European Custom Installer

Arcam brings the Auro-3D audio format to the HDA range of home cinema receivers/processors-- specifically the AVR10, AVR20 and AVR30 AVRs and the AV40 processor-- via free firmware update.

The format, developed by the Galaxy Studios Group, adds a height layer to an existing speaker flatbed, including 9.1 and 13.1 configurations. However it does not require in-ceiling or reflective upfiring speakers. Instead, it uses height models directly above traditional speaker positions, and as such installers simply need to mount speakers above the existing surround layer to enable the required vertical stereo field.

Hall Research launches the EX-4KU, a kit consisting of a single-gang wall plate HDBaseT transmitter and a receiver designed to extend 4K HDMI video and USB data over a single UTP cable.

The kit uses HDBaseT 2.0 technology, and the company claims it extends video and USB with zero latency and no compression. The wall plate transmitter provides an HDMI input with a USB port for connection to a PC or Mac. It supports all PC and HDTV resolutions, up to and including 4K UHD (3840 x 2160). The wall plate also provides two USB charing ports, and the extender supports all USB 1.1 and 2.0 devices such as as keyboards, mice, touchscreens, interactive whiteboards and cameras.

The 25 Gigabit Ethernet Consortium, the entity behind the 25, 50 and 100Gbps ethernet specifications, rebrands to the Ethernet Technology Consortium (ETC) and announces the next networking standard, 800 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE).

“Ethernet is evolving very quickly and as a group, we felt that having 25G in the name was too constraining for the scope of the consortium,” the organisation says. “We wanted to open that up so that the industry could have an organisation that could enhance ethernet specifications for new and developing markets.”

Genelec offers customers the option of a RAW aluminium colour finish on a selection of studio, AV and home audio speaker ranges, all featuring the Minimum Diffraction Enclosure (MDE) design.

Developed by Genelec in collaboration with industrial designer Harri Koskinen, the RAW versions are built out of recycled aluminium and require no painting and less finishing material compared to standard painted models. The models available are all two-way designs, and include the 8020, 8030 and 8040 nearfield studio monitors, the 4020, 4030 and 4040 installation loudspeakers, the 4420 and 4430 Smart IP loudspeakers and the G Two, G Three and G Four home audio models.

As the coronavirus (aka Covid-19) pandemic continues to affect the industry, CEDIA announced CEDIASTRONG, a program consisting of "sweeping" services and tools to empower, educate and inspire CEDIA members during these turbulent times.

According to the organisation, CEDIASTRONG provides members with free financial planning tools and services, technical training and webinars, career planning resources, online business roundtable discussions and marketing content for the local promotion of services. The initiative also includes a CEDIASTRONG fund to provide financial assistance to members in need, with the goal of awarding grants later in 2021.

“CEDIASTRONG was born from the COVID-19 pandemic and was designed to serve as a rallying cry for our industry,” CEDIA says. “Today, as people hunker down and work from their homes, technology solutions are all the more paramount, as is the role of the professionals who design and install them. We want to help members power through this challenging period and prepare them for the future to ensure they are ready to resume business as usual when this crisis is behind us.”