home theater certificate

[eurovw89]

Does anyone know where in the state of Maryland I could go take classes and get certified? i have been googling for the passed hour and can not find anything.

Thanks,
Jeff

[dkane360]

CEDIA Industry Professionals

[highfigh]

Does anyone know where in the state of Maryland I could go take classes and get certified? i have been googling for the passed hour and can not find anything.

Thanks,
Jeff

What is your goal? If you want to do commercial or industrial, look into BICSI.

[BMXTRIX]

What is your goal? If you want to do commercial or industrial, look into BICSI.

BICSI looks to be IT based, not A/V. On the commercial side of A/V Infocomm is the typical professional company which is recognized. I hadn't even heard of BICSI until you mentioned it.

InfoComm International, the Audiovisual (AV) Association

To the OP: What is your goal? What are you trying to achieve? A/V is very much a long term learning experience and not very easily classroom taught. It's fine to talk about the technologies, which we are happy to do at length on these forums, but the traditional classroom teachings can only go so far with what you will learn. It'll help to make you book smart, but can also make you street dumb. So, hands on experience is critical, and for this you may want to try any local A/V installation companies including big-box stores which may need installation technician help.

[agarwalro]

You can also look into ISF certification.

[highfigh]

BICSI looks to be IT based, not A/V. On the commercial side of A/V Infocomm is the typical professional company which is recognized. I hadn't even heard of BICSI until you mentioned it.

InfoComm International, the Audiovisual (AV) Association

To the OP: What is your goal? What are you trying to achieve? A/V is very much a long term learning experience and not very easily classroom taught. It's fine to talk about the technologies, which we are happy to do at length on these forums, but the traditional classroom teachings can only go so far with what you will learn. It'll help to make you book smart, but can also make you street dumb. So, hands on experience is critical, and for this you may want to try any local A/V installation companies including big-box stores which may need installation technician help.

It's heavily biased toward IT but these days, what isn't? They cover ALL aspects of low voltage installations, code compliance, proper grounding, cabling, shielding, enterprise-wide solutions and it's like CEDIA on a whole lot of steroids. Far more involved.

BICSI also meets the requirements if someone wants to do certain commercial and government jobs. Without the right certifications, someone can be a great installer/system designer/integrator but they won't get the jobs. Some electrical contractors won't hire people who don't have BICSI certification if they do a lot of these jobs.

For anyone interested:
https://www.bicsi.org/default.aspx

[BMXTRIX]

Yeah, I talked to one of our guys about it, but it is really geared heavily towards IT, not A/V. Infocomm works in partnership with BICSI, but Infocomm delivers the CTS, which is often required for commercial A/V specific jobs, while BICSI certification is required on many IT specific jobs. Because the IT industry has so many standards that are very well established industry-wide, it's a heavily recognized program and well established with those standards while A/V standards... while they exist, tend to be mediocre and have huge variables in them which manufacturers can't even get correct most of the time. (anyone have any HDCP issues here???)

We have a BICSI certified employee - I didn't even know it. :/

ISF is very questionable for its usefulness as it is all about display calibration. It's good to have at a later date I would think, but first it's incredibly important to really know the basics like the differences between 720p, 1080i, 1080p/24/60, etc. What LCD, LED, plasma, LCoS, etc. bring to the table. What wiring is appropriate in what installations. That's where Infocomm and CEDIA really step up to the plate. But moreso, where working at a job for a year can pay off big time in experience.

[highfigh]

Yeah, I talked to one of our guys about it, but it is really geared heavily towards IT, not A/V. Infocomm works in partnership with BICSI, but Infocomm delivers the CTS, which is often required for commercial A/V specific jobs, while BICSI certification is required on many IT specific jobs. Because the IT industry has so many standards that are very well established industry-wide, it's a heavily recognized program and well established with those standards while A/V standards... while they exist, tend to be mediocre and have huge variables in them which manufacturers can't even get correct most of the time. (anyone have any HDCP issues here???)

We have a BICSI certified employee - I didn't even know it. :/

ISF is very questionable for its usefulness as it is all about display calibration. It's good to have at a later date I would think, but first it's incredibly important to really know the basics like the differences between 720p, 1080i, 1080p/24/60, etc. What LCD, LED, plasma, LCoS, etc. bring to the table. What wiring is appropriate in what installations. That's where Infocomm and CEDIA really step up to the plate. But moreso, where working at a job for a year can pay off big time in experience.

One problem with ONLY working for someone as the means of training is that so many employers don't train much, if at all. That means the person can just be a wire monkey for the whole time. Another scenario is when they send one guy to training and he's given the task of training the others. Neither of these is a good way to learn. The problem I have with CEDIA is that it takes so long to go through all of the courses (along with the cost)- some of the courses held at the convention were a total waste of my time and the company's money because the description didn't match the reality. The instructors didn't do anything to present much useful info, either.

What I would prefer WRT training is a separate audio, video and an IT track because not all who get into the industry will necessarily want to do all of these and that's perfectly fine if they can get good jobs in their area. Audio is complicated enough without trying to fast-track it. Knowing how to salvage a system that's basically a big C(orn) F(lake) by design takes experience and knowledge, combined with some luck. Using ICF as an aid is a good idea but I have heard and read about people charging for a real calibration and the customer hated the results because they're color blind. I could see the same thing happening after an audio calibration when the person doing the setup doesn't bother to ask the right questions like "Do you have any major hearing damage, possibly from military service, medical issue or working in an industrial/construction field?".

I'm in an area where licensing for low voltage isn't required but if it weeds out the dirtballs, I would be OK with it if it wasn't too expensive. Making people prove that they actually know what they're doing before they set up shop isn't a bad thing, IMO. It's what many prospective employers do, right?

[BMXTRIX]

Being a wire monkey may seem silly, but it gives invaluable experience. That's the big thing in all of this. You can go to any number of schools which can help teach audio theory, video work, etc. but if you aren't the guy pulling the wires and getting them in place and seeing what works and what doesn't work, then it's all useless.

The classes themselves are all pretty useless without any of the practical hands on.

As for training, I find that the best training is manufacturer specific, then courses at any local college which teach them, about different A/V subjects. Audio classes which can help people learn not just how a mixing console is setup, but why it is setup that way. No training I've been to for a day at CEDIA or Infocomm touches what a semester at a school can help guide you through.

Likewise, no classes are going to give the same experience that working for an employer in the field, or even in a store will do. You learn what product is build to last, what product looks good. In a store you may be able to help with the setups and can tweak settings to get them to look their best. You can also emphasize to an employer the importance of training - whether it be just having time off to do so on your own, or for them to help you out with it.

I don't think that any one area can possibly 'train' by itself. But, hands on, in the field, with a good A/V company is one of the best ways. Working for your local cable company may be one of the worst ways.

I still believe, you can learn more online in a few days with asking questions about a specific subject and doing your own research than you typically will in an all day 'general' A/V class from CEDIA/Infocomm.

[highfigh]

Being a wire monkey may seem silly, but it gives invaluable experience. That's the big thing in all of this. You can go to any number of schools which can help teach audio theory, video work, etc. but if you aren't the guy pulling the wires and getting them in place and seeing what works and what doesn't work, then it's all useless.

The classes themselves are all pretty useless without any of the practical hands on.

As for training, I find that the best training is manufacturer specific, then courses at any local college which teach them, about different A/V subjects. Audio classes which can help people learn not just how a mixing console is setup, but why it is setup that way. No training I've been to for a day at CEDIA or Infocomm touches what a semester at a school can help guide you through.

Likewise, no classes are going to give the same experience that working for an employer in the field, or even in a store will do. You learn what product is build to last, what product looks good. In a store you may be able to help with the setups and can tweak settings to get them to look their best. You can also emphasize to an employer the importance of training - whether it be just having time off to do so on your own, or for them to help you out with it.

I don't think that any one area can possibly 'train' by itself. But, hands on, in the field, with a good A/V company is one of the best ways. Working for your local cable company may be one of the worst ways.

I still believe, you can learn more online in a few days with asking questions about a specific subject and doing your own research than you typically will in an all day 'general' A/V class from CEDIA/Infocomm.

CEDIA Installer Boot Camp is probably the best thing for a shiny, new installer or someone who has acquired bad habits because it can be either one day or three and it's very hands-on. They deal with wire management and handling, which is now more important than ever. HDMI, fiber and CAT5e/6/7 doesn't like being treated like a farm animal and I have seen people yank, twist, bend and abuse it in many ways over the years. One thing I have seen with good wire pullers is a lack of knowledge when it comes to signal path, too. They usually match In with IN and OUT with OUT at first. Also, car audio/security installers have a hard time letting go of the tendency to cut the cables just a little longer than needed because in 12V, the equipment is placed before being wired and usually doesn't move. I learned that when I got back into low voltage because I had done 12V for so long.