The CEDIA Podcast

Mike Maniscalco (Better Living Technologies) surveyed the tech offerings — mainly in the health and wellness space — at South By Southwest 2019, and reports on what he saw and its potential impact on integrators. betterlivingtech.net For more on CEDIA, check out CEDIA.net.

There's an "experience center" demonstrating residential multiple systems (and interfaces) from kitchen to living room to bed and bath, a state-of-the-art training facility, and much more in CEDIA's new Indiana headquarters. Guest Ian Bryant, who oversaw a lot of the integration, takes us on a tour of the building. Want to know more about CEDIA? Check out cedia.net.

John Penney, EVP of Consumer Business Development and Strategic Partnerships for 20th Century Fox, attended the Mobile World Congress in Spain in late February, and brought back a ton of info on what's happening in the connected worlds of 5G and edge computing. Want more info on CEDIA? Check out cedia.net.

Today's keynote from a VERY hectic CEDIA Tech Summit covered everything from service contracts to concerns about 5G to the benefits of 8K displays. Guests include Eric Bodley from Future Ready Solutions, CEDIA's Giles Sutton, and Legrand's Chris Kovacek. (Also on the panel, but not on the 'cast: Access Networks' Bryce Nordstrand, and IC Realtime's Dean Morgan.)

We had a chance to talk to several CEDIA award-winning firms and manufacturers on the Main Stage at ISE 2019, and here's a pair of deep dives into projects by SONA (with help from Artcoustic) and The Next Level (with an assist from Crestron). We'll have more of these profiles on future episodes. You can find SONA's project on page 76 of the 2018 CEDIA Awards Yearbook, and The Next Level's winner is on page 98: https://issuu.com/cedia2/docs/cedia_awards_yearbook_2018-master_l https://sona.technology/ https://www.thenextlevel.co.uk/

We've got a two-parter this episode: CEDIA's Darren Reaman (Director of Government Affairs) tells us about the legislation that can impact member firms (and what he's doing about it), and our Samantha Ventura (Senior Director of Education) and Derick Abshire (Director of Curriculum) fill us in on the new classes coming to CEDIA Expo 2019 in Denver. Need more info? Check out cedia.net.

Call it the Spatial Web, Web 3.0, or Mirrorworld (as it was dubbed by Wired magazine) it will be "the single most important development in the history of technology, and will change human evolution" -- not to mention your CEDIA business, says Rich Green of Rich Green Design. And it's just three years away. Here's the article Green references in the podcast: https://www.wired.com/story/mirrorworld-ar-next-big-tech-platform/ And here's a link to Peter Diamandis: https://www.diamandis.com/ For more info on CEDIA, check out CEDIA.net.

CEDIA's new headquarters in Indy features a cool training tool -- a reference grade "home" cinema designed by Dennis Erskine. Erskine tells us about what went into the theater, the challenges it presented, and how it'll be used to help trainees understand the concepts behind high-end projects like this one. http://erskine-group.com/ For more on CEDIA, go to cedia.net.

What does AI really mean? How big is the "wellness" segment going to get? Is speaker technology ready to revolutionize built-in TV sound? How does commercial integration cross-pollinate the residential side -- and vice versa? Those questions are tackled in a lightning-quick podcast featuring nearly every member of the CEDIA Technology Council at ISE 2019. For more on CEDIA, check out cedia.net.

Day Three from ISE includes a recap of a presentation on mass sensorization, a look at incredibly tiny (and effective) speakers, and an answer to the question: "Does light affect sound quality?" Guests include: Eddie Shapiro, https://smarttouchusa.com/ Michael Heiss, https://michaelheiss.com/ Rich Green, Rich Green Design Christiaan Beukes, http://spherecustom.com/ Sam Woodward, http://www.lutron.com/europe/Pages/default.aspx For more on CEDIA: https://cedia.net/

The panel recaps CEDIA Talks, updated cinema standards, business and tech education, and some highlights from a packed show floor at ISE 2019 in Amsterdam (including a really terrific soundbar). Guests include: Eddie Shapiro, https://smarttouchusa.com/ Peter Aylett, https://www.archimedia-me.com/ Sam Woodward, http://www.lutron.com/europe/Pages/default.aspx Geoff Meads, https://www.prestoav.com/ Interested in learning more about CEDIA? https://cedia.net/

Day One from Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2019 at the Amsterdam RAI recaps CEDIA Talks and education on home cinema design, 5G, and the "spatial web." Guests include: Geoff Meads, https://www.prestoav.com/ Sam Woodward, http://www.lutron.com/europe/Pages/default.aspx Michael Heiss, https://michaelheiss.com/ And Rich Green, Rich Green Design, Inc. For more on CEDIA: https://cedia.net/

Thomas Marino (Advanced Technologies) is a recent CEDIA Award winner (and soon to be judge). Geoff Meads of Presto Web Design and Joel Silver of the Imaging Science Foundation have judged the Awards for years. Here they tell you what the judges are looking for when it comes to winning a trophy (Spoiler Alert: Big budgets have nothing to do with it). www.advancedtechnologiesbr.com https://imagingscience.com/ https://www.prestoav.com/ cedia.net/awards ENTRY DEADLINE FOR HOME TECH PROS: MARCH 18, 2019.

There's a great CEDIA class offered at ISE this year: The Home Cinema Masterclass. As noted in the course description, "It will feature three 'deep dive' sessions focused on video performance, advanced audio techniques, and the cinema environment." The three instructors involved are video expert Joel Silver (of the Imaging Science Foundation), audio expert Anthony Grimani (Performance Media Industries), and cinema designer par excellence Theo Kalomirakis (who's been working with Rayva of late). Grimani and Kalomirakis join hosts Ed Wenck and Walt Zerbe to talk about the class. Register here: https://www.iseurope.org/cedia-education/ For more on CEDIA, check out cedia.net.

After a few days of review and reflection, our panel joins Ed Wenck and Walt Zerbe to review their big takeaways. Guests include Peter Aylett (Archimedia), Rich Green (Rich Green Design), Michael Heiss (M. Heiss Consulting), John Penney (20th Century Fox), and Gordon van Zuiden (cyberManor). https://www.archimedia-me.com/ https://michaelheiss.com/ https://cybermanor.com/ For more info on CEDIA: cedia.net.

Retro designs, the ubiquity of voice interfaces, tele-medicine -- all that and more gets covered in this report from Friday at CES in Las Vegas. Walt Zerbe is joined by CEDIA's David Meyer, Mike Maniscalco, and Geoff Meads (Presto Web Design). https://www.ces.tech/ https://www.prestoav.com/ For more on CEDIA, check out cedia.net.

Walt Zerbe and company report from Eureka Park, where the startups show their wares. Guests include Rich Green (Rich Green Design), Geoff Meads (Presto Web Design), Mike Maniscalco (one of the founders of Ihiji), and CEDIA's David Meyer. https://www.ces.tech/ https://www.prestoav.com/ For more on CEDIA, check out cedia.net.

Lots of impressive stuff here: robotics, brain/machine interfaces, and the best video our panel has even seen. Our third report from CES, hosted by Walt Zerbe, includes thoughts from CEDIA's David Meyer, Peter Aylett (Archimedia), Rich Green (Rich Green Design), Kris Hogg (Samsung), and Mike Maniscalco. https://www.ces.tech/ https://www.archimedia-me.com/ https://www.samsung.com/us/ For more on CEDIA, check out cedia.net.

All this week, Walt Zerbe wil be sending us daily podcasts from CES 2019 in Las Vegas. "Day One" (yesterday was "Day Zero") features reports on what Walt and company saw at the Sahara (smart-home stuff) and the Venetian (what's happened to high-end audio at CES?). Guests include CEDIA's David Meyer, Peter Aylett (Archimedia), and Geoff Meads (Presto Web Design). https://www.ces.tech/ https://www.archimedia-me.com/ https://www.prestoav.com/ For more on CEDIA, check out cedia.net.

All this week, Walt Zerbe wil be sending us daily podcasts from CES 2019 in Las Vegas. Day "Zero" is all about opening keynotes and presentations, as seen by Peter Aylett (Archimedia), Rich Green (Rich Green Design), Geoff Meads (Presto Web Design) and Gordon van Zuiden (cyberManor). https://www.ces.tech/ https://www.archimedia-me.com/ https://www.prestoav.com/ https://cybermanor.com/ For more on CEDIA, check out cedia.net.

What should one do to prepare for — and react to — the darkening economic clouds that may be on the horizon? That's the question we posed to three guests, two integrators who made through the Great Recession (Gordon van Zuiden and Ed Gilmore), and a financial adviser by the name of Peter Dunn (aka "Pete the Planner"). cybermanor.com/ gilmoressoundadvice.com/ petetheplanner.com/

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 lighting in the home. For more info on CEDIA, visit cedia.net.

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. For more info on CEDIA, check out CEDIA.net.

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://www.facebook.com/trumediahome/?ref=br_rs Fore more about CEDIA, check out https://cedia.net/.

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.bluesalve.com/ And for more on CEDIA, go to cedia.net.

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 take on what makes for really "great sound." For more info on CEDIA, please visit cedia.net.

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. To implement this regional representation, the candidate from the EMEA region receiving the most votes will fill the EMEA-designated position and the top three (3) candidates from the rest of the world will fill the remaining (3) three seats. Voting will remain accessible until October 19, 2018. Each member company may cast one ballot. As CEDIA has transitioned to a single board representing the global CEDIA membership, it is important to note that all member companies are eligible to vote, regardless of where they are located. Company administrators may cast their ballot here. You can find more info each candidate here.

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 CEDIA, go to cedia.net.

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 "human factor."

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-cinema-designer Here's the site for the software: https://thecediadesigner.org/

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.

Joel Silver is the founder of the The Imaging Science Foundation — and the winner of the 2018 CEDIA Lifetime Achievement Award. This one-on-one conversation is practically a pair of master classes in both starting a business (and a wildly unique one at that) and the development of reference-quality video calibration. You can help us honor Mr. Silver at the 2018 CEDIA Awards ceremony. Find tickets and more info here. Here's more info on CEDIA in general.

It's a "Best Of" show, with highlights from our chats on Blockchain technology, the rollout and impact of 5g, and what builders think about smart home tech. For more info on CEDIA, check out cedia.net.

Suppose a building could be "wellness certified" in the same way it might be LEED Certified? That's the concept behind Delos, and we speak to the CEO of that company, Paul Scialla. Scialla fills us in on what the potential here may be for the residential integrator. Here are the URLs pertinent to the conversation: Delos.com Wellcertified.com Darwinpremier.com For more info on CEDIA, check out cedia.net.

We talk HVAC, climate control, and indoor air quality in smart homes with Jon Fischer, HVAC Automation Sales Manager for Aprilaire. PLUS: Nominations fore the CEDIA Board of Directors are NOW OPEN. Omar Hikal of the Governance Committee gives us the deets. Find more info here. For more info on CEDIA, check out cedia.net.