January 2011 Digital Newsletter

January 18th, 2010.

audio/video - automation - lighting control - green energy control - integration - design In this issue Relax, and leave the black boxes to us! Digital completes residential 8G prewire. What exactly is 8G? Employee Spotlight: Thomas Bechtel. Happy New Year!   It was a mad rush for most folks to complete gift lists or to prepare their homes for guests. For Digital, it was an intense effort to respond to our client's last minute technology upgrades and  end-of-year budgeted  equipment purchases. Lighting control, home automation, and wireless music systems topped the charts. Our commercial practice, Digital Commercial Systems, has seen a considerable increase in proposals. Looks like the new year is off to a great start.       Relax, and leave the black boxes to us! What's your fancy?...iPad®, iPhone®, Andriod®, PC, MacBook®, Universal Remote Control?  You may know your chosen application hosting device well, but be careful attempting to make that leap to getting those controllers to play with functional hardware.    The "behind the scenes" black boxes are where the real work gets done.    They are the heart and soul  of a  home automation platform where the world of digital commands intersect with a complex world of operating shades, playing music,  controlling temperature, locking doors, changing video sources, controlling lighting scenes, heating the pool, panning cameras, setting alarm systems, etc. To the casual observer, all you'll see is black electronic components, blinking lights and the hummmm of the thermal management systems. Automation has hit the mainstream. Typically the customer is drawn almost entirely to the interface. (iPad as example). On the physical installation side, the professional integrator has to be confident and comfortable with the "black boxes".  It takes hands-on experience to weed out what works and what does not.  It is our value added service to understand the digital lifestyles of our clients while providing the best equipment choices to fulfill both their functional expectations and budgets. This is what we do...every working day. Why guess at black box configurations? Instead select a respected integrator, and leave the black boxes to a pro. You'll be glad you did!       Digital Completes 8G residential prewire. What the heck is 8G?      High-end OEM Crestron, the world's leading manufacturer of advanced control and automation systems, has launched Digital Media 8G technology. To the point, 8G is the first  true one-wire, high-output media network. So why is this important to me?  DigitialMedia 8G makes it easy to enjoy all the rich media benefits of digital content, including razor-sharp HD video, streaming Internet content, Blu-ray Disc™, Apple® Mac® and MacBook®, as well as the latest high-performance surround sound audio formats...all over a single wire. Imagine the reduced clutter and reduced expense of having less wire in your home or office! 8G saves integrators a lot of time and money, significantly reducing material and labor costs of cabling and the number of terminations  Digital Home Lifestyles has completed a recent home automation prewire project utilizing 8G technology.  The details: 12,000 square foot custom home, featuring a "whole house" Crestron automation platform controlling Audio, Video, Security, Surveillance, Lighting, Pool/spa, Security gate, Intercom, and Climate control.    Employee Spotlight: Thomas Bechtel Principal-Sales and Marketing. Thomas Bechtel brings extensive sales and management experience within the technology industry, and has held senior management positions at Avnet Inc, ACE Hardware as well as the ACE Hardware Phoenix advisory board.   Thomas previously held the responsibility of Vice President of Sales and Operations for the Avnet Asia supply chain management organization, and the Avnet pan-Asia electronic device programming center.  Experienced in new and startup operations, Thomas has consulted on complex supply chain management projects with IBM, Compaq, Motorola, Nokia, Texas Instruments, Ericsson, Ford, Cisco and H/P.  Mr. Bechtel most recently co-founded two award winning ACE Hardware retail locations in Phoenix. Thomas's expertise in customer service, technology project management, operations, supply chain management, and communications will greatly assist the DHL team in delivering exemplary value and service to its customers.   Quick Links... Our Services Products Blog Thank you! - to all of customers and business partners for a 'good' 2010, it's been an experience a small business owner won't ever forget.  I wish everyone the very best new year and may God's blessings be with you and your family throughout 2011.   Jeff, Glenn, Tom and Team! Best Wishes, Jeff Beall President & Principal 602-224-9100   www.digitalhomelifestyles.com www.digitalcommercialsystems.com  Phoenix, Arizona. 602-224-9100