The Integration Conversation

From 5G to Blockchain to the latest in wellness tech and lighting, here's a roundup of the the podcast's most interesting (and most listened-to) moments of 2018. For more info on CEDIA, check out cedia.net .

Legendary hi-fi label KLH has seen a resurgence of late. David Kelley (who bought the brand) fills us in on the history of Henry Kloss's company, and what they're up to now. https://www.klhaudio.com/ For more on CEDIA, check out CEDIA.net

Sam Woodward of Lutron (who's also CEDIA's Training Volunteer of the Year for 2018) is busily working on a whitepaper called "Considerations for Quality of Light in the Home." This preview includes info on Correlated Color Temperature (CCT), Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) versus Constant Current Reduction (CCR) for LED dimming, and other issues including glare factors and individual preferences for...

Peter Aylett ( Archimedia ) ponders some trends for 2019, including: The end of the everything being "smart" – everything will be "artifiically intelligent," Insurance companies will use sensorization to mitigate losses, The HDMI Matrix switch dies, "Wellness" tech takes off, And quite a bit more. Peter, Walt, and Ed also reflect on 2018: "A year of evolution, not revolution," according to Aylett....

Julie Jacobson of CE Pro joins Ed and Walt, unwraps her crystal ball, and talks about the trends that are ahead for 2019. The trio chats wellness, lighting (including low-voltage solutions), "extreme" cord-cutting, 5G, labor shortages, and a lot -- a LOT -- more. For more on CEDIA, check out CEDIA.net .

David Meyer (CEDIA's Director of Technical Content) and Michael Heiss ( M Heiss Consulting ) drop in to talk about the latest news re: HDMI (including the importance of eARC), 8K, HDR, and a lot more. For more info on CEDIA, check out CEDIA.net .

CEDIA's Senior Director of Education, Samantha Ventura, joins us to talk about one of her areas of expertise: developing your leadership skills. Whether you run a small firm, a big business, or a department within an organization, Ventura has advice for you — advice that's also becoming part of new CEDIA classes. For more info on CEDIA, check out CEDIA.net .

Amanda Wildman of TruMedia (who's also the 2018 CEDIA Volunteer of the Year) has had some pretty great results using Facebook videos as marketing tools -- while spending next to nothing in the process. We talk to Wildman about her social media presence, giving women a voice in the tech industry, and her specific business model. (BTW -- She's also pretty funny.) http://www.trumediahome.com/ https:/...

The Premier Group has a history of working with top architectural and design firms to achieve award-winning results. We talk to the integrators and two of their collaborators, One 10 Studio and Gary Nance Design . https://premier-group.com/ http://one10studio.com/ http://www.garynancedesign.com/ Learn about CEDIA at cedia.net .

Walt Zerbe attended the annual Audio Engineering Society show (AES - http://www.aes.org/) and tells Ed Wenck all about high-def audio advances, the trend toward recording and re-mastering music in surround-sound formats, the errors inherent in calibrating with pink noise, and much more. (Walt also got to hang out with Thomas Dolby. SCIENCE!) For more on CEDIA, check out cedia.net .    

Robert Heiblim has sold stereos, changed the course of Denon, introduced CDs to record execs, impacted federal legislation, and even befriended the band Devo. His stories are incredible, his knowledge is vast, and there are dozens of nuggets of advice — both business and personal — in this freewheeling chat. Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rheiblim Here's his consulting firm: http://www...

John Penney barely scratched the surface in his keynote at CEDIA Expo 2018. Here the Executive Vice President of Consumer Business Development and Strategic Partnerships for 20th Century Fox digs deep into the ways content built for 4K, VR, AR, and more will change and inform the tech you integrate — and vice-versa. For more on CEDIA, check out cedia.net.

Andrew Jones may well be one of the most successful — and storied — loudspeaker engineers in the history of hi-fi. Jones, who's designed speakers for KEF , Infinity, Pioneer USA , TAD , and now ELAC , takes us through: The benefits of concentric driver technology, His approach to enclosure design, Active vs. passive speakers — and how he's making the former more palatable to audiophiles, And his t...

In this special episode, we give each candidate three minutes to tell us why they should serve on the CEDIA Board of Directors. (Each individual can use the time in any way they like.) Here's the critical legalese: For the 2019-2020 term, there are four (4) open elected positions — one (1) to be filled from the EMEA region, and the remaining positions to be filled from the entire global membership...

The Mobile World Congress Americas Conference was held in Los Angeles Sept. 12-14. Michael Heiss was there, collecting the very latest info on 5G deployment. Here's his report. https://www.mwcamericas.com/

Did you miss any of our podcasts from Expo? We've picked some highlights from our daily Tech Council roundtables from the show floor and turned 'em into a quick, digestible overview. For more on CEDIA, check out cedia.net .

Spoiler alert: There were a LOT of packed classes at Expo, and Geoff Meads ( Presto ) put in some serious hours in the instructor's chair. Geoff joins CEDIA's David Meyer, Ed Wenck, and Walt Zerbe for this floor/education recap. For more info on CEDIA, check out cedia.net .

Walt Zerbe was joined by a huge cast of characters for the Day Two Expo floor recap. There were a great many CEDIA volunteers aboard, including: Peter Aylett, Archimedia Rich Green, Rich Green Designs Sam Woodward, Lutron And Mike Maniscalco, formerly of Ihiji And two other gents attending Expo dropped in as well: Eddie Shapiro, SmartTouch USA And Chris Pruet, Stealth Acoustics For more info on CE...

Friday's CEDIA Talks at Expo were full of info from: Peter Aylett ( Archimedia ) on how autonomous vehicle tech drives home automation advances, Alex Capecelatro ( josh.ai ) on just what that AI can do, Rusty Deeble ( Digital Installers ) on how virtual offices can expand your firm's reach, And Heather Sidorowicz ( Southtown Audio Video ) on ensuring you're communicating with clients using the "hu...

A group of Tech Council stalwarts shares their thoughts from Day One of CEDIA Expo: Mitchell Klein ( Z-Wave Alliance ), Alex Capecelatro ( josh.ai ), Bill Skaer ( Audio Design Associates ), and Michael Heiss ( M Heiss Consulting ) join host Walt Zerbe.

Highlights from CEDIA Talks (and more) with Geoff Meads ( Presto ) speaking about data encryption via Blockchain, Joe Whitaker ( The Thoughtful Home ) on marking your firm with Alexa skills, and Jennifer Jolly on what it's like for a newbie at the show.

The CEDIA Designer (formerly "the Cinema Designer") is a tool that helps you design home cinemas, and CEDIA members now have preferential access to this award-winning software. We speak with its creator, Guy Singleton, and Peter Aylett of Archimedia who's very familiar with TCD. Here's more info on TCD: https://cedia.net/insights/cedia-blog-detail/press-releases/2018/08/28/cedia-acquires-the-cinem...

Ready for San Diego? Julie Jacobson of CE Pro joins us for a CEDIA Expo preview. What trends and new goodies is she excited about? Sign up for Julie's webinar on Expo here. Find out more about CEDIA at cedia.net . (Oh, and here's that song we mention in the show: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jordanpassman/2016/11/23/the-worlds-most-relaxing-song/#1d29e3ae2053 )

What's the genesis of an integrator's interest in residential tech? What makes them tick? What gigs are they suited for after they leave the world of home technology integration? Bruno Napoli and Kris Hogg — both on the cusp of new jobs — join us for this roundtable. @KrissHogg @BrunoNapoli_FR For more about CEDIA, check out CEDIA.net .  

He calls it "The Midsummer Mikey Report," in which the man behind M. Heiss Consulting brings us up to speed on a variety of TV topics. There's also a preview of what's to come at Expo from both Mike and the 2018 keynote speaker, John Penney. Mike's got a new website, too. Find it at michaelheiss.com . Want to learn more about CEDIA? Check out CEDIA.net .