Through the publication of his book Richard Charschan, president of AcousticSmart, aims to educate interior designers and architects on the benefits of properly designed home theaters.

On the latest CE Pro Podcast, Joel Silver of ISF, Jason Dustal of Murideo and AVPro Edge, and Robert Zohn of Value Electronics, explain how even simple calibration adjustments can create happier clients.

Before lighting fixtures and power management became hot categories in custom integration, the big buzz was about the impact of wireless audio. With multipurpose media rooms becoming the norm, we spoke with WiSA (Wireless Speaker and Audio Association President Tony Ostrom about the state of wireless audio and especially in surround sound settings and other applications as well, in this week’s CE Pro Podcast episode.

In the world of interior lighting, artwork needs to be specially lit if homeowners want to capture the essence of beauty the artist originally intended. Step outside and you’ll find that to be no different, only instead of the artist being Basquiat or Monet, it’s good old mother nature (and of course the architect that helped design the home). WAC President Patrick Laidlaw says it’s this realization that drove the company to develop its recently released Colorscaping system. Released just bef...

Daryl Friedman admits he doesn’t have time for hobbies these days leading CEDIA as global president & CEO. It didn’t help that the former GRAMMY executive took reins of those roles in 2021, when the pandemic was experiencing a surge. He came into CEDIA and embarked on a worldwide tour of the organization’s conferences and meetings with integrator members.  Thankfully, I was able to capture 30 minutes of Friedman’s time recently – on a day when he only had eight meetings. We chatted about...

HDMI Licensing President Rob Tobias chats about AI's impact on AV, improving immersive experiences, Blu-ray discs vs. streaming content, identifying counterfeit cables and more. 

One of the most enduring companies serving the custom integration industry is Russound. The New Hampshire-based company has some exciting products for 2024, highlighted by its AVA-Series of mini-AV receivers (AVRs) to expand its audio riches for the CEDIA channel. In the latest edition of the CE Pro Podcast, Russound CEO Charlie Porritt joins to chat about the latest happenings and R&D developments from the audio company.

Vetting a new vendor for your portfolio can be a daunting process, but that’s where your industry networking comes in handy. Down in Florida, Anthony Petrone, founder and CEO of Wellington-based Petrone Technology Group, was seeking an outdoor audio solution and his dealer friends kept pushing him toward Coastal Source.  Hear how the match was an immediate success and why Coastal Source CEO Franco D’Ascanio is expecting big things from 2024, all in this latest CE Pro Podcast episode. Editor’s...

Everyone knows about CEDIA, the leading association for the custom integration industry. Chances are you’ve attended CEDIA Expo and taken CEDIA instructor-led technology courses. But did you know about all the stuff the association engages in behind the scenes to benefit the entire industry? In case you didn’t, I talked to Darren Reaman, director of government affairs at CEDIA, to discuss the group’s advocacy efforts and other endeavors that help elevate the industry, all in this week’s CE...

The fall and early winter periods are important times of the year in the world of home AV.  For many homeowners, it means buying new AV systems in preparation for a winter of staying home and watching movies, streamed content, and sports such as hockey and basketball.  The annual CEDIA Expo, which took place just after Labor Day, the 2023 event in Denver marked a milestone period for the electronics market. Recapping some of the most important video developments from the CEDIA Expo 2023 show...

Following a successful CEDIA Expo 2023 in which home audio – particularly immersive audio – was front-and-center on the show floor, it was time to talk surround sound with our “Audio Guys” regulars on the latest CE Pro Podcast. Joined by CE Pro All-Star Band keyboard player Steve Haas, who is a nationally recognized acoustician in the residential and commercial audio markets, along with the CE Pro Podcast resident audiophiles Steve Silberman, director of sales, West for Savant, and Paul...

This year, Nationwide Marketing Group expanded its reach with the rebranding of its residential dealer group to Oasys Residential Technology Group and launched a commercial counterpart, the Ellipsys Commercial Technology Group, in addition to the well-established Azione Unlimited.  The leaders of those organizations – Richard Glikes, president and chief creative officer of Azione Unlimited, Hank Alexander, director of the Oasys Residential Technology Group, and Chris Whitley, executive...

We just wrapped up CEDIA Expo 2023, and beyond the usual product innovations and education sessions, CEDIA hosted its annual awards banquet where it honors a Lifetime Achievement Award winner and often, but not always, a special CEDIA Fellow recognition.  This year the special CEDIA Fellow recipient was James Chen, managing director of Kordz. We were privileged to have Chen connect with us from Australia over Zoom. In this episode, he tells us about his three decades in the industry, his...

One of the highlights at CEDIA Expo every year are the amazing home theater and audiophile demo rooms, and it looks like this year will be no different. One in particular that’s sure to stand out at CEDIA Expo 2023 in Denver (Sept. 7-9) is the 11.6.6-channel Dolby Atmos theater being staged by Seymour-Screen Excellence, StormAudio, Grimani Systems, and RowOne Seating.  The brands say it will be the first fully digital AES67 Audio-over-IP (AoIP) home theater at the show in Sound Room 10 of the...

While the show floor and demo rooms focused on new products are always the center of attention at CEDIA Expo, it’s always a good reminder that the annual tradeshow also delivers tons of education and training opportunities too. To help get CEDIA Expo attendees thinking about what kinds of sessions to add into their schedules this year in Denver, I spoke with Mandy Beckner, vice president of education and training to get the lowdown in this week’s CE Pro Podcast episode.

Veteran CE pros may remember Blake Vackar from his first stint on the sales side of leading screen and shades manufacturer Screen Innovations. Well, after a brief detour, Vackar is back at SI at Brand Ambassador and Screen Evangelist and ready to meet with integrators to evangelize the opportunities in those categories.  What does all that entail? The big takeaway for integrators is that big screens and functional shades make a compelling combination to sell – that said, we’ll let Vackar tell...

This week we have back one of our favorite guests here on the CE Pro Podcast, UK-based Together For Cinema founder and industry do-gooder Ian Morrish.  This time around, Morrish updates us on Together For Cinema’s 2023 children’s hospice home theater projects, donations and sponsors, as well as the group’s new status as a Community Interest Company, and another big fundraiser event happening in July, in the latest podcast episode. The organization, which Morrish established back in 2009, has...

With a portfolio of some of the most revered brands in home audio, few manufacturers can match the allure of Harman Luxury Audio. Jim Garrett, senior director, product strategy and planning for Harman Luxury Audio, is a long-time home audio market veteran and enthusiast. Harman’s stable of brands includes Mark Levinson, JBL, JBL Synthesis, Arcam, Lexicon, and Revel, and in the latest CE Pro Podcast, Garrett explains how the company has evolved to meet the diverse needs of consumers enjoying...

The last time we talked to DoorBird, the IP doorstation specialist had recently expanded its North American offices from San Francisco to add an East Coast base in Jacksonville, Fla., where Justin Clark heads up sales for the Americas, Australia & New Zealand, and assists dealers in various ways.  He rejoins the podcast with even more to discuss this time around. During this week’s CE Pro Podcast episode, Clark updates the custom integration channel by discussing DoorBird’s presence at...

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 golden age of technologies – conveniently timed with what many consider to be a golden age of...

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 in Denver.  Mandy Beckner, vice president of education and training at CEDIA, reviewed both the...

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 certain level homeowners tastes have evolved over the past few years. Bochner says his clients...

 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 the CE Pro Podcast to discuss that, as well as what the company showed during the recent HTSA...

 “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 market as: The leading brand specified and installed by custom integrators in more than 20 categories...