By now, you’ve probably heard the news that Rashid Skaf-led Biamp is buying Audioprof Group International, which is the parent company of Community Loudspeakers (based in Philadelphia) and Apart Audio (based in Antwerp, Belgium) from 3d Investors of Gent, Belgium. Bruce Howze founded the company in 1968, which was first named Community Light and Sound. […]
I want you to imagine a 46″ flat panel display. This display is in a staff cafeteria on the 30th floor of an office building. Wall-mounted. It is not an extravagant display, probably 1080p… not even smart (gasp!). You’ve seen one just like it, looping special events and other corporate propaganda. Now I want you […]
See part one of Anthony’s Planned Obsolescence column here. Since planned obsolescence for pro AV gear harms sales, service contracts and product support, the future for the AV industry may be headed toward the “as a service” model borrowed from the software industry. Should there be standards for planned obsolescence? Even the IT industry, with […]
In my last article, I spoke of the need to design the spaces we deal with not by thinking about the tech stack, but instead from the perspective of an experience. But in order to do this, we need to understand WHOSE experience we are referring to. For the most part, when we design a […]
Intel Corporation launched the Intel Unite Cloud Service today, which enables choice in deployment and management of Intel Unite solution for organizations of all sizes, from large enterprise to small businesses. Customers now have the ability to choose whether to host Intel Unite solution on premise or in the cloud to modernize their collaboration environment. Thus, Intel now offers the […]
For all of the massive technology improvements and innovations within the AV industry, there is irony in the faster obsolescence of digital equipment compared to the analog age of AV, leaving customers vulnerable to unexpected end-of-life notifications of planned obsolescence at the discretion of the manufacturer and reducing the life-span of digital AV gear. In […]
Last year, Crestron was the focus of some cyber activists who found vulnerabilities in Crestron touch controllers that could theoretically allow someone to use touch screens to spy on the person in the same room. This was covered in a class at a hacktivist conference called DEFCON and subsequently was written up in WIRED Magazine. […]
The city of San Francisco, via its board of supervisors voted yesterday to ban using facial-recognition technology. The actual ordinance deals specifically with city governmental organizations and divisions, but it will have long-lasting ramifications that could easily (and quickly) ben emulated all over the country. Designed to protect the average-guy/gal member of the community from […]
SnapAV and Control4 Corporation today announced that they have entered into a “merger” agreement whereby SnapAV will acquire Control4 in an all-cash transaction for $23.91 per share in cash, representing an aggregate value of approximately $680 million. The Control4 stock last traded $17.12 per share so the shareholders are likely to take this buyout. Although […]
In the last month, I’ve had the opportunity to listen and learn a lot about the modern workplace and the principles behind its design. The philosophy goes well beyond the phrase “open” and really capitalizes on the idea of activity based working and creating spaces that allow for independent work, team collaboration, large team meetings, […]
It’s hard to believe that another InfoComm is right around the corner. As I sit down to write this, we’re under thirty days from the start of the first classes. Up here in Maine, where it’s still winter, we are longing for that humid, warm air. For tech managers, InfoComm can be an overwhelming experience. […]
By Jonathan Brawn, CTS, DSCE, DSDE, DSNE, DCME, ISF-C It seems like just yesterday we saw the launch of the new 4K UHD (Ultra High Definition) spec that was set to revolutionize the display industry. Boasting four times the effective resolution of our then state-of-the-art 1080p FHD (full high definition), this new technology was supposedly […]
The industry’s first portable “projector” manufacturer, InFocus, is getting out of the display and projector businesses overall. The company apparently held an all-company meeting at 12:30 p.m. today to inform their teams that they were ceasing display operations. Telling their teams they were “looking at new strategies,” they started to layoff the majority of the […]
One of my readers recently pointed out that universities are leading the charge when it comes to understanding the social impact of the technologies we build. I know this same reader was in the audience when I began to talk about how important privacy, security, and analytics will be as part of a “Future Workspace […]
By Satish Agrawal CEO, Bambu Vault This year will be an exciting time for the lightning industry as it leverages the latest technology to innovate LED design, color, wavelength, energy efficiency and more. All indications point to healthy growth for the lighting industry in 2019 and the next few years. Several factors are contributing to […]
Many science-fictional promises of the “world of the future” never have and perhaps never will come to pass. We don’t have our flying cars, and perhaps never will. We don’t have a robot maid. We aren’t eating Soylent Green. (OK, that one might not be a great loss). What about the meeting room of the […]
A comprehensive compilation of best practices for digital out of home (DOOH) media has been published by five leading industry trade groups. DOOH Best Practices is a collaborative joint venture between the Digital Place Based Advertising Association (DPAA), Digital Signage Federation (DSF), Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), Geopath and Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA). Half of the project funding was provided […]
This is the tweet heard ‘round the AV world — or at least, it should have been: The March 21st tweet from R/GA read: A thousand years from now humans will have shed their physical form and ascended to a higher state of consciousness and conference room AV systems still won’t work. — R/GA (@RGA) […]
You can’t enter a product in them. And, you can’t ask us to nominate you. And, you can’t get an award by advertising or sponsoring us or paying for it. There are NO award entry fees. We sent reporters to EVERY booth/stand at ISE 2019 and we selected the TOP products in every possible product […]
Over 600 People traveled through the doors of the all-new Almo ProAV E4 Experience (formerly E4 AV Tour). And, they didn’t just come for the 45+ exhibitors who all showed new products, they didn’t just come for my AV-over-IP Keynote, they didn’t just come for the SDVoE Alliance or DSF (Digital Signage Federation) Certification Courses, […]
Extron today announced it will work with Dolby on enabling the Dolby Conference Phone to operate seamlessly with the Extron Pro Series AV control solutions. This extends Extron control capabilities to the Dolby Conference Phone, providing complete AV and conferencing control for the modern meeting space. When incorporated with an Extron Pro Series control system, […]
A couple months ago, I wrote about the various problems that arise when people choose not to use microphones during large meetings or classes. In particular, I was discussing the negative impacts this choice has on people who have some type of hearing issue or hearing loss. I wrote about my belief that all rooms […]
By Graham Gilhooley Senior Creative at 20/20 Productions When it comes to digital signage, it’s easy to get hung up on the latest innovations. But while investing in new technology is certainly important, to really get the most out of digital signage, good design is key. Digital signage lends itself to engaging and captivating displays […]
Videoconferencing technologies have improved tremendously over the past several years. Cloud services have made it possible to cost effectively scale deployments to thousands of desktops and conference rooms. Improvements in video encoding, compute power and broadband services mean anyone can join a video call, from almost anywhere, via practically any device. And USB conference cams […]
While at ISE 2019 in Amsterdam, I had the opportunity to talk to Hyesung Ha, senior vice president of visual display business at Samsung Electronics, to talk about some of the new products the company had introduced recently and were showing on their stand. Samsung’s “The Wall” has been shown before, including at last year’s […]
Today, GN Audio has signed an agreement to acquire Altia Systems Inc. (“Altia Systems”). Altia Systems, based in Cupertino, California (USA), is the maker of the PanaCast camera systems used in UCC applications. This market is expected to grow significantly from a currently low penetration rate fueled by easy to use (plug and play), integrated […]
I love writing this annual predictions article. If you’re a regular reader, you already know this but for those that don’t, my Kayye’s Krystal Ball piece is an annual article where I not only tell you what I think is going to happen in the AV market for the upcoming year, but I also go […]
Audinate, developer of the Dante audio networking technology has announced Dante AV, adding a video-over-IP solution for manufacturers. Dante AV means the networking platform supports audio and video over the network. Technically, this becomes the first 1G standard for AV-over-IP — the only other standard in AV-over-IP is the SDVoE Alliance platform of 10G. Audinate […]
This year at ISE, AVIXA will present a conference called, “What’s Next In Higher Ed.” AVIXA has presented unique sessions like this for the higher ed attendees of ISE for a couple of years, but this year looks like the best one AVIXA has presented yet. It has several well known educational technologists and will […]
There are 15 halls at ISE 2019 in Amsterdam 5-8 February and show management has worked year after year to try to find a way to help visitors, well, visit. It’s LITERALLY impossible to go to the show and stay all four days and see the entire show floor — impossible In fact, that’s why […]
The applications are truly endless for what you’re about to read about — and see. At CES last week, LG launched a “rollable” TV technology — yes, using OLED — that allows displays to be placed nearly anywhere. Sure, it’s aimed at homeowners that want their TVs completely hidden but don’t want to use projection […]
There’s no doubt in my mind that 2019 will be the year we look back on that the industry transitioned from signal routing and distribution via HDMI and so-called “digital-media” to AV-over-IP. Certainly not the entire industry — just most of it. But buyer, specifier, installer and designer beware. Not all AV-over-IP is the same, […]
