In 2013, I was a guest on a debate podcast where we talked about the future impact of IP-enabled devices and software-driven solutions.
One of my opponent’s main points of contention in that debate was that AV would always have a secure spot because we have the unique ability to create superior audio experiences in the room.
Over the last several years, we’ve seen the rise of no-code/low-code, configurable systems. These started as all-in-one collaboration devices like MS Surface Hub or the DTEN D7, which has an integrated touch screen, cameras, microphones, speakers, and compute device.
As time passed, we saw the introduction of more room-based kits, such as Crestron Mercury or Logitech Tap, combined with a display and a camera/soundbar/microphone all-in-one unit. Mercury evolved into the Crestron FLEX kits. More players entered the fray, and we saw room kits from people like Neat and Lenovo, leveraging similar hardware arrangements.
Those kits work really well in many environments, but as I’ve written a couple times before, one size does NOT fit all.
The need for systems that required multiple cameras, offered more coverage of larger areas, or tackled complicated audio challenges still required some bespoke system design and integration.
However, the latest releases from Shure offer a “room kit” solution to complex audio problems. The kits include a touch screen interface, 1 or 2 MXA902 ceiling microphone arrays and speakers, and Huddly cameras for a single camera or multi-camera (3) integration, as well as an auto provisioning compute device running an MS Teams Room client, the Shure IntelliMix digital signal processing software, and the Huddly Crew multi-camera software if applicable.
It seems the gap between the out-of-the-box room kits and fully custom integration is continuing to shrink.
Now of course, there are all sorts of challenges and environments that still require custom integrations like divisible rooms, experiential environments, enterprise broadcast systems, simulation environments, and the list goes on.
However, for many of the “standard” meeting spaces being deployed today, there are more and more options that deliver a high quality meeting experience in a configurable, kitted package.
If you want to talk in person about the rise of the room kits or creating enterprise AV standards, I’ll be in Orlando at Infocomm discussing just that! I’d love to see you there!
Register here: https://www.infocommshow.org/infocomm-2025/crafting-enterprise-av-standards-for-the-modern-workplace