Executive Summary

• Platform Paradigm Shift: Modern commercial displays have transitioned from passive end-of-chain viewing devices into active, strategic enterprise assets that unify corporate communication, building management systems, network security, and space optimization.
• Interoperability & Infrastructure: Standardizing open display architectures reduces vendor fragmentation, simplifies multi-space IT management, and lowers total cost of ownership (TCO) through modular components like direct-view LED (dvLED).
• Lifecycle ROI & Connected Building Nodes: AV and IT deployments measure success by ecosystem integration, centralized management, energy efficiency, and long-term operational adaptability, not standalone hardware specs.

For decades, commercial displays occupied a predictable spot at the end of the AV signal chain. They served as digital poster boards mounted to a wall after major technology, architecture, and budget decisions were already finalized. But across corporate campuses, higher education environments, retail centers, and entertainment venues, a sea change is taking place.

Displays have emerged from passive viewing tools into active enterprise platforms. They sit at the intersection of communication, network security, space optimization, and audience engagement, fundamentally changing how organizations interact with physical environments and distributed teams.

From Passive Endpoints to Strategic Assets

Check out the 22 interviews from the experts at these leading manufacturing companies listed to the right.

As workplace dynamics shift toward flexible schedules and multi-use spaces, the demand on display hardware has grown exponentially. A room display can no longer just show a calendar; it needs to coordinate with building management systems, adjust space status, and deliver real-time emergency messaging when required. In signature spaces such as corporate lobbies or command centers, high-impact visuals define brand identity and spatial architecture.

This transition requires AV/IT leaders to re-examine how they evaluate technology investments. Rather than treating hardware as an isolated purchase, decision-makers are looking at how displays integrate into wider operational goals.

Trent Slyter, national sales director of Pro AV Sales at Absen, highlights this mindset shift: “Not long ago, displays were often viewed as the final component of an AV project—the technology used to present content after the real decisions had been made. Today, that mindset is changing. Across industries, displays have become strategic assets that shape how organizations communicate, engage, and deliver on their mission.”

When displays are viewed as active touchpoints rather than plain monitors, their true value becomes tied to adaptability and multi-stakeholder utility across their full operational lifecycle.

Interoperability and Ecosystem Alignment

One of the largest pain points for modern IT and AV departments is system fragmentation. Juggling distinct vendor stacks for room scheduling, digital signage, unified communications, and remote management creates administrative friction and security vulnerabilities. Standardizing on open, flexible architectures enables organizations to scale efficiently without being locked into rigid proprietary ecosystems.

Interoperability simplifies day-to-day operations for technical support staff while ensuring end users experience a seamless transition between huddle rooms, conference spaces, and broadcast setups.

Addressing this technical evolution, John Kruse, solutions engineer manager at ViewSonic, added, “Today’s commercial display is simply no longer the endpoint of an AV system; it has become an integrated platform within an organization’s broader technology ecosystem. How well it integrates, how easily it can be managed, and the operational value it delivers over time matter as much as what it displays.”

When hardware natively supports central management tools, software integrations, and remote diagnostics, organizations drastically cut down on deployment complexity and maintenance overhead.

Managing the Total Cost of Ownership

Acquisition cost has historically driven procurement decisions, but procurement models are increasingly factoring in long-term total cost of ownership (TCO). A display that appears cost-effective on day one can easily become a financial liability if it demands custom mounting hardware, draws excessive power, or lacks centralized remote support options.

Designing for long-term value involves evaluating physical infrastructure, energy efficiency, ease of servicing, and ongoing software compatibility. Direct-view LED (dvLED) and modular flat panels, for instance, allow field technicians to service individual components without removing entire displays, preserving upfront infrastructure investments and minimizing operational downtime.

Rudy Vitti, group manager of Product Marketing at Panasonic Projector & Display Americas, noted how hardware design influences long-term sustainability and efficiency. “Just as important is designing technology for long-term value. Some dvLED solutions can be designed to integrate easily into existing infrastructure, reducing upfront investment. DvLED simplifies servicing, allowing teams to replace components rather than an entire display, while all-in-one solutions can streamline installation by arriving pre-assembled and pre-calibrated.”

By focusing on modular components, standardized mounting, and 24/7 engineering reliability, organizations build resilient visual networks that support long lifecycles.

Defining Success in Modern AV Deployments

As technology requirements expand, no single vendor can provide every element of a complete enterprise AV solution. Hardware providers, software developers, mount manufacturers, and cloud platforms must work in unison to deliver complete, functional experiences. At the same time, emerging capabilities such as AI-driven analytics, predictive device and system monitoring, and automated content scheduling are adding layers of intelligence to hardware platforms.

However, the rapid influx of new features can make it challenging for buyers to cut through marketing noise and identify features that deliver real operational ROI.

Joe Drury, senior business manager for BRAVIA Professional Displays at Sony Electronics, emphasized the importance of looking past basic hardware specs. “The success of a display is no longer defined solely by its specifications, but by how effectively it integrates into that broader environment. At Sony, this perspective continues to shape our Pro BRAVIA strategy, emphasizing interoperability, flexibility, and ecosystem partnerships.” Drury added that manufacturers must actively assist end users in specifying the attributes that matter most. “At Sony, we believe our responsibility extends beyond delivering products; it includes helping customers define success, identify what matters most, and build solutions that continue creating value long after installation.”

The Connected Future of Visual Infrastructure

The role of the display on the wall has changed permanently. No longer a standalone canvas or an isolated output device, it now functions as a vital operational node within the modern smart building. By grounding technology choices in open interoperability, lifecycle supportability, and clear strategic outcomes, organizations can ensure display networks remain scalable, adaptable, and valuable.

AVT Question: Please share insights on how to immerse audiences, collaborate across campuses via the cloud, use AI to drive targeted messaging and gather data, increase sustainability, and reduce total cost of ownership.

Thought Leader: Ralph Idems, Chief Executive Officer at Praevar

The most strategic displays are the ones organizations stop thinking of as just displays. For us in outdoor, transit, campus, and public environments, a display becomes part of the infrastructure. It needs to communicate effectively, withstand demanding conditions, integrate with existing technology platforms and remain serviceable for years—not simply look impressive. That changes how we should evaluate display technology.

Brightness and image quality matter, but so do durability, thermal management, environmental protection, remote monitoring, energy consumption, and serviceability. A display that requires frequent intervention, specialized maintenance, or premature replacement can quickly erase any savings achieved through a lower initial purchase price.

Sustainability and total cost of ownership are increasingly connected. Extending product life, reducing unnecessary truck rolls, and enabling components to be serviced rather than replacing an entire system can reduce both operational costs and environmental impact.

The next opportunity is making these endpoints smarter. Connected displays can provide operators with valuable performance data, while increasingly intelligent content platforms allow organizations to deliver messaging based on location, audience, time, and real-world conditions.

The display is no longer simply where content ends; it is an intelligent, connected endpoint within a much larger communications ecosystem. Organizations that recognize that distinction will stop buying displays for today’s application and start building visual infrastructure for what comes next.

AVT Question: Please share insights on how to immerse audiences, collaborate across campuses via the cloud, use AI to drive targeted messaging and gather data, increase sustainability, and reduce total cost of ownership.

Thought Leader: Rick Shaffer, Design Sales Consultant at PCD

A display can be the most visible technology in a room, but visibility shouldn’t be confused with strategy. The real value emerges when displays are part of a thoughtfully designed AV ecosystem.

Consider a college campus: Faculty may need to share content across classrooms, hybrid participants need an equitable experience, administrators need consistent communication across buildings, and technology teams need to manage dozens—or hundreds—of spaces without visiting every room.

The display becomes the common denominator connecting those experiences. But making that experience seamless requires much more than selecting the right screen; network infrastructure, control, audio, collaboration platforms, content distribution, monitoring and support all must work together. We see standardization most valuable across campuses because it can simplify training, troubleshooting, maintenance, and future expansion.

Data adds another layer. System analytics can help technology teams understand how spaces are being used, identify recurring problems, and make better decisions about future investments. AI is increasingly helping to transform that information into actionable insight.

AVT Question: Please share insights on how to immerse audiences, collaborate across campuses via the cloud, use AI to drive targeted messaging and gather data, increase sustainability, and reduce total cost of ownership.

Thought Leader: Brandon White, Director of Product Development at Vanco

Digital displays bring an organization’s visual identity to life: The light, motion, and scale make a deep impression that static displays cannot rival. That said, it takes more than a bright screen with true-to-life color and resolution to capture the attention of today’s audiences.

At Vanco, we’re seeing more and more clients getting creative with their display deployments, even in light commercial contexts. Small businesses, and especially those serving a high-end clientele, need customers to believe in their brand. End customers ranging from wealth management funds to dentist offices are using immersive display deployments to reinforce their messaging and build affinity.

These solutions go beyond simple digital signage or video walls: They use columns and ribbons of displays that flow with architectural sightlines rather than interrupting them, and they use portrait-oriented screens that blend in with high-end aesthetics. They are cultivating an atmosphere. The audience should feel like they are looking at a design feature and not at a TV screen.

Of course, content must be coordinated across every display. As the eye travels from a video wall, to a display ribbon, to a row of hallway signage, the brand experience must remain consistent and in sync. As a result, we have seen a steady rise in AVoIP adoption in small and medium commercial spaces.

The decision to adopt network-based AV distribution is no longer just about sheer scale; end customers at organizations of all sizes need the flexibility AVoIP offers. With a full-featured AVoIP solution, organizations can create video walls with creative layouts; route audio, video, and USB independently; create signage overlays; and more. They have the control and flexibility they need to create a fully immersive brand experience.

AVT Question: Please share insights on how to immerse audiences, collaborate across campuses via the cloud, use AI to drive targeted messaging and gather data, increase sustainability, and reduce total cost of ownership.

Thought Leader: Doug Wack, Chief Executive Officer at Total LED

DvLED has fundamentally changed what a display can be. We aren’t limited to conventional screen sizes or formats anymore. DvLED can now transform venues into a storytelling environment, create an immersive command center, energize a venue, or turn an architectural surface into a digital canvas.

There’s another side of innovation that deserves just as much attention: making these experiences practical to deploy. A spectacular display that creates unnecessary complexity in the field isn’t truly optimized. We believe that dvLED should focus as much on the integrator experience as the viewer experience. Cabinet design, mounting methodology, alignment, power and data access, serviceability, and configuration all influence how quickly a system can be installed and how efficiently it can be maintained.

Engineering those considerations into the product from the beginning can reduce installation time, minimize field modifications, and create more predictable project outcomes.

It also changes the total cost of ownership conversation. Faster installation reduces labor costs. Accessible components simplify maintenance. Modular architecture can allow targeted repairs rather than large-scale replacement. And systems designed around repeatable processes make future expansion easier.

The industry will continue pushing pixels, brightness, and visual performance—and it should! But great engineering isn’t just about what the audience sees; it’s about designing a display that delivers an incredible experience while making life easier for the people responsible for installing, operating, and maintaining it.

AVT Question: Please share insights on how to immerse audiences, collaborate across campuses via the cloud, use AI to drive targeted messaging and gather data, increase sustainability, and reduce total cost of ownership.

Thought Leader: Elijah Mounts, Product Manager at Mount-It! PRO

When we talk about the future of displays, the conversation gravitates towards what people can see: larger canvases, finer pixel pitches, immersive content, and increasingly sophisticated visual experiences.

But I think some of the most important decisions happen behind the display. A mounting system determines far more than where a display sits on the wall; it can affect installation time, accessibility, ADA compliance, alignment, serviceability, labor requirements, and, ultimately, the total cost of ownership of the system. That becomes even more significant with dvLED.

A stunning dvLED wall depends on precision. Small inconsistencies across a large array can become highly visible, which makes adjustment and alignment critical. At the same time, integrators are being asked to complete increasingly sophisticated installations with tighter timelines and limited skilled labor.

Mounting technology has to evolve alongside the display. Modular designs, micro-adjustment, fewer components, and easier front or rear service access can help integrators turn complex installations into repeatable workflows. And when a technician can access, adjust, or replace components without dismantling major portions of an installation, those efficiencies continue long after commissioning.

The mount may never be the star of the visual experience, but if it’s doing its job, it makes everything in front of it look better and everything behind the scenes work smarter.

AVT Question: Please share insights on how to immerse audiences, collaborate across campuses via the cloud, use AI to drive targeted messaging and gather data, increase sustainability, and reduce total cost of ownership.

Thought Leader: Misty Chalk, Vice President of Sales, Americas at BrightSign

Audience expectations for engaging experiences have heightened in recent years. Immersive, interactive activations were once limited to entertainment venues. Now, advances in display technology and digital signage players have made dynamic audience interactions a priority across industries—from banks and retail stores to corporate offices and quick-service restaurants.

As organizations invest more in digital displays as a revenue driver, they’re looking to optimize the value of every visual touchpoint. That’s where AI is offering the greatest impact and driving more tailored, customized content. AI-powered gaze detection, for instance, can help organizations measure how many people engaged with one visual versus another. Meanwhile, AI can also help detect content anomalies, such as incorrect aspect ratios and blank screens, helping AV teams quickly identify a fix to minimize downtime. To gain the most benefit from these AI-powered tools, it’s important to consider the type of media player you have processing content. A player with a built-in Neural Processing Unit (NPU) can run powerful AI applications directly on the device so users don’t have to worry about sacrificing performance.

Similarly, as digital signage networks grow larger and more distributed, centralized management becomes essential. Whether managing displays across a college campus or nationwide enterprise, AV teams need access to comprehensive management tools that give them visibility into the entire network. An effective management solution will support the ability to scale, monitor, and schedule actions across a fleet of players.

Ultimately, maximizing the return on display investments isn’t just about adopting the latest AI capabilities; it requires building an ecosystem that is intelligent, scalable, reliable, and secure so organizations can focus on delivering an innovative, memorable experience.

AVT Question: Please share insights on how to immerse audiences, collaborate across campuses via the cloud, use AI to drive targeted messaging and gather data, increase sustainability, and reduce total cost of ownership.

Thought Leader: Kurt DeYoung, Chief Revenue Officer at Nanolumens

Engaging and immersing audiences is all about making a good first and lasting impression. From the viewer experience perspective, not a lot has changed regarding what draws eyes, engrosses, and creates memories: It is size, resolution, color accuracy, brightness, and even shape. Content remains king, but if the display is big, bright, crisp, colorful, and a non-standard shape, then it’ll most likely be memorable. The more-than-200-square-foot, cone-shaped Oculus LED display at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport is a prime example of this. The Oculus is huge, features incredible content on a non-traditionally shaped canvas, and is interactive.

However, organizations must evaluate display technology beyond specifications—and instead make displays a piece of the broader environment’s look, feel, and function. Often, environments incorporate natural and practical elements such as trees and stones so the atmosphere is not fully digital—and need display technology to amplify and support the spirit of the space.

From a behind-the-scenes perspective, organizations are placing greater emphasis on display solutions that can evolve alongside their operational needs. Whether in higher education, corporate, museums, or public venues, immersive environments are most effective when displays integrate seamlessly with content management, collaboration platforms, and control systems. As a result, organizations can deliver consistent experiences across multiple locations while simplifying content distribution and system management.

The most successful deployments recognize that displays are part of a broader ecosystem. Close integration with video processing, content management, and collaboration technologies creates environments that are easier to deploy, manage, and expand as organizational needs change. Rather than focusing solely on display specifications, organizations should evaluate how technology supports long-term flexibility, operational efficiency, and audience engagement. An ecosystem approach helps create immersive experiences today while ensuring systems remain valuable and adaptable for years to come.

AVT Question: Please share insights on how to immerse audiences, collaborate across campuses via the cloud, use AI to drive targeted messaging and gather data, increase sustainability, and reduce total cost of ownership.

Thought Leader: John Tracy, Senior Vice President of Sales at SiliconCore

One of the most significant developments in display technology is the rise of the all-in-one LED display. It is making fine-pitch LED accessible to a much wider range of organizations by removing much of the complexity traditionally associated with deploying LED.

Rather than designing a display permanently into one room, organizations can now deploy large-format LED without a lengthy installation process and, with mobile solutions, move that investment between collaboration spaces, training rooms, engineering environments, and multipurpose facilities as requirements change.

That versatility changes the TCO conversation. A display that can serve several spaces and applications has the potential for much higher utilization over its lifetime. It also gives IT and AV teams greater flexibility to respond to evolving workflows without continually redesigning rooms around fixed technology.

However, simplicity at the front end shouldn’t mean overlooking what’s happening behind the display. As LED canvases become larger, power consumption and heat generation become increasingly important considerations for both operating cost and sustainability.

When specifying a solution, look beyond pixel pitch, resolution, and brightness to how efficiently the LEDs themselves are being driven. Technologies such as Common Cathode independently manage the voltage supplied to the LEDs, reducing wasted energy and heat.

That can have a tangible infrastructure benefit. Highly efficient all-in-one displays can operate from a single standard power connection without additional components adding more electrical and cooling requirements. The more integrated the product—the fewer potential points of failure.

The opportunity is to make LED not only more accessible, but more usable as a flexible resource that can move with an organization while consuming less energy throughout a longer operational life.

Quick summary:

• Alexandria International Airport (AEX) partnered with Nanolumens to modernize its terminal with Nixel Series Flex and Engage Series LED displays.
• The installation includes a curved LED display above security, flight information displays, and gate signage.
• The project demonstrates how smaller regional airports can enhance the traveler experience through innovative display technology, with AEX already planning a second phase of the installation.

Alexandria International Airport (AEX) about four miles west of downtown Alexandria, LA. The smaller regional airport recently underwent a technological upheaval focused on replacing the existing LCD television monitors with Nanolumens displays to enhance the traveler's experience.

[Welcome to H-Town. George Bush Intercontinental Airport Greets with Massive Digital Display]

AEX was previously a front-line U.S. Air Force utilized during World War II and was used throughout the Cold War. When the Department of Defense moved to close the base in the early 1990s, the city of Alexandria formed the England Authority to take over the property instead. AEX opened for service in August 1993, and commercial airline service followed three years later, connecting travelers to hubs including Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Houston. Nearing its 20th anniversary, England Authority aviation director Scott Gammel wanted to modernize the building’s centerpiece architectural feature without compromising the landmark identity the community had built. “This terminal was never just a building to us,” Gammel said. “It’s a landmark we built together, and everything we do to it has to fit that.”

The terminal’s existing LCD television monitors no longer supported the airport’s vision for the space. Their limited content flexibility meant passengers encountered the same material for years, rather than information that could be readily updated. AEX needed more adaptable displays that could support flight information, advertising and text announcements while fitting the terminal’s distinctive architecture.

To meet those needs, AEX selected Nanolumens Nixel Series Flex and Engage Series throughout the terminal. The Nixel Series Flex display replaced standard television monitors on the terminal’s first floor. Measuring 27.6x2.5 feet with a 2.5mm pixel pitch, the convex curved LED display follows the curved wall above security, creating a continuous digital canvas that feels integrated into the architecture.

“It’s brighter, it’s crisper, and it changes your whole mindset walking in,” Gammel said. “Before, you had the same thing on the screen for years because you couldn’t really change it. Now it’s just your imagination that limits what you can put up there.”

Nanolumens Nixel Series combines flexible LED technology with custom engineering to create smooth, uninterrupted displays that follow curved surfaces and unconventional shapes. The Nixel Series’ integrated mounting designs allow the display to fit the architecture, giving AEX a way to modernize its signature wall while preserving the curve that makes it distinctive. The result brings the terminal’s architectural character and digital content together in one cohesive feature.

Near the elevator and ticketing area, an Engage Series flight information display (FID) measures 13.8x.3 feet with a 1.8mm pixel pitch, placing flight details where travelers enter and move through the terminal. Engage Series gate information displays (GID) also serve the airport’s four jetway gates. Each measures 4x1.1 feet and features a 1.8mm pixel pitch, extending the installation into the boarding areas.

Gammel wants the installation to show other non-hub airports what’s possible with the right partner. “You don’t have to be the size of a major hub to give travelers a great experience,” he said. “We wanted to show that a small airport can still make a strong first and last impression.” Encouraged by the results, the England Authority is already planning a second phase with Nanolumens that would extend a second-floor column into a full LED display.

For Gammel, the partnership was as valuable as the display. “You develop relationships, and that makes a big difference,” he said. “Their team stayed involved and made us feel valued throughout the process. That’s what a great partner does.”

AVT Question: Please share insights on how to immerse audiences, collaborate across campuses via the cloud, use AI to drive targeted messaging and gather data, increase sustainability, and reduce total cost of ownership.

Thought Leader: James Pietsch, Director of Global Accounts at Scalable Display Technologies

Projection technology has expanded beyond display content and has, instead, become part of a connected AV ecosystem that supports collaboration, immersive experiences, and centralized management across a wide range of environments. Whether used in corporate campuses, higher education, museums, or training facilities, organizations are looking for projection systems that are easy to deploy, simple to manage, and built to scale.

Large-format projection continues to be one of the most effective ways to engage audiences. Higher brightness, improved color performance, and advanced image processing enable immersive experiences in spaces where traditional displays are impractical or cost-prohibitive. Networked projection systems also allow organizations to share content across multiple rooms or campuses, helping ensure a consistent experience regardless of location.

AI is beginning to play a larger role behind the scenes. Rather than replacing operators, it helps automate tasks such as image optimization, scheduling, and system monitoring while providing insights into room usage and content performance. These capabilities help organizations make better decisions while reducing the time required to manage complex AV systems.

Just as important is interoperability. Projection platforms that integrate with collaboration platforms, content management systems, and cloud-based monitoring tools simplify workflows and allow administrators to manage multiple systems from a single interface.

Organizations are also placing greater emphasis on sustainability and long-term operating costs. Laser light sources reduce maintenance by eliminating lamp replacements while improving energy efficiency and product lifespan. Combined with remote monitoring and centralized management, these capabilities reduce service calls, minimize downtime, and lower the total cost of ownership. As projection technology continues to evolve, its value extends well beyond image quality to supporting more efficient, connected, and sustainable AV environments.

AVT Question: Please share insights on how to immerse audiences, collaborate across campuses via the cloud, use AI to drive targeted messaging and gather data, increase sustainability, and reduce total cost of ownership.

Thought Leader: Roberto Musso, Senior Technical Director at NDI

A display becomes strategic when it stops being the end of a signal chain and starts participating in a two-way workflow.

In an NDI-based environment, video and audio are only part of the exchange. Metadata can travel with the media, carrying identity, capabilities, status, timing, and control information. This allows content not merely to play, but to respond. A touch interface can request a different source, room or event data can trigger a content change, and authorized teams can monitor and control supported endpoints across buildings or campuses.

AI can help determine which content may be relevant, but metadata provides the operational context needed to act on that decision, and can carry the feedback needed to assess the result. This distinction matters: Intelligence can remain in software and evolve without turning every display into a closed, single-purpose appliance. Privacy, permission, and transparency must be designed into the workflow—especially when audience data is involved.

For AV/IT teams, flexibility, and total cost of ownership come from consolidation and reuse—not from IP alone. A shared NDI infrastructure can support media distribution, monitoring, control, and interaction while reducing dedicated signal paths and specialized hardware. However, bandwidth, energy use, resilience, security, and maintenance still need to be measured across the complete system.

The strategic display is therefore not the screen with the longest feature list; it is a connected participant that can receive media, expose its state, accept permitted control, and help turn one-way messaging into a responsive experience. That is how display systems become easier to operate, adapt, and scale.

AVT Question: Please share insights on how to immerse audiences, collaborate across campuses via the cloud, use AI to drive targeted messaging and gather data, increase sustainability, and reduce total cost of ownership.

Thought Leader: David Albright, Senior Product Manager, Video Wall Mounts and Services at Legrand | AV, Chief

The display is no longer a single screen in a single room; it is the strategic centerpiece of how organizations engage audiences, from a dvLED wall in a lobby to a campus-wide network of displays. A display is only as strategic as the infrastructure holding it up.

Immersive, seamless dvLED experiences depend on precision alignment across three axes—not a flat wall and a bracket. Buildings shift, walls are rarely plumb, and fine-pixel-pitch displays reveal every imperfection. Mounting systems engineered for independent X, Y, and Z adjustment let integrators deliver a seamless wall on day one and keep it that way as a building settles.

That same infrastructure layer underpins how organizations standardize operations. A single, cross-manufacturer mounting platform replacing brand-specific hardware gives campuses and multi-site portfolios one specification and installation workflow at every location, regardless of display brand, reducing training time and simplifying inventory.

It also drives total cost of ownership. Front-service access for realignment means a display can be serviced in place rather than pulled down and reinstalled, extending usable life and reducing rework and downtime as new applications place demands on displays.

The same is true for power. Legrand | AV’s Unified Cloud Platform consolidates remote monitoring and management into a single view, whether the load is one display or a full video wall plus the edge devices delivering the content behind it. Across enterprise and higher-education campuses, that visibility is what sustains performance and serviceability over the installation’s lifecycle.

As displays take on more strategic, data-driven roles, that infrastructure cannot be an afterthought. Getting the physical and digital foundation right is what lets everything else—from immersive content to connected ecosystems—perform as intended.

AVT Question: Please share insights on how to immerse audiences, collaborate across campuses via the cloud, use AI to drive targeted messaging and gather data, increase sustainability, and reduce total cost of ownership.

Thought Leader: Chris Teguh, Product Manager at Epson America

Technology plays a foundational role in creating engaging and immersive experiences, determining the clarity, accuracy, and impact of the presented content. Advances in color brightness, color accuracy, and resolution in today’s displays help ensure digital content appears vivid and true to life to capture attention and foster engagement. At the same time, smaller form factors, versatile throw ratios, and greater installation flexibility enable large, impactful visuals in spaces where they previously weren’t feasible. This opens new opportunities to transform unconventional environments into more immersive, memorable experiences that connect people more deeply to the content.

When selecting display technology, organizations can benefit from focusing on common operating standards, consistent user experiences, interoperability, and centralized management. Consistency can also extend to how content is created, distributed, and measured. Within a connected ecosystem, AI can help tailor messaging for different audiences and locations, while data provides insight into how content is performing.

Standardization also allows users to move seamlessly from room to room without learning new systems or workflows, while enabling consistent content sharing, hybrid collaboration, and centralized IT management across locations. Total cost of ownership should be evaluated across the entire lifecycle, not just purchase price. This means looking at installation, energy use, maintenance, training, replacement parts, and operational downtime.

Innovations across both projection and dvLED are improving efficiency to get the greatest long-term value from technology investments. Laser projection technology and filterless designs reduce maintenance, extend product life, and lower operating costs, while COB technology and common cathode designs in dvLED solutions help reduce power consumption and heat generation. Together, these advances give organizations more ways to create impactful experiences that support stronger communication, participation, and engagement.

AVT Question: Please share insights on how to immerse audiences, collaborate across campuses via the cloud, use AI to drive targeted messaging and gather data, increase sustainability, and reduce total cost of ownership.

Thought Leader: Aaron Addison, Senior Manager, IT Corporate Leader at LG Electronics

A good display strategy starts with looking at the whole environment—not just the individual product. IT teams are trying to create standards that are easier to deploy, easier to manage, and give users a consistent experience whether they’re in an office, a classroom, a collaboration space, or somewhere else across the organization.

The biggest thing I hear from customers, corporate and higher ed alike, is that everything has to work together as one digital asset strategy: hardware, software, services, connectivity, security, and device management planned as infrastructure and not as point purchases bolted on later. That starts with the OEM relationship itself. They want a partner who’s driving initiatives and bringing collaborative solutions to the table—not just selling boxes. Bring that partner in at the design stage and you avoid systems forced into rooms never meant to support them.

That’s also where total cost of ownership really comes into play. It’s not just about what a display costs on day one. Customers are looking at reliability, lifecycle, manageability, and how much time their IT teams are spending supporting the technology over several years.

AI is obviously becoming a bigger part of the conversation as well. There are some great opportunities around smarter management, understanding usage, and delivering more targeted experiences, but most organizations still need to get the fundamentals right first.

At the end of the day, technology should make things easier for IT and better for the person using it. If it does both, then you’re probably headed in the right direction.

Quick view:

• The Frame hospitality model is now available in the U.S. market in 55, 65, and 75-inch sizes.
• AI-powered features, including the Collection Hub and Generative Wallpaper, create personalized, design-forward guest room experiences.
• LYNK Cloud powers digital concierge services, centralized content management, and guest engagement insights.

Samsung Electronics has introduced The Frame hospitality model, bringing Samsung’s art-inspired display design to luxury hotels and premium hospitality environments. Available in 55, 65, and 75-inch sizes, The Frame hospitality model complements the look and feel of high-end properties while offering Smart TV functionality, including entertainment, personalized content, and hotel services that guests can enjoy from the comfort of their room.

[The Art of Digital Signage]

The Frame hospitality model offers advanced features that deliver enhanced experiences that guests expect, from showcasing stunning digital artwork when not in use and connecting guests with property amenities when they choose to engage.

“As luxury hospitality evolves, the most memorable in-room stays will feel more personal and connected without compromising their design integrity,” said Mark Kelly, head of enterprise sales–display solutions division, Samsung Electronics America. “The Frame hospitality model seamlessly blends art, entertainment, and hotel services together on one flexible display, helping hotels adapt to changing guest expectations and create more distinctive experiences over time.”

When guests aren’t watching television, Collection Hub features curated artwork, photography or other visual content, allowing hotels to extend their creative direction onto the screen. Hotel brands can select imagery that complements their interiors, reinforce their brand heritage, and reflect the unique character of a particular destination.

Additionally, Samsung is helping to turn the traditional hotel TV into a more intelligent, personalized part of the stay, using AI features to adapt the in-room experience to each guest’s needs. The Generative Wallpaper harnesses the power of AI to create custom imagery for the screen, transforming the display into a unique visual focal point that reflects their preferences.

AI also helps make in-room entertainment more accessible for travelers from around the world. Live Translate provides translated subtitles in supported languages while guests watch local broadcasts and other content, helping remove language barriers and making it easier for them to enjoy content away from home.

The display also creates a direct digital connection between guests and hotel services. Through LYNK Cloud, hotel staff can configure digital concierge services, enabling where guests to quickly access property information, book services, and order room service—all from The Frame. Content management capabilities such as LYNK Cloud Business also make it easy for staff to analyze guest content usage and uncover valuable marketing insights, enabling hotels to deliver optimized promotions for guests based on their viewing history.

As hotel rooms become more connected and personalized, protecting the technology behind the guest experience becomes increasingly important. The Frame hospitality model pairs flexible, property-specific experiences with Samsung’s enterprise-grade security capabilities, enabling hotels to innovate without compromising protection.

AVT Question: Please share insights on how to immerse audiences, collaborate across campuses via the cloud, use AI to drive targeted messaging and gather data, increase sustainability, and reduce total cost of ownership.

Thought Leader: Amber Ward, Senior Marketing Director at Carousel Digital Signage

Engaging digital signage isn’t just eye candy; it’s about purpose. Kinetic lobby displays are great for setting a vibe, but function must come first. If a digital menu shifts to an announcement right as a customer is trying to order, the signage fails. Start with the goal and the audience, then build content that serves both.

Effective engagement requires balancing the needs of both the audience and the content creators. In large organizations, like university campuses, relying on a single contributor often misses nuances. A more efficient workflow distributes authorship to individual departments, ensuring content is authentic and accurate. Digital signage software with role-based permissions enables a streamlined approval process: Contributors create updates, and administrators review messaging before it goes live.

One way to maximize the cost of a growing digital signage system is to invest in software that works well with mixed-device environments. High-quality digital signage platforms work with many popular dedicated media players, integrated displays, software-based players, and remote management systems, giving the end user choices. When you can leverage your own devices and manage them at scale while keeping your environment secure, the possibilities open up and total cost of ownership goes down.

AVT Question: Please share insights on how to immerse audiences, collaborate across campuses via the cloud, use AI to drive targeted messaging and gather data, increase sustainability, and reduce total cost of ownership.

Thought Leader: Jim Vasgaard, AV Sales Manager and Business Development at Daktronics

Choosing a reliable U.S.-based dvLED display manufacturer can eliminate information gaps that often slow complex installations and service uncertainty for your display’s lifetime. AV/IT end users who work with a manufacturer they know and trust receive access to consultative U.S.-based sales staff that can quickly pull in project managers and engineers when questions arise about product capabilities, electrical requirements, signal routing, or unusual installation conditions.

Product knowledge is a key differentiator. Look for reputable companies that understand the LED technology they’re delivering. There is an overflow of differing indoor LED packaged solutions in the market today, and truly understanding each solution—their pros and cons—can be difficult in the purchasing process. Look for manufacturers who handle design, testing, manufacturing, and service in-house, and staff a team that can speak about how a system will perform in the field—and match the right product to the application from the start.

Find out if they operate their own testing lab where components are tested to failure during the design phase, giving engineers a clear picture of how each part will behave over the life of the display.

That testing discipline also extends to supplier management. If the manufacturers’ suppliers make any changes to the system, that dvLED manufacturer needs to know about it and be able to test it before they make that change and ship a new display solution using that component.

And finally, make sure your dvLED manufacturer stands behind and supports its product for its lifetime. Ask about parts access guarantees that reach 10 years to ensure you receive full support for the lifetime of your display. The goal should be that you receive a display system that arrives on time, delivers on day one, and performs predictably and dynamically throughout its life.

Quick view:

• The Planar Tile features rigid 2:1 aspect ratio module for flat configurations, measuring 320mmx160mmx15mm.
• Planar Tile W features rigid widescreen-format 16:9 aspect ratio, measuring 320mmx180mmx15mm.
• Planar Tile Flex features flexible modules in a 2:1 aspect ratio that support concave, convex and continuous curved display surfaces with a minimum curve diameter of 1 meter (39.37 inches).

Planar has launched the Planar Tile Series, expanding its portfolio of creative LED display solutions with flexible and rigid LED modules designed to bring custom shapes, curves, and configurations to life.

[Tackling a New HQ]

“Planar Tile Series builds on our experience in flexible LED while giving designers and integrators more building blocks for bringing creative concepts to life,” said Robert Detwiler, senior director of product management at Planar. “With flexible and widescreen-format rigid module options, including the ability to create tight concave and convex curves, Tile expands the range of projects where creative LED can be considered.”

Building on a decade of experience deploying flexible LED display solutions, including the highly successful Planar CarbonLight CLI Flex Series, Planar Tile Series expands Planar’s creative LED portfolio with new module sizes, configurations and design possibilities. Joining the recently introduced Planar Mosaic Series and Planar Chameleon Series, Tile gives designers and integrators even more options for creating display arrays beyond traditional display formats.

Available in 1.2, 1.5, 1.8, 2.0 and 2.5mm pixel pitches, Planar Tile Series offers three module options for a broad range of creative designs including: Planar Tile, Planar Tile W, and Planar Tile Flex. Together, the module options provide versatile building blocks for creating custom dimensions, shapes and configurations. Select models are also available with a fully encapsulated surface for enhanced durability and touch interactivity.

Planar Tile Series incorporates a streamlined Type-C proprietary interface to deliver power and data between the compact control unit and LED modules. It features flexible cabling with locking connectors for easy routing and secure connections within custom structures, while the control unit can be installed in multiple orientations to accommodate specific installation requirements.

AVT Question: Please share insights on how to immerse audiences, collaborate across campuses via the cloud, use AI to drive targeted messaging and gather data, increase sustainability, and reduce total cost of ownership.

Thought Leader: Joel Mulpeter, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Crestron

As far as this segment’s concerned, the products we make at Crestron move content and ready it for the display, whatever that might be. With solutions such as DM NVX AV over IP, we can help ensure that the signal is lossless, reliable, secure, and moved at near-zero latency. The goal is to deliver the best possible experience—no matter the vertical and no matter the screen—whether it’s a Jumbotron at a sports venue, signage in a retail space, or the screen in a huddle room.

To do that, we need to deliver more than a black box; we need to deliver a system that’s future-ready—specifically, that is, able to handle needed firmware updates.

We strive to provide products that can essentially function anywhere—not on a room-by-room, case-by-case basis. The best and most versatile solutions lean into building- or campus-wide network infrastructure that will reduce the need for rip-and-replace solutions in the future. If you can swap out a single encoder-decoder or change a screen at an endpoint to suit the changing needs of a space, the right network infrastructure will deliver the best experience no matter how the display hardware may change.

When you have that network architecture in place, other options open up: You can switch any content to any endpoint in the building, and you can monitor everything in the same, consistent way. Control doesn’t change from space to space or building to building, either; it remains familiar to the user throughout the organization. Furthermore, your IT and AV staff will have that same kind of familiarity, no matter the space—and that’s bound to save time and money should an issue pop up.

AVT Question: Please share insights on how to immerse audiences, collaborate across campuses via the cloud, use AI to drive targeted messaging and gather data, increase sustainability, and reduce total cost of ownership.

Thought Leader: Daniel Renne, Director of Emerging Technologies at Hall Technologies

For decades, we have thought of the display as the destination in the AV signal chain. Content travels through an increasingly sophisticated technology ecosystem, but ultimately the display has one job: present that content to the audience. I believe that definition is rapidly changing.

The next generation of displays should become intelligent participants within the broader enterprise technology ecosystem. Cloud connectivity, IoT technologies, and AI give organizations an opportunity to better understand not only what content is being displayed, but how, when, and where their AV environments are being used.

That intelligence can fundamentally change the audience experience. Digital signage can adapt messaging based on location, time, events, occupancy, or other organizational data. Across campuses, centralized platforms can coordinate content and experiences while still allowing individual spaces to respond to local needs.

The same data can provide tremendous operational value. Understanding display utilization, operating hours, device health, energy consumption, and content effectiveness can help AV and IT teams identify problems earlier, automate workflows, reduce unnecessary energy usage, and make better lifecycle decisions.

AI will accelerate this transformation, but its effectiveness will depend heavily on the quality and context of the data available to it. The goal should not simply be to add AI to displays, but to build an ecosystem where displays, AV devices, cloud platforms, and enterprise systems can securely share meaningful information.

Ultimately, maximizing the value of a display means looking beyond resolution, brightness, and specifications. The most strategic display may be the one that helps an organization better understand, automate, and continuously improve the environment around it.

AVT Question: Please share insights on how to immerse audiences, collaborate across campuses via the cloud, use AI to drive targeted messaging and gather data, increase sustainability, and reduce total cost of ownership.

Thought Leader: Martin Kuhn, Vice President of Experiential Technologies at Ross Video

Displays are no longer just endpoints; they are the connective tissue of live experiences. From stadiums and corporate campuses to museums and multipurpose venues, every surface can become part of a connected story, with LED, projection, audio, lighting, control, and data working seamlessly together.

That matters because audiences now expect experiences to respond to where they are, why they are there, and what is happening in the moment. AI and analytics can help teams understand traffic patterns, content performance, and audience interests, but the real value comes when those insights can be translated into targeted, repeatable content workflows: the right message on the right canvas at the right time.

With Vertex, we see an immersive display strategy moving toward unified ecosystems. A campus can support a town hall in one space, branded wayfinding in another, and a large-scale evening activation elsewhere—all with simpler operation and consistent creative control. For venues, that means synchronized fan moments across boards and displays. For cultural or brand environments, it means sensor-driven interactivity and projection-mapped storytelling where the technology fades into the background.

This approach also improves sustainability and total cost of ownership. When systems are easier to automate, reuse, scale, and support, teams can reduce one-off engineering, limit redundant equipment, extend the useful life of installations, and operate sophisticated experiences without oversized crews. The future of display is not just brighter pixels; it is smarter orchestration.

AVT Question: Please share insights on how to immerse audiences, collaborate across campuses via the cloud, use AI to drive targeted messaging and gather data, increase sustainability, and reduce total cost of ownership.

Thought Leader: Rudy Vitti, Group Manager of Product Marketing at Panasonic Projector & Display Americas

Display technology is becoming more influential across environments—from campuses and corporate spaces to arenas, restaurants, and retail outlets. Display screens have evolved from simplistic digital poster boards into immersive storytelling tools that engage audiences, streamline communication, and support operations. Flat panel displays deliver bright, color-accurate visuals for live feeds, wayfinding, messaging, and digital signage, while dvLED creates seamless, large-scale experiences in lobbies, command centers, and other signature spaces.

For organizations managing multiple buildings or venues, consistency and connectivity are key. Standardized displays and centralized content management can create a cohesive visual experience across a campus while simplifying AV/IT management. An integrated ecosystem also allows organizations to build on existing infrastructure rather than replace it, enabling new displays to work alongside LCD video walls, projectors, and other legacy technologies.

AI can further enhance these networks by helping teams deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time. Location- and time-aware content scheduling can support targeted messaging, safety alerts, wayfinding, event promotion, and sponsorships, while engagement and usage data can inform future facilities, marketing, and content decisions.

Just as important is designing technology for long-term value. Some dvLED solutions can be designed to integrate easily into existing infrastructure, reducing upfront investment. DvLED simplifies servicing, allowing teams to replace components rather than an entire display, while all-in-one solutions can streamline installation by arriving pre-assembled and pre-calibrated. Displays engineered for 24/7 operation and centralized management can reduce downtime and maintenance over time. Together, these approaches help organizations create more immersive experiences while improving workflows, supporting sustainability through longer equipment lifecycles, and maximizing total cost of ownership.

AVT Question: Please share insights on how to immerse audiences, collaborate across campuses via the cloud, use AI to drive targeted messaging and gather data, increase sustainability, and reduce total cost of ownership.

Thought Leader: Trent Slyter, National Sales Director of Pro AV Sales at Absen

Not long ago, displays were often viewed as the final component of an AV project—the technology used to present content after the real decisions had been made. Today, that mindset is changing. Across industries, displays have become strategic assets that shape how organizations communicate, engage, and deliver on their mission.

Consider the range of environments AV/IT professionals support today. In higher education, displays help create more collaborative and accessible learning experiences. In corporate offices, they enable communication that connects distributed teams and reinforces culture. Retailers use displays to capture attention and influence purchasing decisions, while hotels, casinos, resorts, and cruise ships rely on them to elevate the guest experience. In sports venues, displays energize fans, deliver real-time information, and create new sponsorship opportunities. In houses of worship, they help ensure every member of the congregation can clearly see, connect with, and participate in the message.

While the applications differ, the objective is remarkably consistent: help people engage more effectively with the experience in front of them.

That shift should change how AV/IT leaders evaluate display technology. The conversation can no longer begin and end with size, brightness, or resolution. Strategic display investments are measured by how well they adapt to evolving needs, integrate with broader technology ecosystems, support multiple stakeholders, and continue creating value over time.

The display is no longer simply where content appears; it has become one of the most important touchpoints between organizations and their audiences. The most versatile display isn’t the one that can show the most content; it’s the one that helps an organization communicate, connect, and fulfill its mission—no matter how that mission evolves.

Summary:

• The CORE Indoor model provides a versatile COB solution for indoor LED applications, offering dependable visual performance and straightforward deployment.
• The SLIM Indoor is designed for applications where a slimline form factor is required, helping designers and integrators incorporate LED into environments where space is tight and aesthetics and installation considerations are particularly important.
• The premium end of the range, PRO Indoor provides a higher-performance COB solution for projects demanding enhanced capabilities and advanced visual performance.

Elysium LED has launched three new indoor LED display solutions: CORE, SLIM, and PRO. Designed to address a wide range of application requirements across corporate, education, retail, hospitality, sports and entertainment, command and control, public spaces, transportation, and architectural environments, the new range gives integrators, designers, and end users greater flexibility when specifying indoor dvLED.

[dvLED vs. Projection: Which Display Type is Best for Large Venues?]

“LED is more than a display technology. It is an architectural medium that can fundamentally change how people experience a space,” said Kirt Yanke, president, Elysium LED. “With CORE, SLIM, and PRO, we wanted to give customers and partners a clearer choice of solutions while maintaining engineering discipline, longevity and the highest level of craft across every system we deliver.”

The new indoor portfolio gives customers a choice of performance, form factor and specification according to the needs of each project. Configuration options include Full HD Bundles, Ultra HD Bundles and Custom Configurations, providing flexibility across a broad range of applications.

CORE Indoor: This version provides a versatile COB solution for indoor LED applications, offering dependable visual performance and straightforward deployment. Available in 0.7mm to 1.8mm pixel pitches, CORE delivers a 178-degree viewing angle, 12,000:1 contrast ratio, broad colour gamut coverage and 600 cd/m² brightness.

Models from 1.2mm and above feature a single-board design integrating the receiving card and power supply into the hub board, simplifying servicing and reducing system complexity. Front serviceability across the range provides greater installation flexibility and easier access for maintenance.

SLIM Indoor: Designed for applications where a slimline form factor is required, this model helps designers and integrators incorporate LED into environments where space is tight and aesthetics and installation considerations are particularly important. Available in 0.7mm to 1.5mm pixel pitches, SLIM features a lightweight cabinet with a 30mm depth, a 178-degree viewing angle, 12,000:1 contrast ratio, limited glare and 600 cd/m² brightness. For demanding, always-on applications, SLIM offers optional full redundancy, including redundant receiving cards, power supplies and controllers. The display is fully front serviceable, providing easy access to receiver cards and power supplies.

PRO Indoor: The premium end of the range, PRO provides a higher-performance COB solution for projects demanding enhanced capabilities and advanced visual performance. Available in 0.9mm to 1.5mm pixel pitches, PRO delivers an exceptional 15,000:1 contrast ratio, 98% DCI-P3 coverage, 600 cd/m² brightness and a 178-degree viewing angle. For demanding, always-on applications, optional full redundancy is available, including redundant receiving cards, power supplies and controllers. Cabinets are pre-aligned to tight tolerances and feature three connection methods, helping ensure a flat, seamless display in a fully front-serviceable package.

AVT Question: Please share insights on how to immerse audiences, collaborate across campuses via the cloud, use AI to drive targeted messaging and gather data, increase sustainability, and reduce total cost of ownership.

Thought Leader: Joe Drury, Senior Business Manager, BRAVIA Professional Displays at Sony Electronics

The role of the professional display has changed dramatically. What was once an endpoint for content delivery has become a platform for communication, collaboration, audience engagement, and business intelligence.

As technology requirements continue to expand, it has become increasingly difficult for any single manufacturer to provide a complete end-to-end solution. Today’s deployments depend on ecosystems that bring together hardware, software, analytics, content management, and collaboration tools. The success of a display is no longer defined solely by its specifications, but by how effectively it integrates into that broader environment. At Sony, this perspective continues to shape our Pro BRAVIA strategy, emphasizing interoperability, flexibility, and ecosystem partnerships.

This shift began with BYOD and the demand for greater flexibility. Today, spaces are no longer defined by how they were originally designed, but by how users need them to function throughout the day. A single environment may support collaboration, digital signage, training, or targeted communications depending on the moment. Artificial intelligence is accelerating this evolution by helping organizations automate workflows, deliver more relevant content, and gain insights from operational data.

At the same time, AV investments are becoming more strategic. Reliability, sustainability, serviceability, and lifecycle value are increasingly important, yet many of these attributes remain difficult to quantify and specify. Customers recognize that factors such as image quality, operational efficiency, and manageability impact outcomes, but they are often evaluated as commodities. The industry must do a better job helping customers define and specify the capabilities that matter most.

At Sony, we believe our responsibility extends beyond delivering products; it includes helping customers define success, identify what matters most, and build solutions that continue creating value long after installation.

AVT Question: Please share insights on how to immerse audiences, collaborate across campuses via the cloud, use AI to drive targeted messaging and gather data, increase sustainability, and reduce total cost of ownership.

Thought Leader: John Kruse, Solutions Engineer Manager at ViewSonic

Today’s commercial display is simply no longer the endpoint of an AV system; it has become an integrated platform within an organization’s broader technology ecosystem. How well it integrates, how easily it can be managed, and the operational value it delivers over time matter as much as what it displays.

Modern displays integrate into collaboration, digital signage, cloud management, and room control ecosystems to create consistent user experiences across offices, campuses, and distributed environments. That interoperability reduces deployment friction, simplifies ongoing support, and gives AV and IT teams the visibility they need to manage at scale.

Total cost of ownership tells a more complete story than acquisition cost alone. The display that wins the proposal isn’t always the one that delivers the most value in year three or year five; integration complexity, management overhead, software compatibility, and lifecycle support factors in what a deployment actually costs an organization over time.

Proprietary ecosystems create dependency. Open, standards-aligned platforms create flexibility.

And flexibility compounds value over the life of the deployment.

Artificial intelligence is accelerating this evolution by making displays more than presentation devices. Predictive diagnostics, usage analytics, and automated content optimization reduce operational burden on lean teams—returning value not from the moment of purchase, but across the years that follow.

The most successful display strategies recognize that hardware specifications are a starting point—not the deciding factor. Ecosystem alignment, remote manageability, and long-term supportability increasingly determine which investments hold their value.

The display on the wall is no longer just a screen; it’s an operational platform.

NOW AVAILABLE! AV Technology Manager’s Guide to All Things Audio

24 AV/IT Industry Thought Leaders share insights and trends on audio developments for enterprise, higher ed, live events and other markets. Check out what they said.

AV/IT Team: Meet the team behind the new line array system that recently made its debut at the New York Philharmonic, bringing an elevated acoustic experience to audiences at one of the world’s most storied performing arts institutions.

7 Case Studies Worth a Listen: Exceptional Speech Intelligibility | With Invisible AV, The Focus is On the Fitness | Immersive Portable Studio | Beachfront Destination Gets Luxury Audio Upgrade | Two Solutions, ONE Goal: Accessible Audio for All | Acoustic Tiles Give Everyone A Front-Row Seat | Audio Designed for a Historic Space

31 Products That Resonate: Ceiling and pendant speakers, IPMX-compliant audio monitor, Dante-enabled in-ceiling loudspeaker, digital UHF wireless system, PoE-powered four-channel audio power amplifier, multilingual translations, portable RF-Over-Fiber box, network-based ecosystem, ceiling array microphone, collaboration bar, AV-over-IP platform, active subwoofers, cable connectors, audio control, and so much more!

READ NOW!

Quick view:

• Nanolumens is expanding its Engage Pro Series with new mitered cabinets that enable 90-degree corners, allowing indoor LED displays to wrap around architectural features.
• The outdoor Performance Series adds its first sub-3mm pixel pitch option for closer viewing and high-brightness Performance 500 models delivering 7,000–8,000 nits for improved visibility in direct sunlight.
• The expanded Engage Pro Series and Performance Series lines allow Nanolumens customers to address a wider range of architectural, environmental and viewing requirements using established indoor and outdoor display platforms.

Nanolumens is expanding two of its configurable video wall lines; the Engage Pro Series and Performance Series. The additions include 90-degree corner capabilities for Engage Pro Series and sub-3mm pixel pitch and high-brightness options for select Performance Series outdoor models.

[Massive Display Brings Exterior of the NBA's Phoenix Suns Home Arena to Life]

“The additions to the Engage Pro and Performance Series are focused on giving customers more options within product families they already know and appreciate,” said Kurt DeYoung, chief revenue officer for Nanolumens. “The corner configurations for the Engage Pro Series allow indoor displays to work with more complex architecture, while the expanded Performance Series supports outdoor applications that require closer viewing or greater brightness. Together, these updates address a broader range of installation conditions without adding unnecessary complexity.”

The premium Engage Pro indoor line uses Chip-On-Board (COB) MiniLED technology to deliver high-performance visuals with more than four times greater contrast than traditional SMD LED. It features pixel pitch options as fine as 0.7mm for fine detail, up-close viewing and supports faceted curves. The Engage Pro's COB coating minimizes reflections, enabling specification in brighter environments with lights and windows.

The new corner capability allows Engage Pro to extend across adjoining surfaces, supporting continuous content around corners, columns and other architectural features beyond conventional flat or faceted curved video walls. The configuration gives designers and integrators added flexibility to incorporate COB-based LED into a space while maintaining a consistent display platform with the entire Engage Series.

Available exclusively in the 500x500mm cabinet format, the new Performance Series cabinet-based outdoor video wall line supports viewing distances of approximately 14 feet before individual pixels become distinguishable. The finer pixel pitch makes the series suitable for outdoor environments where audiences may be positioned closer to the display.

All Performance 500 models are now available with high-brightness models, delivering 7,000 to 8,000 nits, depending on pixel pitch, to strengthen visibility in direct sunlight. Each Performance Series cabinet carries an IP67 rating for protection against water and dust and is engineered for permanent installations across wet, cold, dry, and humid climates. The Performance Series is also available in a smaller 250x250mm format for greater application versatility.

What to know:

• Samsung Display Solutions help the Cincinnati Bengals turn preparation into performance by simplifying workflows and enhancing collaboration.
• The Bengals outfitted their training facility with five Samsung Flip Pro Interactive Displays, giving the front office a shared canvas for turning film and player data into smarter game-day strategies.
• Large-format 4K UHD displays prepare the organization for draft selections by featuring scouting reports and player statistics with exceptional clarity.

The Cincinnati Bengals installed Samsung Display Solutions throughout its training facility, including coaching offices and the weight room, to enhance football operations. Samsung Flip Pro Interactive Displays and Direct View LED signage bring film, player data, tactical insights, and game plans into shared visual environments, helping all members of the organization, from coaches and players to scouts and analysts, build winning strategies.

[Massive Display Brings Exterior of the NBA's Phoenix Suns Home Arena to Life]

The Bengals installed five Samsung Flip Pro Interactive Displays in staff offices, which streamlines the way coaches analyze film, identify playing patterns of their team and opponents, and build more impactful strategies for their next matchup. Instead of toggling between whiteboards, laptops, tablets, and manual presentations, coaches can brainstorm specific plays and formations, draw directly over game film and save their ideas throughout the season.

The result is a more fluid path from film study to game plan, ensuring coaches can spend less time digging up critical sports data and more time refining the strategies they’ll take onto the field.

Samsung Interactive Displays turn Bengals team meetings among coaching staff and athletes into collaborative working sessions. Players can now step up to the screen, draw their reads and work through assignments in tandem with coaches.

This collaboration ahead of game days helps bridge the space between film study and the field. Position groups can now break down what happened in a play, identify where adjustments need to be made, and visually walk through how the next handoff should unfold. Rather than simply watching film, players can engage directly with the concepts they will be tasked with executing, which helps reinforce assignments, encourage team dialogue, and strengthen alignment throughout the season.

In addition, Samsung 4K UHD LED screens featured in the weight room and other spaces throughout the facility, front office staff integrate seamlessly with the Bengals’ custom scouting applications. As a result, they can compare prospects, review reports, and evaluate information together as decisions unfold.

Watch to find out more below.

ViewSonic has unveiled its new mobile solution, the ViewSonic LDS136-152. The large screen display comes in a pre-assembled design, which enables effortless setup within minutes. The LDS136-152 is a foldable 136-inch dvLED video wall on wheels built for maximum flexibility.

[Massive Display Brings Exterior of the NBA's Phoenix Suns Home Arena to Life]

A 4th generation model, the LDS136-152 introduces beneficial upgrades that make setup and operation even easier. The motorized screen lifts higher than any other dvLED in its class, helping everyone get a clearer view of content on the screen. The new commercial-grade built-in motorized stand provides an extra 3.7 feet of vertical adjustment. An integrated stand and display remote control allow the management of both the screen settings and motorized lift. Rear I/O ports are easy to reach and provide direct connectivity without opening panels or exposing internal boards, so connecting devices is quick and simple.

“The ViewSonic mobile dvLED solution delivers a giant LED screen that arrives ready to go, so our partners and customers can skip complex installations,” said Shane Roma, technical product manager of dvLED/Commercial Displays at ViewSonic. “The LDS136-152 sets up in minutes and ships in a rugged flight case for easy transport and storage. Just unfold it, plug it in and you’re ready to showcase content or present messaging to your audience. It’s one of the easiest ways to get a larger-than-life, stunning display wherever you need it. We have inventory in the U.S., along with technical support to assist as needed.”

The LDS136-152 features an integrated OPS slot to make it easy to expand the system when needed. Glue-on-Board (GOB) technology protects the LED panels from daily wear-and-tear, while its IP65 and IK06 ratings ensure resistance to bumps, dust, and moisture, ensuring that it can work in public spaces like auditoriums and lobbies. A redesigned hinge adds durability for repeated setup and transport, so the display can be used for events, trade shows and pop-up spaces. It glides silently on 360-degree wheels, making it simple to share between rooms or venues, while the foldable design fits into most elevators.

Quick view:

• LG Electronics USA is launching the LG MAGNIT Gen 2 Micro LED LMPD display.
• The LMPD display pairs LG Micro LED technology with NovaStar’s COEX 5G Solution to support commercial installations.
• Features include precision module alignment, wide viewing angles, multi-layer grayscale calibration, advanced Micro LED construction, HDR support, and uniform color expression.

LG Electronics USA has introduced the LG MAGNIT Gen 2 Micro LED LMPD display designed for high-end, large-scale visual experiences and commercial installations. The LMPD display combines LG Micro LED technology with NovaStar’s COEX 5G Solution to support high-resolution, large-scale installations with advanced image processing and system management. The new model gives integrators a flexible Micro LED platform for commercial usage, such as corporate spaces and other large-format environments where image quality and system reliability are essential.

[Friday Night Lights, Camera, Action!]

“The LG MAGNIT Gen 2 Micro LED display was built for projects where image precision, control and deployment flexibility have to work together,” said Michael Kosla, B2B SVP at LG Electronics USA. “By combining LG Micro LED display technology with NovaStar’s processing platform, the LMPD display gives integrators a more confident way to configure, monitor and manage Micro LED systems for sophisticated projects and commercial applications with complex operational demands.”

At the center of the LMPD display is NovaStar’s COEX 5G Solution, which supports screen configuration, system operation and ongoing management through a design-centric interface. NovaStar’s Vision Management Platform (VMP) software brings real-time monitoring and diagnostics, advanced color processing and flexible system management into a single platform, helping integrators configure and operate Micro LED installations more efficiently.

The LMPD display’s high-bandwidth architecture is designed to reduce cabling requirements while supporting more efficient system configuration. With SFP+, signal transmission between the display and the controller can extend up to 6.2 miles using a fiber-optic link, compared with the approximately 328-foot distance previously supported. This added range gives integrators more flexibility when designing systems for large-scale environments, including auditoriums, control rooms and other complex installations.

Additional features include precision module alignment, wide viewing angles, multi-layer grayscale calibration, advanced Micro LED construction, HDR support, and uniform color expression.

NOW AVAILABLE! AV Technology Manager’s Guide to Display Technologies

25 Thought Leaders share insights on topics such as how to grow and immerse audiences, collaborate across campuses via the cloud, use AI to drive targeted messaging and gather data, create an ecosystem to improve workflows, increase sustainability, and reduce total cost of ownership.

AV/IT Team: Meet the creative team behind the Museum of Art + Light, where more than 100 laser projectors bring creativity to life with nearly 37,000 square feet of eye-popping color and exquisite detail.

11 Case Studies On Display: Honolulu Prep Comes to Life in LED | Processing Performance You Can Bank On | Medical Labs Upgrade to Interactive Displays | Beauty in Collaboration at Microsoft HQ | Engineering Boston’s Widest Curved LED Canvas | Signage Transforms Shopping Experience | Two Video Walls, One Unified Brand | Monitoring 8,000 Satellites, 24/7 | A Warm, Video Wall Welcome in Wyoming | Digital Storytelling Bolsters Faith and Community | Immersive Fan Experiences on Full Display

26 Display Technologies That Matter: Video processors, fine-pixel-pitch LED video walls, COB LED display, integrated SoC displays, AV production suites, 4K video wall appliance, flip-chip, wire-bond-free COB LEDs, AV-over-IP distribution, dvLED universal wall mounts, laser projectors, 21:9 displays, outdoor LCDs, ADA-compliant applications, interactive displays, digital signage solutions, mobile all-in-one displays, e-paper, and much more!

Read More!

Absen has unveiled its new LR V3 Series. This transparent LED display solution is engineered for the demands of touring, festivals, and large-scale live events. Designed to move efficiently from one production to the next, LR V3 combines creative versatility, lightweight construction and streamlined deployment to give rental companies, production teams and designers greater flexibility from load-in through showtime.

[Video Wall Brings MLK’s Vision to Life at Atlanta's King Center]

“Today’s touring professionals need technology that gives them more creative options without adding unnecessary complexity to the production,” said Emily Chan, president Absen. “With LR V3, our focus is on giving crews and designers a platform that can adapt to the stage, move efficiently from show to show and deliver the performance audiences expect.”

At the center of LR V3’s creative capabilities are adaptive louvers that allow the display to transition from transparent to solid stage visuals with a single touch. Combined with curved configurations, mixed-panel connections, and 90-degree L-shaped applications, LR V3 gives production designers greater freedom to integrate LED into the overall stage environment and create structures beyond conventional flat displays.

Touring equipment needs to perform night after night while keeping crew requirements, transportation and changing production configurations in mind. LR V3 is available in three lightweight cabinet sizes: 39.37×19.69×3.15 inches, 19.69×39.37×3.15 inches, and 39.37×39.37×3.78 inches (1000 × 1000 × 96 mm). The lightweight design, combined with a pre-lock system, supports one-person handling and installation to help crews move more efficiently during setup.

LR V3 is also designed for outdoor production environments, with water-resistant modules, power boxes, and cables providing additional protection for demanding live event applications. LR V3 gives production teams multiple ways to build beyond a traditional flat LED wall. Dual horizontal curve locks support angle adjustments from -7.5 degrees to +10 degrees, giving designers the ability to create curved display configurations while maintaining secure cabinet connections.

A 45-degree dual-edge design on both sides of the cabinet also enables 90-degree L-shaped displays, opening additional possibilities for dimensional stage structures and scenic integration. For touring and festival productions, efficiency extends beyond the build itself. LR V3 incorporates retractable positioning pins for efficient on-site maintenance, along with quick maintenance access for modules and power boxes.

Together, LR V3’s lightweight construction, installation features, maintenance access, and transportation systems are designed to reduce handling demands and help rental and staging teams keep equipment moving efficiently from one production to the next.

For the past few years, Microsoft Teams has been promoting 21:9 ultra-widescreen displays as a more inclusive viewing experience for videoconferencing rooms. Indeed, the 21:9 format offers approximately 31% more horizontal display area than a 16:9 screen of the same vertical height. This is why 21:9 displays are being used to support Microsoft Teams’ Front Row feature, along with immersive gaming and eye-catching video presentations.

However, despite the eye-catching ultra-widescreen advantages, Keith Yanke, Sharp’s VP of product and solutions marketing, told SCN that traditional displays significantly outsell 21:9 displays.

That assessment is endorsed by Rob Meiner, Peerless-AV’s senior technical solutions engineer. “While 21:9 displays are gaining popularity and increasing in demand," he explained, "traditional 16:9 displays remain predominant in many categories, as ultra-wide displays are still considered a more specialized offering. Recent reports project market growth for ultra-widescreen displays at a compound annual growth rate [CAGR] of around 10% from 2026 to 2033.”

So, what happened? “After the initial announcement from Microsoft, the topic of 21:9 display solutions was common, but it never really translated into additional sales,” offered Rob Pickering, Tritech’s director of technology. “Some clients may install one or two specialty rooms to validate the experience but keep the majority at 16:9.”

Compelling Applications

Despite 21:9’s slow sales growth, there are many compelling Pro AV applications for the technology. The standout application is in conference rooms and hybrid meeting spaces that use Microsoft Teams in the Front Row layout, or other UC solutions that benefit from ultra-wide video and graphics presentations.

A key advantage of the 21:9 aspect ratio in these spaces is its ability to boost productivity and streamline multitasking. As Meiner noted, “It’s especially beneficial for professionals managing multiple spreadsheets, communication platforms, creative assets, and organizational dashboards simultaneously. Compared to a dual-monitor setup, a single ultra-wide display offers a more seamless and cohesive layout, eliminating visual interruptions that can come from misaligned screens. By consolidating content on one clean display, users can improve focus, reduce eyestrain, and work more efficiently and accurately.”

“Using ultra-widescreen displays can avoid the downfalls of dual screen setups by not having a bezel,” Yanke agreed. “In some cases, this setup provides a better experience for content and collaboration.”

Plus, the "wow" factor should not be discounted. “Spaces with 21:9 displays can create a more immersive feeling and provide more pixels when sharing documents on screen,” said Pickering. “Since they’re not super common, they can also create an elevated feeling when first participating in the space.”

21:9 displays are well suited to non-videoconferencing applications as well. “This ultra-wide format provides graphic designers, photo and video editors, and other creative professionals with a more ergonomic workspace, ideal for displaying timelines, tools, full mockups, and side-by-side comparisons on a single screen,” Meiner said. “Professionals who frequently work with large spreadsheets or detailed data sets, such as financial analysts, can also take advantage of the ability to view multiple windows simultaneously without the need to toggle between them or use an additional monitor."

In educational environments, ultra-wide displays can enhance classroom settings by enabling the display of multiple content types, such as lecture videos alongside slides, simultaneously. "This facilitates student interaction and offers a more immersive experience, particularly in hybrid learning scenarios,” Meiner added.

Finally, 21:9 displays also provide Pro AV integrators and managers with greater operational flexibility in AV integration. This is because 21:9 displays can show multiple simultaneous video sources without requiring operators to switch inputs or add extra screens during immersive presentations. This makes 21:9 displays particularly useful in high-engagement business settings such as training rooms, command centers, and client pitch environments.

Installation and Cost Considerations

Compared to traditional 16:9 displays, 21:9 displays are physically wider and heavier. This means that they require larger and more robust wall mounts that can support their size and weight. “It doesn't necessarily complicate installation, but there might be some unique considerations, such as having an extra person to help lift the display because it's so wide,” said Jeff Muto, director of product management with ViewSonic Corporation.

“In smaller rooms, ultra-wide screens may also present viewing angle challenges for people seated at the edges,” Meiner added. “This is where curved 21:9 displays offer an advantage, by helping to maintain consistent visibility across a wider viewing area.”

Adding a 21:9 video format to a room’s playout system can also pose problems. As Meiner observed, many software applications and user interfaces, such as videoconferencing apps, are primarily designed for the standard 16:9 aspect ratio.

Plus, most videos are not 21:9. “Content compatibility can be an issue,” added Yanke. “Standard 16:9 material may not scale properly on a 21:9 display, leading to stretched images or black bars on the sides when content doesn’t match the ultra-wide format.”

Beyond these factors, Muto said cost is the primary drawback. 21:9 displays cost more than 16:9 displays—not just because they are larger, but also because they are not being produced in the same volumes. As a result, mass-produced 16:9 displays benefit from per-unit economies of scale that niche-produced 21:9 displays do not.

Is 32:9 the Answer?

The 21:9 display format was created to provide a wider viewing experience than 16:9 monitors, but it does so using a format that doesn't always play nice with 16:9 content. This is why 32:9 “super ultra-wide TVs” are now being produced. The advantage of this format is that it can display two 16:9 video streams side-by-side in their original aspect ratios, like having two regular 16:9 monitors together without the distracting center bezel.

“This is why 32:9 is definitely a thing,” said Muto. “However, a single, super ultra-wide 32:9 panel can present some logistical challenges, especially in terms of mounting and transport. This is why ViewSonic offers a flexible alternative with our LDC series dvLED displays, which are configurable to achieve a 32:9 layout.”

“We see more of a need for 32:9 than 21:9,” noted Yanke. “With that said, whether it is 21:9 or 32:9, we are not sure these solutions are catching on outside of those spaces that require these wide aspect ratios. But yes: The 32:9 is more appealing because of the ability to simulate two 16:9 screens side by side.”

Given the above considerations, the experts agree that 21:9 displays will remain niche for now. “While wider displays are gaining momentum in meeting rooms, hybrid work setups, learning environments, and productivity-intensive roles, they are unlikely to fully replace the widespread use of 16:9 displays,” said Meiner. “Standard consumer TVs, typical office setups, and classrooms equipped with 16:9 projectors or flat panels are much more well-established and may remain the norm for the foreseeable future.”

“21:9 display sales are growing, but there is a long way to go before it can be considered mainstream,” Muto concluded. “In the short term, 21:9 will remain niche due to some of the things discussed like price and content compatibility. But if hybrid meetings continue to be the norm, we'll likely see greater adoption of 21:9 devices in meeting/conference rooms as displays are refreshed.”

Get even more insights: Download SCN's Integration Guide to Video Displays and Mounts.

AVT Question: Please share insights on emerging trends and technologies that help engage fans, distribute audio and video in near real-time, and make a difference in sporting venues and esports arenas.

Thought Leader: Kathy Katz, Managing Partner at BrightLine

As I contemplate the future of the AV lighting industry, I’m reminded of flexibility’s importance. In our rapidly changing world, flexible responses are critical to economic and creative success. Budgets, installation dates, and project personnel change—as do, disappointingly, energy-efficiency standards. Resources have no regard for political climates, and all that each of us does to improve efficiencies will, at the very least, contribute to what we leave available for the next generation.

In practical applications, the best lighting and control solutions are highly adaptable—changeable, scalable, low voltage, and controllable—through myriad methods, from traditional consoles to playback panels to APPs, accommodating changing users and their level of programming ability. Similarly, if a venue expands or moves, the AV lighting system needs to easily expand or move. Pre-labeled port and cabling systems are available to ensure continuity through changes. Even lighting fixtures themselves should incorporate flexibility through software and hardware with variable-white color, adjustable grip equipment, and a vast range of looks and scenes available through programming.

Ultimately, AV lighting and control should be as simple—and can be as automated—as the sunrise and sunset are. With adequate and reliable lighting for all your corporate communications, the focus can remain on your message to ensure creative and effective meeting results.

And as we continue to collaborate with AI, it will only get easier to provide the best lighting solutions for visual and efficacy optimization—or will it? Like human nature, I find AI’s nature can tend to over complicate. The goal of corporate AV communications should always be clarity, delivered through a behind-the-scenes, highly orchestrated network of AV components that combine into an intuitive system, thereby delivering a safe, comfortable, natural, and future-proofed video environment.

AVT Question: Please share insights on emerging trends and technologies that help engage fans, distribute audio and video in near real-time, and make a difference in sporting venues and esports arenas.

Thought Leader: Rick Seegull, Senior Vice President, Technology and Business Development at Riedel Communications

In higher education sports and esports, it’s no longer just about the competition; it’s about creating connected, engaging experiences for athletes, fans, and the entire campus community.

In today’s collegiate venues, communication and coordination are everything. Behind every live event—football, basketball, a convocation, or an esports tournament—there’s a production team working in sync to bring the experience to life. Reliable communication networks, flexible signal routing, and intuitive tools make it easy to adapt, share content, and deliver professional-quality productions.

More campuses are now turning to decentralized, distributed routing architectures that connect multiple sites over fiber for video, audio, communications, and data with minimal cabling. This modular design uses small, interconnected nodes that can scale easily or even be deployed as portable flypacks. It’s a flexible, IP-style workflow without setup headaches.

A great example is Liberty University, which has built a connected campus environment that supports a wide range of live events, from athletics and academic broadcasts to large-scale convocations. Their IP-based communications solution, which features wireless beltpacks, streamlines workflows and allows teams to collaborate easily across venues, ensuring consistent, reliable performance no matter the size or scope of the event.

Lafayette University has taken a similar path, creating an IP-based production ecosystem that links its sports venues and mobile production setups. This flexibility allows their teams to produce live shows anywhere on campus, enabling students to gain hands-on experience with real-world broadcast and event workflows, using intuitive touch screen controls.

Esports add another layer of excitement. With players, commentators, and fans all interacting in real time, low latency and seamless communication are essential.

These innovations are about more than technology; they’re about connection, collaboration, and storytelling that make every experience immersive and unforgettable.

AVT Question: Please share insights on emerging trends and technologies that help engage fans, distribute audio and video in near real-time, and make a difference in sporting venues and esports arenas.

Thought Leader: Chuck Espinoza, Global Director of Education at Aurora Multimedia

In higher education, technology plays a vital role in transforming both sporting venues and esports arenas into immersive, engaging environments for athletes and spectators. A key driver of this transformation is the shift to 10Gb AV-over-IP endpoints, which deliver high-performance video, audio, and control across a networked infrastructure.

Unlike traditional matrix-based systems, 10Gb AV over IP provides the bandwidth necessary for uncompressed 4K video and multichannel audio with virtually zero latency. This ensures that live action—whether a basketball game or an esports match—is delivered to every display, scoreboard, and streaming feed in perfect sync. Fans benefit from crystal-clear visuals, instant replays, and interactive content across massive LED walls and distributed signage, creating a dynamic and engaging atmosphere.

For athletes and teams, these technologies enhance performance and training. Coaches can access multiple real-time camera angles, integrate analytics, and provide immediate feedback without delay. In esports, low-latency AV distribution is especially critical, as it ensures synchronization between gameplay, casters, and spectators—replicating the professional-grade experience of global tournaments.

10Gb AV over IP also brings scalability and flexibility, enabling universities to easily expand their systems as venues grow or needs evolve. By routing AV signals through standard Ethernet infrastructure, institutions reduce complexity, lower costs, and gain the agility to adapt to future technologies.

Ultimately, the adoption of 10Gb AV-over-IP endpoints empowers higher ed venues to create immersive, future-proof experiences. Athletes benefit from advanced tools and instant feedback, while spectators enjoy engaging, high-quality environments that rival professional sports and esports arenas. These technologies not only elevate the game-day atmosphere but also strengthen the institution’s ability to attract students, athletes, and fans.

AVT Question: Please share insights on emerging trends and technologies that help engage fans, distribute audio and video in near real-time, and make a difference in sporting venues and esports arenas.

Thought Leader: Megan Zeller, Business Development Director at Peerless-AV

Large-scale AV solutions, like dvLED video walls, are not only continuing to transform the way esports and higher ed sporting venues deliver experiences, but are now becoming an expected part of the experience. From immersive visuals and multi-screen displays to real-time updates, these technologies engage both athletes and spectators.

In the world of esports, high-resolution displays—like 4K at 60 frames per second—and vivid imagery are essential for showcasing fast-paced gameplay, fine details, and real-time reactions. Large dvLED screens keep audiences informed, with live feeds featuring high-resolution visuals displaying all of the action, stats, and instant replays—boosting energy and engagement in every match.

Traditional sports venues also benefit from immersive dvLED technology. Stadiums and arenas can use the same AV systems to display scores, instant replays, fan content, and promotional media, creating a unified and interactive experience across campus athletics.

High-quality audio systems built into these stunning visual displays further enhance events, delivering crystal-clear commentary, action-packed game sound, and crowd reactions that make both virtual and in-person experiences more thrilling.

By investing in top-tier AV infrastructure, esports venues and universities can create professional, captivating environments for all athletic programs, elevating the fan experience and building momentum for athletes.

AVT Question: Please share insights on emerging trends and technologies that help engage fans, distribute audio and video in near real-time, and make a difference in sporting venues and esports arenas.

Thought Leader: Rick Hoefling, Category Manager, Video, Photo, and Conferencing at Full Compass

In higher ed today, AV technology isn’t just supporting instruction; it’s redefining how campuses engage students across academics, athletics, and esports.

In traditional sports venues, immersive AV systems are transforming the experience for athletes and fans alike. High-brightness LED video walls, ultra-short-throw projectors, PTZ cameras, and distributed audio systems power dynamic content—everything from instant replays to real-time stats. These aren’t just game-day upgrades; they’re part of a larger shift toward more connected, engaging environments. Immersive sports simulation is another growing trend, blending projection, sensors, and responsive audio to create virtual athletic practice environments. These systems offer a realistic, data-driven way for athletes to refine their skills without needing a full field or facility.

Esports presents a different but equally exciting challenge. Success here hinges on low-latency video, responsive switching, and seamless stream integration. Many schools are designing hybrid spaces that function as both competition stages and broadcast studios—complete with NDI-based camera systems, real-time graphics, and sound-isolated commentary zones. For players, ultra-responsive displays and consistent audio are critical. For spectators, it’s all about capturing the intensity of gameplay and team dynamics through thoughtful production.

Whether it’s football or Fortnite, the core question is the same: How do we use AV to create an experience that’s immersive, inclusive, and scalable?

The answer lies in smart infrastructure—networked video systems, centralized control, and flexible display tech that adapts as needs change. Schools don’t need to do everything at once, but they do need a roadmap. That means thinking beyond the next season and planning for long-term growth.

As someone who spends every day immersed in campus AV planning, I can say this: The most exciting learning doesn’t just happen in classrooms anymore; it happens where students gather, compete, and connect—and AV is what brings those moments to life.

AVT Question: Please share insights on emerging trends and technologies that help engage fans, distribute audio and video in near real-time, and make a difference in sporting venues and esports arenas.

Thought Leader: Robert Scovill, Live Sound Market Manager at Eastern Acoustic Works

It’s easy to assume that esports events would be a natural fit for any modern-day concert sound system. These are huge events with large crowds of enthusiastic gamers set in an arena typical of the scale for full-blown music concerts. However, this competition is broadcast live with gamers sitting behind their gaming consoles competing in front of an audience.

Esports audio comes with specific demands and aesthetic sensibilities. One such demand is that nothing can impede the view of the screens for the audience. The other audio design criteria is that the system must be capable of covering a full 360 degrees of audience geometry, often with a steep vertical demand. Additionally, it must offer excellent pattern control to keep audio off the stage and away from the gamers themselves. This dovetails perfectly into the design philosophy for EAW ADAPTive systems, which was recently evidenced at the Riot Games’ 2025 LTA Championship in Texas. Will Taylor, owner of Square Wave Productions, said, “The easiest way to do this event was with the EAW Anna system. It’s a game changer for what we’re doing.”

EAW ADAPTive products, such as Anya, Anna, AC6, and Otto, are all active designs that hang in straight columns and can expand horizontally, with each corner hanging from a single rigging location. This allows them to disappear into the corners of the video screens. ADAPTive products are one of the only PA systems to operate as a single acoustic source; they can simply ADAPT their vertical coverage via Resolution software to any vertical start and stop point. This allows the production to be very flexible with trim height and overall line length with no sacrifice to vertical coverage for the audience. EAW ADAPTive products are a significant win for the production designers at pro-level gaming events.

AVT Question: Please share insights on emerging trends and technologies that help engage fans, distribute audio and video in near real-time, and make a difference in sporting venues and esports arenas.

Thought Leader: Chris Teguh, Product Manager at Epson

In higher education sports and esports environments, immersive technologies are enhancing athlete training and how fans engage. Projection-based systems have a major impact on this market, with the ability to transform static spaces into dynamic, data-rich environments. High-brightness, high-resolution projectors can turn any surface into an interactive display, enabling virtual practice environments, enhanced coaching visualization, and engaging fan experiences.

One area that is gaining attraction in higher education is golf simulation. Projection is uniquely suited to create a large, immersive environment where students can hit a golf ball without damaging a display surface. When integrated with advanced golf performance software, student athletes have access to realistic, data-driven practice sessions regardless of weather, time of day, or location. These systems enable athletes to study ball flight analytics and practice in lifelike projected visuals, helping athletes refine performance.

When selecting a golf simulator projector, the underlying technology is a critical consideration. 3LCD projectors utilize three dedicated chips to reproduce all primary colors at once, delivering exceptional color accuracy and consistency across the entire image. This ensures subtle gradients—such as those found on greens, and deeper tones like sand traps—appear balanced and lifelike. Additionally, high-resolution and native contrast are important for maintaining image depth and clarity in diverse lighting environments.

In esports, immersive projection can help create visually striking competition spaces that heighten audience engagement. From projected scoreboards and reactive lighting effects to floor-to-ceiling visuals that mirror in-game action, projection brings spectators close to the excitement and helps higher ed institutions stand out as innovators in athletic and digital competition spaces.

Ultimately, tools like projection mapping, simulators, and interactive displays enhance both training and spectator experiences by creating immersive environments that deepen skill development and captivate audiences.

AVT Question: Please share insights on emerging trends and technologies that help engage fans, distribute audio and video in near real-time, and make a difference in sporting venues and esports arenas.

Thought Leader: Mark Bishop, President at LynTec

In today’s higher education sports and esports arenas, large-scale LED video walls and digital displays have become the centerpiece of the fan experience. These technologies energize spectators, provide real-time stats and replays, and transform venues into dynamic environments that rival professional stadiums. Behind the scenes, intelligent power management is the often-overlooked element that ensures these systems perform flawlessly while maintaining efficiency and safety.

Video walls and projection systems demand significant, consistent power. Even energy-efficient LED systems consume electricity when in standby mode, as drivers and processors remain active. This phantom power draw adds unnecessary cost and heat, shortening the lifespan of critical components and increasing HVAC strain. Intelligent power control systems solve this challenge by automatically disconnecting loads at the relay or breaker level when displays aren’t in use, eliminating waste and protecting sensitive electronics from voltage irregularities.

For large athletic facilities or esports arenas, motorized circuit breaker panels or compact relay modules deliver precise, automated control. Operators can safely power down specific zones such as scoreboards, locker rooms, and gaming pods, or bring an entire facility online with a single button press or scheduled event. This sequencing prevents damaging power surges while optimizing energy use.

The benefits extend beyond cost savings. Intelligent power control simplifies operations for technical staff, enhances reliability during live events, and ensures that every display, amplifier, and lighting circuit functions as intended. As the esports market keeps growing and universities continue investing in immersive AV technology to engage students and fans alike, power management becomes the foundation for consistent, sustainable performance. It brings reliability to complex systems and keeps the energy focused on the action, where it matters most.

AVT Question: Please share insights on emerging trends and technologies that help engage fans, distribute audio and video in near real-time, and make a difference in sporting venues and esports arenas.

Thought Leader: Christian Young, Product Manager at ATEN Technology

Technology has transformed higher education sporting venues and esports arenas into immersive environments that enhance both athletic performance and spectator engagement. Traditional college stadiums and gyms now incorporate smart infrastructure—such as advanced LED displays, dynamic lighting, and integrated sound systems—that create a high-energy atmosphere and amplify the drama of competition. High-density Wi-Fi and 5G connectivity are equally essential, ensuring fans can share experiences in real-time, access interactive stats, and engage with live polls or replays through mobile apps. These digital touchpoints extend the game beyond the physical venue, blending the in-person and online experience.

For athletes, technology shapes preparation and performance. Wearable sensors, video analytics, and real-time performance dashboards provide coaches and players with actionable insights. In esports, similar principles apply: latency-free networks, ergonomic hardware, and adaptive gaming setups ensure athletes compete at their peak. Training tools like VR simulations and eye-tracking systems push both traditional athletes and gamers toward higher levels of precision and resilience.

What truly defines immersion is the seamless layering of these elements. Augmented and virtual reality can transport spectators into the heart of the action, whether it’s a 360-degree replay on a jumbo screen or a VR headset experience that simulates being courtside. Gamification—through fantasy leagues, digital leaderboards, or in-arena challenges—adds another dimension of engagement, turning passive audiences into active participants.

Esports, in particular, thrives on interactivity. Streaming platforms, chat integrations, and AR overlays give fans influence over the broadcast narrative, making them part of the event itself. Higher ed institutions that embrace these technologies foster stronger communities, attract broader audiences, and create memorable experiences that extend school pride. Ultimately, the fusion of smart venue infrastructure, real-time data, and interactive storytelling is what transforms sports and esports into deeply engaging cultural events.

AVT Question: Please share insights on emerging trends and technologies that help engage fans, distribute audio and video in near real-time, and make a difference in sporting venues and esports arenas.

Thought Leader: Effi Goldstein, President at the HDBaseT Alliance

Higher ed sports and esports unfold at a lightning pace that demands high-speed, real-time ProAV performance with no room for distractions. Athletes need immediate responses from their gameplaying equipment to stay focused and competitive, while spectators inside and remote audiences viewing a streaming broadcast both require the same instantaneous content delivery to feel a deep level of immersion. While all involved have their own individual rooting interests, each shares the same opponent: latency that disrupts the experience and reduces the impact of critical moments.

Therefore, a reliable, zero-latency connectivity infrastructure is essential for providing seamless KVM control to players that prevents disadvantages caused by delays. Uncompressed 4K video and synchronized audio are a must for allowing in-person spectators to react with the action, amplifying the energy at the precise moment when big plays happen. For remote viewers, delivering the same high-quality feed at the same time ensures they feel equally involved, no matter where they may be tuning in from.

Cameras must capture angles in perfect sync, with audio and lighting controls integrated to support the environment without interference. Solutions like HDBaseT 3.0’s 5PLAY enable this by transmitting fully uncompressed, zero-latency 4K@60Hz 4:4:4, USB 2.0, Gigabit Ethernet, power, and control over a single cable, which results in clean, streamlined installations without distracting cable clutter.

In higher education sports facilities and esports arenas, these technologies, tied together over a high-performance connectivity infrastructure, create a cohesive experience where every element operates in real-time. Institutions adopting such systems improve engagement and build stronger, more immersive live competitions.

AVT Question: Please share insights on emerging trends and technologies that help engage fans, distribute audio and video in near real-time, and make a difference in sporting venues and esports arenas.

Thought Leader: Carrie Kaumans, Channel Marketing Director at Ampetronic | Listen Technologies

Technology continues to transform the live experience in higher education sports and esports venues. Modern facilities integrate networked systems, dynamic video displays, and audio to create environments that captivate both athletes and spectators. Technologies such as Bluetooth LE Audio and Audio over Wi-Fi provide flexible pathways for personal listening, allowing fans, coaches, and participants to access clear, real-time audio directly to their smartphone, earbuds, or hearing aids.

Venues that seek to implement technologies to enhance accessibility for all patrons, regardless of their hearing ability or device preference, ensure that everyone shares the same great experience.

Flexible network control, multi-channel distribution, and integrated assistive listening capabilities help meet accessibility and compliance standards while enhancing audience engagement. These technologies make university stadiums, arenas, and esports labs more connected, adaptable, and ready for the future.

Sony Corporation and TCL Electronics Holdings Limited have announced that the two companies have agreed to move forward with discussions and consideration for a strategic partnership in the home entertainment field.

Specifically, the two companies have signed a memorandum of understanding to confirm their intentions to establish a joint venture that will assume Sony’s home entertainment business, with TCL holding 51% and Sony holding 49% of its shares. The joint venture will operate globally, handling the full process from product development and design to manufacturing, sales, logistics, and customer service for products, including televisions and home audio equipment. Sony and TCL will proceed with discussions toward executing definitive binding agreements by the end of March 2026. Subject to execution of the definitive agreements and relevant regulatory approvals and other conditions, the new company is expected to commence its operations in April 2027.

The new company plans to advance its business by leveraging Sony’s high-quality picture and audio technology, brand value, and operational expertise, including supply chain management, while utilizing TCL’s advanced display technology, global scale advantages, industrial footprint, end-to-end cost efficiency, and vertical supply chain strength. The new company’s products are expected to carry the “Sony” name and “BRAVIA” name, aiming to create new customer value through these branded products, such as TVs and home audio equipment.

The global market for large TV products continues to expand, driven by trends such as diversified viewing styles through growing OTT (Over The Top) and video-sharing platforms, enhanced user experiences enabled by the evolution of smart features, as well as adoption of higher resolution and larger displays.

We Asked About the Professional Line of Sony BRAVIA

Building on its history of outstanding image quality and advanced processing, Sony’s BRAVIA displays have long been a premium line, offering additional professional features and favored by many commercial integrators and end-users.

With this in mind, AV Technology reached out to Sony for a comment on how the partnership might affect its professional line of BRAVIA displays. A Sony representative offered the following: “We consider the two companies to be nearly equal partners; both Sony and TCL will provide steadfast support for the sustainable growth of the new company, to create innovative products that meet the expectations of customers around the world and pursue further business growth through operational excellence.”

Perhaps the upshot will be that the professional line of BRAVIA displays will become more affordable. We'll have to wait and see.

For more information, visit https://www.sony.co.jp/en/ and https://electronics.tcl.com/.

AVT Question: Please share insights on emerging trends and technologies that help engage fans, distribute audio and video in near real-time, and make a difference in sporting venues and esports arenas.

Thought Leader: Joe da Silva, Vice President of Marketing at Extron

Esports is no longer a niche activity; it’s a strategic pillar for student engagement and institutional innovation. Across campuses, AV/IT professionals are leading the charge to design immersive, high-performance environments that support competitive play, academic integration, and long-term program growth. Pro AV technologies are central to this mission, enabling institutions to deliver professional-grade experiences while integrating seamlessly with existing campus infrastructure.

Student-athletes expect low-latency systems with features similar to professional esports venues. High-refresh-rate displays, accurate audio processing, and high-isolation headsets support this standard. AV/IT teams also require tools that simplify system operation, such as control interfaces that automate source switching and audio management across multiple zones.

Beyond gameplay, AV system design plays a key role in community building. Large video walls and immersive sound systems transform lounges and labs into vibrant esports hubs, drawing in spectators and fostering connection. These spaces often serve multiple purposes—supporting coaching, training, and academic programs, so flexibility is key.

Scalability should be top of mind when launching or expanding an esports program. Start with core AV elements—robust displays, sound reinforcement, and reliable streaming—and build on a flexible signal transport backbone using copper, fiber, or IP-based solutions. This ensures clean signal paths and future-readiness.

Optimizing campus networks for simultaneous gameplay is equally critical. Early collaboration with IT teams helps align AV systems with security policies and bandwidth demands. Middle Tennessee State University’s esports arena exemplifies this approach, integrating scalable AV switching and distribution, streaming media processing, audio DSP, and amplification.

By investing in immersive, scalable AV systems, educational institutions can deliver esports experiences that excite students, support academic goals, and position themselves as leaders in competitive gaming.

AVT Question: Please share insights on emerging trends and technologies that help engage fans, distribute audio and video in near real-time, and make a difference in sporting venues and esports arenas.

Thought Leader: Ted Greely, Territory Account Manager at Panasonic Projector and Display Americas

As universities expand their athletic programs and esports initiatives, they’re increasingly expected to deliver the same broadcast-quality experiences audiences expect from professional venues. The new Lee and Penny Anderson Arena at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, which was built as the school transitions to Division I athletics, embodies how the right AV foundation can elevate both the in-person and remote viewing experience.

Panasonic Projector and Display Americas worked closely with the university to integrate professional-grade display technology throughout the arena, ensuring every seat and every screen contributes to an immersive environment. Across the facility, high-brightness 4K panels—including TH-43SQE2, TH-55SQE2, TH-65SQE2, TH-75SQE2, and TH-86SQE2 models—deliver vivid, reliable visuals for live game feeds, instant replays, player stats, and digital signage. The SQE2 Series’ 24/7 durability and color-accurate IPS panels make them ideal for the fast-paced demands of collegiate sports and esports competitions alike.

Beyond the displays, the arena’s ecosystem connects seamlessly with Panasonic’s professional cameras and streaming infrastructure, which supports content capture and distribution to remote audiences without adding technical complexity for staff. The result is a venue that operates like a professional broadcast environment, giving students and fans the opportunity to experience live sports and esports events with the same polish and excitement found in pro arenas.

From flexible signal management to energy-efficient design, each component works together to support a future-ready, connected campus. The Anderson Arena demonstrates how thoughtful AV integration can turn higher-education sports facilities into dynamic, multi-purpose hubs that inspire engagement, build community pride, and create new opportunities for storytelling both on the field and on the screen.

AVT Question: Please share insights on emerging trends and technologies that help engage fans, distribute audio and video in near real-time, and make a difference in sporting venues and esports arenas.

Thought Leader: Ken Vanier, Vice President Sales and Operations, Americas at WyreStorm Technologies

In higher education, sports and esports have become powerful drivers of community, pride, and engagement, and technology now sits at the center of that experience. From the moment a match begins, the quality of sound, video, and interactivity shapes how students, athletes, and fans connect. It’s not just about what’s shown on the screen, but how reliably and seamlessly it all comes together to create an atmosphere that feels dynamic, connected, and alive.

Modern athletic facilities and esports arenas depend on audiovisual systems that deliver clarity, synchronization, and flexibility. Large-scale displays, distributed audio, and rock-solid IP-based connectivity help institutions manage live events more efficiently while giving audiences the best possible experience, whether they’re courtside or watching from another room on campus.

For esports in particular, which have become hugely popular with the younger generation, performance and responsiveness are critical. Systems must handle real-time visuals, USB and KVM control, and seamless integration between multiple sources without lag or complexity. That’s where advanced AV-over-IP infrastructures have become essential, offering high-quality video, stable connectivity, and easier scalability for both live play and broadcast environments.

Beyond performance, sustainability and management have become key priorities for universities. With tools like WyreStorm’s SYGMA Cloud, IT teams can monitor and manage AV systems remotely, reducing downtime, eliminating physical travel, and simplifying maintenance. It allows schools to focus on enhancing the student and spectator experience rather than troubleshooting systems mid-event.

At its core, the role of AV in higher education sports and esports is about connection. When technology works as it should, seamlessly and reliably, it helps to build stronger communities, motivate students, and enhance the impact of every event.