July 14, 2017; Cello Technologies Seattle celebrates seventeen years (under local ownership, 32 total). The last few years have been almost entirely taken up with updates for existing clients; theaters and media rooms changing to 4K, updating theaters to wider aspect projection for better block buster viewing, adding speakers and processing for the new ‘immersive’ Dolby Atmos/DTS-X/Aura3D sound formats, updating lighting and security systems to allow convenient control from tablets and phones (including remote access), adding turntables to embrace the resurgence of vinyl, etc. Luckily we’ve caught up with most of our backlog, because this year has brought us many new clients from some of our favorite architects and builders, keeping us busy with new projects and new opportunities for creative design and engineering!

July 14, 2014; Cello Technologies celebrates the 14th anniversary of Tom Hall's purchase of Cello Seattle. His purchase brought the Seattle end of Cello back to local ownership and expanded the company's range to encompass all low voltage residential systems. Cello, founded in 1985, is the oldest audio/video integration company in Seattle, and the only one built on an engineering and design core.

May 31, 2012; Cello Technologies Seattle had an exclusive preview of the new Prima Cinema video player. This is the first and only system that allows in home viewing of new feature films on the date of their theatrical release. This will allow users to view current movies in ultra high quality without leaving their house.

April 8, 2012; Cello Technologies Seattle has added a 1925 Victrola to our show house. Sitting next to our grand piano, it reminds us of our roots, and that the technology we deal with every day is a tool for delivering art. Both the piano and the Victrola also remind us that what delivers your art can be art itself, just like some of the fine products we use today.

March 23, 2012; Cello Technologies Seattle has added two more videos on YouTube showing the world's largest TV lift that we designed for a client. The client wanted a 'float-in' movie theater and we designed that: a 152" plasma in a weatherproof enclosure and a 9.2 4000W surround sound system.
In ground TV lift for 152" panasonic TV I
In ground TV lift for 152" panasonic TV II

February 8, 2012; Cello Technologies Seattle is updating our website to show more of the custom work that we have done for clients. We will soon update our portfolio page to show additional projects. We are thankful to our clients that have agreed to have their projects featured (our standard privacy policy keeps everything confidential, so it is a rare opportunity that we get to publish images and information on what we have done).

January 30, 2012; Cello Technologies Seattle is seeing more interest in our legacy products (which ceased manufacture in 2000), so to help clients interested in that level of product, we will be adding a cross reference to our website that will show what modern equivalents we would provide. These will include electronics from Boulder and Esoteric and speakers from ATC, Revel, Martin Logan and Aerial Acoustics. While the Cello products where the pinnacle of engineering and design at the time, we feel that the products we use today have elevated the bar even further and provide our clients the ultimate performance available today.

September 29, 2011; Cello Technologies Seattle is proud to have designed the sound system for Queen Anne's newest restaurant, Mezcaleria Oaxaca! We created this system in concert with our partners at Speakerlab, using their Point1's and a custom version of their Point2D speakers, providing them in kit form so that the restaurant could custom finish them (gold & copper leaf and custom paint). Come for the sound, stay for the food and drink.

September 29, 2011; Cello Technologies Seattle attended The Mobotix National Partner Conference here in Seattle. Mobotix is a network camera system company offering very robust security and access control solutions. Their products are a great compliment to how Cello approaches our clients' security needs.

September 20, 2011; Cello Technologies Seattle continues its support of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) through our sponsorship of Seattle AIA's "FutureShack; a dialogue between the public and design professionals focused on new ways to think about residential architecture in all its forms". We encourage anyone interested in the future of our living spaces to attend this interesting and informative evening.

July 14, 2010; Cello Technologies celebrates ten years (under local ownership). "The last ten years have been interesting and challenging ones for our industry, but Cello has done well by diversifying its offerings and keeping a core focus on reliable designs and personal service", says Bruce Christianson, marketing director. "While the current economy has removed or compromised many in our industry, it has really played to Cello's strengths as customers shift their focus to more traditional values of quality and service" according to Tom Hall, President of Cello. He goes on, "we are coming out of a time where 'more is better' and into a time where 'better is better', and this is how Cello has always differentiated itself; by offering products and services that consistently show value and quality over the long term, not selling products that are the hottest thing one day and gone the next, nor by being a company that is the cheapest up front, but out of business by the time the client needs service".

December, 2009; Cello Technologies looks back on a good year. 2009 saw the completion of two major residential projects for Cello; an estate on Lake Washington that had them involved for two and a half years, and an award winning two year penthouse project in the Four Seasons. Both projects included designing, building and configuring all of the entertainment, shading, lighting control and communications systems. Though Cello holds a strict policy of client confidentiality, both of these projects were widely published by their designers and architects and were two of the three design magazine cover story projects Cello was involved in this year.

November 9, 2009; Cello Technologies is attending the AIA (American Institute of Architects) Honor Awards. This year's theme is 'Improv/Improve' and it showcases creative projects big and small that speak to a rapidly changing design environment with a focus on bettering our surroundings. "It is always a pleasure to spend the evening with so many gifted architects and see them honored for their work" says Tom Hall, President of Cello. This is the eight year Cello was invited to attend and was involved in three projects that are up for consideration.

March 31, 2009; Cello Technologies announces the addition of Bruce Christianson as director of marine sales and marketing. Bruce will fill the roll recently left open by the retirement from Cello of Dellarae Mattila, and expand the marketing roll of the position to cover marine and residential. "Bruce's relationship with Cello dates back well over ten years from when he left his position as VP of marketing for AMX Corporation to become a partner in AMX's northwest representation firm. He provided training to Cello on AMX equipment for many years until he left our industry to start a computer hardware company focusing on marinized computer products. His depth and breadth of knowledge in the marine and audio/video industries will be a great addition to our company" says Tom Hall, President of Cello.

November 3, 2008; Cello Technologies is attending the AIA (American Institute of Architects) Honor Awards. The theme for the awards is 'Perform-Transform' and it focuses on how the practice of architecture must continuously transform so it can perform technically, aesthetically and humanistically. This is the seventh year Cello was invited to attend and was involved in four projects that are up for consideration.

July 8, 2008; Cello Technologies announces the addition of Scott Bigby to their client services staff. Scott comes from 9 years at a regional high-end retailer where he had risen to the level of store manager before deciding to shift out of retail and into the custom integration market. Scott brings a strong background in customer service as well as a passion for, and in depth understanding of, high end audio and video. "Cello has always been a company rooted in client services and customer satisfaction, and Scott's background and great attitude will help Cello strengthen this client bond even more", says Tom Hall, President of Cello.

July 16, 2007; Cello Technologies has begun design work for the refit of a 93 meter (305ft) motor yacht to be completed over the next two years. The design includes state of the art audio, video and communications systems for the entire yacht, as well as a dedicated cinema. Though many yachts now include surround sound systems or even 'media rooms', Cello is one of the few companies to provide a cinema experience that rivals the finest in home theaters, and this project will be their finest example to date (their previous best being the cinema sound system for a 120+ meter (410+ft) yacht, who's theater is considered to have the finest sound system afloat).

April 5, 2007; Cello Technologies signed memorandum of understanding to start design on a large (over 16,000 square foot) residential project to include a large theater, multiple surround sound systems, whole house lighting, communications, audio/video, security and shade control. This is the second project of this relative size and scope contracted in as many months for Cello. "Having two large (over $1.5M) projects going at once is very challenging, but reflects Cello's unique position in the northwest as a company that can manage multi-million dollar integration projects, even when they come two at a time!", says Tom Hall, President of Cello.

March 6, 2007; Cello Technologies contracted for the design of a large (over 13,000 square foot) multi-building residential estate. The project will include a large home theater, multiple surround and two channel audio and audio/video systems, communications, security and lighting control. "The design of the estate dictates a very tight coordination between Cello and other trades on the project, as well as significant infrastructure coordination to accomplish the goals of multiple buildings functioning in a seamless way", says Tom Hall, President of Cello.

February 22, 2007; Cello Technologies hosted its seventh annual New Year party and celebrated with clients and business associates. Products shown this year include new software from Kaleidescape, Sony's new XBR flat panels, and two stunning new compact speaker systems from NHT (one 5.1 surround, and one for dedicated 2 channel purists). The party was hosted this year at Cello's new show home. The new facility will be a permanent showplace for Cello and their design, build and supply partners. "The most attention was garnered by the new facility itself", says Tom Hall, President of Cello. Cello expects to spend the next year and a half working with partner architects, designers and builders outfitting the new location with state of the art systems that clients can audition in a real environment.

August 14, 2006; Cello Technologies and Radio Holland USA Inc. have entered into a joint marketing agreement focused on the design, sales and installation of communication, navigation, automation, entertainment, lighting control and other related systems for the Megayacht and Superyacht market in the United States. By working together, Radio Holland USA and Cello Technologies can provide the Client with one team, managed by one 'point' person, instead of multiple vendors. This will significantly simplify communications about these critical systems and make the whole process more efficient, while still providing the benefit of expertise in their respective fields that these two companies provide.

Radio Holland USA and Cello Technologies will be able to offer a Megayacht/Superyacht manufacturer or Owner a complete package which will leverage the strengths of both companies and provide worldwide support.

Cello Technologies and Radio Holland USA are number one in providing their clients with innovative and integrated solutions. This means that engineering, design, installation and service will be professional and reliable, with a truly global service network in 21 different countries, with 50 service depots. Clients also benefit from an engineered seamless system interface between the ships critical systems, communications and entertainment systems provided by the joint venture.

Radio Holland USA Inc. is a member in the International Radio Holland Group, the leading commercial marine Sales and Service organization offering customized and turnkey solutions in the field of Satellite and Radio Communications, Automation, and Navigation Systems with the mission of providing innovative, efficient, and functional solutions. Radio Holland USA also provides Consulting, Engineering, Installation Services, Shore Based Maintenance, Commercial Airtime and Training.

February 10, 2006; Cello Technologies has been chosen as a partner to supply the audio/visual and control systems for Ocean Alexander yachts ranging from 58 to over 100 feet. Cello has designed specific systems for each yacht size based on a standard infrastructure 'backbone' and rack mounted component sets that 'plug in' to the yacht. The first completed project was Ocean Alexander's new 98', which was unveiled at the Miami Boat Show this month. This system included voice and data communications systems, as well as a menu driven audio/video server in each room, one touch control of lighting and audio/video in the main areas, and high definition satellite. The systems were built, tested and programmed at Cello's facilities in Seattle, then shipped to Ocean Alexander's facilities in Kaohsiung, Taiwan for installation.

Ocean Alexander has consistently upgraded its products to provide customers with good value while matching as closely as possible the offerings of custom builders. The 98' project was used as a 'proof of concept' showing that Cello's 'modular' design (which it uses for condominiums and large and/or remote home installations) would be an efficient method for Ocean Alexander to bring custom yacht quality to the semi-production yacht buyer. Tom Hall, President of Cello, sees this approach as a great way for both parties to efficiently deliver state of the art entertainment and communications systems. According to Hall, "Cello has always been a 'custom' company, and though we have used a modular approach in many of our residential projects, previous yacht projects had all been built in place and were really 'one-off' systems." He continued, "this experience [with Ocean Alexander] will allow Cello to offer similar systems as sub-system components on our custom yacht projects, improving efficiency by decreasing the onboard work time."

January 19, 2006; Cello Technologies hosted its sixth annual New Year party and celebrated with clients and business associates. This year Cello introduced the SIM2 line of display products, showing both their 3 chip C3X projector (bright enough for use in a non-light controlled environments) and their stunningly attractive 40" LCD. "This line fills a niche for Cello with its strong focus on the aesthetics of the unit, as well as the performance", says Tom Hall, President of Cello. Cello also used this event to introduce some new members of the staff, including Del Gamler, a certified marine electrician, who will help Cello to continue its growth in the yacht market.

August 4, 2005; Cello Technologies celebrated its fifth anniversary (under local ownership) with a party hosting local architects, builders and clients. Cello used this opportunity to showcase some of the latest products for home theater and home entertainment, including the D-box (www.d-box.com) motion simulator, the Kaleidescape video (and soon to be audio) server (www.kaleidescape.com), the Yamaha YSP-1 sound projector (http://www.yamaha.com/yec/YSP1/) and the amazing Esoteric UX-1 DVD universal player (http://www.teac.com/esoteric/UX-1.html). Based on the response, Cello believes that interest is growing once again in quality of experience and not just on the convenience of the delivery.

January 27, 2005; Cello Technologies hosted its fifth annual New Year party. The party was hosted at Cello's Design Center located in Belltown and was attended by customers, architects, builders, associates and friends. It was an opportunity for attendees to see what is new for Cello as well as what is new in the integration industry. This year Cello showcased two leading video server products from AMX and Kaleidescape as well as new control system designs capable of simplifying all of the new 'convergent' technologies.

November 5, 2004; Cello Technologies announces the addition of Dellarae Mattila to their sales staff. "Dellarae brings to Cello a broad range of knowledge from her 18 years in the Marine Electronics Industry. This, in addition to her solid reputation for customer care, will allow us to expand our services in the custom yacht market" Says Tom Hall, President of Cello. Dellarae will expand the sales efforts of Cello Technologies by focusing entirely on the mega yacht business. She has already expanded Cello Technologies' business by adding marine satellite antennas and communications systems to their product offerings.

December 1, 2003; Cello Technologies announces the launch of the Cello Performance Assurance service for their customers. The subscription-based program provides regularly scheduled maintenance service for the high performance audio/video and control systems Cello designs and installs. Says Tom Hall, President of Cello, "Each of our systems are tailored to the needs of the individual client, this service will be a 'cleaning and check-up' to keep their specific system in top shape so that it will always perform to their expectations". Any specialized calibrations for audio or video will be scheduled at the same time to minimize the intrusion on the client's schedule. Cello believes that this service plan will enhance the performance and reliability of all the systems that they provide. Cello has always included a two year warranty on all of its installations in combination with the equipment manufacturer's warranties.

October 6, 2003; Cello Technologies announced that Rich Abel has joined the firm as director of operations. In this capacity, Abel will manage the installation, service and customer assurance elements of Cello's business. "Our business has grown to the point where it's important to add depth to the management team. Rich brings to us a diverse and rich background in business management, operations, marketing and technology. His impact will position Cello to quickly move to the next level of our evolution" noted Tom Hall, Cello's President. Abel's experience spans twenty years in various high-technology roles. He spent ten years at Microsoft, in various marketing, product management and business development roles. Abel was responsible for the marketing of Windows 3.0, the company's most successful product at the time. Prior to joining Cello, Abel provided small-office and home-office network design, installation and maintenance as principle of The Abel Company, based in Sammamish, WA. Prior to running his own company, Abel served as Vice-President of Operations for Webforia, a Bellevue-based Internet services firm. He also served as President and CEO of Worlds Incorporated of San Francisco. Abel started his career in the area of design engineering in the field of avionics and later computer peripherals. Abel's expertise in computer technology and computer networking will also bolster Cello's capabilities in the area of installation and service of computer networks as part of their overall solutions. "The trend toward greater levels of interoperability and integration between high-end audio, video, telephony, security and computers makes it essential for Cello to broaden its expertise in networking," noted Hall.

August 6, 2003; Cello Technologies hosts its third annual Open House/ Anniversary party. Three years ago Cello Technologies Seattle was purchased by Tom Hall, returning the company (formerly known as WhiteJay International) to local ownership. The party is hosted at Cello's Design Center located in Belltown and is attended by customers, architects, builders, associates and friends. It is an opportunity for attendees to see what is new for Cello as well as what is new in the integration industry.

July 21, 2003; Seattle based Madison Audio announced that is ceasing operations due to unfavorable economic conditions in the Northwest. Madison Audio is transferring all of their client information and service records to Seattle based Cello Technologies to ensure that their clientele will be looked after in a professional manor. Though Cello Technologies will not be assuming any liabilities or warranty work, they will have all the data available to effectively support previous and current clients with any changes or upgrades. In addition, Cello will be assuming all of Madison Audio's pending work, and will be available on a time and materials basis for any work that is currently in progress. To ensure the seamless transfer and service of clients, Cello will temporarily retain key staff from Madison Audio.