What ‘Working Together’ Really Means in the IoT
The concept of home systems “working together” is a fundamental expectation of the Internet of Things. Consumers assume that connected devices in their smart...
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The concept of home systems “working together” is a fundamental expectation of the Internet of Things. Consumers assume that connected devices in their smart...
The Magnificent Seven is Hollywood’s latest big western offering, a remake of the 1969 original, which starred Yul Brynner, Charles Bronson, and Steve McQueen....
While it’s been a long, drawn-out battle for the CEDIA channel to find success with selling service plans, 2017 feels like the year that...
4:48 p.m. on a Tuesday in December, and the City of Buffalo is getting blasted with snow and the wind—a terrible combination. My install...
One of the most common questions we hear from home technology professionals is whether or not they should include bundled services as part of...
Have you ever begun a new year with lofty goals and ambitions only to fail at achieving any of them? Just like New Year’s...
I’m a strong believer in quality customer service and though picking up the phone can set you apart from your competitors, there has to...
Last week a client demonstrated her older system by pressing the “Watch CableTV” on her older remote. Unsurprisingly, a “no signal” message came up...
As we increasingly wind down paths that are ever more interconnected and more software based, problems taking place out in “the cloud” will likely...
With 2016 rapidly coming to a close, it’s time to take stock of what became of the last 12 months in home technology stories....
We did something this year that we have never done before. We closed on Black Friday.
How to make sure system failures don’t spoil your holiday cheer.
It is that time of year again when I rack my brain to figure out what to give some of our best clients and...
In a world where traditional cable and satellite services compete with apps, services, and “skinny bundles” from a variety of companies, the most interesting...
For years I’ve wanted to visit Kaleidescape’s corporate headquarters, but time and circumstances just never made the visit possible. But during my recent visit...
Dear Local Builder: it’s us, your local home technology professionals, we’ve been growing this year, and 2017 looks poised for even more expansion (thanks in...
This week, my colleague Mark Feinberg had an interesting situation with a client. He got a call from someone whose AVR had blown and...
On November 17, Dolby Laboratories unveiled Dolby Cinema at 1275, the newest and largest of more than 100 working labs at Dolby’s San Francisco...
Had you asked me a year ago to predict the biggest home technology stories of 2016, a number of ideas would have jumped to...
Rumors have been circulating a bit since Savant sent out an email to dealers explaining the changes to the structure of its sales team...
For the past week, almost exactly half of the country has been celebrating and the other half has been despondent. While I’m not going...
Many of us pride ourselves on providing above-and-beyond service. And like it or not (and it’s totally not), we’re there for those late night...
My wife and I spent a long weekend in Nashville last month. We had a blast! Great town, great food, great people, and best...
Imagine a world where you could distribute 4K video, audio, and control over a standard gigabit network to anywhere. Not just inside a building,...
Not everything has to be the best of the best, and very often the right solution for one situation is not right all the...
DISH satellite is taking a unique “tell me what you watch, and I’ll tell you how you’ll vote” approach to prediction modeling by using...
A relatively new term, “Input-Zero” describes the first and primary source that users turn to in looking for something to watch. For the vast...
Knowing what path you desire is a huge first step, for how can we sail without a direction? I have never been content with...
A few years ago, we still sold mostly one-room solutions when it came to remote controls. Whenever we ran into larger apartments where clients...
Arriving today on Ultra HD Blu-ray is the latest installment in the Star Trek Franchise, Star Trek Beyond. Whether you're a Trekkie or not,...
The current, fourth-generation Apple TV was introduced only a year ago, but given the fast pace of progress in the streaming devices category, it...
We recently hired a new sales manager. This guy is a rock star and introduced a new sales qualification process into our organization called...
Do you have any examples of working closely with another home tech pro to make a meeting or a project go better than it...
More often than not, the time spent in our inboxes is a distraction from the deep, meaningful work that could actually move the needle...
Recently I conducted a very informal survey on Facebook asking friends what their definition of success was. Answers varied from “waking up,” to “working...
Watching first-run, Hollywood movies in your home the day they come out is pretty much the dream of true home theater ownership. But, if...
One of the smart home concepts that crosses my consciousness on a regular basis is that of sleep. It is often combined with wearables...
I used to think of SnapAV as not that different from Monoprice. Mark Feinberg of Home Theater Advisors started buying all of his mounts,...
My recent blog about utilization drew a few emails from other home technology professionals (HTPs) around the country.
We fail to follow through on new business strategies due to lack of accountability. You can have the most brilliant idea for your business,...
My family and I just rode out Hurricane Matthew. (If you didn’t know, we live in Myrtle Beach, SC.) By most tracks, the storm...
I can be a little stubborn. I’ve had my closest friend in the industry chirping in my ear about how well Sonos fits into...