As another whirlwind of a year comes to a close, this special report looks back at the year that was with the most-viewed stories that were published in 2025. Enjoy this look back and be sure to keep up with the CI industry in 2026 with Residential Systems and the Residential Systems SmartBrief.

Explore the BRAVIA Projector lineup, bringing cinematic scale home with powerful brightness, refined contrast, and rich, true-to-life color. Crafted with premium design and engineering to deliver immersive viewing experiences in any space.

Daisy continues its rapid expansion with the launch of its first branch in Arizona. Opening in March, the new Scottsdale franchise is well-positioned to deliver professional integration services to the region’s thriving luxury home market.

Snap One, now part of ADI Global Distribution, has introduced its Lux by Control4 keypads, dimmers, and receptacles at Lightapalooza 2025 in Booth #506. Designed for luxury spaces, this reimagined and reengineered new collection of lighting controls delivers elegance and style, while offering flexible and customizable choices for luxury spaces launching later this year.

By John Sciacca The Arc Ultra and Sub 4 also reflect an expedited release cycle in Sonos’ product launches. The original Playbar, released more than a decade ago back in 2013, was in the lineup for seven years, while the Arc had just a four-year run. And short of just throwing a “2” on the name the way Sonos likes to do, the Ultra moniker indicates this is a new beast rather than just a follow-on. And, by God, it is.

By David Meyerowitz, Technical Sales Manager, Trinnov Audio If you’ve ever found yourself silently cursing an HDMI connection in a lavish home theater, you’re not alone. While marketed as a simple, single-cable solution for audio, video, and control, HDMI can become a serious headache even in the simplest setups. High-end media rooms and home theaters, where multiple sources, advanced processors, immersive audio, and 4K/8K HDR displays all converge, are especially prone to HDMI hassles. But why?

Value Electronics hosted its annual TV Shootout Evaluation event on Saturday, July 26, 2025, at its showroom in Scarsdale, NY. The latest flagship TVs were brought together side-by-side to compare all picture quality attributes, with a winner crowned for “King of TV” for the 2025 model year.

By John Sciacca Is the new BRAVIA 8 worth the upgrade? TL/DR, yes! But you’ll need to read on to find out exactly why it is better…

By John Sciacca At this price, performance, and feature set, the JVC DLA-NZ500 sets a new benchmark for sub-$10,000 projectors and should be on a very short list of projectors to consider at that price.

Lutron Electronics is showcasing its latest lighting technologies at ISE 2025 stand 2H500. The company is featuring three new products for the EMEA market, adding to its portfolio of first-party lighting controls and expanding into a new category — intelligent lighting.

By John Sciacca Nearly 80 years ago, an electrician named Masaru Ibuka started a company in Nihonbashi, Japan that would go on to become Sony. In 1950, Sony released its first audio product: the GT-3, the first Japanese domestic tape recorder. In 1965, Sony introduced the TA-1120, the first all-silicon transistor integrated amp, rated at 50 watts per channel. Beyond hallmark performance, the 24-plus pound integrated amplifier heralded the launch of Sony’s Elevated Standard (ES) series, which continues to this day.