European Custom Installer

According to In-Stat research demand for wifi in home entertainment devices is on the rise-- and will lead to global WLAN-enabled video device shipments to reach 600M by 2015.

The device category In-Stat mentions covers digital TVs, Blu-ray players, game consoles and STBs, all of which are increasingly hitting the market with wifi embedded.

“Wi-Fi has moved from a nice-to-have feature to a must-have feature as it provides the connectivity necessary to support IP-based video content,” In-Stat says.

The analyst estimates WLAN-enabled Blu-ray players will reach over 28M by 2013, while digital TVs should reach a WLAN-attach rate of 40% by 2015. All of this will surely result in less need for drilling on order to add ethernet connections behind AV cabinets.

Go In-Stat WLAN Q1 2012 Forecast

Belkin launches the WeMo home automation system-- a line of modular automation products using wifi instead of a proprietary or industry standard (Z-Wave or ZigBee) communications protocol.

Why wifi? Belkin says it wants setup to be as simple as possible, while allowing the control of household electronics via mobile and tablet apps.

Wemo is set to launch on March 2012, and currently consists of 2 products-- the Home Control Switch and Motion Sensor.

The Home Control Switch plugs into any electrical outlet, and users plug any electrical device (such as a lamp) in it. Users can then control the plugged device (switching on/or of setting a schedule) using the mobile app.

Meanwhile the Motion Sensor pairs with the Control Switch, making devices react to motion (such as switching on lights when someone enters a room).

Belkin plans to extend the line even further in the future-- with door locks, lighting controls and a baby monitor, as well as a garage door opener.

Go Belkin Launches WeMo Home Automation System

Procella Audio launches the P610-- a full-range 3-way biamplified high-output speaker designed for installation in screening rooms and larger home cinemas.

Using the same 10" woofer as Procella's P10 subwoofer (mounted in its own enclosure), it also has a 6.5" midrange (with 40mm voice coil) and a 1" high-frequency compression driver inside a separate rotatable bracket-mounted cabinet.

The company says the P610 has bass extension to 40Hz, with the power to handle rooms 5-9m in depth with multiple rows and multiple seats per row. It also has THX reference-level playback (105dB continuous) and active biamplification with external power amplifiers.

The system can be built into walls, wall mounted or placed behind acoustically transparent screens, thanks to a shallow depth of 150mm and a sealed-box design.

Go Procella Audio Loudspeakers

Pacific Media Associates (PMA) releases its annual projector manufacturer survey-- predicting the global pico projector market will reach 58M units by 2015, up from 3M in 2011.

The pico category covers battery-powered models, as well as companion (accessory) and embedded mobile device modules.

The analyst predicts pico projectors will not only grow in sales, but also in brightness-- while only 36% of pico projectors sold in 2011 offer 30 lumens (or more) of brightness, PMA predicts 62% of sales will offer 30+ lumens, thanks to improving batteries and luminous efficiency. Around 16% of picos will even offer 150+ lumens in 2015.

Meanwhile manufacturers predict optical engines will also improve, with 18% of optical engines producing 30+ lumens by 2015 (up from 6% in 2011).

PMA says customers will also get "a lot more" for their money, as future models will also handle higher resolutions and features such as media playback and document viewers.

Go Pacific Media Associates Annual Pico Projector Manufacturer Survey

Altec Lansing announces the LIVE 5000-- an all-in-one wifi speaker streaming music from either the cloud or personal collections on home networks.

The speaker is a tri-amp system, with two 3" mid-range Kevlar drivers, two neodymium soft-dome tweeters, a long-throw 4" subwoofer and passive radiator. Inputs include aux-in, USB and 3.5mm headphone jack.

Designed for use as either a stand-alone system or in groups of multiple speakers throughout the house, Altec Lansing says it will provide multiple control options. The system is compatible with iDevices, Androids and PCs, with a free LIVE Controller app allowing users to browse local and online media sources.

It also allows use by multiple users, playing different songs to different rooms or the same song to multiple rooms.

Go Altec Lansing LIVE 5000