Features
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Stampede Continues its Run
When Kevin Kelly and Mark Wilkins look to one side, they see an AV integration business in flux as residential dealers look for new...
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Looking for a Cash Infusion?
Like so many custom integrators, Ralph’s business slowed dramatically during the economic downturn.
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Projection Reflections
The first time I saw a digital projector that I thought might give multi-stacked Sony or Runco 9-inch CRTs a run for their money...
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Anniversary Additions
Fans of Mark Levinson products can celebrate the brand’s 40th anniversary with four new additions that mark its re-entry into product segments that it...
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Tackling Commercial Projects
There’s always been a bit of crossover from residential AV integration into light commercial, but as the housing market dried up and economy sputtered,...
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Capitalizing on the App Movement
We have all witnessed the phenomenal success of Apple iOS and Google Android devices in our clients’ homes over the last several years.
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Selling Service Contracts with Teeth
The number-one complaint from integrators who are successfully selling service contracts has been that they waited too long to start selling them.
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Greener Living Amenities Included
If a home is only as good as the foundation it’s built upon, Sacramento, California’s Casa Bella Verde underscores the truth of this adage...
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Right from the Source
What if you turned in a customer service review to the integration company that installed your home media center, and in return, you received...
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Business Makeover
If you’ve ever felt like your integration company could go from good to great if only you had a few more management tools and...
Behind the Business
Flexible and Dependable
ELK Products first made its name in the security channel, where it has helped lead the migration toward more automation offerings.
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How Big to Build It
A key principle of good private theater design is that function comes first but must be integrated with form.
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DVR on Steroids
Opposed to cable companies that concentrate their businesses on multiple services, including phone and internet, “All we focus on is the DVR experience,” said...
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Embracing Wireless
A couple years ago there was a lot of fuss over whether NuVo’s Renovia or Russound’s Collage system would win the battle of powerline-based...
Behind the Business
Poised for a Boom
Remote systems monitoring jumped from the enterprise IT channel into the custom integration industry less than three years ago and has been gradually picking...
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Six Degrees of Separation
One or two of you may have recognized that “The Demo Scene” was born from the ashes of my regular column at another—nowdefunct— publication.
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Digital Home Renovations
Over the last year, our company has seen a significant swell of new and recurring opportunities in what we call “technology refresh installations.”
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Unlimited Bass
I was chatting with an integrator at CEDIA who reads this column, and we went through various topics until the conversation ultimately turned to...
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AV on the Top Floor
What kind of home does a retired engineer and CEO with a love of sports and entertaining build for himself?
Behind the Business
AV from the Cloud
Last month at CEDIA EXPO, VidaBox introduced its LC-300 LiivController, which is the latest multiroom audio control and automation system powered by the manufacturer’s...
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Theater Design Team Dynamics
The creation of a great private theater is similar to team sports in that it takes a collective effort to succeed, and each member...
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Simplifying Video Labels
I am absolutely baffled by the way we sell our video features and technologies.
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Bringing 4K Home
High-end home theater projectors have been facing an increasingly tougher marketplace lately, with three separate sales challenges.
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Hanging Around the Hangar
General aviation continues to grow in the U.S. and pilots are just as eager as terrestrial drivers to make the homes for their...
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Truly Custom
Brian Rockett is not the kind of guy who throws tantrums when things don’t go as planned. Seemingly impossible challenges don’t appear to rattle...
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Great Musical Moments
To quote a recent blog post from my friend John Sciacca, “Few things in life have the power to trigger memories and instantly transport...
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It’s All About The Experience
Over the years, savvy custom integrators have realized that the “lifestyle” or “experience” presentation is essential to a successful integrated home system sale.
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A Quantum Leap
The Harman High Performance Audio Video (HPAV) group is building up its Lexicon line with the brand’s first home audio product incorporating proprietary QuantumLogic...
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Apple’s Limitations
Ever since Apple introduced the iPod in October 2001, the company has impacted the solutions our industry provides.
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Pandora’s Box
Who would have thought that an internet radio service could change the CI business in America?
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Steve Jobs’ CI Channel Legacy
The full impact of Apple’s Steve Jobs on the custom installation industry probably won’t be realized until two years from now when his...
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CEDIA Digs Deep
Time marches on, the world is a quickly changing place, and it’s no longer business as usual.
Back to Business
Be the Best or Step Aside
Here’s a given: the market is going to be tough for the foreseeable future.
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Pleasing the AV Palate
Like a recipe for a favorite culinary delight, a properly designed home theater requires an artful blend of ingredients.
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Product Design Favorites
As the economy continues to struggle to find a path to recovery, the specialty CE and CI markets also have experienced significant challenges and...
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Tuner Clouds Have Arrived
Since the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show, I have been reading technology columns and seeing booth demonstrations of CableCARD HDTV tuner farms from Ceton and...
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All About Trust
Jim Ares is quite surprised that other AV contractors aren’t as successful as his firm.