Bob Archer is an audio enthusiast and senior editor at CE Pro.
The recent economic recession hurt millions of people and there really isn’t much good anyone can say about it. However, there have been a few benefits that have resulted from the economic dip with the home audio market adjusting to compete in a post-recession economy.
Prior to the recession, the housing market was growing at a rapid rate. Many new homebuilders during this time were offering options with their products that included home theater, home networks and whole-house A/V entertainment. Manufacturers in turn, were developing products and solutions that were geared towards the installation of these products in the new construction projects of this period. The housing market imploded and sales dried up once the recession hit and the audio community had to reassess its whole-house product solutions, which in many cases weren’t conducive to installations in existing home structures.
When you think about it, there are a lot of different connectivity technologies that can be found within a modern home. After all, there are a lot of devices connected through Ethernet, and what home doesn’t have a Wi-Fi network broadcasting? HomePlug Powerline communications is an excellent way to connect a home entertainment center to the network, and MoCA does an excellent job of transmitting multimedia content. With each of them playing important roles within the connected home, the challenge is ensuring smooth, seamless interoperability.
