The 2022 AV/IT Summit was held at Citi Field in Flushing, NY. The home of the New York Mets is amid one of the most extensive technological upgrades in all MLB, an upgrade that will continue to evolve throughout the season and into next.

Some of the Pro AV and IT industry’s most knowledgeable sources joined AV Technology’s Cindy Davis and SCN’s Mark J. Pescatore to take a look at where AV and IT are headed and some of the challenges to get there.

The Rise of Esports

Keynote speaker Ashley “AJ” Jones, director of membership sales and services for the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE), started the event with a look at the rise of Esports. What was once a club sport on the NAIA on Division II and III levels has transformed to a varsity sport connecting universities throughout the nation.

[Esports: Has Your College Levelled Up?]

Jones took attendees on a virtual tour around some of the facilities including Boise State’s broadcast and production studios and Full Sail University’s top-notch Esports arena that features arena seating, bleacher seating, multiple video walls for audience viewing, and an impressive LED halo display that shows player cards and stats.

The takeaway? More Division I schools are joining the party. Accessibility makes it easier to watch your favorite team play your favorite game, but keeping up with the evolution is a must. Mobile gaming is growing, and high-level varsity programs are beginning to create additional opportunities with the programs outside of competition, which means it’s time to keep these “arenas” up to date with the latest technologies.

Optimize Your Hybrid Meetings

Pescatore hosted the panel with Sharath Abraham, digital workplace consultant at Accenture, Thomas Berry, CEO of Verrex, and Vanessa Jensen, market development at Shure. The four took attendees around the world of hybrid meetings and many of the challenges that are being met.

As Jensen noted, AI and machine learning technologies are moving quickly with capabilities that drown out unwanted sounds, and there are now aesthetically pleasing solutions—ceiling mics and speakers for example—which don’t even require a desktop for setup.

[SCN Hybrid World: Workplace Products and Expert Tips] 

The huddle room was the place to be prior to the pandemic. That really hasn’t changed, according to Berry, but it has been reimagined. Every huddle room now has a display, speaker, and microphone. While the goal of the huddle room remains the same, the technology will continue to evolve.

Abraham added perhaps the most important takeaway from this session: It is imperative to create a technology cheat sheet and train employees to get the most out of huddle rooms. How often do employees participate in a meeting on their laptop instead of using all the technology available to them in the space? To optimize those huddle rooms, the key is to figure out how to train all those generational group and support them as the technology evolves.

Videoconferencing and Collaboration for IT Directors

To discuss some of the challenges that face IT during the return to the workplace, Davis was joined by Bill Bennett, media solutions and account manager at ENCO, John Mitton, CP of the AV group at Red Thread Spaces, Jenn Steinhardt, associate AV designer at Shen Milsom & Wilke (SM & W), and Aaron Weiler, senior enterprise engineer at Comcast Business.

The pressure is on IT directors to answer questions that may not have clear answers yet. Companies have to have a purposeful plan and strategy to get people back to the office—and the IT challenge is making that strategy compelling, or “sexy,” as Weiler said. Expectations are higher than ever, and the employee expects that when they walk into a room, it should function as easily as it does at home.

Citi Field Digital Experience

Davis hosted Kirk Kessler, sales manager of live events for Samsung Electronics, J.P. Pollard, head of live events, entertainment, sports, and spectaculars at Samsung Electronics, and Oscar Fernandez, vice president, technology solutions for the New York Mets, as attendees for this panel learned all about the technological advances at Citi Field.

[Home Run: A Look Back at 5 Big League Pro AV Upgrades for 2022]

The takeaway? Citi Field is awesome. Not only is the stadium and field a sight to see, but the technology is arguably setting the standard for MLB stadiums across the land. As Kessler said, the Samsung and Mets partnership was a shared vision, and they are achieving a common goal to enhance the fan experience while keeping the focus on the game (not obtrusive technology).

There are already five levels of LED ribbons and hundreds of displays installed, but it is just the beginning. Most recently, the Jackie Robinson Rotunda was updated with displays that feature the lineup and a ribbon that provides stats of the starting pitcher. The displays themselves are also a gateway of communication. They communicate content or game moments, menus, or directions to a store or attraction within the stadium. One of the end goals is to have personal devices be able to be used in conjunction with the system.

Citi Field and the Mets are changing the league for fans, partners, advertisers, and the team itself. Now, other teams are looking at it and want what the Mets are doing.

The Future of Pro AV

Pescatore led the final panel of the day, and he didn’t have to do much work. He asked one simple question: What is the Future of Pro AV? John Garmendi, senior manager consultant program development/strategic business development manager at Sony, Steve Greenblatt, president and founder of Control Concepts, Paul Harris, chief executive and technology officer at Aurora Multimedia, Ken Kalish, sales director, key accounts at Absen, and Julian Phillips, senior vice president and managing director of XTG at AVI-SPL, had plenty to say.

The conversation started with the recent technologies affecting the hybrid world the pandemic as created. Solutions and services like AI, Microsoft Teams/Zoom/UC, and HDBaseT were, unsurprisingly, immediately provided by the audience.

[AV Network's top stories, product news, and expert insights] 

While Phillips said that the cloud is imperative to moving forward, he also harped on a common theme: There has never been a better time to be creative in Pro AV. The pandemic forced the industry to throw out the rulebook, and those in the industry have a chance to move forward even more quickly than ever before. The Pro AV world can find foundational standards that are common for all, but there is opportunity for new solutions to problems with new technology.

Some suggestions provided by this expert panel were not only building products and solutions with built-in intelligibility, but that are interoperable from manufacturer to manufacturer. While communications have been unified with COVID-19, perhaps the products installed can be as well.  Perhaps one of the most interesting suggestions was to focus on employee behaviors as well as the technologies being used.

The future of Pro AV seems to be moving toward a virtual, remote world with extended realities in everything from production to education. To get there, the industry will start seeing more diversification and less single-branded systems that can do one thing, with the ability to take a different model to update products to be more compatible without being dependent on a single service/solution.

Back to school planning isn’t just for the kids. As summer winds down, September is the ideal time for CIOs, CTOs, and technology managers to focus, plan ahead, and invest in new skills. Scan any job posting in the professional AV industry, and it’s clear that IT acumen is quickly becoming a requirement. AV specialists will always be in demand, but the AV leaders of tomorrow also need to be adept in networking, infrastructure, security, and IT assets. That’s why Future Plc hosts the AV/IT Leadership Summit live events series, co-located with SCN Think Tank. We bring our best-in-class magazine content to life and dive deep into the topics and techniques to give you the edge. Here are some must-attend sessions coming to New Jersey on September 27.

1) Keynote: AV/IT Collaboration

Dr. S. Ann Earon, the Founding Chairperson of IMCCA, with more than four decades of leadership and collaboration experience, will put AV and IT convergence in context and point to critical trends to watch.

2) Lifecycle Planning for a Softer AV Ecosystem

We will drill down of the new AV/IT Model and software-based AV designs. Discussions will be centralized around analysis, refresh cycles, upgrade paths, network investment, BYOx and how to ensure a better ROI.

3) Enterprise Deployments—What’s Next?

These tech managers share tales from the front-lines of AV/IT convergence. We will share success stories with the unified collaboration adoption, real-time operations support models, commissioning AV on secure networks and standardized system designs

4) What's Next for the UX?

Experience designers, AV integrators and consultants identify the hallmarks of a solid user experience, both from a customer perspective and a user point of view.

5) Venue AV Tour

• Demo cutting-edge AV live in action, on site, during this exclusive tour of the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City. Seeing is believing.

6) Connect With Peers

Meet technology managers from venerable institutions and discuss your common challenges and the ways you are working to address them.Registration is free for qualified AV and IT managers, CTOs, and CIOs.

Sign up today: https://www.avitsummit.com/avit-jerseycity2018

Correction: The initial publication of this article stated that sessions would be worth 5.5 AVIXA CTS RUs. The renewal units are for SCN Think Tank sessions only.

The University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine, based in Chapel Hill, is a beehive of activity. In lecture halls and smart classrooms, the ideas never stop. Just ask Ben Whitfield in the school’s Academic Technology Services department. Whitfield’s role covers “a broad gamut,” from AV system design to product research, but he has a particular passion for AV project management. From this vantage point, he observes that AV over IP is the quickly becoming the “reality on the ground,” he said.

This exciting—but not always seamless—evolution from point-to-point systems to network-centric designs is creating more opportunities for in-house AV engineers and managers like Whitfield. With software-based approaches, and more ways to bring integrated experiences to life, Whitfield believes that we are living in the Golden Age of AV.

The Golden Age is a phrase that denotes prosperity and relative peace. It is often applied retroactively, after a period has ended, such as the Golden Age of Radio. Why does Whitfield think the industry’s halcyon age is occurring right now? It’s part technology development, part technology acceptance, he said.

“The use of technological tools, with the main focus of smartphones, has transformed us from conveying ideas and knowledge via ink and paper or audio transmissions to a world that communicates by face-to-face video interaction,” Whitfield noted. The acceptance of AV-enabled mediums—whether via phone, web conference, streaming lectures, et cetera—is what has ushered us into a new age of knowledge transfer, he said. “I call it the Golden Age because the acceptance is there. That was the first and major hurdle. All else moving forward will improve on that communication form.”

“I call it the Golden Age because the acceptance is there. That was the first and major hurdle. All else moving forward will improve on that communication form.”

Furthermore, in many commercial verticals, AV is now the expectation, not the exception, to the rule. Most new classrooms include HD or UHD displays of some kind. Static whiteboards alone no longer cut it in the conference room. People raised with Apple TV and iPhones in their hands are demanding dynamic, technology-rich learning and working environments. Interest in augmenting AV applications with IoT access and AI is on the rise.

Also, consider the trend toward more streamlined and standardized AV: The days of pulling five or six wires for signal transport and power are gone. Compare how much rack space an AV pro needs now compared to 15 years ago. This means that we can integrate more AV at more touch points for a higher impact. Distributed teams can also be united in more meaningful ways thanks to software-based AV solutions.

What's your take? Are we living in the Golden Age of audiovisual technology, or does the commodification of components change the equation? Tweet your golden ideas to @AVTechnologyMag.

Margot Douaihy is a storyteller, polymath, and the editor-at-large of AV Technology magazine.

It’s no surprise that one of the biggest killers of hardware is heat. Long-term, excessive heat will reduce the lifespan of just about any PCB (printed circuit board).

What’s less understood are best practices for protecting equipment from heat and limiting the ruinous effects of high temperatures on AV. But keeping it cool as resolutions increase requires much more than adding fans into chassis design. The pro AV industry needs a new paradigm.

High Heat Means High Cost

Step one in limiting the damage of high heat: think about power. Do everything that you can to reduce the power that generates heat, and then remove the heat you do generate.

Here's an example: at Datapath, we are dedicated to reducing power to minimize heat. We think about chipsets, scrutinizing what’s required and incorporating lower-power chipsets to minimize heat generation. And when those chipsets need over a dozen separate power rails, efficient power supply design makes all the difference.

We perform various oven tests with an empty product chassis to understand exactly how airflow works. It is quite common that the location of a certain board will influence airflow. What we have discovered is that venting and piping can improve airflow dramatically; insight from our extensive testing has inspired the design of the Datapath VSN Micro line of video wall controllers.

What’s more, we control every element of our solution, from the backplane to the power supplies, to the chassis shape and airflow, and we can optimize graphics processing units (GPUs) for the best performance.

Don’t Think Like a Gamer

If you attempt to use general-purpose, off-the-shelf commercial products for video walls, you won’t get a fraction of the number of outputs that our expandable range of VSN expansion chassis offers. The power drawn would be far too high. That’s one of the reasons we focus on flexible solutions using our video capture cards and graphics cards. Using scalable PCIe technology, an expansion chassis can be added to the master system to provide additional PCIe slots allowing for uninterrupted communication between any device in any slot. Full gen-locking can be achieved between outputs within the whole system without the need for additional cables.

Think about a gamer's graphics cards. They often drive much the same resolution as our wall controller outputs, but we don’t need that massive 3D engine to draw flat video. We maximize what matters. We have our own custom-built cards that allow for various configurations that lower the power without sacrificing quality.

AV Over IP and Power

There’s another significant trend in pro AV: the desire to move power supplies and power sources away from the display to get the heat away from the wall and into equipment cabinets. Many vendors and IT directors are taking this approach.

As resolutions per output increase, however, from SD to HD, to 4K or 8K, how do you move signals in efficient ways, and when does cabling become an issue? As we start to think about moving 4K over HDMI or DVI cables, AV over IP becomes an increasingly appealing alternative. This is where 10Gb Ethernet enters into the conversation. IP allows you to go greater distances, and doing this over fiber saves power. With 10GbE as the backbone, you can place equipment in better spaces and continue to scale across a facility or campus. This approach is also helpful with noise distractions. I believe that 10GbE will evolve quickly especially as 4K becomes a more common format.

Focus on Fiber

Fiber is another notable cabling and infrastructure trend as we evolve into the 4K era. While it was prohibitively expensive even four years ago, as prices drop we should see the interest in fiber tick up.

John Storey is the Hardware Director of Datapath.

Laser projectors have only been available to the public for about 10 years, yet already they’ve changed the audiovisual game. Higher quality images, greater efficiency, and more compact designs have made them the new gold standard when it comes to projection technology.

Still, many hesitate to jump on the laser bandwagon. They want to know if the advantages justify the higher price tag and whether they should wait until even better laser technology comes out in the near future. The answer depends largely on what organizations need, whether they can afford the initial investment, and how long they’re willing to wait for technological improvements.

Why Are Laser Projectors Preferred?

Quality, brightness, and longevity. Anyone who has seen a lamp projector and a laser projector side by side in a dark room knows that lasers produce a much brighter image, and since they can handle nearly any wavelength of light, they’re able to produce deeper, richer, more precise colors as well.

Longevity is also a plus. Not only do laser projectors emit a brighter light than bulb projectors, they also maintain that brightness over time. Unlike bulb projectors, which tend to lose their color and luminosity relatively quickly, a 5,000-lumen laser projector will still run pretty much at 5,000 lumens in two to three years.

Overall, the best laser projectors have a 20,000 or even 30,000-hour lamp life. Compare that with the average 3,000-hour lifespan of a traditional lamp projector, and you can understand the appeal. Of course, you can’t replace the laser once it fails, but that’s unlikely to happen for at least 12 years, and only if you use it 8 hours every day.

Don’t Forget About Efficiency

Then there’s the matter of efficiency. Conventional projector lamps emit white light, which is then broken into blue, green and red light, which is then recombined to form white light. It works. It’s also inefficient. All of that hard work takes up a great deal of energy and releases a lot of heat, which in turn requires a powerful (and noisy) fan.

Laser technology projectors, on the other hand, use only the light needed to create an image, and therefore, tend to run relatively cool. No fan. Less energy. Less noise. Last but not least, laser projectors are comparatively space-efficient. Although they often weigh just as much, they come in a more compact package than their bulky, lamp-based counterparts.

The biggest drawback is cost. Laser projectors can set you back anywhere between $1,000 and $20,000. While many cost-conscious shoppers balk at the initial investment, it’s important to keep lifetime costs in mind. Laser projectors require far less maintenance and never require bulb replacement, which can run into the hundreds of dollars (those who have ceiling-mounted projectors will find that the savings go beyond the cost of a bulb, since it’s not always easy to remove a projector for repairs).

In short, laser projectors might be more expensive, but in the long run they could be more cost-efficient, depending on how they’re used.

The Future of Laser Technology

Currently there are two emerging technologies competing for the laser projector market: direct coupled RGB lasers and phosphor lasers. Whereas RGB lasers emit red, blue and green light, phosphor technology combines a yellow phosphor wheel with a single blue laser (some also use a red laser).

Both technologies have come a long way in recent years and are now making a big impact on the audiovisual world. In the meantime, existing laser technology has already raised expectations when it comes to image quality, lifespan, and efficiency.

Steve Rubery, general manager for Eiki International, Inc., is responsible for in-house sales operations and managing the regional sales representatives. He is CTS certified and an authorized trainer for the HDBaseT Alliance. Steve began his career with Eiki in 2004 and has been recognized for helping expand the company’s sales.

Editor’s Note: Welcome to NewBay’s inaugural edition of Need to Know, where we explain complex topics and how they apply to each industry we serve, on our websites and in our magazines. Keep coming back for future topics, to include 5G, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and more.

We often think of blockchain vis-à-vis Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, but this shared ledger technology also carries disruptive potential for audiovisual (AV) applications such as AV-over-IP, the Internet of Things (IoT), and installations where all AV assets are purely digital

See our full Need to Know for more facts about blockchain.

The promise of IoT is that machine-to-machine communication can be programmed and streamlined, and connected devices can be automated. IoT devices can also be programmed to send, receive, and record data. For example, on a connected university or enterprise campus, an IoT system could link network-connected digital signage, smart lighting, HVAC, occupancy sensors, laser projectors, motorized screens, and huddle space technologies. The data harnessed by this IoT system can be a valuable tool to better understand AV usage and design efficacy. An installer or tech manager, armed with insights gleaned from her IoT, can make cogent RFPs or capital requests for AV. IoT can also help economize logistics by distributing data to displays in real-time.

Intel forecasts that there will be more than 20 billion connected devices by 2020, so it’s safe bet that, going forward, there will be more IoT/AV integrations, not less.

But, where the IoT offers advantages for AV applications, there are also threats. One of the most notable issues with IoT is security: one bad actor can compromise the entire chain. If even one smart lightbulb gets targeted in a vulnerable system, perhaps via botnet attack, it could bring the entire system down. Or a device itself can go rogue. Many experts see security as the biggest impediment to widespread adoption of IoT technologies. Enter blockchain, the decentralized method of protecting data with its built-in, adaptable safeguards. If digital information is the heart of the new AV over IP system, and blockchain protects the integrity of digital systems, perhaps blockchain can be the missing link to reliable security.

Phil Hippensteel, PhD, instructor of information systems at Penn State Harrisburg, said that for securing AV content, "I think we need something [like blockchain]. Each AV vendor seems to have their own vision about the best way to accomplish anything. If blockchain is a common method to store transactional data, and it can be made to work, then I think it would be extremely useful.”

The process has already begun: Samsung and IBM are using blockchain to create a better solution for IoT management. Who will be next?

See our full Need to Know for more facts about blockchain.

Need to Know More?

Have a burning question about blockchain — or maybe request for a different topic you’d like to see us tackle? Email us at needtoknow@nbmedia.com and we’ll put our top minds on it!

Need to Know Blockchain: Other Industries:

• Blockchain and Media [Multichannel News]
• Blockchain and Video Production [Creative Planet Network]
• Blockchain and Television [TV Technology]
• Blockchain and Radio [Radio World]
• Blockchain as a Platform [Sound & Video Contractor]
• Blockchain and Residential Integration [Residential Systems]
• Blockchain and Pro Audio [Pro Sound News]
• Blockchain and Retail [TWICE]
• Blockchain and Education [Tech & Learning]

Diving into the world of Underwriters Laboratories (UL) can be more overwhelming than trying to maneuver a shopping cart through Costco on a Saturday afternoon. It isn’t to say that there’s anything wrong with the UL website or their processes, there’s just so much information that it’s easy to get a bit lost. That’s why we’ve created this little cheat sheet on the details of UL standards for you. See it as your tour guide through the rabbit hole.

For starters, what IS Underwriters Laboratories?

The Underwriters Laboratories is an organization that provides product safety testing and certification. It was founded in 1894 by William Henry Merrill, under the name Underwriters’ Electrical Bureau. Today, it consists of over 21 billion UL Marks on more than 20,000 different types of products, and has offices in 46 countries worldwide. UL now stands as a benchmark that enables consumers, businesses, and regulators to feel confident about the products and services that they purchase.*

Why is a UL Listing relevant to an Audio Visual product?

AV products are everywhere, and considering the risk of personal injury as a result of electrical shock when we surround ourselves with a variety of these products, it’s an understatement to say that safety is pivotal in a quality product. For business as well as consumer end users, consider the liability of an unsafe product that could result in either personal injury or even legal action.

It’s only through meticulous testing and certification that you can rest assured the products you’re using in your AV system can optimally stand against the risk of, say, an electrical fire, or insufficient structural design. Since 2006, UL has conducted Field Evaluations on more than 25,000 pieces of electrical equipment. In those tests, over 50% of the products tested were deemed “deficient,” and required correction in order to bear the UL Field Evaluation Mark. The testing and certification process required to apply a UL Listing Mark is a rigorous examination that complies with nationally recognized safety standards, which is exactly why Premier Mounts has made it a priority to UL List hundreds of our products, including (but not limited to) our AM175 Swingout Mount, FTP Fine Tune Projector Mount, and MAG-PRO Universal Projector Mount.

Making sure our customer’s installations are safe and time-efficient are some of our top priorities, but it’s also important to ensure our products are made in a way that minimizes environmental and human care risks. Premier Mounts was one of the first mounting companies to adopt the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS), which restricts the use of six hazardous materials in the manufacture of various electronic and electrical equipment. We are also a Sony Green Partner, and produce our products to comply with Sony’s global environmental approach. Along with UL Listing, these steps help to assure that our products and practices consider the safety of our customers and the world around them.

What Industries does UL serve?

Underwriters Laboratories work with a variety of audiences within product supply chains, including manufacturers, retailers, consumers, policy and other influencers, authorities, built environment professionals, and service companies.

UL currently serves 22 industry segments, including: Appliances and HVAC, Building Materials, Cleaning Products, Dietary Supplements, Energy and Industrial Systems, Fire Suppression, Food and Beverage, Furniture and Bedding, High-Tech, Jewelry and Watches, Life Safety and Security, Lighting, Medical and Laboratory, OTC and Pharmaceuticals, Personal Care and Beauty, Plastics and Components, Plumbing Products and System Components, Premiums/Promotional/Licensed Goods, Textiles/Apparel/Footwear, Toys and Juvenile Products, Wire and Cable, and Wireless.

Testing on these products varies based on requirements needing to be met. Commercial cleaning products, for example, are analyzed for their microbiological and physical properties to eliminate environmental and human health risks. WiFi devices are tested to confirm that claims of performance, conformance, and interoperability are met. Each test for these various industry segments is created to ensure ultimate safety, strength, quality, performance, and/or promotional claim validity.

In the 120 years since the initial testing, UL has expanded their horizons to a variety of solution divisions. Those solutions now include Continuous Improvement, Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC), Environment, Global Market Access, Information and Insights, Knowledge Solutions, Responsible Sourcing, Transaction Security, and Workplace Health and Safety.

Who is responsible for the testing and certification of these products, and why are they credible resources?

UL is the largest and oldest nationally recognized testing laboratory in the United States, and uses its Standards Technical Panels (STP) process for consensus standards development, which has been approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). An STP is a qualified group of individuals who represent a variety of interests connected to the product being tested. Each STP panel member must be officially approved through a process of applying to the group and abiding by the UL’s STP Member Code of Ethics. A list of STPs can be found on the UL website, and is organized by STP number, name, which standards the STP covers, and the STP Chairperson, Representative, and Project Manager.

What other resources can be found on the UL website?

The UL website is beautifully arranged to include a Dashboard, which can lead you to several other website tools (hence- the “rabbit hole” concept I mentioned in the beginning of this blog). Here, you can find icons leading you to:

• Library: A collection of UL research and insights showcased in journals, reports and white papers across a range of industries and subjects.
• Marks Hub: Information and tools to help you deploy the enhanced UL Marking and Badge.
• Services: A resource to dynamically search and sort UL’s catalog of services.
• Standards: Browse, filter and search a catalog of over 1,000 Standards.

“I really like Timelines. Can you show me how UL got to where it is today?”

You got it.

A history of Underwriters Laboratories.

*All information sourced from Underwriters Laboratories website, including timeline information and images. To see the complete UL history timeline, click here. For more information on any of these UL topics, please go to www.ul.com.

This blog was originally published here.