In the audio-visual field, the latest and greatest uses of technology and installations are most often those that create an immersive, true-to-life experience. The ones we’ll never forget are those that create a reality beyond our wildest imagination. From sharks – so true-to-life that we fear we’ll be eaten – to stadium-size fantastical light displays; […]

I believe that bad examples are just as valuable learning experiences as good examples, if not more so. In order to keep growing personally and professionally, it’s useful to take the lessons the universe presents to you and learn from them. I’m not in the car business, and I’m not writing for an audience that’s […]

We have seen numerous blogs and articles written defining IT terms (and in some cases coinciding AV terms) as well as some discussion concerning them. Some have been direct approaches and some a little more than that. But all in all many are trying to focus on helping the industry to understand more about what […]

As a technology company, we’re always looking ahead for the next breakthrough that makes our products thinner, faster, and stronger. We’re moving a mile a minute, hardly noticing how little improvements mean huge changes in the long run. This “Throwback Thursday,” we’re highlighting not only the advances in AV we’ve seen throughout our careers, but […]

Most editorials about “kids today” typically take the tack that things were better in the old days. This isn’t one of those editorials. Instead I’m going to marvel at the advantages the Internet age has presented to culture vultures worldwide. None of these observations are new, novel, or earth shaking, but I find myself thinking […]

Happy Halloween! For most folks, ghosts, goblins, and zombies tend to give us a fright during this time of year. But, if you’re an integrator, DIY installs that you’ve resurrected probably still haunt your dreams. In the spirit of the scariest time of year, we’ve rounded up some of the most cringe-worthy (and often just […]

The honest answer is “not exceptionally important.” The reason, however, may surprise you. Many schools have sustainability initiatives in place that cover a wide variety of campus life processes from printing and food services to facilities and grounds keeping. While technology is an obvious environmental concern, that concern is usually a result of the amount […]

Meet Google’s Security Princess. From an article published in Elle Magazine in August of this year, the header gives a unique description of her: As Google’s top hacker, Parisa Tabriz thinks like a criminal—and manages the brilliant, wonky guys on her team with the courage and calm of a hostage negotiator. Whoa. Weeks back I […]

When thinking about digital signage, most folks automatically think of quick-service restaurants. However, as clichéd as it may sound, the applications for digital signage are endless. We’ve certainly been seeing digital signage serve new and grand purposes. Car Service How about bringing in your car to be serviced without ever speaking with a concierge or […]

A few weeks ago, I had the good fortune of visiting the Plantronics headquarters in Santa Cruz, California. The business purpose was to meet with a handful of SMART Technologies’ Collaboration Executive Council (CEC) members in a semi-annual meeting hosted by SMART’s customer and CEC member Plantronics. The CEC event was great – I learned […]

What better place to celebrate digital signage than the city that is the epicenter of communications and host to numerous glorious digital signage installations? From October 20-24, multiple venues in New York City have been hosting a variety of events for professionals interested in digital signage, employee communications, retail decision-making, and more. From open houses […]

This is the third blog in the series Disruptive Forces: The Leaders Speak. Profile: Dr. Mark Blake is one of the founders of Acano. Mark brings extensive technology expertise to the team and serves as its Chief Technology Officer. Mark’s backstory: Mark Blake is an expert in high performance computing and distributed media processing architectures and has created media […]

If you’re reading this, then you already know Gary Kayye. He’s the founder of rAVe [Publications]. He’s been in the AV industry for years. He’s won numerous accolades for his work and his AV prowess, if you will. But did you know that Gary is also an expert in branding and digital marketing? In fact, […]

I’ve reached a stage in my life where I don’t really fit into any particular demographic group. I look at print, television, and online advertisements with a critical, professional eye and, more often than not, I think “Wow, that ad is absolutely not directed at me.” That said, beyond age, gender, and income if there’s […]

This was hard — there are so many. But, here are the top five dumbest AV products currently for sale right now — do not buy these: Curved TVs: This has to be the worst ideas for a TV ever. Why in the world would you want a curved TV? Why would you want to […]

This is the second blog in the series Disruptive Forces: The Leaders Speak. Profile: Eric Yuan is the Founder and CEO of Zoom Video Communications. Prior to founding Zoom, Eric was Corporate Vice President of Engineering at Cisco, where he was responsible for Cisco’s collaboration software development. Eric’s backstory: As one of the founding engineers and vice […]

One of the hazards of vending high end systems is dealing with clients who have a rock star attitude. I’ve mentioned before that it’s been my experience dealing with both luxury goods and high end home AV installations that the clients with the highest net worth are the ones who are the most normal, reasonable […]

OK, here goes: I think I know what I’m talking about. No, I know what I’m talking about. You don’t know what you’re talking about. Well maybe you think you know what you’re talking about. Actually, no, you really don’t know what you’re talking about. But if you knew what you were talking about, you […]

I recently read a blog in one of the other AV trade publications that left me scratching my head.  It was meant to be a primer for our industry in learning the language of our IT counterparts, and as the subject is something I think is very important for us to continue learning about, I […]

This month, I highlight one of the biggest innovators not in the A/V/L market: Dell. For reasons that will become abundantly clear, this company has figured out how to listen to customers, solicit feedback and incorporate customer service into a commoditized market — and still have steady revenue. It’s important to learn what Dell can […]

This is the first blog in the series Disruptive Forces: The Leaders Speak. Profile: Mark Loney is the driving force behind StarLeaf’s vision to deliver a global network from which to provide cloud video conferencing services and the manufacture of a new generation of collaboration solutions. He is one of those rare individuals who has […]

Back in the spring of this year I had the idea to write a piece on AV/IT convergence, and where I felt we were at with the concept as an industry. I have seen glimpses of convergence in different segments of the AV and low voltage worlds, and it seemed like it was possible to […]

While I was not sure at the end of Disruptive Forces in AV/IT that there would be a return of the series, I decided about a month or so ago that I would be bringing it back — this time with a different format as I have titled it “Disruptive Forces: The Leaders Speak.” There will […]

The big news in my world last week was Toshiba of Canada announcing that they are exiting the consumer electronics channel. Canada is one of 14 countries worldwide where Toshiba is electing to leave the CE space. According to reporting on the matter by Canadian business media, CE only represents 10% of Toshiba’s total corporate […]

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced that this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics will go to the three inventors of the blue LED (light-emitting diode). If you work in the AV space, then you already know the importance that the LED has on display technology in general. But you may not realize how the […]

Folks in commercial AV integration certainly know: you can’t just take any old display, put it outside and call it a day. So, how exactly do you select a display for commercial outdoor use? Here’s some features you should be looking for in an outdoor display: Polarization One of the features that has been recently […]

The AV industry has been promoting 4k displays heavily, even calling screens that aren’t 4k by that moniker to capitalize on the craze.  In the wake of 4k displays, there have been a huge blast of press releases touting the first 4k multitouch screen, 4k video extenders, 4k cameras, and even cables certified to push […]

I recently wrote an article for EdTech Digest called “Keys to Engagement: Connectivity Challenges in a Technology-Rich Classroom.” In it, I outlined some challenges and solutions common to modern learning spaces, but which are often not at the top of mind when designing or installing room equipment. One of the ideas I brought up was […]

What did you do last week?  Did you take on a big and challenging project or find a new million dollar customer? I still think I can top that.  I spent my week with some of the industry’s top integration firms’ and manufacturers’ best and brightest operating executives and next generation leaders. Was there a […]

This blog and interview were written and conducted by Penny Sitler of Draper Inc. Check them out on Twitter at @DraperInc. I’m honored to have been invited to help write this blog series on women AV entrepreneurs. Corey Moss had the idea, and I hope you’ve already read his excellent interview with Cory Schaeffer of […]

So ya, thought ya, might like to go to the show… The year was 1979 when Pink Floyd, one of the most revolutionary bands in history, released one of the most powerful albums in history. It set records, trends — it was, and still is, unmatched by any other band in rock music. Roger Waters, […]

  In 2004 Blockbuster Video had 60,000 employees, 9,000 video stores and did 6 Billion, (yes, with a “B”), dollars in revenue.  By 2010 they were bankrupt.  What happened? Netflix. The strangest part of the whole thing though is that Netflix never wanted or intended to be in the DVD business long term.  You don’t […]