Welcome, one and all, once again to this week in Playback—a feature we generally like to use to take a moment and reflect on the biggest news in the smart home and professional AV space. Usually, we consider this a breather, but, as we gear up for CEDIA Expo 2025, rest doesn’t seem like it’s in the cards for us, at least not for a while.
Nor does it seem that way for Audio Advice, who just bought out The Sound Room, marking yet another acquisition on the company’s path of national growth. It’s a move that comes amidst a flurry of other acquisitions being made by bigger companies in the custom integration (CI) space, and one that merits a closer look at how Audio Advice is expanding.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the industry, D-Tools scooped up former CEDIA CEO Utz Baldwin to head its I3 data initiative while the 8K association is planning to release an all-new messaging campaign to get everyone hyped up for the emerging media format.
Did we mention we finally got confirmation of the CEDIA Expo keynoter as well? If you’re looking to catch up on any major developments coming out of this year’s tradeshow, be sure to check out our live news blog, otherwise, you’re in the perfect spot to get a recap on all this week’s news, here in Playback.
Audio Advice Acquires The Sound Room
Audio Advice
Audio Advice has successfully acquired The Sound Room, the company announced Thursday.
Existing Sound Room staff will be retained following the acquisition while Audio Advice works to integrate several of its resources and services into The Sound Room’s business structure.
The news comes amidst an otherwise hot summer for acquisitions (as well as spinoffs).
While still a largely regional company, Audio Advice has gradually been expanding its footprint of stores and showrooms through strategic acquisitions such as this one.
The purchase of The Sound Room represents the furthest expansion out West the company has undergone.
Former CEDIA CEO to Head D-Tools I3 Initiative
Utz Baldwin is the new head of data solutions for D-Tools. Photo/D-Tools
On Tuesday, D-Tools revealed Utz Baldwin, former CEDIA CEO, will be joining the company’s data team.
In his new role, Baldwin will be leading the company’s market research initiative while providing guidance on how best to leverage the company’s data ecosystem.
Prior to D-Tools, Baldwin also worked for BDX, a consortium of the nation’s largest publicly traded homebuilders, where he helped run similar initiatives to help drive data solutions for smart business decisions.
Currently, the I3 initiative provides business insights to manufacturers and distributors such as Snap One, Wave Electronics and Blackwire, among many others, with D-Tools stated goal to be to “help pinpoint industry trends and create actionable strategies for success.”
Baldwin marks yet another high-profile addition to the company’s data team following its hiring of former CE Pro Editor-in-Chief, Jason Knott, two years prior.
HGTV Star Chip Wade to Keynote CEDIA Expo 2025
Photo/Jessica McGowan and CEDIA
CEDIA announced that Emmy-winning television host and producer Chip Wade, will be keynoting CEDIA Expo 2025 on Wednesday.
The keynote will take place on September 4 at 8:00 AM MT in the Mile High Ballroom 2 during the show.
A Georgia Tech engineer, HGTV designer and third-generation craftsman, Wade has leveraged a cross-disciplinary approach through his interactions with other trades on projects that have earned him wide recognition across both the construction and entertainment industries.
Daryl Friedman, current CEO of CEDIA, describes Wade as offering a one-of-a-kind collaborative spirit that fits in with the current ethos of the custom integration channel as it seeks to develop deeper, more productive relationships with other trades on projects.
8K Gets New Messaging
Sony 8K TV on display in retail store. Photo/Tada Images – stock.adobe.com
The 8K Association announced on Wednesday it will be retuning its messaging strategy to promote the emerging media format, which it will be unveiling in full at CEDIA Expo 2025.
The news comes as more companies have begun to embrace the format, developing hardware that can support and deliver 8K content at different entry points into the ecosystem.
Part of the new initiative will be to specifically highlight the breadth of the 8K technology ecosystem, showcasing solutions that begin in content creation and end in distribution and display.
While 8K has drawn much excitement from professionals over the years, adoption of the resolution has been slow owing to a dearth of 8K content as well as hardware that can adequately reproduce it for consumer audiences.
Keep in Touch with CEDIA Expo/CIX 2025
CEDIA Town Hall at CEDIA Expo circa 2022. Photo/CEDIA
CEDIA Expo/CIX 2025 is upon us, and as we get closer to the tradeshow, the news coming out of it is only going to continue to pile up.
To help consolidate all the biggest stories coming out of the tradeshow, we’ve once again set aside our live news blog as a means of providing a direct source to all the latest show news.
