Residential Tech Today -- Vol 4 Issue 4

Supervising

the Sound

Andrew DeCristofaro

The Path from Audiophile to Oscar-Nominated Sound Editor

+

Direct View LED Systems Are No Longer Rare

Shining a Light on

DMF’s Newest Fixtures

What’s New in the Lower-Priced 4K Apple TVs

Draper’s Renewed Residential Focus

Sound + Style for Any TV

Leon offers the most options to add high-performance sound to any TV without compromising design. Explore all of our TV audio solutions at www.leonspeakers.com/tv

FrameBar ultra-thin soundbar in Beige for Samsung’s The Frame TV

Installation by Sounds Good / Oakville, ON

From the Editor

There’s a certain kind of lingo used by the folks running the CEDIA trade association that does not always align with the vocabulary that most of us use in our day-to-day conversations. While words like “education and training” and “marketing and communication” are straightforward, other terms like “advocacy” and “workforce development” may be less familiar. But, as I interviewed CEDIA CEO Daryl Friedman at the end of 2022, I recognized the significance of those terms and the trade association’s initiatives connected to them.

When Friedman was researching the CEO role that he accepted at year ago at CEDIA, he was impressed by his future employer but felt that the organization was not doing a great job of trumpeting their initiatives and achievements. Specifically, he noted, while CEDIA’s education offerings seemed to be robust, they were not always widely promoted. He also noted that “workforce development” was a key priority, but that many people were unaware of it and that although the association’s standards and certifications initiatives were impressive, they were not adopted widely enough. Same thing with the government affairs department’s “advocacy” work.

When it comes to workforce development, one of CEDIA’s goals is to train the next generation of potential employees for integration companies or at least make them aware of the industry. In one of its more inspired 2023initiatives, CEDIA is offering a toolkit and video to help connect integrators with their local colleges and technical schools and promo smart home tech integration as a career. This new grassroots program could help short-handed integrators by developing more informed and enthusiastic applicants for intern, apprentice, or entry-level roles.

CEDIA is also developing a new “student affiliation” to will give them access to information usually only available to professional CEDIA members and adding a career fair component for students attending its worldwide Tech Summits.

When it comes to advocacy, CEDIA’s government affairs efforts are designed to support members and ensure that their abilities to own and operate their businesses are not impeded. Their mission is to influence public policy to protect CEDIA members, the electronics industry, and consumers. The association achieves this mission by developing, monitoring, and disseminating information regarding legislative and regulatory issues; developing and implementing public policy strategies; and driving participation at a grassroots level.

These initiatives are critical to the future of the smart home tech integration business, but they only succeed if everyone gives a little bit back to the industry. For workforce development to succeed, you need to connect with your local school and offer to visit as a guest speaker/ educator. For advocacy to be truly successful, you need to visit your city hall or state house and show your representatives the potential impact of the legislation that they are creating.

CEDIA membership is more valuable than many people realize. But like most things in life, you only get out of it what you put into it.

This new grassroots program could help short-handed integrators by developing more informed and enthusiastic applicants for intern, apprentice, or entrylevel roles.

Executive Editor Jeremy Glowacki

Automated. Educated. Integrated.

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With inspiring innovator profiles, exclusive interviews, new product spotlights, and expert career and educational training, Residential Tech Today is your essential resource for smart home integration.

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PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Charles Warner cwarner@goipw.com

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Shane Brisson shane@goipw.com

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Jeremy Glowacki jglowacki@goipw.com

MANAGING EDITORS Patricia Miller

Aron Vaughan

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Michael Heiss

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jay Basen

Ian Bryant

Henry Clifford

Michael Heiss

Walter Joseph

Anthony Leo

Chad Russell

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Ashley Manning

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Mary Roche

V.P. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Steven Higgins

SALES & PRODUCTION MANAGER Surge Ali

VIDEO/PODCAST PRODUCER Alan Tuszynski

SENIOR DIRECTOR, DEVELOPMENT David Marble

DISTRIBUTION CMG

PRINTING Publication Printers

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

Melissa Andresko, Carol Campbell, Sam Cavitt, Clint Childress, Terry Coffey, Ashley Collazo, Sarah Cox, Veronica Esbona, Michael Farino, Josh Gershman, Maureen Jensen, Kimberly Lancaster, Brittany Loeffler, Caleigh McDaniel, Lucette Nicoll, Elizabeth Parks, Jess Passananti, Ron Pence, Richard Pugnier, Peter Schuyler, Penny Sitler, Micah Sheveloff, Laura Shubel, Payton St. Lawrence, Cat Toomey, Rosimely Ulpino, Steven Wright-Mark

This publication is dedicated to the dreamers, the innovators, the collaborators, and the doers – who can’t be bothered by those saying it can’t be done. Nicholas and Aria, the future is yours!

Discover effortless listening

Sonos makes it easy to elevate your clients’ entertainment where and how they want, with a wireless sound system that’s simple to set up, customize, and control.

38 Andrew DeCristofaro

Oscar-nominated movie sound designer describes his creative process and high expectations for experiencing his work on the big screen.

Cover Photo: Marc Vanocur

Departments

26 Innovator Spotlight

How Dennis Lister turned DEL Motorized Solutions into Lutron’s number-one automated window shades dealers in the world.

28 Issue Focus: Audio

Spatial and Sonance collaborate on Space Kit turnkey immersive soundscapes.

30 Issue Focus: Power

To safeguard the modern smart home, it’s important to start conversations about power quality and power management early in the design process.

32

Lighting Design

DMF unveils its iX Series small aperture lighting fixtures, DID M Series square housings, and tunable white light modules.

35

Window Shades

Draper offers insights into the company’s renewed focus on the residential motorized shades market.

42 Streaming

Michael Heiss explores what is new and removed from the new, lower-priced Apple TV 4K models.

44 Video

Direct View LED systems are expensive and larger, but they are no longer an oddity in homes.

47 Review

Vanco’s PulseAudio collaboration video bar replicates in-person meetings.

48 Control

Jay Basen explores alternative user interfaces for controlling a smart home.

51 Review

Jeremy Glowacki gets a first-hand experience with the DreameBot D10 Plus auto-empty robot vacuum and mop.

Contributors

Ian Bryant is a professional technologist focused on residential and commercial technology integration, emerging trends (wellness, power and energy, AI and machine learning, lighting, kitchen and bath, IoT, and connected appliances). He is the former senior strategic director of partnerships for CEDIA and currently holds a senior project manager role at Premiere SAV in Jackson, WY. On p. 18, Bryant writes about the power and energy discussions that were on the minds of many attendee’s at CEDIA Expo 2022 in Dallas.

SurgeX Director of Global Sales Chad Russell has worked within the custom installation space since his college years and began mastering his direct-to-consumer craft in the booming Scottsdale market in the early 2000s. Throughout his nearly three-decade career, Russell has served as regional sales manager for both Kaleidescape and Crestron Electronics, the territory sales manager for VUDU, vice president of sales for ICE Cable Systems, and most recently, the director of sales for Josh.ai. On p. 30, he advises custom integrators to evaluate their power management portfolios and to upgrade their offerings to prioritize power quality.

Michael Heiss is a former product and marketing executive at Harman International, who was responsible for many breakthrough audio and video products. He also was a promotion manager at NBC and was key to the development of hotel in-room movies and created the first nationwide movie rental service for Beta and VHS cassettes. Heiss served two terms on the CEDIA Board and led their Technology Council. He is also a CEDIA Fellow, recipient of CEDIA’s Lifetime Achievement Award, a member of the TV Academy, the Society of Broadcast Engineers, and is a Life Member of both IEEE and SMPTE. On p. 42, Heiss explains the new features of the third-generation AppleTV 4K, and on p. 44, he reports on Direct View LED Systems.

Jay Basen is retired from his 40-year career in professional software development, but he still keeps his tech skills sharp with special projects and product reviews. During his career, the Silver Certified Crestron programmer specialized in the design, development, and installation of automation, building management, and energy management systems for residential and commercial buildings. On p. 48, he writes about alternative user interface options for controlling a smart home.

Henry Clifford founded Richmond, VA-based Livewire in 2001 to meet the growing demand for technologically integrated homes and businesses. In January 2018, he co-founded Parasol, a remote service support company, and has served on the CEDIA Board of Directors. His most recent venture was the launch of IntegrateU, a professional on-boarding service for the custom integration industry. On p. 47, he reviews the PulseAudio Collaboration Video Bar from Vanco.

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A look at the metrics shaping the technology market — and our lives

by theNUMBeRS

Distributed energy resources, such as wind, solar, and storage, are growth opportunities when considering power management options for the smart home. Added to those technologies are smart thermostats, battery backups, surge suppressors, and remote power management devices, all of which can provide incremental cost savings, operational benefits, and peace of mind to homeowners. Combined, these tools enable consumers to better manage the power into and throughout their home. Here’s what the numbers say about the current state and future of power management in the home.

Smart Thermostat Market

Source: Parks Associates

Source: researchandmarkets.com

of broadband households made energy-saving renovations or added major energy devices to their households in 2021, which is an all-time high

Almost one-third of consumers plan to buy a smart light bulb (32%), smart plug (30%), and/or a smart thermostat (29%) in the next six months.

Percentage of households that purchased a smart thermostat in the past 12 months are first-time owners and the majority say they saved at least as much money as expected.

Source: Parks Associates

On average, a residential solar system costs $10,878–$21,756 in the U.S.

About 2.8% of the electricity generated in the U.S. is powered by solar energy.

Solar accounted for 13.5% of electricity generated by renewable sources in 2021. Americans installed enough solar panels in 2022 to power 22 million homes.

Source: ecowatch.com

The residential sector accounts for about 21% of total U.S. energy consumption.

Homes built since 2000 consumed the same amount of energy as one built in the 1960s, while being 27% larger on average.

Source: rpsc.energy.gov

COMPREHENSIVE DETECTION AND REPORTING capabilities for intrusion, medical emergencies, water leaks, high/low temperatures, and more.

SECURE CONNECTIVITY AND COMMUNICATIONS with multi-level authentication and superior encryption.

INTELLIGENT CONTROL AND AUTOMATION including lights, thermostats, integrated locks, overhead doors, fans, pumps, irrigation, water valves, and more.

QUICK BITS

WE ASK INDUSTRY INSIDERS ONE QUESTION

As a professional integrator, what value proposition do you present to clients when it comes to including power management technology in their smart home systems? If your power grid or the power in your home has issues, it can lead to a lot of problems with the reliability and function of a system. Power management is essential, whether it is IP controlled power solutions that provide us remote access to assist clients with troubleshooting issues or more robust systems that allow for battery backup of key systems within the home, stable power solutions ensure equipment functions optimally, and minimizes the risks from storms and power fluctuations.

— Tony Fabrick, Xtend Technologies, Broadview Heights, OH

Solid power management is the foundation of every system we deploy. It increases reliability, performance, and customer experience. Every Spire project includes, at a minimum, a battery backup, surge suppression, and remote power management. We will not deploy a system without those technologies. — Navot Shorish, Spire Integrated Systems, Troy, MI

We suggest power management technologies and solutions for a variety of reasons: stabilizing incoming power, notifications for power alerts (over-under voltage), and for some brands, dynamic load shedding during power generation.  It provides more control, the ability to manage what is monitored, plus a better life expectancy for equipment with a better experience for the homeowner.

— Jamie Briesemeister, Integration Controls, St. Louis, MO

Power management solutions built into our project designs provides a piece of mind to the client that their equipment is protected from power spikes and allows us/them quicker remote response/reboots without scheduling a truck roll to their home. As needed, we also will add uninterruptible power supplies to systems that need to back up network equipment, processors, and hard drives. — Patrick

Hartman, Technology Design Associates, Carson City, NV

While a lot of clients and builders assume the electrician is the person that will answer all their power questions, that’s just simply not true. They provide power. That’s it. A home integration specialist, on the other hand, understands the technology going in a home and has a road map for clean, regulated power and in the absence of power, provides the necessary contingencies to mitigate downtime for a few items or the entire home.

Power for us is a foundational component. We think of it the same as we would the need for a solid network. Protected, stable, clean, and smart power are vital! We do this using online UPS devices with transformers, branch surge suppression, and IP outlets. They simply make your system perform better, function better, and last longer. It’s really not an option on systems that we install. It’s a foundation.

— Lance Anderson, Admit One Home Systems, Edina, MN

Lamar Gibson, Miestro, Memphis, TN

—

Power management, including a customer-facing application, is critical to a positive client experience with today’s technology. Every homeowner knows that electronics need to be rebooted regularly, so putting this power in their hand — with back-end tracking — produces a better client experience. Furthermore, clients rarely know what piece of gear does what, so giving them an application that allows them to easily reboot a system is critical to client happiness and project success.

— Eric Crawford, The Loop, Boise, ID

We are big believers in WattBox from Snap One and use them in nearly all installations where we are providing the networking hardware or automation controllers. Explaining that the system can “self-heal” by automatically rebooting the modem, router, and PoE switches if it loses connection to the internet, often resolving an issue before the client is even aware of it, is something that doesn’t require a lot of convincing.

— John Sciacca, Custom Theater and Audio, Murrells Inlet, SC

There are clients that are energy conscious, clients that are looking for an economic benefit, and clients that need energy resiliency. Once their concerns are identified, a combination of energy monitoring, energy management, or load control and energy storage can put the control over a client’s home energy needs into their own hands and reduce their dependence on their utility company. —

Matt Daigler, Harrison Home Systems, Golden, CO

Reducing Install Pain Points

Snap One Improves Smart Home Integration with New Remote Control, Linear Lighting, Outdoor Audio/ Lighting, and Access Points

By Anthony Leo

When developing new products, Snap One looks for meaningful ways to help its smart home integration partners grow their businesses, increase customer satisfaction, and reduce installation complexity. Within that framework, the company has added several new solutions across the control, audio, surveillance, and networking categories, including a new Control4 remote control, linear lighting, outdoor audio/lighting, and access points, that are meant to solve installation pain points through tech innovations.

Snap One has debuted its highly anticipated new line of Control4 hand-held interfaces, the Halo Family of Remotes. The Halo line was designed using feedback from Snap One Partners and includes new features and upgraded technologies while expanding on the sleek aesthetic introduced with the coveted Neeo Remote.

The two new models — Halo and Halo Touch — include enhanced features like a color screen, new graphical interface, dual-band Wi-Fi support, backlit buttons, and push-to-talk voice control. The Halo model includes a 2.8-inch screen that is navigable with hard buttons and provides full access to connected devices, while the Halo Touch model offers a premium brushed-aluminum chassis and makes every function available through an intuitive 3.2-inch customizable touchscreen.

Vibrant Linear Lighting, a new line of Control4 lighting, enables Snap One Partners to deliver personalized lighting experiences for any mood, activity, or time of day. Control4 Vibrant Linear Lighting is a complete product line, offering LED tape in a full selection of white, tunable white, color, and color + tunable white options, and provides all the accessories needed to create sophisticated lighting experiences.

Integrators can design scenes that can be activated with the press of a button, a voice

command, or through automation to provide a more immersive experience and enrich a customer’s lifestyle and well-being. The line also supports circadian health, a growing wellness concern; the lighting mimics nature with bright, cool light during the day that slowly dims and warms in the evening.

The new Episode Radiance outdoor audio and lighting system is the world’s first outdoor system to power audio and lighting through a single two-conductor wire. Using patentpending ACE technology from Swarm designed exclusively for Snap One, the Episode Radiance series includes a robust all-metal 70-volt outdoor bollard-style speaker and LED light module that can be attached to a speaker or mounted as a standalone lamp for both spot and flood lighting needs.

The Episode Radiance series enables Snap One Partners who focus on either audio or lighting to broaden their offerings with a unique, attractive solution that is durable, easy to install, and not available anywhere else.

Snap One also unveiled the Luma x20 family of surveillance products that are fully NDAAcompliant, delivering the latest AI-powered security features that provide customers greater peace of mind while simplifying installation and long-term maintenance through full OvrC integration.

The new x20 product family provides Snap One Partners with professional setup procedures via OvrC and gives users an improved experience with the Luma View mobile app for system control and live monitoring.

The new Luma View app features AI-filtered events, allows saving and sharing clips, lets users scrub synchronized event footage and provides them with enhanced connectivity security between mobile devices and the surveillance system. The Luma x20 experience with Luma

View includes human and vehicle detection that triggers instant push notifications through the Luma View app and connected control systems.

The new Araknis AN-820 WAP is the first access point to combine the latest Wi-Fi 6 technology with OvrC remote management capabilities. The new WAP brings the latest Wi-Fi technology to the Araknis lineup to support higher network capacity, faster speeds, enhanced reliability, and longer battery life for Wi-Fi 6 connected devices. The AN-820 features a 4x4 antenna that provides more powerful connections for more devices and makes it easier to install and manage multi-WAP systems through Snap One’s OvrC remote management platform. x

Episode Radiance, Control4 Halo remote control, Luma security camera, and Control4 Vibrant Linear Lighting

HDR extender kits for 130’ or 330’

4K HDR Rondo™ distribution amplifiers in 1x2, 1x4, or 1x8

A Nice New Brand In Smart Home

ELAN, SpeakerCraft, and Panamax Merged into Nice North America, New Products Added

By Jeremy Glowacki

Nice, the global manufacturer of smart home, security, and building automation solutions, has completed its transition from Nortek Control to Nice North America after acquiring the company from Melrose Industries in October 2021. As part of this transition, the company is “sunsetting” the Nortek Control company name and is absorbing the ELAN, SpeakerCraft, and Panamax brands into Nice.

Nice North America is headquartered in Carlsbad, CA, where it has created an experience center to showcase all of its smart home brands, including several that were introduced this past September at CEDIA Expo.

This transition will take place throughout 2023. Other Nice North America brands — 2GIG, Abode, Furman, Gefen, HySecurity, IntelliVision, Linear, Mighty Mule, and Proficient — will not be renamed at this time.

Among the CEDIA Expo introductions was the Nice HR40 Wi-Fi enabled remote control, which features a responsive touch screen interface displayed above two hard buttons. It includes an integrated intercom and lift-to-wake functionality for $1,200.

Also new to the lineup, Smart Shading and Custom Roller Shades Powered by Nice Tubular Motors offers smart shading solutions with more advanced electronics, which can be integrated into a project during any stage of the building process. The ultra-quiet design features uniform hembar alignment

performance, indoor or outdoor versions, and multiple power options (AC, DC, and battery), either wired or RF wireless.

The Nice/ELAN 8.8 Core OS & Management Cloud 1.5 Software is an evolution of the Nice/ELAN control platform and makes creating scalable, flexible, and decentralized control systems easier by reducing setup and installation time. Nice/ELAN 8.8 Core OS also introduces support for Home Connect, enabling homeowners to control hundreds of smart appliances across several global brands.

The Nice DC12-IP Power Manager and Conditioner allows installers to remove bulky supplies and wire devices directly using phoenix connectors or USB ports. Remote power management via the BlueBOLT cloud platform allows installers to monitor, control, and program from any location while Nice/Panamax advanced surge protection technology ensures fewer service calls and maximum longevity of connected equipment.

Last but not least, the Nice Small Aperture in-ceiling speaker enables installers to match any customer décor with two installation methods available — either directly to the sheetrock with a thin bezel-less grille, or a recessed flush mount. No specialized tools are required, enabling rapid, hassle-free installation. The small footprint of the speaker installs into a standard 4-inch opening, yet features a 3.5-inch carbon fiber woofer, and 1-inch ceramic-coated aluminum tweeter for better fidelity. x

Nice North America headquarters in Carlsbad, CA.

SPOTLIGHT: Power & Energy at CEDIA Expo 2022

Educating Clients on the Importance and Impact of Power and Energy Management

By Ian Bryant

Power and energy discussions were on many attendee’s minds at CEDIA Expo 2022 in Dallas. There were four CEDIA Education sessions directed toward the integrator interested in getting into power and energy solutions for their client and looking ahead at what’s coming quickly down the road. Multiple manufacturers exhibited their new solutions and explained how integrators can easily implement them into their business offerings.

Now is a perfect moment for consumers and trade suppliers to act, with nearly $400 billion in clean energy provisions included in the recently passed U.S. Inflation Reduction Act.

Parks Associates had a star-studded panel discussion with representatives from Span.io, Sunnova, Reliant, Schneider Electric, Savant Power, and Blink Charging. They discussed the role of energy management in the future home. These manufacturers are investing a lot into the future of energy with new research and development, new products, and massive PR to the consumer and design/build community.

CEDIA staff Ken Erdmann, Darren Reaman, and longtime CEDIA volunteer and principal at REV2 Consulting Michael Cogbill gave two impactful sessions on topics that will directly affect and provide opportunities for the CI channel. One session was about digital electricity and other ways to power the home. Discussion included DC micro-grids, digital power, PoE power, and USB power.

As the lines between low- and high-voltage start to blend, it’s more important than ever for integrators in the U.S. to pay attention to the new NEC codes. Cogbill and Erdmann worked on specifications for the new NEC 2023 code as

representatives for our industry and in the session titled “The NEC 2023: How Changes to the Code Will Impact Your Business.” They went through some critical parts of the new code in Classes 1, 2, 3, and 4 that will affect CI channel projects in the very near future.

Reaman, CEDIA’s director of government affairs, spoke on legislation and regulations that have the potential to restrict the industry. With the help of industry partners and CEDIA volunteers, Reaman continues to advocate on behalf of the industry to prevent legislation that limits what integrators can do.

Power storage is also taking the spotlight as more companies jump into the ring and consumers look for ways to be independent from the grid. Adam Weinstein, executive sales manager at Sonnen, presented a session on how to properly size energy storage solutions for residential and light commercial buildings. This topic is still relatively new for both integrators and electricians and requires some specialized training.

Most manufacturers are making it easy to get this training and some are offering “white glove” design and support for dealers. For customers looking to save money, become more energy independent, or feel more secure as climate change brings additional uncertainty, implementing storage solutions is one of the last pieces to the puzzle for power and energy in the home of the future.

At CEDIA Expo, there was no shortage of exhibitors with a power and energy focus. There were many new, up-and-coming power and

energy companies looking to work with the CI channel. There were also big-name manufacturers launching and showcasing power and energy solutions. We expect to see this continue to expand and grow at CEDIA Expo as the show embraces all things technology in the home.

This is not a fad, nor is this something that should only be handled by electrical contractors or solar providers. This is an opportunity for the CI channel to lead and advocate for one of the most important systems in the home. For an industry that was mostly known for luxury theaters, TVs, and audio systems, we have an opportunity to educate our customers on the importance and impact of power and energy management and adding clean energy solutions to their homes.

What good is an amazing home theater if you have no power? What good is all the amazing technology we integrate if the world outside is in pieces? Why not be an advocate for sustainability, the future of our industry, and the future of the world. x

Photos courtesy of CEDIA/PWP Studio 2022

During CEDIA Expo 2022, four education sessions focused on power and energy solutions, including two led by Michael Cogbill. Savant was one of several manufacturers exhibiting power products.

A Virtual Pool Lifeguard

MYLO Underwater Computer Detection Camera Detects Drowning and Sets Off a Series of Alarms

By Anthony Leo

It may be winter, but it’s still swimming pool season somewhere. And, according to the CDC, drowning is the top cause of unintentional death for children ages 1 to 4. Annually, in America, there are an estimated 3,960 fatal unintentional drownings, an average of 10 daily. Bringing a new level of safety to pools, Coral Smart Pool designed MYLO, the world’s first virtual lifeguard that monitors a pool 24/7, including underwater activity, to detect drowning and immediately sets off a series of escalating alarms.

More than a “water movement detection” system, MYLO features a patented Underwater Computer Detection Camera that provides realtime pool video. The system is integrated with the latest A.I. technology that monitors a pool and analyzes real-time video to quickly identify near-drowning events. MYLO is designed with escalating alarms and push notifications that are immediately sent when a drowning event is detected.

“MYLO is not a simple pool entry alarm,” said Shadie Bisharat, CEO of Coral Smart Pool. “MYLO is the closest thing to having a real lifeguard supervising what’s happening inside and around your pool, 24/7 — alerting

you to potential drowning activity. A family pool can be a source of amazing fun and enjoyment, but it can also be dangerous. Families can experience ultimate peace-of-mind knowing MYLO is always watching their pool.”

MYLO analyzes video above and below the pool’s surface for a comprehensive monitoring view. The technology features both an aboveground camera and pressure sensors to identify if a person is entering the pool and can calculate risks. A highresolution underwater camera detects a sinking person and sends a series of alarms to pool owners to take action. MYLO works 24/7 and after it notifies that somebody entered the pool, unlike all other pool warning devices, continues to monitor activity to identify danger or drowning incidents.

MYLO dispatches alarms through its app and in-home alarm systems along with pictures from the pool that allow others to take action. It offers three layers of protection sending entry alerts, pre-drowning risk alerts, and drowning risk alerts. x

MYLO is available for pre-order for an introductory price of $999 at www. coralmylo.com. The retail price is $1,499 and MYLO will ship April 2023.

Creating Curated Lighting Solutions

Luminii HŌM Offers Linear Fixtures, LED Strip Lighting, Directional Lighting, and More

By Walter Joseph

Luminii HŌM is a new brand of curated lighting products focused on the highest color quality, design aesthetic, and made-to-order craftsmanship. Designed, engineered, and built in America, the brand has a dedicated team for the custom integrator channel with deep knowledge of lighting, lighting design, controls, and the channel in general.

Residential integrators can expect easy-to-use configuration tools, step-by-step lighting design guides, available design services, product knowledge in the form of presentations, specification sheets, scheduled trainings, showroom discounts, and demo kits featuring the Luminii HŌM curated line of products.

STENOS by Luminii is a micro-linear track and downlight system. The product’s streamlined profile and proprietary micro-lens make it optimal for detail-critical applications. Its optic design leads to unvarying light output, color uniformity, high CRI, high R9, and efficacy featuring 96 Lm/W in the directional sources.

The Linii Series is an extruded aluminum mud-in linear illumination system available in sections up to 144 inches long. Linii’s specifically designed LED engine provides the power of up to 67 lm/W alongside constant illumination levels from the beginning to the end of the runs.

LineLED, Luminii’s signature architectural grade strip light and extrusions series, delivers color consistency ensured by single-binned LEDs. Options include Dynamic White, Pixel, Warm Dim, and Black Lens, and

the product gives the end user complete control over interior spaces.

The Minii Connector by Luminii is the perfect connector for the LineLED series. The accessory is easily field-installable, making illumination over long runs simple. The product’s minimal width allows it to fit into extrusions while its transparent frame eliminates dark spots.

The Luminii bendable Kurba series gives you the freedom to design even the most complex lighting designs without compromise. All Kurba products are dot-free, available in infinite lengths, IP67 rated or UL676 rated, and offered in vertical (top) and horizontal (side) bends down to a 2.5-inch radius supporting infinite shapes. Kurba mounting options include recessed and surface accentuating a wide range of indoor and outdoor applications including commercial and residential facades, detailed millwork, and pool and sauna installations.

Plexineon is a rigid factory-formed bendable product offered in surface, recessed, and suspended mounting options. It features stable and consistent color temperatures at 2700K, 3500K, and 4000K CCTs and is IP68 and IK10 rated.

The Leto 11 Mini from Senso by Lumnii can enhance the most important details. Available in a small, medium, or large cylindrical profile, the product delivers up to 2000lm and features 93+ CRI with CCTs ranging from 2500K to 6500K. The Leto 44 Mini from Senso by Luminii is an all-purpose fixture for creating even, uniform light throughout spaces without distraction.

Many of Luminii’s signature fixture families come with distinctive premium finishes, including aged brass, matte black, warm nickel, polished gold, and polished silver premium finish options with products like Leto 11 Mini, Leto 44 Mini, Zoom, Kilo, Bosca, Clareo S or Q Wall, and a variety of other recessed, surface, and suspended fixtures. x

Luminii HŌM is a line of lighting products curated for custom installation.

Bridging an HVAC Gap

Airzone Aidoo Pro Enables Smart Thermostat Control of HVAC Inverters and Mini-Splits

By Jeremy Glowacki

Through dedicated collaboration and constant R&D, Airzone has found a way to keep the original features and functionality of an HVAC inverter solution intact, even when deployed in conjunction with a smart thermostat from ecobee, Honeywell, or Nest.

The Aidoo Pro enables HVAC professionals to preserve all inverter features, while realizing the efficiency, energy savings, connectivity, and comfort enabled by a smart thermostat.

The market for HVAC inverter solutions is expected to nearly double from 2020 to 2025 from $17.6 billion to $31.9 billion. Simultaneously, the global smart thermostat market is expected to triple by 2028. These are two of the fastest-growing categories in the HVAC industry, but deploying devices from these categories together currently negates the benefits of both. Adding a smart thermostat to an inverter system prevents key inverter features from working, significantly reducing the energy efficiency of the unit.

Because HVAC inverter system protocols and smart thermostat APIs are incompatible, HVAC inverter systems downgrade to single-speed operation when paired with a smart thermostat. The hallmark benefits of inverter solutions — efficiency, energy savings, and superior climate control performance — are completely lost. The Aidoo Pro brings the HVAC and IoT worlds together, preserving inverter functionality while meeting consumer demands for smart control.

The Airzone Aidoo Pro is a simple-to-install system add-on that sits between the HVAC system and IoT control devices, such as thirdparty smart thermostats, voice assistants, and home automation. Airzone’s exclusive library of manufacturer-certified HVAC protocols enables full two-way communication between the Aidoo

Pro, the HVAC solution, and smart thermostats or other connected devices. The Aidoo Pro receives smart thermostat data via API, interprets it, and then sends the appropriate commands to the inverter unit via manufacturer-certified protocol. The inverter continues to function at a variable rate, preserving the superior comfort and efficiency of the system.

Airzone has spent decades cultivating privileged working relationships with the industry’s leading HVAC inverter and minisplit manufacturers. The Aidoo Pro has manufacturer-certified HVAC protocols from all leading brands, including Daikin, Fujitsu, Hitachi, LG, Mitsubishi, and Panasonic. Airzone also has dedicated API cloud integrations with the industry’s leading smart thermostat solutions, including Nest, ecobee, and Honeywell. Additional integrations with other smart thermostats are on the roadmap for 2023 and beyond.

The Airzone solution allows integrators, for the first time, to fully incorporate inverter HVAC control into home automation, as well. The company has added certified drivers for many of the top whole-home automation platforms, ensuring compatibility between systems from Crestron, Control4, ELAN, Lutron, and Savant with Airzone’s smart control solution for HVAC inverter systems. x

The Source of Custom Shades

On Nov. 1, 2022, lighting and motorized shades manufacturer Lutron hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking for the 145,000-square-foot expansion of its already massive shades-making factory in Ashland, Virginia. The guest speaker that day was not a local dignitary or even the director of an industry trade association. Instead, it was Dennis Lister, president of DEL Motorized Solutions in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, the topselling installer of Lutron motorized shades in the entire world and the person to hire for any unusual shade shapes or especially difficult applications.

Lister’s career began in the early 90s, working in his father’s custom furniture upholstery business. It was a great business, but one that Lister felt was not scalable, due to its extremely custom nature. After he took over the business, he acquired a window coverings company, and his company morphed into his current motorized blinds and automated shades custom fabrication and wholesale company in 1996.

DEL Motorized Solutions is fairly unique in that it serves both as a window shades subcontractor to custom integrators in New York, Philadelphia, and New Jersey and also a manufacturer of extremely custom shade solutions to integrators throughout the United States. Whenever you see an oddly shaped window with seamless motorized shades from Lutron, Lister’s company likely had a hand in the project. This interview, excerpted from Episode 122 of the Residential Tech Talks podcast, has been edited for length and clarity.

Residential Tech Today: Lutron President Ed Blair said that adding another dedicated shade manufacturing facility in Virginia reinforces Lutron’s commitment to dealers as

Dennis Lister’s Company is Lutron’s Top Seller of Motorized Shades and the King of Custom Shapes

By Jeremy Glowacki

the industry prepares for more category growth. To be chosen to represent the professional dealer community at that event must have been quite special. What was your message to everyone in attendance for the groundbreaking?

Dennis Lister: Yeah, it really was. First off, I knew we were a very large shade dealer of theirs, but I had no idea we were the largest in the world. My message [to employees] at the factory was to let everyone there know what their importance is. Without them we are nothing. The products they make just have to work. If they don’t, we could have the best sales team, the most incredible installs you could ever see, but if the shade doesn’t work, we have nothing. We could travel six hours with 50 shades. We don’t have time to open every box and make sure what’s inside is right. But because Lutron made it, [we know that] it’s just always right.

RT Today: What does Lutron’s expansion mean to you in terms of their dedication to the shades category and projections for the future?

I always look out six months in the future to see what [the market will be.] It is certainly scary if you watch the news, thinking what may be in six months. But knowing that Lutron’s looking out two years to build this facility, and they’re seeing the expansion and the category tripling current capacity, that tells us a lot about what they gauge the future of shading to be. Then, for these shades to be made in the United States is just absolutely fantastic for us.

RT Today: You didn’t start off in tech. Your father’s business was custom furniture and upholstery. What were your initial feelings about working in that business?

Mixed emotions. It was a custom business… literally, one piece could take two weeks to make. We did work for a lot of ball players where they needed furniture extra big and extra deep. Being so custom, it was very hard to be very profitable. You can’t really scale a business that depends on [such specific clientele] and artisan upholsterers. When my father retired, I took it over, but I knew I had to do something different, so that the business could grow. I purchased a local window treatment store, so we could offer a full package of window treatments and furniture. And with window treatments, we could certainly scale. You’re not doing one shade, you’re usually doing 10, 20, 30 shades in the home. So, it’s much bigger packages that we were able to sell.

RT Today: You incorporated DEL in 1996, and Lutron began manufacturing shades in 1990. How did your companies initially connect?

We were looking for a manufacturer to produce shades for us. We didn’t want to

Dennis Lister is president of DEL Motorized Solutions.

produce the rectangle. We only wanted to make custom products that no one else makes, whether it be the horizontal blind, traditionally, or, today, angled and arch shades… things that no one else could produce. Lutron is just the perfect partner. They have the culture that we share; they care about the customer, care about their employees, and the products work. They’re like tanks. They truly last forever.

RT Today: These days you’re in the New York City market regionally, and also in major metro markets for your custom projects. That’s pretty exacting working, no doubt.

Yeah, absolutely. Efficiencies are a million dollars, so once you’re getting into the 5,000 to 10,000-square-foot apartments, they’re very, very high quality. Everything just has to be done perfectly.

RT Today: How did you get started in the custom-shaped shades part of your business?

There was a customer who had a very unusual application that needed a solution, and we are a solutions company. Initially it took six months or so because we had to test it thousands of times. It has to work. We guarantee this for life, so we have to make sure it’s going to work. Not the first day, not the second day, but on day 1000 and on day 10,000. We now have so many thousands in the field throughout the country

and to watch them move is truly amazing. We still get requests for some really unusual ones, which gets us very excited.

RT Today: When you’re working with integrators on custom designs, what’s the ordering process like?

Because credits and levels are important for dealers when working with the manufacturer, we allow them to send us the fully finished motorized rectangle shade that they ordered from Lutron. We’re not a fabricator, but we’re a refabricate the Lutron shades into custom shapes. We take the rectangle that’s finished from Lutron, then cut the angles, and add all of the parts and pieces that make it special.

RT Today: I’ve seen a lot of these custom projects over the years, but what is one of the more challenging projects you’ve worked on?

In New York there was a building that had windows with angles not only at the top but also at the bottom. The owners will probably spend tens of millions of dollars for each unit for those architectural features, and we came in at the end. There was only maybe a couple of units that learned about us, but we created amazing shades for them. The other units have just square drapes, so when they’re closed, you don’t see [the window shape]. It really is a shame, but they really didn’t have a choice. They didn’t realize we had a solution available.

RT Today: What’s your process for creating that solution?

We’ll template the shape of the window, whether it be arch or angle, and then we will build the window in our factory so that everything is fit perfectly. Then we run the motor many times to make sure that it works flawlessly. When it gets to the home, it’s then a fairly easy installation.

RT Today: And even though shades are your core business, you also have a KETRA showroom for human-centric lighting from Lutron. What’s your pitch for that product line with your regional clients?

What I like to tell people is if you wake up, you open up the shades in the morning, and it’s a spring day, 78 degrees and it’s sunny, you just want to go outside and do something. But on that same exact 78-degree spring day, you open the shades, but it’s cloudy out, you don’t feel like you want to go outside. Listen to the words I used to describe a gloomy day versus a beautiful, bright, sunny day. As a human being, the sun is important, and Ketra can make that sunny day 365 days a year inside your home. That’s truly the key to Ketra. It’s just perfect sunlight. Now we can control light, whether it be natural or [artificial]. x

DEL Motorized Solutions is the top-selling installer of Lutron motorized shades in the world and the company to hire for any unusual shade shapes or especially difficult applications.

Immersive Audio Design

Spatial and Sonance Collaborate on Space Kit Turnkey Immersive Soundscapes

By Anthony Leo

Spatial, the immersive audio company and software service, has created Space Kit, a turnkey all-in-one solution that includes preconfigured hardware with Spatial’s software to make it easier for integrators to bring immersive audio to commercial applications. Spatial Space Kit allows designers to deploy Spatial right out of the box, dramatically reducing installation time, complexity, and cost.

Spatial worked closely with Sonance’s James Loudspeaker to develop and engineer a purpose-built speaker marking one of the first speakers designed for immersive audio applications.

“The team at Spatial took years of learning from custom experience design for audio projects including installations of a few speakers in small environments to hundreds in combined indoor and outdoor spaces,” said Calin Pacurariu, co-founder and CEO of Spatial. “We’ve packaged those lessons with everything necessary for commercial customers to rapidly

deploy immersive soundscapes in their stores, offices, hospitals, and more. Spatial Space Kit allows commercial customers to immediately deploy immersive soundscapes with proven impact for their employees, front line workers, first responders, and guests.”

Commercial customers can enjoy the impact of Spatial soundscapes optimized for targeted applications of immersive audio design based on decades of research from Spatial’s creative content partners. The initial soundscapes are pre-configured for customer-intended use and allow for flexible updates as experiences evolve. Creative teams can leverage Spatial Space Kit and Spatial Studio to build fully bespoke sonic experiences for brands. Among hundreds of soundscape variations, targeted scenes include the Retail, Office, and Healthcare Collection.

The Retail Collection is intended for brandspecific bespoke experiences. The Office Collection offers a “biophilic” and energy focus for employees in corporate, hybrid, and

distributed team environments. The Healthcare Collection provides proven experiences for improving nurse, doctor, and patient wellness.

The system’s specific speaker design from Sonance’s James Loudspeaker assures small- to medium-sized spaces are enveloped and reshaped with a balanced soundfield in all dimensions, highlighting Spatial’s software that renders hyper-realistic object-based soundscapes.

“Providing a full range and balanced immersive soundfield in three dimensions required a fundamentally different approach than traditional speaker design,” said Todd Ryan, chief speaker designer at Sonance. “We were able to take the custom design craft expertise from our James Loudspeaker team and meet the unique requirements for Spatial.”

Spatial Space Kit can be reserved ahead of the company’s target ship date in early 2023. Full kit details, creative, and hardware partners will be available at that time. x

Sonance’s James Loudspeaker designed purpose-built speakers for Spatial’s Space Kit turnkey soundspaces.

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Power Under Pressure Power Under Pressure

To Safeguard the Modern Smart Home, Start Conversations with Power Quality

By Chad Russell, SurgeX

The connected home market is expected to continue growing over the next five years, with the evolution of both existing home technologies and new market entrants alike. Smart home technology isn’t going anywhere, and as it continues to permeate new spaces in the home, the infrastructure will need to adapt to support it.

Consider this: Whether a home is five years old or 50 years old, chances are its electrical infrastructure wasn’t built to support the massive and ever-changing demands that modern home technology brings. This presents a major prospect for the custom integration channel in the next few years.

New Tech Puts Power Infrastructure Under Pressure

CEDIA’s latest Integrated Home Market Analysis reveals that home technology’s growth has increased consumers’ willingness to invest in properly designed and installed home networks, as well as whole-home control systems. As integrators embrace more projects, they must be prepared to evaluate, discuss, and protect clients’ tech at its foundation with a stable, clean power supply.

While life at home has been largely dependent on electricity for nearly a century, the average home has become more connected and welcomes more high-draw and powerdependent devices than ever. Home control, for example, grew in popularity during the pandemic and has since been a beacon of convenience for homeowners, equipping home theaters, gyms, multipurpose media rooms, and more with top-of-the-line automation, performance, entertainment, and comfort. But the complexity of power distribution for these systems, especially during high-draw seasons where HVAC and air conditioning are working at max, can put even the newest technology at risk for damage and degradation from poor power quality.

The remote work movement has especially heightened the demand for power within the home. The home office has come a long way over the past few years, deviating from a makeshift setup at the dining room table to a dedicated space. However, with these complex setups come more risk for power interruptions during the workday. Surges, sags, spikes, and other power problems often go unnoticed until an employee is working from home full time

and notices their equipment isn’t working as intended. The home office, for that reason, should be assessed and fitted for the right power management solution to keep clean, conditioned power flowing through computers and devices.

Even beyond residential properties, the rising electrical demand presents new strain on local, state, and national grids that can impact home technology performance. Take the rise in electric vehicle chargers across communities. Driven by sustainability and performance alike, the number of EVs owned in the U.S. is projected to increase to 116 million vehicles by 2030. This added electrical demand creates nonlinear loads and increased draw for the grid, which can introduce or increase faults in power quality — surges, sags, harmonic distortion, DC offset, phase imbalance, and voltage abnormalities. When that same power network supplies local homes, the irregularities can risk degradation to the home’s electrical environment and all its connected equipment.

Joining Legacy and Advanced Power Quality Management

To support the demands of home technology for years to come, integrators must be prepared

to recommend and sell the right power management solutions. While each power environment may require a different solution, there are several benchmarks to evaluate to choose the right solution or combination of devices for any system design, power environment, and budget.

Integrators should first begin the conversation with the homeowner to understand their technology ecosystem, power management challenges and concerns, and solutions they might expect to add to their home in the future. The discussion should include how much time they spend at home and which elements of their entertainment, work, and daily routines are dependent on electronics. Which spaces draw the most power? Which rooms seem to have unstable electricity? Is the entire home experiencing any disturbances? Which investments need extra protection?

After answering these questions, integrators should assess the power environment with an appropriate monitoring and analytics tool to gain insights into the specific trends, interruptions, and challenges the home might present. Knowing the specific power problems is essential to choosing the right solution; while many spaces and devices might benefit from a

battery backup, others might need more advanced, proactive protection. For example, there are several UPS topologies available — line interactive, online double conversion, and battery backup — and each provides a different level of day-to-day protection, as well as a different transfer time in the event of an outage. A home with unstable power will require a solution with ample built-in defense and monitoring features, while homes with ultrasteady power supplies might simply need a battery backup with baseline power conditioning for the one-off anomaly.

There are a plethora of different power distribution and management tools available for modern demands, and integrators have a unique opportunity to protect their projects and their clients’ investments while simultaneously growing their portfolios. With so many scalable options, including both compact and largeformat, full-home protection solutions, integrators need to know exactly which combination of technology will optimize the lifespan of their project and safeguard not only connected devices but also their reputation.

Surge protection used to be about protecting devices individually, or sometimes as a unit with power distribution, but not necessarily keeping

all devices connected and online within a complex network. Knowing which power management solutions offer drivers to integrate seamlessly into a connected home ecosystem is another opportunity that integrators should explore to support the modern home infrastructure. Homeowners will increasingly expect that their power solution will integrate with their smart home system and deliver functionality and insights right from their hubs or apps. Offering the right product mix not only ensures that power solutions keep systems safe, but also demonstrates the value of the solutions as a foundational piece of the smart home.

As the connected home evolves and home power networks face added strain, integrators’ portfolios need to be robust enough to deliver outstanding, uninterrupted connected home experiences. Integrators should use the new year to evaluate their power management portfolios, identify pitfalls, and upgrade their offerings to prioritize power quality across a wide range of projects. The modern smart home requires integrators to go beyond a one-size-fits-all solution, and with plenty of untapped potential in the custom integration market, integrators can’t afford to wait to explore. x

Shining a Light on DMF

Hands-On with DMF’s iX Series Small Aperture Fixtures, DID M Series Square Housings, and Tunable White Light Modules

By Jeremy Glowacki

Touring DMF’s headquarters building in Carson, CA, in mid-August, provided an impressive glimpse into just how much the lighting fixture category has grown in significance for the custom integration channel. The tour aslo offered a closer look at the company’s CEDIA Expo 2022 product introductions: the iX Series Small Aperture fixtures, DID M Series Square Housings, and Tunable White Light Modules.

Lighting fixtures are still a relatively young product category for professional integrators. Although more and more members of the channel are designing lighting layouts and specifying and selling fixtures, many more are still not yet comfortable with a category that was once the exclusive domain of certified lighting designers, electricians, and builders.

That’s why my in-person facility tour of one of the more well-established lighting fixture brands in the channel was particularly effective in showing just how committed these companies are to the smart home market.

DMF’s presentation to the home tech media began with a welcome from COO Michael Danesh, who told the story of how the company had been founded 30 years ago by his parents Mark and Faye after Mark, an engineer, immigrated from Iran to escape political turmoil. Since that time, the company has grown to four different countries and 200 employees.

Two members of leadership team come from companies that are much more familiar to the traditional custom integrator. For example, Senior VP Andy Wakefield is a veteran of

lighting and shades control manufacturer Lutron, VP of engineering Rushi Kumar held lengthy tenures at Lutron and Crestron. While, others, such as National Sales Director Residential Systems Mike Libman, and iX Series Lead Engineer George Saad may be less familiar to those not already working with DMF but are already veterans of DMF.

Danesh made it clear DMF is an engineering company at its core, having built that identity starting with his father and up to current day boasting more than 30 engineers in total.

As a result, DMF does not have to look outside the company when facing a product challenge. “If we find a problem in the field, we can develop a solution from scratch,” Danesh said.

DMF’s iX Series Small Aperture fixtures and 2-inch housing

Particularly in the lighting fixture category the challenge, however, is balancing performance and design aesthetics.

“At the end of the day, we’re putting products in high-end spaces, so we’re marrying industrial designers and engineers on the same project,” Danesh added. “I think we do a good job balancing design and performance, thinking about the installation perspective, working in simulated spaces, and anticipating imperfect jobsite situations.”

The challenge in the lighting category in the post-CFL world was providing a fixture that would dim down consistently in forward-phase lighting. For DMF, that meant guaranteeing dimming down to one percent in the field “no matter what.”

“The goal is no callbacks for the installer and fewer components to deal with,” Danesh explained. “A lot of thought went into our engineering but there was also a lot of reliability testing in humidity, with surges added, and injecting dirty power into the system, all to ensure that products always work in those environments. In our quality control offices in China, Taiwan, Carson, Californa, and outside reliability testing labs, we tested LED modules for thousands of hours.

To reduce supply chain headaches, DMF’s engineers have redesigned products to minimize secondary components and to simplify the company’s product lineup into fewer SKUs. Modular designs also help the company simplify its manufacturing and installation process.

“This is a new category for integrators, so if you hold up a jobsite, make drywallers wait… then that’s a problem,” Danesh said. “We want to help integrators embrace the category, not shy away from it.”

CI is the fastest growing channel for DMF. It’s also the most unique, as integrators design, specify components, and install fixtures — a unique equation for the category.

With its growing priority for the company, DMF chose CEDIA Expo in Dallas, Texas, for the launch of three major product announcements.

DMF Lighting iX Series Small Aperture

At CEDIA Expo 2022 in Dallas, DMF introduced several new products or product families. The company’s new iX Series fixtures were designed to elevate the entire home with modern, “quiet” ceilings. As part of its longstanding commitment to the channel, the DMF Small Aperture lights allow CI channel

integrators to go smaller without compromises in performance, installation, and serviceability.

Homeowners and designers want a so-called quiet ceiling with fewer and smaller openings, but current 2-inch fixtures are typically limited to specialty applications. DMF Lighting’s iX Series Small Aperture solution removes those traditional constraints, allowing integrators to distinguish themselves from contractors by offering a higher quality, premium aesthetic.

The solution that DMF has developed offers the performance of larger fixtures and error-free installation utilizing a patented Precision Lock Collar that eliminates over-cutting and ensures a perfectly cut sharp flange, and installations at a uniform depth. The fixture also offers painless serviceability as the custom-designed driver for this fixture is easily accessible below the ceiling.

The result is a quiet ceiling and a modular system that is as easy as plug, snap, and fit. All together this provides the ultimate in flexibility, eliminates mistakes, and allows for effortless changes throughout the job.

“The iX Series offers all the advantage of a smaller footprint while maintaining strong light output and versatility,” Libman said. “The same housing will accommodate Standard Downlights, Wall Wash, or Adjustable in Round or Square. The one-piece precision crafted metal trims are offered in standard and flangeless mud in or flawless wood application. Trims are easy to install or swap out to create the effect the homeowner is looking for. Additionally, the iX can be installed in both new construction and remodel applications.”

DID M Series Square Housings

DMF also will launch its new DID M Series square housings that provide even more installation options for the CI channel. They feature a new flangeless option for wood ceiling applications, new trim colors, and are designed for installation with “flawless alignment.”

“The flangeless wood application is now available with square housings taking seamless

DMF’s leadership team: George Saad, iX Series lead engineer, Michael Danesh, COO, Andy Wakefield, senior VP, Mike Libman, national sales director residential systems, and Rushi Kumar, VP of engineering

ceiling light integration to a new level,” Libman said. “DMF’s patented housing and trim technology makes the installation process both precise and easy. Combined, these create a clean, uninterrupted wood plane while still providing accessibility for any future changes and serviceability.”

The M Series Square boasts new trim colors in Bronze and Warm and Cool Diffused with White Flange trims to match more design aesthetics. Plus, DMF has precision-crafted trims to meet every need, whether customers want a diffused glow or a narrow spotlight, an eye-catching trim, or one that disappears. The redesigned housings are now offered for square

new construction in both fire-rated and standard models, as well as Chicago plenum. All M Series Square trims are backward compatible and will work with the previous generation SquareFrame Housings. Flangeless mudding installations require using same generation trim and mud plate. Remodel housings are also available in both square and round versions to enable installations without tearing open the ceiling.

Tunable White Light Modules

Last but not least, at CEDIA Expo 2022 DMF also launched its new Tunable White Light Modules, offering the custom integration channel digital control protocols for LED

fixtures. The tunable light modules provide flicker-free dimming down to 0.1% and easier install, thanks to using integrated drivers that are compatible with DMF’s existing modular system.

“The DMF Tunable Modules with Digital Control offers a more compelling solution by providing even more installation options for the CI channel,” Libman said. “With Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, predeployment, deployment, and maintenance are greatly simplified and managed via an app in your cell phone. Tasks that take hours today can be completed in minutes.”

With DMF Lighting’s new Tunable White Light Modules with Digital Control, integrators are able to install housings early, and then decide the control method later in the project. They’re also easy to troubleshoot and maintain. Simply replace the complete module as opposed to a separate driver and LED with wiring and connections that are more readily accessible.

The tunable modules provide integrators with increased flexibility to deliver multiple light settings to address a homeowner’s different use cases. Integrators can manage color and intensity independently and tailor scenes to enhance the space.

The tunable light modules will be adopted in all spec-grade DMF product families, including the DID2 and the recently announced iX Series 2-inch fixtures, small aperture lights that set a new standard for premium home lighting. x

DMF’s square trims

Tunable Light with Digital Control DMF

Committing to the Home

The Inspiration Behind Draper’s Renewed Residential Focus

By Jeremy Glowacki

In September 2021, Draper, the motorized shades and projection screens manufacturer, unveiled its Draper@Home line of products, signaling a renewed focus on the residential custom integration business after decades of success in the commercial market.

That unintended “soft launch” of Draper@ Home at a lightly attended CEDIA Expo 2021 (due to the Delta variant of COVID-19) might have been a blessing in disguise for the company from tiny Spiceland, Indiana. It essentially allowed Draper to test the waters a bit more in the resi channel, learning what other business support elements and product features were needed to properly service residential dealers.

As the company gained valuable insights and feedback, they joined the HTSA buying group, promoted 20-year company veteran Clint Childress to director of residential markets, and began hiring regional sales managers to help bolster its focus on the custom channel even further. The company also has 10 different rep firms covering the residential market.

During a recent visit to Draper headquarters, I learned more about what motivated the modest, midwestern manufacturer to broaden its focus after so many years of commercial success.

Before taking a tour of the factory with Childress and Director of Marketing Penny Sitler, I met with Childress and Sitler, President Chris Broome, Vice President of Sales Lee Denhart, Director of Audio Visual Sales and Marketing Randy Reece, and External Communications Specialist, Terry Coffey. We discussed the company’s ongoing success in commercial markets, unique manufacturing capabilities, overly humble approach to selfpromotion, and most importantly, what drove

the decision to target the residential market so much more aggressively.

Having followed Draper for so many years and visited the factory twice before, a lot of what we discussed was a refresher for me. What I really wanted to learn was why the company had decided to double down on residential shades, after so many years of commercial focus. Denhart got to the heart of the matter right away.

“I think the thing that led us to focus more on residential was the pandemic,” he said. “One of the key products that we’re approaching the market with is exterior shading. When the pandemic hit, everyone was at home. They wanted to expand their living space. Our exterior business just shot through the roof. We started engaging with the residential market more.”

The company, as Childress reminded me, had spent the last 30 years developing capabilities to go after the biggest commercial players in the motorized category. With their sudden popularity in providing outdoor shading on the residential side (including a partnership with European manufacturer Bremma for exterior Venetian shades) the company started taking a closer look at how they could expand those outdoor sales to the inside of the home, demonstrating what Draper does differently from other competitors.

“We knew that we had the capability to customize existing products through our fabrication process,” Denhart noted. “We also can create products from the ground up from a napkin design, which is really something the residential market was lacking.”

Not only that, but the company has been able

to ship on time, “quick ship,” and provide custom services throughout the pandemic and during the supply chain crisis.

Childress emphasized that Draper isn’t completely new to residential. The company, for one thing, has been a CEDIA Expo exhibitor for many years. Now, they’re offering a more “definitive program,” with more changes to come, from the pricing model, making fabric samples available, to having a more dedicated sales force.

“It’s a bigger emphasis than we’ve ever put on it before,” Childress said “Having a program they can go right to versus trying to work with a commercial contact to place an order, is essential. Having this dedicated infrastructure should be a much better customer experience for the residential channel.”

And, although much of the company’s focus has been on commercial, that know-how runs deep. “We definitely have learned a lot on the commercial side,” Childress noted. “There’s a lot of experience in this room. I’m the shortest tenured person in this room, and I’ve been here 22 years, which gives you some idea.”

Draper prides itself on listening to its customers and learning from their feedback. That process has been ongoing and will continue into the future as the company learns what else it needs to do to adjust to the idiosyncrasies of the residential channel. As Childress put it, it’s all about asking the right questions: “If you’re not buying from us, why not? Is it the product? Have we made it too difficult to quote or to understand the product? Is it not the right product mix?”

The company understands that expectations from a homeowner can be a lot different than a

commercial building general contractor or architect. On commercial projects, Childress pointed out, the concern is generally a more black-and-white, such as, “What’s in the contract and what do you supply?” But in residential, the dealer will say, “You have to fit what you do into everything else that I’m integrating into the project.” That might mean having control drivers and technology integration capabilities and making sure the hardware is set up to play well with everything else being sold. It’s not just a contract for one scope.

Also, on the residential side, it’s the homeowner’s money being spent on the project,

so everything from the look of the product to the light gaps around shades and the construction of the products needs to align.

“We need to learn the expectation of the customer and gravitate toward that from our commercial experience,” Childress said.

Having accomplished so much on the commercial side gives Draper leverage to bring a lot of manufacturing muscle. “We have a lot of ability to do unique things that this residential market probably hasn’t seen,” Childress explained. “Our goal is to expand the residential market. It isn’t just to come in and say, ‘We have a roller shade.’ Instead, it’s ‘Here’s shading systems setups and products to expand the

marketplace.’ It’s about providing more solutions.”

The sheer scale of the projects that Draper has completed on the commercial side should be comforting to anyone working with the company for the first time. Their custom designs have covered the glass roof of Canadian Parliament with sun-tracking louvers that rotate 180 degrees in three-degree increments, moving 60 times a day, and Draper’s tension-shading systems cover the America Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. They even have operable louver systems in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Combined with that experience, you can also mix in the

Draper’s surprisingly large manufacturing facility dominates tiny Spiceland in eastern Indiana.

diversity of in-house capabilities, such as custom printing of motorized shade fabrics and custom vinyl coatings for the company’s TecVision line of projection screens, as well as the ability to mill out extrusions, bend metal, use a laser cutting or turret presses. The company has even begun fabricating mounting structures for hanging large-scale direct-view LEDs.

And even though Draper’s outdoor shading capabilities were what originally piqued the interest of the resi channel during the COVID19 shutdown, the company’s ability to ship products efficiently, despite the worldwide supply chain slowdown, is now drawing additional interest from residential business partners.

“We’re averaging 10 to 15 working days of lead time,” Childress said. “People right now are probably sitting on orders (with other

manufacturers) that they can’t bill until 2023, so we’re letting everybody know that we’re shipping products within the calendar year, and maybe giving them another incentive to switch over to us.

And not to be outdone by a certain wellknown motorized shading manufacturer to the east, Draper has cleared land for a 100,000-square-foot addition to its headquarters that will allow them to raise their quality, improve lead times, and improve products even more.

“When our expansion is complete, that will give us 500,000 square feet under roof,” Broome noted.

For Draper, which has been a key contributor to the surrounding community for 120 years, that means even more products that are made in

the U.S. by a local workforce of 720 employees with an average overall tenue at just under 15 years per employee.

“Our U.S. supply chain is critical to our success,” Denhart said. “We’re not reliant on Chinese-made fabrics and container shipments. Fabric supplier Phifer is in Alabama, and Mermet is in South Carolina. Out of everything during the pandemic, that was what really helped us to stay ahead on the service side.”

Most metal extrusions come from U.S. suppliers, as well. Although residential motors are sourced from Somfy in France, Draper had foresight on where bottlenecks and other issues might occur in shipping and invested in that inventory ahead of time.

So, as Draper continues to adjust its approach to better serve the residential channel, they have the luxury of already-established business relationships and a thriving commercial business side that allows the company to methodically build up its newer offerings the right way, without pressure.

“We can develop these relationships over time and learn from the channel, asking, ‘What do you need? How can we help you?’” Denhart said. “Most of our product innovations and our service advancements have come from the channel via direct communication, just like that.”

It’s a work in progress that is still at the early stages, but it’s clear that Draper will do what it takes to succeed in the residential channel. x

Draper’s FlexStyle is an open-roll motorized window shade system designed to meet the needs of designconscious homeowners.

Draper experienced early success in the residential market with its exterior shading line.

Supervising the Sound

Oscar-Nominated Andrew DeCristofaro Shares His Journey from Audiophile to Sound Editor for Unbroken, Green Book, Spirited, and More.

By Jeremy Glowacki

Andrew DeCristofaro has been an audiophile for most of his life. From the age of 12 on through his childhood he and his dad would spend weekends driving from Hi-Fi shop to Hi-Fi shop in Los Angeles auditioning loudspeakers. When it recently came time to renovate his childhood home in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, creating a proper system for watching movies and listening to music, there would be no compromising on audio quality.

The thing is, DeCristofaro is not your “average audiophile” (if there was such a thing). He also happens to be an Oscar-nominated supervising sound editor with years and years of experience weaving together the audio “fabric” of famous movies that are played on systems like the one he was trying to assemble for his renovated home. In other words, he is an audiophile who also understands, intimately, how certain movies were designed to sound.

Knowing all of this, DeCristofaro’s local AV dealer (The Source AV) suggested he audition speakers from a manufacturer called Wisdom Audio. After doing some online research, DeCristofaro felt some of Wisdom’s performance claims seemed too good to be true, but still intrigued, he flew to the company’s Carson City, NV, headquarters for an in-person demo and meeting with Wisdom VP of Sales Ron Rouse.

“I really thought I was going to be disappointed, because usually with Hi-Fi speakers, if you try to really crank them up, they always just crap out,” DeCristofaro said. “But those speakers just delivered with gusto and detail. Needless to say, I was hooked.”

The part DeCristofaro is leaving out of this particular anecdote was that the content he really wanted to “crank up” on the system was scenes from some of the movies he had worked on, including the Oscar-nominated Unbroken

“This was kind of interesting for me because I’ve been in this business for 30 years, and I’ve been fortunate to have done systems for or provided demos to many movie stars, producers, and directors,” Rouse noted. “But they all paled in comparison to doing a demo for Andrew because now you not only have someone who knows the movie, but who knows

every last beep, bop, boop in there and how it’s supposed sound.”

Of course, anyone who has attended an AV industry trade show in the last eight years has experienced the opening sequence in Unbroken because not only is it featured on a Dolby Atmos demo disk, but it’s an excellent example of realistic sound effects contributing to dramatic tension in a scene. To quote the Cinema-Connoisseur.com breakdown of the sequence, “This cut has it all, from the beginning of the track when, sans music [by director Angelina Jolie’s choice to allow the realism center stage] a

Andrew and his wife Alison DeCristofaro at the Spirited premiere

squadron of WWII B-24 Liberator bombers appear out of the dawn horizon and roar over, around, and by you. You are thrown headfirst into the bomber … as though you are one of the crew members. The scene swings from almost intimate — with subtle rattles, creaks, and voices all around — to dynamic and intense. Through it all, the many different detailed sounds — from the levers, rattling and cockpit instruments — place you in the middle of the vintage bomber’s fuselage.”

After experiencing that scene and others from his own work, DeCristofaro had become a full-on fanboy of Wisdom Audio. “I told Ron, ‘I will speak to the mountaintops, telling everyone about this technology because I want more people to be listening to my work on speakers like these.’”

What seemed to appeal to DeCristofaro was Wisdom’s use of planar magnetic drivers, a speaker technology the company had perfected over 20 years. Commonly confused with electrostatic, air motion transformer, and ribbon speakers, planar magnetic drivers are lighter than the air that they move, so they can start and stop on a dime — and because there is so much surface area, they can play at much lower frequencies. And, Wisdom speakers are offered in point source or line source, with line source being a perfect match for DeCristofaro’s challenging room, which is multipurpose with windows everywhere. With Wisdom’s longer line source drivers, audio in the room could be delivered with continuity of sound pressure level over distance. The room also has an unusual ceiling configuration, so the line source prevented reflections off of the ceiling.

Throughout the process, DeCristofaro developed such an appreciation for Wisdom Audio that he offered to serve as a guest speaker at the company’s dealer academy, where he met fellow guest speaker, Sam Cavitt, the highly respected private theater designer, owner of Paradise Theater, and editor of aforementioned Cinema-Connoisseur.com. Throughout DeCristofaro’s home renovation, Cavitt offered his insights into speaker placement and room layout, and designed the front baffle wall.

When it was all said and done, DeCristofaro ended up completing his Dolby Atmos system with Wisdom Audio speakers, of course, a StormAudio surround processor, and Kaleidescape movie server. For the visual

Andrew DeCristofaro recording sound for the movie Unbroken and working in the sound editing suite for Spirited

component, he paired a Sony VPL-GTZ380/P projector with a 150-inch Stewart Filmscreen that lowers down over an 83-inch TV. The system description complete, we wanted to learn more about DeCristofaro’s career to gain a better appreciation for what it takes to bring audio elements together in our favorite TV shows and movies. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Residential Tech Today: How does one become a supervising sound editor for movies?

Andrew DeCristofaro: I started out at UC San Diego doing pre-med — pretty much my whole family is in the medical field. I was in an accelerated three-year program, just cramming on a fast track. Then I saw this “little” black and white movie called Citizen Kane and couldn’t stop talking about it. The biggest stoner in my dorm suite was like, “Uh, you can make movies for a living.” And I’m like, “No… You can’t.” Even though I was born and raised in Los Angeles, my whole world was about medicine. But it got me thinking, so I transferred to USC, and got into the film school. Eventually, I did my short film, got an agent, and did festivals. I was heading toward directing, but my sound teacher was a guy named Tom Holman [inventor of Lucasfilm’s THX sound system]. Even though I had an agent and was hoping to really start directing, Tom recommended that I get a job in the meantime, focused on something that I knew the least about. I said, “Well, there’s never time for sound in my movies…” So, I got an internship in that field. It was in a small, independent shop doing commercials and movies. I was there seven days a week. I did it all and just loved it.

RTT: What were some of your early projects?

AD: My first movies were Friday and Dumb and Dumber

RTT: So, you got to do the audio for the diarrhea scene in Dumb and Dumber ? That’s amazing! [laughs]

AD: So yeah, I don’t know if I’m credited on Dumb and Dumber, but I’ve done a lot of Pete and Bobby [Farrelly] films [including Pete’s Oscar-nominated Green Book], and we laugh about that scene and others. That was so much fun. [laughs] On those scenes with them, you literally go, “Wait, I’m getting paid to do this?” Yeah, that was my job.

RTT: For those who don’t really understand what a supervising sound editor does, can you explain everything that your role encompasses?

AD: Essentially, your job is every sound in the film and the mix of everything in the film. I’m working with the mixers but guiding the shape of what it should sound like and getting the director’s vision sonically to the screen. The Foley artists are part of our team, but it’s a very specific part of the design of the track.

RTT: Are you ever on set during filming?

AD: I’m usually not. We’re usually in postproduction. But, you know, on a recent project, Spirited, I was on the film before it was ever green lit in terms of trying to talk to them about how we’re going to record things, how we’re

going to do playback, and the workflow. I’ve worked with that director and producer forever and neither had really done a musical (not that I had done a full-blown musical, either, but I knew the ins and outs of what we needed to do.) One of the harder things in any of those musicals for me is the ins and outs of production into a song. You want it to be seamless. We did a lot of testing with the actors as to which mics they were going to use.

RTT: I’ve always thought most dialogue and vocals were looped in post-production, especially on a noisy set. But you were recording live vocals for Spirited ?

AD: Most of the singing was pre-recorded, but some of it ended up being live. We do a lot of looping, but it’s never anybody’s favorite chore.

Some people are immediately opposed. A good example is [Director Angelina Jolie] on Unbroken. Being an actor herself, Angie hates looping because it’s really hard to be present in the moment. However, with that raft scene in the ocean [in Unbroken], she was not well versed in what sound could and couldn’t do in that scene, so we just said, “Just give us the emotional road wrap of what you want to feel because that’s our job is conveying emotion with sound.” It’s like you’re scoring the film with sound. What things push you away, pull you in, make you scared, make you comfortable, you know, and finding those frequencies. For that raft scene, Angie wanted this complete feeling of isolation and aloneness. They tried shooting it in the ocean, and it was too problematic, so they

ended up shooting it in a water tank in Australia that was near a freeway and an amusement park. It’s really hard to feel like you’re alone in the ocean when you can hear trucks roaring by and roller coasters with kids screaming. [laughs] We did everything in the book to clean the recording without destroying the audio, but felt that to really do what she wanted we were going to have to loop it. Luckily for us, she was so busy with her humanitarian work that she was gone at the time, so my partner in crime, Becky Sullivan — who’s amazing with looping — and I spent three months getting the actors back for that scene. Becky would bring them in to the ADR [automated dialogue replacement] stage, dim the lights, not give them water, lay them down on pillows like they’re in the raft, and get

them back in that space. When we were done, we presented the version with the cleaned up dialogue, which is what Angie wanted, and next to the version with the ADR. We played just a small section of the ADR version for her in the Hitchcock Theater at Universal, and her response was, “Holy f***! Let’s do that!” We were all like, “Whew!” because we had already spent all this time and money on it. It’s fun to be able to do something like that because, as a viewer, you went from watching them on a raft to being in there with them on the raft. There are certain frequencies that are around the voice, and you just can’t get rid of them or it kind of pushes you away from the scene.

RTT: To wrap up, you mentioned that your most recently released project, Spirited , was an especially hard movie to do. Besides what you already described, what made the audio so challenging?

AD: Oh my gosh, it was really hard. There’s so much percussive sound that we’re doing. For instance, on the song “Bringin’ Back Christmas,” all of the chairs, the pounding, the snaps, the feet… The director wanted it to feel like a live production and not a precious musical. To find stuff to make it sound musical, to be rhythmic, all of the tap dancing had to be re-recorded from scratch. You can’t have Foley tap dance. I mean those were the top-of-the-line dancers in the world. When they shot it, it was during COVID, and they even said that the only reason we had literally the best dancers in the world is because nobody was touring at the time. Whoever is usually dancing with, you know, Justin Bieber or whatever, we had them on the movie. It took two weeks or so with them to re-record audio of their dancing. Each shoe sounded different, and you can only record one or two people at a time because as soon as you add too many people, it gets messy again. We had to edit everything and make sure it’s not totally perfect, but just slightly off and human enough. And oh my gosh, it, it was 10 months of nonstop editing on that show — literally 10 months trying to put it all together.

RTT: Wow. That gives me such a greater appreciation for how many layers you have to pull together. Thanks so much for your time and for providing such a thorough description of the work that you do to create a great movie experience. x

The DeCristofaro home features a Sony projector and Stewart Filmscreen, Wisdom Audio speakers, a StormAudio AVR, and a Kaleidescape movie server installed by The Source AV. Shelley Hudson of Hudson Home provided her interior design expertise.

The New Apple TV

What’s Been Added and Removed from the New, Lower-Priced Apple TV 4K Models

By Michael Heiss

Prior to October, Apple had three major events in 2022, including two product-centric announcements and the annual World Wide Developer’s Conference (WWDC), which is their developers’ conference. After each of these events my question was, “Where is a new Apple TV?” To be clear, while iPhones and iPads, as well as the various OS versions are typically on a yearly replacement cycle, Apple TV has not been. After all, it was three and a half years between the first Apple TV 4K and the second-generation model brought out in April 2021.

Thus, it was both a surprise and not a surprise that a press release from Apple popped up in my inbox on announcing the latest third generation versions of the high-end streamer.

For whatever reason, Apple brought its third-gen Apple TV to market without the fanfare of their all-out launch events. Yet, it is an interesting product as it adds and improves some of the current features while, at the same time, deleting and reducing others. It must, however, also be said that Apple also unveiled new iPad and iPad Pro models on October 18 without the usual press conference or fanfare.

Both of the two new Apple TV models have lower pricing, with the 64GB model coming out at an MSRP of $129, $50 less than the current 32GB entry model. The step-up

version with 128GB is also $50 less than the second-generation model with 64GB.

Compared to the current generation, there are some additional features that go along with the obvious memory increase. From a performance standpoint, the biggest one is the upgrade from Apple’s A12 chip to the latest A15 Bionic processor used in some of the latest iPhones.

Along with a 50% increase in processor speed to 3.32 GHz, there are now five cores for graphics processing, delivering 30% improvement, and a 16-core, rather than 8-core Neural Engine. This should all boil down to faster load time and navigation, improved animation within the UI, and other improvements, particularly when it comes to gaming with Apple Arcade.

Other additions to the new Apple TV models include HDR10+, which complements the HDR-10, HLG, and Dolby Vision in the current model. Another change is the use of a USB-C connector to charge the Siri remote, which is also available at $59 for use with all older models that came with the thinner “black” remote.

One other key new feature for those with or installing more sophisticated home automation systems is the addition of Thread

networking support, in addition to Matter and, of course HomeKit. Note, however, that Thread support is only available on the more expensive, 128GB model.

To some extent, this is an evolutionary product. Given that and pricing that is above almost every other connected TV streamer with the exception of Nvidia’s Shield, it is appropriate to mention the rest of the feature set that remains unchanged. That includes HDMI 2.1, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 6, a built-in (rather than external) power supply and support for Dolby Atmos. Also carried over is Gigabit Ethernet, but only on the 128GB model.

What’s ‘Missing’ from the Newest Apple TVs

The removal of the wired connection from the lower priced Apple TV model leads us to the things that were dropped or reduced. In this case there are some good and bad changes.

The unit itself, has the same basic appearance and form factor, but it is slightly smaller in all dimensions. Also reduced are some environmental and

sustainability factors. The unit uses 30% less power than the previous generation due to efficiency gains of the A15 Bionic. That also allowed Apple to eliminate the internal fan. Other positive ecological changes include increased use of recycled gold and tin as used on the circuit boards, 100% recycled aluminum in the remote control, and the elimination of outer

plastic wrap for the package that is 90% fiber based.

One other deletion may be considered both a positive and negative. With the change from Lightning to USB-C for the remote’s charging port, you’ll have “BYOC” (Bring Your Own Cable) as one is not included with the product. One presumes that this is in recognition of the mandatory use of USB-C connectors in the EU by the end of 2024 for phones, tablets, and cameras. However, that follows the deletion of HDMI and Ethernet cables previously.

Yes, some may have to buy a USB-C cable, or Apple will gladly sell you one for $19. However, who doesn’t already have extra cables cluttering up a drawer? Not having to contribute to electronic waste by leaving out something that you already have is the whole reason behind the EU law. It makes sense to me, particularly given the $50 price reduction for both models.

Where Does This Leave Us?

With a significant price drop while at the same time offering improved performance, newbies to the Apple TV 4K world will certainly benefit. If you already have an Apple TV 4K and want to pass it down to a different room in the house, this gives you a jump start to get a new one. If you are satisfied with an Apple TV 4K you already have, the decision to drop some more money falls into the “It’s up to you” category. This was an interesting and long-awaited product announcement on many fronts. Yes, the prices are lower, but not to the extend some who would have liked to see a smaller Apple TV “dongle” along the lines of what Roku, Fire TV, Google, Tivo’s Stream 4K, and many others offer. On the other hand, I have one personal benefit: I won’t have to waste space in Apple device reporting for another year or two, wondering “When will we see a new Apple TV 4K?” x

“LEDing” the Way

Direct View LED Systems Are Expensive and Large, but are No Longer an Oddity in Homes

By Michael Heiss

Video display technology has come a long way from what really wasn’t that long ago when your choice was CRT or CRT. We now have many varieties of LCD, QD-LED, OLED, and QDOLED displays to choose from, along with conventional projection systems and Ultra Short Throw (UST) projectors. Moving into 2023, it is clear that direct view LED is now, from a technical standpoint, “ready for prime time,” and should be considered as a viable option in more cases than before.

When exploring LED (light emitting diodes) technology for a video display, there are several details to consider before buying for a specific room, installation, or client proposal. LED is a ubiquitous technology for video displays but given that LED is not one single thing or used in one specific way, it is helpful to give you a grounding on what LEDs are used for in various applications.

The first thing to always remember is that LEDs are an emissive, rather than assive, light source because they generate their own light — including the LED lightbulbs that have replaced incandescent and fluorescent bulbs. For that reason, their first use in video displays was to replace cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFL) to shine light through LCD panels to then produce a viewable image. Keep in mind, LCD is a passive technology acting as a light gate; without a backlight, most LCD displays will not show a viewable image.

What most people and retailers refer to as an “LED TV” is not that. Rather, they are LCD displays that use LEDs that direct light through the LCD. However, that is a bit too geeky for most, so they have come to be known as “LED TVs.”

Oh, unless you are talking about a video display that uses LEDs directly rather than

having them light up an LCD panel. With them, the viewer is seeing the image produced by the illumination of an actual LED. That is what makes them the direct view LED (dvLED) products mentioned above. More on that in a minute.

March is the time when more TVs are bought than at any other time of the year due to collegiate and professional playoff and championship games such as the Super Bowl and March Madness. Thus, a bit of a decoder is needed to describe how LEDs are used in sets that are not direct view. Behind the LCD panel, the LEDs may be lighting up diffusers that are at the edge of the screen that spread the light across the panel. Although a bit more expensive, “backlit” TVs have a field of individual LEDs directly behind the panel, as well. This allows more control over which area of the panel is lit up, delivering better contrast.

LG has come up with “all in one” systems solutions

The more LEDs the better, as that further improves the number of dimming zones and may deliver a brighter picture. To do that, one needs more LEDs. However, since the space behind the panel is fixed, to get more LEDs you have to make them smaller. That is where “mini LEDs” come into play. At a basic level, they are what their name puts forward: smaller. You still don’t “see” them directly, but you do benefit from the fact that, all other things being equal, using them makes a display’s image better.

Now that you know what mini-LEDs are, we’re ready to take the next step to micro-LEDs (µLED). Again, micros are smaller than minis, and both are considerably smaller than conventional, standard LEDs. This miniaturization makes it possible to fit more LEDs in the same place and, at the same time, fit them closer together.

Here’s the payoff for all of this: Put a large number of LEDs together in a defined space and you have what is called a module. Put a group of modules together, side by side and one on top of another, and you build up a full-sized display where you are looking directly at an image

composed of LEDs. That’s right, we’re now back to where we started: a direct view LED display or dvLED.

It’s now time for another diversional footnote. While most of the dvLED screen systems used in residential installations use microLEDs, not all dvLED systems use them. In the commercial, retail, and large venue markets, the dvLED displays often use LEDs that, if you see them, you’d recognize as an LED just as if it were something one would see as a front panel indicator. There, the screen to viewer distance makes it possible to use modules with wider LED pitch. For example, the dvLED displays in an arena or stadium are far enough away from the viewer that the relative coarseness of the display disappears.

That’s fine for large venue situations, but not so much for a bespoke home theater. That’s where the micro-LEDs come into play. A key metric for side-by-side comparison is “dot pitch.” That is the distance between two LEDs, and the smaller the number, in most cases, the better. A dot pitch of under 1.5mm down to 0.6mm or less, depending on the brand and

model, eliminates the modern-day equivalent of “screen door effect.” The result, given appropriate resolution for the size versus seating distance, is as good as any traditional flat panel display. The brightness is great and given that each individual LED, regardless of size, may be turned on or off is spectacular.

To be sure, dvLED displays are expensive. While they have been around for a few years now, the manufacturing cost has kept the prices high and, with that, dvLED display systems are, with few exceptions, still in the over 100-inch screen size. What has also contributed to the total final cost of a dvLED installation has been the cost and complexity of installation.

Remember, a dvLED is not a single panel. Rather, it is a grouping of the modules described earlier that contain the individual LEDs. The installer puts them together much like a jigsaw puzzle and, to some extent, that is a good thing. The ability to arrange the modules makes it possible to have a video display that does not have to be a fixed 16:9 (or other) aspect ratio. That’s great for commercial use or art installations. It also allows one to fit the screen size to a particular space, albeit with the caveat that the right module is selected to display the desired resolution at the required size. That is one area where the pixel pitch comes into play, but that is where working carefully with a knowledgeable designer/installer who also has close connections with their supplier is essential.

Beyond that, the need to use a dozen modules or more also complicates the installation. Since time is money, that means high cost. After all, each module must be mounted to a frame that may be fixed to a wall or free standing, and the modules each need power and video. This is NOT a job for DIY’ers!

To solve this problem both Samsung and LG have come up with “all in one” systems solutions. With these, rather than ship all the individual modules to the job site, what arrives may be as few as four boxes to create a 110-inch 2K display or a 146-inch display in either 2K or 4K resolution. And, the cartons fit through the door, something that might be problematic with the 97-inch and 98-inch flat panels from LG, Samsung, Sony, TCL, and others. Installation is a simple process of securing brackets to the wall, docking backing plates to the brackets,

Planar and Quantum Media (below) offer dvLED systems.

mounting the three or four preassembled module assemblies to the plates, and then connecting the power and signal cables. This may be done with two people and shouldn’t take more time than hanging a large plat panel or installing a retractable screen and projector.

Along with advancements such as the all-inone systems, dvLED, which was initially not intended for residential applications, has become something more attuned to the consumer side of the market. While Samsung made the first big push a few years ago with the introduction of The Wall, other major brands have also begun to position their dvLED systems for the home.

In addition to the more recent debut of LG’s Magnit 4K, brands such as Quantum Media,

Planar, Barco, Christie, Digital Projection, and, of course, Sony have embraced the category. The attention to the needs of the residential market is important as it means that those looking to dvLED need no longer feel as though they are getting commercial market cast offs.

Does all of this tempt you to investigate a dvLED display? A few good and not so good things are some of the decision points. Cost is obviously the first metric, but while pricing has dropped a bit, these are still in the “If you have to ask you can’t afford it” range. Similarly, while Samsung, in particular, has previously teased the market with the prospect of one-piece dvLED systems in the 70-inch screen size category, those have yet to appear. Don’t get me wrong, if you have, or are, a well-trained designer/

installer you certainly can piece together modules to build an under 100-inch screen, but the odds are that the resulting resolution for the cost will send you back to a large flat panel solution.

On the other hand, judging by the variety of such products at CEDIA Expo back in September the lure of the consumer market has the brands giving you more than size, viewing angle, brightness, contrast, and “first on the block” bragging rights for dvLED comparisons. Just as one would for a standard TV, look for the number and type of HDMI inputs, although given the thin depth of a dvLED, they will more than likely be on an external control box. Look for refresh rate and compare the reviews for comparable direct view models from the same brand to see how the capabilities of the video processor stack up. Dig into the specs to see which, if any, of the HDR systems are available; some are, some aren’t.

Yes, these options are still a bit expensive and limited to large screen sizes, but they are no longer an oddity in homes. Just as the price of EVs in the car world will hopefully come down in 2023 along with an increase in brand and model options, the same will almost assuredly hold true for dvLED.

Hold on to your hats as we will soon see what is in store for the dvLED category at CES 2023 and into the new year. This is a product category that will only grow as we move forward. x

The Wall all-in-one systems from Samsung use preassembled frames.

Most dvLED systems consist of individual modules built up to the desired screen size and resolution.

(Top) Dot pitch is one of the determining factors in deciding on a dvLED system. (Bottom) Large venue dvLED displays are built up using dozens of individual modules.

Closer to the Real Thing

Vanco’s PulseAudio Collaboration Video Bar Replicates In-Person Meetings

By Henry Clifford

We have the pandemic to thank for so many innovations. Who could forget groundbreaking life hacks such as virtual meetings, virtual happy hours, and virtual sewing bees? So many virtual opportunities to be virtual. The trouble is, we’re all burned out on virtual. In-person is what we’re craving now. Anything short of a face to face interaction now feels less-than.

Technologies trying to break through have to do a better job at mimicking real in-person interactions. That’s exactly what the new PulseAudio Collaboration Video Bar claims to do. The folks at Vanco sent me their new all-inone conferencing speakerphone, far-field microphone array, and 4K video camera solution to try out. Would it shine or fall flat? I was about to find out…

Unboxing the PulseAudio Collaboration Video Bar

The PulseAudio Collaboration Video Bar arrives in a shiny box clearly designed with retail buyers in mind. The glossy front flap lifts up to reveal innards nestled in foam with a petite instruction guide sitting atop it all, beckoning the customer to open up and follow along.

Installation

I yanked everything out of the box and laid it all out on my office floor. Besides the unit itself, there’s a remote control, AC adapter, USB cable, and mounting adapter included.

I plugged in the PulseAudio Collaboration Video Bar to a NUC mini-PC and flipped on the power switch jutting from the back of the unit’s posterior end. I watched as a red LED above the camera started blinking and eventually turned solid. I fired up the Google Meet app and logged into a test video conference.

I got up to get a drink and noticed the camera immediately started panning to follow me out of the room. I’ve tested quite a few of these video collaboration bars and none of them have performed particularly well out of the box. This

was clearly an exception. I moved ahead to record an audio/video demo.

The playback quality coming out of the speakers indicated the microphones were capturing my voice well from the far recesses of my office all while capturing pretty decent HD video. The video preview didn’t appear to be 4K, but that could have been down to a number of factors, including my own ineptitude (I was later informed by Vanco that most of the major services like Zoom, Teams, etc. only support 1080p video). The user guide wasn’t particularly helpful here and appeared to be the result of rebadging a foreign manufacturer’s white labeled product. A wizard or Quick Start guide would’ve been very useful here. Maybe even a calibration routine based on answering a few questions about the room and doing a little auto

sensing around light levels and audio reflectivity?

I managed to bungle my way through the user guide and get the settings pretty well dialed in. I made a few more video calls and tried to stump it. The PulseAudio Collaboration Video Bar handled everything I threw at it.

Final Report

In a crowded space full of conferencing video bars claiming they can easily auto group participants and deliver great sound, the PulseAudio Collaboration Video Bar stands out as a product that actually performs as advertised. With its $999 MSRP, it’s a great value given all that’s happening behind the scenes. I can’t wait to see what PulseAudio cooks up next! x

UNCONVENTIONAL

Shelly Button 1

Tyba Turn 2

MOES Scene Switch

Fibaro Swipe

Aeotec NanoMote Quad

Aqara Cube

UIs

Exploring Alternative User Interfaces for Controlling a Smart Home

By Jay Basen

There are a variety of ways of controlling a smart home. Some of the most common methods involve using individual smart phone apps provided by manufacturers, an integrated app that ties together smart devices, handheld remote controls, dedicated touch panels, wallmounted keypads, or voice control. All of these options have their advantages and disadvantages, but I was convinced that I could find an alternative user interface for my smart home, which is how this article came together.

I really like wireless keypads and use them in my own home. Battery-operated models are great to place on a nightstand, table, desk, work bench, etc. and programmed to perform a few dedicated functions.

For example, Shelly makes a basic single-button Wi-Fi keypad, called the Shelly Button 1. It is rechargeable, so you never have to worry about not having the correct battery on hand if it runs out of power, and it can be integrated with a wide variety of smart home platforms. I’ve even written a driver to integrate Shelly devices with a Crestron smart home system. The Shelly Button 1 can report a single press, double press, triple press, and press-hold events, enabling it to perform four different actions in a smart home from one button.

Aeotec also makes a very small four-button Z-Wave rechargeable wireless keypad called the NanoMote Quad. The three outer buttons on the keypad each have small raised dimples, making it easy to use in the dark. In addition, each button supports both press and press-hold functions.

Aeotec has built a child lock feature into the NanoMote Quad, which is enabled or disabled by pressing and holding one of the buttons for 10 seconds. I tested a NanoMote Quad with my

Hubitat Elevation hub, and installation was very simple. You just install the battery, double click the button, the LED indicator will begin to flash, and the hub is placed in pairing mode.

MOES manufactures battery-powered Zigbee keypads for the Tuya smart home platform, but people have written drivers to integrate these keypads into other smart home ecosystems, as well.

I’ve personally tested a community-developed driver for the Hubitat Elevation hub, and it works perfectly. The MOES Scene Switch can be purchased with one, two, three, or four buttons. Each button supports single-press, double-press, and press-hold events. So, a four-button keypad supports up to 12 programmable events.

Unlike the Shelly and Aeotec products, the MOES Scene Switch buttons are quite large — approximately 1.5 inches square on the four-button keypad. This provides plenty of room to apply a label to the button that describes its function, making it easier to use in a large home. So, while that isn’t as good a solution as a custom-engraved button in a keypad from a professional smart home manufacturer, it does provide a user-friendly, DIY solution.

Installation of the MOES Scene Switch was very easy. First, I added the custom driver code to the Hubitat Elevation Hub. Next, I chose to add a Zigbee device to the hub. Then, I pressed and held one of the buttons on the Scene Switch to put it into acquire mode. Finally, I put the Hubitat Elevation hub into acquire mode and the Scene Switch was almost immediately recognized by the hub. I then tested the operation of the Scene Switch, and the button press events were properly recognized.

Finally, I used the Crestron-Hubitat driver code that I wrote and integrated the Scene Switch with the Crestron processor that runs my home.

The Tyba Turn 2 is a 3.25-inch diameter Wi-Fi smart home user interface for Crestron, Control4, and KNX smart home ecosystems. In addition, the device has a REST API so it can also be integrated with other smart home controllers.

The Turn 2 has a central touch panel/display that is surrounded by a twistable ring. For example, a swipe on the touch panel can change the functionality from light control to thermostat control with the current temperature and set point displayed. The outer ring can then be twisted to move the set point up or down. The Turn 2 can be used to control lights (individual lights and scenes), climate (temperature, fan speed, modes, humidity), shades (individual shades and groups), and audio (volume, play/pause, next/previous tracks).

The Turn 2 also includes a small LED so it can be easily located in the dark, a temperature sensor, and a motion sensor that automatically wakes up the device when you approach it.

Integrating the Turn 2 with various smart home platforms requires attaching the correct bus connector to the back of the device. These include a DC Power Bus Connector, which is used when the Turn 2 will be integrated over Wi-Fi using the device’s REST API. It is also used for integration with Crestron and Control4 smart home processors over IP. They also include Cresnet Bus Connector and KNX Bus Connector.

The Turn 2 also has a port on the back of the unit for connection of a USB C cable that can be used to power the device.

The Tyba Turn 2 has been designed to meet the requirements of professional integrators and homeowners who want a professionally installed smart home system. For example, the outer control ring is machined from solid metal and is available in black, silver, and bronze. In addition, Tyba offers a range of special-order alternatives, such as copper.

Tyba can also supply an optional back plate for wall mounting or a table stand. However, it is important to remember that the Tyba Turn 2 is not battery powered.

Once the Tyba Turn 2 has been connected to a power supply, you can configure it over Wi-Fi using the free Tyba smart phone app. The app is easy to use and allows you to connect the Turn 2 to your Wi-Fi network by scanning a QR code with your smart phone’s camera that is displayed on the Turn 2. You can then configure all aspects of the options that will be displayed on the Turn 2’s display and configure settings, such as whether the Turn 2 will connect with a control system through a Tyba Bus Connector, set the Turn 2’s date/time, and configure whether the Turn 2 will display a clock as a screen saver.

Overall the Turn 2 is very easy to use to control a smart home. However, there is one place where I believe the user interface could be improved. First, if you are in the mode where you will be selecting between different lighting scenes or shade scenes, as you twist the outer ring it will select each scene in order. This will cause shades to start moving as different scenes are selected or lights to turn on/off. Including a slight delay before the scene is triggered as the ring is turned would be a better solution.

I integrated the demo unit that I was provided with for this article with a Crestron smart home processor. The process was very simple and the Simpl Windows programming symbol for communicating with the Turn 2 was very well designed and easy to use. There was also a very detailed help file to go along with the programming symbol. The only suggestion I have for improvement would be to provide an example program, as it would speed up the learning curve for a developer integrating the

product with a homeowner’s smart home system for the first time.

I did have some trouble with Wi-Fi connectivity of my demo unit, which had been used by other people before me. Working with the people at Tyba, our best guess was that the Wi-Fi radio was either damaged during shipment or was starting to fail. Since most of my testing was done using the Tyba Cresnet Bus Connector, this was only an issue during setup.

Overall, the Tyba Turn 2 would be at home in any high-end smart home system. The display is bright and crisp. The overall fit and finish of the Turn 2 is very well done. And, the user interface, with the exception of the one idiosyncrasy I pointed out, is very well designed and easy to use.

The Aqara Cube is a small 1.75-inch batteryoperated Zigbee user interface device that works by sensing how a user moves the Cube. It includes a six-axis sensor with an accelerometer and gyroscope to identify motion and changes in position of the device. There are events when the Cube is moved sideways, shaken, rotated, tapped twice, flipped 180 degrees, and flipped 90 degrees.

Aqara’s supported integration path for the Cube involves purchasing the Aqara Hub and then leveraging their IFTTT service. However, I have also seen community-developed drivers for SmartThings and the Hubitat Elevation hub to allow for direct integration of the Cube with these platforms. I expect that there are drivers for other platforms, as well.

I was able to try the integration of the Aqara Cube with a Hubitat Elevation hub using the driver developed by Oh-La Labs. The driver implements the Cube as a seven-button keypad where the different events supported by the Cube show up on the Hubitat as button presses on a keypad.

I had some challenges getting the Aqara Cube to reliably work with the Hubitat. However, after some initial hurdles, it seemed to stabilize. One exception was that I found it difficult to implement the event of knocking twice on the Cube.

The Aqara Cube would provide a reasonably secure platform for capturing user input, as a casual guest in a home is not going to know what

to do with a small plastic cube that is sitting on a table.

The Fibaro Swipe looks like a modern, nondigital picture frame (yes, you can print out a picture of your choice and install it in the Fibaro Swipe). However, it includes a 3D near-field motion sensor and can detect a variety of hand motions. The basic hand motions that can be detected are swiping up, down, left, and right. In addition, the Swipe can detect circular motions of spinning your hand left or right. Fibaro has a very creative and entertaining video on YouTube that demonstrates the basic operation of the Swipe

The Fibaro Swipe is a Z-Wave device that is designed to integrate with Fibaro’s line of smart home controllers. Through a Fibaro smart home controller you can trigger events when any of these basic gestures are performed or create events that are only performed when a specific sequence of gestures is detected by the Swipe.

It should be noted that incorporating a long list of events into a Fibaro Swipe, each of which would require a different sequence of gestures, would be very difficult to memorize. So, if you incorporate a Fibaro Swipe into your smart home, you will need to exercise some restraint.

The battery-powered Fibaro Swipe’s 3D nearfield motion sensing can detect a hand swipe through a solid object, which would be ideal for a home with minimalist interior design. For example, light switches could be totally eliminated and hand swipes, over the drywall, beside each doorway, would turn the lights in a room on/off.

A community written driver has been developed to integrate the Fibaro Swipe with the SmartThings ecosystem. That driver has been ported to the Hubitat Elevation hub so the Fibaro Swipe can also be integrated into smart home system with a Hubitat hub. However, I wasn’t able to try the Fibaro Swipe myself to validate whether these drivers, or the product, worked well.

The traditional ways of controlling a smart home system work well but all have their downsides. Smart home manufacturers have become very creative and now offer some unique, and very different, ways of controlling the devices in a smart home. Each of these has unique attributes that may make them a better fit for different areas of a smart home. x

Living With a Robot Vac

A First-Hand Experience With the DreameBot D10 Plus Auto-Empty Robot Vacuum and Mop

By Jeremy Glowacki

When the opportunity to review the DreameBot D10 Plus auto-empty robot vacuum and mop come along, I felt like I was already pretty late to the whole robot vacuum trend. With mass availability online and at retail, it just felt like I was more “late majority” than “early adopter.”

The thing is, despite the evolution of the category and the growing number of brands competing in it, we’re still very much on the early side of consumer adoption of robot vacuums. There just aren’t as many people buying them as you would think.

I imagine that my own hesitancy to embrace the category aligns pretty closely with the slow adoption of the robot vacuum. The price point is still relatively high (although quite comparable to a highquality upright vacuums) yet they seem to be limited in what they can accomplish without supplemental cleaning devices and set up focus. Then there’s that whole thing about adding extra cameras in our homes and related privacy concerns.

That’s why I was so encouraged by the prospect of reviewing the DreameBot D10 Plus from the Chinese manufacturer Dreametech. Not only did it allay the privacy issue by employing LiDAR tech instead of video camera navigation, but it also promised auto-emptying, mopping capability, and 4,000Pa suction power with automatic power adjustment for carpet and hard floors.

The DreameBot D10 Plus comes with a standard disc-shaped robot that docks into an auto-empty base that, altogether, looks a little bit like a tiny toilet. Finding the proper location for the unit was probably the toughest part of this review, as it isn’t the type of tech that tucks easily away out of sight in a modest-sized home like mine (3,000 square feet). I cleared some

space in our laundry room/garage entrance area underneath a utility sink. I knew the challenge would be keeping abandoned backpacks and discarded footwear out of the robot’s path, but it was the best location I could find.

Once the base was plugged into the electrical outlet and robot vacuum docked, I allowed the unit to fully charge for 24 hours. The next day, I downloaded the Mi Home app and linked up the device.

Before sending the robot out to map the main floor of my house, I made sure to pick up dog toys and random footwear. I also pushed in dining chairs and tucked away lamp cords. Mapping took about 50 minutes. I learned throughout the process that my home office shag rug is too deep to be vacuumed by the DreameBot D10 Plus, so I created a No-Go Zone on the floorplan map within the app. It was an easy step, though just a bit harder to do with thick fingers on a tiny screen. Other No-Go Zones were added later, such as behind my sofa where the DreameBot D10 Plus got hung up on

an extension cord too many times, and the formal dining room which is rarely used so a waste of battery to vacuum every week.

Once the mapping was complete, I allowed the DreameBot D10 Plus to return to its charging base to reload for a bit before its first vacuuming run.

First Vacuuming Run

The DreameBot D10 Plus followed its own map very precisely. Although the robot cleans according to its memorized path, the unit’s LiDAR laser still registers obstructions, spinning, turning, and pivoting to avoid contact. The spinning sidebrush does a solid job of collecting dust and debris from along walls up under the DreameBot D10 Plus where the rotating main brush and suction can vacuum it up.

Suction settings can be adjusted within the app to Standard, Strong, and Turbo. The Standard setting is less noisy and seems to be sufficient on my hardwoods. Selecting a feature called Carpet Boost, enables the robot to automatically turn on maximum suction after sensing carpet or rugs, then automatically resumes normal suction after leaving that surface.

Initially, I set the DreameBot D10 Plus to run once a week, early on Wednesday mornings. However, when the Carpet Boost setting would be triggered, the noise was akin to someone blow drying their hair, which was annoying enough at that early hour to convince me to change the automation to early Sunday nights, instead. To be fair, the higher suction isn’t any louder than an upright vacuum, but having that noise come from an autonomous device, just makes it a bit more annoying to my family.

Within my home are three women with long hair, an old guy with not much hair, and a dog who sheds and tears up her toys. There’s a lot to

clean over the span of a week, and the DreameBot D10 Plus had done an excellent job eliminating the dust bunnies and fur balls that can develop along baseboards and on the hardwood around area rugs. Even the carpet vacuuming seems comparable to the quality of our new upright vacuum.

The Mopping Feature

While I’m fully willing to endorse the vacuuming capabilities of the DreameBot D10 Plus, I’m just a little enthusiastic about the robot’s ability to mop. The unit comes with a mopping module, which is a half-moon shaped plastic reservoir that you fill with water. A mop pad must be dampened and wrung out, then it is attached to the module, and the whole thing is clipped into the front end of the DreameBot D10 Plus.

The cool thing is that DreameBot D10 Plus automatically senses the attachment and switches to the mopping setting in the app, providing a verbal notification and update on your phone. When the mop is attached, a different version of the memorized floorplan appears, which, for me, required different No-Go Zones. For instance, you don’t want the robot to mop on top of carpets or rugs, obviously, so those need to be blocked out. The challenge here is that normally I would want to mop on the hardwoods around the edges of rugs, but it’s really tough to do with the somewhat imprecise mapping tool and because

the wet “mop” would have to drag across a rug to get to certain corners of the hardwood.

The other limitation of the DreameBot D10 Plus mopping function is that you are advised to use only clean water in the module, with no cleaning detergent or disinfectants of any kind. To me, mopping with just water is OK for clearing footprints, etc., but it’s not what I would consider “cleaning” per se. So, while I still attach the mop module once a week and let it run its course, I also supplement the robot’s mopping with a Swiffer Wet Jet in those more challenging areas.

At the end of the mopping cycle, the DreameBot D10 Plus returns to base and a voice tells you that the attachment is still “attached.” You then manually disconnect it and empty it and clean the mop pad.

Speaking of “voice,” you can connect the robot to your Amazon Alexa smart speaker, but I found it unnecessary to talk to it because the app and physical buttons for Pause and “return to base” on top of the robot worked well enough without an additional voice feature.

Maintenance

One the cleverer touches from the designers of the DreameBot D10 Plus is a little brush/cutter cleaning tool that is mounted under the top lid of the robot. Think of it like one of those razorblade style letter openers from the 1990s. This device has an angled blade inside a protective plastic guide, and a little brush on the

other end. Like on any vacuum, long hairs and threads can easily wrap around the roller, even in a short amount of time, and the cutter is a great way to perform regular maintenance on the brush. Similarly, the sidebrush also gets tangled from time to time. In fact, when it’s especially clogged, the robot will stop and report, by voice, the need to remove the obstruction, as well as popping up as a message on your phone. This happened to me when my wife’s business meeting badge lanyard was on the floor under her desk and got wound around the sidebrush.

Self-Emptying Vacuum

Another big selling point for the DreameBot D10 Plus is that once a cleaning cycle is complete, the robot will announce that it’s returning to its base, and when it has docked, announces that it is emptying into the collection bag inside the base. DreameBot D10 Plus comes with two collection bags, which fit neatly into a mounting mechanism that automatically closes the bag when it is removed. Replacement bags are $19.99 for a set of three on Amazon. It’s recommended that you replace the bag every four to six weeks, which I found to be accurate.

Although I have grown accustomed to bagless upright vacuums, no vacuum operates maintenance-free, so I think the operation of the DreameBot D10 Plus measured up to my expectations.x

DreameBot D10 Plus from Dreametech seems to allay privacy issues by employing LiDAR tech instead of video camera navigation.

Kohler, the manufacturer of kitchen and bath products, and Phyn, a leader in intelligent water solutions, have announced that their suite of whole home monitoring products now integrates directly with Alarm.com. By connecting Kohler H2Wise and Phyn products to the Alarm.com platform, users will be able to monitor and manage smart home devices through their Alarm.com app. H2Wise can be easily installed by the homeowner under any sink and works to continuously monitor water pressure and provide realtime alerts. H2Wise+ is professionally installed onto the main water line.

PRODUCT REVOLUTION

Access Networks Basic Configuration Services was created to help integrators consistently and efficiently deploy small- to medium-size networking systems. The program’s initial rollout will focus on delivering preconfigured networking solutions comprising Access Networks access points, switches, and Sophos firewalls. Dealers receive configuration services and support historically provided for more complex projects requiring a Custom Core network; Basic Configuration Services provides a valuable subset of those services to the masses.

AiSPIRE has created a new series of LED recessed light fixtures, called ALPINE. The entry-level luminaires use static white light in color constant LED with either a 2700K or 3000K temperature. The fixtures are available with a low voltage remote power supply (RPS) and line voltage standard wiring and are offered in a variety of aperture sizes, from 2 inches up to 3.5 inches, and various styles, including round or square trims and upscale trimless options.

American Lighting has introduced the new Spektrum+ Smart Gateway-E with an Ethernet port for direct network connection. The gateway integrates the company’s smart lighting fixtures with Control4’s whole home automation system. Gateway-E only requires 2.4Ghz Wi-Fi or direct Ethernet connection for operation and includes a 5V adapter with plug and USB cable. Spektrum+ offers a series of smart fixtures that allows users to switch their existing lighting to color-changing with the ability to tune white light from 2700K-6000K. The line also includes many other products.

Amp Genie is a signal sensing, automatic remote that listens for music and automatically plays your stereo. Whether you use voice control, a streaming app, a handheld remote, or oldfashioned button pushing, it gets your music playing faster and easier through your audio receiver. The product pairs with any audio source and includes an integrated cradle to hold a Sonos Port or Sonos Connect. It works with any analog, SPDIF, or optical audio source and supports all eight major AV receiver brands.

Audio Advice, the North Carolina-based home electronics dealer, has developed a free interactive projector throw distance calculator. The 3D tool provides consumers and home theater installers with the ideal projector placement to achieve optimal image brightness for varying screen sizes in their home theater designs. The Projector Throw Distance Calculator allows a user to interactively change screen size, screen gain, and their chosen projector to calculate throw distance. Users can change any input and see the impact on the design.

PRODUCT REVOLUTION

Bluesound, the hi-res wireless multi-room line of audio players, now includes Powernode Edge, a single-zone, wireless music streaming amplifier that combines streaming sources, control, and amplification in one affordable device ($649 USD). Audiophile-grade amplification in the device makes it easy to connect a pair of passive speakers to create or extend a HiFi system. Other options include adding the Pulse Sub+ wireless subwoofer for a compact 2.1 stereo system. Alternatively, the Powernode Edge can power the rear channels of a Bluesound wireless surround sound setup for the ultimate modern home theater experience.

Crestron has expanded their audio portfolio with four new products, including three additions to the Crestron Speakers made by Origin Acoustics Ultimate Series line as well as an all-weather model of Crestron’s Saros Surface Mount Speakers. Built natively for the Crestron Home OS and for easy integration with custom systems, these new audio solutions pair with Crestron’s DM NAX Audio-over-IP distribution platform. Crestron’s new 3-inch Ultimate In-Ceiling speaker (IC3) is designed to deliver equally impressive sound from a much smaller footprint. Available in 6- and 8-inch SKUs, the 120W Saros Surface Mount Speakers support both LoZ and HiZ configurations.

The Epson EpiqVision Ultra LS800 4K PRO-UHD Ultra Short-Throw 3-Chip 3LCD Smart Streaming Laser Projector combines an advanced ultra short-throw lens with a laser-array light source to produce vivid colors and deep blacks. It offers 4K HDR viewing experience up to 150 inches in virtually any environment. The projector includes the Latest Android TV interface with a simpleto-use remote — including voice search with built-in Google Assistant — and features a built-in 2.1 channel virtual surround system from Yamaha.

eero PoE 6 is a new Wi-Fi 6 PoE-enabled device that can be mounted on a ceiling or wall, provide up to 2,000 square feet of coverage, and support 100+ connected devices. The new eero PoE Gateway is the fastest home networking offering that the company has ever offered, supporting wired 2 x 10 gigabit Ethernet and 8 x 2.5 PoEenabled gigabit Ethernet interfaces. It can power multiple eero PoE 6 units and other PoE devices for maximum coverage and performance in homes and businesses. The Amazon brand is also introducing eero for Pro Installers.

Denon’s new A Series AV receivers combines the 3D audio formats Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, IMAX Enhanced, and Auro 3D, along with Dolby Surround. The AVR-A1H features 15 channels of amplification and the AVR-X4800H is a 9.4 channel AV receiver, powering 125W per channel, delivering 3D audio that matches highdefinition video up to 8K. Powering 105W per channel, the AVR-X3800H 9.4 channel 8K AV receiver delivers 3D audio and picture quality. The AVR-X2800H is a 7.2 channel AV receiver with 95W per channel. The AVR-X580BT is a 5.2 channel AVR with 70W per channel.

JVC is offering a firmware upgrade for all current-generation JVC D-ILA projectors: DLA- NZ9, DLA-NZ8, DLA-NZ7, DLA-NP5, DLA-RS4100, DLA-RS3100, DLA-RS2100, and DLA-RS1100. It includes improved Frame Adapt HDR picture performance, additional Frame Adapt picture modes, a new mode for Laser Dynamic Control with the laser light source on laser-equipped models, and “Filmmaker Mode”, which faithfully reproduces the filmmaker’s intentions, among other features, to enhance the user’s video experience and ease of use.

The Ultimate Movie Player

Kaleidescape elevates every component in your theater.

Hear the Difference

Lossless audio with bitrate 10x higher than typical streamer rates.

See the Difference

4K HDR with video bitrate 10x higher than typical streamer rates.

Experience the Difference

Built-in automation to dim lights and close shades when you press play.

Image Courtesy of ParadiseTheater.TV

The Storied History of Online Dating Apps

By Anthony Elio

The world is finally beginning to embrace dating apps, as numerous couples are going from chatting online to meeting in person. At least, I believe that’s the case, as I find that romantic relationships distract from my true passions of collecting ceramic figurines, shoplifting, and shoplifting ceramic figurines. And while I’m committed to staying single myself, promising singles across the globe have been using the world wide web to find someone to settle for. With Valentine’s Day right around the corner — or close enough, anyway — let’s look at the long and storied history of online dating apps.

Anthony Elio is a writer and disgraced former child star living in Denver, CO. He currently plays drums in the band Television Generation and can be found on Twitter @AntsSweatsBets.

2,500 B.C.— Ancient hieroglyphics foretell that online dating will bring nothing but heartbreak and pain, ultimately leading to a crumbling society in which meeting other people has become a tiring chore.

1844 — Samuel Morse debuts his newest invention with the electric telegraph, devised to deliver messages in a quick, simple manner. However, within days, the newly single Morse began to send late-night messages of “Hey beautiful ;)” and “You up?” to any female citizen with an electric telegraph within a six-mile radius.

1959 — As part of a school project, Stanford students Phil Fialer and Jim Harvey utilize an IBM 650 computer to create a complete dating survey, resulting in 49 successful matches. However, as both Fialer and Harvey were computer programmers and therefore major dorkus malorkuses, they never found matches for themselves.

1998 — You’ve Got Mail, a romantic comedy starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, popularizes meeting partners online. To explain the plot of this somewhat older film in terms that our Gen Z readers can understand, Tom Hanks simps for Meg Ryan, who is his favorite e-girl with main character energy, and although she goes “big yikes” and claps back to him being boujee and sus, the two still pass each other’s vibe check, no cap.

2012 — The launch of mobile dating apps like Hinge and Tinder popularizes swipe-based dating right from your smartphone, finally giving a useful function to pocket-sized supercomputers.

2015 — After mistaking LinkedIn for an online dating app and sending several regrettable messages to coworkers, my former company relieves me of my duties as human resources manager.

2019 — A sign that the online dating field had become overly crowded, a number of applications officially fold. Some of these platforms include, but are not limited to, Non-Dairy Date (an app for lactose-intolerant singles), PiePassion (romantic meetups for pie eating contests), and EczeMeet (dating for anyone suffering from the skin condition eczema).

2021 — A new study reveals that the number of online dating app users has exceeded 300 million. This is roughly 163% more than the death toll from the Plague of Justinian, an early instance of the bubonic plague that ravaged populations from Northern Europe to Roman Egypt in the mid500s A.D. x

Fernando Losada Rodríguez

CAN A SMART HOME HELP SUPPORT YOUR HEALTH & WELLNESS?

Your sleep. Your energy. Your mood. Your emotional and physical health. A smart home can help improve and support these and other aspects of wellness. The Crestron Home® platform seamlessly integrates with the Crestron product ecosystem and best-in-class wellness technology from our industry partners. So, you can easily orchestrate your home’s environment and how it interacts with the outside world to help support your health and well-being.