Thousands Spent, Everything Removed: Here's Why

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A “smart home” that costs a fortune should not end with the client ripping everything out and going back to basic light switches, but that’s exactly the kind of story we unpack here. Simon Gregory and I start with what we’ve been seeing on the road: real demos, real training, and the small details that separate a slick home cinema experience from a frustrating one that constantly needs rescuing.

We share takeaways from a CAVD day featuring Krix home cinema systems, including what impressed us about the MX20 Mark II in a true residential setup and why output targets, calibration position, and clean demo sources (Kaleidescape, Tidal) shape what clients believe is possible. From there we jump into a CUK showroom visit and the latest Arcam AVRs and processors, plus how these new products and speakers fit better as living room and media room upgrades than as a one-size-fits-all solution for every dedicated theater.

The biggest shift is the announcement: we’re rebranding to The Integrators Voice. The mission is to build a place where integrators can share fixes, compare notes, and give manufacturers and distributors better feedback, whether that becomes Slack, a standalone forum, or something else the community actually uses. We close by reacting to a high-end home automation system being removed due to reliability and support failures, then lay out the practical countermeasures: intuitive design, solid Wi-Fi planning, proper handover documentation, rack labeling, and service level agreements with remote monitoring that prove value every month.

If you build smart homes, media rooms, or dedicated home theaters, subscribe, share this with another integrator, and leave a review. Where should we host the forum so you’d genuinely participate?

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Transcript

Welcome And Life Updates

SPEAKER_01 0:09

Hello and welcome to the Inside DI podcast for Wednesday the 29th of July 2026. I'm your host, Stuart Burgess, and with me as always is my co-host, Mr. Simon Gregory. Simon, how are you?

SPEAKER_00 0:21

Good afternoon, Stuart. I'm very well, thank you. We are live and in Living Colour, and we are recording, which uh is the main thing.

SPEAKER_01 0:27

Yeah, well if anybody listened to the last couple of weeks, I think it was. Uh first of all, I said July when we're at sorry, I said June when we're actually in July. I I tried to cut it out, I just couldn't get rid of it. Um so we are definitely in July. Um and if you are listening to this, you should be listening to this on Wednesday, the 29th of July. And uh and yes, and I remember to hit the record button this week. So we are live and ready to rock and roll. So uh so how are you, Mr. Gregory? What have you what have you been up to recently?

SPEAKER_00 0:57

Yes, I'm very well, thank you. Uh the family are away, so uh I'm living the dream. So uh I'm a bachelor once again, which is uh actually quite nice. We're gonna play games and watch movies and uh yeah, had a nice big tomahawk steak all to myself uh uh the weekend. So uh that that was beautiful. But uh one by one the kids uh and the wife are coming back uh next week. So uh no, what day we're now? Monday. So yeah, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. They're all due back, so uh one at a time. But uh yeah, no, I'm very very well. Have you been on your own all weekend then? Uh since Saturday evening time, so uh yeah, that's good. I've enjoy I've enjoyed myself. It's like a mini holiday just for me, which uh I I'd recommend to everybody.

SPEAKER_01 1:34

I love the family dearly, but well that to be honest, that's why I like like going away sometimes to like the CD at Tech Summits and uh ISE, and then I think I said the last pod, I'm probably not gonna be able to get out to Denver. Um, but I have registered for press passes for Ether. So if they come through, I've quickly looked at flights. So I might go out to Germany for the I think it's two days they have as their media days. So I might go out there for one or two nights because I reckon it's all in all it's could probably gonna cost me about 500 pounds. Um, where uh Denver was gonna be more like five grand.

SPEAKER_00 2:10

Does that include a segue to get around though, Stuart? I told you it's 11 halls.

SPEAKER_01 2:14

No, just just my just my painful knees and uh and finding some poor schmuck to push me around in a wheelchair.

SPEAKER_00 2:21

That's what you need, definitely around EFA. But no, it's a really good show. So uh but yeah, no,

CAVD Visit And Crix Launch

SPEAKER_00 2:25

apart from that, we uh we went to saw uh CAVD as well this week, um, which was uh very nice. Went over to see uh the launch of uh their Crick's little cinema that they've got. Um the uh MX20 Mark II, uh, which uh is a very nice system. Um yeah, no, Jamie there was uh was was showing us around. We're at uh somebody's house as well, which I think was is is very nice. It's more real world. Um so uh yeah, we had a good day. What do you think?

SPEAKER_01 2:52

Yeah, so yeah, we were at Liam's house. So fundamentally um uh Jamie has his facilities in uh Marlow, which they have the cinema in. Um, then they have uh a few about two or three different rooms, different spaces there, plus the offices, and then literally probably about 20-25 minute drive from there, uh, they've got Liam's house, which Liam's been kind enough to work with Jamie to basically put some garden audio in. You know, it's almost like let's put it in a real-world environment, so actually in someone's house. So they've got garden audio outside, and then they had uh the Crick system downstairs in Liam's cinema with the nice races sim that he didn't have switched on. Um but uh I I was yeah, I mean I thought I thought it was a really good system. Um I mean I've we've done a couple of Crick systems over the last 12 months uh with another integrator, and uh I've I've really enjoyed them and I yeah, I I'm I'm happy that Crix has gone with Jamie. I think it will be a good brand for them, very hands-on. Um, you know, working with um uh Crix directly, I think he's gonna get some really good products into some really good integrators' hands. And if you're not familiar with Crix or Dead, I say if you've heard Crix before, do hook up with Jamie because I think that unfortunately, one of the facilities over that neck of the woods, I never really liked the Crick system in it. In the other system near you, I think the Crick system sounding really good, but obviously now it's with Jamie. Do go and hear it because you it's the Mark II system uh and it fits that room absolutely perfectly. And I was very, very impressed. What did you think?

SPEAKER_00 4:34

Yeah, you hit the nail on the head there. Uh similar thoughts to yourself about uh previous locations. I was never that impressed. Um, it got tweaked a lot, and uh yeah, it wasn't really uh suited for for that room, maybe. But uh yeah, no, the MX20 system, it's designed. Uh I've got the little sheet up here in front of me, it's designed for four meters to 70 metres, can do up to 95 dB as well. So um the Mark II version, I actually thought was again being in a real well-weld environment really helped uh me personally, but I also think clients, because I think we can take our clients there as well. Um, but as a dealer, I really enjoyed sort of sitting down almost like in one of your clients' own demonstration facilities. You know, it was quite quite nice. I actually sat on the front row, I don't know where you sat, uh the back row uh that's where it was that's where I was it was calibrated for the back row, um, and it did sound uh really, really, really good. So uh the front row, not quite as good, but the back row really, really did sing. I sat in both both rows, so uh I had a bit of time doing that. Lots of different uh demos, which is really nice. Different like Star is Born. We actually put on Sinners thanks to uh Mr. Carter. Uh Jamie kindly downloaded that for us all and we uh we we watched Sinners and again that's a if you want to sell a system just put the demo of Sinners on right at the beginning and uh yeah you'll you'll get a really nice demonstration there and the clients gonna be really really happy. But yeah, that was a really really nice day. We had some good food as well when the weather was shining. Uh sorry, the sun was shining and the weather was good. So uh just a drive back home took a little bit longer than I wanted.

SPEAKER_01 6:07

Yeah, I think that's why I decided to go in the morning session because as you know, I'm a I'm a uh an early bird these days, so I thought look, I'm gonna get there, I'll get in the early session and uh and then I'll have some lunch and then go. I think I left about two o'clock, I think it was, so uh when you guys went downstairs. But no, I was I was really impressed. It was to say, it was good selection of materials that Jamie had on there on a colliderscape, which uh is great because it does annoy me when you do go to some demos places and they they are flipping and flopping between USB sticks and DVDs. It's like colliderscape just makes it a lot smoother and a lot more you know professional. And then literally Jamie was like, Look, who wants to play something, who wants to listen to something? So we were putting some music on on Tidal, and and yeah, it's just a great, great little room. And I think as there's a funny, really funny photograph of Richard coming out from behind the fabric as uh Liam was sitting down last Sunday, I think it was, uh, watching the Belgian Grand Prix eating his jacket potato whilst uh the guys were still trying to build the room but around them. So uh no, I was really, really impressed. So and say I'm really happy that Crix is with Jamie and hopefully they'll do some good business.

SPEAKER_00 7:21

Yeah, as Jamie was saying, they've obviously they launched it a little while ago, but now it's sort of full force and they're ready to go and really push it hard. Um, we were talking about how we can different dealers can be part of it, and what he wants is like a specific dealer network, so he doesn't want everybody doing that. You've got to go on maybe some training or something like that to actually become a proper Crix installer and do one, two, three a year if if if possible. So, really sort of homing in on the on the Crix uh ethos and uh yeah, no, it's a it's a nice little demonstration that they did there. So uh well done, guys.

SPEAKER_01 7:54

Well no, I've been playing around with a MX30, I think it is, at the client's house we're doing with another integrator. We've not really got the projector up and anything at the moment, but I was just calibrating the anthem. We were using Anthem at this place, we were calibrating the anthem, the power amps, and that, and I was just literally sitting down airplaying from my MacBook some music to it in two channel, and it sounded amazing as some of the tracks, the go-to tracks I go to, like Jay-Z and Kanye, West Paris, which have got a good bass line. The the the bass in the room was was brilliant, and I think the whole the whole design of Crix being that infinite baffle wall, being that you like you create, for want of a better word, a letterbox in the front wall when you slide it in there, and then you literally

Crix MX20 Mark II Demo Takeaways

SPEAKER_01 8:40

you know wrap the front wall with fabric and put the screen over it, it means it's exactly where it should be, it spans the width you need to be with the spaces. Uh yeah, I I was never really a great fan of Crix, I'll be the first to admit, but since doing two cinemas with it, where I've not specified it, and then obviously now you know listen to it at Jamie's place, it's sort of swung me around to recommend it a bit more, uh, especially obviously more to integrators these days because not really doing much install. Um, but I definitely would recommend it.

SPEAKER_00 9:12

It's such a I mean, I've personally haven't done one, but it looks such a simple and easy installation as you say, you have your letterbox behind the screen and put in the speakers and the subs and away you go. So the one you do at the moment, did that have extra subs in there? What size room was that in?

SPEAKER_01 9:26

So that is a so that's why they went up to the MX 30. So that is uh I'm trying to think now, I think that's like five by seven. Um, so it's got uh the MX30 at the front uh with spacers in it, and then at the rears, it's got two subs behind the rear seats. We wanted to put them in the wall, um, but the clients like, I'm not taking that much depth, and I can't remember the name of it now, but I know that uh they were Crix were there, and uh the lady from Crix was basically saying that they were doing a smaller, shallower subwoofer that ideally could do those waveforming rear channels or be that rear sub that we might be able to get within, you know, some space frame systems and behind some fabric. So they're not in the room like they are at Jamie's and or Liam's and this client's I've done at mine. But but yeah, that was uh what was that? So that was a uh that was a uh three four five six seven. So that was a nine point nine point four point two because although it's got four subs, it's running on two two channels. From the amp. Um yeah, but uh no, actually it's from weirdly, and I want to have a word with the supplier about this. It's running on some Bose amps. Now I know they're not Yes, I know. I know they're not Bows underneath. I can't remember what they're called now. I think they're a brand that C UK distribute as well. Um but they are they were uh unbelievable faff to set up.

SPEAKER_00 10:58

I didn't do it, luckily. That's just that's just bows in general, isn't it? It's not it's not anything to do with being anything else. I think it's just bows in general. There's a big faff.

SPEAKER_01 11:07

Well the thing was you had to Simon actually our mutual Simon Simon had to get his son Jack down because they literally had to log into the PC and go into the settings of the PC. But it wasn't like you know you do the anthem or or any of them. I mean, like the they've got the audio control uh Hyperion, I think it is, running Jamie's system or Liam's system. It's not like you just go in and adjust the levels and you do this. You literally had to go out and mathematically work out the phasing and things like this to get it working right. It was uh it was a right palaver, and I'm really glad I didn't have to do it. But it sounded good.

SPEAKER_00 11:43

It sounded good, and the client doesn't see all that, so that's that's the main thing. And it's as long as the client's happy, that is the the priority.

SPEAKER_01 11:50

Yeah, and that that job is uh I think that was like a five-meter wide screen research, side masking screen, a Bravius 6 projector, and and then obviously Crick's Anthem, Mad VR, um and uh Kaleidoscope. So it is a full kit. I mean it's good it's gonna be up there with one of the best cinemas I've ever built.

SPEAKER_00 12:10

Um a shame I didn't earn the profit from selling the kit, but that that that's the thing, and that's a that's a big room, that's that's why they've gone to the uh the MX30. But it that does 105 dB, so you want to get reference, you have to go to that level. The uh the MX 20 is say that there's only 95 dB, so that's my only concern with some of the some of the quick stuff. You want to get to that reference for the client, then you've got to put minimum MX30 in.

SPEAKER_01 12:37

Yeah, and but don't forget, majority of the time people are gonna listen to it around about sort of 80, 80, 80, 85 dB. Most people will listen to their cinemas that so but yes, it's a bit like a sports car. It's nice to know that you can push it to reference, you can push it to 110 miles an hour if you need to overtake a slow-moving horse cart or something like that.

SPEAKER_00 12:58

Yes, Stuart.

SPEAKER_01 13:00

I like my analogies, analogies, yes, completely out there. So I I the day before that, and I know that um I think it was Liam from Aggressive had gone to that before he came to um CAVD on a day, and I think Steve from Cedia was going to it later in the day, but the day before the CAVD one, I went to C UK, which I've never been to before. Their showrooms down in Ascot. Was it as posh as it sounded? Yes, it's really nice. They've got two really good rooms there. They've got two,

MX30 Install Notes And Amp Headaches

SPEAKER_01 13:30

they've got two cinemas. Um, one cinema, unfortunately, because of the way they set it up, I couldn't hear it, but um but it usually has JBL synthesis in it, um, with RKAM and and all those bits and pieces drive in it, and then the other room is a bit more sort of like trying to think how you could sort of panelled walls and things like that. So it could be more of a hi-fi room as well as a media room, but again, projector base. But no, they had a they had the guys from uh Harmon down to look at the new RCAM AVRs and the new RCAM um music streamers. Well, they're not streamers, they're two channel hi-fi with the streaming built in. But that was that was a really, really good day. I mean, I was really impressed. The uh let me just bring the screen down. So they were showing off the I think the two models they had there were the AVA 35 and the uh AVP45. Uh actually, I think they might have had the AVA 25 in one room, 35 in the other room, and then they also had the AVP, which is the processor. So these are brand new uh processors from RCAM. They basically start at the AVA 15 up to the 35 for sort of all built as one basically chassis that is an AVR, basically. Uh, and then you had the AVP, which is the processor, which is the AVP 45. Um, they then uh the two hi-fi bits they were showing off, looking at their website now. Um, if I could find them, were two basically two-channel streamers, um, which was the SA35 and the SA45. So they were two integrated amplifying streaming devices. So they were basically two-channel stereo with the uh a beautiful, I mean the 45 had a beautiful large screen on the front of it, so you could easily sit there and see the artwork.

SPEAKER_00 15:31

But is that similar to WIM? That sounds sounds similar.

SPEAKER_01 15:34

Uh yeah, but I think it's up there. It's it's it's it these are more sort of like prosumer, you know, these are for proper hi-fi people with the power to run a proper, you know, set of speakers. I mean, they also showed off their uh let me see if I can find it.

SPEAKER_00 15:52

So I've always liked RCAM. I mean, we I I I used to sell RCAM loads in uh when I was in retail, so uh we sold so many of their DVD players when they first come out. I've actually got one here in the office just as a like a retro old school in the old Diva range and the RCAM range, went up to their factory and seen how everything was made. So always liked the RCAM uh stuff and the AV amps early on weren't quite as good, but I think they've got better and better. Hopefully, reliability is better with this new range as well. I've heard some uh mixed reports on reliability, um, but um yeah, hopefully that that they're they are good to go.

SPEAKER_01 16:24

Well, I I think from the reliability point of view, I think these are more these are more like designed in-house and they've looked, they've been tested within the inf the degree side of thing. I think with the older models, I think they had an issue out of the box, but when you were two or three firmware updates in, I think they sort of stabilized and found the issues. What was quite good with these, uh, talking to the guys was that these were very much designed by engineers in Cambridge. You know, they were very much like they they were very focused on the performance of the product before the look of the product, so it was almost designed the proper way around. So it was like it the product was designed, and then it was then given to the team that you know make things look nice. So, for instance, it's in the black chassis now, it's got like a yellow LED around the sort of volume knob and touches of yellow. And actually, if you look at their website at the moment, you'll notice that sort of yellow is sort of coming in as a brand colour for them. Um, they also had uh uh a set of speakers, so they've also released a range of speakers, sort of starting with the bookshelf speakers, the R15, ER25. Wow, and then you've got the floor standards, which are the R35 and the R45, and then you've got the R35C and the R35B, which is the centre speaker and the the subwoofer.

SPEAKER_00 17:51

That's really interesting because the RCAM have never done speakers before, have they? Not that I know of.

SPEAKER_01 17:56

I don't think you have, but you've obviously got to remember Harman is part of sorry, you've got to remember RKAM is part of Harmon. That is true, and Harmon is part of Samson, yeah. Or own ultimately owned by Samson. So, and obviously don't also forget that they now own a palephora of uh of products, including Bowser Wilkins, uh, you know, Revel, uh JBL, insert name of speaker here type of thing.

SPEAKER_00 18:21

They own everything, I think you need to say sure.

SPEAKER_01 18:24

Well, I mean, and I asked to be honest, I asked them this. I said I asked them about it, and they actually were quite upfront with it, which was really, really interesting, which was like ultimately uh they're all sort of like left to do what they want to do within reason. So if I analogise it to the to to my other podcast, the gaming podcast, it it's like when uh when Microsoft or Sony buy a big studio and they say, look, you know, just turn out the games that you're you've you're making because that's the games that we've bought you for. So just carry on as you are and you don't necessarily have to worry about the money these days. And and I think that with this they wanted to they wanted to embrace the R CAM name by bringing out a set of speakers. Now, the set of speakers they had in the cinema room um were the R35s, I think with the R25s, the R35C, and the R25B. Now, for me, obviously they had to be put in that room, um, but they didn't fit that room. For me, they fit the room that's on the the images on RCAB's website, which is a lounge, living room type of place where you might want a decent surround sound system as an upgrade from your sort of soundbar or your your wireless music system, and then in the other room they had the R35s um with the the integrated amplifier, and I was really impressed with that. They they really did kick. Um yeah, so I think that is it a place for a uh an inside CI professional integrator person who builds cinema rooms like you, me, Melon Giff, Owen Tom, those type of people, then maybe not. But is it like a nice two-channel system with a streaming system that takes EARC that is better than a uh sound bar? Definitely. Is it uh a good little surround sound system in a living room environment and that might be an upgrade from a sound bar, but you want multi-channel? Definite. So it's it's got its place, and and I think that it will sell really, really well. Uh it was just nice to see some really interesting, sexy looking stuff from RCAM.

SPEAKER_00 20:43

Yeah, no, most definitely. And uh say if it fits uh fits the solution, then um then uh then all well and good. I say the the

C UK Showroom And New Arcam Gear

SPEAKER_00 20:50

the speakers, do you think they're Arcam or they're re-badged from Harmon or where where where do you think in the line they they come in?

SPEAKER_01 20:56

I I'm pretty sure they're Revel speakers. I'm pretty sure they're rebranded Revel speakers. I'm glad you said that. Yeah, I mean let let's face it. Let's face it, if if you ever watch, like I watch uh a YouTuber called Matt Armstrong, and and he takes Crashdam his cars and he repairs them. And his channel was grown from him doing an LDTT in the the car park of the restaurant he worked at at to and the moment he's just done a road trip in the Bugatti Veyron he's done. Now, as he's been taking a pass apart this Bugatti Veyron, obviously there's a lot of parts in there which are VW Group. Um uh there actually were, I think in the Shiron, there's some uh there's some uh Audi parts as well. Um, but but you sort of say, you know, why are you gonna develop an airbag for a car that you're only gonna make 150 of where you could use the airbag from a car that you're gonna make three or four million of because you've got to do the RD on it. So um I don't think there's anything wrong with it. It I don't think they've literally just taken a Revel badge off and put an RCAM badge on, but I think the fundamental drivers of are are the same and they've just made them to look like the new RCAM style. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:12

Maybe they've tweaked the crossovers and stuff. I mean that the it has to work with the RCAM products. So uh I would assume they've they've they've tweaked the uh the uh the crossovers with their own transistors and resistors and uh yeah, got it got its only good. But uh sounds like a fun day.

SPEAKER_01 22:26

Yeah, it was. It was really, really good, and it was it was good. I mean, obviously Mara um XAWE is there now, and it was good to see her. She seems very happy there. Um I got to meet Stuart, the owner. Um we've sort of talked on email, but because he's based up in Scotland, we've never met face to face, and we had a really good conversation about HCA members, about Inside CI and about you know C UK going forward and what they were trying to achieve because there a lot of that's from the commercial background. So hopefully you'll see a lot more from that. Um, you also travelled another significant distance down to Rayleigh and went to monitor audio again.

SPEAKER_00 23:04

Such a long way, Strip, such a long way. It took me about 20 minutes to get there. I got there and I was offered lovely pastries, a coffee, cup of tea. It was beautiful. No, I

Why Ongoing Training Still Matters

SPEAKER_00 23:15

I went and done some training. So it's summertime. Obviously, you've got to keep yourself busy if you're not doing garden audio and home cinemas, so keep yourself educated. And I got a certificate. Look at that. So if you're not watching, uh Elevate Monitor Audio Group, they do training. And uh you can go there and uh learn about all their uh new Elevate uh speakers. So uh I knew of them. Obviously, we went there for the launch and the press day, and they've got all the speakers on show, but I couldn't tell you what was what. But now I can tell you every single thing about that those speakers and what they do, the significance of them, the tier one, the tier twos, and the tier threes that they that they do. Um and uh yeah, all the complete solutions, the uh architectural stuff, the um the the garden audio um as well that they do. Um they do some actual proper spikes and subs uh systems and some outdoor garden speakers. Um but yeah, no really good uh good morning that I spent there. It wasn't too long, two or three hours. Um again, got got got fed and watered, which was uh always good. And uh I passed with Flying Colours. So uh yeah, and I thanks to the guys uh Dan uh down there and uh yeah, everybody else.

SPEAKER_01 24:24

So you that was the course that we discussed when we interviewed them.

SPEAKER_00 24:28

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 24:29

Is that correct?

SPEAKER_00 24:29

It it was it's one of them. So they do others uh that you can get a bit more bit more in depth and things, but uh that is one of them. But uh yeah, not nice and easy, a bit of common sense uh is needed for uh the two-channel stereo speakers that uh that they they they do as well. So uh yeah, really, really, really good.

SPEAKER_01 24:46

So I always like a bit of training. I mean, obviously, what are we we're well I'm over 19 years now been doing this for um and I always used to I always usually try and do uh once a quarter, I always try and get on some webinar or some in-person. Obviously, it's a lot, it's changed a bit now after uh COVID, but try and go on some training and learn about a new product because you never know when you're gonna get uh a client say to you, Oh, you know, I want a power conditioner, or I want you know automated lighting, or I want a sprinkler system integrated into my whatever control system. So it's always good to keep up to date and keep on training. And actually, it's something I still do now with Inside CI, but more it's more now Google certified courses on advertising or Claude certified uh sort of certified courses on using Claude for you know AI and that within uh you know marketing and advertising and things like that. So, which I could use with Inside CI and I could also use with HCA members. So um I do like a bit of training and a free pastry.

SPEAKER_00 25:50

Every day is a learning day, and we all like a free pastry. I even took one back with me for for my journey home. I had it had it for lunch, actually, a late lunch.

SPEAKER_01 25:59

Actually, yeah, because it was when I left when I left uh uh Liam's Jamie turned around to me and said, Do you want to take a sausage with you? And I looked at him and went, that splattering down my t-shirt whilst I'm driving on the M25 is probably not good for uh road safety.

SPEAKER_00 26:12

But those speed humps would have taken your car out and nearly took my van out. The last one I was I would have been too fast and uh yeah, scraped the bottom of it. So I did panic a little bit. But uh you would definitely have lost a sausage, Stuart.

SPEAKER_01 26:24

Yeah, well I was I was thinking about taking the car and then I didn't for some reason because I like because of the car parking down there, because I've been there a few times, but and I completely forgot about the speed hump. So I'm really, really glad that I didn't take the car because I I might have just been beached, sort of doing this back and forward in the car whilst we whilst we waited.

SPEAKER_00 26:42

So uh they are brutal. So if you ever if you go to Liam's house, they uh those speed bumps are brutal. One mile an hour maximum speed, I personally would say.

SPEAKER_01 26:50

Yeah, not and not and in your van and not a slammed-out car which has been lowered. Definitely not.

SPEAKER_00 26:55

But uh Stuart, you've got some news for us as well that uh we were discussing earlier. You've got a bit of a name change, not you personally, because you always be called Stuart

Rebranding As The Integrators Voice

SPEAKER_00 27:05

or Stu, but uh yeah, tell us more.

SPEAKER_01 27:08

So actually, this is born out of the conversation we had at Jamie's, and and it's that classic case of where a lot of people say they do their best thinking when they're in the shower in the bath. I do my best thinking when I'm driving. So, as you alluded to earlier, I Jamie sort of like at the end of the presentation sort of said he wanted the integrator to say to them how they best wanted to be supported with uh Crix, how they wanted the relationship between CAVD and Crix to work, and and how does he go about incentivising people to buy Crix from CAVD? This sort of sort of got me thinking in respects of the with Inside CI, I've I've been touting it and and building on that history that David set out in 2012, which was is the integrators view of our industry. So, you know, um I remember um I think it was David Kitchener said to me, he'd said to me once, you know, you've turned from industry integrator to industry activist, and and and that's sort of what I feel with Inside CI. I'm trying to approach it differently, I'm trying to approach advertising from the integrator's point of view of how I would have listened to it or seen it or read it or watched it when I was an integrator working on site, and it sort of gave me an idea of like one of the phrases we use within the within um the HCA is individually great but better together. And it sort of made me sort of think, well, individually great, stronger together, better together. Actually, as a voice of integrators, if we get everybody like the HCA members and we get senior integrators and we get everybody together to swap ideas, have conversations, we almost create something which I've termed as the integrators' voice. So it sort of builds on that individually great. So Simon of Cinema Rooms, Stuart of uh Immersive Cinema Rooms, but obviously strengthen numbers. So my idea was to first of all gonna rebrand the uh podcast, the integrators voice podcast, uh, because I do believe it fits quite well. It it's me and you talking about life as an integrator, news as an integrator, jobs we're doing, places we've been. But also, what I want to do is I want to invite other integrators into the podcast to talk about their lives, and we're gonna get on a subject that Zach at Mega brought up on LinkedIn the other day that I read. And also, the ultimate goal is to create a forum where we can all go and talk. Now, I do want a little bit of feedback from people listening to this. Where would you like me to do the forum?

SPEAKER_00 29:53

I was just about to ask that. Not Facebook, that'd be my uh priority. Who uses Facebook nowadays?

SPEAKER_01 30:00

So you've got places you could see you could do it on Facebook, you could do it on places like um uh Patreon, but then that's behind a paywall normally, although there is a there are three tiers, you could do it on places like Slack, or I've been having a look around at creating our own forum. So you've obviously got you know websites like AV Forums, which is more consumer-based conversations. So, first of all, I want to create a forum. Second of all, what I want to do is I want to invite um professional manufacturers and distributors into the fold as well, because let's say, for example, uh you've got a beta test of a new product, you want to do a focus test, you want to send out some examples for people to play with. You know, I'm doing some stuff with uh Sonus at the moment with the AMP multi, they're gonna send me one of the new units for me to unbox and have a look at. So I just thought actually, as a group focused, an integrator group focused group of you know industry professionals that basically could give feedback to manufacturers, give feedback to distribution, and also swap stories and help each other out, um, yeah, it's sort of that's where it's termed as the integrator's voice, and it starts off with a rebrand of the podcast.

SPEAKER_00 31:14

Fantastic news. So the voice for the inside and A V industry. I like it. Yeah. Tagline.

SPEAKER_01 31:23

So basically, if you're if you're an integrator, if you do, you know, if you do anything from electrical to smart home to cinema to all of those type of things where our trades cross over, then yeah, we we welcome you in to have a conversation. If you're new to the industry, you want to learn about the industry, if you're veterans like us who have been in the industry for way too long and have a lot of stories, and you know, we're both involved in other groups, in other chats, in you know, in other private WhatsApp groups, things like that. And there's always some really good conversations that are swapped, like guys, I've got a problem with X, or guys, I'm doing this, and I can anybody remember the username and password to get into a Sony projector. Wasn't that one of your recent ones, I think, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_00 32:08

Uh I think so, or somebody else, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:09

Yeah. Um, so um, so yeah, it just sort of for I mean the forum will come and you know, and the numbers will come, but it's just sort of like the integrators' voice powered by Inside CI and the people behind it, um, because it is a platform for the integrators to listen and learn, and hopefully participate into some training and focus groups and and hopefully even look, here's a new product, we want to put it in front of 10 people to try.

SPEAKER_00 32:39

Yeah, no, forum's a really good idea as well, Stuart. So, um well, heads up there for uh doing a good job on on coming up with that idea. Um, what platform we use? I'm sure uh yeah, people can comment and and and let us know. So so now you need to redo the intro.

SPEAKER_01 32:51

Hello, and welcome to the Integrators Voice Podcast for Wednesday, the 29th of July 2026. There you go.

SPEAKER_00 32:57

Yay! Where's your little mixer to do some buttons?

SPEAKER_01 33:04

Should have done that before the announcement, really, shouldn't I?

SPEAKER_00 33:06

Should have done really rewind.

SPEAKER_01 33:08

So, yeah, so obviously, uh, if you want to get involved, email HaloInsideCI.com. Obviously, go to Halo, go to insideci.com and sign up for the weekly newsletter. Um, check us out on social media and uh reach out to me directly if you want to be included in the forum when it goes live. I'm not gonna promise you it's gonna be a quick turnaround because I want to get it up and get it up properly. Uh, but if you want to register interest or you want to just be, you know, I'm having some great conversations when I see people like CAVD, like C UK, like AWE. Uh I've got things that are going on in the background. We talked about one just a minute ago um before we came on camera. And I want to build Inside CI and the Integrated Voice podcast into or the Integrated Voice to be, you know, a voice of many people that one manufacturer or distributor comes to to ask opinions or to help you know get thoughts. So uh good idea. Get involved, email us hello at insideci.com or reach out to me on social

Smart Home Removal Story And Lessons

SPEAKER_01 34:15

media and uh and we'll take it from there. But one of the things I saw the other day, which I wanted to bring up, was um good friend uh Zach at Mega um put on LinkedIn, um, which was the following Just heard that the big house in an affluent area outside London is getting rid of all smart home technology. We are talking about a very big house with smart everything lighting, heating, AV, TV lifts, etc. etc. Going back to manual light switching, basic audio and TV, unsmiling emoji. Uh, I was told that the system never works as it should, power issues, etc. etc. Clients not happy and fed up. Maybe there's another side to the story, but this is what I've heard. This is not giving our industry a good name, especially today when it is easy to design, deliver a system that can work even uh even when there is no power for a while. Anyone can sell equipment, but uh but it is what you do that it with it that counts, not the boxes you provide.

SPEAKER_00 35:16

Yeah, unfortunately, this is not the first time I've heard things like this, and uh uh overspecifying and uh under-supported is uh is a is a big issue in our industry. Um one of uh a friend of mine um they deal with takeover jobs, let's put it that way. Um, and one such job was a Lutron job up in London. Uh a friend went around there, I won't mention who's who it was, in case of it don't want me to speak about this, but um yeah, I won't go too many specifics. But basically what happened, uh they went around there, try to sort of think out clients like, oh, what about upstairs? Okay, there's an upstairs, didn't realize it was an upstairs uh on the system. Uh went upstairs, uh no keypads. Oh, where's the keypads? Like, well they're here the other day, and what the previous uh dealer had done while they were away is took the keypads out of the system to sell back to because they were selling the house, but take sell sell them back to the new seller, that's why the new buyer of the house. So uh I think they've now been reported as uh as not to be uh uh the dealer of this specific lighting manufacturer. Um so yeah, shocking things like that, but yeah, under specify so overspecifying a system, especially when the client can't use it, make it too complicated, is is just is not it's just a no-no really. Just keep it simple. It's uh I I know you're doing complete custom install and and home automation, and it it should be intuitive. That's that I think that's the key word to make it intuitive uh for the client and for others using the house. So we we've had uh client with uh run me up on Saturday actually, just a basic RTI remote control. Couldn't turn on the system on, couldn't turn the lights on. I said it's fine, just grab the uh RTI remote. Ah, RTI remote wasn't charged. So lit little things like that just uh make make a big difference. So the client's not happy with the system. Uh whether that he asked for support or didn't get the support that he required, spent all that money, then uh that's that's maybe uh the the case. But if if he can't use a system, he's the client, it's up to him what he wants to do.

SPEAKER_01 37:24

Yeah, I think I I had a big client that I uh a famous client, again, I won't mention his name. Um I had a famous client that uh I was I sort of doing some work for uh years ago, it was as a result of the Sony contract I had years ago of all the Sony centres, and he came up to me and he said, Stuart, he said uh what do you think of this control system? And I'm like, Well, it's a good control system. Uh there's nothing wrong with that. Why? What what's your issues? He said, Oh, we don't like it, we think it's rubbish. I went, Well, tell me, tell me why. Why do you think it's rubbish? And he said, Well, he said, we went, we sat down the other night to watch TV and we've got the screen in front of us, and we went to favourites, and all the favourites on the screen were Russian. And he said, For some reason the control system was showing us Russian channels. I said, No, the control system was showing you the channels that the Russian family that you bought the house from potentially. Oh, yeah, yeah, we bought from a Russian family, so that was their favourites. What you needed to do was to get someone in to reprogram it to your Sky TV favourites or whatever platform you're using. But there was no like handover, there was no book, there was there was no signage on the A V rack. I mean, I always I always used to make like the AMG type plaques on the front of my racks, which was like hand built by Stuart Burgess and phone number and email address and that. Um But I think first of all, if you are an industry, sorry, if you're a professional listening to this, whether you're a uh whether you're uh an architect, whether you're a builder, whether you're an interior designer, reach out to a HCA member, reach out to a CDI member, because you're then sort of cutting through a lot of the chaff, for want of a better word, to people that are investing in the industry, but also for the integrator, have a conversation with the client. What do they want to do? I mean, I wrote a document years ago for a lady which was like, imagine yourself walking into this room, the room is the kitchen. What do you want to be able to do in the kitchen? Do you want to be able to listen to music? Do you want to be able to watch TV? If you want to be able to listen to music, how do you want to listen to music? Do you want it as background noise? Do you want it as really good noise? Do you want to be able to control it from a light switch on the wall or the phone in your pocket or the your voice? And it was almost just sort of pushing her down the route to make those decisions because a lot of the people that we deal with have either never lived in that house before or that house does not even exist at the moment because it's not been built. Um, and yeah, and you're gonna lose trade. Houses will get sold. So, in the case of a house being sold, if you've not supplied that customer with proper documentation, if you've not left your name and address. I mean, if you're a control four dealer, I think Alan uh Chowman Soft does a uh uh help like button that you can put on control four. So when you press it, it brings up like your your Google map of of you of the integrator.

SPEAKER_00 40:28

So that's a good idea, actually. I like I like that. But yeah, we normally put our details on the rack and things, and normally when you there is an issue, you get get get a phone call. But uh I think a lot of houses, so you mentioned that the Russian houses are getting getting sold, and if your details aren't there, then obviously they can't contact them. I think what a lot uh is also happening is houses are being sold, and then you they're getting builders into to make it their own kind of property or own house, which is lovely. But they don't the builder then goes, Oh, I know somebody who can look after that or to sort that out, and they're not an HCA member, they're not a CDA member, and that's when the problem starts, because they'll go, I'll give it a go, and that's where generally it leads to problems. But but uh say a house like that uh has got to be well thought out, well planned, little things like just well, not little things, big things like Wi-Fi. If you haven't got proper Wi-Fi throughout the whole house, then your iPad's not gonna work on the top floor to turn the lights on. That little things like that, I know you've got keypads and stuff, but clients do like just pressing buttons on iPads and things like that, don't they?

SPEAKER_01 41:29

But you you but the thing is if you've got I don't know, even if you're new to this industry and you've got an account with I'm I'm just gonna throw someone out there, you've got an account with someone like All Trade. So maybe you've been an aerol and satellite installer, you've got an All Trade account. If you turn around to the guys at All Trade to Lee or someone like that, who who distribute Unify, for example, they can point you in the right direction on how you could utilize a brand like Unify and designer system.

SPEAKER_00 41:56

Yep, heat maps, things like that. It's very easy. You've got you've got the plans for the house. We'll just do a basic draw and get heat maps of like, right, this is where an access point needs to go. This is how much it would fill that that floor, because in London you've got a few floors. Um, but yeah, it's uh it's really not that that that tricky nowadays.

SPEAKER_01 42:13

But also you've got you know, you've got brands out there like Order Systems, like uh Damien and and and Jason, who I've had conversations with uh Jason about like video conferencing, and he was showing me some really good stuff at the senior summits about video conferencing and things like that, which actually is something that may well be thrown across our paths as integrators. So as an integrator, all I would say is if you get offered something which you don't normally do, research it before you say yes, because it's very easy to look at the pound notes and and and install it. But if you've never done it, it's it you're gonna you're gonna it's gonna come back and bite you on the arse, basically, one that side or the other. And and don't overcomplicate it. I think Zach's point here is a prime example of where it may well be have not been done by one integration firm, it might have been done by one integration firm, but with many of people doing it who have not checked it, or it could have been done by no disrespect, the builder or the ME consultant, and it's not a well-cohesive system. And and our systems do work, and I've got many, many a system out there that's been out there for 10, 15 years plus that still works, touch wood to this day. Um, I'm gonna get loads of phone calls now. But they were all well designed, they were well integrated by me and my guys, and we look after them remotely and we put service level agreements in it. But first of all, and first of all and foremost, people know where to find our name. Also, don't forget to incentivize your client. I know this is not your forever home. When you come to move, if you could hand my details over, if you're seeing your client every year like I do, doing a service call, and they uh I mean, there's a s one a cinema near me that I did. I think it was pre-COVID. They and they said to me, Oh, you know, we're probably going to move to Scotland because they're both semi-retired. I said, Well, when you do move, recommend me. And if the client takes me on and does a few bits and pieces, well, not so much me anymore, but if you know we look after the project, I'll I'll give you a thank you. I'll give you a drink, I'll give you a couple hundred quid. If they end up spending 50 grand, I'll give you, you know, 5% of that or something. Incentivise your client to pass on your details saying, This is the guy he's been really helpful, this is the gal, they've been really helpful. Reach out to them if you want anything done.

SPEAKER_00 44:32

Yeah, we've got that a few times, and uh it's it's quite nice going back to old jobs that uh that you you did about nine, ten years ago, and uh what what what what things used to be like, especially with projectors and things. But I'd say going back to the uh the London house, clearly there was no service contract. Either just bought the house or there was no service contract, the clients got more and more wound up and just had enough. But uh say fundamentally, I think those kind of jobs get a service

SLAs Remote Monitoring And Referrals

SPEAKER_00 45:00

contract in sp in place, gold, silver, bronze, whatever you want to call it, level one, level two, level three, um, just get a service contract in there, and then you're not gonna get to these issues where the client's peed off, the industry gets a bad rep, and uh yeah, people get angry.

SPEAKER_01 45:16

I think that's probably if I if anybody was to say to me, the 20 years you've been an integrator, what would you if you could go back to the beginning, what would you go back to the beginning and implement or change about you know where you are now? And one of those things is would be service level agreements, would be would be because it's recurring monthly revenue, which is the holy grail for any business. Um, you know, even if it's I don't know, even if it's a tenner a month or 20 quid a month, just to keep an eye on your system using you know Alta Labs Cloud or Ubiquity Cloud or Oversea or DeMots or any other said that DeMots is fantastic for that kind of thing, and that you just put it in there do a monthly contract.

SPEAKER_00 45:58

If the client doesn't want to do it anymore, you're like, that's fine, no problem. And then something will happen, they're like, ah, yeah, I I see why I spend this much money now on a uh uh on a yearly contract with the Mots.

SPEAKER_01 46:10

Send them maybe if you can, if that that device does it, send them a at the end of every month just to let you know this is what has happened in your house. You know, we've rebooted your Skybox for you using a Wattbox or a gude. Um, these are the things we've done for you as part of that $19.99, $49.99, $99.99, whatever. You know, so I know some people will say, you know, if you sign up to uh if you if you sign up to a certain fee, then we basically don't charge your call out or we do your service. So if you you sign up for I know, let's say $49.99 a month, then we will come and do your service call completely free of charge. You don't have to pay us a day rate to do it. Again, going back to what we discussed earlier, this is why I wanted to create you know the integrators voice as a platform where anybody coming into this industry could have those conversations, like anybody who's been in this industry for years and goes, I need to get a little bit more money out of this, I need to do this, I need to do that, share those conversations because we do it on the HCA group. You know, we have some great conversations on our WhatsApp group, and you know, and there's thousands of thousands of integrators around the world.

SPEAKER_00 47:19

Can you imagine what that would have been like when we first started? That would have been uh that would have been very, very, very handy for such things like that. But uh it it would be more with like hi-fi, laserdisc, DVDs.

SPEAKER_01 47:31

Yeah, yeah. How do I stop this scratch on the back of my DVD? Or I've got a client that's going from laserd to DVD. How does he do his collection?

SPEAKER_00 47:39

Oh my DVD keeps skipping what's going on. Well, it's dual layer. What's that? Oh, okay. Or it's was it double-sided at one point, DVD? Because I couldn't uh I couldn't do another storage on there. I think you had to turn it over at one point. I think as Armageddon, I remember doing Armageddon. Uh I think I can't remember, it was probably uh I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 48:00

Laser is double-sided.

SPEAKER_00 48:02

Yeah, laser this, but I'm sure DVD might have been as well. Anyway, uh there's one scene in uh Armageddon, watched it, and then unbeknown to us, it was before they were heading into space um uh to sort out spoiler alert that the meteor were about to crash, and they went on the uh space station, but it skipped, so it jumped like three or four chapters, and then and then the spaceship that was starting to explode, the space station was exploding. I was like, what's happened there? So I'm like skipped it back to where we were, and it carried on. We're like, oh, we've missed about two or three chapters there. So so there, the jewel layer, but yeah, if we had that uh that little group back then you would know exactly what was going on. Reminiscent.

SPEAKER_01 48:42

Well, exactly. I mean, that's I can remember that's how my started my A V obsession started off with a set of floor stand speakers in my bedroom at my mum and dad's. I had a full surround sound system, a a friend style lazy, lazy boy with uh a pioneer uh dual layer. Or actually, no, uh the laser displayer had actually turned it over for you. It read both sides of the disc.

SPEAKER_00 49:03

So uh was that a nice pioneer by any chance?

SPEAKER_01 49:06

Yeah, it was pioneer 925 or something like that. Yeah, I had it chip, I had it a little, there was a little flappy bit on the side. Was it Technatronics or something like that? There were they they basically put this little chip in it to make it dual uh region, and they said if you have any problems with it, pull this out before you send it back, because otherwise it will void the warranty. And I was like, but but they've they've put the the slot there for you to put it in, but you you can't put it in. It's like no no, you could put it in, but you've just got to take it out before you send it back.

SPEAKER_00 49:38

Wow. At least that was nice and easy. I remember doing uh the denon DVD players. We had the uh eight chip eight eight pin uh technotronics, oh yeah, technotronics, tectronics uh as a band technotronics, uh tetronic, tectonics, I can't even say it now. Um, and you had to wire up the eight pin to another pin on the DVD player to get it multi-regional. Wow. I used to like doing that, it's a good bit of soldering.

SPEAKER_01 50:02

Well, and then we went all the way through to the latter days of like the Sony, I think it's the Sony DVD players or Blu-ray players, where you got an all for one remote control and you you programmed like 69, 69, 44 in it, and then it made it multi-region. So yeah.

SPEAKER_00 50:17

That's before Google though, wasn't it? Well,

Industry News Awards Events Products

SPEAKER_00 50:20

exactly.

SPEAKER_01 50:20

Now you can just do anything with anything. But uh so what news have you got, Stuart? Any news for us? Before we get into the news, please uh rate, review, or subscribe to this podcast YouTube video, whatever you're listening to or looking, uh watching it. Uh it really helps us get found on platforms and gets us into more integrators' feeds to listen to us in their cinemas whilst they're building them or driving their van. Um the news with me starts off uh so tickets are on sale for one of my favourite things now every year is the senior awards. Um and uh yep, let me just bring the story down. So tickets are now on sale for the 2026 senior awards, uh, the EMEA awards, taking place on the 23rd at Ready Drop. Oh, oh, I'll just it's taking place at the Natural History Museum in London.

SPEAKER_00 51:14

Yay, they've gone back to what they know. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 51:17

And it's gonna be it's gonna be celebrating the 20th year of the awards.

SPEAKER_00 51:22

Wow, is it really?

SPEAKER_01 51:23

So tickets are available now at an early bird rate until the 28th of August. Um, starting at £235 for members, £265 for non-members. Uh, yeah, I mean the I mean Natural History Museum uh headline sponsor is our good friends at Monitor Audio Group, uh, with participations, additional participations, including Control Forge Drinks Reception, uh, Xenio as after party sponsor, and C UK group, Lutron and Sonos as associated sponsors. Uh, I mean, my first CD Awards was courtesy of an invite from AWE from Mr. Tickle, thank you very much. And that was at the Natural History Museum, and that was sitting under to the side of Dippy before he went on his roadshow tour around the UK. Um, yeah, I mean it's last year was good at the Londoner, the year before that at the brewery, or a few years before that at the brewery was good. Um, they were really, really good venues, but uh for me, there's there was something always quite nice about, and I know obviously from a cost point of view, probably costs a damn sight more to have it in the natural history museum and places like that. But 100%. But for me, like going to the natural history museum, going to the VA, going to Harry Potter world, um, and having you know, I'm not a Harry Potter fan. I got halfway through the first movie and turned it off because I got bored.

SPEAKER_00 52:50

What about the Amazon TV series, Stuart? I hope you're gonna watch that.

SPEAKER_01 52:53

Uh maybe. Um, I forget I have Amazon half the time apart from when I get me shopping.

SPEAKER_00 52:58

I was watching Masters of the Universe last night on uh Amazon. Highly recommended, by the way.

SPEAKER_01 53:02

Is that He-Man?

SPEAKER_00 53:03

Shh He-Man. It's it it it plays on it. I know we're skipping subjects, but it plays on it really, really well. So if you watch the cartoons, if you're So it's not it's it's not Mattel then, is it? You're a 70s, 80s child, you need to watch it, and you uh you will laugh out loud at certain pits because it's it includes Fisto and other such uh innocent innocent names uh when when you were there, and uh yeah, no, I'd I'd recommend it just for nostalgia reasons. It's really good.

SPEAKER_01 53:32

Oh, I'll have to I'll have to have a look at that. But no, I mean for me like having dinner on what was it, the platform nine and three-quarters or whatever it is at Harry Potter next to the train. I mean, it was just having those those those really good industry dinners and the awards in some really fun places where you know you could walk through the entrance into Harry Potter world where they've got all the the costumes, or you could walk through the natural history museum and see the you know the the fossils and the the pictures and all that. It was just a hell of a lot more interesting. Again, no disrespect to Londoner and the brewery, but for me, for me, that's what the Cedar Awards is, and and I cannot wait to get my free press pass, Cedia. I'm talking at you, Steve, um, to get my get my ticket. I'm gonna buy my ticket um and then go to this year because I really, really, really do enjoy it.

SPEAKER_00 54:27

Yeah, no, they're they're really good shows. My my first one was about 15 years ago, and uh we actually um uh filmed the the event and hint hit nudge nudge um and we actually did interviews um but we also had um the Sky News TV presenter who was doing the hosting, and uh I was interviewing the the winners as as part of um uh cinema uh uh Cine Now.

SPEAKER_01 54:54

Cincy Now. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 54:55

So I was I was interviewing people, and then I think it's Martin, Martin, somebody come along, uh the Sky News host is like, would you like me to interview people? I'm like, Yeah, go for it. You're much better than me. So uh he he he did the did the uh did the uh the interviewing and uh yeah I think doing interviews for people who've just won, obviously alcohol can play a little bit of a uh an important part of that. So don't get too drunk when you if you are being interviewed and get your get your awards. But I think obviously nowadays you just go up and shake hands and stagger off back to your table. But see the awards are good, you get to to to to uh catch up with everybody of all your industry friends and also meet new friends and things like that. Um it's uh it's a really good evening. So get your ticket before they sell out.

SPEAKER_01 55:41

Yeah, definitely. I mean it's a really good, a really good event. It's really, really worth going to. And uh uh if Matt, if you're listening to this, could you just shift them forward a little bit? Because last year they went on quite a long time and I had to leave like halfway through the second half to get my train home.

SPEAKER_00 55:57

Just get a hotel, Stuart, get it, book it now, be nice and cheap.

SPEAKER_01 56:01

I go to bed at like half nine, ten o'clock, and that's when the senior awards start.

SPEAKER_00 56:05

You have to have some Pro Plus, that'll keep you going. Old school.

SPEAKER_01 56:09

I don't have the alcohol to drink anymore. So uh so anyway, so Simon, the second story is uh Sony Home Hony Home Entertainment Product Training. I saw this come up um on the true RGB TVs.

SPEAKER_00 56:24

Yeah, so uh a little bit of uh an email from Sony uh regarding their new uh true RGB uh TVs, but it was also on the other products. So I thought it was gonna be some live webinar and teaching other things. It was actually on YouTube, so whether it was live but on YouTube, uh I'm not 100% certain, but uh I had to wait quite a while for it actually started. So um if you kind of googled it, you'll probably have to find it on YouTube somewhere. Um but yeah, no, really, really good uh uh uh in training, I suppose. I wouldn't call it training per se, it wasn't like the monitor audio one that I did. Um it was just going through their all their TVs um that they've got out, and they've got a number of TVs, but also they've got um their Bravia Connect systems, uh which basically is wireless speakers. So I know we spoke about HEOS uh not too long ago, um, and going through uh how how they do that. But basically the Bravia Connect, you can actually do it on your phone. Um, so get it on your phone and excuse me, somebody's talking on my speaker. So yeah, the Bravia Connect, you can actually um have that on your phone and connect up the system with a soundbar, um, get all the soundbar working, get the rear speakers working wirelessly as well. The sound bar does Atmos, so they're trying to really home in on the sort of the theatre uh home cinema market, and we know we're talking about keeping things simple. If the client wants a nice Sony telly from whatever size, so you've got the Bravia 9 uh Mark II, uh, which is uh say the the true RGB TV. Um there's actually been a review um from our friend Vince recently on YouTube, uh, and he did say right at the end, push come to shove, OLED is still better, but the true RGBs do look pretty pretty impressive, especially their anti-glare and things. Um but yeah, Bravio 82s, Bravia 72s, um, and uh yeah, you've got sub-7, sub-eight, sub-nines, and the rear eights and nines as well as part of that. But just a complete package, and I think they really get it, Sony. They they listen to integrators, especially reviewers like Vince and uh and and things like that, really listen to what what they have to say and implement software upgrades and and and what they can do. But having a a home not not as cinema as as we would have cinema, but as we were talking one of our first podcasts, like what what is home cinema? Is it something you can go and get out of the box and just plonk it down? But some people are happy with a nice big 75-85-inch TV with a Sony soundbar that does Atmos, get the the the rear speakers wireless. You can even have two subs now as well, dual subs. Yeah, again, they're wireless. Obviously, you're not gonna get deep levels of bass, and you're not gonna get 105 dB, but in a in a nice little media room. Um, I think uh that's uh that that would do some people.

SPEAKER_01 59:20

Yeah, well, shout out to Vincent at HD TV test. If you go on YouTube and just put in HD TV test all on word, you'll see on there his video is uh it's my Sony Bravia 92 review, took six weeks, and here's why.

SPEAKER_00 59:36

Yeah, he uh he does make uh some fantastic innuendos uh in this one. So uh keep keep an eye out for the little ting. Um but uh yeah, basically about him lasting longer.

SPEAKER_01 59:46

I always remember him saying to me uh what I always remember saying on one video I watched before I really knew him, and it was like if you like this uh video, uh press the like button. If you don't like this video, press the like button again. Um and uh I thought that was quite funny, but I I I was chatting to him recently at the uh uh the AWE Expo. So I was chatting with him and Steve and Stuart Tickle, so it was good, it was good to catch up. So uh no, I mean it's um the true RGB TVs do look very interesting from Sony, and obviously they are you know getting bigger and bigger like we've we've discussed before. So it's gonna be interesting to see RG true RGB, OLED, uh, you know, side by side, how they how they fare type of thing.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:33

It's like Mortal Kombat fight. I watched that as well the other day.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:37

Oh, I couldn't even think of anything worse watching that.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:41

I was half asleep to be fair, but uh wh while you're on your own, drink drink drink beer and uh watch Mortal Kombat.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:47

Oh no, so you're saying to me that you wouldn't watch the remake of um oh what was the Arnold Schwarzenegger film that's just got remade? Running.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:56

Oh, Running Man. Yeah, no, that was god awful. First ten minutes was great, and then after that it just got plain silly. We should do film reviews.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:03

I was gonna say, you you were not gonna watch, you wouldn't watch that, but you watched Mortal Kombat. I I only saw Mortal Kombat and was like, I'm not even gonna watch that.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:10

I just like I've got to that age now I'm just like reminiscing, to be fair. So uh yeah, that's where I'm at.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:16

Oh, excellent. Right, so the next story is uh sort of following on from our story last where we were talking about shows and things getting cancelled and exhibitions and events and bits and pieces like that. Um, on the on Monday the 20th, so last week, seven days ago, as we record this, um Monitor Audio put out a press announcement saying um let me just bring this down. Uh Monitor Audio is to hold a CI Connect trade showcase. So Monitor Audio Group has announced a two-day open event for the custom installation industry taking place on October the 7th and October the 8th. CI Connect aims to encourage collaboration across the sector, bringing together technology brands and industry trade associations and charity partners. Hosted at Monitor Audio's group headquarters in Rayleigh Exics. That's going to be a journey for you again. Um, CI Connect 2026 promises to be to showcase the latest innovations in residential technology, offering visitors opportunities to experience integrated smart home solutions, attend live product demonstration, watch guest speaker demo demos and mini training sessions. Participating brands at the moment include Cedia, the Chords Company, our friends at Cinema Lux, Control 4, Infinity Seating, obviously Monitor Audio, 1AV, QMotion EMEA, Reiko Lighting, Together for Cinema, Trinov, and WeQote. More will be announced in the coming weeks. So it's it's good that it seems to be that Monitor have sort of like gone, look, we've got these lovely new facilities. Let's reach out to some of the people that might have been doing EI Live and then see if we can get something together that still sort of like heralds that and builds on that. And is and again is a a couple of days where people can get together and chat and look at some new products and do some networking.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:11

May I be the first to say, well done, Monitor Audio Group. It should be commended. Not some I've seen some forums and they've just moaned. Obviously, we haven't got an initial install this year, which is fine. Fair enough. So Monitor Audio have stepped up to the plate to offer installers an opportunity to have something slightly different where you can go and listen and understand and talk to the exhibitors or whatever you want to call them that they're trying to do at their facility. There's no point whinging and moaning about oh, it's just another event where you've got some speakers and some Trinov and that kind of stuff. That is not the point. If you don't want to go, don't go. There's my rant over. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:56

Well, I think it's it's a I'm I can only imagine they're gonna do it in like the the room where you did the training the other day, because obviously the rest of the buildings there are very much like the museum offices and and factories and things like that. So it's not a huge venue, so it's not gonna be an EI Live, it's not gonna be uh an Epsom race course or a Sandown Park type thing. It's gonna be a little bit like a CDA summit, it's gonna be where you're have some good brands there, but more importantly for me, it's the for me, it's the networking, it's the if if there's good conversations about subjects about being an integrator, I mean that's the way I would approach it. I mean, David years ago did something called Inside Out, and it was uh now rest in pre rest in peace the Dolby Um cinema or Dolby facilities in Soho. Is that is that gone now? Yeah, Dolby So Dolby's not in Soho anymore. Uh yeah, I mean it was costing them a stupid amount of money every year to be there, and it was virtually no one was there, so it was it's a shame, really. I mean, obviously we we've we've got places like the Kef Gallery, which is a I use quite a lot, which is just off of uh Great Portland Street or just off of uh Oxford Street. But David did something there years ago called Inside Out, which was uh which was little demonstrations of I think it was M and K. I think that there was Sony were there.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:28

CAVD actually uh hired that out as well, right, right, right at the beginning when uh Jamie first started his journey. I might be wrong, it might have been previous uh company he worked for, but I'm sure it was uh CAVD.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:39

Well, I think it's just it's important to have some like some I think for me, I will go somewhere where there's really good guest speakers, where there's really good networking. Uh maybe not so much interested in the product because uh yeah, I'm I'm we do this, I'm quite adverse with what's going on in this world. If it's new stuff and New sexy shiny and things like that. Brilliant. But like you, we go to EI Live, we go to ISE, we go to you know C A V D, C U K AWE, all of those things. So I think it will be really good. But yeah, I'm with you. You know, hats off to the guys at you know uh monitor audio. I mean MJ's uh talking about it if you read the article, the inside CI website. Thank you. Thank you for stepping up and putting something on, and hopefully this is the start of many, many things to come. And maybe something that is slightly different to your EI lives and your individual focused uh brand.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:39

Yeah, it's not it's not an EI live replacement by by any stretch of the imagination, and it's not trying to be, as uh MJ said, like our industry thrives on face-to-face uh conversations, which which is what what our industry is all all about. So if you don't want to go, don't go. We would urge you to go because it's gonna be a fun couple of days. So uh they've actually got quite a few uh it's quite a big area actually. I've remember where they sort of you go into the other buildings, whether they do something in there, I know it's more office-based and things, but um obviously they've got the warehouse as well, which I'm not sure I'll be able to use. But uh, you have got the the the larger room inside, you've got the the uh the the the the the media room uh that they've got. So the the rooms are all pretty big, so they can house quite a few few few people in there, but uh no, it's be a good good couple of days. Get your name down and uh yeah, come come along and uh do some uh face-to-face chats.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:31

Definitely 100%. So talking about speaker brands, uh one of your favourite uh Amina has released a new speaker, which is the next story with you.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:41

Yeah, so we we like Amina. Obviously, we did the uh the Tudor building and uh which we won uh the inside uh uh uh media room award for, which is really good. And uh obviously Michael come down and uh did the uh did the uh uh video for us, the the case study.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:58

Drone flying by Simon at Cinema Rooms.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:01

Whoop whoop, yeah, that's me. Um but what they have got out is the Sapphire S200 and the Sapphire Dual. So what is interesting, I'll start on the dual first. Obviously, that's a two-channel single stereo speaker. So ideal for like bathrooms, offices uh in in the home, not massive rooms, but we normally just I don't know about yourself, but we just normally put a single uh uh stereo speaker up in the ceiling, and it's a bit odd because you can just see one speaker, so it's practical we haven't got much space again in bathrooms or offices and things like that, but it does look a bit odd when you just see one speaker. So with the the dual uh sapphire uh amina speaker, you're not gonna see that because it's gonna be plastered over. Um, you may need if you wanted to get their sub that they do or a sub in the corner just to get it a bit more room because you're not gonna get loads from that. But what you have also got is the S200. So the S200 uh speakers uh they are slim lined. So again, going back to our Tudor building install that we that we've done, the the the beams, the joists, if you want to call them, there was no set standard. Um obviously modern houses they are set standard um and makes life a lot easier. But the slimline invisible speakers for the tight spaces, so the newest addition to our Sapphire range is the S200, a slimline invisible speaker built for projects where space is at a premium. Um, so again, you're not gonna get much space from that. So the panel measures just 200 by 450 and is only 31 millimeters deep. So that is pretty impressive. Again, you're not gonna get much space from that, but you can obviously add their subs. Uh built for narrow joists and awkward voids, is the way they're selling it. Um, actually on their website, which is quite good. I'm surprised our name's not mentioned, but but is this they've got frequently frequently frequently asked questions is the Sapphire S200 suitable for listed and heritage buildings? And uh of of course the answer is is yes. So, no, a nice little solution from uh Amina there.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:08

There definitely should be a link in there. Watch our case study of an install we did with Martin at Redline and Simon at Cinnamaru. Yeah, 100%. So get on it, Matthew. Um, no, I mean what I like about invisible speakers, what I like about Amina, I mean, obviously, we did a 16-channel Amina system for a client a few years ago. What I quite like about the invisible speaker or the plaster in speaker is exactly that is that it's not detracting from the environment of the room, the decor of the room, it could be recessed within furniture, uh behind the veneer, it can go behind wallpaper. But more importantly, in houses that have got beams in the ceiling, in houses where you know, typically, as we always do with ceiling speakers, the the builders never put the joists in the right way, or they've had to put a double joist in and not think thought about a ceiling speaker going in there. If the speaker's not exactly centre above the TV or below the TV, or the speakers are not evenly spaced left or right because of the joist, with obviously plaster inch speakers, it doesn't matter so much because you can't see them. Where I've done a few jobs where we've had to put speakers around the TV, and I've used Amina mainly because actually the way it's got into the wall, the the right-hand speaker would have been a you know like a foot to the more away from the TV in the left hand because it was a retrofit and the client didn't want to build the wall out. And I think that's where invisible speakers work really well. And then your analogy, invisible spit, well, plastery speakers in wet environments tick, first of all. You know, we were we were doing quite a big job with Amina. Unfortunately, the house I don't think ever got built because the company that did it went bankrupt or put into litigation or something like that. But we were going to put them in a cinema. Sorry, in a cinema, in a swimming pool. Um, because again, they were going behind plaster. You didn't see where they were. Yeah, you didn't see where they were. So uh, you know, a dual speaker, invisible speaker in a in a kitchen or a bathroom, uh, an en suite are brilliant because you could within reason put it anywhere, hook that up to a uh a multi-room audio amplifier as part of a standalone system or as part of a home automation system, and you don't see the speaker as good old Babs from uh who used to be with Amina said, you're not putting dinner plates in the ceiling.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:30

No, you're definitely not doing that. We had actually a client uh contact us recently, wanted um at a fairly big room, nine metres by about four metres, um, but the speakers had to be offset because that's where the wall was. So you had basically wooden beams in the in the ceiling on show. So we could put the screen centrally, but if you imagine the screen central and then a wall to the just to the right hand side, uh the client suggested having in-wall speakers from a certain manufacturer, which is fine. But I'm the more I thought about it, I thought that's gonna look odd because not only would it sound a bit odd, because I think to the right of the screen, obviously you can EQ as much as you like, but you'd also see the speakers in a wall to the right hand side of a of a of a screen. So my my suggestion was a mean of speakers, which obviously not the perfect uh way to have sound offset. Again, you can EQ that uh to to a certain extent, but how you won't be able to see the speakers. So you won't you wouldn't know they were there, and you're like, oh, where's that sound coming from? So it's not quite as uh as obvious, but having speakers in a in a a wall that uh wasn't central to the screen may have looked a bit odd. We haven't done it yet, there's still conversations to be had.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:44

Well I remember I remember talking with Drummy at AWE when when they first did the big cinema, when they did it for when they first did it with Kef, I think it was. Obviously, Kef wanted to see all the speakers. So that expo, they had you know the LCRs, but they were outside of the screen. So they put the set of speaker below the screen, and and I think if I'm right in thinking, James sort of said to people, give us some feedback, and everybody's like, Oh, you the speaker shouldn't be down there. All I could hear was the speaker coming, audio coming from up from the floor, blah blah blah, and all this lot. Fast forward six months, 12 months later. I think it was, um, they did another one of their expos, I think it was. Um, and Jamie, uh Jamie sort of uh sorry, James basically took them back in there, everybody sat down and he said, What do you think of the improvements? Blah blah blah. Oh, it's so much better. Thank you for whatever you've done has sounded amazing. What did you do? And he just said, I just sprayed the grill black, or you just hid the speaker so you couldn't see it so much in the your line of sight. And straight away, because the people didn't realise the speaker was below the screen still, they just their mind's eye took it above the screen and put it where it should be. But because they could see it below the screen and they could see it left and right, they basically were just like, it's wrong, it's not working, blah blah blah. And again, that's where I've quite liked using invisible speakers, is in those situations where I can't put a ceiling speaker in, I can't put an in-wall speaker in, it's gonna look weird, it's gonna play massively with my OCD. And I think that whatever brand it is, that basically is where it fits really well into a project. You don't want to see it, you don't want to ruin the decor, or it might be solving a problem you might have with speaker placement.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:32

Yeah, you just need to make intelligent compromises, really. But going back to that demo you did, I remember me and Giv had the similar demo when uh they they they just got the speakers in and uh it went from bespoke. Me and Gif couldn't believe it. We're like, what do you mean yeah? What do you mean to send a speakers not by the screws? No, no, it's down there. It's like what? So yeah, we were we were blown away by uh the the voodoo that uh that AWE had created. But hey, a perfect working solution. So um yeah, no, word on to those guys.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:00

Exactly. Right. The last story is uh I just put this up. I mean, it's not very relevant to the UK market, but uh as uh Steve summed it up when he basically um uh I'm trying to find the line which he put in. Uh while a few UK-based installers are likely are unlikely to make the trip, uh, the uh the equipment chosen for the Magnolia 2 demo room is well worth noting.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:26

Yeah, this is Rayleigh in North Carolina, by the way, not Rayleigh and uh in Essex, monitor audio.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:33

So basically, I got sent the press release, which is uh Ascendo Trinov Audio and Christie Unite for a standout home cinema experience. So the ultra high performance home cinema is set to be a standout attraction at uh audio advice live 2026, the annual event which returns to Rayleigh, North Carolina in August. Um, I'm just going to write, I'm just going to Rayleigh, darling. I'll be back in a week. Um brings together manufactured integrations for three days of demonstrations, seminars, uh, and then he goes on to the UK business. Uh Ascendo, Trinov Audio, Crystal and Christy, sorry, have combined their flagship technologies to create a system designed to show what can be achieved when advanced room acoustics and professional gray projection are treated as a single integrated experience. The Dera room builds on last year's award-winning base showcase where Trinov and Ascendo uh presented the latest uh evolution in cylindrical waveforming. This approach aims to prevent standing waves rather than correcting them, using floor-level front subwoofer ray and rear subwoofers to deliver constant bass and improved transient uh accuracy.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:51

The room was massive. I mean, it's seven and a half metres by seven and a half metres and got 18 subs in there. I mean, that's just bonkers for waveforming. I bet uh I bet Trinov loved it.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:01

Using uh using the Trinov CI processor, the Amplitude 16, then the Trinov immersive audio system built around six of the 18 passive vented subwoofers and the 32 infha sub uh extended base response well below waveforming's operational range. Going on to the other, going on to Christy. Christy supplies the visual components with the Chorus 4K 1000 KS laser projector paired with its 135-inch Stuart uh scree uh sorry uh wall screen deluxe. The projector is a 0.8 inch, oh, it goes on to a lot of stuff that I've only ISO Lubins and 4K uh UHD plus resolution.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:44

That sounds one impressive room, I have to say. It's uh I'm I'm not going to to uh all the way over to Carolina, uh North Carolina uh to to to see that, but no, it does sound very impressive. Um but what uh going back to Trinov, uh Altitude CI processor, that's just been upgraded, isn't it? From 16 to now, is it 32 or 64 max? They've just up they've just done they've just done the upgrade. So uh originally it was just 16, which uh is is is great for for most people. And obviously the the CI processor has got the new GUI, which is much more intuitive and much easier to to use um to install the uh the actual product itself. But uh yeah, it's going I think it's gone either from third it's from 16 to 32 or 16 to 64, but uh I th it was a bigger number that I think it must be 64 because the number is pretty big in my head, and I was like, wow, that's uh that's a lot of speakers.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:41

Just try and have a look. Uh the Trilov uh altitude CI processor upgrades up to 32 channels as standard via modular remote licenses with a custom 64 channel version available. So yeah, it was 32 up to 64. Yeah. I uh I mean, if when when we've done many a podcast, I mean I've not actually done a podcast with David, I don't think, this year, um uh apart from obviously when you interviewed him at ISE. Uh, but uh that was the idea behind the the Ultra to CI was that you buy the license for the amount of channels that you want. So it it's uh an upgradeable product. So I think we're certainly seeing more and more sort of high-end systems now where actually running 64 channels in a home cinema, home theatre, is not unheard of these days. Where you know, maybe go back, you know, three, four, five years ago, the idea of 32 channels was like, you know, mind blowing. But actually 64 channels is uh is not unheard of.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:40

So not nowadays, that's for sure. So um, yeah, no, that's uh obviously there's a market out there for it. And uh if uh we can capitalise on that, then uh yeah, happy days. Definitely.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:50

So, right, so that's the news. But don't forget, you can also go to the InsideCI website if you scan the QR code on the screen now or head over to uh insideci.co.uk.

Newsletter Refresh Contacts And Wrap

SPEAKER_01 1:21:00

There's loads of other stories on there. Steve keeps me really busy with my social media posts by putting up stories. So at the moment you've got Monitor Audio opens up ordering for which is their high-end two-channel speaker system, uh, in up to 200 custom finishes. Um, Arma Home, a name from many years ago for me, targets growth in the new by appointing a new global sales director. And I've also been talking to Ricky at Calibrate, but one of the brands they also distribute is uh is XGmy. Um so X Jimmy have uh announced an Alfin Flip projector, uh, which is a great high level projector, sorry, high brightness level projector with great gaming support. But I know we've most we've basically spoken about potentially me and Ricky getting together because they've got the uh is the ultra, I think, coming out in September time, which we've sort of like talked about potentially doing our first video sort of conversation about projectors and about different types of projectors and how they fit into your your projects and your your home. So you can head over to the InsideCI website and catch up with loads more uh stories like that. Obviously, don't forget to go to insideci.co.uk and sign up for our weekly newsletter. Um we've got a bit of a refresh. Uh, I think next week, as we record this, you're gonna get a brand new newsletter. It's gonna be it's completely redesigned, it's all nice and new, which I've redesigned. Uh take the the platform forward a little bit. Website will follow shortly after, maybe into 2027, but that's gonna cost me a damn sight more money than a newsletter upgrade. So pop over to Inside CI. Uh and that's it. Simon, thank you very much for taking your it's Monday, isn't it? Monday evening up.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:50

No problem. My stomach is rumbling, so I need to get some food, but I will be looking out for this new uh uh newsletter that you're doing. Look, check, check your check your spam as well, because a few of mine were were going into there from from previous jet.

SPEAKER_01 1:23:03

That's one reason I've moved it, yeah, because it was within the other platform that I was using for HCA. I can go in and change the DNS settings on the website, so I can put the lines of code in to say that the it's official. Wow. The other platform I the other platform I inherited that it was on before. Yep. You couldn't do that.

SPEAKER_00 1:23:23

And that's why it was going into spam.

SPEAKER_01 1:23:25

Yeah, so I'm hoping, and obviously it's a lot cleaner, it's a lot modern, is all I can say. So have a look. I'm hoping to do it next week. Maybe I'll be the week after, but hopefully in August we'll we'll get that up. Um one thing I've just remembered, you're not wearing an England shirt.

SPEAKER_00 1:23:43

No, no, after we won the World Cup. Oh no, that didn't happen. Uh no, we got we got beaten by uh Argentina and uh Spain won the World Cup. So the the rightful winners of the tournament. So well done, Spain.

SPEAKER_01 1:23:56

We won the People's World Cup for it. Oh, did we come third? Where we yeah, where we beat France. Yeah. Technically, we should come second because they should kick our teeth out. But anyway, we won't go there. We won't go there.

SPEAKER_00 1:24:07

But I have got my new t-shirt on that uh that you kindly give me. So inside CI T-shirt, um uh looking smart. It is very thick, so I'm very hot and melting because it is getting warmer out there, getting back to 32 degrees. So thanks for it.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:21

And I feel really bad because I haven't got my inside CI for the shocking. But well, because it's washed and iron, because I've got a soddisting to go to later in the week, so I wanted to wear it for that. See more than once, Stuart. And this hot I have, but this hot this room is so bloody hot. Simon, where can people find you online?

SPEAKER_00 1:24:38

So, yeah, all the uh socials, so Instagram, Twitter, we've actually been contacted not Twitter, sorry, uh LinkedIn. Uh we've actually been contacted on LinkedIn very uh for various different things, which uh I need to speak to you about. But um yeah, no, so uh so inside uh CI guys, you can contact me on Instagram, WhatsApp, we're on YouTube as well, and obviously we've got our uh website cinema rooms.co.uk.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:04

And on socials, that's cinema rooms.

SPEAKER_00 1:25:08

So on Instagram, LinkedIn, and uh yeah, that's the best ones to contact us on for anything you want to discuss.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:15

Excellent. So if you want to get hold of me, me personally, uh my social media's mainly are at Mr. Stuart Burgess, but otherwise you'll pretty much find me um at InsideCI News or at inside underscore, sorry, at insideCI underscore UK, because someone's got inside CI in Japan somewhere that post once every three years and I can't get it off them. Email me at hello insideci.com.uk. I'm trying to figure it now, it's .com, isn't it? Hello at insideci.com. Uh, if you want to get involved in the integrators voice, if you want to come on the podcast, if you've got something to talk about, um, or you want to be part of the forum when I get it off the ground. But uh, so I thank you very much for your time and uh I'm gonna go and have some dinner.

SPEAKER_00 1:26:01

No problem at all, Stuart. Thanks for having us, and uh yeah, enjoy the rest of your summer. Excellent. Cheers, guys, see you soon. Cheers, bye-bye.