Unboxing the FLEX From Newline Interactive!

Chances are, you’ve heard of the Newline FLEX — we even covered it last year when it was first unveiled on the market. The Newline FLEX is a solution completely designed for desktop collaboration. The 27-inch monitor includes capacitive touch, full device touchback capability (with palm rejection), USB Type C connectivity (with power) and an […]

Unboxing the FLEX From Newline Interactive!

Is OLED About to Trump LCD?

I have a half dozen LCD TVs around my house. We have at least 40 LCDs in our office. However, I’ve always wanted an OLED. But, I haven’t been willing to invest — even though I am an image snob. Honestly, I’ve been really happy with the QLED from Samsung. But, let’s be real — […]

Is OLED About to Trump LCD?

How the Chip Shortage Could Decimate the AV, UCC and Digital Signage Markets and How You Can Avoid Its Effects

Do not underestimate what I am about to tell you. In case you haven’t been reading the tech sections of the newspapers lately, there’s a global semiconductor shortage (branded as the “chip shortage of 2021”) and, although it hasn’t affected our market yet, it will, starting in late July. So, who cares? Well, you’d better, […]

How the Chip Shortage Could Decimate the AV, UCC and Digital Signage Markets and How You Can Avoid Its Effects

Pixelart Is Now Fugo; This Is Why You Should Care

Need a creative software platform to drive your digital signage displays? Well, Fugo, formerly Pixelart, wants to be that company for you. Here’s a video explaining what Fugo is: COVID-19 has turbocharged digital signage as it’s helping everyone reopen. Things like touch-free experiences, facial recognition, proximity sensors, people counting and bridging the physical and online […]

Pixelart Is Now Fugo; This Is Why You Should Care

What to Expect from Jabra PanaCast in 2021

In case you missed this integral part of LAVNCH WEEK 3.0, during a session of the all-new GARY: Unscripted segment, I got the honor of speaking with my old friend, Jabra’s Aurangzeb Khan. During this session, Aurangzeb told me some of the new things that Jabra has cooking for 2021. Catch the below video to […]

What to Expect from Jabra PanaCast in 2021

Kayye’s Krystal Ball: 2021 Edition

Welcome to my 21st annual Kayye’s Krystal Ball! I love writing this annual predictions article — it’s both humbling and rewarding. It requires me to stop and research anything new, evaluate the potential impact it will have and then articulate it in a way that matters to readers. If you’re a regular reader of my […]

Kayye’s Krystal Ball: 2021 Edition

When Do I Think Live Events Will Return?

Simply stated, mid-September 2021. Decimated by COVID-19, most that are still standing have turned to virtual events. But, in those cases, you are trading dollars for dimes. Live events will not make any sort of significant recovery in 2021, I am sad to say. I miss them as much as anyone. But until we have […]

When Do I Think Live Events Will Return?

I Got the Pfizer Vaccine in September; Here’s What You Should Know

Some of my closest #AVtweeps know that back last summer, I volunteered to be one of the 43,448 people within the global trial to get injected with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine (aka: BNT162b2 0.3 ml). Yes, I received the actual vaccine rather than the placebo (21,720 people in the study received BNT162b2 and 21,728 received […]

I Got the Pfizer Vaccine in September; Here’s What You Should Know

The Top 10 Stories of 2020

2020 sucked! So, now that we got that out of the way, let’s review the top 10 AV, UCC and Digital Signage stories, according to data, in 2020! The top story of 2020 was the the acquisition of Whitlock by AVI-SPL. Marketed as a merger, this didn’t appear to be one in hindsight. Whitlock is now […]

The Top 10 Stories of 2020

The Movie Theater Is Now Dead, Plus a Prediction: Apple Will Buy Sony

As much as I hated writing that headline, it’s true. And, despite years of warnings that the future of the cineplex was nothing but apocalyptic, Hollywood wasn’t prepared. Let’s back-up. Back in the late ’90s, companies started building DVD servers for home theaters. The idea was that a homeowner could buy a cache of DVDs […]

The Movie Theater Is Now Dead, Plus a Prediction: Apple Will Buy Sony

Here’s How the Corona Tag Can Get Us Back to Work Safely

THIS IS A PROMOTED POST This year has forced innovation globally. Throughout 2020, much of the creativity has appeared in problem-solving and in the interest of human interactions returning to “normal.” For example, a handful of companies are rapidly developing one of the world’s first totally synthetic vaccines to fight COVID-19. But, the innovation didn’t […]

Here’s How the Corona Tag Can Get Us Back to Work Safely

From Facebook and Beyond

Let’s face it, in March and April of this year, the best we could expect to deliver was very reactive. Unless you were already streaming services each weekend, it’s unlikely you had time to respond proactively to COVID. And, this summer, as states and countries started partially reopening, adding streaming via consumer platforms like Facebook, […]

From Facebook and Beyond

#PositAVity: Gary Kayye, Tim Albright, Megan Dutta and Alesia Hendley Are Bringing It!

Yes, we compete professionally. But, together, we BELIEVE in #AV. We know that, due to COVID, many of you have been laid off, but 2020 will NOT define you, and it will not define us. Even though we may compete for your eyes and ears, we are joining forces to bring #PositAVity to the AV […]

#PositAVity: Gary Kayye, Tim Albright, Megan Dutta and Alesia Hendley Are Bringing It!

Updated: Barco ‘Freezes’ Overture Control System Development

Updated Nov. 16, 2020: I reached out to both Kevin Morrison, CEO and Frank Pellkofer, president, Utelogy Corporation for their thoughts and, interestingly enough, they praised Barco and the Overture system with this quote: “Barco is a fantastic company that make world class products. These are extraordinary times and companies across all industries including AV […]

Updated: Barco ‘Freezes’ Overture Control System Development

Almo E4v Roundup Part 5: Kehr and Guzauckas Just Provided the Keys to AV Bringing Back Live Events and In-Person Meetings in 2021

The live events and the in-person meetings markets were, well, decimated in mid-March due to the COVID pandemic. And no one seemed to know what to do — well, almost no one. Don Guzauckas, of HB Live, joined Tom Kehr today at the Almo ProAV E4v virtual show, during his “The Future of Meetings and Events” session and explained […]

Almo E4v Roundup Part 5: Kehr and Guzauckas Just Provided the Keys to AV Bringing Back Live Events and In-Person Meetings in 2021

Open Rooms, The Answer to Hybrid Meetings in Your Workplace

THIS IS A PROMOTED POST Times are changing, and today’s hybrid working world — with some people at home and some in the office — means team collaboration is more necessary than ever. We’ve got a great story to share with you today, and we hope you’ll read it in full, but let’s be realistic; […]

Open Rooms, The Answer to Hybrid Meetings in Your Workplace

Are you Spec’ing LEDs? If You Are, Then You Should Attend Daktronics’ Innovate Series of Events

THIS IS A PROMOTED POST Have you ever been to an NFL stadium or a Major League Baseball park, seen an NHL game live on the ice, or sat in an NBA arena to watch a game? If you have, you’ve seen Daktronics. In fact, more than half of all of those sites in and […]

Are you Spec’ing LEDs? If You Are, Then You Should Attend Daktronics’ Innovate Series of Events

Microsoft Teams Playing Catch-Up With Zoom; Adds Nifty Custom Layouts, Better Breakout Rooms and Killer Meeting Recap Features

There’s no doubt that Microsoft Teams has been playing catch-up with Zoom for months; some would argue years. But, this week, Microsoft upped its game by adding a host of features that even Zoom power-users will love. Here’s a summary look at each one: Together Mode:  Together mode re-imagines meeting experiences to help participants feel […]

Microsoft Teams Playing Catch-Up With Zoom; Adds Nifty Custom Layouts, Better Breakout Rooms and Killer Meeting Recap Features

UCC Does .EDU — Terribly!

Way, way before COVID-19, UCC saw explosive growth. Because of it, “collaboration” was not only the buzzword of InfoComm 2019 but also completely dominated ISE 2020 — the last great AV event of 2020. But, UCC doesn’t mean meeting room or huddle room, by the way. If you read the spec sheets of the plethora […]

UCC Does .EDU — Terribly!

Thank You Mandy, Debbie and Scott

No one is immune to COVID-19. This is a defining moment in world history that our kids, their kids, their kids’ kids (and so on) will learn about in grade school for generations to come. Likely, everyone will eventually know someone directly or indirectly affected by this pandemic, either personally or professionally. As you probably […]

Thank You Mandy, Debbie and Scott

Key Digital Calls 3-Year-Old Technology Game-Changing?

Key Digital just introduced the KD-BYOD4K, a wireless presentation gateway for the KDPlay system. The company is marketing it as a “Game Changer for Presentation and Collaborations.” Do you agree? Here’s how it works: You can wirelessly connect via MacOS, Android or Windows (not Chromecast) to the KD-BYOD4K presentation system and project in full-screen (4K […]

Key Digital Calls 3-Year-Old Technology Game-Changing?

New Zoom Hardware-as-a-Service Program Will Boost AVaaS; Get Into AVaaS Now!

Right now, around the globe, most companies, educational institutions and government agencies have shifted their money to help solve internal COVID-19 issues and are trying to reopen. Therefore, financial expenditures on tech hardware not directly related to healthcare issues seem to be on hold (for now). So, now — more than any other time in […]

New Zoom Hardware-as-a-Service Program Will Boost AVaaS; Get Into AVaaS Now!

ClickShare Conference Is As If the Barco UCC Engineers Saw COVID-19 Coming

Like many of you, we’ve decided to keep THE rAVe Agency’s physical offices closed at least through the end of the summer, but I think it’s unlikely that we will actually gather our team together, physically, fall. In fact, nearly every business will face the significant hurdle of dealing with people who are creeped out […]

ClickShare Conference Is As If the Barco UCC Engineers Saw COVID-19 Coming

Facial Recognition Is DEAD in the Digital Signage Market

Technology seems to be able to do nearly everything — unless the government steps in and says, “No, it can’t.” And, that’s precisely what happened with the concept of facial recognition. Everyone’s experienced it. Everyone’s probably used it, too, if they have a Facebook account or use Apple devices — facial recognition is a giant […]

Facial Recognition Is DEAD in the Digital Signage Market

As CEDIA Expo Welcomes Crestron Back, Let’s Issue a Challenge to Dump the Apps

CEDIA Expo announced that Crestron Electronics will return for the 2020 show, optimistically scheduled to take place Sept. 8-12 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. And, CEDIA Expo also said Crestron will work with closer to continue the advancement and success of the custom integration channel. “After what has been a challenging year for […]

As CEDIA Expo Welcomes Crestron Back, Let’s Issue a Challenge to Dump the Apps

LAVNCH WEEK, By the Numbers

Last week’s LAVNCH WEEK was huge for both THE rAVe Agency and the industry. In fact, it was the largest virtual AV event, ever, with five days, 36 presenters and 20 hours of streaming — all in one platform. Let’s jump into the numbers. Here are some interesting stats: We streamed 15 terabytes of data […]

LAVNCH WEEK, By the Numbers

AMC Theatres Is Threatening Universal Studios Like It’s 1999

Back in the old days, like a decade ago, everyone went to a movie theater to watch “first-run” films — especially blockbusters. We all loved the immersive experience, the better audio, the taste of the popcorn and the giant screen. Now, not so much. Although, in this COVID-19 environment, I’d give nearly anything to sit […]

AMC Theatres Is Threatening Universal Studios Like It’s 1999

How-To Esports: The Blog

Hello, readers! On April 15, I hosted a webinar with Almo Pro A/V and Steve Milley from Panasonic (this company plays a huge part in the esports and gaming market). And, as promised, I’m including written versions of each webinar, so you don’t miss out on the content — even when the webinar fills up […]

How-To Esports: The Blog

How the Post COVID-19 Will Be a Boon for AV, DS and UCC

AVIXA has been publishing a monthly ProAV Business Index since mid-2016, gauging sales and employment indicators for the ProAV industry. The index is calculated from a monthly survey that tracks trends. Two diffusion indexes are created using the data, the AV Sales Index (AVI-S) and AV Employment Index (AVI-E). This month’s AV Sales Index (AVI-S) […]

How the Post COVID-19 Will Be a Boon for AV, DS and UCC

The Exclusive Best UCC Blog Ever

I’m starting a trend of releasing a corresponding blog with my webinars, and this will be the second of that series. On Wednesday, I hosted a webinar in conjunction with Almo Pro A/V and Dana Corey of Avocor, in which I took you on a tour of the UCC world! But, in case you weren’t […]

The Exclusive Best UCC Blog Ever

My Day with Sharp and Its Windows Collaboration Board Launch, Plus an Interview with CEO Mike Marusic 

I was honored to be the only member of the AV press invited to cover the live, global (it was streamed live from Seattle, Washington, New York City, Amsterdam and Madrid) streaming video launch of the Sharp WCD (Windows Collaboration Display) last week. Although those in attendance, live, saw it as a technical marvel (connecting […]

My Day with Sharp and Its Windows Collaboration Board Launch, Plus an Interview with CEO Mike Marusic 

My Observations From AVI Systems’ AVI LIVE Show: The Last Pre-COVID-19 AV Show

I am sitting here in my kitchen table writing this. Like many of you who traveled last week, I am in a self-quarantine to protect the world from my potentially having the new coronavirus, sadly known as COVID-19 (sad as COVID used to only refer to that Tempe-based AV manufacturer known for the once-famous EXPiX […]

My Observations From AVI Systems’ AVI LIVE Show: The Last Pre-COVID-19 AV Show