CE Pro Podcast

As the custom installation world becomes more entrenched in areas such as lighting fixtures and power of ethernet, battlegrounds are developing between the worlds of low-voltage electronics and high-voltage electrical. The natural evolution of the technology has led integrators to expand into these growing areas, while electricians in many cases look to “protect their turf” by working to have loca...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wouldn’t it be great if there was a single web portal where a custom integrator can do direct product comparisons when creating a project product list instead of having to open multiple browsers to view 10 different manufacturers’ websites? Well now there is. CEPro-iQ is a new portal that draws from the successful AV-iQ centralized database with hundreds of thousands of SKUs to display detailed pr...

Paul Bochner, owner and president of Electronics Concepts in Rochelle Park, N.J., Steve Silberman, business development, audio for Savant, and Alex Camara, CEO of AudioControl, are bullish on the possibilities of well-designed whole-house AV, including outdoor systems. In this CE Pro Podcast episode, the trio discuss the importance of system design, as well the proper choice of equipment during th...

This is an especially challenging time to be running a custom installation business, but somehow Joseph Akhtarzad, president of J ust One Touch/Video & Audio Center in Southern California, has found the magic formula. The company is one of the few that proactively markets custom installation through consumer media channels like TV and radio, while creating an efficient team structure with cros...

Crestron’s Michael Short talks in-depth on why Crestron Home added fully tunable LED light fixtures, battery-powered motorized shades, multizone streaming preamplifier, in-wall subwoofer, and power management products. 

Studies are delving into the health benefits of light, but there are also potential unhealthy elements from lighting and other electrical devices that integrators need to be aware of when they speak with clients.  Maurizio Gaudio, CTO of Colorbeam , and Brian Hoyer, founder of Shielded Healing , are looking to enlighten integrators about the health benefits of light and discuss them with CE Pro&ap...

Jacob Whipple, product marketing manager, Snap One, discusses updates to the Control4 3.3.0 OS for whole-house controls, Triad’s new PDX architectural speakers, and Ryff whole-house audio platform. 

A look at how the Premiere SAV joint venture deal came about and how the Jackson Hole, Wyo., branch will be structured and operated. 

Eric Mercil, director of sales at cell signal booster provider SureCall, helps to outline potential 5G impact on integrators, detail types of 5G, highlight solutions, system design, speed testing demos and more. 

Justin Clark of IP access control specialist DoorBird discusses how its highly customizable products cater to integrators and trade partners; new fingerprint reader solution; dealer support and more. 

Paul Hales, owner, Pro Audio Technology and Theory Audio Design, is excited about dealers’ projects reflecting customers’ growing demand for audiophile performance. 

Led by industry veterans Paul Starkey, Helen Heneveld and Mark Weisenberg, PrepTech identifies and trains new technicians for integrators.

Joel Silver of ISF, Murideo’s Jason Dustal and Value Electronics’ Robert Zohn discuss mini- LED, MicroLED and OLED; CES 2022; and standards for video system installations in rooms with ambient light. 

Integrators are not necessarily creating channel conflict with electricians by supplying high-end line-voltage lighting fixtures on projects.

The annual Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) was staged with the co-located Builders’ Show in Orlando, and our editorial roundtable recaps tech, design, wellness and more themes from the well-attended show.

Interest in home entertainment technologies remains high, but supply chain and chip shortage issues still dog the custom install industry. CE Pro’s “Audio Guys” discuss the trends affecting the market in 2022.