CEDIA Communicates Magazine - Quarter 2 2021 - EMEA by CEDIA

QUARTER 2 2021

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CONTENTS

CEDIA 6 IMeetAM Janeen Gaskins, founder of the

Screenings 26 Super Cantara solved the puzzles this project

34 "Resimercial"?! You’ve heard the term — here’s what it

and Scope: 38 Size Australia

G.A.S.K.I.N.S. Charity

really means

Power 10 Smart An update from Parks Associates’ Energy Summit

Beauty 30 Cinematic How Cyberhomes achieved this award winning cinema

ABCs of WFH 40 The Remote work best practices — for your clients AND you

gave them

The first ever regional market report

Outdoors In 14 The How one company creates a truly immersive workout space

Sensitive Networks 44 Time CEDIA’s David Meyer with a quick tutorial on TSN

in Education 54 Diversity Why building inclusive coursework is key, online and in-person CEDIA COMMUNICATES

ALWAYS LOOKING FORWARD A NOTE FROM CEDIA’S INTERIM CO-CEOS CEDIA’s on the hunt for a new CEO. To that end, the CEO Search Committee is working with global executive search firm, Vetted Solutions, to help recruit our next leader. Vetted Solutions has an excellent track record, and the goal is to hire the most qualified candidate later this year. Potential candidates may contact Vetted Solutions directly at CEDIACEOSearch@vettedsolutions.com to express interest or request additional information about the position.

CONTACT 8475 Nightfall Lane, Fishers, Indiana 46037 USA Email: info@cedia.org Telephone: +1 800.669.5329 Unit 2, Phoenix Park, St Neots Cambridgeshire, PE19 8EP, UK Email: info@cedia.co.uk Telephone: +44 (0)1480 213744 www.cedia.net

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COPYRIGHT All material in Communicates is the copyright of CEDIA and any reproduction of said material would require written permission from the association. Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of content published, CEDIA cannot accept responsibility for any factual errors that may occur. CEDIA cannot accept responsibility for the veracity of claims made by contributors.

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As that search proceeds, we’re finishing preparations for a somewhat-different Integrated Systems Europe (ISE). CEDIA’s presentations at ISE will include a pair of fascinating panel discussions: RECOVERY — Navigating the Post-Pandemic Landscape and THE INTEGRATOR OF 2025: What’s Next? There’s more info at iseurope.org, and there’s still ample time for you to register. Our education team — and volunteers — are readying the curriculum we’ll present during Expo, and we’ve booked a great keynote speaker, the inimitable Poppy Crum. (We’ll have a complete interview with our keynote in the next issue of Communicates.) Emerald Expositions, the city of Indianapolis, and the staff of the Indy Convention Center have all been working diligently to ensure that the best possible health and safety protocols are in place for the show. Registration opens on 9th June — get all the details at cediaexpo.org. Meanwhile, we’re constantly reassessing the needs of our members and the industry as a whole — and we’re keeping your needs top of mind. We’re building partnerships, advancing our certification efforts, and continually refining all the resources CEDIA offers. We’re focussing on your career and business development, providing you a place for connections and networking, and raising the professional bar when it comes to CEDIA as an industry thought leader. That’s why your feedback is always so important — and we’d encourage to reach out to us with any thoughts you happen to have. After all, you’re why CEDIA exists.

Kory Dickerson Giles Sutton CEDIA Interim Co-CEOs

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NEWS IN BRIEF COVID-safe training workshops With lockdown restrictions in the UK lifting, CEDIA has been able to get back on track with offering face-toface education at its training facility in St Neots. CEDIA has been pleased to see that there is a demand from its members to get back into the classroom, with around 50 students signing up in the first month alone. The team has worked hard to create a COVID-secure environment so that students feel comfortable to learn safely.

Save the Date – CEDIA Tech Summits With the roadmap out of lockdown remaining on track in the UK, CEDIA has set dates for the three Tech Summits that it plans to host in 2021. Having not been able to get out and network since the beginning of 2020, these free events will be a great opportunity for the industry to come together to enjoy educational sessions, networking, and product updates.

CEDIA’s COVID procedures include: • Temperature checks on arrival • COVID exposure forms • Social distancing between desks • Masks worn during practical work • Hand sanitiser provided • Equipment cleaned after each use • Classes limited to seven students CEDIA has a number of face-to-face courses lined up. To view the training calendar, visit cedia.net/education-events/event-calendar.

Tech Summits 2021: • London: Business Design Centre - 8th September • Edinburgh: GTG Training Centre - 21st October • Leeds: Leeds United FC - 9th November All events will include four training sessions that will be presented by a combination of trade supplier members. Visitors will also have the opportunity to interact with manufacturers and distributors in between the presentations and find out about their latest products and solutions in the exhibition space. If you are interested in becoming an event sponsor, please contact Steve Carter on scarter@cedia.org. Keep an eye on the CEDIA events calendar for registration info.

New project management pathway CEDIA has expanded the CEDIA Academy with the introduction of a new project management pathway. Available online via cediaacademy.net, the pathway includes 13 self-paced modules, covering everything from planning to lifecycle to interpersonal skills. Course 1 focusses on the Fundamentals of Project Management, providing participants with the general concepts and vocabulary related to project management as well as a more detailed discussion of successful project planning. Courses 2 and 3 look at System Integration Lifecycle, with the first session offering an understanding of the critical

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cross-functional hand-offs that must occur to make a project successful and the project initiation deliverables. The second part covers the typical phased approach within the systems integration lifecycle, with iterative planning and execution of the pre-work wiring phase, the rough and trim phase, and the rack build and finish phase, culminating in the project closure and transition phase. Course 4 looks at Interpersonal Skills, with emphasis on the impact of company culture on vision, mission, values, standards, team development, and performance management, and an understanding of the proper tools and techniques of good communication techniques, and time management.

Together for Cinema – New Target The industry initiative, Together for Cinema, which creates cinema and AV experiences for a range of children’s hospices and other deserving locations across the UK, is ramping up its activities, with a new target of completing 25 installs by 2026. Founded and managed by Ian Morrish, he wants to continue to build on the momentum of completing the first 25 installs and is calling upon the industry to support this. There are many ways in which industry people and companies can help, but the most important is to support, back, and help promote Together for Cinema. Companies can either commit to managing and installing a cinema room, donating products to be installed in the hospices, or financially sponsoring the initiative. For full details, email Ian Morrish on ian@ad-con.uk or visit togetherforcinema.co.uk.

Two New Brands Join CEDIA Propel

CEDIA Propel, the programme designed to help CEDIA members advance their business, connect to emerging trends, and create opportunities, is bringing aboard two more cutting-edge companies. Meet Autoslide and Zuma: Autoslide transforms sliding doors. With CEDIA Propel, members receive exclusive pricing, training, and inclusion on the Autoslide dealer portal. The company’s technology helps retrofit sliding doors for the patio, pocket doors, and more. Designed with convenience and elegance to be universal, these automated sliding and locking solutions enhance living in place, accessibility, and independence of loved ones and pets. Zuma is sound and light reinvented, serving as a totally new way to experience truly-immersive, high-performance sound and light. Through Propel, CEDIA members open the door to exclusive pricing to the groundbreaking Zuma product, which is voice controlled and discreetly installed in the ceiling to become part of the home. A supreme wellness solution, Zuma features immersive audio capabilities to blanket your room in sound, tunable lighting to create cooler or warmer room aesthetics, voice control to put Zuma at your command, and a cooperative, intuitive design for entertainment, relaxation, and mood-boosting. Autoslide and Zuma join Amazon, Bryte, and Immersive Gym in CEDIA Propel. You can find out more about accessing the tech unlocked through this unique member benefit at CEDIA.net/Propel.

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“I said, ‘I wish we could do this for the lessfortunate people, the elderly people. I can write grants. I do HUD grants. We could do this.’ And so G.A.S.K.I.N.S. Charity was born.” JANEEN GASKINS

I AM C 6

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Janeen Gaskins Janeen Gaskins was in business with her husband, Shaka — a nickname he picked up in the military — at their firm, Shakatronics, for 12 years before founding the G.A.S.K.I.N.S. Charity, an organisation she’s building to help curate tech for those in need of living-in-place solutions. She’s also the 2020 CEDIA Education Volunteer of the Year. What got you interested in technology?

I've always loved electronics. When I met my husband, he was in the military and he courted me by putting a sound system in my Pathfinder. But this was no ordinary, go down and get your system put in at a store. This was a Shakatronics sound system. I had no idea that sound could sound like that. Fast forward a couple of years, he had retired and my home became his playground. Honestly, I had no idea that home integration could be so beneficial and enjoyable. My husband's skillset really enlightened me. I was like, “Wow. Look at what can be done.” I thought, “This is where we need to be. This is good. We can transform our lives, not only to be enjoyable in our homes, but also be simplified,” because I started to have to take care of elderly parents in my home, and there were things that you could automate and do to make life more convenient.

How did the charity come to be?

I was an urban planner before joining my husband’s business. I write grants, and I worked for a couple of municipalities out here in Arizona, and writing grants for housing, water infrastructure, all sorts of things. I became the administrator. My husband’s good technically, but when it comes to the administration, not so much. He just wanted to get in there and do the physical work. The business was flourishing. Our niche area was smaller jobs — some big ones, but we did a lot of those smaller ones. And then COVID hit. The smaller ones that we did were really keeping us afloat, so when the pandemic hit, it just wiped us out. Funny enough, the weirdest thing was I had gotten a scholarship from the Better Business Bureau and GoDaddy, because I wanted to do more with Shakatronics right before the pandemic hit. And I said, “I wish we could do this for the less-fortunate

CEDIA CEDIA COMMUNICATES

people, the elderly people. I can write grants. I do HUD grants. We could do this.”

And so G.A.S.K.I.N.S. Charity was born as a result?

That’s correct. There are three different tiers. The first, the most expensive tier begins with an intake process, or an application process, and the person would have to be elderly, disabled, disabled veteran, or low-income; they'd have to have a need. Once they fit all that criteria, we'd go and we assess the house and we say, “Okay, this house needs this.” If you have PTSD, do we need to do shades or themes when you come into the house? If you're hearing impaired, what do we need to do with the sound? Some of the elderly people with dementia, are you socially isolated? Can we do the big screen TVs, and you can talk with people? Those sorts of things. We think about all of those things and then we write up a scope of work. And then we bid that out. We put it out to all of the integrators in the area and award the job to the right fit. Tier two is a little more simplified. It's a lowerlevel project. Maybe just somebody has one ailment, and so we would renovate the home just for that one thing, maybe a $20,000 renovation. The last tier would be our e-commerce. I can write small grants to Home Depot for something as simple as grab bars.

What compelled you to volunteer with CEDIA?

gaskinscharity.com

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Shout out to Amanda Wildman and Jamie Briesemeister. Awesome, awesome ladies. They saw me at a CEDIA conference and said, “Hey,” and talked to me, and engaged me about being in a family business with Shakatronics, and how they were as well. I was in the Business Working Group, then the Professional Development Advisory Council — it was really something. I was like,

“Oh my goodness, these knowledgeable people are welcoming me into their world. And I'm learning as I'm serving.”

How important is inclusion and diversity — and how’s the industry doing, in your opinion?

I'm black and I'm a female. And my husband is a six-foot, four-inch very, very chocolate man. Some may find him a little intimidating; I won't lie to you. As for Shakatronics, well, most of our money came from the smaller projects because we couldn't get in the door in many places. Even now, he struggles, and we don't know what it is. Sometimes we don't speak the same language. Him being military helps — he can find something in common with nearly anyone. I've been to a couple of CEDIA seminars and noted this. I appreciated one seminar leader at CEDIA — he said, “You know what? It's real. You are black. We're not going to lie. You might not get all the jobs, but you'll get them. You'll find where your sweet spot is.” Our clientele looks different. It just does. And we don't have a study to say why we can't get those good jobs. Industry-wise, I must say that everybody has been supportive — they've always been willing to share with us. We've always been able to get people to mentor us or help us.

For somebody starting out, anybody, literally anybody, what advice would you give them?

I would say join CEDIA. And I would further say, “Don't just join, but take advantage of the benefits.”

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THE SMART ENERGY SUMMIT

From Thermostats to Microgrids A recap of the first two days of Parks Associates’ “Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer” As we’ve often mentioned, the pandemic sped up some trends the custom integration industry had already identified — notably, the home as a hub of more than entertainment and comfort technology, but also a remote office and classroom. The winter of 2021 accelerated awareness of another aspect of residential tech: energy management. A brutal cold snap in Texas — for a variety of reasons — crushed the state’s independent energy grid, leaving more than four million in the cold and dark, and eventually having the downstream effect of water disruptions for no less than 14 million Texans. This topic was top-of-mind for the first two days of the Dallas-based Parks Associates’ “Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer” meetup (virtual this year, of course), which had already booked sessions on “The Impact of COVID-19: Consumer Behaviour and Energy Management” and “DERMS: Solar, Storage, and Microgrids” (DERMS is an acronym for Distributed Energy Resources Management Systems), among others. The topline takeaways from these sessions: Energy management is definitely a two-way street between customer and utility, and the continued adoption of “smart”

devices is creating terrific opportunities for integrators.

Demand Response and Smart Thermostats

Demand response programmes have yielded some pretty interesting pitches to consumers — Summit guest, Emilie Tullis, VP of product and GM of demand management solutions of the firm, Uplight (which is in the business of introducing solutions to customers for the energy companies they represent), gave away 100,000 smart thermostats to help end-users control the HVAC power usage in their home (the biggest draw). That’s fantastic news for integrators, because — as several speakers noted — the successful adoption of a single connected device most often leads to the demand for more. As panellist, Paul Williams, GM of product management and growth of GE Lighting (Savant), observes, “We’ve been in the chasm between early adoption and mass adoption of a lot of these technologies.” Because he’s in the lighting space, that’s the example he leans on: “When people were stuck at home, that’s when they discovered circadian lighting in droves. That was the precursor to broader adoption of smart home technology, and naturally CEDIA COMMUNICATES

energy management came next.” And, as VP of Customer Energy Solutions and Corporate Communications, Debbie Kimberly of the utility Austin Energy pointed out, “Smart thermostats are the granite countertops of energy efficiency,” something both buyers and renters love to see. And energy management is key in a society that’s never needed “set-itand-forget-it” solutions more than now. Emilie says, according to her firm’s research, as the work-from-home army hit 36% of the population, a full 50% of households saw their energy bills increase. And as the pandemic raged, 48% of those surveyed were “distracted from energy monitoring.” Smart devices can clearly fix that problem.

The Fragile Grid

Debbie says that the Texas crisis drove demand for energy storage: “There’s a huge interest in battery technology right now.” That dovetails with trends noted by Schneider Electric’s Senior Manager for Utility Residential Solutions, Jenny Roehm: “The pandemic coupled with weather events makes us realise how

As homeowners invest in solarand-battery setups that can either feed the larger grid or operate independently, the opportunities for integrators become obvious.

vulnerable we are.” Jenny breaks down what she’s observed into three buckets when it comes to energy: Digitization (the growth of IoT and the data that can be collected), Decarbonization (the demand for renewable, sustainable, “green” energy), and Decentralization (micro- and even nanogrids). So what’s a microgrid, anyway? Amit Narayan, CEO of AutoGrid, has a pretty elegant illustration: “Think about the old utility company as a mainframe computer from the past — then we moved to PCs and now smartphones.” The microgrid can be connected to the larger grid, or it can be “islanded” — operating by itself. As homeowners invest in solar-and-battery setups

that can either feed the larger grid or operate independently, the opportunities for integrators become obvious. And while costs are coming down when it comes to adopting this technology, there’s another trend that’s appeared: community solar. That solution allows multiple buildings or apartments or what have you to create their own, localised power generation and storage solution. It’s a technology that really excites Suleman Kahn, CEO of Swell Energy: “Simply put, community solar is one of the most important advancements ever.” In short: local energy supplies are naturally best matched with their local energy demands.

For more on the subjects of solar power and energy storage, check out this issue’s “Two-Minute Tech Read — The Next Energy Boom: Personal Energy Independence” on page 46.

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The Outdoors

in Three Walls and 13 Speakers

harles Pearce had no idea what was around the corner. In December of 2019, Charles and his team rolled out the three-wall video solution they dubbed The Immersive Gym — a multi-purpose AV room that provides a variety of content for activities ranging from cycling to running to yoga. And then came the lockdowns. Charles, like so many other CEDIA members we’ve documented in these pages, understood that the pandemic was merely a trigger that sped up tech trends, and not necessarily the root of the move toward in-home solutions. “Regardless of COVID, there was this massive shift towards digital content and activity outside of gyms,” Charles notes. “I mean, 4% of the world’s population are members of gyms and that leaves a huge percentage that isn't — and that group finds other ways to exercise. I think what it's done is fast-forwarded

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something that was going to happen. It was happening in any case.” The gym — which can work with a variety of content, including scenes and dynamic video wraparounds created by both third-party providers and Immersive Gym itself — was a concept that Charles had been kicking around for over a decade. “As recently as five years ago, we probably couldn't have done this because the quality of the content that you could put through a system wasn’t there. The fact that you can have ultra-short-throw projectors that didn't cast shadows on walls was another massive consideration. Back in 2009, when I was first thinking, “Wouldn't it be great, actually, to have an immersive AV experience that could flip from activity to activity and even become an entertainment space in the evening?” — the quality we’re now able to deliver just wasn’t there.” Although the present three-wall setup is “agnostic” — a variety of platforms work with the rig — the content that Immersive Gym is producing will push

“Wouldn't it be great, actually, to have an immersive AV experience that could flip from activity to activity and even become an entertainment space in the evening?”

the experience even further. Theo Rigden, who’s head of product with the firm, says, “If I'm cycling, or I'm running on a trail, I want to be able to look not only down the trail, which is what most content providers do. That means if I run past a beautiful waterfall off to my left, I want to follow it round and see it all the way to the side. Or if I'm running against a competitor and we're neck and neck, I want to look to my right and see them. “To create that dynamic, wraparound feeling, we have a large back wall (we call it the main display), seven metres wide, three metres high. Then you have two further walls to your left and right, which are about four by three metres. And that provides the full 180-degree field of vision to users — if you’re sitting in the middle of the display (not at the rear edge), you’re at that limit of 200-degree human peripheral vision. Add to that the kind of reactive equipment we have, it's an incredibly connected experience.” To make the quality of the experience truly convincing, the latest in camera

and data-gathering technology is key. “We're using the latest kind of 6K film cameras, and now bumping up even higher to 12K, Theo explains. “And as we're recording, we're also taking incredibly detailed data from that course we’re shooting. What that means is when the user is cycling through that space, for instance, when they go up a hill, they can feel the resistance down to the little ebbs and flows in the road.” The connected equipment reacts to the user, and the feedback loop means that if you pedal faster, the image around you speeds up accordingly. As for audio, the current system is a 13-speaker array delivering 7.1 audio — but the company’s working on a better solution. “We’re working with a company at the moment who delivers extremely sophisticated surround sound systems.” The illusion of a bird chirping — louder as you pass, then fading away behind you as you jog, pedal, or row — is not far off. Immersive Gym is a CEDIA Propel affinity partner (find more info about what that means at cedia.net/propel) CEDIA COMMUNICATES

TCD UPDATES The CEDIA Designer is constantly being updated. Here’s a quick Q&A with the “TCD Guys” — Guy Singleton (TCD’s inventor) and CEDIA’s Ian Bryant — on recent developments.

What are the features of the most recent version? How is it different, better? Ian: We’ve improved manufacturer filtering and added dynamic speaker placement adjustment that reacts to your commands in real time and give users the ability to add line source speakers, including improved calculation.

How often are these software updates made, and who’s behind them? Guy: Updates are made throughout the year. We have a queue based on importance and value to the user. David MacDonald and I handle these updates.

What new training tools are available? Ian: We have webinars happening quarterly throughout the year: Four for the US/EMEA market, two for Asia Pacific, and two in Spanish. We will have four in-person trainings at Expo with hands-on testing (two of which will be in Spanish). We also have a class in the CEDIA Academy and a new video walkthrough on the website.

What improvements are on the horizon? Guy: We’ll soon have support from the Imaging Science Foundation (ISF), adding in documentation and

recommended practices from ISF, horizontal and vertical viewing angle calculations, and the inverse square law for light output and throw distance. Additionally, Media Room Renders will allow users to experience the features currently only available in Cinema Room versions of the tool. This will eventually mean that “in-room” speakers and drop-down screens will be seen in the renders and enhanced visuals. It will take that tier of the software and enhance it to match the cinema room / pro levels. Manufacturers will have the opportunity to input detailed reports and product test results to prove their products’ performance. With those reports and the data users will be able to create a cinema/media room based on the cinema grades the R10 group is setting in the new CEB22 standards. This will revolutionise the way home cinema and media spaces are designed and sold in the industry.

What’s the time saved with TCD vs. manual calculations? Ian: A system can be generated in minutes and save an integrator hours or even days. It is still highly recommended for the designer to have a baseline knowledge of cinema design, acoustics, audio, and video. The tool can do the calculations, documentation, and CAD creation within seconds and the 3D renderings in just a few minutes. Lastly, remember: Integrators should be selling all of their services, including system designs.

Dozens of new products have been added to the tool. Find more at cedia.net/tcd. CEDIA Members have free access to the Media Room software and significant discounts on the rest of the tool’s offerings.

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SPOTLIGHT Q&A

Developing the Workforce of Tomorrow

Following the approval of the Smart Home Technician apprenticeship standard, CEDIA has been working closely with Skills4Stem to start the process of bringing new blood into the industry.

Sarah Davis FCIOB MIoD, CEO Skills4Stem Ltd.

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Here, CEDIA Communicates talks to Sarah Davis FCIOB MIoD, CEO Skills4Stem Ltd., to find out more about the programme and why employers should consider developing their workforce through this programme.

Tell us about Skills4Stem? Skills4Stem is a global training provider that focusses on providing international technical qualifications in construction, engineering, and project management. We believe that we fill the gap in the market to provide current education that's immediately fit for purpose and industry relevant, allowing individuals to progress their career prospects. Apprenticeships make up around 30% of what we do, with an annual take up of between 200 and 250 students. We are preparing for a growth period at the moment and would like that to double over the next two years. Our head office is in Bedford, but we operate nationwide — with our trainers being based all across the country, meaning that we can support students from anywhere in England.

Who are some of your existing customers? We work with all the big housebuilders, including Western Homes, Barratt Homes, Persimmon Homes, Berkeley Homes, and Taylor Wimpey. We also

work with very innovative and highend architects who deal directly with end users on exciting single builds. These customers have a nice synergy with the home technology market, as it’s important for housebuilders and architects to build homes for the future and include some form of technology in their properties.

What interested you about the smart home technician apprenticeship? We sit in the innovation space — we lead rather than follow — and for us, technology is driving change. Without a doubt, the future is digital. A lot of the stuff that the trailblazers in the smart home tech space are playing with now, is the stuff that is going to impact the wider construction industry in the future. So, we saw smart home technology as a really interesting space and recognised that this may be the way to attract younger people into the construction sector.

What are the financial incentives for hiring an apprentice?

Every employer that hires an apprentice who is aged 16 to 18 years old, or under 25 with an education, health and care plan, or who has been in the care of their local authority, will automatically receive £1,000. A limited time offer, those that act now and hire an apprentice before 30th September 2021, will be eligible for an additional £3,000. This incentive payment is regardless of the age of the candidate and will be sent to you in two payments — one after the apprentice completes 90 days of their apprenticeship and the second is sent after they have completed 365 days. The payment can be spent on anything to support costs that you incur. For example, uniforms, salary, or travel costs relating to your apprentice.

Tell us about the requirements for this apprenticeship? It is open to anyone in England who is over the GCSE age and there is no maximum age limit. To be eligible for the Government funding, the individual needs to be a paid employee, so we can’t take on anyone who is self-employed. CEDIA COMMUNICATES

We recognised that smart home technology may be the way to attract younger people into the construction sector.

The course runs for approximately 18 months and is run as a roll-on roll-off process, which in education terms, means that they can start every month of the year. The onboarding process can take between four to six weeks with all the paperwork that needs to be completed, so employers need to plan in advance if they want to get someone onto the programme.

How does the process begin? The process normally starts with the employer — we do the necessary checks and form filling with them before turning our attention to the candidate. When we do, we interview the individual to make sure that they are eligible for the funding and programme, for them to understand the commitment that they are making, and for us to determine any extra support the student may need. Once all parties have signed the necessary forms, we complete the funding application. This means that the employer doesn’t have to take this on themselves. We simply send DocuSign documents to the business owners when needed, but the rest is handled by us.

How is the programme run? The course includes a mixture of taught knowledge, practical skills, and inthe-workplace support and nurturing. We meet with the individual online every fortnight to share knowledge on principles and theories, and then every quarter, there is a face-to-face full day practical session at CEDIA’s HQ in St. Neots — COVID restrictions permitting. There is the on-site component that our

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team can't deliver, and this is where we are reliant on the business owner. For this reason, we have four to six weekly formal reviews with the employer, and progress meetings with the line manager and student every 12 weeks. At the end of the programme, an assessment is carried out by an independent organisation and the individual walks away with a nationally recognised Level 3 qualification. At relevant milestones, we encourage them to go on and sit the CEDIA CIT and IST exams. As it’s Government funded education, there is a requirement to have Level 2 GCSE Maths and English certificates before sitting the end-point assessment. To support those who didn’t achieve this at school, we provide adult learning in these subjects alongside the apprenticeship. This is conducted discreetly via online materials and one-to-one support with one of our team. It is also through every session automatically, as good practice says that any good teaching and learning programme should have Maths and English embedded at a certain level.

How has your relationship with CEDIA helped the programme? We are delighted to have worked closely with CEDIA on this programme and the association has provided us with access to its online learning pathways — CIT and IST — on the CEDIA Academy. In addition to this, CEDIA is also providing access to its workbooks and textbooks, including the CIT book and the IST book, when it’s finalised. This allows Skills4Stem to align the programme with CEDIA, adding credibility and reassurance. Working so closely with

Working so closely with CEDIA also means that we are in a position to always find out about updates and can quickly embed these into the programme.

CEDIA also means that we are in a position to always find out about updates and can quickly embed these into the programme.

Any final words of advice? The economy's recovery plan is driven by education, and apprenticeships are right in the middle of all of this, so I would say that there has never been a better time to consider employing an apprentice. For it to be successful, the employer needs to be fully engaged with it — this is what makes an apprenticeship different to an online learning product. These programmes are set up to build knowledge, skills, and behaviours on the job so that the outcome is a very wellrounded employee for your business. Look out for the Skills4Stem team at forthcoming industry events, including the CEDIA Tech Summits in London and Leeds and Essential Install Live. In the meantime, to find out more, email Skills4Stem on apprenticeships@skills4stem.co.uk

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ISE DIGITAL » THE FUTURE OF AV ISE Digital is a two-day festival of content, powered by CISCO technology, and is designed to deliver an intuitive agenda that will help to build a roadmap to success. With a comprehensive programme of live and ondemand content, ISE Digital will come from ISE’s own virtual studio with live sessions from the Main Stage in Barcelona on 1-2 June. Available on demand in the weeks that follow, the programme is a collaboration of informative content from ISE, AVIXA, CEDIA, TNW (The Next Web), and key show partners.

Live from the Main Stage, Barcelona The Main Stage at the Fira will be at the heart of the in-person content programme, with sessions also livestreamed to the online audience. Building on the RISE Spotlight programme which ISE has been running since November 2020, ISE Digital will also feature On the Sofa Keynotes, Reporter Roundtables and of course Startup Nation, sponsored by ACCIÓ, highlighting start-ups that are shaking up the markets. Both AVIXA and CEDIA will be featured on the Main Stage with a range of sessions covering the latest market intelligence, global trends, and taking a look at the smart technologies driving the residential and commercial marketplaces.

Highlights will include:

• On the Sofa Keynote with TNW: Shaking out the trends in next tech Key insights showcasing the tech trends all businesses need to have on their radar and why. This session explores which technology has accelerated and what’s been put on the backburner as a result of the pandemic.

• Rising to the challenge: Finding opportunity through crisis

An influential AV thought-leader takes us on a journey of how they innovated and led their team to achieve growth through the different phases of the pandemic. This story is set to inspire and help you reflect on your own leadership style.

• On the Sofa Keynote Interview: Sustainability Accelerated

Sustainability is at the top of the global agenda and modern society is increasingly concerned with sustainability initiatives and the protection of our shared environment, so ignoring it can only result in being left behind. We ask a thought leader what corporates ought to be looking at, why and what the perfect destination is in terms of a sustainable business.

• Roundtable: What’s your purpose?

How to position your brand and service in a post pandemic world. How important is brand purpose? Is it time to evaluate the values of your business?

Registration is free, quick, and simple via iseurope.org/register 22

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CEDIA is looking forward to providing visitors to ISE Digital with a wide variety of online content that they can sink their teeth into. With a presence on the Main Stage, CEDIA’s dedicated Hub, the Student Zone, and Catalan Innovation Zone, there will be something for everyone.

Alongside a selection of videos updating viewers on the latest programmes, services, and opportunities CEDIA brings to its members, CEDIA will also be running two panel discussions within the CEDIA Hub.

Main Stage

Climate Emergency Panel

CEDIA will be running two twenty-minute Main Stage sessions — one on each day of the digital event. The first session, which is due to run at 3.55pm CET on Tuesday 1st June, is entitled RECOVERY: Navigating the Post-Pandemic Landscape. This panel discussion will focus on how the pandemic has affected supply chains and inventories and how we can mitigate these impacts; the explosion of media offerings for the home and what the integrator needs to know to be able to deliver the best experience to the client; and how an integrator can take advantage of wellness, sustainability, and assisted living — all of which have been bubbling up over the past few years. The second Main Stage session, running at 3.05pm CET on Wednesday 2nd June, looks at THE INTEGRATOR OF 2025: What’s Next? Based on a forthcoming CEDIA white paper, this discussion will be broken down into four segments that are of critical importance to the occupants of a residence — Presence, Comfort, Safety, Sustainability. The panellists will discuss why these four are most impactful; holistic design and why it’s so critical for integrators to learn; how these segments will change in the next few years; and what specific skills are going to be most helpful to integrators.

The twin crises of climate breakdown and biodiversity loss are the most serious issue of our time. What can, or should, home technology businesses be doing to be more sustainable and help address the climate emergency?

Developer, Designer, Architect Panel

Many integrators work closely with property developers, interior designers, and architects to deliver successful projects for clients. What do these professions really think of our industry and the services we provide? And what would they like us to do better or differently? Elsewhere on the ISE Digital platform, CEDIA will be providing interested students and employers with information on apprenticeships; and offering Spanish speaking professionals access to videos that explore CEDIA member benefits. Videos from the recent RISE Spotlight events that CEDIA has been involved in — Workspace Evolution, XR in Today’s Reality, Harness the Power of Digital Learning, and Smart Buildings: The Way Forward — will also be available for attendees to view.

Registration is free, quick, and simple via iseurope.org/register 24

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PROJECT PROFILE

Ed Wenck Content Director, CEDIA

THE DUAL HIDDEN PROJECTOR

MEDIA ROOM CANTARA’S JASON VOORHEES TELLS US ABOUT THE WORK THAT WENT INTO A PROJECT THAT EARNED TOP HONOURS FOR BEST INNOVATIVE SOLUTION AND MEDIA ROOM LEVEL II AT THE 2020 CEDIA AWARDS (AMERICAS)

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It became immediately apparent that a pair of flat-panel displays hidden behind some panels wouldn’t cut it.

Jason Voorhees, founder of the integration firm, Cantara, makes it clear that winning a pair of 2020 CEDIA Awards for a project dubbed the “Dual Hidden Projection Media Room” was no mean feat. “What we do is hard. It’s really hard. And this was no exception,” he says. “This project was actually a change order,” Jason explains. The original scope of work included a fully integrated home built for parties at a moment’s notice, and part of that was a dualdisplay rig in the main living area of the homeowner’s condo. “The sales team was talking to the homeowner and designer and asked ‘So what do you want the space to be? And how are we going to hide the 65-inch TVs?’ And that's when the whole story came out from the owner that she would really just like to have the best Oscars red carpet party the world has ever seen. “It became immediately apparent that a pair of flat-panel displays hidden behind some panels wouldn’t cut it.”

Help from the Manufacturers

The client, he notes, is “just so fun and full of life — and has the wealth and knows how to spend it. And this whole project was about just creating a wild place to entertain and have friends over, and make memories, and go over the top. I mean, that was part of the mission of the project: more, more, more.” A big part of that “more, more, more” is a pair of very bright Barco projectors — which weren’t even in production at the outset. “Barco tells us, ‘We've got one on planet Earth that is currently in Australia. And we'll ship it to Los Angeles.’ They sent this alpha unit to Stewart Filmscreen, and they get it set up. Client comes in, and client loves it.” To keep the projectors hidden away in the ceiling, Cantara contracted with a company that created a drop-down mirror system that folded out of the ceiling. “They shipped the mechanisms without the mirrors installed — which made sense at the time — and between installation before drywall went up and the moment we’re ready to install those mirrors, the firm went out of business.” “Stewart came to the rescue again — and managed to get us the mirrors we needed,” says Jason. Several days of manual monkeying later, and the team managed to get the geometry perfect to deliver an image correctly.

Audio Mania

Jason and his team next had to ensure that the audio could accomplish what the homeowner wanted — namely, CEDIA COMMUNICATES

“The client is just so fun and full of life — and has the wealth and knows how to spend it.” multiple sources that synced with each screen (that can display separate content feeds) and a microphone rig. Jason describes the setup: “She has a piano, and right by the piano, there's a little wall plate, and we've furnished them with a whole little ‘go-bag’ of different things. You can have your streaming service playing house-wide, and you can grab one of the wireless mics, turn it on, and start talking. The system will automatically duck the house music. “It’s the same deal if you plug in a DJ mixing console or something — it'll recognise what's going on and what the intention of the homeowner is. And then after a couple of seconds, if no one's talking, the music will come back up.” You can, of course, dedicate the home system to a live performance that includes the mic and piano (and in the interests of preserving the homeowner’s

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anonymity, we won’t reveal who’s played and sung at this home — but they’re definitely acts you’d recognise). The work yielded Cantara a number of nods in the 2020 Americas CEDIA Awards, with wins in the Best Innovative Solution and Media Room Level II categories, and a ‘Highly Commended’ honour for the entire residence (Best Integrated Home Level IV). Those trophies help Jason to keep his team motivated. “It's a wonderful thing to have our employees pause for a moment and get some perspective on the fact that this is as good as it gets in the industry. And they're on a winning team. The work is really difficult, but it's special work — and their peers recognise it as being special work.” For a complete equipment list, see the project at www.cediaawards.org.

CANTARA @cantaradesign cantaradesign.com CEDIA Member Since 2008

HOW THEY DID IT

SPINNEY HOME CINEMA CEDIA COMMUNICATES

Spinney gained Cyberhomes winner status in the Best Home Cinema Level II at 2020 CEDIA Awards (EMEA), with the judges commenting: “A super cinema. It’s easy to see how this is going to be a great experience for the customer. It is a fantastic representation of what’s possible.” Cyberhomes’ challenge for this job was to design the room from an empty shell and to create the wow factor in a comfortable and relaxing environment that is visually different from other cinema rooms. The husband and wife duo love leading egde technology and have a passion for supercars, so they wanted this incorporated within the design, but for the style to be both masculine and feminine so that it suited both of them. With the room to be used for both movie watching and game playing, the clients' wish list included the biggest cinematic screen and the best audio possible to provide a great experience for the six family members.

Design

Before any room concepts were developed, Cyberhomes assessed the technical requirements of the room. “CAD and 3D visualisation enabled us to fully design the room, make adjustments, check the symmetry, and double check every technical aspect relating to audio, video, and acoustics before we produced the final design,” commented Chris Morley, Lead Designer at Cyberhomes. After researching several design concepts, Cyberhomes settled on a futuristic look, which they presented to the client, along with other similar room ideas.

CYBERHOMES @CyberhomesUK cyberhomes.co.uk CEDIA Member Since 2006

AV Set Up

A Dolby 7.1.4 set up was installed, with three in-wall LCR monitor speakers, four in-wall bi-polar surround sound speakers, four in-ceiling speakers, and four on-wall subwoofers from Triad. Cyberhomes matched these with Anthem processors and power amplifiers, while ARC room correction fine-tuned the finished room acoustics to perfection. Cyberhomes installed a Sony 4K laser projector in a custom designed enclosure. The decision to do so presented a potential overheating issue due to the confined space and required careful structuring and design for effective airflow and cooling with a removeable front section for access. “We integrated the heat flow from the projector with the main VAV central cooling system, which blows cooler air across the top of the enclosure, helping to disperse and draw out the projectors warmer air,” said Chris. “To make sure the projector was working efficiently, we included a temperature monitoring IP sensor which reported the enclosure temperature through Domotz, which was also programmed to provide an alert should the enclosure get too hot.” To satisfy the request for a very large screen, the integrator installed an electric side masking 2.40:1 acoustically transparent screen. The screen (weaved material) allowed the team to position CEDIA COMMUNICATES

“We are absolutely thrilled to have won the CEDIA Award for this project — it’s been a great team effort.”

the front speakers behind the screen, optimising the front audio soundstage. To maintain the best picture and sound source for the room, a Kaleidescape system was installed along with Apple TV and Sky Q. A local games input gave the option to add future games consoles for an immersive games experience in Ultra-HD.

Acoustics and Design

Cyberhomes used futuristic looking acoustic treatments to tick the wow factor box, whilst also addressing first order reflections and room mode issues. “Whilst the cinema isn’t near any noisy or sensitive rooms, we constructed the room to STC52 Level 1 and included an STC50 Rated Acoustic Door,” adds Chris. “Resonance was greatly reduced using a three layer front baffle wall construction to support the front LCR speakers and subwoofers, whilst also improving clarity and detail.” Bespoke features such as the stage, side speaker grills, and the projector housing were designed to complement and mirror the shapes of the acoustic treatments. For the desired masculine and feminine feel, a common theme of curves and angles were adopted, adding balance and symmetry combined with neutral colours for a hint of warmth. Ambient blue lighting was added to give the 3D structures a strong dynamic look, with contrasting warm white to soften and balance the room. “We were mindful of the image quality on the screen,” said Chris. “Taking care not to have any lighting shining on it, we chose dark acoustically transparent material for the front and rear walls, which gives a clean matte finish that avoids light reflections and viewing distractions to get the maximum image contrast ratio available from the projector.” As well as the aesthetic appeal, safety was also important. Cyberhomes incorporated large steps, highlighted by LED strips and downlights with emergency lighting to cater for servicing and a clear exit strategy. When it comes to seating, Cyberhomes tends to include an MLP or money seat in the centre of the room for optimised audio and video performance. However, with this room, great emphasis was placed on everything being equal and balanced, so following discussions with the client, ‘his’ and ‘her’ seats were chosen with both offering excellent performance. Cyberhomes opted for fully electric incliners with premium soft leather and contrasting blue piping, while the front seats added a further

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dimension to the experience with D-Box motion actuators.

Control

Savant Pro was the chosen control provider for the cinema room (and the whole house). The programming incorporated a clever use of macros for the room, allowing for simple lighting scene changes, the screen to change its aspect ratio, and for protection features such as allowing the projector to cool after use before being switched on again.

Racking

The position of the main AV Hub was originally designed to be in the plant room. However, due to a large upgrade of the swimming pool and related equipment, Cyberhomes no longer had the space required to get the whole racking system in the room with clear access and ventilation. In order not to compromise their racking system, the team agreed with the

client to redesign part of the basement, adding a new dedicated AV rack room with a glass rack viewing area, large screen TV and audio system, plus a small office area. The space had cooling and ventilation integrated and easy access to the back of the racks for simple servicing. “We are absolutely thrilled to have won the CEDIA Award for this project — it’s been a great team effort,” commented Andy Mack, Director of Cyberhomes. “Since all the design and fabrication was completed in-house, we maintained complete control of the final result.” “We could not fault Cyberhomes. When they came up with their 3D design of what our cinema room could be we never expected them to deliver the finished product exactly like the concept,” explained the homeowner. “We never expected the cinema room to be as good as it is and it’s become the show piece of the entire property, an exceptional thanks to Cyberhomes.”

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Defining the ‘Resimercial’ Market: What exactly does it mean?

Jason Knott

Steven Rissi

Chief Content Officer, CE Pro

Senior Director of Technical Education, CEDIA

here’s no question that there is as much “grey area” in the attempt to define the term “resimercial” as there is on top of George Clooney’s head, but the market itself just might be more handsome for integrators to pursue. But first things first: Where did the term “resimercial” come from? About 30 or so years ago, design professionals began to see a need for some commercial spaces to feel more welcoming and comfortable. Commercial environments such as dental, law, and accounting offices were generally receiving clients that were already experiencing a heightened sense of stress — so stark, harsh spaces didn’t help the matter. While the term was originally coined to describe the convergence of residential and commercial design elements, after the crash in the U.S. housing market in 2008, many residential integration firms began to look for business doing work on small-scope commercial projects. The result of this crossover of skills also came to be called “resimercial.”

The Big Three

In some ways, the COVID-19 pandemic has unleashed greater “resimercial” market opportunities than previously existed — many driven by the huge uptick in work from home/ learn from home trends. Generally, we can break those opportunities in three distinct segments: 1 Light commercial applications performed by a residentially focussed custom integration company, such as bars, restaurants, small retail, and corporate offices/ boardrooms on a small scale. These are installations that can include audio, video, security, energy management, control, unified communications/collaboration systems for teleconferencing, and more. CEDIA COMMUNICATES

Images courtesy of SmartTouchUSA

In many cases, the technology solutions deployed are products born from the residential market with the intent to bring a “home” ambiance or utility to a commercial environment. The pandemic has also given rise to the deployment of residential wellness technologies in commercial environments, namely, human-centric lighting for commercial spaces to help increase employee productivity and improve moods. 2 Common areas in a multidwelling unit (MDU) residential structure (apartments, condos). As many integrators know, managing an MDU project is somewhat like managing a commercial application. There are infrastructure requirements for the entire facility, with specific common areas/public spaces like lobbies and fitness centres that often require commercial-grade solutions like videowalls, digital signage, video surveillance, alarms, access control, multi-layered networks for guests versus residents, mobile phone signal boosters, and more.

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3 Residential applications that require enterprise-grade equipment, such as a robust home network, highend home recording studio, home power management/backup power, mobile phone signal boosters, and home offices with teleconferencing/unified communications setups that include microphones, cameras, lighting, and room acoustics. As noted, the market for work from home/learn from home solution has exploded due to COVID-19, and this single application was among the primary reasons that integrators were designated as essential workers during the pandemic. At the highest end of the spectrum, integrators are being called upon to build out hybrid meeting spaces inside homes in cases where executives plan to literally convert their home into an in-person collaborative environment that exists beyond the pandemic shutdowns. These more-elaborate spaces might need technologies such as presentation switchers, video scalers, and DSP (digital signal processing) audio solutions. Also within the WFH trend

is the niche market of building out home studios for more than just office duties, but recording podcasts or music. While the applications, business processes, and some of the technologies differ, the key point about all of the various resimercial scenarios is that the foundational principles of the related science and engineering remain the same. Clearly there are important differences between calibrating a microphone system for audio capture and calibrating a speaker system for audio playback, but the physics of how sound pressure waves behave in a small room does not change. Therefore, the critical element of future success in this space will be solutions-based design.

For more information about these and other resimercial technologies and applications, follow the CEDIA Expo Resimercial series of podcasts and articles that will be released over the summer — and come see us in September in Indianapolis at the show.

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WHAT’S UP DOWN UNDER? Highlights from the first-ever “CEDIA Market Research Insights – Australia” survey

The lack of any baseline knowledge regarding the residential integration field in Australia has been bugging Paul Skelton for over a decade. Before he became the CEDIA Regional Development Consultant, Australia and New Zealand, Paul had been on the publishing side of the CEDIA channel for 15 years, most notably for his time with Connected magazine. Over the years, says Paul, “We tried to do some basic research, but the one thing that always confused me in this market is that you could go to any distributor, any integrator and say, ‘How many integrators are there in Australia?’ Nobody could answer that.” After joining the Association a year ago, Paul set out to change that. “It came down to the simple fact that if CEDIA is to grow in Australia, we need answers first: How big is the industry? What's the industry worth? What's the average project worth? If we want new people coming into the market, we need to have this information available. We needed to be in a position we can actually say to scholastic leaders and potential technicians, this is a viable career.” Thus was born the first ever “CEDIA Market Research Insights — Australia 2020/2021” report. As the finished product states: “This report seeks to identify the type of person and company installing smart home technologies, how they operate, and how optimistic they are about the future of this industry.”

Topline Findings

Images courtesy of : Electronic Living, Queensland, Australia, electronicliving.com.au Bridger Automation, Queensland, Australia, bridgerautomation.com.au AVD Australia, New South Wales, Australia, avd.com.au

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As in every other part of the globe, the attitude toward the connected home has changed dramatically in the past few years. “When I started out, it was exciting to be in this industry because it was a luxury — it was exclusive and everyone was working on these high-end projects with high-value clients,” says Paul. The tension between the old-guard integration businesses and the entry-level firms is

of some concern, as Paul notes: “What we're getting now is a lot of new people into the market who aren't necessarily trained or qualified in any way. They're taking the entry level clients and mass-market clients too, and that's ruffling a lot of feathers.” Some of these issues are revealed in the numbers that Paul’s getting back from his surveys in the field. For example: “25.3% of smart home professionals are not ‘certified’ by any control system supplier,” notes Paul. Also bothersome: “A little over half of the respondents don’t charge a fee for design.” Paul immediately identified some pretty big growth opportunities: “As the survey notes, there are believed to be 850 full-time home technology integrators in Australia.” Those 850 are serving a population of roughly 27 million, and the bulk of those are in the eastern third of the nation. While the cities of Sydney and Melbourne drive quite a lot of business, Queensland is getting massive traction. “There are some very, very big integration companies on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane (which is

To hear more on the report, check out the CEDIA Podcast on the subject. Download the survey — free to CEDIA members at cedia.net

the capital of Queensland). They’re thriving up there. To me, the data’s saying that Queensland is becoming the future of this industry. They seem to have a grasp on it and they're pushing hard; much harder than everyone else.”

Related Fields

The survey discovered a fascinating overlap among related fields, says Paul. “42% of home technology integrators are also licensed electricians,” he notes. “But there was a number in the data that concerned me in this regard — 73% of people who responded claim to be registered cablers. In Australia, you have to be registered with the government to pull cable through walls. People have to be careful: The potential fine at the moment is about $13,500 for unregistered work.” On the positive side, one eye-popping stat is sure to drive interest in the field: Despite the rapid growth of connected home DIY devices and entry-level projects, the luxury home market is strong: “No less than 50% of home technology integrators earn in excess of $1 million each year.”

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CHALLENGE & SOLUTION

THE ABCS OF WFH Practical tips on getting the best look and sound from the various videoconferencing platforms — for your clients AND you

ne of the most obvious trends of the past year has made videoconferencing as critical to white-collar jobs as the office chair: working from home is now A Very Big Thing. The global pandemic triggered the rapid acceleration of remote work — Zoom, for example saw its usage in Q2 of 2020 rise by a staggering 4,700% year-over-year. And, as CEDIA’s Senior Director of Technology and Standards, Walt Zerbe notes, the move to remote work is likely here to stay. “I think it's permanent,” he says, but there’s a caveat: The user experience isn’t quite where it needs to be. “We're trying to make the most of the tech that we've got today, but we're missing the true social collaboration part of it.” Meaning actual eye contact, gesture, the things that make human interaction feel — well, human. That experience will likely improve with advances in AR and VR, but until then, we’ve got to make the best of it.

How’s It Sound?

Your clients will likely want the best “home office” they can afford, but so should you — after all, shouldn’t a technology integrator have a terrific video conferencing rig? Rule number one is, naturally, ensuring that your connection is terrific — it

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should go without saying at this point that a physical cable beats Wi-Fi. Next? Sound. “I think audio is the most neglected part of this,” says Walt. A thorough look at the space comes first — if the room is not built for two-way sound isolation at the outset, you can add sound absorption and diffusion, which can include everything from drapes to custom panels to the very learned look of a wall of books. “You should research a little bit about microphones,” Walt advises. “I personally like using a dynamic microphone instead of a condenser microphone. While condenser microphones sound really good, they pick up everything — they'll pick up your paper shuffling, they'll pick up stuff two, three rooms away. “You also want to maybe be cognisant of microphone patterns. A cardioid pattern microphone rejects all the noise from the back, and a hyper cardioid has a very tight little pattern that rejects all the noise from the sides of the mic as well.” Walt also steers away from Bluetooth connectivity for your mic and your headset. “Bluetooth is always compromised. It's never as good quality as a headset that is wired or a USB microphone — or even a more upscale professional mic.” Walte Zerbe knows his onions

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Location, Location, Location

As far as cameras go, Walt says, “Most platforms aren't going to have the bandwidth to do 4K, so I don't think it's necessary for you to get a 4K camera, although they're great. Additionally, by the time it actually goes into your app, the signal’s going to be really compressed.” “I’d be much more concerned about the location of the camera and the lighting you’re using,” he advises. Walt notes that a good camera position creates the illusion of eye contact — looking directly into the camera helps provide that vibe. Additionally, Walt’s home office setup uses adaptive lighting that can change temperature, and he’s constantly experimenting with the ambient light in the room to find the perfect temperature for his face. Security’s another concern, of course, especially as the home network takes on more and more of the data once overseen by corporate IT. And it’s yet another area where a good integrator can make the case that technology pros are essential in every room in the connected home.

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STANDARDS UPDATE

A Need for Speed: Time Sensitive Networking The Dante Example The IP network has become central to virtually An excellent example of a time sensitive application is Dante all technology subsystems around the home: technology, by Australian company, Audinate. Dante first made communications, security, IP control, streaming media, a name for itself in the pro audio space, replacing multitudes of AV-over-IP, etc. The protocols used are predominantly hugely cumbersome analogue audio cables by packetizing digital those of wired Ethernet networks (IEEE 802.3) but can audio for sending over standard Ethernet networks using VoIP of course extend through to wireless networking (IEEE protocols. This hugely reduced the size and quantity of cabling 802.11). Either way, the standards are typically focussed and reduced noise — and also mitigated ground loops and on the integrity of data delivery, with no emphasis impedance mismatches. But what really underpinned Dante’s on time or constraints on latency. That’s because IP transformation of that industry was its ability to send hundreds networking used to be more about moving files, but the of channels of audio over a single Ethernet (copper or fibre) cable way we use Ethernet networks has changed. Today, with precise time sensitivity, with longer distances, and with media streams and control systems are converging to the extraordinary interoperability between devices on standard IP domain, and they sometimes require synchronisation. networks — albeit enterprise grade. And for this, time matters! The lure of high performance, The IEEE have a task simplicity, and interoperability saw group and a whole suite of the adoption of Dante spill over from standards under the banner pro audio to enter the commercial IEEE 802.1, originally known AV space, too. The latest reports as Audio-Video Bridging Think of AVB/TSN as show that adoption of Dante has (AVB). As the name implies, being like an emergency surpassed 500 manufacturers AV was the primary focus, response vehicle that and 3,000 devices. And now, for with bridging across network turns on its siren to these same reasons, its coming to segments being common residential for high-performance in target applications. AVB be permitted priority digital audio distribution. is a layer 2 extension to through traffic, as time is Ethernet networks, providing What does this mean for of the essence. guaranteed quality of integrators? Well, it’s yet another service (QoS) with reserved very compelling reason to ensure bandwidth and precise sync the Ethernet networks you design, clock to ensure that streams install, and manage are robust and are delivered with minimal high performance, but also Dante latency. For example, to optimised if the technology is to maintain sync between many channels of audio (think feature in a project. Focusrite, a manufacturer of pro audio stage and mixing desks), or concurrent audio and video gear, provides some simple advice as to what to look for when streams to maintain lip sync. specifying a network switch for use with Dante; it should be: As the years went on, the potential for applications • Gigabit rated (1000 Mbps) grew to include things like climate control and assistive • Managed (layer 3) technologies, and network bridging gave way to layer • Non-blocking (gigabit at every port, with all ports 3 control and VLANs. In response to this, the scope connected) of AVB was expanded and renamed Time Sensitive • Quality of Service (QoS) with four queues Networking (TSN). TSN remains backwards compatible • Differentiated services (Diffserv) QoS capable with strict with AVB. There are many protocols to make TSN priority work, with interoperability a focus of standards bodies • Capable of disabling Energy Efficient Ethernet or "EEE" including IEEE and AES. An example of one such (also called Green Ethernet) protocol is Precision Time Protocol (PTP), wherein Of course, there’s far more to the network than the switch. PTP packets take priority over other packet types. This In any case, time sensitive networking will only grow in keeps latency low and availability high, and is typically prevalence, whether it’s for Dante or other low-latency multicast. applications. As always, education is key, so watch this space for Think of AVB/TSN as being like an emergency more along those lines. response vehicle that turns on its siren to be permitted For more on CEDIA's educational offerings on networking, priority through traffic, as time is of the essence. see cedia.net/education CEDIA COMMUNICATES

TWO-MINUTE TECH READ

The Next Energy Boom: Personal Energy Independence

Ian Bryant CEDIA Senior Director Strategic Partnerships

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olar power and electrical storage have entered the mainstream energy conversation of late with companies like Tesla and Vivint taking the lead. Solar adoption by the most of the world’s major countries has been slow over the past decade, but recently, things have begun to change. In the U.S., a large majority of the solar systems are in the West and Southwest (California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas) and add up to around 10.75 million homes. A few eastern states (New York, North Carolina, New Jersey, and Massachusetts) have roughly 2.4 million homes with some kind of solar rig. All told, it is estimated that there are 17.7 million homes total in the U.S. with solar power generating 19.2 gigawatts of power. If the industry continues at this rate, it is

expected the U.S solar industry will install more than 324 GW of capacity over the next 10 years. The UK is currently generating around 13.5 GW of power, but solar is the third most common renewable energy with wind creating more than five times the energy of solar there. Other countries with broad adoption include China, Germany, Japan, and Australia. Along with wind, a growing number of countries are turning to other renewables such as hydro, tidal, geothermal, and biomass. But solar is the one source that the general public has easy access to and can make the biggest difference in energy savings. The cost of solar panels continues to drop and, at this writing, has hit an all-time low of $2.81 per watt (down 21% in the past four years). The average efficiency of solar panels is in the 10-20% range, but there are experimental technologies that are now seeing upwards of 45% efficiency. Solar installers can be found in nearly every major city in every industrialised country in the world, and there are small, inexpensive systems available for supplying power to a few electronic devices.

Renewable energy and storage is set to surge over the next five years.

Make It, Then Store It

Solar power generation is just part of the energy boom for homeowners and businesses. Storing that energy is key to a well-rounded system. New battery technologies are paving the way for personal energy independence. Lithium-iron-phosphate, lithiummanganese-cobalt, lithium-air, lithium-sulphur, sodium-ion, magnesium-ion, and vanadium flow are technologies showing promising results for higher output and more cycles than the current lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries. Distributed energy resources can support redundancy and provide fail-safes to a local (or larger) grid by incorporating multiple levels of energy creation and energy storage to support a community in times of outages, under-performing power supplies, or a sudden increase in energy demand. Energy independence is not just a focus for counties, states, or cities anymore. People are realising they want to have energy independence in their homes. A solution once touted as a mere money-saver is now about

climate change and self-preservation. Rolling blackouts during the global fire seasons over the last few years, the severe weather that took Texas to its knees, and a move to stop using natural gas in countries like the UK (along with harsh winters there) are stressing the power grid. As consumers become more “energy-aware,” residential integrators have an opportunity to be a part of this revolution by becoming familiar with these systems, their installation, and potential automation solutions. Not all systems require a licensed electrician to install — regs do vary state by state and country by country, but integrators can easily partner with a solar specific company to install portions of the system just like you would with an electrician on a lighting system. You — the integrator — consult, design, and configure, and they install and support. Add it all up, and the result’s pretty clear: Renewable energy and storage is set to surge over the next five years across the globe like it never has before. CEDIA COMMUNICATES

Inspiring the Next Smart Home Generation I am writing this article as I help my 13-year-old daughter choose her GCSEs. While I am pleased to see that her teachers are recommending the Triple Science pathway for her, I was astounded to discover subjects like computer science and design and technology were optional; if she pursues art, as she wants to, she will have to give up developing her digital skills. This comes just weeks after The Learning & Work Institute, a respected UK think tank, warned that the country is heading towards a “catastrophic" digital skills shortage as the number of secondary school students choosing IT subjects for GCSEs has declined more than 40% since 2015, while technology sector jobs are increasingly in demand. This reinforces what we at CEDIA have seen in our industry, and we are already working hard to solve this problem. CEDIA identified that the lack of clearly defined job roles makes it challenging to bring young talent into our field. As a result, we have developed new, clearly defined certifications for entry and mid-level technicians, as

“Our ambassadors will be role models — the face of CEDIA to inspire the next generation.”

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Aneta Armova-Levin EMEA Education Manager, CEDIA

well as creating an ideal starting point for a career in home automation with our “Smart Home Technician” apprenticeship. Although this apprenticeship is new, the UK’s Green Apprenticeship Advisory Panel, led by the Institute for Apprenticeships, has already identified it as playing a huge role in the UK government’s green recovery efforts. CEDIA also recognises that there is a general lack of guidance on potential career paths. We have increased our efforts in workforce development by building relationships with schools and colleges to educate the next generation of professionals about the ever-growing smart home career opportunities available to them. We are planning resources to support our members in becoming grass roots ambassadors, to empower and equip CEDIA members to promote industry education and career paths in their local communities, and at school career days and careers fairs. Our grass roots ambassadors will aim to break the stigma vocational training faces in the traditional education world. Moreover, they will break the gender preconceptions that our daughters face, inspiring a generation of technically savvy young women who they can not only join, but thrive in our industry. These ambassadors will not just be speakers at community events, though. Our ambassadors will be role models — the face of CEDIA and smart home opportunities that can inspire a young, technical generation to pursue a smart home career. Our ambassadors will show these aspiring technicians the real-world careers that are available to them, in a fast-growing, vitally important industry. For all of this to work, though, we need you. We need you to take on apprentices and help them grow a career in the field. We need you to stand up and stand out as an ambassador to encourage a generation of young professionals. We need you to stand with CEDIA and stand with the smart home industry. Email me at alevin@cedia.org to find out how you can get involved.

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INDUSTRY Q&A

CEDIA THE

MANUFACTURER AWARDS

Amit Ravat co-founder and director Lithe Audio litheaudio.com 50

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Richard Litofsky co-founder and CEO, madVR Labs madvrenvy.com

it is nice when it comes up. It helps with our credibility, especially since we are a startup company.

How does the $300 entry fee stack up against other advertising opportunities? Amit: It's pretty much the same as us doing a quarter page ad in one of the trade publications. There’s a chance you may not win, of course, but if you become a finalist or you win, then it pays for itself 10 times over. Richard: Simply put, the entry fee was well worth it.

What would you say to someone considering entering the Awards?

Lithe Audio Pro Series Ceiling Speaker

Amit: If you're a product manufacturer, it will help you find new distribution channels even in different countries.

What product of yours has won in the past? Amit Ravat: Our Pro Series Ceiling Speaker won the Best Hardware EMEA Award in 2020. Richard Litofsky: The madVR Envy Video Processor, 2020, Americas.

Richard: Be prepared and make sure you can demonstrate the product well. Also, hope that a construction crew does not pull up outside your window and start running tree grinders making huge amounts of noise just minutes before you start the online presentation to a panel of judges. (Long story, but hopefully we can all meet one day and I'll be happy to share it.)

What was your reaction when you won? Amit: Pleasantly surprised and quite proud — to get the recognition of the industry as a company that’s just four years old was wonderful. Our first entry was a CEDIA Awards finalist and our second entry won. That’s really gratifying in such a short space of time, and we celebrated.

Enter now at cedia.net/ awards

Richard: I was quite surprised. We had high hopes, but when the Americas Awards ceremony started, I thought we must have not won, because people had pre-recorded acceptance speeches. I thought to myself, “Well I guess we didn't win, because we hadn't been asked to make an acceptance speech.” As it turns out, there were so many terrific winners in the software and hardware categories, no one in these categories made "speeches,” so when I saw we had won, I was extra surprised.

Do you use the award in your marketing materials?

Amit: Absolutely. Everywhere. Every opportunity we get or any material that leaves our marketing department and is linked to the Pro-Series speaker, has that awards logo on it. And it appears on websites, on any advertising, social media platforms, blogs, even trade shows. We've got a little badge of honour that we stamped in the corner of our trade show stand.

Any specific advice on the entry process — how does one get noticed? Will you enter again?

Amit: Give as much detail as you can on the product. You know it inside and out — you built it from scratch, right? The guys judging your products are going to be looking for that detail. We also gave good photography of the product, and also connection diagrams, so that whoever's picking up that bit of paper or email or PDF, they really get to understand what the vision is, why you've done what you've done, and understand the product and the benefits to the integrators and the end users. As for the next entry, we’ve got things in the pipeline that I can’t tell you about right now. Richard: The CEDIA website really made it easy and straightforward to enter. I’ve suggested the possibility of adding a category for Best New Startup or Leadership awards, which I would hope we would have a chance to win, however such categories do not exist. If you'd like to add one, I have a company and CEO I'd like to nominate. ;)

Richard: Yes, we use the award badge in our email and on our website.

What makes the CEDIA Awards unique? What makes the award important? Amit: It's the go-to, isn't it? CEDIA’s where people go to find knowledge, education, learn the whole trade. For CEDIA, the judges, the experts within the industry, well-respected, people are saying that actually this is a good product. It’s great to see those people reflect what the integrator tell us (which is frankly, most important: that integrators trust in what we make). That just affirms what we've been trying to do, innovate and design good quality products. Richard: When talking with dealers or prospective customers,

madVR Envy Video Processor

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Ed Wenck Content Director, CEDIA

THE CEDIA PODCAST:

How the Pandemic Shifted Content

t’s been over a year: A year of working, learning, being entertained, and even working out — all at home. Rich Green (Rich Green Design) notes that he’s seeing a lot of development in Northern California that will give people even more time in the home: “We're seeing a lot of real estate in the Bay Area delivering a new type of live/work space. Mostly

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they are three or four stories tall, retail on the ground floor; condos or rentals on second, third, and fourth floor. And they're making it very easy for people to get their basic daily needs fulfilled without getting into a car. I want to see more of that smart city design where you can walk to the store, walk to get your groceries, walk to the post office, walk to the doctor — I'm living in a village so that I don't have to use my car.” That means there is, of course, more

Want to learn more? Check out the CEDIA Podcast on this very subject (among quite a few others). www.cedia.net

“We're going to see an incredible explosion of human creativity because of these new AV spaces.”

time to consume content. “I think the pandemic has definitely accelerated a big difference in content delivery,” says Peter Aylett (HTE). “When we talked about a dedicated cinema, even five, six years ago, we were talking about Bluray, we were talking about movies. Now, I'd argue that the majority of the really fantastic content coming out is Netflix, it's Apple TV+, it's Amazon Prime. Is it a movie? Yes, but the way it's been made is fundamentally different. If you look at a Hollywood blockbuster, when they're made, they are made for cinema and then they will do a transfer to a more residential delivery method.” Rich, however, noted he hadn’t seen any big uptick in clients desiring upgraded AV experiences when it came to media rooms or home cinemas — perhaps as a direct result of the content itself.

A Change in Content Creation

And a big shift in the design of that content? Audio. “When we talk about Dolby Atmos, there's two completely different versions of Atmos: There's professional Atmos

that you get in a commercial movie theatre and there's consumer Atmos,” continues Peter. “Consumer Atmos has been designed to be delivered over a much lower bandwidth connection, so it is compromised compared to professional Atmos. But if you look at what's happening now with Netflix, for instance, they don't care about professional Atmos because their content is never ever going to be delivered in a commercial cinema. So that content is being conceived for the small screen — it's not being conceived for the big screen and shrunk, it's being conceived for the small screen. It's been conceived for a residential speaker layout and I think that's really, really profound.” Peter’s also bullish on the idea of a room that can flex to provide another kind of AV experience: Lockdowns have sent golfers inside. Biking machines that can present the rider virtual types of terrain and inclines are selling like crazy. E-sports are getting bigger. “Imagine a room that can do all of that — then transition with audio and

video to a meditative space perfect for yoga,” he notes. (See the piece on The Immersive Gym company on page 14).

The “Experience Space”

Rich builds on that concept: “These rooms will become ‘experience spaces’ and they will merge the work-from-home virtual collaboration technologies that are being brought into the marketplace through the augmented reality/XR channel. So, we're going to see a transition from sitting in a leather chair to moving about and interacting with the room; an immersive experience where all the surfaces are video. You'll probably have a traditional flat screen video experience plus what you see through a pair of AR glasses that are part of the system — they will interact. It'll become incredibly fun and highly useful for school at home, work from home, collaboration at home, product design collaboration, you name it. “We're going to see an incredible explosion of human creativity because of these new AV spaces.” CEDIA COMMUNICATES

EDUCATION UPDATE

THE NEED FOR

DIVERSITY IN EDUCATION 54

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Samantha Ventura Vice President of Education and Training, CEDIA

CEDIA supports the education of our members and everyone in our industry by offering learning opportunities in a variety of ways: In-person, via virtual events, online in the CEDIA Academy, podcasts, white papers, blogs, and articles — just to name a few. Because our methods of delivery vary, it can often be difficult to incorporate and check for best practices in the content we are providing, and the ways in which it is delivered. Our commitment to our learners is threefold: The education provided should always be relevant, engaging, and meet the needs of every learner in attendance. The first two are fairly self-explanatory, but what does the third really mean? To meet the needs of all learners can be a daunting task. The CEDIA Education team believes that it is our job to recognise where the learners are in their knowledge of a certain topic before we begin. That’s where it can get tricky. This does not just mean where they are in terms of region, but also where they are in terms of knowledge gaps and their time in the industry. Then we drill down further — into demographics — and determine a plan for how we can incorporate and infuse as many best practices for “reaching” our audience as possible, for all the learning opportunities we provide. The creation of the content begins from there.

Not Just What We Say, But How We Say It

“We need to keep a close eye on not just what we say, but how we say it.”

For the online courses in the CEDIA Academy, engaging and impacting our learners in a positive way means we need to keep a close eye on not just what we say, but how we say it. Promoting growth and reflection for our learners means we need to design our courses to be experiential, while also being reflective of the diverse makeup of our members and our industry. Inclusivity as a term is not limited to time spent together physically, it also means being open to everyone, and that does include the online space of learning. Pictures, the use of storytelling, videos, specific regional terminology, among many other things, can support or break the trust we strive to make with our learners, ensuring we are doing our best to provide education that encompasses the many backgrounds of everyone in our industry. This commitment to creating diverse and inclusive learning experiences supports more than just the individual as a well-prepared learner in our industry. It further strengthens employee engagement, a sense of belonging in the industry for themselves and each

other and promotes discussion and continued relevancy for individuals and businesses working with a variety of clients, on both the commercial and residential sides of the industry. In short, providing diverse education and learning experiences are the starting point for better success for everyone.

The Details

When providing education to the industry, there are ways to be more inclusive with what one offers: • Think about the interpretation of content, in addition to the method of delivery. Work to mitigate misunderstandings before pen hits paper, for the entire design of the class or experience, or even when releasing a blog, article, or white paper. • Bring in people to help develop content when it is not in the teams’ area of expertise. If diversity and inclusion are not areas you are strongly versed in, ask for support regarding best practices in curriculum/content design. • Ask for feedback prior to and after any learning opportunity is launched, delivered, or experienced. Use feedback to determine ways to improve offerings, especially through the lens of representation, diversity, and inclusion. • Research cultural differences and nuances and if needed, look to others as models for better ways to meet the needs of more people. Reinventing the wheel is often unnecessary when others are already doing something right. • Commit to doing better. Buy-in from the team in creating content and providing experiences that are inclusive and diverse, with representation being one of many factors but not the only factor, requires teams to have professional development to know how to expand their knowledge base of this very important subject. This needs to be a commitment shared by all within an organisation, big or small. Employing universal design principles, acknowledging and understanding cultural differences, and incorporating different teaching and online content design strategies, are only the tip of the iceberg for organisations working to bring more diversity and better inclusivity into any of the learning opportunities they are providing. Find articles, attend webinars, and connect with leaders who are experts in this area. Affirm that this is something that is a non-negotiable for you and your teams. As an industry, let’s celebrate and support all who bring unique talent, perspective, background, and experiences to this space — we will all be better for it. CEDIA COMMUNICATES

THE LAST 5% WISDOM FROM OUR MEMBERS (AND SOME OTHERS, TOO) “The toughest part of a job? Sometimes it’s the last 5%.” – Anon.

We're going to see an incredible explosion of human creativity because of these new AV spaces. Rich Green (Rich Green Design) on the growth of multi-use audio-visual rooms in the home, from the CEDIA Podcast “Tech and the Pandemic — One Year In”

The pandemic has made it clear that virtualised experiences, like video meetings and Zoom yoga, are viable substitutes for the real thing, whether you embrace them or endure them. In 2021, expect more products to offer to digitise the way we work and stay healthy. Brian X. Chen, from the article “The Tech That Will Invade Our Lives in 2021,” published in The New York Times 6th January 2021

We’re not working from home, we’re living at work. Kai Ryssdal, host of American Public Media’s radio show “Marketplace,” on a sentiment he’d seen bubbling up on social media

We, as an industry, need to learn the language of corporate IT. We need to be able to make sure that in effect, we can be their outsourced IT department to be working in people's homes to do the connectivity and make sure it's reliable and secure — and it looks good, too. Peter Aylett (HTE), from an interview for Installation Magazine

The Convention Centre has invested seven million dollars in health and safety upgrades there in Indianapolis. They’ve already had over 50 events since last summer. Jason McGraw, Group Vice President, CEDIA Expo, on ensuring that Expo 2021 in Indianapolis is a safe and healthy experience from the CEDIA Podcast “Expo Preview One”

Come on, #AVTweeps — get those vaccines so that we can all hang out at @CEDIAExpo and @InfoComm this year! Rachel Bradshaw, VP of Account services for Caster Communications, reacting on Twitter to a Wall Street Journal story on tricks to getting signed up for vaccines

A man never gets tired driving in a race when he’s ahead. Ray Harroun, the day after winning the inaugural Indy 500, as quoted in the 31 May 1911 edition of the Indianapolis News

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