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Convergence is not happening and the home automation market is not doing well, this was told to an audience of 150 tech journalists today on the 2006 Media Connect KickStart Conference on the Sunshine Coast (Australia).

This is maybe also true for the business market in the US and Europe. However in the consumer market there is enough space to develop new models and products for the market. This is my opinion.

More from the conference:

“The home automation market was “In a mess” and that convergence was not happening, according to the people in the debate. Researcher, Graeme Philipson; “The home automation market is not doing well, convergence has not taken off and that due to the digital home industry being so young a lot of mistakes were being made. Philipson on the CEDIA market; “The home automation guys are not getting critical mass. We are currently doing a research study for a major home automation brand and even their own customers are not happy with what they are offering”.

• Read more: Home Automation market is not doing well

Technorati Tags: home automation, 2006 Media Connect KickStart Conference, CEDIA

More on home-automation, installing by Erno, (Visited 12650 times)

Anthother sign that home-automation for the standard home is becomming more and more attention. Philips and Samsung are starting the development of a new Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) standard, CEA-2014 (Web4CE).

This new standard specifies UPnP services and a new HTML-based standard called CE-HTML that are aimed at remote user interfaces for consumer devices in UPNP networks.

Web4CE has two main applications:

• it will allow consumers to remotely control applications on other UPnP devices over a UPnP home network.
• it will allow consumers to interact with Internet Services using consumer devices that are connected to the Internet.

The user interaction takes place using just the remote control, the keys or the touch screen of the device containing a CEA-2014 compatible browser, e.g. a Media Adaptor, a TV or a mobile phone.

• Read more: CE-HTML for remote user interfaces for consumer devices

Technorati Tags: home-automation, Philips, Samsung, CEA, CEA-2014, Web4CE, CE-HTML

More on home-automation by Erno, (Visited 7347 times)

According to Unipalm the home-automation market is set to reach the masses. The VARs (value-added reseller) should get on board now before the market becomes commoditised.

Home automation is an emerging market. Europe is about 1-1.5 years behind the US in terms of adoption. It’s all about IT and audiovisual (AV) integration and the manufacturers are just starting to educate the resellers about it.

At a recent training session at Unipalm, the IT resellers were asking how to do some of the AV stuff, while the AV guys were asking how to do IT stuff. This should lead to collaboration between AV and IT resellers.

At its simplest, home automation involves controlling a light or appliance with the same remote used to control the TV. But it can also involve a completely automated system that controls entertainment, heating, broadband, lighting and security from one or many types of digital computer control devices and panels.

Unipalm has just signed up home automation software vendor ConvergeX. It believes ConvergeX is the first company to have a complete home automation offering.

Under the agreement, Unipalm will provide specialist services that enable resellers to become authorised ConvergeX suppliers, able to provide installation, training and services. Resellers that understand both IT and AV will do well in home automation, as will those with data networking skills.

Home automation has been around for a some years (i.e. AMX, Crestron, Vantage) but things have happened to make it accessible to the average person, not just the wealthy. eaDHome got into the home automation market five years ago. Most people are asking for systems now. It’s definitely starting to take off.

Source: Unipalm (PDF)

Technorati Tags: Unipalm, home-automation, audiovisual, integration, ConvergeX, home automation

More on AMX, ConvergeX, Crestron, FAQ, Vantage by Erno, (Visited 29183 times)

There is a new installers weblog on the blog. The guys (and girls?) at Couture Digital started a weblog just a few days ago. This is a great idea. In my opinion you can attract new customers by showing how you work in your projects. Also it gives the client the possiblity to show the progress at their projects to friends and family.

David Hills was kind enough to inform me with an email:

“I thought I’d let you know that I’ve finally got around to sorting out our blog.

http://blog.couturedigital.com

We’re about to start work on a large-ish renovation project so I’m going to keep it updated with text and photo’s from now on.”

Also he wrote:

“Keep up the good work mate, I check your blog every day now!”

• Read more: Welcome for Couture Digital Blog

Technorati Tags: installers, weblog, Couture Digital

More on domotics, home-automation, installing, interior by Erno, (Visited 11303 times)

Via my distributor in the Netherlands I learned that these is a new update available for the Nevo.

The latest release of Nevo^SL is now available. Nevo^SL 1.2 new features include:

• Enhanced Wi-Fi network performance
  • Improved NevoLink reliability for enhanced multi-room AV control.
  • Status icons for Wi-Fi network troubleshooting.
• Optimized IR learning procedure
  • Audible alert to initiate IR learning sequence.

• Touchscreen Wake-Up
  • Consumer-friendly feature that allows users to activate the screen without sending an IR command.

  

• Read more: Nevo 1.2 Update Now Available

Technorati Tags: Nevo, Wi-Fi, NevoLink, multi-room, AV control

More on home-automation by Erno, (Visited 4261 times)

The Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) is an alliance of leading companies in the consumer electronics, mobile and personal computer industries.

Its aim is to align the companies and have industry standards, which will allow products from all companies to be compatible with each other and to enable a network of electronic devices in the home. In this way consumers will be able to enjoy digital living easily and seamlessly. Companies, under the alliance will still be able to innovate and differentiate their own products.

• Read more: Digital Living Network Alliance

Technorati Tags: Digital Living Network Alliance, DLNA

More on DLNA by Erno, (Visited 6459 times)

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last month in Las Vegas, a consortium of manufacturers put a model home in the convention center parking lot that was a showcase for the latest in home automation.

Called the NextGen Home Experience (www.nextgenhome.com), the small ranch-style modular home was packed with flat screen TVs, media center computers and a myriad of touch-screen panels.

Through remote controls you’re able to manage your environment — your lights, your thermostat, your security system. The proliferation of all the technologies means that a lot of people can easilly control their home.

At the Las Vegas demonstration home, devices and appliances were linked through a wireless computer network that could be accessed through either touch screens placed in every room or through wireless remote controls. Aside from controlling lights, room temperature, window shades and entertainment choices, the system extended even into the kitchen.

Another neat feature involved using flat-screen TVs mounted on walls for more than watching ‘ Desperate Housewives’. In the dining room, a 50-inch HP Pavilion plasma TV served as a picture frame. Using a subscription service called GalleryPlayer (www.galleryplayer.com), the TV displayed in high-definition works of art from some of the world’s most prestigious museums. When you tired of a Matisse, you could switch to a Van Gogh.

The dream of an automated, so-called smart home has been around for decades, and even has spawned the occasional horror movie — in 1977’s Demon Seed, a computer trapped actress Julie Christie in a ‘’smart” home and assaulted her.

Hollywood scripts aside, what has made all of this home integration possible are advancements in computer software, such as Microsoft’s Media Center and its upcoming Vista operating system, and the proliferation of wireless broadband networks in homes.

While the home at the Consumer Electronics Show was filled with high-end stuff — estimates the gear would cost about $100,000 — an average homeowner could take steps toward automation for just a few hundred dollars.

Lighting control systems from manufactures like Lutron start at less than $100 and are available at Home Depot and Lowes. Another company, X-10 (www.x10.com), sells home control units that combine wireless technology with existing house wiring.

Wireless technology also makes it easier to retrofit existing homes.

One of the newest wireless protocols, ZigBee — also known by the designation 802.15.4b — is designed to integrate home and office wireless devices and also allows for two-way communication between devices.

Using technology such as Bluetooth, the wireless protocol that allows cellphones and other devices to interact over very short distances, it may one day be possible for a home to identify its occupants remotely and adjust individual room settings to suit the person.

But even ardent supporters of home automation and integration admit that in 2006 a home in which nothing is connected by wires is still not entirely practical.

Source: Miami Herald

Technorati Tags: CES, home automation, NextGen Home Experience

More on CES, Lutron, X-10, Zigbee, home-automation, installing by Erno, (Visited 15962 times)

Mac OS X native, home control server that integrates an assortment of home control hardware devices to provide control of your home—has been updated to version 1.8.

This means it’s now the first Mac home automation software to support the PowerLinc interfaces, and is the first Mac software that can control both INSTEON and X10 compatible devices. With Indigo you can: remotely control lights, fans, appliances, sprinkler systems, etc., from a variety of handheld remote controls (including the X10 “Entertainment Anywhere” remote control); remotely control any appliance or light, even your hot tub, from your mobile phone by sending Indigo an email, by using a Bluetooth enabled mobile phone and Salling Clicker, or by using the intuitive Ovolab Phlink support; remotely control iTunes and dozens of other applications; and create unlimited sprinkler schedules.

• Read more: Indigo home automation software supports Insteon devices

Technorati Tags: Mac, home control server, INSTEON, X10, Indigo

More on Insteon, X-10, home-automation, systems by Erno, (Visited 9755 times)

Just picked up a nice small post on the possibilities of internet and home-automation:

“There was nothing remarkable about having a phone conversation, except that we were talking on Skype and at the same time I was turning the lights in his kitchen on and off by pushing buttons in my web browser (to the dismay of his wife).”

Yes, this is great image that you switch the lights on when you are still at the office and come home late.

More on home-automation by Erno, (Visited 4193 times)

The International Trade Fair for Household Appliances domotechnica will be held in Cologne from 13th to 16th February 2006. It will celebrate its return to Cologne and the international home appliance industry will once again have a specialist trade fair with a regular schedule at a single location.

1, 000 suppliers from around 40 countries will be presenting their products at the fair. About one-third of the companies will be coming from Europe. domotechnica 2006 will offer a gross exhibition area of around 80, 000 m2. Approximately 90 per cent of the suppliers will come to Cologne from outside Germany.

• Read more: Next week: Domotechnica in Cologne

More on Domotechnica, shows by Erno, (Visited 6461 times)