CEDIA Communicates - EMEA, Quarter 4 2018

QUARTEr 4 2018

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CEDIA Global Award Winner Home Cinema Planning Aging in Place Tech

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ContENTS

08 10 18 34 36 42 48 56

I AM CEDIA: ANDRES GARZA Meet the man behind Mexico’s Inteligable

THE CEDIA AWARDS Relive the celebrations from around the globe

BEST NEW PRODUCTS The hardware and software award winners for 2018

THE CEDIA DESIGNER The story behind this revolutionary software

THE SCIENCE OF IMAGES How CEDIA’s Lifetime Achievement honouree made his mark

EDUCATION AT ISE 2019 See what’s being offered in Amsterdam

MEMBERS ANNIVERSARIES Thoughts from companies marking 10, 20, and 25 years in business

CHASING Perfect Sound A maker of great speakers on chasing the perfect sound

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WELCOME… …to the final issue of CEDIA Communicates for 2018.

This edition illustrates CEDIA’s global reach: In these pages, you’ll find a profile of Mexico’s Inteligable, a dive into an award-winning project from two companies in the UK (Intuitive Homes and Ultamation), a look at the Indian integrator, Sound Sense, and a chat with our Lifetime Achievement Award Winner, Joel Silver.

While we’re talking about CEDIA’s worldwide presence, you’ll also find a preview of the educational offerings we’re working on for ISE 2019 in Amsterdam.

By now, we hope you have heard that CEDIA acquired The Cinema Designer, now called The CEDIA Designer. We have a conversation with the brains behind this revolutionary software, Guy Singleton. We also check in with legendary speaker engineer, Andrew Jones to discover how he defines wonderful sound.

If you missed our keynote speaker at CEDIA Expo 2018, we’ve got you covered: There’s a recap here of the presentation on the intersection of content and tech that John Penney gave us in San Diego.

We’ve also got the full details on the “CEDIA Best New Products” honoured at this year’s Expo. Learn more about these game-changing technologies and the new class of inductees in CEDIA’s Product Hall of Fame.

Lastly, I’d like to ask a favour of all of you reading this: In 2019, CEDIA will celebrate its 30th birthday. I’d like each of you to please begin thinking about the memories (and perhaps photographs) you may have that reflect upon your time as a member. We’ll be asking you to share those in the coming months. This industry and association were built by you, and we cannot wait to dedicate this next year to honouring the collective achievements that have brought us here today.

I can’t tell you how thankful I am to our CEDIA Community — you’ve taken the dreams of a few and made those dreams into reality for thousands of people around the world.

All the best,

Tabatha O’Connor CEDIA Global President and CEO

Contact

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

Front cover image: Sound Sense — Clinical Retreat CEDIA Awards 2018 Best Home Cinema Level I Global Home Cinema

www.cedia.net

Follow us on:

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

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

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NEWS IN BRIEF

CEDIA ACQUIRES THE CINEMA DESIGNER CEDIA acquired The Cinema Designer in a move that will offer members preferential access to this award-winning home theatre design software. The name has changed to The CEDIA Designer, which nicely aligns with the often-used acronym TCD. TCD is a cloud-based design tool that, minutes after entering room specs and design criteria, will produce a technically perfect home cinema or media room design with full documentation, a scale rendering of the finished theatre, and a 3D CAD model. The CEDIA Designer calculates in minutes what would typically take an experienced cinema designer several weeks, saving crucial design time on projects.

The software will specify the precise location of loudspeakers, screen, seating, and projector. It provides amplification and processor requirements, needed acoustic treatments, and much more — all while adhering to the CTA/CEDIA CEB-22 and CEB-23 Home Theatre Audio and Video Recommended Practices, improving performance and eliminating subjectivity in theatre design.

Guy Singleton and the team behind the software are continuing as consultants focussing on product development, sales, and customer care. The team will continue to support, maintain, and develop The CEDIA Designer. You can find more on Guy and the development of TCD on page 34.

All CEDIA members will automatically gain a free subscription to use Level I, the Media Room design software, a $625 value, as part of their membership. The three remaining tiers — Media Room Pro, Cinema Room, and Cinema Room Pro — are significantly discounted for members. CEDIA manufacturer members can join the 60 companies and over 1,500 products in the tool and will benefit from a discounted rate when enlisting products into the service, saving $2,000.

Check cedia.net/events for a list of online demos of The CEDIA Designer.

£1,500 GOES TO CANCER RESEARCH UK At the 2018 CEDIA Awards, CEDIA ran a charity raffle to raise money for Cancer Research UK. For just £10, attendees were in the running to win a two-night stay in a bubble under the stars in the South of France.

Thanks to the generosity of those who attended the event, CEDIA raised £1,500 for Cancer Research UK. The charity is delighted with the amount and has shared how they will spend the money: • £1,000 can buy a set of high-tech pipettes that measure miniscule, exact amounts of liquid, making experiments incredibly accurate for quality results to accelerate breakthroughs in the lab.

• £500 can cover the cost of running the cancer chat service for 25 hours. This service helps people affected by cancer with information and support.

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CEDIA UK SIZE AND SCOPE SURVEY OPEN

CEDIA BOARD

In order to size the market and pinpoint trends

Melanie Malcolm, co-founder and co-owner of Bespoke Home Cinemas, has joined the CEDIA board. Melanie was voted in by the CEDIA board to fill the seat vacated by Giles Sutton after he joined the CEDIA staff in July.

The term that Melanie is filling will run through to January of 2020.

that will affect technology integrators, CEDIA has partnered with The Farnsworth Group for its annual Size and Scope Research Survey.

Now that the survey is underway, CEDIA is urging those who sell or install AV, security, networking, control, and associated systems in the UK to participate in the survey.

Market research firm, The Farnsworth Group has experience in the home and building industry and has worked closely with CEDIA to develop a survey that is aimed at integrators.

The results will help this audience better position their company in the smart home industry, track current market developments, and forecast relative channels.

“It’s great to re-open our annual CEDIA UK Size and Scope Survey” comments Matt Nimmons, Managing Director at CEDIA EMEA. “The questions will allow us to find out the UK market worth, the type of applications integrators are working on, which product areas are important to clients, emerging trends, and project locations, to name a few.

The information that these surveys generate is

CEDIA has announced the results from the recent election for the four open positions on the CEDIA Board of Directors. The membership has three new elected directors: Peter Aylett, Michael Cogbill, and Albert Mizrahi; and one re-elected director: Joe Whitaker.

"The CEDIA Board represents the global membership and we couldn’t be more pleased to welcome these directors to the table," said Tabatha O'Connor, CEDIA Global President and CEO. "We know each individual comes with valuable experience and perspectives that will help guide and direct the organisation moving forward.”

MELANIE MALCOLM

MICHAEL COGBILL

PETER AYLETT

ALBERT MIZRAHI

The four elected Directors' terms will begin 1st January 2019.

invaluable to us as an association and to those

JOE WHITAKER

who work in the industry, and so it is vital that integrators participate and contribute to the big picture of our industry.”

NEW MEMBERS CEDIA welcomes 168 new members across the globe this quarter, including: BELGIUM >

CIE

Cinephil Sprl

Dacombes of Wimborne

FRANCE >

EAV Group Limited

IED

The CEDIA Size and Scope Survey is anticipated to take just 30-45 minutes to complete. CEDIA members will receive a summary of the study findings, and CEDIA members will be able to access the full report free of charge. Those who qualify for and complete the survey before the 22nd November will receive a £50 Amazon egift card.

For more information and to participate in the Size and Scope Survey, please visit cedia.co.uk/size-and-scope

NIGERIA > Qisis Integrated Solutions SOUTH AFRICA > Audio Visual Gurus UNITED KINGDOM >

Fleming Electrical Services Glo Audio Visual Ltd Halo AV Ltd Infinitus Electrical Intrinsic Group Ltd

Acoustic Pixel

Mavtech

Andrews Smart Homes & Home Cinema

Mayflex

Audio Venue

Oldfield Electrical

BEMCO

Pro Media Solutions Ltd

Bircham & Sons Ltd

SmartSi Ltd

B-Tech AV Mounts

Solihull Electrical Systems Limited

MJN Technical Services Ltd

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AROUND THE WORLD MEXICO CEDIA joined forces with Chief to host the annual networking event in the World Trade Center of Mexico City. Architects, project managers, salesmen, and integrators had the opportunity to network with peers and exchange ideas. As well as providing networking opportunities, CEDIA hosted education sessions at the recent Control4 and Yamaha dealer events. These events — which saw 109 and 28 people attend — provided CEDIA with the chance to raise the profile of its education and membership benefits. CEDIA also partnered with Epson to host a successful education and certification event in Mexico City in May and August.

COLOMBIA CEDIA has offered eight training sessions in Bogota and Medellin this year through its partnership with HomeTech and welcomed over 70 professionals to these events.

CEDIA enjoyed a successful Tecnomultimedia trade show, with visitors showing interest in the Fundamentals of Residential Electronic Systems book and certification, and two companies joining CEDIA on the day. CEDIA welcomed over 40 colleagues from Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, Chile, and Mexico at a Chief-sponsored networking event. CEDIA recently hosted a training event for eight integrators, IT professionals, and project managers at Control4’s new training facility in Bogota. In early October, CEDIA instructors, Lina Maria and Diego Torres presented a session on audio technology and a class dedicated to project managers.

AUSTRALIA Thanks to a very strong CEDIA education programme, this year’s Integrate show was the most successful to date for the association. During the three-day event, CEDIA welcomed almost 120 individuals for the training, including the Rack Building and Wiring Fundamentals class, which hadn’t been held in Australia previously. The Home Cinema Design workshop ran on the day before the show started and sold out quickly, with 23 integrators attending the session. CEDIA recently attended and presented at the inaugural Control4 dealer event in Melbourne.

CEDIA was delighted to see its member, Argus Technologies win an award. Following five CEDIA Outreach Instructor (COI) training events in this region in 2018, CEDIA now has 38 newly qualified COIs on board to support its locally accredited CPD material.

ASIA CEDIA continues to work with HTT and AVStyle to offer training in China. Through three events run by both companies this year, over 250 professionals have benefitted from local training, with one more event due to run in November.

INDIA Hosted at the Lutron Training Facility in New Delhi from 31st October to 2nd November, CEDIA instructor, Peter Aylett delivered four must-attend classes during the event — all of which were available with a Hindi translation. The COI class, which is designed to provide attendees with the tools they need to engage with the design community, was hosted exclusively for CEDIA members on the first day of this event. Peter also presented the Developing Your Design Documentation class, Emerging Trends workshop, the Acoustic Treatment — The Pragmatic Way class, and the 10 Steps to Maximising Projected Image Quality session.

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I AM CEDIA ANDRÉS GARZA, INTELIGABLE Who are you?

How did you get into the industry?

My name is Andrés Garza, I’m 32 years old, and am the founder of Inteligable.

When I was a kid, I was sure I wanted to be an architect, until I was introduced to the world of technology and I then ended up studying computer science.

Following college, I worked as a software engineer in Silicon Valley, first at Yahoo! and then at Apple.

After a few years in California, I moved back to Mexico and started my own software company. It wasn’t until about two years ago that I found my true calling and went into the integration world. In a sense, I think it is the

What’s your company and where is it based?

Our company is called Inteligable, which is a blend of the Spanish words “inteligente” (smart) and “amigable” (friendly). We pride ourselves in designing smart homes that are user-friendly. We are based in Monterrey, Mexico, but serve the entire country.

“

“

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MY BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT AS A CEDIA MEMBER IS GETTING THREE CERTIFICATIONS (ESC, ESC-T, AND ESC-N) AT CEDIA EXPO THIS YEAR.

perfect blend of my passion for architecture/construction and technology.

What's your favourite project and why?

My favourite project is probably the first “big” project we had that involved a little bit of everything: lighting, distributed audio, networking, media room, security cameras, etc. This project took the longest to design, as not only did we have to research which products and solutions to use, but we also had to establish relationships with new vendors. We took a couple of shots in the dark with equipment we hadn’t used before, but in the end, everything worked out fine. Even though we barely made any money out of this project (mostly due to the little things we “forgot” to consider in our proposal), we learnt so much from it and it really helped us prepare for future projects.

Which home technology do you consider the most important today and why?

For me, home networks and the whole trend of doing everything

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over IP is the most important home technology today. Nowadays, everything is “connected,” which makes both the wired and wireless networks in the home extremely important. Designing a good home network is perhaps the most crucial part of today’s projects.

How long have you been a CEDIA member?

We joined CEDIA this year, but I regret not having joined earlier.

What do you consider your biggest achievement as a CEDIA member?

My biggest achievement as a CEDIA member is getting three certifications (ESC, ESC-T, and ESC-N) at CEDIA Expo this year.

I’m also planning on taking the test for ESC-D certification later this year. Hopefully, we will also win a CEDIA Award one day.

Which CEDIA benefits do you take advantage of the most, and why?

Mostly the training and networking, especially during CEDIA Expo. In my opinion, you are never trained enough, especially in a world where technology is constantly changing. I am looking forward to using The CEDIA Designer.

Do you regularly attend CEDIA education and make use of CEDIA resources? If so, which courses and resources?

I’ve taken most online courses and at the past CEDIA Expo, I attended as many in-person training sessions as I could. I’ve also read both the Fundamentals of Residential Electronic Systems Book and the Advanced Residential Electronic Systems Book, which helped me prepare for the certification exams. Finally, I love listening to the Tech Council Podcast on my commute to and from work.

What’s the biggest issue for home technology businesses today and how can they deal with it?

I think the biggest issue is the wave of new products that get introduced each year and the constant change. The way we deal with this is with endless research, training, and testing. While we do have brands that we love and trust, we are continually evaluating new options and technologies. Events such as CEDIA Expo are a great way to stay on top of things.

If there was one thing you could change in the industry what would it be?

Even though this is technically not a problem in our industry, one of the biggest issues we have in Mexico (at least in our city) is that no one enforces the existing electrical codes. In most cases, electrical design and installation is not done correctly. Because of this, we decided to start a new division within our business to try to handle all the electrical work ourselves.

What does the next year hold for your company?

While we started the company in 2017, it wasn’t until this year that things started to really grow.

We have a few projects already secured for the next few months and we are really excited about the growth we are projecting for 2019. It is also extremely rewarding how word-of-mouth references from our satisfied customers have started to become a significant part of our business.

If you weren’t in the home technology sector, what would you like to be doing and why?

I would no doubt be involved in the software business. I love technology and can’t see myself doing anything that isn’t related to the topic.

inteligable.com facebook.com/inteligable

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2018 THE WHOLE STORY

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Around 130 industry professionals descended on Darling Harbour in Sydney, Australia on Thursday 23rd August to learn who’d won in the Asia Pacific Awards.

Immediately after Integrate 2018, guests joined CEDIA for a cocktail reception and networking session before turning their attention to the awards as Giles Sutton, CEDIA’s Senior Vice President of Industry Engagement and Geoff Meads, CEDIA Awards judge, announced the thirteen winners for this region.

The project award categories started with Best Auto, Marine or Aircraft Installation. It was, quite literally, a big opening: The winning project was a retrofit of the world’s largest catamaran. In addition to the usual challenges presented by marine retrofits, such as working in existing (and usually incredibly tight) rack spaces and ensuring that the equipment was weathertight, the winning team had a total of 11 weeks to complete the job. It was Liquid Automation of Auckland, New Zealand who delivered this stunning project and who were the first winners of the night.

ASIA PACIFIC:

SETTING SAIL From there, Giles and Geoff turned their attention to the home cinema categories. While Electronic Living was presented their first of four awards, China-based Zene Private Theater was awarded the prize for the Level III category for a project that features an immersive, Dolby Atmos experience.

The winner of Best Multiple Dwelling Unit Design was Look & Listen who delivered a condo development aimed at retirement age demographic with an appeal to those who desired a modern, minimalist aesthetic. The builder wanted features that would set these units apart from the competition. The solution? Integrate smart home systems not found in similar developments nearby.

CEDIA’s judging panel were impressed with the winner of Best Showroom, noting that despite the project’s “tough space and budget”, Dayatech “came up with something really successful” in a showroom that’s roughly 50-square-metres in size, built for a total budget of AUD 100,000.

It was a clean sweep by Australian members for the Integrated Home categories, with Electronic Living winning their second award of the night, while Argus Technologies was successful in the two middle level categories, and AVD Australia triumphed in the hotly anticipated Level IV category.

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AMERICAS:

ON THE DIAMOND Joel Silver, winner of CEDIA’s Lifetime Achievement Award, summed up the spirit of the night: Recalling how he’d brought the concept of calibrating TVs in the home that could mirror the images the content creators had dreamt up, Joel said, “I brought my idea to CEDIA — where I met people who embraced innovation.”

That innovation was on full display on the night of Wednesday 5th September at Petco Park in San Diego, where CEDIA’s members recognised the exemplary work of their colleagues with the CEDIA Awards.

From innovative solutions such as a home thats systems go into full automation mode to help an Orthodox family honour their commitment to observing the Jewish Sabbath (the work of Florida’s All Digital, LLC) to a showroom that reflected the company’s philosophy perfectly (“We don't sell products and services; instead, we help people buy products and services.” — Hanson AV), the annual awards celebration was a showcase of integration brilliance across a broad spectrum of price points.

Hosted by tech journalist, Jenn Jolly and a rotating group of copresenters drawn from the executive committee of the CEDIA

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Board of Directors, the event was staged in the outfield of the home stadium of the San Diego Padres. The spectacle of the setting matched the excellence of the finalists, with winning projects representing a vast range of project budgets. Mexico’s Grupo Mai, winner of Best Home Cinema Level I, was singled out by CEDIA’s judges as “a really artful solution with a limited budget” — well under $50,000.

On the top end of the scale, One Touch Living’s win for Best Home Cinema Level IV was a true expression of a great client/integrator collaboration. The One Touch Living team (from San Diego) noted: “In this project, the client wanted what he experienced in our demo space, but he didn't have the room in his house. So he built an addition for the express purpose of getting what he wanted.”

Meeting those challenges pays off in more than trophies, according to One Touch Living: “This reminds us why we do all this hard work — it’s for the ultimate in client satisfaction.”

Vancouver’s La Scala marked three checks in the “Win” column with a single project, as their entry for Best Integrated Home Level II — an iconic, luxurious building with views of an urban beach — picked up the aforementioned trophy as well as the Technology Meets Design and Life Lived Best at Home awards.

The latter two awards were judged by a panel of designers and architects; the Technology Meets Design honour focussed on the aesthetically beautiful ways that technology was integrated into the residence, while the Life Lived Best at Home prize was all about the manner in which the tech complemented and improved the client’s lifestyle.

“This reminds us why we do all this hard work — it’s for the ultimate in client satisfaction.”

Big Picture Solutions (Jupiter, Florida) saw their work on a home that featured custom-lit bowling alleys bring home two wins in subcategories for Lighting and Documentation. The overall project also nabbed a Finalist mention in the Best Integrated Home Level IV division.

Admit One Home Systems (Edina, Minnesota) had a terrific showing with a single project, picking up honours for Best Home Cinema and Best Integrated Home (both in their respective Level III divisions) and the award for Best Dressed Rack for their work on the technological heart of that award-winning home.

Audio Images from Tustin, California, swept the Media Room categories, winning both Level II and III awards. Performance Media Industries, Ltd., (PMI) Anthony Grimani served as an audio consultant on both rooms, each of which required careful calibration of spaces with unusual footprints.

Mexico’s Smartlab had the most diverse showing, winning Best Auto, Marine or Aircraft Installation for a tourist train that guides its riders through beautiful copper canyons and a nod for Best Multiple Dwelling Unit Design for a seaside hotel that welcomes its guests with automated scenes.

Individual winners — including a very excited Amanda Wildman (TruMedia), recognised as Volunteer of the Year and an incredibly dapper, tuxedo-wearing Sam Woodward of Lutron (winner of the Training Volunteer of the Year award) — were met with an outpouring of support from the crowd.

It was a vibe expressed once again by the eloquent Joel: “CEDIA gave my idea a home — no, actually, CEDIA gave me a home.”

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EMEA:

CELEBRATING

UNDER THE STARS On Thursday 29th September, over 400 industry professionals gathered together to witness another spectacular awards ceremony at the world-renowned British Museum in London. Fit for industry kings and queens, the British Museum offered the perfect environment to toast technical excellence and product innovation, where the splendour of CEDIA members projects rivalled the Museum's displays.

Once the guests had finished taking selfies in front of the stunning exterior and walked up the candlelit staircase, they enjoyed a glittering drinks reception amongst symbolic objects, stylised deities, and architectural pieces in the Egyptian Sculpture Gallery.

An imposing stone bust of the great pharaoh Ramesses II presided over the room, alongside the world-famous Rosetta Stone.

Following a three-course dinner beneath the stars in the Great Court, technology expert and host of The Gadget Show (UK and US), Jason Bradbury began the awards presentation.

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GLOBAL HONOURS Once all the EMEA winners had been announced and celebrations were in full swing, it was time for Jason to announce the Global winners.

The celebrations started with two media room categories, which saw M.E.G.A AV Installations succeed alongside a collaborative affair between ConnectedWorks and Total Solutions. The attention then turned to the Multiple Dwelling Unit Design category, and to what turned out to be the start of a very successful evening for The Next Level, who went on to win five categories in total — Best Dressed Rack, Best Documentation, Life Lived Best at Home, and Technology Meets Design. Following the wins, Sam Brunsden, Director at The Next Level, commented: “I am absolutely delighted with the team's achievement this year and am proud that their hard work on this project has been recognised in our industry with some fantastic awards being won.”

“Our whole team are really proud of the work we did on our winning project.”

When the focus was put on home cinema, CEDIA celebrated winners from India, UAE, and the UK, with Sound Sense, Archimedia, Cyberhomes, and Cornflake all showing how cinema rooms should be designed and installed. Andy Mack, Co-Founder of Cyberhomes was thrilled to win the Level III category for a project that showcases how they pay close attention to detail to deliver cinema rooms with no compromises. “Our whole team are really proud of the work we did on our winning project. We listened intently to what the client wanted and delivered it. This state-of-the-art home cinema is a classic example of what Cyberhomes stands for — forensic attention to detail with a dedicated devotion to client satisfaction throughout the project.”

With attention turning to trade supplier members, 2N, AWE, and Habitech were named the winners of the Best Hardware, Best Training Course, and Best Trade Supplier categories. Jonathan Pengilley, Managing Director of Habitech said: “I’m honoured and delighted that Habitech has been recognised by CEDIA for its services to the industry,” while Stuart Tickle, Managing Director of AWE added: “Winning the CEDIA Award for Best Training Course and being recognised by a panel of industry experts is a fantastic reward for our team.”

The Integrated Home categories saw the crew at Environ pick up their first ever CEDIA Award — one of two awards on the night — for a project that was well executed and delivered in line with the client brief. SONA also reigned supreme after being recognised for a well thought out installation that featured some very interesting automation and showed great engineering and workmanship. Simon Fulstow, Design & Technical Director at SONA was thrilled to win the Level III category. “The SONA team certainly headed home to Cheshire feeling inspired.

The standard was so high across the board. We were up against some serious competition this year.”

Indian-based integrator, Sound Sense overcame multiple challenges with their winning project in the Global Home cinema category. Having won and been highly commended in four categories already, the seven staff members who had travelled all the way from Gujarat stormed to stage to accept the award.

The Global Media Room winner was US-based integrator, Audio Images. With their client wanting an “inside-out” experience, it meant that an entire wall of the winning room consisted of movable glass panels that opened up into a large courtyard, which obviously presented the integrator with several challenges.

The last award of the night was the trophy for Global Integrated Home. Two integrators worked together on this winning project that was designed and installed to an extremely high standard and included some great automation features. Intuitive Homes and Ultamation provided — as one of the judges noted — one of the best user interfaces he had ever seen.

Stephen Nevison of Intuitive Homes and Oliver Hall at Ultamation expressed that they were delighted to win the Global Integration Home Award (alongside Best Integrated Home Level II). They are both proud of what their teams have achieved on this project, explaining that the CEDIA Awards have always been a benchmark for them, setting a high bar for the hard work and attention to detail required to deliver projects at this level.

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PROJECT SHOWCASE All CEDIA Awards winners and finalists are showcased in the annual CEDIA Awards 2018 yearbook, which celebrates the creativity and talent put into each project.

The yearbook includes exclusive imagery, project synopsis, and kit lists.

The yearbook is available to download from cedia.co.uk/cedia-awards

With thanks to… HEADLINE SPONSOR

DRINKS RECEPTION SPONSOR

ASSOCIATE SPONSORS

AFTER PARTY SPONSOR

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2018 CEDIA Award Winners GLOBAL WINNERS Best Media Room Audio Images (US)

Best Home Cinema Sound Sense (India)

Best Integrated Home Intuitive Homes and Ultamation (UK)

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

CEDIA

VOLUNTEER

NEW VOLUNTEER

TRAINING VOLUNTEER

AWARD

FELLOW

OF THE YEAR

OF THE YEAR

OF THE YEAR

Joel Silver

Larry Pexton

The Imaging Science Foundation

Triad Speakers

Amanda Wildman

Lina Maria

Sam Woodward

TruMedia

Audio Concept

Lutron Electronics

AMERICAS WINNERS

EMEA WINNERS

Best Auto, Marine or Aircraft Installation: Smartlab (Mexico)

Best Home Cinema Level I: Sound Sense (India)

Best Home Cinema Level I: Grupo Mai (Mexico)

Best Home Cinema Level III: Cyberhomes (UK)

Best Home Cinema Level II: DSI Luxury Technology (USA) Best Home Cinema Level III: Admit One Home Systems (USA) Best Home Cinema Level IV: One Touch Living (USA)

Best Home Cinema Level II: Archimedia (UAE) Best Home Cinema Level IV: Cornflake (UK) Best Integrated Home Level I: TwentyTwo Integration (UK)

Best Innovative System or Solution: All Digital, LLC (USA)

Best Integrated Home Level II: Winner: Intuitive Homes and Ultamation (UK)

Best Integrated Home Level I: Advanced Technologies (USA)

Best Integrated Home Level II: Highly Commended: Homeplay (UK)

Best Integrated Home Level II: La Scala (Canada) Best Integrated Home Level III: Admit One Home Systems (USA) Best Integrated Home Level IV: The Premier Group (USA) Best Media Room Level II: Audio Images (USA) Best Media Room Level III: Audio Images (USA) Best Multiple Dwelling Unit Design: Smartlab (Mexico) Best Showroom: Hanson Audio Video (USA) Best Documentation: Big Picture Solutions (USA) Best Dressed Rack: Admit One Home Systems (USA) Best Lighting System: Big Picture Solutions (USA)

Best Integrated Home Level III: SONA (UK) Best Integrated Home Level IV: Highly Commended: Cyberhomes (UK) Best Integrated Home Level IV: Environ (UK) Best Media Room Level I: M.E.G.A. AV Installations (UK) Best Media Room Level II: ConnectedWorks and Total Solutions (UK) Best Multiple Dwelling Unit Design: The Next Level (UK) Best Showroom: Sound Sense (India) Best Showroom: Highly Commended: The Pyramid Group (UK)

Life Lived Best at Home: La Scala (Canada)

Best Lighting System: Environ (UK)

Technology Meets Design: La Scala (Canada)

Best Dressed Rack: The Next Level (UK)

APAC WINNERS

Best Dressed Rack: Highly Commended: Sound Sense (India)

Best Auto, Marine or Aircraft Installation: Liquid Automation (New Zealand) Best Home Cinema Level I: Electronic Living (Australia) Best Home Cinema Level III: Zene Private Theater (China) Best Integrated Home Level I: Electronic Living (Australia) Best Integrated Home Level II: Argus Technologies (Australia) Best Integrated Home: Level III: Argus Technologies (Australia) Best Integrated Home Level IV: AVD Australia (Australia) Best Multiple Dwelling Unit Design: Look & Listen (Australia) Best Showroom: DayaTech (Australia) Best Documentation: Argus Technologies (Australia) Best Dressed Rack: Electronic Living (Australia) Life Lived Best at Home: Electronic Living (Australia) Technology Meets Design: Liquid Automation (New Zealand)

Best Documentation: The Next Level (UK) Best Documentation: Highly Commended: Sound Sense (India) Life Lived Best at Home: The Next Level (UK) Technology Meets Design: The Next Level (UK) Best Hardware: 2N Best Training Course: AWE Best Training Course: Highly Commended: Meridian Audio Best Trade Supplier: Habitech Best Technology Feature: Chris Haslam - Grand Designs

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CEDIA’s Best New Products FO R 2 0 1 8

CEDIA’s Best New Product Awards recognise major strides in the residential experience: These are visionary solutions that demonstrate technical excellence of the highest order.

Additionally, these products showcase the collaboration between CEDIA’s manufacturer and technology integrator communities.

The finalists represent innovative product development. The judging team took a careful look at these products during the evaluation process, attended product demonstrations, and conducted their own research.

Judges considered the following criteria when determining the winners: innovation, value to the technician, value to the integrator business, and impact on the client’s lifestyle.

Here are the 2018 Award Winners.

BEST NEW PRODUCTS | HARDWARE EXCLUSIVE

2N Verso IP Intercom

EMEA WINNER

The IP Verso intercom has been designed to give customers a truly flexible choice for their door entry system.

Thanks to this intercom, users can take calls from anywhere, as it can integrate with touchscreens from popular home automation providers, smartphones, SIP phones, and softphone applications. Integrators can enjoy longer cable runs thanks to its PoE functionality and the ability to offer their customers a truly customisable solution suitable for any requirement. The Verso has a choice of 13 different modules, is available in a number of colours, and with Bluetooth and a fingerprint module. It is soon to become the first intercom with built-in 4G connectivity.

AirTV Cut the cord. Watch local TV anywhere. AirTV connects a single off-air antenna with the home network to seamlessly stream local channels in HD throughout the house, and even outside the home. AirTV lets users watch local news, sports, and entertainment channels like ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX — all for free! Combine free local channels with the Sling TV live television streaming app for the ultimate cord cutting experience.

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BEST NEW PRODUCTS | HARDWARE

Barco Residential’s Prometheus III Home Cinema Projector Barco Residential’s Prometheus III projector is based on Barco’s unique know-how as a market leader in professional cinema and post-production projection. Exclusively created for high-end home cinemas, with more contrast and a wider colour gamut. It features the latest 4K DLP® chipsets from Texas Instruments and the acclaimed Barco Alchemy Integrated Cinema Media Processor (ICMP), to faithfully reproduce even the subtlest nuance of colour and detail on screen.

Cleerline SSF-CLEERFIBER transparent fibre solution The SSF-CLEERFIBER cable provides fibre optic speed and reliability in one clear strand of cable that can disappear into any setting. SSF-CLEERFIBER provides signal distribution without penetrating walls, greatly increasing the design possibilities for interior systems. The cable can be routed and placed inconspicuously along baseboards or ceilings, up walls, or directed anywhere for easy indoor point-to-point cable placement as required for today’s system connectivity needs.

LumaStream Indirect Down Light The LumaStream Indirect Down Light (IDL6R) is an advanced low-profile 6” can-less downlight LED fixture with remote driver that delivers a wide 140⁰ beam angle. The fully-dimmable IDL6R is available in both round and square form factors. The design of the Idol reduces glare by using LEDs pointing toward the rear of the fixture, reflecting a visually comfortable light into any space.

LumaStream low-voltage LED solutions are based on more than 20 patents that make them perform better, last longer, and fit in more locations than competitive LED lighting.

MSE Audio’s Phase Technology OS-440 Creating a hub for an outdoor audio experience, the OS440 from Phase Technology is the industry’s first outdoor smart amplifier. The OS-440 is weatherproof, creating new, unprecedented levels of freedom for outdoor audio design.

With onboard Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, the OS-440 can connect to wireless networks, is compatible with Google Chromecast and Amazon Alexa, and is easily controlled with a smart device app.

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BEST NEW PRODUCTS | HARDWARE

NAD Masters M17 V2 The NAD Masters Series M17 V2 is a high-performance surround-sound AV preamp processor that brings an even higher level of dramatic impact to advanced home cinema systems. The M17 V2 supports NAD’s signature Modular Design Construction (MDC) which helps prevent obsolescence while enabling the latest technologies and features. In the M17 V2, key features made possible by MDC are UHD 4K video, DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby Atmos, Dirac Live Full Room Correction, and BluOS streaming, high-res multiroom audio.

Samsung’s The Wall Samsung’s ‘The Wall’ is the next generation of display technology, delivering a revolutionary viewing experience with pure black and colour.

Experience an extraordinary picture quality and truly epic clarity. A slim depth with a seamless, flush surface allows The Wall to be an aesthetic complement for any environment, whether it be a corporate lobby, trendy museum, or a luxury residence.

SnapAV’s Autonomic Streaming Soundbar and TuneBridge App The Autonomic Streaming soundbar gives customers a premium, high-res audio solution with the flexibility and support dealers want. Designed with ultimate source control and scalability, it fits seamlessly into any space where premium audio is desired. IP control and OvrC remote management allow dealers to easily install and manage the soundbar, while end users get complete audio control via the TuneBridge app or their existing control system.

Sony VPL-VW885ES 4K HDR Laser Home Theatre Projector Revel in stunning 4K HDR laser clarity in any home cinema. With 2,000 lumens, users will experience rich cinematic colours, smooth motion, and dazzling brightness. A highly efficient laser light source gives years of illumination and infinite dynamic contrast, and its compact size gives greater installation flexibility in any room size.

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BEST NEW PRODUCT | SOFTWARE

D-Tools’ Cloud D-Tools Cloud is a powerful, yet easy to use, webaccessible solution that streamlines the design, sale, and procurement of low voltage systems.

D-Tools Cloud provides a more efficient way for integrators to work smarter, better, and faster — to more effectively collaborate with team members — to better facilitate sales, engineering, and project management — through prescriptive workflows that provide clearer visibility and analytics that provide deeper understanding of business processes.

THE CEDIA PRODUCT HALL OF FAME An annual tradition at CEDIA Expo: Induction of several products into the CEDIA Hall of Fame.

These products have proven invaluable to the home technology industry — they’re time-tested, reliable, and above all, brilliantly designed. The 2018 Inductees are:

LaunchPort by iPort LaunchPort is the revolutionary charging and mounting system that forever changed how to use an iPad. The LaunchPort system consists of a sleeve and any number of stations.

A sleeve is a protective case that fits onto the iPad. A station is the mount and charging unit that connects to and holds a sleeve. LaunchPort powers the iPad via inductive charging. As soon as a sleeve is mounted to a station, charging begins immediately, without wires or cables.

The LaunchPort system provides the most convenient way to charge an iPad without wires and without fuss.

Place the iPad onto a station in any orientation and charging just works, every time.

Stewart Filmscreen® Director’s Choice Stewart Filmscreen's Director’s Choice is the ultimate marriage of the world’s best screen material and the most precise masking system available. Stewart’s revolutionary Binary Reciprocal Intelligent Control (BRIC), allows precision settings of all standard and custom aspect ratios to be set with ease, eliminating the need for multiple controllers, image cropping, and unsightly black bars.

The Director’s Choice is easy to tune and operate, ensuring a perfectly masked image no matter what the aspect ratio. Stewart Filmscreen Director’s Choice was the first screen with infinite masking. Director’s Choice has the ability to mask to any image size, whether the image being projected on the screen is 4:3, 16:9, 2.35:1, or anywhere in between.

TRUFIG The complete TRUFIG system installs flush with the wall, ensuring the integrity of the design space is not compromised. TRUFIG fasciae are delivered in paintable white to allow faux painted finish matching on site by a qualified tradesperson. Explore the versatility that allows users to customise each device to match any surface. TRUFIG's installation process incorporates traditional trade methods ensuring fast, error-free outcomes every time. TRUFIG has standardised a complex, customised installation process, allowing audio, video, HVAC, wiring devices, lighting controls, and automation panels to be flush mounted into many different surface materials for a completely custom look and finish.

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2018 INDIVIDUAL Awards The CEDIA Lifetime Achievement Award recognises an individual who has exhibited outstanding, creative, innovative, and visionary leadership in the growth and advancement of the residential technology industry. Nominations are submitted by industry professionals and evaluated on the basis of achievement and service within the industry.

CEDIA LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Joel Silver, The Imaging Science Foundation

CEDIA honoured this year’s recipient, Joel Silver, with a presentation at the CEDIA Awards Americas at Petco Park in San Diego on 5th September 2018.

Joel founded The Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) in 1994. ISF introduced video image quality calibration services into consumer electronics, and Joel has been a pillar of the industry ever since. His work in advancing HDTV image quality has been covered in the New York Times, the LA Times, Popular Mechanics, Wired, and numerous AV publications in the United States and abroad. He has managed research projects for the California Energy Commission documenting how video calibration produces significant energy savings.

Joel has been a consultant for the high-end video, high-end audio, telemedicine, and medical management industries, as well as for Microsoft Media Center Edition PCs and the Venture Capital and Entrepreneurship programme at the W. Averill Harriman School of Management. He is the producer of the HDTV Calibration Wizard DVD and is a coinventor of the patented Microsoft Windows Display Calibration Wizard, which is now on over 111,000,000 PCs. “Joel’s energy and thirst to acquire and share knowledge is infectious,” says Walt Zerbe, CEDIA Senior Director of Technology and Standards. “He’s been a champion for the industry and has impacted hundreds of home technology professionals and industry peers.”

Joel also gives back to the industry, frequently volunteering his time. He has served on the CEDIA Awards technical judging panel for the last few years and has been a popular instructor at CEDIA Expo. He also volunteers as the chair of the CTA and CEDIA committee on Home Theatre Video recommended practices.

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CEDIA FELLOW

VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

Larry Pexton, Triad Speakers

Amanda Wildman, TruMedia

Larry is the Founder and only CEO of Triad Speakers, Inc. The company is a founding member of CEDIA and has been manufacturing high-end custom loudspeakers since 1982. In 2017, Triad was acquired by Control4 Corporation.

Larry remains part of the Triad team, consulting on strategic issues and product development. Larry was part the CEDIA Board from 2009 – 2016. He served as Chairman for the 2014 and 2015 term and was part of the CEDIA Technology Advisory Council from 2014 – 2016. He continues to serve on the CEDIA Building Committee.

Amanda is co-owner of her own integration company in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Her abundant energy is absolutely infectious. She’s a CEDIA Outreach Instructor, a member of the business working group, and is always eager to volunteer for various roles at Expo and Business Xchange whether she’s assessing classes, assisting the instructors, or serving as a panellist.

NEW VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

TRAINING VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

Lina Maria, Audio Concept

Sam Woodward, Lutron Electronics

Lina majored in Electronic Engineering and has a Masters in Audio and Music Technology. In 2012, she became a college professor to teach courses in electronics and audio engineering. Lina has worked in the AV and automation industries since 2013. She is currently the Technical Engineer of the main distributor of home automation equipment in Colombia. Lina teaches two classes a month in Bogota and Medellin and has expanded the awareness of CEDIA throughout the design/build trades in Colombia.

Sam is currently the Customer Education Leader, Europe and Africa, at Lutron Electronics. His career includes stints as a pyrotechnics expert for everything from rock concerts to Hollywood movies. He’s contributed to numerous CEDIA podcasts, white papers, and training events. He now chairs the R10 standards group, working on standards and practices that will be woven in CEDIA courseware.

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THE

SOUND SENSE

JOURNEY Ankur Bhatt, Owner of Sound Sense, explains the ins and outs of what makes his team tick and how CEDIA has become an integral part of their journey.

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Our journey with CEDIA began in 2015, when we finally took the plunge to become a member. Over the years, it has proven to be one of our best investments.

In our initial years of business, our clients predominantly had closed mindsets, fixed budgets, and pre-designed homes, creating circumstances that often stifled our creativity and working style. With our educational advancement since becoming involved with CEDIA and other organisations such as the HAA, THX, and ISF, we have changed our offerings and methodologies altogether. We have now positioned ourselves to be involved with clients in the pre-planning stages, allowing us to work hand-in-hand with the client to customise solutions based on their requirements and budget.

Our training and ability to explain technical concepts to clients (such as speaker placement, screen size/placement, viewing angles, acoustic solutions, dedicated rack designs, HVAC requirements, noise and heat isolation, advantages of video and audio calibration, one-touch automation control through GUI programming, etc.) have aided us in gaining their understanding and trust, eventually assisting us in pushing the boundaries in their project. Additionally, through the use of VR technology, we help the client make changes to the room design in real time and have them feel like a part of the solution, hence bringing about flexibility in the design process and the budget.

In our opinion, there are multiple facets to being successful in this industry:

2016 Best Media Room (under £15,000) WINNER Best Showroom FINALIST

1. Technical understanding (blueprinting, product selection, networking, cabling, hardware integration, software programming, execution)

2017

2. Salesmanship (client requirement/ expectation analysis, sales, support, servicing)

Best Home Cinema (under £40,000) FINALIST

3. Finance (accounting, taxes, profit and loss analysis, resource budgeting)

Best Media Room (under £40,000) FINALIST

CEDIA membership has brought a marked advancement in point one and an increase in our confidence in all fields in point two.

This cannot be more clearly depicted than through the increase in our client base since 2015, the increase in client offerings, the increase in higher end clients who provide us with their 100% trust in the form of unlimited budgets on several projects, and the nominations for each of our submissions in the CEDIA Awards in 2016, 2017, and 2018.

We have also taken advantage of editorial opportunities to bring about awareness of CEDIA in the Asian region.

Best Home Cinema (under £40,000) FINALIST Best Media Room (under £40,000) FINALIST Best Showroom FINALIST

2018 Best Home Cinema (under £40,000) WINNER Best Showroom WINNER Best Home Cinema — Global WINNER Best Dressed Rack HIGHLY COMMENDED Best Documentation HIGHLY COMMENDED Best Home Cinema (under £40,000) FINALIST

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Closing in on three decades, CEDIA is a trendsetter in terms of industry standards and know-how that is truly unsurpassed. It is our great honour and privilege to be associated with the CEDIA network and attending the annual awards ceremony has become a part of our “to-do” list each year since becoming a member in 2015.

This year at the awards ceremony, our dedication to technical innovation, excellence in learning, and adherence to industry standards was acknowledged by some of the most renowned technical experts in the fields of AV consultation/ calibration as well as home automation worldwide.

DEDICATION TO EDUCATION: The impact of CEDIA in the Indian market has been slowly and steadily on the rise, the leading factor for which is the increase in awareness regarding the training course offerings. Each course is diligently pieced together and taught by some of the world’s leading technical experts. The course coverage is extensive and must be revisited from time to time and implemented in real time to truly make the most of this knowledge base.

We have been attending CEDIA courses every year since 2015 and have made it mandatory for our team to attend such courses along with us. We make the recommendations for each team member based on their ranks/technical knowledge base. We also conduct weekly training sessions internally where we revisit topics from these courses and address issues that arise during practical implementation at client sites. This helps us better explain suggestions to our clients, as complex topics can now be broken down into comprehendible bullet points. This is only due to the training from CEDIA and the consequent increase in confidence that we all feel each day while dealing with clients as well as installations.

Initially, we attended certain courses outside of India, as the courses were not available at the time. However, this is rarely the case nowadays and we are glad to be able to attend the courses locally and yet be able to avail the same expertise. Thank you to CEDIA for investing the time and effort in the Indian market to promote and push the importance of industry standards and the need for adherence to attain exceptional results.

Some of the courses we have attended are: • Advanced Home Cinema Design Package • Home Theatre Audio and Acoustics (Parts I, II and III) • Design Process and Documentation • Rack Building and Wiring Fundamentals • 4K, 8K, & HDR — What is the future of video formats • Designing Rooms for Immersive Audio • Residential Networking • Wireless Residential Networking • Wire, Wireless and Fibre — Understanding bandwidth • HDMI Fundamentals and Troubleshooting • HDBaseT Installation • Lighting Design & Control Package • Technology, Consumer Trends & Business Strategy • How to Work Profitably with Architects • Principals of project management

CEDIA membership is, in our opinion, rather exclusive, highly influential, and a doorway to an alternate universe. It offers access to the best of the best in the consumer electronics market across the world — from a network of experts and cutting-edge technological innovations to training and learning resources and a renowned platform to celebrate accomplishments and share success stories. We look forward to whatever CEDIA has in store for us all in the years to come.

soundsense.co.in @SoundSense_IN

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A

LIFESTYLE ENHANCING RENOVATION

The awe-inspiring conversion of a country cottage into a smart home, which truly augments everyday living, has been honoured by CEDIA at the 2018 EMEA CEDIA Awards. The impressive project, a joint partnership between Intuitive Homes and Ultamation, won the Best Integrated Home £120,000 - £230,000 category along with the ultimate accolade of Best Integrated Home Global Award, beating all entries from EMEA, US, and Asia Pacific.

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The client was renovating and expanding their family residence and wanted a complete building automation system, incorporating all AV, lighting, curtains/blinds, security, access, and climate to maximise the enjoyment of their home. Although they were keen to embrace technology, they were not experienced users and so wanted control to be simple and intuitive.

A Crestron CP3 processor provides the backbone to the home system; integrating all the different components while offering the programming versatility to enable the system to be tailored to the client's individual requirements. All the elements of the home are accessed through on-wall Crestron touch panels or through an iPhone or iPad app. For convenience, all have the same user interface. There are also Crestron handheld controllers in the rooms containing TVs and Lutron keypads across the residence for the lights and window treatments.

High on the agenda was a comprehensive AV system to fulfil the needs of the family and, as they frequently entertained, to complement social events. A multiroom AV system has been created using a Creston DigitalMedia system for 4K video distribution and a 14-zone Crestron Sonnex system for sound. The family's media sources can be enjoyed throughout the property, both inside and out.

For music, the integrators chose an Autonomic Mirage media server which stores and plays the owner's music collection along with online streaming services and radio

via TuneIn. The device also acts as an Apple Airplay receiver so that guests can connect their iPhone to play their own music. The house also contains three Sky Q boxes, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire; offering a good range of viewing choices.

A combination of Bowers & Wilkins and Triad speakers produce high-quality sound in all the living areas, alongside Sony Active soundbars wherever there is a TV for greater audio definition and atmosphere. In the formal lounge area, an 55" 4K Sony TV has been discreetly fitted to a lift and swivel Future Automation wall mount which, at the touch of a button, raises it from a built-in bookcase and rotates it to a pre-defined angle.

Intuitive Homes and Ultamation have implemented a custom "room linking" feature so that when the owner is entertaining, they have the ability to group specific areas into one single zone, while simultaneously being

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able to control volume and equalisation in individual zones. This means, for example, that if the guests move rooms or choose to go outside, he can add or drop areas.

Another inventive aspect of the system is a "follow me" button which enables music or video to seamlessly move between zones.

The lighting scheme, which comprises 96 circuits, along with the curtains and blinds, is integrated through a Lutron HomeWorks QS System. For simplicity of use, each room has been programmed with a single on/off button which creates a pre-defined day or night scene.

Working closely with the client, the integrators have been able to deliver a range of innovative lifestyle features.

Selected rooms have been set up with a "morning" scene whereby the blinds are raised twenty minutes before the alarm goes off and the lights gradually fade up to coincide with the alarm sounding. Conversely, a sleep timer can be initiated which gradually fades down the lights and TV or music volume over the final ten minutes before the specified time.

At night-time, all the bedrooms have a "bedtime" button which will turn everything off except for other bedrooms and their en-suites. This function is also activated by part of the integrated Texecom alarm system. Likewise, when the last person in the house leaves, they can turn everything off using a "house off" button by the two main exits, or by setting the alarm. On arrival to an empty house, a "home" button or an alarm unset command triggers a lighting pathway to the kitchen area.

At sunset, the system automatically checks the lighting status in each room and, if the lights are on, triggers an "evening" scene for that area. For energy efficiency, all the equipment and lighting in a room can be turned off if it is unoccupied for a specified period of time. Using the alarm system PIRs, each room has an agreed time allowance so, for example, a cloakroom might have 30 minutes whereas a TV room might be 3 hours.

Entry and security have also been improved with the introduction of home integration. A BPT access system has been fitted at the main gate which rings the Crestron panels to alert the occupants that there is a visitor. At this point, if audio is in use, the volume will be temporarily lowered and the video distribution system will pause and switch briefly to CCTV. The panels allow two-way communication and can be used to open or close the gate. If the panels are unanswered, the iOS devices will ring so that the family know they have a caller, even when they are not at home.

For peace of mind, the 16 CCTV streams can be viewed individually through the touch panels and Apple devices.

Furthermore, as the Texecom alarm is fully integrated, it can be operated through the GUI, to check status and set or unset, removing the need for additional alarm keypads on the walls.

The client is delighted with the outcome of the project.

Modern technology has been cleverly incorporated into his home, enhancing the family's life in numerous ways from gentle wake-up calls and creating a party atmosphere to reinforcing security. The integrators have taken full advantage of the home automation system enabling complex functions to be initiated by a single button on a touchscreen.

intuitivehomes.co.uk

@IntuitiveHomes

ultamation.com

@Ultamation

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Control without limits

Crestron Pyng OS 2: video is here Crestron Pyng® OS 2 powers setup and deployment of the renowned Crestron smart home experience like never before. Now, you can deliver complete customised automation and control of your clients’ homes, including integration of DigitalMedia™ products, displays, AVRs, set-top boxes, local sources, remotes, and more. Crestron Pyng OS 2 lets you do it all at incredible speed, and deliver an unparalleled user experience your clients will love.

The operating system of the world’s smartest homes crestron.com/pyng All brand names, product names, and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Certain trademarks, registered trademarks, and trade names may be used to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Crestron disclaims any proprietary interest in the marks and names of others. Crestron is not responsible for errors in typography or photography. ©2018 Crestron EMEA

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THE SIGNAL IN

THE NOISE A recap of the central themes of John Penney’s Keynote at CEDIA 2018 John Penny’s keynote address at CEDIA Expo 2018 included an analogy that’s most decidedly analogue: “The big shaving gear manufacturers realised long ago that the money’s not in the razor — the money’s in the blades.”

The average consumer buys a shaving handle assembly once every several years or so, but the blades — the business edge of your razor — is an item that needs replacing on the reg. Extend that idea to the dongles and sidecars and set-top boxes hanging from and surrounding your TV set, and you’ll quickly understand that all of those content delivery devices are a means to an end: They merely make it easy to rent content.

Entertainment has swung from the sales of physical media, of course, and has morphed, for the most part, into a model that’s based on subscriptions.

THE REAL SIZE OF THE AUDIENCE John, who’s Executive Vice President of Consumer Business Development and Strategic Partnerships for 20th Century Fox (which is being swallowed by Disney), has some sobering realities facing those companies that are vying for that subscription dollar: Only 42 million homes in the U.S. (that’s roughly one quarter) have a combined household income of $75,000 per year, and more than 200 million Americans have less than $500 in savings.

That means that everyone in the content-creation

biz is vying for the eyes and ears of a fraction of the people in the United States.

And it makes perfect sense that a family whose disposable income is already spoken for will likely only subscribe to a single provider — let’s use Netflix as an example — if any at all. (Cable TV is one subscription, though, that’s losing viewers — John shares a prediction that we’ll see 55 million “cord cutters” by 2022.)

SPEAKING OF NETFLIX To borrow a gimmick from Jeopardy, the question to the answer “The reason all of these traditional media companies are merging,” is “What is Netflix?”

Netflix and similar companies are software companies.

They build software that figures out what content you — yes, you, and you alone — want to see, and deliver that content to you. By creating a variety of quality content, appealing to the demos that use Netflix often, they’ve also created a terrific “gateway drug” to bring your eyes to their platform. The growth of companies like Netflix and Amazon has forced the old media companies, the ones that simply produced content and pushed it out through whatever distribution pipe was available, to merge and combine and try to create their own funnels of creation to delivery that hopefully keep consumers in their kingdoms of Jedi knights or stand-up comics or cartoon mice.

And a lot of what’s being produced is being viewed on

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To borrow a gimmick from Jeopardy, the question to the answer “The reason all of these traditional media companies are merging,” is “What is Netflix?”

2018 KEYNOTE SPEAKER JOHN PENNEY

mobile screens — John notes that the average adult spends 3.3 hours per day viewing all manner of content (long form, short form, everything from cute cat videos to social media rants to major motion pictures) on mobile devices.

SO WHERE'S THE CASH? For the content creators and delivery companies, the business model has undergone a seismic shift. The old arrangement was a one-way street: a network produced a TV show, sold it to advertisers, and the Mad Men engaged in a practice called “spray and pray:” saturate the airwaves with an ad and hope the time they’d bought landed in the middle of a hit show.

Now, with the monumental growth of the software-driven, algorithm-based media giants, advertising is about targeting and engagement — when it’s even necessary. In a model such as Netflix, ads aren’t the revenue driver, obviously — eyeballs with money who want the Netflix content are the cash cows.

So how does an integrator cash in on this knowledge?

The “paradox of choice” means that so much is available to so many people on so many boxes that the consumer can become miserable when faced the joyless task of navigating that box or this box and then actually finding the drama or documentary that they might want to see.

John envisions a geo-fenced home that recognises who’s in the room, envisions a central big screen as a kind of home-control dashboard, and envisions an integrated space with seamless updates and cross-platform communication — meaning that an integrator’s skills will be ever more in demand, especially as a kind of concierge service. A subscription unto itself.

“When complexity abounds, simplicity is what we crave,” says John.

“And those who can make simplicity from complexity will be the most successful.”

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The man behind

THE CEDIA DESIGNER

A chat with the inventor of the tool that helps integrators build — and sell — the best dedicated home cinemas

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Guy Singleton had a problem: As the owner of a small company that specialised in high-end, dedicated cinemas (designing, building, and calibrating correctly only two or three per year), he knew that part of his process was fairly inefficient.

The step that slowed Guy down the most? Creating the proper CAD drawings and renderings quickly enough to effectively share his ideas with his customers.

“Somebody said the one thing that people can't buy on eBay is you,” Guy remembers. But he felt that he wasn’t communicating his concepts, his expertise, and his years of experience in a manner that ensured he’d never leave money on the table.

“It would frustrate me sometimes when people beat me to a job,” says Guy. “So about four years ago, I decided I needed a quicker way to churn through documentation that looked professional.”

Guy then embarked on creating a software package he dubbed, “The Cinema Designer.”

TCD outputs all manner of critical documentation at the very start of a job. “TCD is really lots and lots of elements … there’s a technical element to designing cinemas, there’s a visual element to designing cinemas, and then there's monetary data and a bill of materials and the like.”

Additionally, says Guy, “I knew that it had to be standards based: It's not subjective, it's not my opinion on things. I also knew that it had to be as efficient as it was accurate.”

The result? A tool that can generate everything from two-dimensional, on-the-fly schematics to fully realised renderings of a home theatre — all while letting the space dictate an end result that’s of top quality. “An important function of TCD is really the ability to let the room decide — the room relationship to the seating area, the distance to the side walls and the back walls, respectively — it allows the room to say, ‘Hey, we've looked at the seating area, we've looked at the number of seats, the distance to the ceiling — and this is the number of speakers that you require,’ for example.”

The reviews — many of which can be found at thecediadesigner.org — have been glowing: “I was blown away. In a matter of minutes, you had virtually everything necessary to present a proposal to a client: DWG drawings, speaker and seating layout, ideal screen specifications, and even a few renders of what the room would look like. It’s an absolutely fantastic software programme.” — Eric McBride, Bowers & Wilkins “TCD is a game-changer in the way that it allows

integrators to specify a project according to industry standards within minutes.” — Arnaud Laborie, Trinnov Audio Archimedia’s Peter Aylett (an early adopter of TCD) has first-hand knowledge of the tool’s effectiveness.

“If you just say to a customer, ‘This projector's better, or this amplifier's better, or this speaker is better — what does ‘better’ mean to someone who's not technical? And the nice thing about TCD is that as you spec different products, you can see almost in real time, exactly the different levels of performance that those different products will give you.”

“It will not allow you to specify, for instance, a projector that really isn't bright enough for the size screen that you want. It will not allow you to specify some loudspeakers that simply will not deliver the required amounts of sound pressure at all the seating positions.

It will not allow you to specify an amplifier that doesn't have the headroom to drive those speakers to those sound pressure levels. It is very engineering led, and from an engineering perspective, it stops you making those mistakes, and from a sales process, it's really obvious to a client by just looking at the numbers that TCD outputs exactly what the performance benefits are when they spend more money.”

And should the dimensions of the room change at any point during the build, TCD can adjust all the corresponding data accordingly.

Guy — who notes that the average CEDIA member company has six employees — sums up the tool’s benefits: “If you're only a six-person company, you don't have the luxury of time. You've gotta do this yourself. So, the time savings will be immense, and when it comes down to it, to all our businesses, the only thing that you can never, ever buy more of is time. The time saved in what TCD is going to do for you means you can spend that time on marketing, you can spend it on communication, you can spend it on programming, you can spend it on bookkeeping, name it.

“It's free time and that's the most valuable commodity we have.”

WEBINAR DEMOS: A number of online demos of The CEDIA Designer in action are slated for the near future. Find more info and register at cedia.co.uk/cedia-events.

Now that CEDIA has acquired TCD, special pricing is a member benefit. Guy remains affiliated with The CEDIA Designer, acting as a continuing consultant and developer.

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Joel Silver and the

A conversation with the winner of CEDIA’s 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award

Science of Images

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Joel Silver is nothing if not humble when it comes to his backstory. The man who shepherded the concept of proper calibration in the home — making your TV set or your projector and screen combo look as good as possible in its environment — says simply: “I'm a hobbyist in video who decided to start a company.”

That company, the Imaging Science Foundation, “began in 1994 with the hopes of getting professional calibration practices that were common in the studios into the best of the custom installers in home theatre applications,” says Joel.

Joel worked from the premise that audio setups were subjective when it came to an end user’s impressions, but video calibrations much less so.

“Most of us might have an opinion about what a TV is supposed to look like,” says Joel. “At the Imaging Science Foundation, we have no opinions. We have facts. We have rules. We have standards.”

THE GENESIS OF ISF Joel had been writing for audio magazines on a freelance basis while holding down a day job back in the early ‘90s. When he got the notion to strike out on his own — to take the idea of providing reference-quality pictures to the public that could rival the quality of audio then available to the discerning consumer — he got a lot of pushback.

His accountant thought he was nuts, even after Joel gave the man an in-home demo. After sorting through the accountant’s confusion as to why his set “didn’t come this way” out of the box; and after explaining that televisions are set up for storage and sales in a shop, competing with dozens of other displays and lighting that can often best be described as, well, lessthan-optimum, Joel had to confront the accountant’s fundamental concern with his business model.

"This is too hard a concept,” said the accountant. “Hard to explain. Hard to write about. If you see it, you get it.

But until that point, it's rough. I think you're gonna fail.”

So, Joel set about evangelising for video calibration in the residential universe. He held a press conference and bought lunch for his old pals in the magazine biz. The stories were hard to write, it was true, but slowly, one by one, Joel made converts.

“One deal at a time, we struggled,

found the top dealers, the guys who came to the class for one simple reason, and that reason is the essence of what CEDIA represents,” says Joel.

The definition of that essence?

“Those dealers spent money with me.

They spent time with me for the simple intent of trying to do something really cool for their clients. And to this day, we go into someone's house, we do what we need to do to make it better, and the look on their faces says it all. “’Cause our job is to go someplace and leave it better than we found it.”

ISF ON THE MENU Joel travelled the world (and still does), training others, helping integrators achieve those stunning, reference-quality results. But there was another arena that would offer ISF a win: manufacturers.

“Finding the right people at the first TV set manufacturer we worked with was difficult,” Joel recalls. “The initial response from many people was, ‘You're changing our TV. We like our TV. What you are doing is wrong. What we do is right’. And rather than argue with those people, I just tried to find the engineers building the TV sets who knew what we were doing, who knew what we wanted to do, and they also wanted to make a superior product.

“Finding kindred spirits in manufacturing levels was our hardest job. Once that got done, products started getting better. Reviewers started to recognise a potential for the product by calibrating it.”

But it was a conversation with one manufacturer that really cemented ISF’s reputation as an industry leader.

Joel tells the story of a conversation he had with a particular television executive: “Your TV is even dumber than Microsoft Word,” Joel told the exec.

Joel continues: “And he goes, ‘Oh, that's not nice to say. Word is very dumb.’ And I said, ‘No, Word lets me save my work. I need to save.’ After we spend three hours calibrating your TV, I don't want to hear that the dog stepped on the remote and wiped out all our work.

“And we shook hands, put together something, and our big break happened right then.

“Our little company's logo made it onto the menu of a mainstream TV set — and one person at one manufacturer changed the lives of our company.”

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HOMEPLAY OPENS NEW EXPERIENCE CENTRE UK integration firm, Homeplay, has transformed the ground floor of its two-storey headquarters building in Sunbury-on-Thames, near London, into a fantastic, immersive demonstration space for interior designers, architects, and consumers.

The new Experience Centre opened its doors on Friday 19th October and is a testament to what can be achieved in a relatively compact area, where technology and design perfectly complement each other.

The new Homeplay Experience Centre is separated into different zones, reflecting a typical home layout and a variety of technology options that would appeal to customers on different budgets. Visitors are first shown into a family media room environment and encouraged to make themselves comfortable on an automated, specially designed Cineak sofa. Lights can be dimmed to a pre-set scene and blinds closed either using a Lutron keypad or from a tablet which accesses the Control4 system integrating all the tech in the showroom.

Once, they have found their ideal reclining and viewing position, it’s time to enjoy a great movie together. Homeplay staff are on hand to help visitors find their choice quickly and easily using a Kaleidescape system, and then the Sony TV screen complete with Triad soundbar, sub, in-wall, and in-ceiling speakers spring to life, delivering a great viewing experience and powerful 5.1 audio punch to the audience.

For those customers who want a big screen experience, there’s also a dropdown projector and screen set up in the media room that activate from recesses in the ceiling at the touch of a button.

But that’s not all this media room has to offer.

“We know that some visitors don’t like to see products on display,” comments James Ratcliffe, Homeplay’s MD. “The drop-down projector and screen tell that story to some extent, but we wanted another option to give visitors more ideas of what they can do. So, we have a secret cabinet on one side of the room that, at the touch of a button, automatically slides

back to reveal another Sony screen, that also acts as a front speaker, on a Future Automation mechanism. We’ve hidden Amina speakers within the cabinet and in the ceiling to provide completely invisible audio for the screen.”

Next stop is the bar area. Here, guests can enjoy their favourite tipple and enjoy a karaoke evening or entertainment from a Videotree mirror TV that’s concealed and integrated behind the drinks display. And, for an authentic home cinema experience, Homeplay has used more Future Automation expertise as sliding doors automatically pull back to reveal a compact Atmos cinema, designed by Homeplay using The CEDIA Designer (TCD) software.

“I’ve used TCD for some time,” explains James. “It gives us a professional design and is a great time saver. Within this relatively small, low height room, we now have a really impressive home cinema that could easily be imagined by our customers to be something they could create from an unused garage or playroom conversion.”

Technology in the cinema includes a high-performance screen courtesy of DT Screens, Anthem AV, processing equipment, more Triad speakers, and a laser projector by Epson. Visitors can take in the movie from their seats in the bar — ideal, says James, for homeowners and friends watching live sports — or have a more immersive experience from the comfort of more dedicated Cineak seating.

Attention to detail is a big part of the Experience Centre, and James has created a lobby / hallway area that shows the difference in light provided by high-quality and mainstream light fittings.

Like everything at this Experience Centre, it’s a deceptively simple, well-conceived, and cleverly executed demonstration that gets the message across.

homeplay.tv

@HomeplayLtd

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Dynaudio Custom Studio series LCR

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The Dynaudio Custom Studio series: engineered to entertain

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What is a PDK or

Programming Scope Document?

Documentation images supplied courtesy of Intuitive Homes and Ultamation

Ian Bryant ZenArray

THE COTT

• Documentation • Client communication

AGE

How can a company document and convey the operation and function of a large and complex integration system in someone’s home? That is where the PDK (Programming Design Kit) or Programming Scope Document come into play.

out be carried ing work to . It is the programm ION trol system cification of INTRODUCT Crestron con detailed spe meet this tion of a new ent gives a to faithfully alla t um inst buil doc be the This ect to system will ntioned in this e with resp tion as the thing not me at The Cottag this informa ise that any fully review nt to recogn important to tem. re, it’s importa n. Therefo delivered sys uent specificatio ilable in the and subseq ava ng, be inni not may work beg Changes document gramming nge order. prior to pro umented cha signed off be doc a st mu uire ent n will req The docum specificatio effort. nges to the development to this, cha cost to the h time and may add bot

When an integrator is conducting client interviews or is in the discovery phase with a client, they are asking lots of questions about that customer’s home life, how they use their current technology, how technology could help simplify their daily routines, what areas of their home they use the most, and many other

tem n and the sys specificatio ITERIA erience in forms to this SUCCESS CR delivered such that it con ’s understanding and exp ss” can, in be tion tne ma will rrec Ulta “co tem n re of The sys based upo the measu ropriately, noted that performs app It should be h systems. t, these delivering suc must be me subjective. eria which somewhat uss where ments or crit places, be uire req criteria, or disc nal ments cific functio satisfy those new require can work to client has spe modate any so that we Where the om set acc out to ed at the endeavour must be stat ble. We will itional costs. be achieva y incur add ma they may not this stage, though stated at this

PROGRAMMING SPECIFICATION - THE COTTAGE

ATASHEET

quipment Output 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Description Red Lounge Kitchen-1 Bedroom 2 Bedroom 3 Entertainment Room TV Room Master Bedroom Bedroom 4 Guest Bedroom (Future) TIAL CONFIDEN Morning Room E & (Future) PRIVAT

All panels will provide the following functionality:

SATELLITE 1

SATELLITE 2

(SkyQ-1))

(SkyQ-2 / Press and hold for SkyQ-3)

Apple TV Media

ITED ATION LIM (Kaleidescape – Movie Server)

MUSIC

Local Sources Blu-ray PS4

Input Settings

Live TV

(Music 2/Press and hold for Music 4)

Current Source Off

Remote Backlight

Switch Speakers (if room allows)

  

Models with Sound Bars

Room Make Model ter Bedroom Sony 43XD8305 edroom 2 Sony 43XD8305 edroom 3 Sony 43XD8305 edroom 4 Sony 43XD8305 Kitchen Panasonic TX-47AS650B tertainment Samsung PS59D6900 TV Room Sony Lounge TBC

    

Volume Mute

Video: HDMI 1, Audio: Optical 1 (from TV) Video: HDMI 3, Audio: Optical 1 (from TV) Video: None, Audio: SPDIF 1 (from Sonnex) Video: HDMI 2, Audio: Optical 1 (from TV)

  

CAMERAS

(Music 1/Press and hold for Music 3)

Volume Control

oom MRX-510 Input Profiles

Mount Sanus pull out mount Sanus flat mount or table stand Sanus pull out mount Sanus pull out mount Future Automation Future Automation PS60 Bracket Future Automation PS60 Bracket

Soundbar Sony CT-390 Sony CT-390 Sony CT-390 Sony CT-390 Sony NT5 Triad Triad

9/13

The user interface for touch screens will follow our standard framework layout.

HR-150s Each HR-150 remote will be configured to a system standard; however, rooms with local sources will have modified source selection buttons as shown in the following diagrams.

The button caps shown below may not reflect the final engraving.

ULTAM

PROGRAMMING SPECIFICATION - THE COTTAGE

Touch Screen Interfaces

Handheld Remotes

Description Sky-1 Sky-2 Sky-3 AmazonFire-1 AppleTV-1 (4th gen) CCTV-1

ut Description file DM Video Sources Local 2 Video Sources Central Audio Sources Local 3 Video Sources

5/13

USER INTERFACES

o

Input 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

I recently led a discussion panel about large integration projects, how to manage them, and the pitfalls that accompany them. The panel featured representatives from integration companies that are creating some of the largest home integration systems in the world.

We covered a lot of topics, but the conversation almost always came back to two key items:

Room selection - choose which room you wish to control.

Source selection - choose which source you wish to use in a room.

Source control for each source o SkyQ – standard remote control functions o Apple TV – standard remote control functions (voice control not supported) o Amazon Fire – basic navigation o CCTV – selection of a camera for the TV o MMS – browsing of music library, selection of streaming services, such as Net radio and Spotify (if configured with a valid account) Audio/Video breakaway – Where possible allow, video and audio to use different sources (i.e. Watch CCTV, listen to net radio) Heating controls – local control based on current room Lighting control – local control based on current room Gate control – view gate camera and open the gate Floor Plans – providing overviews of the house with simple control of volume, lighting and heating.

Room Linking – groups of rooms can be joined together (e.g. for parties) Audio controls – audio tone controls & default start-up volume for the current room Panel settings – background image selection

In-Wall/Table -Top Panels

General Source Layout and Common Functions

The TSW-1060 in-wall panels will include all of the above features.

SATELLITE 1

SATELLITE 2

(SkyQ-1))

(SkyQ-2 / Press and hold for SkyQ-3)

APPLE TV MEDIA

(Kaleidescape – Movie Server)

MUSIC

LIVE TV COMPTUER (Local games consoles)

Panel Off (backlight and buttons off)

-

(Music 1/Press and hold for Music 3)

(Music 2/Press and hold for Music 4)

Current Source Off

Remote Backlight

Home (and backlight/buttons on)

Quick Select Lighting

PROGRAMMING SPECIFICATION - THE COTT

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questions. This gives the sales and design team a starting point to suggest what technology could be implemented to help make the client happy about being in their home. Once the technology has been selected and designed, the next step that sometimes gets left out is the fine detail of how the integration system will look, feel, and operate. This system may not be fully customisable and configurable, it may not even be one of our own — it could be the client’s smart phone or tablet. But this must be discussed before the client signs the dotted line agreeing to a design that they will live with for long time.

This is why integrators should create and present a PDK or Programming Scope Document to their client. Whether the project is a milliondollar theatre or a small integrated home, every client should receive this type of document. The document will vary in size depending on the complexity of the system that it is being written for, but it should be utilised in every integration.

As an example, one might think that a small integrated home utilising a smart phone application for each of the subsystems would not need such document, but that is not correct.

Your client does not know how these applications work, look, or feel. Making sure that they understand the capabilities, limitations, and usability of these applications is necessary. Your client may see these and decide that they want to upgrade to a unified control system or they may decide that some of these products are just not giving them the level of control or ease of use they need. This is where the documentation and communication you have with them is key.

On the other end of the spectrum, the larger and more complex home integration systems with unified control systems and customisable user interfaces must also have these documents. Your company may have UI (user interface) layouts that you use for all of your jobs and that have stood the test of time for your clients, and system designs that are easy to operate and cover all bases. However, even if this is the case, it is still important to run through this with your client and document it for them. With the price tag that comes with these larger, more complex systems, also comes a client that feels very passionately about this system and how it looks and operates.

TAGE

10/13

The standard home page.

This provides a dashboard of info, such as current weather, news time and room temperature. The main menu is always expanded on this page to allow users, who may be unfamiliar with the system, to easily see what options are available.

These options vary to match what is available in the selected room.

Selecting an option from the menu on the left will expand the next menu to offer the next level of detail. In this case, the 5 audio stream sources are shown.

Selecting one of these will then switch the music on in this room and the interface will change to the music control page.

Here, the video sources of the Lounge have been selected. This also shows that Sky 1 is source currently selected for this room.

Reselecting the source will open the Sky control page below.

This page shows the Sky control page.

The “hard” buttons on the side of the panel can be used to mirror the volume “soft”

DATASHEET HR150 Configurable Buttons – Rooms with routable audio

Button 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Description Lights ON (light mode also activated by CLEAR) Lights OFF (light mode also activated by CLEAR) Sky-1 (SkyQ 4K) Sky-2/3 (SkyQ HD Toggle between 2 & 3) Apple TV Amazon Fire CCTV MMS (Toggle between 1 & 2)

HR150 Configurable Buttons – Room with non-routable audio

Button 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Description Lights ON (light mode also activated by CLEAR) Lights OFF (light mode also activated by CLEAR) Sky-1 (SkyQ 4K) Sky-2/3 (SkyQ HD Toggle between 2 & 3) Apple TV Amazon Fire CCTV

HR150 Configurable Buttons – TV Room

Button 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Description Lights ON (light mode also activated by CLEAR) Lights OFF (light mode also activated by CLEAR) Sky-1 (SkyQ 4K) Sky-2/3 (SkyQ HD Toggle between 2 & 3) Apple TV Amazon Fire CCTV PS4

So, what should be in a PDK document? Some of the more important items are: • Descriptions of each subsystem being integrated and how these systems will be operated through the control system • Descriptions of each type of user interface in the client’s home • How to operate each of the different types of user interfaces in the system - Pictures of each page of a UI and what every button does and how to navigate through it • The shapes and colours that will be used for the interfaces - Keypad engraving fonts and colours - Touch panel button shapes, sizes, and colours - Active and inactive states and text colours and fonts • Images or logos used on the user interfaces • Smart phone applications and how to operate them • Automated event descriptions and how they function

Why is a PDK document so important?

• Your client will know what to expect when you turn the system over to them • They will know exactly how to use the system and will feel that it is “their system” that they helped to create and customise • You will have a signed agreement with your client of how the system operates and what systems are going to be controlled • It will help you discover any bottlenecks in the systems or possible failure points prior to implementation • It can serve as a protection document against scope creep if your client requests additional system operations that weren’t discussed • It will serve as a user manual for your company, the client, and any possible future tenants of the space it is installed in

There are many sample documents out there that can be customised for your application. Some manufacturers have downloadable kits to use or you can create your own. Whatever direction you decide to go, just remember to document everything and keep an open line of communication with your client.

ZenArray.net

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CEDIA is returning to Integrated Systems Europe 2019 with an extensive fourday education programme that will help technology integrators and industry professionals grow their skills, discover emerging technologies, and be inspired for business growth and success.

“Whatever your level and skill-set within the industry, there will be something for everyone,” comments Thomas Darling, CEDIA’s Senior Vice President of Development and Education. “From core technical courses and business success training to the latest insights on emerging trends, our programme will cover all the bases for delegates in attendance. We’re especially excited to headline the training at ISE with a specially curated Home Cinema Design Masterclass on Monday 4th February. ISE is the perfect destination to enhance your industry knowledge, with so much great training in one place for just one week.

We encourage everyone to take advantage of the opportunity and book today.”

The full-day Home Cinema Design masterclass will feature three 90-minute sessions on video, audio, and environmental factors to consider when designing a state-of-the-art home theatre. It will equip attendees on projection, screens and calibration, immersive speaker placement and acoustic design, as well as integrated control, lighting, and décor. Led by industry experts in each particular discipline, the workshop will feature discussions, practical exercises, and demonstrations of The CEDIA Designer software.

Once again, CEDIA will bring a full catalogue of technical courses, including not-to-be-missed, hands-on workshops, deep dives into subjects

such as acoustic calibration and design, and a host of other courses helping to inform and improve integration expertise.

To successfully prepare for the future, CEDIA will present a number of exciting emerging trends courses.

From advanced display technology, to augmented and virtual reality, these courses will leave attendees well-equipped to plan for a strong future.

Visitors can also take advantage of multiple training sessions to make sure that their business is in the best shape to succeed now and in the future. CEDIA’s business-focussed courses will explore how companies can put the right processes in place and apply best practice to prosper in the years ahead.

Both CEDIA members and non-members can purchase a CEDIA All Access Training Pass which gives unlimited entry to CEDIA education sessions during the show (excluding Monday’s Home Cinema Design Masterclass.)

The All Access Training Pass is available for pre-booking at an exclusive Early Bird rate until 8th January 2019.

Alternatively, individual courses can be booked on an à la carte basis for those with more limited time.

CEDIA Talks are designed to introduce attendees to new disruptive technologies and challenge ways of thinking.

Presented by industry thought leaders, these free, 20-minute sessions are hosted on the CEDIA booth every day of the show with no need to book in advance.

New for ISE 2019, the Main Stage will host free-to-attend educational and thought leadership presentations, produced by CEDIA, ISE, AVIXA, and AV Magazine. Technology integrators who won a 2018 EMEA CEDIA Award will be partnering up with brand representatives to talk through their award-winning projects and explain how they did it. These 20-minute sessions will see the integrator explain the challenges they faced and how they overcame these to deliver a state-of-the-art, awardwinning solution.

LEARN MORE TO EARN MORE with

CEDIA Education at ISE 2019

iseurope.org/cedia-education

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Aging in Place: A Primer Aging in Place integrations offer their own sets of challenges — and opportunities.

Here’s an overview.

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Ric Johnson, owner of Right at Home Technologies, is a Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) in the state of Ohio — a certification issued by the National Association of Home Builders. Although Ric specialises in assisting Alzheimer’s and early onset dementia patients and their families, the tech he’s using has potential for broad applications in the rapidly growing “Aging in Place” market.

Ric sums up the challenges here: “Many of the patients we work with initially display symptoms of ‘night timers’ — they’re fairly symptomfree throughout the day, but as dusk and night time approach, they tend to become forgetful, think they are somewhere else (and with someone else), and display confusion, fear, and sometimes anger. Additionally, we see a rise in wandering, slips, and falls.

These common issues are a constant worry for caregivers and other family members who do not live with the individual or close by.”

As a result, says Ric, “We see increased interest in remodelling one’s home to age comfortably, and we also see adult children taking in a parent and needing the addition of a room or a suite of rooms. Then there are couples who are looking to the future and wanting to downsize into a new home so that they can age gracefully together.”

A WIRED BACKBONE PLUS THE RIGHT DEVICES “For the standard CAPs build, either a remodel or new construction, a structured wired backbone is essential,” says Ric. “While we have a lot of wireless devices and apps, they need a robust Wi-Fi network. We find that providing an enterprise-grade router and switch along with properly placed and calibrated Wireless Access Points (WAPs) allows our wireless devices to connect clearly. We use a backbone of both Category 6 cabling with runs of fibre to very specific locations such as the bathroom, bedroom, and kitchen.”

Ric and his team run wire paths in hallways, bathrooms, bedrooms, and kitchen cabinets for very specific purposes. “When we have an individual who tends to wander at night, we place pressure pads along the edge of the bed or in the bathroom. Those pads trigger

rightathometechnologies.com

programme notifications if a motion detector is tripped in the night time hours, sending an email or text message to caregivers and family members. While we provide a wireless pill minder, we also monitor the cabinet where medicines are kept with a small hard-wired door sensor. We monitor for falls and slips with an RFID bracelet and accelerometer which has multiple hard wire readers placed around the house.

“In all of our projects, we start with developing a lighting plan around the family’s lifestyle,” Ric notes. “As we age, our eyesight begins to reduce, thus the need for more lighting. LED fixtures and replacement lamps with the proper colour hue and lumens are important, as is how we control them.

We work to get the most natural lighting possible by utilising blinds and shades.”

THE COST OF CARE The cost of caring for an aging relative can be daunting. As Ric notes, “Our experience shows that nursing care runs around $7,250 per month for full service — that includes three meals, snacks, and onsite nursing.

Alzheimer’s nursing care can start at $9,300 (or more) per month at a specialised facility.”

Renovating an existing home or adding a room or suite of rooms to a home for an aging relative has benefits beyond monthly savings, says Ric. “Providing upgrades so that an Alzheimer’s patient can stay in a familiar location — and around family members — not only reduces overall cost, but also slows the progression slightly, allowing for a better quality of life.”

As Ric notes, builders on these projects need to coordinate closely with the electrical contractor and technology integrator because additional dedicated 20 amp circuits are needed for sensors and other devices.

Additionally, says Ric, “In some jurisdictions, hospital grade equipment is used and needed in the patient’s bedroom. A very secure network is required, in many cases separate from the houses internet connection to allow transfer of data between the patient portal and the attending medical staff.”

@RightatHomeTech

SAFETY AND SIMPLICITY As with an AV installation, a properly ventilated equipment rack tucked away in its own lockable closet is often a must. Other considerations: Dedicated wiring space in bathrooms (away from water and plumbing), light switches placed lower on the walls, and receptacle outlets in higher-than-usual locations to make everything easily accessible for a user with limited mobility. “Because we require pressure sensors on the floor and RFID readers embedded in wall locations near the baseboard, additional shielding is necessary to protect the wiring from trim nails and the like.” Another issue: Integrators know the proper cabling techniques to ensure that signal interference is eliminated.

But how does one overcome “technology phobia” — how does an integrator make these systems easy to use for BOTH the aging individual and their loved ones?

“First, most of the equipment we provide is hidden and works without additional touch, much like a security system — but in our case, without the arming and disarming functions,” explains Ric. “Our equipment reports activity or lack thereof. Lighting turns on and off automatically, following the natural progression of the day with additional sensors that keep lights on during times of darkness due to storms or clouds, by using photocells to override programming at those times.

“Yes, we have touchscreens and keypads, but they are normally used by caregivers for particular reasons.

Most of the ‘technology’ is already familiar to the user, such as messaging or emailing alerts, warning lights, and so on.”

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by Aditya Gupta CCIIPL

The world’s eyes have been on India since the long overdue economic reform process started in 1991 and was followed by Reforms 2.0 between 1998-2004. We are now at Reforms 3.0, which includes demonetisation and a shift to the digitisation of the Indian economy — and has ended up being the most severe in impact since it started over a year ago.

With these three stages, India witnessed several major changes. For example, we gradually moved from a maximum Income Tax rate of up to 90% a few decades ago to a maximum rate of 25% today, and most goods are off the restricted list and now allowed.

However, nothing will have the impact that “Reforms 3.0 — the Implementation of GST” will have on the country and its economy. We are on the brink of a major step for India’s future.

India’s Boldest Step Since Independence This reform has several aims: • A major change is the implementation of an even Indirect tax rate across the country. In earlier times, it could vary up to 7% between states, which led to different pricing across the country. This single tax replaces up to 17 different taxes and 23 cesses (Editor’s note: A “cess” is a tax or levy in a few countries, including India. It’s a term that’s a shortening of the word “assessment.”) Several local taxes, such as the 5% Octroi tax, specifically just for Mumbai as an example, will now be eliminated.

cciipl.com

• Classification of Goods will now be based on the International HS Code system instead of different categories, numbers, or even just descriptions, applied by various departments and states as per their understanding. The co-relation of these descriptions/categories was earlier required when moving the goods physically between states or paying different applicable taxes.

• All this simplification reduces extensive documentation — documentation that has been different from state to state. The move eliminates clearance through physical checkpoints at state borders which had the effect of making one feel as if one was operating across international borders.

The savings in money and time cannot be valued enough.

• Previously, most of these taxes

could either not be offset at all or at best, only partially offset, therefore creating a cascading effect on the final price. These pricing problems and accounting issues have both been resolved in one stroke.

Furthermore, the cost of taxes paid on operating expenses will now also be offset, bringing down an Indian business’s overall costs.

• The largest single benefit to the country will be the expected substantial increase in Direct Tax collections, as currently only 1-2% of the population falls under the Income Tax net as all sales and movement of goods is compulsorily recorded. It will also reduce the parallel economy (estimated to have been at over 30% at its peak), and the growth figures, which remained outside the calculation will be added to India’s GDP to show the correct annual numbers.

On the downside, there are still some incomplete issues which need to be addressed: • Instead of a single GST rate, there are 4 different slabs (Editor’s note: A “slab” is a range of income determining a tax rate in India) plus a couple of cesses as yet.

• Some key products / services will become more expensive to end clients.

• A major input cost like fuel has been kept out of GST and this could have been a major cost saving.

Even so, the pros far outweigh the cons and the entire organised sector looks forward to the future with great positivity and anticipation.

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INDUSTRY Q&A

WORK ANNIVERSARIES

Celebrating Successful Businesses Tell us how and when your company was established

I launched Aloud AB. It seems like yesterday that I hired my first member of staff. Today, we are a team of twenty people.

Miguel: Diva began in October 2008 in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. We started with five people, a lot of enthusiasm, and the desire to make a difference in delivering service.

Bruce: Imagine Audio Video was established in the fall of 1998 as a weekend, part-time job.

Since I was an integrator for another company, friends and family would ask me to do some work for them to hook up AV equipment. When the referral business grew to friends of friends, it became a full-time job.

Adam: We had been working for independent integrators, but they were older and didn't have the same fire to put in as many hours per week as we were willing to. With their blessing, we filed our Doing Business As (DBA) in the summer of 2008 and haven't looked back since.

Dennis: Following a visit the U.S. and seeing how private residential development was changing from home cinemas to all-encompassing integrated systems in the entire home, I saw the opportunity to start a new company in Scandinavia. With 16 years of industry experience,

10 YEARS

Carl: The company originated like most businesses, aiming to bridge a gap in the local market. I left my job at a construction company along with the company’s IT technician and we started our own IT start-up. I quickly realised the IT field was not for me, and having done some research, discovered that the local AV market was ripe and ready for new entrepreneurs in the industry, so off I went to earn my seat at the table.

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YEARS

20 YEARS

Miguel Angel MuñoZ V

Adam Salinas

Dennis Lundell

Bruce Thompson

Diva Integraciones Audiovisuales S.A. de C.V.

Capitol Technology Group

Aloud AB

Imagine Audio Video

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Carol: Tim Chugg set up the company in 1998 after spending 20 years as a manager of a laser engineering company. After designing and setting up systems for people who knew us on the side, he decided to take the plunge and do it for a living. He worked from home and this became the first Majik House experience centre.

Chris: I started DemNET in the summer of 1998. I was working at a large, nationwide electronics retailer and had customers approaching me in the store and telling me how they wanted to connect two different computers to their new fast internet connection, but they didn’t want to pay their ISP for two accounts. I would give them a router and maybe throw in a switch and would tell them that with these pieces and some cables, they would be good to go. This soon led to them asking me to install it for them.

Pretty soon, I was retrofitting houses for data, and things progressed from there.

Tony: I had always had a passion for movies, music, and of course, technology. In May of 2008, after many years of working on electronics, I decided to start my own business doing exactly what I love. Leaving a career in accounting and looking forward to a new beginning, I have never once looked back.

Keishi: I started helping out in the family highend home audio business. After graduating 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 system, and this led me to develop my own business.

Jeffrey: After working as a mechanic and a production manager at an industrial air moving equipment manufacturing and service business for over 16 years, I reached out to a local AV company and obtained a position as their project manager. I spent a few years there and then realised the best way to move forward was to create a new company of my own. By 2008, I established Artistic Sound & Cinema, Inc. Richard: Clever Association was established in 2003 and we have offices in Harrogate and

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London. After working in the industry with CEDIA and AMX on their marketing materials and strategies, I seized an opportunity to create an elite custom installation company in the North of England. We recruit carefully and now have a team of twelve, made up of project managers, system designers, AV engineers, electricians, and lighting design specialists.

Nick: I was outsourcing/ subcontracting my services, but wasn’t satisfied with the company’s workmanship (which I outsourced too) and decided to take it on myself. CEDIA was a major factor in my success to date as it gave me hope as to where I wanted to take my company and that it was possible to elevate and reach the level to which I aspired.

Listening to other industry professionals and looking at the CEDIA Awards, I realised that it was possible to grow our industry and bring a high level of workmanship, skill, and design to the South African market.

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After attending my first CEDIA training in South Africa with Rich Green, I was inspired and then had the determination to start my journey on the path to become a market leader.

Steve: The late 1980s saw London caught in a post bigbang boom and I opened The Cornflake Shop with Chris Adair.

Property prices were rising and city workers, young musicians, actors, and entrepreneurs were spending money on their homes.

In the early 90s, when the economy was under pressure, the custom installation business was still thriving, so I struck out on my own, and SMC was born.

Marvin: Simon Perks and I had a keen interest in Hi-Fi and technology, and this led to us getting into the AV industry in 1998 and never looking back.

In the summer of 2008, while Simon was away on holiday, an opportunity sprung that I couldn’t ignore. Having an AV business of our own had always been a bit of a dream, and this was the ticket. By the time

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10

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Carl Willis

Carol Burrow

Chris Demeniuk

Tony Calero

SIAV

Majik House

DemNET

Arracal

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Simon had returned, MDfx was born.

Mark: In 1998, after working in the industry for 10 years, I thought I could offer a better service and do a better job as my own boss. At his point, Modern System Concept, Inc. started out of my garage with myself and one other person.

Raj: ECS Services Pty Ltd was established in September 1998. The primary objective of the company was to be a premium security solutions service provider in the domestic, commercial, and within the government market in Australia.

I have developed a culture and reputation as a high-level integrator of complex and sophisticated solutions. Our business model and culture of “relentless customer service” is what separates ECS from our competitors, as we continue to set new heights for service quality right across the industry.

Guy: I am an electrical engineer by trade but have always been interested in home cinema and home technology. Thanks to my love of

10 YEARS

the Star Wars saga, from trying to recapture that cinematic experience and from my father’s advice about specialising, I joined the home integration industry. We were initially called Audio Visual Services, but I changed the name in 2001 to Imagine This and we joined CEDIA. Aaron: In March of 2008, Spencer Hauldren and I were co-managing a Hi-Fi shop in Coral Gables, Florida. As the business grew, we realised there was not a single company equipped to handle the quickly evolving technology. After a search of other area companies, we decided it was time to start a business based on a mission to create a more holistic model of providing automation as a service. We started Acoustic Architects that year. Since then, we’ve built a reputation for preventing problems, as well as solving intricate issues before they happen. No matter where the trouble is, we can take care of it for the client.

Robert: After working on high-end projects in Vancouver for two years,

10 YEARS

I felt it was time to return to my hometown and go all in on my dream of being an entrepreneur. I went to school for business and had two years of high-end experience, but I was still very green. The first year was scary. I had a new mortgage and an inconstant amount of work! If we did not have a job booked, I would walk through luxury neighbourhoods with door hangers, eight hours a day, until we got work.

Jay and Alain: Now doing business as WR Integration, we formed Wire Right Audio, Video, and Electric, Inc. after learning our long-time employer, Tweeter, decided to close its doors.

Originally starting with five partners, it is now the two of us, but it may be time to get some help.

Karen: The company was established in June 2008, following an interesting discussion with Tim, my husband, and business partner. We both liked our gadgets and this, combined with our experience in the building and electrical industry, inspired us to explore the potential of a smart home

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YEARS

YEARS

Keishi Matsuzaki

Jeffrey M. Siegel

Richard Jones

Aaron Flint

GLANCE Co.,Ltd

Artistic Sound & Cinema, Inc.

Clever Association

Acoustic Architects

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“

control company in the South West of England. I set up the company with a view to do all the marketing and sales. It was slow going initially, but then the hard work paid off and we started to work on some very exciting projects.

The best feeling has to be hiring and retaining quality employees who like coming to work.

What has been the company's greatest achievement during this time?

Adam: The best feeling has to be hiring and retaining quality employees who like coming to work. We constantly strive to keep an open communication platform with our employees, which allows us to build an irreplaceable trust with them.

We need them to like where they work and what they do for a living.

Bruce: The biggest achievement for my company has been keeping it running for 20 years. We weathered the economic downturn that started in late 2008. By 2009, our revenue was cut in half

YEARS

Marvin: There have been several achievements in the way that we’ve used technology.

For example, before door entry through a touch panel was a thing, we made it a thing. We cobbled together audio switches, microphones, and speakers to make it all happen over 15 years ago. We created two home cinema setups in tree houses in a client’s garden, with steps that lit up as you walked up them.

But the biggest achievement has been creating our team who have been working hard together for up to 20 years.

Everyone gets along together, they’re easily approachable, and always receive praise from clients about how friendly and professional they are.

Richard: We’ve had the privilege of being a part of many prestigious projects around the world, working alongside some very talented design professionals. As one of the world’s most exclusive addresses, we are very proud to have worked on several apartments within the One Hyde Park development in Knightsbridge, London. We entered a couple of projects in for some awards last year and were lucky enough to pick up some great accolades. The award for Best Lutron Project worldwide was quite a scoop for us. To then top that off with Best Cinema, for an incredible no-compromise system in the North East of England and Best Special Project, for a vast

Dennis: Key to the company’s success has been a combination of thoughtful recruitment and to a degree, good fortune. I have been lucky to find the right people and as the team has expanded, we have created a scalable model. In the climate of two economic recessions, we invested in two showrooms and always invested and prioritised evolution, know-how, and quality which has given us a good reputation amongst partners and clients.

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equestrian stables in the CEDIA awards, meant it was a great year for us.

and we let half the staff go.

It was the most difficult time we went through. We are a luxury business, and it showed.

Realising that we are primarily a customer service industry that happens to sell electronics, we managed to survive. Because we responded to our clients’ needs, in turn, they provided a strong referral network that kept us going through the lean years.

20 YEARS

Jay and Alain: I think our biggest achievement to date has been keeping our customers. It’s not easy to make an impression nowadays and then have people keep calling you back as technology advances. With the big box stores throwing ads and deals

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10

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YEARS

Guy Singleton

Raj Masson

Mark C. Popkowski

Marvin Dudziec

Imagine This

ECS Services Pty Ltd

Modern System Concepts, Inc.

MDfx

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networks were not an important infrastructure in home. Now, it’s critical.

Jeffrey: Artistic Sound & Cinema has evolved from initially being an AV company to providing related technologies, like networks, surveillance, lighting control, home automation, and more.

What is somewhat less common is that we often assist our clients with interior design.

For instance, we might advise clients on space planning, lighting, custom cabinetry and millwork, flooring, etc., and bring in other contractors for these disciplines. Our goal is to bridge the gap between art and technology in our designs. This is why “Artistic” was always in our company name. We don’t want to just install electronics; we want to improve the way people live in and enjoy their home. and sales in everyone’s face all day long, it can be difficult to create value in what we do. We are also pleased with having built a reputation as a company that listens to its clients, designs systems around their individual goals, and consistently delivers the job on time and on budget.

How has your company changed since it was established?

Carol: We have reshaped and reinvented ourselves over and again — the size of our company means we can quickly adapt and be flexible in an industry that changes almost daily.

This is no bureaucracy to hold us back. The products, of course, have changed immeasurably, and less is more in terms of what the client sees when your project for them is complete.

Tony: We started with just my best friend and partner as co-owners doing everything, and today, we have five additional full time employees. We went from being focussed on the customer to focussing on our employees first.

This has led to greater employee involvement, employee enjoyment, and as a result, better customer service. We are all part of a team trying to solve problems for our clients, and that makes our work much more meaningful.

Keishi: I think when I established the company,

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Steve: It has grown, obviously, and carries out work in a number of categories — including security and lighting — that we didn’t before.

Robin Courtenay and David Smith joined in 2003 with their own expertise, and we’ve learnt a huge amount from all the people we’ve had with us over the years, and our suppliers and customers too. Probably the greatest change has been the shift from “stuff” to “service,” especially as atoms have been replaced by bits. This has enabled the growth of our 24/7 aftercare business which now turns over around £2m each year.

Raj: Like many start-up organisations, all aspects of the daily operations from sales, procurement, and administration to estimating, technical support, and installation were handled by the founder in his garage. Since these humble beginnings, ECS Services has grown considerably with our headquarters located in Castle Hill. We have strategically positioned satellite offices in Queensland, Victoria, India, and Indonesia.

Operating from each of these sites enables us to cover the entire Eastern Seaboard of Australia.

ECS currently employs over 68 staff who support core business systems within our organisation.

Guy: The industry has evolved from being very much a niche activity and is becoming far more mainstream. We have seen technologies come and go but the thing that amazes and excites me the most is the way that people are embracing their home technology now. It’s not just for

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10

YEARS

10

YEARS

YEARS

Nick Caripis

Steve Moore

Robert May

Jay Dibley

BNC Technology

SMC

Sounds Good AVS Solutions Inc.

WR Integration

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geeks; people from all walks of life are seeing how technology can add to their enjoyment of their homes and lifestyles. We have evolved to adapt to the ever-changing horizon of new technology and products, but we have also made a conscious effort to become particularly distinguished for our home cinema and lighting expertise.

How has CEDIA membership helped you over the years?

Miguel: It has been of great help to expand our knowledge and continue learning through training, have contact in forums, and know the different points of view to solve problems in project management, administration, and so on.

Carl: We are relatively new to CEDIA — we joined in January 2018. Up until this time, we kept our eye on CEDIA and what it was doing within the local industry. It was at last year’s ISE that I witnessed what CEDIA training and education meant to other integrators.

That persuaded me to get in touch with CEDIA. At this year’s ISE, I gained invaluable knowledge through CEDIA training and by connecting with other members. CEDIA exposure has certainly played a role in our own growth this year.

Chris: Our entire staff places a high value on is education. CEDIA does a great job getting ahead of the big trends and facilitating discussion or providing talks, classes, and webinars.

They also offer baseline education programmes for new hires and provide standards and documentation resources for us old hires. We put significant emphasis on doing things the right way, and for many things, CEDIA provides guidance on what the

20 YEARS

right way is. CEDIA communicates changes at the legislative level to us and provides our input to legislators.

CEDIA is great at representing all of us to lawmakers and works to ensure our voices are heard. We’ve found that if you actively engage with what CEDIA offers, you will get much more than your dues’ worth in return.

Nick: CEDIA is the only reason we are where we are today. I follow and buy into the CEDIA philosophy wholeheartedly. The knowledge base,

“

I can say, without a doubt, I made two good decisions that year at CEDIA. The first was becoming a member, and the second was buying D-Tools for my sales and estimating software.

I truly believe that because of these two tools, my company has been able to very successful today.

Aaron: CEDIA gives us exposure to new products, services, features, ideas, and collaboration with other industry leaders. The annual conference is something we look

The industry has evolved from being very much a niche activity and is becoming far more mainstream.

motivation, inspiration, and guidance from the community is invaluable, and the Business Xchange was the most powerful experience for me. Sharing ideas and inspiration is what has helped my business the most. All my staff are certified, and this ensures we give the client excellent “value” with a professional service and experience.

Mark: My first experience with CEDIA was at the beginning of Modern’s existence. A CEDIA event was being held in Dallas, so I drove from Houston and slept in my car because I only had enough money for one night at the hotel. After my first day at the show, I went to the hotel and while I was there, I overheard a gentleman having a problem getting a room.

After being told there were no more rooms, I offered him the extra bed in my room. This was my first experience of “networking” at CEDIA.

forward to. The training programme is really important for us. All of our employees are required to go through CEDIA ESC certification, which supplies them with the information they need to succeed. It also holds us all accountable because that infrastructure is there.

Robert: As a business owner, you can sometimes feel like an island of one. CEDIA provides many opportunities to meet and speak with like-minded people. It allows us to share our collective knowledge for the betterment of the industry. We have almost every CEDIA publication printed and on hand at our showroom. It is amazing to reference these and have a standard to follow.

Karen: It’s essential to have a wellrecognised industry body that provides standards for work, ensuring consumer confidence. A number of our clients have chosen us because we are CEDIA members. CEDIA also provides great training and resources for companies in the industry.

20 YEARS

Alain Pfanner

Karen Chugg

WR Integration

Intelligent Abodes

To read the article in full, visit cedia.net/insights/cedia-blog

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TRAINING & EVENTS CALENDAR November 12

13

Design Documentation

CEDIA Tech Forum Wetherby Wetherby Race Course

CEDIA, St Neots

13

13-14

15-16

19-23

Sub Systems Design & Integration

CONNECTIONS Europe

Home Cinema Design Workshop

Technical School

CEDIA, St Neots

Marriott, Amsterdam

Pulse Cinemas, Stansted

CEDIA, St Neots

26

27

28

29

Customer Relations and Needs Analysis

Principles of Project Management

Introduction to The CEDIA Designer

RIBA Roadshow

CEDIA, St Neots

CEDIA, St Neots

Webinar, online

Dec 3

10-12

19

25-1/1

Outreach Instructor Course

Networking School

Introduction to The CEDIA Designer

EMEA Office Closure

CEDIA, St Neots

CEDIA, St Neots

Webinar, online

CEDIA, St Neots

etc venues, London

January 14-18

21-25

23

Boot Camp

Technical School

Introduction to The CEDIA Designer

CEDIA, St Neots

CEDIA, St Neots

Webinar, online

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29

30-31

COI

Introduction to CAD

Home Cinema Design Workshop

CEDIA, St Neots

CEDIA, St Neots

Pulse Cinemas, Stansted

Book training at www.cediaeducation.com/courses

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WHAT MAKES A GREAT SPEAKER? We asked Andrew Jones…

Andrew Jones may be one of the more Ed Wenck storied names in Content Marketing speaker design Manager, CEDIA when it comes to engineering speakers for discerning ears in the residential market.

Andrew’s latest stop — in a career that has seen stints at KEF, Infinity, Pioneer, and Pioneer’s TAD — was at ELAC, where he rolled out the Navis series of active, powered speakers with wireless capabilities.

(You may have heard of these products referred to as “Argo” speakers while they were still in development.)

Andrew joined CEDIA’s Ed Wenck and Walt Zerbe for an hour-long podcast recently in which he described his preferences and philosophies: He’s partial to concentric drivers

and he’s got a pretty unique approach to speaker enclosures, too. (You can find the podcast on cedia.net [Episode 81] or iTunes and other platforms [as Episode 1840] released on 5th October 2018.)

Andrew spoke to Ed and Walt at length about what he pulled off at Pioneer — namely, creating a quality speaker at an entry-level price point and convincing an iconic Japanese company to allow the “Andrew Jones” moniker to be affixed to one of its products. The bet paid off handsomely, says Andrew: “We did, over the course of three or four years, more than $50 million in business on those speakers.” It’s an even more impressive feat considering that Andrew was the man behind the TAD Reference One design — an audiophile speaker sold in pairs for nearly $80,000 a set.

This portion of the conversation, though, gets to the heart of what makes Andrew really tick:

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“

Fortunately, what I like seems to be popular in the marketplace.

Ed: But for Andrew Jones — for Andrew Jones’ subjective ears — what is the most important quality of a speaker? Is it frequency response?

Is it the imaging of it? Is it the sound stage? What is it, in your mind, that makes an excellent audiophile listening experience?

Andrew: First of all, I try and get a balance of all the properties because [there are some] speakers that concentrate on only one aspect because that's the passion of the designer. And the designer says, "Well, I don't care about the other parts." Most people do care about the other parts, so you're severely limiting your market with that approach.

And I will say that whenever I design something. I'm not specifically targeting a “market” in that sense and changing the sound balance because I think, “This market would like that sound balance.” And I'm the only one responsible for deciding what it's going to sound like. Nobody else contributes to that process.

Fortunately, what I like seems to be popular in the marketplace.

But one of the things I do look for is vocal reproduction. I want a presence — not a presence like, "Oh if you elevate this frequency range you get presence," if you're doing a recording.

I’m speaking about almost a physical presence of that singer being there in front of you, singing for you.

Now, I want good performance for cymbals; all the treble stuff. I want a good bass foundation, a mid-bass so that the voices aren't thinned out — because as soon as you thin them out, you lose that realism.

But I want that sense — and this is

one of the things that the concentric drivers always seems to do for you — you get this presence in the room almost. And it doesn't matter if you set your concentric systems crossing over just in front of you, you can move forward or backward and the singer always seems a consistent distance in front of you — as though they're just there for you. That's the magical thing that I look for.

And you know when you've got it, even if you don't know how you got it there.

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marvel

MINIMALIST

Portugal-based integrator, Life Emotions has been awarded a 2018 Basalte Award for a residential property that is situated on the Atlantic Ocean.

Designed by one of the best architects in Portugal, Frederico Valsassina, this home shows how technology and design can blend seamlessly together.

The owner of this property, which is located near one of the best golf courses of Portugal, has a favourite motto — less is more. When Life Emotions was contracted, it became clear that the technology installation had to follow this directive.

A key requirement for this property, which is mainly used at the weekends, was for the system to be easy to use.

The client also requested that the complex climate control system (which includes three independent systems) must work together, that the thermostats should be removed from the walls, and that the large glass windows that face the ocean be electrically controlled via Basalte. Life Emotions has provided an elegant solution that blends with the aesthetics of the white concrete walls and replaces the usual wall acne that distracts from the interior design.

The project interweaves discreet technology with the home’s modern, minimalist styling, delivering distributed audio, 4K video, outdoor audio system, HVAC control, lighting and shading, security and CCTV, as well as a robust Wi-Fi signal throughout the residence. Remote system monitoring and the ability to securely view CCTV were carefully introduced into the project.

A range of Basalte switches and sensors — Sentido, Deseo, Auro — and their Eve iPad mount allow the homeowner to control these various functions around the property.

Thanks to a "farewell" setting, the client can leave the house after hitting one button to put the air conditioning system on standby, to turn the lights off, close the blackout blinds, check if any doors are open, and switch

life-emotions.pt

off all audio and video equipment.

Life Emotions met the client’s brief, delivering an easy-touse system that provides comfort, safety, and tranquillity.

The project boasts great usability, beautiful design, and high-quality finishes, all achieved via Basalte switches.

“Achieving harmony between technology and architecture was the client’s main request when it came to this project,” commented Joel Reis, Founder of Life Emotions. “It was a challenge to accomplish all the tech requirements without compromising on the aesthetic, but the final result is amazing.”

Life Emotions was delighted that this project was successful in the 2018 Basalte Awards. These awards recognise the world's best Basalte projects and stand out for their strong integration and exceptional design.

Alongside Life Emotions, fellow CEDIA members, Sagar Smart Homes and FD Tech were also announced as winners.

basalte.be

@BasalteBE

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% last 5 the

“The toughest part of a job?

Sometimes it’s the last 5%.” - ANON The awards are a challenge — in a good way — and it motivates us to deliver better projects every time. I think it is a healthy competition and it allows us to improve and be inspired by other member’s projects.

To me, the most important technology is probably not one thing or one brand, it is the integrator’s ability to provide a seamless, easy-to-use system for their clients.

Joel Reis, Life Emotions (Portugal), on the annual CEDIA Awards

Stuart Robertson, Sound Living (Australia)

WISDOM FROM OUR MEMBERS (And Some Others, Too)

As CEDIA members, one of our key roles is to provide our clients with both the benefit of our technical experience as well as creative input.

Nic Black, The Pyramid Group (UK)

The years that I spent in a music studio help me understand how audio should sound in a domestic environment or in a home cinema. Also, having built several studios in the past, I am able to handle the acoustic design, and I can tell you, there is more to acoustic design than hanging a few acoustic panels.

Zak Vracevic, M.E.G.A., AV Installations (UK), on his pro-sound background

We often don’t charge properly for the value of what we do and what we know.

Kris Hogg (UK) on “The Evolution of the Integrator,” a CEDIA Tech Council Podcast (No. 1833, Episode 71)

To me, the most important technology is probably not one thing or one brand, it is the integrator’s ability to provide a seamless, easy-to-use system for their clients.

Stuart Robertson, Sound Living (Australia)

Whether you decide to build a traditional cinema, a themed parlour, or a space-age galaxy, have fun.

I’m also known as the guy who takes normal, mundane, ordinary tasks of life and looks for ways to innovate, improve, and ultimately automate them.

Mark Withers, Cornflake (UK)

Hemant Daya, DayaTech Automation, Australia), on loving what you do

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