CE Pro Podcast

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

The shortage of labor is not unique to the custom installation market, but it has been an ongoing struggle for many years. CEDIA is tackling the issue head on in several ways. First, the association unveiled its Next Gen Smart Home Career Toolkit to help integrators connect with the next generation of employees. Also, CEDIA unveiled its slate of 80 sessions for CEDIA Expo 2023 education this fall...

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

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

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

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

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

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

This week on the CE Pro Podcast we’re looking back on the editors’ of CE Pro’s favorite podcast moments from 2022. Executive editor Arlen Schweiger, senior editor Bob Archer, editor in chief Jason Knott and web editor Nick Boever all hosted guests on the CE Pro Podcast in 2022, and while we’d say all the conversations were gems, we of course have moments that stand out more than others.  So stay t...

CE Pro senior editor Robert Archer has been covering the custom electronics industry for 20+ years and never misses a CEDIA Expo. Over the years, Bob has also gone through curriculum from CEDIA and other associations like the Home Acoustics Alliance to further his AV expertise. So when Bob does his annual top products of the year posts, we know he does not take the selections lightly and brings mo...

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

Is 8K ready for prime time? It seems like an odd question to be asking since it feels like the industry only recently converted to 4K. But with gaming as the driving force behind 8K content, the momentum is already building for the next wave of video resolution. So what does 8K actually bring in terms of color gamut and HDR? How will 8K alter video distribution? Will the current HDMI 2.1 spec supp...

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

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

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

Have you ever wished you could install an in-ceiling loudspeaker and not worry about running wire to drive it and connect sources? Well, let us introduce you to Surrey, U.K., brand Lithe Audio, an innovative speaker company that makes all-in-one products that allow you to do just that. Amit Ravat, co-founder and director of Lithe Audio, debuted the brand to the U.S. market at CEDIA Expo 2022 in Da...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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