Inside Integration

Big news this week as Nice grabs a chunk of investment capital and we pretend to know all about them as a company. Plus, food.

Housing policy plus pastrami burgers and chili wars. We break down a big bipartisan housing bill (MDUs, modular, mortgages, and code tweaks), map clear plays for integrators, and debate Crown Burgers, dirty sodas, and Chili John’s.

Took two weeks off, all hell broke loose. We're back with all the travel nightmares, tradeshow, and bizarre food talk you can handle. This show description is a good indicator of how digging out from being on the road for two weeks is going.

The AV industry is at a crossroads as the post-COVID cash reserves dwindle and new challenges like AI-driven chip shortages loom. Chris and Jayson riff on the chaos of the week, trade show uncertainty, and why TV prices racing to the bottom are forcing integrators to evolve. With the mid-market evaporating and commoditized gear hollowing out traditional profits, they dig into what’s next—lighting,...

The AV trade show landscape just got a major shake-up with the announcement of "RESIDE," a new show directly competing with CEDIA Expo. We break down what two shows means for the industry before taking a nostalgic trip down memory lane. Join the hosts as they swap stories about the game-changing tools and job site "trauma" from their early days as installers—from the magic of a...

We unpack the CE Pro Top 100- why ADT, Vivint, and Guardian belong in CI, retail juggernauts vs. custom craft, consolidation (GHT, Daisy), electrical partnerships, and how to benchmark your business. Plus, a call for your “tools that blew your mind.”

Another week, another shakeup in the world of industry associations...What the massive Apollo acquisition means for the future of the CEDIA Expo, and why the FCC is getting involved with your Wi-Fi router. Is the industry headed for "enshittification," or is this the dawn of the home "holodeck" revolution?

The industry is shaking! Just days after we questioned CEDIA's future, the organization dropped a bombshell: they're leaving Denver. This week, we dive into the new multi-city rotation plan (Vegas, Orlando, Dallas) and what it means for the industry. Is this a brilliant strategy to attract new blood, a panicked reaction to the competition, or a sign they're finally waking up? We also b...

AVIXA quietly bought Lightapalooza—now what? We break down the history, strategy, and fallout for CEDIA, dealers, and manufacturers. Co-location with InfoComm, credentialing shifts, and why residential lighting’s growth matters. “This is primarily a commercial organization jumping onto a primarily residential organization—and therein lies the tea.” “It feels like the only one getting squeezed here...

Chris and Jayson swap Boise and SoCal road stories, break down how brands become favorites (and why you can’t be important to everyone), and get real about rep–vendor–dealer hustle: realistic dealer visits, heavy follow-ups, loyalty over games, and rep firm risks. Plus airport chaos, cheese curds, smoked-cocktail slander, and unfiltered CI tales.

Hosts Chris and Jayson dive into the recent news of the "divorce" between Control4 and Josh.ai. They explore what this split means for integrators and homeowners, especially after April 26, 2026, when functionalities will change. Using this development as a springboard, they reminisce about past industry conflicts like the "great Tron wars" between Crestron and Lutron, discuss...

It's Kaleidescape's 25th anniversary! Join us for a nostalgic trip as we explore how this iconic brand defied the trend of "cheaper and more convenient" to become the undisputed champion of home theater quality. From its revolutionary user interface and bit-perfect playback to its pioneering role in home networking and control system integration, we're giving Kaleidescape the...

Barco just made a serious move into audio by acquiring Focal and Naim, and Chris and Jayson break down what that actually means for the integration channel. One-brand ecosystems make a compelling case on commercial specs: one relationship, one support call, one neck to ring. Custom residential is messier, and best-of-breed mixing isn't going anywhere just because a conglomerate cut a deal. The...

This week, we're talking tools. No one reads podcast descriptions, but here goes anyway: If this episode sounds like an advertisement for Plaud and Lincoln Tech...well, I don't know what to tell you.

This week, we're joined again by one of our favorite stunt beards, Shawn Sorensen. We'll belatedly recap Lightapalooza, talk business philosophy, and stuff as many jabs at Jayson as we can fit into 30-ish minutes.

Chris and Jayson go down memory lane — Philips Pronto, Niles Audio, IR blasters, and the days when you actually needed a control system just to watch a movie — and ask the question nobody in the industry wants to answer out loud: are dedicated control systems becoming the appendix of the smart home? They dig into how the landscape has shifted. TVs that do everything natively, Apple TV remotes that...

It was late. The filters were off. And somehow we landed on the topic every integrator eventually faces… rebranding. In this After Dark episode, we talk about why integrators feel the pull to reinvent themselves and when a rebrand actually makes sense. From identity shifts to market positioning to the emotional side of changing your name, your offer, or your entire lane, we go there. If you’ve eve...

Buying groups get talked about a lot, but not everyone really understands how they work. This week, Jayson and Chris dig into what buying groups actually are, how they create leverage for integrators, the real benefits beyond pricing, and what’s required if you want to participate the right way. If you’ve ever wondered whether joining one makes sense for your business, this episode breaks it down...

This week, it’s just me and Jayson remembering our friend John MacDonald, President of Morris Tait Associates and a cornerstone of the CI industry for more than four decades. We talk about the leader everyone respected, the mentor who always had time for you, and the friend whose energy and generosity shaped more lives than he probably ever knew. This one’s personal. If you’d like to honor John’s...

While Jayson's off letting his day job interfere with his real passion for being grumpy on the airwaves, Chris hangs with his side piece Shawn Sorensen who walks us through Unified Reps' sweet new SoCal showroom. We get deep in the weeds about showroom strategy, philosophy, and why SoCal people overuse the word "vibe".

ISE 2026 is underway. What is ISE? Why aren't either of us hanging in Barcelona? I'm not bitter, you're bitter. We talk ISE, have some technical challenges, and fulfill our court mandated weekly AV therapy session.

Unless you're into vacuuming robots or high tech marital aids, or some freaky combination of the two, CES was kind of a waste. That's it. That's the description.

We get season 3 off to a good start with big news in the world of Custom Integration and AV in general as Sony and TCL team up. We also get into the aftermath of Publix deviled eggs and the impact that could have on your day's productivity and your team's effectiveness. Hit us up on insta @Inside_Integration or shoot us an email via insideintegration@gmail.com.

Well whaddya know, it's show number 104, which is twice as many as 52, which are the number of weeks in a year. So to celebrate our 2 year run, we decided to shill. Maybe not shill, but talk a little about Dante and how it's going to work its way into residential integration. There's some issues with audio thrown in for good measure, just a little chop coming from a USB audio interface...

We're a week into the new year and, well, not much is different. I don't know what you expected. We talk resolutions, Plan B's (C's and D's), and all manner of stuff tangentially related to CI.