HomeTech.fm

On this week's show we sit down to revisit last week's popular discussion on voice control in the home (spoiler: Jason still isn't a fan). We also chat about the future of 4K and what integrators need to know about video distribution thanks to a great article by Chris Pinder of HDAnywhere. Rounding out the show is a new home automation offering from Legrand that targets the production builder market.

• CEDIA 2015 Registration Opens! (Dallas Texas - October 14-17)
• Home: On Podcast
• Chris Pinder: First-generation UHD 4K (HDMI 1.4 spec), next-generation UHD 4K (HDMI 2.0 spec), and what integrators need to know
  • HDBaseT
  • 4K Video Resolution
• AV Shop Talk Podcast
• Legrand Intuity
• CEPro - New automation system from Legrand
• WattStopper
• Adorne Lighting System

Apple is rarely the first one to any party, but they tend to turn a lot of heads when they do finally show up. From portable music players, to tablets, to smart watches Apple has demonstrated this pattern time and again. True to form the company has now staked their claim in another existing market, subscription based streaming music, with Apple Music.

Their most recent in a long line of fashionably late arrivals, the service goes for $9.99 a month. Users will have unlimited access to Apple's entire catalog, over 30 million songs, alongside an array of offerings including "expertly curated" radio stations and playlists, and the so-called "connect" platform where artists can engage with listeners in various ways.

All in all Apple Music is a very compelling offering. We spend the majority of this episode discussing our initial impressions of the service. Comparisons with existing services like Spotify are not only unavoidable (hint: they're almost identical) but also help to illustrate what Apple is trying to accomplish with this initiative. Tune into our conversation to find out whether or not Apple Music is a product you should be paying attention to.

As always we thank you so much for listening. If you have any comments, feedback, or suggestions please let us know, we'd love to hear from you.

See you next week.

• VIDEO: Phillip "HiPhi" Cordell - Fully Automated
• Phillip Cordell on Twitter
• HomeTech E69 - "Lights That Rock" with Shaun Springer from Twist
• Deezer
• Pandora
• Spotify
• Israel Kamakawiwo'ole - Over The Rainbow & What A Wonderful World
• How to get Apple Music on Sonos
• Apple Music coming to Sonos "later this year"
• Amazon Echo
• Amazon Echo now available to purchase
• Amazon Echo API
• Infocomm
  • Seura Debuts Next Generation of Outdoor TVs at InfoComm 2015
  • Sunbrite TV
  • Just Add Power adds Image Play video tiling capability to the HD over IP More Play feature set with launch of 2G+4+
  • Crestron Intros PinPoint Mobile for Mobile Control of Enterprise Technology
  • VIDEO: Infocomm 2015 Keynote: IoT and Privacy
  • VIDEO: Infocomm 2015 Keynote: Standardization of IoT
  • VIDEO: Infocomm 2015 Keynote: Implementation of IoT

HBO's Silicon Valley - Radio on the Internet

For this week's show we are pleased to present a conversation with Shaun Springer. Shaun is the founder and CEO of Astro, the company behind the newly released smart lightbulb / speaker combination Twist. Shaun's background in the smart home will be of particular interest to the integrators in our audience. Earlier in his career Shaun worked at Crestron, where he led research and development on the company's Core3 UI initiative.

Through his new venture Shaun is setting out to tackle the smart home by providing unparalleled simplicity. With the Twist lightbulb formally launched, we thought we'd bring him on for a conversation. We discuss some the rationale behind Astro's decision to position their products specifically for renters, an arguably underserved smart home market segment. Spending the remainder of the interview discussing the design and feature set of their new product, we discover a number of truly unique aspects to the manner in which Shaun and his team are approaching the smart home. Some of the company's ideas, on app control and 3rd party integration for example, might surprise you. Tune into the whole episode for more on that.

Overall the Twist product seems well thought out and tastefully designed. We enjoyed having Shaun on to learn more. If you find this episode, or any of our others, enjoyable do us a huge favor and tell a friend about the show, or leave us a review on iTunes!

See you next week.

• Audio Command Systems
• Crestron Pyng
• Twist
• Astro Automation
• Timphany Speakers
• Lossless Compression
• Airplay
• KRS-One
• Shaun Springer

In a couple of respects this was a rather disappointing week in the smart home. On one hand we had been looking forward to a press conference from Nest. The company has been awfully quiet since being acquired by Google in February of 2014 for whopping $3.2 billion. At the time of that blockbuster deal it was only natural to assume that, given this sort of brand-power and funding, Nest would be moving quick with further ventures into the smart home. Cue the crickets...

Hence it was with great anticipation that we were looking forward to Nest's June 17th press conference. As it turns out there wasn't a whole lot of meat on the bone. For all the pomp and circumstance what we essentially got was some minor updates to the Nest Protect smoke alarm, and a DropCam with a fancier stand. Tune into this episode to get our full take on the event.

While we were on the topic of disappointments we figured it was no brainer to discuss the latest in a long line of tough news for the folks at Wink. The home automation hub, spun off from the so-called online "invention platform" Quirky, has faced tough sledding from the get go. First in a series of scathing reviews from consumers and tech-press alike, then in the form of a security debacle we discussed on a previous episode. The product, which has consistently failed to meet expectations, now looks like it's heading for the selling block. Join us for a conversation about what this news means for the company, consumers, and the smart home market at large.

As always we hope you enjoy the show. If you find the find podcast valuable, entertaining, or both you can help us out either by becoming a patron or leaving us a review on iTunes! Either is immensely appreciated.

See you next week!

• Infocomm 2015
• Just Add Power 2G+4+ Tiling Receiver
• Savant SmartView
• Nest reveals new Nest Cam, 2nd generation Nest Protect, updated iOS app
• Nest Cam (Dropcam v2)
• Nest Protect Recall
• Nest Protect Going Crazy (video)
• Meet the new Nest Protect
• Nest Thoughtful Things
• Big Ass Fans - Haiku
• Quirky may sell off Wink
• Gizmodo - Say Goodbye to Quirky (sort of)
• Colorado Vnet

Smart home professionals, enthusiasts, and reporters alike were once again left wanting in the wake of an Apple event. It's been over a year since the original announcement of Apple's smart home initiative known as HomeKit. Despite recent, and rather unexpected, announcements by several smart home manufacturers that HomeKit product is now shipping, Cupertino continues to keep the platform out of the spotlight. Those holding their breath for a long-overdue update to the AppleTV, which many suspect could play an integral role in HomeKit, were also left exhaling in disappointment.

On this episode long time friend of the show, and fellow smart home podcaster Richard Gunther joins us for a WWDC 2015 Roundtable. Making a conscious effort to avoid speculation wherever possible, we spend the majority of the episode focusing on we do know about HomeKit. Whether intentionally, or inadvertently, Apple has managed to create a level of confusion around this release not typically associated with the company's new initiatives. This longer-than-usual episode will help you cut through the noise surrounding HomeKit, getting you up to speed with all you need to know.

As always we hope you enjoy! Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next week.

• Apple's WWDC 2015 Keynote
• DMZ's List of Current HomeKit Devices
• Insteon+ App
• Apple's WWDC App - Used to watch videos
• Hue Tap
• WWDC 2015 Logo
• Paul Thurrott
• Beats Developer Website
• Apple Music Android App
• The Digital Media Zone
• Technology.fm