John Sciacca

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CEDIA 2019

Powershades Simplifies Shade Wiring and Retrofit

John Sciacca | Sep 14, 2019 | Published: Sep 15, 2019 | 0 comments

For years, I’ve been telling Sound and Vision readers in my Connected Life blog that they should be pulling extra wiring throughout their home whenever possible — and that although they might not use that wiring today they would be thankful for having it tomorrow. PowerShades has totally validated my suggestion with its new line of PoE (Power over Ethernet) shades unveiled at CEDIA that can be fully powered and controlled by a single Category rated (Cat5/6) cable!

But, good news, Pronto and iOS lovers! The

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CEDIA 2014

PRO Audio Technology Crams MASSIVE Sound in Your Walls John Sciacca | Sep 15, 2014 | 0 comments

Looming just outside the PRO Audio Technology booth are speakers that literally dwarf my 6-foot 4-inch self. These speakers weigh upwards of 300 pounds, feature massive horns and woofers and are driven by 10,000 watts of amplification to deliver organ pulverizing SPLs in even the largest rooms. So when I went into the PRO Audio demo, I certainly expected to be blown away by big sound. What I didn’t expect was what I saw when the demo was over and the company revealed what was actually playing!

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CES 2017

Project Nursery Delivers World’s First Parent + Baby Wearable John Sciacca | Jan 04, 2017 | 0 comments

Today Project Nursey expanded on the company’s line of baby monitors by releasing the Parent + Baby SmartBand. This combines two of the hottest current trends in consumer electronics, smart wearables and baby tech, into a single product which is the first wearable device designed exclusively for new parents. The SmartBand is designed to ease the pain of “journaling” that many new parents encounter as they track the progress and development of their newborn. E2%80%99s-first-parent-baby-wearable">Continue Reading > n">

CES 2015

Pronto Peel Turns iPhone into a Smart Remote John Sciacca | Jan 08, 2015 | 0 comments

The Philips Pronto touchscreen remote control revolutionized what a non-professional programmer could do when it came to customizing their personal controller. User groups traded graphics files, created games, and spent hours tweaking and refining their beloved Prontos. But this venerable remote was discontinued by the manufacturer several years ago, and the Pronto name was all but lost, only to be spoken of in hushed and revered tones. new Pronto Peel is going to bring some of the love and control back in a new form factor and simple to use way! remote">Continue Reading > ">

CES 2015

PSB Wants to Make Your Outdoors Blu John Sciacca | Jan 09, 2015 | Published: Jan 10, 2015 | 0 comments

Bluesound launched at last year’s CES, causing me to write a post titled, “Is Bluesound an Audiophile Sonos Killer?” Since then the company has gone on to prove its worth with high-res, 24/192 file playback and a terrific control app that lets users easily stream and enjoy music all around their homes. This year the company is broadening the reach of beautiful music listening to outside of the house by adding BluOS software to an outdoor speaker by sister-company PSB. Reading > n">

CES 2016

Put a Canary in Your Coal Mine John Sciacca | Jan 07, 2016 | 0 comments

Back in the day, canaries would be carried down into mine tunnels to warn of any dangerous gases such as carbon monoxide. When the canary died, you knew it was time to get the heck out of dodge. This modern Canary is designed to protect your house while you’re away and notify you of any break-ins. Reading > ">

Other Tech

Qsonix Q100 Music Server John Sciacca | Apr 03, 2006 | 0 comments

What We Think

This multiroom music server offers excellent sound and an interface as gorgeous as it is easy to use.

A board game called Othello came up with the ingenious

Reading > n"> Qsonix QJB110 Nostalgic Digital Jukebox John Sciacca | Jun 29, 2008 | 0 comments

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CES 2017

Rachio’s Smart Wi-Fi Sprinkler Controller John Sciacca | Jan 05, 2017 | 0 comments

You know that commercial where the dad uses Alexa to turn on the front yard sprinklers to soak his daughter’s boyfriend? The hardware behind that voice-activated dousing is Rachio, and they are at CES showing their new Gen 2 sprinkler controller. rinkler-controller">Continue Reading > views-row-last"> Recession Tips for Home Sellers and Installers John Sciacca | May 31, 2008 | 0 comments

Oil is more than $100 a barrel. Gas is already $4 a gallon in some cities. Subprime mortgages are causing stock-market freefalls. And it's getting to where you can't glance at the news without hearing about a recession.

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John Sciacca

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