QUARTER 1 2018
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Artificial Intelligence ISE Show Preview 2018 Business Xchange
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The World’s Number One OLED TV Brand
Best Trade Supplier
Available from the CEDIA award winning distributor Perfect Colour | Perfect Black | Multi HDR with Dolby Vision™ | Dolby Atmos®
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T: 01359 270280 W: www.invisionuk.com E: sales@invisionuk.com
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ContENTS
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Products: ISE preview See who is exhibiting and what to expect
Video Display TRENDS Mike Heiss previews his ISE 2018 course
Artificial Intelligence The past, present, and future of AI
TEAM BUILDING How to ensure your new hires are the right hires
EXPERIENCE V TECHNOLOGY A guide to becoming solution-led instead of pushing product
Podcast: HDMI Formats, standards‌ all you need to know
Business Xchange What's happening at this year's must attend business conference
Collaboration is King We share the keys to working successfully with interior designers
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Welcome to 2018!
And welcome to the year’s first issue of CEDIA Communicates.
We’re thrilled to begin another year as a global trade association, and as we move forward with our new strategic plan (and a new global HQ currently under construction). This issue includes a look back at what a few of our members thought were the big stories of 2017 — and the headlines they expect to see in 2018. We’ve got a lot to share about our upcoming CEDIA Business Xchange too — this year’s event will focus on “design thinking,” a process developed at Stanford that brought you devices no less disruptive than the smartphone that’s likely by your side at this moment. We also profile an incredible project that was awarded no less than four CEDIA Awards — a seaside San Diego home that took the CEDIA Global Award in 2017. We look at some of the exhibitors joining us for ISE 2018 in Amsterdam, we dive deeply in the latest developments in HDMI, and we meet a Japanese CEDIA integrator who’s doing tremendous work. There’s business advice in here as well: We bring you stories on “Building the Perfect Team” and “Selling Experiences vs. Selling Technologies.” Wherever your interests lie in the home technology industry, we’re certain you’ll find something in this issue of Communicates that informs and entertains. Thanks for reading. All the best,
Tabatha O’Connor CEDIA Acting President and CEO
Contact
Unit 2, Phoenix Park, St Neots Cambridgeshire, PE19 8EP, UK Email: info@cedia.co.uk Telephone: +44 (0)1480 213744 www.cedia.co.uk
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7150 Winton Drive, Suite 300 Indianapolis, Indiana 46268 USA Email: info@cedia.org Telephone: +1 800.669.5329 www.cedia.net
Front cover image: Land & Sea Entertainment 4498 Paola Way, San Diego, CA 92117, USA Telephone: +1 858.467.1940 Email: mail@sterryo.com www.sterryo.com 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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FO C A L
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K A NTA
N °2
Kanta introduces a new vision of the Premium loudspeaker. Completely dedicated to performance, for the first time it combines a Flax sandwich cone speaker driver with a legendary Beryllium tweeter. It delivers a precise, detailed sound that brims with warmth and musicality. With its incredible style and its broad range of finishes, Kanta delights the eyes as much as the ears‌
Performance meets style Visit us at ISE 2018 - Booth 14-C125 focal.com
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NEWS IN BRIEF
RENEWAL TIME APPROACHES CEDIA is urging companies to renew their annual membership by 23rd February to continue taking advantage of the significant benefits that membership brings, including education programmes, literature, networking events, a prestigious awards scheme, and much more. To renew your membership, visit www.cedia.net/cedia-membership/ renew
PRODUCT APPEAL TOGETHER FOR CINEMA NEEDS YOUR HELP For the last seven years, the home technology industry has supported Together for Cinema in providing children’s hospices in the UK with dedicated cinema rooms. With the charity aiming to complete 25 installs by 2020, Ian Morrish, Founder of Together for Cinema, is putting a call out to the industry to request donations of AV products.
“With Together for Cinema becoming a recognised industry charity, I’m keen to look at ways to give more to the over 50 children’s hospices that are in the UK. With the help of many integrators, manufacturers, and distributors, as well as the likes of CEDIA, and Wildwood PR, we have already installed 20 cinema rooms in children’s hospices, and we are due to start the next two installs shortly.” Ian is on the lookout for a range of products, including media servers, Blu-ray players, soundbars, iPads, Freeview boxes, and flatscreens (50”+). Thanks to Arcam, Dataflow IT, Epson, Middle Atlantic, Monitor Audio, and RGB Communications, Ian has stock of, or access to, projectors, screens, AV receivers, speakers, and racks.
2018 TRAINING PROGRAMME REVEALED CEDIA has announced a number of changes to its education programme for 2018. Instead of four days training and one examination day, the Technical School now includes five full days of training, with the addition of the Rack Building and Wiring Fundamentals course. The certification exam will now be held on CEDIA Certification Days at CEDIA’s training facility on the first Friday of every month. CEDIA’s five-day Boot Camp features a new course — Safe Isolation. This workshop is aimed at integrators looking to gain knowledge and practical understanding of how to safely and correctly isolate electrical systems to complete electrical maintenance and repairs of electrical systems. The Designer School has also been bolstered up to five days, with the addition of the Introduction to CAD Design course. This workshop has been designed to provide a basic understanding of many of the essential AutoCAD drawing commands and skills necessary to use Computer Aided Design software in business. Other changes for 2018 include the Home Cinema Design Fundamentals course, which is now only available to book as a twoday course. Attendees can follow this course with a new three-day Advanced Home Cinema course. Lastly, the Health & Safety session will now be run by Certsure, and will include more content suited towards new electrical installers. To find out more, visit www.cediaeducation.com.
If any manufacturers or distributors have old stock that is surplus to requirements, these products can be donated directly to these hospices to provide them with additional equipment.
CEDIA AWARDS GOES LIVE
If you can help by donating any of the required AV products, contact Ian Morrish on 01372 454366 or at ian@ad-con.demon.co.uk.
The CEDIA Awards recognises and promotes high quality system design, installation, and integration within the smart home industry. Open to all members, entrants have until Monday 2nd April to complete and submit their online entry forms.
Don’t leave it to someone else, make sure it’s you who makes a difference.
To enter this year’s awards, candidates must visit CEDIA’s website www.cedia.net/awards.
It's time to start thinking about your entries for this year, as the entry system is due to open on Thursday 1st February.
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NEW ITALIAN WHITE PAPER CEDIA has translated its Home Technology Professional of 2020: Marketplace Predictions white paper into Italian. This resource, which has been developed by CEDIA’s Tech Council, is the first in a series of white papers aimed to provide industry information on technological advances and market pressures that could affect CEDIA members over the next five years.
NEW MEMBERS CEDIA welcomes 85 new members across the globe this quarter. A special welcome to our new EMEA members…
The document focusses on market forecasts and highlights the ways in which technology integrators can stay ahead of the curve. It examines the ownership of network security and privacy, cultivating recurring revenue streams, and personalising the home through the use of speech recognition, location awareness, and the integration of personal preferences for all users of the home.
CYPRUS >
To download the white paper, visit www.cedia.co.uk/white-papers
Rhine Line Ltd
CEDIA BREAKS GROUND ON NEW GLOBAL HEADQUARTERS
INDIA > Autocon Solutions Awicon Technologies
In November, CEDIA broke ground on its new global headquarters in Fishers, Indiana. CEDIA staff and leadership were joined by Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness and representatives of architecture company, American Structurepoint and Mayer Najem construction for the ceremony.
Future Automation Solutions
“We are incredibly excited about this next chapter for CEDIA,” said Dennis Erskine, CEDIA Chairman. “The new global headquarters will be a wonderful facility for staff and members alike that truly represents the best our industry has to offer.”
SOUTH AFRICA >
The new CEDIA headquarters, which was announced in June, will be 40,000 square feet on three floors and is expected to cost $13.7 million dollars. CEDIA plans to occupy 30,000 square feet, which will include staff office space, as well as a world-class training facility and an experience centre. Ten thousand square feet will be made available for tenants.
Aloud AB
“CEDIA staff and volunteers have been hard at work with the teams at American Structurepoint and Mayer Najem on all the planning aspects for our new building and we are very excited to be starting construction,” said Tabatha O’Connor, CEDIA Acting President and CEO.
Audio Concept
PROFX Tech Pvt Ltd IRELAND > Tecnolec Services Ltd Vivid Audio SWEDEN > UNITED KINGDOM > Aerials Cable Equipment Distributors Ltd Art of Smart Aurac Sound + Vision AV Homes UK Ltd Avande Capital Installation and Design CBV Datanet Clever and Simple
The new CEDIA headquarters will be built on a plot of land at 106th street and Kincaid Avenue in Fishers, Ind. Fishers has become a popular area for tech-focussed companies to put down roots, and has been named as one of the Best Places to Live by Money Magazine (2017), Time (2016), and Niche (2017), and was honoured as Indiana’s 2016 Community of the Year.
Cre8 Electrical Solutions Ltd
The current building timeline estimates that the association will be able to occupy the space in November of 2018. Since 2003, CEDIA has leased a space on the northwest side of Indianapolis at 71st and Georgetown Road. The organisation will remain at this location until the new headquarters is ready for occupancy.
Smart AV Solutions
CEDIA members interested in providing products and technical expertise to fully integrate the new global headquarters should contact newhq@cedia.org.
Visionworks AV
JSL Electrical Matthew Aerials MJY Home Automation POWERPLANT Home Automation Raygun Video Limited Rockfon Simply Advanced Limited Smart Home Solutions Soundcraft Hi-Fi The Aerial Man Ltd Vivid Audio Limited
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I AM CEDIA 60 SECONDS WITH KEISHI MATSUZAKI My name is Keishi Matsuzaki, and I am the CEO of GLANCE, which is based in Wakayama in Japan. What’s your company and where is it based? GLANCE is the company that I founded. We specialise in home automation, home cinema, and audio systems. We serve the Tokyo (metropolitan) and Kansai regions, and have a showroom in Wakayama.
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How did you get into the industry?
I started helping out in the family high-end home audio business. A few years after graduating from University, I started designing integration solutions. With a desire to venture out into more than just audio systems, I chose to also look at home cinema and home control systems, and this led me to develop my own business. What’s your favourite project and why? My favourite project was for a client who owns a traditional Japanese house, and required us to
install a home cinema, home control, and a multi-zone music system. With these types of properties featuring a lot of trees inside, it can be very difficult to install equipment in the desired way. Houses in Japan often have a single owner — and remain aesthetically unchanged — over long periods, so we had to be both mindful of the home’s plants, while also ensuring that the technology could be upgraded later in an unobtrusive manner. Which home technology do you consider the most important today and why?
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Who are you?
I TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE EDUCATION PROGRAMME THAT CEDIA OFFERS, AS THIS HELPS ME STAND OUT FROM OTHER INTEGRATORS IN JAPAN.
I would say that IP-based technologies for the home are undoubtedly the most important technology today. Already, most electronic devices and products need to connect and communicate with IP, and I can only see this increasing further. We ensure that our clients are informed so that they’ll invest in enterprise-grade tech both for wired and Wi-Fi solutions.
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How long have you been a CEDIA member? GLANCE has been a CEDIA member since 2009. What do you enjoy most as a CEDIA member? I enjoy being able to experience cutting-edge technology at the CEDIA show, and being able to participate in the various training sessions that are on offer. Which CEDIA benefits do you take advantage of the most, and why? I take advantage of the education programme that CEDIA offers, as this helps me stand out from other integrators in Japan. What’s the biggest issue for home technology businesses today and how can they deal with it? Many devices use IP, but issues can arise when these systems start communicating freely. Manufacturers offer no means to solve this problem, and it is too complicated for customers to solve. I believe that it is my job to troubleshoot the problem then resolve the issue to provide
a comfortable and enjoyable experience for the customer. If you weren’t in the home technology sector, what would you like to be doing and why? I studied human psychology, so I could have ended up being a psychologist. Ever since high school, I thought that human psychology was very interesting.
What does 2018 hold for your company? I think 2018 will be a positive year. I am constantly expanding the business to provide the most advanced solutions for my customers, and I will continue to do this.
www.glance-designs.jp/en
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BUILDING EXCELLENCE WITH CEDIA EDUCATION CEDIA’s ISE Training Programme is packed with important knowledge and focussed on delivering educational excellence for all stakeholders in the home technology industry. CEDIA will host more than 50 high quality training sessions over the four days of the event, making it the perfect time and place for visitors in all roles to increase their knowledge and skills, and learn how to improve their business for the years ahead. CEDIA’s training sessions are suitable for a range of roles:
Engineer Covering everything from video resolution to cables and connectors, these courses will ensure you have all the necessary skills to install the modern smart home to the highest ability.
Designer Ensure that you have all the latest best practices and protocols under your belt to produce best-in-class designs for home technology projects.
Salesperson From how to sell experience over products, to managing the sales process more effectively, these courses help to improve your sales practices and outcomes.
Business Owner From HR and commercial strategy to growing your business and managing it effectively, these courses will help streamline your processes, and will focus on the most important aspects of your business.
Emerging Trends Learn all there is to know about the latest — and upcoming — trends in technology, processes, and revenue streams. Make sure that you are able to stay ahead of the curve — and ahead of the competition.
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CEDIA CERTIFICATION A CEDIA certification is an industry-recognised credential that reflects a defined area of expertise in home technology. Earning and retaining certification allows integrators to demonstrate that they have completed the required study and field experience to master a particular skill-set and body of knowledge. AT ISE 2018, attendees will have the opportunity to take the three main advanced certifications available — Electronic Systems Certified Technician, Electronic Systems Certified Designer, and Electronic Systems Certified Networking Specialist. CEDIA Electronic Systems Certified Technician (ESC-T) Rough-in, trim-out, integrated control systems, retrofit, system verification, and testing. If we are speaking your language with this list, you may be ready to sit for the ESC-T Exam.
TRAINING PASSES
Taking advantage of CEDIA education is quick, simple, and great value for the money. Once again, technology integrators will be able to benefit from the ISE 2018 All Access Training Pass, entitling entry to unlimited CEDIA education sessions at the show*. Alternatively, individual courses from the CEDIA ISE 2018 Training Programme can be booked on an à la carte basis. Attendees can also benefit from the joint CEDIA and AVIXA SuperPass, giving integrators access to both CEDIA and AVIXA training sessions at ISE 2018 in one simple, comprehensive ticket for €350 +VAT. * Excludes Full-day training sessions and certification exams.
Qualified electronic systems technicians have experience in a wide variety of installation tasks, including troubleshooting and data communications. Most electronic systems technicians with this skill-set have between one and three years of electronic systems training. CEDIA Electronic Systems Certified Designer (ESC-D) Selecting products, creating schematics and drawings, forming budgets, and developing programming are just some of the everyday tasks carried out by an electronic systems designer. These individuals bridge the gap between the client and the installation professionals, focussing on the overall system design and project completion. Electronic systems designers who are ready to take the ESC-D
exam should be well-versed in design documentation, project design, needs analysis, and design management. Most electronic systems designers who sit for the exam have a minimum of five years’ experience. CEDIA Electronic Systems Certified Networking Specialist (ESC-N) Demonstrate the mastery of design, installation, and configuration of the home network. Virtually all technologies in the home are becoming part of the home network. Those who have mastered the fundamentals of residential networking, including infrastructure, design, and configuration should consider taking the ESC-N exam. Electronic systems technicians who are prepared to take the ESC-N exam have experience with wireless home networking, including advanced networking techniques, such as VLANS, QoS, and remote access. CEDIA recommends passing the ESC-T exam and having at least two years’ networking experience in the residential field before taking the ESC-N exam.
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MEMBERS ON SHOW AT
ISE
ISE is where you need to be, whether you are a home technology professional, manufacturer or distributor. Here, CEDIA gives you an exclusive preview of a number of products that are being showcased at ISE this year and where you can expect to find them at the show.
HALL 2 2-A34
AURORA Three new HDBaseT 2.0 products — the HTW-2 two gang transmitter Decora® wall plate, the HTE-TX2 transmitter box unit, and the HTE-RX2 receiver box unit — will change the way in which HDBaseT is utilised. All products are capable of transmitting 4K60 4:4:4 18Gbps HDMI 2.0/HDCP2.2 100m (330ft) over a single unshielded CAT 5e (or better) cable, with no quality compromise and with zero frame latency. In addition, all products have an integrated web server for remote IP control, USB 2.0 with directional control, and the world’s first Dante® option for 2 or 8 channel Dante.
HALL 5 5-U100
BANG & OLUFSEN
www.auroramm.com
BeoSound Shape is Bang & Olufsen’s new wallmounted speaker system that combines superb sound and design with soothing indoor acoustics. BeoSound Shape is customisable, in terms of sound performance and design. You can select from six to practically an unlimited number of tiles in one set up in different colours and textiles. BeoSound Shape’s acoustical algorithms utilise the setup with multiple speakers to deliver a concert-like perception of singer and instruments. The hexagonal shapes offer resonance dampening features that improve the acoustic challenges, even when the system is switched off.
HALL 5 5-R120
www.bang-olufsen.com/en
BASALTE At ISE 2018, Basalte will showcase its full Asano multiroom audio system, a comprehensive solution for high quality audio around the house. Not only can you freely combine the powerful amplifiers for a custom number of zones, the S4 music server also offers extensive access to Spotify, Deezer, Internet radio, and your own music library! Asano can be controlled with Basalte’s intuitive app for iOS/Android, but also within the KNX home automation system through different user interfaces, including switches and touchscreens. At ISE, Basalte will also present its upcoming range of high-end speakers with a wide choice of finishes!
www.basalte.be
HALL 2 2-C20
CRESTRON Crestron will be presenting its latest cutting-edge technology, demonstrating how Crestron leads the way in offering creative, intelligent technology for the home. The brand new residential booth will focus on the latest solutions focussed on the speed and efficiency of deployment, whilst showcasing a customisation and incredible user experience. You will get a first look and feel of a number of new products for the residential sector, including user interfaces such as keypads and remotes, as well as stunning new shading solutions plus much more.
www.crestron.com
RODUCT FEATURE > > > > ISE PRODUCT FEATURE >> > > ISE PRODUCT FEATURE >> > >
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HALL 1 1-N85
D-TOOLS Mobile Quote 2.0 is a native iPad® companion app for the D-Tools System Integrator (SI) platform. Redesigned for a more intuitive, expedient, and visually impactful experience, Mobile Quote 2.0 makes it easy for industry salespeople to seamlessly generate a project scope and pricing estimate for client review and approval during the initial client meeting. The data collected is then instantaneously transferred into D-Tools SI for further design development and project management, eliminating the need to transfer handwritten notes into instructions for system designers just to have that same data reentered into a D-Tools proposal.
www.d-tools.com
HALL 5 5-R95
HALL 2 2-B95
FUTURE AUTOMATION ISE 2018 will give attendees their first opportunity to get hands on with Future Automation’s recently updated PS wall bracket range, as well as its new family of WB In Wall Mounting Boxes. Building on valuable customer feedback, Future Automation has redesigned both ranges from the ground up so that they pair perfectly together and offer the best mounting solution on the market. When combined, the PS and WB ranges enable flush screen mounting, with the flexibility of a pull and turn bracket for multiple viewing angles and ease of maintenance. The new Wall Box accessory clamps enable mounting of multiple accessories, including power conditioners, AV converters, Apple TV units, the Samsung One Connect Box, and much more.
www.futureautomation.co.uk
EARTHQUAKE SOUND Earthquake’s DJ-Quake 2.1 portable speaker system is perfect for any DJ, party, restaurant, wedding, karaoke session, or for any occasion, really. It has a Bluetooth® connection, so you can DJ from your seat. This system comes in three parts; the 12" subwoofer, two 4x4" array speakers, and two stands for the speakers. The subwoofer has the amplifier controls on the back for use convenience. It features balanced (XLR/TRS) and unbalanced (RCA/AUX) inputs, balanced XLR outputs, master and sub volume controls, and an 110V/220V selectable switch. The 1000-Watt amplifier (400 Watts RMS) features balanced and unbalanced line inputs, as well as digital media player (MP3) with USB/SD and Bluetooth® connection.
www.earthquakesound.eu
HALL 1 1-N85
LEON Bringing a revolutionary approach to integration, Leon’s new patent-pending Horizon Interactive FIT (HIFIT) combines high performance audio with flexible internal storage space to discreetly house a variety of small format AV components. The HIFIT allows for the storage of items like Apple TV, Amazon Echo Dot, Roku, small amplifiers, webcams, and more, right within the soundbar cabinet. Available in two models to accommodate displays up to 96" or 2.438m, the HIFIT features speakers from Leon's 44UX platform and comes with a custom grill built to match the width of the display, perfectly concealing all of the stored components for a clean and unified look.
www.leonspeakers.com
>> > > ISE PRODUCT FEATURE >> > > ISE PRODUCT FEATURE >> > > ISE PRODUCT FEAT
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HALL 10 10-P120
LYNGDORF AUDIO
Lyngdorf Audio will unveil two new products; the TDAI-3400 Integrated Amplifier and the FR-1, Lyngdorf’s first on-wall full-range speaker. The TDAI-3400 is a powerful unit featuring a voicing tool as well as pre-equalising and RoomPerfect™ room correction. FR-1 is a compact wall mounted speaker priced at € 1,400/pair. Lyngdorf’s MP-50 surround processor will be displayed at ISE as well as M&K’s luxury apartment in Leidsplein Square. The MP-50 supports all immersive sound formats, 4K, HDR, and Dolby Vision. It features fully digital processing, RoomPerfect™ room correction, intelligent bass management, plus a custom voicing tool capable of 32 unique EQs.
HALL 1 1-M120
LUTRON
www.lyngdorf.com
The Lutron stand will attract the attention of all visitors interested in human-centric lighting and lighting control. Tunable White provides the capability of achieving any colour temperature at any intensity of a light source within specified parameters. In its unique Colour Tuning Experience Room, the world leader in lighting control will present its easy-to-use solution for Tunable White applications based on separate control inputs for intensity and correlated colour temperature. The company will also showcase the world’s first DALI-2 certified lighting control product (Energi Savr Node control module), as well as its latest Pico 4-Button RF Wireless Control whose elegant design and custom engraving offer users an enhanced ergonomy to select among more scenes.
www.lutron.com/europe
HALL 7 7-E210
MERIDIAN AUDIO
Attendees at ISE 2018 will be able to discover Meridian Audio’s 271 Digital Theatre Controller, an innovative addition to the 200 Series of products designed to deliver the most exceptional and immersive home cinema experience. Complete with the highest quality dynamics and clarity, in analogue, digital, and 3D format applications, the 271 has the ability to integrate any analogue or digital AV processor or receiver on the market with Meridian’s DSP loudspeakers. With Meridian High Resolution (MHR) technology, the 271 offers 16 unbalanced inputs, 16 balanced inputs, and the option of 16 digital inputs, depending on your choice of processor. It is the premium performance option for streaming services, including Atmos, Auro, and DTS-X 3D formats, and can be integrated with ease thanks to an intuitive IP controlled set up and configuration platform.
www.meridian-audio.com
HALL 5 5-R100
MONITOR AUDIO
Monitor Audio’s Custom Install range offers audio solutions for a range of spaces, including living areas, games rooms, bathrooms, saunas, gardens, commercial, and marine applications. At ISE 2018, the British loudspeaker specialist will be introducing a stylish, versatile, and weather resistant speaker, Vecta V240. Cleverly combining architectural aesthetics with innovation and the high quality professional audio performance that the company is renowned for, integrators now have a solution that can be used both inside and out. The seamless Flush Fit speaker solution and Distribution amplifiers will also showcase alongside a comprehensive selection of architectural audio solutions.
www.monitoraudio.com
RODUCT FEATURE > > > > ISE PRODUCT FEATURE >> > > ISE PRODUCT FEATURE >> > >
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HALL 7 7-V198 HALL 1 1-F114
MOREL Morel launches its new POWERSLIM architectural series at ISE 2018. The POWERSLIM series offers a radical design that redefines the landscape of shallow architectural solutions, enabling easier and greater installation flexibility in the thinnest of walls or ceilings throughout the house. Based on Morel’s advance patented transducer technology, the POWERSLIM measures only 1.55" in depth and offers a non-compromising high fidelity sound performance.
www.morelhifi.com
MUXLAB The new SDI over IP 4K Uncompressed Extender (model 500767) is completely ST-2110 ready and connects cameras and other sources to displays with the option to integrate an Ethernet switch for nearly unlimited configurations. Point-to-multipoint and multipoint-to-multipoint configurations are then enabled, supporting hundreds of connected sources and displays, depending on network bandwidth. This solution delivers uncompressed, high quality video with no latency. When using standard CAT5/6 cables, HD/3G/6GSDI can be sent up to 30m in a point-to-point configuration. Using multimode fibre cabling, HD/3G/6G-SDI video can be sent up to 400m. All scenarios support video resolutions up to 4K@30Hz (4:4:4).
www.muxlab.com
HALL 5 5-R85
ONEAV OneAV is one-stopsupplier of the very best connectivity solutions for any AV project. With a laserfocus on product quality and technical excellence, the OneAV catalogue is full of high quality (often category leading) specialist brands. This year's booth will host a number of launches, including an app-controlled whole home TV and audio system from HDANYWHERE, HDMI-over-IP from Just Add Power, a complete range of PureLink network cabling and accessories, FiberX AOC-cables for Generation 18G+, new PureTools HDMI-Products, mediahub™ desk connector panels, unique DigiBird 4K videowall processors, and keep-on-the-van integrator tools from HDFury and Murideo.
www.oneav.eu
HALL 14 14-K170
PLATINUM TOOLS Since 1997, Platinum Tools has provided the finest wire and cable installation tools, connectors, cable management, and testers. Today, it is the first choice for low-voltage network integrators. The Cat6A Flex Connector and shielded and unshielded ezEX-RJ45® connectors have a unique design that makes it easy to terminate large Cat6, Cat6A, or Cat7 cables. The Net Chaser™ Ethernet Speed Certifier & Network Tester offers a complete solution to test and speed certify the data-carrying capabilities of Ethernet network cables up to 1 Gb/s. Visitors to the Platinum Tools booth will be entered into a daily giveaway of its ezEX-RJ45 Termination and Test Kit, worth €200.
www.platinumtools.com
>> > > ISE PRODUCT FEATURE >> > > ISE PRODUCT FEATURE >> > > ISE PRODUCT FEAT
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HALL 5 5-R110
STEALTH ACOUSTICS Stealth Acoustics will showcase its powerfully unique new Image III Sub, part of Stealth’s acclaimed Image III on-wall art speaker series. This low-profile on-wall subwoofer, with unprecedented finishing customisation, allows integrators to experience subwoofer bass audio response as part of a total Image III onwall speaker solution, all whilst meeting clients’ aesthetic expectations for a design-specific media room, audible art, or corporate installation. When the Image III Sub is combined with matching Image III full-range speakers and Stealth’s flatscreen concealment system, CoverArttm, a tri-part speaker-art-speaker panorama that Stealth calls “Trilogy” is created, enhancing the beauty of a space when not in use and providing exceptional multi-channel sound immersion capabilities when activated.
www.stealthacoustics.com
HALL 1 1-Q115
HALL 1 1-F50
STEWART FILMSCREEN Balón™ Borderless is a new sophisticated fixed frame projection screen system from Stewart Filmscreen that provides a contemporary, “floating image” appearance. Featuring a unique bevelled frame structure that allows the material to wrap around and snap smoothly into place behind the screen, Balón Borderless utilises Stewart Filmscreen’s EZ-Mount Bracket System to streamline installation and ensure a consistently level image. The borderless design focusses the audience’s attention on the image providing a more immersive entertainment experience. Available with most Stewart Filmscreen materials, including proprietary acoustically transparent options, Balón Borderless helps integrators and consultants tailor the projection screen experience to best suit the needs of the user, application, and environment.
www.stewartfilmscreen.com
TORUS POWER
Torus Power Wall Mount (WM) isolation transformers add increased installation flexibility for custom AV and home automation installations — both retrofit and new construction. Most of Torus Power’s top models are available in Wall Mount configurations, so the integrator or electrician need only specify the appropriate power level ratings and features. WM Series isolation transformers include Torus Power’s proprietary narrow bandwidth noise-filtering technology, high instantaneous current capability, and series mode surge suppression. WM AVR models add automatic voltage regulation and smart Ethernet, while WM AVR2 models also include custom control capabilities. Mains voltage is supplied to the Torus Power WM panel which has multiple 230V/15A breakers on the output. This ensures that all electronics in the project have the same electrical foundation and ground plane to ensure reliable operation.
www.toruspower.com
HALL 1 1-N15
URC
Featuring a full graphical update, a new user interface and advanced logic, Total Control 2.0 enables integrators to put homeowners in charge of their home with a seamless, intuitive, and versatile solution. With Total Control 2.0, integrators can personalise their URC system using a fully customisable colour scheme. They can also add attractive images to help define and flavour room, scene, and background settings. Either single devices or scenes can take preference on the interface to meet the individual needs of homeowners. Up to 100 scenes can be preprogrammed for immediate access to a specific command. Total Control 2.0 also boasts much faster speeds for both integrators and end users, with downloading to the system, loading new programming, and response time all vastly improved. Integrators can also make adjustments and edits much more quickly and simply, and pollinate across different control devices in the house with ease.
www.universalremote.com
RODUCT FEATURE > > > > ISE PRODUCT FEATURE >> > > ISE PRODUCT FEATURE >> > >
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Wireless collaboration tools
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Meeting room table connectivity HDMI field test & calibration tools
Commercial AV signal distribution
Fibre-optic AV interconnects Professional AV cables & adapters
BRANDS AT ISE 2018
Leaders in Ultra HD over IP
HDMI troubleshooting tools
Centralised whole-home AV systems
4K video wall solutions
HDMI 2.1 ready interconnects
Media presenter solutions
18G fibre-optic digital AV cabling Table-top connector panels
Booth 5-R85 Over 15 great AV connectivity brands on show! OneAV supplies everything from cabling essentials to large-scale AV distribution, and video wall systems. A ‘one-stop-connectivity-supplier’ for high performance, but reasonably-priced solutions from over 15 category-leading brands.
www.oneav.co.uk
Distributed in the UK by
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CEDIA Talks At ISE 2018 What are CEDIA Talks? At ISE 2018, CEDIA will once again host a number of free-to-attend CEDIA Talks, designed to introduce you to new technologies, develop your expertise, and challenge your way of thinking. Taking place on the CEDIA booth every day of the show, CEDIA Talks are hosted by an impressive line-up of industry experts, providing key insights into the ever-changing industry. The theme for this year is “10 Things You Should Pay Attention to, but Probably Aren’t,” with each Talk focussed on one important “Thing.”
THURSDAY 8TH FEBRUARY
TUESDAY 6TH FEBRUARY
CEDIA 2017 UK Size and Scope Study Jack Wetherill, Principal Analyst: Home Electronics, Futuresource Consulting – 11:00: Discover all the important insights from the CEDIA Size and Scope study, along with some key findings in the home electronics space. Find out what these outcomes and trends mean for your business in the coming year, and stay ahead of the competition.
Ageing in Place and Assistive Living Technologies Peter Aylett, Technical Director, Archimedia – 13:00: Increased sensorisation, new natural user interfaces, AI, and IoT connected devices are fast changing the landscape of how the integrated technology industry can help in new, and often unexpected ways. This growing sector is a huge commercial opportunity.
Robots in the Home: AI Gets Physical Rich Green, Owner, Rich Green Design – 15:00: What happens when voice assistants grow arms and legs? Welcome to the wonderful and terrifying world of robots. Learn more about Artificial Intelligence (AI) that move and explore what robots mean for the technology integrator.
WEDNESDAY 7TH FEBRUARY
The Future of Video Technology Michael Heiss, Principal Consultant, M. Heiss Consulting – 10:00: 8K, HDR, IP distribution, direct LED displays, and things we haven’t even thought about yet. We'll take a look at video's direction with a focus on the changing world of displays, access devices, and distribution.
Building Information Modelling (BIM) Matt Samways, BIM Management Director, AIMIS Solutions Limited – 12:00: This presentation will explain Building Information Modelling (BIM) — what it is, why it is time to change, and how you can benefit from digital construction.
If Your Customers Expect All This for Free, They May be Right Steve Moore, Owner, S M Contracts – 14:00: Say goodbye to €3,000 touchpanels and €10,000 matrix switches. Amazon is pursuing, in their words, “a scorched earth strategy” to own the smart home. How can you win when you currently earn money by selling product, but the world is moving to an “as a service” model?
IoT and Your Business David Mudd, Business Development Director (IoT), BSI – 10:00am: This Talk will see David share his perspective on the rapid technological advance of the Internet of Things and how it is influencing business today, why you should be considering IoT as part of your portfolio, and which products to choose.
What the Hell is a “Blockchain”? Busting the Lid on the Future of Money Geoff Meads, Managing Director, Presto AV – 12:00: This essential session will uncover the current and future uses of Blockchain technology, its growing value, and the future of money.
Improving the Quality of People’s Lives Through IoT Dave Pedigo, Vice President of Emerging Technologies, CEDIA – 14:00: For most people, technology in the home is often thought of as either a gimmick, a gadget, or a way to show off one’s wealth. Discover how technology such as voice control, virtual reality, lighting control, and sensors can improve the lives of home owners at any stage and be profitable for you.
FRIDAY 9TH FEBRUARY
Uberization of Things: The Future of Home Tech Pros in an On-Demand Economy Julie Jacobson, Founding Editor, CE Pro – 10:00: This Talk will discuss how the home technology industry can and should adapt to the new on-demand economy demanded by consumers today.
For more information on CEDIA Talks at ISE 2018, visit CEDIA’s Professional Development page on the ISE website: www.iseurope. org/cedia-education. No prior bookings are needed to attend, although seating and space in the booth will be limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
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Laser revolutionises the silver screen
Introducing JVC’s DLA-Z1, 4K native D-ILA Projector, quite simply, it’s the ultimate expression of cutting-edge technology in home cinema projection, designed for enthusiasts and connoisseurs alike, who enjoy uncompromised pictures on large screens. The DLA-Z1 4K projector, combines our newly developed, (World’s smallest) 4096 X 2160 DILA devices and new “Blu-Escent” Laser phosphor light source delivering exquisite native 4K high dynamic range (HDR) images at a brightness that fills every inch of a massive screen. With ability to deliver resolution beyond UHD at 80% BT.2020 coverage. Compatibility with High Dynamic Range content, and high native contrast creating home theater images that need to be experienced to be believed. More info http://uk.jvc.com/native4k/
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Michael Heiss Principle Consultant at M Heiss Consulting
Video Display
TRENDS 2018
A
s one of the largest trade shows in the world for the combination of consumer and professional, education, enterprise, and signage markets, ISE is a major event for anyone involved in video display technology. The past year has seen major changes in the video world, and as we’ll all see at ISE, there are more on the way.
To help you navigate the display waters, here are the key trends to look for that will likely dominate displays for the year ahead.
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4K/UHD: Particularly on the consumer/ residential side, 4K displays are becoming almost mandatory for any screen size above 40” diagonal. Price is no longer an objection, and the increased resolution is a boon for presentations, spreadsheets, and still images, as much as it is a consumer “pull feature” for moving images. HDR/WCG: If 4K resolution is the feature that drives better displays into residential and commercial installations, High Dynamic Range (HDR) and Wide Colour Gamut (WCG) are what really provide the demonstrable benefit. The ability to have the equivalent of up to 14 photographic stops as opposed to eight for Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) is best explained by showing how there is more depth in the blacks or shadow area of a picture without having the bright areas washed out. WCG makes it possible to see more colours so that images come considerably closer to what the human visual system sees. Demonstrate this by comparing a picture drawn from a crayon box with only 8 or 16 choices to the “deluxe” box with 36 or 64 crayons/colour choices.
Sony’s CLEDIS display, shown here at last year’s ISE, may well be the vanguard of more microLED displays from Samsung and others at this year’s event.
What to look for on the show floor? The baseline is an open standard called HDR-10, while the proprietary Dolby Vision system — mostly available for consumer products — allows the colour mapping on a scene-by-scene basis, rather than permitting only one setting for the entire programme. HDR-10+, a similar “dynamic metadata” system from Samsung has been announced, and it will be interesting to see if it shows up at ISE. Also worth looking for is “HLG,” a system jointly developed by the BBC and Japan’s NHK. Expect to see this in broad use in the year ahead for live broadcasts in HDR, while the other systems are used more for recorded programming and movies. LCD and QLED vs OLED: The consumer electronics industry never seems to be without a format battle, and this is the latest one. Just as conventional LCD panels with fluorescent CCFL backlighting have given way to LED illumination, the latest
Short throw projectors, such as this Hisense model shown at CEDIA, are something to look for at ISE.
advancement is the use of “quantum dots” or “nano cells” which use micro particles to enable colours to be much more precisely fine-tuned. Be on the lookout for sets called “QLED” as one indication of Quantum Dots, but other branding schemes are in use by the various manufacturers. Competing with LCD/QLED is OLED. As an emissive, rather than transmissive technology, OLED is said to have better blacks, and thus, contrast ratio, as when a pixel is “off,” there is no light showing at all. Both flat panel technologies have their backers and detractors, and ISE is a perfect place to witness both flavours in action to see which technology works for your specific projects and applications. Projection: The use of lasers as the initial light source for projection products has taken the industry by storm. By eliminating bulb changes and keeping output consistent over time, they are now the go-to light source. However, there are still a variety of image engines, including DLP, LCD, LCoS, and its variants such as SXRD that give you an array of options to consider. You’ll see them all at ISE. For higher-end installations, particularly in cinemas, where high light output is needed, direct laser systems are worth examining. Expensive, to be sure, but in some applications, nothing else will do. Another growth area in projection is “short throw.” Here, two form factors will be on display. “Overhead/White
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board” units have become popular for classroom and instructional use. The projector is mounted to, or directly above, a white board. This not only allows for drawing over the video image on the “screen”, it simplifies installation by eliminating ceiling mounts. On the consumer side, short throw projectors allow a cabinet with the projector to sit on the floor virtually right up against the screen. For situations where a ceiling mount is not possible, this arrangement gives the viewer the benefits of a large, 4K screen without worrying about the projector. Direct LED and μLED Displays: Long associated with “view them at a distance” applications such as stadiums and transportation venues, Direct LED displays have advanced to the point where their dot pitch is fine enough to permit 4K resolution at close distances. There were some of these at last year’s ISE, and expect to see many more of them this year. Take advantage of the show floor to experience the difference in viewing distance vs. resolution to see which of these large, modular-based systems work for a particular job you have, or may be bidding on. Even in outdoor systems for large residential installations, this is a technology to watch.
Will 8K have a presence at this year’s ISE? Here it was on sale in China late last year, and there was more of it last month at CES.
The future of large LED-Direct technology is μLED, also known as “Micro LED.” Here, the LEDs are smaller than anything previously used, delivering large screen systems with high light output and high resolution. This was shown last year by Sony with its Crystal LED — previously abbreviated to “CLEDIS.” Samsung has already fitted two cinemas with the Samsung Cinema Screen system where this technology is used for high resolution, HDR-enabled, large screen presentation rather than a conventional digital projector and screen. At press time, it is hard to say if this system will be on the show floor, but be on the lookout for similar products from the various manufacturers.
There will be much more to look for in the world of displays at ISE, but use this as your guide to the various categories and their underlying technologies. Want more details on all of this? Register for my “Video Display Technologies” session in Room 202 at 4pm on Tuesday 6th February or take in my CEDIA Talk on “Watching Sports and Movies in the Year 2020” on the CEDIA booth at 2pm on Wednesday 8th February. For more information, visit www.iseurope.org/shop Holiday sales results proved the value of HDR vs SDR. How far down into the consumer and professional product lines will it go?
www.michaelheiss.com
@captnvid
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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE A Brief History and Where We Are Today Six cameras outfit my Toyota Rav4. The cameras tell me when someone is driving in my blind spot, can show me 360 degrees around my car when I back up, and even push my car back if I cross the lines on the side of the road without a turn on my signal. When I turn on my cruise control, I can set the camera to watch the car in front of me and adjust the speed accordingly without touching the pedals. With just a push of a button, it will stay one to three car lengths away from the car in front of me. My car is smart, but it is not self-driving. Action/reaction is where we are at with artificial intelligence today. Successful pieces of the AI puzzle exist today, but they have yet to all come together in one cohesive unit to create a thinking device. From Ex Machina to 2001: A Space Odyssey; from the Matrix, to Terminator, to HBO’s West World, the idea of AI has moved us, thrilled us, and scared us.
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Heather L. Sidorowicz President and Owner of Southtown Audio Video
TERMS: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is defined by the Meriam-Webster Dictionary as “the theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation between languages.” (In other words, the ability for a computer to act human.) Machine Learning (ML) is a term often used in conjunction with AI and is described as the ability for a computer to learn and then improve without being programmed to do so. HISTORY: John McCarthy, a math professor at Dartmouth College, coined the phrase “Artificial Intelligence” in 1955, but the idea of smart computers goes back to 1950 when Alan Turing developed the Turing test. The purpose of the test was to figure out if, when communicating via text, a computer could be indistinguishable from a human. If the person evaluating the text cannot tell the machine from a human, the machine would pass the test. By the 1960s, AI research in the United States was mostly funded by the Department of Defense. Then, by the mid-1970s, U.S. and British governments cut off exploratory analysis in AI as they put funding into what they believed to be more productive projects. During the late ‘90s and into the early 21st century, AI once again was in the limelight with advancements in computing being used for data mining and in the medical field. In 1997, a computer named Deep Blue beat a worldrenowned chess champion, Garry Kasparov. By mid-2010, Watson, IBM’s supercomputer, defeated the most celebrated Jeopardy champions. No doubt, computer intelligence was progressing. By 2015, Google was using AI in more than 2,700 software projects. HOW IS AI USED TODAY? Voice Recognition (speaking): While voice recognition is not yet perfect, it has improved dramatically. Millions are using this technology today — consider “Hey Siri,” “Alexa,” and “Okay Google.” We are all talking to our “robots.” A study by Stanford computer scientist, James Landay (and his colleagues), found that speech recognition is now about three times as fast, on average, as typing on a mobile phone, and the error rate has dropped to a mere 4.9%. Image Recognition (seeing): In the Apple-verse, the application “Photo” will look through your photos to find faces — and it’s darn good at it. The new iPhone X uses facial recognition to unlock your phone — no more fingerprints. When you upload a picture to Facebook, it tags people before you can. Image recognition is getting better by the day. Problem solving/Cognition (thinking): Machines have surpassed us in the games, Chess and Go. They’re able to compose music (JukeDeck), and they are even writing news articles you have likely read (passing the Turing test!). Google’s DeepMind team has now used ML to better cool data centres, detect malware, and prevent money laundering. In May, at an Internet Association gala, Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, described the AI era as the “golden age” of technology, capable of a level of problem-solving that previously existed only in the realm of science fiction. (This from the guy figuring out drone delivery while operating over 45,000 robots in 20 distribution centres.
WHAT IS AI’S FUTURE? Although my car can react to its environments as its computer processes millions of data points a second, a self-driving car cannot decide between two objects to avoid. It cannot yet choose the lesser of two evils; that’s a thing that remains innately human. Artificial intelligence and machine learning are currently doing specific tasks extraordinarily well, but no one is telling me that bread is already on my shopping list when I go to add bread to my shopping list for a second time. And in our industry, we are just starting to adopt voice control into the smart home, but that is just what it is, “smart” — not intelligent, not able to see, speak, or think as one unified unit. The printing press, the steam engine, and the atomic bomb show that until the breakthrough comes, we cannot comprehend what is beyond. Surely Al will accelerate us forward in a way we cannot imagine. For now, I am just excited to have Alexa remind my children to bring their instrument to school; no, that task isn’t necessarily intelligent, but it’s very convenient.
www.southtownav.com @tech_chi
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Building the Perfect Team THE TRUE COST OF RECRUITING SOMEONE According to the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC), 9 out of 10 HR professionals have worked in a business that hired the wrong person for a job — bad hires are not isolated incidents, they are frequent occurrences.
Graham Brown Managing Director of Forces Recruitment Services Ltd
Since joining CEDIA two years ago, many of the members who we’ve talked to are mainly technical experts, often with limited knowledge of recruitment. Some recruit people they know, some make hires because they like the “cut of someone’s jib,” and some because they just need a bum on a seat. But what is the actual cost of recruiting someone? Let’s take the national average salary as an example (which is conveniently close to a mid-level installation technician):
Salary
£27,600
Bonuses
£1,656
National Insurance Contributions at 13.8%
£4,037
Pension — auto enrolment
£276
Training and development
£1,500
Contribution to overheads (office space/IT)
£4,800
(£828 by April 2019)
Other costs (HR time, sick days, software licences, and holiday cover) £8,000 Recruitment Costs (advertising, interview, and recruitment process)
£5,520
TOTAL COST TO BUSINESS:
£53,389
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There may be elements in the table that you can reduce and there may be other costs that you need to add in. This assumes that your hire will be in place for 12 months, but what if you’ve invested all this money and they leave, and you need to start the recruitment process again? If this happens, you’d better be prepared to spend it all again! What is the cost of getting it wrong? If the candidate doesn’t work out, you could easily have spent in excess of £30K over 6 months (if you have the foresight to let them go that early). So my question is, why apply your outstanding technical knowledge in designing and installing equipment into homes, yachts, and venues across the world — and not to your recruitment activity? The cost of returning to a job site for a minor change, or because the job wasn’t completed correctly the first time around, can run into hundreds of pounds a time. Wouldn’t some of that money be better invested in a team member who simply did it right the first time? In a typically sized installation company, every person on the team is a company representative with the ability to make or break the company’s reputation. How much is your reputation worth?
So, what is the solution? 1
Ask yourself if it’s the right time to make an appointment
2 Hire someone who will uphold the same values as you do 3 Understand which psychometric profiling system to use and how to read it — a good system will give you insight into behavioural analysis and even interview questions, if you are not an experienced interviewer 4 If something is free and sounds too good to be true, it usually is 5 If you use a recruitment agency, tie them down on a free replacement rather than a rebate or you will end up paying half as much again to recruit someone. This way they are held accountable 6 It may seem an odd thing to consider, but think about why that potential employee could possibly be fired. If you come up with nothing, it’s a good sign 7 Science CAN be applied to hiring. Investigate platforms that can minimise your risk
If you’ve gone through this list and you think you’ve found someone outstanding, make a good offer quickly. The recruitment industry is in a candidate-led market at the moment, so expect good people to have options. You need to make sure your business is their number one choice. I will be discussing this in more detail at ISE. If you are interested in delving a little deeper into this topic, then register for the “Building the Perfect Team — Attracting & Retaining the Best People” course that it taking place in Room 301 at 9.30am on Wednesday 7th February. Register for this session on the ISE website: www.iseurope.org/shop
8 Get a second opinion if you are not sure 9 Remember this: Companies hire on skill and fire on behaviour
www.forcesrecruitment.co.uk @ForcesRecruits
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Selling An Experience vs. Selling Technology In an age of instant gratification, it’s not enough to simply sell hardware. The hard truth of the matter is this: If we’re really going to see smart homes take off, we need to change the way we imagine, talk about, sell, install, and deliver real smart homes to customers. The consumer mindset has undergone a seismic shift in recent years and it is still changing. As consumers, we hold the buying experience to a high standard: We want to be convinced that the product or service we’re buying into will bring us value and enhance our lives.
Philipp Schuster Managing Director of Loxone UK
Stories are powerfully emotive, they can trigger laughter, help us recall memories, and evoke in us a range of feelings that numbers on their own simply cannot. When it comes to smart homes, it’s time to tell a different story. Not the story of hardware whereby the customer is handed a list of nondescript parts with a grand total at the bottom. Let’s face it — there’s nothing exciting about a parts list. It has no story, and the only emotion it’s likely to trigger from a potential customer is surprise and dismay: “How much?!”
So what does this mean for technology integrators? It means that it is time to stop selling hardware and start selling experiences. As Steve Jobs once said: “You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work back to the technology — not the other way around.”
In the 1st century BC, Publilius Syrus wrote, “Something is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.” It’s a principle that rings true to this day. You have to create value in the mind of your customers, and one of the best ways to do that is to focus on the experience of smart living and the lifestyle benefits it offers.
Selling the smart home experience
Same product, different experience
Humans are storytellers — it’s how we learn and make sense of the world. Stories are ingrained in our cultures, traditions, religions, and even our laws.
A key part of selling the smart home experience is to take your parts list and ask yourself: “What can this product do? What features can I offer with this
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product?” Then use these answers to build your feature specification. Let’s take a motion sensor as an example. Now, motion sensors by themselves are not extraordinary. They can be used to turn a light on and off, which is helpful and, of course, saves energy, albeit only a small amount. This isn’t novel and motion sensors have been used to control lighting in commercial properties for years. But what else could a motion sensor do? How could it help make life easier at home? In a smart home, a motion sensor plays a central role — not only in automating everyday tasks such as turning a light on or off, but also in creating a more comfortable lifestyle. To help paint these pictures for your customers, think about some of the everyday annoyances you have to put up with in your own home. If you get up during the night to use the bathroom or check on the kids, you probably don’t appreciate the glare of the bathroom light and the noisy fan when you’re trying not to wake anyone else. A motion sensor, when configured as part of a holistic smart home system, could bring on accent lighting at 25% brightness when you get up in the night, allowing you to see your way to the bathroom without being dazzled. Furthermore, the bathroom fan could be either disabled during the night, or placed on a delay of five minutes. Then, once you’re back in bed, everything switches off automatically.
By steering focus towards features rather than technology, your specification becomes greater than the sum of its parts.
When you get up the next morning, wouldn’t it be great to have your favourite music play automatically when you enter the bathroom? Monday mornings might not be so bleak. It is these everyday situations that you can use to illustrate the value of a smart home to your customer. A motion sensor is no longer just a lifeless smart home component. It’s a more restful night’s sleep, it’s a safer and more intelligent alarm system, it’s never arriving home to a dark house again. By steering focus towards features rather than technology, your specification becomes greater than the sum of its parts. Not only that, but by creating a feature specification for your customer, rather than just a hardware specification, you can ensure that expectations on both sides are clearly outlined before work even begins. If you agree the features that are to be delivered, your project has a clear path to completion. If you only agree to install a “smart home” from a list of components, it leaves you susceptible to a customer arguing that their installation is not complete, causing frustration on both sides.
Conclusion The smart home market is more crowded than ever, so it’s imperative to be able to separate the gimmicky solutions from those that genuinely make life easier. Succeeding in selling professionally installed smart homes to your customers comes down to being able to identify and convey the tangible day-to-day benefits that a smart home can bring, and presenting them to your customers in a way that manages their expectations, and sets out clear features to be installed, rather than just technology for its own sake. To find out more about the differences between the products themselves and their lifestyle benefits, and how to communicate these differently to the customer, register for my training course at ISE in February via www.iseurope.org/shop. Selling an Experience vs. Selling Technology will be presented in Room 202 at 9.30am on Tuesday 6th February.
www.loxone.com @LoxoneUK
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TRAINING & EVENTS CALENDAR Feb 2
3-5
6-9
8-12
CEDIA Certification Day
ISF Level III Certification
ISE
THX-HAA Certification
CEDIA, St Neots
Hotel Amsterdam
RAI, Amsterdam
17-18
19-23
27
27-28
28
Build It! Live
Boot Camp
Event City, Manchester
Customer Relations and Needs Analysis
Home Cinema Design Fundamentals
The Principles of Project Management
CEDIA, St Neots
CEDIA, St Neots
AWE, Epsom
CEDIA, St Neots
Mar 2
5-8
CEDIA Certification Day
Technical School
CEDIA, St Neots
CEDIA, St Neots
Holiday Inn, Amsterdam
14
15
20
Design Process & Documentation
Sub Sytems Design and Integration
BIID CPD Provider Showcase
CEDIA, St Neots
CEDIA, St Neots
Mayfair, London
22-25
26-28
Homebuilding & Renovating Show
Networking School
NEC, Birmingham
CEDIA, St Neots
9 April
12
19
Boot Camp
Safe Isolation
RIBA Roadshow
CEDIA, St Neots
CEDIA, St Neots
Leeds
23
24
27
30
Technical School
Tech Forum
Rack Building and Wiring Fundamentals
Networking School
CEDIA, St Neots
London
CEDIA, St Neots
CEDIA, St Neots
Book training at www.cediaeducation.com/courses
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YOUR AND BMS TRANING CENTRE WE OFFER THE BEST AND MOST FLEXIBLE KNX TRAININGS IN EUROPE + WE TRAIN-WE SUPPLY-WE SUPPORT YOUR PROJECTS
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+44(0)207 9988 252 E: office@homeoftechnologies.com Projects: www.homeoftechnologies.com Products: www.knxshoponline.co.uk
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CEDIA experienced a successful 2017 in terms of global reach. With 27 new members in Australia and New Zealand, 33 in Latin America, 12 in Asia, and 48 in EMEA (not including the UK), CEDIA’s reach is extending far and wide. To maintain momentum, CEDIA continues running its international calendar of events.
LATIN AMERICA Towards the end of last year, CEDIA attended Tecnomultimedia Colombia, where it hosted a number of training courses, including Fundamentals of Home Theatre Design, Troubleshooting, Repair & Preventive Maintenance, and IP for Technicians. Around 50 professionals attended these infomative courses. CEDIA also ran its Connect with CEDIA event. Sponsored by Chief, Vaddio, and Da-Lite, the networking session was attended by around 25 companies. To maintain its education presence in Colombia, CEDIA has formed an alliance with HomeTech El Hogar Digital to offer monthly CEDIA training. Starting in Q1, these sessions will alternate between Bogotá and Medellín.
INDIA In December, CEDIA returned to India for the second time in the year to host an education and networking event. Sponsored by Casadigi and Prince AV Concepts, CEDIA ran the Advanced Home Cinema Package, as well as Boot Camp, which was presented in Hindi — a first for this event. Around 70 industry professionals joined the training courses over the three days, with approximately 35 attending the Connect with CEDIA networking event. CEDIA left India having signed up five new members.
AROUND THE WORLD AUSTRALIA Recognising the potential in Australia, the association launched the CEDIA Outreach Instructor (COI) programme in this region, and hosted its first COI Train the Trainer course in Melbourne in November. With nine accredited COI’s in Australia, the aim is for these members to now present CEDIA’s “Designing Integrated Future-Ready Homes” CPD to the design and build community. To celebrate the end of another successful year in Australia, CEDIA hosted Christmas Connect events in Melbourne and Sydney.
2018 ACTIVITY CEDIA is looking to host and participate in over 40 events in 2018. These include dedicated training in China and Colombia, where CEDIA has education partners who are offering CEDIA core education in the local language on our behalf. CEDIA will also be focussing on dedicated CEDIA technical and business training events, COI training, Tech Forums, and networking events. The Global Development team will be taking on responsibility for Canada and initiating programmes and services to support the market.
www.cedia.co.uk/cedia-events
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Smart Sonos Clever Flexson
Designed and precision engineered in Britain, Flexson accessories are the perfect match for the size, style and colour of each Sonos product.
FLEXSON WALL MOUNT FOR SONOS ONE Flexson’s bespoke bracket for the Sonos One allows you to wall mount your speaker in the ideal place to sound - and look - great. This brand new design gives you yet more flexibility and functionality. Features a unique tilting mechanism (down 15°) plus can swivel up to 80° (40° left, 40° right), so you can perfectly angle your Sonos One.
VISIT US AT ISE: HALL14, STAND B12
Can be inverted to securely hold the Sonos One upside down – so its gesture controls and microphone are easily accessible if mounting higher up the wall.
We’re giving away samples and also having a prize draw every day on our stand.
FLEXSON 65X3 CEILING SPEAKERS FOR SONOS CONNECT:AMP
FLEXSON MULTI-FIT WALL MOUNT FOR SONOS CONNECT:AMP
The Flexson 65X3 Ceiling Speakers are the perfect discreet partners for the Sonos CONNECT:AMP. The speakers feature triple high-frequency drivers for wide sound dispersion.
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The Flexson ceiling mount has a unique tilting mechanism, as well as the ability to swivel left or right, so you can perfectly angle your sound. Able to tilt 15 degrees down, swivels 80° (40° right & 40° left). It’s ideal for bars, restaurants, shops as well as a home. The bracket also allows you to hang the Sonos PLAY:1 upside down, so you can access it’s on-speaker controls even when it’s mounted on the ceiling. It also allows for neat cable routing, easy fitting and flexible placement. The Ceiling Mount is available in both single and pairs.
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GLOBAL AWARD WINNER
SURF’S UP Integrator: Land & Sea Entertainment Land & Sea Entertainment 4498 Paola Way San Diego, CA 92117 USA 858.467.1940 CEDIA Member Since 2002
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Equipment List • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Acoustiblok absorption Artison speakers and subwoofers Chief hardware Crestron control systems Denon Atmos AVR and receivers Launchport equipment LiftMaster controls Mackie house mixer Marantz amplifier Mean Well products Middle Atlantic racks Mitsubishi controls Mobotix security vision systems Oppo Blu-ray players Origin Acoustics speakers Roku 4K Pentair pool/spa automation Samsung TVs Sharp TVs Shure wireless mic Sonos Sonnex products Sunfire subwoofers Vision X lighting systems WattBox power protection
The night of 6th September 2017 was a big one for the team at Land & Sea Entertainment. The crew took the stage at the CEDIA Awards event on the deck of the USS Midway not once, but for a total of three trophies: Best Integrated Home Level IV, Best Documentation, and Best Dressed Rack. Beyond the fact that they won the awards on their home turf — the company’s based in San Diego — this brilliant project would go on to become a CEDIA Global Award Winner. The trophies that Land & Sea Entertainment picked up reflected two-and-ahalf years of painstaking work on a seaside retreat on the California coast. The lighting from the front of the home illuminates the beach for surfing after dark. Inside, the sound system needs to keep the music inside — so as not to wake the neighbours — while keeping the roar of the ocean outside. Beyond the audio, the home’s interior is packed with complex lighting, AV, and other systems that required careful power management, precise cable management, and a set of documents that were more extensive and useful than CEDIA’s panel of judges had ever seen. As the judges pointed out, the inclusion of photos of the home’s systems with overlays describing the various elements of the project means that anyone can work on any aspect of the home at any time. No prior knowledge of the system is required — it’s that detailed. CEDIA’s judges remarked that the documentation itself was a saleable asset, as valuable as any gleaming appliance or custom millwork. Another judge noted, “It’s a shame we don’t give an award for power management.” The judges marvelled at the physical work that went into running all that cable: “It’s a completely unique and elegant rack system, just beautifully done.” The man responsible for that rack, Ken Penner, was overjoyed when the team picked up their trophy at the CEDIA Awards, but wasted no time in stressing that the project was a true team effort. “It’s fantastic,” he said, then gestured at his assembled colleagues. “And I got to work with these guys on this one for two-and-a-half years.”
www.sterryo.com
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GDPR IS COMING
ARE YOU
CEDIA Communicates looks at the latest in data protection, and what this means for the home technology industry.
READY?
WHAT IS GDPR AND WHEN WILL IT COME INTO EFFECT?
WHAT CONSTITUES PERSONAL DATA? SO, WHO DOES GDPR APPLY TO?
Data protection and how personal data is managed is changing drastically. On the 25th May 2018, the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will come into force. GDPR is an EU initiative which intends to enhance data protection rights for all individuals within the European Union. The key objective of the regulation is to streamline and create a clearer legal environment which will help to improve business opportunities and lessen ambiguity with sharing data. Personal data is any information that is related to a person or “Data Subject” that can be used to directly or indirectly identify that person. This include a name, photo, email address, bank details, posts on social networking sites, medical information, or a computer IP address. The task of complying with this regulation falls upon businesses and organisations operating within the EU, as well as any organisations outside of the EU that offer goods or services to consumers or businesses based in the EU. GDPR contains several new protections for EU data subjects and threatens substantial fines and penalties for non-compliant data controllers and processors. Businesses can be fined up to 4% of its annual global turnover for breaching GDPR. With greater enforcement power held by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) moving forward, it is important for organisations to be ready for the changes and have a structured plan in place.
HOW CAN CEDIA HELP?
CEDIA has made it easier for integrators and trade suppliers to ensure they are GDPR compliant. CEDIA hosted a 30-minute webinar in December, and this is now available via the CEDIA website. The webinar was structured to help companies navigate and understand GDPR, providing a clear overview of the key principles, and the most important elements of the regulation. CEDIA has also published a white paper offering a deeper dive into the webinar content. To complement the webinar and white paper, CEDIA also hosted a workshop for CEDIA members in January. This interactive session educated attendees on GDPR, allowing them to build a solid plan for the future with information on the legal aspects and templates for sales and marketing. During the workshop, teams were given workflows they can use to get started, as well as case study campaigns to share ideas, and tips on how to run campaigns that engage customers more effectively.
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THE MADNESS OF KING HDMI Once a week, the CEDIA Tech Council releases a podcast. An episode from November 2017 featured a pretty stalwart trio of guests: Eric Bodley, President and CEO of Future Ready Solutions and Bodley and Associates (and 2017 CEDIA Lifetime Achievement Award winner) joined CEDIA’s Vice President of Emerging Technologies, Dave Pedigo, and CEDIA’s Director of Technical Curriculum, David Meyer. As always, the show was hosted by CEDIA Senior Director of Technology and Standards, Walt Zerbe and CEDIA Content Marketing Manager, Ed Wenck.
Ed Wenck
Content Marketing Manager, CEDIA
The topics: HDMI and cables. Those two seemingly simplistic terms opened up an hour-long discussion that could have run for days.
First, some background, right from the source, as a refresher — the HDMI.org website provides the following definition: HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) technology is the industry-leading interface and de-facto standard connecting highdefinition (HD) and ultra high-definition (UHD) equipment, from HDTVs and personal computers to cameras, camcorders, tablets, Blu-ray players, gaming consoles, smartphones, and just about any other device capable of sending or receiving an HD signal.
By delivering crystal-clear, all-digital audio and video via a single cable, HDMI technology dramatically simplifies cabling and helps provide consumers with the highest-quality HD experience. It transmits all ATSC HDTV standards and supports 8-channel, 192kHz, uncompressed digital audio, and all currently available compressed formats, with bandwidth to spare to accommodate future enhancements and requirements. If the technology involved in getting all that digital data, imagery, and multi-channel audio into a single cable seemed a miraculous feat, it was preceded by an even bigger shocker, according to Eric: “Actually, when it was developed, Steve Venuti of HDMI Licensing and I had dinner. He said, ‘It was a miracle that all of the founders actually agreed on a standard!’” “And I don’t think they’ve probably agreed on anything ever since,” Eric chuckles.
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Size Matters As Eric points out right away, the founders never envisioned an HDMI cable being longer than six feet. “Heck, the TV’s going to be mounted on the wall, and the cable box or your DVD player’s going to be right underneath it. Why would you need anything longer than six feet?” Of course, as soon as the idea of distributed video and audio sent to multiple screens from a single headend source gained traction, it became clear that signal degradation was going to create all manner of issues. “Of course, we’re always pushing the envelope. No question about it,” notes Eric. And technology designed to help push that data along greater and greater distances began to appear.
“
It’s going to look like a firehouse, it can only go three inches, and it’s going to be a million dollars.
“There’s been a lot of innovative ways to [push that data],” says Eric. Companies immediately sprang up to find “a way to equalise or compensate, if you will, for the fact we’re trying to get voltage to go over probably a longer distance than expected, over too small a gauge of wire. So, unless you wanted a cable the size of your wrist, there had to be a way around it. HDBaseT Alliance, for example, came up with a way to transport it from an HDMI cable medium, to twisted pair cables and back.” “But we’re going from something that could flow through a garden hose to something that needs a six-inch steel pipe now,” Eric jokes. As the iterations of the HDMI standard progress, the notion of that last sentence in HDMI’s own definition of terms becomes awfully critical: “[W]ith bandwidth to spare to accommodate future enhancements and requirements.”
From 1.4 to 2.0 to 2.1 Now that HDMI 2.1 is upon us, Eric notes that the leaps in HDMI technology have gone beyond the typical incremental versions generally used in the tech universe, and CEDIA’s
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David concurs: “What they’re trying to do here is take a quantum leap, so that we don’t need to have a new iteration coming out every few years. We probably still will, for things we can’t foresee at this point, or things we can foresee but they’re just not ready to develop yet. So, we are going to see a pretty steep evolution. Going from HDMI 1.4 to 2.0 was quite a big step. That was in 2013, and we’re only now just actually realising that we really DO need all of that data rate that’s available with that.” The problem? You guessed it. David: “There are some applications where that’s already not enough. Eighteen gigabits a second is not enough. If we want 4K 60 with the full colour — with HDR, for example — we need an excess of 20 gigabits per second.” So, when 2.1 comes along, what’s that cable going to look like? How much is it going to cost? And how reliable is it going to be?
HDMI 1.4 10.2 Gbps
HDMI 2.0 18 Gbps
HDMI 2.1 48 Gbps
CEDIA’s Court Jester, Dave responds: “It’s going to look like a firehouse, it can only go three inches, and it’s going to be a million dollars.” David is in on the joke. “When I get asked that question in the HDMI classes that we run, I’ve been telling them, ‘Well, we’re going to have to redesign racks, because components are going to have to go back to back, with a steel rod in between.’ Actually, the reality is that we don’t anticipate that you’ll be able to distinguish the difference between an existing HDMI cable and a version 2.1 cable when it comes along. By sight, you won’t be able to distinguish it. They will look the same. The connector will look the same. The way it’s terminated, the way it’s structured inside, will likely be different, but for the most part, we really won’t be able to tell by looking at it.”2.1's New Feature: eARC
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2.1's New Feature: eARC Back to the guys at the HDMI homepage for the correct definition of the Audio Return Channel, which arrived in its present form with 1.4: The Audio Return Channel in HDMI 1.4 enables a TV, via a single HDMI cable, to send audio data “upstream” to an A/V receiver or surround audio controller, increasing user flexibility and eliminating the need for any separate S/PDIF audio connection. TVs have always been able to receive multi-channel audio through an HDMI connection, and this is still a typical use-case, with the TV positioned “downstream” from content sources and any connected audio equipment. However, if a user had a TV with a builtin tuner or DVD player, and wanted to send content “upstream” from the TV back to the audio system, a separate connection had to be installed, typically an S/PDIF cable. • An Audio Return Channel-enabled TV can either send or receive audio via HDMI, upstream or downstream, depending on system set-up and user preferences. • LipSync functionality, introduced in HDMI 1.3, ensures that the audio stays matched to the video, automatically compensating for any processor delays whether the audio is traveling upstream or downstream.
an integrator’s point of view, the audio return channel is not popular. One of the first things that people ask is, ‘Who's going to turn it off?’ Well, then, that's going to disable audio return. So, it's one of those things where it doesn't really work that well.” “eARC is going to have significantly higher bandwidths,” says David. “It's going to support the hi-res audio formats, immersive audio. We're talking in the order of 15 times the bandwidth capability. It'll be a lot more stable, but the most important thing that really excites me is the fact that eARC is going to be able to be deployed independent of any other HDMI 2.1 functionality. It'll actually run on a separate chip in an AV receiver, for example, or a TV, from the actual HDMI chip.” What’s more, “It's going to be self-discovering, and not have to use CEC to do so.” There’s much more info in the podcast, of course; it’s a freewheeling discussion that covers a lot more ground on the work-arounds involved in pushing all that data down cabling originally designed to be only as long as an average person and other issues such as chroma subsampling and the emergence of fibre-optic cable as a necessity, not a luxury. One upshot of the cast is a truism that’s held for decades:
“
The Enhanced Audio Return Channel is actually a significant enhancement on what we've currently got
“Conduit is the closest thing to ‘futureproof’ we’re ever gonna get.”
The Enhanced Audio Return Channel — eARC, that is — “Is actually a significant enhancement on what we've currently got,” according to David. “There are a couple of issues. Currently, the limitation of the ARC is that it's basically compressed surround-sound formats, or basic two-channel, and that's it. From
To listen to the Podcast in its entirety, find the show on www.cedia.net as Episode 30, on iTunes as Number 1746 (Season 1, Episode 30).
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BUSINESS
XCHANGE
CEDIA Business Xchange 16th - 18th May 2018 The Camby, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
What’s the biggest problem you face in your business? Maybe it’s a recurring project management challenge. Maybe there’s a communication breakdown when a client is handed off from sales to design. Or perhaps it’s that your customer and prospect data is a mess.
Whatever your challenge is, focus on that for a moment. It’s impacting your business’s efficiency, and losing you either time or money or both. It’s probably not a new problem — and yet, it persists. Why? Well, quite simply, you haven’t found the solution yet. It never seems like the right time to dig in and troubleshoot, devise a fix, and realign all your processes — so you work around it,
and you live with it. Solving this problem will take some effort, and as a leader in your business, that work has to be done by you. But at the 2018 CEDIA Business Xchange, you can get a roadmap to building a solution — faster and more effectively.
That roadmap is a process called “Design Thinking.” SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY 16TH MAY 2pm – 5pm
Emerging Trends Forum
6pm – 8pm
Welcome Reception at The Duce
8:30pm – 1am
Xchange After Dark
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Choose your own adventure
MEET THE PRESENTERS
Don’t let the word “design” throw you — Design Thinking is a process that was created by designers, but it can be applied by anyone to solve nearly any problem you can conceive.
Michael Shanks
It’s a human-centric approach that’s used by the biggest companies out there — Samsung, Disney, and Apple, just to name a few. And it’s the main topic of this year’s CEDIA Business Xchange. Every day, your company applies creative problemsolving to deliver great experiences for your clients. But not every business is applying creativity to their internal operations. To make that mind-shift, this year’s Xchange will welcome Michael Shanks, a senior faculty member at Stanford University in Technology Science, Urban Studies, and in the Center for Design Research, the research arm of Stanford’s d.school, where Design Thinking was developed. Michael will be joined by esteemed CEDIA members, Rich Green and Peter Aylett. Through a blend of short instructional talks and facilitated, hands-on teamwork with fellow integrators, attendees will learn how to apply the Design Thinking approach to their business. Rich is fond of the observation that while an engineer is a problem-solver, a designer is a problem-seeker. By thinking like a designer, you’ll empathise with the end user — whether that is a client or your technicians or project manager — and learn to search out and crystallise your business process problems to ensure you’re driving at the right solution.
Sharpen your focus for better results The best strategies come from sharing ideas, developing plans, and interacting with people who know exactly what you’re up against. That’s the idea at the heart of Business Xchange. It’s not your standard management seminar; it’s two focussed days of discussion tailored exclusively to residential installation company owners and executives. And it’s different from big industry shows, where you’re often pulled in many directions, diluting targeted discussions about company management. Business Xchange is 100% focussed on issues specific to running a systems installation business. It’s your opportunity to dive into the most pressing topics surrounded by a trusted network of leaders facing the same challenges.
Professor of Archaeology, Stanford University One of the most original and influential of contemporary archaeologists, Michael is a specialist in long-term humanistic views of design, creativity, and innovation. He is a senior faculty member in Stanford’s Programs in Science, Technology, and Society, Urban Studies, and in the Center for Design Research, the research arm of Stanford’s d.school. He has directed the Stanford Humanities Lab, pioneering innovative pedagogy in the arts and humanities, and helped found the Revs Program at Stanford, connecting automotive heritage with contemporary car design. He is a faculty director of Stanford Foresight and Innovation, and works with mediaX, the affiliates’ programme that connects Stanford with industry through technology and innovation.
Peter Aylett Technical Director, Archimedia Peter has spent much of his career working for some of the UK’s most respected technology integrators. Formerly the Director of Professional Development for CEDIA EMEA, he is now Technical Director for Archimedia, a high-end residential integration company with more than 150 employees and operations in five countries across the Middle East. Peter is in demand as a speaker and lecturer in residential technology and has led courses in Europe, China, Australia, New Zealand, North America, and the Middle East. Peter chairs the Applied Information Action Team within the CEDIA Technology Council and is a columnist for HiddenWires.co.uk.
Rich Green President, Rich Green Design Rich has been active in the AV design and installation industry since 1978. His systems integration company, Rich Green Design, serves the ambitious homeowners and businesses of Silicon Valley. His clients have included Steve Jobs, Larry Ellison, Tony Fadell, Jim Clark, Gordon Getty, Rush Limbaugh, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Luciano Pavarotti. Rich currently sits on the Advisory Board of CEDIA; served as a threeterm board member; and founded the CEDIA Technology Council. Rich travels the world as an instructor, consultant, and public speaker in the fields of Future Technologies and Design. Rich is a CEDIA Fellow.
www.cedia.net/events/business-xchange
THURSDAY 17TH MAY
FRIDAY 18TH MAY
9am – 5pm
Design Thinking: Learn the Design Thinking approach through facilitated workshops targeted to ensure direct relevance to your business.
5:30pm – 7pm
Guitar in the Making Team-Building Activity
7pm – 9pm
Dinner
9pm – 1am
Xchange After Dark
9am – 11:30am
Idea Xchange: Attendees will collaborate in groups to apply Design Thinking to solve real-life business issues.
11:30am – 1pm
Closing Lunch
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THE RESULTS ARE IN…
CEDIA Reveals 2017 Market Research
CEDIA partnered with market research company, Futuresource Consulting to conduct comprehensive research into the UK professional smart home market. CEDIA invited both members and non-members to take part in the survey, which included 76 questions focussing on business functions, installation types, equipment choices, the size of the workforce, and the areas that are most important for their businesses. “We are pleased to announce the results of our research project,” comments Matt Nimmons, Managing Director of CEDIA EMEA. “This extensive survey provides the industry with strong comparative data and has helped to identify vital market trends and offer a greater understanding of the UK smart home market. The findings for 2016 – 2017 show that our industry is extremely prosperous, as well as providing insight into future changes and likely developments moving forwards.”
KEY FINDINGS INCLUDE: • Average total gross annual turnover per installation company was £1.3m in 2016, up by 33% on 2012. Participants projected this to rise by a further 17% in 2017. • Integrators report growth in the higher value projects as a share of their business. Projects costing £50K or more accounted for 26% of projects in 2016, compared to 19% in 2013. • In contrast, installations £3K or below have fallen by one-third. In 2013, projects of this size represented 18% of all residential installations. In 2016, this shrunk to 12% and in 2017, it is expected to be 7%. • There has been a surge in the number of projects that include security systems. The average number of projects completed by integrators per year involving security has doubled since 2013. • Installation companies are increasingly offering maintenance and aftercare. Already 77% offer this, and nearly three-quarters of the remainder expect to add this to their portfolio within two years. • There has been a rapid uptake and popularisation of voice control installations — almost 4 in 10 companies have installed these systems in the past year and integrators expect this to grow to as many as 8 in 10 companies within the next two years. BRANDS
TOP PR EFERRE D BRAN DS
ands fo r AUDIO COMPON Compan ENTS y DENON
% of BAS E (128) 16%
YAMAHA
RaNK
11% dio Ma nagem ent / Dis tributio Compan n / Contr y ol CONTRO L4
Media Server / Storag e
SONOS
17%
1
LUTRON
2
System s
Top 2 Br ands
15%
RaNK
14%
1
CONTRO L4
CONTRO L4
Top 2 Br ands
RaNK
12%
1
s / Cabl es / Int erconn any ections
2
13%
CRESTR ON
RaNK
Texaco m
1 2
Top 2 Br ands fo r
% of BAS E (63) 32% 30%
HD Dis tributio n Syst Compan ems y
Wyres torm HD Any
% of BAS E (147)
– 2017 vey Report 2016 Integrator Sur
ices ds and Serv ort on the Tren Home Market to the Smart
A Rep % of BAS E (120) Connected 34%
19% for Se curit y System Hardwa Compan y re
Hikvisi on
% of BAS E (79)
% of BAS E (115) nology 35% Tech
18% for Wh ole Ho use / Mu lti Contr ol Sys Compan tems y
2 % of BAS E (129) 18%
20%
% of BAS E (46) 72%
Top 2 Br 15% ands fo r Voice Contro l System Compan y s
ny
Wilkin s (B&W) ANCE
for Vo ice Co ntrol System s
Compan y Amazo n Alexa
2
RaNK
% of BAS E (74)
ands fo r SPEA KERS mpa
Top 2 Br ands
1
% of BAS E (100) 27%
SONOS
Compan y leidesc ape
P
Following the technology integrator survey that was conducted in 2017, CEDIA has launched the report that looks at the trends and services in the home technology market. The results show an industry anticipating healthy annual growth in turnover this year.
The full market research report is free to CEDIA members who contributed to the survey and priced at £299.00 to CEDIA members and £499.00 to non-members. A free abridged version of the report is also available to nonmembers who participated in the survey. To purchase the reports, please visit www.cedia.co.uk/research.
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LOOKING BACK
ON 2017 JUSTIN MARTIN-LAWRENCE
GORDON van ZUIDEN
MIKE MANISCALCO
ALEX CAPECELATRO
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If a single word could describe the home technology industry in 2017, it’s likely that the same word will be used to describe both 2016 and 2018 as well:
“Disruption.” And what specifically caused — and will continue to cause — disruption as technological advances go roaring forward? CEDIA Communicates asked some rather large brains in the CEDIA universe to weigh in. VUI and A.I. CEDIA’s Young Professional of the Year for 2017, Alex Capecelatro — who’s also the driving force behind the VUI system known as Josh.ai — was pretty succinct: “2017, simply put, was all about voice control as a clear breakout.” 2018, in Alex’s mind, will see the forward advance of what he calls “real automation.” We’ll begin to see true artificial intelligence take hold in more and more systems. “The home will learn and improve on its own.” An email to Gordon van Zuiden, Founder of cyberManor and CEDIA Tech Council member, elicited a priceless Gordon-esque reply: Big stories for 2017 and 2018: 1. Voice Control for the Home 2. Voice Control for the Home 3. Voice Control for the Home
…AND FORWARD TO 2018 Gordon did elaborate later: While the technology may change, Gordon’s 20 years in the industry has revealed that cycles of the aforementioned disruption follow familiar patterns. Things begin as complex systems, become simplified, staggering through the transition period — as in “Why doesn’t this thing work exactly the way I need it to?” — and then become so ubiquitous we don’t even think about their presence much. “Everyone who comes into our office, to a person, across the board, will always say one thing to us: ‘It has to be easy to use. It has to be simple,’” says Gordon. “All these various things promised to them in the past that were supposed to be easy to use, were not that easy to use, and had some challenges. And if we’re really honest with them, we’re going to say, ‘Well, we’re on a continuum here. We’re going to make this easier. We’re going to make it better to use.’” And last year and next are simply part of that continuum regarding the evolution of user interface. For Gordon, the shift from endless keystrokes to using a mouse for one’s PC is parallel to switches and buttons morphing into GUI app controllers, which are becoming supplanted quickly by voice control. “So, you see what happens in the interface and in the control space as, I call it, a march towards the frictionless home,” notes Gordon. “A march toward the ultimate goal of: ‘I think something. I want something. It should do something.’ And Alex, from Josh.ai, refers to this as ‘NOUI,’ or ‘No User Interface.’” Right now, “Voice has all the promise, not quite yet all the delivery,” says Gordon. “So, we’re back, doing kind of the same thing we’ve always been doing, which is trying to vet all this stuff, make sense of it, so that we can get our enterprise solution to our client.” For Gordon, that frictionless home will allow immediate recognition of a user’s wants: Can one family member say “Hey, Mum?” while that person’s in their bedroom — and have Mum appear on a video screen from the kitchen, for example?
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HOW MUCH PRIVACY ARE WE WILLING TO SACRIFICE FOR CONVENIENCE? The elegant summation from Gordon: “It’s home as personal concierge.” Networks Mike Maniscalco, VP at Ihiji and regular CEDIA volunteer/instructor, had a slightly different train of thought: “In the space I cover, the continued evolution of networking tech — coverage and throughput — was a big story for 2017. Ultra-high-speeds will continue to put new strains on the networks. While that’s happening, I’m interested in how mesh Wi-Fi solutions have developed, and what features and services are coming next.” Security As for 2018, security is going to be a biggie. Habitech’s Justin Martin-Lawrence comments: “When your network is porous to attack, individuals hell-bent on wrecking your peace of mind for financial gain or plain bedevilment will find a breach by using a mobile ‘warcart’ stuffed with scanning equipment, or with Web Vulnerability Search Engines like Shodan or PunkSpider. They’ll turn the power of the Internet on itself though sites like defaultpassword.com, targeting weak password security when you’ve left default settings in place. “Elsewhere your wonderful Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) functionality, which allows device discovery without authentication, is as wide open to abuse as your network of IoT sensors, imbued as they are with tiny processors, limited security, and vulnerability to so-called ‘Zero Day’ design weaknesses. And if that fails, phishing tricks such as fake social media invitations are just waiting for a bite”. Justin continues, “Your defence against hack trauma is surprisingly easy — you just need to do the common-sense thing. Click ‘auto-update’ on your operating system software (preventing 85% of cyberattacks), use recognised security software, deploy VPN services like CyberGhost or NordVPN to encrypt your traffic, introduce two-step security authentication for loggingon, and easiest of all, invent more complex passwords.” “There’s a greater level of sophistication happening when it comes to hacking, and you can get your hands on tools that can do quite a bit of damage pretty cheaply now”, explains Mike. “How are we going to react to that? We’ve
seen solutions on the enterprise side, but will the brands that CEDIA typically works with step up — or will new brands enter the space?” Mike believes that a proactive approach is critical: “There could be fallout from a reactive approach. As consumers become more aware of the dangers, from common criminals to nation states, will users revolt? Will they feel that a level of trust has been violated?” And Mike poses the big question, one that’s been asked over and over as data becomes “the new oil:” “How much privacy are we willing to sacrifice for convenience?” The Latency Issue For Gordon, Mike’s take dovetails with his predictions when it comes to the pressure we’ll be putting on the home network. As VUI becomes more sophisticated by recognising different voices, for example, the current architecture is bound to experience hiccups. “I'm finding increasingly, whether it's Amazon, Sonos, or Josh.ai, that you're sending fairly complex command strings to the cloud and back and that has to initiate a number of triggers and events in the home that oftentimes don't work as expected,” Gordon explains. “And, a lot of times, that's due to the latency of commands that have to come up to the cloud, back to the home — and latency is a very complicated topic that involves the performance of your broadband connection, the performance of your router, and the quality of your wired/ wireless infrastructure.” “Voice is a processing power game. It takes incredible amounts of processing power to handle the sophisticated heap of information, the most complex of which is the interpretation of voice. The rest, once the computer knows exactly what it is you've asked it to do, is very, very easy and lightweight.” The solution? Localising the architecture. Instead of taking all that info the user’s vocalised and sending it to the cloud for interpretation and parsing, do more of it locally. Using Alex’s Josh.ai devices as an example of what he’s illustrating, Gordon notes that the Josh mics are also little CPUs. “So, you're going to get the CPU functionality, coupled with a microphone that will be able to handle that local processing more effectively to give a better result. So, by the end of 2018, I think you'll see much more reliable performance. You'll see personalisation, you'll see rooms, you'll see spatial feel, and you'll see tens and tens of thousands of skills and drivers across the board. “So, you'll see a pretty robust interface, I think, by the end of 2018.”
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THE EUROPEAN DESTINATION FOR THE GLOBAL AV INDUSTRY Delivering Smart Home Solutions Experience Residential technology at ISE 2018
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TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY A collaborative relationship between the technology integrator and the client’s interior designer is critical to the success of many projects. Here, James Tillyard from integration company, Mosaic Audio & Visual, and Susie Rumbold, Creative Director at Tessuto Interiors, discuss how they work together to deliver top quality projects. THE INTEGRATOR’S POINT OF VIEW Mosaic was introduced to Tessuto nearly a decade ago, when our Founding Director began work on our first development project. Since then, we have almost continuously had at least one project underway with Tessuto; thus, the relationship feels more like a partnership than separate contractors working for a common client. Collaborating with another business for several years obviously now makes the process relatively easy from concept to completion. What helped from the outset was Tessuto’s willingness to embrace technology, and see it as part of the package that needed to be provided to the client, rather than a necessary evil that must be tolerated. Ten years ago, Tessuto was unusual in that they offered a one-stop practice with architects, interior designers, and lighting designers. This has become more common in recent years as other businesses recognise the opportunities that these complementary disciplines give them. For Mosaic, it helps us create a thoroughly coordinated design that enhances a project in many ways. Involving Mosaic very early on in a project allows
space and layout coordination, particularly for back of house hardware such as plant room controls and AV racks, and avoids unnecessary variations later and tension on site. Design drawings and documentation are almost foolproof by the time they have been delivered to site, as the Mosaic and Tessuto designers will have worked together on advancing the drawings with our technology information. Collaborative lighting design allows us to optimise the space required for controls, and balance the cost to the client while giving the functionality required to deliver Tessuto’s vision. Cohesive, coordinated site documentation helps reduce our project management time and minimise mistakes made because of misinterpretation on-site. This assists me in accurately quoting our labour and management costs up front. As much as we might view variations as a profit opportunity, the ability to maximise retained profit on the original contract, not having to ask the client for additional unexpected funds, and scheduling unplanned additional labour keeps everyone happy and enables us to maintain focus on other live projects. Finally, the trust and general knowledge in each other’s work allows Tessuto and Mosaic to refer private and business clients to one another with confidence.
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WHAT THE INTERIOR DESIGNER HAS TO SAY Tessuto was first introduced to Mosaic by one of our high-end, residential developer clients. Up to that point, we had worked with various technology integrators, and had mixed experiences with them. For most projects, we would introduce an AV consultant to our clients, but often it became an exercise in seeing how much expensive “stuff” the consultant could sell them, without any sensitivity to the client’s needs or reference to the overall design brief. After this, working with Mosaic was like a breath of fresh air. I think the clue is in their company name — they see technology as a part of the design, to be seamlessly integrated into the whole client experience. As a practice, Tessuto has always been passionate about embracing new technology, as we believe it can really enhance the end user’s enjoyment of their built environment. We recognise that technology moves at such a pace that it is essential to bring in an expert at the earliest possible point in the project to advise on the latest industry advances. I have been designing long enough to remember a time when “patch panels” were considered a cool idea — and look where we are now! We always try and bring Mosaic on board in the very early stages of the project. We generally give them the design brief and then set up a client meeting to introduce them and discuss what the client knows they want, and what else might be possible. Often at this stage, beyond the obvious TV points in each room, the clients have no idea what can be achieved, so we go through each system in the property and talk about the pros and cons of automating each. We like to go beyond just AV in this initial meeting, so we discuss lighting control, heating and cooling, security, building management systems, and the all-important user interface.
CASE IN POINT Once Tessuto had completed planning approval with the client, they approached Mosaic with a budget and broad scope. (One specification: The client asked for Lutron products in the project.) With Mosaic being on board right at the beginning, they were able to help and advise Tessuto on the size of the service routes through the structure, and the plant spaces that would be needed. Tessuto ended up with several plant locations in the building, as this, in turn, enabled them to rationalise the cable runs, and ultimately saved the clients money. Direct involvement with Tessuto at this early stage allowed Mosaic to revise the lighting control schedule and service riser spaces so that the lighting panels could be split over two floors and placed in what would have otherwise been wasted voids. AV, door entry, and heating control are provided by Control4. With Tessuto embracing the inclusion of technology, discussing and agreeing sizes, positioning and specification of visible equipment was a simple task.
Mosaic slots easily into Tessuto’s professional project teams. They work with us and with the M&E specialists on- and off-site to ensure that all drawings are fully coordinated. This is especially important when allocating space for plant rooms, service routes, and other back of house areas. Clients need to make their spaces work hard and Mosaic is sensitive to this, but as a design practice, Tessuto is realistic about how much space the kit requires, so between us, we effectively manage the client’s expectations in this regard.
www.mosaic-av.com www.tessuto.co.uk
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