Blogs

With so much technology at our disposal today and talk of great technologies in the future, how do we proceed responsibly?

My job role has changed a fair bit since I started out as an installer back in 1998. Back then, my job was much...

I’ve run into many friends or acquaintances that try to go the DIY route, and while they are gung-ho in the beginning, they typically...

It has been almost three months since we outfitted our showroom’s theater with a Dolby Atmos system and I’ve somehow managed to get myself...

We are an instant-gratification society; if there is something we desire, we want it now. But whatever happened to “good things come to those...

Admittedly I’m biased about this, but you really need to register for CEDIA’s Business Xchange Conference today. Until I volunteered to serve on the...

There’s no question that the best form of advertising is via word of mouth. But while these kinds of referrals are great — and practically...

You have been there before, but when you have that person sitting next to you in the passenger seat you find yourself constantly asking,...

What does “audio on Pyng” mean, exactly? Well, that’s anyone’s guess, but I do have a wish list.

HDCP. Have there ever been four letters that have caused a larger collective shudder from custom integrators everywhere? It works, it doesn’t work, it...

One of my first articles written for Residential Systems, “The Man Cave is Extinct” helped birth my career in writing. Hearing the term "man cave"...

Since the show, I’ve had several people ask me what I felt the big items were. Here’s what I’ve been telling them.

Our clients expect us to stand behind the products we sell and the work we do, rightly so. I know it is tempting to...

There are things we should be doing during any lull in business, and the beginning of the year is a great time to take...

Ten years ago when I first started out in this industry, it used to be that pretty much every job got the same remote...

In the spirit of Festivus, here are eight things customers say that make me want to cancel my donations to the Human Fund.

If you are not conscious of how you are making your clients feel, then you are losing long-term relationships and long-term dollars. Here are...

Change is scary. I was beyond nervous when I pivoted my business toward Crestron-quality projects. But the change has been the best business decision...

I always save my final day of CES to walk through the upper-floor Venetian suites and experience the high-end audio demos. Here are some items...

While a lot of the news out of CES might be about the Internet of Things, the biggest news from the cavernous Central Halls...

I discovered that I was having a terrific time wandering around checking out the small vendors in Eureka Park and quickly discovered that it...

With 2015 upon us, it’s time to look at the must-do’s for your business, in order to get the year off to a great...

While there have been plenty of blogs written about improving and increasing your business, when you boil it down, there are really only three...

Yes, we are in this business to make money—for passion will not feed our families—but don’t we have a responsibility to sell the right...

We’ve all gotten the call from a new client to do a project after the electrician or general contractor ran all the low-voltage wires....

Our customers so often ask us, “What would you do if it were you?” and this is really what it boils down to.

In the past 18 months as Crestron dealers, my company has been doing a lot more lighting and shading than I ever imagined possible, with...

Whether you’re a Twitter pro or have been looking for the perfect opportunity to stick your toe in the social media pool, check out...

Within its 2,000-plus square feet of factory, visitors can see how Paradigm’s “crafted in Canada” speakers are born, from the folded cuts of wood...

Last week, one of my close friends Mark Feinberg, owner of Home Theater Advisors in New York City, had to have surgery on his...

I'm convinced that Dolby Atmos will truly be the next renaissance for home theater surround and that it is something that needs to be...

Regardless of what your prognostication is for the long-term future of physical media as a program playback source, there is no question that streaming...

I have noticed a few things about technology after being stuck in our home for more than 96 hours.

While I was enjoying Disney World with my family last week, I noticed quite a few signs with quotes from Walt himself; quotes that...

Winter arrived early in many parts of the U.S. this year, which means that if you haven’t put thought into your holiday business strategy,...

You may have a conference room, but how about a huddle room? There are unexpected benefits of this smaller, more intimate space.

We learned last Thursday that RTI had replaced 12-year veteran VP of sales and marketing Pete Baker with Scott Kelley, a former senior manager...

At times we are all forced to suck it up and call a company’s tech support for help. In my personal experience, there are...

With the passing of George Feldstein last week, it got me to thinking about succession planning. (Image via Thomas Barwick | Stone | Getty...

This week Southtown Audio Video celebrated 30 years of business, and this is not something to be taken lightly in the world of technology....

There was a great moment during my behind-the-scenes tour of Crestron’s Rockleigh, NJ, headquarters back in 2009, when company founder (and president and CEO...

As a custom integration business owner, we work up bids around the gear that we think will be needed—a generally known and non-dynamic cost...