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A Clever New Software
CasaTunes is a relatively new, ingenious software tool that lets any Windows computer with an Explorer or Media Center interface control any of the...
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Respecting Room Dynamics
Um, what’s diffusion, and why do I need it?” the client asks. Slowly, I take a breath, count to 10, and consider my options....
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Contractor Concerns
I am having a problem with one of my contractors. I probably should fire the guy, but I really want him to do this...
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Charging What Youre Worth
Properly setting prices can have a huge impact on the success or failure of a custom installation business. To casually decide that your company...
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My Take on Microsoft CI
When HP abruptly stopped the production of its Microsoft Media Center digital equipment platform earlier in the year there was a sense that Media...
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What is Your Mind Set?
Among my current reading choices is a book published last year by John Naisbitt of Megatrends fame. The book, titled Mind Set! Reset Your...
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All Work, No Play
I can almost hear the Beach Boys singing …and well have fun, fun, fun, til our daddy takes the T-bird away, through the sound...
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Plaza Progress Report
Concierge Directs Three-Year Technology Overhaul of The Plaza Hotel has been a Resounding Success
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More Media Center in 08
Readers of my column over the years know that I have been a proponent of Microsoft’s Media Center software as a driving force for...
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Laser Sharp Video Technology
Every once in a while a technology shows up that grabs my attention. This happened most recently with a new application of laser technology....
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An Open Dialogue
This industry that we all refer to as custom is changing all the time, and often not for the better. What began as a...
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The Bosss Long Vacation
We all work hard in this business. Our personal energy is the fuel many of our small businesses run on. We give it all...
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A Reps Greatest Value
A key point often overlooked by both dealers and manufacturers is the level to which good sales representative organizations provide market insight and advice....
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Satisfaction Guaranteed
Weve all had them: the projects that slowly but surely creep out of scope and end up making both you and the client unhappy....
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Dealing with Change
I have never been a big fan of change. I practically lived in the same place for 18 years growing up. I attended one...
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A Womans Wishes First
I visited a big-box AV retailer recently and was surrounded by what seems like 100 flat-screen displays. After so many years in this business,...
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The Electronic Garden
With summer in full swing its time to think about your clients electronic entertainment and communications needs in their backyard. With all the new...
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Chasing Digital Cinema
In the beginning there was cinema. It was 35mm film, shot and projected in a 1.37 aspect ratio, and accompanied by optical mono sound...
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Classes for Non-Techies
CEDIA Recognizes the Importance of Customer Relations and Project Management
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Three Cheers for Sales Reps
Reps are the unsung road warriors of our industry. They pay the price to travel to make house calls to all the small dealerships...
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Heres to Sam
When I initially read the press release about Planar Systems acquisition of Runco International last month, the first thing I thought was, Weve just...
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A Case for CableCARD
HD CableCARD tuners are becoming readily available. These credit card-sized products can be inserted into CableCARD-ready HDTVs, Series 3 TiVOs, and even some of...
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Open House
Theres a beta fish named Logo living in the art department of this magazines midtown Manhattan office. If there was ever a metaphor for...
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Real Men Retrofit
Hard-learned tips and recommendations to get you started in existing homes.
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On the HD Disc Horizon
As I write this, its been almost a year to the day that I first got my hands on an HD DVD player. I...
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Securing Your Place
The custom AV installation business is a hot market to be in. While our small installation companies may never make it to the NASDAQ,...
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Your Strategy
Love him or hate him, Robert Moses is considered one of the greatest urban planners of the 20th century. The master builder was instrumental...
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Electric Company
A Look at Trends and Innovations Driving the Power Management and Conditioning Market
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Your Best and Brightest
A few years ago, in preparation for a CEDIA Regional event coming to my territory, I spent a fair amount of time on behalf...
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Facing the Video Question
I call it the disposable projector ploy. Two years ago, one of my employees bought a very nice 1280×720 video projector. Last year, he...
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Racing Against Time
Whenever I talk shop with someone in the installation business, they always mention that they just dont have enough time. This constant stress is...
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A Lifestyle Business
Do you run a growing, thriving company, or have you become a lifestyle business? Dont know what I mean? According to 2007 CEDIA Management...
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Battling Big Box Retailers
Most custom AV installation companies are pretty small. Even those generating a few million in annual sales generally operate with a handful of talented...