At its Spring Expo on 10-11 May, AWE showcased a number of new products as well as an updated show apartment and revealed some company news including the official launch of its Smart Home Technology Guide for installers.
“It has been six busy months since the last AWE Expo and we had news to share with the industry,” commented Stuart Tickle, managing director of AWE. “These events are always a great way to get everyone together to introduce new products, and have some useful conversations about how the various systems can fit into projects that our dealers are working on.”
Among the products on show was the Draper ambient light-rejecting ReAct fixed screen, which is designed to enhance colour and contrast in ambient light conditions. It has also been used to upgrade the AWE Cinema where demos were taking place during the Expo to showcase the Draper projection screen and also the Dolby Atmos surround sound system. To deliver the full Dolby Atmos and DTS-X immersive experience, the cinema also features the Marantz AV8802 processor and MM8077 power amplifiers.
UHD TVs were also on display including the Panasonic DX902 series, which supports HDR content is THX certified and available in 58in and 65in models. Visitors also saw the Samsung UE65KS8000 65in SUHD, a premium bezel-less LED TV that goes beyond the current UHD Premium standards.
The newly configured comms rooms has been equipped with two 44U Sanus Component Series AV racks, which come pre-assembled and include blanking panels and vented shelves.
Elsewhere, AWE showcased the latest Loewe and LG screens, KEF LS-50 speakers and HDanywhere mHub’s alongside Philips Dynalite Antumbra Display and the entire HEOS multiroom audio range.
AWE’s new Smart Home Technology Guide was also officially launched, having previously been used at an AWE training session at the CEDIA Tech Forum in Bristol on 20 April. The Guide is an outreach tool for installers and includes a variety of home cinema and multi-room audio packages. These range from more affordable single room packages up to high performance multi-room options with the guide detailing what each package includes and the environments they are best suited.
The distributor has also welcomed new brands such as Draper and Sanus and now has three THX Calibration certified members of staff.
The other major announcement was that AWE has been appointed as the URC International Hub for stock, training and technical support, having previously become the exclusive UK distributor for URC in April 2011. Effective from 1 May, URC assumed direct responsibility for international sales with AWE now being the central point of stock and support for many of the distributors across EMEA.
“We are proud of what we have achieved together since we began working with URC,” explained Tickle. “URC is driving forward with international development and our proven ability to offer technical products with great marketing, training and back-up has resulted in us being appointed as the International Hub.”
The URC range encompasses two main product lines, Complete Control and Total Control, which features a range of remotes, keypads, system controllers and network amplifiers.
