Volume 11, Issue 14 — July 27, 2020

rAVe UCC — Volume 11, Issue 14

July 27, 2020 | Volume: 11 | Issue: 14

As those dreaded Q2 results started to come out this July, it wasn’t really a surprise to see companies — even ProAV powerhouse Barco — with sales declines in the first half of 2020. This week, our LAVNCH EMEA partner, Futuresource Consulting, acknowledged all this but also took some time to write about the future of the ProAV market as we start to think about projections in 2021. Yes, it’s never too early to be thinking about 2021, and I know I’m not the only one daydreaming of the days that used to seem just … normal.

Mcintyre-Brown writes, “If there is one thing that has been shining through, it’s the wealth of creativity and innovation which is being unleashed within the industry.” One of his predictions: collaboration will lead the way to AV recovery. To see what he means, find the story and give it a wave — I mean a read — below.

Also below, Scott Tiner’s well-written truth for why we should be promoting diversity in the AV industry. That, and plenty of product news from LogMeIn, Extron, Absen, Nureva, Poly, Roland, NETGEAR, Logitech, Visix and MXL.

I can’t believe this is our last rAVe [UCC] of July. The next time we talk to you, we’ll have fewer than five months to go in 2020. But who’s counting?

— Leah McCann

COLUMNS

+ ProAV Industry — Market Movements, Emerging Opportunities and the Road to Recovery [Chris Mcintyre-Brown]

There is no doubt that COVID-19 is having a sustained impact on a wide range of markets, from videoconferencing and video content production, to installation verticals, touring and rental. Additionally, as the world starts to ease lockdown restrictions, and return to a “new normal,” discussions turn to the effects felt by the various industry sectors and focuses in on what the AV industry might look like once the pandemic moves into the rear-view mirror.

+ Key Digital Calls 3-Year-Old Technology Game-Changing? [Gary Kayye]

This is a product that enters the market eight years after the category was invented. Game-changing? I mean, it is a 4K output. But ClickShare added 4K in 2018. Is the price that competitive? What am I missing here?

+ We Should Be Promoting Diversity in the AV Industry [Scott Tiner]

On infrequent occasions, I write blogs that do not relate directly to technology or AV. I do this because I feel as though I should stick to the things that I know and have experience with. Yet, there are times when something is so important, I feel like I need to say something. Due to the racial inequalities within the U.S. — which have been highlighted over the past several months — this is one of those times.