European Custom Installer

DoorBird announces an addition to the D21x IP video door station range-- the D2101KV, an intercom designed to address "worldwide demand" for a single residence flush mount Doorbird complete with keypad and RFID.

The D2101KV incorporates a 1-call button and a multifunction keypad. Aimed at single-family homes and commercial properties in need of an access control system, it is made from brushed stainless aluminium and offers an integrated RFID reader and the ability to assign as many as 100 different codes for access. The intercom can also send HTTP requests to broader smart home systems to trigger events via the keypad.

CEDIA announces Giles Sutton, founder of James and Giles Ltd, joins the organisation as senior vice president of industry engagement, a new role charged with driving member engagement around the world.

Other responsibilities include facilitating strong partnerships across the industry and helping build awareness of the CEDIA channel among architects, builders and interior designers.

“Giles has an incredibly clear understanding of the CEDIA membership — their needs, challenges, and opportunities for growth — having built his own successful integration business," CEDIA CEO Tabatha O'Connor says. "Giles also has a great understanding of working with design and build professionals and can attribute much of his company’s growth to outreach efforts, which will be a huge help to us in executing our strategic plan."

CES 2018 saw Samsung present The Wall, a 146-inch concept TV built out of microLED technology. Now the S. Korean company says the TV is set to become an actual product, with mass production starting on September 2018.

According to the Korea Herald, the TV will find use in both commercial and consumer markets, with applications including luxury mansions, hotels, shops, stadiums, museums and convention centres. Interestingly, Samsung insists the Wall is a "display" or "screen," not a TV, since the technology allows for a custom set based on the number of display pieces customers want to attach to a, well, wall.

“We wouldn’t need to use the word TV for upcoming products,” Samsung tells the Korea Herald. “Consumers will be able to do anything they want with displays or screens that they feel comfortable with, just like mobile displays.”

Klipsch starts shipping the Heritage Theatre Bar-- a three-channel soundbar available in 3 different widths, four different veneers, including a paintable finish, and a choice of four removable grille cloths.

The passive left, centre, right soundbar comes inside a low-profile body complete with built-in wall mounting. It is 0.6cm deep, and Klipsch includes a centralised input panel for all 3 channels on the front of the device for easy installation and setup.

Inside the Heritage Theatre Bar are Klipsch Tractrix horn technology and titanium tweeters, together with dual 4-inch Cerematallic woofers the company says maintain rigidity while achieving minimal cone breakup and distortion. Frequency response is 95Hz to 20kHz +/- 3dB, -10dB at 75Hz. Nominal impedance clocks at 8 ohms, while crossover totals 2800Hz.

Bang & Olufsen reveals plans to phase out the B&O Play-- aka BeoPlay-- sub-brand, meaning all products from the Danish high-end CE maker will be sold under the single Bang & Olufsen umbrella.

The announcement comes from the B&O 2018/2018 earnings report. It states the rebranding effort started back in 1 June 2018, and over the next few months the company will start combining the two brands in areas such as marketing, product packaging and online presence.