All Articles Tagged Research

Jason Knott | 02/23 10:24 AM, 5 Comments

Will working on a LEED home put your technicians in danger? Yes, says a new study on construction safety that shows there are 50 percent more injuries among construction workers on LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) projects than conventional structures. The study, called “Identification of Safety Risks for High-Performance Sustainable Construction Projects,” from a researcher at the University of Colorado, uses anecdotal evidence to make its conclusion, according to an article from freelance journalist Katie Fraser that appear in the Architectural Record. The most dangerous LEED-related tasks are… View this story

Phillip Perry | 02/21 11:31 AM, 0 Comments

A new year traditionally brings fresh hope, but will 2012 bring a more favorable business environment? Economists advise tempering optimism with prudence. Consumers, financial institutions, and state and city governments are still struggling to right their balance sheets. The resulting financial squeeze is putting a damper on commercial activity - and that means business owners will likely encounter another challenging year. “We are anticipating weak growth in 2012, with a gross domestic product [GDP] increase of some 2.7 percent,” says Sophia Koropeckyj, managing director of industry economics at Moody’s Analytics,… View this story

Jason Knott | 12/28 06:54 AM, 0 Comments

Consumer behavior and TV set maker strategies are resulting in widely diverging product ranges across the world. While the industry is global, regional differences are increasing. For 3D, the most enthusiastic regions are Western Europe and China, while the mix of 3D in North America actually declined in Q3’11, according to the Q4’11 NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly TV Design and Features Report. ”We were surprised to find that 3D appears to be a far more popular feature in China than North America, and the penetration rate was two times higher in… View this story

Jason Knott | 09/29 09:31 AM, 0 Comments

In Q2’11, worldwide revenue for the Wi-Fi network equipment market remained relatively flat compared to Q1’11, staying at $1.6 billion, says new In-Stat research. Continuing a trend, 802.11n remains the fastest growing Wi-Fi technology with shipments rising 17 percent from the previous quarter, while revenues grew nearly 7 percent. “In terms of total unit shipments, TP-LINK is number one, leading the way with a 26 percent market share,” says Brad Shaffer, analyst.” Netgear has overtaken D-Link for the number two spot with nearly a 19 percent market share while D-Link… View this story

CE Pro Editors | 07/21 11:00 AM, 0 Comments

Both revenues and profits increased in 2010 for integrators. Those are among the key findings released by the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) from its 2011 Benchmarking Survey, which evaluates the state of the CEDIA member electronic systems contractor businesses for calendar year 2010 and reports on 2011 expectations. Results from the survey indicate that companies are beginning to see some relief from the economic downturn; respondents anticipate the number of growth opportunities to increase in 2011. The key findings reveal:Respondents reported their gross revenue increased by 13… View this story

Jason Knott | 07/01 07:30 AM, 26 Comments

In another sign of the lack of awareness of the custom installation community among the general public, a new study reports that A/V retailers/custom installation companies rank a distant third as the type of contractor they would expect to offer various home technologies. The study, commissioned by the Electronic Security Association, shows that home security companies--not custom integrators--are by far the No. 1 choice by consumers for integrated home technology installation. The survey specifically asked about the installation of remote HVAC control, automated lighting control, energy information systems, home control… View this story

Jason Knott | 03/28 12:10 PM, 0 Comments

The U.S. home theater front projector market made a strong comeback in 2010. New data from Quixel Research shows a 31 percent increase in shipments from 2009. According to Quixel's "Q4 Home Theater Market Review Report," 150,215 front projector units shipped in 2010, with Q4 seeing over 48,000 units. Only 114,335 front projectors were sold in 2009. The 2010 data indicates the market is one of the few that rebounded close to 2007 levels. Quixel shows the high-water mark for front projector sales was in 2006, when over 200,000 units… View this story

Jason Knott | 12/30 08:15 AM, 0 Comments

DisplaySearch is reporting that 21 percent of all TVs shipped globally in 2010 have Internet connectivity, but the trend could end up crippling the Internet. According to the DisplaySearch Q4’10 Quarterly TV Design and Features Report, the category is forecast to grow to over 122 million in 2014. The report suggests that international markets are fueling the growth, namely Japan, Eastern Europe and China. “The looming risk now is what happens if every connected TV gets used,” says Paul Gray, director of European TV Research. “With Netflix accounting for 20… View this story

Jason Knott | 11/30 11:09 AM, 0 Comments

Scientists at The University of Edinburgh are developing new technology that could save lives by predicting how a fire will spread. Sensors would be embedded into cameras, smoke detectors and heat sensors to wirelessly transmit signals to firefighters. View this story

Jason Knott | 10/06 01:24 PM, 0 Comments

If you want to make more money in the custom electronics industry, you might think about becoming an installation or service technician with IT skills. Not a programmer, not a designer, and certainly not a salesperson. Indeed, over the past five years, the only employee group in the custom electronics industry that has seen an increase is installers. Heck, even being a company owner the past few years has not been a walk in the park. CE Pro well documented what happened to owners of integration companies last year during… View this story