Episode 84 - CEDIA 2015 Wrap-Up Special - Part 1

The dust is settling in Dallas after another busy CEDIA Expo. With the housing market at its strongest in years, and exciting new technologies continuing to gain traction, the show floor was buzzing. Three solid days spent canvasing the exhibits turned up far more interesting news than we could cover in a single episode. So this year we have decided to break up our post-show special into two parts!

Part 1 includes conversations about the biggest CEDIA story that didn't even happen at CEDIA, the increasingly divergent strategies of the largest home control players, thoughts about the growing penetration of DIY technology into the CEDIA channel, and the expanding multi-room wireless audio category. This comprehensive episode also includes live audio interviews from the Savant and Sonos booths.

Much more CEDIA 2015 coverage to come on next week's show so be sure to tune in! As always we hope you enjoy! If you'd like to support our efforts to bring you more episodes like this one you could leave us a review on iTunes, or consider becoming a patron of HomeTech by visiting our Patreon page. 

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Episode 83 - CEDIA Expo 2015 Preview

The dog days of Summer have come and gone. But while temperatures may be cooling, the home technology scene is heating up in preparation for another CEDIA Expo. This years' show, dubbed "Hello, Future" is being held in Dallas, TX. Whether you're a professional integrator,  an end-user, or a hometech hobbyist the smart home industry's largest stateside event promises plenty of products and services to get excited about.

Think of this week's episode as your comprehensive audio guide to the show floor. With so much in the offing the biggest challenge for anyone paying attention is choosing what to focus on. Our preview special breaks the Expo down into a handful of the most important themes we expect from this year's show. Our conversations cover the increasingly competitive world of wireless audio, the growing complexity of HDMI distribution, the continued blurring of lines between DIY and professionally installed products, and much more. 

We hope you enjoy this special episode! Be sure to tune in next week when we'll bookend the CEDIA Expo with our wrap-up special, including audio clips from the show floor. For live updates during the show be sure to follow us on Twitter, and also check the hashtag #CEDIA15 where we'll be participating in the conversation. 

Thanks for listening! Talk to you next week!

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Episode 82 - Mastering Multiple Markets with Lutron's David Weinstein

A proliferation of entry-level and DIY smart home products has integrators and manufacturers alike grappling for ways to maintain market share. Providing down-market solutions without cannibalizing existing business is, after all, a very difficult balancing act. The good news for those trying to crack the code is that it can be done. For proof look no further than Lutron. 

If you've listened to our show at all over the last year you'll know that we've been keeping a close eye on the news coming out of Coopersburg. To that end we were very excited to sit down this week with David Weinstein, Lutron's VP of Residential Sales, and a wealth of knowledge when it comes to lighting control. While we did spend a portion of the show discussing various technical aspects of lighting, the bulk of our focus was on Lutron's apparent mastery of multiple market strategies. Focusing on various aspects of their main lighting lines (Caseta, RadioRa2, and Homeworks QS), we discuss what it takes to establish and maintain relevance in numerous segments of the rapidly evolving smart home market.  

As always we hope you enjoy the show! If you'd like to support our efforts to bring you more episodes like this one you could leave us a review on iTunes, or consider becoming a patron of HomeTech by visiting our Patreon page. 

Talk to you next week! Be sure to tune in! It will be our last episode prior to CEDIA and we look forward to sharing what we are expecting (and hoping) to see at this year's EXPO. 

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Episode 81 - The Internet of Eggs

Think of this week's episode as a delicious breakfast scramble. Ok, it may not be quite as satisfying as a hot plate of hash-browned potatoes adorned with a couple of fried eggs and covered in melty cheese. The best that we can offer is our own tasty trifecta of HomeTech business ramblings, new product news, and general smart home mayhem.

A few highlights from this week's show include a kitchen gadget you didn't know you needed, a high-profile bankruptcy, a less high-profile IPO, speculation on new Roku hardware, and an internet enabled 'thing' that goes bump in the night. As always we hope you enjoy the show! If you'd like to support our efforts to bring you more episodes like this one you could leave us a review on iTunes, or consider becoming a patron of HomeTech by visiting our Patreon page. 

We will talk to you next week! Be sure to tune as we'll be joined by Lutron's VP of Residential sales David Weinstein for what promises to be a lively conversation!

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Episode 80 - The Update Extravaganza

This week's HomeTech show is chalk-full of updates. We start out with some follow-up points on the not-so-rosy outlook for the KNX Association as they gear up to make a push into the US market. Following that conversation we discuss a number of recent updates on Crestron's Pyng, no doubt aiming to bring the platform back into the spotlight for CEDIA 2015. Speaking of Crestron, and of CEDIA, we also give a quick nod to Vincent Bruno, the former Crestron exec who was recently named CEO of the trade organization. 

Zooming out from the CEDIA channel, we close the show with a quick conversation about iOS 9, rumors of forthcoming products and features from Sonos, and a conversation about Amazon's new 4K FireTV, which quickly morphed into a conversation about the conspicuous absence of 4K on the new AppleTV. Go figure. 

We hope you enjoy the show. Be sure to stay tuned as we count down towards CEDIA EXPO, only a few short weeks away! As always we remind you that if you enjoy the show please take a moment to leave us a review on iTunes! We'd also love for you to consider becoming a patron of the show, more info on that here. We'll see you next week.

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