DIGITAL HOME Online: For Builders of Smart Homes, Home Theaters, Networking, Security, and A/V.

Digital Home Online provides extensive research on products and building ideas for today's smart homes. Find information on home theaters, networking, security and A/V quickly and easily.

It's no secret the housing market has been in the tank, and it's dragged down with it the digital home industry. And custom installers have been struggling right alongside home builders. So how can electronic systems contractors weather the storm? One possibility that's made the rounds lately is for residential integrators to do more commercial work. At Electronic House Expo in March, there was even an educational session devoted to the topic. It just so happens that in my other life I'm an editor of a commercial AV publication, so I've got thoughts on the subject. Here they are, in no particular order....

Posted By: bgrimes | Time: 3:02:00 PM | Permalink and Comments (3 Total)

April 14, 2009

Musings on TechHome Ratings

It's been about a month since I flew down to Orlando for Electronic House Expo and sat down with representatives of the Consumer Electronics Association to discuss their brand-new TechHome Rating System. Media outlets, including DIGITAL HOME, have announced its existence, but none has broken it down. Our regular writer Dan Daley has been on the job and wrote up a two-part story. But I've been debating internally what I think about the TechHome Rating System. Now I wanted to share my mental deliberations....

Posted By: bgrimes | Time: 7:26:00 AM | Permalink and Comments (3 Total)

March 19, 2009

Video: Inside an NHL Digital Home

Here in Washington, D.C., Mike Green is a big deal. In fact, Green and all his Washington Capitals hockey teammates are a big deal, as the team sits atop the NHL's Southeast Conference heading toward the playoffs....

Posted By: bgrimes | Time: 11:01:00 AM | Permalink and Comments (0 Total)

March 10, 2009

A Day at Electronic House Expo

Electronic House Expo, also known as EHX, is this week in Orlando. It is perfectly understandable, given the current economic situation, if you're not making the trip. But especially in tough times, sharing knowledge, best practices, and favorite technologies can be worth the cost of a discounted plane ticket and a night or two at a cheap, clean motel. So off I go. Here's some of what I'm looking to learn....

Posted By: bgrimes | Time: 8:27:00 AM | Permalink and Comments (2 Total)

February 10, 2009

CEA State of the Builder Preview

There's a saying among people who follow or work in the digital home market, which is to say media, builders, installers, and manufacturers. The saying goes something like, "There are those who get it, those who don't, and those who never will." The "it" in this case is the value of integrating home technology in new construction. At first blush, the Consumer Electronics Association's upcoming State of the Builder study—the group's seventh, in conjunction with the NAHB Research Center—appears to support the saying....

Posted By: bgrimes | Time: 7:13:00 AM | Permalink and Comments (1 Total)