Like an AV Bridge Over Troubled Water, These Cybersecurity Guidelines Will Ease Your Mind

Back in 2021, I wrote a rAVe column entitled “SecuringAV: The Remote Desktop Attack on a Florida Water Treatment Plant.” In this article, I talked about the different forms of infrastructure being targeted by cyberattacks, and connected the attack on the water treatment plant to similar vulnerabilities in AV systems. I also shared some lessons […]

Like an AV Bridge Over Troubled Water, These Cybersecurity Guidelines Will Ease Your Mind

Retiring in the AV Industry: Advice From Someone Who’s Done it Twice

By Ron DeVoe Since I have retired from the AV industry TWICE, I have been asked to offer advice or recognition of possible fallacies in retirement enjoyment. Because ownership of an AV business requires an enormous amount of mental energy for time and resource management, goal setting and attainment, cash flow and keeping up with […]

Retiring in the AV Industry: Advice From Someone Who’s Done it Twice

ISE 2024: Facts and Figures Broken Down

ISE 2024 has come and gone, and we definitely left a mark on the show with our coverage this year (over 2,000 product videos — crazy). But now that the show is over, ISE released a report reviewing many of its figures. This piece wraps up a few of those highlights. First of all, ISE […]

ISE 2024: Facts and Figures Broken Down

5 Reasons You Should Join LAVNCH WEEK 9

If you’ve been following us or reading our content for a while, you’ve probably noticed that we host a lot of virtual events. Most notably, twice per year, we host something called LAVNCH WEEK. But really, it’s a “LAVNCH four days.” Why? Because it’s four days of panels, product announcements and fireside chats that we […]

5 Reasons You Should Join LAVNCH WEEK 9

Sora Text-to-Video AI Changes the World: Artists Dread It, Producers Love It, Governments Both Fear and Embrace It

We all knew it was coming, but we didn’t expect it so soon. OpenAI, famous for its ChatGPT and Dall-E free-to-use AI system, unveiled a new text-to-video service to select researchers, beta testers, developers and policymakers. “Sora” generates up to one-minute videos from text prompts. You type in a sentence or two as a prompt […]

Sora Text-to-Video AI Changes the World: Artists Dread It, Producers Love It, Governments Both Fear and Embrace It

Kayye’s Krystal Ball: 2024 Edition

Welcome to my 24th annual Kayye’s Krystal Ball! It’s been an honor to have written this for 24 straight years and even more of an honor for it to have so many thousands of readers annually — it’s almost always our most-read article of the year on rAVe [PUBS]. So, if you’re reading this right […]

Kayye’s Krystal Ball: 2024 Edition

Is CES an ‘AV Show?’

As a techy person, I have always been intrigued by the Consumer Electronics Show. It has always been a mix of amazing new technology and useless new technology. I am surprised, though, that the show does not get much coverage in our industry, particularly in the education sector. I think there are a couple of […]

Is CES an ‘AV Show?’

My Review of the Projection Mapping Show at Casa Batlló for ISE 2024

On Jan. 28, most of the rAVe team was spending their first full day in Barcelona, enjoying free time and exploring the city. We chose to end our day by visiting Casa Batlló, on the iconic Passeig de Gràcia avenue. A special event to mark the beginning of ISE 2024, there would be a projection […]

My Review of the Projection Mapping Show at Casa Batlló for ISE 2024

Disney Debuts HoloTile; a Game Changer in both VR and MR Gaming And Maybe Live Events Too!

Usually, Disney is very secretive with the new tech it develops but, in this case, it wants brands to make it better, faster and start integrating with it in real-life VR environments. It’s called HoloTile. So, here’s the scenario … You develop a VR or XR game — one where the players wear either a […]

Disney Debuts HoloTile; a Game Changer in both VR and MR Gaming And Maybe Live Events Too!

AI: A Year Later

In late 2022, ChatGPT was released and the expectations were sky high. The technology was amazing. You could ask it to write a paper on Shakespeare in the language of a pirate and ten seconds later it pops out. You could ask it to program a Crestron control system with an Epson projector, and again, […]

AI: A Year Later

AV Community Is Caring, and it Matters

I am a native Mainer. I was born in Lewiston, attended school, got married, had children, work and live in the city. For me, there is no other place that I will ever be able to call home like Lewiston, Maine. Infamously, the country got to know the name of Lewiston on Oct. 25 as […]

AV Community Is Caring, and it Matters

AMX Takes a Step Away From the Walled Garden

In September, AMX announced a new line of controllers. The most interesting thing about these controllers is, per AMX’s press release, the ability to “simultaneously process a virtually unlimited number of scripts written in JavaScript, Python or Groovy and natively support Low-Code development with Node-RED.” I have written before on the problems with walled gardens, […]

AMX Takes a Step Away From the Walled Garden

Are Dedicated Computers Going Away?

I am on a mail list that has recently had a thread about whether dedicated computers are still necessary. There are several arguments for and against this, although in this particular thread most of the arguments seemed to be for removing the dedicated computers. For some background, higher education has a long history of providing […]

Are Dedicated Computers Going Away?

Behind the AV Lectern

While this article features two lectern companies, it’s really about all lecterns. The author has no commercial involvement with any of the companies mentioned in this article. There it is, always on stage. Standing on a podium for so long and so often, some of the users even call it a podium. But it’s not […]

Behind the AV Lectern

Relationship Selling

A recent discussion on social media centered around relationship selling, what it was and the value of it for all the parties involved. It was a great topic, but on a social media platform, there is very limited time and space to discuss something so important, so I am expanding on my thinking here. Relationship […]

Relationship Selling

Customer Service Needs to Be a Top Priority

Companies often focus on things that are unique to them, or that they do very well. A company may have new, cutting-edge technology that makes them stand out, or it may have amazing logistics that allow them to have lower prices. The one thing that every company needs to have, regardless of its strategy and […]

Customer Service Needs to Be a Top Priority

Best Practices for More Inclusive Meetings

THIS IS A PROMOTED POST By Jeff Muto ViewSonic To thrive in an increasingly complex world, organizations need diverse talent. But diversity is only the beginning. To unlock the power and potential of that diverse talent, they need each employee to feel a sense of value, purpose and belonging. Which means, they also need inclusion. Getting […]

Best Practices for More Inclusive Meetings

Invest In Efficient Technology

I was visiting a co-worker’s office recently and was surprised by their technology setup. They had a single monitor as an external display for their laptop. They used the mic, speakers and camera on their laptop (which is off to the side) for Zoom calls. I began to wonder how this person could possibly be […]

Invest In Efficient Technology

A Cautionary Tale About Software

Over the past several years, software has become a significant source of revenue in the AV industry. The approach to providing software can vary widely amongst different vendors. Some “give” their software away since it only works with their equipment. Of course, we all know we are paying for that software when we buy the […]

A Cautionary Tale About Software

Backpacks and Shiny New Sneakers

Late August to early September is the time when students flood back onto college campuses, many of them bringing with them their shiny new sneakers and their brand-new backpacks. They have had a summer filled with fun (hopefully) and are ready to dive into another year of learning. For the tech managers in higher education, […]

Backpacks and Shiny New Sneakers

AI-Powered Cables! Don’t Laugh as CEDIA Expo Will See AI Everywhere

CEDIA Expo 2023 will be filled with new HomeAV gear; no doubt about it. And, although I can’t predict what product will impress all the attendees the most, I can — without doubt — predict what trend will dominate in nearly every booth: AI. AI will be everywhere, thanks to some of the most unimaginative […]

AI-Powered Cables! Don’t Laugh as CEDIA Expo Will See AI Everywhere

Automation and AI Are Powering the Next Generation of Pro PTZ Upgrades

By Shubham Kumar and Olivia Lowden Futuresource Consulting After a spell of limited innovation during the pandemic, professional pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras are entering a new technological era. Futuresource Consulting’s brand-new report reveals that AI and automation are the powerhouses behind many of the new-generation products entering the market, with auto-tracking, facial recognition, and automated camera […]

Automation and AI Are Powering the Next Generation of Pro PTZ Upgrades

Zoom Now Thinks WFH Doesn’t Work As Well As The Company Originally Thought

I am sure, by now, you’ve likely read all the stories about Zoom demanding all its employees — living within 50 miles of any Zoom office — start working in the office at least two days a week, some three days a week. This, to me, is a bit ironic as, in 2022, Zoom published […]

Zoom Now Thinks WFH Doesn’t Work As Well As The Company Originally Thought

The Sphere and the AV Industry

On July 4, The Sphere lit up on the Vegas Strip for the first time, and the buzz about it went viral. I doubt there is a single person in the AV/IT industry who has not seen or heard about the Sphere, but even if you have it is worth taking a few minutes and […]

The Sphere and the AV Industry

The Way the Ball Bounces: AV Style

For the very first time, the world governing body for basketball allowed a state-of-the-art court with an interactive video floor. In Madrid, the site of the FIBA Under-19 Women’s Basketball World Cup 2023, players dribbled over an innovative ASB GlassFloor. While fans didn’t “dribble” in the same way, their mouths were certainly left agape. The […]

The Way the Ball Bounces: AV Style

Meet Your New Marketing Assistant: ChatGPT

You need to update your website. What’s that? You don’t have time? You don’t know how? No one on your staff has the skills? You can’t afford to hire a contractor to overhaul your copy? No more excuses: Find $20 per month, and hire ChatGPT or one of the many other Large Language Model (LLM) […]

Meet Your New Marketing Assistant: ChatGPT

5 Reasons Why We Love AI

Hi everyone! Thanks for joining us on AI Appreciation Day! This is a subject we have often talked about here at rAVe, particularly as it relates to the way in which it will change the face of ProAV. While artificial intelligence is still relatively new, in that we don’t have a ton of regulations or […]

5 Reasons Why We Love AI

AI and Higher Ed

AI is one of the most consequential and fast-moving technologies we have seen in years. The speed of change and drastic impact of that change will cause people to react quickly, go with the crowd and make poor decisions about how the technologies will be used in their businesses. No one, not even higher ed […]

AI and Higher Ed

AI and UCC

By Ken Kobayashi Sony AI is a trending topic that has been gaining traction and dominating mindshare in the news and the technology space. It is one of the most exciting, disruptive and controversial technologies in recent memory but with a bit of education and context, it is easy to see the extreme promise and […]

AI and UCC

7 Fun Facts About AI

    In honor of AI Day, which is held annually on July 16, I dug a little bit into the history and predicted future of artificial intelligence (AI). Here are seven fun facts I found about AI: AI Fun Fact 1 The term “artificial intelligence” was publicly debuted in 1956 at the Dartmouth Conference; […]

7 Fun Facts About AI

AI and Pro Audio

By Stefan Marti Shure Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the audio industry. At least, that’s what we’ve heard lately — AI is creating new music, making it possible for your two favorite artists to release a collaboration, or even produce and release a brand-new song by The Beatles that had never been created before. What […]

AI and Pro Audio

AI and K-12 Education

By Steve Wick IDEA I’ve been an educator for almost 30 years, and I’ve seen some pretty significant changes, but I can’t think of anything that has created more stir than the emergence of generative Artificial Intelligence as a tool for teaching and learning. The potential of AI is only limited by human imagination and […]

AI and K-12 Education