Apples Homepod firmware upgrade changes sound, loses "Punchy Bass"

A new firmware has been released from Apple for their Apple Homepod Smart Home Speaker that according to some users negatively effects the sound quality.

Inside the Apple Homepod

The upgrade according to many makes changes to the Loudness and Bass aspects of the speaker whilst boosting the mid-range. The problem that many are having with this is that the home speaker and sound quality that they initially bought when they invested in the Apple Homepod has now been changed, for the worse in their opinion.

It's likely there will not be any sort of rollback available to take the system back to its old settings leading many to complain.  Apples engineers decide on the Bass, Mid-Range, Treble and Loudness settings on a one size fits all basis for all users.

Home Cinemas of the Rich and Famous - Tommy Lee (Motley Crue)

Tommy Lee from Motley Crue

Rocker Tommy Lee - a founding member of Motley Crue has his Calabasas mansion up for sale currently and just reduced it from a price tag of $5.995 million to $4.995 million. The property high in the hills boasts panoramic views from its three stories and from the backyard’s piano-shaped swimming pool.

Measuring around 1,000 square meters the house as 6 baths, 5 bedrooms, a wine room, 2 kitchens and a subterranean garage that has been partially converted into a 2,000-square-foot recording studio with two live rooms and a control center.

It also has a home cinema, looking a bit dated now (Sorry Tommy) the real estate agents photos don't do it much justice. This carpeted 6 seat cinema features plush leather recliners and an electrostatic front speaker stage.  I bet this home theater has seen some crazy nights in!

Nearly 1,000,000,000 smart home devices to be sold in 2022

Market Intelligence group IDC says that the smart home market is set to hit close to one billion devices sold in the year 2022.

Smart Home control via  Tablet

"International Data Corporation (IDC) today published results from its newest Tracker research program covering the fast-growing market of Smart Home Devices. In this initial publication, the Worldwide Quarterly Smart Home Device Tracker focuses on market sizing and forecasting of IP-connected devices used in the home, inclusive of smart speakers, digital media adapters, lighting, thermostats, and more. The historical data is accompanied by a five-year forecast that offers insight into upcoming trends and the ever-evolving market.

433.1 million smart home devices were shipped worldwide in 2017, growing 27.6% from the previous year, according to the IDC Worldwide Quarterly Smart Home Device Tracker.

In 2017, 433.1 million smart home devices were shipped worldwide, growing 27.6% from the previous year. Looking ahead, IDC anticipates a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.5% as the market balloons to 939.7 million devices shipped in 2022. Within the smart home market, the smart speaker category, which includes devices like the Amazon Echo and Google Home, will remain the fastest growing category throughout the forecast. Meanwhile, shipments for most other categories, with the exception of video entertainment products, will experience a double-digit CAGR during the same period.

Almon SMart Home Wifi Router

"The smart home market is still in its infancy but we're already seeing some significant changes in consumers' and vendors' approach," said Jitesh Ubrani senior research analyst for IDC Mobile Device Trackers. "There's less of a focus on having a central hub and apps as the center of the interface as hardware makers race to create interoperability with smart assistants like Alexa, Siri, or Google Assistant. On the other hand, consumers, while still somewhat hesitant to anthropomorphize smart assistants, are beginning to expect a more natural user interface to the myriad of smart home devices."

"While it's still early days for the smart home market – and the wider consumer IoT ecosystem in general – we expect to see considerable growth over the next few years, especially as consumers become more aware of and increasingly interact with smart assistant platforms like Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant," said Adam Wright senior research analyst for IDC's Consumer IoT Program. "Whether in the form of a smart speaker or embedded in a thermostat, fridge, TV, or any other device, smart assistants are quickly becoming the cornerstone of consumer IoT by enhancing the accessibility, use, and functionality of connected devices, which will noticeably boost adoption rates in the near future."

Category Highlights

Video Entertainment devices, inclusive of smart TVs, digital media adapters, and other IP-connected video devices, are forecast to deliver a CAGR of 8.3% for unit shipments over the 2017–2022 forecast period. These devices are also expected to capture around three quarters of the dollar value of the entire smart home market as the average sale price (ASP) for TVs will be among the highest. Leaders in the TV category during 2017 were Samsung and LG while category leaders for digital media adapters during the same period were, in order, Amazon, Google, and Roku.

Home Monitoring/Security is comprised of devices like connected door locks, cameras, moisture sensors, door bells, and more. IDC expects this will remain the second largest category in terms of unit shipments through 2022 as products become easier to deploy in the home and will not require consumers to have a "DIY attitude" to integrate these products with their smart assistants and other devices.

Smart Speakers with built-in smart assistants have captured the spotlight recently as major new brands like Apple have entered the market. In addition, Amazon and Google have been quick to respond by offering additional models and price points through their first-party speakers and by partnering with numerous other brands to bring Alexa- or Google Assistant-enabled speakers. What remains to be seen is how long the partners can survive since the sale of hardware stands to be the smallest part of the overall revenue associated with this category.

Connected Lighting products, like those from Philips, GE, IKEA, and others, have to some extent been the gateway for consumers to the larger smart home market. With prices quickly dropping and bundling with smart speakers as an entry level smart home solution, the lighting category has a lot of future potential. IDC anticipates this category to be worth more than $3.5 billion dollars by the end of 2022.

Thermostats, like the ones offered by Nest or Ecobee, are expected to have a worldwide CAGR of 20.8% for unit shipments by 2022. Despite the high growth, IDC expects it to be among the smallest categories as most homes will have a single thermostat and a large part of the world (e.g. Asia/Pacific and Middle East) does not use standalone thermostats, relying instead on those built into air conditioners or heating units.

Other smart home products like connected appliances, sprinkler systems, and other smaller devices are expected to see shipments grow at a CAGR of 18.2% from 2017–2022. Many of the analog counterparts, like traditional appliances, have long replacement cycles and are expected to have limited overall appeal within the future smart home."

https://www.idc.com/tracker/showproductinfo.jsp?prod_id=1781

IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Smart Home Device Tracker® is designed to help clients understand the rapidly growing smart home device market. This includes products such as Amazon Echo, Google Home, Philips Hue bulbs, connected thermostats, and connected doorbells. This research product aims to capture and analyze the trends that are evolving in the smart home device market. The program provides insightful analysis, quarterly market share data, and a five-year forecast that can be broken down by key geographies. The core of the product is a comprehensive electronic database detailing changes and trends in the quickly growing smart home device market. IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Smart Home Device Tracker is built on the foundation of IDC's network of country-level quarterly tracking services, and its bottom-up methodology delivers an accurate view of the smart home market from those closest to it.

Cinema - It's gone to the Dogs!

The Cinema is going to the Dogs! A new film has seen a wave of theatre's around the world opening up the cinemas doors for their preview showing to our friends of the canine variety so they also can watch the movie.

These guys look excited to see the movie together.

Cinemas in the following locations opened up their cinemas to well behaved dogs and their owners for special previews;

The Little Theatre Cinema, Bath
Duke Of Yorks, Brighton
The Ritzy, Brixton
Arts Picturehouse, Cambridge
The Cameo, Edinburgh
Picturehouse Central, London’s West End
Clapham Picturehouse
Crouch End Picturehouse
East Dulwich Picturehouse & Cafe
Exeter Picturehouse
Greenwich Picturehouse
Hackney Picturehouse
Harbour Lights, Southampton
Stratford Upon Avon Picturehouse
City Screen, York 

Isle of Dogs is a stop motion animated film by Wes Anderson "When, by executive decree, all the canine pets of Megasaki City are exiled to a vast garbage-dump called Trash Island, 12-year-old Atari sets off alone in a miniature Junior-Turbo Prop and flies across the river in search of his bodyguard-dog, Spots. There, with the assistance of a pack of newly-found mongrel friends, he begins an epic journey that will decide the fate and future of the entire Prefecture."

Nuvo at ISE 2018

Home Audio company Nuvo had some of their newest music technology on show at Integrated Systems Europe at the Legrand stand.  Nuvo were instrumental in the distributed audio industry as the first company to develop and sell a multi room audio solution from a single box (amplifier).

Nuvo took the opportunity at the show to launch their new range of architectural speakers.  A new range of in-ceiling, in-wall and outdoor speakers for use with their Nuvo multi room audio and other home music system amplifiers.  The older speakers the Accentplus1 and Accentplus2 range are still available and we've had great success with them (we often use these with Sonos Connect:amps).

Nuvo Architectural (in-Ceiling and In-Wall) Speakers

Introduced at the show were a range of DIN mounted amplifiers, these small amplifiers are mounted on your DIN rail (Your Breaker Board) in your M&E Room (or cupboard).  You can have up to 16 zones and the DIN mounted P600 amplifier is 2x20 watts, plenty for background music in your house or villa.

Nuvo P600 2x20w Music Amplifier

Nuvo DIN Mounted Audio Power Supply

Nuvo's DIN mounted distributed audio amplifier for music all over your home.

Nuvo also increased their range of control keypads for the P series of wireless amplifiers.  These can be installed into the wall and offer instant control for your home stereo system for those times when you don't want to reach into your pocket to grab your phone and fuss around. Simply press the on/off button, mute or adjust volume and sources instantly with the press of a button.

Nuvo in-wall volume and control keypads

Also at the show was the P30 Touchscreen controller for the wireless music system - This always on wall mounted touchscreen is perfect for controlling your Nuvo music system and choosing songs, albums and playlists easily.

Nuvo P30 Touch screen control for Nuvos audio system.

RIP Sonos CR100 Controller.

We've still got one somewhere in our office and a couple of our customers still use theirs but the latest email from SONOS tells us that they will no longer be supporting the CR100 controller from next month.

When SONOS debuted you could only control it through the Original SONOS controller, there wasn't an app (until 2009), it was replaced with the dreadful CR200 of which we had an almost 100% return rate of until that also was phased out.

The Original SONOS controller before you could use your phone or iPad to control SONOS.

Their email states;
Due to the controller’s aging internal components, we cannot continue to support the CR100. Your CR100 will no longer connect to your Sonos system once you update to our latest software release in early April.

We know the CR100 has been an important part of your Sonos experience. Even as we shifted to the Sonos app in 2009, the CR100 has lived on as a coveted dedicated controller in many homes.
But, the controller’s hardware has reached the end of its lifespan.

The CR100 is a unique Sonos product because it’s powered by an internal lithium ion battery. Across devices and industries, aging lithium ion batteries have the potential to overheat when left charging. For this reason, starting in early April, future Sonos software upgrades will no longer recognize your CR100 when it tries to connect to your system.

What does that mean?

1. We recommend that you disconnect your CR100 from its charger, unplug the cradle, and safely and responsibly recycle both components at your local e-waste center.

2. As of early April, if you update your system, your CR100 will no longer connect to Sonos.
If you choose to take steps to ignore future software upgrades, you are acknowledging the risk of the aging lithium ion battery in your controller. Additionally, opting not to update means you cannot add speakers, services or voice assistants to your Sonos system and that you will not receive new features or security patches.

Amazon Alexa and the Creepy Laughing

It's been confirmed that Amazons Smart Home Alexa systems have been laughing at you behind your back, sort of.  It seems that quite a few peoples systems have been accidentally triggered into spouting out some creepy sounding laugh track. 

Amazons Alexa family of products

International press has been reporting people getting spooked out by by the creepy laughter.

Apparently the Alexa enabled systems such as Amazons Echo, Sonos ONE and the Amazon Echo Dot have thought they had heard the command "Alexa, laugh" which previously triggered Alexa launching into a creepy sounding laugh.

Amazon has since launched a fix so that you must ask "Alexa, Can you laugh?" which is now followed by "Sure, I can laugh" and a small Tee Hee at the end.

El Gaucho Steakhouse

You did know we did commercial sound systems for restaurants, hotels and nightclubs - didn't you?

Beautiful Restaurant with a great sounding audio system.

Whilst I've been in Amsterdam at Integrated Systems Europe the H3 Digital Team have been busy installing a great sounding audio system at El Gaucho's Steakhouse in Patong Beach, Phuket.

What a view.

Our favourite steakhouse.

This place is a first class restaurant for meat lovers, just take a look at that stunning view (I'm not just talking about the Butchers Fridge).

The Butchers Shop.

Stunning Design (And a great sound system).

So what sort of music setup does it have, we don't want to give away too much of our magic sauce but the symetrix system allows us to balance and use a digital DSP which we can access over the internet if required to program, balance and equalise the system.  The install was done in conjunction with Ben Walters at Fuzion Far East who work on ALL the premier nightcub, restaurant and commercial sound systems in Bangkok - We are a trusted Phuket Partner for them and we've been working over a decade together.

Integrated Systems Europe Day 3 - Control4

Control4 billed themselves at this years ISE as: A leading provider of personalized automation and control solutions, allows you to control virtually any device in a home or business, automatically. Founded in 2003, the company mission is to deliver an elegant and more affordable way to control and automate lighting, music, video, security and energy in a single room or throughout the entire home.

They recently bought speaker manufacturer Triad, who's in-wall and in-ceiling speakers have been popular in home cinemas, especially in the USA. Control4 say of Triad:Triad loudspeakers deliver world-class audio performance into every room in the home - without compromise. From the finest Dolby Atmos home theater to high performance in-ceiling loudspeakers for rooms where a bulky speaker isn’t an option, Triad has superior sound for every room in your home.

They showed their range of touchscreens, room controllers, Switches, Dimmers, Keypads, Remotes and Networking/Routers.  For me their UI does appear dated now and I'm not keen on the lock down into one system approach that sees equipment get aged out quickly with no replacement.  

Integrated Systems Europe Day 2 - Additional Thoughts

ISE 2018 Attendance Badge

I'm at the end of Day 2 of the show (These posts run a few days late as and when I can get the posts up) and it's apparent how bright our future is going to be. 




I'm talking about displays again, If I hadn't seen some of the technology at the show I simply wouldn't believe it was available or ready for market. Again and again I caught myself saying wow.

Clear Advertising Display 

Moores Law has real world implications for processing and LED technology that will accelerate as time goes on, in a similar way to how far phones have come on in the last decade - display technology is on a similar curve.

Advertising LEDs

Moores Law broadly in laymans terms stated that every 2 years electronics/computing power would double.  Whether that means faster chips, smaller chips, smaller LEDs or a halving of the price for the same tech, its generally been the case for the last 40 years or so.   The effect on the LED displays are they are getting bigger, higher definition and cheaper, all at the same time.

One of the many beautiful displays on show at ISE 2018

I cant wait to see where all these super crisp, high resolution, colourful displays end up - It has the real potential to make our spaces more fun, whether thats at home, in the office or on the side of a building.

Integrated Systems Europe Day 2 - Crestron

Crestron had a huge presence at the ISE show, much bigger than I would have thought - They have a much larger spread of products than I remember with a hand in just about every sort of integrated technology.  I'm not a fan of their residential systems, rock solid but an absolute pain to program but can see it certainly has a place in the industry where you are going to plug it in and leave it or have the expertise on hand (and on payroll) to reprogram when required.

Prior to the show Crestron's Press Release stated (Italics):

We all know the workplace has changed dramatically: a dispersed workforce; open floor plans; AV on the network; and reliance on mobile devices – not just to communicate, but also to present and collaborate. With these innovations come new challenges.
 
Join us at ISE 2018 and see how Crestron is meeting these challenges with: 
 

• DM® NVX, the standard for network AV, and the new DM XiO™ Director, which provides browser-based monitoring, management, and control of DM NVX endpoints
• Workplace Technology Solutions Ready-to-deploy, pre-packaged Workplace Technology Solutions that make it easy to deliver consistent meeting, presentation, and conferencing experiences on a large scale. Easy to purchase and deploy, they support network security protocols and cloud-based provisioning. 
• Crestron Mercury® – the only open UC solution
• XiO Cloud, our complete cloud-based provisioning and management platform
• Crestron Audio Solutions, including new network audio and cloud-based provisioning
• AirMedia® 2.0, the fastest, easiest, most manageable and secure wireless presentation technology, built into our room solutions
• All-new FlipTops™ featuring a dashboard forward design for easier access to cables and connectors and one-touch cable and compartment door retraction
• Crestron AirBoard™, which enables viewing of electronic whiteboard content on any display device
• MPC 3-Series, the first wall mount presentation controllers with an integrated control system and capacitive touch

On the Residential side of our stand, see demonstrations that highlight the lightning deployment speed and efficiency of Crestron Home Automation Systems, whilst showcasing the customization and incredible user experience they provide. We’ll be debuting several new products:

• HR-310 and TSR-310 Handheld Remotes, our most elegantly and ergonomically designed and advanced remotes yet
• Horizon keypads, which offer designer aesthetics, superior button feel, four button styles, and multi-color backlighting in highly-configurable single-gang models
• Crestron Pyng®, now with support for integration of video control and all the benefits of DigitalMedia™
• Beautiful Crestron Shades including new Horizontal Sheers, now available in EMEA
• DM 4KZ cards and endpoints, which bring 4K60, 4:4:4, and HDR to existing DM infrastructure

Crestrons new range of Smart Keypads

They used the show to debut their new range of Horizon Keypads at ISE 2018.

Available in highly configurable single-gang models that combine up to four across, the new line offers designer aesthetics, superior button feel, four different button styles, programmable multi-color backlighting, interchangeable custom top and bottom trim pieces, and Cresnet® wired communications. Crestron keypads deliver an advanced custom control solution as part of a complete Crestron smart home

Home Automation Keypads

“These stunningly beautiful keypads provide Crestron residential dealers, as well as interior designers and architects, with incredible flexibility in both control and design. Inviting to the touch and appealing to the eye, Horizon keypads deliver a premier user experience combined with bespoke design for homeowners.”

— Michael Short, Global Residential Marketing Manager at Crestron.

Integrated Systems Europe Day 2 - Zwave

ZWave have a booth here at the ISE exhibition, it's in the Smart Buildings Hall and is completely overshadowed by the sheer amount of KNX company and industry booths.  This is Europe after all and EIB (European InstaBus) is what KNX is based upon.  The ZWave booth was made up of lots of tiny microbooths featuring companies utilising the ZWave wireless technology for smart home and automation.

Assa Abloy Door and Lock Solutions

Aeotec Nano Smart Home Automation

So what is ZWave first of all?  Zwave (or Z wave or Z-wave) is a protocol for communication among devices used for home automation. It uses RF for signaling and control. So basically its a protocol/standard for small home technology pieces to all talk to each other. The range is up to 100m and its very low energy so normal batteries can be used and last for a very long time.

Hogar Touch Panels for Smart Lighting

FifthPlay Smart Home Automation

Oblo Living Zwave Smart Home Control

The Z-Wave Alliance was established in 2005 as a consortium of companies that make connected appliances controlled through apps on smartphones, tablets or computers using Z-Wave wireless mesh networking technology. The alliance is a formal association focussed on both the expansion of Z-Wave and the continued interoperability of any device that utilises Z-Wave

Leedarson Zwave Intelligent Sensors

Neeo Smart Remote

For a little bit more information about Zwave and its rivals in the smart home networking industry the below is taken from the Zwave Wikipedia.

For smart-home wireless networking, there are numerous technologies competing to become the standard of choice. Wi-Fi consumes a lot of power, and Bluetooth is limited in signal range and number of devices. Other network standards competing with Z-Wave include Insteon, Thread and ZigBee. Of the three, Z-Wave has the longest operating range at 300 feet (outdoor) and 80+ feet (indoor). Insteon has the largest number of maximum devices capability at 17.7 million (to ZigBee's 65,000 and Z-Wave's 232). Thread has the fastest data transmission rate at 250 kbps. Z-Wave has better interoperability than ZigBee, but ZigBee has a faster data transmission rate. Thread operates on the busy Wi-Fi standard frequency of 2.4 GHz, while Z-Wave operates at 908 MHz in the US, which has reduced noise and a greater coverage area. ZigBee operates on both 915 MHz and 2.4 GHz frequencies. All three are mesh networks