Earlier this week, we broke the news that Plantronics was entering the ProAV market with a new product called Habitat Soundscaping. It wasn’t a complete surprise as Plantronics is one of the worst companies I’ve ever seen at keeping secrets. I found out about the product five months before they called me out of the blue to “tell […]
A few months back, I wrote a column: Will Microsoft Be Able to Continue to Rip People Off With Their Surface HUB? Most of you agreed; some didn’t. And now, four months after writing that piece, I still think it’s way, way, way overpriced for what you get. But on the same week that Whitlock recently awarded Microsoft’s Surface Hub […]
The HDBaseT Alliance used InfoComm to officially debut the first set of products using their new HDBaseT over IP infrastructure — designed to compete against the SDVoE Alliance standard, more commonly known as the AptoVision BlueRiver NT+ AV-over-IP system. This is a disaster waiting to happen. Why? Well, I love HDBaseT. The transport platform that was originally launched by — and is still […]
Legrand announced the acquisition of Milestone AV early this morning but the rumors of a Milestone AV purchase had been flying for weeks. (Here’s a link to our breaking news story.) There was no question they were selling, but this is a merger of two giant, awesome companies. I can see nothing but fantastic things […]
When David became the editor of Sound & Communications Magazine, I was already a technical advisor and columnist for them for four years running. And I was their “video guy.” Sound & Communications (S&C) had been 99 percent audio when I was brought in in 1996 to start a column and consult for them on […]
Get ready for the industry’s one and only short-throw laser projector in the form of two new versions of the Epson BrightLink line. BrightLink is their Interactive line of short-throw projectors and Epson, this morning, rolled out one aimed at education and one aimed at corporate applications in the form of the BrightLink 710Ui and BrightLink Pro 1470Ui, […]
Last week, in an acquisition that was barely mentioned by the AV trades, Econocom Group purchased 100 percent of BIS Group, an AV and Smart Buildings integrator mostly focused in the Netherlands and Belgium. And, Econocomm also purchased a 40 percent stake in JTRS, an Apple and Google partner focused in the education market in the UK, as well as 100 percent […]
The SDVoE just got the biggest endorser yet. SDVoE is currently the only off-the-shelf technology that offers a “full stack solution” for AV-over-IP. SDVoE addresses the full seven-layer OSI network stack and offers solutions at every layer. SDVoE technology creates a flexible hardware and software platform which can enable many applications including matrix switches, KVM switches, video walls controllers and multiview image processors. It can also be integrated […]
In addition to showing new 4K projectors, a new high-end Spyder processor and an all-new LCD lineup at InfoComm, Christie is getting into the AV-over-IP market as a founding member of the SDVoE Alliance and a new product line called Terra. Christie Terra solutions support video formats up to 4K at 60Hz (10-bit color) and provide the processing […]
Sony will take to booth 2200 at next week’s InfoComm show with two demos of 8K resolution displays – one using a curved CLEDIS (the mind-blowing LED technology they showed at InfoComm last year and won our Best of InfoComm 2016 award with) and the other made from Sony’s new laser projector line. I was joined on today’s […]
Vivitek will be in booth 4443 at Infocomm next week showing a few industry firsts. They’ll have a 4K home cinema projector for sub-$3000 that also reproduces the Rec.709 color space! And, we got the scoop on my podcast today – you’ll even see it asa we did a videocast demo of the product. And, they’ll […]
I was joined by Barco Strategic Marketing Director Wouter Bonte today to talk everything InfoComm. Barco’s new UDX 4K Laser projector line is already making a splash in the rental market and the new products will spill into the install market as they begin to ship this summer. Barco’s booth will have a dual-projector seamed-demo that will likely […]
Bose Professional is hitting the show floor (in booth #4061) at InfoComm with three major new product launches. The company is using InfoComm for the official U.S. rollout of ControlSpace EX, the conferencing solutions that originally debuted at ISE in Amsterdam in February. I nabbed a one-on-one interview with Rob Kosman, Bose’s events and applications manager, today on […]
Altia Systems, creators of PanaCast 2 Panoramic-4K USB video camera system, has worked with Intel to launch PanaCast Whiteboard, a computer vision software that detects content on an existing whiteboard and displays (in any room) and adds it in (automatically) into a vide meeting. This may not seem like a big deal but, watch this videocast with their CEO and […]
Today’s edition of my Rants and rAVe’s podcast includes the first public showing of Logitech’s new MeetUp ConferenceCam I was honored to be joined by Logitech’s Head of Marketing for the Collaboration Business Unit, Joan Vandermate, who explains the features behind the 4K USB camera and what makes it perfect for small rooms and huddle spaces. This is one […]
Gary was joined by NEC Display’s Rich Ventura today on a video version of his Rants and rAVe podcast – and this one was definitely a rAVe! The NEC ThinkHub is coming off a four-city roadshow, where 500+ people got to play with it first-hand. The response is that NEC Display’s collaboration with T1V for the ThunkHub collaboration board in 55” […]
Gary caught up with Anchor Audio‘s new director of sales, Nick Craig, on a pre-InfoComm videocast today where he talks about why Anchor added their Air feature to the Bigfoot and Beacon portable PA systems. Air is their wireless system and they have a very cool feature where you an use different PA’s together, wirelessly. Watch this videocast with Nick […]
The world’s first look at the new indoor LED M Series (m for mobile) from Absen happens right here – on Gary’s latest Rants and rAVe podcast. The M series is completely modular – even the video board is modular. On this special InfoComm videocast Gary is joined by Absen’s Marketing Communications Manager, Alison Maxson. And, Absen’s Key Account […]
To say that the “perceived” sudden departure of CEDIA‘s short-time president and CEO, Vin Bruno isn’t big news would be a lie. It’s all nearly every Home AV manufacturer I’ve spoken to over the past two weeks has asked about it, asked if I know what happened, asked if I knew if Vin got fired, asked if […]
dnp is known as the company that invented the ambient light rejection screen technology. And, now they have AV furniture — here, take a look a the video we shot of some of their projection furniture this past February at ISE here. But, as you’ll see on today’s pre-InfoComm videocast with the VP of Global Sales […]
You’ve been hearing about the new Nureva HDL300 audio conferencing system for almost a year now. And if you’ve had the fortune to attend the half-dozen or so shows that it was demo’d at, you were able to hear what it’s like to have 8,192 virtual mics (using Nureva’s Microphone Mist technology) inside a room so that […]
Gary was joined on his Rants and rAVe podcast by QSC’s product manager, Martin Barbour who explained the philosophy behind their play-oriented booth at this year’s InfoComm 2017 booth. In the past, QSC has built running systems in their booth but this year they will be focused on engaged interactivity. Of course, they’ll have all their gear there, […]
For the 12th year in a row, the industry’s most famous (and only) band will play a benefit concert during InfoComm. With the money going directly towards financing the NSCA Educational Foundation and Ignite program, the Drunk Unkles will put on a show with a 9 p.m. concert at BB King’s across the street from the Orange […]
I have been harping on this for years. I have been telling everyone in the AV industry that to survive the future of AV, services need to be front and center, along with the products. Sure, a good mix of products with both established technology as well as future-forward, emerging technology is a giant part […]
In 2016 some industry self-appointed pundits in the AV-industry were overusing the trite term known as the “Internet of Things” (aka IoT) way, way too much last year. I keep seeing content marketing and blogs using the term — as if we are really part of it. We aren’t. Thank God we are in 2017 […]
You’ve all seen them. Emails from the plethora of analog and digital magazines covering InfoComm this year — all asking or you to PAY to ENTER their awards programs. I am writing to BEG YOU to stop doing this. This is not only a rip-off, but it’s completely unethical. Sure, a $10 or $20 fee […]
With the deluge of new “Collaboration Boards” that will hit the market over the next six months (this was the most popular launch product at ISE this month), there’s no question that Microsoft will have to cut the price of their Surface Hub. They can’t keep ripping people off at $8,000 — $9,000 (55″) and $20,000 (84″) […]
Barco — Belgian American Radio Corporation I am sure I can’t be the only person in AV who’s noticed the subtle re-branding of Barco. But no one seems to be talking about it. Go look at their website, for example. It’s different — more retail-like. And, then, on Friday, I found this video — it only has 800 […]
The word collaboration is hackneyed in AV — but, I feel we need keep using it as it does, in fact, define a trend in business. People want to connect, share and work in groups — whether they are in-person or working via the Internet. Many would argue that Barco started all this, in AV at least, with their wireless collaboration […]
Update: I spoke to ZOOM CEO Eric Yuan this morning. He told me that it’s correct that they do try to establish relationships directly with the clients. But, he says that ZOOM’s policy about this is very specifically defined: If an AV integrator has an existing client relationship, all they need to do is register that […]
At ISE, I had a chance to get a behind-the-scenes, top-secret look at the new SiliconCore LISA technology. LISA is basically an LED video-wall material (modular, like all the others) where the electronics and board drivers use Chip On Board (COB) manufacturing technology. So, on one side of the PCB is the LED array and on the other are […]
I was honored to be the Luncheon Keynote Speaker at the AVI LIVE 2017 show yesterday in Cincinnati, Ohio, yesterday. And, it was incredible. Everything about it! The branding, the education, the atmosphere, the venue, the vendors, the customers, the food — well, OK, the food was decent, but the rest was awesome. The Branding: AVI Systems founded in […]
