Week of Oct 1st-7th News Recap
Here is a quick recap of the biggest things to happen in AV last week.
Wave Bought by AVAD
On October 3, 2018, Kingswood Capitol Managment announced that it had purchased WAVE Electronics. Kingswood plans to merge WAVE with AVAD, which they acquired back in July, and place Mark Fukuda, (former Chief Operating Officer for WAVE) in the position of Chief Executive Officer. The new Houston based company is planned to target the pro-A/V and residential custom install market. Here is a quote from Mark Fukuda, "AVAD has built a strong presence in the pro-A/V channel, WAVE has done the same in the residential security space, combining that with our collective strength in the residential A/V markets and our new larger North American footprint is a winning combination.”
Windows Fall Update Deleting Files
I'm sure we all know the importance of backing up our files but Microsoft has given us a scary reminder of just how important it really is. Shortly after their October update, customers started reporting that some of their files had been moved or deleted. One customer even reported losing 2 terabytes of data to the buggy update.
Dana Sakar, head of the Windows Insider Program, twitted out that users who have been affected should turn off their computer and report it to Microsoft immediately. As of today, Microsoft has promised to recover all data lost to the buggy update. How they can do that has not been made clear, but Dana Sakar said in her tweet that Microsoft's Technical Support Teams, "have the tools to get you back to a good state."
Optoma Releases New “Creative Touch” IFPDs
Optoma released their new “Creative Touch series” of "interactive flat panel displays" on October 2nd. These new powerhouses of displays come in native 3840x2160 resolution and feature up to 20-point multitouch sensitivity, blue light filtering, iMorror screen sharing, a built-in cloud drive for access to Onedrive and Google Drive and are compatible with Mac, Windows, and Chrome OS devices.
The 65” comes in at $3,499 the 75” at $5,499 and the 85” at $8,999.
LifeSize Announces AirPlay Support for LifeSize Share
Speaking of collaborative devices, LifeSize has announced its integration with Apple's AirPlay to allow people with Mac OS devices to share their screen and present content. Owners of Mac phones, tablets, and computers can now present videos, presentations, and even digital signage remotely using LifeSizes Share. This new integration is aimed to reach the growing number of enterprise-level Apple users.
QSC releases it’s new CP line of speakers
On October first QSC released their new line of CP speakers, consisting of the CP8 and CP12 models. Both models are designed to be pole mounted, used as a monitor wedge, or even installed in a more fixed location with their quick detach yoke mounts.
QSC plans to meet the need of the more value-minded customers with this new line. As stated here on their website, "QSC, LLC is pleased to introduce the CP Series of compact, powered loudspeakers. CP represents the best-in-class powered loudspeaker solution for customers who desire QSC performance, quality and reliability at a value price point. Further enhancing the products’ appeal, an ultra-compact form factor and light weight combine to offer effortless transport and deployment in both portable and installed applications."