By Steve Thorburn On the evening of Wednesday, March 6, 2025, Scott R. Sharer passed away after a seven-year battle with brain atrophy and dementia caused by vascular degeneration. A gifted communicator, teacher, and engineer, Scott was also a beloved brother and a friend to many in our industry. I first met Scott at InfoComm […]

Back in 2015, the AV and collaboration industry was all-in on the death of the large conference room. The huddle room was the future, analysts claimed, brandishing inverted pyramid charts that showed demand shifting toward smaller spaces for two to three people rather than cavernous boardrooms seating 20 or more. And then, just as the […]

By Bill Thrasher Greener Hybrid Workspaces: AV Solutions Supporting Sustainability and the Future of Work In modern offices, silence speaks volumes—and it’s now calling for sustainability. Corporate AV is on track for growth, with AVIXA projecting the market will reach $91.4 billion by 2029. A key factor driving this expansion is the demand for solutions […]

BY: Henry Jordan The purpose of my experiment was to determine how the number of windings in a voice coil affects the volume of a speaker. My hypothesis stated if there are more windings in a voice coil, then a speaker will output greater volume because there will be more electrical flow (current). The procedure […]

By Dave MacKinnon Clear-Com For many broadcast and live events, intercom systems are the unsung heroes, enabling complex productions and facilitating effective communication. From broadcast studios to stadiums, theaters, and arenas, intercom systems are essential in ensuring every part of a production runs smoothly and that every cue is executed precisely. As these productions have […]

BY: Nancy Knowlton First, a caveat. My comments about a new breed of audio buyers are based on what I see and experience versus a global statement about the market more generally. At Nureva, we talk to people who want to talk to us because our message resonates with them. We see them as a […]

BY: Theresa Payton Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity have sparked an ongoing debate about whether they’re the ultimate duo or a dangerous combination. As someone who has spent years navigating cybersecurity, I see both sides. AI offers incredible opportunities but opens up new vulnerabilities that we, as cybersecurity professionals, must address. AI & Cybersecurity: The […]

Do you update your smoke detector batteries twice a year? I know I don’t, but apparently we should, the same way we should be updating our antivirus software twice a year. But cybersecurity is a much more complex issue than just that. In 2004, President George W. Bush and Congress declared October as “Cybersecurity Awareness […]

By Peter HansenAVIXAGood news on a critical topic! ProAV appears to have made progress on the gender pay gap. Our first study, published in 2021, revealed a pay gap of between 79% and 89% (more on why that’s a range in a moment). Our latest analysis now suggests a pay gap between 86% and 94%. […]

BY: RANDALL LEE As the world continues to embrace digital transformation, the evolution of IP-based paging and intercom systems is enhancing communication, safety and efficiency within facilities. Modern advancements are revolutionizing traditional public address systems, making them more versatile and responsive to dynamic and emergent situations. The shift to IP-based technology is an advancement from […]

By Tom Kehr CTS-D, CTS-I, LEED Green AssociateExertis Almo Recently, I saw where a manufacturer provided the following installation requirements for web and PTZ cameras: “Mount cameras at a height between 15 inches and 48 inches from the floor to comply with ADA standards for operable parts” and that cameras and their mounts should not […]

Artificial intelligence is transforming our world of audiovisual, but if we raise our eyes to the horizon instead of the workbench, we’ll see AI will transform the world around us as well. And those changes may be more significant. Let’s call this next stage in AI adoption the AI Rainbow. From content creation to editing […]

As we celebrate Independence Day, there’s no better time to honor the innovation and craftsmanship of American-made AV products. In the spirit Independence Day, we wanted to spotlight the audiovisual solutions developed right here in the USA! These products are a testament to the creativity, dedication and technical expertise that American manufacturers bring to the […]

By Tom Kehr, CTS-D, CTS-I, LEED Green Associate Exertis Almo “The new pastor would like to have hardwired microphones instead of wireless for the following locations …” What a refreshing request: hardwired microphones. Yes, I’m aware that wireless cleans up the stage and wireless certainly looks better on camera, especially since so many churches are […]

By: Trevor Cooke, EarthWeb As technological advancements continue to reshape industries, so do the tactics of cybercriminals, underscoring the critical need for robust cybersecurity measures. Recent data highlights the industries most targeted by cyberattacks and the substantial financial toll they exact, emphasizing the urgency for organizations to prioritize cybersecurity. Most Targeted Industries by CyberCriminals Rank […]

By: Alan C. Brawn CTS, DSCE, DSDE, DSNE, DCME, DSSP, ISF-C We have all heard about the 800-pound gorilla in the room and that it should not be ignored. Nobody will claim that AI is being ignored, but a significant aspect of the rapidly evolving technology is not as exposed to scrutiny as it should […]

At the heart of every memorable festival lies a potent—and often invisible—force that captivates and energizes the crowd: sound. Over the years, advancements in pro audio technology have drastically improved how festival goers experience live music. From microphones to loudspeakers, these technologies work hard to transport listeners into an auditory wonderland. Festivals in a Post-Pandemic […]

BY: Joe Davies While many of us rely on our voice assistants like Siri and Alexa for things like checking the weather or setting a timer while cooking, it might not be such a good idea to rely on them in more serious situations. Here are six things you should always avoid asking voice assistants if […]

By: Trevor Cooke, EarthWeb Thirty percent of internet users have been victims of a data breach as a result of having a weak password; with over five billion people using the internet today, that means one and a half billion have had their data stolen by scammers taking advantage of their bad password. With this […]

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 […]

By Sophie Gustafson Exertis Almo Over the past few years, interest in commissioning services has transitioned from desire to demand. As the final step in the system integration process, commissioning services serve as the last piece of effort before the project goes into live production — and therefore, the end user’s ownership. These finishing touches […]

By Scarlett Woodford Futuresource Consulting As corporates continue to implement return-to-office mandates, next-generation collaboration technology will become a key component of the post-COVID office environment. A new report from Futuresource Consulting shows that corporate AV budgets were squeezed during 2022 and into 2023, and the situation was exacerbated by chipset price hikes and supply chain […]

By Ted Romanowitz Futuresource Consulting The True MicroLED display market for pro AV and consumer televisions is set to skyrocket. According to a newly released report from Futuresource Consulting, it will accelerate from just $24.0 million in 2023, to reach annual revenues of $26.2 billion in 2032, despite expected aggressive price erosion. The specialist research […]

By Todd Heberlein Exertis Almo When my friends and I were kids, there really wasn’t a question of IF you were going to play sports, but rather which sports your parents would allow you to play. Every kid in my neighborhood was involved in some sort of team sport, ranging from baseball to volleyball. As […]

By Grant Youngman Futuresource Consulting The professional microphone market continues to achieve slow but steady post-pandemic growth, with a new report from Futuresource Consulting forecasting a CAGR of 5.9% over the next five years. That’s despite a general feeling of caution and nervousness among buyers, resulting from current economic and geopolitical issues. Recovery for the […]

By Marco Cella Extron There was a girl in my circle of college acquaintances named Aubrey; she was a very talented composer and welcoming spirit that could easily fit alongside every human archetype on Earth. Arguing with her was impossible: shoulder shrug, wide smile and heartland accent were the lethal weapons that made her extremely […]

By Shubham Kumar and Olivia Lowden Futuresource Consulting After enjoying unprecedented growth during the pandemic, the global professional pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) camera market has become increasingly competitive. Futuresource Consulting’s new report shows the global pro PTZ market declined in value YoY in FY2022 for the first time since the pandemic, as the urgency to equip spaces […]

Command and control rooms are where information, technology and human expertise converge to enable effective decision making, resource management and responses to different scenarios. The importance of control rooms extends across a wide and growing range of sectors, and they help contribute to safety, security and operational efficiency. Let’s explore key trends in command and […]

As our online lives expand, the average user has gone from having just a few passwords to now managing upwards of 100. That’s 100 unique passwords to remember, if you’re using strong password habits. Password managers can save users the trouble of having to remember multiple passwords and make accounts safer by recommending strong, unique […]

By Rob Voorhees, Business Development Manager II- CTS, CTP, CTNS, Dante 3Exertis Almo I remember it like it was yesterday. I was standing in the audio department of a particular big-box retailer where I worked. A middle-aged man approached our wall of receivers, pointed to a particular name brand that was on the higher end of the […]

By John Hood The Farm When I’m in downtown San Francisco, I have an internal alarm clock that tells me when to get the heck out. It’s a different time on different days. I have to reprogram as soon as it’s no longer working right. I got that sick feeling yesterday at around 2:15 p.m. […]

In 2004, President Bush and Congress declared October “Cybersecurity Awareness Month.” 2004 was a much different time and the event centered around advice like “Update your antivirus software twice a year like you do with your smoke detector batteries.” for U.S. residents. Nowadays, cybersecurity is a much more complex issue and Cybersecurity Awareness Month has […]