Darryl Wilkinson

CEDIA 2014

Darryl Wilkinson | Sep 11, 2014

Although OmniMount is perhaps most well-known for making mounts and accessories designed for hanging large flat screen TVs on the wall and projectors on the ceiling, the company showed a new, slightly smaller mounting product in the booth at CEDIA. The new device, Stand for iPad, is an adjustable stand for iPads (with another version for iPad Air devices) that has three attachment and usage options: 1) as a desktop stand; 2) as an under-cabinet mount; and 3) as a wall-mount bracket. The new Stand for iPad folds flat for transporting or for hiding under cabinets when not in use as a convenient iPad holder above a countertop. The bracket uses a magnet built into the protective Case for iPad (included in the package) to securely hold it against the mount while allowing the iPad to rotate with minimal effort or be removed easily from the mount. The Stand for iPad will have an MSRP of $99.95 and is expected to be available in November.

CEDIA 2014

DISH Wants More Integration

Darryl Wilkinson | Sep 11, 2014

After pointing out that it was only two years ago when DISH first introduced the Hopper whole-home HD DVR, Vivek Khemka, DISH senior vice president of product management, announced the expansion of DISH’s program to further the integration of the Hopper with a number of additional home automation systems. “We are allowing unprecedented access to the DISH API,” Kemka explained. With access to the API, third-party automation system programmers will be able to provide seamless control of the Hopper within the confines of the smart home’s controller rather than forcing the homeowner to use two remote controls or apps, often with two dramatically different user interfaces.

The list of new automation partners announced by DISH includes...

CEDIA 2014

The House of HEOS

Darryl Wilkinson | Sep 11, 2014

HEOS is Denon’s answer to the question, “Who on the planet can come up with a wireless, streaming music system that’s even close to sounding as good and being as easy to use as the ever-popular Sonos system?” The much-anticipated system, officially called HEOS by Denon, is being introduced at CEDIA EXPO 2014.

The HEOS system currently consists of...

CEDIA 2014

Rachio Waters the Lawn with Wi-Fi

Darryl Wilkinson | Sep 11, 2014

When it comes to gardening, some people have a green thumb. Others say they have a brown thumb. In my case, I happen to possess one of the few thumbs covered in sand and tumbleweeds. It’s not that I hate plants. (Although, it seems, plants evidently hate me…) I simply can’t remember to take care of them. It’s always weeks after plants at my home have turned to petrified wood when the thought finally pops into my head that I ought to give them some water. Lawn care is similarly problematic for me. Fortunately, Rachio is a new company that offers an alternative to brown lawns and dead gardens.

The Rachio Smart Irrigation Controller is a DIY sprinkler controller that...

CEDIA 2014

Control4 Makes Custom Composing Easier

Darryl Wilkinson | Sep 10, 2014 | Published: Sep 11, 2014

Custom integrators that sell Control4 systems got a boost today when Control4 announced the immediate release of Composer Express, “a powerful mobile configuration tool that enables Control4 Dealers to dramatically simplify and accelerate the set-up process for home automation systems.” According to Control4, even basic-level installation technicians should be able to use Composer Express on a tablet or smartphone in order to “configure most one-room home theaters in very short order, or set up hundreds of devices in the most complex whole-home installations in a few hours…”

CEDIA 2014

GoRave Plays Audio from Any Device Anywhere

Darryl Wilkinson | Sep 10, 2014 | Published: Sep 11, 2014

GoRave says its “wireless” audio distribution system makes it possible (and easy) to use any app on any smart device to play audio in one or multiple rooms. The key to the system is are wireless transmitters, called “Audio Senders”, which are designed to be used with a variety of smart devices (Android and iOS), as well as with computers via a universal USB dongle. The Audio Senders wirelessly transmit the audio from whatever is being played on the device to one or more of GoRave’s 5-channel AR5 Audio Receivers. Because the Audio Senders simply transmit whatever audio is being output on the Android or iOS device, the user can listen to Spotify, NetFlix, YouTube, or some other source of audio - including Skype calls - through the connected speakers in the home.

GoRave does not use Wi-Fi or Bluetooth for its wireless connectivity...

CEDIA 2014

No Fibbing - FIBARO is Finally Here

Darryl Wilkinson | Sep 10, 2014

After four years of availability in over 55 countries around the world, smart home hub and device maker, FIBARO, is finally entering the U.S. market. In addition to the Home Center Lite (approx $280), FIBARO will also be making available the more powerful Home Center 2 (pricing TBA). The most significant feature that differentiates FIBARO from the competitive smart home hub systems (Revolv, $300; SmartThings, $99; Staples Connect, $49; etc.) is the systems’ abilities to interface with and control elements of home AV systems. Currently, Revolv and SmartThings offer extremely limited control of some Sonos components; but neither hub is capable of controlling gear in home theater systems.

FIBARO is also notable for its...

CEDIA 2014

Leviton Takes a Bite Out of BitWise

Darryl Wilkinson | Sep 10, 2014

Further proving that there’s more volatility in the smart home industry than in a hot air popcorn popper, Leviton Security & Automation (formerly HAI by Leviton) (and, before that, simply HAI) announced on the eve of CEDIA EXPO 2014 that the company had acquired Englewood, CO-based BitWise Controls, LLC. Founded in 2008, BitWise Controls specializes in automation controllers and products designed for the professional and pro-sumer smart home markets. The company’s three automation controllers - the BC1, BC2, and BC4 - are capable of home automation tasks as well as AV system control and offered a less-expensive alternative to systems from companies, such as Control4 and Crestron.

Although not specifically intended for direct consumer purchase and installation, the pricing of the controllers (starting at slightly above $500 for the basic, single-room BC4) also makes them a viable alternative to the gobs of DIY-oriented sub-$300 smart home hubs - none of which are capable of AV system integration. (The Revolv Hub is the only exception to this rule, although its sole AV-control capability involves limited integration with several Sonos components.)

Terms of the deal were not announced. It can be assumed, however, that Leviton did not pay quite as much for BitWise as Google did for Nest ($3.2 billion) earlier this year.

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CEDIA Expo 2014 Preview: Let the Geekfest Begin

Darryl Wilkinson | Sep 09, 2014 | Published: Sep 08, 2014

2014 CEDIA Expo Coverage Begins Wednesday

In the grand scheme of all things electronic, it’s not as big a deal as the annual CES in Las Vegas. In many respects, though, CEDIA Expo 2014 is an even more important event for people interested in customizing home technologies to make them seamless, integral parts of their customers’ lives. Oh, hell, what am I saying? “Customizing home technologies…” The guys—and most of them are guys, although that’s changing—who go to the CEDIA Expo every year are fascinated by gear that can be hidden, be controlled at a distance, is motorized or otherwise moveable, and can be tweaked and tinkered with. Sure, we talk about "lifestyles", but the reality is we go to CEDIA to geek out on the gear.

It’s a completely safe bet that when the show floor at CEDIA Expo 2014 officially opens at 9:00 AM on Thursday, September 11, the place will be packed‐and a number of us from Sound & Vision will be fighting our way through the throngs of installers, designers, specifiers, representatives, and booth demonstrators...

Remotely Possible

Smart Home Plus: Z-Wave of the Future?

Darryl Wilkinson | Aug 08, 2014

Not long ago, I had an extended conversation with Mark Walters, the Chairman of the Z-Wave Alliance. Our discussion ranged pretty much across the board as far as the smart home topic was concerned, including how quickly the landscape is changing (not quite daily, although it seems that way) and the various companies – both large and small – that are trying to stake their technological claims in this relatively new territory. Clearly, the consensus is that there’s lots of money to be made in the smart home automation business. The problem, however, for both manufacturers and retailers is choosing a space that’s full of milk and honey rather than settling in what will eventually become a electronic ghost town complete with rolling tumbleweeds of discarded protocols and standards. Consumers, by the way, are basically collateral-damage-in-waiting during this high-tech land grab. (But that’s part of the risk you take as an early adopter, I suppose.)

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