Daryl Friedman admits he doesn’t have time for hobbies these days leading CEDIA as global president & CEO. It didn’t help that the former GRAMMY executive took reins of those roles in 2021, when the pandemic was experiencing a surge. He came into CEDIA and embarked on a worldwide tour of the organization’s conferences and meetings with integrator m…

HDMI Licensing President Rob Tobias chats about AI's impact on AV, improving immersive experiences, Blu-ray discs vs. streaming content, identifying counterfeit cables and more.CE Pro

One of the most enduring companies serving the custom integration industry is Russound. The New Hampshire-based company has some exciting products for 2024, highlighted by its AVA-Series of mini-AV receivers (AVRs) to expand its audio riches for the CEDIA channel. In the latest edition of the CE Pro Podcast, Russound CEO Charlie Porritt joins to ch…

Vetting a new vendor for your portfolio can be a daunting process, but that’s where your industry networking comes in handy. Down in Florida, Anthony Petrone, founder and CEO of Wellington-based Petrone Technology Group, was seeking an outdoor audio solution and his dealer friends kept pushing him toward Coastal Source. Hear how the match was an im…

Everyone knows about CEDIA, the leading association for the custom integration industry. Chances are you’ve attended CEDIA Expo and taken CEDIA instructor-led technology courses. But did you know about all the stuff the association engages in behind the scenes to benefit the entire industry? In case you didn’t, I talked to Darren Reaman, director o…

The fall and early winter periods are important times of the year in the world of home AV. For many homeowners, it means buying new AV systems in preparation for a winter of staying home and watching movies, streamed content, and sports such as hockey and basketball. The annual CEDIA Expo, which took place just after Labor Day, the 2023 event in De…

Following a successful CEDIA Expo 2023 in which home audio – particularly immersive audio – was front-and-center on the show floor, it was time to talk surround sound with our “Audio Guys” regulars on the latest CE Pro Podcast. Joined by CE Pro All-Star Band keyboard player Steve Haas, who is a nationally recognized acoustician in the residential a…

This year, Nationwide Marketing Group expanded its reach with the rebranding of its residential dealer group to Oasys Residential Technology Group and launched a commercial counterpart, the Ellipsys Commercial Technology Group, in addition to the well-established Azione Unlimited. The leaders of those organizations – Richard Glikes, president and c…

We just wrapped up CEDIA Expo 2023, and beyond the usual product innovations and education sessions, CEDIA hosted its annual awards banquet where it honors a Lifetime Achievement Award winner and often, but not always, a special CEDIA Fellow recognition. This year the special CEDIA Fellow recipient was James Chen, managing director of Kordz. We wer…

One of the highlights at CEDIA Expo every year are the amazing home theater and audiophile demo rooms, and it looks like this year will be no different. One in particular that’s sure to stand out at CEDIA Expo 2023 in Denver (Sept. 7-9) is the 11.6.6-channel Dolby Atmos theater being staged by Seymour-Screen Excellence, StormAudio, Grimani Systems,…

While the show floor and demo rooms focused on new products are always the center of attention at CEDIA Expo, it’s always a good reminder that the annual tradeshow also delivers tons of education and training opportunities too. To help get CEDIA Expo attendees thinking about what kinds of sessions to add into their schedules this year in Denver, I …

Veteran CE pros may remember Blake Vackar from his first stint on the sales side of leading screen and shades manufacturer Screen Innovations. Well, after a brief detour, Vackar is back at SI at Brand Ambassador and Screen Evangelist and ready to meet with integrators to evangelize the opportunities in those categories. What does all that entail? T…

This week we have back one of our favorite guests here on the CE Pro Podcast, UK-based Together For Cinema founder and industry do-gooder Ian Morrish. This time around, Morrish updates us on Together For Cinema’s 2023 children’s hospice home theater projects, donations and sponsors, as well as the group’s new status as a Community Interest Company,…

With a portfolio of some of the most revered brands in home audio, few manufacturers can match the allure of Harman Luxury Audio. Jim Garrett, senior director, product strategy and planning for Harman Luxury Audio, is a long-time home audio market veteran and enthusiast. Harman’s stable of brands includes Mark Levinson, JBL, JBL Synthesis, Arcam, L…

The last time we talked to DoorBird, the IP doorstation specialist had recently expanded its North American offices from San Francisco to add an East Coast base in Jacksonville, Fla., where Justin Clark heads up sales for the Americas, Australia & New Zealand, and assists dealers in various ways. He rejoins the podcast with even more to discuss thi…

To paraphrase the classic rock band Styx, “these are the best of times” when it comes to home video entertainment. That sentiment is shared by CE Pro’s expert panel of “Video Guys” when they discussed spring 2023 trends on the latest CE Pro Podcast. According to our regular “Video Guys” in their most recent conversation with CE Pro Senior Editor Bo…

The shortage of labor is not unique to the custom installation market, but it has been an ongoing struggle for many years. CEDIA is tackling the issue head on in several ways. First, the association unveiled its Next Gen Smart Home Career Toolkit to help integrators connect with the next generation of employees. Also, CEDIA unveiled its slate of 80…

With 2023 already flying by, CE Pro took the opportunity to ask its resident “Audio Guys” what trends they see in the market as we close out the first quarter, in the latest episode of the CE Pro Podcast. Paul Bochner, owner and president of Electronics Concepts and Professional Audio Consultants, in Rochelle Park, N.J., and Steve Silberman, busine…

Recent research shows that landscape lighting is among the most in-demand outdoor technologies by homeowners, designers and realtors, but there’s much more to the exterior than just “landscaping” as potential integration spots. Outdoor lighting and audio specialist Coastal Source gives installers solutions to cover all areas of the exterior, and te…

“We are on a 1,000-mile journey, and we're only about 500 miles into it,” says John Heyman, CEO of Snap One, in reference to the ambitious plans the company has ahead. That journey has taken the Charlotte, N.C.-based company from its humble beginnings in 2000 from founder Jay Faison to become the bellwether company in the smart home industry. Snap …

The big ISC West security tradeshow in Las Vegas is around the corner, and we have one of the leading video surveillance providers on this week’s CE Pro Podcast to walk us through technologies, applications, trends and more. Fredrik Nilsson, VP of the Americas at Axis Communications, joined me for a conversation last summer that is still very relev…

This year for the second year in a row I visited the Design & Construction Week festivities, which includes the International Builders Show (IBS) and the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS), owned by the National Association of Home Builders and National Kitchen & Bath Association, respectively. Last year’s return to an in-person show in Orlando wa…

The annual Consumer Electronics Show, better known as CES, was held a few weeks ago and it did not disappoint. The pre-audit attendance of 115,000 made it the largest show since early 2020. While most of the event is not targeted at integrators, there were some interesting exhibits that bode for the future. CE Pro editor Jason Knott spoke with CEDI…

This week on the CE Pro Podcast we’re looking back on the editors’ of CE Pro’s favorite podcast moments from 2022. Executive editor Arlen Schweiger, senior editor Bob Archer, editor in chief Jason Knott and web editor Nick Boever all hosted guests on the CE Pro Podcast in 2022, and while we’d say all the conversations were gems, we of course have m…

CE Pro senior editor Robert Archer has been covering the custom electronics industry for 20+ years and never misses a CEDIA Expo. Over the years, Bob has also gone through curriculum from CEDIA and other associations like the Home Acoustics Alliance to further his AV expertise. So when Bob does his annual top products of the year posts, we know he …

With a background in smart city technologies, Iveda is now eyeing smart home. The release of IvedaCare brings an AI-driven software solution powered by sensors straight to the hands of integrators, and though it focuses on aging-in-place solutions, the possibilities go far beyond that. The solution is scalable, customizable, and comes with out-of-t…

Is 8K ready for prime time? It seems like an odd question to be asking since it feels like the industry only recently converted to 4K. But with gaming as the driving force behind 8K content, the momentum is already building for the next wave of video resolution. So what does 8K actually bring in terms of color gamut and HDR? How will 8K alter video…

Outdoor technology remains red hot, and one company that’s been leading the charge for custom integrators is outdoor lighting and audio specialist Coastal Source. The Moorestown, N.J.-headquartered company, which also has offices in the Florida Keys, had a big presence at the recent CEDIA Expo 2022 in Dallas … did you get a chance to check out thei…

Cellphone signal boosters has been a growing category for integrators for several years now, largely dominated in the custom industry by a couple of companies – SureCall and Wilson Electronics, which are always at the top of CE Pro’s Brand Analysis rankings. Uniden Cellular by Siyata Mobile is an established company that’s joining the custom fray w…

This is a hosted panel discussion that brings to life The Cinema Connoisseur’s inaugural "Cinema Sommelier" movie review that used scenes from the hit 2018 movie "A Quiet Place," including supervising sound editor Erik Aadahl. In the review and in the podcast, Sean Skelley, owner of Definitive Audio in Seattle, describes the specific scenes from th…

Have you ever wished you could install an in-ceiling loudspeaker and not worry about running wire to drive it and connect sources? Well, let us introduce you to Surrey, U.K., brand Lithe Audio, an innovative speaker company that makes all-in-one products that allow you to do just that. Amit Ravat, co-founder and director of Lithe Audio, debuted the…

With crowded booths and a lot of static and active product demonstrations, the Expo certainly delivered on the promise to show the latest products to attendees. This year’s bumper crop of products was arguably the most diverse in the history of the CEDIA Expo. In the CE Pro Podcast recap editors Jason Knott and Arlen Schweiger, along with Commercia…

CEDIA Expo 2022 is right around the corner and CE Pro’s resident “Video Guys” are not only excited to see the latest products during the annual trade event, they are eagerly anticipating the show’s training opportunities. Joel Silver, CEO and lead developer, Imaging Science Foundation (ISF); Jason Dustal of Murideo; and Robert Zohn, president and f…

If you’ve done work with designers and architects, you know that they are looking for design-minded or discreet solutions for technology. Two trending categories that can help integrators win over those trade partners on projects – and their customers – are motorized shades and voice control. And speaking of those categories, Brittany Mier y Teran,…

With the summer winding down the members of the CE Pro All-Star Band are ramping their efforts up. More specifically, the guys are deep into their practice routines working towards making their now annual appearance at the CEDIA Expo 2022 event as memorable as possible. Coming off a three-year break in their live performances, band members are exci…

As you walk past the storefronts at the Boston Design Center, the System 7 showroom doesn’t stand out too much from the other design storefronts. However, that reason alone is why it stands out so much, as despite looking like a lighting showroom, it is secretly a technology experience center in disguise. While System 7 still engages in the traditi…

Wireless audio has come a long way, and one company that continues to propel the technology in exciting directions is Enclave Audio. Rob Jones, chief technology officer, discusses how easy it is for dealers to install and calibrate full wireless surround-sound systems, advantages over soundbars, where wireless audio might be headed next and more in…

When we challenged integrators to submit pictures of the oldest piece of gear on their inventory shelves for our Oldest Gear Contest, we couldn’t have expected the oldest product to be straight out of the 1970s. Yet, the fact that our first ever Oldest Gear winner said he probably has OLDER stuff lying around somewhere speaks to an issue in the cus…

The power conditioning and power protection category might not have the wow factor of audio video components or pizzazz of automation programming, but it could be the most mission-critical in a dealer’s portfolio. After all, it’s the components that are protecting – and even improving the performance – all the other equipment in a rack. Torus Power…

Forget about those old photos of Aunt Margie or the antique clock on the mantel over the fireplace, that space has now become the prime location for the TV. And as they say, "necessity is the mother of invention," which is why MantelMount was created. For integrators, the solution solves a myriad of potential problems related to screen height, view…

As the custom installation world becomes more entrenched in areas such as lighting fixtures and power of ethernet, battlegrounds are developing between the worlds of low-voltage electronics and high-voltage electrical. The natural evolution of the technology has led integrators to expand into these growing areas, while electricians in many cases lo…

Since it first debuted back in 2015, Snap One’s OvrC software has become the go-to solution for integrators to remotely manage the devices they install in their customers’ homes, but recent upgrades to the platform have morphed it into being a key operational tool as well. So, OvrC not only saves service truck rolls and valuable time, it has also b…

Amazon’s Ring brand might have started out as more of a mainstream name than typical custom integration channel companies, but the security provider has been catching on with the professionals over the past several years. Between its pioneering video doorbell, security cameras, smart lighting, security systems and more, Ring has made nice inroads w…

The past couple of years have been extremely busy for electronics companies in the custom integration sector. Explaining how their respective companies have fared and how they are looking ahead, Vanco’s Frank Santos and Kaleidescape’s Tayloe Stansbury recently spoke to CE Pro. In part one of this week’s CE Pro Podcast, Santos, who serves as directo…

There are numerous reasons why custom integrators end up partnering and selling products with various vendors. Could be the pricing or margins are great, the tech support is top-notch, or maybe certain companies’ reputations simply help sway a dealer’s decision. The annual CE Pro 100 Brand Analysis takes a look at leading brands in more than 60 cat…

You when you’ve been in the industry for decades, the institutional knowledge is solid gold. And the opportunity to have the information from those years of experience passed along to the next generation of integration company owners is priceless. With all the pressures facing CE pros today from supply chain to labor rates to company culture, worth…

There aren’t many brands in consumer electronics that match the 50-year legacy of Lenbrook brand PSB Speakers. The company’s humble beginnings can be traced back to when founder and chief designer Paul Barton was still a student in school. Today, PSB Speakers is well-known for its product line that includes everything from subwoofers and in-wall sp…

Whenever Sony announces a new home video product, the custom electronics industry takes notice. Certainly, when the company intros a trio of laser-based projectors Joel Silver, CEO and lead developer, Imaging Science Foundation (ISF); Jason Dustal of Murideo; and Robert Zohn, president and founder of Value Electronics, take notice. Indeed, our resi…

Talk about going the extra mile to aid a worthy cause — how about 150+ extra miles, in a span of six days? That’s what Chris Pinder accomplished this spring when he competed in the Marathon Des Sables to raise funds for Together For Cinema, the UK-based charitable organization that works with manufacturing sponsors and integrators to design and ins…

Lighting fixtures and lighting control can be used in a variety of ways, and savvy CE Pros can discuss benefits such as comfort, safety and security, convenience, curb appeal, energy efficiency and more. As Adam Domurad, VP of sales for integration firm Smart Home & HiFi by Mirarchi Electric, outlines in this week’s CE Pro Podcast episode, those be…