There are varying opinions on how big, or small, you want your image to be, whether a projection system or a television. And in the days before Blu-ray and 4K (or even improved HDTV), erring on the smaller size was often the best practice.

But now, with the steady increase in content picture quality over the last few years, and the amazing improvements in TV picture reproduction, going with a bigger image can be the ideal choice. This applies to most any source material, even when watching local news!

Let’s take a look at what some industry experts recommend.

For Television viewing

THX, a leader in the cinema industry, now recommends multiplying the seating distance (in inches or centimeters) by 0.835. The result is the recommended screen diagonal measurement. So, if your customers are like a lot of us, and their seats are about 8 or 9 feet from the TV, then THX recommends an image that is approximately 90” diagonally. Go BIG or go home!

If you want to do the math backwards, for an 85in TV:  85 / .835 = 102” or about 8.5ft.

Sony offers these recommendations for minimum viewing distance:

TV Size             Min. Viewing Distance

55in                 39in

65in                 47in

75in                 55in

85in                 63in

(That is approximately 1.4x the distance to the image = screen size. If you don’t have a calculator, rounding up to 1.5 won’t hurt.)

For Projection Systems

Projector systems are a little different, but not much. Also, there will typically be a little closer seating for that “movie theater” experience. But don’t forget the folks in the back row.

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers recommends multiplying the seating distance by 0.625.  If the theater has several rows of seating and the back row is at 20ft, then a 150in diagonal is a nice choice. (240 x .625 = 150)

But, don’t make the mistake of going WAY too big. If the viewer is forced to move their head back and forth while watching the show, they are probably sitting too close.

Unless it is a tennis match. Or a really fast basketball game!

Next time you’re helping customers decide on the right TV or projector setup, use these recommendations to create the ultimate viewing experience.

1. https://www.cnet.com/tech/home-entertainment/get-the-perfect-screen-size-for-black-friday/
2. https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/articles/00008601
3. https://www.thx.com/room-size

Thanksgiving weekend kicks off the start of holiday shopping for families around the Nation. With an estimated 164 million U.S consumers expected to begin their shopping according to the National Retail Federation. These numbers include Cyber Monday in addition to Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday, and Small Business Saturday.

For many of our retailer partners, Small business Saturday is a big deal. With millions of consumers expected to shop on November 25, encouraging shoppers to support their local business is important. Whether it is local electronics stores, boutiques, or restaurants, small business Saturday brings people together to celebrate the small businesses that make up their communities.

Shop Small: What does it mean to “Be the Expert”?

This Saturday, choose to be the local expert. Being the Expert in your community is an opportunity to show off the extensive knowledge and great customer support that you’ve developed in your small business. Taking advantage of the attention given to small business owners this weekend by showing customers what they get from dealing with the local expert, and what they’re missing by simply ordering online. On this day, consumers are approaching YOU for deals, product expertise, and great customer service. Give shoppers an unforgettable experience with expert solutions and personal service.

Here are 3 important ways to stand out as the local expert in your community this Small Business Saturday: 

• List and Claim

Make Sure People Can Find You: Most shoppers start their day off looking for stores they want to visit online. You want to make sure that shoppers can find you, so claim your business for free on websites like Google, Bing, or Yelp. Make sure that your hours of operation, address, and business phone number are all updated so people know how to get to you.

• Share. Retweet. Repost. 

Get The Word out About Events and Sales: Social media is powerful, using Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are great ways to promote yourself for SBS. Take advantage of advertising and marketing tactics to set yourself apart. Create content, Q&A’s, use hashtags such as #SmallBizSat, which is promoted by American Express to get traffic to your store or get creative and use your own hashtags. Giveaways also encourage shoppers to stop in and see what you’re all about.

• Work Together

Get together with nearby stores and make a pact to send customers to each other on small business Saturday. This can be easily done by sharing each other’s information whether it be a flyer or business card. This is also a great way to give out percentages off deals at different stores, i.e, and lunch at a restaurant, free coffee, free manicure, etc.

These are all ways to make the most of the day. Feel free to submit pictures of all the exciting moments occurring during the day.

From our Family here at DOW, to yours, Happy Holidays!

Every day, more and more homeowners are considering home security for both safety and peace of mind.  Consumers get bombarded with solicitations from all sorts of security companies, and at the end of the day, there’s just one facet of monitored security that a homeowner should be concerned about – Response time.  After all, if an alarm is tripped due to a break-in, how fast will the authorities respond?  Will they respond at all?  These are valid points that need to be addressed before considering any monitored security service.

Monitored security companies are using a common term, verified response, to address authority response time.   A verified response comes in the form of a sound or verbal communication that a crime could be occurring.  When an alarm is activated, a monitored station must “verify” that the alert is true and not tripped as a false alarm.  Up until now, the most usual means to determine if the alarm is real is to call the homeowner using any phone number they have on file for that particular customer.  What happens if a client can’t answer the call from the monitoring station?  You guessed it; that call goes to the bottom of the dispatch list.  As a false alarm, chances of the authorities showing up to assess the home for a burglary are slim to none.

Vivint’s two-way voice feature on the Sky Control Panel allows Vivint’s monitoring station to physically listen for a sound or verbal communication that a crime is occurring.  Sounds that can inhibit a verified response include yelling, voices, glass breakage, the movement of household furniture, etc.  This feature alone awards Vivint one of the fastest response times in the industry and, simply, the most obvious choice for monitored security services.

When assessing the security service your business wants to partner with, compare other company’s response claims to Vivint’s verified response capabilities. Which do you want your business to stand behind?

To learn more about Vinvint and its innovative technology contact our Vivint Sales Manager at craig.parrot@dowelectronics.com. 

RingCentral is launching a new venture called the Channel Harmony One to Infinity Program. This program combines the efforts of the Channel and Direct sides of RingCentral, giving partners more sales support than ever before.

Every potential sales opportunity that a partner has can be fully supported by a Direct Rep (also known as Subject Matter Expert) at RingCentral, regardless of the size of the deal. The RingCentral sales representatives have extensive experience in sales and can have a wider array of potential tools to use to help close deals. These could potentially include promotions, discounts (on service and/or phones), spiffs, and more.

The partner also has the option to remain completely neutral in the deal and allow RingCentral to do all of the pitching of the product. Some partners prefer this route, as they would like to keep a consultant style role with their clients. The Subject Matter Experts can go through the entire sales process from start to finish with the client, freeing up the partner to spend time looking for more leads. The Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) are categorized based on location, potential deal size, type of company, and other factors.

This is an unprecedented support feature of Partner Programs, and is showing to be very promising for all parties involved. There have already been large-scale deals that have been put through thanks to the combined efforts of the partners and the SMEs at RingCentral. The projected growth of the RingCentral Partner Program is continuing to expand thanks to the launch of the Channel Harmony One to Infinity program.

One of the biggest challenges faced by employers, both big and small, is the quest to find qualified employees.  An even bigger challenge is finding the right “Fit” for your organization.  With the national unemployment rate at 4.4% (as of April 2017), we are constantly asking ourselves, “Where are all of the reliable, skilled candidates?” When I hire them, are they going to show up for work?”  While the thought of recruiting and looking for new employees can seem like a very daunting task, it doesn’t have to be.  Here are some suggested best practices for recruiting qualified employees to work for you AND your business.

1. Have a Job Description – Before you recruit your next employee, make sure the role they are going to fulfill for the company is specifically outlined to include daily job duties, who they will report to, their pay status (salary or hourly), schedule (i.e. will they have to work weekends, etc.) Set the expectations up front.  It eliminates any guess work on the back end.
2. Understand your Cost to Recruit – Do you spend tireless amounts of money putting an advertisement in the local newspaper hoping that your next Employee of the Year is going to walk through the door? If you are, but the results of your efforts are not changing, you need to re-evaluate your approach.  It’s vital to the fiscal health of your organization to use your recruiting budget wisely, so know the audience you’re trying to capture and focus the dollars (and time) there instead.  For example, if you are looking to fill a counter/retail sales role, try reaching out to a local community college to see if they have a job posting board.  Those colleges are very eager to get their recent graduates and/or alumni placed with good employers, so it becomes a win-win for everyone.  Even better, it typically costs nothing!
3. Spend Time Interviewing – Getting to know the person or people that you are entrusting to help run and grow your business is one of the most important responsibilities you can fulfill.  Before interviewing a candidate for a position, make sure you have an appropriate list of interview questions ready and take the interview slow.  As the interviewer, you have a direct impact on your candidates impressions of the company (and ultimately, their decision to accept an offer). When your body language implies that you’re bored with the discussion (and it’s just not that important),  it doesn’t allow for a healthy discussion about the job requirements, your expectations of them as an employee, etc.  When you show a lack of interest in them, it has the potential to turn into an unhealthy start if you hire them.  Show them around the workplace during the interview and watch their expressions; see how they interact with your existing employees.  You’ll be surprised how much you can learn from body language and taking the interview process slow.

Tune in next month for more tips and information on recruiting and retaining your best and brightest employees.

Are you looking for another revenue stream for your business? Consider the opportunity DISH can offer you!

DISH offers satellite services and entertainment solutions for everyone. As a retailer, you can offer your customers valuable products that satisfy their entertainment needs. Retailers often become the go-to local source for customers looking for in-home entertainment solutions. To make their retailers successful, DISH provides sales, marketing, and training support with a dedicated team.

There are many opportunities when you’re with DISH. In addition to selling residential services, consider commercial sales opportunities at restaurants, doctor offices, automotive services, fitness centers, and more. DISH offers a variety of programming packages allowing businesses to select what works best for them. When you become a retailer, you get a dedicated Commercial Account Manager who will help your business grow! Earn upfront incentives plus the opportunity for monthly residual revenue.

But the options don’t stop there! With DishLATINO, you can offer packages with 270 channels in Spanish and English. DishLATINO has a strong brand in the rapidly growing Latino segment giving DISH retailers a leg up on the competition. With options like the 2-year price guarantee and the No Commitment option, retailers can offer the best solution for their customers.

DISH gives retailers additional support with marketing and promotion incentives. With all of these- opportunities and incentives, selling DISH is a great option for expanding your business. So what are you waiting for? Apply today!

A recent article I read by Ron Miller on TechCrunch.com (click here to read) reinforced our recent strategy focus at DOW. In February we unveiled our DIY+ strategy at an open house at our Tampa showroom. DIY+, as you can deduce, refers to do-it-yourself products. The + is the most important part, it represents all that a professional installer brings to the product.  In the connected home, consumers still need, and prefer, professionals to get the most out of every product.

The article recaps an interview of Quirky CEO Ben Kaufman by Andreessen Horowitz partner Scott Weiss at South by Southwest. Kaufman notes that the first issue of connected home products is installation. Many consumers are not comfortable handling the installation of items such as the Nest Learning Thermostat or Lutron lighting control products. There is an opportunity for installers to be profitable selling and installing these products. Professionals have a knowledge and experience advantage over the big box stores whose employees are not likely to be familiar with the installation or operation of these products.

Once these products are installed, the next problem is connecting them to the internet. In the consumer electronics industry we may take it for granted connecting a new product to our home Wi-Fi, but the average consumer is not as adept at navigating these connections. If these products aren’t connected to the internet, they don’t provide the benefits that made the consumer purchase them in the first place. Connecting smart home products is time that adds revenue to your installation.

Connecting the consumer’s new smart home product is just the beginning though. Programming the smart products to work together is another value a professional offers to consumers that want the most from their products. Consumers may have installed a Nest, Lutron Caséta dimmers, and have a universal remote, but that doesn’t make it a smart home. If these products aren’t talking and controlled by a single source, the true benefit is being missed. Owning a universal remote like a Logitech Harmony to only change the channels on a TV is equivalent to using an iPhone to only make and receive calls. For a professional that is familiar with these products the programming is relatively easy and quick. That makes it a very profitable opportunity.

At DOW, we see a lot of potential for our retailers in selling and installing smart home products. Our DIY+ focus is bringing the right products to independent retailers at a time that they can get into the market as it is on the rise. Smart home product adoption is continuing to rise and we intend to help our retailers capture a part of the growth.