CEDIA Communicates magazine - Quarter 4 2019 - EMEA

QUARTER 4 2019

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Bumper CEDIA Awards Roundup Multiple Standards Updates Three Incredible Project Profiles

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ContENTS

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30 YEARS OF TECH PART 3 Our final dive into the tech that shaped our industry.

CASE STUDY – THE HOUSEBOAT Discover how Argus Technologies automated this marine craft.

CASE STUDY – DISCO HOUSE Explore Perfect Integration’s double CEDIA award winner.

AWARDS ROUNDUP See all the regional and global winners, and our individual honorees.

BIOPHILIA Learn why you should consider wellness applications of home tech.

CINEMA STANDARDS UPDATE Hear all the latest on the CTA/CEDIA CEB standards updates.

TCD ROUNDUP Learn about the latest updates to the tool, and our European tour.

COI PROGRAMME Discover how and why to work with design professionals.

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WELCOME… To the 2019 Q4 edition of CEDIA Communicates. If I were to title this particular issue, I think I’d call it an “embarrassment of riches.”

As you’ve likely heard, CEDIA recently celebrated its 30th birthday. (17 November 2019, to be precise.) We’ve been listing the 30 biggest tech advances that impacted our industry over the past few issues, and that series wraps up in the pages that follow with a look at computer processing, media formats that have come and gone, and the emergence of what’s come to be called “Design Thinking.”

There are case studies galore in this issue, project profiles guaranteed to inspire you and your team. From a stunning integrated home to a masterful marine project, you’ll see CEDIA Award-winning work, including a residence from Londonbased Perfect Integration. That project won two CEDIA trophies: Best Integrated Home Level I and Technology Meets Design.

And if you somehow missed the 2019 CEDIA Awards celebrations, we have recaps of all that went on during our annual honours programmes. You’ll see the projects, the products, and the people we recognised for their technical skill and selfless volunteering.

You’ll also find a standards update on home cinema integrations and HDMI systems interoperability, a dive into the challenges of cybersecurity, and a look at an emerging tech segment that’s come to be called “biophilia.” In short, it’s a kind of wellness integration that works to bring the sights, sounds, and even smells of nature indoors.

Thanks for picking up this issue of Communicates. Enjoy reading!

All the best,

Tabatha O’Connor CEDIA Global President and CEO

Contact

8475 Nightfall Lane, Fishers, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46037, USA Email: info@cedia.org Telephone: +1 800.669.5329 www.cedia.net

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Unit 2, Phoenix Park, St Neots Cambridgeshire, PE19 8EP, UK Email: info@cedia.co.uk Telephone: +44 (0)1480 213744 www.cedia.co.uk

Front cover image: The Disco House Perfect Integration 5 Welbeck Street London W1G 9YQ, UK

All material in Communicates is the copyright of CEDIA and any reproduction of said material would require written permission from the publisher. 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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NEWS IN BRIEF

FORTUNE FAVOURS THE DAVE

MEMBER OF EXCELLENCE

CEDIA’s Director of Technical Research, David Meyer, is this year’s deserving winner of Connected magazine’s Golden Paul Award for the most influential person in the industry. David fought against a field of very stiff competition and received the accolade at Connected’s annual Shindig event, which took place during Integrate in Australia.

Congratulations to our group of Member of Excellence and Advanced Members who have joined the programme that aims to celebrate excellence.

David is a veteran of the industry with over 25 years’ experience in every area from retail to wholesale and now research and development. But, for a guy who always has plenty to say on a multitude of topics, he admits that the announcement of his name left him speechless.

Member of Excellence • BNC Technology • BrownHen Solutions Ltd • CinemaWorks • Henri • Homeplay Ltd • Perfect Integration • Seven Integration • SONA • Woelf BVBA

Advanced Member • Automated Spaces • Barton Solutions SW Ltd • Hughes Smart • Indigozest • Smart Life AV

“It was a genuine surprise and the first time in some time that I actually really didn’t know what to say. So, I probably said something stupid, I actually can’t remember,” he says.

David says that to have his work acknowledged by his peers in the industry is a very special honour.

According to the award’s originator, Paul Skelton: “I’m absolutely delighted that David was named the 2019 Golden Paul. The effect he has had on our industry is almost immeasurable; from his work with various technology alliances and standards organisations to running back-to-back training sessions during trade shows, every member of this industry has been affected

by David in some way.

“Everything he does is for the betterment of this industry and the people in it. For that reason, it is so satisfying to see the industry come together and acknowledge everything he has done — and continues to do — by bestowing upon him the industry’s highest accolade, a picture of my face.”

SPECIAL THANKS Thanks to everyone who got involved with the CEDIA bike ride this year. In total, CEDIA raised £4,946 for mental health charity, Mind.

David Meyer

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SMART HOME TECHNICIAN APPRENTICESHIP STANDARD Thanks to the support of CEDIA members, the Institute For Apprenticeships and Technical Education has developed and approved a brand-new Smart Home Technician apprenticeship standard that is now ready for delivery.

There is a huge demand for skilled labour in the home technology industry, with many installation companies looking for employees with a range of design and installation abilities. CEDIA has supported the aim for bringing new blood into the industry by facilitating a Trailblazer group to collaborate with CEDIA members to define the framework for this new apprenticeship. This standard will create significant opportunities for the workforce of tomorrow within the home technology industry.

“We are delighted that our members have been able to work with the

Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education to develop this new standard” comments Aneta Armova-Levin, CEDIA Education Manager. “The standard gives young minds the chance to explore the world of integration and help find career paths within our industry. Now that it has received approval and is ready for delivery, our plan is to raise awareness of this apprenticeship standard to education providers. Once there are apprenticeships based on the scheme on offer, integrator companies will be able to apply, and access the funding to employ one of these apprentices.”

The Smart Home Technician level 3 apprenticeship standard is aimed at those who are keen to install, configure, and maintain a range of electrically connected digital home technologies. Combining a

TECH SUMMIT ROUND UP This year, CEDIA welcomed over 3,200 industry professionals to the 17 Tech Summits it hosted globally. These free events combine educational sessions, practical business development, and networking, bringing together home technology professionals from across the industry.

The UK Tech Summit tour began in London in April, and then travelled to Wetherby in June and Edinburgh in October. Around 300 people attended the three events in total.

“The best thing about a CEDIA Tech Summit is that I don’t need to plan my day” said Davy Currie, Infracore. “I don’t need a map (to get there or once I’m in!) and I don’t need to worry about how to make best use of my time. CEDIA (and industry co-hosts) do all the hard work. I just show up, listen, learn, chat, meet, eat, and drink. I’m looked after from start to finish. This format just works. It’s the perfect size and schedule.”

Mumbai was the location for the 2019 Indian Tech Summit. It was the biggest and best attended event of this type ever in the country so far, with more than 120 attendees, nearly double the highest attendance of any previous Tech Summit.

“I would like to say that the overall experience was wonderful and the purpose of educating and making people aware of the growing trends in the field of home technology was effectively executed.” commented Monish Gulrajani, Range Incorporation.

“My experience at the recent CEDIA Tech Summit in Mumbai was great.

Right from the moment of entering the venue.” added Satish Parwani, Jay Multimedia Inc. “The training sessions were quite informative and, in the evening, I met with a lot of industry colleagues at the same venue. So, in my opinion, it was so nice of CEDIA to bring most of the people from the Indian AV industry under one roof.”

Details on the 2020 Tech Summit programme to follow in due course.

range of topics, this standard allows them to develop a comprehensive knowledge base and skillset and will help build a skilled workforce for the future. Knowledge areas include, documentation; data and IP networking; automation and control; structured wiring, cables and connectors for digital infrastructure; and system verification and testing.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to mention our members who have been involved in this programme” adds Aneta. “Thanks to Bespoke Home Cinemas, Homeplay, Hughes Electrical, Graham’s HiFi, Inspired Dwellings, Install Automation, James and Giles, Loxone UK, Philharmonic Audio Visual, and Visualization Limited. It is great to finally get an apprenticeship standard in place and we look forward to seeing new blood joining our industry through this programme in the future.”

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Here we are — the third and final part of our series on the ideas and devices that have changed what we do and how we do it in the universe of residential electronics. You can find items one through 20 in the Q2 and Q3 2019 issues of Communicates or online at CEDIA.net.

A caveat: These are the items identified as key by the CEDIA Technology Council. Lists such as these are born to be debated and discussed, and if you’ve got a suggestion regarding something that we missed that was introduced from 1989, let us know.

We’ve figured out better ways to control sound. Remember the thumping disco/R&B bass drumbeats (often referred to as “four on the floor”) that seemed to be on every radio station back in the 1970s? That steady thud would bleed into everything, rattling the innards of studio pianos.

Recording engineers had to figure out how to isolate that drum kit — one early solution included filling a drum platform with sand and then resting the whole thing on tires. The tricks that recording engineers began developing were soon informed by more scientific methods — not to mention better materials. Foam absorbers, multi-surfaced diffusers, building a “room within a room,” and a much better understanding of how to make HVAC become almost sonically invisible have all been adopted from other industries into the home environment with spectacular results.

We’ve made staggering advances in the home theatre/media room experience. There were once two kinds of “home theatre.” One was an incredibly pricey projector and screen rig in a dedicated room, and the other was a TV set connected to a content player (yes, the latter really describes a media room, but bear with us). Funnily enough, those two kinds of “home theatre” still exist — but the components in each have made stunning advancements. We’ve gone from hooking up RCA cables to a stereo receiver to 5.1, then 7.1, then immersive, “3D” audio that can give the illusion of a chopper passing overhead. The CRT was replaced with a variety of flat panels, allowing much greater clarity and aspect ratios that could express a creator’s vision for expansive film scenes. Projectors are more brilliant than ever before (transitioning from light bulbs to lasers), microperforated screens have automated masking, and our understanding of everything from video calibration to seating to providing smooth bass response for the viewer has developed at a startling pace over the last 30 years (evolving from standard definition to 8K HDR).

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Managing — and cleaning up — the power to the home has gotten a lot more complicated. Power management — and conditioning — has become increasingly complex in the last three decades, says Tech Council member, Ken Erdmann (Erdmann Electric): “In 1989, we would get noise, surges, and spikes, from TV cables, telephone,

and power lines — power lines, of course were the worst. But for the most part, except for a little bit of refrigeration equipment, the noise that we dealt with came from outside the residence.

An LED light bulb was all well and good, except it has a non-linear power supply. And so, all of these energy saving devices are adding significant noise and creating harmonics issues in the residence that we've really never had before. The majority of the noise these days, except for the occasional catastrophic spike from outside, is being generated within the residence.” In addition to controlling that racket, energy management has its own unique challenges: Everything from set-top boxes in standby mode to the USB power supply integrated into a wall outlet are “power vampires,” and integrators are learning how to judiciously shut down those devices that won’t cause inconvenience with long boot-up times when switched back on.

Thirty years of “format wars” have left us with a lot of great content sources. Betamax tape. The 8-track.

The LaserDisc. The history of content delivery is

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Heating and air conditioning got a lot smarter. As CEDIA began, the round dial of the home thermostat was slowly being replaced by rectangular, digital devices. (Mechanical programmable thermostats had been around since as early as 1906 — the first design was introduced by a gent named Mark Honeywell.) As the notion of a “connected” thermostat began to catch on — a thermostat that could be controlled remotely — three designers at Nest Labs were working on a “learning” thermostat. Their device, 2011’s first-generation “Nest Learning Thermostat,” utilised an algorithm that figured out a user’s patterns over the course of a few weeks, then implemented temperature changes based on a homeowner’s preferences. Better bandwidth and sensors that get ever smaller will usher in the next era of “smart” climate control — and will soon regulate more than just temperature, cleaning the air in a home and delivering consistent humidity.

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littered with the detritus of ideas — some great, others not so much — that either died from their own limitations or were subsumed into other technologies. At CEDIA’s outset, the compact disc was making huge gains — the mid-80s release of Dire Strait’s “Brothers in Arms” became the format’s first million-seller. DVD (and then Blu-ray) would soon replace the VHS tape, and the entire universe of content delivery would eventually be upended, first by the download (goodbye Walkman, hello iPod), then by the stream. Now, companies like Netflix and Amazon aren’t just interested in providing content — there’s money to be made in creating it, too.

As more and more people watch and listen “on demand,” though, physical media hangs on — vinyl album sales have been growing steadily for the past 13 years. The quality of digital delivery — in high-resolution, lossless formats — continues to evolve, though: As Archimedia’s Peter Aylett noted on a recent CEDIA podcast, “The goal of digital is to become indistinguishable from analogue.”

In 1989, most folks thought of nothing more than television when the word “network” came up.

“1989 is when the world wide web actually started,” notes Nathan Holmes. “It wasn't thought to be anything more than an experimental project, but it ultimately became what we think of as ‘the internet’ today.” Home computing wasn’t really a network of devices at all at first, often it was just a single PC connected via dial-up. Then, in 1993, GPS became viable: “This tied together so many different things that allowed developing the transfer of data and information to become viable,” says Nathan. Things, of course, would eventually get their very own internet (See #18, Q3 2019), and eventually Wi-Fi became an option in 1997, but it wouldn’t have the speeds needed to be an effective solution until the second decade of the 21st century. Today, mesh Wi-Fi networks — as convenient as they are — are once again proving that a wired backbone is still the best solution. “Mesh solutions have given people a comfort factor in thinking that they can connect anywhere in their home but they don't understand the performance that they're giving up for that,” says Nathan.

Codes and standards weren’t really a thing when it came to what CEDIA was doing — at first. Walt Zerbe, CEDIA’s Senior Director of Technology and Standards, says, “In 1989, there weren’t any connected devices, IoT, or what have you.

Policies and privacy for ‘connected devices’ didn’t exist.” That changed, especially as the

internet became a must-have for modern living.

“Network standards were 10BaseT, we’re at the Gigabit now and about to move to 10Gb in the home,” notes Walt. Building codes have gotten tougher, especially when it comes to energy loss (see our chat with Ken Erdmann about “vampire power draws” in #24 on page 7)), notes Walt, “and legislatures in the U.S., for example, oftentimes still don’t understand the differences between the low-voltage expert and electricians.”

The good news? Insurance companies have taken note: “You could maybe get a break on your home insurance if you had a security system.

Now you can get insurance breaks for having a smart thermostat and water mitigation devices,” says Walt.

Computer processing has become smaller, cheaper, and more diverse than ever. Apple introduced the “Macintosh Portable” in 1989, but the 16-pound, $6,500 machine was only around for two years.

This was while the original observation known as “Moore’s Law” was still in effect: the number of transistors in an integrated circuit doubled every two years (it’s since slowed a bit). As handheld devices and cell phones with cameras began to appear, and the power of smaller and smaller machines grew, new terms entered the lexicon: cloud (on-demand storage and power via the internet), edge (enabling data gathering and analytics to be moved from centralised nodes to the device at the source of the data), and fog computing (spreading the effort of all that processing, so to speak, between cloud and edge devices).

For the last two items on our list of 30, we invited Rich Green (Rich Green Ink) to comment. He went us one better — and volunteered to pen the final entries.

Take it away, Mr. Green.

We discovered Design Thinking.

During CEDIA’s infancy, integrators had little awareness of the emerging field of Human-Centred Design. Those were the freewheeling days of engineered solutions to problems that no one really had. We invented a marketplace of gadgets and experiences that were nearly impossible to use without cheat sheets and weekly service calls. That perspective changed suddenly in 2002 when CEDIA launched the ESC-D Designer Certification, which led to new insights about the process of client discovery and needs analyses. CEDIA offered its very first class on usability testing that same year at Expo in Minneapolis. We learnt from our clients and designed customised systems optimised

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for their specific needs. As CEDIA designers probed their client’s lifestyles with a newfound sense of empathy, CEDIA adopted the benefits and expanding marketplaces of ergonomics, indoor air quality, acoustics, Green and LEED building standards, health and wellness, and assisted living and aging in place technologies, to name just a few. Designing for the intended user with empathy opened up vast areas of profitability and customer loyalty.

And changed the user experience — the “UX” — forever. “User Experience,” or UX, is a term coined by famed Apple designer, Donald Norman, in the early 1990s, shortly after CEDIA got its start. There was a clear and obvious need to make sense of the human relationship to products and technology, which was abysmal back in the day.

Who remembers the infamous Sony IR remote control with — literally — 140 buttons? AMX got the ball rolling for us with the first electroluminescent touch panel, and we suddenly became Graphical User Interface (GUI) designers — or not. We made all the usual blunders as we learnt more about our customers’ experience.

Sadly, many of those early touch panels went unused. One of CEDIA’s founders, Chris Stevens, saw the opportunity instinctively and invented the very first audio keypad: Model KPS-101 from his new company, Audioaccess. It was a marvel of human engineering and usability and opened up the hugely profitable world of multizone audio. The irony is that we are circling back to keypads just like the KPS-101 because they are intuitive and obvious. We have strong roots.

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Integrated Systems Europe 2020

MIKE BLACKMAN ON THE SHOW’S

WIDENING APPEAL Mike Blackman, Managing Director of Integrated Systems Events, talks about ISE 2020, and why the show has become the “must attend” event for users of AV technology, as well as for AV industry professionals.

ISE has enjoyed year-on-year growth since it began. Does that trend continue in 2020?

Unquestionably. At the last ISE, we had over 81,000 visitors — and we expect more in 2020. In 2019, we had 56,100 square metres of net exhibit space, and that will increase in 2020 by over 800 square metres.

Two important changes for this year are that the Hall 5 extension has been made larger and permanent, while Hall 14 will be the home of a new “Innovation Zone” — a specially designed area for companies that are new to ISE to showcase their technology.

The ISE Main Stage theatre will relocate to Hall 14 and will offer a full programme of free-toattend thought leadership and best practice sessions from ISE, AVIXA, CEDIA, and AV Magazine.

What’s new in the way of conferences and professional development?

All the conferences held at ISE 2019 will be back in 2020. In addition, we have a couple of new ones — the Control Rooms Summit and the CEDIA Design & Build Conference. Like in 2019, many of the conferences will be held at the Hotel Okura, near the RAI, which proved very

popular with our attendees.

CEDIA has a four-day programme of training sessions, beginning on the Monday, with a workshop on cybersecurity, as well as hosting free CEDIA Talks in their booth. As well as its conferences, AVIXA is running 20-minute FlashTrack sessions in their booth too.

What are the challenges presented by the event having become so large?

One of the biggest is ensuring that visitors can easily locate what they’re looking for — and relevant exhibitors can easily be found. One of the ways we’ve addressed that is with the creation of six Technology Zones — for audio and live events, digital signage and DooH, education, residential, smart buildings, and unified communication.

The Technology Zones mean that visitors can quickly locate the part of the show where they’ll find the technology and product trends that are most relevant to their interests.

How has the average ISE visitor profile changed over the years?

Back when we first started, our audience was almost exclusively comprised of systems integrators and other AV channel professionals. Increasingly, though, the show has become a destination for end-users; our exhibitors want to engage directly with them, as well as meeting their existing and prospective channel partners. Today, ISE has become as much of a “must attend” event for end-users as it is for the channel.

How have you made ISE more attractive to endusers?

We’ve added substantially to our conference programme over the years, because end-users have told us they get enormous value not just from the opportunity to talk directly to manufacturers and to find out about the products and technologies that will shape their companies’ AV strategy, but also to network and to learn from industry experts and their peers.

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Our Special Interest Group programme is designed to bring attendees from specific key vertical market sectors to ISE, helping enduser technology buyers to meet technology vendors and solution partners. They’re the result of formal agreements between ISE and a variety of associations, media partners, companies, and consultants, and they’re tailored to meet the information needs of the visiting executives with planned stand visits, presentations, networking events, and dinners.

You mentioned sessions by CEDIA and AVIXA. What is their role with ISE? ISE is owned by AVIXA and CEDIA, two trade associations with a focus on professional development — so education and training have always been an important part of the show.

Another priority for both associations is reaching out beyond the industry, to other stakeholders within AV projects.

Establishing and awarding professional qualifications plays an important part in demonstrating the expertise of the industry as a whole, as well as demonstrating the competency of the individuals who work in it.

AVIXA and CEDIA are hugely instrumental in helping deliver the outstanding visitor and exhibitor experience that ISE has become, setting the tone and themes for the event and helping us continue to develop and create ever-more engaging content for our channel and various vertical market end-users alike. Between them, the two associations provide a wealth of market intelligence, guidance, and education initiatives, as well as many entertaining and thought-provoking opportunities for development.

What trends in technology should visitors to ISE 2020 look for?

ISE 2020 will, I think, provide evidence of the rise of LEDbased screens. They have advantages over LCD — and prices are dropping rapidly. It will also be interesting to see the progress that OLED technology has made. Visitors should look out too for new generations of application-specific projectors.

On audio: object-based sound will be heard everywhere.

With the move to Barcelona in 2021, ISE 2020 will be the last one at the RAI. How do you feel about that?

The RAI has been a great venue for us for over a decade now, so of course, there’s some sadness: I’ll leave with many fond memories of our time there. It’s served us very well and has been part of our rapid growth to become the world’s largest professional audio-visual event. The downside is that we’ve become too big for a convention centre even of the RAI’s size and facilities.

However, I’m also excited. The Fira is a fantastic facility and a much larger space, located in a very attractive destination.

The move isn’t simply about growing the numbers: it’s about delivering a better-quality experience to our exhibitors and visitors.

“We’ve added substantially to our conference programme over the years.”

MIKE BLACKMAN iseurope.org

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Bringing Cinema to Children with Life Limiting Conditions

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Ian Morrish

Founder of Together For Cinema

LOCATION AND INTRODUCTION Derian House Children’s Hospice in Chorley, Lancashire helps children and young people, whose lives are too short, to make happy memories in an environment of fun, respect, and high-quality care. The charity provides respite and end-of-life care to more than 400 children and young people aged 0-25 from across the North West, and this is done 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Despite the nature of the work, Derian House is not a sad place; the corridors are full of joy and laughter as staff do everything in their power to make sure the children and their families make precious memories together. Every day is an opportunity to add some sparkle to the lives of those who need it.

The hospice has a hydrotherapy pool, sensory room, soft play, large inclusive playground suitable for wheelchair-users, a sensory garden full of the sights, smells, and textures of nature, and now, thanks to Together For Cinema, they have a state-of-the-art cinema room.

HOW INITIAL CONTACT WAS MADE Early in 2018, Stephen Nevison from CEDIA member company, Intuitive Homes, contacted me and mentioned that he knew of a children’s hospice local to him that might be interested in having a cinema room installed. In August 2018, I was contacted directly by the Events and Promotions Manager at Derian House Children’s Hospice, who had come across Together For Cinema via the Together For Short Lives internal newsletter. We spoke at length and with a major refurbishment about to start at Derian House, it became apparent that the timing was perfect for us to discuss the possibility of installing a cinema room facility as part of the refurbishment. With a top-end CEDIA member ready to take on the installation, we were pretty much ready to go.

INITIAL MEETING AND SPECIFICATION Stephen met with the Derian House team and the architect who was overseeing the refurbishment in September 2018. With the cinema room being a last-minute addition to the plans, he was keen to understand exactly what we were proposing and hence plan it in accordingly. Stephen identified a perfect location for the cinema room and the Derian House team was delighted. The following day, Stephen sent me a preferred product list that he was hoping to install and his comment to me was “Let me know your thoughts and don’t be shy of telling me I'm going overboard — I just thought I may

as well start off aiming high!” High indeed, and this installation quickly became the highest value install that Together For Cinema has taken on. The approximate total cost of the install, including consultation, installation, products, and any other associated costs would normally have been in the region of £75,000.

SOURCING OF PRODUCTS After realising the challenge to generate tens of thousands of pounds worth of equipment, Stephen and I went into research mode to see if it was feasible. With both of us having good contacts, and with Together For Cinema being recognised as an industry-backed charitable project, it became apparent that we could achieve what we were looking to generate.

We began ‘gathering’ products in October and this process took several months — which was fine as the refurbishment took time to complete.

Support from some old favourites, such as Arcam, Crestron, Epson, Kaleidescape, Lutron, Middle Atlantic, and Projector Point, as well as new donations from Artcoustic and Starscape, we completed the ‘product gathering’ and were ready to go.

OPENING RECEPTION On Thursday 29th August, there was an Opening Reception at Derian House with over 20 people in attendance. There were several industry representatives from the likes of CEDIA, Artcoustic, and Lutron, as well as representatives from the installation and programming team.

Also present was Francesca and Amelie, two friends who met at Derian House, and their families. Together, they were the very first people to enjoy the new cinema room, watching a screening of The Greatest Showman. Both parents were delighted with the new facility and were very willing to explain what a difference the room would make to them and their children.

Actor Ben Batt, who is best known for his role as Joe Pritchard in Shameless, cut the ribbon to officially open ‘Derian at the Movies’. This was followed by short speeches from David Robinson (CEO at Derian House), Stephen, and myself. BBC North West was also present and kindly gave this installation a 2-minute piece on the evening programme of BBC North West.

INTEGRATOR COMMENTS “I had contacted Ian a couple of times over the years as it seemed like such a fantastic cause and whilst handing over a completed project to an excited homeowner can be very rewarding, it

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“

really excited to use the room, but each time I felt we could add something with wow factor or confirmed a new donation from a manufacturer, I had to do it. David and the team have been so patient.

Each time we expanded the scope and pushed back the estimated completion date, everyone was just happy to make the room as amazing as we possibly could.

“This has been an incredible experience so far and I'm really looking forward to the years of supporting and working with Derian House in the future.”

CUSTOMER COMMENTS “We are absolutely blown away by the generosity of Together For Cinema and all the suppliers who have donated products to make Derian at the Movies a reality” said David Robinson, CEO of Derian House Children’s Hospice. “Stephen and the team from Intuitive Homes have gone above and beyond our wildest dreams to create a beautiful cinema room that will make a huge difference to the children, young people, and families who come to Derian House.

“When you have a child with a life-limiting condition, simple things such as going to the cinema as a family can often seem impossible.

Juggling accessibility issues, care, and

“

doesn't offer the chance to 'give back' to those less fortunate” comments Stephen Nevison. “Together For Cinema seemed like the perfect way to use our skills to do something that would have a huge positive impact, so I was ecstatic when Ian came to me with a suggestion of a hospice not too far away that was in the process of a renovation — it was a perfect fit!

“After an initial meeting with David, Miriam, and Luke from Derian House, I wasn't really sure how to start as usually we have a client with either a budget or required functionality in mind. In this case, we had neither, so I just thought, I’m not going to hold back, and we set off to try and make this a really special space. After leaving site on the final day, I can say that I'm incredibly proud of the results we have achieved and can't wait for the children and families to use it.

“I am so grateful to all the manufacturers who have donated products and want to give a special thanks to the ones who really went over and above what anyone could have expected and made my initial wish-list into a reality. It's also been an absolute pleasure working at Derian House as all of the staff have been so accommodating and lovely to be around.

“I know that everyone has been

We are absolutely blown away by the generosity of Together For Cinema and all the suppliers who have donated products to make Derian at the Movies a reality.

the needs of siblings, means that our families often miss out.

“At Derian House, we do our very best to ensure our families get the same opportunities as everyone else. When I asked our Events and Promotions Manager to look into cinema options, I had no idea if it would even be possible. Together For Cinema is a fantastic charity and we are so grateful to have received this wonderful gift of a fully accessible cinema room. Our families can now book in for movie nights — complete with popcorn and snacks — enjoying precious time together, making memories. Thank you!”

SUMMARY Stephen’s passion and drive to help has made this installation a smooth and well managed process, with work actioned as and when it was possible to get it done. When fitting in charitable work around your day-to-day tasks, there are times when it simply cannot take priority.

This, however, didn’t seem to be the case with this installation. I reckon we can put this down to excellent time management.

Stephen also recruited assistance in areas that needed specific expertise and thanks must go to all involved, but particularly to Stephen for managing the installation so well. The end result is a cinema room that will make a difference at Derian House for many years to come.

togetherforcinema.co.uk

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I AM CEDIA JASON VOORHEES AND JIM BRAS OF CANTARA MOST RECENT CEDIA AWARDS: BEST INTEGRATED HOME (LEVEL II) AND LIFE LIVED BEST AT HOME, AMERICAS, 2019

First things first: How did the company get started?

Jason: I interviewed for a position at a company where Jim was working.

I wasn't quite sure about the company, but Jim said some things that really resonated with me, and I took the job because I wanted to work with him. At some point, that other business wasn't doing well, and we had the misguided idea to start our own company.

Jim and I loved doing high-end projects. And being two younger guys in the industry, we realised that the typical path to starting your own company is that you pay your dues the first couple of years, and do smaller projects, and work your way up to the top of the ladder. Jim and I didn't want to have to do that because we were experienced, qualified, and

confident. We figured if we wanted to immediately start doing higherend projects, we would need to partner with someone that was already at that level.

So, we had lunch with the owner of a high-end electrical contractor. We said we'd always wanted to open up an AV company. We offered to be equal partners if they’d help us launch. They said yes on the spot.

And the next day, we were at their offices launching Cantara. In six weeks, we had signed a $600,000 project on the most expensive home in Orange County.

What got you interested in the business to begin with?

Jim: I kind of feel like I was born into it. I did a lot of music in school and then got into recording and audio equipment. Then, one day, I was sitting at a coffee shop that

my mom owns and met a guy who was going to a soundcheck, and I asked him if I could go and he said sure. I started helping him out with live sound and staging, and it turns out he was also a projection calibrationist. So, we were hanging TVs in people's basements in LA. I was doing a lot of mechanical work and wiring and all that kind of stuff, too.

You know, I'm really passionate about solving the problems that this work presents, and I love audio.

Jason: I've always been the kid tinkering with stereo equipment and lighting. I was in college, and I needed a part-time job, and I was also looking for a pair of speakers. I stumbled into a hi-fi shop near my house and just kind of fell in love with all that stuff. I got a part-time job as a warehouse guy and, over

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a few months, found my way on to the sales floor. One day I sold a large ticket, about $75,000. The client asked, “Can you guys install all of this stuff?” And I just BS’ed my way through it: “Yeah, let's do it, we can install it.”

I told my boss what happened, and he said, "Jay, we don't install — this is a retail store. You better figure it out.” So, I figured it out. I'm not proud of the install quality of that very first job, but it definitely ignited the career that I've been in now for 19 years.

Does Cantara have a mission statement, a guiding philosophy?

What's hanging on the wall that gets you through every day?

Jason: Yes, it’s called our “Why” statement: Why does our organisation exist versus what does it do or how does it do it? Why do you guys wake up every morning?

[EDITOR’S NOTE: See the sidebar.]

What technology or aspect of this business really excites you?

Jim: I can't point my finger at any one thing and say, “Hey, this is the most exciting thing.” There's just so many facets to it. It's about listening to the clients, finding out what they want. So even if somebody's going to do a simple Sonos system, say, with no wiring — if you don't have a network that works well, you’ll have problems. You can't really have one without the other.

What’s the biggest challenge you see facing the industry right now?

Jason: We need our design/build partners to understand what we do.

We are always coping with, “Oh, I'm going to bring the audio-video guy in right after the electrician starts wiring the house.” At that point, it’s way, way too late. Yet we still face that constantly on the largest projects that we work on, where all of this wonderful stuff is available to the homeowner, and they would pay for it, they would fall in love with it. Except it's not being brought into the conversation at the right time.

Jim: I think it’s education on the differentiation of systems or levels

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of equipment. You can go online and buy a video doorbell, but the client may have five or six doors that they want to connect in a controlled system with other features, such as fingerprint ID, for example. And the conversation is still, “Why can’t I just go buy one of these things and hook it up?

Why do I need you folks?” I think that the public in general is still not educated about what those different levels of systems are.

I imagine Cantara is working on becoming a CEDIA Member of Excellence, correct?

Jason: We are. I was part of the volunteer group that created the programme, and now I'm a volunteer for the membership committee. We are promoters of the concept that there needs to be a higher bar, and stratification of qualifications in the industry.

You just picked up two more CEDIA Americas Awards: Best Integrated Home Level II and Life Lived Best at Home.

Jason: I think that second one meant more to me than the first.

It goes to the heart of what we do — creating beautiful systems that work with the architecture and design of a home.

That’s terrific. So, what’s been your favourite project?

Jason: Our favourite project is our next project.

Outstanding. What is your next project, if I may ask?

Jason: I don't know.

CEDIA: Oh, I get it.

Jason: The reason Jim and I love this is because tomorrow is a new chance to see the new stuff, to meet the next client, and to find the next challenge.

Jim: One of the really cool things about what we do is we get to be involved in the creation of art — architecture as art — and it's awesome. I wouldn't want anything else. I want to be involved in these beautiful luxury rooms.

THE CANTARA WHY STATEMENT At Cantara, we believe in equipping people to create and experience more in the world around them.

With our clients, we enable them to make everyday more beautiful and connected to the things they love.

With our team and partners, we seek to inspire each other to do incomparable work.

Cantara 3187 G Airway Avenue Costa Mesa, CA 92626 USA 949.645.3684 cantaradesign.com CEDIA Member Since 2008

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THE

HOUSEBOAT

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When docked, certain systems power down while others run continuously.

T

he customer of this CEDIA awardwinning project said simply: “I’m building a houseboat, and I’d like to automate it.”

One-button control was important: The owner wanted the boat to spring to life when the users boarded and subsequently to shut down with a single command.

To that end, there was a need for a single app for control — not multiple apps; a whole home control system was designed to tie everything together. Since the boat needs to be ready to be switched on at a moment’s notice, and the vessel’s battery systems are key to that function, the integration demanded two separate subsystems, one called “Continuous,” and one called “Switched.”

When the boat is switched on, blinds are raised, security is disarmed, AV is readied for use, hatches open, and, if it is night-time, welcome paths are illuminated. AC and power outlets are also readied when the boat is switched to “on.”

The continuous supply keeps the fridges powered up, ensures that the CCTV and security systems are running, and keeps certain essential networking and automation systems going even when the bulk of the boat’s systems are “dark.”

The houseboat also has tools that allow the vessel to be monitored remotely, a CCTV setup used for both surveillance and navigation, and a combination of Control4 and Dynalite systems that are used for power and management schedules.

Argus Technologies handled this integration from the beginning of the boat’s construction, managing nearly every aspect of the vessel’s electrical AND electronic systems.

Argus Technologies In the words of Unit 5/ 6-7 Gilda Court CEDIA’s judges, this Mulgrave, Victoria 3170 is simply a “great Australia installation.”

Argus Technologies handled this integration from the beginning of the boat’s construction.

Equipment List Active Electrical

Marantz

ADM Systems

Middys

Altronics

MMT

1.300.274.878

Apple

Motion Dynamics

AWM Electrical

Ness

argustechnologies.com.au

Bright Light

Pakedge

Canohm

Phillips

Control4

Power Supplies

Dataworld

Australia

DriverCentral

RadioParts

ECD

Remtron

Elsema

Saturn South

Honeywell

Seltec (ALOGIC?)

Porter Davis Role: Interior Designer

HouseLogix

Skandia

Ivory Egg

Sony

Sunnyboy Electrical Services Role: Builder

Kordz

TERACOM

Laceys

Unios

Leader

Ultralift Australia

Leckys

Westan

CEDIA Member Since 2017

INDUSTRY PARTNERS Status Luxury Houseboats Role: Builder

In the words of CEDIA’s judges, this is simply a “great installation.”

The systems in this houseboat power up with a single touch.

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CHALLENGE

AND SOLUTION

A Cyber Essentials Overview Understandably, cybersecurity is not at the forefront of many businesses’ priorities. Research from the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) suggests that almost 1 in 3 UK small- to medium-size businesses (SMBs) experienced a cybersecurity breach or attack last year. These attacks threaten the ability of a business to function, as well as the ability to remain compliant with regulations such as GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).

Protecting your business from cyberattacks needn’t be daunting.

We briefly explore some fundamental areas below.

1

BACK UP IMPORTANT DATA

Loss of data through ransomware, loss or theft of equipment, or technical malfunctions can cripple a business and contravene GDPR regulations.

Businesses should identify their important data and ensure that regularly backing this up becomes an everyday business activity. These backups should be kept separate from your computer/office and tested periodically to ensure that you can restore work, should you ever need this function.

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PROTECT AGAINST MALWARE

3

MOBILE DEVICES

An ever-increasing ‘connected’ life blurs the lines between work and personal mobile device use.

Devices such as smartphones and tablets are the backdoor to network breaches.

Devices should be passwordprotected, with device software and apps kept up to date. Devices should enable the facility to track, lock, and wipe lost or stolen devices.

Avoid connecting to unknown Wi-Fi hotspots or public charging ports.

4

PASSWORD-PROTECT YOUR DATA

Malware (Malicious Software) is harmful, rendering devices or data unusable (i.e. ransomware). It can steal or destroy data and harvest credentials. Infections can occur by simply browsing a website or opening an email attachment. Applications downloaded and installed can contain hidden malware and USB drives from an untrusted source might also contain malicious files.

Passwords are the most common method of authentication, but remembering multiple passwords is difficult, often leading to weak and easily guessable choices or password reuse. A password manager can help avoid these issues. Locally installed and cloud-based options are available, each with pros and cons. Using one of the well-known cloud-based managers is probably the quickest and easiest way to start using a password manager.

One of the most effective and simplest actions you can take is to keep your devices up to date (patched). Install Anti-Virus and ensure firewalls are enabled. Where possible, control USB and memory card drives. Prevent staff from downloading and installing apps.

For important accounts, using twofactor authentication (2FA) is advised.

This provides an additional layer of authentication, prompting you for a ‘second factor’: something that only you can access e.g. a code on an app, a hardware token, or a text message.

Laura Askew Co-Founder, Criticalis Cyber Security

Finally, always change default passwords. This is crucial and often overlooked (particularly when deploying hardware/IoT devices).

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PHISHING ATTACKS

Phishing typically involves a fake email message (although text message versions are becoming more prevalent) asking you to perform an action, such as ‘updating’ a supplier’s bank account details, transferring funds, or updating user credentials into a fake site. These are becoming more sophisticated and harder to spot, as cybercriminals learn the most effective ways to trick even the most observant users.

Businesses should enable antiphishing protections, but this alone is not enough. Users should be trained to understand their digital footprint, as well as to anticipate and check for obvious signs of phishing scams.

Always report the emails or phone numbers phishing. Additionally, user accounts should be provisioned using the minimal access right required to perform their role, to reduce the impact of successful attacks (Least Privilege Principle).

IN SUMMARY There’s no guaranteeing protection against all types of attack, but this builds a solid foundation for your cyber security.

For larger organisations, topics such as Firewall Next Generation features, network segmentation, vulnerability management, and cloud security should be key aspects of consideration from a technical perspective.

criticalis.net

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DISCREET TECHNOLOGY

A SEAMLESS

BLEND OF

& SOCIALITE STYLE The interior design of this London property — “The Disco House” — was inspired by the style of Italian socialite, Marella Agnelli of the Fiat empire, who loved to party. This is rather apt, as the home has given UK-based home technology integrator (and CEDIA Member of Excellence) Perfect Integration plenty of reasons to celebrate — they won two CEDIA EMEA Awards 2019 for their work on it: Integrated Home Level I and Technology Meets Design.

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A speculative development, The Disco House was to be fully furnished and marketed as a turnkey property with a target sale price just shy of £10 million. The systems had to be programmed to help show off both the interior design and the technology during viewings by estate agents and potential buyers.

One of the other key considerations was that the technology needed to be fully integrated and installed as discreetly as possible, but where it had to be seen, it was imperative that it complemented the interior of the home.

There were challenges to overcome — Perfect Integration was working on a strict budget and their brief was to offer complete functionality from day one, but with an easy means of upgrading the technology should the buyer wish to personalise and expand the system at a later date.

Internal space was relatively limited, so the AV racks had to be installed in a cleverly hidden, ventilated cupboard on one of the half landings.

The house is very tall and part of a narrow-end terrace, which means that natural light is quite restricted, so lighting control — both artificial and natural — was a primary consideration, as was privacy. With this in mind,

Perfect Integration installed a Lutron HomeWorks QS lighting and shading control system, along with the latest Palladiom keypads.

The finish of each keypad was chosen to blend into (or complement) the wall that it was mounted on, and the number of buttons on each keypad were kept to a minimum to allow intuitive control of all the automated systems.

PIR sensors are used for motion sensing in key areas, while Lutron QS roller blinds were installed within hidden pockets, built into the top of the window reveals in the master bedroom, master en-suite, and snug/library.

A Crestron control system is used to integrate the whole house, with one touchscreen on each floor, which acts as a video entry station and heating control point for that level. Supplementary control was provided via a whole house iPad/iPhone app.

Security is taken care of by an IP CCTV system, which was fitted to provide coverage of the front door and lightwell.

It can be viewed on the touchscreens inside the house.

Amina invisible speakers are used in all the principal areas, with small Amina subwoofers discreetly installed in the walls or joinery.

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In the basement, there is a leisure area, with a gym and spa, as well as a cinema, which doubles as a poker room.

The cinema was delivered on a very tight budget — the projector is hidden in the ceiling and operated via a twin mirror system, while the screen is concealed behind a heavy curtain when not in use.

There is a small garden to the rear of the property — outside speakers are tucked away in the planters.

As the property was part of a development, the whole system had to be programmed with a marketing mode, which automatically presents the house and its features in the best possible light during viewings.

Due to the high turnover of estate agents, it also needed to be fully automated. On pressing the welcome button on the front door Lutron keypad, the lights throughout the property all switch on to a setting which highlights the room and what it has to offer.

At the same time, the Crestron system primes the cinema room by switching on the projector, which takes 90 seconds to warm up, and triggers a Blu-ray player, pausing a movie at a dramatic scene. Low-level classical music plays out of all the speakers in the rooms where there are no TVs. As the estate agent and potential buyers enter certain rooms, ceiling-mounted PIR sensors operate various features — in the master bedroom, a sliding panel opens, a TV appears, and motorised blinds silently close. On entry to the bathroom, the PIR triggers the lights to fade on, along with the music, and the blind closes.

In the basement, the PIR sensor in the spa area switch on a plunge pool function and underwater lighting, while, in the cinema, the projector mirror drops down, the curtain opens, the blackout blind closes, and the screen shows an impressive scene from a movie.

At the end of the viewing, a single press of the “goodbye” button switches everything off and the property reverts to its unoccupied state.

Equipment List

• Amina • Apple • Audipack • Blustream • Bowers & Wilkins • Crestron • Furman • Future Automation • KNX from ABB, GIRA, Theben and Zennio

Perfect Integration 5 Welbeck Street London W1G 9YQ UK

020 3763 4610 perfectintegration.co.uk CEDIA Member Since 2012

• Lutron • Middle Atlantic • Mobotix • Oppo • Projecta • Ruckus • Samsung • Sonance • Wall Smart • Yamaha • JVC

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THE 2019 HOME TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONAL AWARD WINNERS FROM THE AMERICAS REGION ARE: BEST HOME CINEMA Level I: ACOUSTIC INTERIORS – Toronto, Ontario – Canada Level II: Audio Images – Tustin, California – USA Level III: Audio Images – Tustin, California – USA Best Innovative System or Solution Pacific Audio & Communications – Kihei, Hawaii – USA BEST INTEGRATED HOME Level I: La Scala – Vancouver, British Columbia – Canada Level II: Cantara – Costa Mesa, California – USA Level III: La Scala – Vancouver, British Columbia – Canada Level IV: The Premier Group – Carmel, Indiana – USA BEST MEDIA ROOM Level I: Audio Images – Tustin, California – USA Level II: Audio Images – Tustin, California – USA Best Multiple Dwelling Unit Design SmartTouchUSA – Columbia, Maryland – USA BEST SHOWROOM Atlanta Audio & Automation – Atlanta, Georgia – USA BEST DOCUMENTATION La Scala – Vancouver, British Columbia – Canada BEST LIGHTING SYSTEM Service TECH, Inc. – Cedar Park, TX – USA LIFE LIVED BEST AT HOME Cantara – Costa Mesa, California – USA TECHNOLOGY MEETS DESIGN La Scala – Vancouver, British Columbia – Canada

GLOBAL WINNERS BEST HOME CINEMA – GLOBAL SOUND SENSE (INDIA) – ARCADIAN ODYSSEY BEST MEDIA ROOM – GLOBAL AUDIO IMAGES (USA) – UP ON THE ROOF BEST INTEGRATED HOME – GLOBAL PERFECT INTEGRATION (UK) – LE ROCHER

AMERICAS On Thursday 25th July, CEDIA honoured the projects that represented the best submitted work from the association’s Americas members for the 2019 Awards competition. The event capped off a full day of learning during the CEDIA Awards Celebration & Leadership Conference at the historic Drake Hotel in Chicago.

"This year's winners really showcase the exceptional work of CEDIA members and the innovative spirit of the industry," says CEDIA CEO and Global President Tabatha O'Connor. "The awards event capped off a terrific day at a one-of-a-kind venue in Chicago that also included the successful debut of our Leadership Conference. A big thank you to all of our event supporters, particularly headline sponsors Crestron, DISH, and Savant."

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CEDIA HONOURS THE BEST OF THE BEST IN THE RESIDENTIAL TECH INDUSTRY

THE 2019 HOME TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONAL AWARD WINNERS FROM THE ASIA PACIFIC REGION ARE: BEST AUTO, MARINE OR AIRCRAFT Argus Technologies – Mulgrave, VIC – Australia BEST INNOVATIVE SYSTEM OR SOLUTION Smart Home Solutions – Alexandria, NSW – Australia

ASIA PACIFIC

BEST HOME CINEMA Level I: Wavetrain Cinemas – Taren Point, NSW – Australia Level II: The Digital Picture – Brisbane, QLD – Australia Level III: Wavetrain Cinemas – Taren Point, NSW – Australia BEST MEDIA ROOM Level I: Glance – Iwade, Wakayama – Japan Level II: Wavetrain Cinemas – Taren Point, NSW – Australia BEST SHOWROOM Shanghai AV Style – Shanghai – China BEST INTEGRATED HOME Level I: Electronic Living – Virginia, QLD – Australia Level II: Electronic Living – Virginia, QLD – Australia Level III: Len Wallis Audio – Lane Cove, NSW – Australia Level IV: Integrated Technologies Australia – Kilsyth, VIC – Australia BEST DOCUMENTATION Liquid Automation – Rosedale, AUK – New Zealand BEST DRESSED RACK Integrated Technologies Australia – Kilsyth, VIC – Australia LIFE BEST LIVED AT HOME Argus Technologies – Mulgrave, VIC – Australia TECHNOLOGY MEETS DESIGN Wavetrain Cinemas – Taren Point, NSW – Australia

During Integrate 2019 in Melbourne, CEDIA unveiled the winners of the 2019 CEDIA Awards Home Technology Professional competition for the Asia Pacific region.

Winning projects were recognised in 12 categories and four subcategories at a cocktail reception at Melbourne Public in South Wharf. The celebration, sponsored

by Control4, ran in conjunction with Integrate, Australia's premier annual AV and integration trade show.

“The competition in the Asia Pacific region was fierce, but these award-winning projects are genuine standouts,” said CEDIA Vice President Global Development, Wendy Griffiths. “This year’s honourees are prime examples of the exceptionally high level of innovative work CEDIA member integrators are capable of producing. Integrate 2019 provided a great backdrop for toasting this year’s winners and we would like to thank Control4 for their partnership in helping us celebrate the honourees in style.”

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THE 2019 HOME TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONAL AWARD WINNERS FROM THE EMEA REGION ARE: BEST HOME CINEMA Level I: Hi-Concept (France) – Le Cinema Garage Level II: The Pyramid Group (UK) – The Cavern Level III: Sound Sense (India) – Arcadian Odyssey Highly Commended: Perfect Integration (UK) – Le Petite Garnier BEST INTEGRATED HOME Level I: Perfect Integration (UK) – The Disco House Highly Commended: Woelf (Belgium) – Zen House Level II: Intuitive Homes and Ultamation (UK) – Lakeview House Level III: Perfect Integration (UK) – Le Rocher, Monaco Highly Commended: TwentyTwo Integration (UK) – Project 701 BEST MEDIA ROOM Level I: BNC Technology (South Africa) – Coral Road Level II: SMC (UK) – Superheroes BEST MULTIPLE DWELLING UNIT DESIGN Archimedia (UAE) – Palme Couture BEST SHOWROOM Homeplay (UK) Highly Commended: NGC Systems (UK) BEST DRESSED RACK Sound Sense (India) – Arcadian Odyssey BEST DOCUMENTATION Sound Sense (India) – Arcadian Odyssey BEST HARDWARE Cinema Build Systems – Cinema Space Frame System Highly Commended: Hero Labs – Sonic BEST SOFTWARE Control4 – Control4 Smart Home OS 3 BEST TRAINING COURSE CIE Group – AV Over IP Academy BEST TRADE SUPPLIER Habitech BEST TECHNOLOGY FEATURE Hayley Gilbert – The English Home LIFE LIVED BEST AT HOME Perfect Integration (UK) – Le Petite Garnier TECHNOLOGY MEETS DESIGN Perfect Integration (UK) – The Disco House SPECIAL RECOGNITION Sam Woodward

EMEA CEDIA announced the winners of the 2019 EMEA and Global CEDIA Awards at the sold-out awards ceremony on 26th September at the V&A in London.

The event was a night to remember for members from France, India, South Africa, UAE, the UK, and USA, as they were recognised for their standout work and awarded the top prize in front of an audience of 400 industry professionals.

The prestigious black-tie event kicked off in style with a cocktail reception in the Museum’s famous Dome.

From here, attendees headed into the largest and most prestigious space in the museum, the Raphael Gallery, where they were welcomed by Tabatha O’Connor, CEDIA Global President and CEO, and enjoyed a three-course dinner.

Before long, it was time to announce the winners, and once CEDIA Chairman, Dave Humphries, had congratulated the two Volunteers of the Year in attendance — Geoff Meads and Michael Robinson — he introduced the host for the evening, Sally Phillips.

Sally warmed up the crowd with her comedic charm before announcing the 2019 EMEA CEDIA Award winners, as well as the three Global Award winners.

The ceremony concluded with CEDIA Volunteer Sam Woodward being awarded the 2019 Special Recognition accolade for his incredible technical knowledge and selfless support for the industry. With spirits high, the crowd headed back to The Dome to enjoy a drink with the after-party sponsor, Sonos, and celebrated in each other’s success.

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“It’s funny how the excitement builds, slowly at first, as the awards get started, until the moment your category gets announced and your heart starts racing. You see the amazing shortlist and think, ‘Oh well, we did well to get this far.’ Then, you have about 10 seconds of feeling a bit deflated, until they read out your name and the whole table explodes!”

Oliver Hall, Ultamation

“We’re super chuffed to have won the CEDIA award for ‘Best Showroom’. I think what we’ve created is symbolic of our amazing industry — a fusion of thoughtfully integrated technology, stunning lighting, and luxury interior design. It’s the perfect place to demonstrate the value that a CEDIA member can bring to a project!”

James Ratcliffe, Homeplay

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“Wow, what an evening! The CEDIA Awards have always been a highlight of our year, and an event we look forward to, having had some success in previous years. To win five awards was just gobsmacking, and a fitting testament to how hard the entire team worked on these amazing projects, especially when the overall standards are getting higher each year.”

Chris Knight, Perfect Integration

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“The evening was great, and one of the best I’ve been to.

Great venue, good atmosphere, GREAT presenter, food was excellent… and of course we won an award, so what’s to moan about!

It’s always a pleasure to have the opportunity to catch up with old and present colleagues at this event, and it genuinely felt a bit of a ‘community’ gathering, as echoed by others I spoke to afterwards, so congratulations to all the team involved!”

Nic Black, The Pyramid Group

“Our field is all about the painful fine tuning of an exact and theoretical science to an abstract and creative unknown.

This honour bestowed upon us by experts in the field helps pull us back to a familiar place to cherish with family and mentors momentarily before returning to the unknown. In the end, it’s like we tell our children: ‘when you are learning and enjoying, you are always a winner.’ But it never hurts to have a few shiny trophies as proof!!’”

“To win the award for CEDIA Integrated Home Level II for the second year in a row has been a huge honour. We were really excited to be shortlisted, but seeing how strong the other entrants were, really brought home what a tough competition it would be this year. It's hard to express the thrill and pride we felt when our names were announced and it's fair to say it probably still hasn't sunk in yet.”

Stephen Nevison, Intuitive Homes

Ankur Bhatt, Sound Sense

“What a prestigious venue and such an honour to be in the company of the best in the world in a building with so much history and people that have impacted the world.”

Nick Caripis, BNC Technology

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AWARDS BEST NEW HARDWARE

WINNER

BEST NEW SOFTWARE

WINNER

Cinema Space Frame

Control4 Smart Home OS3

Cinema Build Systems

Control4

Cinema Space Frame is a modular and scalable component system to create the framework for fabric walling systems. This framework takes away a huge amount of the custom joinery work and challenges required to form a high end bespoke residential home cinema. This allows integrators companies to take in-house ownership of the cinema build process and removes the reliance on third party companies to carry out these critical stages of the project. Our system has been likened to "Lego for Cinema Rooms" by integrators who have used or experienced the system. These building block components give integrators the tools to create and design incredible spaces for their clients.

The components are designed as an ecosystem which allows for the simple integration of LED lighting profiles, acoustic treatment systems, cabling, and speakers.

Control4 Smart Home OS 3 has been fully imagined as the first Smart Home Operating System. Control4 OS 3 interoperates with a broad and deep ecosystem of connected devices, controls them all from a single platform, and provides homeowners the personalisation they want with the professional support they need.

Control4 Smart Home OS 3 facilitates professional installation to make sure everything works together, while empowering families to make their smart home experience uniquely their own.

“Unbelievable is the word that best describes our reaction to winning the CEDIA Award for Best New Hardware” said Roddy Abbott, Cinema Build Systems.

“Given the competition we were up against from brands we respect, use, and work with ourselves, we were absolutely humbled to have been given this accolade for our Cinema Space Frame system. Hopefully for others, this award will inspire innovation, as we have shown that it’s not about the size of the company but about the size of the idea. And when the idea is for a product that can benefit integrators and the industry as a whole, then this changes things for the better.”

“Thank you to CEDIA for a dazzling evening, giving us the opportunity to engage with our valued partners from the channel and to celebrate another year of collectively raising the bar in home automation” added Mark Reynolds, EMEA Lead for SNAP AV + Control4.

“Thank you also to CEDIA for awarding our Smart Home OS 3 the Best New Software. We strongly believe that OS 3 sets a new standard for the smart home, with over 1,000 enhancements delivering less complexity whilst exceeding users’ expectations, and it is an honour for it to be recognised by the industry.”

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AWARDS BEST TRADE SUPPLIER

WINNER

BEST TRAINING

WINNER

Habitech

CIE Training

Habitech is a value-added distributor of home entertainment and home automation products.

The team believe that home entertainment and automation should be easier to use and more affordable, and that ‘value’ means the best combination of performance, simplicity, and reliability.

Habitech aims to offer the highest levels of support, information, and training to the best value product lines in each category, bringing innovation and reliable high performance to integrators in simple to use, value propositions.

The CIE training academy AV over IP courses cover a broad range of IP installation practice. Subjects include video-over-IP, audio-over-IP, IP intercom, induction loops, and lockdown security systems. The sessions offer a balance of structured presentations, interactive demonstrations, and truly hands-on Q&A to cover everything you need to know about AV over IP.

“Thank you very much for voting for us” commented Jonathan Pengilley, Habitech. “The Trade Supplier award is really special for us as it's voted and determined by you, our customers. We know that there are many different suppliers in a tough busy market, so thank you for your vote and continued support. We had a great evening at the V&A — what a great venue and evening overall. I am sure I wasn’t the only one with a sore head on Friday morning.”

“The CEDIA Awards is always a great event in the industry calendar and this year was no exception — excellent venue, good host, and obviously some fantastic networking with new contacts” said Chris Edwards, CIE Group. “We were delighted to pick up the Best Training award in front of a good crowd as it makes all the hard work worthwhile. I’m also looking forward to welcoming many more CEDIA members onto our future academies.”

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LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Mitchell Klein Mitchell is always expanding the base of his knowledge, whether that’s in the realm of music or microchips. He’s been a custom integrator, an exec at URC, a CEDIA President — and a working musician.

Mitchell — who’s now director of the Z-Wave Alliance — got his start in the realm of live sound. But he wasn’t mixing the music, he was playing in the band.

He realised pretty quickly, however, that the vast majority of professional musicians aren’t making Beyoncé money — in fact, most are barely surviving. But reproducing music accurately? That held Mitchell’s interest, and that interest became bankable when he was offered a managerial spot at a hi-fi store called Tweeter, Etc. From there, he eventually made the leap to custom integration, founding a firm called Media Systems.

Public television gave Mitchell and company an on-camera gig as part of a renovation featured on the show “This Old House.” His ability to make an AV system unobtrusive was a fairly unique talent back in the mid-‘90s, and the taping was a hit. The show gave his company national exposure on three more projects.

There was a downside, though — late-night calls to troubleshoot new tech, for example. But the toughest for Mitchell? Suffering through the economic slowdown that immediately followed 9/11.

After experiencing the pain of shuttering a business, Mitchell went about taking URC from a handheld remote-control company to a whole-house interface business and from there, wound up in the Director position at Z-Wave.

Mitchell also became intimately involved with CEDIA — nearly at

the outset. After turning down an initial request from the association shortly after it was formed, Mitchell wound up becoming treasurer, then president.

He realised that the association wasn’t functioning as best as it could: “We recognised that we were always so focussed on the technology that we're ignoring a really key ingredient, which is the business. We weren't really paying attention to the business side of running our companies. And the other piece was, at the same time there was legislation in my home state of Massachusetts that essentially would have put all of us out of business.

The bill would have required licensing for our people — it was geared towards electrical contractors.” That led Mitchell to form what would eventually become CEDIA’s Government affairs department, which tracks legislation all over North America with the help of a grassroots network of member volunteers.

From balancing the books to taking the notion of certification from pipedream to concrete reality, Mitchell’s tenure with CEDIA still resonates to this day. But that’s not why he volunteered: “What I love so much about CEDIA is working with the other volunteers and bringing people in and recognising other people's passion, leveraging that passion and letting them run with it, let them go with it.”

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SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD Sam Woodward Sam is a CEDIA Volunteer, renowned for his incredible technical knowledge, his selfless support for the industry, and for being a thoroughly great bloke.

This man lives and breathes lighting and shading control. He is the undisputed industry expert. No one else comes close.

But it’s not just what he knows, it’s how well he shares that knowledge. He is an exceptional communicator.

Perhaps, that’s something to do with his past life, working in the entertainment industry as a performer himself, as an engineer on stadium entertainment productions, and as the sound effects guy on some of Hollywood’s finest movies.

If you want the man who can understand a technically complex subject and then get across to an audience just how that technology can be most gainfully deployed, then Sam is your man.

In his time as a CEDIA Volunteer, Sam has been an active, contributing member of the CEDIA Technology Council and Chair of the joint CTA/CEDIA R10 Standards body. This is the body that develops standards and recommended practices for the installation of technology in the residence. He is the published author of the "IET Code of Practice for the Application of LED Lighting Systems" and the "IET Code of Practice for Connect Systems Integration in Buildings".

Sam has always gone the extra mile with his volunteering, weaving it into his busy work and travel life.

“Volunteering with CEDIA has provided me with unmatched

opportunities for learning from the very best in the custom-installation world, as well as contributing myself as an educator and author” comments Sam. “The volunteer community enables you to work alongside others who also recognise the value of sharing expertise, and who have vision for the ways in which technology can enhance peoples' lives. Volunteers are already rewarded through lifelong friendships with inspirational people, and there are plenty of opportunities for anyone with passion to get involved.”

No matter the task at hand, he is super energetic, eager to learn, and share information with others. His enthusiasm for teaching, producing documents, taking part in podcasts, and offering general advice is infectious.

Until very recently, he was Customer Education Leader, Europe and Africa at Lutron, a company he has represented with great distinction for more than five years.

Throughout his time in home integration, Sam has always been a powerful and popular advocate for CEDIA and for the industry as a whole.

As many will agree, Sam is kind, genuine, and a pleasure to work with.

At the same time, he is also a very humble guy and a great, great man.

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THE 2019 VOLUNTEER AND Geoff Meads

Jamie Briesemeister

Presto Web Design

Integration Controls

Geoff Meads has been involved with CEDIA since the mid-2000s. The 30-year AV business veteran is now owner of Presto, a UK-based web design agency specialising in the smart home, Hi-Fi, and home cinema markets. He's been contributing to CEDIA training and e-learning courses for more than 15 years and has served as a regular instructor during that time.

Integration Controls Managing Principal, Jamie Briesemeister, dove head-first into CEDIA education shortly after becoming a member in 2005, taking as many courses as possible to fill the schedule at her first Expo.

Geoff’s years of service as a CEDIA volunteer include several CEDIA working groups (designer, instructor, technical, standards, and certification), plus five years serving on the Professional Development Advisory Council. Recently, he's taken an active role in the UK Smart Home Apprenticeship Trailblazer Committee.

Geoff is perhaps best known as a CEDIA EMEA & Global Awards judge, serving on the technical judging committee since 2010 and, in recent years, as chairman of the EMEA region judging panel.

Geoff is a long-term instructor who holds CEDIA ESC-T, ESC-D, and ESC-N certifications. He has made a name for himself as a trusted subject matter expert, podcast guest, coach, and mentor who has boosted all facets of the organisation and industry.

Geoff Meads 2019 CEDIA Volunteer of the Year

She began volunteering on the Professional Development Advisory Council, then as a co-chair of the Business Xchange task force, in class instruction, and is currently the Business Working Group Chair. Her selfless dedication to CEDIA and the home technology industry is showcased through collaboration with multiple facets of the organisation, including currently serving on the Industry Relations Advisory Council, where she often speaks on behalf of CEDIA members to design/build professionals in formal and informal educational sessions.

Jamie, who was named CEDIA Volunteer of the Year in 2015, was quoted on her nomination form saying, "I care about CEDIA and this industry!" This continues to be evidenced by her efforts inside CEDIA events and through outreach to her community in St. Louis, Missouri.

Jamie Briesemeister 2019 CEDIA Education Volunteer of the Year

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FELLOWS AWARDS Michael Robinson

Jeremy Burkhardt

Perfect Integration Limited

Chairman of Origin Acoustics

Michael joined Perfect Integration Ltd in 2012 as a project manager and soon after, became involved with CEDIA as a CEDIA Outreach Instructor.

For over two decades, Jeremy has actively contributed to the growth and development of the residential architectural custom electronics industry. He began his career as an integrator, and then became a successful independent AV retailer where he identified deficiencies in products and installation practices that drove him to design innovative and time-saving products that revolutionised the home installation market. He and his business partners founded, developed, and grew SpeakerCraft into the industry's largest architectural speaker manufacturer and brand. SpeakerCraft was sold to Nortek, Inc. for a record $58M in 2004; Jeremy remained the CEO until he retired after 20+ years in 2012.

Now as the project director, he has expanded his involvement in a big way this year, serving on the Industry Relations Advisory Council and on the Task Force for EMEA Continuing Professional Development Creation.

Outside the realm of home technology and integration, Michael has been a terrific driver of engagement and action with the design and build community. Earlier this year, Michael earned his ESC-D credential from CEDIA.

In 2014, Jeremy and his original SpeakerCraft business partners launched a new architectural electronics brand, Origin Acoustics, at CEDIA Expo. Since its inception, the company has found incredible success within the channel earning awards and accolades for its products.

Jeremy served on the CEDIA board from 2006 until 2008. His volunteerism has continued over the years, and he regularly contributes articles to a variety of industry trade publications and lectures at educational events worldwide.

Michael Robinson 2019 CEDIA New Volunteer of the Year

Jeremy Burkhardt 2019 CEDIA Fellow

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Ian Bryant

CEDIA Vice President, Technology Application and Workforce

DISPLAYPORT 2.0

BIGGER, STRONGER, FASTER PERFECT TIMING FOR NEW STANDARDS WITH HIGHER DATA RATES

On 26th June, VESA, the international, non-profit standard association representing a global network of more than 280 hardware, software, computer, display, and component manufacturers, released the newest revision of the nearly forgotten DisplayPort standard.

Version 2.0 is not only a giant leap from the last version 1.4a (set back in 2016), but it is a huge step forward in cabling technologies, surpassing the max data rate HDMI 2.1 can handle at a whopping 77.37Gbps.

This is perfect timing for new standards with higher data rates, since 6K and 8K displays are starting to be released. Japan’s national broadcasting organisation, NHK, has announced plans to broadcast the 2020 Summer Olympics in 8K and has already begun to broadcast 8K content to its viewers. Gaming platforms are continuing to push manufacturers for higher resolutions and faster refresh rates. The home entertainment market is reporting the average display size is now 65", and customers are frequently asking about 4K/8K and HDR. The projected timeframe to see DP 2.0 on devices is late 2020, and we believe consumers will be ready with open arms — and open wallets.

There is an added feature new to the DisplayPort technology called “Panel Replay” that will help with power and thermal performance in smaller devices like all-in-one PCs and laptops. This feature will enable the video processor to update only the portion of the display that has changed from one frame update to the next, resulting in significant power savings.

The traditional DisplayPort connector will be supported, as well as the USB-C connector and Intel’s new Thunderbolt 3 technology, giving flexibility to the new 2.0 standard.

The big question on everyone’s mind is what exactly can one do with 77Gbps? Here are some examples of display configurations with the new DisplayPort 2.0.

SINGLE DISPLAY RESOLUTIONS: • One 16K (15360x8460) display @60Hz and 30 bpp 4:4:4 HDR (with DSC) • One 10K (10240x4320) display @60Hz and 24 bpp 4:4:4 (no compression) • One 8K (7680x4320) display @60Hz and 30 bpp 4:4:4 (no compression)

DUAL DISPLAY RESOLUTIONS: • Two 8K (7680x4320) displays @120Hz and 30 bpp 4:4:4 HDR (with DSC) • Two 4K (3840x2160) displays @144Hz and 24 bpp 4:4:4 (no compression)

TRIPLE DISPLAY RESOLUTIONS: • Three 10K (10240x4320) displays @60Hz and 30 bpp 4:4:4 HDR (with DSC) • Three 4K (3840x2160) displays @90Hz and 30 bpp 4:4:4 HDR (no compression)

Keeping in mind that no current technology can distribute some of these resolutions throughout a home, installations will be direct source-to-display situations at first. But rest assured that manufacturers in the custom market are hard at work getting ready for 2020.

This article is one of an online series called “The Two Minute Tech Read” brought to you by CEDIA’s Technology Advisory Council and Technology Application & Innovation department. Find more at CEDIA.net.

SEE WHAT WE CAN ACHIEVE TOGETHER IN 2020.

RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP TODAY.

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cedia.net/renew

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Ch osing the right cable

Euroclass harmonised system for classification of cables Under the CPR, product labelling is also improved to include the classification and every manufacturer will also have a Declaration of Conformity available for you.

CE marking now incorporates CPR reaction to fire classification

by Chris Sayers Commercial Manager at Labgear In addition to deciding whether you need Cat6 or Cat6A, or what type of fibre-optic cable or which coaxial cable works, there is another assessment you need to make if you are installing cables into a building — fire safety. The rules covering the classification of cable have changed in recent years and whilst most manufacturers have kept up with this, the advice to integrators has been confused.

This article will bring you up to speed and give you a basis for making your own decisions.

Are you “installing” the cable in a building?

It sounds like a stupid question, but the word installing has a particular meaning with regards to your risk assessment. Installing, in this context means ‘permanently fitting into pathways which are hidden or to which access is limited.’ Basically, if your cables cannot be easily accessed by the fire brigade, they need to conform to the relevant reaction to fire class.

What are the Standards?

The Construction Project Regulations (CPR) lay down harmonised rules for the marketing of construction products in the EU. The Regulation provides a common technical language to assess the performance of construction products, including the reaction to fire of telecommunications cable. Being a Regulation, it automatically became legally binding in every state and is incorporated into British Standard BS 6701:2016 +A1:2017.

There are now seven classes — the lowest “Fca” is unclassified and should not be installed in a building.

As a result, you no longer have to rely on terms like “low smoke and fume” or “LSFZH,” which have differing meanings for different manufacturers.

x

Verification System

Acid Gas Content

Smoke Density

Flame Propogation

Smoke Production

Heat of Combustion

Reaction to Fire Class Aca

1+

B1ca

x

x

x

x

1+

B2ca

x

x

x

x

1+

Cca

x

x

x

x

1+

Dca

x

x

x

x

3

Eca Fca

x

3 N/A

What Class should I choose?

The British Standards Institute (BSI) stated that the recommended minimum Euroclass cable that can be installed in a building is Class Cca. This has caused some confusion because this is a recommendation and not a requirement. The people that could make this a legal requirement are the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), and according to the British Cables Association (BCA) “To date MHCLG has consistently said that it will not make any prescriptive legal requirement on reaction to fire for cables via amendments to The Building Regulations.”

Designers and specifiers therefore have to make their own decision based the particular building and their own assessment of the risks. This is not a one size fits all and the increased use of data cables is definitely one new risk that should be taken into account, especially in more complex buildings or near fire escape routes.

The British Standard BS 6701 seems to offer two choices dependant on the risk: Risk assessment factors when selecting data or telecom cable.

Low risk installations

Installations where improved fire performance is required

Is the building a higher fire risk?

No

Yes

What is the density of the cable?

Single cables

Large bunches of cable

Where is the cable?

Visible or easy to access

Hidden or hard to access or near a fire escape

Fire classification

Eca

Cca

To end on a cautionary note, the Fibre-optic Industry Association made this comment: “An installer and his customer could ignore the requirements of a standard, but caution would be advisable since if anything were to go wrong, the national standards tend to be the first port of call in any civil or criminal litigation.”

Sources: • REACTION TO FIRE PERFORMANCE OF CABLING INSIDE BUILDINGS published by the FIA • Recommendations for the Selection of Cables under the Construction Products Regulation published by the BCA

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BIOPHILIA:

RESEARCH AND IMPLEMENTATION Systems designed for human wellness are creating a huge opportunity

One of the more popular breakout sessions at CEDIA’s Leadership Conference in Chicago was Grant Farnsworth and Julie Jacobson’s two-parter: Healthy Home: Attitudes and Wellness Opportunities for Home Tech Pros. Grant (Director of Business at the Farnsworth Group) provided the research on the topic, while Julie (a Founding Editor of CE Pro) covered the practical applications.

THE BACKGROUND “We’re seeing a spike in interest in ‘wellness’ tech that mirrors the surge in ‘green’ solutions that popped a while back,” says Grant. Homeowners (and renters) are mainly concerned about things like mould and

other toxins in the air, and the group who’s most concerned about having a healthy home are buyers 25-34. (Grant further notes that the demo referred to as “millennials” account for about three-quarters of the property market right now.)

Contractors are having these conversations, too, but the research that Farnsworth Group has conducted (with an assist from no less than Harvard) shows an opportunity for integrators: The solutions builders and remodelers are talking about centre primarily on static materials, like lumber and paint. Integrators can introduce tech to support a holistic approach to buildings that support wellness.

BIOPHILIA Julie picks up where Grant wraps: Her mission of late has been one of evangelising

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for the concept called “biophilia,” a term that’s defined by Merriam-Webster as “a hypothetical human tendency to interact or be closely associated with other forms of life in nature.” From Julie’s perspective — and the research she’s been digging into — there’s nothing hypothetical about it.

Workspaces that implement either actual or virtual elements of the outdoors see results; employees with a view of the outdoors don’t call in sick as much as their peers — and they’re more productive, too.

“The problem,” says Julie, “is that we’re wired to be outside. All of human evolution has built us this way, to be up with the sun and in deep sleep in the middle of the night.” The natural chemistry that the brain and body cooks up is designed for a life that interacts with forest greens and the sounds of water. It’s thrown into disarray when humans are suddenly expected to function in a world in which we spend 90% of our lives indoors.

LAYERS OF NATURE There are layers of nature that could be introduced into a variety of ways into businesses or homes, according to Julie:

“

• Visual

• Auditory

• Thermal

• Smell

• Spatial

• Stochastic

Virtual skylights, scenes of trees and streams (coupled with sounds and vice-versa — one without the other can be off-putting), building design that includes “living walls” literally made of plants, expansive video scenes of sky and mountains are all solutions that can make for a better, more “human” indoor experience. Using monitors to check air quality and trigger something as simple as the opening of a skylight to create a “chimney” effect is one of the simpler automated solutions that Julie notes.

Integrators can introduce tech to support a holistic approach to buildings that support wellness.

One of the most interesting aspects of this, though, is the “stochastic” layer — the random appearance of a puffy cloud, a change in wind, the random rustle of one leaf and not another. This natural smattering of unorganised stimuli keeps us alert and creative, unlike an office space in which everything is uniform, regulated, and neverchanging.

Creating a natural-seeming, virtual world — “biomimicry” — is something Julie feels is uniquely suited to the CEDIA integrator, so much so that she’s created her own word for it: “biodigitry.”

“And when you think about it,” she notes, “we’re really the only channel that has the experience to tackle every one of these elements.”

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Standards Update: October 2019

F

or years, CEDIA has worked with the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) — the organisation that puts on CES every year in Vegas — on a joint residential systems standards body called R10, accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). R10 relies on working groups of volunteer subject matter experts, with their efforts currently reviewing or developing several recommended practices. There are three key documents that affect the majority of technology integrators and, as such, should be regarded as important reference tools. They pertain to Audio Design, Video Design, and Verifying HDMI Systems. Let’s take a look at each in turn:

David Meyer

CEDIA Director of Technical Research

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CTA/CEDIA-CEB22 Home Theatre Recommended Practice: Audio Design First developed in 2009, CEB22 was specific to dedicated home theatre rooms — and high end at that. In fact, it’s regarded as highly aspirational and applicable to less than one percent of installations, meaning it wasn’t directly applicable to most integrators and/or projects.

The review currently underway addresses this by proposing four performance levels and changing the focus from specifically home theatre to Home Entertainment Spaces. The entry level allows some flexibility and will be quite achievable, while still providing great performance. Then moving through the tiers culminates at the reference audio system with characteristics including controlled noise floor, acoustics, bass management, baffle wall, and tiered seating. Importantly, the recommended practice also adds immersive audio speaker layouts, such as for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. CEB22 is well underway, so watch out for its release early in 2020.

CTA/CEDIA-CEB23 Home Theatre Recommended Practice: Video Design CEB23 was first published in 2010, as the video companion to CEB22. It was reviewed in 2012 as CEB23-A, and again in 2017, as CEB23-B. However, a lot has changed in video in just these last two years, including the introduction of wide colour gamut, HDR, and 8K, amongst other things. This warrants another important review. CEB23 has also historically been focussed on home theatre, but as with CEB22, the scope may broaden to cater for the diversity of video installations.

CTA/CEDIA-CEB28 Verification Methods for HDMI Systems Interoperability Anyone who works with HDMI will acknowledge the challenge it often presents, and new AV features such as HDR only exacerbate this. In fact, Joel Silver, founder of ISF and chair of the working group developing CEB28, at the start of this project, said to me that, “The greatest challenge with HDR is getting it to turn on!” He was, of course, referring to what can go wrong in the HDMI system, and this is just one of many things.

CEB28 is a new recommended practice that will present verification and troubleshooting methods for ensuring the HDMI system is doing what it’s supposed to do. It will also serve as an informative reference for features and protocols that operate through HDMI, with a supplement for system design considerations, making it an all-round highly valuable document for all integrators.

The effort is well advanced but still ongoing. We’re targeting late 2019 for comment and early 2020 for formal release.

It’s not too late to get involved! If you’re a CEDIA or CTA member and interested in contributing to any of these volunteer working groups, I invite you to contact the CEDIA Technology and Standards team at standards@cedia.org.

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Set sail with ABB for smarter living spaces As smart technology becomes more mainstream, consumers are expecting more from their spaces, especially when it comes to marine vessels.

ABB’s vision is simple; we want to give consumers the ability to control all elements of their vessel’s functionality from a wall-mounted control panel or an app on their mobile device. At the same time, we want to make sure that we enable people to create stylish spaces that are personal to them and provide the highest standards of designed living.

PERSONALISATION Smart technology offers unlimited possibilities to personalise a yacht or vessel. As modern building automation in ships has become more efficient than ever to meet the increasing demands of passengers, so to have the possibilities.

With the integration of smart home automation into a marine environment, consumers now have the option to comfortably control everything in their vessel from one point or remotely through a mobile phone or tablet. They can now switch on the lights before they board their yacht or check their security cameras while away.

by Olaf Stutzenberger ABB Global Marketing Communication Manager

intercom functions. With the added option to integrate with third parties such as Philips Hue lighting and Sonos, individuals can also control their music and lighting at the touch of a button.

Control elements are visible and clearly arranged, guaranteeing intuitive operation. This highly advanced technology with unlimited commands and functions is extremely easy to manage, even remotely, thanks to the domotic app developed by ABB, BuschpriOn®. This non-fixed, modular concept offers iconic design in glass white, glass black, white high gloss plastic, and stainless steel with anti-fingerprint coating.

With Busch-ControlTouch®_KNX, smart phones, tablets, and smart watches become practical remote controls. It connects the KNX installation with the IP network, allowing control of all KNX functions in the ship.

Applications for iOS and Android create intuitive operation, allowing switches, dimmers, blinds, scenes, Sonos speakers, Philips Hue lights, IP cameras, and other devices to be integrated into the system.

STYLISH DESIGN

SMART CONTROL For complete control over all the functions in the vessel, ABB provides different options to suit the usability and interior design needs. These range from wall mounted control elements, like ABB KNX sensor ABB-Tacteo® PEONIA® to touch displays like Busch-ComfortTouch® or Busch-SmartTouch®.

Touch is not just a high-tech control unit for environments — it offers so much more, including state-of-the-art design, intuitive commands, and simple programming. It integrates media technology and the Internet; offering a comprehensive view at any time of every technological installation on board.

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It also provides multiple services for any environment, including typical automation functions from the control of lighting and climate to automated shutters and security, telephone, and

We understand that boats are unique spaces that demand bespoke fixtures and fitting. That’s why ABB solutions combine the highest levels of functionality with stylish design.

The company offers an extensive portfolio of wiring accessories to suit every need and décor. The new Mylos Ultra series offers the potential to customise to the smallest detail.

Colours, materials, and upholstery have been developed exclusively with three partners, Alcantara®, 3M DI-NOC™, and Jannelli&Volpi®, all of which are synonymous with style.

PLANE SAILING By combining the latest in automation technology with stylish design ABB is sailing ahead to create the smart vessels of tomorrow, today.

CONNECT WITH THE RESIDENTIAL TECHNOLOGY WORLD Discover the latest integrated home solutions at ISE 2020

DISCOVER Find the latest audiovisual, lighting and control solutions in the Residential Technology Zone

EXPERIENCE Be inspired by industry insights at CEDIA’s training seminars, conference and masterclass

NETWORK Plug yourself into a network of CEDIA-certified home technology professionals

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THE CEDIA DESIGNER The CEDIA Designer Updates The CEDIA Designer (TCD), the award-winning software that helps integrators create technically-perfect home cinema or media room design plans, documentation, and models in minutes, has released a host of valuable upgrades, including:

• • •

The documentation report can now be generated in Spanish Soundbar products can now be specified within the tool A new Project Progress feature is available

The Project Progress feature allows users to demonstrate which stage the project is in. Project managers will find it beneficial for validating to customers the phase the project has reached, including sales agreed, trim out, first fix, and second fix.

The new TCD developments follow several others recently announced, including immersive virtual reality render capabilities and the introduction of Samsung's The Wall, a consumer modular MicroLED 146-inch display.

"The Wall" will be included in the software's Luxury Living room category that is accessible only to TCD users at the Cinema Room Pro account level.

“TCD offers a complete and coherent package that ensures designers and dealers can easily integrate our innovative products into their projects, with the minimum of fuss and doubt” said Kris Hogg from Samsung. “The TCD team put additional effort into implementing Samsung’s The Wall and LED for Home products into the software.

This showed us how flexible and valuable integration into the software is. The inclusion of the Samsung LED into TCD proved its value within 48 hours of the products going live, when a dealer completed a full design using The Wall.”

The Wall is a big investment for any integrator — and any client — so having a resource that allows the integrator to design a technically-accurate room with predictable results using these new-to-market MicroLED products will give the dealer peace of mind. TCD will simplify the design process and guide the integrator through the entire process, specifying ideal equipment placement whilst providing all the dealer needs to know in terms of installing The Wall.

European Roadshow In September and October, CEDIA hosted a European roadshow for TCD software in Milan, Nice, and Madrid, designed to give industry professionals the opportunity to learn more about the capabilities and benefits of the software in their own local language.

“I attended the TCD event in Nice. As a smart home integrator in the South of France, it was great to meet other CEDIA members and to discover The CEDIA Designer tool, which we believe will be extremely useful in designing media rooms and home cinemas for our clients” commented Suzanne Fitzgerald of Dmoti. “The session was hugely informative, and it was an opportunity to meet suppliers as well as the creator of the tool.”

K-Array Promotes TCD to Dealers K-Array recently signed up to TCD, and at its Global Distributors conference, invited Steve Carter, CEDIA Business Development Manager, EMEA, to present the features and benefits of the software to attendees.

“As a manufacturer of loudspeakers, we are used to design software” said Alberto Gaetti of K-Array. “Loudspeakers by themselves have amazing performance but one always listens to the room, not only to the source. The TCD software gives an accurate prediction of the sound system that is very close to the actual experience. TCD is very useful for dealers and architects to track the design process, taking advantage of revisions and making the design a collaborative process for the final project.”

TCD in 40 Words TCD allows integrators to enter room dimensions and materials, equipment choices, and placement, producing a client-ready 30+ page cinema design proposal. Users are guided through the design process and the resulting design is complete in minutes, not hours or days.

“From the sightlines to the seating and screen types to the projector selection and proper Dolby Atmos speaker placement, the documentation includes everything,” commented LED Systems LLC Chief Technologist, Lewis Franke. “TCD paid off for me immediately during the first project I used it. I delivered a more expensive proposal than the other bids, because the software helped me show the client the necessary changes and accommodations others were leaving out.”

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Redefining Discreet Audio

K-ACADEMY @ CEDIA Headquarters Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Unit 2, Phoenix Park | St Neots | Cambridgeshire PE19 8EP Register here: www.redefining-discreet-audio.eventbrite.com

With a product portfolio of unique audio solutions, K-array provides educational training to teach users how to optimize sound quality by employing its discreet loudspeakers.

This K-academy course will provide guidelines for the design and setup of home cinema featuring K-array products with time dedicated to sound design techniques supported by product listening sessions, with the aim of inspiring the creativity of your next home audio installation.

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INDUSTRY Q&A

COLLABORATE WITH DESIGN AND BUILD PROS:

BECOME A CEDIA

OUTREACH INSTRUCTOR THE COI PROGRAMME ENABLES CEDIA MEMBERS TO DELIVER EDUCATIONAL PRESENTATIONS ON HOME TECHNOLOGY TO THEIR LOCAL DESIGN AND BUILD INDUSTRY PARTNERS, HELPING DEVELOP VITAL NEW BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS.

How would you describe your company’s previous relationship with architects and interior designers?

Stephen Before joining the COI programme, our relationship with architects and interior designers was limited to the time when we are on site together. There was often a degree of friction, as we seemed to have conflicting priorities. Of course, we always managed to get the job done, but it didn’t feel like we were always on the same

team! I think the AV and technology elements of a project were being overlooked by the design team because they didn’t understand what was possible. Unfortunately, that creates uncomfortable conversations with designs requiring change to accommodate the client’s technology requirements.

Richard We have worked closely with architects and designers for a number of years to create homes that not only meet the needs of today, but for years to come. Our relationship begins from the initial outset to firstly understand their

Stephen Gibson

Richard Padun

Bill O'Connor

Nick Caripis

Acoustic Pixel

Integrated Logic

Dallas Sight and Sound, Inc.

BNC Technology

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design vision and user requirements, from which we then work with them to integrate the correct infrastructure with customised solutions for the chosen smart home systems. We act as trusted advisors every step of the way, even offering support after the install.

Nick I think you always resonate with certain people, so we have always had decent relationships with this audience.

Why is educating architects and interior designers important for your business?

Stephen For us, it is crucial. It does three things: 1. It helps us position Acoustic Pixel as an expert, 2. It introduces us to a steady stream of potential new projects, and 3. The knowledge that we provide in the CPD helps the architect and interior designer to include technology in their schemes.

This means that we have less conflict on site, and the client gets the best solution. We are aiming to deliver at least one CPD a month and then keep the architects and interior designers up to date with relevant information at regular intervals.

Consequently, the relationship is strengthened, more projects feature technology, and the client gets the best possible service.

Richard Architects are very influential in the design of residential developments, and as the popularity for smart home technology is on the rise, it is important that they have a thorough understanding of the systems available, but more importantly, how to integrate them properly.

“

“

Bill Dallas Sight and Sound has always had good relationships with interior designers and architects.

Given the level of homes we work in (luxury and estate), they understand how important it is for us to be involved from the earliest stages and have used us as a resource for both design-only and design-andbuild projects.

…the relationship is strengthened, more projects feature technology, and the client gets the best possible service.

Stephen Gibson

The learning never stops; the technology is constantly changing, and so it is very important that we maintain the relationships with architects.

Bill As home technology has become an increasingly important aspect of home life, it is critical that we convey to specifiers how technology has to be planned from the earliest stages of design to properly integrate the systems unobtrusively into the project, and account for critical factors such as space, ventilation, and power requirements. When technology is planned from an early stage, we can reduce or eliminate surprises (“You want to put a speaker WHERE?”) for the design team, as well as the other trades, like framers, electricians, and mechanical.

Nick I believe it is a long-term education process, and it is an investment for our industry. If we all plant seeds and water and feed them the correct food, we will all reap the reward. We don’t operate in isolation and need to add value to their business, so that we can all benefit from a fruitful industry.

How many times have you delivered a CEDIA CPD to an architect or interior design practice?

Richard Since delivering our first CPD in June, we have delivered two CEDIA seminars and have another three booked in before the end of the year.

Bill I would estimate that I have taught 60 to 70 classes — many in architects’ and interior designers’ offices. We hold a monthly class in our office, and we do some at association meetings or education events, with as many as one hundred attendees.

Nick We deliver roughly four to six CPDs a year.

What is the feedback you receive when the course is delivered?

Richard The feedback from delivering the CPD seminars highlighted how relevant the content was in meeting the demand for future-ready homes and confirmed the value of investing in smart home technology for their own projects.

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Bill O'Connor

“

“

The exposure we have received has led to a number of jobs... from small systems (in the fifty-thousanddollar range) to million-dollar-plus projects and have increased the scope of some projects...

Bill From comments on the evaluation sheets: “Knowledgeable speaker, answered questions, added input,” “Always well done,” “Great presentation,” “Bill is a great presenter, thank you!”And there is almost always a comment to the effect of, “I have a client who will be interested in this…”

them by offering something they need (both knowledge, which they are hungry for, and CEU credits), and, most importantly, establishes us as the experts in the market. It also helps us to be confident that products are properly specified and that they understand the requirements when specifying tech.

How useful is the course in helping you build relationships with architects and interior designers?

Nick It’s a good start. You don’t connect well with everyone, but I do feel that it’s a good opportunity to meet industry related people, spread our industry offering, and then you partner with the ones you resonate with.

Richard Following the seminars, we have received a number of enquiries asking for advice and recommendations for best practices in integrating the systems. They perceive us as trusted advisers who are readily available to answer any product related or technical questions. These are important first steps to build the foundations for a strong working relationship.

Bill It is very useful. It helps us build relationships with the critical specifiers, gives us exposure to

Have these connections led to any business for your company? If yes, what type of projects are you now working on?

Richard As the specification process isn’t immediate, and the fact that we only started delivering CPDs in June, they haven’t generated any business to date. However, we are currently in discussions for a number of residential projects that are in the

planning stages in the local Surrey area.

Bill The exposure we have received has led to a number of jobs. These range from small systems (in the fifty-thousand-dollar range) to million-dollar-plus projects and have increased the scope of some projects by educating specifiers on the latest trends, products, and benefits to their clients.

Nick Our biggest work has come from these workshops. It’s a longterm process but once an architect loves you and what you do, it becomes a fantastic relationship as you see eye to eye.

After a class, what are your next steps to further develop the relationship?

Bill I always follow up with an email to each attendee. Then I will often follow up at least with the principals in the firm, with a phone call to see if they have any questions and ask them what they would like to know more about. This exposure also makes it easier for me to approach them at industry events, as it is not a “cold call.”

Nick It’s like farming — slowly take care of the soil, plant the seeds, and water them, and one day, you will reap the benefit. Our longest relationship took three years of planting and watering, but now gives us the most work.

cedia.net/programs/outreach

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THE CEDIA PODCAST:

WHY WE TEACH WHAT WE TEACH

A chat with CEDIA Director of Technical Training, Steve Rissi

We caught up with Steve Rissi, CEDIA's Director of Technical Training, after another successful jam-packed education programme at CEDIA Expo.

A class that was a smash at ISE 2019 wound up requiring more space that the organisers had anticipated when it debuted at Expo in Denver.

The Home Cinema Masterclass saw the size of its presentation space double, and even Steve was a bit surprised by the response.

“A huge hats off to our colleagues in the UK for putting this whole thing together for ISE originally,” says Steve. “It sold out a couple of weeks before Expo, but we were still getting requests from members that were really interested in taking the class.”

The Masterclass, taught by Theo Kalomirakis (room design), Joel Silver (image quality), and Anthony Grimani (audio), gets to the heart of something that’s close to the bone for Steve: It shatters preconceived notions.

THE MYTH OF THE GOLDEN EAR Take the concept of the “subjective audio experience,” for example. “All of the mythologies around audio bother me,” says Steve. So, when you have somebody like Anthony come in and show the science, and you look at the physics

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of how sound pressure waves interact and what that does, it's amazing.

“It's a way to really engage clients and engage the industry in general, to say, ‘Here's the science behind this.’ Human beings experience sound in a very specific way based on our biology, and based on the physics of the world around us, we can manage how that sound is experienced and what type of final product you can produce from a performance perspective for different applications.”

While it’s true to a certain extent that people have their preferences and biases when they listen to music or a movie soundtrack, Steve is determined to show everyone from integrator to end-user that there’s a provable, measurable difference between good audio and bad audio.

“I really dislike it when people tell me, ‘Oh, well it's all subjective, and I can't hear the difference,’” says Steve. Honestly, either a) they're lying, or b) they've never stopped to actually try and hear the difference, which is mostly the case. Most general consumers have been misled to believe you have to have a golden ear to hear these very special differences, and why one speaker sounds different than another speaker, and why it matters.”

And why does it matter? “It bothers me, because you're taking something away from those people. There's an amazing experience that's out there, that's available, that our members provide on a daily basis, that changes people's lives. When you really experience good music, it can change your life.”

FROM EXPO BACK TO BOOT CAMPS Steve and company have also been busy ensuring the education that happens back at CEDIA HQ continues to raise the bar after Expo’s come and gone. And since we’re already on the subject of audio, we’ll start there when it comes to the small home cinema rooms that have been built specifically for the purpose of teaching home theatre basics.

“We’ve undertaken a huge upgrade on the rooms that are in this facility as opposed to our last location. They're permanent to the structure. They have an extremely low noise floor. They're designed with really good specifications so that when the students come in to actually calibrate them, they're starting with a room that works well.

“We now have new speakers. We're doing full Atmos 5.1.4 configurations. And then we also have 4K projection, 4K display, UHD video source.”

As far as what seems to excite Steve the most (although, to be fair, the Advanced Networking classes he teaches are literally “tied for first”), the teaching of audio is all about “the speed of sound,” as he puts it.

“If you understand the science and the engineering, you can apply that to any budget. It doesn't matter what the equipment is. Once you know how to do it correctly, you can get the best performance, regardless of your individual client's budget.”

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% last 5 the

“The toughest part of a job?

Sometimes it’s the last 5%.” - ANON

When you bring technology into your home, there are three rules I think about: 1. Does it do the job I hired it do?

2. Does it play well with others?

3. Can I trust it to respect the information it’s actually managing?

Those are basic questions for any employee. Why can’t I require the same thing of my technology?

Delos CTO Jim Hunter on “frictionless” technology

5G happens to live in the radio spectrum — actually, above it — where microwave sensors are, and NOAA and NASA have said “If you deploy micro-cells all over the place, it’s going to take us back to the 1980s when it comes to weather predictions.”

CEDIA’s Walt Zerbe on the potential of 5G signals interfering with weather sensors from the CEDIA podcast “Emerging Trends” (Episode 132, No. 1930)

Can you make your customer base more concentrated? Can you be so local as to own a block? Can you own your whole church community? Because the more concentrated your customer base is, the more efficient you become, and the more word-of-mouth spreads, neighbour to neighbour to neighbour.”

Julie Jacobson (CE Pro) from her CEDIA Talk “Go Hyperlocal: Own the Neighbourhood, Own the Town (Save on Truck Rolls)” at CEDIA Expo 2019

Shows are not about products. Shows are about people.

And the reason I love this industry so much is that it’s full of absolutely fantastic people.

Peter Aylett (Archimedia) from the CEDIA podcast “CEDIA Expo, Day Three” (Episode 141, No. 1937c)

WISDOM FROM OUR MEMBERS (And Some Others, Too)

DESIGN AT THE SPEED OF THOUGHT.

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3D CAD model, complete scale rendering, full documentation, technically perfect math—weeks of design work finished as soon as you can imagine it.

Visit TheCEDIADesigner.org for more information.

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