL – features a special dimming curve that is optimized for CFL and LED bulbs to provide smooth dimming throughout the entire range. The CFL/LED Dimmer also features a minimal brightness level to prevent the bulb from flickering and an auto-off feature, ideal for pantries, closets and other spaces where light is not always needed. A small LED on the switch will blink when the switch is timing out.  The 600W CFL/LED Dimmer is available now in almond, light almond, black, brown, grey, ivory and white.  Additionally, the CFL/LED Dimmer uses a standard Leviton Decora style wallplate for limitless décor options.  The CFL/LED Dimmer is available in a case of 12 (HAI part number 35A00-1CFLCS).

 

 

 

 

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Autonomic Controls -  Mirage Media Server MMS-5A

The Mirage Media Server MMS-5A streams 24-bit/192kHz, reference quality digital audio. USB to DAC for jitter-free, native resolution and precision clocking. Store lossless, uncompressed WAVs, FLACs and WMAs on 1TB internal drive. Streaming services through Pandora, Rhapsody, Spotify & others. Automatic synchronization, Integrated control options, distribute audio to any number of zones, the MMS-5A is sure to meet all audiophiles standards.

 

 

 

 

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SANUS - XF228 Full-Motion TV Wall Mount

The XF228 is a full-motion wall mount for 42" - 84" flat-panel TVs. The mount features a pre-assembled interface and strong, ultra-light extruded aluminum wall plate for the quickest, easiest installation possible. Featured technologies include the FollowThru™ in-arm cable management channel, Virtual Axis™ fingertip tilt, ProSet™ height and leveling adjustments, an open wall plate and up to 20" of extension.

 

 

 

 

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Draper, Inc. - High Performance XS850E

When it comes time to watch your favorite movie or the biggest sporting event of the century, more and more of that content is being offered in higher quality and at a greater resolution than ever before. When the projector is fired up in your home theater you don’t want all that fine detail and vivid contrast to get lost on the screen. Draper’s High Performance XS850E is an optical screen surface incorporating multilayer film technology to provide precise resolution, high contrast, a vivid color palette and a remarkably broad viewing cone.

High Performance XS850E gives a nice bright image in the dark or with ambient light. What sets this surface apart is its 180-degree viewing cone. The audience sees the same great image off axis, and the contrast levels are excellent in all conditions. High Performance XS850E is available on Draper’s Clarion and Onyx fixed screens.

 

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ATLONA - AT-PRO3HD44M (High-Speed HDMI^® 4x4 Matrix Switcher)

Featuring the latest HDBaseT™ technology and CEDIA 2012 “Best New Product Winner”, the Atlona^® AT-PRO3HD44M 4x4 HDMI^® matrix switcher extends HDMI from sources up to 230 feet over Cat 6a cables at 1080p and 1920x1200, or 197 feet with Cat 5e/6 cables. The unit allows for effortless control of up to eight devices through IR remote control, RS-232, third-party IR control boxes, and the front panel.

The AT-PRO3HD44M has built-in digital audio S/PDIF loop outs that allow audio distribution to an AVR or amplifier. S/PDIF output supports PCM 2-channel, Dolby^® 2.0, Dolby Digital 5.1, and DTS 5.1 digital audio formats. To ensure that all audio passes through, the 4x4 matrix switcher supports all lossy and lossless formats up to Dolby True HD — including DTS HD Master Audio pass-through for HDMI outputs — as well as 3D signals. Programmable, learned EDID memory presets are loadable to any source connected to the matrix switcher, ensuring that any display can receive audio and video.

The AT-PRO3HD44M will be available in September 2012.

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Panamax - MR Family

Panamax’s MR Family of elegant home theater power management solutions provides a touch of class to any A/V system, while offering rock-solid protection from surges/spikes andmaximizing equipment performance. With auto-resetting voltage protection (AVM) and protection from catastrophic lightning strikes (Protect or Disconnect™ circuitry), peace of mind is never out of reach. Performance-robbing AC noise is eliminated with Level 2 Noise Filtration (MR4000) and Linear NoiseFiltration (MR4300 and MR5100) for the best system performance possible.  

 

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Control Shark, Inc. - Voice Viper

The innovative Voice Viper allows control of lighting, shades, climate, security, and audio visual systems via voice commands.  By pairing the Voice Viper with a control system, everything controlled by touch panels, remote, and keypads can also be controlled by just speaking.

The Voice Viper is ideal for commercial and residential installations wanting to add the ultimate ease of use. Corporate boardrooms can be simplified with a “Turn on the system” voice command which will start the projector and close the shades. Residential automation can be streamlined with a “Welcome home” voice command to turn on lights and adjust the temperatur

 

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Pro Control - ProPanel App

The ProPanel app gives end users complete control over any Pro Control system containing a ProLink.z control processor from the convenience of their iPod touch^®, iPhone^®,  iPad^®, or Android™ smartphone or tablet of any screen size. With so many control app options for dealers, ProPanel stands above the rest by enhancing the control experience for end users with unique capabilities such as full two-way feedback including cover art, weather graphics, and dynamic image lists, in addition to high-resolution graphics for the newest generation of iPad. Redefining ease of use, the app displays in both portrait and landscape views by rotating the Apple^® or Android device with no additional programming required. ProPanel supports local connection via Wi-Fi™ and offers remote access capabilities via auto-switching Wi-Fi and 3G wireless — providing users with the convenience of control and monitoring from virtually anywhere in the world. Additionally, the ProPanel app sports a completely customizable graphical user interface, giving end users a consistent user experience across all Pro remote controllers in their system.

 

 

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Remote Technologies Inc. (RTI) - KX7 In-Wall Touchpanel

The KX7 in-wall color LCD touchpanel provides complete, customized control over a home’s entertainment, environmental, and security systems. Sporting a 7-inch, 800x480 WVGA LCD with a multitouch capacitive touchscreen, the unit’s control interface is fully customizable via RTI’s Integration Designer^® software. The KX7 displays crystal-clear composite, S-video, or component video inputs at resolutions up to 576p. A slim profile and sophisticated design conceals the amazing features of this unit, such as wired 10/100Base-T and wireless 802.11 Ethernet connections providing two-way control and feedback, access to Web pages, video from network security cameras, and convenient programming. 

 

The KX7 is unique in providing a self-contained control system to lower costs. A high-output IR port provides direct control of multiple devices from up to 1,000 feet away, while a two-way RS-232 port runs RTI’s one-way and two-way control drivers without the need for a separate control processor. The touchpanel’s low-profile faceplate is available in a variety of colors to match any décor, and integrated mounting wings help provide easy installation.

 

 

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Definitive Technology - SoloCinema XTR

The SoloCinema XTR, the newest addition to Definitive’s industry-leading line of high performance loudspeakers, is the only surround bar on the market that delivers on every attribute desired by today’s premium home theater enthusiast: shallow depth to match slim TVs, sleek appearance, premium fit and finish, high quality materials, effortless installation and superior sound. We refer to it as High Performance…Simplified.

Cutting-edge industrial design, operational simplicity and outstanding sound unite in Definitive Technology’s SoloCinema XTR. This ultra-slim (2-3/8” deep) amplified sound bar, powerful wireless subwoofer, and ergonomic remote offer an immersive 5.1 channel sound experience with contemporary aesthetic beauty...minus the clutter of component systems.

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Luxul Wireless - XAP-1050

The XAP-1050 addresses the real world challenges associated with delivery of IP camera-based security at a gate, boathouse or other remote location.  Historically, the remote security alternatives have been expensive, complex and labor intensive. As is the case with the entire Luxul Xen line, the XAP-1050 is designed to simplify deployment and help our dealers provide a reliable and cost-effective solution to their clients.
The XAP-1050 simplifies IP camera installation by providing 30W of PoE power directly to any PoE-enabled device. This allows the installer to run a single Ethernet cable from the XAP-1050 to the IP camera-delivering both data and power and eliminating the need for a separate power run.

 

 

 

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NAD Electronics - NAD VISO 1 AP

NAD Electronics expands its VISO Series with the new NAD VISO 1 AP, a complete digital device that offers Wi-Fi network capability and supports Apple AirPlay. Like its sibling, the highly acclaimed NAD VISO 1 unveiled at CEDIA 2011, VISO 1 AP is a game-changing wireless digital music system with a platform that remains solidly true to NAD's brand values of performance, simplicity, innovation, and value.  The NAD VISO 1 AP will be available in November, in White or Black finishes, for $600 MSRP. 

• Complete digital device that offers Wi-Fi network capability and supports Apple AirPlay
• Easy to set up, simple to operate.
• Latest aptX high fidelity Bluetooth wireless capability
• Rear USB port for connection and charging of Apple iOS devices eliminates need for a docking cradle
• Direct Digital technology is trickled down from NAD’s highly-acclaimed Masters Series
• Acoustic design refined and tweaked by Paul Barton of PSB for high-end sound
• Striking industrial design from world-renowned designer David Farrage of DF-ID

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PSB Speakers announced an exciting entry in the desktop audio market, the Alpha PS1, a Powered Speaker system designed for today’s music lover who enjoys their musical experience almost exclusively from the computer, game console, or smart phone. Featuring PSB’s famed sound quality, the Alpha PS1 offers an affordable and musically satisfying experience in a simple plug-and-play solution that is ideal for contemporary listeners.

The PS1 is the perfect sonic upgrade for any device with a headphone output and it also features a subwoofer output for additional flexibility. Its driver complement sports a 3.5” metalized polypropylene cone and oversized magnet structure paired with a ¾” aluminum tweeter. To get the most out of its performance drivers, the Alpha PS1 includes a highly efficient 2 x 20W power amplifier. The universal power supply works with any AC voltage making it convenient for world travelers.

 

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Screen Innovations – Black Diamond Motorized

Even under the harsh lighting of a trade show floor and driven from a sub-$4K projector, the Black Diamond Motorized screen was impressively bright (see photo below). Due to its ambient light rejection screen technology, light scatter is measurably reduced by over 75%. Delivering a next-level entertainment experience while literally disappearing into the room’s existing décor when not in use, Black Diamond Motorized appeals to the senses - and satisfies the needs of - a diverse audience in either residential or commercial environments. Black Diamond Motorized is the ultimate blend of art + science.

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Screen Innovations – Black Diamond Zero Edge G2

The New Black Diamond Zero Edge G2 by Screen Innovations is the world’s first and only multi-directional ambient light rejecting projection screen technology that has the look and feel of a flat panel TV. Featuring a rigid panel, a pencil-thin 10mm bezel, and the award-winning Black Diamond screen technology that can boost a projector’s contrast by over 900%, Zero Edge screens blend flawlessly with surrounding décor, deliver a stunning image, and provide a fully immersive entertainment experience for light or dark room applications.

 

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ProControl – iPro.8 Companion Controller

Patent pending technology and bi-directional RF communications allow this remote to reconfigure itself when the source is changed. For example, when an iPod is playing, the play, pause, next, previous, buttons all control the iPod. If a user then switches the source to a DVR with their phone or another remote, the companion remote will recognize this and the buttons functions are then switched to those of the DVR. Designed to overcome some of the inherent limitations of tablets and smartphones as primary controllers, the revolutionary iPro.8 delivers instant connectivity and reliable operation seamlessly and inexpensively.

 

 

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Crestron – airConnect

Rather than requiring expensive to buy and install RFID readers wired back to a main controller, airConnect uses NFC stickers (costing about $1 each) and the mobile device’s NFC reader and Wi-Fi communications to relay the UserID and LocationID back to the central location for triggering a user and location-specific event or sequence of events. Based on Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, airConnect enables Crestron customers to trigger personal settings on a room-by-room basis for lighting, temperature, shades, entertainment systems or any other devices connected to the control system when their smart phone is in proximity of the specially programmed NFC tag. The paper-thin, approximately one square-inch in size, can easily be embedded in convenient and multiple locations, such as behind wall keypads and faceplates.

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Crestron – Shading Solutions

In the past, Crestron has relied on partnerships with shading providers, but now has an impressive and comprehensive line of shading solutions, including easy to use and customize touch screens. The complete line includes silent motorized roller shades, Roman shades and drapery track systems available in over 400 fabrics. Featuring its new low voltage Quiet Motor Technology™ (QMT™), Crestron shades are silent, operate smoothly and seamlessly integrate with Crestron AV and control products from touch screens, keypads, remotes and Apple® or Android™ smart devices. Only Crestron Shading Solutions bring together designer shading with electric lighting, AV, climate and security control for complete, integrated, intuitive home management.

 

 

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Crestron – Sonnex and Speakers

Sonnex supports 24 inputs, 8 x 140w outputs and up to 72 zones of HD audio. Instead of having to home-run all cables back to a central location, Sonnex allows a single-wire (cat5e up to 220-feet and fiber up to 2,000-feet) to be run to other expanders in remote zones, where speaker home-runs are localized. Sonnex allows the model of speaker and room profile to be entered for each room, so that the EQ and power levels can be optimized for the precise (Crestron) speaker and environment. Crestron now provides four speaker ranges, all designed for ease of installation:

• Excite – for passive listening environments and smaller spaces, such as hallways, foyers, bathrooms and kitchens
• Aspire – for more active listening and larger spaces, such as bedrooms, family rooms and dining rooms
• Essence – high performance for media rooms, home theater, etc.
• Air – surface mount outdoor

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Crestron – Crestron Studio – Home Designer

Destined to replace 19 individual applications, Crestron Studio will eventually become the single tool for all Crestron system programming. The software has a modern look and feel, similar to Visual Studio, allows users to switch between drag and drop and a more complex programming mode. This enables system programming to be delegated to the member of staff with the appropriate level of expertise.  Core3 UI brings smart objects and vector graphics with 9-slice scaling. The media player is a good example of a smart object: when Pandora is selected as thumbs up and thumbs down buttons appear; when a different source is selected the buttons disappear. Previously, every source needed its own media player object and every button, slider, etc. was an object that had to be programmed. In addition to designing the objects, each had to be reproduced for different resolutions and sizes. Not the object scale intelligently to fit any size screen. Smart objects represent a massive reduction in programming for installers. The image below shows the same DVR control on five different screens.

 

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Leaf - LTHDMI2020E 20×20 HDMI Matrix

The LTHDMI2020E is 20 port HDMI switch with a myriad of connections:

• 20 HDMI inputs
• 16 HDBaseT and 4 HDMI outputs (for local devices).
• 16 S/PDIF digital coax inputs
• 16 pairs of RCA line-level stereo outputs
• 16 RJ45 RS232 ports
• 16 3.5mm RTS sockets for IR devices

A unique Zone Lock feature enables specific EDID information to be transmitted so that the source and the display function correctly. This can be useful where certain displays have specific capabilities, such as 3D.

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Sony - XBR-84X900 84-inch diagonal LED edge-lit LCD

The quality of this 84” behemoth was stunning. Having the advantage of owning lots of 4K native content and 4K capture devices, Sony was able to demonstrate stunning footage (including the latest Bond movie trailer in 4K). In comparison, Runco (Planar) showed a Japanese chef slicing a Peking duck – please! As phenomenal as the picture is, it’s edge lit LCD (not OLED) and is priced at $25K (same as Sony’s 4K projector), BUT it will ship in December. With OLED round the corner, it’s going to be a tough sell (with its 1 year warranty)

 

 

 

 

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Sony – ES Receivers

Sony's new ES line of AVRs with Control4 technology has powerful automation built-in. The STR-DA5800ES and STR-DA2800ES receivers include automation right out of the box with an easy set-up wizard to create and control a home entertainment system. These receivers come with customizable scenes which can be configured to perform selected tasks, all with a simple push of a button, including powering on your TV and components, changing to the correct inputs, and dimming lights for the perfect theater environment. Moreover, all that functionality can be controlled from Sony's free Apple iOS and Android ES apps. Additionally, ES receivers include Control4 Simple Device Discovery Protocol (SDDP), Crestron Connected, and AMX Device Discovery to simplify integration regardless of the home control system. $300 unlocks full Control4 functionality.

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Sony – VPL-VW1000ES Projector

Seeing this with native 4K content just 6 feet from the screen was an impressive experience. Up-scaled 1080P content looked pretty good too. (Unfortunately, there was no side by 1080P/up-scaled 1080P demo.). With 2,000 ANSI-lumens of brightness, the VPL-VW1000ES projector delivers nearly twice the output of previous Sony home theater projectors, making it suitable for screen sizes up to 200 inches diagonally. The VW1000ES projector offers a variety of installations options, including dual triggers, a 2.1 motorized zoom, expanded throw distances, an RS232 interface, control over IP and compatibility with leading home automation systems.

 

 

 

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Stewart Filmscreen – CIMA Projection Screens

Traditionally Stewart screens are made to order and carry price tag that reflects this. In their first venture into SKU’d items in the screen product line, Stewart have launched CIMA.  Available in two materials four mounting styles and several sizes, there are a total of 80 SKU’s. The breakthrough design of CIMA by Stewart Filmscreen provides unprecedented versatility to integrators who have long enjoyed the high quality and fine-tuned performance of the Stewart Filmscreen brand.  With CIMA, Stewart provides screen solutions that have been designed to deliver exceptional performance under a wide range of viewing conditions and at a competitive price. 

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Stewart Filmscreen – Mystik!

Mystik! is ideal as a storefront application, as well as in other retail and public venues when a 2-piece projection solution is desired.  It can also be applied to any window or glass door to transform the surface into an opaque projection screen, enabling privacy while also creating a fun home entertainment space. Designed with peak performance in mind, Mystik! is 4k+ ready, optimized for enhanced resolution projectors and content.  Available in standard sizes and aspect ratios, Mystik! can also be made for custom applications on request.  For added versatility, the material is available in roll form, up to 78” wide and 50’ long for trimming on-site.

 

 

 

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Atlona – LinkCast Wireless HD Audio/Video System

LinkCast provides a quick and easy way for users to get content from up to five HD sources – including laptops, game consoles, Blu-ray players, and much more – to displays, projectors or A/V receivers without the hassle and unsightly clutter of cables. With the support of HDCP 1.2 and WHDI 1.0 protocol, the LinkCast Wireless HD cuts the amount of cords and cables used in A/V systems by providing plug-and-play wireless connectivity of virtually any HDMI source to the LinkCast A/V base station. The LinkCast system consists of an A/V base station (AT-LINKCASTAV), one expander (AT-LINKCAST-HTX) as well as an IR Remote Control for switching between sources with ease. Using additional expanders (sold separately) up to five sources can be connected wirelessly to each A/V base station to reduce installation costs.

 

 

 

 

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Amina Technologies – Evolution Series Invisible Speakers

The all new AIW550E Evolution Series loudspeaker takes invisible loudspeakers into new territory with respect to sound quality. An evolution of the highly successful AIW5X loudspeaker, the AIW550E retains the same familiar installation technique and is compatible with all previous mounting accessories. Recent engineering development has resulted in improvements in key areas of audio reproduction:

• OptiDrive technology optimally distributes the audio signal to the speaker’s exciters to ensure exceptional high frequency clarity on and off-axis. The result: improved tonal balance and treble detail.
• OptiDamping technology delivers increased low frequency extension and improved mid-range accuracy by selectively tuning discrete vibrational modes that are generated in the loudspeaker’s acoustic panel.

Installation is accomplished in the same way a drywall patch would be applied.

 

 

 

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Atlantic – PowerBar PB-235

The H-PAS PowerBar 235 is a 43" long self-powered soundbar that delivers multi-channel high-fidelity sound for your home entertainment system. It features Atlantic's H-PAS bass system, which produces deep, distortion-free bass without the need for a subwoofer!

Using just two 4" woofers, the H-PAS PowerBar 235 reaches down to a solid 47Hz at very high theater-like SPL's, for an absolutely convincing and totally satisfying sonic experience. Because of its extended frequency response and dynamics, the H-PAS PoweBar 235 is the first soundbar where the subwoofer is truly optional.

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Accell - AVGrip® Pro Locking High Speed HDMI® Cable

The Accell AVGrip® Pro Locking High Speed HDMI® cable features locking connectors which have a hold on the HDMI port many times greater than a conventional HDMI cable. The AVGrip Pro cable will eliminate picture loss commonly caused by a loose or disconnected HDMI cable.

• Supports All Resolutions and Video Formats Including 1080p, 4k and 3D
• Throughput up to 10.2 Gbps (340MHz), Maximum Allowed by the HDMI Specification
• Supports Deep Color™ and x.v.Color™ Technologies for Billions of Colors
• Passes Both DTS-HD or Dolby True-HD HD 7.1 Digital Audio Formats
• Locking Connectors and Cable are Compatible With All HDMI Devices
• Works With all HDTV Refresh Rates Including 60Hz, 120Hz and 240Hz

 

 

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Sanus – Modular Stackable Racks

The CFR1615 (15U) and CFR1620 (20U) are modular stackable AV rack structures that can be coupled in five different height combinations; Use the 15U or 20U racks singly or combine two racks together to achieve 30U, 35U, and 40U heights. Each rack comes complete with screws, removable shelves and blanking shelves in one UPS shippable box.

The CFR1615 and CFR1620 Stackable Skeleton Racks are self-aligning structures that can be freestanding or mounted directly to studs with only 4 bolts. Each unit is also compatible with the SANUS EcoSystem™ for added rack organization and efficiency. Each model is expected to be shipping in late September with a MSRP of $219.99 (CFR1615) and $249.99 (CFR1620).

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Dana Innovations – SonArray

SonArray is a new sub-brand of Sonance and is an outdoor speaker system consisting of 8 satellite speakers and an 8" dual voice coil subwoofer.  The system presents itself as an 8 Ohm load, so it can be connected to a regular AV receiver or 2 channel amplifiers. SonArray opens the door for the custom installer to provide a step-up from rock speakers or weather proof cabinets to a new market segment at a more accessible price point.

 

 

 

 

 

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Launchport – AP.3 Sleeve

LaunchPort is a revolutionary way to mount and charge your iPad, virtually anywhere. The LaunchPort system consists of a Sleeve and any number of Stations. A Sleeve is a case that fits onto your iPad. A Station is the mount and charging unit that interacts with a Sleeve. A system requires a Sleeve and a Station.

LaunchPort uses induction which means as soon as a Sleeve is mounted to a Station, charging begins immediately- without a 30-pin cable or conductive elements. Magnets are used to mount and affix your iPad in its Sleeve to a Station. The tabletop BaseStation only uses some of the magnets in the LaunchPort system, making it easier to grab and go. The WallStation uses all magnets in the system for secure and safe mounting. The magnets are located on the Sleeve case which means you can also mount it to any metallic surface like a refrigerator or work bench.

 

 

 

 

 

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Midlite - Power Jumper HDTV Power Relocation Kit

Easily relocate power to your wall mounted HDTV without the need of an electrician.

• Provides an affordable power solution for wall mounted flat panel TVs
• Perfect for retro-fit construction projects
• Prewired – No electrician required!
• Conceal wiring within the wall
• Meets NEC Code
• UL 817, CSA#22.2#21
• Can be used with remote Surge/Power Conditioner to HDTV.

 

 

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Display Development – IW3 and IW4 In-Wall Projectors

Want to hide that projector completely inside a wall and have a $40K budget? Then the IW3 or IW4 is for you. Both the IW3 and IW4 projectors are dual lamp, three-chip DLP projectors designed to offer superior television and film experiences in all types of lighting environments, the IW3 is capable of light output of 8,000 lumens while the IW4 boasts 6,000 lumens. Combined with screen materials that work in rooms with ambient light, the IW systems create a TV solution that is far superior to a flat panel TV in terms of image size, fidelity and overall experience coupled with the ability for integrators to provide a completely concealed system when not in use.

Key temperature points inside each projector’s chassis are carefully monitored by Display Development’s proprietary ventilation system to ensure proper operation. The projectors’ included surface-plated mirror system project beautiful, high definition images forward and feature significant offset adjustments and geometric distortion correction that improve installation flexibility.

 

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XSpot – Wire Location System

We all know that pre-wiring during construction results in the cheapest wire-pulls you’ll ever experience, but keeping those wires hidden and finding them a year later can be a real challenge. Not so with Xspot. Xspot allows wires to be buried behind the surface of a wall, floor or ceiling. The Xspot device is later retrieved in less than 2 minutes accurate to 1/4 inch through an inch of wood and is re-usable. Xspot uses extra-strength magnets in both the Xspot device and the XLocators.  Xspots devices have prongs that snap-in and securely hold the wires to your exact location.  The XLocator tools use reverse polarity to confirm the location and magnetic fields to give you the location accurate to 1/4 inch every time.  Xspot requires no special skills or experience. 

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AMX – Modero X® Series Touch Panels

With the plethora of inexpensive iOS and Android tablets around, it still amazes me how many vendors go out and develop their own instead of developing an App. Occasionally, there’s one that justifies that decision and the Modero X Series is one of those. These stunning OLED touch screens are visually stunning. However, the 19” panoramic version will set you back five figures (and no, that not $999.99).

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URC – KP-4000 Commercial Keypad

The KP-4000C is an elegant, in-wall color keypad/controller that is Native to the Network in that it does not require a black box to connect to WI-Fi.

• Interchangeable Buttons
• IP control of many popular IP-based components
• PC programmable, fully customizable GUI on (3.5”) color LCD touch screen
• User configurable internet browser
• Pre-programmed modules enable drag-and-drop set-up
• Accesses and displays metadata from devices such as PCs, iPods, and other networked devices
• LAN programming (no USB)

The KP-4000C is compatible with DSP’s from Symetrix, BSS, DBX, Bose, Community and Ashley and provides a much lower cost solution than a traditional AMX or Crestron solution.

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Silicon Image – VRS ClearView

With more and more content being streamed from the web, having poor compression and subsequently being sent from mobile devices to big screens, any technology that can cleanup images or video is more than welcome. Silicon images VRS ClearView derived from the professional VRS technology removes mosquito noise, enhances edges and sharpens the overall image considerably. The image below shows clearview on/off on the left and right respectively.

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Silicon Image – InstaPrevue

InstaPrevue™ technology makes TVs and AV receivers easier to use by taking the guesswork out of switching between HDMI sources. Instead of having to remember whether the Blu-ray player is “HDMI-1” or “HDMI-4,” the user gets a live picture-in-picture video preview of each connected device, making it simple and intuitive to switch between the cable box, the disc player, the gaming console, and any other HDMI-connected source. Just click on a video thumbnail and go.

Of course, if you have an advanced remote (even a Logitech Harmony) or a home automation system, all devices not being used will be off making it fairly useless.

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HAI – OmniBus

The HAI Omni-Bus lighting system fully integrates with HAI automation controllers, providing control of Omni-Bus devices using standard HAI interfaces and software applications, including Snap-Link Mobile for iPhone and Android. Additionally, lighting may be integrated into HAI scenes, enabling lighting to be controlled by schedule, time, event, and more.

Switches, Load Control and other DIN rail modules connect to the Omni-Bus network using standard Cat-5 wiring. Each hardwired switch connects to the Omni-Bus network using Cat5. Omni-Bus communicates with Omni or Lumina home control systems using the Interface Translator DIN Rail Module, termed the "Gateway of the Omni-Bus system." Programming is accomplished with a simple software tool using the USB Programming Interface Unit.

 

 

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HAI – Bluetooth Remote Input Module

The Bluetooth RIM allows wireless devices, such as laptops, tablets and smartphones equipped with Bluetooth, to wirelessly broadcast stored and streaming music throughout a home or business. The device also has an input module for wired devices like radio tuners and DVD changers. Up to eight Bluetooth devices may be used in a single installation to play music from the devices’ Pandora, Spotify, Rhapsody, iTunes, Google Music or YouTube playlists.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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WiSA – WiSA Compliant Speakers

There are many circumstances where it’s not convenient, practical or desirable to run speaker cables for surround sound system. There are also many wireless speaker systems on the market, but prior to WiSA, they all used proprietary wireless protocols. WiSA allows vendors to produce WiSA-compliant products that can work with any WiSA device. Typical applications include surround speakers for soundbars, WiSA transmitters in TV’s to alleviate the need to buy and setup a full AVR/Surround sound solution. I listed to a set of WiSA-compliant Klipsch Gallery speakers and they sounded terrific. Sharp, Klipsch, Pioneer, Aperion and others are already on board and bringing products to market.

 

 

 

 

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Xantech – XtraNet IR-OVER-IP

IR repeater systems are somewhat passé these days. The current trend in home automation and distributed AV is IR over Ethernet or HDMI. The XtraNet range of products enables native IR, Wi-Fi and serial control of networked A/V devices using any IR remote or wireless, web-enabled iPad®, iPhone®, Android® tablet or Android smartphone. The XtraNet product range includes standalone devices that separately provide native IR control over installed wired or wireless IP networks. A separate device adds serial control capabilities. A master device provides comprehensive system control where multiple XtraNet devices are combined on a network. All XtraNet devices are self-configuring when integrated into any wired network.