THIS IS A PROMOTED POST The way we experience video meetings has changed dramatically over the past several years, but many meeting rooms haven’t necessarily kept up. We’ve become accustomed to seeing colleagues clearly on platforms like Microsoft Teams and Zoom, where everyone has their own space on the screen. Yet when we return to […]

One Equity Partners (OEP) has entered into an agreement to acquire Nexora, the parent company of Almo Pro AV, with the transaction expected to close by March 2027. The proposed acquisition is expected to support investments in technology, digital services and distribution operations across North America and Europe. For Almo Pro AV’s integrator customers and […]

Cisco announced a series of updates to Webex and its workplace technology portfolio at WebexOne 2026, including RoomOS 27, native Google Meet support on Cisco collaboration devices, new workplace design and management tools and an IP-connected ceiling speaker. For AV integrators, one of the more notable changes is expanded meeting platform interoperability. Through a new […]

Jabra announced Jabra Perform Plus and Jabra Perform 55, an integrated retail communication and device fleet management solution designed for multi-shift retail environments. Jabra Perform Plus provides IT and operations teams with a centralized platform for deploying, configuring, securing and managing shared headset fleets across multiple retail locations. The platform supports remote firmware updates, configuration […]

Epson launched two AI-powered 4K home theater laser projectors in Australia, the EH-LS6000 and EH-LS7500, completing the company’s EH-LS Series home cinema lineup. Both models combine Epson’s 3LCD three-chip engine with 4K enhancement technology to produce 8.3 million pixels on screen. The projectors use solid-state laser light sources rated for up to 20,000 hours of […]

CEDIA Expo 2026 was a busy one for Sonos. Alongside the introductions of Beam Ultra, Ace Ultra and Amp Multi, the company also unveiled Sonos 27 and a collection of new software features designed to make the entire Sonos ecosystem more connected and intuitive. In this episode of Rants & rAVes, I sat down with […]

Gary and I are back with another episode of rAVe [TV], and this week we’re talking about the future of connection and immersive experiences. We share a clip from our new video series with HP, “The New Rules of Connection,” and discuss the expanded availability of HP Dimension with Google Beam. We also get into […]

E4 Boston is coming up Oct. 15, and I’m not the only one taking the stage. In this Rants & rAVes episode, I’m joined by AVNation’s Tim Albright and Almo Pro AV’s Patrick Booth and Eric Jameson for a preview of the education we’re bringing to the next E4 Experience. Tim dives into AV network […]

What does it take to deliver a meeting experience that works for everyone, wherever they’re joining from? That’s the question behind “New Rules of Connection,” our new video series with HP. Throughout the series, we’ll explore what makes collaboration successful and what it means for the AV professionals designing, installing and supporting those experiences. For […]

Golf simulation has evolved far beyond the luxury residential market. Today, it’s finding its way into corporate offices, hospitality venues, higher education, multifamily developments and entertainment spaces, creating an entirely new opportunity for AV integrators. In this episode of Rants & rAVes, I sat down with Danny Kogan, national sales manager for the Sports Sim […]

Clear-Com announced that First Baptist Nashville has upgraded its production communications with a Clear-Com intercom solution as part of a comprehensive sanctuary technology renovation led by systems integrator Mankin Media. Centered on the Arcadia Central Station, the installation delivers reliable wired and wireless communications to support worship services while preserving the integrity of the church’s […]

Gary and I are back, and we start with one of the biggest industry stories of the week: FORTÉ has named Christopher Mounts its new global CEO. We talk about the leadership transition, what it means to see Jeff Stoebner step out of the CEO role after leading the company since 2009 and what’s next […]

Gary and I are back, and this week we start with a final look back at CEDIA Expo 2026, including our biggest residential AV takeaways and the show’s attendance numbers. Then I sit down with David Danto of TalkingPointz to talk about the future of work — and why the conversation around hybrid work may […]

MicroLED has been positioned as the future of display technology for years, but for many integrators, it has remained out of reach due to cost and deployment complexity. In this episode of Rants & rAVes, I sat down with Trent Slyter, vice president of sales at Absen, to talk about why that conversation is changing […]

By Steph Beckett and Cory Knapp This year marked my sixth CEDIA Expo. I’ve attended every year since 2021, and every year I look forward to seeing what’s new in residential AV. This year, I brought along our content specialist, Cory Knapp, for his first-ever CEDIA Expo. We thought that gave us an excellent reason […]

THIS IS A PROMOTED POST Sonos has had a big month. At the end of August/early September, the company announced a fleet of updates, including Sonos 27, the latest version of its audio operating system. The idea is this new update will bring features that expand its open platform and adaptability. Right after that announcement, […]

Tim and I are back for an end-user-focused-ish episode of rAVe [TV], with a few other things sprinkled in along the way. We start with a look at where we’re headed next, including IBC and Almo E4, before getting into how the AV experience is evolving across both meeting spaces and the home. I sit […]

A.C. Americas, your North American distributor of world-class Lighting, Audio, and Video products, is pleased to introduce Chase McKnight to the team, filling the newly created role of Luminex Product Specialist. Reporting to Anthony Stofflet, Luminex Brand Manager, Chase will serve as a key technical resource and liaison between our sales team and clients, providing […]

Biamp recently enabled River Valley Church to successfully transform an unopened 38,000-square-foot casino in Grants Pass, Oregon, USA, into an 800-seat worship facility featuring cutting-edge audio technology from Biamp. Working closely with the Biamp design team, systems integration firm Arrow+Jay deployed Community loudspeakers with Biamp VenuePolar technology within the Ease® Focus 3 software to overcome […]

LG Electronics USA introduced the LG MAGNIT Gen 2 Micro LED LMPD display, a large-format display designed for commercial installations. The new model will make its first U.S. public appearance Sept. 15 during a customer event at Starpower’s Dallas showroom. The LMPD combines LG Micro LED technology with NovaStar’s COEX 5G Solution. According to LG, […]

Extron announced that all XPA Ultra FX Series four- and eight-channel multi-zone audio power amplifiers now include its ECO Standby feature. According to Extron, ECO Standby places an amplifier into standby after a few seconds of inactivity, reducing power draw to less than 1 watt. The company said its InstaWake+ technology returns the amplifier to […]

This week, I’m joined by a familiar face with a new role on rAVe [TV]: John Henkel! John will be dropping in as a co-host from time to time, so we catch up on what he’s been doing in retirement, the AV trends that have his attention and the industry headlines he’s watching right now. […]

E4 Dallas returns Sept. 15 with a new venue, more than 50 exhibiting manufacturers, CTS-certified education sessions and networking opportunities designed to help integrators move projects forward. In this episode of Rants & rAVes, I sat down with Greg O’Rourke and Beth Dudley of Almo Pro AV to preview what attendees can expect, from the […]

Broadcast-quality production is no longer confined to traditional studios. Whether it’s corporate communications, higher education, houses of worship or live events, organizations are increasingly expected to create polished content for both in-person and remote audiences. That’s why I sat down with Christian Delfino, senior vice president of global marketing at Roland, to talk about how […]

THIS IS A PROMOTED POST Digital screens are no longer vessels for rotating announcements. They’re critical communication systems. But that expanded role comes with a challenge. If displays now wear many hats: internal communications, operational information, wayfinding, safety messaging and more, how do you keep them from becoming overcomplicated? I.e., How do you keep them […]

SAVe (Sustainability in AV) announced Michael Blackman, Oladele “Dele” Ogunseitan and Diran Apelian as keynote speakers for the SAVe 2026 Global Conference, scheduled for Oct. 13-14 in Los Angeles. The speakers will examine sustainability issues affecting the global AV industry, including technology innovation, electronic waste, responsible manufacturing and the availability and recovery of critical materials. […]

Absen Inc. announced the LR V3 Series, a transparent LED display solution designed for touring, festivals and large-scale live events. The LR V3 Series features adaptive louvers that allow displays to transition between transparent and solid stage visuals. The system also supports curved configurations, mixed-panel connections and 90-degree L-shaped applications, giving production teams multiple options […]

Gary and I are back, and this week we get into my latest column on “AI guilt” — where the line falls between using generative AI as a genuinely useful tool and relying on it a little too much. I also sit down with Jason McGraw for a preview of CEDIA Expo 2026, including what […]

FORTÉ has acquired Vega Global, expanding the systems integrator’s presence across Asia-Pacific and giving it professional staff in 22 countries serving customers in more than 70 major markets worldwide. The acquisition adds more than 750 Vega Global employees to FORTÉ and establishes or expands its presence in Hong Kong, Mainland China, India, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, […]

Symetrix is now shipping the Cognio C20 Smart Processor, a compact networked audio DSP that gives AV integrators a new hardware platform for building distributed Cognio systems. The C20 provides 64 Dante transmit and 64 Dante receive channels, eight channels of acoustic echo cancellation, 32 playback channels and eight record channels. It also includes 8×8 […]

Dalet will showcase new AI, automation and workflow capabilities across Dalet Flex, Dalet Pyramid and Dalia at IBC 2026 in Hall 7, Stand 7.A43. Dalia, Dalet’s media-aware agentic AI platform, is being expanded with intelligent workflow discovery designed to let organizations define which systems, workflows and content sources the platform can access and act upon. […]

“I don’t know, ask ChatGPT.” Probably one of the most uttered sentences in the English language right now. Between ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, and others, we have so many resources at our disposal for solving problems. But every time I use one of these readily available resources, I feel guilty. AI guilt is a new-ish […]