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distributors are investigating new ways to deliver the true 4K quality in our living room. This will provide end users endless opportunities to enjoy true 4K content in its full potential. Paweł Dylewski Intelidom Group Sp. z o.o Our forecast for 2016 is very promising. Interest in smart homes is growing, not only thanks to developers, but also because of customer awareness. We are experiencing and forecasting a growing split between projects using professional solutions like KNX, SNG Home, Creston or Lutron versus wireless solutions that use Z-Wave or Bluetooth BLE technology. In premium class development projects, such as N1_Metropolitan Apartments in Poland, smart home systems are a standard and we are seeing more interest in middle class projects. This is largely due to lowering system costs and rising customer awareness and expectations. We are also seeing innovative brands develop new methods of distribution. For instance, the Polish company, Neembe is supplying their technology through bigger brands, insurance firms, telecommunication firms, energy suppliers, as well as developers. Buying tendencies show rising interest in wireless multi-room solutions. This is largely due to lowered system costs and new systems like Sonos or HEOS By Denon. Simon Clarke Clarke Infinity 2016 is going to be all about better audio, better lighting control and simplicity of integration and delivery. An essential bit of kit is going to be the Savant Remote which is due to launch in the summer and will couple a simple universal remote with integrated smart home automation. We are excited about the
advancements in 4K and what this will means for streaming, gaming and movies. Peter Aylett Archimedia 2016 will be a big year for technology that impacts us. REC2020, HDR, HFR, IoT, API and a dozen other TLAs will present opportunities, and deliver change. These are all, however, evolutions rather than revolutions. A technology that will likely appear commercially in 2016 is PoE lighting. Cisco and the other big network switching manufacturers are all over PoE lighting as it will allow them to sell more network ports. For us, it brings the potential of all the lighting in a building being connected by ELV cabling with each luminaire being individually controllable potentially over an RGB colour gamut. Lighting system topology and control will change forever, and we will then easily be able to implement bio-adaptive lighting schemes that align with people’s circadian rhythms. Kevin Browne The Solent Electronic Home Having worked in the sector for 18 months it is extremely challenging, yet rewarding. There are many elements to take into account when positioning your company in this rapidly moving market. So, where does the future lie for the sector and the specialists within it? The clue is, what are the
“big boys” doing in this so-called rapidly developing sector? The simple answer is they are nibbling at standalone elements that require minimal product hardware and a level of clever software – heating (Hive and Nest) and music (Sonos, Panasonic plus others). The likes of Apple and Samsung are entering by developing standalone apps that control elements. The important element for buyers is that it gives remote access and they can use their beloved smartphones. My vision for 2016 - more big boys entering the “standalone” offerings. More products will be developed with low price tickets that can be bought between 15% and 40% discount, thereby enabling more small, one-man-bands to enter this now fragmenting sector. Whole house, centralised system designers and integrators? They will struggle unless they diversify to smaller installs or increase their investment in marketing and promoting their businesses. And of course, inevitably many integrators will be forced to lower costs and prices. Bhavesh Doshi Entelechy Systems The rapidly growing industry of home technology is said to achieve an instrumental growth in the next few years. Whereas many of the systems have their own components, a new breed of technology is focusing on integrating Automation and IT, a
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