Well, here I am, in Orlando, sitting in my hotel room writing this — a mere 25 hours or so before the opening of InfoComm 2019. Although not as big as its sister show, Integrated Systems Europe (ISE), held in Amsterdam each February, InfoComm is still, very much, a yardstick for the advancement and adoption of AV (and now UCC) technology.
So, we’ll easily see some 45,000 people converge here at the three-day event and, as I wrote in my last rAVe ProAV intro, this year’s show will, no doubt, see a record number of new products launched. But, there are some interesting tech-battles brewing at this year’s show — IN PLAIN SIGHT, too.
For example, in this issue below, you’ll find articles about how Semtech (known for its SDVoE system) is taking aim at HDBaseT with a new point-to-point AV-over-IP system. But the very day after Semtech's announcement, HDBaseT parent, Valens, answered Semtech’s challenge with one of their own — scroll down as both stories are down there. And, if you’re at InfoComm, go check them out as this will be a bit of a public battle over HDBaseT’s turf.
Also, start-up XTEN-AV is encroaching on D-Tools’ space by building a much, much better widget. And, at InfoComm, they will announce they’ve signed up their first (of what will no-doubt be many) platinum OEM partners in AtlasIED. If you haven’t heard of XTEN-AV and use D-Tools, you’ll want to
watch this live video demo I did with them as it garnered hundreds of comments on social media within a week of me posting it.
But, these are just a few of the things that excite me about this week’s show. I am expecting to see a plethora of new UCC products (at least eight are below), new streaming video products, new Dante audio solutions and the first demo of video-over-the-Dante network, too. So, yes, I am an #AVGeek and an AVTweep!
Speaking of #AVtweeps, come find our booth at InfoComm — you can’t miss us as we’re basically in the lobby — and take pic with our #AVisLIFE mural as, just for taking a photo, you’ll earn a free t-shirt and can be entered into a drawing for one of three electric
Segway Scooters we’ll be giving one away each day! But, if you’re not at InfoComm, just
bookmark our InfoComm Microsite here.