Essential Install March 2019

The essential magazine for the custom install industry

March 2019

INSIDE

INTRINSICDEV.CO.UK

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ISE REVIEW

HITS FROM THE BIG SHOW

TRAINING TIME OF COURSE YOU CAN

INSTALL TVS

ITS TOP TELLY TIME

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4K HDR SUPPOR TING

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60Hz 4:4:4

HDCP 2.2

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60Hz 4:4:4

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C O N T R A C T O R

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C44-KIT Contractor 4x4 HDBaseT™ Matrix Kit 70m (4K up to 40m) Includes 4x HEX70B-RX HDBaseT™ Receivers

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J New Product Launch Information 4K60 4:4:4 using CSC and DSC

J New Product Launch Information HDMI Video Scaling and Dolby / DTS Downmixing Products

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Essential Install | Contents

The essential magazine for the custom install industry

March 2019

March 2019

INSIDE

INTRINSICDEV.CO.UK

ISE REVIEW

HITS FROM THE BIG SHOW

TRAINING TIME OF COURSE YOU CAN

INSTALL TVS

ITS TOP TELLY TIME

This issue…

REGULARS

FEATURES

5 From the Editor’s Desk

Knowledge for knowledge’s sake

7 Essential News

20 CEDIA

26 Electrical Contractors Association

How to upsell to cinema

ECA speaks at EI Live!

24 Habitech happenings

All the top stories

Legrand’s MyHOME_Up

14 Intrinsic Group

Big show news!

28 Essential Review

Kings of code speak

16 HDAnywhere

New gateway product

Has Panasonic filled Oppo’s Blu-ray shoes?

44 Install TVs

30 Case Study: Home Cinema Experience

54 Training Time

Some tricky technical challenges overcome in this neat cinema

18 Pulse Cinemas A triumphant tour

36 ISE Review

34 Clarity Alliance

Do the Hi-Fi numbers stack up for installers?

It’s time for some top-notch TVs

Learn to earn

62 Tim Ireland

PMC’s recently installed CEO speaks

52 Smart Thinking: Crestron Let’s talk about Flex, maybe

68 Essential Products

An explosion of epic equipment

ISE Review

36

Install TVs

44

Pending first audit.

Case Study

30

Training Time

54

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LINEAR THINKING CROMO LINE LindyCables.com

DISCOVER LINDY lindy.com

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SERIES 2

AIM

AIM SERIES 2

THE TECHNOLOGY

•

In-Ceiling Aim-able Speaker

WavePlane™ - Ordinary speakers only sound their best when you are directly

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Acoustic Isolation Technology

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DuPont™ Kevlar® Fiber Cone Woofer

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WavePlane™ Technology with Vortex Eliminators

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ARC Tweeter Array™

underneath them but the WavePlane™ assures optimal high frequency dispersion throughout the listening area.

ARC Tweeter Array™ - The ARC Tweeter Array lowers the crossover point

to increase the sound pressure level at the critical mid-range frequencies so that acoustically, listeners enjoy a much larger sweet spot.

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Do you know who first said knowledge is power? It was philosopher and statesman Sir Francis Bacon in 1597 when he published the maxim in his book, Meditationes Sacrae and Human Philosophy

From the

Editor’s Desk Knowledge really is power Daniel J Sait, Editor-in-Chief

Really busy issue this one with our ISE review, some of the latest install-friendly TV releases and a big training roundup. There is also a speaker supplement with this issue, so keep an eye out for that too.

Two areas of market activity got EI thinking this month; with ISE attendance and the training feature, it’s hard to avoid just how important the acquisition and application of knowledge is in this industry. As someone succinctly put it, ‘It’s only easy if you know the answer’. Intelligence, guile, wit can all help you get close to an answer if one is not in your possession, but actually knowing the information you crave is the only real way to be sure.

It’s very true that knowledge does not automatically bring wisdom, maturity, application or drive; all these things come from within. What comes from without more often than not from other people, the world around us or resources like books, teachers, or online resources, is knowledge.

Without acquiring knowledge of how things work, what the right ways are of doing things, and how to apply them in the real world, our sector cannot operate. More so than many other industries, as in some sectors, once a certain level of knowledge is acquired, you can operate for many years without needing to refill your knowledgewell. Not so in the install sector, of course. By definition,

being on the cutting-edge of technology, means you must make time to keep learning, it’s just part of the job.

Luckily for us then that the sector is packed full of opportunities to learn online, in-person, individually or as a group. EI knows it can be hard to find the time to engage with training; it eats into money earning time and the logistics can be difficult, but identifying gaps in your knowledge and filling them with the right information is one of the most powerful tools we have as businesses to develop and stay relevant. Big corps are out there telling consumers that they don’t need your knowledge, your skill, or experience; ‘here’s our wonderful plug and play product’ they shout, only we know that they are often not ‘wonderful’. Ironically, we as an industry need to do as much as we can to make sure consumers have the ‘knowledge’ that a pro installer is always going to be a better option, even with a simple system, but that is only possible in itself if all team members, even junior ones, can demonstrate that they ‘know’ the right stuff and can deliver a clear and shining path to a better future with more convenience, entertainment and fun. But, don’t be a passive consumer of training, if the training you want is not there, tell the industry, manufacturers, distributors, industry bodies; training should always be an exchange in both direction, not just one.

Essential INSTALL MAGAZINE

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Daniel Sait, dan@allthingsmedialtd.com EDITORIAL COORDINATOR: Jordan O’Brien, jordan@allthingsmedialtd.com SALES DIRECTOR: Ian Kitchener, ian@allthingsmedialtd.com ADVERTISEMENT MANAGER: Ian Hartley PUBLISHER: David Kitchener, david@allthingsmedialtd.com ACCOUNTS: susan@allthingsmedialtd.com CIRCULATION: carol@allthingsmedialtd.com STUDIOEssential MANAGER: Ben Bristow, ben@allthingsmedialtd.com GRAPHIC DESIGN: Jon Appleton, jon@allthingsmedialtd.com

INSTALL MAGAZINE

Essential Install magazine, Suite 14, 6-8 Revenge Road, Lordswood, Chatham, Kent ME5 8UD. T: +44 (0)1634 673163 F: +44 (0)1634 673173 Whist we make every effort that everything printed in Essential Install magazine is factually correct, we cannot be held responsible if factual errors occur.

All articles are copyright and remain the property of Essential Install magazine.

Essential INSTALL MAGAZINE

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Essential Install | News

Essential News Sponsored by

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faradite.com

Smart home happenings and automation announcements Pulse Cinemas takes on SIM2 Pulse Cinemas has announced that the company has signed an exclusive contract to distribute the SIM2 brand of high-performance projectors in the UK. Pulse says that SIM2 is a brand that marries technical excellence and style in one unique experience and has now found its natural home at Pulse Cinemas.

The distributor has long been an admirer of the brand and its potential to offer something unique, delivering the technical excellence that is the base line for all of the products the company supplies, but also offering a strong sense of style and identity to work with the interior of a home, not against it.

Mike Beatty, Pulse Cinemas, Managing Director, comments, “For a long time we have believed that SIM2 had massive potential in the UK and therefore we are delighted to be able to add this highly desirable brand to the family.

“We take extreme care to only work with products that complement the other brands we already supply and SIM2 fits into our brand line up perfectly.”

SIM2 has built a global reputation by delivering beautifully crafted products, with performance to match, in a coherent range offering different performance curves and abilities for a variety of different projects.

The company’s NERO family offers perhaps SIM2’s most conventional approach to projection with the emphasis on delivering image quality as well as installation power and flexibility.

Products such as the NERO 4S UHD HDR deliver 4K images, high brightness and an accurate, vibrant colour palette.

The flexibility of this range is key. Offering powerful zoom and lens shift functions, NERO projectors are aimed at larger home cinemas.

The Crystal 4 also takes a no compromise approach to quality, offering high picture quality and UHD (Ultra High Definition) 4K images. However, this projector also features a stylish ‘made-in-Italy’ design; a distinctive, contemporary cabinet enriched by a luxurious crystal finish by in-house designer Giorgio Revoldini.

Similar in approach, the SIM2 Domino 4 UHD HDR offers many of the features of the Crystal 4, and like its cousin, is well suited to smaller and mid-sized cinema rooms.

SIM2’s xTV concept takes a rather different approach and is designed to deliver strong images from a projector placed very close to the screen. Able to be free-standing or hidden in stylish cabinets and furniture, or even hidden in the ceiling, these projectors are designed to offer style and convenience in one attractively designed package.

SIM2 can be experienced at Pulse Cinemas’ recently updated main demonstration centre at company HQ in Stanstead.

Pulse Cinemas +44 (0) 01279 647 039 pulsecinemas.com Pulse Cinemas says SIM2 has now found its natural home with the company

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S L I D E & R OTAT E R A C K S DE S I G N E D & M A N U FAC T U R E D BY

T H E R 8 0 1 0 S L I D E A N D R OTAT E R A C K S Y S T E M F O R 3 6 0 ° A CC E S S

Gives quick and complete access to tightly-stored enclosures, allowing you to easily slide the rack in and out and spin it either direction.

SLIDES OUT 500MM/ 20”

RE AR CABLE MANAGEMENT

WE ARE THE 19 INCH AND FLIGHT CASE SUPERSTORE E : o n l i n e u k @ p e n n - e l co m . co m | W: w w w. p e n n e l co m o n l i n e. co m | T: 0 1 4 2 4 4 2 9 6 4 1

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Essential Install | News – in association with

smart home accessories

faradite.com

CAI reveals expanded evolving Connectivity 2019 trade show

The CAI’s Evolving Connectivity show returns for its 5th year in 2019

The Confederation of Aerial Industries (CAI) is set to hold its fifth annual Evolving Connectivity trade event, with this year’s show set to see a sizeable expansion.

For the fifth year running, Evolving Connectivity will see the floor space available increased to over 1200m2, which will in turn increase the number of stands available to prospective exhibitors. CAI has also announced that there will be more seats available in the seminar theatre.

Despite the increase in space, Evolving Connectivity 2019 will still take place at the National Motorcycle Museum near Birmingham, this year on April 25. That means it’s still accessible from the motorway, national rail, and even the airport.

“Many of the installers we speak to report that business is brisk, but that they need to keep their fingers on the pulse in order to ensure future success. Consequently, many exhibitors will be showcasing products from the traditional parts of our industry as well as new technologies, especially those linked to Smart Home or Home Networking,” said the CAI. On the eve of the trade show, CAI will host its annual Gala Awards Dinner for 130 trade colleagues to network and celebrate industry achievements. A limited number of event sponsorship opportunities are still available.

CAI 01923 803 030, cai.org.uk

Winners of Crestron EMEA Integration Awards 2019 announced The Crestron EMEA Integration Awards have been announced at ISE 2019. Now in its 12th year, the awards are designed to highlight the achievements and technical excellence of Crestron integrators, consultants and programmers from residential and commercial projects through the EMEA region.

Crestron saw 147 entries from over 70 integrators, representing 19 different countries at this year’s awards. Only 15 entrants could take home the top prizes, however.

And the winners are…

The winners of this year’s Crestron Integration Awards

• Best Corporate Application (Commercial): was won by AVIDEX SA – Agemar SA, Greece • Best Educational Project (Commercial): Visavvi – University of the West of Scotland, UK • Ultimate Crestron Superyacht (Commercial): Van Berge Henegouwen (VBH) – M/Y Lonian, The Netherlands • Best Application of DM NVX (Commercial): LANGARD s.r.o. – National Museum, Prague, Czech Republic • Most Unique Application (Commercial): Triac – Nando’s, South Africa • Best Hospitality Project (Commercial): HENRI – Hotel Lutetia Paris, France • Best User Experience (Commercial): MK2 Audiovisueel BV – KLM International (ICA) Business Lounge, The Netherlands • Best Design Meets Technology (Residential): Environ – The EcoLuxe Country Estate, UK • Ultimate Crestron Home (Residential): Clic2Control – Sydenhurst Home, UK • Best Incorporation of Pyng (Residential): Imagine This – Clipper Wharf, UK • Most Unique Application (Residential): G-ACTIV MEDeTic Technologies – Senior Living, France • Best User Experience (Residential): Integrated Audio Visual Solutions – Penthouse of the future, UK • Best GUI (Residential): Ultamation – Lamina (graphic user interface) • Ultimate Multi-Dwelling Unit (Residential): SmartComm – Centre Point, UK • Best Lighting and Shading Application (Residential): ClearSphere – Hampstead Family Home, UK Crestron 0845 873 8787, crestron.eu

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Essential Install | News – in association with

smart home accessories

faradite.com

Meridian inks deal with AV EMEA

Meridian is looking to expand its EMEA presence with a new deal

Meridian Audio has announced a new partnership with full-service representation company, AV EMEA, as part of a strategic plan to continue building Meridian’s international sales presence.

“This new strategic approach will extend our sales reach, strengthen the Meridian brand and help us to deliver greater support to our distributors and their customers across the EMEA region,” comments Matt Holland, International Sales Manager at Meridian. “With the help of AV EMEA, we will be able to reach new geographic markets and provide more responsive, local support to our distribution partners, helping them to serve customers better and develop new business opportunities. We’re committed to growing our business in the residential and custom integration channels and look forward to the uplift this new partnership will bring.”

AV EMEA is owned by three business partners – Martin Harding, Michel Kwetters, and Peter Schoon. Between them, they have over 50 years of international AV/CI industry experience, as well as extensive contacts and local knowledge of many of the varied markets within Europe, the Middle East and Africa. They are known for their professional business development and representation service across EMEA for a number of respected CI brands. The AV EMEA team will be using its experience, associations and market knowledge to support both current and prospective distributors and their customers to grow Meridian’s business across the region. They will collaborate closely with Meridian, with technical support and training to be delivered through Meridian’s HQ in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire as well as supporting the distributors in their own markets.

Meridian 01480 445 678, meridian-audio.com

Control4 Global Awards announced

Inspire AV picked up a major award for this whole home project

Automation platform Control4 has announced the winners of its annual awards.

The company announced the 33 Control4 Dealers at its annual party at the ISE. They were rewarded for excellence and outstanding installations in their respective regions worldwide.

This year, the highest number of Control4 Dealers were awarded at the annual ceremony across the three award categories: Dealer of the Year, Circle of Excellence, and Top Volume. The Dealer of the Year distinction is for comprehensive growth and success in business practices, customer service, and project excellence; there were 18 companies recognised as Dealer of the Year for regions including Europe, the United Kingdom and the Middle East.

There were also three winners in the Circle of Excellence category, five dealers recognised with the Top Volume distinction, and a single Distributor of the Year was named. Outstanding projects submitted from Control4 Dealers around the world were also recognised for single room, whole-home, lighting, marine/yacht, commercial, and MDU/hotel categories, as well as most innovative use of Control4, most professional rack, and best distributor showroom.

Dealer of the Year for the UK regions were; London, Aonyx Limited; North: Intelligent Controls Ltd, South: Indigozest.

Other UK dealers made into the Circle of Excellence; London: Smart Living Solutions; North: Art of Smart; South: Evolve Audio Visual. UK dealers featuring in the Top Volume category were; North, Living Systems; South, New Wave AV, and London, Webstract.

Some highlights from the Project Awards included a win for Best MDU/Hotel Project by Webstract, for its Gabriel Square – A Modern Classic project. Best Single Room Installation was picked up by Homeplay, for Experience C and, featuring soon in these pages, Best Whole-Home Project was won by Inspire AV for its Granite Smart Home. Most Professional Rack was won by M.E.G.A. AV Installations for Manor Barn. Check out the full international list at essentialinstall.com.

Control4 01347 812 300, control4.com

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Essential Install | News – in association with

smart home accessories

faradite.com

Essential people It is with the greatest sadness that CIE has announced the passing of Jon Doar – Commercial Director and much loved colleague for more than 33 years.

Jon was a highly influential member of the CIE Board, managing one of the UK’s leading commercial audio product ranges through partnerships with brands such as Inter-M, Atlas IED, Clockaudio, CYP and many more.

Jon joined CIE back in 1985 at the age of just 17 in his very first full-time job in the warehouse. Over the years, Jon moved through the ranks; moving into the audio sales office, later being promoted to audio divisional manager, and most recently being elevated to the board of directors in 2009 as part of a management buy-in.

Jon was well known throughout the UK sound industry and was considered one of the industry’s true experts in installed sound systems. His knowledge of public address and background music was driven by his passion for – and hands-on approach to – system design, as well as his natural ability to build long-lasting relationships with industry peers, both at home in the UK and throughout the world with international partners.

“The CIE team and the many, many friends and colleagues Jon made throughout his career mourn the passing of one of the industry’s most loved and respected individuals.” said Steve Collin, Sales Director of CIE. “Jon was instrumental in the relationships and portfolio of products that makes CIE the company we are today. Moreover, Jon brought to every one of his colleagues some of the most unforgettable and joyous memories of our working lives. Jon was truly one of a kind and we all miss him immensely.”

Jon’s wife – Sally Doar – encourages anyone wishing to make a donation in Jon’s memory to donate to Maggie’s Cancer Support Centre Nottingham and/or the Nightingale Macmillan Unit at the Royal Derby Hospital.

In other news CEDIA has named Ian Bryant senior director of technology application and innovation. A veteran of more than two decades in the custom AV and integration field, Ian runs the Indianapolis office of Detroitbased ZenArray. The company specialises in consulting, design, programming, and installation services and he leads the Indianapolis office. His background includes serving as a technology subcontractor for residential, corporate, government, and hospitality projects.

“We’ve become familiar with Ian’s high level of performance for more than 10 years through his volunteer efforts and contract work with CEDIA, as well as the industry expertise and involvement he’s provided,” said CEDIA Global President and Chief Executive Officer, Tabatha O’Connor.

“He’s the right addition to bolster the CEDIA staff, especially in education and certification.”

Ian’s new role involves serving as CEDIA’s technology education working group liaison; active involvement with CEDIA’s Technology and Standards department to develop new content for education; and functioning as the staff lead on all technology associated with CEDIA headquarters. Ian is the 2017 CEDIA Volunteer of the Year and 2011 CEDIA Education Volunteer of the Year. He has served as a subject matter expert for the organisation since 2008. Ian will continue to provide his expertise in multiple arenas, including participating in the ANSI/ISO/IEC standards committee for education. Ian has spent three years as CEDIA Awards chair and has been a judge since 2008.

“I can’t think of a more exciting time to be joining CEDIA,” Ian said. “As a long-time member and volunteer, I’m excited about the direction CEDIA is heading and look forward to bringing my experience to bear by working closely with industry partners and the organisation to drive innovation.”

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Essential Install | Intrinsic Dev

Driving the CI market forward Intrinsic Dev has been accelerating its market delivery of driver solutions and other market support services. EI caught up with CEO Will Hopkins to find out what the Intrinsic difference is.

Where did Intrinsic come from?

We created the company three years ago to address some of the frustrations that we were encountering in our previous lives as installers. We were struggling to find drivers that effectively integrated the control platforms we were installing with devices found commonly in the UK and Europe such as Sky, Heatmiser, Apple TV and the like. Moreover, we experienced poor performance and numerous bugs on several of the drivers that were available. Whilst these were eventually fixed, it often took longer than necessary to resolve leaving us, as installers, dealing with unhappy clients.

This obviously damages the installer’s reputation, so we started thinking – there must be a better way, a model that allows for fixes to happen quickly, a model where the developers actually understand the needs of installers and the capabilities of control platforms, so Intrinsic was born.

Your website details four main parts to the business, what exactly does Intrinsic do?

Intrinsic aims to be the primary resource for the industry globally.

Firstly, we produce, maintain and support a broad range of integration solutions (drivers/modules), operating across the main control platforms.

Secondly, we offer support for dealers/installers, should they need assistance in programming systems, setting up one of our drivers, or require some external programming support. Our tech support team are required not only to understand code, but to also have had at least five years hands on installation experience and be trained in multiple control platforms. We believe this makes the Intrinsic team uniquely positioned to deliver industry leading support.

Thirdly, we work with equipment manufacturers, consulting on how best to make their equipment integrate with control platforms, helping them understand the needs of installers and the nuances of each platform, and subsequently developing drivers for them. From Q2 this year, we will be expanding this division to offer European based, firmware support – helping to ensure fast and stable firmware releases.

Finally, we offer consultation to several leading M&E contractors, who we work with to help them better understand the concept of ‘intelligent buildings’ creating more inroads for installers.

What makes Intrinsic different?

Let’s be honest, drivers aren’t sexy! There’s nothing flashy or exciting about them, they should just work. Our drivers are made by us, a small, but effective team in the UK. This means we can be sure every line of code is there for a reason and is optimised for each individual control platform. We try and avoid using code libraries, instead choosing to develop our own code ensuring fast and stable performance, which is key. Our setup also allows us to be proactive with any new products to the market or any updates that might impact upon system integration. We’re not waiting on any third parties to re-develop anything and we can shift around our driver development time frames to respond to demand or unexpected changes. If you come to Intrinsic for tech support through our online ticketing system, the support is not only given by the people who actually wrote the drivers, but these same people have all come from an installation background, so they can run through setup and provide advice in system programming unrelated to the drivers themselves.

We also provide free drivers for all dealer’s personal systems, as we believe if they are supporting our sales, they shouldn’t have to pay.

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Essential Install | Intrinsic Dev

the focus for us is Control4, Crestron, ELAN, RTI, URC and Savant. We don’t just wait for a brand to come to us requesting a driver though. We invite our installers to let us know what they need and where we see multiple requests, we build these drivers into our schedule as well.

It can’t all be that easy, what are your challenges?

Will Hopkins, CEO (right) and Sam Breen, Technical Director of Intrinsic Group, drive home their experience as installers in creating top performing drivers

For manufacturers, we flipped the standard integration model to provide multiple routes to market – the most popular of which is a subscription service that not only covers the consultation and development of the driver, but also ongoing support, allowing manufacturers to directly refer dealers to our multi-system trained tech support. Our subscription service also covers bug fixes, system updates and changes in an API. This ensures the best possible experience for both installers and end clients, and thus helps to protect the brand’s reputation.

So is your market mainly the UK?

You’d think so, but in terms of driver sales, the UK is currently one of the smallest sectors for us. Currently around 85% of driver revenue is generated in the US. We’re keen to grow our market share on home soil and offer improved support to guys in the UK as it’s quite a close knit community over here, and one that is coming increasingly under attack from low price goods and labour.

Who does Intrinsic work with?

We’ve built up quite a sizeable customer base with many household names including Meridian, Naim, KEF, Atlona, Lode, Blustream, Pulse8, HDAnywhere, Legrand, QMotion, and Vitrea to name a few. In terms of control platforms,

I’m not sure I’d characterise it as a challenge just for us, but the biggest issue has to be the way the market is changing.

Smart homes becoming more main stream is never a bad thing, but it does require us to evolve. There are more DIY options or cheaper imports that whilst offering some functionality, can never offer the full integrated solution that a specialist installer, in conjunction with a home control platform, can provide. Our industry needs to sell itself a little better and be proud to explain why our solutions are the best on offer, instead of trying to compete with the lower end. Why is this something Intrinsic is concerned about? To put it bluntly we only make money when our installers do, so the more we can work together to sell the benefits and lifestyle enhancements of our combined solutions, the better.

What is Intrinsic Connected?

Intrinsic Connected is a badge we give to manufacturers who use our drivers so that dealers can easily identify when an Intrinsic driver solution is available for a product.

I want to stress Intrinsic Connected is not a driver standard or certification. Instead we like to think of it as a quality and assurance mark. We often liken it to the Intel Inside branding you find on many computers.

What’s next?

We have a lot of new drivers in development, many in conjunction with leading brands that will therefore be free for installers to use. We also develop drivers that we believe installers will find useful and that may not already be provided by the individual control platforms. These drivers are available at varying costs to installers, but backed up with full updates and support to ensure there’s never a problem.

We’re bringing new control platforms into our family of drivers in the coming months as well as expanding our offering for Control 4, Crestron, Elan and RTI. Intrinsic Dev intrinsicdev.co.uk

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Essential Install | HDANYWHERE

The XTND 4K 1x4+1 is a new gateway product from HDANYWHERE

Keener and leaner 4K HDR video distribution Cheaper and simpler 4K HDR video distribution is now available from HDANYWHERE via the maker’s new four-zone 100 metre 4K HDR splitter-extender.

This new unit delivers 4K HDR signals up to 100 metres

This new product’s creator says it is perfect for single source projects in homes, pubs, clubs and hospitality environments.

HDANYWHERE’s new splitter-extender has been created as an easy solution for distributing the latest and greatest 4K HDR content to four or more displays and delivers a completely new gateway product for the brand. Designed for the most modern requirements, the XTND 4K 1x4+1 is fully HDMI 2.0 compatible, boasting 18G HDMI interfaces that support the latest 4K HDR video content. For ease of install this is distributed over a single Cat6 cable to four display locations, up to an impressive 100 metres away with absolutely no latency, providing PoE power to the receivers, plus 1 HDMI out for a local display or daisy-chaining with another XTND or HDMI device. Handy backwards IR from all displays allows for easy control of the source device also.

Founder and CEO of HDANYWHERE, Chris Pinder, says, “The XTND 4K splitter-extender is a new gateway product and a great introduction to the HDA brand. Despite its entry-level cost, it’s still built to a premium quality with our lightweight aluminium casing and features the highest spec video and distance performance, making it the perfect choice for many applications. We are fully confident this will

KEY FEATURES • 18G (600MHz) HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 compatible • Supports source content up to and inc. Ultra HD 4K 60 4:4:4 with High Dynamic Range (HDR) formats inc.

Dolby Vision • Supports all current audio formats including Dolby Atmos and DTS:X • 100m single-cable (Cat6>) technology with PoE powered receivers • Local HDMI loop out port for daisy-chaining • Backwards IR control of the source from RX locations • Sold as a complete install package, with all receivers, IR cables and mounting kit included

provide dealers with many new applications and projects that can be tackled via the HDA brand.”

Included within the product, Tipping Point Compression (TPC) enables the transmission of premium UHD/4K 60Hz 4:4:4 content, with all current HDR formats (10 & 12-bit), Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG all over a single Cat6 cable, with no discernible difference in video quality.

HDANYWHERE hdanywhere.com

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22/02/2019 10:35

Essential Install | Pulse Cinemas

A tale of two tours

Pulse Cinemas took the innovative step of providing guided tours around some of the top brands exhibiting at ISE 2019 from the distributor’s family of highperformance products and services. EI tagged along.

Visitors got a chance to witness a first class demo of what can be achieved with Pulse ingredients

The tours were a great chance to learn more about the brands and products that make up the Pulse Cinemas family

Mike Beatty, Pulse Cinemas MD, explains, “Our aim this year was to make the show digestible for visitors ensuring they got real value out of the trip. Our mission is to provide added value in everything that we do, this ambition extends to every aspect of our business, including large scale events such as ISE, which can be a chore for installers to arrange.”

Many of the tours were ably hosted by Internal Sales Manager, Simon Schino. “So much hard work and planning went into the tours, it was amazing to see the positive response,” says Simon.

He continues, “The feedback from the brands was extremely positive, they were delighted with the footfall and relevance of the audience. The tours are a great way of reaching out to a number of dealers in one session. We keep the groups manageable, so they are not too large, and find that groups of installers often get more out of the experience than going around the show on their own.

“Seeing this initiative grow has been great, multiple times at the show we filled the Paradigm and Anthem cinema demo for over an hour and the demos are just a great way of showing off just how good the products are.”

The Pulse team arranged for groups of installers to sign up to two different tours taking place over the course of the show, taking in key information and demonstrations involving brands such as Paradigm, Anthem, Kaleidescape, Digital Projection, Screen Research, Fortress Seating, Audio Control and StormAudio.

A particular highlight for EI was sitting in on the home cinema demo which featured Paradigm speakers, Anthem amplification and control, the NERO 4 SIM2 projector (Pulse Cinemas’ most recent brand addition) all taking part in a fullon Dolby Atmos cinema demo. The room, tweaked via ARC Anthem calibration, delivered a fantastic backdrop for all the kit to sing and underlined the quality of the Pulse line-up.

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Essential Install | Pulse Cinemas

The Pulse tour packed the house as the Paradigm/ Anthem/Sim2 brands delivered a fantastic demo

Miguel Soto, New Business Development Manager, and the rest of the Pulse team, hosted a fantastic night of fun, fine food and a few beers

Appropriately enough, the first clip was from animated vocal competition movie Sing! which really showed off the system’s ability to deliver all the complex edges of the music. In the clip used where shy elephant Meena comes out of her skin there are some punchy trumpets sounds that some speakers muddy and lose their grip on, not so here, clear as a bell. A busy scene from Ready Player One, was despatched with equal aplomb. This title is so frenetic, it can easily become tedious in the wrong hands as the viewer struggles to keep up with what is going on, Sim2 delivered the images superbly and the whole system was in total unison. The final clip was from the Queen biog Bohemian Rhapsody as Queen take to the stage at Live Aid. Emotion is the key in this clip, so the images and especially the music have to fly here. Audio was particularly strong in this clip, the distinctive sound of Brian May’s guitar, the noise of the crowed are all there with good surround complimenting a big fat front sound stage.

Elsewhere at the show, on the Alcons stand, there was a chance to hear just how good StormAudio is when delivering power and precision into a cinema. One of

the few demos to match the Paradign/Anthem set up, StormAudio was able to show how it can match the performance of even the best commercial cinemas.

Installers were impressed with the effort, with the reaction from Luke Newland of New Land Solutions being typical. Luke says, “Pulse did a fantastic job at ISE this year, I normally find it difficult to schedule demos and meetings when visiting for just a single day, but Kapes and the team were mega efficient, and the tour gave detailed snapshots of the new products and updates without wasting time which was perfect for me and the NLS team.

“The Pulse party was also a highlight, this year we visited Holland with our partners, and they all commented on how incredibly welcome they felt and how friendly the whole team are. High five and a big thank you!”

Luke is indeed correct, the Pulse party was a big hit.

Spending all day at a trade show can generate quite a hunger and thirst. The food inside these venues can be pretty ordinary, so it’s a big plus if a supplier goes out of its way to provide something special at the end of a long day. Thankfully that is exactly what Pulse Cinemas did, taking over the excellent De Biertuin Prinsengracht, a specialist in craft beers, spit-roasted chicken, burgers and spare ribs. The food, beers and service were all top notch.

Pulse Cinemas 01279 647 039, pulsecinemas.com

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28/02/2019 12:45

Essential Install | CEDIA

Established in 2009, Inspire AV has continued to grow into a recognised designer and innovator in smart home technology

The professional upsell

Hannah Davies of CEDIA Member Inspire AV examines how to upsell clients from DIY products to a professional install.

We used to find that a fully integrated smart home technology system was like marmite. People either loved it or wanted very little to do with it.

But, with more affordable off-the-shelf alternatives flooding the market, we have seen that people are starting to dabble and expectations are high from DIYers looking to the Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa to complete the jobs of a much more sophisticated system.

We feel it is our job as integrators to work with these products but, ultimately, be the professional capable of offering a holistic approach that streamlines all systems and provides a one stop shop method of control, using the likes of Control4 or Crestron.

How do we do that? At the outset of a relationship with a client, we always speak with them to assess what they really want from a smart home system.

Most of our clients aren’t aware of what we can do for them nor do they fully appreciate the range of elements we can integrate and control. We seek to understand the client, the lifestyle and culture of the individual and family, and then tailor our solution to their needs. Some people wish to simply control their lighting and audio but don’t realise that we can lean on technology to make those everyday little things that little bit simpler - set time zones to open blinds, raise lighting levels and pop Radio 2 on before they have even got downstairs to collect the paper.

Building awareness for what we can do is very much a part of that early conversation.

Those that already own what we would class as a DIY product are typically seeking a way to ‘supersize’ its capability or functionality. In our view, it’s not necessarily about ‘upselling’ these products already in-situ but simply steering clients in the right direction to integrate or find

solutions that achieve the same end goal they are seeking.

Sometimes, this can be challenging to force a multifaceted house to sing from the same hymn sheet, but where there is a will, there is a way.

A bit of humility helps. No one wants to invite a professional into their home to be told the latest bit of kit they have purchased isn’t all it’s cracked up to be (even if it isn’t). Instead, it’s about working with what the client wants, offering alternatives where possible but, above all, embracing what’s out there.

We were the first smart home technology company to have an Alexa Skill built. This enables our clients with Alexaenabled devices to ask for the latest information on the company, opening times or even call direct from Alexa.

Ultimately, the level of support and assistance we offer is a big differentiator. We can respond to resolve technical issues, as and when required, which the ‘off-the-shelf’ product option simply cannot do. Once it’s purchased, there is very little in help and support for when it may go wrong. In contrast, we provide a remote monitoring service, have a team on standby to deal with client issues on the phone, or can have an engineer pitch up on-site to take a look and fix problems at short notice.

Our customers are not just buying a product and having it installed. They’re buying a professional service. We are integrating a system that complements their lifestyle and one that we care about after the installation is completed.

We know our clients, we know their families and we offer support and preventative maintenance to ensure the smooth running of their systems and lives. After 10 years in business, we’re convinced that it’s a winning approach.

CEDIA cedia.co.uk

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21/02/2019 14:53

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19/02/2019 15:15

Essential Install | EI Live!

Taking shape and doubling down Proudly sponsored this year by CYP, the build-up to EI Live!

2019 is gathering pace with many companies signing up for the first time or increasing their space to keep up with all the developments the CI sector has to offer.

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Returning to EI Live! this year, distributor AWE has underlined its commitment to the event and the industry by doubling the size of the now well-established AWE Village.

AWE, one of the leading distributors in the sector, has just doubled the size of its stand space at the show which will now incorporate an Epson demo booth and other exciting AV and cinema experiences.

Delivering different insights into the company’s home cinema offering, this year’s AWE will really underline the high-level dealers can now go to with the assistance of the AWE team. AWE will also be able to highlight its new relationship with Sony Home Cinema projection, an addition that is proving very popular.

Other brands on show will include Definitive Technology, Denon, Draper, HEOS, KEF, Marantz, URC and Videotree as well as many more.

Also taking more space than last year, RGB Communications, now the exclusive distributor of Lande racks for the UK, has expanded its space in order to offer both a comprehensive overview of its new offerings and to accommodate the significant presence of the Savant brand on the stand.

The expansion means that EI Live! visitors will have the opportunity to explore the exciting roadmap of what Savant, one of the top names in luxury home automation, has got up its sleeve for 2019.

Visitors will also benefit from learning what the new distribution agreement means for RGB’s product offering and give customers the benefit of by far the biggest range of racks to choose from.

Gordon Innocent, Chairman for the company, comments, “The addition of Lande racks is a perfect complement to our existing range of Middle Atlantic racks and mounts. Our customers benefit from having not just the very best, but by far the biggest range of racks to

choose from. There is now a choice of metric and imperial sizes, and an unbeatable range; from economic entry level, right through to the ultimate in flexibility. All from just one supplier, RGB.” New to the show this year, Custom AV Distribution has made huge progress in the market in recent times, offering a choice of really top-quality brands including Dynaudio, JVC, Audio Excellence, Datasat, Lode Audio and HTE. All these delights will be available to view and the whole team will be on-hand to help plan your next project.

It’s a learning experience

EI Live! 2019 is also excited to announce some of the speakers who will be speaking in the Technical Theatre at this year’s show.

Heading the speaker line-up for 2019 is Iain Gordan, president of KNX UK, who will be talking about what makes a system future-proof. As the first generation of smart buildings reaches an age where users want to make changes and add new functionality, they are discovering how expensive it can be if you don’t plan for the future from the outset. Iain explores how to deliver now and into the future.

Enno Vandermeer, the founder of Roon Labs, is another addition to the speaker list. Vandermeer will be talking about the wonderful world of high-quality music streaming.

With products that span the software and hardware part of this equation in the Roon family, Vandermeer is perfectly placed to explain how to get the best from highperformance digital music and multi-room systems.

Back in the technical theatre this year, Hugo Fitzjohn, Education Manager, Meridian Audio, will look at how to make multiroom audio more profitable.

He says, “It’s interesting that we are seeing audio sources in households becoming increasingly diverse.

Long gone are the days of a multichanger CD player in a cupboard; we’ve got an internet brimming with various flavours of audio streams including podcasts, live internet radio, on demand services, Soundcloud, as well the likes of Spotify and Tidal etc. I also think it’s interesting to look at how people are actually using the spaces in their homes. Why put mediocre audio throughout the whole house, when instead we can deliver excellent experiences in a few key rooms in the house?” Fitzjohn adds, “For example, install great audio in the kitchen and dispense with putting anything in the guest bedrooms!

You can deliver better performance and better margin for businesses. The profitability of installation labour is slowly being squeezed and as an industry we are often limited by the availability of a skilled labour force.”

To find out who else is speaking, and to make sure you are at EI Live! 2019 to attend the talks in the Technical Theatre, you must make sure you have registered and saved the date in your diary. Get to the new dedicated website, sign up and experience it all at our new venue, the Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre.

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01/03/2019 15:32

Essential Install | Habitech

Grand designs

Fight the spread of IoT plastic with an injection of new control DNA from Legrand’s MyHOME_Up. Jonathan Pengilley offers you home automation made simple, beautiful and competitive.

Legrand’s simple MyHOME_Up automation system places control quality and unrivaled decor-matching prowess at your client’s fingertips at an uber-competitive price

When CEDIA was young, long before Wi-Fi, all the magic belonged to CI. By creating control where none existed, early integrators traded ‘wow’ for big wonga. Back then exclusivity justified the cost, but with the arrival of surveillance capitalism’s slick IoT roadshow starring Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, Nest, Hive et al, touch control is cheap, and millions of home control customers are helping themselves in a DIY free-for-all.

High-end automation may be super-secure for the time being - the rich won’t ask a smart speaker twice – but the onslaught of plastic ‘things’ must be taking great big chunks out of your mid-market comfort zone. What you need is a way to integrate the absolute quality and reliability of a high-end system at a street-wise price.

several hundred thousand electrical infrastructure products in over 90 product families, control over light, heating/cooling, music and door entry in any room on a luxury switch is hardly a profound breakthrough; it simply leverages the company’s existing design knowhow.

Coming from a completely new direction, Legrand’s MyHOME_Up delivers the essence of luxury automation priced for a leaner contracting marketplace, not inflated by years of bespoke development in the traditional automation bubble. In other words MyHOME_Up isn’t burdened with legacy pricing. It gives you the chance to supply a genuine high-end automation experience, with enhanced décor-matching powers, at a keener price in a market increasingly intolerant of high ticket items.

Touch of Class

Modular, scalable design

Available from an innovator with a presence in over 90 countries, global sales of around €5 billion and a realistic view of the new home control environment, Legrand’s MyHOME_Up turns the traditional automation model on its head. It’s comparatively inexpensive, as easy as plug-and-play to install, is boot camp robust and requires no programming acumen. If you’re Legrand supplying

Rather than using top-down programming to glue disparate products to a platform, Legrand has built an entire control ecosystem from the ground up.

MyHOME_Up connects proprietary modules for easy control over lighting, heating, door entry and music using an innovative plug-and-play architecture based on familiar two-core wiring techniques and built around a

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Essential Install | Habitech

Powerfully scalable and reliable, MyHOME_Up installs easily around a DINmounted hub using familiar two-core wiring techniques. It’s configured/ controlled via app on iOS and Android, and also controlled through a rich choice of wall panels

Decor-match intelligent and dumb switches, power sockets and even data points using a wide range of luxury finishes from Legrand. Which automation rival can give you that?

dedicated DIN-mounted hub in a centralised location.

The system can extend to one room or scale to control a large residential house, MDU or hotel on a brutally efficient timescale without the need for whizz-kid programming smarts. Because it’s modular you only install the functionality required, and when everything is connected, configure the system via the MyHOME_Up app on an iPad – simple. What’s more, bulletproof reliability buys you back the time spent on call-outs, and easy app-control hands your customer the power to, say, adjust a lighting scene without your support. Even if the internet goes down your customer can still use the utilities: pull the Ethernet cable out of the controller and MyHOME_Up still works, you just can’t use the app, which is preferable to the house being plunged into cold and darkness because the control you installed is sitting in the cloud.

Beautifully bespoke

The paradigm shifts again at the décor-matching control panel in every room. Backed by its peerless product catalogue, Legrand can offer your customers an unrivalled range of design styles, not just for control panels but for every wall fitting, including light switches, single and double-gang sockets, even data points, and in UK sizes. No longer do you have to suffer the incongruity of an uber-expensive on-wall touchscreen in

the same space as those standard white dumb switches and plug tops you can buy at your local DIY store.

Instead you can décor-match the set. Which traditional automation supplier gives you that? When Legrand sells 10,000 dumb switches a day, its bread-and-butter business will help to place custom installation and interior design on the same impeccable page.

Welcome simplicity

Legrand’s MyHOME_Up may not have a long CI provenance, but it fits the CEDIA blueprint like a dream.

It’s easy to use, powerfully discreet, completely reliable and peerlessly coordinated, and when your market is being eaten from below on price, MyHOME_Up gives you all you need to turn the gizmo tide with a little original magic.

Habitech will be demonstrating Legrand’s MyHOME_ Up home control system at EI Live! 2019, April 30-May 1, Farnborough Exhibition Centre.

Habitech 01256 638500, habitech.co.uk

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25/02/2019 11:31

Essential Install | ECA at EI Live!

Ushering in the smart age The Electrical Contractors Association (ECA) will be in attendance at EI Live! to give its support and insight as we journey to a smarter future.

Darren Smith, ECA’s Digital Buildings Solutions Advisor

Cities in the UK are quickly becoming ‘smart’, and technology is now an integral part of the fabric of society.

It is anticipated that globally, by 2100, 80% of people will live in cities.

As progress marches on, more and more data is being collected daily from the individuals, devices, buildings and assets which make up our cities. Billions of points of information are being used to better manage the power, transportation, and data networks we use.

Electrotechnical designers, installers and maintenance technicians will be key to what happens next. But what are the components and themes of the new electrotechnical networks that will support society and business in the future?

As an association partner, ECA will be on hand to help answer this question and more at this year’s EI Live! event, taking place at the Farnborough Exhibition Centre from April 30 to May 1, 2019.

Darren Smith, ECA’s Digital Buildings Solutions Advisor, is set to deliver a talk covering the ways manufacturers, software companies and entrepreneurs are developing and delivering new products and services for smart homes, buildings and cities, and the opportunities that electrical professionals must seize today to help ensure they stay relevant to their clients tomorrow.

Darren’s talk will be most relevant to electrotechnical engineering and services professionals, in particular those involved in smart home installations and building automation control systems (BACS).

From Smart homes…

Electrotechnical professionals are uniquely placed to help homeowners realise the potential of smart technology in the home: fully automated controls for fire, security, energy management, heating, lighting and entertainment and more will soon be essential tools for daily living. The implications of installing and upgrading these – both in new builds and in retrofitted properties – can be an opportunity, but also a minefield.

…to Smart buildings

The UK construction and infrastructure sectors are gradually adopting a digital approach to better design, build, operate, and integrate the built environment.

The change is happening gradually, but the pace is expected to pick up dramatically – the Internet of Things (IoT) will soon fall into critical areas including logistics, manufacturing, digital assets, and field service applications. It is also set to cover the complete supply chain to include the lifecycle of products, and digitalisation of services when the data is harnessed.

Our relationship with the built and urban environment is fundamentally changing, and the electrical industry is crucial in respect to developing an infrastructure that consists of truly smart homes and buildings.

The ECA has been a driving force in the electrotechnical and engineering services industry since the association’s formation in 1901. Over the years, ECA has been pivotal in improving industry standards and creating a sustainable business environment. Many organisations engage with ECA on an ongoing basis, often as part of its member and associate programmes.

ECA 020 7313 4800, eca.co.uk

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21/02/2019 14:54

Dynaudio Custom Studio series

Heard, not seen.

The Dynaudio Custom Studio series: round in-ceiling and rectangular in-wall speakers in both 6.5in and 8in versions, including DVC and modular in-wall LCR variants. All featuring our acclaimed 1in soft-dome tweeters and MSP woofers.

And all – of course – designed and developed in Denmark.

Our in-wall and in-ceiling speakers are a piece of cake to install.

Before we even put pen to drawing board, we made a long list of all the little woes and gripes installers commonly have. And then we stamped them all out with clever solutions such as our innovative install frame (with clever friction clips for tool-free fitting); simple adjustment of the speaker position (just push it with your finger); and paintable magnetic grilles (which snap right into place without adjustment). Done. Now, about that cake…

The Dynaudio Custom Studio series: engineered to entertain

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dynaudio.com

13/02/2019 12:34

EssentialREVIEW Panasonic DP-UB9000 UHD Blu-ray

Can Panasonic play?

This month, Richard Stevenson takes a look under the hood of the Panasonic DP-UB9000 UHD Blu-ray player.

Adding a disc source to an install might seem a little passé by modern AV streaming standards, but for many customers it remains a vital component. 4K UHD Blu-ray discs still pack the best picture (thanks to much lower compression than streamed 4K) and most customers have a legacy collection of Blu-rays, DVDs and CDs. Enter Panasonic’s premium disc spinner, the DP-UB9000.

While the bulk of the UHD BD player market is plastic-fascia models with margins even thinner than the casework, Panasonic has emerged with something of an all-action hero. The DP-UB9000 offers premium build quality, premium features and premium performance at a solid, but not outrageous, premium price. While Oppo had the disc player market sewn up for installers before its untimely exit from the category, the Panasonic could be a worthy successor.

The DP-UN9000’s headlines include Hybrid Log Gamma, HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision flavours of High Dynamic Range. While most manufacturers offer a couple of those in their 4K disc spinners, the Panasonic is covering almost all the HDR bases save the Philips/ Technicolour collaboration version, Advanced HDR.

Panasonic’s HCX (Hollywood Cinema eXperience) video engine is a powerhouse, offering an HDR optimiser for specific displays including OLED, LCD and projectors. The latter two have options to finetune the image to match the luminance output of the display device. There is dedicated chroma processing and chroma upsampling designed to deliver the most cinema-like picture quality.

The engine also allows the player to display a UHD disc’s HDR metadata on screen, which may be useful in assessing demo material to wow customers.

The picture menu is fairly basic and there are no ISF controls here, but these adjustments are arguably best left to the display device anyway. All this high-tech imaging has earned the DP-UB9000 a ‘THX 4K HDR Source’ badge of honour.

Panasonic has upscaled the audio side of the player too. It supports bitstream output of all Dolby and DTS formats up to Atmos/X, and twin HDMI ports for dedicated routing to display and audio components.

You also get decoded 7.1 channel analogue outputs, but a real omission here is any remote-control variable

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EssentialREVIEW Panasonic DP-UB9000 UHD Blu-ray

Can Panasonic fill Oppo’s boots?

output volume on these or the stereo output. There is a painfully slow analogue trim level in the sound menu, but that isn’t going to help for day-to-day use.

As you still need a volume control somewhere, you cannot simply hook-up the Panasonic to multi-channel power amps and forgo an AVR or stereo pre-amp. An opportunity missed.

For network audio or inputs via the USB ports, one of which is 3.0 spec, the player can handle the full gamut of audio formats from FLAC up to DSD and high-resolution audio up to 24/192. It packs in high quality DACs and balanced XLR outputs for stereo, resulting in full HRA approval and another badge on the facia.

Universal?

It’s odd that this is not a true ‘universal’ disc player as it wont handle SACDs or DVD-Audio discs. On the plus side, Panasonic has stuck to offering content apps directly, including Netflix and iPlayer, with a raft of other apps available to download. It will also stream from NAS drives and share audio from DNLA devices or direct access.

Integration into a home control system is purely over network as a remote device. A lack of RS323 serial interface, 12v trigger and an IR control port is going to make full integration into legacy home control systems a little more challenging. There is the ability to change remote control codes if any conflicts exist with any other system IR remotes.

The general operation of the Panasonic is slick and intuitive from set-up to day-to-day use. Disc booting is fairly swift, and the only slight frustration is the time the menus take to respond when you are changing some of the more fundamental operational settings. It’s only half to a second but over the course of full set-up there will be plenty of repeat button pressing while the player is still thinking about the command.

Picture performance is absolutely top-notch.

Suitably dialled into the display device (we used an LG OLED77C8, the player on OLED mode and a 4K DV encoded disc) you get stupendously eye-watering colour and breath-taking dynamic range. This translates to sumptuous cinema-like feel on a projector screen that is sure to impress. While it is at its very best with native 4K HDR material, Blu-rays upscaled to 4K look every bit as stunning and even DVDs get a real punch and added clarity from the scaler. While we haven’t tested some of the other high-end 4K players from the likes of Pioneer, the video performance is head and shoulders above basic 4K players.

Sound is equally impressive with seamless playback of high-res audio from a network drive and very good, if fixed line level, output from the XLR connections.

The lack of variable analogue output or any serial bus integration is less than ideal for the CI market, but neither are insurmountable issues.

Unfortunately, Oppo’s flagship players offered both those features as standard. Those niggles for installers aside, the Panasonic DP-UB9000 is a triumph of a video player with outstanding features and performance to match.

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21/02/2019 14:54

Essential Install | Case Study; Home Cinema Experience

The team established confidence early with the client and were able to deliver the complete package

Are you experienced?

Netherlands based Home Cinema Experience took on some tricky technical challenges with this high-performance room and needed all their knowhow to get the job done.

Early in 2016 Home Cinema Experience was established

by Sebastiaan Kahle, an entrepreneur with a specialisation in sales and online marketing, together with René van Setten who has been around as an entrepreneur in the home cinema market for many years.

This knowledgeable team wanted to build a company that goes for the best balance between the five elements of a home cinema and deliver to the very highest of standards. Those five pillars, according to the team, are audio, video, control, acoustics and interior. With help from Gerard Brouwer, Sales Specialist BENELUX and Germany for the high-performance speaker brand Procella audio, the team were ready to deliver top results in sound and vision for their customers.

Sebastiaan explains, “Perhaps cliché to say, but we are proud of all our projects because what we do, we do with passion and create home cinemas beyond the expectations of our customers. Clients need to be 200% satisfied and that’s the feeling we want as well.

The customer needs to have a continuously positive experience in their home cinema.”

This particular client was searching the home cinema market for a partner who was willing to help them with a complete integration of equipment, acoustic treatment and the interior of the home cinema.

René explains, “They came to us having the wish for a home cinema in their new villa. What they wanted was a room where they can relax or enjoy movies and concerts, but did not know how to achieve that. After a successful presentation together with Procella, we had a great conversation in our showroom. At the end it was clear that we had fully gained their trust and were given a free reign to create the cinema they were dreaming of.”

As well as all the technical AV equipment, the team was also responsible for the complete interior design and correct acoustic treatment.

Sebastiaan explains, “Because we knew the cinema needed to be created with a very high standard, we spoke with our partners and shared the information of the room. With the knowledge of Procella and Trinnov, they provided us with a technical plan, so we were sure the audio part was covered. We knew it was a match made

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19/02/2019 12:31

Essential Install | Case Study; Home Cinema Experience

The build was complicated by the awkward shape of the room

in heaven and we could offer the client a full covering experience for the room.

“The 11.1.4 setup is delivered by three front speakers of Procella’s P610 and the very powerful P18 subwoofer in a special build baffle wall to house the speakers. The rest of the audio is delivered by Porcella’s P5 speaker series. All the speakers are supported by Procella amplifiers. The Trinnov’s Altitude 32 was the only choice to fully support the speaker configuration. Right from the start of testing and configuring using the Trinnov, the room really came to life.”

By placing the top model projector by JVC in a specially built box and installing the three metre wide screen by Screen Excellence with Neo-S screen fabric, the team also achieved a knock-out image.

All the electrical equipment is also protected by Furman power conditioners.

René explains, “With the knowledge that we are working with high-end equipment and to extend the life of all of the equipment, we have learned down the years that any install of this type needs to have these units.”

A custom-made frame for the absorption panels from acoustics brand Artnovion completed the look and performance of the room.

At the back, the install team also included some really beautiful hand-made Alps diffusers. The back seats are upholstered in soft fabric and provided by Home Cinema Modules. These were placed on a riser which has been constructed in a way as to also serve as a bass-trap.

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A really nice marriage between acoustic treatment and design resulted in a great looking and sounding room

Sebastiaan explains, “To finish up and make the technical part easy for the client, we have chosen home control by Elan. An easy control of the cinema for the client was very important and settings must not be altered by pushing the wrong buttons. We made it easy to switch, among other things, between their Oppo Blu-ray player and the AppleTV.” Technical challenges on this job sprung from having to deal with a non-symmetric room. After a conversation with Procella and the client, it was decided to build a wall in the room to create a better audio environment and also provide room to store all of the equipment as well as a snack and drinks bar.

Dolby Atmos 11.1.4 project kit list • 1x Trinnov Altitude32 16-24 • 3x Procella Audio DA-05DSP amplifiers | for 3x P610 • 1x Procella Audio DA-06DSP amplifier | for 1x P18 • 3x Labgruppen E10.4 amplifiers | for 8x P5V and 4x P5iW • 3x Procella Audio P610 ful range LCR • 2x Procella Audio P5V wides • 4x Procella Audio P5V surrounds • 2x Procella Audio P5V back surrounds • 4x Procella Audio P5iW heights • 1x Oppo UDP-203 • 1x Apple TV 4K • 1x Shuttle fanless mediaPC • 2x Furmann power control • 1x ELAN control system integrated in KNX environment

René concludes, “The equipment was, compared to the interior, easily decided. The main challenge before we could enter the room was the discussion about the interior colours. Our favourite part is simply the complete end-result. Looking at a room that has been fully designed from start to end, and every inch has been thought through. The total experience is also the favourite of the client. We had the full trust of the client which meant we would could handle the whole project. By showing 3D designs at first, the client got a good idea of what we were going to create. Together with our joiner we could build an interior that was technically and aesthetically good.

Every time the clients walks in they need to feel it is a special room where they can be in another state of mind.”

Home Cinema Experience 085 21 04 80, homecinemaexperience.nl

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Vinyl for victory

Phil Hansen, operations director for the Clarity Alliance, the Hi-Fi-focused trade body, shines a light on some interesting figures and opportunities for installers.

Do turntables offer a new revenue stream for installers? (image courtesy of Pro-Ject and Henley Audio)

One of the well-known UK Hi-Fi reviewers has a great way of scoring products on his online Hi-Fi magazine. Really great pieces of kit are awarded either a Groovy or Deeply Groovy rating, which is a lovely nod in the direction of good old-fashioned vinyl. Or perhaps that should say the latest and greatest music medium that’s taking the world by storm.

There really is nothing like a resurgence in 100-yearold technology to get the kids going, and this one has definitely grabbed their attention. Walk through Trafalgar Square and you’ll see a good number of youngsters using old Pentax ME Super 35mm cameras, as they rebel against digital, and even the humble Compact Cassette is threatening to make a return (heaven help us) but it’s the vinyl that has really come back with a vengeance.

Music consumption is going through the roof, thanks to the various streaming services that now account for over 63% of total UK music listening (figures from the BPI). And the rise in the use of streaming services is simply phenomenal – 33% up in 2018 compared to 2017, resulting in over 91 billion audio streams during the year. Compared to 2012, the rise in streaming is 2,350%. That’s a lot of music.

So where do the other formats figure in this virtual world that is lacking in tangibility? The rise in music consumption of around 5.7% for 2018 versus 2017 represents 142.9 million albums or their equivalent. It is fuelled largely by streaming, but also by the resilience of physical formats according to the BPI. The CD is still holding its own, at around 22% of the music purchased, but this figure is declining – from 56% in 2012. Vinyl, on the other hand has gone from just 0.3% in 2012 to 3% in 2018 – not big numbers, granted, but in percentage increase terms it’s huge.

There were 4.2m vinyl LPs purchased during 2018, which is around 1.6% higher than 2017 and a massive 2,000% higher than the format’s low point of 205,000 in 2007. It’s now at its highest level since the early 90s, with 12,000

albums released on vinyl in 2018. Vinyl represents more than 10% of all physical music purchases.

Will this help sales of Hi-Fi equipment over the next year, or are most music consumers using inferior quality streamers (e.g. their phones) and turntables (e.g. the £90 special from the supermarket)? We probably all know the answer, but what a great opportunity this presents for the custom installation industry to help educate customers and get them to include a decent vinyl system as part of their whole house install.

How do we find out exactly what is selling in the Hi-Fi world? For the answer we need to refer to our colleagues at GfK. And it just so happens that at this time of year we get just such an opportunity at the Clarity Hi-Fi Industry Conference. Taking place on March 27, at Dolby’s fantastic screening room in London, the conference is the only such event in the Hi-Fi industry and is a great chance to learn about the latest trends. It’s open to anyone in the industry – if you’d like to come along please email info@ clarityalliance.co.uk – places are limited so you will need to book.

GfK are the market data specialists and they have been plotting a rise in turntable sales that pretty well mirrors the software sales increases reported by the BPI. Of course, high end turntables will always be niche – most of the current purchasers of vinyl wouldn’t even consider spending thousands – but we do have a real opportunity to get the word out there about much better-quality audio.

Vinyl is trendy again and incorporating a turntable into a multi-room system, where the feed from the vinyl can be enjoyed across the zones, is a great way to increase sales and profitability and give your CI customers a slice of the latest must have music format.

Clarity Alliance 020 8150 6741, clarityalliance.co.uk

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Crestron’s big news was the retirement of Pyng and the launch of Crestron Home

ISE highlights

EI presents just a few of the highlights from this year’s show, for more, check out essentialinstall.com Brands represented in the UK by distributor Invision had a strong show, including automation brand RTI, which showcased the new T4X flagship remote control. The unit combines a customisable interface via its high-res capacitive LCD touch-screen and includes hard controls too. Designed to be ergonomic and intuitive the T4X also boasts dual-RF and Wi-Fi, grip sensors and ‘instant on’ accelerometer.

The company also showed the KA8 or KA11 for whole house control from 8in and 11in screens respectively. Both feature a fully customisable touch-sensitive widescreen display and can be wall or stand-mounted. Automatic screen-brightness and backlight adjustment are on board as is built-in gigabit Ethernet with PoE and dual-band Wi-Fi, which enables video intercom use and IP security camera monitoring. The resurgence of the dedicated controller was certainly a trend right across the show, with companies enhancing their dedicated controller line up with fresh aesthetics and abilities.

The Trinnov and Procella cinema demo room featured an impressive 21.4.10 Atmos configuration delivering immersive audio detail, coupled with the deep bass grunt of the Procella V21 subwoofer, which gave a strong performance. The long queues outside the room were testament to the power these brands can deliver.

Over on the Origin Acoustics stand, the main launch was the Marquee Cinema Collection designed for in-wall and on-wall installation and, including subwoofer options.

The new 100V in-ceiling speakers, D61T and D81T, were also revealed as were the Bollard landscape speakers.

Featuring an anodised aluminium finish sleeve available in a choice of three colours, and a 6.5in sub in the speaker base, the Bollards offer a 360° outdoor solution.

ELAN was a control brand that perhaps had its highest profile show to date. Now available from a wider range of distributors than before including Alltrade, Indigo Distribution, and Aldous Systems, fans of this system certainly have plenty to get their teeth into this year with plenty of additions. ELAN demo’d two new intelligent

touch panels (8in and 12in) which include voice control, IntelliVision face recognition and high-resolution video.

This is the first control system to pull this off convincingly. The face recognition is a nice feature and can act as a gate way to all sorts of pre-programmed scenes, settings and access scenarios.

“With the control enhanced by face recognition and voice, these new interfaces go way beyond what we’d normally call a ‘touch’ panel,” argued ELAN Product Manager, Jeff Shaw. “They are fully interactive control panels that redefine what smart home control can be.”

Also on board is a dual digital MEMS microphone-array providing enhanced voice control that lets users choose their preferred voice interface (including Amazon Alexa) without needing to fill the house with voice assistant hardware.

The touch panels display high-resolution video, including monitoring and playback from ELAN surveillance cameras and NVR. Two-way audio and video enable good communication with the video doorbell, paging, and ELAN intercom services. ELAN Discovery simplifies installation by auto-discovering the intelligent touch panels on the network and configuring them with just a click. The panels can be powered locally using a 12VDC power supply (not included) or using PoE, and connect to the controller over Wi-Fi or using power over Ethernet and with a single wire hookup.

ELAN also enhanced its offering with a complete new line-up of ELAN branded speakers. The line launched with fifteen new in-ceiling and in-wall models, from the entry level 400 series, to the whole home multi-purpose 600 series, to the high-performance distributed audio and home theatre of the 800 series.

Brands available in the UK from distributor Habitech were also out in force. Legrand showcased its MyHome_ Up, connected home automation solution, which allows the installer to provide home automation systems with just a few simple start-up steps. The MyHomeServer1 simply needs to be connected to a BUS system using the dedicated MyHome app, available to download for free

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Legrand was pushing its home control credentials

The NHD-140-TX from WyreStorm was just one of the products featured on the company’s busy stand

on the App Store and Google Play. The app is quick to set up and can control the home in a few easy and intuitive steps. Essentially, it is designed to work independently of, or complementary to, Legrand’s wide range of wired control panels. Launching at the show was the new Hometouch 7in touch screen, which enhances the MyHome_Up offer, allowing the user to control all home automation functions, including Legrand’s Bticino video door entry system.

Where equipment rack space is at a premium, WyreStorm showcased one of the highest density encoder solutions vs size on the market with the NHD-140-TX quad encoder. The NHD-140-TX is a four input to four network stream device encoder compatible with the NetworkHD 100 and 200 series, an ultra-low bandwidth H.264 AV over IP solution for distribution of point-to-point, one-to-many and many-to-many over a managed network. WyreStorm also announced that it was adding Domotz to its NHD system.

JVC showcased the DLA-NX9 projector with 8K display resolution.

Using its latest 0.69-inch native 4K D-ILA chips (deployed by the award-winning DLA-Z1) the DLA-NX9 applies the company’s e-shift processing to create an impressive 8K image. By deploying JVC’s proven Multiple Pixel Control (MPC) and Intelligent Lens Aperture tech, JVC says the DLA-NX9 promises the most naturally detailed and dynamic images possible.

Sonance had some interesting concepts with its new soundbar range. Each model is sized to match popular TV sizes (55in, 65in, 75in and 85in). The speakers offer a three-way speaker design featuring coaxial midrange and tweeter, plus dual high-excursion woofers for clear dialogue, precise detail and wide sound stage.

The speakers are supplied with hardware for VESA TV mount, wall mount or table top use. The discreet and minimalistic industrial design has been created to blend-in with flat screen displays with aircraft-grade extruded aluminum chassis and powder coated singlepiece metal grille that will not buckle, distort or discolour over time.

As usual Meridian had a busy show highlighting its latest creations and initiatives. Launched at the show were two new products within the in-wall loudspeaker range. Characterised by their high SPL’s and strong bass performance capabilities, the DSP640.2 and DSP520.2 are the first loudspeakers to be powered by the Meridian ‘Class-M’ DSP engine. Both models are also first to integrate Meridian’s ‘Dynamic’ Hi-Res amplifiers. These new in-walls boast up to four power amplifiers per speaker and a higher output for more authentic, impactful sound. They can be used as a full-range loudspeaker with no need for an additional subwoofer and offer greater flexibility. With the latest technologies, 100mm mounting depth and high fidelity, Meridian says the new speakers are perfect for delivering high quality, lifelike sound discretely in any media room or home cinema.

Also featured was Meridian’s new 210 Streamer. This product is designed to help integrators meet client demand for reliable, high quality audio streaming, with minimal fuss and with maximum quality.

The 210 can be connected over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to any smart phone or tablet, with volume and playback controls synchronised between streaming apps and the Meridian system. Supporting Spotify Connect, Apple AirPlay, Bluetooth and Roon, as well as offering DLNA / UPnP compatibility, the 210 can also be connected directly to a pair of DSP loudspeakers or to any system via a SpeakerLink input for ultimate flexibility. With its built-in Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) decoder

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April 30 - May 1 2019 Stand 13

01684 576 348

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sales@oneav.co.uk

oneav.co.uk

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Essential Install | ISE Review

and Meridian High Resolution (MHR) audio, the 210 is capable of delivering high-quality from a very compact form factor. Meridian also showcased its integration with the The Cedia Designer (TCD), projection creation and execution platform.

Sonos was on a real mission at this show. Having been asked for years by installers to expand its support for the pro installer channel, the company has been on the development trail and showcased its new Amp and in-wall speakers, designed by Sonance.

Equipped with much more power than before, the new Amp gives a genuine opportunity to drive high-quality speakers as part of the Sonos system giving integrators the chance to mix and match from the Sonos family as well as include other options. Twice as powerful as previous amp products from Sonos, it supports Apple’s AirPlay 2 and more than 100 streaming services, as well as including an HDMI ARC port for TVs. The Amp fits into standard AV racks and can power up to four speakers with 125W per channel. Onboard HDMI and line-in ports means TVs, turntables, CD changers, and other audio components can connect with and become part of the Sonos system. Amp can also be controlled with the voice via products such as beam and Sonos One. So what about the Sonance integrated speakers? Well they sound pretty good and certainly add some meat to the Sonos proposition, and there is also a dedicated outdoor speaker to add an extra zone in patio areas or the garden. The company was also at pains to underline new Control APIs which make integration with control platform such as Control4 and Crestron easier to execute.

Other Sonos news included a range of accessories for the new Amp by Flexson. The accessories consist of the Flexson SA-WM Wall Mount, the SA-X4WM Wall Mount for four Sonos Amps, and the SAX4DK Dock for four Sonos Amps.

There was big news on the Crestron stand with the retirement of the Pyng platform. The more ‘plug n play’ approach from the company has not gone away however, but evolved to now be called Crestron Home with a slew of new features and refreshed interface approach.

A completely new UI with attractive dials and sliders offers many more chances to personalise the interface experience with images of the home and family. Users themselves can get involved with that side of things if they wish and as they grow into the system. The system is powered by OS 3 and has been designed from scratch for the IoT era. The new interface platform is attractive and navigation around inside is smooth and should feel more familiar to customers used to the interfaces on their smart phones and tablets. As with Pyng all the programming is done simply through an app, making installation faster and achievable by more members of the team. There is no doubt this new system offers a serious up-grade from Pyng. It’s attractive, fast and intuitive, however some Crestron installers, programmers in particular, will still be asking where it leaves their long acquired and hard won skills. The company is keen to underline however, this is as well as, not instead of, so when the customer wants the higher level of personalisation, support for and development of the other ways of creating a Crestron system will be fully on-going. The 3-Series control suite is receiving a standards-based HTML 5 programming environment in 2019, and will continue to receive major updates.

Crestron also underlined its new close integration with Apple as Apple TV, Siri, and HomeKit can be leveraged to enhance the user experience. The new integration will bring IP control of Apple TV, including voice commands via the TSR-310 touch screen remote control, and support in the Crestron Home operating system and SIMPL. “This Crestron and Apple partnership gives our residential integrators yet another powerful tool to enhance the user experience and lifestyle of Crestron smart home customers,” said Michael Short, Global Residential Marketing Manager.

The Harman Luxury Audio group has always had decent potential in the UK market, but never quite the focus to grab attention. However, a new impetus in part driven by the foot soldiers and knowhow offered by the absorption of the Arcam brand into the group might be about to change that. There are certainly some products to get excited about. Featured at ISE were debuts for the JBL 4312G Studio Monitor and JBL In-Wall Subwoofers, SSW-2 and SSW-3. The stand also had demonstrations of the JBL L100 Classic speakers powered by

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The evolution continues OS 2 delivered the foundation OS 3 perfects the experience

A simpler, smarter, more sophisticated user experience.

Fast deployment for any size home project. And the best hardware in the business. No one brings it home like Crestron Home powered by OS3.

Introducing Crestron Home, powered by OS 3

All brand names, product names, and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Certain trademarks, registered trademarks, and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Crestron disclaims any proprietary interest in the marks and names of others.

Crestron is not responsible for errors in typography or photography. Š2019 Crestron Electronics, Inc.

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The Harman Luxury Audio group focused on new integrated speakers and the rebirth of the Classic L100

the Arcam SA20. The brand-new Mark Levinson 5000 integrated amp series and the full Arcam HDA range were also featured.

In 1970, JBL released the iconic L100 loudspeaker. Over the years, the L100 became the bestselling loudspeaker in JBL’s history.

In 2018, the company has launched the JBL L100 Classic, a modern take on the concept. We really like this mix of modern technology and retro styling of these large classic Hi-Fi speakers. They wont be for everyone, but as a statement piece of Hi-Fi these certainly will have some fans with their high-quality sound and distinctive looks including the iconic Quadrex foam grille in three different colours.

The SSW-4 in-wall subwoofer has been created to deliver dynamic bass and lifelike realism to home cinema and concealed music systems, courtesy of dual 8in (200mm) Klippel-optimized, metal cone woofers.

The self-contained module with integrated back box makes it easy to retrofit existing installations. The SSW-4 is designed to fit standard 2 x 4 stud frame construction, and the industrial look allows for integration into any in-home application, says the maker. The SSW-4 is designed to be powered by the JBL Synthesis SDA 8300, 8-channel, 300W power amplifier. Each SDA 8300 can power up to eight SSW-4 subwoofers at 300W RMS to offer a complete in-wall solution.

StormAudio had a busy show exhibiting its full hardware range, hosting home theater demos with Alcons Audio and M&K sound, as well as explaining its integration of the Dirac Live calibration tool 2.0 across all its processors.

The cinema demo with Alcons Audio was definitely one of the best at the show and underlined how good this brand can be when asked to really deliver on a top-end home cinema as the team replicated the active 9.1.6 set-up that won AVS Forum’s 2018 CEDIA Expo Best of Show award.

The brand also spent lots of time explaining how all the StormAudio processors now incorporate Dirac Live Room Calibration via the firmware update 3.4r2. This complete overhaul of the Dirac userinterface makes the calibration process easier and more intuitive and can be managed from a laptop. Additional enhancements include a phase correction algorithm for improved stereo reproduction with per speaker pair analysis. Also check out page 18 for a full round up of all the action from StormAudio other brands supported in the UK by Pulse Cinemas.

CYP had lots to shout about with over 40 new products on show, including new innovations and collaborations. Now complete with new desk-top mounting hardware, designed in collaboration with leading office power and lighting specialists CMD, CYP’s new 1600 series 4K UHD AV extenders offer a range of products designed to be used in multiple corporate environments. Differing from other HDBaseT extender products thanks to its user-friendly connectivity and control, once set up, the 1600 series is designed to suit huddle spaces, lecture theatres and meeting rooms. Users can simply plug their devices in to the transmitter (either standard (PUV-1620S-TX), built-in surface mount (PUV-1602TXWP), or via CMD desk-top module (PUV-1630TTX)) and all of the switching, upscaling and control is taken care of via the single Cat6A/7 PoH link to the receiver connected to the display.

CYP is one of the companies backing the SDVoE platform keen on the technology’s ability to handle huge bandwidth over long distances. Whether it is a point-to-point installation, multiple sources feeding multiple displays or a single source feeding a display wall, CYP’s range of SDVoE products, including the SDV-CTRX and SDV-FTRX, both of which can be configured as either receivers or

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Rediscover Your Music CUSTOM INSTALL

CI Features include:

- 12v Triggers - Presets - IR inputs - Interrupts

- Fully-featured automation drivers - Audio inputs - USB Port for Service & Data - Rack Mounting

The Multi-Room HiFi you (and your customers) have been waiting for...

Multi-Room System of the year 2014, 2015, 2016 & 2017

The Bluesound/BluOS Difference...

- Designed for CI and for the end-user - MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) Certified - Hear it as the recording studio intended - NAD Electronics - 45 years experience delivering outstanding amplification & sound quality - Convenience features that users love:- App control, IR control, one-touch presets, headphone jacks and Bluetooth - CI features that installers love:- functional drivers, triggers, interrupts, presets, rack mounting and more - Unique product model - Vault 2 - features built-in CD Ripper, NAS Drive & Streamer - Feature-rich App provides fast time to music

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Distributed and supported in the UK by Anatech Distribution, Unit 12, Teddington Business Park, Station Road, Teddington, London Borough of Richmond, TW11 9BQ

info@anatech.co.uk | +44 (0) 20 8977 8633 | www.anatech.co.uk

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The MA-421 is CYP’s first product to feature its new Control app

transmitters, along with the PRO-F12TX transmitter, PRO-F21RX receiver and PRO-F32 Fiber Matrix, all offer a wide range of solutions.

Now incorporating AVLC technology, the powerful PUV-1082-PRO matrix incorporates a dedicated audio matrix, supports 10 x HDMI inputs, 8 x HDBaseT outputs and 2 x HDMI outputs, all of which are capable of full 4K HDR resolution. CYP also launched its new modular matrix – the ModX-Pro. Allowing installers to specify the number and type of inputs (up to 16 in banks of four – either HDMI or VGA) and outputs (up to 16 in banks of four – HDBaseT, HDBaseT Lite, HDMI or VGA). Complete with total control from its facia, webGUI or RS232 control, the ModX-PRO is made for large AV distribution systems.

An interesting product for the home, CYP’s MA-421 is essentially a ‘mini-matrix’ (i219 mm wide x 156 mm deep x 42 mm tall), with four HDMI inputs, one HDBaseT output with mirrored HDMI output and one HDBaseT output. The first product to include the new CYP Control app, the MA-421 also includes a stereo amplifier, line-level output, IR control and LAN connection, meaning it is suited for installations where minimal fuss, yet serious control, is required.

Control4’s big news was the acquisition of Switzerland-based NEEO, creators of the much admired smart home remote. The move is designed to accelerate the company’s aim to deliver cutting-edge remotes, touch panels, keypads, and other smart home devices.

Unlike some of the other brands the company has acquired such as Pakedge, NEEO will not retain its own brand ident within the company but instead its designs and knowhow will help fuel a new range of Control4 controllers. Control4 was particularly keen to gain structures such as NEEO’s simplistic set up, out-ofbox interoperability with thousands of devices, and its beautifully conceived industrial design. Based in Bern, the NEEO product team has been led by the company’s founder Raphael Oberholzer and will be working with the Control4 engineering group in Salt Lake City on the development of the next-generation of Control4 controls.

NEEO previously sold its remote to homeowners online but is discontinuing all direct-to-consumer distribution in connection with this transaction. Control4 will support existing NEEO customers via www.neeo.com and plans to provide an upgrade path to make it easy for users to experience Control4’s broad array of smart home solutions.

Savant Systems Europe was able to bring dealers up to speed on additions to its platform including improvements on the iPadbased quick configuration tool. The accessibility and portability of a tablet-based solution such as Savant Studio increases productivity by enabling junior techs to manage S2 host-based system configuration, freeing senior technicians to address more complex assignments in the field. Studio now features a Smart Behaviors Editor, enabling integrators to create customised workflows that improve configuration efficiency. Examples include the capability to automatically raise/lower a motorised lift when a TV is powered on/off, or creating an audible and/or visual alert when the doorbell has been pressed. Working in conjunction with Savant’s cloud-based central management portal (SCM), user preferences such as Savant Scenes, customised Savant Pro App photos and other Studio configuration parameters can all be stored in the cloud for fast, easy access.

Savant Studio also supports a new feature enabling the S2 host to create a secure, wireless connection to the Savant Pro Remote and other wireless devices without requiring access to the client’s Wi-Fi network—a feature often requested by Savant integrators.

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Essential Install | Install TVs

Philips continues to plough its own very particular farrow in the high-quality TV market

Tube way army

It’s TV time again. With so many options available, EI takes stock of some of the sets setting the pace for the install sector.

With distribution deals with Panasonic, LG, Samsung, and Sony, distributor AWE has plenty to offer here, all of which can be seen at the company’s demo space.

The new Samsung QLED 8K TV has screens ranging from 65in to 85in delivering some impressive stats (33 million pixels) and images with four times the resolution of 4K via their OLED screens. Often when manufacturers offer an upgrade such as 8K, there can be a collective sigh from the industry in that consumers are only just starting to get to terms with an existing format (4K) and another upgrade at this time can be confusing. However, EI feels here that the improvements are so good that it’s worth taking the time to get the message over. It’s not like the sets wont play 4K as well, and also with the Samsung, the up-scaling tech is good. The key performance note here is that the Samsung uses technology that is created to reduce 8K images down to 4K; in simple terms just reversing the technique to upgrade images when required. Samsung says that the process is accurate and produces natural looking results.

Samsung’s Quantum Processor 8K not only intelligently optimises picture quality and sound, but also connects to other home devices and provides new TV viewing suggestions and experiences. When not in use, the TV blends into the home thanks to its Ambient Mode function.

Samsung’s The Frame offers another neat option with UHD TV performance and functionality, providing the elegance to enhance a residential space, as its Art Mode function transforms the TV into a picture frame complete with artwork when the TV is not in use.

The SmartView app allows content to be controlled, and personal photos can be uploaded via smartphone devices, whilst a built-in motion sensor detects personal presence and turns the screen off to save energy when no one is in the room. The Frame’s interchangeable custom frame bezels are available in black as standard, as well as walnut, beige wood, and white colour finishes.

The Near-Invisible cable also provides a neat solution, meaning The Frame has the flexibility to be placed almost anywhere in the room because the single, transparent optical cable connects to the One Connect Box which itself connects to all external devices.

AWE has made much of its close relationship with Sony and the new Sony Master Series OLED AF9 and LCD ZF9 are a key part of that. These TVs feature Sony’s Picture Processor X1 Ultimate, which enhances the brightness, colour, and detail of each object on the screen for a realistic picture. Paired with Pixel Contrast Booster and a Triluminos Display, colour contrast is also enhanced.

Sony also includes its Acoustic Surface technology which uses the screen itself as a speaker. Utilising this

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Essential Install | Install TVs

One of the makers leading the 8K charge is Samsung

technology, the picture and sound become one, and it does deliver an interesting experience especially when vocals or music are playing a big part of the content.

Both the AF9 and ZF9 can be controlled with Android Oreo and Amazon Alexa, and are compatible with a variety of HDR formats, including HDR10, Hybrid LogGamma and Dolby Vision.

From the Panasonic range, AWE picks out the new Panasonic Master 4K Pro HDR TV which features Panasonic’s Wide Colour Phosphor Technology designed to generate subtle, naturally toned images with accurate detail, whilst the Auto Brightness Enhancer adjusts video in response to ambient light in the viewing environment to enhance the HDR experience. Backlit control and signal processing combine for strong contrast, brightness and image depth.

The Panasonic Master HDR TV can be controlled via Bluetooth Audio Link which connects a wireless speaker to the TV display, without the need for a complicated audio setup. It is also compatible with 4K video streaming from third-party providers, including YouTube, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

AWE also points to the new LG Signature Wallpaper OLED TV, an ultra-thin panel screen which sits just 4mm from the wall, whilst all the TV’s technology, speakers, and connections are housed in a separate Dolby Atmos OLED Hub. The set also has LG AI natural language processing which means viewers can access TV content and services easier than ever before.

Habitech highlights the advantages of the wellestablished Aquavision brand which has evolved from being a supplier of wet area TVs to a full lifestyle brand in its own right. The current range is still waterproof up to IP66, but today it addresses the desire for the seamless integration of TV screens with every space, including outdoor areas. When you think Aquavision, Habitech advises, think beautifully discreet décor-matching in-wall TV, literally anywhere.

The brand’s Horizon family has six sizes (32in, 43in, 55in, 65in, 85in and 100in), a choice of either 1080p and 4K UHD resolution, and two brightness levels: standard (500 cd/m2) and high brightness (2000 cd/m2). All the sets have an anti-reflective LED screen and anti-glare glass. Horizon incorporates an optional accessory slot for balans, DM receivers, and HDBaseT receivers, enabling integration with operating systems whilst still retaining its signature waterproof qualities. Not only do all Aquavision High Brightness Horizon screens incorporate heaters enabling them to be stored and operational in extremely cold environments, but they also come with Comprehensive Thermal Management (CTM), which monitors humidity and temperature, and automatically adjusts where necessary. There is also Advanced Daylight Sensing Technology (ADST) that monitors and automatically adjusts screen brightness to ambient light level.

Optional speaker brackets will accommodate a choice of speakers either on the sides or below each screen.

This fully IP66 rated outdoor TV range can withstand even the harshest operating temperatures between -40°C (-40°F) and 110°C (230°F).

The Aquavision built-in kitchen range is also worth checking out. Sets are from 16in to 43in and designed to fit a multitude of kitchen cupboard sizes. The

Aquavision has added new technologies and invested in new glass printing technology

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Essential Install | Install TVs

Loewe sets can create a unique audio curve for each viewer

ingenious part is that when installed they become the cupboard door, and they’re powered to rise above the storage space when access is required. All models are IP66 rated with heated screens to prevent misting. They also include features such as Discrete IR, RS232 and full IP control, and are available in the Genesis, Nexus and Pinnacle Smart TV platforms.

The other big news from Aquavision its a significant investment (100K, the company tells EI) on new printing equipment for its bespoke glass products.

Alastair Benn, Managing Director for the company tells EI, “These are now finished to a standard that our competitors can only dream of! All competitor glass is finished by hand masking out areas and then spray painted. This leaved jagged/feathered edges around the viewing window. We digitally print at 1200dpi to give a perfect edge.”

The new machine is also a full CMYK unit so it can print any colour and also deliver full colour pictures and graphics for use in kitchen splashbacks and kids bedrooms.

The company is also proud of its Made In Britain status and is always happy to show interested parties around its factory. All the products come with a twoyear in-home warranty with service/repairs done by Aquavision’s own technicians.

Picture Frame TV continues with its regular hidden TV products, but now also offers a new concept called Vanity MirrorTV. The concept for this is that it’s an easy to install freestanding unit mainly for bedrooms; easy to install as the unit sits on top of an existing dresser or table and can switch between practical vanity mirror and TV. The set is available in mirror or black onyx glass if required. This is for situations where the user wants to display the unit in an area of the home where they don’t need a mirror, but still want the TV to look like a piece of furniture. The unit will also be available in a classic design frame to suit more traditional rooms. Also look out for a new bathroom TV that the company hopes to exhibit at EI Live!

Exclusively available to the install sector via Pulse Cinemas, Loewe is a brand that works hard to set itself apart from the crowd, with loads of exclusive tech and strong styling. The brand can be experienced at Pulse HQ, and the stand-alone set in the reception area is really impressive, but also the brand is fully integrated into Pulse’s demo facilities in its media room, so its strengths in that area can be discovered.

Some recent innovations from the brand include a world first with integrated sound personalisation. This tech has been created with the leading hearing authority, Mimi Hearing Technologies, to create MimiDefined. Tailored to individual listening needs, MimiDefined produces a personalised TV experience. The concept is based on the idea that if an image looked blurry, one would reach for one’s glasses; but few pay the same attention to hearing.

Loewe says that with MimiDefined, every detail can now be heard and experienced with a clearer, warmer and more balanced result. This software is now available across all existing Loewe models.

Other attractive features on the Loewe line-up include IP drivers for Control 4, Crestron and Savant while API, RS232 and IR documentation are available. The brand’s range of stand solutions, including some motorised options plus the integration of the Loewe OS with Vogel’s motorised wall mount are also pluses.

Loewe TVs also offer integration with its audio systems, with auto-detection via the TV remote control, which has an integrated 5.1 audio decoder and optional wireless connectivity.

Lyon based luxury mirror TV manufacturer, AGATH, is enjoying continued success in the commercial and residential display markets. Last year saw the company add fresh technologies employed across the range.

The seventh glass type available for the TVs is UltraClear. UK distributor Custom AV Distribution says this option gives the ultimate in TV and movie image quality available from a mirror finish. It also comes with a frame, and is suited to the brighter rooms in a property.

46 | March 2019 Install TVs.indd 46

19/02/2019 12:33

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Essential Install | Install TVs

AGATH’s Mirror Touch technology won ‘Dedicated Touch Screen of the Year’ at the 2018 Smart Building awards. Available on all sizes of screen, this solution is suited for many applications around the home where the screen can be used for the control system negating the need for another smaller touchscreen on the same wall or in the same room. Mirror Touch can be controlled even with wet hands, in a kitchen or bathroom. Christophe Poitevin, MD of AGATH comments, “There are many types of touch screen technologies, as seen on phones, laptops and the like. At AGATH we spent many months in R&D to find the perfect interface to integrate between our displays and mirrors.”

Lastly, a brand-new model of mirror TV is now available. The VAL4, which stands for Vision & Luxury, with the 4 representing the 43in model, provides a strong value 1080P AGATH mirror TV for commercial projects. An on-wall solution provides options to have a solid Corian surround, or wooden or metal frames to hide all TV edges and cables. VAL4 comes with a built-in Dolby stereo audio system, DVB tuners and control by IR. When Philips TV’s 2nd gen P5 equipped OLED TVs were launched, eyebrows were raised with this comeback brand driven under-license by TP Vision offering some top performing TVs in 2018 with the 803 & 903 models winning more than 43 awards and two independent ‘blind’ picture shoot-outs.

New for Philips 2019 OLED TVs is a 3rd generation of the P5, implemented in a special two-chip arrangement that maintains the optimised order of processing of the original P5, but adds additional computational power to key intensive parts of the processing chain – to produce what the maker says is a 20% PQ improvement over the 2nd generation P5 chip.

Also new for 2019 is the inclusion of Dolby Vision, allowing Philips to offer all current forms of HDR functionality – HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision & HLG – across the entire TV range, from the new OLED sets to the latest 6000 series.

The original Philips TV P5 engine was designed to analyse and individually address each of the five pillars that together define overall picture quality; source perfection, sharpness, colour, contrast and motion.

Third generation P5 brings improved noise reduction, sharpness and contrast to all sources, including PQ improvements for Philips Perfect Natural Reality feature, plus better HDR performance. The third generation P5 engine will bring outstanding PQ processing to both HDR10 & HDR10+ sources and, for the first time, to Dolby Vision enabled content, says their creator.

For sharpness performance, the original P5’s Detail Enhancer feature has been further improved by adding a Detail Protection and Restoration function to the original Detail Meter, to ensure better results when transforming the original pixels into better, sharper pixels. A new Dejaggy filter is also said to be especially effective when applied to low and high angle diagonal lines.

Contrast, and in particular the unique Perfect Natural Reality feature, has also been improved by a new specular detection function plus better region classification and skin tone protection in conjunction with inverse tone mapping.

For HDR content, the 3rd gen P5 removes the problem of loss of detail in very dark areas, ensures there’s no colour clipping in very bright and colourful scenes and removes any unwanted banding or gradients on skin tones.

TP Vision says the Philips TV PQ team has worked in close partnership with Dolby to enable the key benefits of P5 to deliver a spectacular viewing experience while retaining artistic intent.

The 3rd generation P5 can also improve SDR and HDR 10/HDR10+ images with less noise, with picture quality that is both sharper and smoother.

This year also sees other enhancements, via sound by Bowers & Wilkins, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, Android Pie and Alexa Built-in.

As well as the more powerful 3rd generation P5 processor, the 2019 line up adds more sets featuring sound

by Bowers and Wilkins, plus Android Pie (9) coming to Philips Android TVs and Alexa built-in coming to Philips Saphi Smart TV platform, as well as Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos included in more than 90% of the 2019 range.

Invision is a distribution company that has long held a significant role in the supply of TVs into the install sector.

From its current line up it also points to the power of the Samsung brand with the QLED range and in particular the Q900R 8K models (65in 75in and 85in). Invision also highlights the Sony Master Series AF9 OLED, 55in and 65in models. Powered by the Picture Processor X1 Ultimate, this high-quality TV pairs the deep black and natural colour of OLED with Pixel Contrast Booster for enhanced colour contrast in high luminance. Just like other suppliers, Invision is keen for installers to experience for themselves the Acoustic Surface Audio technology woven into these screens via its three screen actuators and two subwoofers. This set does seriously challenge the idea that you need a sound-bar or similar booster to get decent sound from a TV and of course provides the opportunity for a cleaner finish without the need for extra tech around the set.

Invision also highlights the Sony Professional BZ35FT range (43in – 85in). These are not available in retail, so represent an opportunity to increase margins. With X1 processor, Edge LED and Android 7.0, these are exclusive to Invision and come with a five year advanced replacement warranty, full IP control and Tier 1 support.

Another strong pick from the Invision family is the LG E8 range (55in and 65in). Powered by the only OLED specific processor in the market, the A9, it allows for clear and sharp images with accurate colour and detailed HDR images. Control4 certified, the sets offer a floating glass design, with Dolby Vision and Google Assistant built in.

Other TV news

Launched at the Las Vegas CES show this year, LG had a concept that garnered a lot of attention with its Signature ‘Rollable’ 65R9 OLED. This design unrolls at the touch of a button and then retracts when no longer in use. Now, the install sector has for a long time had to itself the ability to neatly hide a TV and reveal it only when needed, so it’s worth taking a look at the potential of this technology as it may have impact.

Shown in a 65in guise, the same tech will work at other sizes. What we also don’t know is how durable and long lasting the mechanism inside is; will it stand being opened and shut without issue for the whole life of the set? The maker argues its cabinet is of high-quality with an aluminium finish, while the speaker drivers are hidden behind acoustically transparent Kvadrat cloth. Another trick the TV has to offer is full screen extension or ‘Line View’ when the screen only reveals a quarter of its full screen size.

This is meant for music playback where it’s only necessary to show track and album information, clock and weather info. Weaker points on the screen is that it cannot deliver 21:9 viewing for movies. All in all, it’s a decent step forward and could provide some interesting placement options.

Many of the consumer-focused journals that have heaped praise on the set have based their assessment on the fact

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01/03/2019 10:10

Essential Install | Install TVs

Sony’s ZG9 delivers some impressive stats

that it rolls up. Whilst acknowledging this is a neat trick, having seen many TVs revealed in all sort of ways, and with quite a bit more style and integration, EI does not see this as a threat to our sector, but it could be a useful tool given the right circumstances.

Also being announced around the time of CES, Sony announced additions coming to the Master Series in the form of 98in and 85in ZG9 8K HDR LED TVs and 77in, 65in and 55in AG9 4K HDR OLED TVs. These sets have Netflix Calibrated Mode and IMAX Enhanced and all the sets of course feature the Picture Processor X1.

In order to deliver premium picture quality in such extra-large screens, Sony is introducing extra resolution with its first consumer 8K HDR television. But it is not just resolution that matters. As screen sizes get larger the processor plays an even greater role in delivering good picture quality. Utilising a proprietary algorithm, the Picture Processor X1 Ultimate has been optimised to handle the 33 million pixels of 8K. And the same processor enables the newly developed 8K X-Reality PRO to up-scale any content closer to true 8K picture quality using a new, dedicated 8K database to refer to for more precise, detailed upscaling.

In addition, new dedicated 8K technologies have been developed for the ZG9 series, including Backlight Master Drive with full-array local dimming and 8K X-tended Dynamic Range PRO. The Backlight Master Drive on the ZG9 has ultra-dense LED modules which are independently controlled, delivering high contrast with punchy brightness and pitch blacks. To leverage the most out of this backlight system, 8K X-tended Dynamic Range PRO uses the saved energy to boost the brightness in the areas where it needs it. Taking the experience gained from its OLED’s Acoustic Surface Audio, Sony has expanded the concept to the ZG9 Full Array LED TV with Acoustic Multi-Audio. To deliver the Sound-from-Picture Reality experience, the new Acoustic Multi-Audio on the ZG9 utilises four front-facing speakers. Viewers should hear the sound coming from the screen, and not where the speaker is located, says Sony. In addition, the ZG9 has a TV Centre Speaker Mode for home cinema. Also enhancing the sound experience is Dolby Atmos compatibility via a future software update.

The AG9 is now Sony’s flagship 4K HDR OLED TV available in 77in, 65in, and 55in sizes, in a slim form factor.

Key features include a super-wide viewing angle, precise contrast and the strong blacks of OLED technology. Over 8 million self-illuminating pixels are precisely and individually controlled by the Picture Processor X1 Ultimate. In addition to the processor, the AG9 has Pixel Contrast Booster for more colour and contrast in bright areas. The processor improves SD and HD content closer to 4K HDR quality and shows 4K HDR content with strong clarity.

Acoustic Surface Audio+ provides the immersive sound experience and like its cousin also can act a centre channel for home cinema.

The AG9 is very slim in depth; when wall-mounted using the SU-WL850 wall mount system, it will fit close to the wall at around half the distance of Sony’s previous model. Furthermore, in order to bring the best viewing position and flexible usage, SU-WL850 has a swivel functionality so that the TV’s position can be adjusted as preferred.

For picture quality, the AG9 pairs 4K clarity with the brightness, colour, and detail of High Dynamic Range (HDR). Previously hidden areas of dark shadow and sunlight are now offer more clarity and detail. The ZG9, the AG9 also have the Netflix Calibrated Mode, IMAX Enhanced, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos compatibility.

AWE Europe: 01372 729995, awe-europe.com Habitech 01256 638 500, habitech.co.uk Aquavision, 0161 7111 900, aquavision.tv Picture Frame.TV 0208 1446 060, pictureframe.tv Pulse Cinemas 01279 647 039, pulsecinemas.com Loewe +44 (0)3331 230 220, loewe-uk.com/uk Custom AV Distribution 01628 563344, cavd.co.uk Sony 01932 816 000, sony.co.uk LG 01753 491 500, lg.com/uk

50 | March 2019 Install TVs.indd 50

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Essential Install | Sart Thinking: Crestron

Let’s talk about Flex, maybe

Experienced Crestron Master Programmer, automation expert and founder of Clever Rooms, Cliff Stammers, introduces EI to the maker’s brand-new commercial-focused Crestron Flex range.

Crestron has introduced a smart new range for office installs

Crestron has got to be one of the busiest companies that operate in our industry today. The people that populate its research and development department probably last saw their families sometime back in the nineties, as they strive to produce technology that not only impresses upon release, but quite often change the rules of the game.

With Crestron Flex, and more predominantly with the supplementary, IoT-based deployment and management service, Crestron XiO Cloud, it looks like they have gone and done it again. Only this time they’ve chopped away the brambles and planted some new ideas in the over populated garden of unified communications.

So, what is Flex all about? Well, Crestron Flex is a host of products which, when looked at in their entirety, follow the same concept that has held Crestron in good stead for many years now: take an idea and simplify it until it is stripped bare of all superfluous complexity and focusses on its intended application.

Crestron Flex is a no nonsense, one-touch unified communications platform that natively hosts Microsoft Teams, Skype for Business and Zoom applications.

It succeeds in consolidating a host of third-party software packages, and representing them in an allencompassing solution.

There are four tenets around which the Crestron Flex product has been developed. In order to give you a proper insight in to the product, I’m going to focus here on the smart soundbar, the B100 Series, which sits in the middle of the range, catering to between four and 20 people.

The Flex B100 Series is a smart soundbar product that sits at the front of any meeting room and pairs with a 10in touchscreen hosting a configurable interface that can be selected via the Crestron XiO Cloud service and can accommodate Microsoft Teams or Zoom Rooms making things predictable to operate.

It also means that if you encounter any niggles there will be a support person available that won’t be relying on guess work to understand how the system has been programmed, as they will already know due to the native user experience of the interface.

The B100 Series, like the M100 Series, supports beam forming microphones that can pinpoint a voice accurately, even if it’s the shy guy who is timidly whispering from the back of the room, holding his shaking hand in the air.

The Camera on the B100 Series is a wide-angle, 4K Huddly IQ auto-zoom camera that was developed in conjunction with Intel specifically for conferencing applications.

Video runs at 1080p 30fps latency, which is not at all bad but doesn’t give you time to kill the feed to the far end if you’ve accidentally made an insulting gesture to someone! Plans are being made to make this camera upgradable to 4K in the coming months.

The M-Series comes in two flavours, an M150 AV one and an audio-only one: the M100. Both of these products support 360° arrayed, speaker and microphone set-ups.

Content sharing, too, is very simple insofar as you really do just connect your source input (which Crestron are probably correctly assuming will be laptop based) and then you can easily manage when to share content with a single button-press from the touchscreen interface.

A little further back down the scale is an interesting innovation from Crestron that is quite a surprise to see, and that is a desktop telephone with a touchscreen attached to it.

This is the Flex P100 Series and this too runs Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business natively, which together with all your existing contact and calendars makes for a very neat, centralised and quite personal place to reach out to multiple parties simultaneously.

Then at the top of the range is a further innovation, the flagship product Crestron Flex C100 Series. This takes the same concept but expands it to cater for enterprise installations all the way up to the size of auditoria.

But one thing I’ve not even mentioned yet is something that is, to my mind, the crowning glory of the entire Crestron Flex product concept, and that is that Flex products are infinitely manageable through the developing Crestron cloud-based management platform, the Crestron XiO Cloud.

And it is this utility, built-in conjunction with Microsoft and using the predominant Azure platform, that holds some impressive power for consumers of Crestron products going forward.

Crestron XiO Cloud hosts some extremely intuitive tools and utilities to support the provisioning, the management and the scalability of devices right across the range of modern-day Crestron products. But that, as they say, is another story for another day.

Crestron 0845 873 8787, crestron.eu

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11/02/2019 10:54

Essential Install | Training

Learn to earn

Training continues to be a central part of success in the install sector. EI takes a look at some of the companies and courses that can take projects to the next level.

Amina HQ and distributor Redline are both fully equipped with demo facilities

HowToAV has been celebrating some big numbers

Trade association, CEDIA is launching a new, online learning platform and additional courses to create a more relevant and intuitive training experience. The learning management system (LMS) and course offerings are part of the organisation’s strategy to boost industry professionalism and skill-up the workforce, while creating pathways toward CEDIA certification.

“CEDIA is aggressively focussed on raising the bar for industry training and the new LMS and courses are key to these efforts,” says Senior Vice President of Education and Certification at CEDIA, Tom Darling. “We’re making educational opportunities more accessible than ever before to help build a pipeline of qualified talent.”

The new LMS includes tools to customise course selection based on occupation and experience level.

Tom says the platform is better in several ways, including offering virtual instructor-led training where participants learn live from qualified instructors anywhere in the world.

The LMS supports 58 different languages enabling CEDIA to translate its content for a more global audience and is optimised for laptops, tablets, or smartphones.

Launching first are new entry-level courses including: Jobsite Basics, Introduction to Home Theatre, Basic Networking and Systems Control, Introduction to Audio, Introduction to Video, Introduction to Wiring and Cabling, Introduction to Sales and Marketing, Finance for the NonFinancial Manager, Building Your Brand, Mastering Cash Flow, Increasing Productivity Through Efficiency, Introduction to Project Management, and Hiring the Right People.

The courses are designed to avoid ‘death by PowerPoint’ style by engaging learners in formats that read more like web pages or social media feeds. The content, written and reviewed by industry leaders, aims to engage participants in their career fields — think technician, owner, salesperson, or project manager. The scheme is designed to offer clearly delineated options to ensure relevance.

One year ago, CEDIA unveiled its three-year plan and education and workforce-building initiatives are key. The online training platform and new course offerings will complement initiatives like a programme in the EMEA region built on the Smart Home Technician Apprenticeship standard that recently received approval from the Institute of Apprenticeships.

The first slate of new courses is due to be rolled out in the coming weeks and dozens more will debut monthly with a full 70 courses available by the end of 2019.

Hidden speaker specialist, Amina says training needs to be an experience, especially when the product involved in something rather more unusual. Amina prefers face-toface training in a location with demo facilities where the the products speak for themselves.

The aim of Amina training is to provide confidence to sell, specify and install Amina speakers. A comprehensive demonstration is a key part of the training, so installers can fully appreciate the different price performance points available and the range of installation options, such as to plaster over, plaster up to, or behind different surfaces such as wood, wood veneer or even sheet concrete, enabling them to discuss all available options with clients.

The full day training is typically run either at company HQ in Huntingdon or at the maker’s UK distribution partner’s facility Redline in Wickford. Both locations offer comprehensive stereo and Dolby Atmos demonstrations together with installation training walls. Regular training dates are offered and published for the latter.

Occasionally training roadshows are held to support clients based further from either of these locations, such as in Scotland or Wales.

For larger projects, more bespoke, onsite training is offered specifically supporting those members of the team doing an actual installation. Tuition is then tailored to the specific requirements of the project. ‘We help installers think on their feet on site”, says Martin Morecroft, Redline’s MD. ‘When they find the plasterboard depth or joist spacing is different to what had been expected, for example, we have solutions.”

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Essential Install | Training

To reinforce training, Amina provides quick-start guides on all products to enable the installer to have quick access to relevant videos and full instruction manuals from the website.

Launched just over three years ago, HowToAV.tv, has recently passed its first one million views landmark for its AV training and advice videos. Conceived by distributor CIE, the service is designed to complement the company’s free nationwide programme of technical training academies. With the announcement of its nationwide AVover-IP training programme for 2019, the initiative enters its fifth year. Chris Edwards, Marketing Director at CIE, says, “The two strands of our training offering complement each other perfectly. With HowToAV.tv we are satisfying the appetite of a global audience looking for easy-access AV training and advice, and with our training academy programme we are physically meeting people and delivering practical, face-to-face training. This combination is paying off as the growing number of attendees signing up for our training academies and the viewing figures for HowToAV.tv continue to grow.”

Haysfield happenings

HDANYWHERE plans to offer unified whole-home entertainment systems training throughout 2019 from its new HDANYWHERE HQ ‘The Haysfield’ in Malvern. Due to be finished in the next couple of weeks, in addition to various R&D labs, an experience centre and product testing facilities, the new home also includes purposebuilt rooms for classroom-based theory and practical hands-on product training.

New one-day and two-day courses are being created to better reflect the wider capabilities and functionality of MHUB video and audio (V&A) whole-home entertainment systems.

The courses are being written and delivered by HDA Founder, Chris Pinder and uControl creator, Dillan Pattni and cover topics such as selling the benefits of MHUB systems over other multiroom AV solutions. Fundamentals include first fix wiring, effective use of video scaling in multi-zone installs, creating stacked MHUB video and audio systems, configuring the uControl universal remote app, sequences (macros), voice control, and brilliant integration with third-party control systems and harnessing the power of MHUB’s expanded IO options.

Loads happening training wise with the HDANYWHERE team this year. Chris Pinder (left) and Dillan Pattni

Coures will also take place at the AWE Smart Home Academy in the South East.

Chris explains, “With HDA hardware now capable of delivering multi-zone 4K HDR video distribution, audio distribution and amplification, as well as universal AV control and advanced third-party control system integration with IO expansion, we felt it was time to radically update our HDA Pro education approach.”

Dillan adds, “We’re designing this course to focus on HDA’s hardware and software ecosystem specifically. The course content, tips and hacks you will learn with us can only be applied on our kit. As such, it differs greatly from other more-generic HDMI distribution training.”

Distributor RGB Communications delivers a comprehensive programme covering its range of brands including Lutron, Savant, ClearOne, Pakedge and Middle Atlantic. All courses are created as hands on experiences especially for courses such as the Savant Technical Core training.

For RGB’s Networking and Wi-Fi course and Middle Atlantic – integrating the rack course, attendees gain Cedia CEU credits. The Lutron Homework’s QS course teaches the Homework’s QS software to installers who wish to design, specify, and program Lutron’s HomeWorks QS residential total light control system. Delegates must complete the online modules contained within learningplan LP 740 before attending this course. Qualification is achieved after attending this course by completing and passing the online exam.

All the courses take place at RGB’s training centre in Lambourn, purpose built to accommodate up to 15 attendees’ alongside the equipment they need to complete the course.

RGB’s tutors are well respected in the industry, with experienced technical backgrounds and a complete understanding of the challenges that customers face.

For the Lutron Homework’s QS course, there is an online pre-qualification that involves a series of modules that explain the Homework’s QS system architecture and must be completed prior to attending the three-day course. In order to achieve qualification and to receive access to the Homework’s QS software, attendees must pass the online qualification exam. With Savant, RGB also has a series of online modules that the dealer has to complete prior to attending the Savant accreditation course. RGB can also deliver onsite training if there is a requirement from a dealer whose staff are unable to attend the training centre.

Custom AV Distribution is offering a new course this year by way of an introduction to the family of highquality AV brands in its portfolio.

The course takes the form of a one-day workshop with Wayne Hyde, the company’s technical manager. Wayne will be sharing audio tips; helping professionals to deliver better sound systems for clients. At the booking stage, the course content can be discussed, and then tailored to suit the attendees.

The idea behind the course was to address some of the common audio mistakes seen in residential CI from the most basic installations through to high-end projects. CAVD says it can be surprising what slips through the net, so the company is keen to share tips to help installers avoid common mistakes and deliver a better sound.

Wayne explains, “As well as the above, we’d like to address another issue with CI and AV training. Integrators often send one or two staff members on training courses with a view to them coming back and telling everyone else what they learnt on the course.

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“The problem is that this rarely happens in our experience, so you are left with different members of staff having different knowledge bases. Inevitably, this can mean that not all projects are completed the same way.

Our one-day training course is for all of your staff that are involved in audio, to help your company as a whole. Once booked, the training is for attendance on the day by your organisation exclusively.”

The course is designed to support residential AV engineers who are installing stereo, multiroom and surround sound systems. This course could also be good for sales staff, project managers and anyone who has an influence on the set up of a sound system. The course consists of a hands-on workshop, all working together, running many listening tests, experiments and demonstrations in the CAVD cinema and media rooms.

There will also be opportunities to ask questions and debate methods.

For stereo/multi-room applications, those on the course will learn about multiple ways to recognise when an audio system has been connected ‘out-of-phase’, how to recognise problematic frequencies and apply equalisation to an audio signal, using EQ, and many other useful subjects.

For surround sound, the course looks at what the demands are on the main LCR speakers, surround channel connections, when to use balanced versus unbalanced connections and how to recognise when balanced connections are faulty. The course also looks at source connections and settings, checking subwoofer settings and how to calibrate surround sound for more than one ‘sweet spot’.

The price for the course is £350 + VAT for a full day with up to eight attendees. Dates are arranged to suit attendees and tea, coffee, biscuits and lunch are included too. Interested parties can book by emailing info@cavd. co.uk quoting course ref AUDTIPS1.

Control4 says that technologies, devices, and installation practices require a solid foundation on top of regular updates; smart home isn’t possible to learn through a single class or online curriculum. Control4 says it offers an extensive multi-tier education program worldwide in order to help integrators build careers that will last.

Control4 starts technicians off with an online Associate Installer Certification to get their feet wet and to learn what Control4 has to offer. Next, technicians receive a week of Instructor-Led Training (ILT) where each participant receives a rack full of home automation equipment to learn on. Along with hands-on training, there is conceptual learning with participation-based activities; for example, ILT learners begin ZigBee mesh design with a real-world emulation of ZigBee communication routes by tossing balls to each other around the classroom based on the rules of ZigBee. This form of instruction is designed to engage the brain through active learning instead of passive listening.

When certification is completed from the full-week education program, technicians have the knowledge to build, program, and support a Control4 system. Control4 supplements these certification courses with online Smart Skills videos, for fast, three-minute instruction on a variety of tasks.

Control4 also offers additional technical instruction for building and supporting home networks with Pakedge Certified Networking Administration (PCNA). The PCNA program takes a hybrid approach of hands-on learning with a kit of network equipment sent to the technician

side-by-side with interactive online instruction. The curriculum guides technicians through six courses including essentials of network foundations, configuring switches, routers, and wireless access points, using remote monitoring tools and planning a network. Once certified, technicians should be able to build high-functioning, robust home networks.

Crestron has also recently added to its training with course tracks for different areas of specialisation, be it design, integration, or programming. With the DigitalMedia platform for example, students have the option to become a certified designer, technician, or engineer.

One of the popular newer courses is DM NVX Design and Application, in which students learn about the features of secure network AV technology and how to design and deploy systems with it. Also new is a one-day DigitalMedia Networking Certification course, which covers networking components, designing a network, network topology, unicast and multicast, network applications and troubleshooting. With these two courses, Crestron says students come away with everything they need to know about network AV, including IT network fundamentals, network security, switch configuration, and DM NVX endpoint configuration.

Certification and qualification is a big part of Crestron’s program. Crestron Training Institute (CTI) certifications ensure students have achieved the right levels of expertise in whatever area they pursue. For example, successful completion of the DMC-T course grants DM Certified Technician status. In this course students get hands-on training on copper and fibre termination, plus gain a deeper understanding of installation requirements. The Crestron Certified Programmer track takes students through a series of foundation courses all the way through advanced programming, culminating in a certification exam.

As a result, there are over 1,300 Crestron Certified Programmers worldwide.

Courses take place in-class and online. In 2019, Crestron’s focus is to evolve and expand its online/ interactive model with short videos on whatever students need to learn. Courses are also taken on the road including at ISE and InfoComm and the company holds its Crestron Master Programmers events each year, one in the US and the other in Europe as a hot house for some of the company’s top programmers.

Ivory Egg has launched a new KNX based four track training initiative to help installers develop all the skills they need to sell, specify, commission and maintain KNX projects.

Following the release of the KNX Association’s update to the standardised KNX Basic and Advanced Courses, Ivory Egg has taken the opportunity to refresh its program including introducing a brand-new course developed specifically for the UK integrator.

The new Sales and Specification Course has been developed, with the aim of making winning and designing a first KNX project easier and more productive.

A wide range of topics are covered in this one-day course, including constructive methods for selling KNX systems, what information is required to know and relay to other parts in the building process, alongside the correct product specifications when delivering a residential KNX system.

This new course is designed to be run in parallel with the KNX Basic Course, but is suitable for anyone looking to sell, quote or design KNX projects quickly and/or autonomously.

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My KNX Store offers a range of KNX focused courses

Another KNX focused company, My KNX Store is a wholesaler for the platform but also has its training academy offering a range of KNX courses. The most popular is the five-day Fast Track Certification course for those new to KNX. This course is comprised of various theoretical and practical workshops based on the KNX programming software ETS and concludes with a theoretical and practical exam at the end of the week.

The company says successful graduates leave with an extensive knowledge of the ETS software and will be able to design and install a KNX system. My KNX Store is also very proud to hold a 100% pass rate.

The My KNX Store team also understand that sometimes it is hard to commit to a full week out of the office or away from site. To help with this, the Fast Track course can be divided into three individual courses, a Foundation, Intermediate and Certification course. This allows installers to gain KNX Partner Certification but spread training across a longer schedule.

Each course at the My KNX Store Training Academy is limited to a class size of seven to ensure a positive experience and there is one-to-one tuition throughout the course. The My KNX Store team believe in building strong relationships with their trainees and offer project and technical support as companies start to offer KNX solutions to their clients.

In addition to KNX training, the training academy also offers KNX product training courses working with key suppliers including Gira, Theben Schneider and ABB. These are a good way for those already working within the KNX industry to expand product knowledge and get hands on with the latest KNX products on the market.

As part of its ProDesign service, Optoma runs technical training for installers on complex projection techniques such as edge blending, warping around domes and mapping, but also for the installation of LED displays.

The projection techniques training tends to be bespoke to the installer and can be either at Optoma’s HQ near Hemel Hempstead or at a suitable off-site venue.

Ross Noonan, Technical Product Specialist, explains, “The content and format of the projection training we offer to installers is completely tailored to their needs at that time.”

In contrast, Optoma’s LED Display Training level one and two is more structured with set dates throughout the year that ProAV and home installers can book onto. The training day, which takes place at Optoma’s HQ, is free to attend and gives installers the opportunity to broaden their practical and theoretical understanding of installing LED displays.

Attendees learn what’s involved in specifying an LED display, the pitfalls to avoid and how the resolution and aspect ratio impact content creation. They get hands-on with the practical sessions in the afternoon installing LED displays in Optoma’s dedicated LED display training room.

Ross says, “We only offer a maximum of ten places per session and training includes both product information as well as practical sessions. This personal approach ensures installers get a thorough understanding of each stage of the process and, following the training, are equipped with the skills needed to install LED displays. This may allow them to expand what they offer to their customers.”

80% of installers who had little experience in LED displays and attended Optoma’s training event in November confirmed that, following the training, they would be fully confident installing one. John Cronk from Osborne Technology, says “Everything was really clear.

Really good demos. I would now be totally confident installing an Optoma LED display.”

Rako is a company with a strong training reputation holding regular one-day sessions at its HQ in Rochester to support its range of intelligent lighting systems. There are two types of courses run this year, a Foundation course which is an ‘Introduction to Lighting Controls’ and an Advanced course that will cover the wired product range. The advanced course is specifically aimed at installers with previous Rako programming knowledge and the completion of the Rako ‘Introduction to Lighting Controls’ course is recommended before taking on the advanced program.

The foundation course covers different lighting types/ loads, including tungsten, low voltage transformers, fluorescents and LEDs. This course also looks at uses of lighting control such as home cinema, multi-room and garden as well as running through Rako’s dimming products – dimmers, wall plates and AV interfaces. The foundation also takes in programming a single room from a keypad and with the RASOFT software and an overview of RASOFT programming software. There is also an introduction to the RAK4 dimming rack system – installation, configuration, setup and programming and a look at Ethernet Bridges, controlling systems using Rako’s free iOS and Android apps. Finally, there is an intro to the Rako Wired products.

For the Advanced course, all attendees should bring a laptop and the course will deliver an update on lighting load types and control method. Also covered is dimming of LED lighting, delivering a refresher on wireless systems, addressing and configuration, wired system design and installation options, wired system programming via Ethernet bridge and combining wired and wireless systems. The course also covers AV system interfacing, using infrared, RS232 and TCP/IP control, new product updates and configuring Ethernet bridges for remote access, macros and AV systems. All courses are free of charge, but the company does ask for a nominal reservation fee.

Invision UK continues with a comprehensive programme including a course dealing with the LILIN brand of IP security cameras. Attendees learn how to specify and configure an IP CCTV system correctly and understand lens selection, viewing angle and illumination factors.

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Optoma keeps it hands on with its courses

This course delivers the knowledge to design, install and maintain an IP surveillance system and integrate it with a control system. The course was also the winner of CEDIA Best Training Initiative 2017.

Satel alarm systems are also covered offering control panels, sirens, detectors, monitoring stations, radio controllers and switching mode power supplies.

Training brings installers up to speed with basic system design, system design and planning using the CONFX Software, creating quotes, bills of materials and further reports. Basic wiring guidelines for the system and detectors, programming of the Satel system using DLOADX software and integration with Control System is also covered.

The Trinnov Immersive 3D Audio Training course is a two-day program covering theory, sales and marketing, 3D audio loudspeaker placement recommendation, getting started with the Altitude32 and speaker declaration, listening formats and source configuration.

The second day of the course covers microphone placement, acoustic measurement, acoustic graphs, bass management and fine-tuning.

Lastly for Invision, control platform RTI has launched its new programme, RTIXCEL. The multitiered programme offers a range of options designed to give installers what they need to use RTI’s software, Integration Designer APEX and give them better knowledge of other technologies they use.

RTIXCEL Online allows dealers to take courses at their own pace by having a flexible curriculum. Each course is made up of small modules and covers a range of topics to teach key industry concepts and specific knowledge for the installation of RTI systems.

Additional resources are also provided to support the courses including virtual site walkthroughs, interactive installation guides and 3D product models.

RTIXCEL Online is now available to all RTI dealers on the RTI dealer website along with a calendar of all upcoming RTI training events from the Invision website.

At the Confederation of Aerial Industries (CAI) the organisation has added a new course date to the Introduction to Project Management due to high-demand.

Taking place on May 1-2, this year the CAI is working alongside experienced operator Bruce Ellison to be able to offer this course. After graduating, Bruce joined John Laing Plc and spent six years in varied commercial and project management roles within the housing and construction sector. A project setting up BT concessions in House of Fraser stores in the mid 1990’s launched a general management and project management career working for marketing services companies, specialising in outsourced sales, marketing and IT services. Bruce was ultimately responsible for Sky’s project to establish a direct consumer sales operation in the late 1990’s which became a significant acquisition channel with over 500 sales people.

Bruce has continued his professional development with an MBA, and course/certifications in project management and business process improvement. More recently he has applied his skills within the superfast broadband sector working on projects to improve performance through process redesign through to establishing new customer acquisition channels.

This programme is designed for owners, managers and employees who require a degree of understanding of project management beyond a superficial level without the expense of undertaking a longer course. This short course will help those new to project management to lead and/or contribute to projects more effectively.

The objectives of this course are to give an overview of project management and take attendees through the cycle of a project, from early conception and defining the scope through to the evaluation and lessons learned.

There will also be focus on the harder skills required in project management rather than the softer skills of influencing people or communication. Those on the course are also introduced to important performance factors including scope, risk and quality management and the importance of capturing lessons for action on future projects.

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Networking is a big focus for Habitech training

After completing this course, students will be able to define and execute each stage of a project. The course is classroom based with a mix of tutor presentations and individual exercises and takes place over two-days. To members of the CAI, the course is £400, to non-members it is £800.

Habitech is offering two new ProNet networking courses, a ‘Quickstart’ day and an advanced two-day Integrator course. The Quickstart day is a hands-on course aimed at those new to networking; delivering an entry-level initiative for gaining experience in the planning and deploying of networks. It starts by looking at the network setup in a typical customer environment, and then what needs to be done to provide a robust network platform. The course covers the underlying principles of networking, including the OSI Model and Network Layers; the setting-up of a new wired and wireless network using the internet connection from the customer’s broadband equipment; the understanding and deployment of network switches, including the differences between unmanaged, managed and routing switches; understanding NAT and the Firewall and the principles and pitfalls of WiFi: security, bandwidth management, QoS and load balancing.

The two-day hands-on ProNet integrator course is aimed at installers with network experience. Day one covers the planning, documentation and deployment of advanced networks including organising and documenting networks, network security for CI, subnets and VLANs. Day two covers AVoIP and Ruckus ICX switches. Delegates that have previously attended Advanced and Integrator courses may optionally join day two only.

Also new to Habitech’s training schedule are two complementary commercial AV courses designed for integrators who want to extend their skillset to commercial installation. The one-day ‘Introduction to Commercial AV’ course is aimed at engineers with no commercial AV knowledge, and offers an understanding and experience of planning and deploying systems. It examines the difference between residential AV systems and those used in commercial; power and impedance requirements; low impedance serial/parallel applications; high impedance (‘constant voltage’ systems); audio transports; audio sources; automixers; integrating video and audio; AVoIP and the hands-on experience of designing a system.

The day-two ‘Commercial AV Integrator’ course is aimed at engineers who have attended the ‘Introduction to Commercial AV’ course, or those with experience of commercial installation. It covers the more advanced aspects, including introduction to CAV configuration software; organising CAV diagrams; configuring an MTX/ MRX system using MTX/XMV Editor (including a hands-on practical, and wiring video and audio sources (including balanced inputs).

Following the recent deal to distribute ELAN, Alltrade has added an ‘Introduction to ELAN’ training course to its programme.

Aimed at installers new to ELAN or those wishing to refresh their skills, the ELAN training offers a comprehensive overview of the technology, installation and programming, as well as a rundown of ELAN’s branded product range.

This course aims to give installers a solid grounding in ELAN, from its history dating back to 1989, to today’s extensive offering of advanced, fully interoperable smart home hardware. The course explains the concept of ELAN viewer licenses, details the hardware required and shows installers how to start programming the g! interface.

Delegates will be introduced to the ELAN system controllers and their role as the brains of any ELAN installation. The flagship gSC10 Controller boasts eight serial RS232 ports, two serial RS485 ports, four Sense Trigger inputs, as well as 10 IR inputs, 10 dry contact relays and a USB port. The gSC10 will cater for systems with up to 32 AV zones, 255 lighting loads, 32 thermostats and 16-channel IP CCTV camera security. For smaller systems, the ELAN G1 is capable of running most lighter residential installs across AV, lighting, heating and CCTV. ELAN’s TP7 and TP12 touch panels and the HRseries remote controllers are the obvious user control interfaces for a fully ELAN-based install. These devices are complemented by ELAN viewer software for PC, and the ELAN app, enabling both local and remote access to the system.

ELAN also offers a range of install products certified for use in any ELAN system. These include 4K HDBaseT matrices and extenders, AV over IP devices, and the ELAN Multi-Room Controllers. ELAN also offers a range of ideal partnering architectural speakers through Alltrade.

Covering user control and installer programming of ELAN systems, this introductory course sees delegates given a walkthrough of the tabs and options in the user interface and programming screens, voice control and personalisation. The final part of the course covers g!Tools software, offering official Elan Dealers access to the Configurator and ELAN Viewer, on site or remote to the installation.

The one-day ‘Introduction to ELAN’ course joins Alltrade’s regular training sessions spanning seminars, classroom sessions, virtual projects and handson practical installer training in subjects including networking, IRS signal distribution, fibre optic installation, CCTV security and home automation.

Like all of Alltrade’s current training programmes, the Introduction to ELAN training is free to attend and available throughout the year at their Trade Counters in Brighton & Hove, Cardiff, Hemel Hempstead, Maidstone, Bournemouth and Reading.

Control4 says that any homeowner who experiences an internet outage knows what an irritating inconvenience it is to be abruptly jolted back into the dark ages. Just about all modern luxuries, and even home security systems, are now dependent on connectivity. The more technology a home has, the more important it is that a

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Control4 delivers a complete networking-based certification initiative via the Pakedge Certified Network Administrators (PCNA) program

network performs at its peak. But Control4 argues that not all networks are built the same, because not all integrators are the same.

Whether or not technicians have certifiable networking experience can mean the difference between a decent network configuration and an exceptional one. If it is designed and installed by someone who has 10 years of experience in AV installations, but only minimal in terms of networking, then the very foundation of the home’s connectivity has been compromised.

In fact, Control4 points out that figures show that approximately 30% of technical support calls regarding smart homes are network-related, and a much higher percentage are a result of inconsistent training.

Trusted Technology, an award-winning UK-based smart home design firm, is an example of the expertise that goes into creating reliable smart homes, says Control4.

Andy Bell, Owner and Managing Director says, “Our strapline is ‘Experience Amazing’. Training and certification prove we have the skills and our clients can be confident in choosing us to be their smart home provider.”

Every one of Trusted Technology’s technicians are Pakedge Certified Network Administrators (PCNA).

This means they enrolled in a professionally-developed curriculum developed by Control4 that provides installers with a complete understanding of networking basics, network design, and configuration. The PCNA program blends online coursework with practical hands-on learning to ensure mastery and retention. Technicians are certified after they pass a two-part exam that is observed by a proctor and includes a hands-on mock installation.

Trusted Technology’s Technical Manager, Daniel White, has been building networks for over a decade and explains that PCNA training reinforced the team’s best practices and has made all installers more consistent in their projects.

Having a team that operates from the same standardised knowledge base can help efficiency by minimising discrepancy. This is why Andy decided

that each of the company’s technicians needed to become PCNA certified. Furthermore, even Trusted Technology’s project managers were required to do the same. Andy insists that the greater collective knowledge their firm maintains, the more effective they will be in delivering premium, connected home experiences for their clients.

Andy says, “Our engineers love learning [with PCNA].

And, to be honest, calls into our service team have been dramatically reduced.”

Control4 says Andy’s enthusiasm and commitment to certification and training shows just how important he believes trust is when it comes to earning their client’s business.

Control4 01347 812 300, control4.com Crestron 845 873 8787, crestron.eu Ivory Egg 01243 572 700, ivoryegg.co.uk Ivory Egg 02038 543 555, ivoryegg.co.uk My KNX Store 0191 4970 777, myknxstore.co.uk Optoma 01923 691 800, optoma.co.uk Rako 01634 226 666, rakocontrols.com CAVD 01628 563344, cavd.co.uk CAI +44 (0)1923 803030, cai.org.uk Amina Technologies 01480 354 390, amina.co.uk CIE Group 0115 9770 075, cie-group.com CEDIA 01480 213 744, cedia.co.uk HDANYWHERE 01684 576 348, hdanywhere.co.uk RGB Communications 01488 73366, rgbcomms.co.uk Habitech 01256 638500, habitech.co.uk Alltrade 0844 225 2700, alltrade.co.uk

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AL LT R A D E BOURNEMOUTH ROAD SHOW DATES/LOCATION: March 21st (4pm-8pm) St Leonards Hotel, 185 Ringwood Road, St Leonards, Ringwood, Dorset, BH24 2NP

AW E S MA RT HO ME ACA D E M Y FOUNDATION WORKSHOP DATES/LOCATION: AWE Smart Home Academy, Epsom; March 5th

COST: Free

COST: £200.00

INTRODUCTION TO HDL

WHOLE HOUSE INTEGRATION WITH URC (TOTAL CONTROL)

DATES/LOCATION: March 14th (9:15am) Brighton & Hove Branch, March 19th (9:15am) Maidstone Branch, March 28th (9:15am) Bournemouth Branch COST: Free

ADVANCE HDL

DATES/LOCATION: The Opportunity Centre, Bradford; March 11th – March 12th, AWE Smart Home Academy, Epsom; March 19th – March 20th, May 21st – May 22nd COST: £60

DATES/LOCATION: March 6th & 7th (9:15am) Nottingham

WIRE FREE BLINDS WITH QMOTION

INTRODUCTION TO SONOS

COST: £25

COST: Free

DATES/LOCATION: March 18th (2pm) Cardiff Branch, April 2nd (10am) Brighton & Hove/Bournemouth Branches, April 4th (10am) Hemel Hempstead/ Reading Branches (2pm) Maidstone Branch, COST: Free

LEVEL 1 UBIQUITI DATES/LOCATION: February 28th (2pm) Maidstone Branch, March 21st (2pm) Hemel Hempstead Branch, March 28th (2pm) Reading Branch, April 3rd (2pm) Brighton & Hove/Bournemouth Branches, April 11th (2pm) Maidstone Branch COST: Free

LEVEL 2 UBIQUITI DATES/LOCATION: March 6th (2pm) Brighton & Hove Branch, April 10th (2pm) Bournemouth Branch, April 24th (2pm) Brighton & Hove Branch COST: Free

INTRODUCTION TO IRS DATES/LOCATION: February 28th (2pm) Hemel Hempstead Branch, March 14th (2pm) Maidstone Branch, March 21st (2pm) Reading Branch, March 27th (2pm) Bournemouth Branch, April 11th (2pm) Hemel Hempstead Branch, April 25th (2pm) Maidstone Branch

DATES/LOCATION: AWE Smart Home Academy, Epsom; March 12th, June 4th,

DESIGNING AN IMMERSIVE AUDIO HOME CINEMA DATES/LOCATION: The Opportunity Centre, Bradford; March 13th COST: £240

FOUNDATION IN SMART HOME CONTROL WITH URC – MXHOMEPRO DATES/LOCATION: AWE Smart Home Academy, Epsom; May 7th COST: £30

DESIGNING AN IMMERSIVE AUDIO HOME CINEMA DATES/LOCATION: AWE Smart Home Academy, Epsom; May 9th COST: £240

MORE INFORMATION »

AWE 01372 729 995, awe-europe.com, smarthomeacademy.co.uk

COST: FREE

INTRODUCTION TO FIBRE DATES/LOCATION: March 7th (2pm) Hemel Hempstead Branch, March 14th (2pm) Reading Branch, March 20th (2pm) Bournemouth Branch, March 28th (2pm) Maidstone Branch, April 10th (2pm) Brighton & Hove Branch, April 18th (2pm) Hemel Hempstead Branch, April 25th (2pm) Reading Branch COST: FREE

INTRODUCTION TO CCTV

C ED I A LIGHTING DESIGN PACKAGE (2 DAY COURSE) DATES/LOCATION: 04-05 March at 09:30-16:30 GMT, CEDIA Training Centre, St Neots COST: Package Price-£299 Members, £449 Non-Members. Day Price-£179 Members, £249 Non-Members

DATES/LOCATION: March 6th (2pm) Bournemouth Branch, March 7th (2pm) Maidstone/Reading Branches, March 13th (2pm) Brighton & Hove Branch, March 14th (2pm) Hemel Hempstead Branch, April 17th (2pm) Brighton & Hove/Bournemouth Branches, April 18th (2pm) Maidstone/Reading Branches, April 25th (2pm) Hemel Hempstead Branch

BOOT CAMP (5 DAY COURSE)

COST: Free

COST: CEDIA Members: £799 Members, £1,199 Non-Members

CAT5E/6, THEIR CONNECTORS AND BEYOND

TECHNICAL SCHOOL (5 DAY COURSE)

DATES/LOCATION: March 13th (2pm) Bournemouth Branch, March 21st (2pm) Maidstone Branch, March 27th (2pm) Brighton & Hove Branch, March 28th (2pm) Hemel Hempstead Branch, April 11th (2pm) Reading Branch, April 24th (2pm) Bournemouth Branch

DATES/LOCATION: 18 -22 March at 09:30-16:30 GMT (CEDIA Training Centre, St Neots), 20 – 24 May at 09:30-16:30 GMT (CEDIA Training Centre, St Neots)

ANTIFERENCE CLEAR FLOW TRAINING

HOME CINEMA DESIGN FUNDAMENTALS (2 DAY COURSE)

COST: Free

DATES/LOCATION: February 28th (Foundation 10am-11:30am/Advanced 12noon-1:30pm) Bournemouth Branch COST: Free

MORE INFORMATION »

For more information or to book call 0344 225 2700/01273 765180, email training@alltrade.co.uk or visit alltrade.co.uk

DATES/LOCATION: 11 – 15 March at 09:30-16:30 GMT (CEDIA Training Centre, St Neots), 13 -17 May at 09:30-16:30 GMT (CEDIA Training Centre, St Neots)

COST: Package Price-£999 Members, £1499 Non-Members. Day Price-£179 Members, £249 Non-Members

DATES/LOCATION: 25-26 March at 09:30-17:00 GMT (AWE Training Facility, Epsom), 18 – 19 June at 09:30-17:00 GMT (Pulse Cinemas, Stansted) COST: £299 Members, £449 Non-Members

Member and non-member costs available online.

MORE INFORMATION »

CEDIA 01480 213 744, education@cedia.co.uk, cediaeducation.com

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Essential Install | Training Dates

CAI

MY K N X STO RE

BASIC AERIAL & SATELLITE INSTALLATION (THREE DAY COURSE)

KNX FAST TRACK CERTIFICATION

DATES/LOCATION: 26, 27 & 28 February 2019 – Basford, Nottinghamshire; 12, 13 & 14 March 2019 – Watford, Hertfordshire; 21, 22 & 23 May 2019 – Gateshead, Tyne & Wear; 04, 05 & 06 June 2019 – Watford, Hertfordshire; 16, 17 & 18 July 2019 – Basford, Nottinghamshire; 03, 04 & 05 September 2019 – Watford, Hertfordshire; 12, 13 & 14 November 2019 – Watford, Hertfordshire

LOCATION: My KNX Store Head Office, Gateshead

COST: Member Rate £525 / Non-Member Rate £780

INTRODUCTION TO IRS (TWO DAY COURSE) DATES/LOCATION: 20 & 21 March 2019, 22 & 23 May 2019, 24 & 25 July 2019, 11 & 12 September 2019, 20 & 21 November 2019; Watford, Hertfordshire

COST: Member Rate £270 / Non-Member Rate £395

MAKING THE BOND (ONE DAY COURSE) DATES/LOCATION: 19 February 2019, 19 March 2019, 16 April 2019, 21 May 2019, 23 July 2019, 10 September 2019, 19 November 2019; Watford, Hertfordshire

COST: Member Rate £180 / Non-Member Rate £265

MORE INFORMATION »

CAI 01923 803 030, cai.org.uk

HAB ITEC H

DATE: 11-15 March 2019

Special Requirements: Working laptop on all course days (with USB port) Pre-requisites: N/A

KNX FAST TRACK CERTIFICATION DATE: 20-24th May 2019

LOCATION: My KNX Store Cricklewood Office, North London Special Requirements: Working laptop on all course days (with USB port) Pre-requisites: N/A

KNX FAST TRACK CERTIFICATION DATE: 9-13 September 2019

LOCATION: My KNX Store Head Office, Gateshead Special Requirements: Working laptop on all course days (with USB port) Pre-requisites: N/A

MORE INFORMATION »

Are you wishing to offer KNX control solutions in 2019? Contact a member of the My KNX Store Training Academy team for more information on 0191 497 0777 E: knx@myknxstore.co.uk

MERI D I A N DSP IN-WALL AND IN-CEILING SPEAKERS

ARCAM - PRODUCT TRAINING (1 DAY COURSE)

DATES/LOCATION: 27th March, online

DATES/LOCATION: Basingstoke; 12th March, 7th May, 2nd July, 17th September, 12th November

200 SERIES – SOURCES AND ZONE CONTROLLERS

COST: Free

DAHUA (1 DAY COURSE) DATES/LOCATION: 19th March, 9th April,15th May, 25th June, 31st July, 4th September, 16th October, 13th November COST: Free

COST: Free

DATES/LOCATION: 24th April, online COST: Free

MORE INFORMATION »

Meridian 01480 445 622, meridian-audio.com

WISDOM AUDIO - PRODUCT TRAINING (1 DAY COURSE) DATES/LOCATION: Basingstoke; 5th March, 14th May, 9th July, 24th September, 5th November COST: Free

WYRESTORM - 4K HDR (1 DAY COURSE) DATES/LOCATION: Basingstoke; 27th February, 20th March, 24th April, 22nd May, 26th June, 24th July, 25th September, 25th October, 27th November COST: Free

WYRESTORM - NETWORK HD (1 DAY COURSE) DATES/LOCATION: Basingstoke; 28th February, 21st March, 25th April, 23rd May, 27th June, 25th July, 26th September, 31st October, 28th November COST: Free

YAMAHA COMMERCIAL AUDIO TRAINING (1 DAY COURSE) DATES/LOCATION: Basingstoke; 26th February, 16th April, 21st May, 18th June, 5th September, 17th October, 14th November COST: Free to Habitech customers

MORE INFORMATION »

Habitech 01256 638500, tanya.sworn@habitech.co.uk, habitech.co.uk

RA KO RAKO FOUNDATION COURSE ‘INTRODUCTION TO LIGHTING CONTROLS’ DATES/LOCATION: Rako, Rochester; 7 March, 25 April, 6 June,18 July, 29 August, 10 October, 21 November.

COST: Free

RAKO ADVANCED COURSE (LAPTOP REQUIRED) DATES/LOCATION: Rako, 28 February, 21 March, 18 April, 9 May, 30 May, 20 June, 11 July, 1 August, 22 August, 12 September, 3 October, 24 October, 5 November, 14 November, November, 5 December, 17 December

MORE INFORMATION »

All courses are free of charge although spaces are secured with a nominal reservation fee. If you would like to book a training date please contact 01634 226666 or email sarah@rakocontrols.com

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Essential Install | Training Dates

AL LT R A D E

CA I

BOURNEMOUTH ROAD SHOW

BASIC AERIAL & SATELLITE INSTALLATION (THREE DAY COURSE)

DATES/LOCATION: March 21st (4pm-8pm) St Leonards Hotel, 185 Ringwood Road, St Leonards, Ringwood, Dorset, BH24 2NP COST: Free

INTRODUCTION TO HDL DATES/LOCATION: March 14th (9:15am) Brighton & Hove Branch, March 19th (9:15am) Maidstone Branch, March 28th (9:15am) Bournemouth Branch COST: Free

ADVANCE HDL DATES/LOCATION: March 6th & 7th (9:15am) Nottingham COST: Free

INTRODUCTION TO SONOS DATES/LOCATION: March 18th (2pm) Cardiff Branch, April 2nd (10am) Brighton & Hove/Bournemouth Branches, April 4th (10am) Hemel Hempstead/ Reading Branches (2pm) Maidstone Branch, COST: Free

LEVEL 1 UBIQUITI DATES/LOCATION: February 28th (2pm) Maidstone Branch, March 21st (2pm) Hemel Hempstead Branch, March 28th (2pm) Reading Branch, April 3rd (2pm) Brighton & Hove/Bournemouth Branches, April 11th (2pm) Maidstone Branch

DATES/LOCATION: 26, 27 & 28 February 2019 – Basford, Nottinghamshire; 12, 13 & 14 March 2019 – Watford, Hertfordshire; 21, 22 & 23 May 2019 – Gateshead, Tyne & Wear; 04, 05 & 06 June 2019 – Watford, Hertfordshire; 16, 17 & 18 July 2019 – Basford, Nottinghamshire; 03, 04 & 05 September 2019 – Watford, Hertfordshire; 12, 13 & 14 November 2019 – Watford, Hertfordshire COST: Member Rate £525 / Non-Member Rate £780

INTRODUCTION TO IRS (TWO DAY COURSE) DATES/LOCATION: 20 & 21 March 2019, 22 & 23 May 2019, 24 & 25 July 2019, 11 & 12 September 2019, 20 & 21 November 2019; Watford, Hertfordshire

COST: Member Rate £270 / Non-Member Rate £395

MAKING THE BOND (ONE DAY COURSE) DATES/LOCATION: 19 February 2019, 19 March 2019, 16 April 2019, 21 May 2019, 23 July 2019, 10 September 2019, 19 November 2019; Watford, Hertfordshire

COST: Member Rate £180 / Non-Member Rate £265

MORE INFORMATION »

CAI 01923 803 030, cai.org.uk

COST: Free

LEVEL 2 UBIQUITI DATES/LOCATION: March 6th (2pm) Brighton & Hove Branch, April 10th (2pm) Bournemouth Branch, April 24th (2pm) Brighton & Hove Branch

H A B I T EC H

INTRODUCTION TO IRS

ARCAM - PRODUCT TRAINING (1 DAY COURSE)

COST: Free

DATES/LOCATION: February 28th (2pm) Hemel Hempstead Branch, March 14th (2pm) Maidstone Branch, March 21st (2pm) Reading Branch, March 27th (2pm) Bournemouth Branch, April 11th (2pm) Hemel Hempstead Branch, April 25th (2pm) Maidstone Branch COST: FREE

INTRODUCTION TO FIBRE DATES/LOCATION: March 7th (2pm) Hemel Hempstead Branch, March 14th (2pm) Reading Branch, March 20th (2pm) Bournemouth Branch, March 28th (2pm) Maidstone Branch, April 10th (2pm) Brighton & Hove Branch, April 18th (2pm) Hemel Hempstead Branch, April 25th (2pm) Reading Branch

DATES/LOCATION: Basingstoke; 12th March, 7th May, 2nd July, 17th September, 12th November COST: Free

DAHUA (1 DAY COURSE) DATES/LOCATION: 19th March, 9th April,15th May, 25th June, 31st July, 4th September, 16th October, 13th November COST: Free

WISDOM AUDIO - PRODUCT TRAINING (1 DAY COURSE) DATES/LOCATION: Basingstoke; 5th March, 14th May, 9th July, 24th September, 5th November

COST: FREE

COST: Free

INTRODUCTION TO CCTV

WYRESTORM - 4K HDR (1 DAY COURSE)

DATES/LOCATION: March 6th (2pm) Bournemouth Branch, March 7th (2pm) Maidstone/Reading Branches, March 13th (2pm) Brighton & Hove Branch, March 14th (2pm) Hemel Hempstead Branch, April 17th (2pm) Brighton & Hove/Bournemouth Branches, April 18th (2pm) Maidstone/Reading Branches, April 25th (2pm) Hemel Hempstead Branch

COST: Free

COST: Free

CAT5E/6, THEIR CONNECTORS AND BEYOND DATES/LOCATION: March 13th (2pm) Bournemouth Branch, March 21st (2pm) Maidstone Branch, March 27th (2pm) Brighton & Hove Branch, March 28th (2pm) Hemel Hempstead Branch, April 11th (2pm) Reading Branch, April 24th (2pm) Bournemouth Branch COST: Free

ANTIFERENCE CLEAR FLOW TRAINING DATES/LOCATION: February 28th (Foundation 10am-11:30am/Advanced 12noon-1:30pm) Bournemouth Branch COST: Free

DATES/LOCATION: Basingstoke; 27th February, 20th March, 24th April, 22nd May, 26th June, 24th July, 25th September, 25th October, 27th November

WYRESTORM - NETWORK HD (1 DAY COURSE) DATES/LOCATION: Basingstoke; 28th February, 21st March, 25th April, 23rd May, 27th June, 25th July, 26th September, 31st October, 28th November COST: Free

YAMAHA COMMERCIAL AUDIO TRAINING (1 DAY COURSE) DATES/LOCATION: Basingstoke; 26th February, 16th April, 21st May, 18th June, 5th September, 17th October, 14th November COST: Free to Habitech customers

MORE INFORMATION »

Habitech 01256 638500, tanya.sworn@habitech.co.uk, habitech.co.uk

MORE INFORMATION »

For more information or to book call 0344 225 2700/01273 765180, email training@alltrade.co.uk or visit alltrade.co.uk

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Essential Install | Training Dates

MY K NX STO R E

RA KO

KNX FAST TRACK CERTIFICATION

RAKO FOUNDATION COURSE ‘INTRODUCTION TO LIGHTING CONTROLS’

DATE: 11-15 March 2019

LOCATION: My KNX Store Head Office, Gateshead Special Requirements: Working laptop on all course days (with USB port) Pre-requisites: N/A

KNX FAST TRACK CERTIFICATION DATE: 20-24th May 2019

LOCATION: My KNX Store Cricklewood Office, North London Special Requirements: Working laptop on all course days (with USB port) Pre-requisites: N/A

KNX FAST TRACK CERTIFICATION DATE: 9-13 September 2019

LOCATION: My KNX Store Head Office, Gateshead Special Requirements: Working laptop on all course days (with USB port)

DATES/LOCATION: Rako, Rochester; 7 March, 25 April, 6 June,18 July, 29 August, 10 October, 21 November.

COST: Free

RAKO ADVANCED COURSE (LAPTOP REQUIRED) DATES/LOCATION: Rako, 28 February, 21 March, 18 April, 9 May, 30 May, 20 June, 11 July, 1 August, 22 August, 12 September, 3 October, 24 October, 5 November, 14 November, November, 5 December, 17 December

MORE INFORMATION »

All courses are free of charge although spaces are secured with a nominal reservation fee. If you would like to book a training date please contact 01634 226666 or email sarah@rakocontrols.com

Pre-requisites: N/A

KNX FAST TRACK CERTIFICATION DATE: 11-15 November 2019

LOCATION: My KNX Store Head Office, Gateshead Special Requirements: Working laptop on all course days (with USB port) Pre-requisites: N/A

MORE INFORMATION »

Are you wishing to offer KNX control solutions in 2019? Contact a member of the My KNX Store Training Academy team for more information on 0191 497 0777 E: knx@myknxstore.co.uk

TRAINING DATES SET FOR 2019?

Get your training dates included in our training pages for upcoming issues.

Contact Daniel Sait to add your training to the next issue.

Email: dan@allthingsmedia.com/Call: 01634 673 163

Essential INSTALL MAGAZINE

March 2019 | 65 Training Dates.indd 65

19/02/2019 12:38

EssentialBUYERS’ GUIDE DISTRIBUTORS

Even better together.

oneav.co.uk

GET NOTICED! Would you like to advertise in our new Buyers’ Guide section and reach 10,000+ readers each and every month?

Please call Ian on 01634 673163 or email ian@allthingsmedialtd.com

Size

Dimensions

6 Months

1/8 page

110 x 61mm

£450

12 Months £750

1/4 page vertical

110 x 133mm

£900

£1500

1/4 page horizontal

224 x 61mm

£900

£1500

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Essential BUYERS’ GUIDE

EssentialBUYERS’ GUIDE LIGHTING &CATEGORY LIGHTING CONTROLS

Hamilton

1/8

Visit www.hamilton-litestat.com Tel: +44 (0)1747 860088

92 x 56mm

INDUSTRY PARTNER

Wiring Accessories • Circuit Protection • Smart Lighting Control & Multi-room Audio

CATEGORY

MATRIX & SIGNAL MANAGEMENT

CATEGORY

HDMI DISTRIBUTION WITHOUT COMPROMISE

1/4 V

CATEGORY

92 x123mm

a mini control system within every MHUB Tel: +44(0)115 824 7000 Email: sales@blustream.co.uk Web: www.blustream.co.uk

HDANYWHERE.COM

THE OPERATING SYSTEM OF THE WORLDS SMARTEST HOMES CATEGORY

GET NOTICED!

Blustream_EI_97_123_August_2018_Legacy_outlines.indd 1

24/08/2018 14:27

Would you like to advertise in our new Buyers’ Guide section and reach 10,000+ readers each and every month?

Control without limits

1/4 H

1/8

Please call Ian on 01634 673163 or email ian@allthingsmedialtd.com

Crestron Pyng OS 2: video is here 189 x 56mm crestron.com/pyng The operating system of the world’s smartest homes

92 x 56mm

Size

Dimensions

6 Months

1/8 page

110 x 61mm

£450

12 Months £750

1/4 page vertical

110 x 133mm

£900

£1500

1/4 page horizontal

224 x 61mm

£900

£1500

All brand names, product names, and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Certain trademarks, registered trademarks, and trade names may be used to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Crestron disclaims any proprietary interest in the marks and names of others. Crestron is not responsible for errors in typography or photography. ©2018 Crestron EMEA

2018_Essential-Install-AD_Pyng-OS2_EMEA_123x92.indd 1

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March 2019 | 67 25/02/2019 09:47

Essential Install | Products

Essential products

A cavalcade of carefully crafted kit

The sight and sound of Klipsch’s new creations is premier league

Klipsch launches striking Reference Premiere range Distributor Henley Audio has announced the UK introduction of Klipsch’s new Reference Premiere speaker range. Redesigned from the ground up, the brand’s distributor says the all-new Reference Premiere series leverages over 70 years of Klipsch signature acoustic expertise with cutting-edge technology to deliver the ultimate home theatre or Hi-Fi listening solution.

This being the second generation of the award-winning range, the new series has been expanded to 18 models – including Dolby Atmos-enabled components, subwoofers and purpose-designed surround sound devices. However, it’s not just a case of adding more models as every new Reference Premiere speaker features the latest technological audio advancements, premium material upgrades, and some cool-looking cosmetic details.

Product manager for Klipsch, Michael Buratto, says, “We’ve taken the successful foundation of our best-selling speakers and enhanced them to create the hands-down, best-sounding premium speakers on the planet at these price points.”

All Reference Premiere speakers use proprietary Tractrix horn technology to improve high-frequency response and extension, while enhancing imaging and dynamics. The horn features a compressed, moulded silicon face that’s mated to the 90x90 Tractrix horn, with computer-modelled phase plugs that act as a mechanical filter with the aim of delivering a smoother, flat frequency response as well as physically protecting the tweeter.

Behind the horn, an exclusive Linear Travel Suspension (LTS) tweeter maximises dynamics, delivering detailed performances. The new tweeter boasts a ceramic magnet housing and is vented to reduce the presence of standing waves behind the diaphragm. The diaphragm itself is a lightweight yet rigid titanium construction, out-performing similar aluminium, polymer or silk tweeters, according to its creator. Klipsch describes the sound as clean and with very low distortion, yet though the sound is real-to-life, the horn ensures there are no hard edges in the reproduction.

Like with the previous generation, Klipsch’s signature copper-spun Cerametallic woofers and Tractrix reflex-ports provide powerful low frequencies while minimising distortion and maximising efficiency. Not only do Cerametallic woofers look pretty cool, they are also light and rigid for controlled low-end and mid-range reproduction.

Henley Audio 01235 511 166, henleyaudio.co.uk

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Essential Install | Products

Art meets music with Leon’s new creations

Leon’s art of noise Leon Speakers, maker of bespoke custom speakers and design-driven technology concealment solutions, has been showing a new collection of products that combine art with audio at ISE. These latest innovations were created to elevate the modern technology experience, pushing integrators and consumers to expand their idea of what’s possible.

“The conversation can’t just be about audio anymore,” says Noah Kaplan, Leon’s president and founder. “It used to be enough to just have great sounding speakers, but people expect more now. They want something that doesn’t feel like a commodity. We believe that custom homes need real custom options, and it is — and has always been — our mission to deliver that.”

The Ente Series has been created in partnership with Sonos to develop a line of lifestyle products for the new AMP. Leon’s Ente Series brings enhanced sound and Leon’s signature style to Sonos. The Ente Sound Sculpture is a wallhanging sculptural piece that incorporates curved Baltic Birch panels, LED lighting, and two channels of audio. The Ente Sound Tile features a screen-printed grill with limited-edition artwork to conceal the speakers behind it.

In partnership with LG and Blackdove, DAIS is a new canvas for the emerging digital art category. DAIS integrates high-performance audio from Leon, LG’s finest OLED screen, and contemporary, streaming digital art from Blackdove — all encased in a metal frame featuring linear bar speaker grills.

Leon’s new Horizon Denza looks to transform the soundbar into a modern home furnishing. A soundbar and floating shelf in one, Denza is handcrafted out of Baltic Birch with internal cabinet space to house two channels of audio with additional storage space for AV components like the new SONOS AMP. Leon Speakers 01438 831095, leonspeakers.com

Trinnov Audio to join IMAX Enhanced program Trinnov Audio has announced that it will add support for the IMAX Enhanced format to its Altitude range of high-end AV preamp/processors.

A maker always on the front foot format wise, Trinnov has moved to add IMAX Enhanced which is a certification and licensing program jointly created by IMAX and DTS that certifies high-end consumer electronics products for playback of digitally remastered 4K HDR content with enhanced DTS audio.

Since its introduction in 2015, the Altitude32 is now established as one of the industry’s leading processors for highquality home cinemas. Trinnov’s success has been in part built on its hardware platform. Altitude processors use an Intel processor rather than third-party chipsets for audio processing, decoding, and rendering. The maker says this softwarebased approach enables Trinnov to be the only manufacturer that is able to implement new technologies directly into its products allowing for durability and fast upgradability.

“Trinnov has always been fully committed to performance and durability. We recently announced the warranty of our high-end products would be extended, retroactively, to five years. To further fulfill this commitment, we will continue to implement the latest technologies and are extremely proud to integrate IMAX Enhanced, continuing the collaboration we started with DTS when implementing DTS-X,” says Arnaud Laborie, Trinnov’s co-founder, and CEO. With audio engineers making adjustments modelled on how the IMAX theatrical sound system operates, a proprietary IMAX audio mix is translated for playback in home theatre environments and exclusively delivered using a special variant of the DTS:X codec technology.

By joining the IMAX Enhanced program, Trinnov ensures that owners of Altitude series processors will be able to select the IMAX Enhanced mode and to enjoy the format.

Arnaud Destinay, director of sales at Trinnov, adds, “As the manufacturer of such exclusive products, it is important to us that our customers are able to access the latest technologies, and more importantly, to be able to play all content.

Watching a movie in IMAX is one of the most immersive experiences available in cinemas.

As a company, we innovate every day to improve and provide a more consistent experience throughout the production chain, from studios to the end-listeners. Naturally, we are very happy to enable current and future Altitude owners to enjoy re-mastered content in their home as intended by filmmakers.”

IMAX Enhanced will be added to the Altitude32 and the Altitude16 as a free software update in the second half of 2019.

Invision UK +44 (0)1359 270 280, invisionuk.com

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Essential Install | Products

A new collection of loudspeakers from Monitor Audio has performance and flexibility in mind

Going for gold!

Monitor Audio says its has melded the finest materials and decades of loudspeaker know-how to lovingly create its new Gold series of loudspeakers. Designed to be rich in both tone and build quality, the speakers have been crafted to last a lifetime. Painstakingly assembled by Monitor Audio’s team of craftsmen, the maker says each Gold speaker is beautifully finished to ensure that their combination of premium audio technology and class-leading build quality delivers a compelling Hi-Fi and home cinema listening experience.

The rounded vertical edges of the cabinets combined with the sharp profile of the horizontal lines are designed to give a classic and timeless appearance. A soft touch panel on the top of the speakers (stand mount and floor-standing) adds a further sophisticated appeal to the series. The speakers also offer a choice of ultra-smooth premium finishes (dark walnut or ebony real wood veneer and piano gloss black or satin white).

These speakers feature the technology used in Monitor Audio’s flagship Platinum II loudspeakers with the drivers having been especially re-developed and honed for Gold and secured inside the well-damped cabinets using Monitor Audio’s single bolt mechanism to give a clean appearance.

The design improvements have created a stronger performance when compared with the previous range, allowing for a smaller number of models now totalling six different speakers; a single stand mount model, two floor-standers, single centre speaker, rear/FX speakers and subwoofer. The range consists of the Gold 100, the stand mount speaker in the series, the Gold 200 a compact traditional design format with two powerful 6.5in drivers and a mid-range/MPD module in a full three-way system. The statuesque Gold 300 is the flagship of the range and features a pair of powerful long-throw 8in RDT II bass drivers in each cabinet. With low frequencies being accurately delivered (down to 30Hz, and high frequencies reaching beyond 50kHz) this is a wide-band speaker designed for a wide range of listening requirements. The Gold C250 has a mid/high frequency module to create a high-performance three-way speaker with compact dimensions. The design of the C250 eradicates the need for two different centre speaker options in the Gold Series, as it creates a wide horizontal dispersion. The range is rounded out by the Gold FX which features two 4in C-CAM drivers and two MPD high frequency transducers and the Gold W12 Subwoofer which can produce more articulate bass from a smaller cabinet than before.

Monitor Audio +44 (0)1268 740580, www.monitoraudio.co.uk

Artison Backpack now shipping The Backpack features an anodised aluminium/satin black ABS chassis, 1.1in H x 11.75in W x11.5in D

Billed as the world’s smallest 5.1 AV Amp, EI understands that this handy product, which has already been trailed at various tradeshows, is now available.

The Artison Backpack is an ultra-slim surround sound processor/amplifier that discreetly acts as a home cinema hub.

The Backpack features multiple digital and analogue inputs for flexibility and its diminutive dimensions allow for discreet positioning on the back of any display. Despite its size, the maker says the Backpack will reward the audience with a performance that packs a mighty sonic punch.

The five internal Class D amplifiers (3 x 75W and 2 x 30W at 4 Ohms) power any passive LCR and surround channels using Continuous Sigma Technology for Class A sound. The Backpack also features integrated Dolby Digital, DTS, and Dolby ProLogic II/IIx decoding, and internal 2.4/5.8GHz antennas for access to Wi-Fi and BT devices.

The Backpack is flexible, accepting a wide variety of sources thanks to its array of inputs; HDMI (3), Bluetooth 4.0, Toslink (1), 3.5mm stereo Minijack (1), and RJ45 (1). The HDMI output (ARC/CED/3D/4K) pass-through makes the Backpack simple to integrate into a single-room system and offers up to 50 channels of amplification in 7 RU. Measuring just 1.1in H x 11.75in W x11.5in D, the Backpack is designed for high performance home theatre audio and simple installation. As well as being able to be attached to the back of a flat-panel display, it can be mounted both on and in-wall, rack-mounted, or placed on display. The unit is available from Redline Distribution and RGB Communications.

Redline Distribution 01268 858 222, red-line.co.uk; RGB Communications 01488 73366, rgbcomms.co.uk

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TRAIN FOR TOMORROW CEDIA gives you unprecedented access to educational programmes - in-person and online - designed to put you and your team at the forefront of a quickly evolving industry.

Join CEDIA for significant discounts, and access to even more!

Educational Programmes

CEDIA Certifications

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New Recruit Training

Tech Forums

CEU Accreditation

Learn more at cedia.net Untitled-2 2

01/03/2019 10:43

Essential Install | Products

Masters of the universe!

NAD’s Masters Series lays down a performance marker

Each cabinet has a unique combination of wall thickness and bracing to control resonances and provide a perfect platform for the drive units

NAD Electronics has unveiled a new and unique Masters Series product, the M10, a BluOS enabled amplifier designed to serve as the heart of a quality whole-home system. In its simplest form, the M10 (£2199 UK MSRP) is a high-performance streaming amplifier with audiophile sound.

However, it can also be combined with other players in a BluOS ecosystem of wirelessly networked music players for a whole-home audio system.

Features include Dirac Live Room Correction to ensure music can be precisely dialled in for optimum performance. The M10 also features connection flexibility allowing it to integrate into virtually any environment, says NAD. The M10 also has inputs for many other audio sources, both analogue and digital.

It has an HDMI Audio Return Channel to make it easy to integrate with most modern flat panel TVs allowing the sound to come through high fidelity speakers yet be controlled by the TV remote. The M10 is fully compatible with all the leading smart home systems to control lighting, shades, HVAC and security from one smartly styled interface.

Of course the unit also provides full support for BluOS, the wireless multi-room Bluesound music management software, supporting the new standard for High Res streaming, Master Quality Authenticated (MQA). BluOS also supports over 15 free and paid subscription services as well as supporting locally stored music libraries.

The M10 also has on-board HybridDigital amplification featuring the high-performance Hypex nCore amplification stage designed to offer state-of-the-art performance along with the ability to drive virtually any loudspeaker.

Conservatively rated at 100W per channel, NAD says the M10 is both highly efficient and remarkably powerful, with the ability to render even the subtlest musical details with lifelike realism.

The inclusion of Dirac Live Room Correction offers an increase in fidelity by correcting both frequency response and time domain impulse response.

NAD nadelectronics.com

PSB goes Alpha male PSB Speakers has launched an all-new range of Alpha speakers that, like their predecessors, are designed to deliver value and performance.

Four models in all, the Alpha Series is comprised of compact monitors P3 (£179 per pair) and P5 (£299 per pair), a centre channel C10 (£249 each) and a tower model T20 (£499 per pair). Additionally, all four models are available in a choice of Walnut or Black Ash finishes.

PSB introduced its first Alpha speaker range in 1991 with a clear purpose; create an affordable speaker that is focused on performance first. PSB has now revisited its Alpha offerings with four models that are ‘clean sheet’ designs, while maintaining the original intent.

In PSB’s new Alpha range, the P3 and P5 are classic two-way bookshelf designs that are created to be compact and versatile. They can be placed on a stand, a shelf, a desk or a table and are equally well-suited for home theatre or stereo listening. The T20 tower adds an additional woofer in a larger floor-standing cabinet, yet occupies a small footprint. The C10 centre channel speaker can be used as the centre or dialogue speaker in a home theatre or could also be used for music.

For the Alphas, PSB developed two new woofers; a 4 1/2in and 5 1/4in both employing dual layer voice coils with powerful magnet structures to provide low distortion and high output levels. The cones are made from a special textured polypropylene compound that prevents cone breakup and extends frequency response for a smooth integration with the tweeter.

A new 3/4in (19mm) tweeter was designed and is used in all four models. The tweeter is ferrofluid cooled and features a Neodymium magnet for high sensitivity and power handling. A wave guide on the front of the tweeter helps match the response of the tweeter near the crossover point with the woofer for a smooth transition. Of note, the tweeter is placed below the woofer on some models which, in concert with the precisely engineered crossover network, provides a uniform sound field, whether the listener is seated or standing.

Crossover, an unusually complex fourth-order Acoustic Linkwitz-Riley filter design is used to get a good blend between drivers and keep distortion low, even at high sound pressure levels.

PSB Speakers psbspeakers.com

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SUPPORTING THE UK’S FINEST HOME CINEMA INSTALLERS

W: www.pulsecinemas.com Untitled-6 2

E: info@pulsecinemas.com

T: +44 1279 647 039 28/02/2019 11:36