With about 10 days left before the start of the CEDIA Expo 2026, the pre-show engine is firing on all cylinders with all types of content hitting the Internet in anticipation for the event.
Of course, KMB Comm is right in the middle of the Expo action with all kinds of interesting client news. Stepping back from all the Expo-related content for a moment, it’s time to look at this week’s technology industry news.
This week’s news comes from LinkedIn, Sound & Video Contractor, eCoustics, AV Nirvana, and there’s a wire pickup from CEDIA Expo’s ownership group.
The topics covered in this week’s tech week in review include Apple’s demand for silicon, Lego-like audio components, the Seattle Seahawks, and free state-of-the-art content to evaluate home theater/immersive audio systems.
KMB Comm Look Back at Residential Technology Tech News
Kicking off our review of home tech news for the week of August 17 is a post from Sound & Video Contractor (SV&C). The story reports that Italian designer Paolo Caviglia has introduced a solution that resembles Legos and can be used to build audio components.
SV&C says the product is called Audio Bricks, and it provides bricks that contain PCB holders, power supplies, structural framing and RCA inputs and outputs. The bricks can be connected to build amplifiers, streaming devices and other components.
The story adds that pricing has not been announced.
Shifting from home audio to home AV, eCoustics has posted a story on the NFL champion Seattle Seahawks offering its fans Dolby Vision HDR streaming. The story says that beginning with the team’s 2026 preseason games that are streamed on the team’s mobile app and website, games the team will use Dolby OptiView with Dolby Vision.
eCoustics also points out that local Seattle residents can watch preseason games via over-the-air (OTA) ATSC 3.0 broadcasts on KING 5. Later in the story the website explains the Dolby OptiView platform combines live video technologies that include configurable latency, synchronized streams, and the ability to support a range of browsers, smart TVs and other components.
Next stop on the KMB residential weekly technology news train is a story from AVNirvana.com. The website posted an item from the Boston-based audio manufacturer NextLevel Acoustics giving technology integrators content produced by Nick Matzke of Bayview Audio to demo their immersive home theater systems.
According to the story, the 90-second Beyond the Room demo content will be available for download on Sept. 2 in a choice of the MP4 and MKV formats. AVNirvana notes a special version of the content will be used in the company’s demo room (SR7) during the Expo.
Wrapping up KMB Comm’s tour of residential technology news is a wire release from Emerald and Questex, (the owner of CEDIA Expo, CE Pro, Commercial Integrator, and Security Sales & Integration magazines) announcing a rebrand as Forge.
The release says: “Forge brings together Emerald’s scaled portfolio of trade shows, conferences, and commerce-driven solutions with Questex’s differentiated media brands and 365-day digital engagement model. The combination offers customers a single partner that stays engaged before, during and long after an event concludes. The name reflects the work itself.”
National and Global Technology News
The last two KMB Comm tech news items come from LinkedIn and they involve Apple.
Starting with a story that posted during the beginning of the week, LinkedIn picked up a story from the Wall Street Journal that says the Federal government is asking Apple not to buy chips from China.
The post says Apple is considering Chinese chips because of the chip shortage that is impacting the global electronics market.
Finally, LinkedIn picked up a story from Bloomberg that finds more validity to the rumors of an impending release of AirPods equipped with video cameras. The story cites a video that recently came to light, and it emphasizes the concerns of some over the ethical perspective of video taping unsuspecting individuals.
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