PowerHouse Alliance Stitching Together Training Program for High-End Vizio TV Line
PowerHouse Alliance met with custom integrators at the CEDIA trade show as the consortium begins to build a network of authorized and trained Vizio dealers to sell the TV maker’s recently announced line (see: 1510070059) of Reference Series high-dynamic-range 4K…
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Ultra HD TVs. Executive Director Dennis Holzer outlined some of the PowerHouse guidelines and strategies that will apply to Vizio at the group’s CEDIA booth in Dallas. Training covers “accurate and safe installation” processes including mounting, wiring and calibration, the company said. Quality control checks for aesthetics and operation are in place for both the 65-inch and 120-inch flat-panel TVs, Holzer said, and a TV with any visual defects or that doesn’t power on properly upon delivery will be put back on the truck for return to the factory before the truck leaves the customer’s home. Vizio is the first TV vendor in the PowerHouse portfolio, and though PowerHouse typically has two companies per category on its roster, it doesn’t plan to add another TV brand, Holzer said. “Vizio is a first for us that presented a unique opportunity,” he said, citing Vizio’s initial entry into the custom market. “For me to bring on more lines would just be watering down the process,” he said. PowerHouse training for Vizio products is expected to begin in Q1, and the TVs are expected to arrive by year-end. Holzer told us the 120-inch TV isn’t available directly to consumers and all leads “come through us.” PowerHouse passes on leads from the Vizio website to installers to reach out to consumers, he said. In response to our request for information, PowerHouse dealer Jason Maggio of JM Sound & Integration told us by email: “We offer all stages of installation including full control options. Or we can just get you the set if you don't need any other service.” Holzer couldn’t say how many of PowerHouse’s 16,000 dealers would have access to the Vizio Reference Series line. The Reference Series TVs will go to the group’s top installers first, Holzer said. Authorized dealers are required to go through training, including site selection, which will take place at the 38 PowerHouse warehouses across the country, Holzer said.