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Europe's leading residential technology trade magazine
Newsletter - 3 April 2008 - Multiroom
HiddenWires is continuing its partnership with AV Specialist to publish Residential Technology Middle East (RTME) magazine. RTME will be distributed at both the PALME (27-29 April 2008) and International CES/Hometech (25-27 May 2008) shows which take place in Dubai, as well as an insert in AV Specialist's Middle East edition and online as an electronic book. Our deadlines are closing, but if you would like to be included in this unique publication, please contact us immediately. With nothing left to promote, the HD DVD Promotion Group was officially dissolved at the end of March leaving Blu-ray to enjoy its HD format victory - or not, according to Laurie Fincham, a chief scientist at THX. Fincham caused a stir by apparently stating that "Personally, I think it's too late for Blu-ray. I think consumers will only become interested in replacing DVD when HD movies become available on flash memory. Do we really need another spinning format?" The official PR response from THX was of course that THX is dedicated to supporting Blu-ray, and to "advancing the quality of the entertainment experience, whether that is on optical disc, downloads or other emerging media." So watch this space as the route to HD delivery is far from clear yet. Display manufacturing is also going through some changes. With a loss of $186.4 million on its plasma display production facilities, Pioneer has announced that it will end in-house plasma manufacturing after the next series of models is complete. It will continue to assemble and market premium plasma TVs with the supply source likely to be Matsushita (Panasonic's parent company). Pioneer has stated that KURO plasmas will remain a key technology, and it already has an alliance with Sharp for sourcing KURO-branded LCD TVs due this autumn. Our feature this month is Multiroom, and is sponsored by Destination Audio. We have three articles covering selling distributed audio, the A-BUS technology platform, and an industry opinion piece on the challenges facing multiroom installers. In addition, Miles Brooke of DMi provides our guest commentary with his take on why a multi-brand organisation makes sense in the CI market, plus we have a case study of a dream home in Portugal that looks absolutely fabulous! We've had several requests recently for RSS feeds. If you'd like to receive our news headlines and articles as soon as they're published, you can subscribe to our News and Articles feeds. You can also use these RSS feeds to add content to your site. To find out more click here. Finally we'd like to welcome NuVo Technologies and Genelec as renewing Silver sponsors, and Flatlift TV Lift Systeme as a new category sponsor.
Articles Feature: Multiroom Sponsor: Destination Audio Look to Destination Audio for the best in Home Theatre, Multiroom Audio, Outdoor Audio and Electronics Product Article: Selling Distributed Audio By Gary Tanner, Destination Audio (1/4/2008) A-BUS Explained By Andrew Goldfinch and Len Andrews, LeisureTech Electronics (1/4/2008) Industry opinion: The challenges facing multiroom installers By Yasmin Hashmi, HiddenWires (2/4/2008) Guest Commentary: Why a Multi-Brand Organisation Makes Sense for the CI Market By Miles Brooke, DMi (1/4/2008) [go to articles page]  News Sponsor: DKT New – available to download, DKT’s FreeWay firmware upgrade allows any Crestron system to control any EIB/KNX network. Priority news: DKT's FreeWay firmware upgrade allows any Crestron system to control any EIB/KNX network (1/4/2008) Smart3 introduces the VideoBUS large-screen, energy saving video door entry control panel (5/3/2008) Comm-Tec Announces New Audipack Additions (12/3/2008) Opus launches landmark WCU600 touchscreen wall keypad (27/3/2008) Don't miss out - buy your CEDIA Awards tickets now! (27/3/2008) dnp denmark debuts new Supernova Flex Control System at High End 2008 in Munich (2/4/2008) Other news: Pioneer Ends Plasma Production (3/4/2008) Dolby Shows Latest HDR LCD Display Prototype Developed in Collaboration With SIM2 (2/4/2008) Opus launches exterior speaker range (1/4/2008) ISE sets sights on further growth by opening new Amsterdam office (1/4/2008) ABI Research: Home Automation and Security Going Mainstream (20/3/2008) Dynalite Europe introduces new state of the art range of controllers (20/3/2008) DMi D&M Installation Announces Details of Escient Vision Series of Multi-Room AV Media Platforms (14/3/2008) For the rest of this edition's news click here, for categorised news click here. [go to news page]  Case studies A Technological Dream Home in Portugal (1/4/2008) [go to case studies page]  Training Ivory Egg offers KNX Training Courses in 2008 [go to training page]  Recruitment Opus Technologies seeks CI Sales Executive for North of England, Scotland and Wales Unity Audio seeks UK Sales Executive for hi-fi range of speakers Neo seeks ambitious and experienced individual as General Manager Computers Unlimited is seeking Channel Development Managers who are passionate about audio to promote the Sonos Wireless Music System Dynalite Europe wants an experienced Field Service Engineer Dynalite Europe wants a motivated, customer-focused Customer Services Technician Dynalite Europe wants an Area Sales Manager for Architectural Lighting Control in London and the Home Counties Libra Solutions wants an enthusiastic, self motivated Project Engineer [go to recruitment page]  Books etc Save up to 30% on the titles in our book store: Next Generation IPTV Services and Technologies Installationsbus EIB Twisted Pair Technologies for Home Automation Creating a Digital Home Entertainment System with Windows Media Center Home Automation CD-ROM HDTV for Dummies [go to books page]		Weibel's patented precision projector lift overcomes all of the problems normally associated with traditional scissor projector lifts. Opus - a whole-house entertainment solution providing stunning quality music and video throughout the home. Extremely easy to install and service with an unrivalled dealer support programme. DMi D&M Installation - dedicated to sales and technical support within the custom install industry, supplying Escient, Marantz, Denon and Boston Acoustic products and support across the range. SpeakerCraft's European logistics unit gives distributors the added benefit of seeing their orders shipped quickly and efficiently throughout Europe, without the normal hassles involved with importing products. Monitor Audio loudspeakers represent the epitome of British design and quality, demonstrating Monitor Audio's devotion to music and film sound reproduction. Dynalite Europe supplies technology solutions for lighting control and home automation applications. Dynalite's distributed intelligence system is equally suited to large and small installations. HiddenWires-supported events: SIB International 5-8 April 2008 Rimini Expo Centre, Rimini, Italy European Home Control Summit 8-9 April 2008 Marriott Hotel, Frankfurt/Main, Germany Smart Home Show 10-13 April 2008 NEC, Birmingham, UK HDi Show 2008 10-13 April 2008 Crocus Expo, Moscow, Russia PALME & Install Middle East 2008 27-29 April 2008 Dubai International Convention Centre, Dubai, UAE CONNECTIONS Europe Summit Series 19 May 2008 Palais de la Mediterranée, Nice, France 29 August 2008 Berlon, Germany PALM & Install China 2008 29 May - 1 June 2008 China International Exhibition Centre, Beijing, China Infocomm 18-20 June 2008 Las Vegas Convention Center, USA CEDIA Europe Expo 23-26 june 2008 ExCel, London CONNECTIONS: The Digital Living Conference and Showcase 24-26 June 2008 Santa Clara Convention Center, USA PALME & Install Asia 2008 8-10 July 2008 Suntec Singapore, Singapore [go to events page]

This edition's news in full:

Pioneer Ends Plasma Production (3/4/2008)

Sony announces NAS-E35HD and NAS-SC55PKE GIGA JUKE Hard Disk Drive Hi-fi systems (3/4/2008)

InFocus Introduces IN83 Home Theater Projector IN83 with DLP DarkChip4 Technology (3/4/2008)

AMX in Control at Light + Building (3/4/2008)

CEDIA Benchmarking Survey Results Guide Participants Toward Growth and Higher Profits (3/4/2008)

dnp denmark debuts new Supernova Flex Control System at High End 2008 in Munich (2/4/2008)

Dolby Shows Latest HDR LCD Display Prototype Developed in Collaboration With SIM2 (2/4/2008)

FUZE Media Systems Introduces Entry-Level Whole-Home Media Solution Designed for Smaller Residences (2/4/2008)

Apple Announces iPhone 2.0 Software Beta (2/4/2008)

Understanding & Solutions: TV shipments to exceed 280m units by 2012 as CE sector rides the rip-curl (2/4/2008)

Swann Security Introduces Black Knight Wireless Security Camera (2/4/2008)

Opus launches exterior speaker range (1/4/2008)

LG Electronics and YouGov: TVs turn men on to interior design (1/4/2008)

ISE sets sights on further growth by opening new Amsterdam office (1/4/2008)

USD unveils Niko's new home automation solutions at Smart Home Show (1/4/2008)

Morban and Cytech Demonstrate One Stop Solution for Smart Homes (1/4/2008)

DKT's FreeWay firmware upgrade allows any Crestron system to control any EIB/KNX network (1/4/2008)

SI introduces its Performance Series of motorised projection screens (31/3/2008)

CasaTools Partners with NuVo Technologies (31/3/2008)

Strategy Analytics: Europe's HDTV Transition Falters As Economic Reality Kicks In (31/3/2008)

BTX Introduces the New ProBlox Multi-Connector System for Broadcast and A/V Applications (31/3/2008)

HomePlug Powerline Alliance Announces Doubling of HomePlug Product Shipments from Eight Million to 16 Million in Last 12 Months (31/3/2008)

Don't miss out - buy your CEDIA Awards tickets now! (27/3/2008)

Opus launches landmark WCU600 touchscreen wall keypad (27/3/2008)

CSE welcomes Anchor Bay's DVDO video processors and scalers (27/3/2008)

CSE boosts its mid-market speaker offering with Klipsch Mirage brand (27/3/2008)

NTI introduces new functions for the Minirator MR-PRO analog signal generator (27/3/2008)

Lightspeed Research: Europeans Spend Billions on Home Entertainment Technology They Cannot Control (27/3/2008)

Solar Technology introduces the FreeLoader 8.0 Portable Solar Charger for the latest mobile gadgets (25/3/2008)

ZigBee Alliance Forms New Group To Expand Existing ZigBee IP Capabilities (25/3/2008)

DEG Europe: UK Leads The Way Towards A High Definition Future (25/3/2008)

Advanced Acoustics Introduces New Acoustic Treatment Panels (25/3/2008)

Meridian Debuts Flagship 808.2 Signature Reference CD Player (25/3/2008)

International CES/hometech Showcases Consumer Electronics, Gaming, Home Automation, Networking, In-Car Entertainment and Appliances (20/3/2008)

CEA Announces 2008 Mark of Excellence Award Winners (20/3/2008)

ABI Research: Home Automation and Security Going Mainstream (20/3/2008)

Dynalite Europe introduces new state of the art range of controllers (20/3/2008)

Ivory Egg launches EnOcean-based Sensolux self-powered occupancy sensor (20/3/2008)

Parks Associates: High-end Entertainment Systems Market Projected to Nearly Double in Five Years (18/3/2008)

dnp Ships Supernova Epic Screen (18/3/2008)

Peerless Mounts' Offers In-Wall Mount Solutions for a Clean Finished Look (18/3/2008)

Armour launches Systemline on-wall speakers (18/3/2008)

Naim launches Power-Line mains cable (18/3/2008)

New Ultra Thin HDTVs From Hitachi to Employ Tzero Ultra Wideband Technology for Wireless Video (14/3/2008)

Strategy Analytics on HD-DVD: Blu-ray Wins Battle, Not War (14/3/2008)

In-Stat Reports Multimedia Home Networking Growing But Still Not Mainstream (14/3/2008)

DMi D&M Installation Announces Details of Escient Vision Series of Multi-Room AV Media Platforms (14/3/2008)

Dynalite appoints Chris Rigden as UK Sales Director (14/3/2008)

Comm-Tec Announces New Audipack Additions (12/3/2008)

Monster Appoints New European Business Senior Director (12/3/2008)

Disneyland Resort Reaches Agreement with Microsoft, HP, Life/ware and Taylor Morrison on Innoventions Dream Home (12/3/2008)

ISE caps five years of growth with stunning 2008 tradeshow (12/3/2008)

Niveus Media Servers Support Blu-ray (12/3/2008)

International Conference Compares Key Trends in Home Control (12/3/2008)

BTX Introduces the MaxBlox CD-MX915HH Half-Hood For Proper Strain Relief in High-Density Applications (10/3/2008)

Danfoss Introduces RA PLUS-w Radiator Thermostat with via Z-Wave Control (10/3/2008)

Universal Introduces KP-900 Dual-Use Wireless Keypad for Home Entertainment Systems (10/3/2008)

RTI Introduces the Next Generation in Control System Software (10/3/2008)

Blu-ray Disc Sales Across Europe Reach Two Million Units (10/3/2008)

Aventure announces new releases from RTI (5/3/2008)

Ripfactory launch new Ripstation Lite Pro XC (5/3/2008)

Parks Associates: Service Provider Home Networks to Reach 71 Million Households by 2012 (5/3/2008)

MuxLab Supports HDTV and IR Emitter Pass-Thru via Cat5 (5/3/2008)

Smart3 introduces the VideoBUS large-screen, energy saving video door entry control panel (5/3/2008)

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