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Industry opinion: The challenges facing multiroom installers (2/4/2008)

By Yasmin Hashmi, HiddenWires

Of all the smart home innovations, multiroom distribution is one of the hottest subjects around, with installers chasing both the retrofit market and new-build markets with equal vigour. Persuading developers to pre-wire for multiroom has been a struggle, but with pressures on the housing market increasing, more are realising the added value multiroom can bring.

This is still a fluid market, with plenty of confusion on the consumer side. People are certainly attracted by the possibility of audio and video on-demand in every room, but uncertain of what to expect when it comes to features. Then, do they go for analogue or IP-based systems, wired or wireless, and what else can they expect their wallpanel or remote to control?

To find out how the custom install industry is responding to these issues, we asked a number of manufacturers, suppliers and installers what the challenges facing multiroom audio/video installers are, and what recent technical innovations they think are important. Here are their replies:

David Morbey, Product Marketing Manager, D&M Installation Europe

Previously the market comprised single directional control systems for the multiroom distribution of music. In the last few years however, leading-edge development has concentrated on affordable bi-directional control and the replacement of analogue distribution systems with reliable digital storage and distribution, not just for audio, but also video media. As ever more technologically advanced audio/video multiroom systems come onto the market, offering consumers greater benefits at an increasingly affordable cost, the CI sector will grow, as will the opportunity for custom installers to offer added value service, and improved levels of system integration beyond anything consumers can effect themselves.

Mike Edwards, Country Manager for Sonos UK

The multiroom audio/video market is going to expand dramatically, but running wire in existing homes and the change in way consumers are consuming content are two challenges that this market has been facing. With the proliferation of technologies like wireless and broadband, combined with music services via the Internet, these challenges are now a thing of the past. Wireless multiroom now provides the consumer with options that don't require opening up their walls or running wires everywhere.

Wireless systems allow the installer to strengthen their business by providing quicker turnaround time on projects. Broadband and music services now provide the consumer with access to all of their entertainment over an Internet connection versus having hard media in their homes. With devices that incorporate these services, the installer can now offer their customers an end-to-end solution of multiroom music by providing both the hardware and content.

Paul Kasler, Director, The Pleasure Home Limited

Regarding multiroom audio, there are some very good dedicated products on the market, epitomised best by the Sonos system, which functions well as both a wired and wireless system. What is frustrating to specialist installers such as ourselves however, is that the remote control cannot be customised to control other equipment. Nonetheless, I appreciate their approach, which is that a 'bolted down' system is more stable than one which third parties can 'tweak'.

Regarding multiroom video, I don't care what the pundits say, I don't rate wireless for multiroom HD video. In a house refurb or a new build you can't beat a Cat5e wired system. Systems such as Kaleidescape offer a similar ultra-stable, glitch-free, high bandwidth video performance to the lower bandwidth Sonos audio system, and can handle the transmission of up to 32 simultaneous movies down just one Cat5e network.

Our current challenge is to encourage clients to not be taken in by the hype about wireless systems. At The Pleasure Home we're worried about the bombardment of broadband and unshielded mains radiation in the modern home and have a division of the business focused on minimising emission from these sources, by careful routing of cabling and the controlled output of wireless transmissions. I would say, if possible, go with a wired system for overall stability and focus on systems that are reliable and easy to use, rather than those offering excessive functionality - to be honest, in practice you'll only use about 20% of any system's capabilities anyway! The 'holy grail' for us is finding a stable programmable universal remote control at a sensible price. Anything currently below GBP500 is a waste of money - they lock up, miss commands or intermittently fail to communicate with the central control station.

Steve Adams, Custom Installation Brand Manager, Armour Home Electronics

The 'iPod Generation' wants convenience, whether they are out and about on foot, in the car or at home, they want it all, and they want it NOW! The challenge facing multiroom installers is making sure that each type of media is provisioned for and is supplied/packaged in an easy-to-use interface. Historically, this meant the use of several different source components from different manufacturers, and there was no guarantee that all would work in the same installation. However over the past couple of years a new breed of source component has come into its own - the 'Media Server'.

Now available in many guises, it is able to provide audio, photos, DVDs and web subscription services all from the same central server. In some instances, users not only have the ability to store their DVD collections, they can also conveniently store the latest HD technologies all in the same box, and all available for instantaneous playback around the home. Gone are the days of searching the house for that favourite CD/DVD that the youth of the house have taken a fancy to or lent to their mates. Long live the media server!

Alan Ainslie, General Manager, NaimNet

This is going to be a very interesting year. I say interesting, as potentially tough years are years when the good firms do extra well and the poorer ones fall behind. Potential customers are going to be even more interested in value, and will potentially need more convincing of the price benefit ratio, of the job. Of course there are customers who are almost immune to the vagaries of the economy, but everyone is going to be chasing them even harder than normal. We feel that the key elements of the business remain as: deliver a job on time, on cost and one that is truly usable by everyone.

Consider Granny: can she understand and use everything? If not maybe Mum can't either, and if so, are you going to get much repeat business? Don't forget that multiroom audio is not the benefit. The benefit is being able to listen to music easily in each and every room. We think that sound quality plays a very important part. It's easy to stop using something that sounds distinctly average, but it's difficult to stop using something that's great-sounding.

Consider the repeat business from friends and acquaintances. Make sure it sounds superb. From a business perspective, try to reduce the programming burden: the greater the programming overhead the greater the chances of incomplete functionality and that can mean incomplete payment. Remember the future is integration: does it all work together without massive workarounds? Do all the partners understand the whole job? Success is likely to follow those where integration and partnership are inherent. I could of course mention the power of brands but you already know that in tough times brands prevail!

As far as technology and innovations are concerned the key for us is IP. It works for us as Internet Protocol and it works for us as Integration Partner. Both absolutely key to our delivery of performance.

Jonathan Smith, Director, Elan Systems UK Ltd

There is a terminal lack of intelligent journalism for consumers, with lifestyle magazines providing excellent opportunities for advertisers, but little by way of solid and structured information for end users. The resultant scenario involves an installer selling a system (we will assume that they are fully conversant with the product) to a customer who has little idea of what is achievable. The customer understandably makes false assumptions about the end result, and fails to ask relevant questions of the installer. Dissatisfaction inevitably results from misunderstanding.

I believe that improving the understanding of end users is the most important challenge faced by installers. A good start would be an increase in the quality and duration of planning meetings with clients. I have come across a substantial number of complex and costly installations where the client was never consulted. Meetings with agents and interior designers may be useful, but are likely to prove fatal if the client is not central to the consultation process.

Anyone involved in the industry will be fascinated by new technology. Some innovations will become enduring features of the CI landscape, whilst others will enjoy a brief period of favour before fading from view. Some winners are clearly predictable. In a country where dry-wall construction is the exception, wireless technology has enormous benefits.

The most common desire expressed by home owners to this company is for full integrated system control from a device as small, simple-to-use and cheap as a television remote. This may be an unrealistic request, but any technology which moves towards the achievement of this end is guaranteed of success. For the home owner, the user interface may well be more important than the system features.

David Vukovich, Head of Sales and Marketing, Imerge

Within the custom installation industry we have adopted a language with a vast vocabulary of terms, which can only serve to confuse and alienate our intended customers. To know the real expectations of our customers we need to understand the underlying trends influencing their behaviour. The sheer simplicity of services offered by Sky, BT, Virgin, BBC in the UK and similar offerings overseas are driving consumer thirst for convenient access to seemingly limitless content. The real challenge lies in how we can enhance the delivery of content to the high-end user throughout the home.

We could take the view that disruptive technologies such as iTunes/iPod, TV-over-IP and video-on-demand threaten to erode the value of the CI market space. Rather, we should take the view that these content- and convenience-driven technologies have awoken a wider consumer group to the real magic of a truly connected home.

Simon Hewitt, Director of Marketing, Opus Technologies

Naturally dealers face many challenges in such a rapidly-changing market, but one is from mail order or web retailers selling CI products direct to consumers. Official dealers and installers - authorised by manufacturers to retail their product - typically spend large amounts of time and money training their staff to a high standard only to be undercut by operators who offer the end user nothing in the way of system design, installation expertise, after sales support and specialist advice. Unqualified competitors operating in this specialised field damage brand image, undermine its official dealer network and actually offer consumers a bad deal.

Convergence between smart home systems has to my mind been the most significant innovation in recent years. Opus' new touchscreen for instance enables integration of a plethora of other systems such as CCTV, lighting and AC control. Whilst this technology simplifies the system as far as the end user is concerned, it requires the supplying dealer to be far more knowledgeable and of course fully-trained in every aspect of smart home technology.

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