Savant Brings its Own Brand of Swank to NYC's SoHo District
By Llanor Alleyne
Savant Systems has consistently distinguished itself from other multi-room control innovators. Everything, from its decision to base its core product platform around Apple's operating system to the design of its touchpanels and remote controls, has edgy etched into the fine print. So it should come as no surprise that the company has chosen to open its first experience and design center -- a two-apartment, 7,500-square-foot homage to high-end living -- on cobblestoned Prince Street in the heart of New York City's SoHo District (right around the corner from the Apple Store, which is also ...
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Lutron Goes Vertical with New Drapery System
By Llanor Alleyne
Lighting control manufacturer, Lutron, has always had a flare for the dramatic, and yesterday’s new product unveiling was no different. Held at the trendy New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York City's Bowery neighborhood, the launch of the company’s new Kirbé vertical drapery system was bracketed by a theatrically lit Lutron history lesson followed by a curtain-raising reveal.
Kirbé drapes with a Primatek pattern Described as an “industry first,” the Kirbé drapery system strikes its difference as a window system that vertical pulls drapery up and completely out of the way as opposed ...
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Sonos Takes its S5 to the Masses
By Llanor Alleyne
Multi-room audio systems developer Sonos has never been shy about touting the superiority and functionality of its products. Driven by the world's healthy appetite for music, the company has done well in capturing the attention of consumers looking for a way to coalesce their music collections, which tend to reside on multiple digital platforms in the home. This week, here in New York, Sonos looked to net more of that market with the unveiling of its ZonePlayer S5, an all-in-one wireless music system that is controlled with an iPhone."The S5 solves things for Sonos," said Thomas Meyer, from ...
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Epson Adds Improvements to Family-Friendly Projector Lines
By Llanor Alleyne
During its annual press tour this past July, Epson underscored its commitment to the residential systems entry-level projector market when the company unveiled significant improvements to its MovieMate and Home Cinema lines. Adding to its line of combo projectors, Epson introduced the portable MovieMate 60 that comes kitted out with a progressive scan standard CD/DVD player and built-in 10W, Dolby Digital DTS speakers. Displaying a 120-inch image from 12 feet away, the unit -- which weighs a relatively light 9.7 pounds -- also features widescreen viewing with 16:9 aspect ratio, 3LCD ...
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Sonos Adapts to Rapidly Changing Control Environment
By Llanor Alleyne
Last October, multi-room music system manufacturer, Sonos debuted a sleek, comprehensive iPhone application that effectively overshadowed its then clunky system controller, the CR100. It was a move that has since proved to be a stroke of genius as well as a company profit maker. According to Tom Cullen, co-founder of Sonos, the introduction of the Sonos iPhone app sent sales of individual components of the music system through the roof with iPhone users currently representing a quarter of the company's sales.So it should come as no surprise that Sonos has taken inspiration from the iPhone ...
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Lutron Lights Up New York
By Llanor Alleyne
Last month, Lutron Electronics opened a 1,800-square-foot Experience Showroom--the fourth in its stable of showrooms/experience centers--on the ground floor of New York's historic Decoration & Design (D&D) Building, the go-to trade destination exclusively for design industry professionals. Living room with the shades up The location is a good choice for the lighting giant whose massive array of control and decorative products would be of particular value and interest to designers (and custom integrators) looking to make a definitive statement with their residential interior projects."We ...
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Q&A: Peter Wellikoff, CEO, Meridian America
By Llanor Alleyne
Last December Meridian acquired media server innovator, Sooloos, then led by Peter Wellikoff. Over the last couple of months, as the companies have coalesced, roles have shifted and efficiencies have been streamlined, including last week's announcement of Wellikoff as Meridian America's new CEO. I spoke to Wellikoff last week about what this new role means for both companies going forward.What does your new position as CEO of Meridian America mean for the Sooloos brand?It does and it doesn't have a lot of influence on the Sooloos brand, because prior to this announcement, over the past two ...
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Post ISE Views and Blues
By Llanor Alleyne
I returned earlier this week from Amsterdam (Integrated Systems Europe Show) with a case of the flu, but a generally bright out look on the state of the custom installation channel. After all, ISE's show floor reminded me of pre-recession CEDIA EXPO in the U.S., and the talk from both U.S. and foreign-based manufacturers was that on a worldwide scale business is “flat to good,” with flat being the new up. After I left Amsterdam, I hopped over to the U.K. to see friends and family, and though there were economic jitters there too, I still found a lot of silver lining to wrap around the ...
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An Early Dispatch from ISE
By Llanor Alleyne
If you are an avid watcher of the news, it is difficult to avoid the doomsday prophecies. To go by those nightly reports every economy under the global is failing or has failed...bread lines await the entire world. While it is more than evident that money is too tight to mention in many quarters, it will be ill-advised to give into these dark intonations completely.Here in Amsterdam, where the annual Integrated Systems Europe Show is being held, AV manufacturers and distributors are more hopeful than I have seen in our industry in the last year. In announcing the arrival of Residential ...
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Death to DRM
By Llanor Alleyne
Digital rights management--the dirtiest term to ever be used in the same sentence as "digital download"--is finally showing signs of extinction, at least in Apple's iTunes store. Though sites like eMusic and Amazon have long sold music and other digital media free of DRM, Apple, apparently locked in a contractual headlock with the major record labels, finally got the go ahead to change its pricing model as well as remove pesky DRM from the store's stock. When this was announced about two weeks ago, the world did some restrained rejoicing--after all, if the studies are any indication, most ...
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Why a Residential Systems International
By Llanor Alleyne
As many of you might know by now, Residential Systems has launched an international version of itself with the appropriate global moniker to differentiate the two publications. While Residential Systems International will not be available on U.S. shores, the essence of why the RS editorial team decided to expand beyond these borders is still relevant, especially as global market conditions continue to move in contradictory directions. Those of you whom I have had the pleasure to meet know that I am an immigrant. My trip from a tiny island nation to a vast, modern country that constantly ...
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Monster Cable, Monster Mini Golf Kiss and Make Up
By Llanor Alleyne
Amid the hubbub of CES last week, it was easy to miss the fact that Monster Cable's Noel Lee brokered a deal with the Long Island-based mom-and-pop outfit, Monster Mini Golf. To refresh your memory, last year Monster Cable sued the mini golf company for copyright infringement. Monster Mini Golf took their fight to the people, namely eBay where company founders Christina and Patrick Vitagliano posted a proper proletariat call to arms. The story was quickly picked up by many technology outlets and if their comments sections were any indication, a general unhappiness with Monster Cable's ...
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Stewart Filmscreen Rep Creates Texas Showroom
By Llanor Alleyne
With the shadow of a recession engulfing the future plans of many businesses nationwide, it is always impressive and heartening to get a tip about a company bucking the fear and investing in potential growth avenues.A couple of weeks ago, Residential Systems got an email regarding Stewart Filmscreen manufacturing rep firm, Charles Lucas Sales Company which, to the delight of its customers, created a custom-built home theater showcase room at its Fort Worth, Texas location. “We took a three step approach to designing our showrooms,” Sam Lucas, CFO of the company noted. “First we designed a ...
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Talking Up the iPhone… One More Time
By Llanor Alleyne
I tend to refrain from saying things like, “This [fill in the blank] is the best thing. Ever,” mostly because shortly thereafter said item, act, book, either falls short or is replaced by something that can, quite legitimately, be the next best thing ever. But, because I have been known to break my own rules, I am going to go ahead and say this: The iPhone is the best thing...ever. (I reserve the right, however, to retract that statement at any time). Since giving in and buying one earlier this fall, my affection has slowly grown from a wary adoration to full-blown love. At the time that ...
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Optoma Shows Another Use for a Napkin
By Llanor Alleyne
Digital projection and display manufacturer Optoma is making the rounds this week in New York to get the word out about a few new products coming down the pipe line. This morning, I met with Jon Grodem, the company’s director of product and marketing, who came armed with two Picos, and a lot of insight into where the projection market is heading in these heady times.Over coffee and after a near disastrous water spill, Grodem unveiled the Pico PK-101, touted as “the world’s smallest and lightest micro-portable DLP projector.” Shipping now, (can you say, Christmas present?), the Pico has been ...
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