ISSUE 22 | SPRING 2012
COMMUNICATES Yo u r i n d u s t r y, y o u r v o i c e … n e w s f r o m t h e C u s t o m E l e c t r o n i c D e s i g n & I n s t a l l a t i o n A s s o c i a t i o n
FRESH OPPORTUNITIES
EMERGING FOR CI A new CEDIA white paper has identified that CEDIA members must diversify if they are to take advantage of new opportunities created by technology advances and market.
SAYS NEW REPORT The “Electronic Systems Contractor (ESC) of 2016” document is a project initiated by the CEDIA Technology Advisory Group to provide an expert insight into the CI market over the next four years. Key findings in the report include: • Networking and IP will be pervasive in most products with mobile devices predicted to be the primary interface for electronics in a customer’s home. • An increase in product sophistication and power combined with reducing pricepoints will expand the market significantly for the CEDIA dealer in 2016. • By 2016 products hitting the market will be four times faster and consume only 25% of the power compared to those manufactured today. • CEDIA members will face growing customer demand for a one-stop shop contractor capable of handling all electrical and electronic work on their home. • Distributed audio will continue to be a significant part of systems integration in the home, with the opportunity emerging for dealers to discuss, design
and sell better quality systems to their customers. The likely market expansion, predicted in this new CEDIA white paper, is supported by a recent report produced by the highly respected Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), “Investigating the Future of Housebuilding”. This report points to a rise in “ever more sophisticated, varied and high-tech homes” and a growth in demand for the services of CEDIA members and other professionals as “less able homeowners will not be able to conduct their own house repairs, renovations and domestic odd jobs.” A copy of the ‘ESC of 2016’ white paper is available for download at the CEDIA website, www.cediaeduction.com/resources. As part of the member renewals 2012 process, CEDIA has conducted a survey amongst members throughout Region 1. Responses have revealed that the biggest growth area over the past 12 months for members has been in Distributed Video and Home Networking closely followed by Home Cinema. CEDIA members have also seen a significant rise in Service and Maintenance… CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 >>>
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SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED
IMPROVE YOUR IMAGE
EXHIBITING IN 2012
60 SECONDS
Awards night sold out!
NEW ISF Course
CEDIA on the road
with Krystian Zajac
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AWARD FEVER Following a record number of entries for this year’s scheme, CEDIA has announced the 2012 Awards shortlist for the project categories representing the best media room, home cinema, integrated home and superyacht technology installations from across Region 1.
PLATINUM SPONSORS
The project shortlist for 2012 CEDIA Awards, by category, is as follows: BEST MEDIA ROOM UNDER £15,000 (18,000 EUROS) Ashway Smart Homes, Man Cave (England) Olive Audio Visual, Fulham Media Room (England) Olive Audio Visual, Hampstead Media Room (England) Bespoke Home Cinemas, The Wife is Right! (England)
GOLD SPONSORS
BEST MEDIA ROOM OVER £15,000 (18,000 EUROS) Grahams HiFi, Aces High (England) Grahams HiFi, The Director’s Cut (England) Imagine This (UK) Ltd, Shakespeare & Super Bowl! (England) Smart Business SL, All in One (Spain) Dark Side of the Room, Convent Castle (France) SILVER SPONSORS
The winners will be revealed at an exclusive Gala Dinner for 250 industry guests which takes place in the Great Hall at Hampton Court Palace, London on Friday 20th April.
“The CEDIA Awards scheme recognises the “best of the best” in residential custom installation projects across the UK, Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Africa, India and Pakistan,” says Executive Director, Wendy Griffiths. “With more entries than ever before and an excellent quality benchmark, this year’s competition is, undoubtedly, the toughest yet.” “It’s clear to us that more and more members are seeing the benefits of participating in the Awards scheme. As a free to enter competition, it provides a unique opportunity for companies to take a close look at their work and measure their projects against those of their peers before an independent panel of judges. Members also appreciate the substantial marketing benefits of the CEDIA Awards. Winning projects enjoy substantial profile in CEDIA’s own promotional activities to architects, interior designers, property developer developers and consumers. They also benefits from free editorial coverage in the media. In the past twelve months, winning projects have featured extensively in national newspapers and consumer home interest magazines, including The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, Evening Standard, Real Homes, Grand Designs, Essential Kitchen Bathroom and Bedroom and Country Homes & Interiors. ”
BEST HOME CINEMA UNDER £40,000 (48,000 EUROS) FAB AV, The Pool House (England) Cinema Architects, Sandile Msibi – Home Cinema (South Africa) Sensory International, The Tron Room (England) The Big Picture, Newick House – Family Snug (England) BEST HOME CINEMA £40,000-£100,000 (48-120,000 EUROS) Dawsons Group, Meridian Cinema (England) Finite Solutions, The Speed Home Cinema (England) HFX Systems, House Strydom (South Africa) SMC, Butlers (England) Intuitive Homes, Distinctive and Discreet Cinema (England) BEST HOME CINEMA OVER £100,000 (120,000 EUROS) Nirvana Distribution, Abul Seoud Home Theatre (Egypt) Finite Solutions, Rubis (England) SmartComm, Futuristic Home Cinema (England) BEST INTEGRATED HOME UNDER £30,000 (36,000 EUROS) Henri, Loft Samain (France) T&T Automation, We Are a Mews’d (England) BEST INTEGRATED HOME £30,000-£100,000 (36-120,000 EUROS) Grahams HiFi, Hales Mead (England) Intuitive Homes, Cheshire Family Home (England) Perfect Integration, The Great Barn (England) BEST INTEGRATED HOME £100,000-£250,000 (120-290,000 EUROS) Grahams HiFi, The Regency (England) Finite Solutions, Smart Farm (England) It’s Done! Technology, Buried Treasure (England) De Opera Domotica, Luxury Family Home (Netherlands) BEST INTEGRATED HOME OVER £250,000 (290,000 EUROS) SmartComm, North London Splendour (England) SMC, Villa Al-Bahar (Kuwait) SMC, Spiral House (England) T&T Automation, A Success in Belgravia (England) BEST MULTIPLE SCHEME FOR A PROPERTY DEVELOPER
For those unable to attend the Gala Dinner, you can find out the winners as they are revealed on the night by following the Awards on twitter at #CEDIAAwards. CEDIA also extends its thanks and appreciation for the support given by the sponsors of the 2012 scheme. Platinum sponsors are AWE, Loewe and Panasonic; Gold sponsors are AMX, Crestron and Kaleidescape; and Silver sponsors for this year’s scheme are CP Sport, Integrated Systems Europe, Rako and Wildwood Public Relations.
SMC, Grosvenor Crescent (England) Intuitive Homes, Aterberry Road (England) BEST DRESSED RACK It’s Done! Technology, Pimp My Rack (England) BEST INNOVATIVE SOLUTION – RESIDENTIAL Grahams HiFi, Aces High Media Wall (England) Nirvana Distribution, Abul Seoud Home Theatre (Egypt) BEST MARINE INSTALLATION Dawsons Group, MY Never Say Never (England)
LD SO T OU
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IT’S NO OPTICAL ILLUSION! CEDIA has unveiled dates for its new Fibre Optic Technology Workshop which will introduce custom installers to fibre optics and look at applications, termination and connection skills and practices for the residential CI market. Presented by John Higgins from the Cisco Academy at the CEDIA Training Centre in St. Neots, near Cambridge, the one-day course will run on 11th April and 11th September 2012. It will cover a range of topics and practical sessions including types of fibre-optic cable and connectors, splicing vs. termination, field polishing and use of the Panduit OptiCam.
“Fibre optic is becoming more and more important in custom installation projects,” says Matt Dodd, CEDIA’s Education Chair. ”As the demand for greater bandwidth increases, so the shift from copper to fibre optic becomes inevitable for effective data transmission,
especially on larger projects. But fibre optic technology requires installers to learn a new set of design and installation skills. Taking this course will equip installers with the expertise and insight they need.” An early bird discount of 5% is available if booked 14 days or more before the course starts and costs include all day time meals and refreshments. The course is available to members at the cost of £169.86 (incl. VAT).
To book your place on the course, or for further information please visit www.cediaeducation.com
FRESH OPPORTUNITIES
EMERGING FOR CI <<< CONTINUED FROM FRONT
…opportunities. Members are handling on average 20 projects per year with more than half of that work taking place in new-build developments. CEDIA will shortly be undertaking industry research within the UK, the largest market sector within the Region, the findings of which will be announced to the membership in October 2012. Meanwhile, a recent future-looking survey ‘2021 Vision of the Electrical Contracting Industry’ by two UK bodies representing electrical contractors, the
ECA (Electrical Contractors Association) and the NICEIC (National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting) has revealed: • 94% of electrical contractors surveyed saw “intelligent buildings with in integrated control systems” an opportunity. • 92% are looking to obtain new skills for installation and maintenance of new technologies. • 12.9% saw an anticipated change to the electrical industry due to the increase in intelligent building systems, controls and smart technology.
• 9.1% saw integrated new technologies as the main opportunity for their business with renewable energy sitting at 19.8%. This ECA/NICEIC Vision 2021 report can be downloaded here: www.eca.co.uk/ _assets/files/2021-Vision-PDF(1).pdf Other recently released news impacting the CI sector include an announcement by the UK Government that it will make the internet 100 times faster with a new £7.2 million fibre optic investment into a ground-breaking ‘Photonics Hyper Highway’ project.
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IMPROVE YOUR IMAGE CEDIA has announced an exciting new partnership with the Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) to offer a course which will provide an excellent perspective on delivering professional services for accurate and dependable electronic imaging. The course is suitable for home theatre enthusiasts, HDTV manufacturing product managers, gaming creators and broadcast executives, as well as AV dealers, installers and distributors. Hosted at the Panasonic Experience Centre, Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, the three-day course will run from 17th – 19th April 2012. On day one the course will cover a wide range of curriculum including 3D mathematical imaging and an introduction to colour management as well as basic video processing and HD and SD encoding. On day 2 & 3, students will move on to ISF Level 2 which will provide a more
hands-on approaach to ISF software guided solutions for advanced calibration. It also looks at system parameters including: EEDID/HDMI verification, 3D colour management and system building diagnosis. Instructing the course is Joel Silver, president and founder of the ISF. Joel is an industry veteran famous for his co-invention of the patented Microsoft Media Centre Calibration Wizard, which is now in over 111,000,000 PCs. Joel frequently writes articles for leading titles and also consults for leading organisations such as CNN, Epson, Bose, the BBC and many more.
Since 1994, the Imaging Science Foundation has been dedicated to improving the quality of electronic imaging and has trained over 5500 video professionals to be ISF certified calibrators which have gone on to become the definable top service providers in their markets. The course is available to members at the cost of £1,320 (inc. VAT). Costs include all day time meals and refreshments. CEDIA recently hosted a one hour webinar for those wanting more information on the ISF training course. If you missed the webinar and would like to listen again, please visit www.cediaeducation.com/resources
AN ARCHITECTURAL FOCUS WITH CEDIA As part of its outreach programme, CEDIA is hosting a focus group comprised of Architects, CEDIA members and a relevant trade industry body member to grasp a better understanding of the needs of Design Professionals. The focus group will be held at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) on the 26 April 2012. We are looking for Architects to volunteer - if you know of someone who would be interested please contact Suzanne Collin (suzanne@cedia.co.uk)
Some of the points up for discussion in the group would be as follows: 1. When do you approach an electronic systems professional? (From the start of a project?) 2. How do you find a CEDIA member or a reputable company to install home automation? 3. Level, understanding and knowledge? 4. Are there any potential fact sheets that we can provide to help to better understand our industry? 5. Relevance of industry trade publications? 6. Are there any barriers that you come up against?
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CEDIA ‘SHOWS’ SUPPORT CEDIA is sponsoring the Home Entertainment and Technology area at the National Homebuilding & Renovating Show (29 March – 1 April 2012, NEC, Birmingham) and will offer an arena for visitors to meet members, find out more about the Association and learn about the integrated home. “We are really excited about leading and sponsoring this area“, says Wendy Griffiths, CEDIA’s Executive Director, “The home entertainment and technology industry is progressing at a rapid pace and we believe it is important for CEDIA to utilise these platforms to tell consumers about the benefits of integrating technology in their homes and how important it is to work with a professional who can translate their technology requirements to produce a system to enhance their living environment." Additionally, CEDIA will be hosting The Automated Home at Grand Designs Live (5 – 13 May 2012, London ExCel). The Automated Home feature will showcase the best in new and innovative products, controls and systems that will educate visitors in the best ways to save money in their day-to-day tasks at home and de-mystify the world of home automation. As part of the feature CEDIA will have an Ask the Experts area for consumers to speak to CEDIA members for advice. We will also be exhibiting on 10th April trade day at The Gadget Show Live (11 – 15 April, NEC Birmingham). To further our requirement to raise CEDIA's profile and build relationships with architects and specifiers CEDIA is a partner in 100% Design. We are currently negotiating offers for members and ways of enhancing the technology offering at the show.
Meet the members CEDIA will have a stand at each exhibition where visitors will have the opportunity to meet members. To give a more interactive experience on the stand we have purchased Innea software; this shows a virtual smarthome solution. Visitors will get the chance to try operating the system (through an iPad linked up to a plasma screen) and experience how a smart home works.
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60 seconds with…
Krystian Zajac Who are you?
What’s your favourite project and why?
Krystian Zajac, Managing Director of It’s Done! Technology.
There are actually a few that I really like. One of them has just been shortlisted for CEDIA Awards this year. It is a very unique 7-storey house - with three floors completely underground. We are very proud of it as we have shown how all the sophisticated technology in the house (including not just AV and lighting but also HVAC, Entryphone, Intercom, IT and security) can be neatly integrated and presented to the end-client in a very simple, user-friendly way.
What’s your company and where is it based? It’s Done! Technology is a team of highly qualified and experienced, maybe sometimes even a little ‘geeky’, engineers, programmers and project managers specialising in custom integration for high-end residential and commercial clients. We are based in North-West London but we also have a branch in Warsaw, Poland.
How did you get into the industry? My company first started in 2002 as an IT support business. Initially working from my dining room (literally) I would offer my services to residential customers. The business grew slowly but surely and a couple of years later we moved to our first proper offices - by that time serving mainly SMBs. In 2007 a friend of mine, who runs a construction company, encouraged me to look into custom AV sector as he kept being let-down by his then AV installer. I gave it a try and quickly realised that the new venture was giving me much more satisfaction than standard IT services we were offering at the time.
What’s your favourite film? Well, I don’t have just one. I do like quite a few, including Sixth Sense, Shawshank Redemption, The Pursuit of Happyness and some others that either inspire you or force you to re-analyse them after watching.
What’s your favourite album? Hmmm... even though I like listening to music I do not have a favourite album or song. I listen to various genres - rock, pop, R&B but also classical and jazz.
Other projects that I really like are our international projects - unfortunately due to the nature of them I cannot disclose any specific information about them. Suffice to say that one will use technology so advanced that it could be a great set for Bond or Mission Impossible movies. The other one is in the States (where we work with our local US partner) located on a beautiful island. Working on those projects is a substantial challenge due to their location and time differences but at the same time it is a great learning curve for us and we are pleasantly surprised with their progress to date.
Which custom installation technology do you consider the most important today and why? IT is definitely the most important technology in all custom integration projects. Ethernet network in particular has now become a backbone to all other systems, therefore, it is crucial to implement it right. Both wireless and wired networks have to be very robust and reliable.
How long have you been a CEDIA member? We have been a member for just about a year.
What do your consider your biggest achievement as a CEDIA member? Definitely the fact that we have been shortlisted for CEDIA Awards 2012 in two categories. Additionally, I am very happy to have completed the CPD course which allowed us to start presenting the RIBAapproved CPD presentation to the architects we have been working with over the years strengthening our relationship with them even further.
What does it mean for you to win a CEDIA Award? Well - we haven’t won anything, yet. But the fact that two of our entries have been shortlisted for the Awards means a lot to us. I am sure it will make us want to try even harder in the years to come.
What’s the biggest issue for custom installation businesses today and how can they deal with it ? Based on my personal experience, I believe that the biggest issue is finding the right staff. There seems to be a shortage of qualified, experienced and reliable people out there and you need the best team around you if the business is to succeed. Regrettably I cannot advise on how to overcome this issue as I am still searching for a good solution myself.
If there was one thing you could change in the industry what would it be? If we are talking about the Custom Integration or ‘AV industry’ as a whole I would have to say that what is needed is more technology standardisation and some sort of industry-wide methodology encompassing not only techniques of deploying the technology but also business-specific processes and procedures. Something akin to ITIL in the IT industry or PRINCE2 in Project Management. But hey - if we had that our industry wouldn’t be so custom anymore. Would it?
If you weren’t in the custom installation sector, what would you like to be doing and why? Difficult question - I am in this sector because I like it. I have always been a strong believer in doing only the things that get you excited and give you work satisfaction, and I wouldn’t change it. Having said that, if I really had to choose a different career it would probably have something to do with Internet-based marketing. I used to do quite a bit of SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) with very good results and thinking out marketing strategies has always been very exciting to me.
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AN APP-TASTIC FUTURE? Biggest ever ISE As Co-Owners of ISE (Integrated Systems Europe), CEDIA delivered an impressively successful education programme in Amsterdam with over three times the number of delegates attending the courses on offer. In total, CEDIA offered 14 courses, doubling the number of sessions given at ISE 2011. The programme includes seven brand new courses including, ‘Choosing and Using Control Systems’, ‘Embracing the Cloud’, ‘The Art of Project Documentation’, ‘Practical Media Delivery over IP Technologies’, ‘Developing Profitable Business Processes’, ‘Delivering 3D’ and ‘Introduction to HVAC systems’. All courses in the programme were led by expert presenters from within the industry. This year’s exhibition was the biggest yet and broke all records. There was a total registered attendance of 40,869 over the three show days, this represents an increase of 17% on the 2011 figure. An additional hall will be used in 2013 and with many companies having enlarged their stands, ISE 2013 is set to be even bigger!
With the total number of connected devices set to triple over the next decade to 24 billion, and the number of mobile connected devices set to surpass 12 billion in 2020, mobile apps are set to grow and impact significantly upon the CI world in the years ahead. Apps are now available for a whole range of control functions within the integrated home as any visitor to the recent ISE show will testify.
to a richer environment for interacting with household technology without necessitating pages and pages of options”.
“As an ongoing trend, my feeling is that app-enabling will dominate shows for the foreseeable future both as a means of control, but also as a platform for both media delivery and communications” says Peter Aylett of Home Technology Associates. “In a few years time, if a product line does not have a well-designed app to interface to it, I'm convinced that increasingly tech-savvy consumers will not accept it as a solution”.
Whilst accepting that users are familiar with downloading, installing and configuring apps already and that the growth in apps brings many positives, Geoff Meads from Presto AV points out that there are downsides.
“As enablers of simple customer interaction with technology, apps can be vital. However, they are not omnipresent,” says an industry professional. ”Getting a really good result from custom app development is as problematic as getting a really good result from web-development. It takes clear vision, a great software team and good design. “If the Android platform was graphically as capable as the iOS platform it would be helpful because apps could be presented with more homogeneity,” adds Will. “Also, if higher res displays, like iPad 3, were common, it would lead
“Apps are expensive to develop and maintain, and the bench-mark for app design is already high making entry for new suppliers difficult. Customers associate little or no financial value in an app as most are free or as good as free, thus financial return on the investment is very difficult for app developers to realise. Another concern is that apps are platform specific so they require develop-ment and maintenance on a ‘per platform’ basis.” For the installer, though Geoff is convinced the app bring significant advantages. “Simple, industry specific, calculation and measurement apps allow engineers and designers to dump other more bulky and / or costly hardware. Well written, easy to use manufacturer written apps can also reduce the control programming overhead for installers.”
How do you think apps are affecting your CI business, and will change it in the future? CEDIA is seeking to develop education content to reflect the changing face of CI. Be part of that discussion and email anna@cedia.co.uk today.
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CEDIA | EVENTS DIARY
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Get Connected CEDIA has confirmed more dates for its successful ‘Connect with CEDIA’ events this year. These events are free to attend for new, prospective and existing members to discuss industry issues, meet Board and office staff and find out how CEDIA membership can add value to their business. 2012 calendar:
26 April BIRMINGHAM
21 June NEWCASTLE
17 May BRISTOL
19 July EDINBURGH
24 May ANTWERP
23 August MANCHESTER
31 May MADRID
21 September LONDON
14 June PARIS
25 October DUBLIN
If you would like to attend any of these events please visit www.cediaeducation.com/events
New members joining CEDIA include: Creative Personnel
UK
Affiliate
Jobs AV
UK
Affiliate
South Africa
ESP
Home Technology Associates
UK
Professional Services
Power Ethernet Ltd.
UK
Professional Services
Triax UK Ltd
UK
Manufacturer
Egypt
ESP
Audio Visual Facilities
UK
ESP Provisional
Intuitive Homes
UK
ESP
Perfect Integration
UK
ESP
UK
Manufacturer
Nirvana Distribution
Vogel’s CAVE Products
India
Distributor
Kripa Electronics (India)
India
Distributor
CleerVu
UK
ESP
Padinal
Iran
ESP
France
Distributor
India
Distributor
Pilote Films Prince AV Concepts Groupe SPAT
France
Affiliate
Soundset
Spain
ESP
Yograj Services
India
ESP
UK
Distributor
India
ESP
CPC Boom Audio
The National Home Building and Renovating Show Birmingham, NEC – 29 March to 1 April www.national.homebuildingshow.co.uk RIBA Roadshow Manchester – 29 March www.cedia.co.uk Fibre Optic Technology Workshop CEDIA HQ, St Neots – 11 April www.cediaeducation.com Gadget Show Live NEC, Birmingham - 11 – 15 April www.gadgetshowlive.net Imaging Science Foundation Pinewood Studios, 17 – 19 April www.cediaeducation.com Smart Home Technology CPD Event London – 17 April www.cedia.co.uk CEDIA Region 1 Awards Ceremony Hampton Court Palace – 20 April www.cedia.co.uk/awards CEDIA Certified Outreach Instructor CEDIA HQ, St Neots - 24 April www.cediaeducation.com Health and Safety Course CEDIA HQ, St Neots – 25 April www.cediaeducation.com Smart Home Technology CPD Event Pinewood Studios - 25 April www.cedia.co.uk
Welcome to CEDIA!
Thomas Rogoff Audio
Smart Home Technology CPD Event Pinewood Studios – 28 March www.cedia.co.uk
Raid Systems
UK
ESP
RCS Pro AV Ltd
UK
ESP Provisional
Philharmonic Audio Visual
UK
ESP
Diamond Technology
UK
Professional Services
CEDIA Technician Bootcamp CEDIA HQ, St Neots – 25 to 27 April www.cediaeducation.com Smart Home Technology CPD Event Cobham – 27 April www.cedia.co.uk Technicial School & EST Exam CEDIA HQ, St Neots - 30 April to 4 May www.cediaeducation.com Grand Designs Live ExCeL, London - 5 to 13 May www.granddesignslive.com CEDIA Expo Australia Brisbane - 9 to 11 May www.cediaexpo.com.au CEDIA Certified Presenter CEDIA HQ, St Neots - 15 May www.cediaeducation.com Smart Home Technology CPD Event Cobham, Surrey – 25 May www.cedia.co.uk
CONTACT: Anna Skoyles, Senior Marketing Officer, CEDIA Region 1, Unit 2, Phoenix Park, St Neots, Cambs, PE19 8EP, UK T: +44 (0)1480 213744 F: +44 (0)1480 213469 E: anna@cedia.co.uk W: www.cedia.co.uk