03.04.2007 — Spring is associated with rebirth, growth and vibrancy. Electronic House Expo (EHX) Spring 2007 wants attendees and exhibitors to "Get Juiced!" for the event, and that attitude couldn’t be more apropos for those companies that are just getting a taste of what life at a trade show is all about.

For many nascent electronics-related companies, or even ones that may have been around for years but are new to the U.S. market, making their entrance into a prominent industry trade show is a big deal. It is their chance to make an exciting statement about their products and services. And spring seems like a perfect time of year to do so.

EHX Spring, which runs from March 6–10 in Orlando, Fla., will feature more than 350 exhibitors at the Orange County Convention Center, many whose names are giants in the custom-electronics world. Others you might have to read twice as you walk by their booths. Here’s a sampling of some of EHX’s relative newcomers, and where you can find them.

Two-way to Tango: Autonomic Controls, Booth 247

Klegg Electronics’ sales director Tim Boyd couldn’t wait to start working with Autonomic Controls when he saw its product on AMX’s touch panels at last fall’s CEDIA Expo, says Autonomic vice president Michael de Nigris. "He took one look at it and said, ‘We need this on our Media Center TV right away,’" de Nigris says. "When I said I’d call him after the show, he said, ‘No, I mean can you come to our booth and set it up right now?’"

After the successful CEDIA Expo, Autonomic’s relationship with Klegg extended to November’s EHX Fall, where they demonstrated two-way control via IP for Media Center Edition (MCE). Autonomic’s Home MCE Control Server offers two-way feedback and control over TCP/IP or serial connection, and the company will be showing its wares by having its own booth at EHX Spring.

The North Salem, N.Y.-based company was born from a merger of two IT consulting firms in early 2006 and considers itself a player in the convergence movement, de Nigris says.

"Our mission is to innovate and solve problems associated with the industry’s paradigm shift from physical to digital media," he says. "Our MCE-CS enables custom integrators to fully control Windows Media Center and browse its content over an IP network using keypads, touch panels and two-way remote controls. This allows for integration with control systems and other types of products like multiroom audio … we think MCE will bring this type of functionality to the masses."

By 2009, de Nigris predicts, the primary way of obtaining media will be through IP networks. He says EHX provides a good ground for custom installers to see Autonomic’s influence on MCE integration.

Autonomic will be demonstrating remote browsing of movies, videos, recorded TV and photos via wall panels, wireless panels, keypads and UMPCs, and "we also hope to be debuting a new piece of hardware," de Nigris says.

He adds one of Autonomic’s goals for 2007, besides reaching out to residential integrators, is to focus on packaging its solution to commercial enterprises, like corporations, schools and government facilities. —Arlen Schweiger

Integrating iPods with TV: Digital Lifestyle Outfitters (DLO), Booth 1544

Five years ago, Jeff Grady was unemployed and sitting on his couch when he saw Steve Jobs announce the introduction of the iPod. He not only immediately went out and purchased one, he soon designed a case to hold his iPod while he was working out at the gym. Soon, Digital Lifestyle Outfitters (DLO) was born. In 2005, the company launched its HomeDock Deluxe, a cradle device that connects to the stereo receiver and allows homeowners to view and navigate their iPod on their TV screen while displaying album art. It also charges the iPod and includes a remote control.

Today, DLO claims it is the No. 1 iPod accessory company according to NPD Research, making charging cradles for cars (OEM’ed to Volvo) and selling HomeDock Deluxe through major retailers like Best Buy and CompUSA.

So why is DLO at EHX Spring? In response to input from integrators, the company developed the HomeDock Pro specifically for professional installation with several changes to the input/output configuration, including an RJ45 jack to support RS-232 or RS485, discrete on and off codes, a 3.5 millimeter IR port and an "auxiliary in" port. The dock also has a raised 30-pin connector, which, according to Mike Woods, director of business development, "futureproofs" the unit against any iPod form-factor changes by Apple. Moreover, the dock is non-proprietary, so it will work with any MP3 player.

When integrators visit the DLO booth, vice president of marketing and design Andrew Green advises them to take note of the interface and the ease of installation. "There is virtually no setup and no software upload," says Green.

MSRP is not yet determined.—Jason Knott

Revealing a Coverup: TVCoverups, Booth 357

EHX attendees are attracted by motion, according to TVCoverups president Peter H. Maxson. That’s why he will have his automated flat-panel TV covers going up and down at a frequent pace when the Costa Mesa, Calif.-based company makes its EHX Spring debut.

If they are drawn to the booth, Maxson says EHXers will stay because TVCoverups offers a unique, affordable and easy-to-install approach to masking flat panels. For one thing, TVCoverups allows clients to choose their own original framed art or a mirror to cover a TV. "The entire article of framed art flips out to provide a canopy over the plasma," he says. "The canopy prevents reflection from the ceiling and cuts down on ambient light.

The company offers both an automatic and a manual version of its cover-ups. Maxson says the cheaper manual version is key since the market for flat panels is becoming mainstream. "The manual hardware $399 is the most reasonable cost anywhere in this industry. The automated unit starts at $2,495, again way below any other remote operated mechanical device."

Installation-wise, Maxson says TVCoverups makes it easy on the integrator. "Our in-wall installation box, which can go on or in the wall, is complete. When installing on the wall, all that has to be done is bolt it to the wall, and possibly add one-quarter round trim around the base at the wall. When installing in the wall, simply cut a predetermined rough opening, head it out with 2-inch x 4-inch pieces on the vertical studs, install the plasma on wall hardware, slip into place and screw it into place.

By EHX, Maxson hopes to have a deal with Panamax to include its MIW Power Kit for clean finished access.

TVCoverups will have a special at EHX for dealers with showrooms, says Maxson. If they install an automatic and manual unit in the showroom for 90 days they get full credit or cash back on the manual unit.—Tom LeBlanc

Grabbing EHX by the Horns: Dodge, Booth 726

Why the heck is Dodge, the vehicle-maker, exhibiting at EHX?

Those EHXers curious enough to swing by the booth for an answer to that question can become eligible to win a Dodge truck. We’ll give you the answer here, though.

Dodge sees EHX attendees—many of whom are owners of small- or mid-sized installation companies—as a potential client field for its Dodge Sprinter vans and Chassis Cab vehicles.

For instance, Dodge markets its Sprinter vans as offering "room to stand tall," and that is a logical feature for installers who spend a lot of time sorting through tools and equipment in their vans—they can stand up straighter because Sprinter vans have higher ceilings.

Recently, CE Pro called for entries for our CE Pro Marketing Awards. For the Vehicle Graphics Design category we received dozens of photographs of dealers’ vehicles. Most of them were conventional vans, but there were a few Sprinter-style vans.

The style, sometimes called panel vans, seems to be catching on, and those who entered with Sprinters claim the excess space proves invaluable. The benefits of extra workspace inside including room for more shelves are obvious. The entrants also claim they get value out of the extra space on the side of the vans, which can be used for displaying a promotional message.

Also, Sprinter vans can be customized to fit whatever specific needs a particular installer might have, points out Kimberly Pajitas from Dodge BusinessLink dealer show program. Some companies might require more space for storing A/V gear while others might require more space for tools, and Dodge can accommodate those requests.

The company also plans on showing a Chassis Cab model, according to Pajitas. She says, like the Sprinter, the Chassis offers a lot in terms of workspace and storage space with "a standard 34-inch C channel frame which can accommodate most any after-market box modification."

In the booth, EHXers will be able to touch and feel and even climb in the vehicles on display. Pajitas says this should give installing companies and idea of "how much space these vehicles have to fill with their tools and equipment."

So the Sprinter and Chassis Cab vehicles are the reasons Dodge is exhibiting at EHX. You don’t need to swing by the booth to ask, but you can still swing by to check out the vehicles … and to enter to win a Dodge truck.—Tom LeBlanc

Feeding a Surging Category: Total Protection Solutions, Booth 1644

One of the fastest growing product categories within the custom-installation industry is surge protection and power conditioning. Mifflin, Pa.-based Total Protection Solutions (TPS) manufactures a complete line of surge-protection and power-conditioning products that fills the protection requirements of homeowners who desire whole-home and structured-wiring solutions.

The products utilize proprietary transient filtering that’s been engineered to protect and prolong the life of a home’s electronics by more than 50 percent.

The products install at main and sub-breaker panels, as well as within a structured-wiring enclosure to protect sensitive entertainment and data network infrastructure, including a system’s cabling.

TPS principal Bob Levitt, notes that the company’s sales policy is designed to cater to the custom-install market. "We don’t have a suggested MSRP because we don’t want to restrict our integrators," he says. "Our margins are 50 points-plus."—Robert Archer

Magnetic Personality: Nascom, Inc., Booth 110H

The trouble with traditional door and window sensors is that they can be defeated by a simple magnet. "Any kid can go online and figure out how to circumvent a magnetic switch," says Gary Davis of Nascom, maker of tamper-resistant Magna-sphere security sensors.

Typical reed switches respond indiscriminantly to magnetic fields, so if a second field is within range of the reed switch, an intruder can open a door or window without opening the circuit and triggering the alarm.

Nascom averts this threat with a patented technology that makes contacts resistant to magnetic tampering. In fact, if a magnet is introduced near a Magnasphere sensor, the switch will open, causing the alarm to sound.

Magnasphere products have the added benefit of enabling the protection of electronic equipment, which has been difficult to secure with magnetic sensors.—Julie Jacobson

A European Flavor: WHD Audio, Booth 1351

WHD Audio might be new to the United States, but the name WHD has been a loudspeaker staple worldwide as a German-based company for 75 years.

The brand is being introduced to custom installers in this country under the WHD Audio name through Inglewood, Calif.-based Next Systems Technology and is using EHX (it exhibited at EHX Fall after going to CEDIA Expo as an attendee) to let integrators and distributors learn more about the company.

"We’re really looking for distributors and reps that can carry our line," says CEO Ari Azar. "We also have training facilities in Los Angeles, so we can talk to [distributors, reps and installers] and invite them to trainings so they can get familiarized with the technology."

Azar says a differentiator of the WHD products is its technology—the company uses the Konnex (KNX) technology based on the European Installation Bus (EIB) standard, employing an open platform that allows for easy interface of different devices and brands. He says Next Systems is the first company in North America certified and capable to use this technology.

"It was developed in Germany for home automation, and more than 70 percent in Europe are using this because it’s very sufficient, very reliable," Azar says. "You can IP-address all the devices to talk to each individually, which gives you a much higher capability to integrate different devices than the ones that we have here. With EIB, you basically have absolute freedom to use whatever device."

WHD Audio will exhibit audio from simple speakers to complete multiroom solutions, as well as home automation and decorative switches, which Azar says have a modern, European look to them.—Arlen Schweiger