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TV Formats and Features to Watch for in the Coming Months
Now is the time to consider what your vendors will try to convince your customers to place under the Christmas tree this year.
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State of the Solid State
Hard drives are becoming the de facto standard for audio/video content. This translates into epic potential for the residential marketplace. Or does it?
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Bid Magic
Youre a salesman. You live or die on the bid that you write. Its your future, and its all in the bid. I have...
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Feeling Compressed?
It would be a wonderful world if there was only one compression format for all audio and video files and they could be played...
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Tracking Deposits
Too many custom installation businesses have gotten into the bad habit of collecting deposits that are too large, too early in their projects, then...
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New Tools of the Trade
Jonathan Knapp hopes that his new management software will provide dealers with benchmarks for their staff members, helping them become more efficient on the...
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Into the Ether
Ethernet is becoming the transport mechanism of choice for all types of residential products.
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How Federal Regulations Affect the Products You Install
The impact of recent Federal regulations is already beginning to take hold.
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The Systems Approach
Jamo's home theater solution, dubbed the 2F Concept for its intersection of form and function, marks an evolution from products to whole systems.
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The Ultimate Media Server
Everyone seems to share the same vision that the home of the future will have some centrally located gigantic hard drive where all the...
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Married to Your Product Line?
Sure, you would like to sell anything your client asks for, but forget about it. Best Buy sells a zillion dollars of A/V gear,...
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Dedicated to Design
One way to counteract increasing competition in your market is to sell products that feature superior industrial designs.
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Redefining Custom
Standard, everyday luxury brands are so yesterday. Today, consumers define luxury as a version of something that is customized for their unique needs. That’s...
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Go Ahead and Get Baffled
I just had an extensive debate with a customer over front speaker placement for a home theater. He couldn’t believe that speakers mounted in...
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Addicted to In-Walls
Admit it, you’re addicted. You put in-wall speakers in every room. You install them in living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, home theaters, bathrooms, decks and...
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Gaining Experience
Last month, I attended ELAN Home Systems’ first ELAN TRIO Dealer Summit, an impressive event that brought together 400 of the manufacturer’s top dealers,...
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VoIP Evolves
You’ve just networked all of the computers, printers and Internet cameras for your client. You’ve installed a residential gateway and now everything successfully connects...
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A Snapshot of the Custom Industry
To provide an accurate picture of business trends, Residential Systems conducted an unprecedented custom installation industry survey.
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Signs of New Life
After struggling through another frigid winter in the northeast United States, it was a great relief to notice the first flowers of spring blooming...
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All Cable is Not Created Equal
Simply because a box of cable says Cat 5 or Cat 5e on the label is not a guarantee that the contents are compliant...
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The Last Six Inches
Every time you sell a system, a long process begins. The final days of the installation process are the most critical to success, and...
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Your Business Network
The network of CEDIA leaders is just as important to the success of our business as our technology knowledge.
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Keeping Score
Last month I attended the three-day CEDIA Management Conference where some of the top dealers in our industry converged in Huntington Beach, California, to...
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How to Create a Marketing Plan for Your Company
Marketing is an essential element of any residential systems business. Learn the seven fundamentals of creating a robust marketing plan for your company.
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How to Calibrate Video
Video calibration is a relatively easy service to perform, and the payback for both your client and yourself is substantial.
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How to Configure a Home Network
Walk through the steps of connecting and configuring multiple computers and printers in this home networking primer.
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PDAs Take Control
If you have only thought that Pocket PC PDAs were for business applications, then it's time to get re-acquainted with these devices.
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I Want My HDTV!
HDTV is finally baby stepping its way into our homes. Sure, we have all been selling HDTVs for some time, but until recently there...
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Getting Back in Sync
Have you ever noticed that lip sync seems a little funky on today's plasma or fixed-pixel projection display systems? You are right; lip sync...
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Setting Up an FTP Site
I would like to review a valuable, yet often overlooked, aspect of the Windows XP operating system, known as File Transfer Protocol.
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After the Oscars
I'm a big fan of Oscar season. It's a fun time of year to be a movie fan. There's Billy Crystal and his inside...
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Sonance Founders Reclaim Leadership
Sonance co-founders Geoff Spencer and Scott Struthers are returning to their management positions and reclaiming the customer relationships that were their hallmark years ago.
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How Becoming a Solutions Provider Will Help Your Company Grow
To stay on top of this evolving industry you must sell solutions, not just products.
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HD Gear is Getting Better
Even though it may look like HD technology is getting more comprehensive, the plethora of choices and configuration options still make it too complex...
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Realizing Remote Control
The need to provide rapid technical assistance when a home network problem arises becomes increasingly important as more and more electronic infrastructures rely on...
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Understanding the Basics of the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (aka TCP/IP)
For effective design and management of home networks, it's essential to re-examine the fundamentals of the TCP/IP protocol.
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What the Super Bowl and Home Theater Projects Have in Common
The similarities between coaching a Super Bowl winner and managing a successful home theater project are striking