Volume 7, Issue 5 — March 5, 2021

AV Buyers.Club — Volume 7, Issue 5

March 5, 2021 | Volume: 7 | Issue: 5

Hello everyone, this is our biweekly check-in. How is everyone doing? Is working from home getting exhausting? Is being back in the office any better? Does the prospect of trade shows coming back this very year have you feeling hopeful? Let us know on social!

In March’s first Buyers.Club issue, I have a column from Scott Tiner all about the things you can expect from the changes coming to Google’s education offerings. Here’s a hint: Some key offerings will no longer be free. How does that affect you? Well — if you work for a school or university, maybe the institutions will start looking for other options. Or, perhaps they’ll look to supplement the free services that Google will continue to offer. Either way, it’s a worthy read.

I also have two columns from our pals at Futuresource. One is about the changes we’ll continue to see in the pro audio realm — it took a hard hit because of COVID-19, but will we see it bounce back? The second column from Futuresource discusses the work-from-home phenomenon and how COVID-19 has affected working patterns.

Finally, catch product updates from XTEN-AV, AVI-SPL, Kramer, Epson, Legrand AV and more.

Have a great weekend. Happy March!

— Steph Beckett

COLUMNS

+ Google — Is the Future No Longer Free? [Scott Tiner]

For educational institutions far and wide, public and private, kindergarten to graduate school, Google services have one thing we all love — the price was right! For many of us, that meant it was free. There have always been some premium services that you can choose to pay for if you are a Google school, but the vast majority of the services were free. Over the past several weeks, educational institutions have learned about some changes that will affect these free services.

+ Professional Audio in Broadcast and Video Production: Through the Pandemic and Beyond [James Kirby]

The broadcast and video content industries have experienced significant changes over the past 12 months. The outbreak of COVID-19 has come as a substantial external shock, hindering the creation and supply of premium content. At the same time, demand for video content in the home has hit record levels, with homebound consumers looking to substitute normal activities following stay at home advice. These factors have impacted the entire supply chain for the video content industry, including the professional audio equipment that supports it.

+ The Outlook for Home Working Beyond COVID-19 [Chris Pennell]

Futuresource’s Home Working survey asked 1,500 employees across America, France, Germany, and the U.K. about the impact COVID-19 has had on their working patterns, as well as the use of work technology in the home. The findings indicate that post-COVID-19, respondents expect the changes to working patterns to continue in some form, and their use of technology will reflect this.