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Integrators DO Like Sony’s All-in-One NHS Rack System
While some integrators are skeptical about the prewired, preprogrammed NHS rack from Sony, others embrace the solution for its simplicity.
The NHS systems are shipped fully assembled in a Middle Atlantic rack with the customer's choice of Sony-branded receivers, multiroom A/V, media players, and other entertainment gear.
The NHS system arrives in one box, prewired (beautifully) and pre-programmed. The dealer only needs to install some speakers and keypads.
Our blog on the Control4/Sony deal elicited this comment from "Jim", presumably a dealer:
"Do dealers really by [sic] this stuff? A one size fits all rack?"
In short, yes.
I'm here at the Authorized Integrator Network (AIN) conference in Sarasota, Fla., where some 100 integrators have sworn allegiance to Sony (NHS), GE Security (alarms and structured wiring), Klipsch (speakers) and HP Products (central vac).
Sony was a founding vendor of AIN in 2003, thinking that this particular group of integrators -- security dealers and other high-volume, low-voltage installers -- would be interested in an all-in-one entertainment solution.
"We've helped a lot of them transform their businesses from selling custom one-off systems," says Joey Pratt, Southeast sales executive for Sony New Home Solutions.
"It [NHS] is a much more cost-effective way to do 'custom.' Generally, they [dealers] can use higher quality products than what they can do in the shop with lesser quality product."
Besides, Pratt explains, "The builder tends to trust factory-built solutions. The unknown is what scares them."
And what builder wouldn't trust Sony?
Bryan Pope of Scott Alarm, a full-service home systems integrator in Jacksonville, Fla., is one AIN dealer who has taken advantage of the NHS package. His company has sold "hundreds" of them.
"Before, we were building the racks ourselves," says Pope, who says the time to sell, install and program the systems was painful.
Another AIN dealer, Jeff Harris of HTS, Tampa Bay, Fla., was also a rack-builder before Sony NHS came along. He says that even companies who offer cookie-cutter rack-mount systems can be inefficient because they're "just replicating their own inefficiencies."
The number-one consideration for HTS, which has sold about 40 systems, is this: "It's delivered completely programmed," Harris says.
Both Harris and Pope say they typically sell Sony NHS-based systems for $35,000-$60,000.
Coincidentally, both Scott Alarm and HTS have recently become Control4 dealers and are looking forward to the new liaison between Control4 and Sony.
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7 Comments (displayed in order by date/time)
This article is hogwash. Integrators certainly do not like this product. All that this article points out is that integrators who are affiliated with AIN (who Sony founded) say they like it. That’s on the same level as saying “Drivers LOVE the new Yugo!” and then stating in tiny print (this survey was taken on the Yugo lovers of America board). Please don’t speak for the integrators just to shill a product.
The dealers I interviewed were not lying. They love the stuff. Naturally, there are plenty of dealers whom I did not interview that wouldn’t like the Sony NHS system.
The article was in response to a skeptical dealer who asked, who installs this stuff? Well, these are some of the guys who install this stuff.
I definitely agree that if you went to a convention of ‘Yugo lovers’, they’d be saying nice things about Yugo, but wouldn’t you be curious about WHY they like Yugo? I’d certainly wonder what kind of people found the car appealing. Maybe I missed something.
I apologize if you misunderstood me. I didn’t think you or the dealers were lying. I just believe the title is misleading. Wouldn’t a more fair title be “Some AIN Integrators DO Like Sony’s All-in-One NHS Rack System”? Being curious as to WHY some integrators like a product is much different then saying that integrators DO like a product. Would an article titled “Americans DO Love George Bush” that was based only on interviews with members of the NRA be a fair statement? My experience since the article yesterday is much different than this article reports. I’ve found that the discussions of this product amongst integrators are actually quite negative. A small percentage see a place for it, but a large percentage do not like it.
Julie, Just come over to http://www.integrationpros.com and see what people who are Control 4 dealers and those who are not dealers have to say about this. It’s in the Installers Chathouse under DVP-CX777-ES
Having been a former Sony CIS and Telesales dealer I find that the reactions to the new Sony NHS systems highlight deep seeed issues larger than just the merits of the systems.
To be fair to Sony’s NHS division they are employing “Mass Customization” which is what AudioVisions and many other integrators have utilized to increase profitability of projects and they are doing so down to compleatly wiring the racks.
These systems are aimed at alowing installation by less av centric security instalation companies who typically work on higher volume volume builder and development projects.
The addition of the control 4 control system finally lets dealers have a real alternative to the very limited original wireless controler that used to be bundled with the Sony multiroom controller but always lacked true Ipod metadata feedback to the keypads.
The larger issue for existing Sony dealers is the fact that even as a existing Sony dealer I was constantly approached by the NHS division about selling the NHS systems and the terms and lack of having to store and package and assemble product in house were actually better with NHS systems than our Telesales terms especialy when you factorn in the cost of assembling/racking a system in house.
I also once walked into a builder show and saw the NHS rep with one of our competitors and was once again, at that competitor asked to sign up as a NHS dealer.
This amounts to deeply segmenting both Sony’s existing dealer base and has made many Sony dealers upset because now for example previously non Sony direct authorized dealers can sell ES products and Bravia panels without having to go thru the stringent credit check process that Sony direct CIS an ES dealers had to endure in order to sell those products.
With more and more direct Sony brick and mortar dealers looking to increase thier custom installation sales this market segmentation is not a welcome sign.
An even more contentious issue is whether the Sony Style stores will sell these NHS systems, as a Sony dealer we often told that the Sony stores could not and would not be able to sell certain products only to find out a month later that they had been authorized to do so.
Andrew
Our company looked into selling this system from Sony before they picked up the Control4 systems. It was mainly for theaters and everything was done including a pre-programmed remote. We decited not to becuase Sony was wanting to rule our entire product line if we wanted to sell the racks. They basically said that we would have to sell specific numbers of their products in order to keep the line, the numbers where so high for a medium company it would be dropping most of our other lines that we have had for years. This was not in our intrest so we decited to decline. I dont know if Sony is still doing this to their dealers, but if they are it wouldnt supprise me.
So what good is an integrator if a builder can plop one of these pre-programmed racks into all new homes?