I like that article a lot. I think people are often unrealistic about labor numbers and misc. materials. Cabling can always be a touchy subject as it still remains a strong profit area for installers while TVs often offer less than 10% profit. For some reason people think that because something costs them $3,000 that it means that the installer is making $1,000 or more, when in reality, most installers are often making $200 or $300. On top of which, they often offer value added services like a one year service warranty. I know that I've run into a 70" LCD which failed within 3 months of hanging it on a customer's wall. Since I extend a 1-year service warranty, I ordered a new TV, took down the old TV and put up the new one, then packed up the bad display and sent it back... all out of my own pocket and time. Zero impact/cost to my client other than their TV down time (which does matter). This can completely destroy any profit that may have been earned. In comparison, cabling which may cost several hundred dollars can offer just as much profitability to some companies and has almost a zero failure rate. So it is a low-risk, high-profit item. Most customers don't even argue if they see 10 $25 HDMI cables on a proposal, but get upset when they can buy the TV for $100 less on Amazon then what you can offer it to them for. Of course, labor rates tend to be higher than people like. Sure, you will pay a A/C guy $100 an hour, more for an electrician, and the guy working on your car... geez. But, ask for $60 an hour or more for a qualified guy who is about to cut into your drywall and people can act like it is far to much money to be spent. Of course, some customers have no problems at all, while others do, so it depends on the client.
