Tony Sprando

Tony Sprando has worked in the AV industry since 1994. For the past 20 years, he has designed commercial AVL solutions, managed a design process team, on-site installations, and is well-known for his blogs and customer satisfaction reviews on Google and Reviewability. Connect with him on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonysprando and Instgram https://www.instagram.com/tonytheavguy/

Bidding Out Your AVL System – Part 4

Thank you for joining us for Part 4 in our series. So far, we’ve presented: Part 1 – The Key Players in AVL Design Part 2 – The Key Tools in AVL Design Part 3 – The Key Phases in AVL Design Now, we’ll finish our series by addressing the final phase of AVL Design […]

InfoComm is the largest, most exciting event in North America focused on the pro-AV industry, with 1,000 exhibitors, thousands of products, and 44,000 attendees from 110 countries. I had the pleasure of attending this year, and it was a blast! The following is a list (not in any particular order) of my favorite booths, […]

In Part 1 of our AVL Design series, we listed and summarized the key players in AVL design. Then in Part 2, we shared about the key tools that those key players may interact with and use. For Part 3, we will move forward to discuss the important phases of the design process. Let’s begin […]

By Erik Beyer Guest Blogger for Tony the AV Guy & AV Bend Whether it’s a major project around your home or a major project you have been assigned to manage at work, when it comes time to find people and companies to get the job done, the choices and process can seem overwhelming. The […]

As we all know, the IT world is converging with the AV world more and more every day. For most of us, this is quite exciting. For others, this can be daunting. In facilities where the IT and AV world are working together, if something goes wrong whom do you call? If you don’t have […]

There are going to be moments when we all just feel dumb and clumsy…argh! And it feels so awful. For me, this photo really brings those feelings to life. Whether it’s an ice cream cone or the latest technology, many people feel inept, gawky, and awkward when handling something potentially fragile and easy to drop. […]

How do you navigate the barrage of tech available for purchase? When a problem arises with AV tech, most people simply Google a product or service then follow the digital trail to the nearest retail store. If you’re unlucky, you will be sold the newest fandangled gadget on the spot. But if you’re lucky, someone […]

We live in society where newer equals better. Every month, if not every week, tech companies race to create and release newer, faster, sleeker, sexier gadgets. And while some of them really are worth their weight in gold, most are flash-in-the-pan trends. So, as AV experts looking to guide our customers to not just a […]

Recently, a friend came to visit and left “The Economist” magazine on my table. He said he tried to give it to his sons. But as I opened them up, the pages were stiff, as if they had just been retrieved from the printing press. I flipped to the Editor’s page titled, “The World in […]

In 2010, my dad bought each of my sons an iPad. This was also the same year the iPad first generation was shipping (my dad was always on top of the latest tech trend — runs in the family 😊). These iPads were disruptive but in a good way. My town was listed as #5 […]

This past January, Las Vegas hosted the Consumer Electronics Show where Speech Technology was the bright shining star and a definite win in the consumer market. With examples like Alexa, Siri, Cortana and Google Assistant, speech technology is sure to be a major player in the audiovisual industry soon. What is speech technology? According to […]

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” Henry Ford There was an era when a person could expect a job to last a lifetime. But this era is now long past and long over. Today, the average worker changes jobs ten to fifteen times during […]

The Dilemma – You are Lost When you visit a large school campus, or a hospital, or a large corporate center for the first time you do your best to find the main entrance. Sometimes it is easy to spot, but other times you end up in the wrong place or across the campus from […]

In the AV industry, for as long as I can remember, the idea of being able to have an AV system of some kind and making it as invisible as possible has been a request of clients. At the end of the day, can you ever really hide all of the equipment in a system? […]

Imagine that you have just moved into a new home and you continue to hear a disturbing, pulsating, low frequency rumbling noise. You think it is coming from outside. It is drowned out during the day time. But at night, when the neighborhood is quiet, you can hear it. Actually, it is noise that you […]

You bought a security system. Good idea. So, you go to recover that footage of the shop lifter or an employee stealing from the cash drawer… doh! You go back to recover the video but it’s not there. Or it is there, but you can’t seem to figure out how to find it. And just […]

VO4099P-4099-Stereo-Microphone-System-for-Piano-2-dvote-Instrument-Microphones-DPA-Microphones-L.jpg

Over the years of designing AVL systems, I have had the pleasure of walking into many churches of all denominations, shapes and sizes. It is always a treat because I get to see the wide variety of equipment used, both new and especially old. Because digital pianos are quite good these days, I don’t get […]

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Everyone is familiar with this quote by Benjamin Franklin. But how does it apply to your digital projector? Every machine needs maintenance. We either pay a little up front to maintain, or we kick the snowball down the hill and pay a lot later to […]

Just send it! It means, “Just Do It,” say yes to something, don’t think about it, have confidence and just Send It! I finished reading a book by Jonah Lehrer called, “How We Decide”, (spoiler alert!) and early on, Lehrer introduces his main theme: “Sometimes we need to reason through our options and carefully analyze the […]

The end-user, for any and every AV project, is very important and their input is invaluable. From the inception, to design, during construction, and finally installation, they really do need to be involved. However, I am not sure many end-users have the time or really want to be consulted. They just want the job done, […]

Everyone knows about fiber optic cables. The term is one that most people are very familiar with. But unless you work within certain industries, chances are good that this same group of people really don’t understand what these cables are and how they work. This post will synthesize a few resources to share: What fiber […]

Remember when Dave, our other AV guy, attended the Digital Signage Expo in Las Vegas just a few months ago? Well, he brought back some amazing resources and publications. And we’ve had a lot of fun reading through them to generate some new blog content. One article that caught our attention is, “Building a Better […]

“Notice: To Preserve Confidentiality Please Wait Here for Service” I am certain that every one of our readers has seen this type of sign. It is called a “Confidentiality Compliance Sign.” And most likely, you have read a similar sign while in line at the pharmacy, the doctor’s office, the hospital waiting area, etc. And […]

The Lava Land Visitor Center needed an interactive display screen. So, we recently installed Avocor’s 65” Ultra HD 4K interactive touch screen. And then, we followed up with a customer satisfaction interview with Cristina Peterson, lead ranger with Newberry National Volcanic Monument. As one of the most popular stops for Central Oregon locals and tourists […]

At AV Bend, we like things that ROCK! Our Team rocks! Our goal is to treat each of our clients like Rock Stars! We only ask for one autograph on paper too! So, when it comes to digital signage, we ask, “What is the purpose of the sign?” Screens are nothing but a communication medium. However, […]

“Sign, sign everywhere a sign.” In 1970, the “5 Man Electrical Band” recorded a song that knocked “signs” for their “do this, don’t do that” tone. The song made The Billboard Top 100 charts (rating every song in popularity of times played by radio stations and singles purchased at record stores). That awesome rock song […]

Question: Why did Dave, from AVBend.com, visit nearly 200 digital signage companies? Answer: To give our clients options on products and services in creating digital signage for their business, of course! The Digital Signage Expo Dave, our other AV Bend guy, spent two days at the Digital Signage Expo (DSE) in Las Vegas to […]

There is lot of confusion on proper use of the term, “Video Conferencing.” Words do matter, and so here is the proper terminology when requesting to do a video conference. There are two types: Enterprise Video Conferencing is understood to provide IP Conferencing, where you initiate a call between two or more other IP Concerning […]

I just love conference rooms. These rooms have such power in them and strengthen the attendees with a sense that “I am safe to share my ideas in private, with people who want to be here.” Then there are times I enter one, and I see all the possibilities of a space that could host […]

We had a lot of fun last week researching the AV demands of Generation Z, especially as those demands related to higher education. Now we are going to address the overlap of three of those demands as they relate to business success. They are augmented reality, touch screens and live streaming. For each trend, we […]

The January/February 2017 CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY issue is fascinating, thought-provoking, intriguing, and overwhelming. Do you realize that the current generation, Generation Z, is now entering their college-age years? Soon, this group of approximately 60 million young people will be future employees, home owners, entrepreneurs, and economic decision makers. For those of us in the AV industry, […]

Tony Sprando

Bidding Out Your AVL System – Part 4

Tony’s Faves from InfoComm 2018

The Key Phases in AVL Design – Part 3

The Key Players in AVL Design – Part 1

AV vs IT – Who Touched It Last?

How to Help a Technophobe

Buy AV Tech for the Best Experience

Dark Horse and Underrated Tech

Techlash vs Technological Advancements

Welcome to the Glass Age!

AV and Speech Technology

Mobile Learning = Learner Engagement

Is Digital Wayfinding Right for You?

Should AV Be Seen?

Infrasound: The Noise You Feel

Buy a Superior Video Security System

Choosing the Right Piano Mic

Prevent a Projector Nightmare

#Just Send It

Microphones – A Small Tool with a Big Effect

Need More Fiber?

Experience the Excitement of Video Walls

How Acoustics Help Fulfill HIPAA and Privacy Laws

New Avocor Interactive Touch Screen for Visitor Center

Four Tips to Create Digital Signage Content that Rocks

Features and Benefits of Digital Signage

The Future of Digital Signage for Your Business

Tips for Having a Great Video Conference

Conference Room Greatness

Must-Have AV Business Trends – Augmented Reality, Touch Screens, and Live Streaming

Providing On Demand AV for Generation Z