Residential Tech Talks

It feels cliche to say, but data truly is king no matter the industry you're talking about. Having strong data can help you forecast how a particular market will evolve, allowing you to position yourself for success in the future. That's exactly why the team at Portal has placed such an emphasis on gathering the best data possible and leveraging it to make decisions that will positively impact their partners throughout the CI channel. We sat down with Josh Willits of Portal to talk about that and more during CEDIA Expo in Denver. https://youtu.be/YkaL255__uY

There are so many nuances and rabbit holes that you can explore when at a show like CEDIA Expo—from the high-end audio world, to video walls, lighting and shading, to media servers and more. One of the hottest topics in recent years has been the methodical rollout of 8K displays and 8K content. While in Denver for the show, we sat down with representatives from the 8K Association and IMAX to talk about the advancements in the space, accessibility of content, mind-blowing demos, and more.

After they got done helping us properly install the short throw projection screen that served as the backdrop for our podcast setup at CEDIA Expo, Elite Screens sat down with us for a podcast. During the chat, we dive into the latest advancements in screen technology, what's new with their brand, trends they're following, and more.

Distribution companies sit at a unique intersection of the industries they represent. They see the comings and goings of product, which, when tracked and analyzed properly, allow them to understand which categories, SKUs, etc., are performing best—ergo, they are uniquely qualified to share valuable insights on the ebbs and flows within their particular space. That's why we like to keep close tabs with Dennis Holzer and the team at Powerhouse Alliance. Dennis sat down with us at CEDIA Expo in Denver to discuss the latest trends they're noticing and much more.

A show like CEDIA Expo is always going to create a lot of news and excitement around new introductions, and new opportunities for custom integrators. In our chat with Alex Weaver of Legrand AV, we dove into one of the hotter topics swirling around the world of CI—that being light commercial, or resimercial work. Seeing the commercial category make its way into a show like CEDIA Expo speaks to how important and relevant it is in the channel today, and we wanted to understand how Legrand is helping integrators succeed in this booming area, and more.

Blackwire Designs is a special type of distributor in the CI channel, in that they have a team that's intimately aware of the challenges faced by a custom integrator—because they're all former installers in their own right. At CEDIA Expo 2025, we sat down with Cody Crossland, Vice President, Sales and Customer Service at Blackwire Designs, to explore how they leverage that collective experience both internally and in how they work with integrators and manufacturers. In addition, Cody shares some business updates, and we talk trends in the channel.

Patrick Coleman and his team at Future Automation & Design have built a reputation of being a very hands-on and white-glove type of integrator. That appraoch has helped them build clients-for-life and one of the most knowledgable teams around—all as the business prepares to enter adulthood in its 18th year. Now, Coleman and his team are working on a new initiative to help other integrators learn not only the tricks of the trade, but improve their own customer relations. Their recently redesigned showroom includes an active training center that'll allow the group to host rotating classes in their Integrator Academy. The first class, which kicks off in October, will be the start of something special for their business and the entire channel. Learn more about Future Automation & Design here: https://futureautomationdesign.com/

Massive displays and impressive audio might draw all the attention at a show like CEDIA Expo and in the world of custom integration. But the channel wouldn't be possible if it weren't for the products and solutions that come out of a brand like Just Add Power. The brand brought a bunch of new Audi and Video over IP solutions to the event, showing how there's still plenty of innovation to be had from what many might consider a mundane category.

At CEDIA Expo 2025, Lutron rolled out a massive new partner program that has the potential to change the course of the channel. The first major product to launch out of the program was a collaboration between Lutron and Coastal Source. We sat down with Ben Bard, VP of Luxury Residential at Lutron, to dive into the program, it's intended benefits to the integrator, and much more.

Ahead of its official grand opening, Andrew Davis walks us through the brand new World Wide Stereo experience center in Wayne, PA. Davis, the CEO of Gramophone and Partner at World Wide Stereo, explains how the 21 different zones come together to paint a complete picture for potential clients. Bringing the building to life was also a great example of the growing partnership between the WWS and Gramophone teams. Check out the video version of this episode to peek inside the new location: https://youtu.be/hKtpgewfTWg

At CEDIA Expo 2024, Richard Charschan introduced us to his passion project, Home Theaterology. The book serves as a love letter of sorts to the home theater industry. But it's also proof that the ultimate in-home cinematic space can still be the heartbeat of the custom integration industry. One year since its launch, we caught up with Charschan to look back on the book's influence, how it came together, the unexpected benefits of the content, and where it could go in the future.

When you look at the portfolio of a company like ADI | SnapOne, it's easy to feel slightly overwhelmed as an outsider. Imagine what it must be like, then, to manage that massive product landscape. For Matt Kemp, VP of Product Management for the brand, it's a role he feels like he was built for and is thriving in. We jumped into it with Matt to explore the trends of today, where there are growth opportunities for integrators, and much more.

Messing with water heaters sounds like something that guys who typically deal with hard wiring and electrical work would much rather avoid. However, in today's increasingly connected home, where every system appears to interact and communicate with one another, water heaters are becoming smarter. Here, we chat with Cala Systems Co-Founder and CEO Michael Rigney about the company's forthcoming smart heat pump water heater, how it's changing the game from an efficiency standpoint, and the role he hopes custom integrators can play in getting their product into more consumers' homes, quickly.

Explaining what's possible within the realm of custom integration is a constant challenge when speaking with an industry outsider, or a potential client for that matter. The biggest reason why? This is an experiential business. You have to "see it to believe it" in every sense of the phrase. The problem, then, becomes how you go about getting a client to experience the smart home before they decide to partner with you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxWuIQ7inzw

Launched earlier this year, OpenAV Cloud is a new platform, founded by some of the most influential brands in the pro-AV space, that promises to bring a simpler, easier, and more customer-focused experience to the connected AV industry. Their goal? More collaboration among brands, and true standardization and adoption of open cloud connectivity. We chat with Steve Hoenig, Engineering Director at Legrand AV, one of the founding members of the group, about the initiative and what it could mean for integrators and consumers in the near future.

Dirac has been making a push, recently, to get their room correction technology out into the market and improving more consumers' audio experience in a more streamlined and simpler way. Ahead of the official launch of the Dirac ART tech in Marantz and Onkyo product later this year, we sat down with Rikard Hellerfelt, VP of Consumer and E-commerce for the brand, to learn more about the push, the strategy around it, and more.

Leaning on his engineering expertise and audio industry savviness is nothing new to Rob Jones—nor is launching brands into the CEDIA channel. This go, Jones is helping lead the charge for Magnetar Audio as the brand enters the North American market. In this conversation, we chat with him about Magnetar, their niche-yet-necessary product, and how it serves the evolving audio consumer's needs.

Chopping it up with Jason McGraw is a favorite pastime of ours for many reason, not the least of which is his love and passion for the custom integration and technology industries. He's been in this space—on the trade show side—for many years, and his expertise around it is among the best in the business. Here, we chat about the upcoming CEDIA Expo in Denver, how trade shows, including CEDIA Expo, have evolved over the years, and what attendees can expect to see different at this year's event.

A little over three years since the rebranding of his group—and just a few weeks post the third-annual Oasys Summit—we sat down with Hank Alexander, director of Oasys Residential Technology Group. We dive into the progress his team has made over that time, where their attention is right now in terms of creating value for members, and look at the evolution of the CI channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4joAEgLKoWU

Tayloe Stansbury was just your average home entertainment consumer when he first met the Kaleidescape team. Their mission and commitment—and product—ultimately won him over to the point that he became Chairman and CEO of the company. We sat down with Stansbury to dive into the brand's newest product and learn more about how the commitment to design excellence, which was recently rewarded with a Red Dot Desgin award, permeates throughout the company and is reflective of who they are and who they aspire to be—and serve.