The Essential Install Podcast is hosted by David Kitchener, the Publishing Director of Essential Install Magazine, and aims to educate, inform and help installers to do their job. David will be talking to industry people from industry associations, custom install companies and distributors with a view to finding out what they can offer the industry, where they see the industry going in these challenging times, and to discuss specific topics with them like home cinema, calibration and programming. We would love to hear your feedback on the podcast - please email david@essentialinstall.com with any comments, topics you'd like to hear covered or suggestions for any future guests.
David Kitchener and Daniel Sait discuss the new Lutron launch of the RadioRA 3 with Chris Yorgey, Engineering Project leader at Lutron. This new launch is a game changer for the AV and smart home industr
2/19/25 • 26:18
After the Million Pound Celebration Dinner what next for Together For Cinema? Listen to Ian Morrish to hear what the next year holds for this incredible industry initiative.
9/4/24 • 39:46
David Kitchener of Essential Install magazine discusses the progression CEDIA (Custom Electronic Design Industry Association) has made over the past couple of years with Daryl Freidman the Global President and CEO and Matt Nimmons Manging Director of CEDIA EMEA.
8/5/24 • 39:21
David Kitchener talks to Darren Barker, MD of Cinemaluxe a design and build contractor about the roll of the Interior designer in the Smart Home industry.
7/12/24 • 47:51
In the latest podcast, David Kitchener talks to Barry Sheldrick from DbM / Meriden regarding the remarkable growth of DbM as a spin-off distributor. Recently, DbM earned the title of Distributor of the year at the recent Smart Building awards, just three years since its inception. Listen to the discussion about this incredible achievement.
1/8/24 • 49:53
In this podcast David Kitchener and Dan Sait discuss the merits of advertising, what it can do for you and what benefits advertising brings to your company. Don’t let your company get left behind by thinking that advertising does not work!
11/20/23 • 24:02
David Kitchener talks to four successful women in the AV industry, to celebrate International women’s day. “Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women's equality. Collectively we can all embrace equality”. So, celebrating women's achievements and increasing visibility, while calling out inequality, is key.
3/7/23 • 44:06
With this podcast we are concentrating on lighting, as we are joined by the award winning Rako Controls the UK’s leading smart lighting controls manufacturer, who recently picked up awards at the Smart Building awards for the “Best Lighting control” and to add to that Rako won the “Best Hardware” category award at the recent CEDIA EMEA awards, for their modular WK-MOD and RK-MOD keypads.
11/11/22 • 39:12
To the AV integrator, power is everything. The connection of a system to the mains fires up all sorts of solutions, from lighting and HAVAC through to cinema and music. But how much attention do we actually give to the power source? All it takes is a spike in power or power cut and all of the integrators hard-earned work requires service visits and, at worst, swapping out of kit. So, to discuss this important topic we are joined by Philipp Gude of GUDE Systems.
8/31/22 • 28:58
This podcast focuses on Snap One. This is a culmination of SnapAV and Control4 rebranding as Snap One just over a year ago. The rebranding and general marketing for a company the size of Snap One is a mammoth task: hear how they are achieving this and where Snap One are now.
8/8/22 • 41:33
The Essential Install team talk to Invision UK about their 20th anniversary, and their House Party to celebrate the fact on the 13th and 14th July 2022. Hear the brands that will be on show during the event. Listen and book your FREE tickets on the Invision website.
6/23/22 • 33:45
David Kitchener and Daniel Sait discuss redefining how you experience sound, with John Buchanan the CEO of Meridian Audio and DbM.
5/25/22 • 46:47
This podcast is Part 2 - given that Chris Pinder has now completed the Marathon des Sables, this extreme effort was undertaken to raise money for a very worthy cause in the shape of the industry initiative Together for Cinema. It’s a fascinating listen hearing how Chris ran through blistering heat and blistering feet and completed the 250km race!
5/5/22 • 46:14
The Essential Install team talk to Nick Fichte of L-Acoustics Creations on how sound and science define L‑Acoustics, through their dedication to innovation and product design excellence.
4/11/22 • 41:04
Essential Install talk to Chris Pinder who is taking on the legendary Marathon des Sables, a gruelling multi-stage adventure in one of the world's most inhospitable environments, the Sahara Desert. All to support a wonderful and very worthy cause, Together for Cinema. You can donate to Chris here, and also contact Chris to discuss further sponsorship opportunities.
3/3/22 • 45:41
We talk to Charlie McLarron the newly appointed UK sales director for Steinway Lyngdorf, on their new products and the plans for the UK moving forward.
2/17/22 • 39:51
We talk EI Live! the only dedicated AV and Home Automation show in the UK. Stuart Tickle and Chris Turner give us their thoughts and experiences from exhibiting at the show, we also discuss how it all began 11 years ago.
1/25/22 • 43:01
Together For Cinema is an AV industry good cause enterprise whose main focus is to design and install home cinema rooms in children’s hospices and other suitable locations across the UK. We talk to Ian Morrish who is heading up this important industry initiative, how it all began and where it is now.
12/17/21 • 31:26
Colin Urie, co-founder of Gallo Acoustics, joins the Essential Install team to discuss the evolution of this colourful, high-performance and inventive speaker brand.
12/2/21 • 42:02
EI Live! mini series of podcasts: Daniel Adams from Blustream, fresh from Japan, shares with us what they will be showing at EI Live!
9/1/21 • 32:05
EI Live! mini series of podcasts: AWE Europe have the largest footprint on the EI Live! show floor. Stuart Tickle and James Drummie tell us what we can see in the AWE Village.
9/1/21 • 30:05
EI Live! mini series of podcasts: Timmi Thorsen and Charles Redgrave-Plumb tell us what Habitech will be exhibiting at EI Live!
9/1/21 • 29:56
EI Live! mini series of podcasts: We talk to Mark Taylor and Peter Alloway from Invision UK, on what they will be showing at EI Live!
9/1/21 • 31:13
EI Live! mini series of podcasts: Chris Pinder, Joe Wilks and Joe Fletcher from OneAV talk to us about the CI industry, and what they will be exhibiting at EI Live!
9/1/21 • 32:04
David Kitchener speaks to Peter Huddleston from Devolo and Rod Slade from their distributor Exertis. Devolo is the pioneer of powerline and Wi-Fi solutions. With over 45 million products shipped throughout Europe, Devolo provides high-performance home networking that supports any use from gaming and entertainment, to working and studying at home. Put simply “the fastest in the world”!
6/7/21 • 26:20
Dr Shelley James is a consultant and international expert on light and wellbeing, and a passionate advocate for public engagement with science. She is also Founder and Managing Director of the Age of Light Innovations, an initiative with a vision to build communities and ignite an enthusiasm for light and wellbeing in the new digital age. We were keen to draw on Dr Shelley’s knowledge and experience of humans and light to examine some key issues affecting our sector, we were also joined by Paul Wafer managing Director of Rako Lighting Controls.
5/10/21 • 46:30
Dizztribution was setup up to put fun back into the AV industry, no hidden agenda purely distribution by installers for installers by giving the best relationship with suppliers and integrators. David Kitchener and Daniel Sait talk to Dave Wilson of Dizzyfish Installations.
4/9/21 • 30:05
The future of AV distribution is all about three things – bandwidth, bandwidth and bandwidth. The evolution of video signal quality has meant that even the most readily available sources require huge amounts of bandwidth to display at their native quality. The Essential Install team discuss this with two experts from CYP Europe.
3/9/21 • 37:59
Let’s talk CI-FI? What is it? And why should you care? Is the industry going full circle as Hi-Fi and music only systems make a growing contribution to the custom install industry? David Kitchener talks to Andy Oattes and Danial Sait all about 2 channel.
1/29/21 • 36:35
The Essential Install team spoke to experienced Crestron Master programmer Cliff Stammers to talk programming, past, present and future. How has the role changed? How will it change in the future? Find out by listening to the very latest in the Essential Install podcast series.
1/4/21 • 34:09
