The is an AV post but also a feminist post; it seems that this is the time of year for me to discuss such things. Last year, if we’ll recall, I wrote about the use of female models to attract attention at trade-shows — so called “booth babes.” What got my attention this year? I […]

We came across one of the first, ever, articles written for rAVe back in June 2003 — it was Gary’s review of the InfoComm 2003 Show. It’s an interesting look at how much our industry has changed! Oh, and, back then, InfoComm’s association was called ICIA (thus, the ICIA references) in case you wondered what-the-heck […]

I dislike the term, “common sense.” I dislike it because people use it to mean “I already know this, and I expect that everyone else does to.” Obviously, that’s seldom true. An analogy I often use when talking about training makes reference to baking bread. Knowing how to bake bread is a learned skill. If […]

It’s simple, really. I often speak to dealer sales and system sales people who seem to have a hard time with the concept of selling systems to airlines and insurance companies. I’m not exactly sure why, but they seem to have difficulty grasping the concept of variance pricing based on need and use. It’s not […]

Control and automation can be the most fun part of AV design — from the blank canvas of a user interface, one can create anything. Preview windows? Live tiles? A photo of the room which reacts as conditions change? Imagination is the limit, but there are many pitfalls. Today we’ll talk about why some users […]

Editor’s note: This column was printed just prior to InfoComm 2015 this year, but we thought you’d still find it interesting. See all of rAVe’s InfoComm 2015 coverage here. OK – InfoComm is just around the corner. Along with ISE, it’s the largest audiovisual tradeshow of the year. Anything related to display systems, room control, […]

I’ll open with a personal note: This marks the 200th published post on this blog! Over the past years we’ve talked about commercial AV, speculative fiction, and even enjoyed some original writing. I’d like to thank all of you for joining me on this journey, and hope to continue to share my words with you […]

As we move closer to InfoComm 2015, the terms that many of us heard (and used as well) last year are already dominating conversation again. If you’re not considering yourself revolutionary and even disruptive at this point heading into the show, maybe it’s time to start spending longer hours in the meeting room figuring out […]

Global events, data, analyst predictions and future trends — the Internet of Things has continued to capture our attention as we speed endlessly toward a mass “connected things” world…. Facts, trends and market expertise driving the numbers. The future predicted and re-predicted — depending of course on which market source and/or expert you follow. And […]

I have meant to write this post for a while, but it seems that I was writing so much on UHD and 4K I thought I would wait a while. With NAB behind us, and InfoComm15 coming up in a couple weeks, I have seen a lot of focus on UHD and 4K content and players. […]

Audinate’s Dante networked AV system is dominating the ProAV world. There simply isn’t any other competing system that’s even close to the saturation level Dante has attained for putting audio on a network. With over 200 “adopters,” Dante is the defacto-standard and not only biggies like Extron, Crestron, Bose and Mackie have adopted Dante, but […]

Infocomm 2015 will be teaming with manufacturers showing their wares!  In 2013 I made it my mission to find Courage, Innovation and Passion on the floor.  Last year was my first year with a manufacturer and I was decidedly busier than ever on the floor, though be it in one location. This year I’m making […]

It’s been awhile since we’ve checked in on Strange ReTales, and reminisced about examples of Employees Behaving Badly. So I’ll take a break from posting semi-serious blogs and share a couple of reminiscences. Good sales people share common traits. They typically include diligence, attention to detail, and a good work ethic. Then there are those […]

This week I did something I have never done. I took down a piece of content at someone else’s request. What happened with AV Power Up! 5 Reloaded? Please spend a few minutes with me in my audio blog to find out, and then hang around to have a larger discussion about how the legacy […]

Last month I wrote a blog on Extron’s efforts to define a True4K specification.  For those of you that read it, you already know that I myself was confused by the language Extron used in their True 4K specification, so much so that the specification led me to draw some incorrect conclusions about their new […]

Those of you who follow my musings on the world of professional AV know that I can be skeptical at times. I’m skeptical about AVB. I was skeptical about video over IP. I’m skeptical about the continued value of HDBaseT. What I try not to be is cynical; it’s good to start off questioning new […]

In 2014, the realm of unified communications and collaboration expanded in the AV industry like it never had before. As we look beyond the entities in audio visual that have tended to become household names, we see others with a global footprint that provide solutions and services both in and outside the mainstream. While such focus to business […]

Every year as Milestone employees, we fly back to the mothership in Eden Prairie, MN for an annual sales and product update meeting.  The kicker? This always takes place in Decem-brrrr or January.  Given this fact, the meeting is affectionately called Freezing at the Lakes. This year in January we made the pilgrimage and stayed […]

While you’re at InfoComm, take a look for technologies that are NOT typically associated with the AVL market but have clear in-roads for systems integrators: networking, cloud computing and storage, automation technologies (and not just AV automation) and even Bluetooth Low Energy. The trends that look beyond thin displays, LED lighting and new levels of […]

Last week there was an interesting thinkpiece published on Salon.com entitled “Sell your records, sell your soul?: How I learned to stop hoarding and embrace the cloud.” It’s quite long, but worth the read. The takeaway was that the author struggles with her music collection: keeping it is a burden, the thought of getting rid […]

By Michael Newman Michael Newman Consulting More entertaining than educational, I wanted to share my frustration with some of the buzzwords for business and internet marketing. It’s getting a little crazy and it seems people feel the need to shove them down your throat. “The marketing formula seems simple: Attract audiences, engage prospects, convert leads, […]

This will be one of two upcoming Flash Fiction Fridays dealing with the moon, and more science-fictional than my usual fare. As readers of this blog know, I not only work in the audiovisual field, but also have a somewhat active presence in the AV online community, including occasional appearance on AV-related podcasts, this blog, […]

By Ron DeVoe Successful Sales Consulting “Are we there yet?” is a repeated question that was seen on an episode of The Simpsons brought a knowing nod from everyone who has chauffeured children on long trips. “Are we there yet?” is a question that can be applied to many areas, because it indicates a journey […]

In my previous blog A New Model for the Device Driven Enterprise about enterprise apps being written specifically for Apple Watch usage, I linked to an article from September 2014 Apple Watch: The Internet of Things’ new frontier where (InfoWorld’s executive editor) Galen Gruman stated that “Apple’s new Apple Watch — to be released in early 2015 and […]

Editor’s note: This blog was written as an introduction to display technologies for non-industry insiders. Everyone can use a refresher though, so we’re reprinting here anyway. OLED! LED!  Plasma(RIP)!  There are, today, quite a few technologies for video displays. What does it mean? What’s best? Today we’ll talk about video displays. This is an AV […]

We’re likely less than a month away from a plethora of Apple HomeKit product announcements as Apple is likely to tie in its home control of nearly everything to a brand-new Apple TV. Although Apple is usually hush-hush on new product pushes, this time, with HomeKit, they’ve been talking about their position and plans, telling […]

When you think of the word mentor, what images come to mind? Do you think of a trusted professor wearing an elbow-patched blazer that guided you through college? Do you think of a work colleague that has more years in the company than you? Is your friend or sibling your mentor? Up until recently, those […]

  It’s strange the turns you find your life takes. Lately I feel like I spend a lot of my time thinking about and writing about lightbulbs. Green lightbulbs, not-so-green lightbulbs, LED lightbulbs, smart lightbulbs, WiFi-enabled lightbulbs, and connected lightbulbs of all kinds. Of course, it does become a self-fulfilling prophecy: every time I make […]

Up here in Canada, the land of hockey and Tim Hortons another shot has been fired in the struggle over the remote controls in Canadian TV viewers’ hands. In what can best be described as a major move, homegrown streaming TV service Shomi, the product of collaboration between Canadian broadcasters Rogers and Shaw is now […]

I was an AV integrator in the residential space.  I had a client who wanted a projection screen in their media room.  I called my screen provider and related that I needed a 147”, 16:9, electric projection screen.  I was given a quote and a part number, let’s say it was XYZ123.  I ordered XYZ123.  […]

While on Twitter looking in on the AVTweeps hashtag, I spotted this: It appears that InfoComm was inspired by the #AVtvShow hashtag (where you create a TV show using AV lingo) to post this tweet and in turn, this spurred a bit of inspiration for me to write this blog. Reportedly one of the hot topics from last year’s […]

It used to be that organizations would set up multiple wired infrastructure networks to handle phone, data, video, audio, control, security, KVM, etc. Now, multiple options are emerging that can allow one or two networks to do all the stuff of multiple networks in the past. That is creating lots of new opportunities for hardware, […]