Esports is rapidly growing and becoming a crucial part of both the entertainment and education sectors. During this week’s LAVNCH & LEARN, Gary Kayye talks about how to delve into the world of esports, but most importantly, why you should. To find out more about the opportunities esports present for AV professionals, be sure to […]

Humanity in the workplace: how modern organizations bring their culture to life This year’s Zoomtopia was filled with innovations and demonstrations surrounding Zoom Workplace. The panel titled “Humanity in the Workplace: How Modern Organizations Bring Their Culture to Life” focused on employee disengagement, an issue facing many companies nowadays. This issue costs businesses around $8.9 […]

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 […]

This year’s Zoomtopia was filled with innovations and demonstrations surrounding Zoom Workplace. The panel on Zoom Workplace’s journey to an AI-first work platform focused on the upcoming launch of AI Companion 2.0, which is set to launch in late October 2024, and its potential to revolutionize the workplace. With over 100 enhancements since its launch […]

This is the first time in a few years that I haven’t attended Zoomtopia in person. The event, typically held at the San Jose Convention Center, close to its headquarters, is one of the most fun in the industry. In 2022, the event was packed to the brim with an amazing keynote, fun fireside chats […]

If you’ve been watching corporate America lately, you might think hybrid work is on the brink of extinction. While hybrid work isn’t actually disappearing, many CEOs wish it would — though for reasons more about power than productivity. Sure, there are some leaders who genuinely believe in-person collaboration boosts innovation, but most have come to […]

Logitech is marketing its Extend product line as a solution where “anyone can walk into an Android or BYOD-based meeting room, plug in with the USB-C cable, and launch a meeting (using Zoom, MS Teams or Google Meet) on their own laptop or mobile device.” If that sounds familiar, it should. This is a similar […]

Hi everyone, and welcome to our most recent episode of LAVNCH & LEARN, hosted by Steph Beckett, managing editor at rAVe [PUBS]. This week, we discussed how AV has the power to create emotional experiences during live events. We were joined by panelists Wallace “Ace” Johnson, founder and executive producer at DXG Agency, Christine Latour, […]

ARHT Media had, and still has, remarkable technology — with a patent to match. However, having cutting-edge tech doesn’t always guarantee a successful business model. In fact, had their holographic projection technology debuted two or three years later, it might have seen more success than it has so far. The official launch of ARHT’s technology […]

So it turns out that I can still be surprised. I’ve been around a long time, and I’ve seen a lot of things. In the industry vertical I’m in, the same things generally keep happening, so you see the signs and know what to expect, more or less. Mark Twain said that “history doesn’t repeat […]

Welcome to this month’s Copilot for Microsoft 365 roundup! This month’s updates range from implementation in forms and quizzes to new prompt collections in sales and new languages added, so buckle up. I will include the full list of updates at the end of this article via slides in case you’re curious. Improvements in Language […]

THIS IS A PROMOTED POST Standardization is not a new concept, having been around for thousands of years. Yet, as I walked around InfoComm this year, I was still struck by our industry’s lack of cloud standardization. What the Indus civilizations understood over 4,000 years ago … we apparently haven’t quite internalized. Even the term, […]

Welcome to this year’s rePLAY CEDIA Expo event! This recap of CEDIA Expo 2024 is hosted by managing editor at rAVe [PUBS], Steph Beckett, and editor-in-chief of LAVNCH [CODE], Megan A. Dutta. This year’s CEDIA Expo was another huge success, and we can only tell you about so much of it, so make sure to […]

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%. […]

Earlier this year, Google announced Project Starline would become a reality in 2024 or 2025. For this project, Google is partnering with HP to make the solution commercially available starting in 2025. Yesterday, it shared a first look at the product design, built in collaboration with HP. Instead of making Project Starline into an entire meeting room, the companies have […]

Welcome to the rePLAY of the 2024 Commercial Integrator Expo, hosted by managing editor at rAVe [PUBS], Steph Beckett, and editor-in-chief of LAVNCH [CODE], Megan A. Dutta. This year’s Commercial Integrator Expo was a big success, but our recap can only cover so much, so make sure to check out our microsite to get the […]

Welcome to the August 2024 edition of the Microsoft Teams Tracker! Every month, I take a look at some of the latest and most impactful updates to the platform. Whether you’re an MS Teams user or someone integrating technology that complements it, this article is your go-to resource for staying informed. I’ll be highlighting a […]

Name: Brian Duffy Title: Strategic Account Manager, Live Entertainment Company: Panasonic rAVe [PUBS]: Tell us a little bit about your role at Panasonic Connect. BRIAN DUFFY: I serve as a strategic account manager for live entertainment at Panasonic Connect. I work closely with our partners and customers, including theme parks and other live entertainment venues, to design […]

THIS IS A PROMOTED POST I have been privileged to be the keynote speaker for the Exertis Almo E4 Experience for 15 straight years — if you’re a math person, that’s 59 times. In those 15 years, we’ve issued over 18,000 AVIXA CTS RUs for attendees of my keynote presentations, alone. And, over 50,000 AVIXA […]

Recently on AVNation’s EdTech Podcast, we had a discussion about standards for classrooms. After the discussion, I began to wonder more and more about standards, and how the concept and purpose has evolved over the years. Many of us developed standards to make financial arguments to add technology to our classrooms. This is going back […]

I have been working in “tech” for roughly 30 years. I started in IT, then went into live audio, then AV integration, and eventually, cybersecurity. I now engineer secure audiovisual systems, KVMs and video walls for the United States military. One might think my home is full of the latest technologies, that I have smart […]

As with any trade show, the expo hall floor can be overwhelming. We tend to gravitate toward the familiar and can easily miss the hidden gems, but I went on the Smart Home Tour and was introduced to some unique companies that I’m excited to share with you. Crestron — Booth 1901 Crestron, of course, […]

At CEDIA Expo 2024, Quantum Media Solutions demoed its XDR Pro Cinema Video Wall, which is specifically designed for luxury residential environments. I attended a demo of this product, and while movies are not my thing, I do enjoy video games and this is a great product for that as well. The setup included a […]

There’s a lot of talk about AI In our industry, typically around products and tools that we use to help customers have better meetings. We talk mostly about AI in microphones or cameras to improve audio quality, triangulate meeting participants, and create better camera shots of attendees as they speak. As integrators, we also help […]

Image courtesy of CEDIA Expo/Emerald This year at CEDIA Expo, I had the opportunity to explore the audio demo rooms for the first time since joining THE rAVe Agency. As someone whose role at trade shows is typically focused on shooting videos, I often do not get to experience the products in their actual applications. […]

Today, at CEDIA Expo 2024, we celebrated the women of our industry at the Women in Consumer Technology Annual Luncheon. Not only was there good food and good conversation, we also were lucky enough to get to experience a talk from Sylvia Acevedo — an engineer and businesswoman who happens to also be the former […]

You guys, how is Day Two over already? I was just talking to someone about how I feel like InfoComm was two weeks ago, so for CEDIA Expo/CIX to be mostly over? Crazy. Nuts even. But anyway. I’m sure if you’re reading this you’re interested in what I’ve been doing at this show and if […]

Yesterday I attended the Commercial Integrator Expo education session, “How to Add Security Integration Into Your AV Business.” Dan Ferrisi moderated the session and was joined by Josh Cummings, executive vice president of technology at Paladin Technologies, and Lionel Felix, founder and chief revenue officer at CI’s 2023 Integrator of the Year, Felix Media Solutions. […]

Hi, everyone! Welcome to my wrap-up of Day One of CEDIA Expo/CIX 2024. First of all, I’ll say this was a weird day for me as someone who normally has back-to-back appointments. Trust me; I still had appointments. But I got to choose all of them for myself! First thing’s first. I attended a really […]

Everyone who has ever taken a sales training course has been taught this: Don’t pre-judge anyone. Get to know them, and without making assumptions learn who they are (and what they need and want), then sell to them accordingly. We’ve all heard it; yet it still happens. It still happens because people are people, and […]

Immersive Audio sounds like something you might hear about in an AMC pre-movie commercial where Nicole Kidman wistfully waxes poetic about the beauty of cinema for about a minute. And while we are headed the right way with our thought process, the concept of immersive audio is actually a lot more accessible than … whatever […]

It’s coming. Soon. Meta will bring out its XR calling service with Pixel Codec Avatars (PiCA): a deep generative model of 3D human faces. Unlike Apple’s Personas (which use front display and depth sensors), the Codec Avatars appear in 3D as full 360-degree photorealistic faces. Let’s call it a “digital twin” for your face. As […]