The AVC Group Launches Expanded Worldwide Training Program

Moving to provide its consolidated international distributor network with a new level of training support, The AVC Group today announced the roll out of a comprehensive 2012 Training Program that combines Trade Show, Internet, and Field based classes into one comprehensive global training initiative. 

According to Ken Johnsen, International Training Manager at The AVC Group, the new program was rolled out last month at ISE 2012 and featured brand specific training on the ELAN, Niles, Xantech, Sunfire, and ATON brands.  “Over a five day period we trained a large percentage of our European distributor partners and their trainers on every aspect of each brand’s product line,” Johnsen emphasized.  “We are now taking this same integrated approach and bringing it to every part of the world.”

The entire focus of The AVC Group’s international education effort, Johnsen emphasized, is to ‘train the trainers’ to be complete experts in all of the five brands’ product offerings.  “Our goal is to provide our distributors with the tools they need to successfully represent any brand within The AVC Group.  To achieve this goal, we are combining Trade Show, Internet, and Field-based classes into a single comprehensive program that allows for the largest number of trainers to be trained in the most time and cost-efficient way possible.  These training courses will culminate in a Certificate of Completion for various products and techniques unique to the brands of The AVC Group.”

Regarding trade show centric events, Johnson said that The AVC Group will be hosting multi-brand training at CEDIA 2012 in Indianapolis.  Field-based training is now scheduled to take place as follows:  February 2012 in Australia and New Zealand; March 2012 in Russia and Europe; April 2012 in Beijing, Shanghai and Southeast Asia; June 2012 in Peru and Brazil; July 2012 in India and Dubai; September 2012 in Carlsbad, California; October 2012 in Asia and Southeast Asia.  Johnsen stressed that each Field-based program will be structured to meet the needs of each region, and most likely be a week-long exercise that he calls a “HiFive” training event.  This event will have two full days devoted to ELAN, and one day each devoted to Niles and Xantech, and a half-day each to Sunfire and ATON.

Regarding Internet training events, Johnsen plans to utilize each brand’s already established on-line training videos and classes, while at the same time, creating smaller, highly focused sales and technical trainings that will emphasize software updates, system designing, programming techniques, as well as launches in new product categories. These trainings will be delivered via WebEx, Skype and/or conference calls.

For more information about specific training events and schedules, distributors are encouraged to contact Ken Johnsen directly at kjohnsen@theavcgroup.com by phone at +1 760-710-0546 or Skype using kenneth.johnsen6.

About The AVC Group, LLC:

Headquartered in Carlsbad, California, The AVC Group, LLC is a portfolio of pre-eminent manufacturers and marketers of state-of-the-art consumer and commercial audio, video, and control system solutions.  The Group is comprised of the following industry leading brands: ELAN® Home Systems, Niles® Audio, Xantech®, Sunfire®, and ATON®.

The AVC Group, LLC is a subsidiary of Nortek, Inc. and is part of Nortek’s Home Technology Group, an over-arching designation for a segment of home electronics companies that includes manufacturers producing nationally-recognized brands in categories such as stereo and home theater speakers, distributed audio and video systems, lighting controls, structured wiring systems, residential and commercial security and access control equipment, and Internet connected media products.  Nortek is headquartered in Providence, RI and is a worldwide manufacturer and distributor of innovative, branded residential and commercial ventilation, HVAC, and home technology convenience and security products.

Sony Visual Imaging Products Group Names Stampede United States Distributor For Sony EVI Series Video Cameras

Building on the success of its relationship with the Sony Visual Imaging Products Group, Stampede Presentation Products, Inc. today announced that it has been named a United States distributor of the popular Sony EVI Series of pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) video cameras.  According to Stampede President & COO Kevin Kelly, effective immediately Stampede assumes responsibility for the sales and marketing of the Sony EVI-HD7V, EVI-HD3V, EVI-D70, EVI-D70/W, EVI-D100, and EVI-HD1 Video Cameras.

“These Sony EVI Cameras provide added choices for the growing range of video conferencing, distance learning, house of worship, hospitals, nursing homes, event center, concert hall, and remote justice applications where imaging superiority, reliability, and installation flexibility are critically important,” Kelly emphasized today.  “The addition of these cameras to our product offering provides our dealers with a new product line to bring to their end-user customers.  We are expanding the range of possible installation environments our dealers can pursue — and that is what Stampede is fundamentally all about: creating new market opportunities while strengthening core channel strengths.”

Stampede Presentation Products, Inc. is the exclusive North American distributor of Sony Video Conferencing solutions.

According to Tim Henry, National Sales Manager, Visual Imaging Products Group, Sony Electronics, Inc., “Stampede has already taken the Sony Video Conferencing line to an unprecedented new level of success.  The addition of Sony EVI Video Cameras to their product portfolio is the next logical step in our expanding business relationship.  We believe the combination of our video conferencing solutions, together with our EVI Video Cameras, provides Stampede dealers and their customers with an unbeatable range of systems to

choose from.”

Sony EVI Video Cameras combine sophisticated signal processing with extensive exposure control options to maximize image quality under even the most challenging conditions.  Camera settings and pan/tilt/zoom functions can be performed remotely at high speed via RS-232C interface (VISCA™ protocol). 

About Stampede

Known for its value-added distribution, Amherst, NY-based Stampede is the leading distributor of presentation equipment including LCD/DLP projectors and flat panel displays. Stampede provides a complete range of brand name presentation equipment to a variety of audio/video, computer, and home theater resellers and integrators in the United States, Canada and Latin America. These resellers rely on Stampede for value-added services in distribution, marketing and solution- based sales. Stampede annually produces the “Big Book of AV,” an 816-page catalog and companion website (www.BigBookofAV.com) providing hundreds of sales, installation and spec tips for Stampede’s dealers in addition to product details on more than 5,000 SKUs. For more information on Stampede, log onto www.stampedeglobal.com.

Award-Winning Homebuilder Makes Elan g! System Standard For Every New Home He Builds

After installing the ELAN® g! Entertainment and Control System in the award-winning Power Haus in 2011, Florida homebuilder Josh Wynne has decided to include a base ELAN g! system in every new home he builds.  With the help of Mark van den Broek, President of SmartHouse Integration, Josh is providing every new client with a customizable, completely intuitive and easy-to-use home control system that offers iPhone, iPad and in-wall touch panel control of every core system in the home, from the lighting to the audio to heat.

“Homebuyers today want technology that can simplify things they do and improve their quality of life,” Wynne said. “By including a base home entertainment and control package with the ELAN g! system, Mark and I are giving clients a taste of the possibilities.  From now on, every new client of mine is going to be able to use an iPad to control their six-zone audio system, lights, HVAC, pool controls, irrigation and security system. And we let them know right from the start that the possibilities really are endless—they can add to the system now as they see fit, and even prewire for future upgrades.”

The partnership is one of the first of its kind, pairing an award-winning homebuilder, and award-winning custom integrator, and the award-winning ELAN g! Entertainment and Home Control System.  Each home is custom designed and built, so the layout of each ELAN g! system is completely customizable.  If the client isn’t ready to expand the system just yet but wants to put three of their audio zones in the backyard, they can do it!

According to van den Broek, “Working with Josh to make home control an integral part of every house he builds is something that virtually no one else is doing, and it shows that he is ready to give every one of his clients a home that is personalized beyond their wildest dreams.  Each new homebuyer can specify how they want their package laid out, and can expand from the base system to include shade control, additional audio or video zones, or add more touch screen interfaces, HR2 remotes and OSD on-screen displays for controlling the system right on the TV.”

According to Wynne, choosing the right system is the first critical step to get homeowners to accept that new technology can greatly simplify and improve their homes. The ELAN g! system was his choice because it so simple to use that he knows every client will be able to master the user interface quickly, regardless of their age or technological prowess.

“The majority of my clients are building their last home,” Wynne said. “They are interested in improving quality of life and security, and want nice things in their home, but don’t want to have to fuss with the tech side of it.  Where 10 years ago virtually every person would quickly be intimidated by a room with five remotes in it, nearly everyone now can operate and iPhone and iPad, because they are so easy to learn to use.  The ELAN g! system operates the same way, with a simple touch and swipe interface that is identical on every interface device they sell, as well as on iPhones, iPads and iPod touches.”

Each new homebuyer will receive a base ELAN g! system that consists of an ELAN HC6 Home Controller and an ELAN M86 multi-room audio controller the provide six independent zones of audio.  It will incorporate Lutron RadioRA lighting both indoors and outdoors, the home’s HVAC systems, pool and spa controls, and the irrigation and security systems as well.  Each client will be able to access the system through two TS7 7” in-wall touch screens, three TS2 4” in-wall touch pads, one HR2 multimedia and home control remote, and one iPad with the g! app preinstalled.  They can also get the app for any existing iPhones, iPads, iPod touches, Apple computers or PCs they currently own.

Van den Broek added that, “My customers love their systems more in the third year than they did in the first year.  The system can grow with the owner and is constantly being updated to include the newest music and video sources, as well as new interface devices and software upgrades that make the system even simpler and faster to use.  Because expanding the system is a relatively simple process, people like to add additional surveillance cameras or purchase motorized window shades once they realize how much the g! system has changed how they live in their homes.”

ELAN Home Systems will showcase its g! series of home control solutions for builders at the 2012 NAHB International Builders’ Show in The AVC Group’s Booth #4959 at the Orange County Convention Center from Feb. 8-11.

Josh Wynne Construction and SmartHouse Integration, both based in Sarasota, Florida, recently joined forces on the Power Haus, the greenest home in the U.S. The Power Haus won Josh Wynne Construction several LEED awards, Aurora awards and other green building awards in 2011.  SmartHouse Integration was also recognized as an outstanding industry leader in 2011 when it was awarded the CEA 2011 Mark of Excellence Home Of The Year Platinum Award for another Sarasota job, dubbed “San Remo”.

The ELAN g! Control System provides users with the most uniform and intuitive icon-based control from their favorite devices including TVs, touchscreens, touchpads, PCs, iPhones and iPads. The standardized interface works across platforms, so that the trendy g!Mobile app users love on the iPhone appears and works similarly on ELAN touchscreens, valets and handheld remotes as well as users' televisions and mobile devices. And the system's IP backbone makes it just as easy to control the system from across the room - or across the globe.

Individual "apps" for each subsystem allow the user to control security, climate, lighting, media, irrigation, pool/spa, messaging, video and photos with the flick of a finger. Access is fast and secure through any ELAN home interface or globally with mobile Internet enabled devices like the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Netbooks and PC Tablets. Since the intuitive interface empowers users with personalized scheduling and detailed history views, high consumption subsystems like lighting and climate can be closely monitored and managed for a greener lifestyle - and substantial energy savings.

About ELAN Home Systems:

Since 1990 ELAN® Home Systems has been an industry leading manufacturer of innovative, award-winning Multi-Room audio/video systems. ELAN systems were the first to integrate audio, video, phones and third-party products to create a seamless, easy-to-use "whole house" solution. ELAN systems and products are distributed through a comprehensive channel of select Dealers and Distributors throughout the United States, Canada and more than 58 countries worldwide. ELAN Home Systems is part of The AVC Group.  To learn more, visit www.elanhomesystems.com.

About The AVC Group, LLC:

Headquartered in Carlsbad, California, The AVC Group, LLC is a portfolio of pre-eminent manufacturers and marketers of state-of-the-art consumer and commercial audio, video, and control system solutions.  The AVC Group is comprised of the following industry leading brands: Niles®, ELAN® Home Systems, Xantech®, ATON® and Sunfire®. The AVC Group, LLC is a subsidiary of Nortek, Inc.’s Home Technology Group.

Marc Ecko Introduces Expanded Line Of Headphones, Bluetooth Speakers And IPhone Cases To Meet Growing Market Demand

Responding to the overwhelming consumer demand for a greater variety of styles in its over-the-ear headphone product line, Marc Ecko today announced the immediate market introduction of an expanded line of *UNLTD.SOUND headphones, as well as two new Bluetooth speakers and several additions to the *UNLTD.ESSENTIALS line of products that are distributed worldwide exclusively by MIZCO International (www.mizco.com).

“Each and every consumer has different standards for his or her gadgets. It’s important to offer a variety of products that can meet each person’s individual needs and taste,” said Steve Kops, Executive Vice President of Sales for the Ecko UNLTD. line at MIZCO. “Our products have always stood out in terms of fashion and performance, and as someone who relies so heavily on their own personal gear, I know how essential it is to offer a line of products that is as design-forward as it is performance based. The *ecko unltd. line of products truly stands at the forefront of both fashion and function.”

A new addition to the UNLTD.SOUND line, The EXHIBIT Series of art-infused over-the-ear headphones features the unique designs of some of today’s top street artists from all around the world.  They are available in five designs, based on the colors green, blue, red, grey and graffiti white. At an MSRP of $39.99 headphones feature 40mm drivers for outstanding audio clarity, a frequency range of 20Hz-20kHz, 100mW max input power, and a 1.2m cable.

According to Kops, “Marc started the new Exhibit Artists Series to highlight the top creative talents from around the world in new consumer areas including clothing, footwear, wrist watches, iPhone cases and of course headphones. The Exhibit Series of headphones represents the most influential new artists and gives every person a chance to express themselves while they enjoy incredible sound quality.”

The EXHIBIT Series Slim Fit Cases for iPhone 4/4S also feature designs inspired by the world’s top creative talent.  They are lightweight, durable and feature high protection covers, as well as a rubber finish for a premium feel. The EXHIBIT Slim Fit Cases, available for $19.99, are designed with a play-through feature to enable full access to all buttons and ports.

In addition to traditional wired headphones, the *UNLTD.SOUND line has expanded to include The LINK, a set of Bluetooth over-the-ear headphones thatcan be synced to your iPhone, mobile device, tablet or MP3 player. The LINK, available in black and white, is also equipped with a noise-canceling microphone, controls for music playback and phone calls, and is foldable for easy storage and travel. The LINK has an MSRP of $109.99, and specifications include Bluetooth 2.1, built in 190mAh Li-ion rechargeable battery, 33ft range from Bluetooth source, standby time of 100 hours, talk time of 8 hours and an audio playtime of 6 hours.

Announced prior to this year’s CES, and recognized by the International CES Innovations Design and Engineering Showcase, the *ecko unltd. SPRAY, was officially debuted to the market. The Bluetooth speaker comes in the form of a spray paint can, paying homage to Ecko’s roots, and includes an AC adapter to charge the Li-ion battery, as well as a input cable for non-Bluetooth devices. The SPRAY, at an MSRP of $159.99, also features a 3.5mm audio jack, two 45mm bass radiators, two 40mm drivers, 4ohm, Rated power 3w, 50-20kHZ, SPL 83dB, with Neodymium high-energy magnets.

Also available is the BLAST, a portable Bluetooth speaker that features function control, a microphone that can be used a speaker for your Smartphone, and a rechargeable lithium battery. At an MSRP of $59.99, the BLAST is available in white, red and black.

The *UNLTD.ESSENTIALS line has expanded to feature iPAD-2 FOLIO cases made of durable canvas carrying cases designed for the Apple iPad 2. The cases are available in two “finishes” including a shiny, glossy finish and a durable, matte finish. Both versions of the case feature a secure magnetic cover with an auto sleep and wake feature, as well as a soft nanofiber lining for scratch resistance. The iPAD-2 FOLIO, available for $39.99, also sports a dual face-time and keyboard stand, full access to all ports and connections, and an inside organizer for papers and business cards.

About Marc Ecko Enterprises

Marc Ecko Enterprises is a full-scale global fashion and lifestyle company with reported sales of over $1.5 billion in 2009 and approximately 1,000 employees worldwide. Over the past 17 years, the group of companies that comprise Marc Ecko Enterprises (MEE) has grown to include: *Ecko unltd., the largest young men’s brand in better department stores today; Eckored, a young women’s brand both identified by the ‘World Famous Rhino’ logo; Marc Ecko Cut & Sew, a contemporary menswear line; Zoo York, the first and largest east coast action sport brand; Marc Ecko Entertainment, an interactive entertainment and videogame unit; and Complex Media LLC, a publishing and new media division.

About Mizco International

Headquartered in Avenel, New Jersey, Mizco International (www.mizco.com) is one of the world's fastest growing suppliers of mobile phone headsets and accessories, as well as imaging and iPhone power solutions.  Founded in 1990, Mizco markets products under the Cellular Innovations, DIGIPOWER, iEssentials and Travelocity brands.  The company currently offers more than 1,000 products through a global dealer network.  For more information on Mizco and its product offerings call 1.800.266.4026 or visit www.mizco.com.

NanoLumens Installs First NanoSlim Display at a Cosmetics Store in New York

NanoLumens® is taking customer engagement to a entirely new level with the installation of a NanoSlim™ LED display in the front window of a brand new retail cosmetics store in New York’s SoHo shopping and arts neighborhood. According to NanoLumens President & CEO Rick Cope, the installation, which was made at the M·A·C Cosmetics store, marks the first time the company’s revolutionary “digital wallpaper” is being installed in a fixed retail installation, and it points the way to the future of compelling retail customer engagement.

“SoHo represents the cutting edge in art, retail, and fashion,” Cope said today.  “It attracts millions of visitors from all over the world.  Retailers looking to make a lasting impression on this very discerning audience know that they have to go beyond the ‘usual’ methods of engaging and holding the attention of consumers.  They have to stop them in their tracks and immerse them in a messaging environment that compels them to enter the store.  Our first fixed retail installation is designed to do just that.”

Indeed, the NanoSlim display installed in the SoHo store will most certainly stop consumers in their tracks.  It measures 4.5’ wide by 9’ tall and is less than 3 inches deep, allowing the retailer to maximize valuable retail floor space.  The display boasts a seamless 4mm pixel pitch with stunning resolution, high brightness and superior off-axis viewing angles to effectively engage consumers from any distance or viewing angle.

Diversified Media Group (DMG), which installed the NanoFlex display, sees a bright future for businesses and venues that utilize the amazingly versatile and eye-popping technology, according to DMG President John Melillo.

“Our designers and engineers were excited about the NanoLumens displays from the very first time they saw them,” Melillo said.  “They really are unlike any other displays on the market today—they’re lightweight, ultra-bright and rugged, so they are capable for use in popular retail stores, as well as transportation centers and other large high-traffic venues.  These displays will breeze through bumps and splashes that would knock out other displays.  Our experiential design team recognizes that what really sets the NanoLumens displays apart is they can be built to any size with no bezels—there’s no lines or breaks in the picture at any size imaginable, custom built to fit any application.”

According to Cope, consumers have learned to tune out traditional video displays in public just as they have learned to fast-forward through commercials on their home’s DVR. 

“Whether in SoHo or in a shopping mall where stores are all vying for the attention of millions of shoppers each year, traditional displays have become ineffective in engaging and holding the consumer’s attention,” Cope said. “When people pass by a storefront and see stunning seamless visuals on a 9-foot tall, 4.5-foot wide video display just inside the doors, they can’t help but stop and check it out.”

First introduced in 2010, NanoLumens award-winning LED displays remain the only solution of their kind.  NanoLumens is the only company in the world able to reliably manufacture ultra-thin and lightweight, easy-to-install and maintain, seamless 4mm pixel pitch flexible LED displays in virtually any shape or size to meet each customer’s unique requirements.

Designed and assembled entirely in the United States, NanoLumens displays are now available in both flexible and non-flexible frames in four product lines: NanoFlex™ and NanoFlex Wrap flexible displays; NanoSlim™ non-flexible rectangular displays; and NanoShape™ non-flexible round, square, and triangular displays.

Combined, the Diversified Companies, headquartered in Kenilworth, New Jersey, (www.divmedia.net) account for more than $125 million in revenue, handling full service integration and development of managed network solutions. Diversified Systems and its sister companies—Diversified Media Group, Sky Web Digital Media and DiamondLYTE—provide aggregated media, technology consulting, engineering, management and integration services to the broadcast & cable, Fortune500, sports & entertainment, out of home advertising, education, government, retail and healthcare markets.

Headquartered in Norcross, Georgia, NanoLumens, Inc. (www.nanolumens.com) is a privately held corporation engaged in the research, product development and component design for unique flexible displays that address a yawning technology gap in the $14 billion digital display industry. NanoLumens has built a portfolio of more than 20 international families of issued and filed patents on its flexible display technology that effectively address the commercial market void between relatively small flat-panel displays and huge, limited application LED boards. NanoLumens technology is not constrained by standard sizes and shapes, or by the size, noise and cost issues associated with commercial LED products.

Flexible Digital Display Technology Stands Poised to Revolutionize How, When and Where Displays are Used, Says NanoLumens President Rick Cope

Advanced flexible display technology is making flexible communications displays cost-effective and allowing owners to position digital signage in previously inaccessible locations and use them in ways that were never possible before. Because of the infinite number of uses and applications that benefit from lightweight displays that can be installed quickly and easily, the flexible display revolution is beginning today.

“Make no mistake about it, NanoLumens flexible LED displays aren’t going to just transform the digital signage industry,” said NanoLumens® President Rick Cope.  “They are going to revolutionize it beyond our wildest imaginations. Whether it’s hanging window displays, electronic message boards, digital billboards or large scale digital video displays, the uses for digital communications displays are as varied as the brands that manufacture them. 

“There are so many industries that utilize signage—storefronts, event venues, event production companies, billboard advertisers, transit centers, bars and restaurants, stadiums and arenas—that the digital signage market is fragmented with unique products specifically designed to cater to every possible need.  By designing a display that can literally bend to accommodate any installation, we’ve created one display to rule them all.“

For example, to make sure every attendee at the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party’s 2011 Greater Toronto Area Dinner could clearly view party leader Tim Hudak’s speech, the event’s production company, Metalworks Production Group, knew they needed a large display that could be set up and broken down quickly and easily, could be viewed from any angle and was bright enough to be viewed from hundreds of feet away.

Metalworks went to the audiovisual experts at APG Displays to find the ideal solution, and were told that NanoLumens NanoFlex™ lightweight flexible displays, a relatively new technology, were their best option. Metalworks ended up deploying two NanoLumens NanoFlex 112” flexible digital displays on either side of the speaker’s podium to provide an optimal viewing experience for all attendees.  And it’s a good thing they did, because the event turned out to be the largest and most successful dinner in the party’s history, drawing more than 800 supporters and candidates to attend and raising nearly $1.5 million (Canadian) for the party!

With the staggering number of application-specific displays being manufactured today, this type of multi-use display is a breath of fresh air.  With the advent of large, lightweight, variable-brightness, flexible digital displays that can be relocated easily and hung on a wall as simply as a painting, the need to juggle an inventory of projectors and flat screen LCD displays becomes a thing of the past. 

“Think of the possibilities for a flexible digital display that is 112” diagonal, weighs only 85 pounds and can be put nearly anywhere, including being hung from the ceiling, mounted on a curved wall or wrapped around a column,” Cope said.  “Here are just a few: outdoor advertising, roadside signs, information displays at transit centers and malls, video walls for concert tours and public or private events, or even a completely mobile advertising or information display for large venues such as convention centers or stadiums.”

For Metalworks, it was vital that they be able to set up and break down the video displays quickly and easily without needing a whole crew of workers because the dinner was only a few hours long.  The NanoLumens NanoFlex displays were indeed the perfect solution for this, because they are so lightweight, need minimal labor to install and don’t require any heavy or cumbersome rigging.

First introduced in 2010, NanoLumens award-winning LED displays remain the only solution of their kind.  NanoLumens is the only company in the world able to reliably manufacture ultra-thin and lightweight, easy-to-install and maintain, seamless 4mm pixel pitch flexible LED displays in virtually any shape or size to meet each customer’s unique requirements.

Designed and assembled entirely in the United States, NanoLumens displays are now available in both flexible and non-flexible frames in four product lines: NanoFlex™ and NanoFlex Wrap flexible displays; NanoSlim™ non-flexible rectangular displays; and NanoShape™ non-flexible round, square, and triangular displays.

Headquartered in Norcross, Georgia, NanoLumens, Inc. (www.nanolumens.com) is a privately held corporation engaged in the research, product development and component design for unique flexible displays that address a yawning technology gap in the $14 billion digital display industry. NanoLumens has built a portfolio of more than 20 international families of issued and filed patents on its flexible display technology that effectively address the commercial market void between relatively small flat-panel displays and huge, limited application LED boards. NanoLumens technology is not constrained by standard sizes and shapes, or by the size, noise and cost issues associated with commercial LED products.

The AVC Group Introduces Entertainment And Control Solutions For Home Builders At 2012 International Home Builders Show

Asserting that the dream of owning a centrally controlled home where consumers manage audio, video, lighting, security, heating, and more from an iPad, touchscreen, or iPhone is now within the reach of virtually every consumer, The AVC Group will introduce a series of integrated, customized entertainment and control solutions for home builders next week at the 2012 International Home Builders Show, in Booth #W4959 of the Orlando Convention Center.

Comprising the custom installation industry's five most iconic brands

(ELAN Home Systems®, Niles®, Xantech®, Sunfire®, and ATON®), these new builder system solutions are designed to provide every type of home, from the smallest cottage to the largest mansion, with an appropriate level of high performance integrated home entertainment and control capability that allows builders to add more homeowner value to their projects and more profit to their bottom line.

“The first generation of Americans raised on the Internet, smartphones, iPods and iPhones are becoming homebuyers.  They are going to demand that the homes they buy support their media and technology passions.  This generation is not going to stand for running their mobile lives from an iPhone only to return home to the dark ages of individual appliance control," said Joe Lautner, Director of Business Development at The AVC Group.

“Just as yesterday’s homeowners looked for upgraded kitchens and baths when they purchased their homes, today’s new homebuyers are going to expect integrated control systems to be a part of the homes they purchase. That’s a fact that is going to drive market growth and opportunity for our entire industry; in new home construction, existing home retrofits, and multi-unit apartment and condominium developments.”

Lautner believes that consumers will benefit from a new generation of what he calls “affordably innovative” system solutions that offer consumers specific levels of multi-room and multi-function systems that are clearly differentiated by retail price points. “I believe you will soon see every new home, and indeed many existing homes, offer system solutions that are price appropriate for the price of the home.  The higher you go in the home price, the greater its degree of home function integration and control.”

The AVC Group strives to provide builders with entertainment and control solutions that meet the increasingly specific and demanding needs of the consumer. With five highly recognized and respected brands, the AVC Group addressed every conceivable entertainment and control need of every possible customer. Through local custom integrators, the company offers project planning and design, fully integrated products that work with an immense number of third-party components, professional installation and a great post-sale support system for homeowners.  The development and engineering teams across the five brands work together to assure consumers that their home technology offerings will install easily, work together seamlessly and perform brilliantly.

“Homebuyers today want their homes to integrate customized control systems, and they don’t just expect it, they demand it,” said Lautner. “Our solutions for home builders provide the ideal system solution for every customer’s needs.”

The ELAN g! Entertainment and Control System is the leading multi-room, IP-based entertainment and control system that is designed to be modular, easy-to-install and upgrade, and is scalable from one-room installations to whole-home systems. The ELAN g! system’s unmatched quality has been marked with numerous awards including a Platinum Level 2011 CEA Mark of Excellence Award by the Consumer Electronics Association and a 2011 Product of the Year Award from BUILDERnews Magazine. The ELAN g! System is at the core of every system solution The AVC Group is offering to builders.

Niles is renowned for its extensive range of indoor and outdoor audiophile-quality loudspeakers that blend high fidelity with the highest architectural standards. For behind the scenes, Xantech supplies the infrastructure that makes all the other systems work as one harmonious whole. With Sunfire’s legendary engineering, the consumer is able to easily integrate high performance home theater audio products that play louder and with superior fidelity compared to similarly priced speakers, all while maintaining the brand’s signature impossibly small form factors.  ATON offers consumers the world’s first and best out-of-the-box whole home music system, which provides the simplest and most affordable way to equip a home with a multi-room, multi-source audio system.

About The AVC Group, LLC:
Headquartered in Carlsbad, California, The AVC Group, LLC (www.theavcgroup.com) is a portfolio of pre-eminent manufacturers and marketers of state-of-the-art consumer and commercial audio, video, and control system solutions. The AVC Group is comprised of the following industry leading brands: NILES® Audio (www.nilesaudio.com), ELAN® Home Systems (www.elanhomesystems.com), Xantech® (www.xantech.com), ATON® (www.atonhome.com), and Sunfire® (www.sunfire.com). The AVC Group, LLC is a subsidiary of Nortek, Inc.'s (www.nortek-inc.com) Home Technology Group.