Maybe you’re a home theater skeptic — you don’t think there is money to be made from “these types” of projects. Everyone just watches their shows and movies on devices, right? Well some certainly do, but small 13-in. screens are no substitute for a home theater or media room experience. And if you didn’t think you could add to your bottom line with these projects, you would be wrong.

At CEDIA 2015 we released our preliminary findings from our Size and Scope of the Residential Electronics Industrystudy. When it came to home theaters and media rooms the stats are hard to ignore.

Home theaters and media rooms are the most popular projects, followed by multi-room audio and home automation and control. Not only are installers taking on more projects, the cost of those projects has risen substantially over the first half of this decade. In 2010, the average cost of a home theater installation project was $16,400. In 2015, we expect that number to be $39,000 — a two-fold increase!

However, that does not mean only the very wealthy can afford these projects. The median home theater price systems integrators sold was $16,666, and the median audio installation was $11,000. In both instances, the average company also saw an increase in the number of home theater and audio installation projects in 2014, and that growth is expected to continue throughout 2015.

So we threw audio in there too — just for good measure — because it’s another way you can diversify as a company. These really are numbers that speak for themselves, and it is never too late to start learning how to add these services to your lineup. 

Audio

Start your mastery of audio with one of our intro eCourses: Technical Excellence: Audio Technologies for Technicians (EST225). You’ll learn about loudspeakers, acoustics, distributed audio and various other components.

The course begins with a brief history of audio and covers the basics of how audio signals are created and reproduced, including analog and digital formats and surround sound technologies. Participants will receive instruction on loudspeaker basics, room acoustics and distributed audio systems. This course is the foundation for further study in all areas of audio reproduction.

If you are really looking to dig into audio and get nerdy with it, CEDIA has an audio series by a true legend Dr. Floyd Toole; there really is no better person to learn from — the man has literally written the book on audio and acoustics.

His three part webinar series takes you from the basics of sound, to surround sound configuration and, finally, simulating real-world situations.

And the excellent thing about our eCourses is you can take them when you have time!

Home Theaters & Media Rooms

When it comes to home theaters and media rooms, your best experiences and skill development will be in a hands-on environment. Luckily, three times a year CEDIA offers Home Theater Boot Camp, an environment where you can dig in with world-class instructors and learn the ropes for installing a top-of-the-line home theater system or media room. With a projected average project cost of $39,000, we would say it is worth a few days away from your business! Stay tuned for 2016 boot camp dates at cedia.net/calendar.

Still not sold on audio or home theater? Check out all the other training, resources and tools CEDIA offers at cedia.net/training.