Are you purchasing a new 4K home theater or gaming system but can’t understand why you would need a more expensive fiber HDMI® cable? Without a high-performance cable, your “upgraded system” is only as good as the cable connecting it all together, which may not be an upgrade at all. Why would you invest in a new display, expecting to experience higher resolution performance, only to use a cheap cable?

Gaming has exploded into a massive industry and now 4K gaming consoles are here. Higher resolution gaming systems require higher bandwidth connectivity solutions to deliver 4K at its full potential. Retailers shouldn't ignore this opportunity to provide new, high-end HDMI cables capable of supporting 4K video content at 24Gbps.

Every custom integrator will encounter problems between HDMI enabled devices that are ultimately caused by EDID. Understanding what EDID is and how it will impact your system will give you a step up in the field when it comes to diagnosing and fixing EDID related errors. Read our latest blog post to learn more.

Apple TV Error Messages

Recently we published an article about problems with Apple TV and DirecTV’s DSS Receivers in reference to the display, indicating an HDCP error. From that article, I received several comments concerning the validity of my conclusion about this being related to the voltage/current requirements of the source device. After re-reading the content, I realized detail on this subject matter needed to be explained further. The following is the updated text to reflect our real-world experience in dealing with these issues and their causes.

24Gbps Cables

4K content and displays have become mainstream, but now the future holds something bigger: 8K! While HDMI hasn’t officially released the Compliance Test Specifications (CTS) for HDMI version 2.1 as of December 2018, we do know that the next step in 8K will require 24Gbps bandwidth by reassigning the 4th channel, currently used as the clock lane, to carry video.

We are prepared for the future and many of Metra Home Theater Group’s 18Gbps HDMI cables can already support 24Gbps. These cables were engineered to carry either clock or video in the fourth lane, as we anticipated and prepared for the new format and technology. These cables also support the new enhanced audio return channel (eARC*), in addition to 4K, HDR and more. This makes them ideal for the latest high-performance gaming consoles, which have exploded in popularity with more than 2.5 billion video gamers around the world (according to the European Mobile Game Market, 2016).

Whether you’re pre-wiring a new home, installing a home theater system for your client or selling retail products in your store, Metra Home Theater Group has you covered with the latest technology for AV connectivity.

As home theater enthusiasts and technology professionals eagerly await the rollout of HDMI 2.1, manufacturers are working to bring 4K/120, 4:4:4, 12 bit color, dynamic HDR and 8K into mainstream production. While details for Ultra High Speed HDMI Cables are still being finalized, we do know that the next step in 8K will require 24Gbps bandwidth by reassigning the 4th channel, currently used as the clocking lane, to carry video.

HDMI Cables will Expand Bandwidth via the 4th High Speed Video Channel, Currently the Clock Channel

As HDMI version 2.1 continues its rollout, Metra Home Theater Group spoke with HDMI expert Jeff Boccaccio of DPL Labs to hear his take on the adoption of 8K content and how it will affect existing HDMI cables. Since version 2.1 is such a significant change regarding bandwidth, Boccaccio thinks that this change will be implemented incrementally, starting with 24Gbps.

Are you hearing that HDMI® cable manufacturers already have 8K HDMI 2.1 cables and wondering how this can be? HDMI has not officially released the Compliance Test Specification (CTS) for HDMI version 2.1 (as of the original publish date of this article). So how can there already be Ultra High Speed HDMI Cables on the market?

According to HDMI, Ultra High Speed HDMI Cables are the proposed “format for the next generation of HDMI (officially HDMI 2.1), this new format may support bandwidths upwards to 48 Gbps. Please note however that the Cable Performance Compliancy Standards have not been finalized and that the entire transmission format has changed, this means that there is no way to test for this new specification”.

Recent Problems Have Occured with Active HDMI® Cables, Thinner Passive HDMI Cables and Also Longer Passive HDMI Cables.

4/9/18 UPDATE: This issue was first reported in April of 2017 with DirecTV. Now, we’re seeing it with CATV and also with thinner passive HDMI cables and have updated the article to reflect this new information, as of April 2018.

April 2018 - Our tech support team has recently seen an increase in calls about active, thin passive and longer HDMI cables not working with DirecTV receivers and CATV boxes. In every case the system had been working fine, in some cases for years, until sometime in the past 3 months. When the failure occurs the TV will display an HDCP incompatibility warning. This is a new issue and it has taken us a bit to understand the problem, however we think that we have this figured out.

Every custom integration project is unique, with the requirements, budget and project site providing its own set of challenges. By knowing which solutions on the market are the most cost effective and easiest to install for your specific project, you’ll provide a better service for your customers and a healthier profit margin for the company. In this article, we’ll cover when to use Ethereal’s M3B Pro System for HD video distribution and help you identify potential projects best suited for this system.

The new Velox Active 30 Meter HDMI® Cable (EHV-HDT30) from Metra Home Theater Group has earned several industry awards for its innovative new technology.

Consumer Warning: Competing Category, Coax and Bulk Speaker Wire Products Don’t Hold Up to Spec Testing

Metra Home Theater Group can legitimately advertise that when it comes to our category, coax and bulk speaker wire, our brands meet or exceed specifications. How do we know this? We perform rigorous 3rd party testing on our bulk wires to ensure that once sealed inside walls, integrators won’t have an issue with our products. While other competitors state that they’ll “replace any wire that doesn’t work”, ripping out wires from a wall isn’t always an option for integrators.

Brent McCall to Educate Custom Integrators on All Things HDMI

Metra Home Theater Group will be educating custom integrators at the 2017 Pacific Northwest Consumer Electronics Expo about HDMI. The session, titled “HDMI Today, Tomorrow, and Into the Future”, will be held on Tuesday, May 23 at 11:00AM in Seattle, WA. The speaker, Brent McCall, has more than 39 years working in all facets of the A/V industry, on both the retail side and in the field as a Custom Integrator. He’s spent the last 18 years as part of the research, development and technical support team for Metra Home Theater Group, with a strong focus on HDMI and its custom installation requirements.

The announcement of HDMI™ 2.1 being released in the near future has raised many questions among custom integrators, and rightly so. As technology changes faster than most of us can even keep up with, changes in HDMI specs could results in outdated accessories or systems.

Since the initial announcement about the jump to 48 Gbps made one day before CES 2017 opened, the final details of this new spec are set to be announced this spring, with products potentially being shipped late 2017 or early 2018. Are you ready for this change? Metra Home Theater Group’s Brent McCall takes us through the top questions (and answers) that every integrator is asking about HDMI 2.1.

What does HDMI 2.1 change from the 2.0 version?

From what we know so far, the HDMI terminal will not change but the data rate will increase quite a bit. In a nutshell, it will allow for a much higher bandwidth, from 18Gbps to 48Gbps, in preparation for higher resolutions of content. Specs are still being finalized, so more information should be coming soon.

The Internet has revolutionized the way we shop. Because of the numerous advantages and benefits, more and more people prefer buying things online. One year ago, we launched the new and improved Metra Home Theater Group website, which offers our complete product lineup available for dealer or distributor purchase online. It’s been a huge benefit for our customers, but not everyone is aware of all of the online store features. Below are our top reasons for dealers and distributors to shop the online store:

Convenience to Buy Anytime, Anywhere.

This is by far the best reason to shop online. No need to worry about getting back to your office to browse through a catalog to place an order with a sales rep during business hours. Our office is open online 24/7. Order whenever and wherever it is convenient for you. The new Metra Home Theater Group website is optimized for ordering from any device; smartphones, tablets or desktop computers.

Dealers can also see inventory levels and choose the most convenient shipping locations for their business.

Metra Home Theater Group has stressed the importance of being educated on 4K technology and explained last year how it was going to impact Custom Integrators, Installers and Home Technology Professionals. Some people were uncertain it would be adopted quickly by consumers, since initial sources for 4K video content were limited. Others felt 4K would be like the 3D TV fad, and may not catch on at all. Then there were those who thought that the high price tag combined with limited content would make mainstream 4K adoption something that happens far into the future, if adopted at all.

Fast forward to Q3 of 2016 and the adoption of 4K by the consumer is now faster than the adoption to HD, as stated in this article by the Consumer Technology Association. Just about every TV over 50 inches and almost half of all TV sets sold are 4K Ultra HDs. While price tags on certain brands or models can still be pricey, they’ve come down quite a bit and consumers can buy a 43” 4K TV for as low as $299. Watching 4K content has also been made easier, with many newly released movies in 4K, along with instant streaming for all of Netflix’s original series and a sizeable selection of content from Amazon Video.

The adoption of 4K technology is no longer coming — it’s here. Which gives even more reason to be educated on all aspects of it.

The 2016 CEDIA Show was an impressive experience for the staff of Metra Home Theater Group. This year’s theme to “Think Big” for the future of business was apparent in all aspects of the show, from the innovative products to the training sessions and speaker topics. As the world’s premier showcase for home technology, we were excited and inspired by all of debuting products and news of what is on the horizon for our industry. We met a lot of amazing people at our booth while introducing our newest products and innovations. The enthusiasm from attendees didn’t slow down, as we had a constant flow of traffic all three days of the show. In case you didn’t get to travel to Dallas, here are the highlights of our exciting CEDIA Show:

• Lunch ‘N Learn. Our annual Lunch ‘N Learn event with Jeff Boccaccio, President of DPL Labs, has become a highly anticipated CEDIA tradition. This year Jeff discussed HDR, 4K Deep Color, and fiber interoperability in his two part presentation series, “Making the Jump”. Both sessions had the highest attendance to date with standing room only, overflowing into the aisles.

Metra Home Theater Group is making it easier than ever for users to “Spy from Anywhere” with enhanced security solutions for SPYCLOPS® Surveillance System owners. The SPYCLOPS mobile app is now available for both Apple and Android smartphone or tablet devices. Users can keep an eye on their home or business from anywhere in the world using the free, secure, and newly updated app.

SPYCLOPS Mobile App Features

The remote viewing application is designed to easily view live and recorded video from your SPYCLOPS DVR surveillance systems. Connect using your 9 digit device ID or with direct IP access. The app can support single or multiple DVR’s. Users can also create custom groups with cameras from multiple locations for simultaneous viewing within the application…

Larger flat screen TVs are in high demand, and mounting them to the wall is one of the most popular options for homeowners and businesses. The TV mount becomes one of the most important accessories, and it does more than just secure the screen to the wall. Its position, if installed correctly, enhances the entire viewing experience. However, larger, heavier screens present a challenge for installers to safely mount and still maintain a full range of motion. How do you know which TV mounts will work best for larger screens? Metra Home Theater Group’s tech team recommends looking at four key things; range of motion, weight capacity, VESA pattern range and quality construction.

Range of Motion

Full motion TV mounts, or articulating TV mounts, provide larger televisions the freedom to move for optimal viewing positions. However, these are not all the same and you should pay careful attention to the specs! Many mounts tend to have a reduced range of motion for larger screens. We disagree with this. Larger displays should not have to sacrifice range of motion. The mount should tilt up and down and have an arm to come out from the wall to offer plenty of viewing options. The recommended specification for a full motion TV mount is an arm that extends 31 inches out from wall and a swivel angle of +/- 90 degrees. Anything less and you’ll be limiting the potential viewing options for the screen.

Summer storms mean lightning strikes and power surges, which can wreak havoc on every HDMI® electrical device in the building. While you may think your electronics are safe, a typical surge protector does not protect HDMI interfaces from electrostatic discharge (ESD). HDMI ports are very vulnerable to ESD and even small surges could render the entire electronic chain useless, despite having a power surge protector in place. The best way to protect yourself is to have an HDMI surge protector specifically designed to prevent ESD in line for all of your HDMI devices. The correct HDMI surge protector will defend against intruding voltage spikes that can damage HDMI components.

What is Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)?

The ESD Association states that “To many people, Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) is only experienced as a shock when touching a metal doorknob after walking across a carpeted floor or after sliding across a car seat. However, static electricity and ESD has been a serious industrial problem for centuries.” Additionally, “as electronic devices become faster and the circuitry getting smaller, their sensitivity to ESD in general increases. This trend may be accelerating.”

When more than 80 TV experts come together to judge the picture quality of the best Ultra HD TVs on the market, the connecting HDMI® cables and accessories have to be top quality. After all, this isn’t your novice audience, it’s a panel full of TV experts, reviewers and calibrators from around the world, whose sole purpose is to judge the color accuracy, perceived contrast, black level, motion resolution and overall performance quality of the displays. The output requires flawlessly delivery from each component in the system in order to accurately provide a non-biased review of the TV displays. This was no small job and CE Week’s TV Shootout knew they needed the best professionals and products for this task. Metra Home Theater Group’s Velox Cables and Gigabit Accelerator were requested to deliver this high quality content by the professional custom integrators at Murideo / AVProConnect, along with their AVProConnect’s 18 GBP/Sec Switching and reference signal generator for distribution, Minolta’s cameras and Panasonic’s UHD players (currently unavailable in the USA).

Breaking Industry News from Metra Home Theater Group’s CI Source!

This article came across the wire this week and caught our attention:

HDCP Pro 2.2 Could Lead to Black Screens
By Paddy Baker On June 08, 2016

InfoComm’s Future Trends sessions generally flag up new opportunities for the pro-AV industry, rather than dire warnings. In Tuesday’s event, however, L. William Nattress, Director of Channel Strategy at Biamp, advised delegates that failing to observe the requirements of HDCP Pro 2.2 content protection could lead to displays going black across entire campuses.

When it comes to installing a professional surveillance system, Digital Video Recorders are the heart of the security camera system and single most important component. Installers have many affordable options to choose from, but they aren’t always high quality or customer friendly. While our Spyclops brand of surveillance products has high-quality features, the latest technology and affordable pricing, we want you to understand what to look for in a DVR and how it affects your project. This will help you pick the best Digital Video Recorder for your customer’s needs.

Read Metra Home Theater Group’s recommendations for professionals on choosing the best DVR for a security surveillance system:

1. Check the DVR’s Recording and Playback Resolution Specs.
   The recording resolution and playback (live video) resolutions are not always the same quality. Commonly, the live video is of a much higher quality to free up video storage space. You may have a playback resolution that is the same as what the camera can record but notice a big difference when you review older footage, which is of lower quality. The recorded resolution is important when trying to look at previous footage to identify a license plate number, person’s face, or currency numbers on money. The details make the difference, and the specs like frames per second (fps) are a key indicator as to how clear the video footage will be, with 30 fps being the best frame rate. Pay close attention to the DVR’s resolution and frames per second when comparing models.
2. Don’t Pay to Access Security Camera Footage.
   Customers like having control of their security system from any high speed internet connection in the world. Most systems offer a smartphone app for remote viewing, as this is the most convenient way to check your system. This must-have service should also be free and secure.

When setting up a home theater system with a new 4K Ultra HD television, one our customers came across the following message on their TV’s display:

“For optimal picture quality, connect your 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player to a Television that supports 4K Ultra HD with High Dynamic Range.”

A homeowner may think they know where their TV should be mounted but it’s up to the experts to guide them with the best decision. Being able to consult the homeowner with your installation expertise adds value to what you do as a professional. Mounting a TV can be a quick and easy way to change the look of any room but there are a few things to consider before any holes are drilled.

Determine the Proper TV Height

Just how high should the TV be? The basic rule of thumb is that the middle of the television should be eye level when seated. This is critical for bedroom TV screens, make sure that you are not looking through your feet or up too high, where you have to move your neck to look up. Since most people spend hours watching TV, mounting a television too high may cause neck strain. If your television must be mounted high, use a tilt mount (AS-TX86) to reduce neck strain by tilting the screen downwards. Be careful not to mount too low, as this will cause you to get tired and lethargic as you will be blocking airflow in your neck as you look downwards for a long period of time.

So you want a 4K television. You are not alone. It’s all anyone can talk about on social media. The terms 4K, HDR and UHD are everywhere. At four times the pixels of 1080p, about 8 million pixels, the picture is incredible! Consumers love the latest technology and want 4K televisions in their homes. But before anyone runs out and makes an investment in a 4K TV, here is what you really need to know to make an educated purchase:

Is it Really 4K?

The packaging and store display may say it’s a 4K TV, but is it REALLY? Does it support 4:4:4 color where every pixel in the television gets color info? Read the specs on the television carefully. Unless you can confirm that this is a real 4K TV, you shouldn’t move forward with your purchase.

Does it Have HDR?

HDR is the biggest change to come to television in the last 10 years. HDR aka High Dynamic Range takes the brightness and contrast controls to a radically new level of performance, this provides much greater detail and shading than ever before possible. To purchase a new TV that doesn’t support HDR would be a waste of money. Read the 4K TV specs carefully and look for HDR or High Dynamic Range. If it’s not listed, move on to the next TV!

In the AV industry, you’ll see technology terms and phrases being thrown around from credible, and even non-credible sources. Sure, you’ve seen them, but do you really understand what these phrases mean and how they could impact your next installation project? Do you know what HDR stands for and why it’s different than 4K? Or why 4K is called 4K? Metra Home Theater Group believes knowledge in power, so we’ve defined five AV industry tech terms we feel every home technology professional, custom integrator and installer needs to know.

Top 5 Trending AV Technology Words You Need to Know:

HDCP 2.2

This references the Intel chipset designed to protect copyrighted digital content from being stolen. This is an upgrade from HDCP 2.0, and is not backwards compatible. You may not be able to have a firmware upgrade to HDCP 2.2. In addition, if your signal path had the HDCP 2.2 chipset anywhere in the line, all devices must have this latest technology for it to work. That includes your soundbar or receiver. They may have HDMI® 2.0 but that doesn’t mean they have HDCP 2.2.

What this means to you: Every step in the HDMI (4K) chain must support this new HDCP protocol. It also means (at least in the short run), that there will be some compatibility issues between devices. Fortunately, most of these will be resolved with firmware updates in your devices. If you or your customer are investing in a 4K TV, make sure it has HDCP 2.2 so it is as “future proof” as possible.

Video surveillance systems have become an affordable and effective way for homeowners and small business owners to securely monitor their properties. With the influx of hundreds (if not thousands) of different types of surveillance cameras into the marketplace, how do you know which camera will work best for your needs? Metra Home Theater Group has listed the most important questions to help you choose the best security camera for your home or business surveillance system.

Security surveillance cameras have grown in popularity for both small business and residential use. Owners can easily monitor their properties 24/7 with peace of mind — and without spending a fortune. They seek professional installers to help plan camera placements, install equipment, and setup a turn-key surveillance system with video feeds. As surveillance systems become more widespread, installers will see this area of home technology as a growing and viable revenue stream.

Metra Home Theater Group’s line of Spyclops surveillance systems offers a variety of styles, features and easy to use technology — making them a favorite among installers and home tech professionals. In addition to a great product, we continually win awards for our top notch technical support and customer service. Our tech team is comprised of top CIs who answer questions immediately. This means you’ll talk to a real person with real field experience in custom integration and home technology. In an effort to educate installers and help with future troubleshooting, we’re featuring the three most common questions and answers regarding Spyclops surveillance systems:

Question 1: Why is my remote viewing app not working? It goes on and off line.

Your feed will work 100% of the time if:

The internet connection to the DVR is running uninterrupted and at high speed, and you have internet of 4G or higher on the mobile device. Keep in mind that video feeds require a lot of bandwidth — if you are attempting to view your feed remotely from a mobile device, make sure you have full reception or are connected to high speed internet. If reception isn’t great, then the video feed may go on and offline. Closing other open apps on your phone that are also using internet will help dedicate your available bandwidth to the video feed (yes — that means you should close your facebook app and stop streaming music). Try this and see if the feed is back online.

The increasing demand for smart home automation, surveillance and technology requires running more wires. Whether it’s an existing home or a new home construction, running more wires is a huge undertaking. The former CIs in Metra Home Theater Group’s Research and Development department anticipate a shift to a more complicated installation process, with more wires requiring more ports. As the future of installation projects becomes more difficult, we will be ready with time saving solutions for home technology professionals, customer integrators and installers. Taking what we’ve learned on the job from real projects requiring more ports, we’ve developed a simple solution: the Decora Style Multi Port (CS-PCDEC08).

The Challenge:

The more wire you have, the more ports you need. Custom wall plates with more than 6 ports are hard to find. Organizing and hiding all the wires can become a real challenge. Applying drywall to cover large holes made for the wires requires additional costs and even more time. When a customer is in a rush to move in or finish a project, extra time for drywall may not even be an option.

The Solution:

Our CS-PCDECO8 is an 8 port decora insert panel made out of durable heavy gauge steel and powder coated. Metra Home Theater Group is one of the few (if not the only) providers of an 8 port panel plate, and we’ve designed this larger plate to cover existing holes.

This photo is from a job where the new home had wire run that needed to be organized before the customers moved in. The after photo shows the 8 port panel in place.

Metra Home Theater Group provides a range of sophisticated HDMI® cables to support all types of sources and displays regardless of your technology requirements. Our cables come in a range of prices and technology capabilities to cover your various installation needs. Here are three of our lines, broken down by when you’ll use them in an install:

Good — The MHX Series Cables:
The MHX series of HDMI cables interconnects incorporated advanced engineering, quality materials, and expert construction to give high performance at an affordable price. This means a great picture and sound. These cables offer a premium quality abrasion-resistant high temperature PVC jacket for maximum durability, as well as low-loss foam-skin polyethylene dielectric maximum signal transfer and superior picture quality.

Whether you call yourself a Custom Installer, Home Technology Professional or Custom Integrator, today you must be better educated for new technology than ever before. With all of this emphasis on “new” information, we should still be mindful of the installation basics. In this post, the former CIs at Metra Home Theater Group explain their top five most useful tips for Custom Installers that will keep you organized and efficient when in the field:

1. Have Quick Equipment Access: The ideal component rack should give you full access to both the front and rear panels so all wiring and controls are easily accessible.
   Remember, time is money so make sure your setup is as efficient as possible.
2. Use Adequate Ventilation: Most rack installs need to have a thermal management plan depending on the equipment.
   For example, amplification gear can produce a lot of heat when in use and if left to accumulate around your gear, this heat will damage your system components.
3. Prepare with Location Planning: On new construction jobs, never assume the builder is wiring for technology integration. A quick discussion in the planning process can save a lot of time later on. Whenever possible, the optimal location for a rack is within 50 feet of the display. Having the master equipment this close to the display will certify less problems down the road. Plan ahead whenever possible!

As a Custom Installer, it’s common knowledge that the source does not provide the voltage and current for its own digital output. This is instead provided by the display’s HDMI® input. What installers probably do not know is that 4K, 4:4:4 color and HDR has now changed how TV manufacturers are making their displays.

To provide 4K, 4:4:4 color and HDR, display manufacturers have to cut corners and stay competitively priced. To provide this technology at a lower cost, manufacturers reduced the number of display side power supplies. In addition, there is less power provided and only enough to go about two meters to your source using a passive cable.

If your install is somewhere between 5 meters to 20 meters and you are using an active HDMI® cable powered by the display, you will not have a picture!

What do you do?

This year we witnessed the release of the first 4k Ultra HD Blu-Ray video, The Martian, and are seeing more and more 4k media become widely accessible to consumers. This is no longer just for early adopters and movie fanatics. With this new technology comes the discovery that existing passive cables may not fully support 4K/60, HDR and SUHD. However, home theater customers are still expecting the latest and greatest without having to buy new cables and rewire their entire system that was installed just a few short months ago. Nowadays, a Custom Installer not only has to know how to install a top notch home theater system, they are expected to “future proof” these systems for new technology. How exactly can Custom Installers prepare their home theater projects to support 4k and the future? We turned to the technical experts at Metra Home Theater Group for their advice.

If you have passive cables already installed in the system, the multiple award winning Ethereal Gigabit Accelerator (HDM-GA1) will upgrade passive HDMI® cables to 18 Gbps, 4K/60 HDR capability up to 17 meters. This product has gone through extensive outside testing and continues to provide reliable 4K/60 HDR capability time after time. The HDM-GA1 is a stand-alone equalization product to bring your installs into the 4K world we live in today - and beyond. It’s easy to mount at the display side of your system and powered by an included USB. Total time to install is less than 10 minutes.

Metra Home Theater Group’s tech team has fielded numerous phone calls about home theater cables not supporting 4K — even though the packaging says it will support this technology. The practice of misleading consumers is not new but in the world of 4K technology, it is causing problems for custom installers.

How can electronics companies get away with these false claims on their products? We’ve seen other manufacturers sell a cable claiming a “rated” bandwidth of 27 Gbps or even 31 Gbps on their HDMI® cables. However, it doesn’t work with 4k.

This is what we call “magic” math. If a signal can be measurable, certain manufacturers are measuring this and including this number to reach 27 and 31 Gbps. Keep in mind that this signal is not usable signal. This will make their cable “specs” look better, but it does not in any way make it perform better.

If your entertainment system is using passive HDMI® cables longer than 5 meters (16’), odds are you will have sparkles in your television picture. These long HDMI cable runs can cause disruption in the High Speed Data1 (*TMDS) causing the “Eye” pattern to collapse, which in turn causes sparkles in your picture.

Depending on the specs of your system, Metra Home Theater Group offers three options that will rebuild the “Eye” pattern and get rid of the sparkles:

• If you have a 1080P TV and your cables are distances of up to 30 meters (100’), use the HDM-SR1A in line at the display. This product has low speed data accelerators built in to keep the Eye Pattern intact.
• For 3D televisions and cable distances up to 30 meters (100’), use our HDM-SR1HS in line at the display to fix the eye pattern and get rid of sparkles.
• Our HDM-GA1 has built-in DDC Correction Circuitry and repairs EDID rise time while working in both directions. This product works to support 4K/60, 4:4:4 and/or HDR up to 17 meter (60’) cable runs and is installed at the display.

A Custom Installer is only as good as the tools in his or her toolbox. Without the right tools for the job, diagnosing common home theater installation issues will be tricky and time consuming. Furthermore, without the latest technology, you may be cutting your home theater installation project short of its full potential.

We asked the pros at Metra what every Custom Installer should bring to their installation project. Here are the top three must-have products from Ethereal for every CI’s toolkit:

• HDM-JR — This speeds up switching, removes audio dropouts, and stops HDCP failures as well as mode out of range problems.
• HDM-DAD — This is the tool for EDID diagnostics and monitoring. Check your HDMI® system for correct 5V, hot plug detect, clock, and data. See the status of the data tested via LED indicators.
• HDM-SUPERDAD — Under our EHD brand, this product takes low speed data to new levels. In addition to cleaning up the corrupted EDID signals, it also repairs 5–volt issues and hot plug detects. The SUPERDAD also allows for some unique installation specific solutions. For example, the EDID and CEC can both be disabled via dip switches on the side of the chassis.

Most likely at some point in your career as a Custom Installer, you’ve walked into your home theater and turned on the system only to see it is not working properly. Nothing is more frustrating. The question is, where do you start to troubleshoot your home theater issue?

At Metra Home Theater Group, we receive technical support calls weekly from Custom Installers about troubleshooting common home theater problems. In our experience, HDMI® is the cause of most problems and creates a host of issues with entertainment systems.

Here are the two most common problems, causes and recommended solutions from Metra Home Theater Group’s technical support team:

Problem: The source or the display may not be set to use compatible signals.

Cause: Cable and satellite boxes are set to use analog connection by default instead of HDMI.

Solution: Simply access each device’s menu settings and choose the correct option, which may be listed as HD or HDMI®.

Metra Home Theater Group is featuring online product specials for dealers. New products will be showcased every Friday (you must be logged in to view promotional details).

This special is valid online only for registered Metra Home Theater Group dealers. Please login at MetraHomeTheater.com to view this special.

If you’d like to become a Metra dealer, call 1-866-839-9187 or visit MetraHomeTheater.com/apply to sign up and place your order for all your install needs.

We have made multi–room AV distribution easy with our M3B system and this post will outline out the easy steps to install this system.

You will need to answer the following questions to begin designing and laying out your M3B system:

• How many sources and displays will be in this system?
  There are two primary devices: the source side encoder (M3B–TX1) and the display side decoder (M3B–RX1). You will need one of each of these devices for each source and display in your system.
  For example, if you want your DVD player to display on the two TVs in your system, you will need a source side encoder (M3B–TX1) for the DVD player and two display side decoders (M3B–RX1) — one for each TV in the system.
• What is the total amount of COAX you will need for this system?
  “RF” components such as Coax, Splitters, and “F” terminations are also needed in addition to your sources, displays, and HDMI® cables.

High Dynamic Range (HDR) is an advancement in picture quality that will quickly find a market. It will change the AV industry more than any other display technology that has debuted in the last few years. The upgrade to HDR is easy to see by the customer and will establish a foothold in the market quickly due to its stunning dynamic range of brightness — like really, really stunning. HDR creates pictures in the same way that the human eye does and makes videos come to life with shadows and shading details the likes of which we have never seen on other displays. Viewers can instantly notice the difference and begin imagining it in their homes and businesses. Yet, we are facing one problem to implementing HDR — this upgrade has a lot of technology behind it that will not be understood by everyone.

The most prominent issue is that HDR requires the maximum bandwidth specified in the HDMI® 2.0 spec — up to 18Gbps for support of the full–color spectrum and detail it provides. The components, the cables and accessories must all meet the full specification. The problem is that HDMI products can legally state, “supports HDMI 2.0” when they only fall into the minimum specification range of HDMI 2.0 under 10.2Gbps making them unable to support the bandwidth requirement for HDR. Making it even more complicated is that the hardware specification for HDR is HDMI 2.0a. Luckily, making the move from HDMI 2.0 to 2.0a is going to be done with a firmware upgrade on most devices. Therefore, the products that only meet the HDMI 2.0 minimum–specification will not support HDR.

New releases in the home theater industry’s product technology are never ending! By the time you learn about the latest and greatest technology, it’s already being replaced with something newer and better. What you thought was emerging is now obsolete, and you haven’t even had time to review, no less educate yourself, on all the details of what’s changed.

This can be costly if you don’t know the details of the new HDMI® 2.0 and 2.0A specs. Education is more important than ever due to the hot–button feature everyone is talking about: High Dynamic Resolution (HDR).

With all the hyperbole about this new technology being thrown around, along with the talk about new cable certifications, it’s easy to get confused quickly.

Here’s an example that occurred in our office last week. One of our staff members received a typical sales email from a manufacturer that read:

Dear friend,
Good day. Attached is our HDMI 2.0 HDCP 2.2 100m extender (HDBaseT) for you.

Whoa, wait a minute! HDBaseT has upgraded to HDMI 2.0 and can therefore now support 4k/60, HDR and 4:4:4 color? Without a clear understanding of HDMI 2.0, 2.0A, 4K and HDR, one would think this HDBaseT was something to consider purchasing for use with the new 4K, HDR components because of the “HDMI 2.0” listed spec.

Thru the years the complexity of HDMI® based installations have grown, because of this we have seen a marked increase in “system failure” support calls. This can be very upsetting to dealers, consumers and causes stress on the support side.

The most common “system failure” is as follows: everything was working great for about a week or so, then we started to see [insert one/more of the following] sparkles, picture fade, and/or dropping of resolution until there is no picture or sound. Trouble shooting this can be a real problem due to the fact that at our end we rarely can get a truly complete picture of the install over the phone.

We think Thermal Overload is the problem.

Metra Home Theater has expanded our installation accessories category with the introduction of single, dual and triple gang mud rings. We listened to the most common complaints regarding mud rings from our installers and addressed the most common issues. These complaints included rings that were flimsy and not holding their shape when mounted, flanges that are not large enough to cover mistakes and the wall plates being sold at Big Box Stores and Electrical Supply houses are now mid-sized. Our new “CS” series Mud Rings (CS-SGMR, CS-DGMR & CS-TGMR) address each of these concerns.

Our new mud rings push the flange size and rigidity up a notch and now it fits the newer “Mid-Sized” plates being used now at major stores and Electrical Supply houses and the ring will not change shape when tightened down.

The new CS series are a very strong and reliable mud ring mount that you can count on out in the real world.

At the office we recently have redesigned our catalog. At home I have been working on my Holiday Gift List. One would not think these two lists would have anything in common, but you would be wrong. In spending several weeks reading and proof reading the catalog, we have products that will come in handy this Holiday season if you are purchasing new technology.

Here are the top six products:

1. 

   Metra Multi-Media Broadcast System (M3B) — If you want to watch the bowl games but the kids want to play their new PS4, you need this product. This system will allow the kids to play games on a TV, bowl games to be viewed on another, and movies to be watched on a third television. All without moving the sources to the various TVs. This product will make everyone happy this holiday season.

2. 

   LED Lights — Have a covered back porch or entrance way? Do you want to decorate them with lights for the holidays? Use our LED lights and you can leave these lights up all year to save time for future holidays.

3. 

   HDM-GA1 — Are you purchasing a new 4K TV? You will need to make sure the existing cables will work with this new fancy 4K television. Our HDM-GA1 will update your passive cables to provide content.

Today marks the one year anniversary of our blog. Here is to another year of great education and commentary from Metra Home Theater Group.

Our Metra Multi-Media Broadcast System (M3B) caused quite the stir at CEDIA this past October. While discussing the back story with one of our product developers on how Metra Home got the idea for this product, I found it extremely interesting. I thought others might find it intriguing as well. Please let me know your thoughts.

How did the idea of M3B come about?

Product Developer:
I was standing in a train station noticing how clear the information signage panels looked. Not being one to pass up a learning opportunity, I looked at the video cables and I realized that there was only a single coax running from each display to the next (at one point going through a splitter). This got my attention. Like most old school guys I am familiar with “RF” modulation products, but I had never seen one look this good. Armed with this knowledge we were able find and modify the technology for CI needs.

In previous posts, we discussed our HDM-GA1 and the three awards it won during CEDIA 2015 in Dallas. Awards are great but if our customers do not understand WHY this product is winning awards, then Metra Home is not educating our customers. Education is key to staying on top of the CI game and here at Metra Home we want to be the go-to resource for CI questions.

We made our name in the early days of HDMI® by providing the first “Made in America” long distance HDMI cable solution, and we have continued to develop and refine these capability with our latest (and still) “Made in America” extender the HDM-GA1.

4K and HDR are real, products will be shipping this Christmas and in the hands of your clients by the first of the year. How will this affect you and more importantly how do you plan your installs to accommodate this expanded bandwidth requirement?

Well… if your jobs are based around category cable extenders or current Redmere enabled cables, you will be in a world of hurt as neither of these technologies truly support 4K/60 4:4:4 or HDR content. If instead you use the older style passive HDMI cables (up to 15 meters in length) you can take your jobs forward and include ANY capability that HDMI 2.0A by using our HDM-GA1.

In the craziness of returning from Dallas last week - this post was not posted on the blog. We apologize.

Whew! What a whirlwind CEDIA 2105 was in Dallas. It was the best show Metra Home has had to date and it is largely due to the combination of great products and staff. Seriously, our staff is the hardest working staff I know and no other company can touch our products. My co-workers are a great group of people. As I sat in the front desk during the show, I overheard things being said by staff and attendees and I made up a list:

• WOW nice booth!
• My feet hurt.
• Don’t lean on the front desk.
• Who left coffee on the front desk
• Where is my coffee?
• My feet hurt.
• You sure that is the correct price?
• Are you seriously taking an order on a trashcan?
• I have not eaten all day
• My feet hurt.

If you have made it this far in the series you have seen how important each part of the cable is at least in our option. The real question is, how can this be validated as truth and not just be set aside as the ramblings of a PR/Marketing department?

Let us return for a moment to a contributing factor in what triggered this series, Still More Reasons Why All HDMI® Cable Are The Same and "4K HDMI Cables Are Nonsense". The issue here for us is the testing methodology, all that was done to verify the quality of a given cable was (A) borrow a tone generator/scope and sweep/Eye pattern test one channel at a time of the three video channels and (B) plug the cables in between a source and a display. This is not a good or accurate way to test as timing of the 3 channels together is critical and without this concurrent channel testing results will be skewed.

So, how can you know if a cable is worth a damn? DPL testing that’s how.

In the previous installments of this series, we have discussed everything needed for the best performing HDMI® cable and to improve overall performance in a system. With that being said without the proper termination quality parts will mean nothing and the cable will not provide top performance.

It is very important to control the heat, silver content, quantity and flow of the solder. Less is more in this application and of course “Cleanliness is next to Godliness”. Extra solder closes the gaps between the connection points and that can/will create its own RF field. To add insult to injury, when it comes to the soldering process ROHS (Federal Lead standards) has mandated that lead be mostly removed from solder for safety reason. Unfortunately this means that solder most be applied at a higher temperature for it to flow. Higher temps mean a greater chance of thermal damage to any board level components.

Now we are starting to get into the more esoteric physics of an HDMI® cable. For many years, mainstream analog audio cable manufacturers talked about “Skin Effect” and how higher frequency’s tend to migrate to the surface of a cable and that lower frequencies stayed in the middle. As it turns out, there is some truth to this statement. Oh, not in the analog audio domain, that is still BS (in our opinion). However, in the high speed world of HDMI surface silver content and the type of dielectric do play a part in the performance of a HDMI cable. Now just throwing a thicker cost of silver onto the copper is not the complete answer. There must be a proper balance. Copper provides a stable high tinsel substrate for the silver plating, this will help the wire to keep its original length and shape which is necessary for the higher bandwidth and speeds (see #1 & #3).

Bandwidth and Speed are very important when discussing the construction of a HDMI® cable. One has to have a general understanding of how these two words pertain to cables as well as how they play into the cables functional capability. Bandwidth and Speed are a very difficult and confusing concept for most people to grasp.

What is Bandwidth? What is speed?

Although bandwidth and speed have much in common, they are different and are frequently and incorrectly used by both consumers and the manufacturers to express the same thought.

• Bandwidth refers to how much data can pass thru a device at the same point and time.
• Speed refers to how quickly a device can create the data.

The second part of this blog series we are discussing the two types of shielding and why they are important. The two types of shielding that a HDIMI cable should have to provide the best protection are braid and foil.

A braid shield keeps outside noise from interfering with your HDMI® cable by cutting down the 110/60Hz interference. If outside RF/EMI noise penetrates the HDMI cable it can cause all sorts of havoc. Since pretty much everyone has had some experience with HDMI Cat/x Extender failure due to high voltage switched devices (lights, motors, etc.) cause a short term dropout of the HDMI signal, there is an understanding of this issue.

Foil shield reduces the high frequency interference and keeps the noise within the cable. A foil shield also protects components from damage caused by spurious HDMI noise from running amok in your system like a gremlin. Foil shielding around the TMDS feeds of a HDMI cable also keeps the noise from causing problems with infra-red components and RF control systems.

We talk a lot about our cables while we are planning our displays for the CEDIA booth. Hours are spent grouping our cables together by category and the different technology they provide. I ask questions about each of our cables and when I started looking at my notes I saw these questions:

“What is the truth regarding HDMI and is there in fact a difference from one cable to another? Is there a reason to buy a better HDMI cable?”

In getting these answers, this blog post was born and over the next six weeks we are going to discuss the six parts of an HDMI cable and why customers should purchase a better (and preferably one of Metra Home’s) cables.

As most dealers know Metra Home has been a DPL member (www.dpllabs.com) since its inception. In our association with DPL we have learned that the vast majority of claims made about HDMI and HDMI cables are confusing and misleading. Metra Home has been fortunate to be associated with DPL and has over time received a reputation for good working, reliable and affordable products due to this association.

We are gearing up for CEDIA 2015 in Dallas and this process includes shooting informational videos. The first batch of videos are up and ready for viewing. Here are the new videos:

Lists are always popular on blogs but lists can also be boring. This list is informative and important, just like our staff! Please leave comments and let us know if you agree.

1. 

   HDM-DAD

   What it does — verifies that all the EDID signals have the necessary integrity.
   Problems Solved — Provides analysis of the Low Speed Data Stream which includes the 5 volt feed from the source to the display, the Hot Plug Detect return voltage from the display to the course, the Data line and Clock feed. The LED display lights on the top of the case indicate the status of these EDID components. If there are issues with any of these feed the DAD will repair them.

2. 

   HDM-JRPLUS

   What it does — Less expensive EDID repair tool to leave at the job site to solve all the same issues of the HDM-DAD.
   Problems Solved — Audio drop outs, long sync times between sources, “HDCP not supported” issues on your display screen, “Mode not supported” on your display screen, “Mode out of range” on your display screen, black screen on your display and Picture and Sound drop out for a few seconds and then returns are all solved by this product. The HDM-VI2 is fully HDMI® 2.0, 18 Gbps compatible meaning this product will fulfill your needs of today and into the future.

Our staff wrapped up the CEPro Top 100 Summit in National Harbor, Maryland today. We are all getting excited for our next show CEDIA in Dallas, TX.

A customer asked this question: How does HDBaseT claim 4K performance when it does not support 18 Gbps?

Well now that is a very good question.

I know I have posted about 4K versus UHD and all the confusion that surrounds this subject previously and it seems like this issue is not any clearer for our customers. In the helping our customers make more educated purchases when it comes to this new technology, let us revisit this 4K/UHD issue one more time by using an actual issue that came up in our office.

In the past year, we have seen a spike in the return of “defective” extenders. This trend upset our sales and management team because there had to be a reason. The technical support staff collected all the defective units, ran some tests and came to an interesting conclusion. So interesting, that I wanted to include it on this blog as an example of the lengths our customer service team goes for our customers.

The technical staff found that all but one was NOT defective and after talking with one of the installing companies’ job supervisors on how these were being installed our tech staff cleared up the entire issue.

By C. I. Source

In Part 1 we discussed “In the Beginning”: specs, roadblocks, software, hardware, cables, standards, and more. Now, let’s look Into the Future of HDMI®.

Here is what we will need to do to continue to work:

Now that you are completely flummoxed and plotting your escape from the world of “CI” to a job flipping burgers, how do you salvage your career and start planning for the future? You will do this by looking forward — great scott! For years we wired the world with coax in various forms, from one to six cables per bundle. It worked pretty much every time. Then along came HDMI. We had to switch over to Category X cables to get some distance. At first, it took Cat/X 2 cables, but now we are down to one — or are we? Yes, there are cables that will support the UHD standard of 4K/60, 4:2:0, some even up to 100’. Ethereal Evolv cables are an example and we do have a new “true” 18 Gbps cable in the new Velox series, now shipping.

By C. I. Source

Although HDMI® 2.0 has been out for a while, this technology still has a dark shroud of mystery surrounding it. Dealers and manufactures are afraid of HDMI while customer demand is looming. We’ll examine some of the issues we’ve had to deal with as we get underway with this new frontier in Part 1. Be sure to watch for Part 2, Into the Future of HDMI in our next installment.

The question is: “As an industry, how do we salve the fears and provide the client with what they need to move forward with the new HDMI interface?”

To fully understand the new technology, let’s review. Let’s look at how we evolved, where we are presently, and where we are headed in the future:

In an effort to better engage and inform our customers, Metra Home Theater Group would like to introduce our mascot - C.I. Source ! C.I. Source (appropriately named after the Custom Integrator audience he will serve), is an adorable, approachable, tech-savvy, and slightly frazzled-looking, home theater enthusiast created to provide brand recognition for Metra Home Theater and serve as a tool to educate and provide solutions to our customer base.

To ensure customers fully appreciate our new mascot, we gave C.I. Source a rich history:

Today everybody has a smart TV with all kinds of built in Apps. The most common problem that “CI's” face is getting the Digital Audio from these TV Apps back to the AVR. One answer is of course the ARC function back thru the HDMI® cable and while this is a “simple” one cable solution it is NOT a simple one button user solution.

Here is a simple one button user solution and if you can get a piece of coax (RG/6 or RG/59) between the display and the AVR you can make this happen.

Directions: First, on most displays there is an Optical output connection that supports Dolby Digital, come out of this with a short optical cable and go into our CS-D2D optical to coax format convertor. Second you will adapt the “F” connector to an RCA connection at both ends, plug the coax into one of the SPDIF connections on the back of your AVR. Third program the remote to select that SPDIF input when your client wants to watch in TV apps.

If you saw our ad in this month’s CEPRO, you saw our own Technical Support and Product Specialist Brent McCall featured as the figurehead for the Smart Support we provide our customers. In fact, he is one part of an extensive package of smart support we provide. Our Smart Support includes a designated tech support professional for our Spyclops product, a highly trained sales staff on the latest technology as well as Brent McCall providing Custom Integrator support.

Notice that Brent is described as the “Custom Integrator” tech support, not the Metra Custom Integrator Product support. This is an important distinction because Metra Home Theater believes in supporting the CI – not just selling our products to the CI. In other words, he will try to help no matter what the issue. Brent is available to take your call from 8am-10pm*. The asterisk is there because Brent will not answer his phone if he is at dinner with his wife or in his convertible Miata for obvious reasons. You can leave him a message and he will return your call promptly.

Deanna Miller is tech support primarily for our Spyclops product line but provides tech support on all Metra Home Theater products. She is available to answer any and all of your questions related to either installing or operating a Spyclops system in addition to being another tech resource for all of our products. Deanna also assists in product development of the Spyclops line with her input coming from feedback she gets from the customers like you who she speaks with every day. She is available Tuesday thru Friday 9-6:30 pm and Saturday 10-4:00 pm.

Last week Jason and Bob were at the ISC WEST Show at the Sands in Las Vegas. This is the first time Metra Home Theater Group has exhibited at this show and we featured our Spyclops line. I hear the show went well and the booth looked fantastic. When the staff returns, I like to ask a few standard questions to get a feel for a show and how it went, how to improve, etc. I email them the questions and they answer them within the first few days of being back in the office. I work with some funny people and sometimes these answers make me laugh. This was one of those times. I decided to make it my ISE Show Wrap up post because it shows why we are such a tight group here at Metra Home Theater Group. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did.

1. What did you learn at the show? Las Vegas is just as hard on us Floridians in April as it is in January when we are there for CES. When breaking down the booth we need to make sure our crates get there on time. It’s difficult to work hard when your body is craving humidity.


2. What did you think about booth location? I think by the time people got back to us, they had seen it all and they gave us a glance and turned around. Still got some good leads in between nose bleeds. Also, we need to make sure we do a nose check during the show. Nose bleeds can happen at any time and scare people off no matter where we are located next year.

Metra Home Theater Group will showcase the Spyclops Surveillance Systems line, April 15 to 17, 2015 at the Sands Expo in Las Vegas, NV.

Jason Lundell and Bob Pancari will be attending the ISC West Show in Las Vegas, NV this week. This is the first time Metra Home Theater Group has attended this show and we are excited. We have been in Vegas for other shows but they have been held in the HUGE convention center. ISC West is held in the Sands. We feel that the more intimate booth conditions will give future customers a more one-on-one experience. These conditions are where customers learn about our best feature - our award-winning staff which is why we are #MoreThanProducts.

4K ready cables. 4K televisions. The term “4K” is being thrown around a lot lately and does anyone really know what it means? I recently tried to explain the importance of 4K and how it will impact everyone’s life one day over dinner with a group of friends. I was met with “I just don’t get it” comments. Undeterred, I went to work and started a conversation on what is the best way to educate the consumer on the importance of 4K. Other co-workers have had similar conversations with their friends and family members.

“What is this 4K I keep hearing about? Should I care? Is this something that should be important to me?”

“I understand that it is something to do with TVs, but does that mean I have to replace all my other gear to go with it – a new Blu-ray player, a new AV receiver, new Blu-rays, new set top boxes or even new cables?”

“Will I have to upgrade my subscriptions to services like Netflix?”

With Bike Week over and spring getting ready to start here in gorgeous Florida, it is time again for some training and I am not talking about baseball spring training. I am referring to the new ADVANCED TRAINING - CUSTOM INTEGRATION AND HOME AUTOMATION classes starting next week on March 23rd at Installer Institute.

The traffic has gotten horrible here in gorgeous Florida, which means Bikers and Spring Breakers have descended at the same time. We are currently halfway through Bike Week 2015. For those of you not familiar with Bike Week, and have no idea what I am talking about, let me try to explain it in a nutshell.

Bike Week is when about 500,000 people of all ages travel to Daytona Beach area with their motorcycles and leather. You may be thinking Sons of Anarchy and Jax Teller – um, not everyone looks like Jax Teller. Disappointing, I know. This event does provide the best people watching east of Mardi Gras. It is the spring break event for grownups with motorcycles. There is an official Bike Week Calendar online that includes events like Amateur Arm Wrestling and David Allen Coe concerts. All the fun is located from downtown Daytona Beach to US. 1 in Ormond Beach.

The term "Internet of Things" (or IOT for short) is everywhere. Do you know what this means? Do you know how this effects you? I took some time to read up on the Internet of Things to educate myself because frankly, the phrase annoys me. It sounds pompous. This phrase reminds me of rich people saying “money does not solve everything.” Really? Money does not solve everything? I am pretty sure money would have solved my problem of trying to figure out how to pay for books for college. With that being said, the IOT sounds like it might solve everything. The IOT is being thrown around in articles about everything from kitchen appliances to smartwatches. Yet no one has explained exactly what the Internet of Things means. There is a hashtag to following and everything – yet no explanation.

Until last Friday.

A month after CES 2015 in Las Vegas and one topic keeps popping up everywhere: Wearable Technology. The wearable technology market is set be a game changer especially the fitness wearable. As the various newsletters and emails are delivered to in boxes every morning the topic of “fitness wearables” can be found. I cannot get away from hearing about all the different types of products out there that can help one lose weight, track runs and get healthier. The various wearable fitness products are set to change the workout world much like the waffle running show did for runners in the early 80s.

In a few hours our staff is flying back from Amsterdam after exhibiting at the Integrated System Europe Show. Unfortunately I did not attend this show but I was in hourly communication with the staff to say informed and engaged on social media. Trying to cover a show while not being at the show was a challenge and sometimes humorous.

Here is a list of the top ten things I learned from ISE 2015 while not attending:

To be relevant today in the electronic industry one must be online. By online, I mean online on all of the relevant platforms. How do you determine which platforms are relevant? Well, as the new (and first) Marketing Director at Metra Home Theater Group I started using the platforms I used personally. With that being said, it’s easy to get overwhelmed if you don’t start with a strategy. I have pared down this list and decided to start with a blog for Metra Home Theater Group with the goal of giving our customers more information that they can use in their businesses.

Metra Home Theater Group is a leading source of electronics accessories for over 65 years, and this longevity is greatly due to the manufacturer’s investment in taking the time to understand the needs of residential integrators. We believe that customer service and technical support includes professional troubleshooting and brainstorming installation questions right alongside the customers. Product manager Brent McCall—who picks up the customer service line from 8 am to 10 pm seven days a week—understands that integrators need to both comprehend the installation inside and out as well as look great in front of their client.

Have you ever purchased a product and got home or to the job site and found that you have issues but can’t get support? Then you call the help line only to get a computer or even worse some foreign help center?

This is one example of how Metra Home Theater Group stands out from the pack when it comes to customer support. We have (GASP!) live people in our office that answer the phones, one of which is our head tech and product guy Brent McCall. Brent has been in the electronics industry for 40+ years playing every role from sales and support, to product design and installation. He is an important part of the exemplary customer service that Metra Home Theater Group provides to its customers.

On our first post for this blog, we introduced our affiliation with the Installer Institute and the training that it can provide home theater custom integrators. This was not by sheer happenstance. We at Metra Home Theater Group strongly believe in continuing education for our sales staff. We provide monthly sessions with our entire staff just to touch base and hear what our customers need and are asking for. In addition, we require all of our sales, product and support people to attend product training, most often on our own time to learn the latest technologies and how it will affect us and our customers. One of the top reasons to buy from us is that we strive to educate our entire staff so we can pass along this knowledge to you our customer.