Blogs
Burkhardt’s ‘Not Mad at Anybody;’ It’s Just Time
The announcement arrived in my email and I was shocked, then not shocked, and then slightly amused. A friend and...
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Blogs
Dolby TrueHD 96k Takes Blu-ray Audio to 11
During my visit to Dolby Laboratories in San Francisco to learn about the company’s new TrueHD with advanced 96k...
Blogs
My Dolby Atmos Demo was Over the Top
Having read about the ceiling speaker aspect of Dolby’s new Atmos commercial movie theater surround sound technology, I was...
Blogs
Lenbrook’s i Fi Zone Takes Hi-Res Digital Music to the Masses
“Nothing is more important right now for small, independent AV specialists than the relationship they have with their vendors,”...
Blogs
Designing the Future at DEI Holdings
It’s less than six degrees that separates Michael DiTullo from Apple founder Steve Jobs. The director of DEI...
Blogs
Why SpeakerCraft Scrapped Nirv
Let’s face it. The residential systems integration business, while seeming like a really big deal to any of us...
Archive
Immsound Strives for Accurate 3D Cinema Audio
by Anthony Grimani Every so often a new film sound format comes along. Most last just long enough to generate...
Blogs
Making Sense of Russound’s vNet Sale
From a distance, the on-again, off-again saga of Russound’s ownership of Colorado vNet reminds of some sort of Kardashian...
Blogs
How ihiji’s IT Beta May Benefit Others
It’s great when a new product release excites a manufacturer’s dealer base. Things can get weird, however, when that...
Archive
Improving Your Call to Action
by Kyle E. Glass Although a relatively simple concept, all too often I see that marketers/companies are so excited about...
Blogs
What Stands Out About Control4’s HC-250
There are several features that stood out for me as I learned more about Control4’s new HC-250 controller from...
Blogs
Custom Install: No Lutron Shade Left Behind!
by John Sciacca I’ve been doing my current job since 1998 and I’ll be honest, it is VERY rare that...
Blogs
Jaws on Blu-ray? Sign Me Up
It was the summer of 1975, and I was four and half years old. Having a daughter that same...
Archive
The 4th Bin Setting Standard for E-Waste Ethics
John Kirsch is the executive too green for business cards. ...
Archive
Engage Customers by Embracing the Digital Media Evolution
by Brendan Morrissey Think back to what was happening in the digital media world of 2005 – a lifetime ago...
Blogs
Thanks, Best Buy! Couldn’t Have Done it Without You!
by John Sciacca There is a disconcerting phenomenon in the retail world called “Showrooming” where stores are becoming virtual showrooms...
Archive
iRule App Plays Nice With Dealers and Other Control Systems
Writing about the next generation of home control apps for the Going Forward column in the latest print issue turned out to be...
Blogs
Kaleidescape Owners Aren’t So Different
by John Sciacca There’s been some kinda-sorta negative stuff going around on the Interwebs lately about Kaleidescape and their awesome media...
Blogs
Wal-Mart’s Vudu Deal: Coincidence or Conspiracy?
by John Sciacca In general, I don’t want to hear about second gunmen or grassy knolls, or missiles into...
Blogs
Kaleidescape Verdict: It is So Ordered!
by John Sciacca That booming sound you may have heard yesterday was the echoing ripple of a bit of your...
Archive
A Firsthand Look at Crestron’s West Coast Experience Center
by Steve Harvey Crestron celebrated the opening of the company’s latest Experience Center--its first on the West Coast--at its office...
Blogs
How Full is Your Glass?
by John Sciacca As a custom installer there are more than enough negative market conditions today to make you pessimistic...
Archive
The Holy Grail of High Fidelity Part II
by Bob Rapoport After posting what now becomes Part I of this story a few weeks ago, I heard from...
Blogs
iPad3: 19 Wishes, Wants and Predictions
by John Sciacca We’re about to come into March, and that means that CES is long finished and thoroughly digested...
Archive
Friend or Foe: AT&T Ventures Into Home Control
by Lindsey Adler AT&T has announced a service dubbed Digital Life, an IP-based remote monitoring and automation platform that global...
Blogs
Help! Remote Control Programming 201
by John Sciacca Several years ago, a new company burst onto the scene with a completely new take on the...
Blogs
Why Savant Made the LiteTouch Deal
Savant was looking for an OEM manufacturing partner to build Savant-branded lighting control keypads when the company realized it made more financial sense...
Archive
The Holy Grail of High Fidelity
by Bob Rapoport There’s no doubt that technology is moving at a pace these days that’s virtually impossible to keep up...
Blogs
What’s in a Name? And Who Are These Guys?
by John Sciacca Quick: Name a luxury automobile. Maybe you thought of Bentley, or Rolls Royce, or...
Archive
Can You Benefit from Location-Based Marketing Services?
by Scott Moody What if someone told you there were services available that allowed you to easily and cost-effectively promote...
Blogs
10 Superlatives from ISE 2012
On the heels of last month’s International CES, where record numbers of exhibitors and attendees flooded sprawling convention halls,...
Blogs
Notes from ISE: Day 2—Crestron, Runco, Niles, and More
For a first-time attendee like me, the second day of Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) in Amsterdam began to feel much...
Blogs
DVD CCA, 1; Kaleidescape and Innovation, 0
by John Sciacca “Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the...
Blogs
Notes from ISE, Day 1: DPI, Control4, Atlona, and More
I came to Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) in Amsterdam, this year, so that I could get a taste of what...
Blogs
17 Superlatives from CES
by John Sciacca Well, the fat lady has sung, the curtains have been closed and CES 2012 is officially a...
Blogs
CES 2012 Day 4: Pathos, Sony, MK Sound, and More
by John Sciacca For my final day at 2012’s CES I returned to the Venetian to hit the numerous exhibitors...
Blogs
CES 2012 Day 3: Sony Crystal, Dish, ‘Shocking’ ioSafe Video and More
by John Sciacca My third day in Vegas began with a visit to what, in my mind, will always be...
Blogs
CES 2012 Day 2: The Video Giants of Central Hall and More
by John Sciacca My second day (third if you count media day) at International CES 2012 started with a breakfast...
Archive
CES 2012 Day 2: THX, Z-Wave, HDBaseT and More
by Lindsey Adler Once again, I’m faced with the daunting task of writing up a recap of my...
Archive
CES 2012 Day 1: Venetian Audio Exhibits Part 2
by Lindsey Adler Well, I survived the first day of my first ever CES. Attempting to break down what I...
Blogs
CES 2012 Day 1: Venetian Audio Exhibits Part 1
by John Sciacca CES is definitely about time management; there is more than you could see in a month, let...
Archive
CES 2012 Media Day: Monster, NETGEAR, Panasonic
by Lindsey Adler The January 8 press sessions at International CES 2012 here in Las Vegas included events from Monster,...