A blog posted by Oliver Richardson (sales and marketing director, DB Systems) stated that in 2012, we’ll see “an evolution of AV technology, such as touchscreens, multi-touch etc, rather than seeing something truly revolutionary.”

I’m inclined to agree; whilst I have read of significant developments in areas such as digital signage and 3DTV, I am not sure if we will see anything truly innovative.

By no means am I dismissing these developments – I continue to be amazed with the achievements derived from the industry and with that in mind, I started thinking about what has caught my eye this year and where we seem to be heading in 2012:

3D – 3DTV is now a household item, in fact it seems to have become common so quickly that we are back to the familiar argument of how big a screen we can get! Whilst certain films do look incredible through 3D glasses, that is the issue I still have — 3D glasses. I simply cannot forget that I am wearing them, and therefore would never feel fully relaxed in front of the TV, the very place I should feel unperturbed.  Clearly evolutionary ideas are already in motion as we have seen with Toshiba’s introduction of the 12”, 20” and 55” glasses-free 3D TV. Although Japan sales were slow with the smaller sizes, Toshiba plans to hit stores with the 55” 55ZL2 in December this year, and this will surely become more common occurrence in 2012, eventually making the use of 3D TV and glasses combo obsolete.

Augmented Reality – Marketing campaigns involving AR are taking off in the UK – London’s streets are becoming increasingly full of four-sheet posters that invite you to connect with them through apps, or billboards luring commuters’ interests with the promise of “something special” if they aim their phones at the designated QR code. Volkswagen’s launch of the new Beetle in London is a great example of AR in motion and has grabbed much media attention. UK supermarket giant Tesco is also taking a step forward into AR by trialing it in stores and on its website, giving shoppers an opportunity to explore products from the catalogue in incredible detail from their desktop.

PCs – Oliver makes a great point regarding computer companies having to up their game (pun intended) in order to accommodate the advancement in games. The acclaimed Call of Duty MW3 and Assassins Creed Revelations are the UK must-have games of the moment. The quality of games is ever-advancing, with higher quality graphics and sophisticated character and player interaction. These enhancements will insist on a superior gaming platform, and companies such as Activison, Square Enix and Rockstar are all hinting of new consoles to launch in the coming months that will interact with the player more than ever before.

Touchscreen – The launch of the Microsoft Surface brought a new generation in interactive LCD screens. The PixelSense technology senses up to 50 points of simultaneous touch from hands, fingers and objects touching the screen. The 40” product can be hung on a wall or mounted on legs, making it versatile in a range of spaces, and a possible future addition to office décor. With the upgrade of the Surface already available for pre-order through Samsung resellers, Microsoft will no doubt have a successor lined up in the New Year.

Similarly Swiss researchers have developed a haptic feedback technology that is another rival in the touchscreen revolution.  The technology means the surface of a material vibrates and then returns to its original shape, giving the feeling of raised keys under your finger when pressed. This advancement holds the possibility of touch typing using on-screen keyboards, which is presumably where the next stage will be.

Everyday more and more impressive developments in AV technology are announced, but these are just a few that I am excited about. With regards to 2012 I am simply looking forward to someone proving me wrong and bringing something ground-breaking to the world.