CEDIA announces the first two recipients of the CEDIA Member of Excellence designation-- UK-based installer ConnectedWorks and Homeplay, both proving commitment to craftsmanship, certification and community outreach in achieving the status.

“ConnectedWorks and Homeplay are highly respected among custom integrators,” the association says. “Their recognition as the first-ever CEDIA Member of Excellence recipients raises the bar for the rest of the industry and gives ConnectedWorks and Homeplay an honour that demonstrates to customers and peers that they are, indeed, elite CEDIA member companies.”

CEDIA heads to the Lord's Cricket Ground in London for the Tech Summit tour-- a free to attend event promoting real-world education, practical business development and networking for all involved.

Taking place on 4 April, the London Tech Summit features four 45-minute presentations, with trade supplier members focusing on key categories such as audio, video, lighting and security. CIE will provide a comprehensive guide to specifying and installing a high quality intercom solution as part of a smart building solution or MDU project, before Focal takes an in-depth look into the ever-expanding home cinema market, with a focus on maximising performance, subwoofer placement, the importance of phase coherency and an introduction to Dirac Live.

MWC 2019 sees the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) present a rebranding of the USB 3.0 standard-- the upcoming USB 3.2 will absorb prior USB 3.0 and 3.1 specifications, leading to a perhaps confusing take on USB classification.

Essentially both USB 3.0 and 3.1 will now be considered as generations of the USB 3.2 specification. Thus USB 3.0, which offers speeds up to 5 Gbps, is now USB 3.2 Gen 1. Meanwhile USB 3.1 Gen 2, with support for transfer rates of up to 10 Gbps, becomes USB 3.2 Gen 2. As for what we know as USB 3.2, with throughput reaching 20 Gbps, the standard is designated as USB 3.2 Gen 2x2.

Integrated Systems Europe 2019 confirmed the event as the international destination for AV professionals, as the 16th edition of the show is the largest yet, covering 56100 net square metres housing 1301 exhibitors and 81268 registered visitors.

Of the exhibitors, 225 (or 17%) are first timers, while of 32% of the visitors were first time attendees. The organisers add Wednesday saw the largest ever one-day attendance figure for any show at the Amsterdam RAI, and the number of Friday attendees passed 20000 for the first time.