Women’s Month in AV
March is women’s month in the United States, and I am happy to see consistent messaging and support for it in the professional AV industry. AVIXA has regular posts on social media highlighting women in AV, and many other industry publications, including this one, do the same. A couple of months ago, a group of […]
5 Factors for Considering a New Projector
By Brian Rhatigan Exertis Almo When it comes to producing large displayed images of 100” or more, projection technology is the front-runner when it comes to cost, ease of installation and system maintenance over time. While projector brightness is a key consideration, it is not the only factor you should look at when selecting a […]
How AI is Used in UCC Applications
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the way businesses operate and communicate. Today, the role of AI in unified communications and collaboration (UCC) is becoming increasingly important. UCC refers to the integration of communication and collaboration tools, including instant messaging, voice and video calls, file sharing and conferencing. In this article, we will discuss how AI […]
LAVNCH Week 7: ProAV Day Wrap-Up
The last day of LAVNCH WEEK has arrived, and today we talked all about ProAV. To finish out the week, we had an amazing lineup of speakers and panels to deliver their wisdom right to your ears and screen. Steph and Megan kicked off the day with a reminder that if you have missed any […]
Why Even Have Resellers If You’re Going to Cut Them Out?
In order to tell this story I need to set the stage. Here’s what you need to know. When I start work in the morning one of the steps in my routine is to log in to Alberta Purchasing Connection: that’s the portal of the provincial government that aggregates all the RFQs and RFPs for […]
LAVNCH WEEK 7 Digital Signage Day: It’s Over Already?
With the conclusion of Digital Signage Day comes the bittersweet reality that tomorrow is our last day of LAVNCH WEEK 7, and today is my last LAVNCH WEEK recap for a while (I know, I’m just as upset about it as you are, but Steph says I have to share the spotlight). Like the last […]
ICYMI: LAVNCH WEEK 7 — Emerging Tech Day
LAVNCH Week 7 is in full swing, and today we dove into all things emerging technology. The day was packed with interesting panels and discussions about trends in the AV industry including experience design, esports and virtual production. If you weren’t there, emerging tech day of LAVNCH Week 7 is available on demand, so there […]
Creating a Woman-Inclusive Team
By Victoria Losa, Sales and Marketing Coordinator, Control Concepts I have a theory… As a woman, there is an unspoken role to follow where other women flock, it guarantees the space is safe and accepting. So, when I first met the team at Control Concepts and interviewed with three other women, I knew that I […]
AI Has Endless Possibilities for AV
In January I wrote about the emergence of ChatGPT and how it is causing waves across the country. I wrote about my belief that ChatGPT, in particular, was going to have a major effect on how we teach students. ChatGPT has allowed people to expand their thinking of what computing can actually do. Previously, we […]
LAVNCH WEEK 7 UCC Day: You Had to Be There
Another LAVNCH WEEK, another recap by yours truly. Today we kicked off LAVNCH WEEK 7 with UCC Day, and I may be biased, but it was fantastic. Our speakers gave incredible insights, the attendees asked thought-provoking questions and the content was informative and relevant. Now, I’m going to give you a recap of the day […]
Ask Dr. Ann: How Do I Create a Collaborative Space for People of Different Ages?
What’s the difference between building a collaborative space for a company with boomers versus building one for a company with a lot of millennials and Generation Z? Is there a difference in what should be included? For the first time in history, there are five generations in the workplace. They are: Traditionalists — born 1925 […]
What’s Happening at ISC West 2023
The International Security Conference and Exposition (ISC West) is the largest trade show for security in North America; it will be take place March 28-31, in Las Vegas. The show, organized by RX, is set to feature industry-leading manufacturers with new products and new trends, and AV and security integration professionals shouldn’t miss out. Mary […]
rAVe February Temperature Check — Results: UCC Platforms and Features
The results are in for February’s Temperature Check surveys and this month we focused on UCC platforms. UCC has become such an integral part of our everyday lives and we wanted to hear from you about your favorite platforms and features. UCC enables communication and collaboration between team members no matter where they are located […]
The Importance of AI in the Audiovisual Industry
By ChatGPT and Bob Snyder AI (artificial Intelligence) is often mistakenly dismissed as a social media parlor trick, while on the other hand, we fear a dystopian future where humans can’t compete with their own creation. What AI really is, in the near future, is the next computer paradigm — a way to leverage computer […]
The Rise of BYOD
By Lauren Simmen, Director of Product Marketing, Crestron The term’s been everywhere lately: BYOD, the acronym meaning Bring Your Own Device. From the preponderance of smartphone business apps to the need for laptops and tablets to travel with their users (especially in hybrid work situations), the demand for BYOD solutions has never been greater. The […]
ISE 2023 From Across the Pond: A Detailed, In-Depth Look at Trends From the Show
Welcome back to another installment of my reviews of a trade show I didn’t attend, in which I stay home in North Carolina and spend many, many hours watching (and titling and categorizing) every single product video that the rAVe videos shooters collected while roaming the floor of Integrated Systems Europe in Barcelona. This year’s […]
How to Influence Without Being an Influencer
By Rob Voorhees Exertis Almo Way back in 1999, while working in consumer electronics retail, I caught the competition bug with my co-workers. It began innocently enough — making sure I was always on time for my shift, stayed slightly later to help unload a truck, made sure my sales were always at the top, […]
The Future Corporate Workspace
By Sean Wargo, Vice President of Market Intelligence, AVIXA The pandemic will forever be a dividing line for the corporate office market. Remote and hybrid work were never talked about more than in the last three years. Now that we’ve emerged from the pandemic, what will the future corporate workspace look like? It makes sense […]
Things I Never Expected
No matter how long you’ve been around, you can still be surprised. This Christmas season, several of our brands ran Q4 sales contests and promotions for our dealers. There’s nothing unusual about that, lots of brands run promotions for Q4. It’s Christmas, and you have to make the most of what we always hope will […]
The Future of AV is Unreal
In 2016, I asked the AV industry, “Why aren’t we talking about NVIDIA?” If you read my blog, I listed a lot of different areas where I thought NVIDIA could have a huge impact on AV, and although “Video Wall and Multi Window Screen Servers” were included as one of those potential opportunities, I have […]
It’s a New Year
Over the past several weeks, people much smarter and more creative than I have made predictions on what 2023 will bring to the AV world. These are always fun to read and keep score of throughout the year. Rather than make predictions, I tend to think about what the important issues will be throughout the […]
Meet the New WiCT Board Members
Last month, Women in Consumer Technology (WiCT) added Amanda “Mandy” Beckner, CEDIA’s vice president of education and training, and Norma Garcia-Muro, vice president of marketing at Kaleidescape, to its board. We sat down with Beckner and Garcia-Muro to chat about their recent appointment and their plans for the organization. rAVe: What motivated you to join […]
rePLAY ISE 2023 With Steph Beckett and Gary Kayye — Available on Demand!
Welcome to rePLAY ISE 2023 with Gary Kayye, co-founder and director of THE rAVe Agency, and Steph Beckett, managing editor of rAVe [PUBS]. They are here to walk you through ISE 2023 with interviews, product demonstrations and themes of the show. rePLAY ISE 2023 is split into two sessions, the first primarily targeted to a […]
Is the Future of AVoIP Wide Open?
In 2013, I did my first blog on video extension technology for rAVe. That was the year that Valens and HDBaseT exploded into the market based on it’s successful beta with Crestron, driving their original Digital Media product line. There were some manufacturers doing AV over IP at that time as well, companies like Just […]
Holographic Projections Take Center Ring at Circus Roncalli
Good things come from watching America’s Super Bowl. And not only for Kansas City fans. A few years ago in Germany, the founder of Circus Roncalli, Bernhard Paul was watching an NFL Super Bowl half-time show when an idea came in as clear as a 28-yard field goal. The Circus Roncalli founder decided his circus […]
Streaming Into the Future: How Bandwidth Needs Have Expanded for Houses of Worship
By Rob Voorhees Exertis Almo Let us rewind the clock to early 2019. I was in a discussion with a customer who asked me what the top verticals were in regards to bandwidth needs. I had received this very common question countless times, so I answered in the same manner: “Hospitality, bar and restaurant, education, […]
Kayye’s Krystal Ball: 2023 Edition
Welcome to my 23rd annual Kayye’s Krystal Ball! I wonder if this will be my last … are you bored yet? To think I have been opining this column for 23 years is stunning to me. I am humbled by your loyal readership, and I continue to be amazed by how many of you read […]
And the Sale After That …
Whenever you meet with your financial planner, and they discuss investments like mutual funds, one of the standard cover-their-ass sentences you see in the printed materials is “past returns do not predict future performance.” That’s true of many things. What was once Hot often becomes Not, and occasionally vice versa. So, I had a meeting […]
Why YOU Need to Attend LAVNCH WEEK 7
The AV Industry’s Flagship Virtual Event is back March 6-9, 2023 with four packed days of new sessions, presentations, product announcements and technology introductions. This is definitely not a LAVNCH WEEK to miss. Every day, starting at 12:30 p.m. EST, we will do a deep dive on expected trends and interesting topics within different AV […]
Why MTR With Front Row Looks So Bad
During the pandemic, Zoom made a fortune. The company could do no wrong, even when it did — like in 2021 having to pay an $85 million fine to settle claims that it lied about offering end-to-end encryption and in 2020 when it accidentally used its Chinese servers to generate encryption keys. The number of […]
Budget, Inventory and ‘Standards’
For years, I have been the poster child for standards in classrooms. I have made this argument for a very long time at my school and through talks and at conferences. The arguments for standardization are powerful and plentiful. The ability for staff to only need to be focused on a certain family of products […]
The Daily Raff: ISE 2023 Day 4 Thoughts
Wow. And just like that, the show is over. I really can’t believe it. I’ve focused heavily on products and solutions the past few days, and I’ll still mention a couple of things, but today I really want to talk a little more in-depth about exactly what goes into this show. As you can see […]