At ISE 2018, the HDMI-CEC geniuses at Pulse-Eight showed new Amazon Alexa audio matrix, NFC-enabled TV remote control, and first shipping 18 Gbps HDBaseT extender that supports 4K/60, HDR10, HDCP 2.2 and DSC compression scheme.

Works with Bose program partners with top brands like Amazon, Google, Control4, Crestron and more to provide integrators a way to offer streaming services, voice control and more from homeowners' Bose systems.

As smart-home products go mainstream, and IoT becomes ever more hyped and confusing, we should see more demand for professional installations.

In studying pre-CES IoT activity, we discerned a few new trends in smart-home technology ('the fog') and market forces (wellness) driving home-automation. But some things never change (standards).

Origin Acoustics' crowd-pleasing, CEDIA-winning Valet Amp, powered by Amazon Echo Dot, can only be purchased by direct dealers through Origin ... or now any qualified dealer through Portal.io.

Here's the reality of DIY security and home automation, with some research and musings by Rodney Bosch of CE Pro's sister publication Security Sales & Integration.