CEDIA Communicates - EMEA - Quarter 3 2017

QUARTER 3 2017

COMMUNICATES

Outdoor AV: Hidden Brilliance What’s Hot at CEDIA 2017 Q&A: Surveillance Experts Weigh In

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ContENTS

18 20 26 30 32 38 46 52

TECH AS DOPE, TECH AS HOPE We’re addicted to technology. Is that all bad?

SET THE PULSE RACING A look at Pulse Cinema’s incredible new showroom

LIVING WALLS Discover the advantages of installing vertical gardens

Q&A: SURVEILLANCE Industry experts weigh in on surveillance products and services

DESIGNING A SUPER CINEMA Guy Singleton explains the ultimate principles of home cinema

4K PROJECTORS Steve May reviews the market for UHD projection

SOUND ADVICE Jorge Castro explores the importance of acoustic treatment

OUTDOOR AV What to remember when the patio becomes a media centre

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It’S SHOWTIME

Welcome to another issue of CEDIA Communicates. For this third quarter of 2017, we’ve got some wonderful stories to tell.

As I’m sure you’re aware, CEDIA 2017 is just days away.

Hopefully you’ll be joining us in San Diego for one of the most important weeks of the year. We’ve increased our efforts on the education front, with over 150 courses, more than any previous year, 70 of which are brand new. A small sample of some new courses are profiled in these pages. There’s also a robust section on some of our exhibitors in this issue, too.

As always, we offer profiles of individuals and companies that are doing great things in the CEDIA channel. Our I AM CEDIA series continues, and we also introduce you to an incredible showroom in the UK. There’s a lot of practical advice in this edition of Communicates. CEDIA’s Walt Zerbe digs into “The Importance of Dedicated Controls for Today’s Digital MultiRoom Audio Systems,” while Guy Singleton weighs in on “How to Design the Super Cinema,” and Mike Maniscalco unpacks the root causes of network latency.

If you’ve not heard our CEDIA Tech Council Podcast (available on iTunes and other services), we’ve got a nice introductory piece, a summary of the show’s recent three-part series on “Technology as a Drug.”

We hope you enjoy the issue, and we can’t wait to see you in San Diego.

All the best,

Tabatha O’Connor Chief Operating Officer, CEDIA

Contact

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

Follow us on:

7150 Winton Drive, Suite 300 Indianapolis, Indiana 46268, USA Email: info@cedia.org Telephone: +1 800.669.5329 www.cedia.net

Front cover image: NV Integration Grosvenor Waterside, Gatliff Road London, SW1W 8QN, United Kingdom Telephone : +44 20 7205 2325 Email : info@nvintegration.co.uk www.nvintegration.co.uk All material in Communicates is the copyright of CEDIA and any reproduction of said material would require written permission from the publisher. Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of content published, CEDIA cannot accept responsibility for any factual errors that may occur. CEDIA cannot accept responsibility for the veracity of claims made by contributors.

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NEWS IN BRIEF BE PART OF ISE THREE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN

CEDIA is inviting members to share their knowledge with other technology integrators by becoming a qualified instructor for Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2018.

The CEDIA board and staff have been working for the last several months on a three-year plan with esteemed strategic planning expert, Dr. Rebecca Homkes, a teaching fellow at the London School of Economics and London Business School who works with top global companies on growth strategy and execution.

CEDIA qualified instructors are an integral part of the CEDIA education team and now have the opportunity to lead training at the biggest industry event in Europe next year. With education at the forefront of CEDIA’s mission, these volunteers are an important part of shaping the next generation of integrators. Taking on the role of instructor at ISE 2018 will give professionals enhanced status within the industry, showcasing them as subject matter experts to both prospective clients and fellow industry peers.

Rebecca says: “This strategy work is all about better defining and understanding the industry that CEDIA as an association serves, which customers we are going to serve, and the value proposition that we are going to offer those customers. Throughout the summer, we will be working on the organisation’s value proposition. Once that has been finalised, we will make some clear decisions about the priorities going forward. We are thinking about execution throughout the entire process — all decisions that are made are made with execution in mind.”

The deadline to be considered as a speaker for ISE 2018 is 31st August 2017.

SHOW OFF YOUR CEDIA CERTIFICATION CRED CEDIA Certification holders are getting a new, distinctive logo to show off their credentials, and a great new marketing platform to tell clients and partners what their certification represents. Through a partnership with BadgeCert, all CEDIA Certified individuals are being issued a “digital badge” which can be easily attached to an email signature, website, or shared via social media. One click will verify the status of the certification and outline what was required to earn it.

www.cedia.co.uk/call-for-instructors

CHARITY CYCLE RIDE TO REMEMBER COLLEAGUES CEDIA is planning to host a charity cycle ride on Saturday 16th September 2017 to commemorate five colleagues who the industry lost over the last two years. Suzanne Collin, Carmen Greenway, Bob Hobson, Alan Roser, and Peter Lawn are sorely missed by many within the industry and this event is the opportunity to remember these dear friends and raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support in their memory.

The charity event will take place around Grafham Water Park in Huntingdon. There will be two separate routes — a 50 mile cycle sportive style event for the more seasoned cyclists, and a 9 mile fun ride around the reservoir for anyone who wishes to come and join the fun. A post ride celebration and get-together will allow all participants and supporters to swap tales of their adventures on the day.

Money will be raised via tickets for the event. Those who wish to take part in the 50 mile ride will be charged £50 — which will include a commemorative shirt — while the fun riders will pay a £5 fee and £25 for the cycling shirt.

To donate money to Macmillan Cancer Support, visit CEDIA’s JustGiving page www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cedia-emea.

For more information and to sign up, please contact Amy Bates on ABates@cedia.org

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NEW MEMBERS CEDIA welcomes 183 new members across the globe this quarter. A special welcome to our new EMEA members…

INDIA > Auliso AUMIMAGES Colour Vibrations

NEW GLOBAL HQ

Innovation & Automation (I&A) LK Lifestyle LLP

In June, CEDIA announced plans to build a new global headquarters in Fishers, Indiana, a suburb just north east of Indianapolis. “Building a new headquarters in a desirable, high-growth area gives the CEDIA membership an asset with appreciating value, as well as opportunity for monthly revenue from tenants,” said Dennis Erskine, CEDIA Chairman. “We came to this decision after 18 months of careful consideration of all options and vetting by three separate financial firms. All concluded that real estate in this booming area was a sound investment, and a solid strategy to diversify CEDIA’s overall investment portfolio.”

Room Tone

The building will be 40,000 square feet in total on three floors.

CEDIA plans to occupy 30,000 square feet, which will include staff office space, as well as a world-class training facility, and experience centre, which will be available for member use. Ten thousand square feet will be made available for tenants. The anticipated move date is Autumn 2018.

Beyond Habitat

Vinshek Marketing Pvt. Ltd SWEDEN > Dirac Research AB UNITED KINGDOM > Arcadia Custom Installation Artec Electrical Ltd Autonomy Controls Ltd Candor Electrical Clarke Services Group Clear View Tech Ltd Cine Home Clique AV Ltd

THE LUTRON EXPERIENCE The new European Experience Centre in London is the Lutron European home for technology integrators and the design and specification community. Opening its doors in May 2017, the beautiful centre delivers an immersive experience for every visitor, highlighting the latest in lighting and blind control solutions.

The state-of-the-art, 585m² space demonstrates solutions for both commercial and residential needs, including the company’s advanced Quantum and HomeWorks QS systems, automated blinds in a broad range of widths for any project, and keypads to suit every aesthetic and performance requirement. It also features three meeting rooms that can provide training for up to 60 people.

For residential projects, visitors can walk through a model home equipped with a variety of sleek, innovative Lutron products that incorporate the latest in smart home technology, wireless operation, and whole home automation. www.ExperienceLutron.com

Concepto Solutions Custom Sight & Sound Ltd Drexler Hooke Eclectic Home Technology Ltd GF TECHNICAL SERVICES GJD Manufacturing Limited K i Systems Ltd L-Acoustics UK Ltd Nat Walden Electrical Services One Perfect Solution Limited PeteT LTD Potters Home Digital ROK Electrics Ltd Sandal PLC Sound Designs Ltd Soundz Good Southern Electrical Contractors Ltd Sovereign Audio Visual Union Systems Ltd W.E. Morgan and Co Electrical Contracting

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MEMBERS’ GUIDE TO SUCCESS (PART 5) Technology Council The CEDIA Technology Council is made up of visionary experts who watch for the trends that will impact the industry and affect you.

Their insights enable businesses to build stability by preparing for the future and grow prosperity by adopting emerging technologies.

When you join CEDIA, you fuel the health and growth of the entire home technology industry by providing resources for advocacy and outreach.

Here are the ways we support the success of our industry.

Industry Relations CEDIA maintains and develops partnerships with organisations in key affiliated industries, including architecture, homebuilding, interior design, and real estate, to communicate the benefits of professionally installed home technologies and to advocate for working with a CEDIA member.

Workforce Development CEDIA recognises that the success of our industry depends on a steady pipeline of qualified talent entering the field. Our workforce development initiatives raise awareness of career opportunities among jobseekers and provide resources to help them prepare for employment.

CEDIA.org CEDIA’s global consumer-facing website, www.cedia.org, generates consumer awareness of the industry, inspires homeowners, and reinforces the importance of working with a qualified home technology professional.

For more information and to reap the benefits, visit the membership area of the website www.cedia.co.uk/member-benefits

EXPONENTIAL INNOVATION LEARNING CONNECTIONS SUNSHINE SAN DIEGO SEPT. 5-9 The home technology market is exploding with new opportunities.

Understand the trends driving customer demand and competitive advantage at CEDIA 2017. Dedicated 100% to solutions for residential integrators, this is your destination for breakthrough products, targeted training and a passionate network.

Exponential growth begins here.

cedia.net/show

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For Dave, the excitement’s not about raw numbers.

It’s about the types of things that are being, and will be, connected.

“A decade or so back, if I had said, ‘I want to connect my shoes, or my toothbrush, or my front door lock to the internet,’ people would have laughed because it would have just made no sense, it would have been expensive, my shoes would have cost a thousand dollars, or whatever,” says Dave.

Today? The average consumer is surrounded by a wealth of intelligent devices, and they’ll need assistance sorting through their options.

“I mean, the sky’s the limit; there are so many things you can now do — fitness, entertainment, health, security.”

Given his background as a predictor of tech trends, Dave takes the big pictures that he’s seen and narrows them down: What does a connected armoured division on manoeuvres have in common with a connected light bulb?

“Once you start adding different types of things, you now get insight you simply didn’t have before,” he explains. “It’s the old adage that you can’t manage what you can’t measure. And whether its grand issues that we’re dealing with, like climate, or smaller issues like in your home, the ability to get data from those things, to get insight, to manage things — it could be your utility bill, it could be your thermostat, it could be an entire city, it could be the entire planet.”

FEED THE WORLD?

THE

INTERNET OF THINGS Dave Evans, Stringify co-founder, former Cisco futurist, and CEDIA 2017 keynote speaker, is predicting that we’ll see 40 billion things connected to the internet by 2020.

Let’s take a basic, fundamental example of how IoT can solve a pressing problem:

How are we going to feed ourselves in the future?

Dave notes that currently the U.S. population adds another hungry mouth every 14 seconds. And he brings the dire news that more than 80% of the land that is suitable for farming is already being used.

“Land is in short supply, and yet, we have to double food production over the next few decades to feed all these people we’re adding,” he says.

“It was about 20,000 years ago when humans began to farm. One can make an argument that for 99.9% of agricultural history, how we farmed didn’t fundamentally change.”

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The process was repetitive and only as predictable as the weather: dig a hole, plant a seed, hope it grows. Sure, machines came along to speed parts of the process and buttress others — from combines to irrigation — but those tools couldn’t really challenge drought or the right scavenger.

Today, though, agriculture is about to undergo an enormous change — since agriculture, like any other industry, is subject to the universal laws of technological growth, the IoT is about to impact our food supply in incredible ways.

“We’re already seeing the early stages of things like vertical farming and hydroponics,” Dave explains.

“We’re even seeing the merging of plant life with electronics where plants literally have electronics embedded in them as they grow, and plants could actually say, ‘Look, I need more water. I need more fertiliser. I need more pesticide.’”

“And connected sensors and connected devices allow us to do that. Long story short: The population is growing fast, land is shrinking, climate is changing, we need to grow a lot of food — IoT is the answer.”

And if IoT can solve problems on the scale Dave is addressing, just imagine what it will soon do for the kitchen in your home.

BUT WHAT ABOUT SECURITY? As we’ve learnt, anything that can be hacked will be hacked, and more devices mean more opportunities for those with bad intentions.

Dave notes that people often blame technology for their lack of security, but that’s a bit unfair: “It’s akin to someone leaving their home and leaving their front door unlocked,” he explains. That’s precisely what

“

“

Therein lies the opportunity for CEDIA, because the average consumer doesn’t know what to do — but they want security.

happened in a huge DDOS attack in late 2016, and cameras-turnedculprits were responsible for a lot of the requests that overloaded servers.

“All of these cameras were hacked, and it was a big IoT botnet attack,” says Dave, and the cameras were vulnerable because their default passwords were left unchanged: “They left it, Username: Admin, Password: Password.”

“So part of [the solution] is education, but part of it is also that we’ve got to all be accountable, all responsible. If you leave your home, and you leave your front door unlocked, and someone breaks into your home — that’s kind of on you. The same is true with IoT technology; you have to secure it properly, you’ve got to get the right firewalls or security, and so on.”

“And I think therein lies the opportunity for CEDIA, because the average consumer doesn’t know what to do — but they want security.”

LET’S WORK TOGETHER Part of the reason that Dave has been asked to speak at CEDIA 2017 is his current job as co-founder of Stringify.

Like many of his contemporaries, Dave saw money in the solution: “There are two major challenges with the IoT of today, I think. One is that it’s an alphabet soup of acronyms: IP, BLE — people don’t care. So, first of all, it’s confusing.”

“Second, companies are building ecosystems to lock consumers in. It’s simply too difficult for the average person to get things to connect to one another; that’s kind of where we come in. So we built a platform and a product to let someone with no technical background connect anything to anything regardless of who made the thing, regardless of what it does — it just works. We do all the heavy lifting behind the scenes.”

And here’s when Dave serendipitously utters the CEDIA mantra: “The great thing about that?

You can now focus on experiences versus focusing on the technology.”

www.stringify.com @DaveTheFuturist

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MEMBERS EXHIBITING

AT CEDIA

2017

CEDIA 2017, dedicated 100% to home technology, gives you concentrated access to new products and breakthrough innovations. Here, CEDIA gives you an exclusive preview of a number of products that are being showcased at CEDIA 2017 this year and where you can find them on the show floor.

AUDIOCONTROL #3929 AudioControl will be exhibiting The Director® M-Series high-power amplifiers with full DSP and audio matrixing capabilities. Engineered for superior performance, these U.S. built amplifiers deliver 100 watts/8-Ohms or 200 watts/4-Ohms. DSP features include equalisation, crossovers, and signaldelay, plus built-in custom profiles from popular architectural speaker brands, enabling integrators to tailor the sound to match client preferences and acoustical environments.

FUTURE AUTOMATION #1520

www.audiocontrol.com

CREATIVE LABS, INC #SR8 The X-Fi Sonic Carrier is a piece of art, delivering super high-end audio from a sleek, one-piece system. The X-Fi Sonic Carrier transforms music listening into a magical auditory experience. Every audio stream is algorithmically metamorphosed to an eXtreme Fidelity level of 24-bit 192kHz and expanded three-dimensionally into a 15.2 super wide soundstage. It also delivers an immersive 3D audio experience with the latest Dolby Atmos® technology.

us.creative.com/soniccarrier

Future Automation will be presenting its new and improved CHR Automated TV Ceiling Hinge range, along with a full selection of manual and automated TV lifts, TV brackets, projector mounting solutions, and home automation mechanisms. The new CHR Ceiling Hinge mechanisms offer easier installation, simpler setup, a neater “plaster in” finish, and easier maintenance access. Future Automation will also be demonstrating its new EAD Electric Advance and Drop bracket.

www.FutureAutomation.net

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IHIJI #3329 Ihiji ProVue is the union of Ihiji’s two award-winning products, Invision and ServiceManager, focusing on a powerful and intuitive solution for lifelong customer service and support of smart home technologies. ProVue allows integrators to remotely monitor, manage, and support a client’s connected devices.

The Ihiji ProVue platform features a new web application, a mobile app for in-field technicians, and a consumer-facing application for simple self-service and support. The ProVue interface simplifies setup and management without sacrificing the power that Ihiji’s solutions are known to provide.

www.ihiji.com

LILIN AMERICAS #3949 LILIN Americas introduces its new line of 2MP and 4MP M-series IP cameras.

Available in Dome, Bullet, and Turret form factors, these models are available to integrators with a choice of fixed and adjustable lens models, and with in-camera IVS analytics available. The M-series cameras use energy efficient IR LEDs that automatically illuminate in darkness. The cameras are available in both indoor and outdoor models and are PoE and DC12V power compatible.

LILIN cameras feature ONVIF profile S, with drivers and integration with AMX, Control4, Crestron, ELAN Core Brands, RTI, Savant, and URC.

KLIPSCH #4110 The new Klipsch Professional Series Reference Premiere Architectural speakers combine the aesthetics of an architectural speaker with the same award-winning acoustics as its Klipsch Reference Premiere home theatre component speaker counterparts.

The series uses a new proprietary SecureFit™ two-piece modular installation system that creates a robust and stable acoustic platform for the speakers. It enables a quick and easy one-person installation solution.

Machine screws secure the speaker module, thus reducing the baffle vibration by up to 40%.

www.Klipsch.com

MERIDIAN AUDIO #4329 Meridian Audio will be unveiling its Digital Theatre Controller, the 271, which allows integrators to deliver the most exceptional and immersive home cinema experience for their customers.

Complete with the highest quality dynamics and clarity, in analogue, digital, and 3D format applications, the 271 is designed to integrate any AV processor or receiver on the market with Meridian’s DSP loudspeakers. The 271 offers 16 unbalanced inputs, 16 balanced inputs, and the option of 16 digital inputs, depending on your choice of processor, and is available to experience for yourself in the dedicated Meridian sound room.

www.meridian-audio.com

www.lilin.us

NAD #4630 The NAD T 777 V3 Receiver is packed with the latest audio and video technologies, including Dolby Atmos® surround decoding and 4K Ultra HD (60p/4:4:4) video pass-through. It also supports HDR (High Dynamic Range), the latest must-have technology for high-performance video. Designed with NAD’s legendary full disclosure approach to power ratings, the T 777 V3 features 80 watts of true power per seven channels.

www.nadelectronics.com

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NEO CONTROL #1945 At CEDIA 2017, Neocontrol will be showing the latest version of the BOX 101, a powerful home automation controller. This unique device combines Z-wave technology with Somfy® protocol (RTS). BOX 101 resolves a common industry challenge when it comes to integrating curtains, thermostats, lighting, audio, and video control. Specifiers no longer need to use two or three different gateways, as they can now benefit from this singular product that is capable of controlling all the systems through a userfriendly app.

www.neocontrolglobal.com

PEERLESS-AV #5008 Peerless-AV’s UltraView™ UHD Outdoor TV provides unparalleled picture clarity thanks to 4K resolution and support of HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 for increased compatibility with 4K sources. A high TNI and IPS panel ensures the TV thrives in all conditions and sun positioning, without the risk of isotropic blackout or loss of colour accuracy. The TV is operational in temperatures ranging from -22°F to 122°F and features an aluminium construction. Available in 49”, 55”, or 65”, the UltraView™ UHD Outdoor TV’s internal speakers provide excellent sound without detracting from the TV’s aesthetics.

www.peerless-av.com

PRIMACOUSTIC #1920 Primacoustic Element panels are a range of acoustic absorbers that are designed to provide users with more aesthetic options. The hexagonal shape and bevelled edges allow the panels to be installed in unique patterns and clusters. Primary reflections and flutter echo can be controlled with an acoustic treatment layout that is personalised to the space. The 16” Element panels are 1.5” thick, and are constructed from 6lb high-density glass wool for optimal broadband absorption. The Element panels are available in black, grey, white, or beige.

www.primacoustic.com

RBH SOUND SR3 RTI CORP

#2825

The CX10’s integrated 10.1” touch-capacitive 1280x800 WXGA-resolution LCD screen delivers simple, intuitive control. Going beyond control, the touch panel is a vibrant HD video display supported through an integrated HDBaseT input and stereo speakers. Easy to mount on a countertop or inverted beneath a cabinet, the display boasts a tilt range from 10° to 90° for the best viewing angle possible. Additional user-friendly features include video intercom support and a built-in composite input to view video from security cameras and other devices.

www.rticorp.com

RBH will be showcasing its Visage™ custom architectural in-wall and inceiling speaker range, alongside the company’s conventional speakers and subwoofers. RBH’s Visage Series is designed to impress audibly, visually, and monetarily. The VM-610, with its newly-updated modern frameless aesthetic, is among the highest performance models in the line-up.

RBH includes a 25-year warranty on the Visage Series, proving the company has no reservations about standing behind its custom architectural products.

www.rbhsound.com

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STEALTH ACOUSTICS #1720 Stealth Acoustics will showcase its new 8” 3-way totally invisible architectural speaker, the LRx83. Producing a deep, warm, and natural bass response down to 40Hz, with a smooth midrange and solid upper frequency, the LRx83 is balanced, powerful, and the highest quality invisible speaker ever created by Stealth. It incorporates a 30mm midrange device, a 25mm tweeter and an 8” high-power cone woofer.

In addition to its premium audio performance, the LRx38 is also straightforward to install, featuring the same dimensions as Stealth’s LR8G and so fits neatly into any LR8 back box accessory.

www.stealthacoustics.com

SAVANT

#5129

Savant is leading an evolution in 4K Ultra HD video distribution with the Pro AV over IP family of products. Savant Pro AV delivers lightning fast performance with unlimited scale and features 4K/60 4:4:4 HDR video distribution, audio down-mixing and breakout options, along with integrated control. Integrators will appreciate the convenience of centralised 10GbE architecture, enabling Ethernet connectivity throughout the project, with either fibre or copper as an option. A transmit chassis for centralised sources and distributed receiver boxes have been designed with ease of installation in mind, reducing the complexity at the rack.

www.savant.com

THE CINEMA DESIGNER #1800 The Cinema Designer will be demonstrating TCD, a cloud-based design tool that allows integrators to design any cinema room in minutes, which adds up to saving weeks of work.

Created by Guy Singleton, TCD allows users to create technically impeccable cinema designs, support documents, and aesthetic renders within minutes.

TCD can create a 3D CAD drawing for any room in under 30 seconds, and is available to users all over the world. TCD provides all relevant documentation for cinema design, allowing any company to enter the CEDIA Awards, no matter their size.

www.thecinemadesigner.com

SURGEX #6029 The new SurgeX large format uninterruptable power supply (UPS) solutions are available in a variety of sizes to provide integrators with the system run time required for their project.

Available in 10kVa, 15kVa, or 20kVa, the new product line offers comprehensive protection against sudden loss of power and safeguards critical AV systems. Each of the large format UPS models feature online double-conversion technology, in addition to an integrated isolation transformer to ensure that if power from the utility is dirty, unstable, or lost, connected AV systems continually receive isolated and regenerated power to ensure availability and peak performance.

www.espsurgex.com

VIKING ELECTRONICS #1609 The E-32 is a vandal-resistant, single button call box that provides handsfree, two-way communication for a variety of residential, security, and commercial applications. The heavy-duty stainless steel faceplate is both attractive and durable, while the small 5” x 5” footprint, and convenient double gang box mounting, makes the E-32 a smart choice. When the button is pressed, the E-32 cycles through 5 pre-programmed phone numbers. Programming can be done remotely or locally and is stored in non-volatile memory, requiring no batteries. This unit is available in either analogue or VoIP interface.

www.VikingElectronics.com

Z-WAVE ALLIANCE #2620 At CEDIA 2017, the Z-Wave Alliance Pavilion will feature member companies that will demo their newest smart home offerings. The Alliance will show off the award-winning Z-Wave Certified Integrator Toolkit, a unique service device designed to provide dealers assistance with the setup and maintenance of a Z-Wave smart home mesh network. As the smart home market grows, consumers are looking for a variety of ways to add connected solutions to their homes.

Z-Wave has a portfolio of over 2,100 certified products from 600 member companies, giving integrators and their customers an array of choices.

www.z-wavealliance.org

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CEDIA Course Spotlight:

A SAMPLE OF 2017’S OFFERINGS The course catalogue is big this year: more than 70 new classes have been added to the educational offerings at CEDIA 2017, pushing the total number to well over 150. Additionally, some “classics” have been updated:

Wireless Network Technologies

Properly Securing a Residential Network: Methods and Best Practices

The job was so extensive that Joel Crane can’t really remember what the original course looked like.

Bjørn Jensen was part of the original task force that started developing 400-level courses for integrators. Security rapidly became a topic that needed its own dedicated lab work.

“I pretty much ripped the whole thing apart,” he says. Joel is referring to one of two courses he’s revamped that focus on wireless technology. “CEDIA’s Wireless Network Technologies Learning Lab (EST253) covers “all common types of Wi-Fi that are out there and some nonWi-Fi technologies as well,” he explains. The other course he helped rebuild, the Advanced Wireless Networking Learning Lab (EST353), needed an update, but one that wasn’t quite as sweeping.

EST253 needed updating on a number of fronts. “The funny thing about Wi-Fi is that it all really goes back to the original 802.11 standard which was ratified in 1997.” And with that look backward, Joel realised that there was some ground the old version of the course hadn’t sufficiently covered. “It’s kind of like algebra — you build on core concepts, and the three that need to be readdressed were half-duplex Wi-Fi, co-channel interference, and adjacent channel interference.”

The learning objectives for the session are: •

Identify some of the factors that drive the need for network security

•

Define common types of attacks

•

Discuss organisational best practices for protecting and securing client information and systems

•

Describe the types of encryption and algorithms for secure access, common use cases, and the level of security provided

•

Distinguish between firewall concepts such as DPI, IPS, Stateful Firewalls, Access Rules, and NAT

•

Recognise the need for secure remote access

•

Describe parental control solutions, how they work, and options to consider

•

Describe various tools and methods used to identify vulnerabilities and attacks

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On to the Business Side While the robust training offerings at CEDIA 2017 include a wide-ranging number of courses designed to help build an integrator’s technical prowess, there’s a hefty number of classes that are concerned with business operations, too.

Being a Good Boss Larry Heuvelman has come up with a pretty slick acronym, MOPEDS, to define the different hats members of an integration company might wear: •

Marketing

•

Ownership

•

Production

•

Education

•

Design

•

Sales

Wearing that owner’s hat correctly is key to good management. When he’s presented with the notion that no job is too little for the boss — and that the act of picking up a broom and sweeping the shop floor might inspire loyalty — Larry is contradictory.

“I’ve spoken to people who say they’re just going to go and cover someone else’s job at a site for one day — which turns into two, then a week — and they’re not paying attention to marshalling the sales team or keeping an eye on workflow.

“And you know what happens next, right?”

Managing for Profitability with Quickbooks Leslie Shiner adds a pair of workshops to the San Diego slate, both dealing with various aspects of Quickbooks.

Leslie explains: “I’ve been using Quickbooks since it was introduced.” After reverse-engineering numerous outcomes that would be of interest to a technology integration company, Leslie split the classes into Part 1: Accounts, Items, Jobs, and Estimates; and Part 2: Invoicing and Job Cost Reports.

“Quickbooks can be an excellent tool for accounts and project management, but only if it’s a) set up correctly, and b), you follow the rules,” she cautions.

Leslie knows all about the pitfalls: She was initially a consultant to both the construction and non-profit fields. “Unfortunately, they’re very similar,” she jokes. As for those in the CEDIA channel, “These companies have a lot of the same issues as contractors, but some have a retail component, some have a manufacturing component — they’re all unique, complex businesses even when they’re small.”

The Art of the Demo For Dr. Frederick Ampel, there are sales techniques that can best be described as “primal.” There are reactions that are hard-wired into the human brain over millennia, and those reactions can provide all the clues a salesperson needs to help close a deal.

If a customer’s in a showroom, and the salesperson flips the sound he or she is presenting from, say, stereo to 5.1 and then back to stereo, an interested consumer will reflexively lean forward, “following the sound as it’s folded back into two-channel,” Frederick explains.

“Once they’ve done that, the game is over. The question is not ‘Will they buy something?’ but ‘Will they buy it from you — and what will they spend to get there?’”

Those nuggets are just a slice of what Frederick’s planning on presenting — the presentation is a live demo of a soon-to-be-published white paper he wrote for CEDIA that carries the same name as Frederick’s course.

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The results supported the stats I was presenting. Nothing was decreasing, and most were staying the same. The most interesting result was room count. Most integrators attending the webinar were installing distributed audio in six to 10 rooms per home.

This brings us to something important.

If more people are consuming audio, and multi-room audio is growing, then access and control of these systems is paramount. Relying on a free app as the sole controller doesn’t serve the customer very well. And, if you’re an integrator not selling dedicated controls, you are missing a big opportunity! Let’s not forget, in a time when equipment margins can be low, sales of dedicated controllers are pure margin in your pocket. Your clients come

THE IMPORTANCE OF DEDICATED CONTROLS FOR TODAY’S DIGITAL MULTI-ROOM AUDIO SYSTEMS

to you because you’re the expert, and you should be giving them an unparalleled experience.

(While we’re on the subject of pricing, don’t be afraid to charge for your labour!

Just look up the word “plumber” in the yellow pages. My little part of the country has over 100 of them willing to charge $200+ for a truck roll to install a thirtycent washer. Certainly, your knowledge base is much more scarce and specialised, so charge for that knowledge.)

Walte Zerbe

CEDIA Senior Director of Technology and Standards

W

The kitchen and master bath are e’re squarely in the middle of an audio revolution.

Never before has the rate of

music discovery or consumption been higher. In fact, I’m listening to music as I’m writing this very piece (Delia Derbyshire Appreciation Society, “The Scent of Rain”). This trend is very good for business, and we need to capitalise

probably the most important locations to provide dedicated keypads or wallmounted controllers. Simple tasks like changing the volume, muting the music or recalling a favourite are really simple with a dedicated control. There are many audio manufacturers that offer wallmounted controllers, as well as third-party manufacturers that build options for most of the popular brands.

Dedicated controllers aren’t just for in-ceiling speakers connected to rack mounted amplifiers. They can be used

on it. On a recent webinar, I was

for standalone, amplified speakers,

presenting tips and tricks for multi-room

soundbars, and wired or wireless zone

audio, and we’d researched the topic by

amplifiers. At past trade shows, I’ve

conducting three polls:

demonstrated keypads controlling sound

•

bars — recalling favourites and muting

What is the average room count for your jobs?

•

Is room count increasing, decreasing, or staying the same?

•

for scenarios like “the phone is ringing” — and they’ve always been a big hit.

These demos opened everyone’s eyes to how a truly well planned, integrated, and

Are outdoor sales increasing,

installed multi-room audio system could

decreasing, or staying the same?

be so much better than a DIY project.

LEARN

www.smarthomeacademy.co.uk

SOURCE

AWE offers training for beginners to advanced installers, providing the confidence and skills needed to specify, install and support products.

We are a multi-award winning distributor, representing brands from the AV, TV, home automation, lighting and video distribution sectors.

EXPERIENCE Our HQ in Epsom, Surrey features the latest smart home technology integrated within AWE Dolby Atmos Cinema

Alexander House, 3A Blenheim Road, Epsom, Surrey, KT19 9AP connect@awe-europe.com

+44 (0)1372 729 995

www.awe-europe.com

our show apartment. See it for yourself, meet our team and bring your clients.

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Tech as Dope, Tech as Hope We’re addicted to technology.

Is that all bad?

The concept was high-minded, and a little frightening.

The CEDIA Tech Council Podcast was prepped to tackle the notion of “Technology as a Drug,” a three-part series that began with the terrifying notion of digital dependence, but morphed into an incredibly interesting discussion on the very future of home technology companies.

So, what defines an “addictive technology”? For Christiaan Beukes of South Africa’s Sphere Custom Design, the answer is broad. “In my personal opinion, any technology. Any technology that you are constantly in touch with. Any technology that you have within your reach.”

He further postulated on the proximity of one’s smartphone to any individual reading these words. “I could probably guarantee that their phone is within striking reach.”

Christiaan says that there’s no longer six degrees of separation between humans, but “six emails of separation or six bytes of separation. Realistically, any technology that we have and utilise can be addictive.”

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And the net effect of all the screens, buttons, and devices that keep us ever connected? “I think technology is actually making the human race really, really stupid,” says Archimedia’s Peter Aylett. “I don’t know my children’s phone numbers because they’re all on my phone. I don’t know how to get anywhere because I’ll just blindly follow the Sat Nav, which means I can’t read a map.”

Gaffering GAFA

...almost everything that is a really fulfilling activity is hard.

We’re addicted to devices. Those devices are collecting data. That data can sell us stuff or make the interfaces we use seamless and ultimately, predictive to nearly the point of clairvoyance. There’s a home on the near horizon that will offer a man-machine integration that’ll be even more intuitive than flipping a light switch on.

So, what does that mean for integration companies?

Peter continues his riff as naysaying philosopher. “In life, nothing fulfilling is easy.

Apart from the obvious birds and the bees things, almost everything that is a really fulfilling activity is hard.”

Peter’s not a fan of that marketing gimmick that came to be known as “The Easy Button,” especially given its deeper meaning. “My argument is, well, is easy always better? Does easy always make us happier? Does easy make us more fulfilled or is it actually taking humanity down a completely different route?”

The biggest fear that this constant connectivity brings?

“We’re being gamed,” says Christiaan bluntly.

Big Data is Watching You “One of the things that is very prevalent is how marketing and advertising is affecting us,” says Christiaan, reiterating what’s now common knowledge to most consumers. Your web history is used to track your tastes, and that’s why marketers pitch you certain products, and Facebook pitches you certain stories.

“From a personal experience, I opt out of everything,” he continues. “I’m not interested in having people sell stuff to me based on my previous

search habits or whatever I happen to glance at or click on. The statistical analysis of all of the data that we’re generating is so big and these guys are getting things very, very accurately predicted and that’s a scary thought.”

Peter brings it back to what it means for integrators.

“If you take things back to the CEDIA channel; I once heard a phrase uttered by the completely wonderful Rich Green, which was, ‘The best technology is no technology.’ That’s really referring to the fact that experiences with technology should be frictionless. We shouldn’t really be aware that something is happening in the background.”

So as these systems, and the dizzying array of connected devices available, increase in networked size

and complexity, marketers are able to use the algorithms that surround us as targeting tools while those same kinds of predictive formulas give us an experience that becomes, in Peter’s words, “frictionless.”

To be sure, Peter admits that he’s as guilty as anyone when it comes to geeking over new technology.

His

Twitter handle, after all, is “@getmoregadgets.”

But

he is realistic about the evolving role of the integrator. Provide the experience first. That’s the mantra, the key. “I think there’s a positive to a lot of these things, but in all aspects, when we’re suggesting technology to our clients, it’s a really, cheesy, corny thing to say, but just because you can do it, doesn’t mean that you should,” he says.

Konnectiv’s Kris Hogg is convinced that in one sense, CEDIA companies will go back to the future.

He mentions a buzz term, “GAFA,” which stands for Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple. The company of the future will take offerings from these companies and “gaffer-tape these GAFA elements together,” he jokes. This means integrators will once again truly become integrators, not simply looking for that sweet mark-up on a pricey flatscreen. (Note: Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but those margins are disappearing.)

“It’s a bit like we were doing 15, 20 years ago,” says Kris.

“Taking stuff that shouldn’t work together, that wasn’t designed to work together, and actually making it work together. We’ve gone through this whole thing where everybody in our market space has given us devices that are made to work together, because they’re all part of their ecosphere, which keeps their profitability within their own control. Now I’ve got an Echo here and I’ve got a Google Home there, and actually, we should be able to make those two work together. Now that’s a different skill set again. We’re back to being integrators.”

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CEDIA member, Pulse Cinemas has recently transformed its business, making a significant investment to its Hertfordshire, UK showroom that will help technology integrators and their customers experience home cinema like never before.

CEDIA Communicates talks with Pulse’s Managing Director, Mike Beatty to get the full story.

NEW SHOWROOM

sets the heart racing CC: THE PULSE SHOWROOM IS RENOWNED ACROSS THE INDUSTRY AS AN IMPRESSIVE DEMO FACILITY. WHAT’S NEW NOW? MB: We’ve had a reputation for pushing the boundaries of distribution and marketing in this industry since we started back in 2003. Having made some dramatic changes to our brand lineup, we decided that this was an optimum moment to upgrade the cinemas.

industry, and, of course, their customers.

CC: WHAT ARE THE MAJOR BRAND CHANGES? MB: We recently travelled to San Francisco, where we met with the most incredible speaker company, James Loudspeaker.

Starting on this project at the beginning of this year, we’ve used all our design know-how and technical expertise to create a fantastically exciting, powerful, and immersive cinema and media room experience for integrators and their clients.

James Loudspeaker is a hidden gem in our industry. The range offers integrators a huge choice of awesome-sounding products — including custom designs if needed — and all can be modified to make them fully waterproof, so they’re ideal for outdoor use. We feel blessed to have met these amazing people who, like us, are audio and cinema enthusiasts with a passion for saying “yes” to most installation challenges.

In our opinion, just making incremental differences to our cinemas would not have done justice to any of the brands individually. They all work so well together that it made perfect sense to do a mass upgrade and show them all off at the same time. The beauty of this approach is that we can demonstrate how well they all complement each other. Ultimately, it is in the interest of every single integrator in this

We’ve also been speaking to Storm Audio for some time, as they were clearly leading the way when it came to forward-thinking processing power and performance. They not only offer Pulse Cinemas the very best in cutting-edge performance, but also the knowledge that our company will be offering dealers the most up-to-date technology and incredible demo facilities in Belgium. They have partnered

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“

Pulse continues to strive in innovative ways to drive the cinema market — they continue to push the envelope of what’s possible. They probably have one of the highest standard of facilities I’ve ever seen; the level of investment in the showroom is clear to see. This is a great place to bring potential clients.

Guy Singleton, The Cinema Designer Software

themselves with Auro 3D, a format that true cinema enthusiasts insist on. We’re using Storm Audio’s calibration software in our cinemas to bring another massive improvement to audio quality.

allow integrators and their clients the chance to see how Pulse brands can be effectively and beautifully integrated within a real living environment

Adding Vicoustics to an already impressive range has meant that acoustic design is something for which our dealers can now look to Pulse for full support. Until now, too many companies have played with acoustics, but, in our opinion, they’ve not really understood the impact it has on home cinema. We’re now working with the team at Vicoustics to bring that experience and professionalism to any project that requires some acoustic improvement.

CC: WHAT’S THE IMPACT OF THESE CHANGES?

We also have a new Digital Projection 4K projector installed at the showroom, and that delivers an incredible picture. It goes beyond what you think a projector can do!

CC: WHAT HAS THE RENOVATION INVOLVED? MB: The size of the actual space remains the same, but, in every other aspect, our showroom will be unrecognisable for dealers.

We have created a dramatic new entrance that will take the breath away. A beautifully crafted Italian kitchen including fridges and freezers from our latest partner, Sub Zero. Marble floors and modern artwork will welcome you and provide the perfect high-end introduction to the firstclass cinema experience that follows.

Upgrading both cinemas has been a massive renovation process. This has involved stripping both our large and small cinemas down to the bare walls and starting again.

We have incorporated exceptional equipment from our new brands — James Loudspeaker, BenQ, Digital Projection, Storm Audio, and Vicoustics — along with the latest technology from our long-term favourites, Screen Research, Fortress, and Kaleidescape. We have an amazing team here who were able to carry out this work efficiently and expertly.

MB: When dealers visit Pulse Cinemas HQ, they already know and expect that they will receive a first class experience. Now, from the moment they walk in the door, they and their clients will be immersed into an aspirational lifestyle.

The experience will definitely have a new look and feel, but beyond that, the fundamental difference will be in the audio quality. We’re confident that the sound and picture quality will raise the industry bar as high as it can go. The performance lift is so great that it needs to be heard to be believed.

Our dealers will also benefit from using this facility because our team here are experts in their field. They can talk through and visualise how their projects can work in real life. Our sales team live and breathe all things audio-visual, and our technical team, led by Kapes Patel, really understands how to integrate brands to get the best results.

CC: WHAT ARE YOUR LAUNCH PLANS? MB: We have already welcomed a few dealers over to experience the new showroom, but we are planning a series of events to showcase them properly in the coming months. We are unrecognisable compared to where we were this time last year, and we’d love the opportunity to show everyone what has been achieved. So, please get in touch to book your visit!

We’re also organising a trip to Storm Audio for dealers wishing to see for themselves what previous visitors enjoyed in last year’s Pulse Cinemas excursion to Belgium.

We’re also creating a third floor media room in partnership with interior designer, Stephen Clasper. This will again

“

I’ve never been more impressed by a distributor showroom than I have been @PulseCinemas today.

My mind is blown, thanks for a great day! Large home cinema, small home cinema, high-performance media room, and a fully integrated kitchen. Amazing!

Dave Pedigo, Senior VP Emerging Technologies, CEDIA via Twitter @davepedigo

www.pulsecinemas.com

@PulseCinemas

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CHINA Towards the end of April, CEDIA hosted three training sessions at the Shanghai International Hi-End Hi-Fi Show (SIAV). SIAV is the longest-running, most influential Hi-Fi show in China.

Attracting both local and international visitors and exhibitors, the show focusses on the latest audio and visual trends. The three CEDIA sessions covered “Emerging Residential Technologies,” “Designing Rooms for Immersive Audio,” and “Home Theatre Room Design.” All courses were new for the Chinese market, and as such, were incredibly well attended.

MEXICO In May, the home technology industry in Mexico came together as CEDIA held a two-day Tech Forum in Mexico City. Attended by over 90 integrators, the Tech Forum gave integrators the chance to improve their skills in the rapidly changing home technology industry, learn from their peers, and to set new goals for their professional development and business. Rich Green, one of CEDIA’s most highly regarded instructors, presented his “Future Technologies: The Silicon Valley Scoop” course which was both engaging and inspiring.

INDIA CEDIA membership continues to grow in India every year. With lighting being a key focus for this market, CEDIA ran its three-day Lighting School in New Delhi in July. Supported by Lutron and The Cinema Designer, integrators developed new skills and a better understanding of lighting fundamentals and residential lighting control. CEDIA also ran its “Connect with CEDIA” event which provides attendees with the opportunity to network with peers, as well as CEDIA representatives.

CEDIA has had a busy few months hosting training and networking events around the world. From China to Australia, Mexico to India, the industry has been benefitting from a number of localised events.

AROUND THE WORLD AUSTRALIA For the first time ever, CEDIA hosted its one-day Tech Forum event in Australia, and not just once, but three times. Starting in Melbourne in May, moving to Sydney in June, and concluding in Brisbane in July, over 110 integrators attended the events that included training and networking. Multiple sponsors came on board for all three events, including Advanced Audio Australia, Artnovion, Cogworks By Wavetrain, Convergent Technologies, Hills, KNX National Australia, Lutron, Meridian Audio, Procella Audio, Pulse Eight, and Wyrestorm.

These trade supplier members each presented a 60-minute product training session. The events concluded with a “Connect with CEDIA” networking session.

CEDIA is proud to be a partner of Integrate 2017, Australia’s premier AV and Integration trade show, taking place in Melbourne from the 29th to 31st August. The CEDIA education programme concentrates on topics, such as “Residential Networking,” “Marketing 101,” “Emerging Technology Trends,” and “Designing a Home Cinema.” This year, CEDIA has partnered with Integrate and InfoComm to create a training pass that covers all the education on offer. This makes the training courses more accessible and affordable. CEDIA will also be announcing the winners of the CEDIA Asia Pacific Awards at the show.

www.cedia.co.uk/cedia-events

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I AM CEDIA 60 SECONDS WITH ZAK VRACEVIC Tell us a bit about you and your company?

My company is called M.E.G.A. AV Installations (M.E.G.A. stands for Massively Entertaining Greatly Appreciated AV! I try to inject some fun into the business). We are London-based, servicing mostly central London. I venture outside the city and abroad from time to time, but only if the projects are big enough to justify travelling.

I am trying a new business model with no office, workshop, or van!

This comes after my office, demo facility, and recording studio was turned into an apartment block. It was at this point that I decided to try a different approach, and so far, so good.

I work with seven handpicked subcontractors (four electricians, an IT wizard, an aerial specialist, and a carpenter) on a part-time basis. My time is filled with client meetings, working on system designs, rack building, and programming. I have also been known to skim and sand filler over invisible speakers on some projects! The years that I spent in a music studio helped me understand how audio should sound in a domestic environment or in a home cinema. Also, having

built several studios in the past, I am able to handle the acoustic design, and I can tell you, there is more to acoustic design than hanging a few acoustic panels.

How did you get into the industry?

In my previous life, I spent nearly 20 years in the recording / music production industry. This involved creating dance club remixes for major record labels. I can proudly say that there are over 150 tracks remixed and over 10 million records sold with my name on them. I then focussed on TV and films, and wrote music for TV commercials, handled dialogue editing, sound design, and FX for movies.

With my wife being an architect, and us renovating our own apartment, I decided to install the AV system myself. Some of her architect friends asked who did it, and the rest is history. I initially started on a part time basis alongside my studio work, but I moved to full time in 2013.

What’s your favourite project and why?

Every single project is unique and challenging and I remember each and every one. The one I am most proud of is a large cinema

I completed two years ago for a member of the UAE Royal Family at their London base. Even though the budget was not “royal�, we managed to design an amazing looking and sounding room with bespoke acoustics and 7000w of post-production studio quality sound. Everything in the room was bespoke, from one-off chairs and laser cut lighting grilles to Swarovski crystals on the ceiling.

At first, the interior designer hated me, because whatever they wanted to do, I said no! Eventually, they agreed to follow my advice and we produced an amazing room.

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

I would say the home network.

When I started doing this work, I never saw myself installing networking equipment. Nowadays, a rock solid network is the backbone to every system we install, regardless of how big or small the project is.

How long have you been a CEDIA member?

I joined CEDIA in 2015.

What was your reason for joining CEDIA?

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

My biggest achievement is keeping up with the best integrators out there, and being recognised for my work by winning the Best Home Cinema under £40,000 category at the CEDIA Awards last year. I also loved volunteering at this year’s Grand Designs event, as there were a good number of end user visitors who were eager to ask me about smart homes and technology.

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

There is a huge amount of useful material and a number of white papers available through CEDIA, so I make use of these as much as possible. I also take advantage of the events that CEDIA hosts, as these always result in knowledge sharing amongst members. In particular, the CEDIA Tech Forums in London. These are great events.

What’s the biggest issue for home technology businesses today and

“

“

First and foremost, I wanted to be part of an organisation that is striving for the best in our industry.

Secondly, it is good to mix with likeminded people who have tons of experience.

THERE IS A HUGE AMOUNT OF USEFUL MATERIAL AND WHITE PAPERS AVAILABLE THROUGH CEDIA

how can they deal with it?

Cheap, off-the-shelf products that claim to replace the need for professionally installed home automation. I think consumers will find out (the hard way) and come knocking on the door of CEDIA members once they do.

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

Stop people from over-specifying and just selling equipment for the sake of profit.

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

I would have loved to stay in the music business, but it has changed for the worst, so it was no longer enjoyable to me. Since I spend a lot of time on projects, and see the process from concept to

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realisation, I feel pretty confident in my interior design abilities, and would be interested in turning my hand to this.

What does 2017-2018 hold for your company?

I am very lucky to be involved with amazing people doing fantastic work in remarkable properties for great clients. One recommendation leads to another and so on. As it stands, I have enough work lined up until the end of 2018, even to mid-2019. I am trying not to over stretch myself and keep the quality of all installs constant. Two to three large projects a year, running in parallel, are enough to keep me busy.

www.megaavinstallations.com @MEGA_AV_INSTALL

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Living Wall Systems Sherri Dugger

Media and Outreach Director Indiana Farmers Union

After seeing a living wall featured in a James+Giles project in London, we wanted to learn more about the potential for these systems. Most applications of these features have been used in commercial and/or public spaces, but they’re easily scalable to residential installations. CEDIA asked Midwest-USA based writer, Sherri Dugger to find out more.

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When an anonymous donor offered the Irsay Family YMCA at Cityway in downtown Indianapolis, U.S the funds to install a living wall and green roof, Vice President of Operations, Christopher Butler admits neither he nor his staff really understood the benefits of having such systems. “We learnt,” he succinctly explains.

The Cityway YMCA opened in December of 2015, and, with it, a living wall standing six feet wide and 28 feet high was unveiled to the public. The benefits of the system, Christopher explains, are many.

A living wall, which houses panels of vertically and hydroponically grown plants, can be installed indoors or out.

When housed inside, these systems remove toxins from the air, act as sound barriers, and add ambiance and interest to residential spaces.

We want to create beautiful and productive spaces

are some of the reasons that people are choosing to do this [install these systems]. It’s a real benefit.”

“We want to make living systems that are affordable and that are achieving environmental goals … to clean the air, improve air humidity, improve productivity of staff,” she says. “We want to create beautiful and productive spaces that are close to where people live.

We’ve spent so much time disconnecting ourselves from nature. People are unhappier. We [at Omni] want to do any little thing we can to bring a little bit of fresh air back into our daily life.”

Christopher, too, favours the look and feel of the living wall at the Irsay Family YMCA in Indianapolis. He says guests regularly stop to gaze upon the green structure.

“It’s relaxing, tranquil, and fresh,” he says.

“It’s just pretty.”

The living wall at the YMCA, Christopher says, also serves as an educational tool.

“In a YMCA, where we teach a lot of exercise and nutrition, we can talk about the plant utilising carbon monoxide and giving us oxygen. We talk about this with children, with anyone willing to listen.”

The regular maintenance of the living wall and green roof, both of which were included in the 87,000-squarefoot facility’s original build, is left to Omni Ecosystems, a Chicago-based company that builds green roofs and walls, landscape architecture, and urban agriculture systems in residential and commercial spaces throughout the country. Omni has built several similar systems coast-to-coast since the company was established 8½ years ago.

Molly Meyer, Omni founder and CEO, explains the mechanics of these systems.

Living walls are made up of a series of panels that are 18" wide, 48” tall, and 5” deep. The soil used in each panel is custom-engineered, depending on whether the living wall will be installed indoors or out. Omni also attaches irrigation and draining lines, so the plants are watered and drained automatically.

Tropical plants are regularly used in the indoor systems because they require little additional lighting.

Beyond the environmental advantages of adding these systems to indoor spaces, Molly says productivity increases in offices where living walls are installed.

“Productivity can increase when people have a view of greenery out their window or next to their desks. Greenery outside hospital windows has been shown to lead to quicker patient recoveries. Those

Benefits of an Indoor Living Wall: > Cleans interior air space by removing VOCs and other harmful toxins > Acts as sound proofing barrier > Cleans outside air of pollutants and dust > Increases foot traffic and interest in commercial spaces > Qualifies for LEED certification points

Benefits of an Outdoor Living Wall: > Insulates and cools a building, while protecting it from the elements > Helps to offset carbon footprint of people and fuel emissions > Creates habitats for wildlife > Increases real estate value

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CEDIA EMEA

OPENS NEW EDUCATION FACILITY

In May 2017, CEDIA EMEA opened a new education facility at its UK headquarters in St Neots, Cambridgeshire. Consisting of an education room, a practical workshop, and a breakout area, the new facility enables CEDIA to provide technology integrators with the latest education in an environment that is set to inspire and engage.

Last year, CEDIA hosted 72 courses at its HQ, welcoming nearly 600 integrators. With education continuing to increase, CEDIA decided to expand its facility to accommodate the interest that its training courses are generating.

Complete with a brand-new training room and a workshop with six work stations, the area provides more space for both theoretical and practical sessions. There is also a breakout area, perfect for attendees to relax and network between sessions.

“Education is an essential step for those looking to enter and progress their skills in the home technology industry,” comments Matt Nimmons, Managing Director, CEDIA EMEA. “Our education programme continues to grow in

popularity, so we felt that it was time to invest in a dedicated training facility.

Since it opened at the beginning of May, it has been fully booked, with attendees enjoying the new space for various training sessions, including the four-day Technical School. We are delighted that the space has received a great reception from all who attended these sessions.”

Between June and December, CEDIA will host nearly 100 days of training at its new facility, with courses including Project and Business Processes; Audio, Video, and RF Systems for Installers; Design Process and Documentation; and 3D Audio and Immersive Sound for Home Cinema.

As part of the wider benefits package for CEDIA members, the new training facility is available for members to rent.

For more information on renting the space, please contact James Bliss at jbliss@cedia.org.

www.cediaeducation.com

“CEDIA members get the toolkit for success: architect-approved outreach material for construction and design professionals, world-class training, and the support of your industry peers.�

Owen Maddock ConnectedWorks, Bristol Member since 2015

Explore the benefits of membership today.

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HOME TECHNOLOGY FOR

BETTER SECURITY Home surveillance represents a big market opportunity for technology integrators. Here, CEDIA talks to four industry experts to find out their opinions on surveillance in the home technology market.

What makes surveillance such a good business opportunity?

Mark Tibbenham GJD

Jaime Freyria Sutcliffe BASENXT

Joel Reis Life Emotions

Jason Hill LILIN UK

MT More and more homeowners who are now well-versed with smart devices are looking for more than simple plug and play integrated surveillance systems for their residences. IPenabled perimeter security products that seamlessly integrate with custom integration systems (Control4, RTI, Crestron) immediately warn of a potential intrusion, and this is a big attraction for end users. They’d rather know that a would-be burglar is at the fence rather than in their home.

JFS In many ways, surveillance in the home is a great business opportunity.

Today, all our clients want to have control over their homes even when they are not there. We are able to integrate products to provide a solution that allows homeowners to know what’s going on their home, and receive alerts if something happens.

JR The IoT and DIY product range is growing every day, and these products demand that our market needs to improve the know-how and deliver a better solution for our customers.

JH We already see significant market data that suggests that at least 90% of automated homes have

surveillance systems or cameras fitted.

End users love being able to see their home from their phone. Within five years, most detached residences in the UK will have cameras in them. The manufacturers of DIY cameras struggle to make good external cameras because Wi-Fi is not reliable and the significant majority of cameras we sell are external with IR illumination, so the market for professionally installed cameras remains significant and is growing.

What are the main components of an integrated surveillance system in the home?

JR It is essential to have good quality cameras that work well during the day and in the evening. The system needs to be able to archive footage, provide video analytics, and respond accordingly with audio and lights. To achieve this, you also need to install sensors.

MT Outdoor motion detectors and IP-enabled illuminators are the linchpins of integrated home surveillance systems.

The motion detector is the main device that detects when an intruder is outside the home. It can be used to control cameras, connect to alarm panels, and communicate with lighting control

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systems. It can also provide other data, such as the outside temperature and lighting levels.

JFS The main components are alarm systems, CCTV cameras, and access control. Wireless alarm systems communicate to a main panel and provide homeowners with the confidence that their home is safe.

Internet-connected CCTV cameras allow users to watch and record what is happening in their property, while access control lets the homeowner grant access to their home when they are not there.

JH In its most simple format, an IP camera with a built-in SD card will provide a great level of functionality. If good HTTP/IP drivers are available, then additional functions can be “opened” to the control system, such as Audio Detection or Tripwire crossing, as an alert. A conditional email notification with snapshot is possible with some automation systems. When the camera count increases over three, then a recorder brings the system together.

Typically a Network Video Recorder (NVR) is an appliance in the rack with an HDMI output and an array of large Hard Disk Drives. The system also requires a good PoE network switch to handle power and data.

How can homeowners benefit from an integrated approach compared to a standalone installation?

JR We offer a solution that includes video analytics and virtual fences. When the virtual fences are triggered, the system responds accordingly — DMX lights turn on in the garden (police scene), the irrigation starts, a barking dog is heard through the garden speakers, and the interior bell rings on the security system to guarantee that the guard sees the action. This is all possible because the surveillance system forms part of a wider install.

“

MT Standalone installations don’t provide customisation to suit the homeowners’ lifestyle. The integrated approach enables homeowners to choose specific areas to be monitored and which actions to take in the event of an intruder. Clients can use apps to control their entire home at any time and from anywhere in the world. This integrated approach enables the user to monitor the perimeter of their property and remotely illuminate an area from their mobile. Homeowner’s minds are put to rest and life is made easier as customised home security provides day and night notification to the owners’ smart home device.

JFS When you have an automated home, you can control everything from one app on your phone or device, instead of opening several apps to control every system. We use Creston as our main control system and this provides our clients with the opportunity to control the alarm, CCTV cameras, access control, lights, shades, audio, and more from one device.

JH While 90% of smart homes will have cameras, a much smaller percentage are integrated. To provide an integrated smart solution, the surveillance cameras should have HTTP/ IP drivers for the automation system.

Most importantly, the recording device (usually an NVR or DVR) should also be able to be operated from the user’s remote controls so that they can perform playback of recordings on their televisions as required. A good integration of the NVR will allow a selection of split screen displays, frame

We already see significant market data that suggests that at least 90% of automated homes have surveillance systems

advance, fast forward and rewind at various speeds, and the ability to select specific time and dates to start playback from. Integration also allows camera-based events to be enabled or disabled based on whether the user is at home or not. The utilisation of the audio functions on many cameras can provide PA type announcements, “listen in,” or even provide two-way communication to keypads in the home through SIP integration.

How would you describe the current market for integrated surveillance systems in your business?

JR For us, the market is complicated, as there are so many companies that sell alarms for 30€/month and the customer doesn’t see the big picture.

This decreases the number of requests for integrated security solutions.

JFS Today, surveillance is important all over the world. Every project that we work on, our clients want to have a surveillance system and that’s a great business opportunity for us.J

What issues and challenges do you face with surveillance system integration?

JR Managing customer expectation is the biggest issue that we face with regards to surveillance systems.

JFS The biggest challenge for us is working in a property that is already finished. We are used to working on projects from the very beginning, when we have the opportunity to install and hide necessary cables and systems.

When we work on refurb projects, this becomes an issue.

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HOW TO DESIGN…

THE SUPER CINEMA Guy Singleton

IEng, MIET, LCGI, MInstLM, The Cinema Designer

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C

inema design is, and has always been, the engineering process of managing and applying intelligent compromises.

But what happens when the budget and the space is flexible enough to allow for a greater level of creativity and engineering excellence?

The CEDIA course that I taught at ISE this year, and will be presenting at CEDIA 2017 ‘‘Designing a Super Cinema: Building the Best of the Best” investigates this very scenario.

As your cinema design skills grow, so does your confidence in delivering a system that not only meets standards and the predetermined performance objectives, but may also exceed them.

Winning the project is always the toughest part of the challenge. It’s the ability to say to the client, “I know what I’m doing and you can trust me to deliver.” This can be achieved using a combination of the following: superb design documentation, an engaging presentation that shows your unique skillset, and competence.

Most technology integrators know the audio and video standards set out in CEA/CEDIA CEB-22/CEB-23, but these only make up a modest part of the overall design criteria. Looking at elements, such as room construction, sound isolation, electrical design (including discrimination checks), HVAC control, and other subsystems integration are also of the utmost importance if a truly “super” room is to be delivered.

Integrators should consider all of these things, as well as the audio and video elements. The term “reference” is tossed around in our industry in such a way that many have become desensitised to its true meaning. The methods of design and calibration, coupled with the ability to apply any compromises intelligently, are all key objectives in designing a super cinema.

It is also important to look at some advanced algorithms that become the driving source to not only the CODEC selection, but also how the room and the listening area as a whole help “select” the required final channel count and speaker locations (either via polar or Cartesian methods.) This will form part of the CEDIA white paper, ‘‘Cinema Design and Recommended Practices,’’ which will be one of the biggest overhauls of the recommended standards in many years.

So, if you have some questions that need answering on electrical design math, loudspeaker placement in relation to the required rendered channels, Intelligent Lens Systems (ILS) in projection systems, or anything else in a cinema or media room, then the ‘‘Designing a Super Cinema: Building the Best of the Best” course is absolutely for you.

www.thecinemadesigner.com

@TheCinemaDesign

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TRAINING & EVENTS CALENDAR 7-11 August

24-27

THX-HAA Certification Package

THX Video Calibration

Bowers & Wilkins, Worthing

Surat, India

6-9 Sep 7

14-15

16

18-22

CEDIA 2017

RIBA Roadshow

CEDIA Charity Bike Ride

Boot Camp

San Diego, USA

Marriott Victoria & Albert Hotel, Manchester

Lighting Design Package AWE, Epsom

Grafham Water Park, Huntingdon

CEDIA Training Centre, St Neots

18 Sep-5 Oct

19-20

21

25-29

Smart Home Technician

Home Cinema Design Package

CEDIA Tech Forum

Technical School

CEDIA Training Centre, St Neots

AWE, Epsom

Hilton Manchester Airport, Manchester

CEDIA Training Centre, St Neots

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29

ESC-T Certification Exam

Technology, Consumer Trends & Business Strategy Workshop

CEDIA EMEA Awards Ceremony

CEDIA Training Centre, St Neots

Lutron Experience Centre, London

Warner Bros. Studio Tour, Watford

3-5 Oct

9

11

11

Networking School

CEDIA Outreach Instructor

Introduction to CAD Design

CEDIA Training Centre, St Neots

CEDIA Training Centre, St Neots

CEDIA Training Centre, St Neots

Lifestyle Technology Showcase

16-20

17

18

18

19

Boot Camp

Consultative Selling Skills

CEDIA Tech Forum

Johannesburg, South Africa

CEDIA Training Centre, St Neots

Customer Relations & Needs Analysis CEDIA Training Centre, St Neots

Red Cow Moran Hotel, Dublin

The Principles of Project Management

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Network Cabling for the Smart Home

3D Audio and Immersive Sound for Home Cinema

Introduction to Smart Home Wiring

RIBA Roadshow

ESC-N Certification Exam

Certsure, Dunstable

CEDIA Training Centre, St Neots

CEDIA Training Centre, St Neots

The Building Centre, London

Radisson Blu Hotel, Edinburgh

CEDIA Training Centre, St Neots

CEDIA Training Centre, St Neots

Book training at www.cediaeducation.com/courses

Providing our installer partners with industry leading training and hands on support is one of our primary objectives. Within our dedicated AV Academy facility in Middlesex and remotely in locations across the UK and Europe, we provide tailored training and workshops that are suited to all levels of integrator and installer.

Our Academies cover the core information you need to know to confidently design and install your next AV installation. Core topics include: • 4K UHD Signal Distribution • HDR & HFR • HDBaseT Technologies • System Troubleshooting • IP Signal Distribution • Product Training • Control Systems • HDCP Compliance • System Integration Our workshops create a friendly training environment where installers can confidently build their knowledge about the unique challenges faced when integrating AV products within any installation environment. Our purpose built AV Academy offers unrivalled industry facilities, allowing us to recreate a range of installation scenarios to give installers the necessary hands-on experience with products and build their understanding of the complexities of integrating multiple AV signals.

For further information or to book your FREE place on one of our courses, please contact us on training@cypeurope.com or via the CYP Training Department contact number:

Nick Bovill

+44 (0) 20 3137 6690 4K

Audio

Matrices

European Technical & Training Manager Extenders

Switchers & Splitters

B o o k y o u r p l a c e a t w w w. c y p e u r o p e . c o m / t r a i n i n g |

Scalers & Converters

Other AV

@c ypeurope #meetc yp

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CHALLENGE LATENCY

AND SOLUTION

This is the first part of a two-part series on understanding packet loss and latency and what can be done to troubleshoot issues. We are often asked about acceptable network performance and what can be done to improve things when performance is sub-par. The unfortunate answer is that there is no silver bullet for all network issues, but armed with enough knowledge, you can make your customers’ networks hum.

Mike Maniscalco Co-founder of Ihiji

www.ihiji.com

@gtscalco

Here’s an issue that’s come up recently:

“Netflix recommends 25 Mbps per stream in order to get 4K HDR quality video. This means that with only a 30 ms round-trip time (latency), users will be BELOW the recommendation, even if nothing else is happening on the network!”

For this first part, there are quite a few issues we need to define…

DEFINING LATENCY For the purpose of our discussions, we’ll define network latency as the time it takes for a packet to travel from one device to another.

Latency is much like the time it takes for your voice to travel from your mouth to the ear of the person you are speaking with.

WHERE DOES LATENCY COME FROM? Latency is a cumulative effect of the individual latencies along the end-to-end network path. This includes every network segment along the way between two devices (like a switch or access point). Every segment, or hop, represents another opportunity to introduce additional latency into the network.

Network routers are the devices that create the most latency of any device on the end-toend path. Additionally, packet queuing due to link congestion is often the culprit for large

amounts of latency. When a switch, access point, or router becomes loaded, the time it takes to process each packet increases, driving up latency. Some types of network technology, such as satellite communications, add large amounts of latency because of the time it takes for a packet to travel across the link. Since latency is cumulative, the more links and router hops there are, the larger endto-end latency will be.

WHAT HAPPENS WITH HIGH LATENCY? Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) traffic represents a significant amount of the traffic on your local network. TCP is a “guaranteed” delivery protocol, meaning that the device sending the packets gets a confirmation for every packet that is sent. The receiving device sends back an acknowledgment packet to let the sender know that it received the information. If the sender does not receive an acknowledgment in a certain period of time, it will resend the “lost” packets.

For simplicity, let’s call that period of time that the sender waits before resending packets the “window size.” While the sender is resending packets, it is no longer sending new information. The window size is adjusted over time and tightly correlates to the amount of latency between the two devices.

As latency increases, the sending device spends more and more time waiting on acknowledgments rather than sending packets.

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BUT DOES IT REALLY AFFECT ANYTHING? Since the window size is adjusted upwards as latency increases, there is a direct inverse relationship between latency and throughput on the network.

Let’s look at an example of two devices that are directly connected via a 100 Mbps Ethernet network (with nothing in between). The theoretical max throughput of this network is 100 Mbps. Now take a look at what happens to that throughput as latency increases.

Notice how drastic the drop in throughput is with round-trip times as low as 30 ms!

Round-Trip Latency

TCP Throughput

0 ms

93.50 Mbps

30 ms

16.20 Mbps

60 ms

8.07 Mbps

90 ms

5.32 Mbps

IT GETS WORSE!

Taking the same test system from above and introducing a 2% packet loss through a packet loss generator gives you the following results.

Round-Trip Latency

TCP Throughput With No Packet Loss

TCP Throughput With 2% Packet Loss

0 ms

93.50 Mbps

3.72 Mbps

30 ms

16.20 Mbps

1.63 Mbps

60 ms

8.07 Mbps

1.33 Mbps

90 ms

5.32 Mbps

0.85 Mbps

Effect of Packet Loss and Latency on 100 Mbps Network 100

Network Throughput (Mbps)

Remember when we mentioned that some packets become “lost?” These lost packets have to be resent, thus increasing the amount of data that must be transmitted. Packet loss will cause the sender to sit idle for longer periods of time, waiting for the acknowledgement to come back from the receiver. The packets that get lost might even be the acknowledgement back from the receiver, meaning that the sender will be resending information that was already sent successfully. The result is a further significant decrease in throughput.

93.5

75

50

25

16.2 8.07

3.72 0

1.63

0 ms

5.32

1.53

30 ms

60 ms

0.85 90 ms

Latency No Packet Loss

2% Packet Loss

Here’s a great visual representation of the effect of packet loss and latency on network throughput.

WHAT NETWORK PERFORMANCE SHOULD WE SEE? This is a very difficult question to answer with a blanket rule. There are some situations where increased latency is unavoidable. What is critical is that you are monitoring that latency and packet loss so that you can identify what is typical and respond to issues quickly.

Here are some guidelines for acceptable performance on your networks: • Latency on a local area wired Ethernet network should be 1-2 ms.

• Wireless networks often have higher latency and packet loss. Maximise signal strength, coverage, and RF interference to get latency and packet loss to a minimum.

• A round-trip latency of 30 ms or less is healthy on a typical broadband cable modem or DSL WAN connection (fibre has much lower latency).

• Round-trip latency between 30 ms and 50 ms should be monitored closely. Consider looking deeper at the network for potential issues.

WHAT CAN I DO TO LOWER LATENCY? We’ll be writing a follow-up article with more detail on troubleshooting latency. The first step is to have an understanding of what causes it!

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PROJECTOR

RESOLUTION REVOLUTION U

nlike the flat panel market, which has been a roiling sea of technology for several years, the big cinema projection business has been comparatively calm, the staggered roll-out of umpteen UHD phase variants seemingly passing it by.

But that’s beginning to change as a wave of 4K UHD projectors compete for attention. Is it finally time to change the way you think about home cinema installations? Let’s consider the options…

Sony has had a comfortable monopoly on the 2160p business, if you discount pixel pretenders like JVC’s e-shift shysters (the DLA-X75 and DLA-X9500) and Epson’s comparable LCD offering (the LS10500). The brand offers a wide range of excellent SXRD models, all HDR compatible, led by the £50,000 5,000 lumens VPL-VW5000ES, effectively a cinema-grade laser flagship.

For smaller venues, Sony offers the 2,000 lumens VPL-VW1100ES, and the 1,800 lumens VPLVW550ES. Entry level is covered by the £5,800 VPL-VW320ES, a 1,500 lumens alternative.

But there’s big competition brewing. At the high end of the market, technology integrators can now find the JVC DLA-Z1. A natural competitor to the Sony VPL-VW5000ES, it’s a sizable £35,000 37.5kg beast that uses a ‘Blu-Escent’ laser light source and a trio of 4K 4096 x 2160 pixel D-ILA devices. JVC has managed to cram 8 million pixels into a 0.69" device by narrowing the pixel gap by 31%. Quite an engineering feat.

THX 4K certified, the Z1 features a large diameter 100mm lens and is both HDR10 and HLG compliant. It also has an anamorphic mode for use with additional lens, such a Panamorph’s UltraWide lenses and sleds. Image fidelity is outstanding. Rated at 3,000 lumens, it boasts enormous colour vibrancy. JVC claims 100% of DCI P3 coverage and over 80% of BT.2020.

When it comes to numbers, this projector really adds up.

Real consumer interest though looks likely to be driven by Texas Instruments, which has finally begun shipping its 4K DLP chip solutions to

Home cinemas are belatedly being dragged into the UHD era. Steve May, UK technology journalist reports on the rise of 2160p projection.

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projector vendors.

will be felt at the budget end of big screens.

The Acer 9008 was the first single chip UHD DLP hopeful to cross my desk, and it shares much in common with the lookalike BenQ W1100. Its performance, at least in terms of resolution, is superb. Hooked up to UHD Blu-ray and Sky Q, it rocks.

Both Optoma and Acer have begun shipping

Brightness is rated at 2,200 lumens, and it is HDR10 compatible. It doesn’t do a true black (more dark grey), but with a list price of just £3,999, you must expect compromises.

with different colour wheels. The 2,200 lumens

The catch is the projector doesn’t support a wide colour gamut. The six segment RGBRGB colour wheel is only REC709 and SRGB compliant.

While Acer optimistically claims REC2020 compatibility, it’s merely colour mapping down to REC.709.

Texas Instruments has used ingenious engineering to execute its DLP UHD solution.

While the DMD chip itself only has 4.15 million mirrors, fast switching coupled with image processing enables it to deliver an 8 million pixel image onscreen. The technique is called XPR (eXpanded Pixel Resolution).

Some might argue that as a result, this 4K chip isn’t a native UHD device. However, the projector has no problem resolving a native 2160p test pattern, which is enough to convince me. And as this DLP 4K solution is built around a single chip, there’s no possibility of panel misalignment, which could theoretically compromise the performance of a three chip solution like 3LCD or SXRD. Set up is a doddle.

That said, I suspect the real impact of 4K DLP

ultra compact 4K projectors, with the same dimensions as mainstream 1080p beamers. But there’s some devil in the detail.

Optoma’s £2,500 UHD60 and £3,000 UHD65 HDR models both use a 0.67” DLP 4K chip, but UHD65 has an RGBRGB colour wheel giving Rec.709 colour, while the UHD60 is brighter at 3,000 lumens but has lower contrast, and uses a different RGBYCMW colour wheel unable to full cover the deliver Rec.709. Consider them cinema and games room models respectively.

Treading similar ground is Acer with the £2,699 V7850. This 2,100 lumens cheapie also has a RGBRGB Rec.709 compliant colour wheel. It’s partnered by the 4K H7850, which is brighter at 3,000 lumens, but uses a RGBYCMW colour wheel.

While the specifications of these new 4K displays clearly warrants close inspection, their low cost and picture performance could potentially blow the lid off the big screen home market over the next 12 months.

A wall full of Sky Sports F1 in UHD? Take my money now.

@SteveMay_UK

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MAINTAINING SERVICE

Should we make service, maintenance, and remote supervision mandatory for safety and security?

A

s a manufacturer, it’s an everyday challenge to create new marketing approaches and engage potential clients. As a remote supervision manufacturer, the challenge is a little more arduous than usual, since before we can sell anything to a technology integrator, we must help them upgrade their business model to better monetize labour and set a service and maintenance plan.

An approach that we find useful is to compare remote supervision to insurance. After all, like insurance, a remote supervision device is something you pay for and may never need, but when you do, you really do. It’s something that will protect your margin and your professional credibility against any technology failures.

Remote supervision is your armour against the potential casualties of today’s technology. If anything happens, you have logs that you

Bruno Napoli CTO of Krika

can rely on, you can trace the behaviour of certain devices, you can demonstrate to your clients that the Wi-Fi system is working, and the ISP is not. It’s similar to having a 24hour IT person in charge of all your clients, except for the fact that he or she never sleeps, never has a day off, doesn’t complain, and, of course, never asks for a better salary. You will also be made aware when a problem occurs before your client even knows.

In fact, you should make service, maintenance, and remote supervision mandatory in your Terms of Sales for all your clients without exception.

You can’t work without a safety net in this connected world!

The first time we proudly tried to explain this new “insurance” concept to an integrator, his response left us stunned: “OK, I got it. We will use a remote supervision device to help us when we have a problematic job.” Our reply was: “You don’t get insurance after a car accident.”

Another point of view is to make

service and maintenance mandatory for security reasons. After all, it’s mandatory to have car insurance. It does not prevent the accident, but helps you afterwards. Car insurance is mandatory because if it wasn’t, 99% of people probably wouldn’t buy it.

(Yes, we all feel invincible.) You are required to do so to ensure your own security, your life, and the lives of those involved.

It’s the same for all the technology we install in our client’s properties.

All systems have the potential to be hacked and used as malicious devices and ransomware. The only way to prevent that is to set a maintenance plan that allows us to come back two or three times a year to update all technology, and perhaps change some devices that are too old to be secure.

Think of it like a plane. Once a year, the plane is totally disassembled to allow for safety and mechanical checks. Sometimes they find nothing wrong with it, and so they rebuild it.

It’s called “maintenance,” and people feel secure when they travel because they know this plane has been maintained to function as required.

www.get-krika.com @krikattitude

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THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS 2017 The CEDIA Awards is the event of the year in the home technology industry calendar. Celebrating excellence in home tech design, installation, and integration, the winners represent the crème de la crème of smart home installations, products, and services.

With the EMEA awards ceremony just around the corner, CEDIA provides an update on proceedings.

PRE-AWARDS INDUSTRY WORKSHOP On the morning of the awards ceremony, CEDIA will be hosting a three-hour Technology, Consumer Trends and Business Strategy Workshop.

Hosted at the Lutron Experience Centre in London, the workshop will discuss what’s next for the home technology industry. Concentrating on consumer and technology trends, the session will explore how these developments will affect businesses over the next five years.

Organised by CEDIA’s Technology Advisory Council, the day will begin with a brief update from each council member discussing their predictions for future trends in

PRESENTER UNVEILED Martin Bayfield, former rugby player for England, and stunt double for Harry Potter’s Rubeus Hagrid, will be presenting the twelfth annual CEDIA Awards.

Martin has enjoyed a successful international career as an England rugby player, winning 31 England caps and two Grand Slams, as well as being selected to represent the British Lions in New Zealand. Since his retirement from rugby, Martin has made several appearances as a speaker and broadcaster, and has become known for his charismatic personality and ability to capture the audience. He has hosted The World’s Strongest Man, covered the Rugby World Cup 2011 for ITV, and appeared as a regular presenter on BBC1’s Crimewatch since 2012.

Playing Robbie Coltrane’s body double as half-giant Rubeus Hagrid, Martin is known for his involvement in the Harry Potter films, as well as his role in the BBC series, New Tricks.

JUDGEMENT DAY Judging for the home technology professional categories took place in July and saw six industry experts come together to assess the technical excellence of each project. With a great shortlist of entries, the judging panel went through every entry with a fine-tooth comb and decided on the winners.

the technology market. Based on ideas raised, attendees will work in small groups to discuss and develop strategies to embrace opportunities and overcome potential challenges. Following the workshop session, integrators will be able to network with their fellow peers.

Agenda: From 09:30 - Arrival and coffee 10:00 - 13:00 - Workshop session 13:00 - 14:00 - Lunch and networking Tickets for the Technology, Consumer Trends and Business Strategy Workshop are priced at £75 (+VAT) for CEDIA members and £115 (+VAT) for non-members. www.cedia.co.uk/cedia-events

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EMEA SHORTLIST BEST MEDIA ROOM £20,000 AND UNDER Twentytwo Integration (UK) Inspired Dwellings (UK) BEST MEDIA ROOM £20,000 - £80,000 Sound Sense (India) Life Emotions (Portugal) BEST MEDIA ROOM £80,000 AND OVER Luxury Engineering (Russia) Synergy Technologies (Pakistan) BEST HOME CINEMA £40,000 AND UNDER Cyberhomes (UK) Finite Solutions (UK) Philharmonic (UK) BEST HOME CINEMA £40,000 - £120,000 New Wave AV (UK) Sound Sense (India) Pyramid AV (UK) Bespoke Home Cinemas (UK) Smartcomm (UK) BEST HOME CINEMA £120,000- £240,000 Clever Association (UK) Finite Solutions (UK) BEST INTEGRATED HOME £120,000 AND UNDER Brownhen Solutions (UK) Cyberhomes (UK) S.K Lifestyle Integration (Cyprus) Twentytwo Integration (UK) Inspired Dwellings (UK) BEST INTEGRATED HOME £120,000 - £240,000 Pyramid AV (UK) Archimedia (Dubai) BEST INTEGRATED HOME £240,000 - £360,000 Clearly Automated (UK) BNC Technology (South Africa) Smartcomm (UK) BEST INTEGRATED HOME £360,000 AND OVER NV Integration (UK) Henri (France) Finite Solutions (UK) BEST INNOVATIVE SOLUTION Perfect Integration (UK) Clever Association (UK) Teksclusive (UK) Inspired Dwellings (UK) BEST AUTO, MARINE AND AIRCRAFT PROJECT Archimedia (Dubai) Luxury Engineering (Russia) BEST SPECIAL PROJECT Home Systems (Ukraine) Clever Association (UK) BEST LIGHTING CONTROL AND INSTALLATION Grahams (UK) Pyramid AV (UK) BEST MULTIPLE DWELLING UNIT DESIGN Smartcomm (UK) Mosaic AV (UK) BEST SHOWROOM Sound Sense (India) Henri (France) Home Systems (Ukraine)

GEOFF MEADS Presto Web Design “Judging the CEDIA EMEA awards for the last seven years has been a privilege.

During that time, it has developed in both recognition and technical difficulty. This is clearly illustrated by the extremely high quality entries this year and the huge effort that’s gone into judging each submission. We’ve see some jawdropping work right across the category list and a raft of entries that the industry can be truly proud of. All those shortlisted can confidently say they are among the ‘best of the best’ in the smart home industry.”

“The CEDIA US and EMEA teams have worked incredibly hard this year to become a globally aligned organisation. The CEDIA Awards is one of many areas where clear gains have been made as a result. This year, I’m delighted to have chaired the EMEA judging team and am honoured to be representing the EMEA region on the global judging panel. With all entry categories now aligned across the globe, every winner will be truly ‘world-class’!”

VINCE MCATAMNEY AVANDE “It’s been an absolute pleasure to judge so many outstanding award entries. It is encouraging to see such a breadth of innovative design, thoughtful installation, and purposeful user interfaces. It’s clear that CEDIA and its members are not just ahead of the curve with regards to knowledge of these systems, but that they have a deep understanding of the homeowners’ practical uses for them. This year’s entries demonstrate how a well-planned “space” can become a truly fantastic living area when form, function, and elegant design are met with careful planning and installation. Well done to all of the entrants and to the continued hard work from CEDIA members.”

KET

TIC BUY YOUR

ceremony. r the awards ill available fo st e (+VAT) ar s 99 et £1 ck at Ti e priced ber tickets ar 0 (+VAT). ,75 £1 Single mem g in st le co of ten peop 50 (+VAT) with a table ket costs £2 rs, a single tic be em m VA n00 (+ T).

For no le costs £2,3 of ten peop . and a table s too late ket before it’ Buy your tic ickets wards.org/t www.cediaa

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SHOW YOUR CARD WITH

PRIDE

In 2013, CEDIA joined forces with the Joint Industry Board (JIB) to formally recognise the skills of technology integrators and develop the ECS Home Technology Integrator Card.

Here, CEDIA answers the most commonly asked questions relating to the ECS card.

Why do I need an ECS Card?

It’s now almost impossible to gain access to a construction site without proof of identification, your competence, and qualification levels.

The ECS Home Technology Integrator Card is your passport for getting onto construction sites, but it also allows you to show your hard-earned credentials.

Fully affiliated to the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS), the related discipline card not only gets you access to sites, but also allows you to display your occupation and CEDIA Certification with pride.

It’s not just for a personal sense of achievement and site access, contractors whose qualified employees hold the ECS card have a distinct advantage over competitors who don’t. Your business can prove that its integrators are both qualified and health and safety aware — a must for all projects, not just those taking place on a construction site. It’s a real bonus to be able to confidently state to clients and customers that your team holds an ECS card and what this stands for.

CEDIA members with an ECS card are also entitled to additional cost savings negotiated on cardholders’ behalf, including private health cover, public liability insurance, tax refunds and van insurance.

Do I have to attend a Health and Safety course before I take the ECS exam?

CEDIA regularly hosts the one-day Health and Safety training course — included as part of its Boot Camp — which is designed to help integrators understand the industry’s necessary site competency skills. This course is not mandatory, however, and members can sit just the exam — either with CEDIA, or at any registered assessment centre.

The ECS Health & Safety examination consists of 45 generic health and safety questions, which will be selected from a variety of 400. All questions will be randomly selected for each candidate, and cover all aspects of Health and Safety on site. This is controlled by the ECA and may include questions which are not covered in the one day course therefore revision of the booklet is essential. An ECS Question and Answer Book is available to help candidates prepare for their ECS Health and Safety Assessment. www.ecscard.org.uk.

What is the ESC-T exam?

Once integrators have completed the Health & Safety course and exam, they need to gain ESC-T certification.

The Certification Exam is held at one of CEDIA’s training centres. The session comprises 100 multiple choice questions to be completed within two hours.

On successful completion of the exam, certified attendees will be eligible to apply for the ECS Home Technology Integrator card. Those already holding a CEDIA ESC-T certification will need to pass the ECS assessment in order to apply for their card.

My card is due for renewal, what do I do?

CEDIA administers the process for ECS cards, so when the card is up for renewal, contact should be made with CEDIA. CEDIA Certification needs to be maintained with continuing professional development; attending events and accredited training all counts towards the maintenance of your ESC-T certification.

For more information about the ECS Card, visit www.cediaeducation.com/courses/ecs-card

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SOUND

advice Acoustics has been the subject of research and development for years, and has evolved hand-in-hand with developments in science and music.

Although we may not be actively conscious of it, sound shapes the perception of our environment.

Acoustics is the way sound is affected by the physical properties of the space where it is produced, and is a fundamental aspect of how we experience and enjoy sound. In a “bad” room, you don’t have to be an audiophile to notice that the audio is off.

No matter what speakers you may have, they will only sound as good as the acoustics of a space allows.

Jorge Castro

CEO and R&D Manager for Artnovion

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Acoustic Principles To improve the acoustic response of a room, we need to control the overall quantity and distribution of energy throughout the space. We do this by modifying the physical properties of the space itself to ensure a more balanced and enjoyable sound experience.

A source, such as a speaker, generates vibration that disturbs air particles. This is what we consider a sound particle — an air particle with velocity. These particles affect the surrounding particles, and so on, creating an expanding wave pattern. The sound particles move in response to the stimulus, then return to their original position, creating a cycle of movement. The number of cycles per second is measured in hertz (Hz). The more cycles per second, the higher the frequency.

Here’s a good example: A listener is sitting in front of stereo speakers that are emitting sound waves. The listener will first hear the direct wave, the sound wave that has travelled straight to the listener without interacting with the room. Then they will hear the first reflection, a sound wave that has bounced of a single surface, causing it to travel a longer path before reaching the listener; and then the second reflection, and so on. The sound waves can also be distorted by interfering sound waves with coinciding paths, or zones of the room with a contrasting pressure.

Resonating waves represent the phenomena of sound waves that are as long as a room, or half of its proportions, usually caused by low frequencies. They are louder and take longer to dissipate, causing more distortion to the sound field. These create “room modes,” key areas of the room with high contrasts of particle velocity and pressure that force resonant waves to interact with other frequency waves, causing severe distinctions in the distribution of the sound field.

To improve room acoustics, there are two main options: Alter the distances between the listener and the surfaces sound is interacting with, or change how these surfaces interact with sound waves.

There are certain “golden ratios” that take into account key resonating frequencies and provide the optimal distances between source and

listener. Changing an existing room is normally limited to modifications such as altering height, and can be very costly. The material of each surface in the room also determines the frequency response.

Another option is to change how the surfaces interact with sound waves by using acoustic treatments. There are two main groups in acoustic treatments: absorption and diffusion.

In basic terms, absorption removes energy from reflected waves. Diffusion scatters incoming waves, breaking up the reflected wave into multiple lower energy elements.

The Efficiency of Foam There are two kinds of absorption applications, broadband absorption that targets mid-high frequencies, and bass trapping for low frequencies. Choosing acoustic treatment that specifically suits your project brief is key.

At Artnovion, we developed specific panels for certain functions or designs. Our standard absorbers are composed of a solid frame outlining a core of acoustic foam and either a fabric or wooden front. The fabric fronts are acoustically transparent while the wooden fronts are perforated to an acoustically optimised design, and tuned to add a Helmholtz absorber effect to the panel.

When a sound particle encounters a porous or fibrous material, it interacts with the open structure of the material, ricocheting and transforming the particle’s kinetic energy into thermal energy. When passing through a porous structure, the particle has a certain velocity and travel path. With an air gap, once the wave has passed through the material and reflected off

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the rear surface, it is then forced to interact with other incoming waves, causing more energy to be dissipated.

Our wooden fronted absorbers have specific perforation patterns.

When a sound wave hits the panel, the air in the perforations creates a localised pressure pocket that causes resistance to the incoming wave, dissipating energy, as well as fully permitting the wave to interact with the acoustic foam core. This is a great technique to target certain frequencies by relating the perforation size to a targeted bandwidth.

to particle pressure. They directly absorb mechanical energy from the wave. Helmholtz resonance also responds to high pressure.

Common bass traps are panels that use one or more of these elements.

Since placement is very important for bass trapping, we always aim to treat the corners of the room first. In practice, the corners are not always accessible or a practical place for bass trap, leading us to design a range of dedicated wall bass traps that seamlessly meld into the rest of the room’s treatment.

Reflections

Low frequencies To treat low frequencies, we first need to differentiate materials that respond to particle compression or particle velocity.

Porous materials such as foams react well to particle velocity.

Besides direct mechanical transfer through compression, they create a web of internal reflections that dissipate kinetic energy into heat.

Heavy membranes made from taut elastic materials respond well

“

Reflections are an acoustic phenomenon that occur in any kind of room, regardless of its shape, function, or size. When sound waves encounter an obstacle, they react by producing “counterwaves,” resulting in the listener hearing the direct sound from the audio system and then the delayed reflections from interaction with the room. In extreme cases, this will create a distinct echo effect.

Diffusion is the method of

The key to any good acoustic treatment is a balance of absorption and diffusion

splitting reflected sound waves into smaller, lower energy waves, producing a scattering effect over a larger area. These smaller waves no longer interfere with direct sound, creating a sense of “fulfillment.” These smaller energy waves also imitate the effect of a decaying wave, that is, a wave that has already travelled some distance through an environment. This tricks our senses into perceiving the room to be larger than it actually is, adding to the overall sense of depth and spaciousness.

The efficiency of a diffuser is determined by how it scatters an incoming wave. Here, the main variables are obviously the bandwidth of the incoming wave and the angle at which it encounters the diffuser. Therefore, we employ different style diffusers at key points of the room.

Acoustic treatment There are many thoughts on the best way to treat a room, such as creating a non-environment, a Live End/Dead End (LEDE), or a full reflection zone, or employing early sound scattering, among many others. I’ve found that each room is unique in terms of design and function, and should be treated accordingly.

The key to any good acoustic treatment is a balance of absorption and diffusion, with a linear absorption pattern and efficient diffusion, paired with good low frequency control.

The biggest challenge is controlling low frequencies. The

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first resonance occurs at the frequency where one of the room dimensions is equal to half the wavelength. The smaller the room, the lower the resonance threshold.

Smaller rooms are most common in studios and home environments, meaning around 90% of room problems are derived from a lack of low frequency control.

On the other hand, a common error is to absorb all reflections, thus creating a dry room. The absorption of lateral walls between the monitors and the listener should be as linear as possible to not interfere with the sound spectrum from the loudspeakers.

A good room design has a linear reverberation time (RT). Rooms with RTs below 0.2 seconds deliver nonrealistic sound images. A room with RTs above 0.4 seconds are usually closer to the listener’s reality. The target RT depends entirely on the room’s function.

We try to balance the reverberation time spectrum by controlling reflections between the source and listener, as well as the diffusion of the surrounding reflections from the room’s surface.

Listening rooms with a stereo

system have a limited amount of information, and require more diffusion to preserve and distribute this information, and also a higher RT to achieve a more realistic sound.

Diffusion is a very important way to treat reflections, especially for small home studios, as it scatters and expands the sound field. This is also used on back wall reflections.

Absorption is most effectively used to control reflections, primarily the stronger first reflection between source and listening point, both on walls and ceilings. For example, a cinema room with a surround sound system has multiple sources of information that actively interact with each other. In these cases, the objective is to remove this excess energy solely with absorption.

Seeing as placement is just as important as functionality, our team provides a free design service to guarantee that every room sounds its best.

www.artnovion.com @Artnovion

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A MOSS PROFILE CEDIA Communicates catches up with Andy Moss, Managing Director of Moss Technical, to find out about the origins of the company and the relationship it has with the 98-year-old, family-run manufacturer Niko.

Give us an introduction to Moss Technical.

I formed Moss Technical in January 1998, so the company is just five months away from its 20 year anniversary. Today, Moss Technical Services is the UK distribution partner for Niko, the Belgian manufacturer of Niko Home Control.

Moss Technical offers Niko Home Control training to technology integrators throughout the UK and provides continued support to all qualified integrators.

What shape is the business in today?

The past few years have been steady — we’ve experienced continued growth. This year, the hard work has really started to pay off, with supply volume growing exponentially week-by-week. Not only is this a sign that the market is stronger than ever, but our ethos and integrity are reaping the rewards, too.

What are your plans for the future?

Niko is about to launch a major update, which will enhance the already fantastic product range.

The main benefit of this update will be ease of programming, but we will also see many new integration options, which will offer an even greater level of control, comfort, and energy savings for homeowners.

Explain the relationship that you have with Niko?

We are Niko’s sole UK partner and are privileged to have active input with Niko’s R&D and technical teams to help ensure that the UK is properly serviced and provided for. Niko is the market leader in Belgium, with approximately 85% of homes benefitting from Niko controls. The company is developing its product in consultation with Moss Technical, which highlights the strong

belief that Niko has in the UK smart home market and in our business.

How important is the home technology channel to you and Niko?

Home technology is the future of all homes, large or small. We have come to expect a car to have benefits, such as automatic windscreen wipers and lights, automatic safety features, and super energy-efficient engines. So, why does the average UK home not offer the same?

The market will see an increase in retrofit, standalone, and DIY products that all offer a degree of control for their own product.

Niko Home Control is a central control, which integrates multiple systems, meaning that lights can be turned off, thermostats switched down, and lighting circuits operated at random in the evening, just by arming the burglar alarm. The integrator can make that possible in any home.

These integrators are our future, which is why we put so much effort into helping them achieve their potential.

What’s the process for becoming an approved Niko integrator, and the benefits for doing so?

The two-day course and subsequent qualification allows integrators to become a Niko Home Control Integrator. Some integrators are offered Niko UK Partner status if they show great potential and are prepared to work hard in this field as their core area of business.

Moss Technical has recently launched a Partner Program for integrators in the UK. This allows associates even more support than a qualified integrator, including marketing support, sales training, and product training. The partnership status also allows integrators to be promoted on our website partner search page (www. homecontrol.uk.com/niko/find-a-partner), provides them authorisation to use the Niko UK Partner logo, and offers them the opportunity to be invited to join us on our stands at trade shows.

homecontrol.uk.com

@mosstechnical

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CHALLENGES

and

SOLUTIONS

OF

OUTDOOR Customer lifestyles have changed significantly in recent years, leading to a lack of clear division between indoor and outdoor living, especially when entertaining. This has resulted in Wi-Fi, music, and lighting all needing to work seamlessly to create an impressive environmental “soundscape.”

Jon Rebbeck, SMC Technical Account Manager and Kevin Wilton, SMC Director of Operations discuss the challenges around Outdoor AV.

AV

With the increasing desire for discreet outdoor AV solutions that perform just as well as indoor installations, it is important to understand that “natural” environments require a different approach.

External settings are more sensitive to environmental conditions, and so, it is more challenging to create a consistently reliable experience. The sound system, for example, has to deliver through a range of environmental conditions, rather than simply within the controlled volume of a room; distributed speakers (which can easily be concealed in

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planting) together with a number of subwoofers, are likely, therefore, to work best. The Sonance Landscape Series is a good example of this.

Understanding how clients plan to use external spaces is also essential to allow for “zoning” of the system to provide custom control when required.

Throughout the design and delivery of all outdoor systems, care should be taken to ensure that installations are planned and installed with minimum visual impact on external living space and landscaped areas. This extends to ensuring that visually sympathetic ease of access for maintenance is considered during the design stage.

Critical issues such as the avoidance of water ingress into sub-system architecture need early thought, and so, very early stage design coordination is key to a successful, problem-free installation. “Direct burial” cable or “duct grade” cable within conduit may be required and external cable connections should be avoided wherever possible, but where needed, should be housed in enclosures that are water- and weather-proof.

The typical outdoor AV installation has come a long way and is likely now to include integrated lighting and shading control, Internet connectivity, and security. As outdoor and indoor spaces are often physically integrated in the modern home, ensuring consistency of control is very important. This is likely to mean that managed Wi-Fi is essential to provide complete and continuous coverage.

This can be achieved using externally

rated network cabling and wireless access points. A robust, fast Internet connection is also likely to be crucial.

Outdoor televisions are increasing in popularity and requests for outdoor cinemas are soaring. With external projection systems, brightness is key, and the associated audio solutions need to be designed very carefully to reflect the likely location and number of viewers and their potential seating, standing, or even lying positions! Of course, any solution also needs to be waterproof and able to withstand the elements.

When designing the lighting control system for external areas, it is best to implement it as part of the main system, again, in order to achieve a seamless transition between internal and external spaces. Consideration should also be given to lighting and landscape design. Clients often invest substantially in the landscaping within their gardens. Integrators are able to add significant value to this investment by working with landscape architects and lighting designers to ensure landscape design features can be optimised across a range of light conditions and use cases.

Lighting scenes in external areas can be programmed to operate automatically, depending on the time

of the day or ambient light levels, as can automated shades. Integration with light sensors and weather stations can provide the client with automated responses to changes in climactic conditions, to deliver a consistent environment internally and externally across a range of conditions.

Sympathetic integration of external systems will allow clients to make the most of their outdoor spaces and can add significant value to installations within any suitable property.

www.smc-uk.com @smc_systems

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