by KMB Communications | Jan 17, 2023 | Home Technology Association, News
The new program clearly defines how Home Technology firms and Design/Build pros should work together to achieve successful project outcomes.
LOS ANGELES, CA (January 17, 2023) – The Home Technology Association (HTA)—the resource for the most qualified and professional home technology integrators—announced its new HTA Design Partner program today. The new HTA Design Partner professional designation identifies design-centric home technology integrators as a service to architects, interior designers, builders, and end users. The program was created to recognize the home technology professionals that not only offer technology consultation and design but those who collaborate with design and build teams to ensure that the technology is integrated into the home in the best way possible.
The need for this type of program in the home technology industry has grown over the years. When planning a new construction or remodeling project, it is vital that the client’s technology needs are considered and designed early to avoid compromises, change orders, and project delays. The HTA Design Partner program serves as the basis for effective collaboration between the trades and addresses issues that have kept them from engaging integrators early on projects in the past. This will lead to better trade relationships and integrators being hired at the beginning stages as technology design consultants.
“The HTA Design Partner and corresponding HTA Technology Partner programs are brilliant ways to solve most, if not all, of the issues that we see on the job site when you integrate new people into the design process. This is going to streamline the process from design to build and reduce the amount of time and errors that we see. It will also make for an improved experience for the consumer. Everyone wins,” says Eric Goranson, Host of Around the House Show, Radio & TV Personality, Interior Designer, and Certified Kitchen Designer.
A qualified home technology integrator should be a trusted design team member for early technology consultation and design. Yet, only a small percentage of home technology integrators provide design and engineering documentation. An even smaller percentage offers a technology consultation phase of service. The HTA Design Partner designation is only available to those that meet stringent HTA Certification guidelines that serve as the basis for successful design collaboration and coordination with architects, builders, and interior designers. The framework for collaboration was created with the input of architects, interior designers, general contractors, and design-centric home technology integration firms and is the basis for successful design collaboration and coordination between integrators and design-build professionals. By providing these guidelines, the HTA is helping the custom integration industry by defining a code of conduct and rules of engagement that if adhered to, will help elevate the reputation of the home technology integration industry.
“Architecture and technology have never been more intertwined than today,” notes Shawn Brown of Vessel Studio, Architect, AIA. “Our design process requires the acknowledgment and integration of all systems early to help create a responsive, thoughtful, and forward-thinking approach to architecture. The HTA Design Partner program provides us the confidence to engage the right home technology integrator when we need them the most, during the design process.”
Likewise, architects, interior designers, and general contractors that handle their clients’ technology needs proactively can opt into the corresponding ‘HTA Technology Partner’ program. These forward-thinking design and build professionals understand that their clients’ safety and entertainment needs must be determined early because home technology systems affect space planning, aesthetics, and the coordination of other trades such as framing contractors, electricians, and HVAC contractors.
”When we introduced SLAs into our company, it clearly established the rules of engagement between our company and our clients. We have revolutionized our service department and this has resulted in happier clients. All expectations were clear on both sides. We need this same type of rules of engagement between integrators and design and build partners. The HTA Design / Technology Partner programs achieve this wonderfully”, says Eric Thies, President of DSI Luxury Technology.
Visit https://htacertified.org/app/articles/what-is-an-hta-design-partner/ to learn more about the HTA Design Partner program.
Visit https://htacertified.org/app/articles/what-is-an-hta-technology-partner/ to learn more about the HTA Technology Partner program.
About the Home Technology Association
The Home Technology Association (HTA) created the first and only standard of excellence for home technology integration firms. The HTA gives the best-qualified technology integrators a prestigious certification to differentiate these exceptional firms. HTA Certification is a badge of quality, designed to help homeowners get consistently first-rate technology experiences. Homeowners, builders, architects, and interior designers that hire HTA Certified integrators have peace of mind knowing they are working with truly professional firms that have passed the HTA’s rigorous certification process, which focuses on technical competency, first-rate customer service, aftercare support, and a positive business reputation.
The Home Technology Association is also the creator of the HTA Design Partner and HTA Technology Partner programs designed to elevate the role of qualified home technology integrators as technology design consultants that trade partners should include on all of their residential projects. In addition, the Home Technology Association actively collaborates with design and build trade associations such as AIBD, ASID, IDS, NAHB, NARI, and the NKBA. The HTA helps bridge the design and collaboration gap between the home technology integration industry and design and build professionals. This is accomplished via educational articles, webinars, classes, budgeting tools, technology assessment forms, a brand Resource Guide, and an integrator finder tool to help them incorporate technology into their projects easier. Learn more by visiting HTACertified.org and by following the Home Technology Association (HTA) on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube & Pinterest.
All products, product names, trademarks and registrations mentioned are the property of their respective owners, all rights reserved.
HTA Media Contact
For interviews or media inquiries, please contact Katye (McGregor) Bennett of KMB Communications by phoning (425) 328-8640 or emailing [email protected].
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by KMB Communications | Jan 16, 2023 | Kordz, News
Kordz’s commitment to quality, engineering expertise, in-the-field experience, and a firm grasp of the systems integration industry make it a go-to cabling resource for systems integrators worldwide.
Hong Kong, China; Barcelona, Spain (January 16, 2023) — Networking, once the unsung hero of the systems integration industry, is now one of the hottest categories in the business. It’s no wonder, given the proliferation and reliance on connected devices in homes and businesses. Those networking solutions of yesteryear, however, are no match for the bandwidth demands of today’s sophisticated systems. Launched at the birth of interoperability, connectivity, and AV distribution, Kordz has followed the progression of connected technologies closely for 20 years, continually evolving its own cabling components to stay ahead of the curve. During its 20-year history, Kordz has provided systems integrators with the right products at the right time, incorporating unique features to differentiate its line and facilitate quick, easy installation in myriad environments, all while complying with the latest performance specifications and meeting the bandwidth demands of cutting-edge technologies.
Created by Integrators for Integrators
There are many nuances to consider and challenges to overcome when integrating network cabling into residential and commercial settings. Kordz knows this all too well, as several of its team members were former installers of networking equipment. With decades worth of combined in-the-field experience, they bring a real-world perspective to Kordz, spearheading the development of products that make a real difference to the bottom-line efficiency and profitability of an integrator’s business. “Like the systems integrators we serve, our team understands best practices and the value of high-quality cabling,” says James Chen, Kordz Managing Director.
“We approach the market differently by focusing on how to make cables more installation-friendly,” Chen continues. “We broke the stigma of HDMI cables being thick and hard to manage by making ours the perfect balance of robust, thin and flexible.” A core Kordz philosophy that’s still practiced today: Spend more time on the design and construction of cabling, thoroughly testing each component at every phase of production and again before final delivery from the factory, so that technicians can complete jobs quickly and confidently.
Reliable & Robust Enough for Critical Applications
When the military chooses a cable for their operations, you know it has to function exceptionally well. The high-performance standards to which Kordz cables adhere make it a choice product for highly sensitive and mission-critical environments such as the military, aerospace, government, and healthcare. Given its rich history serving these environments, Kordz is a no-brainer for the high-speed, high-resolution and high-bandwidth requirements of AV distribution and connectivity in luxury homes, yachts, and businesses.
Built to Last a Lifetime So It Doesn’t Go to Landfill
To minimise maintenance and ensure its cable and components last the lifetime of a building, Kordz uses the right materials, backed by superior mechanical integrity and engineering expertise. For example, the nylon composite comprising its patch cord connectors provides a remarkable lifespan of 2,000 bend cycles. Another benefit of this longevity is sustainability. Thanks to their lower failure rate and long lifespan, Kordz products won’t end up prematurely in landfill.
Where to See Kordz at ISE 2023
ISE 2023 attendees can see Kordz’s expansive portfolio of HDMI and Ethernet cables and components at Stand #2F450, where they can partake in the company’s 20th birthday celebration. Systems integrators are invited to take ‘The Terminator’ cable termination challenge for their chance to win a variety of prizes. To learn more about Kordz’s premium professional-grade cabling solutions, please visit kordz.com
About Kordz
Kordz’s professional-grade products are designed, engineered and constructed to enable industry partners to focus on the big picture, not the little hurdles. The company’s extensive line of robust, fast and effective cabling and networking components deliver the seamless interoperability and digital experiences today’s tech-savvy end-users expect and dramatically simplify deployment for systems integrators. By offering a wide range of professional cabling solutions backed by expert technical support, Kordz helps systems integrators around the globe meet the evolving cabling requirements of a wide range of residential and commercial environments. For more information about Kordz, please visit kordz.com and follow the company @kordzglobal on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Media Contact
For interviews, reviews, and more information please contact Katye (McGregor) Bennett of KMB Communications at +1-425-328-8640 or [email protected]
All products, product names, trademarks, and registrations mentioned are the property of their respective owners, all rights reserved.
by KMB Communications | Jan 16, 2023 | News
SI’s refined Solo 3 motorized projection screen cassettes blend seamlessly into indoor and outdoor environments, offering a multitude of customization, integration, and installation options.
Austin, TX (January 16, 2023) — Screen Innovations (SI), a leading manufacturer of screen and shade solutions, redefines big-screen home entertainment with Solo 3, a re-envisioned line of design-centered motorized projection screen cassettes that discreetly blends into surrounding indoor and outdoor environments. The clean, sharp lines of the self-contained cassette complement trending contemporary and minimalist home designs.
Unlike most other motorized projection screen cassettes, Solo 3 is manufactured as a visually flawless unit with no typical demarcations of the end caps. Units come powder-coated in white, black, or painted to match the surrounding surface. Alternatively, when mounted above the ceiling, the entire 
cassette beautifully vanishes into the architecture. The new Solo 3— available in 375, 575, and 675 cassette sizes— replaces SI’s legacy 3 and 5 Series motorized projection screen lines. The stylish design attributes of Solo 3 help systems integrators appeal to the discerning tastes of clients who want an immersive, dynamic entertainment experience of a big screen that won’t compromise the interior or exterior aesthetics.
Installation and programming ease is equally important to system integrators; the 575 and 675 Solo 3 models accomplish this, thanks in part, to the inclusion of a newly designed intelligent brain known as Moab. “Mother of all Boards,” this advanced 485-based control board enables faster programming of setpoints, rotation, and motor reset; it automates discovery and programming of keypads and remotes; and provides seamless, customizable integration with third-party control systems.
Designed and engineered by SI, Moab features numerous inputs and outputs to support a wide range of 485-based automation and control configurations and simplify the commissioning of screen settings with other control devices such as SI keypads. Built into the eye-catching translucent housing of Moab, which may be purchased separately for programming assistance, are 485- and dry contact ports, 12-volt triggers, and IR receivers. All programming can be accomplished using Moab without a computer or software.
While Moab is tucked neatly and securely inside the Solo 3 575 and 675 motorized projection screen cassettes, systems integrators can easily access it, as well as the internal motor, cabling, and screen material, through Solo 3’s unique removable fascia. Even when the Solo 3 cassette is mounted, systems integrators can quickly access the internal components to program, level the projection fabric and readjust settings.
Solo 3 is suitable for a wide range of applications, as the cassette accommodates SI’s many projection screen materials: This includes short-throw screen material for small spaces, Ambient Light Rejecting (ALR) materials for areas illuminated by an abundance of natural and artificial light, acoustically transparent screens for concealing speakers, and twin-view which presents images on both sides of the material for a 360-degree view.
The Solo 3 cassette may be preinstalled during construction (with the cassette and tube as separate pieces); this noteworthy, deconstructed design makes the Solo 3 lighter and easier to handle, requiring less muscle, manpower, and time to install than previous models. The Solo 3 375 cassette may be
powered by a rechargeable lithium battery for applications where running wires is more difficult than typical projects. The lithium battery can be charged manually via SI’s revolutionary recharging wand, or energy harvested by a forthcoming integrated solar panel for outdoor applications.
“We’ve taken the best features of our most popular motorized solutions and applied them to our signature Solo 3 motorized screen assembly,” says SI CEO Ryan Gustafson. “Thanks to all the feedback from our dealers and customers, we hit the nail on the head with this total refresh, which gives systems integrators, designers, architects, and builders an easy, effective, and revolutionary way to bring big-screen entertainment anywhere, inside or outside the home. The home entertainment trend shows no sign of slowing, and Solo 3 strives to help our dealers capitalize on this burgeoning market.”
Where to See Screen Innovations
ISE 2023 attendees can witness the design and configuration attributes of Screen Innovations’ Solo 3 at the collaborative Technology Integration Partners exhibit, Stand #2K500. It joins SI’s other design-forward projection screen solutions, including legacy favorites Black Diamond, Zero-G and FlexGlass. Systems integrators can learn more about SI’s complete line of residential and commercial shade and screen solutions at www.screeninnovations.com.
About Screen Innovations
Innovative shades & projection screens, making life beautiful, convenient & fun
Dedicated to developing the most innovative and design-forward projection screens, window coverings, and outdoor shading and screen solutions for home and corporate environments, Screen Innovations engineers and hand-builds every product it sells in its 75,000-square-foot factory in Austin, Texas. Always putting the customer first, SI listens, learns, and delivers a wide variety of design-forward products, services, and online tools. Committed to doing its part to limit the company’s impact on the environment, SI follows LEAN manufacturing principles and monitors production processes closely to minimize waste wherever possible. For more information about SI please visit screeninnovations.com and follow the company on social media platforms Facebook @screen innovations, Twitter @SIScreens, Instagram @siscreens, and LinkedIn screen-innovations.
Media Contact
For interviews, reviews, or more information please contact Katye (McGregor) Bennett of KMB Communications by phoning (425) 328-8640 or emailing [email protected].
All products, product names, trademarks, and registrations mentioned are the property of their respective owners, all rights reserved.
by KMB Communications | Jan 16, 2023 | News
SI’s commitment to its global network of systems integrators is demonstrated through enhanced service and support; quick, efficient delivery of products, and revolutionary refinements to indoor and outdoor projection screens.
AUSTIN, TX (January 16, 2023) — Committed to delivering the best products, technology, and services to its global integration reseller community of projection screens, Screen Innovations (SI) enters 2023 laser-focused on several key initiatives for continual growth, advancement, and leadership as a premier provider of projection screens for myriad applications.
Always striving to make integrators’ jobs as simple and lucrative as possible, SI has refined and streamlined its procedures, policies, and resources across all departments, tightened up quality control, and strengthened its sales, service, and support teams to overcome ongoing global supply chain issues and shorten product lead times significantly. Thanks to these improvements, integrators and specifiers can rely on SI to stock and ship the products they need when they need them. No matter what phase a job is in, integrators have quick easy access to the right solutions and the right time to complete near- and long-term projects efficiently and profitably.
“We recognize the hardships integrators have faced and continue to wade through during questionable economic times and have revamped the way we do business to support them with the kinds of solutions and services they need for their businesses
to prosper, be it a screen cassette customized for a unique application, assistance selecting the appropriate material, or an expedited shipment of products,” says Screen Innovations CEO Ryan Gustafson. “We listen to our dealers and pay attention to shifts in the market to evolve and align our strategies appropriately for integrators to grow their commercial and residential businesses in 2023.”
Demonstrating SI’s extreme attention to detail and the versatility of its product line is a new design-focused motorized screen cassette for both indoor and outdoor entertainment applications. The addition of SI’s new Solo 3 rounds out the company’s comprehensive portfolio of screen solutions, which includes industry favorites such as its high-performance Ambient Light Rejecting screen material Black Diamond, levitating motorized screen Zero-G and rollable, flexible screen material FlexGlass.
ISE 2023 attendees are invited to see SI’s commercial and residential motorized screens and learn how to become an SI dealer or reseller at Stand #2K500 and visit screeninnovations.com.
About Screen Innovations
Innovative shades & projection screens, making life beautiful, convenient & fun
Dedicated to developing the most innovative and design-forward projection screens, window coverings, and outdoor shading and screen solutions for home and corporate environments, Screen Innovations engineers and hand-builds every product it sells in its 75,000-square-foot factory in Austin, Texas. Always putting the customer first, SI listens, learns, and delivers a wide variety of design-forward products, services, and online tools. Committed to doing its part to limit the company’s impact on the environment, SI follows LEAN manufacturing principles and monitors production processes closely to minimize waste wherever possible. For more information about SI please visit screeninnovations.com and follow the company on social media platforms Facebook @screen innovations, Twitter @SIScreens, Instagram @siscreens, and LinkedIn screen-innovations.
Media Contact
For interviews, reviews, or more information please contact Katye (McGregor) Bennett of KMB Communications by phoning (425) 328-8640 or emailing [email protected].
All products, product names, trademarks, and registrations mentioned are the property of their respective owners, all rights reserved.
by KMB Communications | Jan 13, 2023 | News
Designed to seal the deal, a 183-inch FlexGlass screen presents to prospective buyers, images captured by a drone from Spire’s coveted upper-level units.
The Challenge
One of the biggest selling features of the luxury condominiums occupying Seattle’s iconic high-rise, Spire, is the panoramic views of the city skyline and waterfront from many of the upper-level units. The visual perspective differs slightly among each residence; from the floor-to-ceiling window in one condo, the main attraction might be Mount Baker— in another Puget Sound. The scenery is a key differentiator to prospective buyers— a dealmaker or -breaker— but had been difficult for the property developers to convey during the construction of the forty-two-story, 440-foot-tall building.
Rather than risk losing a sale by leaving the spectacular panorama to the imagination of buyers, the property developers enlisted the help of systems integration firm Wipliance to integrate a visual sales tool into its sales center that would display views from any unit of interest while construction continued. “Many of the units were two or more years from completion,” says Wipliance project manager and systems designer Cameron Alavi. “The developer felt that by showcasing this crucial component buyers would be more inclined to put down a deposit.”
The SI Solution
Wipliance conceptualized and pitched the idea of a virtual reality window to other developers of other high-rise residences in the past; Spire was the first to bite. A centerpiece of its sales center, the virtual-reality window brings the cityscape to life on a 183-inch Screen Innovations FlexGlass screen. Wipliance chose a screen size similar in dimension to the residences’ actual windows and worked with a local builder to construct a standalone cabinet to seamlessly frame the screen and house an Ultra-Short Throw Epson projector behind the FlexGlass. “The combination of FlexGlass and an Ultra-Short Throw projector was ideal for this application,” says Alavi. “The flexible FlexGlass was much easier to handle and install than a comparable-size rigid screen in a constrained space like this. We were able to house both the projector and screen neatly inside the same cabinet where light is controlled and allows prospective buyers to stand directly in front of the screen to watch the presentation without blocking the projected image.”
Spire sales center visitors use a mobile app to select a condo of interest; recorded footage captured earlier by a drone appears on the screen. Buyers can compare the views from as many units as they want. “This streamlines the purchasing process tremendously; buyers don’t have to wait for construction of the unit to be complete to see what the view is like,” Alavi continues. “We hope this sets a new benchmark for luxury condo sales.” It seems to be working, “Every time we visited the Design Center, there was a broker utilizing the screen for clients and we had several other area developers who had dropped in asked us for our business cards.”
In the meantime, the innovative, custom-built virtual reality-window helped Wipliance get its foot in the door elsewhere at the luxury property. The team installed a 110-inch Black Diamond screen in Spire’s theater room for all residents to enjoy and offers an optional upgrade package that includes motorized SI shades, automation, and home entertainment systems to occupants.
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