Sponsored content.

Custom Channels music-for-business streaming platform is enhancing digital signage. The URL-based solution has three-tiered software plans which are built on a common foundation of music hand-picked by passionate music mavens exclusive for use in the business environment; the highest quality digital sound with no variations in volume; no talk or interruptions from commercials, promos, or DJs; and less song repetition.

Kurt Oleson, COO and owner of Custom Channels Pro, sits down to answer all questions asked about this innovative music-streaming solution.

AV Network: What exactly is Custom Channels Pro and what makes it different from other business music services?

Kurt Oleson: Custom Channels Pro is a gamechanger for the digital signage industry. It’s the industry’s first URL-based music streaming solution designed specifically for digital signage integrators and CMS providers to bundle music with signage.

It is a self-serve, no-code, hardware-free solution that can be integrated into the platform, hardware, or software of the AV integrator’s choosing. What makes it unique is the incredible flexibility and compatibility of the secure URLs that a partner can provision in almost any environment, making deployment of multimedia installations hassle-free. This flexibility—combined with the professionally curated, built-for-business playlists—positions Custom Channels Pro as an exciting new business opportunity for installers and CMS integrators.

AVN: What need did you see in the market that led to the creation of Custom Channel Pro?

KO: As an industry leader in B2B music streaming for the last 25-plus years, we have had many integrator partners approach us about creating a simpler onboarding process for their clients. Businesses that leverage music and signage are ideal targets for simplification and consolidation. Integrators and resellers are always looking to provide value and generate recurring revenue, but they can often be held back by fragmented vendor systems, managing multiple hardware installations, and dealing with poor partner support. Custom Channels Pro addresses all these frustrations, while also being designed to provide value for businesses that want to take full advantage of licensed music.

AVN: How easy is it for AV integrators to bundle with digital signage?

KO: Integrators using Custom Channels Pro can provision a secure, universally compatible URL in seconds and drop it into their CMS of choice with no additional configuration needed. We even offer an API for CMS providers who want to take the product a step further and build a native licensed music integration.

AVN: What is the state of the business music market today? How much of it is licensed vs. unlicensed and what exposures do customers face?

KO: Recent studies have shown that businesses playing music that is aligned with their brand image can increase sales by over 30%—many of our customers come to us because they realize that a basic playlist put together by a manager or marketing executive simply won’t cut it.

That said, the number of businesses still playing unlicensed music is what makes this product so appealing to integrators. An estimated ~$2Bn in royalties is not being distributed to music creators as a result of misuse in the B2B music market. So not only can Custom Channels Pro partners provide an enterprise-grade, bundled music service with signage, but they can also help their clients overcome compliance and legal issues by utilizing Custom Channels Pro. Businesses can receive thousands of dollars in fines from any one of the major Performing Rights Organizations if found in violation of licensing laws. It’s our goal to ensure that artists and creators are fairly compensated and businesses are protected, so the solution needs to be simple.

AVN: What impact do you think Custom Channels Pro will have on an integrator's ability to sell a turnkey display/music solution?

KO: Custom Channels Pro gives integrators the ability to bundle music and signage in virtually any industry—retail, restaurants, hotels, medical, dental—and there are a few key advantages that partners will see immediately. First, they will have an instant upsell for any existing business where they are providing signage, and this can be pitched without asking the client to make any additional investment in hardware or installation costs since the URL can be embedded in existing platforms. Second, many integrators will find that Custom Channels Pro will unlock many non-traditional spaces to music streaming. Businesses where overhead audio equipment hasn’t been installed or isn’t traditionally included—now anywhere with a screen is a potential source of licensed music for the client and a recurring revenue stream for the partner.

AVN: How does the integrator pricing work for Custom Channel Pro?

KO: Pricing is offered at a tiered, wholesale rate based on business volume and deployment needs. As a trusted partner in the AV industry, Custom Channels will also work directly with partners who need custom pricing for enterprise business or clients with unique music needs. Between-song messaging is also available as an add-on.

AVN: Is Custom Channels Pro available globally or in specific geographies? If available initially only in North America, will it eventually be available in other regions?

KO: Custom Channels Pro is launching in North America with plans to expand to other countries in the future.

About Custom Channels

Custom Channels is the leading music for business streaming platform. Its three-tiered software plans are built on a common foundation of music hand-picked by passionate music mavens exclusive for use in the business environment; the highest quality digital sound with no variations in volume; no talk or interruptions from commercials, promos, or DJs; less song repetition; and no inappropriate language. Visit www.CustomChannels.net to learn more.

Sponsored Content

In a recent conversation with AV Technology’s Cindy Davis, Sharp senior vice president, and general manager Mark Quiroz shared his vision for Sharp in the coming year, insight on which verticals have the greatest potential for growth in the broader display market, and thoughts on how display manufacturers can best support both end users and integrators.

Watch the full video interview below.

It’s widely accepted that the pandemic fundamentally altered how we interact with technology, but according to Quiroz, we have now reached an inflection point in our desire—and need—to return to in-person experiences. When it comes to displays, he explained, this shift is particularly apparent in the corporate and retail spaces.

“I'm particularly excited about the rebound of commercial real estate; it's been in a tough spot and display has suffered from that downturn,” he said. “But as folks are coming back to the office, it's going to be about getting the right technology so they can work more productively in a more hybrid type of environment.”

“And everybody thought that [online shopping] was going to be the end all be all, but I think folks are still looking for great experiences within the retail environment,” Quiroz continued. “That, then, raises the bar on what that experience needs to be, because it has to compete with a very efficient way of buying and trading goods. So, that's where the opportunity to deliver these incredible in-store, brick-and-mortar experiences becomes critical for retailers. How do you do that? Whatever you need to communicate—you deliver through visually striking displays.”

Yet despite this mounting need—all the cutting-edge display technology in the world is useless if it’s not made with the integrator and end user in mind. Fortunately, the experts at Sharp are in vanguard when it comes to thoughtfully designed and deployed displays.

“It's about understanding the needs of both communities; you want to make things very simple,” Quiroz said. “Focus on the solutions and tools to be able to manage, deploy, and operate display fleets. We need to make that easier, because it's a challenge going from hanging one single panel to deploying a custom project where it's basically a mini construction project. So, the ability to support those communities with access to engineers, R&D, and so forth on a real time basis—that's really important.”

And finally, what is Quiroz most excited for in 2025? In a word—dvLED.

“I came in at its inception, when it was really starting to take—six or seven years ago—and now the applications are starting to widen and we're at the knee of the curve where it's growing gangbusters,” Quiroz said. “I mean, there's a reason why you see consolidation and investment coming into the display space: They see that there's an opportunity, and that really excites me. So, I do think 2025 is going to be a key year for that.”

Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America (SIICA) is a division of Sharp Electronics Corporation, the U.S. subsidiary of Japan’s Sharp Corporation, a global technology company that has been named to Fortune magazine’s World’s Most Admired Company List. Sharp strives to help businesses achieve Simply Smarter work by helping companies manage workflow efficiently, create immersive and engaging environments, and increase productivity. SIICA offers a full suite of secure printer and copier solutions, commercial displays and projectors, Dynabook laptops, management and productivity software and fully managed services. As a total solutions provider, Sharp has a reputation for innovation, quality, reliability, and industry-leading customer support expertise.

I spent three days on the show floor of the 2022 NAB Show. Here are a few observations from an NAB veteran.

Attendance was fine.

With an official number of 52,468 registered attendees, I’d say the post-pandemic crowds were at acceptable levels. I don’t think anyone expected record numbers, and the show certainly didn’t achieve them.

That said, there was healthy foot traffic during the first three days. Every time I walked by big-booth companies—like Adobe and Blackmagic Design in the North Hall, as well as Grass Valley and Panasonic in the Central Hall—they were packed. I’ve never attended a show where every exhibitor was happy, but most I talked to were pleased.

Monday appeared to be the busiest day of the show. I’d say the jury is still out on the Sunday start; considering the three-year layoff, it’s difficult to truly gauge if it was a draw.

The focus was on quality not quantity.

Despite the lower numbers, more than one exhibitor told me they were pleased with the quality of attendees. Essentially, the “tire kickers” were the ones who stayed home.

[The Nine 2022: Meet 9 Pro AV Superstars]

There was lots of new.

New products, new companies, new innovations. Regular visitors to avnetwork.com have been seeing our stories reporting the latest product introductions. Trust me, there was even more to see.

There were also new companies like BEAM, which offers a technology management platform. I expect they will be making their presence known in the Pro AV market in the near future. And StageConnect showed off its two-way, real-time live streaming platform that could very quickly become a game changer for live events.

Oh yes, there was hugging.

Reports of the death of live trade shows have been greatly exaggerated. After three years, people were happy to be back on the show floor and reconnect. I don’t think I’ve ever been hugged as much as I was hugged at NAB 2022. Videoconferencing has been an essential tool for doing business over the last few years, and it will continue to be an effective way to keep those connections alive. However, if NAB 2022 is any indication, nothing beats being face-to-face for conducting business in our industry.

“So, how did it go?” It’s a simple question, but how you answer tells me which path you’d take at the fork in the road. Are you walking towards perfection or excellence?

Working in the live events sector of the audiovisual industry, we manage the technical elements of a production. But we are also in the business of managing expectations. More often than not, our clients expect flawless execution.

I know that my team delivers near-perfect shows most of the time. But a standard of perfection? That is paralyzing.

Chasing perfection steals joy during the process. In my job, there is nothing I love more than being on headset calling cues for my team of technicians. The energy is exhilarating. I’m also aware of the fact that any number of things can, and may, go wrong during a live production. But if that’s where I focused my energy during an event, I would be a nervous wreck! It would rob me of the laughter, fun, and dedication that I experience with my team every time we are on a job site together.

Perfection limits possibilities. If my primary goal was to deliver perfection, why would I ever try something new? “This is the way we’ve always done it, so we will keep doing it that way,” would be something I said on a daily basis. But where’s the growth opportunity in that?

Rather than seeking perfection, I strive for excellence. I work diligently to give my clients the best experience and the best of me.

How do I handle myself in times of imperfection? If I were to get stressed, allow negativity to take over, or begin to shut down in order to cope with whatever is going wrong, that would undoubtedly transfer to my clients as well.

In moments of “imperfection,” I intentionally speak positivity into the situation. I reassure my clients—and my team—that whatever is happening is fixable. We work quickly to resolve the issue and find a solution, and we do it with respect. We don’t let it deter us from having a great rest of the show. Because that’s the thing with live events, the show must go on.

I put my people and the big picture before this nebulous idea of perfection. I know that, in order to move forward, I need to act the way I want to feel. But I also know that my clients, and my team, take their cues from me. If I’m negative or frustrated, how can I expect them to act any differently? But if I’m able to keep going, there is a chance they may be able to shake it off and do the same. That is choosing excellence over perfection.

The first time I noticed that I was moving away from the confines of perfection, I was sitting in a large exhibit hall with four projectors showing content on screens in a room filled with 2,000 people. Suddenly, one of those projectors failed, and I sent my best technicians to troubleshoot the issue. At the same time, I continued to call the show and ease my client’s concerns.

Now, I knew the other three projectors were more than enough for the attendees to view the program, but I needed to reassure my client of that as well. I was able to come off my headset, get an update from my technician, and tell my client that, unfortunately, there was nothing we could do to get the projector back up and running before the conclusion of her event. I also told her that it was necessary to pause any further discussion because I needed to get back on the headset to ensure a successful remainder of the show.

I always want my clients to have confidence in me and my team, and a great way to continue to show your trustworthiness is to roll with the punches and deliver a product you can be proud of.

I used to feel that if I couldn’t do something perfectly, I didn’t want to do it at all. That is a fast track to a life of disappointment and missed opportunity—I was robbing myself of the joy of new experiences.

If I’m too scared to serve in the role of “show caller” because every cue may not be perfect, I’m robbing myself of the joy of the live events experience. I would also be robbing my clients and team members of what it’s like to be around me when I’m at my best. I’m an enthusiastic person who loves to celebrate and encourage others. But if all I did in my job was sit behind my computer, I am robbing those around me of that experience.

I’ve changed my vocabulary. I don’t strive for perfection; I strive for excellence. Excellence allows for mistakes, learning, and even failure—that’s another word that should be eliminated from the dictionary. But, I’m pacing myself—taking on one word at a time.

You probably know by now that one of the chief benefits of bringing AV devices onto the network is the data and analytics you can glean from them—and that when it comes to streamlining your real estate costs, this data can be invaluable. Knowing precisely how your space and the technology within it are used offers the potential for tremendous cost savings. But where do you start?

“Room scheduling systems are quickly becoming the way to efficiently manage the modern workspace and meeting culture of the enterprise customer,” said Joe da Silva, director of product marketing at Extron. The company’s TLS - TouchLink Scheduling panels display room availability and schedules, while providing the information needed to closely analyze room usage, activity patterns, and occupancy trends across the organization. “Each Extron scheduling panel stores information about room usage and the meeting data, which may be retrieved from all panels for analysis,” da Silva said. “It is easy to measure and visualize activity patterns by using analytics tools like Microsoft PowerBI to generate interactive reports and insights.”

In addition, Extron GVE (GlobalViewerEnterprise) software gives users the ability to manage AV devices across an organization. “Every Extron product generates a lot of date and the reporting tools inside of GVE allow informed decisions about inventory and maintenance plans,” da Silva continued. “Tech support personnel can view live information about the devices installed in every space. GVE allows organizations to identify usage trends, maximize system uptime, calculate energy usage, and maintain inventory lists for all spaces. Technicians may also manage their GVE environment by using the iGVE mobile App, available for the Apple iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch devices.

As an industry leader, Crestron has been providing businesses with data analytics tools for more than a decade, according to Nic Milani, the company’s executive director of commercial product marketing. Its web-based tools like Crestron Fusion and XiO Cloud are designed to collect data and generate reports to help organizations optimize investments in people, spaces, and technology.

“Having access to information such as room utilization, occupancy, and device usage enables better decision making and guarantees the technology supports how people work within the organization,” Milani said. “Beyond the data, it is critical for the system to also have intelligence. Crestron Room Scheduling integrates seamlessly with these data tools to provide employees with a more intuitive and efficient workspace. With the ability to recognize when employees do not show up to their meetings and instantly return the space back into inventory provides everyone in the office access to an updated list of meeting spaces at any time.”

Better utilization of space, more productivity, and less frustration. That’s a win-win-win.

The concept of an intelligent building involves an approach that is not unfamiliar to the AV integration industry. AV designers, integrators, consultants, and programmers have been in the business of making disparate equipment talk together and act as one cohesive unit for some time.

Similar to other integration projects, before attempting to provide a solution for an intelligent building, it is critical to define the need and determine the value that will be provided to the user, technology manager, and owner. Is the intent to be provide a more seamless user experience? Is energy management an initiative? Is cost savings a driving force? Is eliminating redundancy and providing efficiency of operation key?

An intelligent building is only successful when the client truly identifies the benefit, is an advocate for the solution, and is fully involved in seeing the project through to completion.

One of the key elements in uniting the disparate systems involved delivering an intelligent building is the communication between all the parties involved in implementing the various building management subsystems. Whether it is HVAC, lighting, shading, card access readers, security cameras, public signage, life safety, or room reservation software, each system has its own sensors, controls, programming, and application. In addition, each is typically set up to operate in an isolated manner without awareness of adjacent systems, with which they could communicate. The ability for systems to interact starts with the understanding that there is a need to exchange information, defining what information is important to share, and specifying how the communication will take place. Some systems or devices can communicate directly through a common protocol, whereas others may require special software called “middleware” that acts as a translator. This is where it is critical to have a client advocate or a building control consultant involved to ensure that each of the subsystems is set up or programmed to communicate with the others either directly, with the use of middle-ware, or through a third-party control system.

Once the need for communication is established, the next step is to define the “control points” and feedback required from each system. Like other programmable devices, subsystems of a building are custom configured using programming tools supported by each specific manufacturer. Although systems may have APIs or be compatible with a standard building control protocol like BACnet, there is still a need to understand the specific data points or “programming hooks” that are set up for external control. These requirements should be spelled out upfront and clearly communicated prior to the setup of each subsystem and should be derived from the goals of the user, technology manager, and owner. Like any AV integration project, without a mechanism to define the solution and establish expectations upfront, the likelihood of a successful implementation and satisfied client will be slim.

Another consideration when connecting subsystems that typically operate independently is the need to ensure they work cooperatively, avoiding malfunction, inefficiency, and downtime. A management plan and control solution that define priorities and provide conflict resolution should be set up to ensure subsystems are working in harmony and not overriding each other. One way of doing this would be with a centralized control processor that is programmed to establish the rules that dictate the operation of the subsystems.

AV’S ROLE IN INTELLIGENT BUILDING DESIGN

AV control systems are well suited to serve as the management piece that provides the operating guidelines for intelligent buildings. The AV control system has the advantage of being in close touch to the user. AV control systems not only capture user intent through direct interaction, they also monitor the usage of rooms, are aware of the application being used in the room, and can provide insightful information on the users’ needs at a given time. For example, if the AV system is being used for a presentation, it is likely that the HVAC should be set to a preset room temperature, lighting should be dim, shades should be down, and the room should be reserved for use in the scheduling system. Alternately, when AV systems are not in use, the HVAC should go to an unoccupied preset, lighting should be off, shades should be adjusted based on time of year (down during the summer and up during the winter), and the room should be available for booking or possibly secured if it is after hours.

The last consideration for an intelligent building should be a comprehensive dashboard to monitor the status of all systems and manage their interactivity from location. A single piece of software that can provide operator controls for manual override, adjustment of settings, and modification of thresholds as well as collection, processing, and display of data is a critical component of a successful implementation. This software should not be limited to any one type of system or application. It should unify the building controls, AV controls, and other devices on the network that contribute to the intelligent building solution.

Although building management systems have existed for a long time without interaction with AV systems, and AV systems can operate without the benefit of building management systems, it is their interaction that contributes to intelligent buildings that achieve goals, enhance value, and provide a superior user experience.

Steve Greenblatt, CTS, is president and founder of Control Concepts, a provider of specialized software and services for the audio-visual industry.

A dozen or so fortunate journalists, customers, and collaborators were privy to a captivating demonstration of Meyer Sound’s Spatial Sound at the Agnes Varis & Karl Leichtman Studio, part of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City.

The demo was led by Steve Ellison, Meyer Sound’s director, spatial sound, who showed how the company’s SpaceMap algorithm can manipulate live sound on the fly—creating a unique soundscape that can manipulated a number of ways.

The studio had many of Meyer’s recently introduced UP-4slim UltraCompact installation loudspeakers hung around the room, forming an oval around the attendees, and eight Ashby-8C installation loudspeakers overhead. There were also floor-mounted lower lateral UP4s placed around the room in a rectangle, and microphones hanging at various points for the Constellation system.

Using a touchpad with an easy-to-follow GUI for control, Ellison started the demo by playing a track of rhythmic clapping—two people clapping in unison, one on each track. By moving his finger across the touchpad, he could perform three-dimensional panning of the tracks—placing the sounds anywhere he wanted, moving them along the speakers as they traveled. More than left-right, the sounds went forward and backward, fading the clapping on one side, while amplifying the other. Effortlessly, he moved them all around the space.

That was impressive, but he took things to a whole other level when he brought in musician Eric Dahlman—a friend of his he has known “since he was zero” (their parents were friends before Ellison was born). Dahlman started blowing air through his trumpet into a microphone, and used pedals for delay and looping. From there it was fed into Meyer’s SpaceMap-enabled D-Mitri audio platform, which gave Ellison the ability to begin moving the sound around the room—forward and back, side to side, back to side. Dahlman continued adding sounds—bells, trumpet—that Ellison would place in the room and move it at odds with the breathing sound.

The result was a unique immersive experience that put the mixer in as much a creative position as the performer, or, as Ellison put it, “creating an instrument with a room.”

SpaceMap is not new—Ellison mentioned that it dates back to 1993 — and it has been used in many theaters and sound spaces; notably the deeply immersive Broadway production of Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812. But the reason for yesterday’s demo was to illustrate Meyer’s intention about expanding SpaceMap back to where it was originally conceived—live music performance.

The recent Moogfest showed some of SpaceMap’s potential with the creation of a unique soundscape at the new A3, an advanced spatial sound environment inside the Durham Armory created as a collaborative effort by Moogfest, Meyer Sound, and Virginia Tech’s Institute for Creativity, Arts and Technology (ICAT). Aprovided a large-scale, multi-dimensional spatial sound environment for performances by Shabazz Palaces, Suzanne Ciani, Mouse on Mars, and Waajeed, among others.

The A3 system comprised a total of 51 Meyer Sound loudspeakers, with the main LEOPARD line arrays augmented by 22 surround and overhead speakers for total audience immersion. As in the NYC demo, a D-Mitri handled the SpaceMap chores.

The demo definitely left the attendees wanting to hear more. It will be interesting to report on how the creative audio community incorporates Spatial Sound into their live shows.

Quick Bio

Name: Malik Khan

Position: Senior Vice President, Operations

Company: ANC

Overtime: Khan will appear on the “What’s Next for the UX?” panel at the SCN Think Tank in Jersey City, NJ.

With retailers, venues, and teams constantly looking for new ways to engage with consumers and fans and bring them into their spaces, you’ll often hear the word “experiential” brought up in discussions with clients and advertisers. This is usually followed by references to “immersive” and “interactive”, but many integrators are left wondering what that really means. What qualifies as experiential? What’s the difference between delivering an immersive project or an interactive one? What really works? I’ll let the marketers argue over that last question, but I can explain the rest.

In the simplest terms, an experiential project is one that leaves a strong, lasting impression when the person leaves the space. Now this may be a product they’re being reminded of or a graphic or piece of art that inspires them as they continue on their day. None the less, the technology has made an impact. Terms like interactive and immersive can sound obvious, but are they? For today’s purposes, let’s say interactive should require individuals actually be able to—for lack of a better term—interact with the finished product (though even that has a broad definition). Immersive doesn’t mean you have to build an escape room, and the two aren’t mutually exclusive either.

The key difference between the two is that immersion should make the person feel like they’re a part of the project through content, placement, or technology. It should feel continuous and engaging, and as though the time they’re in or around the project is unique to that space. Interactive should make the person feel like they contributed in the finished project, whether physically through sensors, digitally through an app, personally through social media, or generically—sometimes even without them knowing it.

Technologically speaking, interactive technology is probably the most evolved of the two. In the industry, we’ve had the ability to use sensors and cameras even before the Kinect sensor came out almost a decade ago; even Bluetooth beacons and Wi-Fi capabilities for interactive applications have been around for a few years.

Each of these types of experiential projects have their own pros and cons. While there are a lot of examples of each, the limitations on the project usually dictate which is best to use. For example, beacons can be impractical in large spaces and cameras have limitations on distance depending on the types of lenses being used and the amount of recognition you need.

Immersion technology is a more recent trend and is most often thought of as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). But it can also be a combination of technology and content that gives the viewer the sense of continuation. One example of this can be found at Pier 17 at Seaport District in New York City, where the viewer can stand in the center of the atrium, look up and feel that they’re in the graphic. Another example is the SalesForce Lobby in San Francisco, where you can close your eyes and almost feel the mist coming off the waterfalls in the content.

In my experience, the best experiential projects are ones that deliver a little of both organic interaction and immersion, where the viewers put out the least amount of effort to engage (or don’t even know how they are), but feel like they’re a part of the install. It is an art form—one that sometimes includes a lot of technology and money—to accomplish this tastefully on a large scale, like in a transit center or public space. This level of commitment to experiential projects can often carry a hefty price tag for the client, but the impact it makes on the viewer is one that will be well worth the investment for years to come.

With the recent release of AR Development Kits by Apple and Google, there has been a flood of companies interested in getting involved in this market on both the hardware and software side. New products and integrations are coming out regularly that can make a successful experiential project more achievable for those willing to try—I say try because I would never call these projects easy, even with all of the new technology and techniques available.

One thing is for certain, we can expect the boundaries to continue to expand for these types of projects and the rest of us will hopefully be able to take part in the experience.

How many times has one of your customers approached you with an issue or a problem? Often, we find ourselves threatened or at least uncomfortable when a customer approaches us with a complaint or some other form of problem. Our lack of comfort can be exacerbated if the customer is temperamental or distressed in some way.

In spite of this, I have found that how you handle these types of situations can have a significant impact on the strength of your customer relationships. Stated somewhat differently, customer problems are opportunities in disguise. Allow me to explain this in more detail.

When I conduct focus groups or individual interviews with highly loyal customers across a broad spectrum of different industries (retail, restaurants, medical devices, chemicals, etc.), I consistently find that what creates loyalty is the absence of perceived risk. When I speak with a client’s truly loyal customers, I find they are completely confident that every time they deal with our client they will have a great experience, and—in those rare cases when they do not—they have absolutely no doubt the company will take whatever steps are necessary to immediately rectify the situation.

When I speak with customers who do not consider themselves loyal to a client, I get a completely different impression. These customers speak about inconsistency—sometimes they have a very good experience, other times they do not. “You never know what you are going to get,” is a comment we hear often.

These conversations with customers highlight a key point. Loyalty does not come by “delighting” them or “exceeding their expectations.” Rather, it comes by on a 24/7 basis. In this context, problem resolution is really an opportunity in disguise—a way to build trust with your customers when inconsistency of execution inevitably raises its ugly head.

The tendency in this country over the last 10 to 15 years has been to regard customer service as a cost center. What do profit-maximizing companies do with cost centers? They try everything they can to reduce their costs. This has become increasingly easy to do with the substantial reductions in the cost of communications that have occurred over this time period.

What I have argued here is that far from being a cost center, customer service is actually a profit center. Customers whose problems are satisfactorily resolved subsequently spend more than those who did not have a problem and quantumly more than those whose problems are not properly handled.

Here is another way to think about this. Virtually everyone I know has a Nordstrom’s story. The story is never “I bought this red tie at Nordstrom’s and when I went to my meeting everyone liked it.” Far from it, actually. The typical person’s Nordstrom’s story involves some sort of purchase issue and how Nordstrom’s was able to quickly and effectively handle their particular problem for them.

The choice is yours. What kind of stories do you want your customers telling about you?

By the Numbers

Let me illustrate this with some analysis we did a few years ago for an internet retailer. I surveyed approximately 1000 respondents who had placed an order with our client in January 2014. I then divided these respondents into three separate groups:

1. Those who reported no problem with their purchase.

2. Those who had a problem with their purchase that was resolved to their satisfaction when they first reported it to our client.

3. Those that had a problem that was not resolved to their satisfaction when they first reported it to our client.

For each group of customers, I monitored their subsequent purchases from our client over the next three months. So, what did I find out?

Those customers (as a group) who did not experience a problem spent on average about $100 with our client in the following three-month period. Those customers who experienced a problem and did not have a satisfactory experience with customer service when they reported it did not just sit around and moan. They substantially reduced their expenditures to an average of $20 over the subsequent three months—an 80-percent reduction. Interestingly, those customers in the third group, those whose problem was handled satisfactorily by customer service, actually spent $106 over the same subsequent period—six percent more than the customers who did not have a problem at all (and 430 percent more than the customers whose problems were not resolved satisfactorily).

With end users accessing video on more and more devices, institutions must ensure that their video stream is available on as many platforms as possible with a uniform level of quality. To attain that parity, institutions need to manage a number of variables from production to delivery.

There are several factors that influence quality. First, the level of video quality required is going to vary from device to device and between facilities. For example, there’s going to be a difference viewing video on a 55-inch display versus a mobile phone, tablet, or perhaps, even a watch. Facilities also have to consider whether they’re streaming on-demand versus live video. With on-demand streams, a little more video quality can be squeezed out. With real-time codecs and content, quality is constrained by how much bandwidth can be applied to compress the video as it’s going through a processor. That being said, latency may be more of a priority for some applications than others. For example, if you’re watching a television program, it may not matter if you receive that sitcom 5 seconds, 10 seconds, or even 20 seconds later. But in other applications, such as financial news or a military application, where video data is coming in from field ops, latency is critical. They must be able to receive video in the highest possible quality, in real time, regardless of the devices it’s being viewed on.

As the video codec field continues to evolve, and with more and more processing power available within each new generation of device, more efficient video codecs will allow facilities to achieve the quality that they need across a range of devices. Historically, the video codec market started with MPEG-1, then MPEG-2 followed by the H.264 (also known as MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding, or AVC) standard. Now, the industry is migrating toward High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), also known as H.265 and MPEG-H Part 2. But even within the confines of the latest standard, there’s a wide range in terms of flexibility and quality a video codec can deliver. It all depends on how a manufacturer has designed the codec, which is why selecting the video codec that not only guarantees the highest quality but also can cover the broadest range of use cases in a facility is paramount.

By taking advantage of the more efficient video codecs, facilities will be able to achieve better quality at lower bandwidths, and be able to see equivalent video quality from device to device.

Bill Cassidy is associate VP of sales—broadcast, enterprise, and government at VITEC.

Recently, a significant amount of time has been expended on the discussion of certain numbers. Topics have included 1Gb versus 10Gb, 4K versus 8K, single-frame times (16 or 33 milliseconds), and so forth. They are generally used in the context of a dialogue concerning IP networks. But there are some other very important numbers associated with IP networks that would be useful to know and remember.

1,518

For about 30 years, this number has been the maximum number of bytes in an Ethernet data frame. There is a legend among IT enthusiasts that the original IEEE 802.3 Committee, which was charged with writing the Ethernet standard, couldn’t agree whether the data field should allow 1,000 bytes or 2,000 bytes. So, the committee agreed on 1,500 bytes. Because the committee already had decided on the size of the address, payload identifier, and error check fields, 18 bytes were added to the 1,500 to make the total maximum size of a frame 1,518 bytes. This 1,500-byte maximum is the basis of virtually all system designs, regardless of the type of payload. It can be data, voice, video, audio, or metadata. A standard has been written that allows jumbo frames, but their use outside of data centers is infrequent.

1,460

Since nearly all IP packets are carried in Ethernet frames, we assume the entire packet structure is limited to 1,518 bytes and the IP packet consists of the 1,500 bytes in the data field. However, all IP packets use a 20-byte header that contains addresses, an error-check code, and other metadata. In addition, the next header in the packet will be either TCP or the combination of UDP and RTP. TCP uses 20 bytes. UDP and RTP use 8 bytes and 12 bytes, respectively. Consequently, the number of bytes that can be used for the application and its data is 1,460. This means that every video stream, audio stream, or data transfer using TCP/IP will have the data segmented into chunks of no more than 1,460 bytes. For example, the MPTS format, which is widely used in digital signage and IPTV, usually packs seven MPEG packets into each IP packet. Each mpeg packet contains 188 bytes. So, the total MPEG video/audio payload is 188 x 7 = 1,316 bytes. Adding just one more audio or video packet would exceed the 1,460-byte limit.

The importance of this number cannot be exaggerated with regard to IP networks. Even in the threeway handshake that establishes a TCP connection, the two systems assume that 1,460 is the maximum transmission unit (MTU). It can be negotiated to a lower limit. But, in practice, this is usually never done. Additionally, we must realize that the maximum 1,460 bytes of data in each 1,518-byte frame means there is a minimum of 3.8 percent overhead that reduces the effective bandwidth utilization. This principle applies to every one-way flow.

There are many other numbers that are used frequently in AV over IP. Some of these are 80, 443, and 224. But, we’ll save those for another lesson.

One of the biggest catchphrases in the AV industry of late has been the “integrated experience.” What does this entail for spaces like meeting rooms?

A true integrated experience needs to account for all considerations that make an impression on users and provide positive feelings and a successful outcome before, during, and after being in the meeting space. This experience includes their ability to easily find the space, their comfort level within the rooms, their ability to leverage the technology for their needs, and most importantly, the satisfaction they have in accomplishing their goals for the meeting, presentation, lesson, or entertainment.

Here are some critical design and control considerations that lead to a highly valued integrated experience.

MAKING SPACE

First, let’s start with the space: the size of the room should be appropriate for the number of participants. One solution for addressing space considerations and rooms management would be through use of a room-booking and wayfinding system. Furthermore, through development of middleware, external software applications can be integrated with local room control systems allowing data to be exchanged, facilitating automation and optimization. A room-booking system not only helps identify the most appropriate space for the size of the group and technology needs of the meeting or event, it could also set up the room for use based on the scheduled activity. In addition to reserving the room, integration with a calendaring system provides participants with an appointment and reminders that could include details of room location, meeting agenda and content, remote connection details, and even Wi-Fi access details for guests.

The use of middleware connecting enterprise-level room scheduling software with an AV control system within the room can be a big step in creating an integrated experience. Not only can control of the space can be automated and provide a personalized touch specific to the needs of the user, it also helps to optimize room usage and system performance. In ideal scenarios, technology should be transparent to the user unless they choose to interact with it. By integration of environmental controls like HVAC, lighting, and shades along with scheduling and digital signage to guide, welcome, and inform, users will be treated to a higher level of care. This can be taken further by automatically activating aspects of technology that enhance the meeting or event like conference calls, live streams, video playback, or recording. Attendees can also be provided personalized controls via a mobile app or website link that supports communication with other participants, collaborating on documents, requesting help, reporting feedback, and even ordering refreshments. At the close of the event, it is just as important that participants are comfortable leaving and knowing where they need to go, understanding how to end the session or shut down the room, and automatically receiving materials that they need for follow up.

All of this demonstrates how automation can truly provide an integrated experience; however, it’s not done with magic. A lot of effort needs to be invested in the planning, design, software, and most importantly operation of these systems to create harmony that any user will value. It starts with the design of the facility including all spaces with which the participant will interact. With strategically placed signage to communicate meeting schedules, event details, room bookings, and locations of spaces like restrooms, break areas, and exits to the building, users will be comforted and their stress and anxiety minimized. Everyone hates getting lost, being late, and being distracted before an important event.

INTELLIGENT ROOMS

Other key elements within the space are the use of sensors. Knowing when rooms are in use or vacant, temperature, light level, the number of occupants, and possibly who is present will provide the ability to offer automation and adjustments that contribute to better management of the spaces, and enhanced comfort level and experience. Automation of a space is only possible when the proper input and feedback are available from the equipment and systems. A room can be set up for a meeting or event in advance; however, perhaps the activity does not kick off until the following criteria are met: the start time is reached, 80 percent of participants have arrived, and the organizer and key attendees are present. Selection of equipment that provides a robust API and predeveloped control modules plays an important role in ensuring the system is operating at optimal performance. Receiving feedback from the equipment on its current status as well as its “health” and usage history will help to provide finer control and information for proactively addressing needs before they lead to problems.

The last element that is important to consider is the investment in a software monitoring platform that can manage, monitor, control, and maintain all of the spaces within a facility or enterprise. This software needs to be flexible, scalable, and universal enough that it is not limited to integration with one particular brand, but can universally interface with anything that contributes to the integrated experience. As organizations grow and their needs increase, this software will be at the central point of their command center where ability to schedule, launch, support, and manage events is found. The ability to identify status, control activity, and respond to requests with concierge or VIP service can provide the ultimate level of client care and lead to an ideal integrated experience. Additionally, by collecting feedback from the users in conjunction with monitoring the system performance, adjustments can be made to continuously respond to user needs and preferences.

As with most successful outcomes, the integrated experience involves a conscious effort, time, detailed information, and effective planning. By first starting with the result in mind and working backward, the story will be painted as to desired experience and challenges that need to be addressed. Next, the solution will stem from defining the software and automation requirements, which will then dictate the design and hardware elements. As it all comes together, testing and user feedback will provide opportunities for fine tuning and integration. The interactive experience is an ongoing effort rather than a project finish point.

Info

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concepts.net

Steve Greenblatt, CTS, is president and founder of Control Concepts, a provider of specialized software and services for the audiovisual industry.

Disabling hearing loss impacts 466 million people around the world according to the World Health Organization. And that number is expected to rise—a study by Johns Hopkins University concluded that the number of Americans aged 20 and older who suffer from hearing loss will double over the next 43 years.

One of the biggest factors affecting hearing is age. People may naturally lose some ability to hear well as they grow older (age-related hearing loss). More often though, hearing loss is the result of years of exposure to loud noises. Just as exposure to sunlight over a long period of time has a cumulative effect on the appearance and overall health of our skin, exposure to noise at high volumes—whether acute or chronic—can impact our ability to hear and can lead to hearing loss.

Prevention is the Best Medicine

Here are some quick tips to protect hearing and limit potential for long-term hearing loss.

1. Avoid loud noise whenever possible.

2. Wear ear protection in loud environments—like at a rock concert or around machinery.

3. Use headphones and personal devices at safe volumes.

4. Have hearing tested regularly.

Fortunately, advances in hearing aid and assistive listening technology mean people suffering from hearing loss have more tools than ever to help them hear sound clearly and engage more fully with others and their surroundings. Consider these four assistive listening technologies and their applicability in different environments.

Radio Frequency (RF)

Radio frequency transmits audio from a source to a receiver—this could be a person’s hearing aid or a small receiver worn around the neck—via the DECT 1.9 GHz, 72 MHz or 216 MHz FM bands. This technology works similarly to a radio station that broadcasts audio to individual receivers. RF systems are ideal for large venues such as outdoor stadiums or theaters because RF is able to travel great distances.

Infrared (IR)

IR systems use infrared light to transmit audio from a source to a receiver. Similar to RF, IR systems can deliver sound directly to a user’s hearing aid or to a receiver that he/she carries or wears around the neck. Unlike RF, infrared cannot penetrate walls or other obstructions. This limitation makes IR technology ideal for courtrooms, classrooms, conference rooms, adjacent theaters, and other venues where spillover of sound would be disruptive to others or breach confidentiality.

Induction Loop

Hearing aid wearers and those with cochlear implants often prefer induction loop systems to any other assistive listening system (ALS) because they are easy and discrete—there is no need to check out a separate receiver. Induction loop systems feature a loop of wire around a venue that creates an electromagnetic field within the parameters of the loop. Audio signal is broadcast via this electromagnetic field to users wearing cochlear implants, telecoil (t-coil) equipped hearing aids or a loop receiver (either hand-held or worn around the neck). Cochlear implant and t-coil hearing aid users experience clear sound delivered directly to their ear and uniquely calibrated to their specific hearing needs. Induction loops are ideal in classrooms, theaters, concert halls, houses of worship, public transit centers, auditoriums, and homes.

Wi-Fi

Wireless assistive listening systems (ALS) stream sound wirelessly from a source directly to an individual’s smartphone. Users can hear sound streamed to their smartphone through headphones or directly via their Bluetooth-enabled hearing aids. Wi-Fi enabled ALS are ideal for crowded environments featuring multiple audio sources (think several TV screens) such as bars, restaurants, airports, building lobbies, student centers, and office waiting rooms. Wireless ALS are also beneficial in houses of worship and classrooms. Because of the ubiquity of smartphones and personal devices, venues do not need to manage, loan, clean or store receivers.

The Bottom Line

Regardless of venue size, there’s an assistive listening system tailored to fit the needs of both the environment and the user.

Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) are becoming very common in business—and not just pro AV, but all business. Not understanding all of the terms of an NDA and how to manage the information can cause damage to your company, your clients, and your reputation.

There are multiple items to consider when entering into an NDA. A few questions I ask are: Is it for the company overall, or just the person? Is it a single-sided NDA or is it mutual or bidirectional? Do you need to have subcontractors sign the NDA? These will typically be called out in the NDA itself. That is the first thing that most people neglect to do before signing: read the entire document. I have distributed and received many NDAs; I am always amazed by how many people don’t understand them…and sign them anyway. Some of the NDAs bind the company, some bind the individual. As a company principal, it is folly to have someone binding the company without a review first. Any questions and clarifications must be documented in the form before signing.

I prefer that NDAs be signed by all parties involved, even if it is companywide. The main reason is that I feel it helps all of the people understand the seriousness of the agreement. If everyone does not understand the requirements, how can the conditions be met? I also caution people that the NDA might have repercussions that are unexpected. When working with a publicly held company, the E.U., the U.S., and others have regulations to control financial information. This condition might seem far-fetched; however, think what would happen if someone knew where a company’s new headquarters was going to be built based on purchasing hundreds of conference room systems.

Now that a company has privileged information, managing it is imperative. Having been involved in projects that experienced information breaches, proactive information management is critical. The basic question I ask is: “Does this person need to know the project?” And about 95 percent of the time, they do not. After I have determined who needs to know, I then hand them a copy of the NDA to sign.

While managing information goes beyond the digital world, securing the computer data is one of the first steps to take. Not only should access be restricted, but I’d take it a step further and encrypt the data. Yes, information needs to be secure during transport and storage. The standard operating systems enable encryption of a hard disk; I do that on all my drives. I also consider encrypting the file with PGP or GPG encryption, just in case. Multiple layers of security are key.

That seems easy enough, right? There is much more to be aware of when dealing with confidential information. If there are hard copies—such as drawings or plans—keeping those secure is essential. Sometimes it’s as simple as not leaving said hard copies unattended on a desk or at the printer. If hard copies are needed, store them in a locked filing cabinet or room. After using the documents, shredding the materials is a must. Don’t forget to apply this due diligence to erasing your whiteboard or digital collaboration system—you have to ensure your information is not just laying around the office.

Headed out on the road? Don’t forget your security processes while traveling. Do not have phone calls in public that reveal privileged information; the same approach goes for using a computer in public where people can shoulder surf. Don’t talk about the project when at lunch, even if it is just you and coworkers. While people are typically not malicious, the idea of gossip and sharing a secret is just human nature. People will share a secret they know to feel important.

Think I’m being a little overzealous about the security of data and keeping it secret? Think back to last year when Equifax let down its guard—now think about how much it has sullied its own reputation. By following the rules of the NDA, I do not worry about my reputation. It is the only thing I can control. I don’t want someone else screwing it up by violating the NDA; that is why I am proactive.

No Assumptions

Do not assume that everyone working for the same company knows everything. This may seem very obvious, but when you think about the difference in responsibilities between the shipping department and the design department, you know those employees don’t know all of the same confidential information. Less apparent is that people within the same design department might not know about their coworkers’ projects.

Think of a significant integration firm with multiple locations. Why does the New York office need to know what the New Jersey office is doing? The same goes for end users or clients. Not everyone knows what is going on in every division. Just because it is the same company, do not share the information unless you know that you are allowed to share.

About to blab? Call the person you signed the NDA with and ask if you are allowed to share the information with another party. This will also help build your reputation—it will reinforce that you are cognizant of NDA requirements.

Don’t forget about subcontractors. If you are using them, ensure people critical to the NDA are aware subcontractors are now involved. And make the subcontractor has signed the same NDA, then file it with the originator.

Note: I am not an attorney; this column is not meant to provide any legal advice. Please consult your legal team for counsel. This piece is my opinion. I am not speaking for anyone else, including, but not limited to: my employer, System Contractor News, or Future plc.

Technicians play an unsung role in the success of AV projects and the retention of client relationships. Whether it is to install equipment, fabricate a rack, service a system, troubleshoot an issue, or respond to a need, technicians are involved in many post-sale aspects of a project and are called upon to execute what was promised to a client. In doing so, a technician may become a lifeline for client, building a trusted relationship that can be the catalyst for future opportunities. Simply put, it makes sense for technicians to be an integral part of any organization.

Like programmers, project managers, and salespeople, not all technicians demonstrate their value in the same manner. Some technicians may be specialists in one specific area of expertise, whereas others are generalists with a working understanding of many technologies and applications. There are also some that may possess skills beyond the basic job requirements, such as understanding control programming, audio DSP configuration, or programmable device setup like video processors.

As the AV industry continues to change and technology advances at a rapid pace, technicians (just like other industry roles) are challenged with the need to evolve their skills in order to retain and increase their value. This evolution can come in the form of expanding their skillset, mastering a specialty, or increasing their productivity and efficiency.

Here are some opportunities where technicians can grow professionally, add more value to their client or employer, and continue to impact the industry.

LEARN IP NETWORKS AND HOW TO INTERACT WITH IT DEPARTMENTS

Many areas of the AV industry are becoming simpler to install and set up, such as videoconferencing solutions. What used to involve proprietary hardware codecs requiring extensive setup, wiring, terminations, and testing has evolved to become a software codec solution like Zoom, Skype, or BlueJeans that requires nothing more than a computer, network connection, USB connection, and potentially HDMI connection.

On the other hand, other areas of the industry have become more specialized like video and audio signal transport and control. Point-to-point switching of digital signals over HDMI or HDBaseT over an isolated network is being challenged by a demand for video-over-IP solutions (like JPEG 2000, H.264, and SDVoE) involving network streaming, video processing, configuration of Ethernet network switches, network server-based control, and networked audio routing (like AES67 and Dante). Opportunities exist for technicians to become specialists in any or all of these areas of expertise. The common thread is that they all involve knowledge of IP networks.

Even though there is a trend of solutions becoming less installation-centric, like wireless source switching, these advancements have opened new doors to learn and master cutting-edge technologies. Technicians who focus on developing skills to master implementation of video, audio, conferencing, and control solutions on the network will find themselves in high demand.

BECOME AN EXPERT IN TESTING, TROUBLESHOOTING, AND CLOSING OUT PROJECTS

A technician who can thoroughly test a system and provide an accurate, detailed punchlist is an invaluable asset. There is a difference between simply providing a list of what works and doesn’t, based on cursory testing and subjective opinion, and thoroughly testing a system with intent to identify all open items and verify accurate operation. The former leads to inefficiency, uncertainty, and an inconclusive result, while the later provides a path for a confident completion and client satisfaction. By isolating issues narrowed down to the definitive cause (programming, wiring, setup, device malfunction, etc.) and identifying who is responsible, open items are quickly and easily resolved.

In order to be an expert in testing, troubleshooting, and closing out projects, a technician needs to have a big-picture view of the system. This includes understanding how and why all of the components connect and communicate, and how to identify the cause of an issue when something doesn’t work as expected.

The art of troubleshooting involves clearly identifying an issue, isolating and narrowing down the possible causes, and eliminating each possibility, one by one, while keeping all other variables constant. This process requires a detailed thought process, discipline in execution, and knowledge and experience in problem solving.

All systems require testing, troubleshooting, and a final punchlist in order to validate completion. Technicians who can test and troubleshoot effectively will find themselves indispensable as their projects are completed efficiently and comprehensively leaving their clients with a great user experience.

DEMONSTRATE LEADERSHIP ALONG WITH STRONG COMMUNICATION AND ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS

As mentioned previously, a proficient technician can be a difference maker in success of working system and an overall project. Their ability to become the point person in the field, manage situations, and build trust with the client can prove invaluable. Even more so, technicians who demonstrate leadership in addition to strong technical skills become a greater asset to a project, team, and organization.

Leaders make others around them better by passing along knowledge, solving problems before they lead to bigger issues, identifying opportunities for improvement without being asked, and inspiring others to raise their game. While some may be comfortable serving in a support role and remaining within the bounds of their perceived job description, technicians who are willing to step up and take ownership of the outcome of a project, situation, and/or client relationship will find advancement in their career very quickly.

While it is presumed that technicians have strong technical skills, their ability to master soft skills like commitment to excellence, effective communication, and maintaining an organized approach to their work will propel them to stand out. Technicians who can think on their feet, have the ability to balance multiple priorities, and will resolve issues before they become a problem provide project managers comfort to focus on the most critical aspects of their job rather than micromanaging, and result in greater client satisfaction and trust in a relationship.

An important saying in business is “If you are not growing, you are dying.” It is critical to invest in yourself, advance your career, increase your knowledge, and hone your skills to continue to be an integral part of the industry.

Steve Greenblatt, CTS, is president and founder of Control Concepts, a provider of specialized software and services for the audiovisual industry. www.controlconcepts.net

In this lesson, we’ll discuss HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol). This is the foundation protocol of the current internet. We’ll look at why it’s important in AV, how it works, and where it can cause some performance concerns.

The HTTP protocol was first introduced in about 1990. However, by 1995, the idea of the worldwide web had moved beyond a vision and was quickly being developed. During the next four years, HTTP version 1.0 was standardized and the first browser appeared. At its formation, it was designed to transfer only text. However, during this same four-year period, modifications were made to allow it to transfer various forms of multimedia. Today, virtually all internet activity is based on its capabilities.

HTTP is a client-request, server-response protocol. There are a limited number of commands that a client (the browser) can send to the server to request a function be carried out. For example, a “GET” request might ask for a file. A “Post” command might request that a file to be uploaded be accepted by the server. Most often, commands are short, in clear text, and indicate the version of HTTP being used. Likewise, responses are limited to a few codes and a few actions. The response might indicate “OK” (I found the file) or “Re-direct” (you’ll need to get this file from another server). Client requests are sent to the server’s port 80. In fact, it’s the port 80 destination that indicates to management software and to the server that it is a web format request. This is used so widely that such requests are rarely blocked by firewalls. A common misconception is that the client also uses port 80. It does not. It uses a randomly assigned port, whatever the operating system chooses, but is always above 1024.

Aside from normal browsing, how do we use it in AV? To begin with, many devices can be configured using a browser. We simply open the browser, place the address of the device in the URL field and hit . The device has a built-in browser that generally opens a page requesting the username and password. We also use HTTP in adaptive bit rate (ABR) video (DASH, HLS, Smooth Streaming, etc.). In this case, HTTP requests are sent to the server indicating the desired video file, bytes to be retrieved, and certain other metadata chosen from the manifest initially supplied by the server. Finally, HTTP is used in video referred to as WebRTC. This can be a conference between browsers with audio, video, either, or both.

Sometimes the poor performance of HTTP-based video is blamed on the design of the protocol. However, more often than not, the degradation is the result of one of several other factors. For example, it can be a result of the authentication procedures used to verify the video is authorized for delivery. ABR and device logins that require external authentication are sensitive to this issue. HTTP video streams, such as ABR, also use TCP and can be degraded by competing traffic, especially if the traffic is in the opposite direction. This may seem counterintuitive. But, I suggest you research some my other writings on the topic of bufferbloat to understand why.

HTTP traffic represents nearly 90 percent of the traffic on the internet. It’s apparent it will continue to be used by both AV and IT into the future.

Phil Hippensteel, PhD, is a regular AV Technology contributor. He teaches at Penn State Harrisburg.

You’re an IT manager; how do you feel about AV/IT convergence? Think about high-bandwidth video streams flooding throughout your network. If you’re an AV manager, are these flowing packets really going to reach your video walls? If all that sounds like a hassle, this short guide aims to be mutually beneficial.

This is a fact: The professional AV industry is transitioning to IP. It already happened for control and for audio; Ethernet ports are everywhere. For video, it is finally happening now. Why? Previous circuit switching methods like HDBaseT, and their proprietary matrix switches may be dead due to cost, scale, and complexity reasons. AV convergence streamlines audiovisual designs to make AV systems simpler, more scalable, and less expensive.

How do you specify your AV-capable Ethernet network? There are four things to know:

1. Is the type of codec or compression used in the video-over-IP solution important for the backend network? No! There are no “good” packets without video artifacts, or “bad” packets with video artifacts. There are only packets that get reliably forwarded—it doesn’t matter from an Ethernet switching standpoint.
2. Is the latency important for the backend network? No—even if you have zero-millisecond latency goals. Ethernet switches’ latency, when moving packets from one port to another, are measured in microseconds (for instance, two thousandths of a millisecond), which is irrelevant.
3. Is the bandwidth required by the video-over-IP solution important? Yes! This is an essential parameter. When packetizing your video into “streams” of IP packets, it is important to know if you are producing streams of 1 gigabit per second, or streams of 10 gigabits per second. Ethernet switches will have to support these network speeds, and always in line-rate fashion.
4. Is the type of IP traffic generated important? Yes! This is the other essential parameter. Most video-over-IP solutions leverage Multicast Ethernet for transport. Multicast has proven to be a robust one-to-many form of communication over Ethernet networks: The video “server” or transmitter is sending the packets once, and the Ethernet switches are forwarding this traffic to the one or several receiver hosts that want to receive it. For that reason, your Ethernet switches must support IGMP protocol, with IGMP Snooping, IGMP Querier, and IGMP Fast Leave configured all the way between transmitters and receivers.

As an AV manager, you know now how to select off-the-shelf Ethernet switches with suitable network speeds and all the IGMP features above. As an IT manager, how do you implement such AV networking backend? In first place, you need to know if this is isolated installation (dedicated AV network), or if you are going to “extend” an existing network with new “islands” of AV.

DEDICATED AV NETWORKS

This is the simplest form of AV over IP, especially when one Ethernet switch is sufficient for all your AV encoders (TX) and decoders (RX). (Remember, there is no such “input” port or “output” port in Ethernet switches, since any port can send and receive simultaneously—it is called full duplex.) You are free to plug your RX and TX nodes anywhere on the switch. Just make sure you have enough ports, and the right network speed available on all ports: 1Gbps if you are using compressed AV-over-IP solution; or 10Gbps if you are using uncompressed solution, like SDVoE.

You may use either copper RJ45—with or without PoE—or fiber SFP connections. The IGMP Snooping, Querier, and Fast Leave configuration should be set across the default VLAN (VLAN 1) before you can click and play. If you deploy several interconnected switches, the links between switches must transport your video streams without a bottleneck. When you do the math, usually several 10Gbps or 40Gbps links are required for the interconnect. The IGMP protocol will need additional settings, such as a distributed IGMP Querier system, or Multicast Router auto-detection mode configured on uplinks ports. To remove that complexity, go with “stackable” switches instead. When stacked together, your switches will behave as a “single” switch—the standalone IGMP Snooping, Querier, and Fast Leave are configured to be sufficient.

EXTEND AN EXISTING NETWORK WITH AV ISLANDS

Don’t worry too much here; all tenets of a “dedicated AV network” above will hold true, when it comes to an enhancing an existing network with AV convergence. However, we must take care of three additional requirements:

1. Network bandwidth capacity (your video streams shouldn’t bring congestion to the existing network core, nor aggregation layers): For network capacity, we must do the math and calculate how many additional tens of gigabits per second the network will need to be capable of, from one switch to the other, and from an AV island to the other. We must remember that IT users shouldn’t be affected—in all cases this should be an increase in network capacity.
2. Flooding prevention (your video streams should be restricted to certain switches where the interested receivers are): To prevent flooding of video packets, the IGMP protocol requires configuration across the entire network.
3. Network security (don’t let anyone hack into your AV installation, and vice versa): Usually it is best practice to allocate a dedicated VLAN for your AV installation, which can be isolated at Layer 2 from the rest of the network. If this is a Layer 3 network with inter-VLAN routing, additional Access Control Lists (ACLs) can protect your audiovisual VLAN. But the good news is that your Multicast traffic will stay “local” in that VLAN—no flooding! Furthermore, if you need to “distribute” some videos outside of that VLAN, Multicast VLAN Registration (MVR) can be useful feature: it will let you specify where other RX in other VLANs can potentially “subscribe” to your Multicast traffic using IGMP protocol. MVR, which is a Layer 2 Multicast feature, should keep things simple for you, as other Layer 3 strategies—for instance, Multicast PIM routing—could bring more complexity.

Laurent Masia is product line manager for managed switches at NETGEAR and a founding member of the Software Defined Video over Ethernet (SDVoE) Alliance.

At InfoComm 18 in June, there were more than 18,000 end users in attendance, and if the post-show chatter is any indication, this fact has quite a few people worried and upset.

Many believe that the rise of end-user attendance is a bad thing. They believe educating end users through AVIXA’s CTS training and allowing them to walk the floor and develop relationships with AV manufacturers is facilitating a trend of disintermediation. That these customers, once educated, are then empowered to circumvent the integrator altogether, spelling certain doom for the integration industry in the long run.

The assumption is that an educated customer is dangerous because they don’t need us anymore. The only problem with that assumption is that it’s wrong.

In today’s world, if your profit depends on the ignorance of your customer, you will soon be out of business. We live in the age of information, where everything you ever wanted to know is available by swiping the screen on the microcomputer that resides in your pocket. Does AVIXA make it easier to build knowledge with their structured coursework and first-class instruction? Of course. Would the end user be able to acquire that same knowledge without attending InfoComm? Most certainly.

For those in the industry still using the phrase, let me assure you, “The margin is not in the mystery.” You are not being hired as a mystical guru from parts unknown who harnesses the powers of air and electricity. You are not The Last Airbender.

According to a recent Gartner study, end users are 59 percent of the way through their buying cycles before they ever engage a company that provides that product or service directly. This means their research is nearly done before they speak with integrators or consultants—they are now looking for a company to fulfill the product or service that they have decided on. In other industries, large companies are scrambling to find ways to be part of that early conversation with customers through content marketing, and they are spending boatloads of money to do so. The AV industry doesn’t have to, because AVIXA is bringing them to us—we just have to take advantage of it.

Again, an educated end user isn’t a bad thing. They understand that AV is hard. That it can be tricky. They don’t look at a bid and think “Wow! That’s a lot of money to hang a TV on the wall.” Because they understand all the complexities each system may represent. Their education helps you build your value.

Yes, end users may bring some projects in house and use their own teams, but this doesn’t lock us out. The way in may just be slightly different. The door may be open to assist in large projects where they don’t have the skillsets yet to complete them, or enough staff to do so within their desired timelines. The door may be open to work for the end user directly as their in-house tech staff as well. The point is, it still takes hands to do the work, and whether your paycheck comes as a contractor to the company or as an employee of the company itself, the need for AV professionals hasn’t disappeared. It has just shifted.

End users are at InfoComm looking for education and trusted partners to help them achieve their goals. They see the show as a place where they can learn and network. Where they can build skills and relationships. Where they can find the know-how, products, and additional resources they need in order to continue to support the technology needs of their businesses.

They are already at the dance. Don’t stand on the wall with your arms crossed commiserating with your friends about how the person you wanted to dance with is out there on the floor with your biggest rival.

Having end users at InfoComm is an asset, not a liability. The question really becomes: How are you going to take advantage of it? Don’t just stand there; bust a move.

Get a Leg Up at InfoComm

InfoComm is no longer just a once-a-year product research trip with a couple cool parties. It is now a huge business development opportunity. Take advantage of it.

Consider getting space on the floor and building out a compelling example of the systems you build every day. With four out of every 10 people on the floor being end users, you’ll have a lot of potential clients to talk to.

If exhibiting isn’t in your budget, get on an industry panel or teach a class on the issues and problems that end users are facing when implementing technology. This type of exposure may be far better than having an actual presence on the floor. With 1,000-plus exhibitors, it can be hard to stand out. But if you are the person who taught the class that they paid for, guiding them through a problem that’s been plaguing them for the last year, I guarantee that you will be committed to memory. Let AVIXA help you position yourself as a subject matter expert to the very people you need to form relationships with.

The advent of 5G technology seems certain to revolutionize the way many industries harness the internet: from self-driving tractor trailers to intelligent irrigation systems, to billions of IoT sensors making our homes and offices smarter by the day, the autonomous revolution thirsts for a powerful, omnipresent network. However, its relevancy to the professional audiovisual world is less clear.

Today, enterprises are deliberating over installing 1Gb or 10Gb Ethernet backbones to transport 4K signals around facilities—with 10Gb seen mainly as a future-proof investment for all but the largest and most bandwidth-hungry companies. According to Joe Cornwall (CTS-D, CTS-I), technology evangelist at Legrand, the next-generation standard could deliver even greater capability.

“The interesting thing about 5G, if it’s realizable (and that’s a bit of an if; we still have not realized fully realized 4G speeds in most applications), then we’re getting to something approaching 20Gbps of data, and we can do this through a cellular network,” he said. “Suddenly that means we can begin to stream very high-quality content, and it frees us from the boundaries of having physical network connections, with the exception, of course, of power.”

At first glance, this sounds like a dream come true for facilities: no more worrying about infrastructure, since connectivity will no longer require wires. But it’s not that simple. “You get into something like a large university building or a hospital, something along those lines—it’s pretty hard to even get a cell signal in there now,” Cornwall said. “Getting these extremely high-frequency, very fast signals in there—that’s going to be a pretty significant challenge that will require us to rethink what a distributed antenna looks like, so that we can leverage 5G in those applications.”

And, for many enterprises, there’s one big concern that makes such a hurdle not worth learning to jump: security. “The fact that I can get a 5G signal to a projector in a building doesn’t do much for me if I need that to be on a secure network,” Cornwall said. “Because a 5G system will, of course, not be secure in the same sense as my LAN is secure, that I can control the LAN from one end to the other; the 5G network is a public network.”

For these reasons, Cornwall believes that 5G won’t have a significant influence on the core AV industry in less than a decade. Still, he envisions it opening the door for a wave of “semi-secure” applications, most notably involving digital signage.

With the ultra-low latency of 5G connectivity comes “the ability to do digital signage that has immediate facial recognition and can be customized for the user using geofencing,” Cornwall said. “As an example, if we look at that scene from Minority Report (which I think is where we are), if I can have a digital signage system such that it recognized your cellphone because you were a student on my campus, and you walked by that particular device, that very, very fast network could do a few things: it could recognize your cellphone and therefore you; it could call up specific videos, images, and advertising based on your social media profile, and give you a very personalized experience in terms of information communications.”

While this concept of two-way communication is far from new, 5G could enable it to propagate in all manner of locations. Add a solar panel or wind generator, Cornwall suggested, and these devices no longer need a physical connection of any kind—the possibilities for digitally omniscient (but hopefully not Orwellian) buildings and cities are almost endless. “You almost have to talk to a philosopher at this point to see how that’s going to change the way we live,” Cornwall said.

The only constant is flux, so how do stakeholders in the evolving AV/IT industry stay current with the trends poised to affect them now and in the future? The SCN Think Tank and AV/IT Summit, co-located in San Jose, CA, April 19, explored this question in depth. While the event’s brain trust was diverse—AV/IT managers, integrators, manufacturers, programmers, consultants, and content creators were in attendance—there was a surprising consensus: Focusing strategically on user experience (UX), standardization, and storytelling will help solve problems today and usher in the next innovation wave. Here are some of the lessons learned and hard truths shared at this unique AV/IT symposium.

CREATE EXPERIENCES YOU CAN’T GET AT HOME

Walt Disney invented the modern theme park, and Walt Disney Imagineering, the company’s AV engineering talent, is continually inventing its future. The San Jose Think Tank/Summit’s keynote speaker, Greg Kadorian, had worked for Walt Disney Imagineering for more than 30 years before recently retiring. During his Imagineering tenure, Kadorian received a patent for Star Tours and developed many of the AV innovations in use at Disney Theme Parks worldwide.

While Kadorian is one of the industry’s premier technical experts, and he has vast experience with VLANs, QLAN, AVB/TSN, and other AV-over-IP iterations, he warned against AV engineers spending all of their time on network infrastructure, and he underscored the importance of collaborations that utilize AV to build memorable, narrative-driven experiences.

“We create attractions and venues that tell a story in a unique and entertaining way,” Greg Kadorian said. “And we create immersive environments. In the past, [they’ve] been very passive experiences. Now, we’re moving toward more guest interaction, so it’s not the same experience every time, because we have a lot of repeat guests.”

One of the challenges Kadorian proffered was that there are still no seamless ways to integrate AV, AR, and VR for thousands of guests at larger scales while still offering the dynamic immersion that makes Disney such a beloved destination. “VR and AR? I don’t know,” he said. “Our R&D guys are working on stuff as we speak, to try to figure out how to do that with, again, thousands of people an hour through the attraction, or through the experience.”

As real as the challenges are, the possibilities are endless. Expect the Disney team to be solving these creative puzzles in the near future.

UX: MAKE IT EASY TO USE, BUT ANCHOR IT IN REAL USER NEEDS

Culture influences everything, from fashion to coffee, and technology is no exception. How can AV technology managers tasked with rapid global deployments offer consistent UX across locations without sacrificing nuance or cultural sensitivity?

Think about sensible standardization, where scale can be achieved and complexity avoided, suggested Mohammad Sigari, senior AV engineer at Uber. Trying to offer too much can result in an inscrutable control interface, for example, with unclear functions and a clunky GUI that is difficult to navigate.

Cohesive UX requires usability testing and a solid understanding of the evolving needs of users. How important is BYOx? What are the ages of your users? You can also select a “power user,” as Sigari explained, a process that has helped to make Uber’s global AV rollouts more efficient.

SOFTWARE-BASED AV NEEDS SOLID PLANNING

The panelists also drilled down into the new AV/IT model and software-based AV designs through explorations of needs analysis, upgrade paths, and network investment.

At the University of California Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design, lifecycle has myriad definitions. “On the one hand, it’s about money. On the other hand, it’s about frequency of updates. The money informs the other,” said Patty Mead, assistant dean, Infrastructure and Information Technologies, UC Berkeley. “What we do is we build our own machines with replaceable parts so that as the technology changes, I just have to change a component.”

The migration of AV to the network is ushering many changes and upending the once five- or 10-year hardware lifecycle. Security concerns are paramount, but all the panelists agreed that software-based AV is creating more flexible lifecycles and quicker planning.

Margot Douaihy is the editor-at-large of AV Technology. Cindy Davis contributed to this story. Join us at the next SCN Think Tank & AV/IT Summit in Chicago on July 25, 2018. IT/AV managers can register for an invitation via https://www.avitsummit.com/.

The implementation of video over IP has existed in our life for a considerable time now, and is present in content that we see every day—such as Netflix, e-learning, and countless other applications. The trend of replacing traditional AV infrastructures with IP-based infrastructures started gradually in the professional AV market over the last few years, and has been steadily growing in adoption. The concept of AV over IP is handled by decoders that package audiovisual data and transmit the packets over IP networks via Ethernet network switches. The decoder receives and unpacks the data packets to retrieve the audiovisual data.

DATA PACKAGING AND COMPRESSION

There are products on the market using industrial standards-based data packaging and compression algorithms, while others use proprietary packaging and compression algorithms. In general, standards-based data packaging and compression algorithms provide the potential for interoperability between products from different vendors. Standards-based products tend to have a roadmap and ecosystem that provides much greater infrastructure migration benefits than anything based on a single supplier. The H264/H265 and JPEG2000 protocols are very commonly used industrial standard data packaging and compression algorithms. SDVoE is another standard that is seeing greater adoption in the pro AV market. SDVoE is focused on video quality and image processing capability. It supports both upscaling and downscaling for resolutions up to true 4K60 4:4:4, with almost no latency (just ~30 microseconds of latency at 4K60Hz)—but it requires a 10Gbps Ethernet switch.

BANDWIDTH

An important topic to consider when implementing AV over IP is bandwidth. It is important to ensure that the IP network satisfies the requirements of the AV traffic. A raw 1080p60 stream with 24-bit color requires 1920x1080x60x24 = ~3 gigabits per second. 4K with the same parameters needs ~12 gigabits per second. A single stream with compression can be easily conveyed by an ordinary gigabit switch. Multiple streams can be simultaneously delivered from multiple sources to multiple displays through a single switch if the switch is a properly equipped and configured. The streams might be delivered via TCP/IP unicast or UDP/IP multicast. If the latter is used, then the IGMP functions of the switch must be properly configured. If IGMP is not configured properly, then each stream could potentially end up being delivered to all ports, resulting in a flooded network that will be unable to properly deliver the streams. If your applications require high-quality video with minimal latency, such as healthcare and government applications, then you will need to have a 10Gbps network. There are trade offs between video quality and bandwidth that must be considered when reviewing video quality requirements and existing IP network infrastructure.

Paul Shu is president of Arista Corporation.

It’s been almost a year since InfoComm became AVIXA, and our world as we knew it changed forever. We woke up on that fateful day in September last year, the 13th of September to be exact, to the press release heard around the commercial audiovisual world. We no longer were AV companies focusing on standard audiovisual, oh no, we were now expected to be experts in integrated experiences with a dash of audiovisual prowess thrown in for good measure.

On September 14th, 2017, when we woke up, the sun dawned and we, as an industry, emerged as those experts in integrated experiences ready to conquer this brand new world. Or we didn’t. In all actuality many of us woke up on that Thursday in September shaking our heads, trying to figure out what in the world the organization we knew and loved was thinking? Many even voiced our opinions using that dreaded outside voice our mothers warned us about, taking to social media and water coolers everywhere to discuss this questionable new direction we were expected to take. Twitter was abuzz, as participants on both sides of the debate dug their trenches to survive the ensuing onslaught of debate!

Ok so I may have sensationalized this just a touch, but maybe I haven’t—social media was definitely buzzing with what we shall just call “commentary.” I’d argue the jury is still out for a verdict, mainly because this debate is still going on. Our industry is full of people who don’t understand the big deal because they are already experts (in their own minds) at creating the integrated experience that everyone is clamoring for, while others are happy to just continue business as usual and patiently wait for this phase to pass. But this isn’t going to pass. It’s here to stay so you better buckle up; it’s gonna be a fun ride. The concept of providing an integrated experience shouldn’t be so foreign to us. In reality, it’s kind of what we have always strived to provide our clients. Whatever the environment, our clients are having an experience with the technology that we integrate. For now, we’ve decided that for a client to have an integrated experience that we must be using augmented reality, a virtual reality headset, environmental projection—maybe even some smello-vision. But that misses the point.

Yes, we can utilize the latest technology to provide exceptional experiences for our clients, but that doesn’t diminish the standard experience we provide to our clients every day. This doesn’t let us off the hook. Just because I’m pointing out how we have the opportunity every day to provide an integrated experience to our clients, that doesn’t mean that we actually do. Nope, we can get caught up with the day-to-day and revert to offering traditional AV with little care given to the experience. Even worse, we can attempt to disregard this trend of focusing on experiences and push back, almost subconsciously trying to buck this trend. Heck, some people are still mad about the name change and state how much they don’t believe in the conceptual change that AVIXA is trying to bring to fruition.

These are the people I love to come up against. They are the ones you’ll find usually using an approach that’s stuck in the ’90s. They aren’t innovating. They aren’t listening to their clients’ needs, they’re telling the clients how they should work and what their workflow should look like. They aren’t creative. To put it plainly, they’re boring. It’s not exciting to work with them. It’s a challenge. We’ve all heard the stories, most of us have come across them, and, unfortunately, we’ve all probably lost projects to them.

Luckily for us, this isn’t the problem you may think it is. It can be fantastic for you, as long as you are innovating and working to create the best experience for your customers. I personally love going up against competition that still wants to play it safe and refuses to hop onboard the experience train. What they don’t seem to understand is that, as they continue to languish and slide back into the ’90s, I’m up here getting ready to eat their lunch. Now I’m gonna upgrade their lunch—I don’t want their soggy sandwich. We’re going to continue to evolve and cater to our clients and meet them where they’re at. That’s what allows us to get in the door and ultimately create that integrated experience so many customers are looking for.

This isn’t as much an “us-versus-them” situation as it is an “evolve-or-languish” situation. If you don’t learn to evolve into this new experience-focused space, you’ll still survive. You’ll meet your sales goals this quarter and the next quarter, but soon enough you’ll slowly begin to fade. You’ll slowly lose your effectiveness and your market share. And you know who’s gonna take it? Someone who’s innovating. Someone who’s listening. Someone who’s creative. Someone who’s shaping an experience. Someone like me!

The past year has been a great upheaval for me, personally. But as I went through the experience, I discovered an insidious malaise that infected my career. Where I thought I had found myself in a stable niche, it turned out that I had become complacent and settled into a rut. The rut was steady, true, but came at a cost—my own professional development and advancement. When the storms of upheaval came, I was shaken adrift from a place of comfort, forced to confront my own complacency, and spurred to action to improve matters. Now, nearly a year later, I’ve reevaluated my role within the industry and my own capabilities and found a position in a large corporation in a far more technical and challenging role than I’ve ever held… and I couldn’t be happier. For the first time in years, I am truly challenged by my work, with real responsibilities and interesting projects that put my AV skills to the test, but with resources to back me. I love it.

You may be reading this and thinking, “Good for you, Dawn, but what does that have to do with my company?”

Well, I’ll tell you. I’m not the only person in our industry that has fallen into the complacency trap, not by a long shot. In fact, I’d say our entire industry has suffered from this problem to some degree over the past few decades and the chickens have come home to roost. We see it all around us—small integrators closing, larger ones losing ground to newcomers in the field from other industries like IT, security, telephony, and so on. We’ve grown fat and comfortable and settled in our day-to-day routine, without questioning our processes and procedures, or our own biases about particular products, or brands, or technologies. We settle. We dig into what is comfortable and avoid what makes us nervous or uncertain. And we get left in the dust due to our inability or unwillingness to change.

Rear Admiral Grace Hopper once said, “The most dangerous phrase in the language is, ‘We’ve always done it this way.’” She was not only a naval officer, but she is considered one of the founders of computer programming, and a hero to women in STEM. And she was exactly right. Those seven words—but we’ve always done it this way—have been the death knell for many businesses and organizations. Not merely in AV or the broader field of technology in general, but, across all fields, sectors, and verticals. Those words have stifled innovation, hampered progress, and mired workers deep in their comfortable ruts as competitors and new technologies passed them by.

As an industry, we need to fight this complacency, and many of us are trying. There are some integrators who are making the necessary changes to adapt to the new paradigms we face in an IT-centric, services-driven AV environment. They know that, like sharks, we must keep swimming, or we sink and die. Kudos to you, dear reader, if you work for one of those companies! If you don’t, look around and take careful notes of those who do. Try to emulate them in your own company…or be ready to send those companies resumes as your own company struggles and folds. Sure, it is risky to embrace change and reject your comfortable rut, but as Nobel laureate Andre Gide wrote, “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.”

Every company has a comfortable rut, even those who are more progressive and adaptable, are full of individual workers who may think they’ve just found their stable niche but, in reality, have gotten mired in the complacent muck. Trust me, it can be hard to tell the difference sometimes, but it matters. Don’t settle.

Tell me, do you have any professional certifications? Are they current? If you have not, the very first step you should take is to get one. It doesn’t have to be a CTS or CTS-D/-I from AVIXA (though they are wonderful and comprehensive AV industry certifications). What about networking certifications? BICSI wiring certifications? Electrical licensure? A PMP or management certificate like Lean or Six Sigma? Getting and maintaining a certification is about more than just adding an alphabet soup after your name on your business cards and bragging. It is an investment in your education, skills, and growth in your career that can pay off dividends even before taking and passing the exam.

I took classes in graduate school and seminars at tradeshows or vendor shows that provided me with new skills that I applied in my work the very next day. Taking these classes provides you with a stronger, steadier base on which you build your professional reputation; they show a degree of competence and are a mark of being invested in your career. After all, they aren’t mandatory in our AV world like they are in some other fields. Instead, they show that you care enough to put in the effort to seek out new knowledge, enhanced skills, and new ideas. They show that you aren’t complacent, but instead, chasing continual improvement and success.

Complacency is a killer—for individuals and for companies. It keeps you stuck in time, in your rut, spinning your wheels and never progressing to the next phase. And, too often, this mindless grind of “how we’ve always done it” can wear on our happiness and our passion for what we do.

Steve Jobs said, “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” His words apply to us all. Don’t settle. Don’t be satisfied with what you currently know, or how you’ve always done thing. Don’t be so risk-averse that you fail to grow and evolve as the world we live and work in rushes past where we sit, stuck in our ruts. Fight complacency, and you’ll be amazed at what can happen.

It is interesting to look back on the number of lessons that I have learned (and mistakes I have made) since I started my AV integration firm more than 22 years ago. Through the years I have had to learn the hard way about things like building a solid business plan, securing financing, buying out a partner, recruiting and retaining employees, as well as how to handle a $250,000 employee embezzlement that almost put me out of business.

Many of these lessons have been instrumental in building a successful, two-decades old technology business, but there is one in particular that has helped not only me, but my company as well. It could be the most important lesson I’ve learned: don’t burn bridges. Should really just be common sense, right? But is it?

In the early ‘90s, before I started my own company, I was working for a local telecom company, and in five years, I had built a videoconferencing division from zero to 5 million dollars. We were really flying high! That is, until the company decided to fire me right before Christmas on my 39th birthday. Seems the telecommunications business was going through some major upheaval at the time, and the decision was made to have the company focus on selling its core products. It was a humiliating experience that really angered me since it put my family and me in a helluva bind. But it also left me with a decision to make: Even though most people wouldn’t blame me, should I carry a grudge against my old company, badmouth them, sever ties with former coworkers, managers, etc.? Or do I take a different and perhaps more difficult route?

I chose to not burn bridges, and continued to take phone calls from my former co-workers, managers, and the like. Since I was considered the subject matter expert on videoconferencing, I offered information about a wide variety of issues regarding hardware, networks, and competitive equipment. In some ways, it was flattering that my former company was coming to me for my help, and truthfully, it made me feel just a little bit better about the events surrounding my termination. Interestingly enough, as time went on, my former coworkers made it a point to return the favor by supplying sales leads and market intelligence, which not only helped me get my new business off the ground, but continues to do so more than 20 years later. Pretty amazing, actually! And the best part was that those same leads have helped my company grow significantly through the years by earning many thousands of dollars in new sales revenue.

Another example is when four key members of my sales team (who represented 80 percent of the company’s 2006 revenue) left the company in the summer of 2007. I remember at the time taking the turnover very personally and was angry at my ex-employees who had put me and my company in a serious bind. Bur how long do you hold a grudge? And is anger really a management strategy? Was there another way to look at the problem?

As fate would have it, one of the ex-employees had decided to work for one of our major suppliers and another went out and started his own company that supplied streaming video and recording devices. As time moved on, my new team and I seemed to bump into my ex-employees time and time again. Awkward, for sure. But what do you do about it? Was this the time to stay angry and burn bridges by not dealing with them, or take a different route and use my ex-employees as a potential resource to help grow the company?

Although it took some time, in the end, we did take a more positive approach and I’m so glad we did. In the past 10 years, my company has collaborated on numerous accounts and business opportunities with former employees that have resulted in significant new business. Burn bridges? That would have been the easy way out.

Sometimes, as a business owner, you have to set aside your own personal feelings and do what’s right for the company. And what was right for the company was looking at the issues in a different way and leveraging past relationships to help the company. As one of my team members told me at the time: “You’ll have the benefit of those two guys working for you without having them on the company payroll.” That was solid advice that has paid dividends for very long time.

Never Leave Scorched Earth

It is never advisable to burn bridges so make it part of your company culture and reinforce this strategy with your employees. It really is the right thing to do.

You never know where people will end up so look at the long-term business benefits of maintaining amiable relationships with not only exemployees but other industry professionals (competitors, suppliers etc.).

Anger is not a management strategy so avoid making long term decisions based on short-term emotions.

Embracing a strategy of not burning bridges can many times have a positive impact on your company’s reputation and brand.

The world of AV is somewhat small and very close knit, so recognize that whatever decisions you make with employees, products etc., will be communicated by many people on a nationwide basis.

Networks are becoming a common infrastructure to support AV experiences, and that can be daunting to those lacking a foundation in IT. Where should these AV managers begin?

There are several aspects of a converged network that warrant consideration. A common goal is to support AV workloads by using the same manufacturers and models of network devices and infrastructure that the IT industry uses. One reason for this is to be able to leverage the lower costs associated with network components that are sold in extremely large quantities. In addition, convergence often enables flexibility in the usage of physical plant infrastructure—such as twisted-pair wiring—to be easily adapted to changing (or temporary) needs for either AV or IT uses. The value this provides the AV world is a single, common set of components that are well understood, can be easily managed, and are capable of evolving with future requirements.

Network flexibility allows certain parts of the network to be dedicated for specific workloads. Even though such subnetworks operate separately for carrying workload-specific data, they may still be converged for purposes such as monitoring and management. IT managers often build special-purpose networks for specific tasks. For example, Storage Area Networks (SANs) are built to support distributed file storage for computers, and basically operate as disk drives over the network. Although those networks were converged in the sense that they could be managed using tools connected to a corporate network, all the data that traversed the SAN did not go over the corporate backbone. Specific traffic in areas of the network could be partitioned for security, efficiency, and performance. These characteristics are often shared with the needs of AV systems, and a similar type of convergence can be utilized by enterprises to leverage the value of the network for AV systems.

Another goal of convergence is to leverage expertise. For example, standardizing on Ethernet switches for AV systems means that specialized expertise and tools to manage older types of audio and video switches are not required. The same tools are used to manage network devices regardless of whether they carry AV or IT traffic.

Convergence also allows resources to be shared with the IT team. Shared resources give more visibility into what’s happening on all of the networks within the enterprise. With AV operating over the network, that additional visibility provides insight into how efficiently existing resources are being used and what changes need to be implemented for a better user experience.

DEMYSTIFYING THE NETWORK

The first step is to expand your understanding by learning the basics of networking. You don’t have to be a network guru—far from it. Simply learning the core networking elements—for example, the difference between Layer 3 and Layer 2—will ease the process. Promote the idea of developing basic networking knowledge across your team through “introduction to networks” classes, books, and videos readily available.

Second, improve the collaboration between the AV and IT teams: while your AV team is becoming more conversant on IT, the IT team should become conversant in AV. This effort should be focused and prescriptive—if the only interaction between the AV and IT professionals occurs during project commissioning, collaboration and subsequent success will be limited. Consider asking IT managers for good learning resources on networking as a first step in relationship building.

Third, do not let yourself fall victim to the popular myth that networking is too complicated. AV pros are already well versed in dealing with technology. Ask an IT pro to explain gain structure and you will likely be met with a blank stare. To the uninitiated, anything can seem overly complicated, but that is only a temporary condition.

We are at an inflection point where AV and IT departments are increasingly being asked to collaborate. Remember to start by building out network-centric AV teams that view convergence as a spectrum rather than an absolute.

Geordie Klueber is field sales engineer for the Tesira Platform Network Solutions at Biamp Systems.

During the last two years, the primary purpose of this series of Byte-Sized Lessons was to assist the AV industry in understanding TCP/IP technology. We’ve discussed and examined protocols, addressing, standards, and how IP is used. This article will present a case study and give you the opportunity to apply what these lessons have shown.

SITUATION

Abigail works for XYZ Company as a video technician. She installs cameras, encoders, decoders, digital signage, DVRs, and similar AV devices. Recently, the company consolidated two offices and she inherited a camera from the one that was closed. She would like to redeploy it in her network. She knows the office that closed used the subnet address 192.168.18.0/24 and she is confident that the password shared by all the company cameras is the same. She can use the Ethernet/web interface to the camera but must know the current IP address that has been assigned to it. Unfortunately, the technician who knows the address left the company when the office closed. How can she get the address? I suggest you pause to think about a possible method and then read further.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

Some people would quickly respond, “Do a factory reset and start over.” However, there is a disadvantage to that method. Even if it can be done, after the reset, all firmware upgrades will need to be reinstalled, which could be time consuming.

Most IT technicians would immediately think of using the free software utility Wireshark. With it, you can see and record all packets on a network. By connecting it to the camera, you can analyze how it attempts to join the network.

Turning now to the camera: when it boots, it will follow a procedure much as any network-attached computing device would. Let’s say the camera is configured with the address 192.168.18.22. One of the first things the camera will likely do when it is powered on is to determine if that address is already in use. So, it will send an ARP (address resolution protocol) packet as a broadcast, which asks, “Does anyone have the address 192.168.18.22? Tell my mac address about it.” If Abigail has Wireshark connected to the camera and running, she’ll see this exchange.

Suppose the camera doesn’t usually check for duplicated addresses. It is still very likely that it will attempt to connect to its local router (gateway). If the camera is configured in the typical manner, its router will be 192.168.18.1. Again, when the camera is powered on, Abigail can use Wireshark to see the ARP packet asking, “Who has the address 192.168.18.1? Tell 192.168.18.22.” With the IP address and the password, she can now reconfigure the camera for her own network.

This process is simple and should take no more than five minutes. If you are responsible for device support and maintenance, Wireshark is an excellent tool to have installed on you PC.

Phil Hippenstel, PhD, is a regular columnist with AV Technology. He teaches information systems at Penn State Harrisburg.

With an extensive history in the AV business, I’ve seen the evolution the industry has experienced as it relates to implementation. The way we work has changed. Modern organizations collaborate to accelerate new ideas, fast track the development of new products, and expand the power of remotely connected teams. What were once sophisticated AV solutions are now available in just about every enterprise conference room.

The Evolution of Collaboration
Historically, audio/video systems were custom solutions, and frequently only deployed in executive boardrooms. Today, organizations are looking to blend technology, physical space, and their people to optimize productivity. They want employees to be able to engage across any device, regardless of where they are working, so they can leverage video, voice, and content, simultaneously.

While the technology itself has seen some significant evolution, the way these rooms are deployed has, unfortunately, not seen the same kind of progression. Due to the often-global nature of enterprises, the customer typically has to rely on the services of various integrators around the globe. Integrators have different ways of working, prefer different brands, offer different documentation standards, etc. And then to make matters even more complex, integrators are often asked to provide consultation as well. While they are perfectly capable of this at a local room or building level, when they are forced to consider the intricacies and nuances of the enterprise, they simply are not equipped with the information to make this a success.

AV integrators frequently struggle to connect with enterprise IT departments, with enterprise security teams, Windows teams, and the list could go on. For an enterprise that strives to deliver a unique but global corporate standard, this is undesirable, and in many cases, unacceptable.

Having struggled with this on multiple occasions, I’ve taken the time to explore the challenges here and worked with some of our partners to identify ways to resolve this. As older systems are being replaced, and new buildings require new AV solutions, more and more of our deployments resemble one another, and designs, configurations, and installations are becoming more standardized, which means the boxes matter less.

Architectural Vision for the Enterprise

The solution—enterprise installations—should be the result of an outlined architectural vision that includes security, IT-grade transport mechanisms, manageability, monitorability, price-performance, and features, in that order.

To enhance the process and create a better end-user experience, today’s enterprise should include the role of chief solutions architect. That individual will create a reference architecture. Each organization will then have its reference architecture that includes a vision,, a roadmap, ample designs, products, configuration documentation, and practical guidelines.

According to Micha van der Stoop, of IDM Solutions, “When this kind of documentation is available, and customers can understand the impact of their choices and can really predict the service-level agreement requirements, the role of the integrator transforms. It shouldn’t be necessary to reinvent the wheel at every deployment. It shouldn’t be necessary to pay different companies for the same work in different geographical regions.”

“Instead, the key functions and logic of any system should be predefined, and in some cases, available in the enterprise ‘cloud’ as a service. Integrators can then do what they do best—they can focus on the local quality, knowing that the security, enterprise connectivity, control logic, etc. is all addressed,” added van der Stoop.

Unfortunately, most enterprises lack this vision and decisions are then made locally, and that results in incompatibility with other sites. Organizations end up with isolated information, fragmented support, escalating and unpredictable costs, and a less-than-optimal user experience for those who travel between locations.

Admittedly, it’s not easy to find the CTOs of the enterprises you work with, but when you can deliver that enterprise-wide message, you will be better equipped to become part of something bigger—a pervasive AV experience—and you’ll become an integral part of that enterprise strategy, creating your own opportunity for the future.

Future Opportunity
For integrators, uniformity in deployments represent the opportunity for long-term relationships. The best way to solve these issues is with a strategic solution where you can deliver new value. Integrators that can provide solutions that allow them to remotely monitor and manage AV deployments with analytics will have the data to have important and strategic conversations with their customers, including what equipment is being used, and when and how it’s being used. With IoT insights, this enables analyses around hundreds of data points that could shape the way an enterprise uses its AV technologies to drive business results. Providing this kind of data opens the door for more important conversations with the enterprise.

For the enterprise, this is also the path to cost savings, faster implementations, more secure designs, and a consistent user experience. The technology will affect customers, employees, partners, and providers. The opportunity is to look at how the technology can alter the core business and allow it to pivot in a new direction for faster growth or new possibilities.

Innovation is a constant—it’s something we inject into technology every day, to solve problems and improve the tools we use to live our lives. As AV solutionist, we are part of this innovation journey; we design, build, deliver, and service technology solutions where we live, work, learn, and are entertained. With so much innovative growth, why does the tech industry continue to struggle in terms of diversity in terms of both sex, age, and race? Why does the AV industry?

Let’s start with the basics. Why is racial diversity critical to our industry? First, future talent: Recruitment of new talent is more competitive than it’s ever been, and, by tapping into a more diverse background of talent, you will broaden your reach in expanding your workforce. Second, innovation: Becoming more diverse will drive innovation within organizations, as the ideas of many different backgrounds and experiences will be part of the solutions we create. Finally, and maybe the most critical to many organizations, is the financial impact: McKinsey and Company, a global consultancy firm, has completed extensive research and found that racial and ethnic diversity in the U.S. has a strong benefit to financial performance; the company’s research shows for every 10-percent increase in racial and ethnic diversity within senior management, earnings before interest and taxes rise 0.8 percent.

Racial diversity can be an uncomfortable conversation, and it isn’t being discussed enough. To start to reap these benefits and achieve better racial diversity in the AV industry, let’s consider these questions as we start the discussion of being a more diverse industry.

Are You Willing to Listen?

This is a tough one: listening is something we do so poorly on a regular basis. Most of us listen solely with the intent to respond, not with the intent to understand; in the process, we don’t accurately translate the information we heard because we have already triggered a conclusion and built the response in our head. When it comes to diversity in the industry, we should give a voice to those viewed as a minority to understand their perspective. One of the easiest ways to solve a problem is listening to those who have been, and continue to be affected by the problem. The fact is, at this point in time, that conversation isn’t happening. If we want to improve diversity in our industry, then those who have the influence and power to do so will have to be willing not only to listen, but to take action.

Is There a Cycle That Needs to be Broken?

The perception of trying to break through a glass ceiling is real for ethnic people in the AV industry. In my opinion, the live events and entertainment production segment of the industry appears to have largest quantity of people of color, with a majority of them residing in technical roles.

Trying to reach senior management or executive level positions in this market segment, and all other segments of the industry, has been a struggle for many; women of color have an even larger uphill battle. How do we break the cycle? Training, mentoring, trust, and career opportunities are the keys to success. Speaking with ethnic industry colleagues and friends, almost all have said that there was a point in their career where they were passed over or not given the opportunity for promotion because the job was given to what they perceived as a less qualified white male. Until we work together to break that cycle, progress in racial diversity won’t begin to happen.

Would You Consider Walking in Someone Else’s Shoes?

The summer before my senior year in high school, I remember taking a trip with my parents to Full Sail University for an open-house tour. It was one hell of a recruitment trip, and after leaving there, I knew for sure a career in AV is what I wanted.

What got me hooked wasn’t all the fancy gear they pulled out or the console that mixed Star Wars at Lucasfilm, it was the stories. There was a story behind the technology that connected with me and what I wanted to do, and I realized I didn't need a degree to do it. To recruit and retain the next generation workforce, especially those of ethnic backgrounds, it will help to broaden your search and start at an earlier age, lower the barrier to entry, and tell a story that relates to them. After all, it’s about them, not you.

Do You Want to Make a Change?

By 2020, Millennials and Gen Z are projected to constitute more than 50 percent of the U.S. workforce, and by 2025, greater than 75 percent. To change our future, we have to start working today. I know everyone will not want this change, and they believe the industry is fine the way it is, but I hope that this article will start a proactive conversation amongst the current generations to pave the way for a more racially diverse future in our industry.

Would an Industry Focus Group be a Good Thing?
Our industry has built communities for various underrepresented segments, such as young professionals and women. These focused networking groups have been able to highlight challenges and share success stories.Focusing on racial diversity and acknowledging our industry’s lack thereof is sorely needed. Creating a group to serve as a resource for ethnic minorities is long overdue. We need a place for minorities to network, learn, grow, and support one another. We can all work together to achieve long-term success and create a more diverse industry. Those of us with influence should come together, create this group, and actively support its mission.

During the last few years, the AV community has enthusiastically promoted the use of IP technology. This means using the TCP/IP protocol suite for both the devices and methods of transmission of media. Knowing that TCP/IP was developed within the IT community, AV vendor and developers have endeavored to achieve credibility and influence within the IT community. They need standards and techniques to build interoperable products. Let’s discuss how the technology and underlying standards are used by AV and IT.

It should be noted that TCP/IP was first embraced by IT around 1990 when IBM began promoting its use in the mainframe environment. More than a decade later, voice began to be transmitted using TCP/IP. This resulted in IT absorbing the management of telecommunications within the company. During these transitions, the primary underlying standards came from organizations like the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), and the TIA (Telecommunications Industry Association) and from user groups like the ACM (Association of Computing Machinery). Also, The IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) gradually grew in influence. Today, nearly all new protocols and techniques that are introduced by major vendors have an IETF standard behind them.

The AV industry has evolved much differently. Many AV standards groups focus on the content of media. Others standards target the specification of the transmission of that media. Influential groups have included those that specified NTSC, ATSC, and groups like MPEG (Motion Picture Experts Group) and SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers).

As part of my research and writing, I’ve made every effort to communicate with leaders in both IT and AV. Recently I made a list of the leaders who I know that are working in each area. The AV group included executives and engineers of companies that sell encoders, streaming servers, audio and video conferencing solutions, and similar mainstream AV products. The IT group consisted of executives and engineers from major IT vendors like Microsoft, Google, Cisco, Comcast, Amazon, and Netflix. After developing these two lists, something became apparent. I don’t think anyone on the AV list knows anyone on the IT list, or vice versa. I believe there is limited communications between the two industry sectors.

The consequences of this lack of communications are apparent in some industry developments. IEEE AVB, which was designed to give precise timing to Ethernet, was introduced after dozens of other modifications were made to Ethernet. While not as accurate as AVB, NTP (Network Time Protocol) was developed over 30 years ago. Looking from the opposite direction, it took almost a decade for the IT community to recognize the problems inherent in TCP delivery of video and specify DASH. Meanwhile, the AV industry developed SRT (Secure Reliable Transport), a method of mimicking TCP transport without its actual use.

I’m not sure what the best path forward might be. Maybe a task force of leaders from each of the sectors could meet periodically with a directive to address the technical issues faced by each group. That task force could also promote the expansion of cross-training of existing standards. What seems obvious is that we don’t need more proprietary standards or standards developed too late.

The AV world is changing in the residential and professional markets, and these changes are creating new challenges and possibilities. Network transports are proliferating allowing for higher channel counts and more flexibility. Clients’ expectations of how a business AV system operates are often set by comparing it to their home system.

This comparison results in a few typical requests. Throughout my career the most common is “I want everything to be able to go everywhere.” An addition in the past decade: “I want to control it with my phone.” Over the last two years the feature request has become “I want voice control.” Saying something isn’t possible in a professional system results in a response of “I can do it at home, why can’t you do it?”

Explaining the difference between home products and commercial products is something that we have all experienced. As professionals, we need to ask questions to define the end user’s needs and then provide a solution. Selling a system that does what they ask, not what they need, is bad for everyone. We must always be cognizant that our responsibility is to be a good steward of the client’s money while achieving their goals.

Requesting every input to be able to go to any output is understandable. The clients may not have finished the system requirements yet, and this request gives them leeway. They are also used to being able to stream and change content easily and quickly, whether streaming from Network Attached Storage (NAS) in their home or a service like Amazon Prime. The likely thought is “Surely a professional system can also.”

Addressing this request for a system of fewer than 512 inputs and outputs either by placing every signal on the network backbone or by connecting every signal to a monolithic core is often the quickest solution, but not a practical one. This solution can be easily accomplished with a 1Gbps backbone for audio. Does the solution work if the inputs and outputs are located in different buildings? What happens if connectivity is lost? A better solution could be independent subsystems for each building, floor, or room. These are connected to a central network. It also allows each system to operate independently. Which would you choose?

I omitted a key part of “anything anywhere”—signal type, resolution, and compression was not specified. Is it audio, video, or both? Is audio separate or embedded in the video? A few questions will refine the need and simply the system. Asking, “does every video source need to be available from each room, or just the active one?” greatly reduces the amount of bandwidth and interconnections needed. The same approach can be used for audio. If there are multiple microphones, provide a single audio channel for outside of the room. This approach meets the intent of “anything anywhere” and allows for signals to be shared from one location to another. The definition requires every device be available even when idle. Defining the resolution and compression of the signals will also influence the design. Explaining why 4K60 4:4:4 video typically is not needed for a remote classroom is part of the design discussion AV professionals need to foster. Do you want to change your choice from the last paragraph?

For a non-technical user, operating an AV system can be overwhelming. Simplifying control using a person’s home system operation as the benchmark is reasonable. Using a handheld device for control is commonplace and makes a user more comfortable. Explaining why a typical consumer interface won’t work and a custom interface is needed requires an explanation. Describe why controlling 30 rooms in a building, compared to one or two in a house, requires more rules and information. The system needs to know what room you are controlling, and there also might be rules for what each user can do. This discussion also allows explanation of why purchasing a solution from a big-box store is less likely to be successful. It shows the customer the importance of skills AV professionals bring to projects. It helps the industry.

Simpler operation drives requests for voice control. Voice control of a room has pitfalls that not everyone thinks of. The biggest is “how does the voice control agent determine which person to listen to?” The second point is “your room will need to be connected to the internet. Check with your IT security department before we proceed.” Typically, the conversation ends there. The reason? Currently all voice control agents require an internet connection. The control system needs internet connectivity to receive commands. The client also is placing a listening device in their room. There are exploits to access cameras and microphones on computers running Mac, Windows, and Linux operating systems. In my opinion, it is just a matter of time before voice control devices are compromised. Yes, voice control results in a vulnerability.

There will always be tradeoffs in any project. Helping clients understand the tradeoffs to facilitate a well-reasoned decision is important. Talking with people, in language they understand, about these choices allows for a partnership and almost certain success. That is our role as AV professionals. Clients who understand the decision-making process are typically happier with the end result.

Bradford Benn recently separated from Harman Professional Solutions after 17 years. He has been involved with projects of all sizes and shapes in his over 25 years in the AV industry. He can be reached at www.bradfordbenn.rocks or on Twitter @BradfordBenn.

Better Questions for Better Solutions

• “Will the requested solution work if the inputs and outputs are located in different buildings?”
• “Is there a back-up plan if connectivity is lost?”
• “Does every video source need to be available from each room, or just the active one?”
• “How will the voice control agent determine which person to listen to?”

When I’ve talked with students, relatives, and friends about computer security, they often questions such as, “Why can’t the bad guys just steal the key?” Or, “Can’t they find out what the encryption key is by listening to the conversation?” Pondering how to make the exchange between your browser and your camera secure can be daunting. Modern computer and network security is vastly different from the era when Allen Turing and the secret team at Bletchley Park defeated the German Enigma machine. For one thing, the encryption keys in that World War II setting were used across and entire army for a day or more. Today, when a key is created for a communication session, it is used for that session only. In fact, more often than not, the key is changed many times during one session. In addition, Turing’s group needed to find a key from among many billions of possibilities. Now, the number of possible keys that must be guessed could be in the trillions of trillions of trillions or more.

There are some situations where keys can be discovered by brute force (repetitive guessing) and we should be aware of these. For example, when pre-shared keys are used in Wi-Fi, an eavesdropper can use tools available on the Internet to try every possible combination of potential keys. By artificially generating enough traffic to see many millions of responses from an access point, the attacker can often guess the phrase that generated the key. However, the most widely based form of encryption is based on the technique used in the SSL (Secure Socket Layer) protocol. This protocol creates and uses session keys. That is, the key is created for use in part of one session or no more than one session. It is never reused. To gain an understanding of what makes this technique so robust, I’ll give an uncomplicated description of how it works. The process most often used is called Diffie-Hellman, named after its creators. To clarify, refer to Figure 1. Alice wants to communicate securely with Bob.

(1) The secret values are shown in red.

(2) Alice picks two numbers x and y and a secret z. She uses them to calculate M and sends x ,y, and M to Bob.

(3) Bob uses x and y and chooses his own secret w. With these he calculates N.

(4) Bob sends N back to Alice.

(5) Alice uses x, z, and N to calculate the key S.

(6) Bob uses M, x and w to calculate the same key S.

The numbers used are extremely large. But modern computer power makes the computations very quickly. The magic of this process is that even though all of the numbers x, y, M, N are exchanged in the open, an attacker doesn’t know Alice’s secret z or Bob’s secret w. Without z or w, the attacker cannot compute the key.

When this single key is used, encryption is fast and efficient. That’s why it’s so popular. AV equipment establishing a secure connection will often use the Diffie-Hellman method to create a temporary session key.

Phil Hippensteel, PhD, is an instructor of information systems at Penn State Harrisburg.

In the AV space, talk of the hospitality industry is certainly a facet of our conversations. For me, as a business development professional focused on hospitality and gaming, it is my all-day, every-day. Over the years, I have worked on both sides of the spectrum—internally for sports venues and externally through AV sales targeting these industries—and in both situations, a common thread always came through: the importance of superb communication and creating a comfortable, welcoming environment.

Working exclusively in hospitality segments, I’ve been able to easily translate my industry experience into the audiovisual space. To me, hospitality should be a part of everything we do in the AV world—it translates to always working to find a solution for our customers. In this sense, understanding the art of hospitality is key to success in the audiovisual industry.

Everything Is Service Driven

Despite the fact that our business relies on technology, it is important to remember that integration projects are built out of outstanding communication. This truly invaluable piece of the puzzle is one of the key reasons we see continued business: exceptional service. Everything is service driven in hospitality—from how guests feel about their experiences to how we work with hotels, casinos, restaurants, and more, to create AV integrations that enhance these experiences. And, these both rely heavily on relationships. Smiling, getting to know people, being available, responsive, and adaptable are keys to success in both the hospitality industry and the AV world. If you do not answer a need, customers will question if someone else can.

Doing Whatever It Takes

It’s a tough lesson, but a very true one—do whatever it takes. In a hotel setting, this may mean complementary upgrades or food and beverage vouchers, but it can mean something completely different in AV. From driving a system cross-country for a demo (personal experience, it was faster than shipping) to carrying products onto flights to ensure their arrival, we find a way to get people what they need. True hospitality means putting others’ needs above your own and always finding a solution. Showing people you care may seem like an intangible value-add for a brand, but “getting back what you give” is just as valuable a mantra in business as it is in your personal relationships. And, to really be successful, business and personal life absolutely overlap. It is a lifestyle and a mindset, not just a job—being passionate and actually caring about what you do. That is what fuels you to do whatever it takes.

Personalization and Customization

We work hand in hand with our customers to get it right from the moment we meet. In hospitality, this means putting yourself in the customer’s shoes and ensuring every detail, down to the placement of a fork, is correct. Within the audiovisual world, there’s a lot that goes into finding the right solutions. Beyond physically getting a product somewhere, every step of our process involves catering to the client. You have to work with them to create the right systems and need to be involved with the build right from the beginning, whether that means working with architects, manufacturers, end users, or more. If a customer wants me onsite to do a walkthrough during construction, I put on a hard hat and walk side by side with the architect or general contractor—no request is too big or too small.

Never Let Them See You Sweat

At the end of the day, successful hospitality involves what, operationally, is a necessity in hotels: availability, adaptability, and always looking out for the safety and happiness of your guest. Any new project that is out of the ordinary can be overwhelming, but there is no reason to sweat it. Showing fear and apprehension in a situation gives pause to anyone you are communicating with. Rather, always try remain calm and appear to be in control. Customers will know they can trust you for any request and this will result in repeat business.

Keeping these simple concepts in mind will showcase your friendly and welcoming nature—the definition of hospitality—and, therefore, allow you to be more successful in your career in the AV industry. No matter how far technology advances, an integration is the result of people effectively working together, listening, and adapting to develop and implement a solution.

When most of us think about evolution, we think in terms of slow change over decades or even centuries. When we see change in front of our very eyes, that’s something else. Some might even call it disruption. This would be an apt description of what has gone on in the AV industry over the last couple of years, but especially in 2017. Disruption can be unnerving, and even scary to some as the status quo changes, but it also can be exciting and the harbinger of positive and exciting things to come for those with vision. Let’s take a 10,000-foot view at some of the changes in 2017 that have accelerated far beyond what we think of as evolution.

From an overall perspective, the pro AV industry has evolved in somewhat of a traditional sense from local to regional to national, and most recently, global in scale and scope. Separating the headline stories of 2017 “mega-mergers” and acquisitions from the realities of the industry, the majority of the pro AV industry output is still local and regional in nature, and can be characterized as small- to medium-sized businesses. The headlines do rightfully note the expansion in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) of companies like AVI-SPL and Diversified, and nearing the $1-billion-a-year mark, unthinkable a few years ago. This depicts a trend at the top end but does not mean that the local and regional companies will go out of business; it just means companies of all sizes need to shift their paradigms in order to compete. This requires a new perspective of markets, products and services, as well as business practices, leading ultimately to differentiation answering the question, “Why buy from us?” If we look at the expanded AV universe, according to industry research and forecasting, there is plenty to go around and credible reasons that each type and size of business can and should succeed and grow.

Recognizing the existential changes in the industry, InfoComm has now changed its name to AVIXA. Regardless of what you may think of the new name, it describes and defines change. As a side note, we are not talking about technological changes—a few added lumens, nits, or pixels. We are talking about true systemic change. The acronym itself demonstrates this, with “IX” standing for integrated experience. It recognizes and proves that we are in the first stages of moving away from selling widgets (hardware, simple boxes) and into the realm of solutions and the integrated experience.

Just as the overall AV industry has changed, so have the manufacturers and distributors that serve it. On the manufacturing side, the biggest news was the finalization of the acquisition of Harman by Samsung. This adds audio (consumer, professional, and automobile), and remote-control technologies to a massive list of Samsung displays and a myriad of other technologies. While not as large, the acquisition of Milestone by Legrand is significant as well. Legrand, a giant in lighting controls, home automation, electrical, and low-voltage infrastructure now adds screens, mounts, and PTZ cameras to its mix. The point to these examples, as well as several others, is the breadth of solutions a given manufacturer has to offer. Tie this together with an expansion of what an AV integrator has to offer along with the new verticals they can serve, and you will see the future of pro AV. Once again, it is about tactics and vision.

It would be myopic not to also mention the changes we have seen in the sales and distribution of AV products. While some manufacturers still sell directly to integrators with their own sales staff or through independent reps, an increasing number have chosen to use distribution. This allows for more coverage of the integrator channel, and in many cases, better ROI in terms of the sales expense.

Distribution used to receive a bad rap as simply order takers, but this too has changed. Speaking from personal experience, having been called upon as an industry educator, several noted distributors have mandated that sales associates obtain industry certifications like AVIXA’s CTS. Customers are now able to speak to a person who is qualified from an industry perspective, and many have taken specific courses provided by their vendors aimed at better serving their client base. In addition, most distributors have product experts and technical staffs on board, and many employ outside sales teams that call directly on AV integrators, not unlike what manufacturers used to do back in the day. This is a tangible migration toward full service, total-solution distribution.

What we saw most clearly in 2017 was the concept of adding value in the sales and distribution channels, and ultimately to the end users. We must look beyond the hardware that is sold and see what things we can provide that will solve problems for our clients. Today, a display is a display, and in some senses, a commodity, but when you add a mount, media players, switcher, distribution amplifier, etc. to the mix, you have a total solution. Even so, that is sometimes still not enough to provide differentiation.

Another way is to add value is in the form of services. This may fall under the heading of a maintenance contract or a full set of managed services for an enterprise. Another example is the utilization of partnerships as a service. A partnership between a service provider and an integrator brings a level of expertise that the integrator alone may not have in house. For example, in 2017, Premier Mounts introduced a new division called Premier Dedicated Solutions (PDS); this group focuses on partnerships with integrators offering design and integration services. The concept of outsourcing and partnerships is relatively new to the pro AV industry, but these services expand what a company can offer in terms of overall value.

This could not be a review of the pro AV industry without acknowledgment of other technology trends that are shaping the industry. A big contributor to everything we do is the availability of big data. It has been a huge topic for the past few years when it started as a popular buzzword. We now have access to mass quantities of gathered data and we are in the midst of the learning curve in terms of how to address and use the resource. It can help us in everything from planning better medical treatments to executing better marketing and sales campaigns. In 2017, we began to see advancements in humanizing big data, seeking more empathetic and qualitative bits of data. It now becomes our job in pro AV to find these resources and suggest ways of presenting them in a more visualized and accessible way. It is the raw material of modern communication.

Speaking of communication, 2017 marks the year that digital signage went mainstream in pro AV. It is now so widespread that many integrators have dedicated people, or even divisions focused on the segment. Why, you ask? It is because digital signage, and its content management systems (CMS), are all the rage in nearly every venue we serve. It is no longer limited to an adverting medium in retail or quick-serve restaurants. It is one of the fastest growing verticals in corporations (still the number one vertical in pro AV) and education (number two) with employee- and student-facing networks and communications. Digital signage has rapidly evolved into providing an overall set of communication tools. If big data is the raw material, then digital signage, in one form or another, is becoming one of the primary vehicles to deliver it.

From a pure technology point of view, of course, we are still inundated with mentions of the cloud, but that has been surpassed in 2017 with acronyms like IoT (Internet of Things). IoT refers to the ever-growing network of physical objects that feature an IP address for internet connectivity, and the communication that occurs between these objects and other internet-enabled devices and systems. Technology consulting firm Gartner projects that 6.4 billion connected things will be in use worldwide this year, up 30-percent from last year. And Gartner forecasts that number will grow by more than three times, to nearly 21 billion by the year 2020. As you know, we used to speak (endlessly) about the convergence of AV and IT, and ponder when it would come. I hope those that have hung back will now join the new world order.

Looking at hardware advances in 2017, many would agree that the most visible elements (pun intended) are the new versions of display technologies now at our disposal. There has been a growing acceptance of 4K UHD, but it is the promise of the combined benefits of high dynamic range (HDR) in both source materials and displays becoming more pervasive that is most exciting. If we just look at what the human eye can see in terms of color space, current HDTV (Rec. 709) lets us see approximately 36 percent versus UHD with HDR (Rec. 2020), at 76 percent. If we match 4K-created content and a 4K UHD display, the outcome is exceptional.

While content is king, it is the ability of the display to show the content that delivers the goods. In flat panel displays, we see the battle between quantum dot LED technology (popularly known as Samsung QLED) and organic light emitting diode technology or OLED (touted by LG). Each type of technology has its advantages, but the common denominator is that both provide an outstanding image that must be seen to be believed. As the kids might say, we have entered the era of awesomeness in picture quality!

On the two-piece display system side, we have advances in both projectors and screens. There were numerous 4K products that came onto the market in 2017, but the big story was the migration from traditional lamp-based technologies to solid-state illumination. The benefits are significant in that we get longer life than a lamp and reduce the total cost of ownership. Also, the solid-state illumination does not have noticeable color shift over its life of around 20,000 hours. The equally big projection story of the year is ambient light-rejection screens. They come in various models, configurations, and performance attributes, but they all seek to address the issue of ambient light washing out the image. When done properly, it almost looks like magic.

The final technological shout-out for 2017 is the growth of direct-view LED and fine-pitch indoor displays. Most of the major display companies have jumped on this bandwagon with many more “want to bes” that you have never heard of standing in the wings. The sweet spot is from 6 millimeters down to 1.5-millimeter dot pitch. Yes, there are smaller dot pitches than 1 millimeter available, and while they are certainly interesting, their pricing and availability keeps them from being mainstream (so far). When we get below 2.5 millimeters down to 1.5, the images get very interesting. Of course, they are seamless and bright, but it is the video handling capabilities that stand out. Several of the leading suppliers are even capable of handling HDR with 16-bit color processing. For the naysayers out there, this is not a fad, and this is coming to a pro AV distributor and integrator sooner than many may think.

Peter Jackson, CEO of Bluescape (bluescape.com) On December 14th, 2017, the Federal Communications Commission repealed “net neutrality,” the 2015 Open Internet Order that classified broadband service as a utility covered by Title II of the Communications Act. The goal of the 2015 net neutrality order was to protect the “open internet.” The objective of the 2017 repeal, as stated by the FCC, is “restoring internet freedom.” Both are worthy goals, so why is everyone up in arms?

Imagine the internet is the system of roads we use every day to get to work, run errands, visit family and friends, etc. Now that the internet has been “freed” a third party can decide which roads you can use and which you can’t. In this case the third party is likely to be a handful of broadband companies including AT&T, Comcast and Verizon, among a few others. They can now create bundles of internet access services much like how we purchase cable TV today: North and South interstates are included in the basic package, but if you want to go East or West—or on any local roads—you’ll have to pay more. Imagine subscribing to a bundle of social media sites for $20/month and another $50/month for streaming video and $35 for a bundle of news sites…you get the picture. How much are you, the consumer, willing to pay?

Let’s dig into the business and economic impacts of the repeal further. For years, businesses have been rapidly adopting cloud-based applications ranging from accounting software to content collaboration and ideation systems. Some of these systems are aimed at improving employee productivity, and some are designed to enhance the customer experience. Regardless of what the applications do, the reversal of net neutrality will directly affect the ability of companies of all sizes to meet the continually evolving expectations of their customers.

For smaller businesses and those in the growing gig economy, this decision could be devastating. The “open internet” essentially leveled the playing field and enabled business of all sizes to compete, globally. With the so-called “free internet” (as the FCC is billing the repeal decision), instead of providing an equal opportunity for all to reach potential customers, the internet becomes an expensive channel only big business can afford. Entire business models of today’s fastest growing companies could soon no longer be viable.

One of the arguments in favor of the recent decision is that prior to the 2015 regulation none of the service providers engaged in the practice of throttling access. And some providers have pledged that they will not change their practices and begin blocking or throttling websites as a result of the FCC’s decision. That’s great, but we all know publicly traded companies are beholden to their shareholders and continually under pressure to increase profits. What happens if they change their minds and decide to leverage their position of power? There is nothing to stop them unless the FCC is willing to engage in reactive policing.

There is no question that the massive changes in how we communicate, consume content and interact with each other do require some policy changes to stay current, just not this one. Internet access can’t be a political football that is punted around by every new administration.

Despite fiery rhetoric on all sides, too few will ultimately gain from the repeal of this legislation and as the financial, economic and employment impacts are realized, people will rise up. It’s time to update legislation to meet the realities of the twenty-first century before it’s too late.

On Tuesday, the HDMI Forum released the HDMI 2.1 specification, the latest update to the ubiquitous connectivity standard. With a throughput of 48Gbps and the ability to handle 4K120, 8K60, and 10K video, plus a wealth of other signal enhancements, the announcement may have raised some concerns in the integration community—especially among those who have just upgraded infrastructures to the 2.0 standard.

Rob Tobias (left) and Brad Bramy We reached out to HDMI Licensing Administrator’s CEO Rob Tobias and senior marketing director Brad Bramy for insight into the new standard’s development, execution, and its implications for integrators.

SCN: What was the impetus behind the development of HDMI 2.1?
Rob Tobias: 2.0 came out in 2013, so it’s been over four years since the last specification came out. And during that time the approximately 90 companies that are part of the forum continually work on specification improvements for the industry and that covers the members, companies that make chips, make systems, cables, connectors, test equipment, and IP that goes into chips. They’re a who’s who of the consumer electronics industry, and they feel there’s a need to improve the HDMI specification to be available as the technology improvements are adopted across the industry.

SCN: How will the 48Gbps throughput be achieved? Are the cables going to require fiber or will they be copper with length limitations?
RT: It’ll be the second. The specification does define a new cable that will be capable of handling the 48 gigabits per second. It is specified as a copper cable, or as a non-optical cable. So there will be passive versions, and as you point out, the faster you go with passive cables, the shorter they become. So the cables won’t be as long as those that support the 18Gbps for the 2.0 specification. There is ability for the industry to do active copper cables, and your audience, some of them do very long distances, and there’s been a whole ecosystem of companies that have come up with ways to carry HDMI signaling, basically transform it either into optical or some other format, and carry it over things like Ethernet cable. And so I expect that ecosystem of companies to continue to evolve their solutions to carry these higher speeds.

SCN: Which aspect of the standard—higher throughput or the ability to handle more sophisticated HDR and enhanced refresh rates—do you think will have the biggest impact?
RT: I think all of them will, over time. It’s similar to any HDMI spec: certain features are rolled out very quickly, and others take time because it requires hardware improvements. Not just from HDMI, but including the whole TV processing SoC and that whole pipeline. So things like dynamic HDR—that will be rapidly adopted across the ecosystem because that can be applied to existing 18-gigabit systems. In some cases, it could perhaps just be a software firmware update to existing products, but that’s at a manufacturer level. You mentioned the variable rate refresh, the game mode—Xbox One X is already out there talking about how they’re going to support that over HDMI. So certain products will take advantage of that feature quickly. We hear a lot of talk and excitement about the enhanced audio return [eARC] channel. So I think you’ll see that feature adopted fairly rapidly as well.

The higher speeds will come out and be associated with products that jump up and do 4K120 or 8K or beyond. And we’ve seen a lot of 8K demos throughout the past few years; some of the first commercial products are starting to be available. I was just at IFA this past fall, and Sharp announced that they’re going to sell 8K TVs and monitors and such. So that’s starting to roll out, but I think that will be just like the early days of 4K, where you had some very expensive products, not too large sales, but as years progressed, those prices rapidly declined and today 4K is pretty much mainstream.

Brad Bramy: As Rob said, it’s truly all of [the capabilities]. When I’m talking to people what I find that most people are interested in are the combinations. So it’s not just that you can get dynamic HDR, but you can get dynamic HDR with the higher refresh rates and the higher resolution. But a lot of people aren’t really talking about those other—and maybe perceived as “secondary”—features, but it’s the enhanced refresh rate features that are going to result in smoother and faster not just gaming, but viewing in general. So the variable refresh rate may apply more to gaming, but also apply to VR and other things like that. But the quick media switching benefits movies and video viewing, the quick frame transport reduces latency, and also there’s a separate auto low-latency mode.

So those things in combination—it’s not just HDR, but HDR with a smoother and more interactive experience. There’s a lot of lag right now like when you switch from one source to another and the screen is dark for a while—so all of that stuff is going to go away and everything is going to be much faster and much smoother. And I hope people focus on those and don’t see those as secondary features. I think that once those features start permeating the market it’s going to be really noticeable.

SCN: How do you expect the standard to influence hardware development?
RT: HDMI is part of a larger system, and like I said, all of the manufacturer vendors—the ecosystem from IP to chip, to subsystem to systems guys, to panel guys—all had a hand in this, and they’re all pushing the technology forward. So there will be hardware improvements such as 8K panels; 8K panels require drivers, require SoC that do the video processing, require an HDMI interface that can handle the higher bandwidth. So all of those things will move in lockstep as 8K moves from prototypes into mainstream products.

It also applies to other features: the eARC, because it now handles the higher performance audio formats, would require some hardware change. So there are chip companies out there working to enable that to be integrated into displays, soundbars, AVRs, and those sorts of things. Things like the variable rate refresh do require system changes as well: it requires a device to change its refresh rate. Today, TVs just set it at a certain refresh rate—maybe it’s playing an Ultra HD Blu-ray, 4K at 24 frames per second; it sets it refresh rate at 24 frames per second. And it might switch to a 1080p60 set-top box; it sets its refresh rate to 60Hz. But with a variable rate refresh, it has to on the fly. Maybe it goes down to 30 or 24, or below, or all the way up to 120, and it has to be able to do that on the fly. There are monitors out there that do that today. This whole variable rate refresh emerged from AMD and Nvidia with their G-Sync and FreeSync, that are tied to their gaming GPUs. So that will eventually make its way into TVs as well as the TV SoC makers continue to add new capabilities and features to their chips.

SCN: What do residential and pro AV integrators need to know about it now? When will installations start demanding it?
RT: Initially, some of these features like eARC and dynamic HDR—those type of capabilities can run over the existing HDMI high-speed cables infrastructure. And those will be some of the first features that will be rolled out into products. And we want to stress that, because I know that the pro AV market is starting to freak out, “Oh, I’ve got to rip out all of my cables, do all of that kind of stuff.” And it’s not necessarily so. Really, they need to pay attention for new cabling when they move beyond 4K60. So if they start to put in displays that are 4K120 over HDMI (they also need to understand the capabilities of the HDMI port.) They could get a 4K TV where panel does 120Hz refresh but the HDMI port is still 4K60. It kind of goes back to the days of 1080p where they were first advertising 120Hz refresh, then 240Hz refresh, but that was the panel and not the HDMI port. However, when installers are putting in 8K displays, it’s very likely it’ll have the new HDMI 2.1 port running the 48 gig, and in that case, they will need to use the new cables.

SCN: When do you expect the cables to begin hitting the market?
RT: The cable guys are usually very fast. So I wouldn’t be surprised if early next year you start to see some cable manufacturers start to talk about their cables coming to market.

BB: If you look at the FAQs on our website, there’s some good information there. And regarding the cables, people are probably going to be introducing some prototypes or introducing some things at CES. But if you look at the FAQs, it states very clearly that you can’t really bring something to market unless it’s in compliance with the specification and then also the compliance test specification [CTS] and get certified. So it depends on when that CTS is going to come out. But a cable has to be certified to be on the market, so that has to come first in terms of timing.

Company culture is a popular topic in both human resource and management circles. And it should be in the AV world, too; it’s important to pay attention to this topic. Luckily for me, I get the best of both worlds as I work in human resources for an AV company—Advanced AV, a New Era Technology Company.

Company culture begins with the first interaction during the interview process and continues once the employee is onboard, shaping them in the development of their position and encouraging them to grow and offer ideas. We often focus on choosing the right employee to fill open positions, but what drives that employee to apply to your company in the first place? The technology industry is a competitive marketplace for talent, and employers who are looking for the right people must create a workplace culture that attracts those applicants. A positive culture is important to obtain high-level talent, boost morale, retain employees, reduce turnover rates, and motivate higher performance. In today’s technology-driven job search, candidates have access to a wealth of information about your company, and your culture should be one of them.

When I joined Advanced AV, it was clear a major focus had to be put on overhauling our company culture and creating a workplace where employees would feel engaged. With a team full of supportive management, we revamped our Fun & Games Committee; the committee existed but was lacking the actual “fun” component. Our first year, we started out modest by adding just a few events with the aim of bringing employees from various departments together outside of work. Our hope was to get them to learn a little more about one another, enjoy their time together without the stresses of the job, and bring that camaraderie back to the office for better cross-department collaboration. Just as important as having the events, we needed feedback; we asked our employees what they liked, what they didn’t, and what they wanted to do in the future. Each year we have added a variety of activities for our employees, both during and outside of office hours, and continually ask for input to improve our efforts.

To keep our momentum going, we encourage our employees to participate in community outreach in their personal lives, and to share with the company what those efforts are. So, whether they volunteer at a homeless shelter, run a 5K for childhood cancer, or participate in an animal adoption event, they send their efforts directly to me, and I push them out to the company. What happens afterward is always remarkable to watch. Suddenly, six other employees show the same passion for the cause and join in to help. Our employees feel a sense of belonging when they share interests with coworkers, and it fosters unique partnerships and friendships within the company.

The team at Advanced AV participated in the Lemon Run with their families.

Cultivating an environment of trust and communication is another important aspect of culture. At Advanced AV, we take the time to ensure each manager is available to employees at every level. Using this technique, we’ve created two separate service offerings for clients from employee-driven initiatives—all from just listening to our employees on the front lines of the client relationship. Employees often want to offer a solution or be part of a team in designing an answer back to the client. With a solid, open environment, employees often independently gather the internal teams and resources together to solve those problems. A culture where employees feel empowered to offer solutions is a refreshing one.

With an ongoing commitment to culture, you can achieve splendid success, both internally and externally, for your company. Once this happens, you need to commit to preserving an environment where your culture can flourish. Creating a culture of openness and fun has led to an all-time high in morale, and I’ve seen our retention rates reflect this. Now, when I hear “What is the company culture at Advanced AV?” during an interview, I can proudly say that it is an environment where our employees are provided with a fun and rewarding career.

Angela Johnson is an AV professional focused on putting the HUMAN back in human resources; she can be reached on Twitter @AngJohnson724.

Along with our annual Top 50 Systems Integrators feature, we polled a selection of leading firms on industry topics.

SCN: What vertical markets and/or technologies exhibited the most growth for you in 2017?

Philip Giffard, president, Solotech
The greatest challenge, for us, is to remain a system integrator of choice through growth, despite the rapid evolution of technologies and markets. Because we also have a rental division, we often have access to the latest and greatest product ahead of time, which enables us to train our staff faster than our competitors. This, reinventing ourselves, being flexible, and staying on the lookout for novelties with choice partners, has helped us in meeting this challenge successfully.

Bin Guan, chief technology officer, Yorktel
Healthcare has shown the greatest realized potential for Yorktel. There are unfulfilled needs for video applications in the telehealth and telemedicine space that other vendors haven’t been able to effectively meet, and Yorktel found a way to do it. This year our bookings in healthcare alone grew 30 percent year over year, and 2018 is expected to be even more of an exciting year. Pharmaceutical and bio-life sciences are also showing tremendous growth.

Dave Berlin, president, VCA
We saw a lot of growth in higher ed where the active learning movement is really maturing. It’s a conversation we’re having with most every higher ed client now, instead of just a few of the more progressive ones. Mass transit exhibited noteworthy growth this year, too. For technologies, we saw the demand for large-format direct-view LEDs grow tremendously, along with most every application for digital signage. IP workflow adoption in the AV space, as well as data collection and analytics were other areas of growth.

Peter Charland, SVP global managed services, HB Communications
Demand for deployment of standardized collaboration platforms—as opposed to custom conference rooms—shows high growth, along with growing demand for HB to deliver and support these systems globally. We are seeing significant growth in global deployments of solutions and services.

Rhonda Wingate, VP of visual collaboration sales, Carousel Industries
The vertical markets we’ve seen the most growth in during the past year have been healthcare and financial services. Healthcare applications are centered on telemedicine solutions, a majority of them requiring EPIC software integration. In the financial services market, the primary application is video banking. With regard to specific technologies, we’ve seen tremendous interest and growth in interactive touch displays, video walls in larger conference rooms, divisible training rooms, digital signage, and all-in-one solutions for smaller spaces such as Cisco Spark Boards and room kits as well as Skype for Business room solutions.

Kelly McCarthy, president, Genesis Integration
We saw significant growth in fine pixel-pitch LED video walls. We can attribute this to a massive influx of new-build school projects and being able to offer the technology at a more affordable price point for clients. Another area we saw growth in is our cloud-based videoconferencing space. We are certainly noticing our clients taking advantage of this service as it provides them the flexibility to collaborate as a team while keeping travel costs down. Cloud-based videoconferencing is becoming a hot commodity in the market, especially for those midsize businesses where a lot of their teams are working remotely.

Cheryl Cox, director, marketing and communications, Whitlock
Our largest growth in 2017 has been in the financial and high-tech verticals for enterprise collaboration solutions, as well as experience and innovation centers.

Rod Andrewson, chief technology officer and manager of support and quality assurance, CCS Presentation Systems
Digital audio upgrades using the Dante standard soared with products introduced by all of the DSP, microphone, and network manufacturers. Digital audio upgrades are on track to make the same impact in 2018. Video-over-IP solutions, although not brand new to the industry, exploded in the video distribution market. Many customers needing to abandon analog and original category cable, non-HDBaseT solutions jumped past HDBaseT solutions and directly to video-over-IP upgrades, causing big increases in sales for the manufacturers of the encoder/decoders and network switch manufacturers. The projector/screen market showed a bounce back with improvements in ambient light-rejecting screen technologies from all the screen manufacturers.

Robert T. Gag, CEO, Tierney
Tierney continued to see significant growth in the K-12 market with the continued emergence of the interactive flat-panel and virtual and augmented reality solutions. In addition, substantial year-over-year growth took place in the retail sector with video wall installations and in the higher ed space with collaboration and lecture hall refreshes. Every Tierney market segment grew in the digital signage category, as clients continue to invest in improved internal communications.

As I began to think about the importance of giving back and compiled my thoughts, I started to realize the weight of this topic. Who am I to tell others how important it is to give back?

The last thing I want to do is give the impression that I stand as some moral authority, reminding #AVTweeps they should have pledged their support on that recent PBS fund drive. That’s not where I’m going with this. I’m in the same boat as all of you: wishing I could do more for others, but falling back on the all-too-common excuses of “if I only had more time” or “I want to do more, but don’t know where to start.” In fact, I know all of us in some way give back every day, be it through volunteerism, taking the time to mentor a coworker, donating to an organization close to your heart, or, even through simple acts of kindness. There is of course, no right or wrong way to give back, as long as it comes from the heart. But, how does all of this relate to you?

Taking the idea of “giving” and peering at it through my AV lens brought to light some of my own personal experiences. I’ve often thought that while I’m passionate about technology and the experiences technology can create, I’m not exactly saving the world with this stuff. I’ve also noticed that the AV industry has other hurdles relating to equal access and visibility as a viable career path to the masses. Just look at InfoComm’s rebranding to AVIXA. (For those living a subterranean life, Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association, or AVIXA, is InfoComm’s rebranding efforts to better align with the industry’s purpose and future trajectory.) I’m on board with it—grow or go, scale or bail.

A friend and fellow non-profit founder recently commented on a recent post and hit the nail on the head: “Sports GMs don’t sit in their offices waiting for the next Michael Jordan to walk in. They scout the playground.” For those who read AVIXA’s Pro-AV Index, you’d hear the common theme that there’s a lack of a skilled workforce in pro AV ready to take in-demand jobs. Could giving back to your local STEM community open a portal in which the worlds of AV and STEM begin to intertwine? Our industry could benefit from this new kind of convergence and infusion of talent. A convergence within the community that’s getting AV technology into the hearts and minds of young students already interested in science, technology, video games, music, etc. When considering where to volunteer your time, try Googling your nearest maker-space or STEM after-school program. Stop by there and show some kids just how cool sound and video can be and how it can enhance what they’re already doing!

Then there’s the overarching issue of equal access, be it lack of educational resources, skill gaps, socioeconomic barriers, or whatever else may stand in the way. For what is projected to be a $182B per year industry by 2020, the lack of a clear “onramp” into an in-demand career field is head-scratchingly hard to understand. With few to no college-level educational paths, we can’t expect one single industry association to do all of the education and propagating. It’s still up to us in some ways—the systems integrators, the salespeople, the manufacturer’s reps, the consultants, all of us—to find and educate not only ourselves but also the next generation. This presents a tremendous opportunity for companies to volunteer time and resources for paid internship programs or for reaching out to local high schools with careers in technology and work study programs to educate on the industry. Other technology industries will go as so far to reimburse qualified students for their education should they complete their coursework on time and agree to come work directly for that particular company. That’s a win-win!

If nothing else, consider giving back by making donations in-kind to some of these programs. I personally know many pro AV integrators, college IT departments, product manufacturers, and others who are sitting on stockpiles of B-stock or used equipment that could do wonders if delivered into the right hands. This is at the core of what our nonprofit, Integrate Baltimore (www.integratebaltimore.com), is all about. We are focused on changing the way usable technology gets repurposed and into the hands of organizations who need it most, while connecting the STEM and professional community. We’re growing our industry by giving the industry, and hoping to inspire others to do the same.

During the past 24 months, AV over IP has risen from relative obscurity to become the hot topic in the Pro AV world. Advances in compression technologies and network infrastructure capacities have helped drive this development. And we are now beginning to see significant volumes of encoders and decoders being sold into low-latency Pro AV applications; an industry generally considered to be the last hold-out to IP technology.

Anthony Brennan

Whether a product is designed for use on a 1G or 10G network is an important (and contentious) issue within the market. The issue has gained increased relevance in the past 12 months with a clear split in the market between high-efficiency compression 1G solutions, typically based on JPEG2000 or H.264 encryption, and lightly compressed 10G solutions. With 1G network switches already widespread and heavily commoditised, some vendors see the future of the market sitting squarely with 1G AV over IP solutions. Whereas, others remain unconvinced and believe the ubiquity of 10G network infrastructure (and products requiring much higher bandwidths) is just around the corner.

Unsurprisingly, each vendor expresses very different opinions (typically aligned to its product portfolio) regarding the current and future market outlook of the varying success of 1G and 10G products. Some brands are better placed in this debate and offer both solutions – strategising to let the market decide which technology will eventually win out. In reality, there are many considerations that must be taken into account with respect to each solution with applications and use cases often winning the much-discussed debate.

READ the author’s conclusion on 10G via FutureSource’s portal: https://www.futuresource-consulting.com/Blog-Post.asp#post2098

This column was originally published by FutureSource. Anthony Brennan, research analyst, is a member of the B2B Displays team at Futuresource Consulting. Having worked closely on the Flat Panel Quarterly Tracking Service, Anthony currently focuses on researching and analysing peripheral technologies in the AV industry including the likes of AV over IP and Wireless Presentation Solutions. Anthony’s experience covering a diverse range of segments in the Pro AV market helps keep Futuresource Consulting’s clients up-to-date with important trends and technologies impacting the space. Anthony graduated from the University of Leeds with a First Class Honours degree in Economics and Politics.

One of the most challenging issues owners of AV/VTC integration firms face is keeping up with the plethora of new products and services showing up daily. A very exciting time, but, it can also be distressing. Not only are there a plethora of choices for customers to evaluate (which extends the sale cycle), but there has also been a dramatic decrease in the cost of the equipment. On one hand, lowering prices is great for the customer; on the other, it’s hard to make company revenue goals when the price of your products has dropped 50-65 percent. Is there anything positive about the recent industry trends? Absolutely! But owners of AV integration firms must first come to terms with the fact that what got you here won’t get you there.

So how do integration firms make money these days amidst all of the industry turmoil? One way is to embrace the new products and make them part of the company’s go to market strategy. In the last several years, the AV/VTC industry has begun benefitting from the release of a wide range of cloud-based services and products, especially in the education and corporate verticals. VTC products like Zoom are experiencing phenomenal growth along with capturing significant market share based primarily on selling software subscription licenses. Consider this: software is just one piece of the puzzle for customers. They still need cameras, displays, audio, etc. to fully equip the room which presents an opportunity for integrators to do zoom room integration. These days customers are installing a lot more zoom rooms than traditional conference rooms. That translates into a great way to scale the business. So what’s my advice for integrators? “RIDE THE WAVE!”

Another strategy that has worked for me is making the commitment to transition the company into a service-focused organization. This would include selling managed services, remote monitoring, maintenance, 24/7 support, etc. Suffice to say there is a lot of aging AV / VTC equipment out there that needs to be maintained (in lieu of refreshing/replacing it) and that presents a sales opportunity for the integrator. Although service revenue tends to be a little lower than project-based/installation revenue, the profit margins are generally much higher. Selling services is a whole new ballgame–hire a sales person who focuses on solely on services. Don’t forget to get creative in recruiting for this position by looking for people who have an entrepreneurial mindset, and have good organizational and communication skills; don’t worry about industry experience as that can be taught.

Years ago, AV/VTC technology was more of a luxury than a necessity. But today, it is a must-have solution in many verticals such as corporate, education and healthcare. Because of this, integrators need to consider now, more than ever, the user experience. Customers are demanding a user experiencefocused on simplicity and accommodation similar to what popular consumer technology, like smart phones and tablets, offers. When integrators can create a smooth user experience and, at the same time, offer to provide continual service, the integrator not only increases profits but also get a “stickier” relationship with the customer. In today’s hypercompetitive AV marketplace, getting closer to a customer by providing high quality support is a good thing.

Other additional support areas companies can develop for profitability include system and network design, end user and technician training, and content creation for digital signage customers. It seems to me that, with these aforementioned factors alone, making the decision to grow the company’s services business is a no brainer. Big revenue is nice, but big profits are even better!

Jay Myers is the founder/CEO of Interactive Solutions, Inc. (ISI), a Memphis-based firm that specializes in videoconferencing, distance learning, telemedicine, and audiovisual sales and support.

It’s refreshing when I hear positive attitudes about millennials (Gen Y) and the next generation (Gen Z) in the workforce. While each generation brings new challenges and different characteristics to the office, it seems like the millennial generation has acquired a very negative perception from older generations.

Millennials in the workplace are nothing new—in fact, many of us have been in our careers now for close to 10 years. Many of us are in middle or upper management positions, even managing boomers and Generation X. Yet I hear so many organizations still struggle with how to make us “fit in” or how to “figure us out.”

While you can look at the differences in the generations and make the argument that we act and want much of the same, the biggest factor that separates us is how we fear, face, accept, implement, or resist change. The journey of change often starts with a bit of negative impact while trying to reach the positive moving forward. For millennials and Gen Z, change is a natural, expected occurrence—it’s a true constant in our lives. We’re used to it happening, all at a very fast pace. So, as we have established ourselves or are coming into the workforce with our “fantastic ideas” and “super weapons” of digital strength, we are often met with resistance and given stereotypes simply because it involves change to how things have always been done.

How can you positively collaborate with younger generations? Here is some insight on how organizations can turn common negative stereotypes into a company asset, and set their organizations on a path for success in working with the next generations.

Selfish

We can thank social media for this one. Millennials and Gen Z are very aware of their brand and branding potential. Social media gives us the ability to display this individualism, which can look very “me-me.” However, we enjoy sharing our lives and seeing our associates’ lives whether it’s a photo, 140 characters, or a quick video. In the workplace, this can naturally transition into team members wanting to be closer to co-workers in a collaborative space rather than to work in silos.

No Loyalty

Millennials and Gen Z are a very purpose-driven generation. Early in their careers, they are trying to find organizations that align with what they believe is their purpose. Once they find this purpose and align with the right organization, magic happens. Organizations have to be true to the cultures and brand message they preach in order to try to retain these generations. Chuck Wilson’s multi-question hiring matrix described in the article “Empowering Millennials for Workforce Success” [from the August 2017 issue of SCN] is an excellent guide to use for hiring managers to have conversation and evaluate millennial and Gen Z candidates to make sure they align as a long-term candidate in your organization.

Lazy

I have lived by the motto work smarter, not harder, and because of this, I often describe myself as lazy. I work very hard but how I work is even more important—I work efficiently. Millennials and Gen Z are out to make the world more effective and better than the one their parents grew up in. Next time you see someone upset about the hard work, ask yourself (and them!) if this is the most efficient manner. You may just get some innovation out of the collaboration.

Sensitive Snowflakes

Why do companies think we hate criticism or are sensitive to everything? It’s because too many companies still wait until annual reviews to give career feedback. Waiting nine months after your initial probation period only to hear what you’re doing is wrong sucks and is a waste of a lot of time for everyone. So feel comfortable telling us what you think, just remember to include why, how, and when things need to change.

Entitled

Okay this one maybe true … but in our defense, we’ve grown up with the greatest technological tools the world has ever seen. The speed at which we can access information definitely makes it feel like we have super powers to think, act, and work faster than prior generations. The truth behind this is that we are not scared of failure and don’t think things need to be perfect to make it work. Just look at how software and apps are developed with the rise of agile/scrum thinking! To benefit from this, organizations should use this generation to better themselves through R&D feedback. We like sharing our opinion of how things could be better and constructing an environment in which we are allowed to do so makes us feel like part of the solution.

The key to all of this is to learn and understand each other. Know your whys, over-communicate if you have to, be open-minded, and have patience. With these tools in your pocket, success will happen—together.

Quick Bio

Name: Christa Bender
Title: Account Manager
Company: Pivot Communications
In the Works: Currently, Pivot Communications is working to help clients improve their marketing efforts with intelligence and analytics, content creations, B2B marketing campaigns, and HubSpot consulting.

If you’ve ever baked a cake by throwing random ingredients together, chances are the result wasn’t edible. However, when you take the time to measure the ingredients, and bake at the correct temperature per the recipe, you are rewarded with a delicious dessert.

Designing and installing audio visual systems is a lot like baking: if you are missing the recipe—industry standards and certifications—you will not achieve the best possible outcome. Just like you don’t want to eat a gross piece of cake, you shouldn’t settle for providing and installing an audiovisual system that does not meet or exceed industry standards.

Why Standards and Certifications Matter to Integrators

Standards and certifications matter because they open doors to new opportunities, and help to increase your competitive advantage. When you incorporate industry norms into your work processes, you can achieve desired outcomes successfully and increase productivity.

Imagine designing and installing an audio system in a meeting space without applying industry standards—this project could take up extra resources and take longer to complete than if industry standards are reviewed and applied throughout the project’s lifecycle. Being aware of industry standards can help lessen the project’s complexity, as well as reduce the cost incurred by your company to design, install, commission, and train the end user on their new audio system. Industry standards are tried and true; when your company adopts them, you are providing your team with the tools to be knowledgeable, more efficient, more confident, and more credible.

AVIXA’s Standards Committee recommends standards development to the board of directors. They also act as AVIXA’s official ANSI consensus body.

Certifications are equally as important as following industry standards. Audiovisual industry certifications such as AVIXA’s CTS/CTS-D/CTS-I are a way for individuals to show that they have demonstrated audiovisual knowledge and skills. When you become CTS certified, you adhere to strict ethics and are required to maintain your certification with continued education. These designations are recognized worldwide and are ANSI accredited.

Why Standards and Certifications Matter to End Users

When you reach out to an integrator to help you with your technology needs, you expect them to be knowledgeable, reliable, and professional. To meet these and other expectations, you need to choose an integrator that adheres to the highest level of professionalism, and has industry certified staff. Companies that fall into that category are have high standards of ethics and conduct, are competent, and experienced to provide you with the technology solutions you need to make your meeting spaces more collaborative and to help your employees be more productive.

Regardless of whether you are bidding out a project or sole sourcing to your preferred integrator, as an end user, you can specify industry standards and certifications as a part of your project. For instance, you can specify the CTS credential or preference in your project description. Standards create high-quality AV systems with consistent, measurable performance according to AVIXA, and you should indicate specific standards as a part of your project (associations often provide a list of available standards on their websites). Asking your integrator to adhere to industry standards as well as industry certifications provides you with the ability to make an informed decision on whether they meet your criteria to successfully provide the technology solutions your organization needs.

Other Industry Certifications

While AVIXA represents the professional audiovisual industry worldwide, there are other certifications that can provide integrators and end users guidance for their systems.

CompTIA is one of the world’s leading technology associations. They provide certifications for IT networks and operational security.

BICSI is a worldwide association dedicated to cabling design and installation professionals. They are an ANSI accredited standards development organization whose standards affect voice, data, security, and audiovisual systems.

NSCA is the National Systems Contractors Association. They work with integrators, manufacturers, consultants, and architects as an advocate for low-voltage systems. NSCA is a business resource the helps companies maintain high standards of professional conduct and provides professional growth opportunities.

Additionally, there are many professional audio visual manufacturers that offer training and certifications on their products and solutions.

The More You Know

At the risk of sounding like a 1980s PSA, the more you know, the better you can be. This applies to companies and individuals. Taking the time to understand industry standards and earning certifications allows you to grow your knowledge base and provide the best professional solution to your end users.

I must confess: I hate baking, but love to cook. I am guilty of reading baking recipes, but never making them. I like to be knowledgeable, I just don’t apply my knowledge to baked goods.

Christa Bender, CTS, is an account manager at Pivot Communications, and an active industry volunteer. She can be found on Twitter@AVChrista.

I’ve been writing about the correlation between the residential AV industry and the traditional commercial AV industry for years. I’ve jumped on a soapbox and urged the InfoComm crowd to pay attention to the residential market, to realize the driving factor behind the clients’ love for all things iPad or, more recently, Alexa. You see, it’s not just that the residential market is adopting new technologies faster, per se—it’s that the residential market often seems to apply these new technologies with a little more polish.

In the past, we’ve seen how the commercial market tends to roll out these changes more slowly than the residential market. For example, we experienced the commercial pushback against the iPad for quite a long time before they became a standard touchscreen control interface in system designs. It’s not to say we didn’t want to use an iPad in a design, but we already had many great touchscreens from our control partners that increased our profit margins, so why would we: a. change, and b. sell something that makes us no money? Well, over on the residential side, there was the same concern, but most residential integrators jumped at the opportunity to utilize a sub-$1,000 iPad as a touchscreen device. Why did so many residential integrators do this when the commercial side was shunning the device? They saw the opportunity! Previously, they would see only a small number of traditional touchscreens on every project due to cost, but this new technology instantly afforded residential integrators the opportunity to place a touchscreen in any location imaginable. Were they potentially losing some product margin? Yes. But did they have an opportunity to create a better solution for their clients? Also yes.

The commercial AV industry could benefit from a close look at how the residential channel blends new technologies with sophisticated design.

In addition to adopting technology, the residential industry is fantastic at creating environments with a refined aesthetic. This isn’t to say the commercial industry isn’t capable of beautiful projects, or fashioning stunning rooms. But, all too often, I find we spend the majority of our time focusing on function over form. Now this isn’t all bad. On the contrary, this is what we need to focus on. We need to ensure that our systems work, because no one in a commercial environment will care how pretty your install is if it doesn’t function well, or worse, at all. Yet, if we’re honest with ourselves, it wouldn’t hurt us as a whole to give a little more credence to the aesthetics of our systems.

This is something the residential market has understood for years. Because they spend so much time working within the constraints of interior design to achieve these powerful systems, it usually is just second nature for so many residential integrators. There are entire lines of speakers that have been designed as works of art, and others that all but vanish behind the drywall. It’s all about blending and concealing everything wherever possible to create the perfect atmosphere for the client.

Now, don’t misunderstand me, I’m not trying to ruffle any feathers. There are very subtle differences between the commercial and residential channels and we can all learn from each other. Let’s keep our ears to the ground at CEDIA 2017.

Road to CEDIA

The residential market should matter to all of us on the commercial side – with the rapid expansion of technology, worlds are blending and, like it or not, residential integrators are often the ones getting their hands on the newest gadgets first. They’re taking the latest technology and creating polished products with things we haven’t even had pop up on our radar.

There is an opportunity this month to see just how the residential industry continues to evolve with the technology; I encourage you head to CEDIA 2017 where I expect to see innovative new products and technologies.

Buddy Pine, a.k.a. IncrediBoy/Syndrome, is a very smart, yet troubled kid. In the 2004 animated movie The Incredibles, young Buddy wants to be a superhero more than anything else, and he challenges the superhero Mr. Incredible to take him on as a sidekick, to which Mr. Incredible simply replies, “I work alone.” This casual adult dismissal sends Buddy on his way to becoming a supervillain and when, as Syndrome, he finally catches Mr. Incredible in his zero-point energy ray forcing Mr. Incredible to apologize, Buddy lays it on the line: “See, now you respect me because I’m a threat.” It’s pretty clear Buddy is a troubled millennial who has fantastic new tools at his disposal and questionable ethics that together challenge the establishment in a bad way.

As I overheard in a conversation regarding millennials at a recent business conference, “It’s not all their fault.” There’s truth here, because while Buddy is beyond redemption, Mr. Incredible learns a tough lesson about a new generation of powerful tools, of a different cultural ethos, and how things are rapidly moving away from his existing skill sets. This generational relationship challenge, riding on misunderstanding, hubris, power, and fear, is front and center not only in a movie script, but in our real world.

In his trim book Under the Social Influence, NSCA director Chuck Wilson offers advice young Buddy could have utilized to perhaps find a better direction and create a more positive outlet for his passions and wickedly genius ideas. Mr. Incredible could have benefitted as well, by learning how Buddy’s situation was not just about being an unfathomable kid, but a deeply dividing cross-generational misunderstanding requiring an honest, ongoing, bidirectional conversation to resolve.

As an industry consultant and mentor who talks to dozens of companies every year about myriad challenges facing our industry, Wilson has witnessed much of this divide and how business owners and managers struggle to overcome it—including in his own organization, where his hiring profile leans heavily on finding bright and capable younger employees who are coachable and can excel with proper guidance. The subject of how to balance the previously successful needs and mindset of established business managers with the rapidly evolving dynamics of a growing digital-age workforce runs deep.

I spoke with Wilson about his book and why he felt the need to write it: “I had the benefit of great mentors and wanted to give back,” he said. “Young people entering the workforce today are incredibly gifted, more educated, well informed, and worldly; yet being ‘digitally native,’ they may feel that just having technical competence is enough. Culture is everything in business, and I want to help bring situational awareness into focus for them: how to present themselves, how to communicate effectively, and how to leave certain bad habits behind. Real effort paves the way, and the best leaders are coaches.” Mr. Incredible could have avoided some serious pain if he’d approached Buddy more like this.

ISTOCK/THINKSTOCK

The key, in Wilson’s view, is in building an ironclad, bulletproof belief system—a kind of superhero’s ethos—first within the individual, and then by extension into the workplace. “Too many companies try to paint a rosy picture of work life that really doesn’t exist over time,” he said. “You can’t guess at what your culture is, and many companies are too quick to hire. Thoughtful onboarding of new employees and a personal development plan are so important, but the message needs to be communicated properly; you need to be careful in not allowing job function training to become improper corporate culture training. I may not know what’s 100-percent right in this, but I have seen what’s wrong, and lecturing from management on culture or allowing employees with their own agenda to train culture can be a big problem.”

The next generation will listen to a properly coded message, and they will bring unprecedented openness of thought, fantastic ideas, and their super weapons to the table—if the message from entrenched leadership incorporates their worldview, along with patient mentoring about the real world and how it actually works when the screens go dark.

Steve Olszewski (steveo@dimensional.net) is vice president of Dimensional Communications and Stealth Acoustics, a systems integration firm and speaker manufacturer in the Seattle area.

Wilson’s Wisdom

Chuck Wilson has developed a multi-question review matrix and scoring system to determine the best employees over the long-term, especially with an eye to continuity of the business beyond the current leadership. Here are some of his words and advice:

Here’s my succession plan criteria, which also works to evaluate the next person up:

• * Who learns quickly?
• * Who is best in front of the client and is naturally people-oriented?
• * Who is willing to both initiate and manage change?
• * Who thinks strategically and can produce an executable plan?
• * Who can develop peers and employees?
• * Who can coach and mentor?
• * Whom do I believe in most?
• * Who gladly accepts responsibility?
• * Who is best at being held accountable?

I score these nine things 1-4 and multiply the next series of questions by two.

* Which of the candidates is the best fit with our established culture based on the following:
* Who do I feel really wants to be here and has the most passion for what we do?
* Whom can I really trust?
* Who will get their work done and produce results while staying true to our non-negotiable values?

I then eliminate all BBHPs (bad behavior-high performers) and decide if we can fix the bad people skills (unlikely). Finally, eliminate whoever just doesn’t have the right skills or experiences based on the actual job they seek.

Is 2017 the breakthrough year for artificial intelligence (AI)? If the activity level in the first six months of the year is any indicator, the response would be a resounding ‘yes.’

Starting in early January with CES, we saw headlines that included “How AI Took Center Stage at CES 2017,” “Artificial Intelligence: Cool and Creepy Products from CES 2017,” and “CES 2017 Round-Up: TV and Artificial Intelligence Dominate.” The day I starting writing this column, USA Today’s top story in the tech section was “Alexa Comes Alive with Echo Show.”

So about now you are thinking, “Alexa, Siri, Cortana, OK Google are great for the consumer, but what about the enterprise?” Well, the day after Echo Show was announced, Cisco announced the acquisition of MindMeld, a company that pioneered the development of technology to power a new generation of intelligent conversational interfaces. Rob Salvagno, Cisco’s head of corporate development, stated the following in a blog: “With MindMeld, we will enhance our Collaboration suite, adding new conversational interfaces to our collaboration products starting with Cisco Spark.” Sounds like an enterprise application for AI to me.

The development of AI has been a series of starts and stops driven by available funding and available technology. The first tool that performed digital speech recognition was shown in 1961 by IBM. The computer was called the IBM Shoebox due to its physical size and was capable of recognizing a total of 16 words. By the 1980s, the speech recognition vocabulary could recognize several thousand words, but by the late 1990s, development stalled due to recognition accuracy topping out at about 80 percent. The cause of these limitations was due to a lack of data and the technology to efficiently process it.

Things changed in 2008 when Google added voice search to the Blackberry Pearl version of Google Maps for mobile and later in the year to the Google Mobile App for iPhones. Their solutions solved the two limiting issues by using Google’s data warehouse for search queries to improve accuracy, and offloading the processing to their data centers. Since then we have seen dramatic progress in hardware technology and the performance of information processing algorithms spawning a variety of AI assistant products. It’s clear that AI is currently focusing on intelligent systems that can communicate effectively with people.

Although AI has made great strides, today’s speech recognition using natural language processing technology does have its challenges. First of all, virtual assistants are not very smart—in fact they really do not understand you. They search data patterns for examples of word usage to understand meaning and provide responses. For experienced users, you probably remember learning how to ask questions or make requests in a way that your virtual assistant would understand. Now imagine the requirements for multiple languages, accents, and dialects, and you can imagine how the size and diversity of the data impacts performance.

So what is the next technology development in AI to overcome these challenges? One of the hot development areas is conversational or intelligent interfaces that understand and communicate using natural language. One of the platforms of note is Viv, a company started by the developers of Siri and acquired by Samsung in late 2016. In very simple terms, the team at Viv created a platform that can reason and solve programs on its own by writing programs to find a solution. The most recent demonstrations have shown the capability to answer extremely complex, multi-functional requests that many current devices would have responded to with, “I don’t understand.”

So how will AI impact our industry in the future?

As we are already observing in the consumer market, voice interface for intelligent automation of commercial devices ranging from environmental to AV will become standard practice as conversational interfaces improve. We are already seeing partnerships in voice-enabled intelligent rooms for enterprise, medical facilities, hotels, and other hospitality environments. Add scheduling to its capabilities and life becomes a little easier. Adding voice identification to the technology mix creates another level of AI capabilities including user access control and reporting analytics by individual.

Perhaps the better question would be: What area of our industry will not be transformed by AI?

R. Randal Riebe, district manager of commercial installation solutions for Yamaha, is a senior channel sales management executive with 18-plus years of experience building teams for global technology providers within the unified communications, audio/video, and control and automation industries.

The Video Side

As demonstrated by the release of the Echo Show, the future of AI will not be limited to intelligent conversational interfaces. Deep learning is an area of machine learning research that is also driving visual applications. Imagine combining collaborative technologies of today with image recognition and video labeling analytic technologies of tomorrow. Healthcare is a target area for AI. Applications including biometric facial recognition of patients, healthcare analytics, and automated image interpretation for diagnostics will become commonplace.

One of the biggest areas is public safety and security. There are an estimated 30 million security cameras in the United States recording four billion hours of footage a week. AI analytics for detecting anomalies that may point to a crime or apply predictive policing applications will have a massive impact on public safety.

Now, take any of these applications and consider business strategies to turn these into a services offering.
—R.R.R.