From the Editor
Features
Hire Education
According to industry sources, the main problem we’re facing is finding qualified employees to add to our staffs.
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Stressful, Crazy…and Wonderful
I have a tendency toward introversion, so solitude isn’t the worst thing in the world for me, but now I find myself missing the...
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Plan, Then Plan Again
Switching plans always brings with it a level of stress and anxiety, but also gives us a creative opportunity to rise to the occasion.
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Opening Up
Now is the time to think about what your business will look like as we navigate the new-yet-familiar post-pandemic world.
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The Power of Patience
In this hunt for self-improvement, the thing that has had the biggest effect on how I live and work is the effort I put...
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The New Essentials
For those of us in self-quarantine during this pandemic, we are learning who really are essential personnel in a true crisis.
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How We Got Here
Whenever I get the opportunity to network with any industry pros — integrators, owners, marketers, product managers — I enjoy hearing their origin stories;...
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A Vision for Profiting from Service Agreements
Lessons learned at the recent HTA East Coast Customer Experience Summit.
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Touchy Subject
For anybody growing up in the pre-cloud era, the physical interaction with our content was just as important as the viewing or listening to...
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Listen Up!
While I continue to work on my presentation skills, what my blend-in persona has allowed me to do is to become a keen observer...
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Taking on Amazon
Whether it is in their capacity as consumer electronics retailer or content producers, Amazon takes a good deal out of the markets, and the...
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Scores Over Crashes
Home theater's emotional impact can be as impressive as the visceral ones.
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It’s Been a Long Run, but Now It’s Time for a Change
As I Step Aside from My Role at Residential Systems This Month, My Roots Remain Deeply Planted in the Custom Integration Community
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My Avatar Moment at Animal Kingdom
I’m Sure I Would have Enjoyed it More If I’d Seen More Than Just the First 30 Minutes of the 2009 James Cameron Movie
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Dealing with My Home System Gremlins
Nobody Enjoys Dealing with Mysterious System Hiccups That Require a Device Reboot or Sometimes an Entire Network Reset to Repair
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Not Convinced About Voice Control’s Future
Will the Category Continue to Grow or Will the Novelty Wear Off?
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Stranger Things as the Next Generation’s Culture-Share Moment
When My Oldest Daughter Told Me That 'Everyone' in the Sixth Grade was Talking About the Netflix’s Series, I Gave Her the Green Light...
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Eating Your Vegetables
This year’s Azione Unlimited fall meeting in Austin was another upbeat affair, but there were moments in the short time that I was there...
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Manufacturers Re-Embrace Channel at CEDIA
A few companies went out of their way to express their support for custom integrators.
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Embracing Service
One of the most important business challenges left for our channel to solve is how to derive profits from client services, as margins on...
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Turning it Off
We took our family vacation a little earlier this summer because here in the Midwest most of the kids go back to school in...
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Little Gems From CEDIA Business Xchange
There are times when my favorite “aha” insights at industry conferences come from scripted moments during keynote sessions or “bold-print” presentations.
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Another Comeback
As a Colts and Yankees fan, I have a couple of reasons to root against teams from New England.
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DSP at CES, And Other Audio Trends
The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is not an easy hang.
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Getting the Most From Your Facility
One of the challenges with the home technology integration industry is finding a consistent business model for success. The trouble is that each market...
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CEDIA 2016: A Show of Partnerships
CEDIA certainly was all about adding Alexa voice control to custom-centric control systems and once-combative brands playing nice with the now more inclusive Sonos...