AVT Question: Please address pain points faced by AV/IT departments today and share insight into how your company supports AV/IT end users in creating a successful installation.
Thought Leader: Joe da Silva, Vice President of Marketing at Extron
USB-C is transforming connectivity by combining video, data, and power into a single, streamlined solution. Increasingly, though, we see USB-C causing pain points with AV/IT groups. Its all-in-one capability—video, data, and power—is both a boon and a challenge for many teams. The ability to provide, in one connector, what was traditionally handled by three connections—HDMI for video, USB-A for data, and power—is what everyone has been waiting for. However, in many spaces, and particularly those without tight controls on the laptop or other devices being connected, it can be a mixed bag in terms of what features the mobile device and AV system support.
Users are often left trying to figure out in a hurry if the USB-C connection supports device charging for their laptop, or a USB data connection to in-room devices such as cameras, microphones, or speakers that might be needed for Teams or Zoom meetings." —Joe da Silva, Vice President of Marketing at Extron
Users are often left trying to figure out in a hurry if the USB-C connection supports device charging for their laptop, or a USB data connection to in-room devices such as cameras, microphones, or speakers that might be needed for Teams or Zoom meetings. That same data connection might also support a wired Ethernet connection to the local network. Communicating which features are required and supported during system planning is critical to ensuring users have what they need.
Another challenge with USB-C is staying within the five-hub limit when adding USB devices like extension products or switchers. These devices often include internal hubs, which must be factored into the design. Exceeding the limit often leads to intermittent signal issues. Product specifications that include technical information, such as internal USB hub counts, are critical to proper AV/IT system design, and choosing equipment from manufacturers that make this information readily available is an important benchmark for addressing this common USB-C pain point.
