Recently Filed in Dealers

Good deals or not, Black Friday resulted in a lot of green for retailers around the country. According to the National Retail Federation’s 2008 Black Friday Weekend survey, about 172 million of your friends and family (as well as plenty of strangers) were shopping up a storm over the weekend. Not everyone was gung-ho about leaving the house, though; those numbers include online shoppers. Last year’s numbers were closer to the 147 million mark. Of course, that includes the entire weekend, with Friday hitting the… View this story
Dealers • Deals • Home Theater • Audio • Networking • Product News

We’ve all stopped in the local big-box retailer and stared at the wall of flat-panel TVs. Maybe the last time you came home from there, you were determined to start a home theater project. Why stop at home theater, though? Why not look for other ways to enhance your lifestyle? Major electronics retailers are great starting points, but if it’s an entire home control system you crave, you should look elsewhere. The Shopping Center As we said, chances are your big-screen dreams began at a… View this story
Installers • Dealers • Retailers • Home Theater • Info and Answers

For many A/V enthusiasts, the hunt for new equipment is often the highlight of the home theater process. Devouring countless reviews, sniffing out deals, kicking the tires at local shops and yapping it up on the forums are all enough to get the adrenaline flowing and the significant other nervous. Eventually, however, the fun must come to an end and the trigger is pulled. You buy it, install it, and if you've done your job well, you get to enjoy it for many years or… View this story
AV Components • Displays • Speakers • Manufacturers • Installers • Dealers • Retailers • Question of the Day • Home Theater • Info and Answers

I might have to make a special trip from Massachusetts down to New York City. Specialty A/V dealer Lyric Hi-Fi & Video has scheduled a monthly series called “Classic Album Night” that is sure to give attendees a listening experience unlike any other they’ve had. Set for the second thursday of the month, the lineup of classic albums is, well, classic—the grouping would be pretty much in my pantheon of music, including Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, the Grateful Dead’s American Beauty and… View this story
AV Components • Amplifiers • Preamplifiers • Turntables • Industry • Installers • Dealers • Miscellaneous • Movies and Music • Speakers • Floor Standing Speakers • Home Theater • Audio • Product News

Custom electronics installers have access to some great A/V gear, and we know a good portion of our magazine and online readership consists of dealers. So you might get some discounts on great displays, but we figured we’d fill you in on OmniMount’s free TV contest anyway. Chances are you know plenty about flat-panel TV mounts, but there are always new products coming out in this category. OmniMount’s online Learning Library is a training institute with presentations that can help you enhance your knowledge and… View this story
Furniture and Mounts • TV Mounts • Industry • Manufacturers • Installers • Dealers • Miscellaneous • Web Services • Enhancements • Product News

I don’t envy anyone shopping for a TV these days. Is there confusion? No doubt. Heck, I’m sometimes confused, and I write about this stuff. But I most pity TV buyers today because of the poor presentation in the stores. Here I was looking for a new TV for my new home office, which will double as a guest suite. Therefore, it would be hospitable to equip it with a good HDTV, right? And I admit it: This will be the place I’ll go to… View this story
HDTV • LCD • Plasma • Dealers • Home Theater • Info and Answers

For anyone who may have missed the post about McIntosh’s “Trade-UP” program, here’s an update: McIntosh has decided to extend the incentive program through Sept. 30, instead of stopping it on Aug. 31. The program allows you to upgrade your current McIntosh components to newer ones with a little monetary incentive of receiving 75 percent of your original McIntosh’s MSRP toward a new model McIntosh Power Amplifier. You can trade in any McIntosh Multi-Channel, 2-Channel or Monoblock Amp during the promotion. For further details, go… View this story
AV Components • Amplifiers • Industry • Manufacturers • Dealers • Enhancements • Product News

At the end of last month, Circuit City issued a press release stating that they were firing 3,400 people and closing a number of store locations. The official release described the 3,400 as “associates who were paid well above the market-based salary range for their role.” It seems reasonable to draw a connection between “paid well” and “top performer.” The Circuit City announcement came on the heels of a similarly gloomy announcement from Tweeter, which in March closed a third of its stores and initiated… View this story
HDTV • Installers • Dealers • Info and Answers • Opinion/Soapbox

If you were to visit the Colorado home of Michael Malcolm, you might not believe he’s the CEO of a company that sells high-end video servers that cost more than $20,000. The most-used TV in the Malcolm household is a small $130 model bought several years ago at Wal-Mart and often used by the Malcolm children. There’s still plenty of high-end electronics in this three-story wood and stone mountain house located just outside of Aspen. There’s an audiophile- and videophile-grade home theater, a whole house… View this story
Digital Media Servers • Digital Media Stores • Multiroom Audio • Touchpanels and Keypads • Lighting Control Systems • Dealers • Home Theater • Multiroom AV • Home Control • Info and Answers

Just about everyone loves movies and music, but unless you’ve recently struck it rich, you probably can’t afford the bevy of equipment necessary to enjoy top-notch entertainment in every room of your house. That’s why it’s so important to prioritize before you start integrating systems into your home. Jeff and Linda Talling of Swansea, MA, did just that, and their plan really paid off. “I’ve always wanted to have structured wiring, a whole house music system and a theater,” says Jeff. “And sure, we considered… View this story
AV Components • Multiroom Audio • Multiroom Video • Remote Controls • Cables, Wires and Tools • Structured Wiring • Industry • Dealers • Home Theater • Multiroom AV • Info and Answers