We've all been told since childhood, never stare at the sun. Heck, Bruce Springsteen famously wrote about it on his debut album (well, made more famous when Manfred Mann covered it), singing "Mama always told me not to look into the sights of the sun," on "Blinded by the Light" to kick off Greetings From Asbury Park.

Of course, he then added, "Oh but mama that's where the fun is" ... and that seems to be the take on the sun-staring matter from display manufacturer SunBriteTV, too.

Outdoor televisions face all sorts of pitfalls—weather, dust, bugs, erosion—and that's why there simply aren't many companies that dare make such all-weather displays. SunBriteTV has been at the forefront of the category, and showed the many reasons why during CEDIA Expo in Indianapolis.

The company has several little vignettes in its booth (#3111) featuring its outdoor models, like a homey fireplace and sofa area simulating an outdoor living room, a professional stadium…

Integrators are usually very hesitant to embrace a new home automation control system. They don't want to be guinea pigs and deploy something new from a manufacturer that has just entered the market, only to get stuck having to remove and replace the system if the newbie supplier disappears.

But Key Digital, a longtime vendor in the video distribution and connectivity market, appears to have put integrators at ease with its new Compass Control system. Indeed, company president and CEO Mike Tsinberg reports that "thousands of units have shipped" in just a few short months since the product hit the market in June 2012 as dealers feel comfortable trying the new system because of Key Digital's 21-year history in the industry. Many of those shipped units have gone to AVAD, the exclusive distributor of the product, so it's hard to determine how many systems have actually been installed at this point, Tsinberg admits.

"It's…

Best known for in-wall speakers, Current Audio is showcasing its first soundbars at CEDIA Expo 2012.

With 60 watts of power, the 6- and 8-inch speakers have just about every input imaginable, including wireless Bluetooth. A wireless subwoofer is included as well.

The products are flat, so they look good with your TV, they're priced well and perform better than you would imagine from a product in this category.

Check out the video at the CE Pro YouTube Channel for more details.

It's nice to be able to control your A/V gear and home automation via a TV interface, but not in the middle of "Dexter," for example. You wouldn't want to miss one gory moment.

URC solves this problem with the new MRX-20 master controller, part of the company's Total Control line of home automation and whole-house audio systems.

Through the unit's on-screen display (OSD), users can do anything from changing the channel to switching the audio in another room -- all without disturbing what they're watching.

Typically, at a price point like this -- if a TV GUI is even available -- users must pull up a menu that consumes the entire screen or at least part of it. In URC's case, the OSD can serve up overlays via HDMI without interrupting the TV action, or scale the video image to take over the screen.

To complement the…

With cloud-based content all the rage – and with my forthcoming “cloud” session at CEDIA Expo 2011 – I asked one of my panelists to provide a teaser on some cloud-based storage and streaming services. This is just a glimpse of what you will hear from Michael de Nigris of Autonomic Controls, knower of all things content. He’ll join three integrators on the panel – one of whom will share his own tale of cutting the cable cord. -Julie Jacobson

Cloud Storage

Provides virtual hard disk space in the "cloud," allowing users to upload and store music, movies, photos, and/or documents online, and access/playback the content over the Internet using a computer or mobile device.

Amazon Cloud Drive/Cloud Player
Pro: In addition to storing your own music, you can upload videos, pictures, and other documents
Con: Cost

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Posted by CE Pro Editors on 08/04 at 09:04 AM
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