The Most Controversial Stories of 2009
By CE Pro Staff
With Lutron suing Crestron, Kaleidescape losing a big case, Amazon selling SpeakerCraft and Walmart selling installation, it wasn’t a boring year.

Is anyone sad that 2009 is coming to an end?

After seeing the economy tank, housing market collapse, product margins fall, and too many companies fold, 2010 can not come soon enough.

But before we can look ahead, let's take a look back at the year that was. If you like controversy, 2009 was the year for you.



The custom electronics industry was ripe with scandal. There were lawsuits pitting industry bigwigs against one another, debates of integration companies' ethics, and speculation that company owners are too old to be effective.

It might have been a difficult year, but it certainly wasn't boring.

Walmart Offering TV, PC, Home Theater Installation
According to Walmart, they aren’t in the home theater installation business. When customers purchase installations through kiosks inside Walmart and Sam’s Club, they’re actually buying third-party installer NEW Customer Service Companies Inc.’s services.

Kaleidescape Loses DVD Ripping Appeal Against DVD CCA
It wasn’t just Kaleidescape dealers that raised their eyebrows. Every CE pro is watching this case unfold, wondering what ripple effects it will send through the industry. It’s not just controversial, it’s also difficult to understand.

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