Ernie Carswell, a 20-year veteran of the Los Angeles real-estate market, is at the top of his game. While he started small in Dallas during the Oil Crisis, he represents double-digit million-dollar properties today. His clients include CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, entertainment studio executives, foreign dignitaries, government officials and regular folk. Luxury CE talks in-depth with the quintessential sales professional.

This suburban showroom has helped this installation firm stay strong for 14 years.

Company owners Scott and Jennifer Ross opened the doors to Atlanta Home Theater in 1996 in the suburban city of Roswell, GA., in the greater Atlanta area. The company has survived two recessions, and it’s still going strong. Part of its success lies behind its well thought-out showroom, which was designed to appeal to clients of all budget levels. The rest of its success is driven by the firm’s commitment to honesty, 24-hour customer-service department and the esprit de corps that fuels the entire staff.

The Window Covering Manufacturers Association (WCMA) recently held their annual Product Innovation Awards. The ceremony recognizes important product advancements within the window covering industry. Lutron was given several awards, including the 2010 Product of the Year.

Lutron received four awards, in total

What kind of CE gear do you find in a 300-million dollar yacht?

The Wall Street Journal gave everyone the first look inside, Russian billionaire, Andrey Milnichenko’s yacht called, A. At 394’ long, the yacht features 60” retractable screens in the master bedroom, as well as a ton of other fully customized amenities.

This yacht is every A/V dealer’s dream project. We were so impressed (and jealous), we thought we’d share the video, which is provided by the Wall Street Journal.

Media Decor has released another new solution for concealing flat screen TVs. The Illusion Razor-2 Moving Art frame is exclusively designed to fit newer generation LED TVs, which are ultra-slim.

The frame features attached side panels that, when mounted, extends 2.375 inches from the wall and gives an overall finished look.

There are over 2,500 works of art to choose from, including limited-edition prints. The prints can be viewed on the Media Decor website. Clients can also provide their own personal works of art, and Media Decor also supplies a blank canvas for artists interested in creating their own original painting.

An installation in a remote location awards both challenges and success for Custom LA.

Draper has introduced Fine Art for FlatScreens, a line that conceals flat panel televisions with a work of art.

The company offers jacquard woven tapestries with reproductions of original works of art. With the touch of a switch or wireless controller, the art lifts to reveal the flat panel behind it.

Sanus Systems has decided to completely redesign their Platinum Series audio/video stands with three new models. These stands will feature updates, not only in design, but they have also been made to keep spaces more organized. Side panels and shelves are adjustable to accommodate different sized components, and the new design allows for better airflow to prevent overheating.