Talk to enough people in the AV industry, and you will find broad agreement on one thing: the word AI has been stretched so far it has lost most of its meaning. Automation gets called AI. Rule-based alerting gets called AI. A chatbot bolted onto a monitoring dashboard gets called AI. The enthusiasm is understandable since the technology is genuinely moving fast, but the labeling has gotten ahead of reality, and the industry knows it.

But let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater. We should question inflated claims, but we should also be willing to recognize where AI can genuinely add value. Especially when it comes to operational intelligence, because the accountability gap between AV, IT, and the network is exactly where AI delivers.

Platforms Everywhere, But the Complete Picture is Missing

InfoComm 2026 made clear that the industry has moved on from boxes. A decade ago, the conversation was about whether AV over IP would work. Today, the question is how platforms work together. Every major vendor now has a management layer: room control platforms, audio networking platforms, collaboration platforms, AV management platforms. The market has answered the device fragmentation problem of the last decade by building around software and platforms rather than hardware and point products. That is the right direction.

A New Problem Has Been Created

Each platform sees its own slice of the environment. The collaboration platform knows whether the call is live. The control system knows whether the display is on. The audio platform knows whether the DSP is responding. The network switch knows whether the port is up. But none of them, individually, can tell you why the room is not working. Craig Durr, Chief Analyst and founder of The Collab Collective, put it plainly after walking the InfoComm floor: the single-pane-of-glass pitch, he observed, usually just aggregates noise into one place. That is the "phantomization" problem in a sentence.

The Accountability Gap

When something fails in a converged AV environment, the investigation must cross platform boundaries that no single tool was designed to span. IT owns the network. AV owns the experience. The collaboration platform vendor owns their stack. When something fails, the executive audience does not care which layer caused the issue. They only know the stream glitched, the room did not work, or the CEO could not be heard.

That gap, the space between platforms where operational problems live, is the specific challenge that AI in AV needs to address to be worth the name. Not AI that adds a feature to an existing platform. AI that sits above the platforms and reasons across all of them. Durr's observation from the show floor cuts to it directly: "Monitoring was never the job. Resolution is."

What the Network Sees

The network is the connective tissue between every platform in the room. It is also the layer that most operational AI in AV does not cover. Magic in the room, boring on the network. That is still the goal. But boring depends on active intelligence, not passive infrastructure.

The root cause of an AV failure is often not in the device layer at all. It is upstream: a VLAN misconfiguration, a port that dropped, a Quality of Service (QoS) policy that changed. Even though every platform reports green, the room does not work. Without network-layer visibility, the investigation stays manual, and the blame game thrives.

That is one of the reasons NETGEAR partners with companies like Utelogy, Providius, XYTE, and NetSpeek. We believe network-layer visibility belongs inside the AI's operational context, not alongside it. These kinds of platforms are going to use an AI-native AV operations product to treat the network as a first-class data source.

The industry solved device fragmentation by moving to platforms. That was the right answer to the right problem. The next problem is both holistic and operational: how do you manage an environment that no single platform can fully see? That is the question AI in AV should be answering. When it does, it earns its name.

Located near downtown Atlanta, the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, or the King Center, was established by the civil rights leader's wife, Coretta Scott King, in 1968. What began in the basement of the King home eventually moved to its current location in 1981. In the spirit of changing for the betterment of all, the King Center recently went through a technological upgrade, with a new BLOX LED video wall and a FlatPanel audio system powered by LEA Professional.

Scott King had said the King Center is not simply a monument, but "a living memorial, filled with all the vitality that was [King Jr.'s], a center of human endeavor, committed to the causes for which he lived and died.” While guests can see his birth home and historic Ebenezer Baptist Church where he preached, the center also educates visitors in King Jr.'s Nonviolence365 philosophy.

According to William Collins, account manager for Atlanta-based S&L Integrated, which was awarded the project, prior to the new video wall, King Jr.'s speeches and other videos were simply displayed on a portable screen from an ultra-short throw projector. The installation took five days on site, with four additional days of pre-deployment shop and post deployment commissioning.

The large video wall was installed in the main lobby at the King Center to serve as the central visual element, ideal for digital signage and video content. It is a challenging space, with brick walls, large glass windows, and a tiled floor. Glares and acoustics were certainly a large consideration.

Per Collins, S&L Integrated went with a 160-inch diagonal BLOX LED dvLED video wall above the bookstore entrance in the lobby. The wall includes a NovaStar video processor for signal input and LED mapping. The system is powered by a LynTec power relay panel with four 20-amp relays. A Lumens LC200 video processor functions as a system switcher to handle multiple video inputs and enables the ability to have several multi-window options, as well as the ability to record or stream events in real time.

The content source for the video wall is a BrightSign XD235 PoE+ digital signage player, which was selected because of its ability to deliver 4K video content. The system also includes an HDBaseT receiver capable of 4K transmission up to 230 feet and a 12x optical zoom PTZ camera for live video capture. Control is driven by the Q-SYS Core 8 Flex and accessed by two Q-SYS touchscreen controllers. A NETGEAR M4250-26G4F-PoE+ serves as a managed switch.

The video wall is being used for event replays, seminars, sponsor videos, calendar, and announcements—essentially, everything from digital signage to pre-produced and live content. That meant not only was it important for the visuals to be lag-free and sharp, but the audio needed to be clear and concise as well.

With the many reflective surfaces presenting a challenge, Collins and the S&L Integrated team went with a FlatPanel Audio System and amplifier from LEA Professional. Collins said the reflective surfaces were the primary reason these were his choice. The only problem? "There were no issues with the audio other than the sub working too well at first," he joked. "One minor adjustment was all that was required."

S&L installed two FlatPanel Audio DML500 loudspeakers paired with a FlatPanel Audio LS118 subwoofer in the beautiful, but tricky, lobby. Their 165-degree conical coverage and sound waves transparently deliver FPA's signal path. The center's employees told Collins the speakers paired with the LEA amplifier yield a "significant sound quality improvement" over the previous system.

Both visitors and the King Center's staff have been overwhelmingly pleased with both the video wall and audio system supporting it. "They have been very impressed with the functionality," Collins concluded. "It was quite a change from the previous equipment, but I have been there along with our service and support team to onboard them, especially with the video scheduling. They are now very confidently using the integrated systems well on their own."

Learn more about video walls: Download the SCN Integration Guide to Video Walls.

There were quite a few partnerships announced last week. AtlasIED and NETGEAR AV made headlines, while Almo Pro AV extended its partnership with Hall Research. There were many others collaborating with each other, so get caught up with the week that was in this weeks Pro AV Newsmakers.

[This Is the Way: Share Some Popcorn with Grogu]

People on the Move

MultiDyne Expands APAC Presence with Appointment of Sales Director

MultiDyne Video & Fiber Optic Systems appointed Alex Collins as sales director, APAC. Collins brings more than 20 years of experience across the broadcast and Pro AV industries, including more than a decade of leadership and channel management expertise throughout Southeast Asia and broader APAC markets. He leads regional sales development, channel partnerships, customer engagement, and business expansion initiatives across APAC.

Prior to joining MultiDyne, Collins held senior regional sales and channel management positions with Vizrt, Ross Video, and Nevion, where he developed go-to-market strategies, expanded reseller ecosystems, and drove adoption of advanced live production, IP-based workflow, and fiber infrastructure technologies throughout the region.

Partnerships

AtlasIED Announces Partnership with NETGEAR AV

AtlasIED has partnered with NETGEAR AV. The collaboration aligns AtlasIED’s expertise in intelligent audio and security solutions with NETGEAR’s leadership in managed network switching and AV over IP infrastructure.

At the core of the partnership is a focus on optimizing audio deployments over high-performance networks. By pairing AtlasIED's Atlas+Fyne POE++ loudspeaker solutions with NETGEAR AV managed switches, customers benefit from simplified installation, reduced infrastructure complexity, and consistent audio performance across a wide range of commercial environments.

Almo Pro AV and Hall Research Expand Distribution Partnership

Almo Pro AV and Hall Research have expanded their distribution partnership. Through this agreement, Hall Research’s newly aligned portfolio of five AV-focused brands, including Atlona, is now fully available through Almo Pro AV.

Almo Pro AV customers, many of whom have long relied on Atlona solutions, now have access to a broader portfolio of complementary AV brands under the Hall Research umbrella, including Hall Technologies(healthcare), Atlona (switching and signal extension), Captivate(collaboration tools), Javelin (cabling/accessories), and Gain Audio(audio/speakers). Importantly, the Atlona products, and value proposition remain unchanged, with continuity in innovation, quality, and support, now backed by a stronger parent organization.

AVer Solutions Obtain HETMA Approved Status

AVer Information's TR335 AI Auto Tracking PTZ Camera, MT300N NDI Matrix Tracking Box, and PTZ310UV2 PTZ Camera have received HETMA Approved Status. Evaluated by a committee of higher education technology managers, the TR335, MT300 and PTZ310UV2 each earned an overall score of “Exceeds Expectations,” recognizing performance, reliability and integration capabilities in higher education environments.

The TR335 is a 4K AI Auto Tracking PTZ camera featuring 30x optical zoom and support for 4K resolution at 60 frames per second. Designed for broadcasting, streaming and recording applications, the TR335 includes 3G-SDI, HDMI, USB and IP outputs, enabling integration across a range of AV environments. The MT300N is an NDI matrix tracking box that enables AVer Pro AV cameras to function as voice-tracking systems through preset point configuration, eliminating the need for a dedicated in-room PC or server. The PTZ310UV2 is a UHD PTZ camera delivering 4K resolution at 60 fps with 12x optical zoom and 8MP image capture. Designed for broadcasting and streaming, it delivers low-latency IP video over standard networks and simultaneous output via HDMI, NDI, and IP.

L-Acoustics Named DATALAND's Immersive Audio Partner

Co-founders Refik Anadol and Efsun Erkılıç reveal further details of DATALAND, the Museum of AI Arts, opening to the public on June 20, 2026. Representing a paradigm shift in the museum-going experience, Anadol and Erkılıç unveil Data.Link, an intelligent system connecting art, architecture, and audience through advanced AI systems, real-time data assimilation, integrated technologies, and wearable devices. Made possible through collaborations with NVIDIA, Google Cloud, Founding Olfactory Partner L’Oréal Luxe, Epson, L-Acoustics, Empatica, LG Electronics, Gensler, ARUP, Scaleable, Valerie Confections, and Constellation Immersive, an affiliate of Creative Artists Agency (CAA), DATALAND emerges as the world’s first omni-sensory museum.

Sound is elemental, immediate, and inseparable from how we experience the world around us. DATALAND's 250-speaker audio ecosystem is driven by L-ISA immersive sound from L-Acoustics. L-ISA technology delivers a living soundtrack that evolves in real time, woven from original music by composer and sound designer Kerim Karaoğlu, the acoustic ecology of the rainforest, and the sacred healing songs of the Yawanawá. L-Acoustics L-SMART technology continuously monitors and optimizes power consumption to average 30% greater efficiency, with zero compromise to the sound. Suspending audio dynamically across a three-dimensional canvas—in front of, above, and entirely surrounding the visitor—DATALAND achieves a spatial resolution with no precedent in any permanent museum anywhere in the world.

Violet Audio US Launches to Support North American Initiative in Live Sound

Melbourne, Australia's Violet Audio has formed Violet Audio US, a new distribution company established to bring the company’s professional audio solutions to the North American live sound market. Industry veteran Phil Wagner is president of the new entity, which oversees sales, marketing, training, and support for the evolving Violet Audio product range across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Violet Audio US will focus initially on the rollout of the dMix 128, a high-performance live mixing platform designed to deliver advanced processing power and flexibility at a highly competitive price point. Violet Audio US’s launch reflects a broader global expansion strategy for the brand, following a new partnership with the company’s headquarters.

Watchfire Partners with WOW

Watchfire has been selected to manufacture the advanced digital display technology powering the WOW’S EON Network, a synchronized communications platform across Inglewood’s Sports & Entertainment District located in Greater Los Angeles.

The network represents a major leap forward for the digital signage industry, demonstrating how advanced display manufacturing and engineering can transform static infrastructure into dynamic, city-scale communication systems. Developed by WOW, the EON Network is an infrastructure project that turns traditional digital signage into a unified, city-scale storytelling medium. Phase 1 features over 60 high-resolution screens across 10 strategic locations surrounding SoFi Stadium, Intuit Dome, and the Kia Forum.

To bring the concept to life, Watchfire utilized its new high-resolution 4mm outdoor display platform to meet the technical demands of synchronized, street-level storytelling at scale.

With more than 30 locations around Central Florida, Addition Financial Credit Union has been focused on enhancing both collaboration and communication in the hybrid workplace. Specifically, it was looking for a seamless videoconferencing experience in its headquarters’ main conference room, one that hosts two high-level meetings on a monthly basis.

The credit union recently went through a technology-enhanced makeover, creating a conferencing environment that enables employees to meet more efficiently and share information clearly, while supporting hybrid communication with clients and internal teams, according to Andrew Mulazzi, Lumens Southeast zone manager.

So, why the change? As with corporate settings across all verticals, the meeting space continues to evolve, becoming more hybrid with more remote participants. That is especially true for Addition Financial Credit Union, with many locations spread throughout the area.

Initially, the main conference room was oriented 90 degrees, with the typical large rectangular table and display on one end. "That arrangement was not conducive to include remote and in-room participants seeing each other easily," explained Chet Neal, CTS, president of Altamonte Springs-based RelianceAV, which partnered on the integration. "A U-shape table arrangement was chosen to address that challenge and to make content presented more easily viewed. It also provides better camera angles that offer a better experience for remote attendees."

Prior to the technical installation, Neal said there was an existing screen, projector, and lift used for these conferences. RelianceAV renovated the room, building a wall to support a 135-inch EZ LED Visual dvLED video display with 1.2mm pixel pitch. The enhancements only took RelianceAV one week to fully install, commission, and train with the client.

"The room also had a bad flutter echo from the windows and a large drywall ceiling section," Neal added. "[Primacoustic] acoustic panels were added to the walls and acoustic ceiling tiles were used to effectively address this."

RelianceAV turned to a wide range of Pro AV solutions to pull the room together. Lumens CamConnect Pro and Lumens auto-tracking cameras were at the heart of the installation. Mulazzi explained CamConnect enables intelligent, microphone-driven speaker tracking, automatically switching and framing the active speaker without the need for manual operation.

The Lumens solutions work in tandem with Yamaha's RM-CG ceiling array microphone, while incorporating Barco ClickShare for wireless content sharing, allowing team members to instantly present from any device. Additionally, a Dante two-channel power amplifier from Muxlab, switches provided by NETGEAR, and touchpanels from Aurora Multimedia enhance the new technology.

The end result is what Neal called the ultimate BYOD room. Microsoft Teams is the most used collaboration tool, but Addition Financial wanted participants to be able to host and run meetings from their laptops. "The Lumens Connect and Aurora DSP allows for USB video and audio to be distributed to a wired laptop connection through Aurora VPX AV over IP solution, or wirelessly with the Barco ClickShare," he explained.

The conference room has been well received, and the credit union is looking to update four smaller conference rooms to all include videoconferencing capabilities. "Working with RelianceAV was a great experience," Mulazzi added. "Chet and his team worked with our sales and engineering teams to design the workflow and implement best practices for the Lumens solutions deployed. RelianceAV’s integration expertise ensured that all technologies—from audio to camera tracking—worked together flawlessly."

Neutrik Group Americas partnered with NETGEAR to incorporate its locking etherCON, opticalCON, and powerCON connections into the new NETGEAR M4350-16M4V switch. The M4350-16M4V employs NEUTRIK locking connectors throughout: etherCON for network, opticalCON for fiber, and powerCON for power. This ensures connections are secure before or during any performance and prevents disruption to any live event.

[Roadmap 2026: NETGEAR AV]

“We place great value in having our connectors integrated into the design of third-party equipment and working with the NETGEAR team to integrate so many of our connection points into their newest switch has resulted in great synergy,” said Tom Chudyk, sales director, Neutrik Group Americas. “Their engineering team prioritizes signal integrity and reliability, which aligns perfectly with our standards. This collaboration ensures consistent performance from input to output, even in the most demanding environments.”

The M4350-16M4V delivers 16 2.5G PoE++ ports (up to 1,130W total), including eight NEUTRIK field-serviceable etherCON connectors and four 25G SFP28 uplinks housed in a modular interface card slot. This enables precise configuration of uplink connectivity to match specific requirements. As part of its optional interface slot, cards with four 10G RJ45 ports, two Neutrik opticalCON QUAD connectors for four MMF transceivers, or two Neutrik opticalCON QUAD connectors for four SMF transceivers can be added to the system for those applications that require a secure fiber connection. In terms of power, two powerCON connections are located on the back panel and come with two power cord adapters for standard IEC 320 C13 cords.

The NETGEAR M4350 series is a versatile 1G to 100G solution designed for the edge, the server room and the core. M4350 switches deliver nonstop forwarding, stacking, spine and leaf architecture, and edge to core connectivity for AV and IT networks. The etherCON CAT6_A Series are D-shape panel connectors with Nickel housing and a secure latch lock system. This ruggedized connector provides 10 Gbit/s (CAT6_A) transmission speed for high-bandwidth data transfer in demanding applications.

The opticalCON QUAD is a female chassis connector front panel mount that features black chromium plating and IP65 ingress protection in the mated condition with SCDP. The chassis connector acts as a “feed-through,” allowing simplified installations by connecting four conventional LCs on the rear. The powerCON TRUE1 TOP is a locking 16 A true mains IP65-rated connector for outdoor, harsh and demanding environments and applications. It replaces appliance couplers wherever a very rugged solution in combination with a locking device is needed, in order to guarantee a safe power connection. It features a breaking capacity (CBC) and can be connected or disconnected under load or live.

If promotions, new hires, and partnerships are any indication of a healthy industry (spoiler: they are), Pro AV is thriving. With ISE 2026 in action to kick off February, you may have missed the flurry of moves that happened across our industry the past couple weeks.

[SCN Stellar Service Awards 2026 Nominations Now Open]

Don't worry. That's exactly what we are here for. Get caught up with the latest people movers and partnerships in Pro AV.

People on the Move

Advanced Systems Group Appoints Industry Veteran Derek Pezzotti to Lead Sports and Venue Market Growth

Advanced Systems Group (ASG) has appointed Derek Pezzotti as senior account executive. Pezzotti joins ASG’s Production and Innovation team to help expand the company’s presence in the sports and venue segment. In this role, Pezzotti works closely with ASG’s consulting, design, engineering, and integration teams.

Pezzotti arrives at ASG after an almost 20-year career spanning sports team and event operations, broadcast news, broadcast equipment manufacturer, and, most recently, a consulting firm specializing in broadcast technology for stadiums. This varied background has given him a 360-degree perspective of how venues are planned, procured, built, and run in real-world conditions. That background translates into faster project development and solutions that meet both technical and business goals.

Ampetronic | Listen Technologies Promotes Mikey Shaffer to Vice President of North American Sales

Listen Technologies and Ampetronic have promoted Mikey Shaffer to VP of North American sales. In this role, Shaffer is responsible for accelerating revenue growth, expanding market presence, and optimizing channel performance across North America. She leads the North American sales teams and channel partners in selling Listen Technologies and Ampetronic assistive listening systems.

Shaffer joined Listen Technologies in 2016 and has held marketing, vertical markets, and regional sales roles at the organization. Prior to her promotion, Shaffer served as senior director of sales in North America. Under her leadership, the team delivered a period of exceptional growth and operational maturity.

D-Tools Names G Paul Hess as CEO

D-Tools has appointed G Paul Hess to chief executive officer as part of a long-planned leadership succession. After more than a decade as CEO marked by strong, consistent growth, Randy Stearns has chosen to “downshift” from the role while remaining actively involved.

Hess brings decades of experience in the electronic systems industry, beginning his career as an integrator and later holding senior and executive leadership roles across product, sales, and marketing at organizations including Snap One and ADI. Having worked closely with integrators, manufacturers, and channel partners throughout his career, Hess has a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing the electronic systems community and how D-Tools’ platform can unlock greater efficiencies, profitability, and growth.

Visionary Appoints Ryan Nowak as VP of IPTV and Signage Solutions

Visionary appointed Ryan Nowak as VP of IPTV and signage solutions. In this role, Nowak leads system architecture, deployment strategy, and technical alignment for Visionary’s IPTV platform to support customers and partners worldwide.

Nowak brings more than 20 years of experience spanning IPTV systems engineering, global solution deployments and product strategy leadership. He works closely with Visionary’s product management, engineering and support teams to ensure scalable and reliable IPTV and signage deployments across enterprise, education, healthcare, sports and broadcast environments.

Prior to joining Visionary, Nowak held multiple senior leadership roles at VITEC, where he most recently served as strategic growth unit product director for Engage and Connect solutions. Earlier roles included head of product management for platforms and director of deployments, where he led global IPTV and signage deployments across diverse network environments. Earlier in his career, Nowak spent more than a decade with the Green Bay Packers as a technology systems engineer, supporting and maintaining technology systems across Lambeau Field and other managed facilities, including live-event operations and fan-facing technology environments.

Vizrt Welcomes Expanded Enterprise Team

Vizrt expanded its team to ignite a new era of professional-grade production, communication, and connection for enterprises. Under the leadership of Vizrt’s CRO, Ryan Poggi, the expanded enterprise team brings decades of expertise in enterprise technology to deliver broadcast-level engagement, once only available to Sports, Media and Entertainment corporations, to organizations of all sizes.

As the new VP of Enterprise, Andy Baillie brings a wealth of experience across content automation, AI and analytics, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) technologies. Baillie has held growth leadership positions at IBM, DocuSign, and Seismic. With a history of pioneering disruptive technologies that scale, he is uniquely positioned to deliver transformative outcomes for Vizrt customers.

Coming from leadership positions at Microsoft, SoftwareOne, and Pax8, Nikki Meyer leads the global Channel Sales team. She manages a high-performing team to deliver solutions via Vizrt’s international community of trusted partners, expanding the reach of communities that can create content that captivates viewers.

Company News

AES Opens Submissions for 6th International Conference on Audio for Virtual and Augmented Reality and Immersive Games

The Audio Engineering Society (AES) has announced details for its 6th International Conference on Audio for Virtual and Augmented Reality and Immersive Games (AVARIG2026), taking place in Europe and including immersive game audio for the first time, June 30 – July 3, 2026, at Sorbonne University/d'Alembert and IRCAM/STMS in Paris, France.

Submissions for peer-reviewed papers, extended summaries, workshops and tutorials are now being accepted through March 24, 2026. Accepted contributions will be included in the AES E-Library and considered for a special Journal of the Audio Engineering Society issue following the conference. Sponsorship opportunities are currently available, with conference registration opening soon. For details on submissions, programming, and how to participate, visit AES.org.

​Audacy and Sonos Forge Exclusive Partnership

Audacy and Sonos have announced a strategic partnership that includes Audacy serving as the exclusive U.S. sales and distribution representative for Sonos Radio’s streaming inventory. Through the partnership, Audacy will leverage its sales capabilities, technology and audio expertise to expand Sonos Radio’s advertising business and strengthen monetization across the platform. The partnership reflects Audacy and Sonos’s shared vision of maximizing the power of audio wherever and however people are listening, for both audiences and marketers.

Sonos Radio’s more than 100 stations will also be distributed on the Audacy platform, expanding access to Sonos Radio’s curated music, artist channels, and mood-driven listening experiences. Listeners will be able to discover Sonos Radio stations across the Audacy app and web, with Sonos Radio featured alongside Audacy’s popular owned-and-operated brands. In addition to distribution on the Audacy app and website, Audacy will also distribute Sonos Radio stations across various platforms, including Google Home, Alexa, and Apple Music. Audacy’s complete portfolio of broadcast stations has been available on Sonos devices since 2020.

AVI-SPL Achieves SOC 2 Type II Attestation

Among a bevy of announcements at ISE 2026, AVI-SPL announced that it has achieved SOC 2 Type II attestation. This attestation applies to the entire AVI-SPL organization and includes a separate SOC 2 Type II report for Symphony, AVI-SPL’s experience management platform. By earning SOC 2 Type II attestation directly, rather than relying on third-party platforms, AVI-SPL reinforces its commitment to security and its role as a trusted, enterprise-grade partner for organizations worldwide.

SOC 2 Type II attestation confirms not only that AVI-SPL has established strong security and confidentiality controls, but that those controls operate effectively over time. For customers, this provides assurance that their data and environments are protected throughout the full lifecycle of engagement, from design and deployment through ongoing managed services and support.

Brompton Technology Welcomes New Partner to Panel Manufacturer Partner Program

Brompton welcomed Fabulux LED as the first Silver Partner in its Panel Manufacturer Partner program. Brompton is introducing the Silver Partner tier to its Panel Manufacturer Partner program, alongside the existing Diamond and Gold Partner levels. While Brompton works with a huge range of LED panel manufacturers, the Partner Program recognises the particularly strong relationships the company has developed with panel manufacturers including ROE Visual (Diamond Partner), Absen, AOTO, and INFiLED (Gold Partners).

Grass Valley and NETGEAR Partner on Enterprise Broadcast AV Workflows

Grass Valley and NETGEAR announced a strategic partnership to serve the rapidly growing Broadcast AV segment. The collaboration combines NETGEAR AV’s live media optimized switching and secure IP networking with Grass Valley’s software-defined production tools and hardware platforms to make it simpler for enterprises to produce, manage, and distribute high-quality content.

Enterprise organizations, including corporations, universities, houses of worship, esports, and venues, increasingly require broadcast-quality production capabilities but have historically faced prohibitive costs and complexity. This partnership directly addresses that gap. Both companies share a common vision of interoperability, built on major standards including NDI, SMPTE ST 2110, Dante, and SRT, alongside a customer-first approach that simplifies user experiences and delivers powerful tools.

Ross Video, BeckTV Expand Ravens’ LED Display System for Stadium-Wide Control

BeckTV and Ross Video have partnered to deliver a major upgrade at M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Baltimore Ravens. Building on a collaboration that began in 2017 and continued with a comprehensive content management system (CMS) overhaul in 2023, BeckTV led the design and integration of a fully unified LED display system that is now fully installed and operational for the current NFL season.

The upgrade introduces new LED boards in Premium Club and concourse areas, extending the Ravens’ CMS beyond the bowl displays. At the heart of the solution is the Ross XPression Tessera M9 engine, enabling real-time graphics rendering and data integration for LED displays and IPTV. The system also incorporates the Ross Ultrix FR5 routing platform, custom Rocket Surgery graphics design, and DashBoard control interfaces for seamless venue-wide management.

To support large-scale visual experiences, the system leverages Carbonite Mosaic for compositing live video and graphics and Ultrix Carbonite switchers for routing and processing. These technologies, combined under BeckTV’s design, ensure pixel-accurate rendering across massive LED surfaces, including end-zone boards approaching 13,000 pixels wide. The expanded CMS now drives content to 52 unique displays throughout the stadium, including concourse TVs, club screens, vomitory displays, and upper and lower ribbons. Full redundancy is built into the system to guarantee reliability during high-profile events.

Pleneo, Sennheiser Announce Intelligent Room Kits

Pleneo and Sennheiser unveiled the availability of two intelligent meeting room kits designed to remove installation complexity, reduce deployment cost, and enable consistent, AI-ready collaboration experiences in medium and large meeting spaces at scale.

The Pleneo Medium Room Kit and Pleneo Large Room Kit are designed to change that. Engineered for medium and large rooms, the kits extend AI-enabled collaboration into larger environments that are typically difficult to standardize and scale. By integrating Sennheiser ceiling microphones as part of a fully orchestrated Pleneo system, the kits deliver high-performance audio pickup that supports intelligent meeting experiences in the spaces where collaboration matters most.

Each kit is built around Pleneo RoomHub, which connects all room endpoints into Pleneo Room OS, the system layer that powers the room as a single, unified environment. Room OS enables zero-touch deployment and automated setup, allowing complete rooms to be brought online without specialist configuration or individual tuning of audio or video settings. Rooms deploy over standard IT infrastructure, using enterprise-grade security and governance frameworks by design.

Visix Named Premier Partner in BrightSign Bright Alliance Program

Visix has been recognized as a Premier partner in the BrightSign Bright Alliance program. This designation acknowledges Visix's commitment to leveraging BrightSign's media players and operating system, BrightSignOS, to power enterprise-level visual communications.

As a Premier partner, Visix will collaborate more closely with BrightSign to strengthen integrations, streamline support, and deliver greater value to customers. This ensures faster alignment on technology updates, deeper knowledge sharing, and coordinated assistance for complex deployments. Visix's priority access to BrightSign firmware and engineering resources accelerates development, supports advanced technical troubleshooting, and fosters continuous innovation informed by client feedback. All of this supports seamless performance and exceptional service, ultimately enabling more powerful, engaging digital signage experiences.

As in previous years, Future publications contracts with AV industry experts to evaluate products submitted by manufacturers exhibiting at ISE 2026 for its Best of Show awards. This year, the Best of Show awards are presented by nine of Future's industry titles, including Systems Contractor News.

While our judges remain anonymous, we can tell you they are your peers, AV/IT managers, directors, engineers, or industry consultants and integrators. They also take their judging duties very seriously, and were meticulous in reviewing the products chosen for them to evaluate.

The Winners Are...

AIMS Alliance, IPMX
What the judges said: Two years ago, I asked AIMS at InfoComm about encryption. They must have listened, because it’s a feature now. Nicely done! A certification process makes this a much more useful standard.

Airtame, Airtame 3
What the judges said: Airtame continues to improve its list of products for BYOD capabilities. A very neat little product that could fit behind any screen, and I really like the cloud capabilities for such a small device.

AISpeech Co., AISPEECH
What the judges said: We could say AI is going to take the AV sound engineer's job; well, this unit is really performing many tasks to assist with sound reinforcement. I could see this device used in several tricky building designs with high ceilings or poor acoustics.

AtlasIED, Atlas+Fyne FC-D (Ceiling) and FS-D (Surface) Dante-Enabled PoE++ Loudspeakers
What the judges said: These new loudspeakers finally allow integrators a true single cable solution that provides excellent frequency response and strong SPL coverage. The ability to use POE++ creates a whole new category of audio system design for integrators.

AVI-SPL, AVI-SPL Symphony
What the judges said: Every product has to have embedded AI these days, whether it needs it or not, but I like that Symphony is a quiet workhorse with AI features that enhance what it already does well. The aggregation of events helps to cut down on noise and alert fatigue. I liked the dashboard that gives technicians a birds-eye view of where the problems are, with the ability to filter for high-importance spaces. I like that Symphony is hardware agnostic. Its rich feature set means that it can integrate with just about everything. It looks to be a great way to augment a ticketing system.

Christie, Korus Series
What the judges said: The projector has a great design and great image output, and the color reproduction is good quality. It's easy to install and easy to setup with the blending system.

d&b audiotechnik, U-Series
What the judges said: d&b's U-Series is now one of the most versatile, small form factor, point source speaker systems for integrators in the world. The legendary sound of d&b's storied history now fits into immersive environments and portable experiences without sacrificing quality. Besides the sound quality, what will really blow contractors away is the ability to deploy either passive or networked POE++ U-Series cabinets, depending on the application.

digiLED, Westfield Rise's Immersive Experiential Display (IXD) Network
What the judges said: IXD Networks Westfield Rise creates a whole new avenue of possibility for AV integrators looking to supplant traditional print advertising. The low pixel pitch provides ultra-close viewing for high-end retail environments with a projected lifespan of 10 years, creating huge upside when it comes to ROI for end users and integrators.

Grass Valley, AMPP OS
What the judges said: I really liked their prebuilt templates and such a variety of solutions.

Jetbuilt, Jetbot Drawings
What the judges said: Anything that makes an AV designer's drawings easier is a bonus, and Jetbot really assists in mapping out designs in an easy-to-read layout.

Mimo, Mimo FlashCast Visual Alert Overlay
What the judges said: Mimo FlashCast is a messaging overlay device that integrators can use to enhance the security and operational awareness of their clients. The easy-to-deploy hardware solution directly ties into existing platforms that your clients most likely already have on premise. The Cloud UI is cost effective and simple to use.

NETGEAR AV, Engage Controller 2.4
What the judges said: Offline and advanced configuration will solve so many headaches. You can have a network admin configure things in advance and then deploy when you receive the hardware. The ability to use templates will be a huge time saver.

Pleneo, Pleneo RoomHub
What the judges said: Pleneo RoomHub may look like an early 2000's external hard drive, but it provides a compact yet powerful processing engine that allows integrators to use cloud-based configuration tools to control PTZ cameras, microphones, and room hardware. What is really impressive for integrators is the ease of which the Pleneo RoomHub works with Zoom and Teams rooms.

Williams AV, Infinium
What the judges said: Infinium by Williams AV has delivered integrators the ultimate assistive listening device using ultra low-latency Bluetooth. Integrated Dante with a convenient web-based configuration and long distance Cat 5e extension for transmitters make the Infinium one of the easiest systems to deploy. The ability for venues to allow users to BYOD or use an Auracast receiver provides the ultimate level of convenience for the guest and the management team.

In astronomy, a "singularity" is the center of a black hole. At the University of Rhode Island (URI), “The Singularity” is the name of a massive AV installation project. The Singularity's goal is to standardize and upgrade AV equipment in 150 classrooms and 14 auditoriums at URI’s main Kingston campus.

This ambitious project, which is now being executed by URI’s five-person Information Technology Services (ITS) AV department, was inspired by the university’s struggles to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. “When COVID hit, almost none of our classrooms were hybrid capable in any way, shape or form,” recalled Jeffrey Levesque, URI’s lead information technologist. “The non-standard solutions we managed to patch together served their purpose back then—but we knew we needed to come up with an approach that was consistent campus-wide, easy for staff to operate using a consistent touchpanel interface in each room and capable of being supported remotely from our office.

"This is why we decided to standardize our AV equipment campus-wide. I wanted equipment that I could put into every room no matter what it was, whether it was an auditorium, an active learning, or standard classroom, a meeting room—all of them.”

AVoIP for All

To manage the entire system, URI selected Epiphan’s Pearl Nexus AV over IP content playout and lecture capture solution. This included using Pearl’s Panopto for content management and Q-SYS Core Nano platform for control. The result is a fully automated AV environment in each classroom that allows instructors to walk in, make a few connections, and teach.

“I really enjoyed programming in the Q-SYS environment,” said Levesque. “Our rooms use Core Nano so that we don't have to run audio ins and outs into those spaces. Instead, everything is running on a Dante network."

URI uses NETGEAR AV line switches and network power supplies to run its internal AVoIP multicast network. In each upgraded room, URI installs an Apple Mac Mini computer, QSC TSC-70-G3 touchscreen controller, Q-SYS NV-21-HU ingest and receiving device, QSC SPA-Qf 60x2 audio amplifier, and two QSC AD-S8T loudspeakers. There is also one QSC NC-20x60 PTZ conference camera with audio tracking. Each lecture is captured using an Epiphan Pearl Nexus that supports automated recording.

Video is displayed in two ways in URI’s classrooms and auditoriums. Each space is equipped with Sony laser projectors (the VPL-PHZ60 and VPL-PHZ61 are the main models) and Da-Lite Model C with CSR pulldown screens. Select rooms also include Sony 4K BRAVIA monitors, which are typically 65 inches but can be as large as 85 inches.

To ensure accurate, clear, and echo-free audio capture, each space features an Audio-Technica ATND1061DAN beamforming ceiling array microphone, which can automatically focus on designated zones for audio pickup, such as the lectern or areas where students are speaking. At the same time, this system prioritizes the instructor and follows them as they move, so the lesson’s audio never gets missed.

The ATND1061DAN shares its voice tracking information with the QSC PTZ cameras in real time. This allows the cameras to automatically adjust and follow whoever is speaking, resulting in human-level tracking quality without requiring an actual operator. Plus, the ceiling mic can support up to 32 user-defined pickup zones, which are configured using Audio-Technica's Digital Microphone Manager (DMM) software. This also includes defining exclusion zones near doors and other problematic areas to block unwanted noise. For instructors who are still not ready to rely on ceiling mics, URI also has a Catchbox Plus wireless lavalier mic system available.

URI supports a BYOC (Bring Your Own Conference) approach, where users can access platforms like Zoom, Teams, and WebEx. For those instructors and students who want to plug their own devices into the classroom AV system, URI provides HDMI, USB-C, and Barco ClickShare wireless connections.

In fact, the only thing that URI’s standardized AV rooms don't have is their own scheduling system. “This is because room bookings are handled by our scheduling department on campus,” said Levesque.

Working Ahead

Installing a standardized AVoIP network to 164 locations is a tall order for any IT department, especially one with only five employees. To handle the challenge realistically, Levesque and his people resorted to intensive planning before a single cable was cut.

“Our philosophy is to do all your prep work ahead of time and get all of the parts in house before you do anything,” Levesque shared. “Once you have what you need on hand, it is time to put a prototype system together and try to break it—in other words, try to figure out what things can go wrong in the installation and what can be done to fix it. We applied that philosophy to this new install, and that's what helped make it go really seamlessly.”

That said, challenges did arise once the actual installation began. “One of the biggest challenges was learning to stand up and manage the dedicated, internal AV over IP multicast network that we needed, which is isolated from the main campus network,” said Levesque. “Luckily, the NETGEAR switches made it really easy thanks to their intuitive interface, while their support has been top notch.”

The URI IT team also had some issues when it came to adding AVoIP into larger rooms where a typical 48-port switch wasn’t enough. The solution was to start stacking switches. “That's been a little bit of a challenge to execute, but it's actually not that bad," Levesque said. "Frankly, once we had the AV over IP networks up, the subsequent issues we’ve faced are really trivial.”

Lessons Learned

Since starting The Singularity AV standardization upgrade project in Spring 2024, URI’s ITS department has completed more than 30 rooms. Because the university operates on a seven-year planning cycle, its goal is to transition the remaining rooms within the next three to four years, pending annual funding allocations.

Providing URI with a standardized AV infrastructure is proving to be a shrewd move. As for lessons learned from the project? As outlined above, extensive upfront planning and prototyping results in fewer problems during installations and faster overall delivery times. “Putting together a fully working classroom in my office first really paid off,” said Levesque.

It's also vital to have the professional installation team do all of the work themselves, rather than solicit support from people who could do some of it for less. “We’ve learned that we can't ask our student population to help us install things,” he said. “We had issues when we tried to do that.”

The third and final lesson: “While we can stand up our own networks, we're slowly reaching that point where we do need to expand our team, especially now that we’re moving to more network-based classrooms,” said Levesque. “The trend in AV these days is to put everything on the network. As a result, we really do need to hire somebody full time to help manage the AV over IP network that we're standing up all over campus.”

The AV industry's transformation isn't happening in some distant future. It's measurable today in gigabits per second, multicast groups, and PoE budgets. The December issue of SCN captured the moment when IP infrastructure stopped being a technical consideration and became the primary business constraint.

Whether it is stadiums deploying ST 2110 workflows, corporate environments installing 21:9 displays, or signage operators managing thousands of endpoints, every use case now depends on network capacity and intelligence. Yet industry conversation focuses on endpoints while treating the network as someone else's problem. It's not. The network is now the AV system.

Complexity Kills Margins

The SCN Top 50 Systems Integrators coverage reveals an uncomfortable truth: Firms manage larger, more complex projects with teams trained for HDMI matrices, not Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) snooping. Revenue per installation climbs not from profitability but from network-centric demands that most integrators are never trained to handle.

Stadium deployments demonstrate this perfectly. ST 2110 requires understanding PTP synchronization, VLAN segmentation, and QoS policies. These are prerequisites for system operation, not optional features. Meanwhile, digital signage explosions mean managing not dozens but thousands of PoE endpoints, each generating traffic and requiring remote management. The skill set required is fundamentally different from traditional AV expertise.

Integrator Vision Technologies points to tariff impacts tightening margins by 10% or more. When margins shrink, complexity becomes existential. An integrator needing three site visits to troubleshoot multicast or specifying enterprise switches they can't configure is unprofitable, not just inefficient.

Successful firms are not necessarily more sophisticated technically; however, they've systematized their infrastructure approach. Same switching platforms across projects. Configurator scripts. Trained teams. They've accepted that network design is a core competency, not a subcontracted afterthought. The alternative—specifying whatever IT recommends—creates unpredictable outcomes and repeat site visits to fix network misconfigurations disguised as ghost issues.

Managed services sound elegant until you consider infrastructure requirements. You can't cloud-manage what isn't networked, remotely monitor what doesn't report status, or orchestrate what isn't API-accessible.

The corporate-broadcast convergence matters here. Broadcasting has always operated with monitoring, logging, and centralized control because downtime means lost revenue. As corporate AV adopts ST 2110, it inherits broadcast expectations: Everything must be visible, measurable, and recoverable. That's impossible without network infrastructure designed for observability.

What 'AV-Optimized' Actually Means

“AV-optimized networking” has long been limited to proprietary protocols or avoiding standards. The reality is that AV workflows have specific requirements: predictable multicast behavior, adequate PoE budgets, QoS policies that actually prioritize time-sensitive media, and management interfaces that don't require CCNA certification.

Digital signage illustrates this. E-paper endpoints draw 15W, LED cabinets need 60W, and 4K displays with embedded processing require about 90W. Without proper PoE planning, entire deployments fail. Not because displays are wrong, but because infrastructure was underspecified.

Similarly, corporate hybrid workflows depend on multicast, but multicast requires IGMP snooping, querier configuration, and proper management. Get it wrong and you end up with dropouts, excessive latency, or systems that test fine but fail under load. The black screen of death.

The industry's future depends on infrastructure standardization—not on protocols but approach. Integrators need platforms they master once and deploy repeatedly. End users need predictable solutions, not custom engineering per site.

The "IT networks versus AV networks" debate misses the point. The question is not whether to use IT-grade equipment, it is whether that equipment is designed to operate the way AV systems actually do. An enterprise switch optimized for email handles multicast differently than one designed for real-time media. Both are "IT-grade," but only one succeeds in AV without extensive customization.

Infrastructure Accountability

Our industry is at an inflection point. Projects are IP-based. Scale expands. Complexity increases. Margins do not. Something must change.

That change will be infrastructure accountability. Integrators will choose platforms based on operational reality. Does it work consistently? Can our team configure it? Will it scale? Does it support protocols we use? Can we cloud-manage and troubleshoot it?

End users will ask more complicated questions. It's not about whether a product is enterprise grade. Can it support a ST 2110 workflow? Can we monitor it centrally? What happens when scaling from 50 to 500 endpoints?

Manufacturers must decide whether they are building AV reality or IT theory. Stadiums deploying 100 Gbps uncompressed video don't need generic enterprise switching. Signage networks powering 2,000 displays don't benefit from data center features or big AI-fluff. They need purpose-built platforms for their use case.

I’ve been a remote worker since 2014, but oddly enough, it wasn’t until the pandemic that I felt more connected to my colleagues. Today, no matter where workers are located, it’s rare for a meeting not to be “face-to-face.” Connecting via a camera has made a positive and significant difference in helping me feel more connected to individuals and the team. Rather than bumping into someone in the hallway or lunchroom, I’ll have a quick huddle via Slack.

But it takes an overall company culture to embrace videoconferencing technologies and collaboration platforms to help ensure remote and hybrid workers are integrated into the workflow. More than the feeling of inclusion, this is important for workplace efficiency and productivity.

We asked AV/IT industry thought leaders to share their insights into the elements and culture of creating productive collaboration environments near and far. Some excerpts are below, and you can read the responses from all 45 respondents here.

TYLER TROUTMAN,
Strategic Market Development,
Shure

In modern workplace and education environments, collaboration extends beyond physical boundaries. Teams are not defined by a single office, campus, or time zone. Instead, we are experiencing hybrid, global collaboration daily. To keep people connected and engaged, organizations and educational institutions must prioritize spaces that foster meeting equity, ensuring every participant can contribute, whether they are in person or remote.

Meeting equity begins with clarity. This includes clear communication, clear visibility, and clear participation. Too often, poor audio leaves remote participants struggling to keep up, which directly impacts engagement and productivity. High-quality audio and intuitive conferencing tools are essential so that everyone in the room can hear and be heard without distraction.

Creating productive collaboration environments also means designing spaces that adapt to evolving working styles. Some teams thrive in open huddle areas, while others need structured, presentation-style rooms. The most effective collaboration culture acknowledges that no two meetings are alike, and provides reliable, scalable technology that works across spaces.

Ease of use is also critical, especially when it comes to those responsible for set up. Technology should empower people to focus on the conversation at hand. For IT leaders, this means access to solutions that are simple to deploy and manage, while delivering a consistent experience for those in the meeting. For end users, it means technology that fades into the background, so communication feels effortless.

When every voice in a room is heard, everyone in the room feels connected, and teams unlock stronger engagement and decision-making abilities. By integrating intuitive, high-quality audio solutions into adaptable spaces, organizations and higher education institutions can cultivate cultures of collaboration that thrive regardless of where people are joining a meeting from.

SKYLER BOWDEN,
Senior Marketing Manager,
Mersive

The traditional meeting setup feels outdated. The default one-presenter-at-the-front approach, where someone clicks through slides while the room half-listens, is familiar, but doesn’t invite participation. And let’s be honest—meetings often start with a scramble to get the AV working before anything productive happens.

This structure is familiar because it reflects how many of us were taught: lecture-style, passive, and linear. But effective collaboration demands more than just taking turns at the front of the room; it asks for space, both physical and psychological, for contribution.

Room layout plays a bigger role than we give it credit for. Can content be shared from anywhere? Can everyone see the display—not just those at the head of the table? Do the tools invite participation or require a technical specialist to operate?

Some organizations build rooms with fully equipped workstations with individual displays and audio setups for every contributor. In the right context, this is a powerful way to invite interaction. But for many IT and AV teams, that level of design and support isn’t realistic. Overengineered spaces become more burden than benefit when the goal is simply to work better together.

That’s why the best rooms often offer the simplest design—a blank creative slate. There is no dominant display, no obvious “front”—just intuitive, flexible tools that allow people to share content, brainstorm, and collaborate however they work best. These spaces don’t dictate how meetings should run; they invite people to create their own way of working.

That’s especially critical now. Asking employees to return to the office is no longer a default; it’s a request. If the workplace is going to compete with the flexibility of remote work, it has to offer more than just a desk and a whiteboard; it has to offer value.

F. JOSEPH POMPEI,
Founder and Chief Executive Officer,
Holosonics

Collaboration has become the defining skill of modern organizations. Whether people are huddled up in an open office, gathering in a conference room, or connecting virtually across time zones, success rests first with the participants—their insight, attentiveness, and capacity to work together. Optimizing this depends greatly on the environments and technologies that enable it, and building a culture that embraces real communication.

We often focus on access and connectivity, making sure everyone can log in, join, and participate. Yet, the quality of the environment itself—how it looks, feels, and, critically, how it sounds—determines whether collaboration truly works. Even with the best tools, it is difficult to share ideas when overlapping conversations compete for attention, voices blur, and important details are lost in background noise.

Productive collaboration requires clarity of purpose, communication of ideas, and sound. The way we design for listening determines how well people understand one another and stay engaged. When sound is clear and distractions are minimized, attention improves, creativity rises, and every participant has a chance to contribute meaningfully.

This is not just a technical consideration, but a cultural one. When an organization invests in environments where every participant can hear and be heard, it sends a powerful signal: that every voice matters. It is saying that collaboration is not simply about proximity or platform, but about presence, equity, and shared understanding.

As workplaces continue to evolve, one principle remains constant: Productivity starts with connection, and connection starts with clarity. The future of collaboration will belong to environments designed not only for access, but for understanding. When people can truly hear one another, everything else falls into place.

EMMA EAGLE,
Manager of Marketing,
Atlona

I’ve learned that creating productive collaboration environments, whether in person or spread across distances, starts with a foundation of trust, clarity, and respect. Teams work best when they know their voices are valued and when everyone has a clear understanding of goals and expectations. That sense of alignment allows people to focus less on logistics and more on contributing their best ideas.

Another key element is intentional communication. In today’s hybrid and global environments, it’s not enough to rely on casual touchpoints; structure matters. Setting regular check-ins, using the right tools, and encouraging both formal updates and informal conversations help keep connections strong. At the same time, flexibility is important; recognizing different work styles, time zones, and cultural perspectives makes collaboration more inclusive and resilient.

Finally, I believe the most successful collaboration comes from creating a culture of shared ownership. When individuals feel empowered to take initiative and understand how their work impacts the bigger picture, collaboration becomes less about assigning tasks and more about building something meaningful together. Near or far, it’s about creating an environment where people feel supported, accountable, and motivated to contribute—not just because it’s their role, but because they truly care about the outcome.

GEORGE BORDEN,
Senior Reseller Account Manager, Central Region,
Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America

Creating a culture of effective collaboration means ensuring that every participant—whether seated in the office or joining remotely—has an equal voice, clear visibility, and seamless access to shared resources. The foundation of this culture begins with software. Unified chat platforms replace isolated email exchanges with searchable, topic-driven conversations, creating an archive of organizational knowledge. When integrated with video conferencing, teams can shift from chat to face-to-face discussions instantly with high-definition video, AI-generated transcriptions, and virtual breakout rooms supporting deeper engagement.

Beyond communication, centralized file management ensures that projects move forward without version confusion. Cloud-based solutions like OneDrive or Google Drive enable real-time co-authoring of documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, while app integration brings business tools such as Salesforce directly into the collaboration platform. This single-pane approach streamlines workflows and reduces wasted time toggling between apps.

The physical workplace also continues to evolve for successful hybrid collaboration. Modern meeting rooms are designed for inclusivity, with intelligent audio and video systems that employ speaker tracking, noise suppression, and group framing to give remote participants the same presence as those in the room. Layouts such as Microsoft Teams and Front Row further bridge the gap, placing remote attendees at eye level and integrating chat, reactions, and shared content in one cohesive view.

Finally, interactive digital canvases, such as Sharp’s AQUOS BOARD, extend collaboration into the creative realm. These large-format displays allow dispersed teams to brainstorm, annotate, and ideate together as though standing side by side. Pairing this with one-touch meeting join solutions like Sharp’s Synappx eliminates technical barriers and ensures meetings start smoothly.

These advances result in a collaborative ecosystem that is inclusive, frictionless, and designed for how teams truly work—near and far.

GEORGE TRUONG,
Vice President of Operations,
Black Box

Modern AV collaboration platforms have evolved into mission-critical business infrastructure, requiring almost zero downtime. This evolution demands sophisticated service delivery that ensures consistent, reliable collaboration between end users and the integrator.

Collaboration environments build upon four pillars: user experience optimization, proactive monitoring support, and continuous improvement on efficiency and utilization. Service reliability extends beyond traditional uptime metrics to encompass experience quality indicators across all locations. This requires establishing global SLAs that account for regional variations while maintaining or exceeding standards on compliance. User experience optimization focuses on reducing friction in collaboration workflows, implementing one-touch join, automated room configurations, or an intuitive but simple interface that reduces support requirements.

The current demand emphasizes shifting from reactive service to preventive service models with proactive self-health. Operational capabilities that can identify degradation patterns before they impact users. This proactive stance requires cultivating analytical mindsets within operations teams, teaching them to analyze usage data and identify optimization opportunities. Organizations implementing "partnered solutions" services that provide full 24/7 remote and onsite support for customer ecosystems build user confidence while gathering insights into service improvement.

Scaling operational excellence requires establishing a culture to drive excellence that defines best practices and disseminates knowledge across the organization. Successful implementation of tiered support models that balance responsiveness with global consistency. The enabling factor for operational excellence is a sophisticated monitoring platform that provides real-time visibility into collaboration performance, enabling rapid response to issues while building historical data for trend analysis and capacity planning.

JOHN KRUSE,
Senior Field Solutions Architect,
ViewSonic

The most effective collaboration environments today are not defined by a single technology or meeting room; they are built at the intersection of space, tools, and culture. As organizations reimagine how people connect and create, successful collaboration strategies must focus on removing friction and enhancing human interaction, regardless of location.

Intentional design is the starting point. Physical environments should support a variety of work modes—from brainstorming sessions to hybrid meetings—and incorporate fundamentals like optimized acoustics, visibility, and comfort. Equally important is flexibility: Modular furniture, adaptable displays, and scalable AV systems allow spaces to evolve as teams, technologies, and workflows change.

Frictionless technology is another essential element. Solutions should integrate seamlessly across platforms, enabling intuitive, one-touch connectivity and interoperability with conferencing, control, and content systems. When technology disappears into the background, creativity and collaboration come to the forefront.

Beyond hardware, culture is the true driver of productive collaboration. Spaces and systems must support meeting equity, making remote participants feel as present and valued as those in the room. Features like AI-powered framing, spatial audio, transcription, and translation can level the playing field and ensure every voice is heard.

Looking ahead, collaboration environments will become increasingly intelligent and persistent. Cloud platforms, data analytics, and AI will not only support meetings but actively shape them—anticipating needs, connecting content, and extending collaboration beyond physical boundaries.

Ultimately, the future of collaboration isn’t about creating rooms; it’s about designing ecosystems that inspire creativity, foster connection, and empower teams to work together—anytime, anywhere.

OLIVER VAN CAMP,
Product Director, Meeting Experience,
Barco

In the rush to adopt the latest collaboration technologies, organizations often chase flashy features while overlooking the fundamentals that ensure long-term success. The most effective meeting room solutions prioritize three core elements: ease of use, trust, and smart technology.

Even the most advanced technology fails if employees struggle to use it. Collaboration tools must be intuitive, flexible, and consistent across meeting rooms and devices. When participants can connect, share content, and engage seamlessly, meetings start faster, adoption increases, and teams focus on collaboration—not on troubleshooting technology.

Collaboration technology frequently handles sensitive content, making trust a critical factor. Robust security, configurable access levels, and regular updates protect data and ensure compliance. In hybrid workplaces, teams depend on consistent performance across rooms and devices. Systems that fail or require troubleshooting disrupt meetings, erode confidence, and reduce productivity. Investing in reliable technology ensures meetings run smoothly, builds trust among users, and supports higher adoption rates.

And last, but not least, the role of intelligence in the meeting room cannot be denied. AI can enhance collaboration when applied thoughtfully. Features like automated transcription, intelligent facilitation, and real-time insights can add value when they complement existing workflows rather than creating complexity.

Technology should empower teams to work smarter, freeing them to focus on discussion, creativity, and decision-making rather than constantly adapting to new systems.

Successful technology adoption requires a clear strategy. Evaluate solutions based on usability, security, reliability, and scalability first—then consider advanced features. By focusing on the fundamentals, organizations can ensure that collaboration tools truly enhance productivity and engagement, both now and in the future.

TERRENCE BOYD,
Senior Strategy and Business Development Manager, Alliance and Technology Partnerships,
Sony Electronics

In today’s dynamic environments, collaboration is no longer confined to meeting rooms; it happens across campuses, hospitals, production floors, and retail spaces. The most productive environments connect people, content, and ideas with ease, no matter where they are.

At Sony, we believe collaboration thrives when technology works together—not in isolation. And we’re not alone; our customers and partners maintain that same philosophy. Sony’s Alliance and Technology Partner ecosystem plays a vital role in shaping environments where people create, communicate, and collaborate. Through alignment with leading partners across digital signage, AV control, unified communications and collaboration (UCC), remote management systems (RMS), and hardware and mounting solutions, we deliver seamless, end-to-end experiences that make teamwork effortless and inclusive, and remove barriers and guesswork for our customers.

Having an open ecosystem, as Sony does, gives customers the freedom to choose the technologies that best fit their needs, whether the goal is a hybrid meeting space, a digital signage network that informs and inspires, or a control system that simplifies complex workflows. Together with our partners, we integrate these solutions that enhance Sony’s core offerings and bring added value to every project because customers expect robust, turnkey options.

This collaborative approach ensures that every solution meets current requirements while remaining ready for the innovations ahead. By combining Sony’s strengths with the expertise of our partners, we create spaces that adapt to people rather than asking people to adapt to technology.

In a world that continues to change rapidly, success depends on partnership. Through collective innovation, Sony and its partners are delivering human-driven collaboration experiences that help people work smarter, connect more deeply, and achieve more together.

CHARLIE JONES, Global Partner Relations Manager,
Sennheiser

Building effective collaboration spaces relies on conferencing technology that reduces complexity to deliver a seamless user experience. Intelligent automation is driving this evolution, transforming meeting rooms into intuitive environments that enhance communication without distracting participants. The goal is a smart conference space where microphones, cameras, and control systems work together automatically to keep the focus on productivity.

To reduce complexity, IT and AV professionals can take advantage of the advancements in interoperability of audio, video, and conferencing platforms, as well as insights drawn from years of audio expertise and knowledge of meeting dynamics. For example, beamforming microphones have redefined sound quality by isolating voices from background noise, which is coupled with robust networks delivering low latency. The result makes it easier for both in-room and remote participants to follow conversations without disruption.

Building these rooms goes beyond simply deploying technology and relies on robust central management. Software and cloud platforms that tackle room planning and device management can allow for faster, more scalable deployments to meet today’s substantial workplace demands. These virtual room design tools that also monitor and manage the interoperability between AV protocols ensure consistent, high-quality user experiences across entire organizations with effective planning and reduced manual setup.

As AI and automation continue to advance, meeting environments will only become more intuitive and adaptive. While fully autonomous conference rooms are beyond the horizon for the moment, the innovations available today are already paving the way toward a future where technology supports collaboration seamlessly, freeing teams to concentrate fully on their work.

NANCY KNOWLTON,
Chief Executive Officer,
Nureva

There really are no secrets to productive collaboration; it all comes down to people, process and technology.

Productive collaboration—whether across the hall or across continents—starts with people. Valuing individuals and their experiences is foundational to any successful collaborative environment. When people feel respected and empowered, they bring their best selves to the table. That’s why the first step is to give them the tools and environments they need to create and collaborate. Comfortable spaces, intuitive platforms, and access to the right resources signal that their contributions matter.

Next comes the process. Collaboration doesn’t just happen; most often it needs to be taught, then nurtured and refined. Teams must learn how to work together effectively, understanding when group work accelerates outcomes and when individual effort sharpens focus. A well-designed process for collaboration clarifies direction, roles, and expectations, and it enables teams to work faster and better. Nobody is born knowing how to collaborate, so setting out some guidelines can be enabling, not restrictive. It helps people see how their work fits into the bigger picture and how they can contribute meaningfully to shared goals.

Technology is the final layer—the enabler that makes collaboration seamless and scalable. From cloud-based applications and unified communications platforms to high-quality audio systems and smart cameras, technology removes barriers and connects people in real time. But it’s not enough to simply deploy tools. Organizations must relentlessly research and observe: Is the combination of people, process, and technology delivering the results the business needs? Is it making teams more productive, more creative, and more aligned?

Ask. Observe. Refine. The most productive collaboration environments are those that evolve—driven by the needs of the people within them and the outcomes they’re working to achieve.

JOHN HENKEL,
Product Marketing Director,
NETGEAR Enterprise

The convergence of broadcast, unified communications, and AV infrastructure is accelerating rapidly. Creating productive collaboration environments starts with building unified IP ecosystems that don’t distinguish between near and far work; instead, they treat all collaboration as equal, regardless of location. This requires moving beyond traditional box shifting to a solution-led consultancy that embeds AV into broader digital transformation strategies.

The most effective collaboration cultures prioritize user experience over technology showcasing. Organizations succeeding in hybrid environments focus on broadcast-quality experiences as the new standard for enterprise communications—not just for special occasions. This means investing in scalable solutions that make remote participants feel as present as in-room colleagues, eliminating the second-class-citizen experience that plagues many hybrid setups.

From huddle spaces to large conference rooms, consistent, reliable technology across all collaboration points builds confidence and adoption. When teams trust that their tools will work seamlessly, whether they’re together or distributed, cultural resistance to hybrid work diminishes. This consistency requires robust networked solutions with centralized management, ensuring every space delivers professional-grade experiences.

The shift toward AI-driven AV, advanced lighting and sound, and immersive experiences is fundamentally about creating systems smart enough to adapt to how people naturally collaborate—not about adding layers of complexity. Organizations embracing this approach create environments where technology becomes invisible, allowing teams to focus on ideas rather than troubleshooting connectivity.

The bottom line: Productive collaboration cultures emerge when infrastructure supports authentic interaction regardless of physical location, when user experience trumps technical specifications, and when organizations commit to unified ecosystems rather than patchwork solutions.

PETRO SHIMONISHI,
Director of New Business Development,
Panasonic Projector and Display Americas

Today’s workplaces and classrooms are no longer defined by four walls. Collaboration must be seamless, whether participants are across campus or across the globe. To meet this demand, organizations need technologies that are both robust and flexible to empower instructors, students, and employees to connect in ways that are simple, reliable, and interactive.

Panasonic recently surveyed higher education IT leaders, which revealed that 83 percent of students regularly interact with projectors and 81 percent say these technologies positively impact learning. These findings highlight that when collaboration technologies are intuitive and dependable, they become essential to how people learn and work.

However, decision-makers also flagged a growing concern: As devices become more feature-rich, they risk becoming harder for faculty and employees to manage. This underscores the importance of technology that reduces complexity rather than adding to it. Solutions must be designed for plug-and-play simplicity, while delivering professional-grade performance.

That’s why Panasonic and Artome partnered to create the PT-VMZ-AVCART, an innovative, mobile AV solution that combines Artome’s flexible design with Panasonic’s advanced projection to transform any space into a collaboration hub. These solutions eliminate the need for permanent installations, instantly transforming any classroom, huddle space, or boardroom into a connected, collaborative environment. By combining Panasonic’s advanced projection with Artome’s flexible design, organizations gain scalable tools that adapt to their unique spaces and needs.

The culture of collaboration today depends on access, flexibility, and ease of use. Whether enabling a professor to engage hundreds of students or allowing hybrid teams to brainstorm across time zones, the goal is the same: Technologies should inspire interaction, not inhibit it. At Panasonic, we believe the most productive environments are built on tools that make connection effortless anywhere, anytime.

JOEL MULPETER,
Senior Director, Product Marketing,
Crestron

We often talk about building a culture of collaboration. As people have returned to the office as part of their hybrid schedules, it’s critical that we serve the needs of those who come into that space. Technology needs to be seamless—disappearing into the background but delivering the rich experiences they expect.

Take, for example, the rich experiences you have in Microsoft Teams at your desk—can you take that experience into a conference room? You don’t want to have a different platform when you walk into the meeting room; you want to use the familiar one you’ve used at your desk.

You also want things like the “eyes and ears” in that room to be intelligent and smart. You want cameras that react to workflows in the room, and not cameras that must constantly be told what to do. You want audio that hears what you have to say and can then feed that into remote connections and the accompanying AI tool. You need to be getting tangible benefits out of that tool: translation, transcription, actionable insights, and so on. And then, you want to leverage that platform—Teams, Zoom, or whatever you prefer.

Beyond those tools, it’s also important to find the right balance of other AI features. Edge AI is especially useful and efficient in presenter tracking, for example. You don’t need to send that processing to the cloud and bring it back again—just do it in the camera. Cloud AI is better for things such as translation and transcription, identifying people, and so on. Ultimately, the goal is to create spaces that truly drive the culture of collaboration.

JOSH ARNOLD,
Director, Collaboration Product Strategy,
Q-SYS

In today’s workplace, collaboration is not confined to AV systems; it’s about crafting holistic experiences that empower people and culture. The rise of the high-performance workplace reflects a shift from static office environments to dynamic destinations that foster connection and creativity. Forward-thinking organizations are reimagining their spaces to build culture, expand mentorship, and enhance well-being across both high-impact rooms and the spaces in between. This reflects a deeper understanding: Technology should not just connect people, but also inspire and bring them together.

This transformation is already happening at scale. According to a recent whitepaper developed by Frost and Sullivan in partnership with Q-SYS, 46 percent of IT and telecom leaders are modernizing office technology, while 50 percent are investing in new perks and experiences. With over 5.6 billion square feet of Class A space positioned for high-performance transformation and 9.1 billion square feet of U.S. office space ripe for reinvention, the workplace has become a critical lever for organizational productivity.

Second, simplicity in technology is paramount. The most powerful collaboration tools are those that disappear into the background, enabling fluid interaction without friction. When technology is standardized, intuitive, and accessible, hybrid equity thrives—enabling every participant, near or far, to contribute equally. When users don’t have to think about how to connect, they can focus on what matters most: sharing ideas, solving problems, and building relationships.

Finally, smart collaboration environments should enable a feedback loop for continuous improvement. Rich spatial and usage data help organizations optimize layouts, refine workflows, and adapt to evolving needs—turning workplaces from static assets into dynamic engines for growth.

In essence, high-performance workplaces center on people and experience. They eliminate friction, create hybrid equity, and drive measurable outcomes. By embracing intentional design, user-centric simplicity, and data-driven evolution, organizations can create environments where creativity and productivity thrives.

NETGEAR recently opened its NETGEAR Academy to manufacturing partners, creating a free, industry-wide education platform rather than a single-vendor training site. Partners such as Crestron, Q-SYS, Dante by Audinate, Sennheiser, Lightware, SDVoE, AVB Academy, and Powersoft are now contributing their own certified courses alongside NETGEAR's training. We sat down with Gus Marcondes, global training manager at NETGEAR Enterprise, to ask him some pointed questions about the program.

AVN: How is this training different than what manufacturers would offer on their own?

Marcondes: What makes the NETGEAR Academy different is that we’re not just teaching our own products. We’re helping people see the whole system. Each manufacturer usually focuses on their specific solutions, which makes sense, but real projects don’t work that way. In the field, switches, endpoints, and protocols all need to coexist. That’s why we’ve opened our platform to include training content from our partners.

By bringing all these courses together, we are giving students a smooth, unified learning experience where they can understand how the entire ecosystem fits. The goal is to make networking feel less intimidating and more connected to what professionals actually do every day.

AVN: You noted that the training is geared toward Pro AV and broadcast. How is the content geared toward each audience?

Marcondes: For Pro AV professionals, our focus is to help them grow from basic networking skills to full AV-over-IP design and deployment.

We cover topics from simple VLAN configurations to multicast design, clocking, and troubleshooting. At the advanced level, students design a complete network project based on customer requirements. Each project is personally reviewed by our instructors, and every student receives individual feedback. It’s an online course, but there’s always a real human behind the screen.

For the broadcast community, the focus is on IP media standards like ST 2110 and IPMX. We help engineers understand the network layer that supports video, audio, and timing, because that’s where the future of broadcast is heading.

We also show how open standards are connecting both worlds: high-end broadcast and simpler AV distribution, into one scalable IP foundation.

And since the lines between IT, AV, and broadcast are disappearing fast, we’ve added courses on Cloud, Pro WiFi, and Cybersecurity to help everyone build the confidence to manage connected environments.

Below are the topics covered in the partner trainings, with more to come:

AVB Academy: Training around Audio Video Bridging standards for synchronized, low-latency AV over Ethernet.

Crestron: Courses focused on control systems, room solutions, and AV integration with Crestron ecosystems.

Dante by Audinate: Certification and how-to content for Dante audio networking, routing, and deployment.

Lightware: Switchers, signal management, and AV-over-IP workflows with Lightware solutions.

Powersoft: Amplification, audio system design, and tuning using Powersoft platforms.

Q-SYS: Training on Q-SYS platform design, control, and DSP for integrated AV environments.

SDVoE: Education on Software Defined Video over Ethernet for uncompressed, low-latency video distribution.

Sennheiser: Pro audio, wireless systems, and microphone solutions training.

AVN: Please discuss the benefits for end users and integrators.

Marcondes: For end-users, it's all about removing barriers to professional development. The Academy is completely free, on-demand, and designed to make complex topics simple. Whether you're just starting out or already experienced, you can learn at your own pace from practical, real-world examples. What's particularly valuable is the AVIXA accreditation. Professionals can earn AVIXA RUs at no cost, which addresses a real pain point around continuing education expenses.

The curriculum is comprehensive and constantly evolving, with regular content updates that keep pace with industry changes. You're learning from experts who bring field experience directly into the training.

For integrators, the Academy gives their teams a structured way to grow their skills, earn recognized certifications, and demonstrate to customers that they truly understand AV-over-IP systems. The certifications provide tangible credentials that differentiate them in competitive bids. For our official partners, these certifications are directly tied to the NETGEAR Partner Portal, where higher certification levels unlock stronger incentives, co-marketing opportunities, greater visibility in our partner directory, priority technical support, and deeper engagement with our team.

Our third-party manufacturer training section is growing quickly, with eight manufacturers already participating. This is particularly exciting because it demonstrates that education isn't a competitive advantage to be hoarded; it's a rising tide that lifts all boats. When manufacturers collaborate on education, we're collectively raising the technical bar for the entire industry. Partners who invest time in the Academy are building a holistic understanding of how different technologies work together in modern AV installations, which ultimately makes them more valuable consultants to their customers.

Do you have legacy AV equipment that is still earning its keep? Does your organization have a combination of hardware and software from different manufacturers, and does interoperability sometimes pose an issue? Is your AV/IT department full speed ahead with AV over IP, the cloud, and AI-enabled systems?

No matter which end of the AV or IT spectrum your systems reside, these 25 industry thought leaders share insights into the transition to IP, trends in The State of AV/IT today, and predictions for the next few years.

CATHERINE KOUTSARIS
Product Marketing Manager at Matrox Video

For many organizations, the biggest hesitation in modernizing AV systems is the belief that moving forward means ripping everything out and starting from scratch. In reality, most end users don’t need or want to replace entire systems. What’s more practical and sustainable is keeping the elements that still work well and bridging them with newer technologies. This approach reduces staff retraining and avoids waste. Teams can then evolve at their own pace.

That’s where interoperability comes in. Today’s AV/IT environments often resemble technology islands—ecosystems that work well independently but don’t always communicate with one another. End users may value their existing cameras or video walls, but when new requirements emerge, incompatibility becomes a real obstacle. AV gateway products are a great way to bridge between older systems and newer technology, allowing both to be used in the same installation.

Standards-based solutions provide the clearest path forward. Open standards like IPMX and SMPTE ST 2110 make it possible to mix equipment from multiple manufacturers and reduce the risk of vendor lock-in. In practice, this can mean running day-to-day conferencing over a corporate 1GbE network while seamlessly shifting to a 10GbE broadcast workflow for high-end production—all with the same underlying infrastructure. Organizations gain freedom from vendor lock-in and proprietary constraints.

The advice for end users is to focus on flexibility. Prioritize systems that integrate with what you already have and embrace open standards. This approach ensures that today’s investments remain relevant, while giving you the freedom to adopt new technologies and build AI-over-IP systems that can grow with you on your own terms.

RICHARD JONKER
Vice President Marketing and Business Development at NETGEAR Enterprise

The most successful organizations are shifting their mindset from, “What AV equipment do we need?” to, “How can we create experiences that drive business results?” This approach means your AV investments should solve specific business challenges rather than simply upgrade hardware.

The proof is in your meeting rooms. Setup time has dropped from seven frustrating minutes to under twenty seconds. This translates to improved productivity and employee satisfaction.

Behind the shifting mindset are four key technologies reshaping how you’ll interact with AV systems: AV over IP, cloud solutions, artificial intelligence, and extended reality (XR/AR). These represent fundamental changes, creating practical benefits for organizations willing to evolve.

AV over IP leads this transformation by using your IP network infrastructure instead of dedicated AV cabling. This means you get to benefit from all the advantages of the network world: easier scaling when adding endpoints like speakers, microphones, or displays; when you need remote troubleshooting by IT teams without the need for room visits; better integration with existing security tools; and the flexibility to reconfigure spaces as needs change.

As your AV systems become networked, artificial intelligence transforms infrastructure management through automated configuration and intelligent power optimization. However, connectivity introduces security vulnerabilities requiring proactive protection. Modern solutions now integrate AI-driven network simplification with built-in cybersecurity capabilities, creating inherently secure, intelligent systems that adapt to threats while simplifying operations.

At NETGEAR, we believe that organizations investing in these transitions today—and focusing on experiences that solve specific business challenges—are positioning themselves for significant advantages as the market evolves.

SAM SABET
Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Shure

The simple answer for any customer looking to invest in new AV technologies today, whether for upgrading or otherwise, is to consider a flexible, adaptable platform. Today’s AV world is characterized by rapid and constant changes. These changes are evident both in the environment—workspaces, collaboration modes, and the balance between RTO and remote work—and in features and technologies such as AI, feature deployment speed, and processing power.

When choosing a platform, it’s imperative to keep in mind the ease of adaptability to evolving changes. Consider the flexibility of configuration and provisioning, as well as the longevity of the platform. Shure’s ecosystem of MXA and collaboration solutions, supported by software infrastructure like ShureCloud and our advanced DSP and AI algorithms, provides a perfect platform. It can automatically adapt and grow with our end users’ needs.

EMMA EAGLE
Manager of Marketing at Hall Research

When it comes to evolving AV systems, whether you’re replacing legacy gear or updating something relatively new, the key is to plan for what’s next—not just what’s now. AV and IT are no longer separate worlds. Your AV strategy should be as scalable, secure, and manageable as the rest of your IT infrastructure.

Don’t get stuck on spec sheets. Instead, ask: Will this system grow with us? Can it integrate with cloud platforms? Is it simple enough that anyone can use it without frustration? Because at the end of the day, simplicity drives adoption, and adoption drives ROI.

The next few years will bring even more AV over IP, smarter automation through AI, tighter cybersecurity requirements, and an increased demand for sustainable solutions. Organizations that embrace these shifts will be in the best position to maximize both their technology and their people.

My advice? Evolve with intention. Choose solutions that are scalable, secure, and user-friendly. That’s how you future-proof your AV/IT investments.

MAX RITCHER
Co-Founder and Vice President of Marketing at Insta360

The AV/IT industry is at a turning point..

We’re moving from static, hardware-first setups to flexible, cloud-connected ecosystems that are easier to manage and adapt to how people really work. Three forces are driving this shift: the cloud, AI, and interoperability.

Cloud platforms now sit at the center of modern AV, making it possible for IT teams to monitor and update systems across campuses or offices from one place. This reduces complexity and takes the burden off on-site staff.

AI adds another layer, turning AV from something reactive into something proactive. We’ve seen this in the evolution of Insta360’s enterprise tools. We came from humble (yet ambitious!) origins with the Link AI webcam. This was our first entry into the industry, already sporting smart tracking. We’ve now moved onto the Connect video bar for larger rooms, and our latest release, Insta360 Wave. As an AI speakerphone, we’ve crafted something that is adaptive and resilient, designed to work together with our other products as a seamless experience.

But none of this potential can be unlocked without interoperability. Proprietary systems have long slowed progress by creating silos and forcing users into narrow ecosystems. That’s why open standards matter. By supporting initiatives like OpenAV Cloud and pushing for shared APIs, the industry can break down barriers, give organizations more choice, and ensure systems can grow together instead of being locked in.

The convergence of cloud, AI, and interoperability is shaping the future of AV. We’re beyond just releasing flashy tech for its own sake. We’re building smarter, more reliable systems that actually make work easier and more connected for everyone.

OLIVER VAN CAMP
Product Director, Meeting Experience at Barco ClickShare

Today’s meeting room technology must do more than connect devices; it needs to enable seamless, inclusive collaboration for all meeting room users. That’s why Barco ClickShare and Microsoft are re-imagining hybrid collaboration through smarter, more human-centric meeting experiences.

ClickShare provides a secure, scalable meeting room system that lets room participants conference, collaborate, and present with just one click, with no technical hassle, no cables, and no delays. Intuitive and easy to use, ClickShare ensures the meeting experience is consistent and seamless across any space—from huddle rooms to large boardrooms—and is designed around how people truly work.

In a Microsoft Teams environment, this experience becomes more intelligent and user-friendly. AI-powered features like speaker recognition, automatic camera framing, and smart content sharing create meetings that feel more natural and engaging, whether participants are in the room or remote.

AI is now doing even more to support the flow of work. Features like speaker attribution (knowing who’s speaking), facilitator agent (a virtual assistant capturing next steps and deadlines), and interpreter agent (allowing everyone to speak in their native language) benefit both in-room and remote participants. These tools help overcome proximity barriers, reduce administrative tasks, minimize miscommunication, and integrate smoothly into everyday workflows—even as they are still emerging.

ClickShare brings wireless collaboration solutions into the meeting room, empowering companies to run AI applications locally and in real time via the ClickShare Base Units. This unlocks smarter, faster interactions—from live speaker recognition and automatic camera framing to translation and real-time note-taking—enhancing every interaction to keep users productive, engaged, and focused. Together, ClickShare and Microsoft are redefining hybrid meetings: secure, smart, scalable, and made for people.

RYAN WALLENBERG
AIMS Member and Vice President of Engineering at Cobalt Digital

Whether AV systems are for rich experiences in venues or for managing signals on campuses like businesses or universities, they often involve equipment from different tech categories. For example, in many organizations it is not rare to see mixtures of two or all three of the following things: media processing equipment, signal extension and switching equipment, and IT department equipment.

There are many factors that have made it possible to accomplish any task that previously required hardwired cables to be achievable using packetized IP. The most challenging thing left to overcome while migrating from hardwired cables to IP is dealing with mixing different equipment types, equipment classes, and vendor solutions with interfaces such as HDMI.

The two most important things that have happened to address this final challenge is the emergence of open standards and specifications—such as SMPTE ST 2110, AES67, NMOS, and IPMX—and the emergence of IP-to-IP gateway converters of many types to help deal with conversions of media profiles within the media options of the standards and between different media and protocols including proprietary options.

End users looking to evolve legacy or even newer AV systems should consider IPMX-compliant solutions that offer smooth plug-and-play integration. An optimized hybrid infrastructure will leverage interoperability for high-quality audio, video, and data for SMPTE ST 2110 transport across common networks. Organizations should be able to add capabilities at their own pace while avoiding vendor lock-in and giving them the flexibility to build infrastructures that grow with them. Several vendors have always offered modular and standards-based technologies that adapt to real-world challenges, and they are now embracing IPMX integration.

SKYLER BOWDEN
Senior Marketing Manager at Mersive

In today’s hype-heavy tech climate, AI gets most of the headlines. Promises of 10x productivity and AI-driven transformation abound—but for AV/IT professionals managing real systems, real spaces, and real users, it’s essential to cut through the noise.

The truth? AI will shape the future of collaboration—but it won’t fix broken workflows or magically modernize outdated AV infrastructure. Productivity gains only happen when technology is aligned with how people actually work, connect, and communicate. This is especially true in education, healthcare, and enterprise environments, where every decision has to balance performance, cost, security, and usability.

What’s often overlooked in the rush to optimize is a critical factor: the human experience. Meaningful technology doesn’t just improve business outcomes; it impacts how people feel about their work. When meetings are more efficient and tools actually support connection instead of complicating it, your teams regain focus, time, and energy. That’s where real value emerges: better engagement, clearer communication, and a healthier work-life balance.

The most exciting AI potential isn’t about replacing people; it’s about revealing insights. Meeting analytics can surface engagement trends, highlight contributor impact, and track follow-ups so no one flies blind. Instead of attributing all tasks to the in-room device, imagine a system that accurately reflects every participant’s input and commitments—remote or on-site.

So what’s the takeaway? Don’t get distracted by magic wands. Invest in technology that is secure, scalable, and user-friendly—solutions that create space for the innovation your teams are primed to deliver. Then, let AI help you fine-tune how your teams meet, share, and succeed—without forcing in one-size-fits-all tech that misses the mark on deeper challenges like process gaps. AI will naturally optimize efficiency, but not overnight and not without an intimate understanding of how your teams do their best work.

BLAKE ABIG
Director of National Sales at Full Compass Systems

In my role, I spend much of my time listening to colleges, universities, and corporations as they rethink how their AV systems support teaching and collaboration. One of the most common concerns I hear is that rooms feel inconsistent. A professor might walk into one classroom and everything works smoothly, then step into another and struggle to get the system started. The same frustration shows up in corporate offices. Consistency is one of the simplest ways to improve user confidence and adoption.

Another challenge customers raise is the pressure on lean support teams. Higher ed IT groups may be responsible for hundreds of classrooms, while corporate AV staff cover global meeting spaces. I often hear, “We can’t be everywhere at once.” This is where centralized, cloud-based monitoring really makes a difference. When teams can see issues in real time and push updates remotely, they spend less time firefighting and more time enabling productivity.

Clients are also curious about how artificial intelligence fits in. What I tell them is that AI works best when it disappears into the background. Cameras that automatically follow a presenter, microphones that remove noise, and live captions that improve accessibility all make the experience smoother without adding complexity.

Finally, one theme that comes up again and again is equity for remote participants. Whether it is a student joining from home or a colleague dialing in from another office, people expect to be seen and heard clearly. That is no longer optional; it is the baseline.

The most successful AV strategies I see are the ones that put people first. When systems are reliable, intuitive, and supportive of everyone in the room and beyond, the technology simply enables better outcomes.

MITCH RAUCH
U.S. Sales Director at Powersoft

As AV systems grow more complex and distributed, spanning corporate campuses, higher education institutions, and dynamic multi-use facilities, the role of the integrator is evolving just as quickly. Success in today’s audiovisual environments requires more than just great sound and video; it also depends on smooth, seamless integration with the broader IT infrastructure.

Legacy rack rooms and point-to-point signal paths are giving way to decentralized, IP-based infrastructures. AV-over-IP is no longer a trend—but the very foundation. In this environment, amplifiers are active, networked components capable of intelligent signal routing, system synchronization, and real-time control. As a result, integrators are becoming more involved in network design, such as IP addressing, VLANs, QoS, and switch configuration, which are as essential as gain structure and speaker coverage.

Cloud integration is accelerating the evolution of network-based devices. Remote monitoring and system management capabilities are quickly becoming indispensable. Whether diagnosing issues, pushing firmware updates, or fine-tuning performance from a distance, cloud connectivity empowers integrators to deliver faster, more efficient support, often before the client even notices a problem. The shift to cloud integration can save time, reduce site visits, and pave the way for recurring service models.

Through these advancements, our mission at Powersoft remains to deliver transparent, intelligible audio without distraction. We’ve embraced this evolution with platforms like Unica and Nota 142. Both Unica and Nota 142 are purpose built for decentralized, IT-friendly environments, and combine robust performance with smart design and native cloud connectivity. Unica and Nota 142 highlight our commitment to helping integrators meet today’s challenges while preparing for tomorrow’s demands by bridging the worlds of AV and IT with powerful, future-ready solutions.

JAKUB KOLACZ
Manager Product and Commercialization, Business Communication at Sennheiser

As AV systems become increasingly networked, end users are grappling with how to evolve their environments without creating disruption. Legacy software, fragmented device tools, and rising IT security expectations often slow progress—yet the demand for simpler, more scalable management is only growing.

Now is the time for end users to prepare for this new era of AV/IT convergence. The priority is ease of deployment and configuration. Complex setup processes not only consume valuable IT/AV resources but also increase the risk of errors. Solutions that enable devices to be onboarded quickly, with minimal dependencies, free teams to focus on higher-value tasks.

Next, interoperability and centralization are key. While many organizations still rely on a patchwork of vendor-specific tools, the future lies in platforms that embrace open standards and integration. By consolidating device management into a single, standardized platform, teams gain a clearer view of their systems and reduce friction across locations and departments.

Security remains non-negotiable. With AV fully part of the enterprise IT landscape, encryption, authentication, and role-based access are essential to protect both data and devices.

Finally, consider ongoing performance. Management shouldn’t stop at installation. Proactive monitoring, real-time alerts, and predictive maintenance help teams spot issues before they escalate, keeping collaboration spaces available and reliable.

IT and AV pros should consider feature-rich, cloud-based device management platforms offering them all of the above services and more, with room to scale as systems become even more complex in the future. Providing a centralized hub for devices ensures not only improved on-site or remote management, but also the ability to react quickly to any issues at the time they occur.

Looking ahead, the convergence of AV and IT will continue to accelerate. End users who prioritize simplicity, interoperability, and proactive management today will be best placed to evolve their systems tomorrow, without sacrificing security or reliability.

ART WEEKS
Project Manager at ZeeVee by Kramer

We’re at an inflection point where both integrators and end users are rethinking AV system design. The old rack-full-of-boxes model is giving way to multi-function components that combine switching, DSP, and control. The motivation isn’t just fewer devices; it’s lower total cost of ownership over the life of a system.

By consolidating functions, projects install faster, take up less rack space, draw less power, and reduce the number of potential failure points. That translates to fewer service calls, easier remote management, and reduced labor costs across the system lifecycle. Realistically, integrators can save thousands per room, per year, while giving clients a cleaner, more reliable experience. It also helps projects get approved faster because decision makers can see long-term savings rather than just the upfront price tag.

At the same time, high-performance environments—like large lecture halls or mission-critical control rooms—are pushing adoption of AVoIP. End users want ultra-low latency and the flexibility to scale on standard networks. Today, that often means choosing between 1Gb and 10Gb deployments, but we’re seeing more forward-thinking firms pre-install CAT-6a cabling even when starting at 1Gb. That future-proofs the space, making it easier and cheaper to upgrade when higher bandwidth is needed.

In short, the state of AV/IT today is about simplification without compromise, and the next few years will be defined by scalable networked video paired with systems designed to reduce complexity, cost, and risk.

JOHN KRUSE
Senior Field Solutions Architect at ViewSonic

The convergence of AV and IT is reshaping how organizations design and manage their technology ecosystems. For end users modernizing legacy systems—or even optimizing newer ones—the goal is no longer just to add AV, but to create connected, intelligent environments that align with enterprise IT strategies.

There are a number of important considerations that go into achieving this. First, interoperability is foundational. Proprietary silos, especially technology-based ones, are becoming less viable, so end users should prioritize solutions certified across major platforms—Teams, Zoom, Google Meet—and integrate these with control systems to ensure long-term flexibility.

The second consideration is keeping the cloud as your control layer. Cloud-enabled management is shifting from optional to essential. Remote monitoring, analytics, and centralized updates improve uptime, lower service costs, and scale across campuses and enterprises.

Third, consider that AI is moving mainstream. AI features are already raising user expectations—from camera framing and noise suppression to predictive diagnostics. The differentiator in the coming years will be how seamlessly these features enhance collaboration and reduce friction.

Fourth, remember that budgets are tight, so sustainability and ROI are under more scrutiny than ever. End users should look for solutions that extend product lifecycles through firmware updates, modular upgrades, and energy efficiency instead of requiring rip-and-replace strategies.

And finally, as AV lives fully on the network, alignment with corporate IT security standards is critical. Device-level protections and encrypted data handling must be built in—not bolted on.

The state of AV/IT today is one of acceleration—driven by interoperability, cloud-first management, and AI intelligence. End users who embrace openness, scalability, and sustainability will not only protect their investments but also position their organizations for smarter, more adaptable experiences in the years ahead.

PAUL HARRIS
CEO at Aurora Multimedia

For end-users looking to evolve their AV systems, I recommend attending industry trade shows like InfoComm, ISE, and NAB, among others, which provide a neutral platform to explore new technologies. Ignore the marketing, and what size booth, and who throws the best parties. Do not be a “zombie” tradeshow walker either. That is where you walk aimlessly and get sucked in by the pretty shows people put on, but miss what is right in front of you that can make a difference. Dealer and distributor local shows can work well, just understand the limitations and combine them with other research, as many of these shows will only show you what they sell and are aligned with, leaving out many other brands and new technologies.

If you really want to do what is right for your company, due diligence is everything. Talk directly with a variety of manufacturers and test the products yourself to see if they meet your requirements. Nothing is better than a good old-fashioned shootout between brands, especially if the end user is in control of it to make sure everything is on a proper playing field. All manufacturers are guilty of making their products sound as good as possible. That is simply marketing at its best or worst, for that matter.

Ask questions like what makes your technology better than the competition, what is your warranty, where is it made, what is the life span of the product, do you make the product (yeah, many companies just slap their name on OEM and pretend it is theirs, support, education, TAA compliant, and roadmap. Don’t fall into the AI trap where companies make it sound exciting from a buzzword. See that it really does what they say, regardless of the tag line. At the end of the day, you are solving a problem, and it does not matter what fancy wrapper it comes in; does it simply do what is advertised, and does it do it well?

ADAM SOWERS
Senior Manager, Business Development at Sony Electronics

As organizations evolve their AV systems, the integration of interoperability, cloud solutions, and AI is paramount. AV systems aren’t just about hardware anymore; now, it’s all about being open, smart, and working together seamlessly. Even the newest legacy systems must catch up with the demands of hybrid work, smarter buildings, and AI-powered experiences. How would this actually get done? By embracing interoperability.

For anyone choosing platforms, I’d recommend looking for those that support open architectures and APIs. This is because open systems make it much easier for all your devices and services to communicate with each other. Think of it this way: By choosing solutions that can grow and adapt, you’re making sure your tech keeps up with the times as best as possible and is set up to evolve as quickly as possible. If you haven’t yet, check out initiatives like OpenAV Cloud, of which Sony Electronics is a member, to help you stay ahead.

Additionally, we’re all aware of the impact AI is starting to have. For example, virtual assistants and service bots are not just for demos anymore. Tools like predictive maintenance and smart troubleshooting mean less downtime and happier users. Virtual attendants can automate routines, personalize rooms, and manage schedules with minimal fuss.

Over the next few years, the efforts to unite disparate systems to create holistic solutions will finally come together. To prepare for that, think about going for modular, cloud-native solutions that are ready for AI and can grow with your evolution path. And partner with brands—like Sony—that believe in interoperability and open standards.

NICOLE CORBIN
Vice President of Product at Utelogy Corporation

As AV and IT continue to converge, the future belongs to organizations that embrace interoperability, automation, and intelligent systems. From cloud control platforms to AI-driven workflows, the industry is moving into an era where your technology estate shouldn’t just be about how it’s managed, but about how it’s orchestrated (ideally remotely and automatically).

Legacy and even modern AV systems weren’t designed to support the kind of dynamic, scalable, and data-driven operations today’s enterprises demand, but that’s changing fast.

At Utelogy, we’re seeing end users evolve by connecting AI agents across their IT/AV environments to support services that manage device health, power scheduling, room utilization, and even energy-saving measures. But these agents need a toolkit to work—a platform that provides control, telemetry, configuration, and automation in real-time. That’s where the Utelogy Platform comes in, delivering innovations like Agentic AI on our MCP Server to solve these challenges.

Agentic AI brings a conversational interface to the heart of AV/UC operations. Issue a command like, “Restart all devices in Building B with recent alert history,” and the system not only executes it, but recommends how to turn that action into a self-healing event going forward. This is AI for productivity, not just novelty.

Our advice? Don’t be afraid to integrate. Whether you’re managing a few rooms or thousands of devices across campuses and continents, the right tools let you reduce manual effort, increase uptime, and make smarter decisions using the data you already have.

In the coming years, the winners won’t just be those who adopt the newest tech, but those who build agile, interoperable systems that allow humans and machines to work together. The future of AV/IT isn’t siloed; it’s smart, connected, and cloud-enabled.

JATAN SHAH
President at QSC

My advice to end users looking to evolve their AV systems is to focus on flexibility, scalability, and intelligence. Technology is moving quickly, and the most future-ready solutions are those that adapt as your needs change while simplifying day-to-day experiences.

One of the biggest shifts in the industry is the move toward full integration of AV, IT, and building systems. AV is no longer a standalone function; it’s becoming deeply embedded in the workplace and experiential design. This means organizations should seek out open platforms that can seamlessly integrate into broader ecosystems rather than locking into closed or siloed technologies.

Another important trend is the rise of AI and data-driven automation. Instead of just enabling meetings or presentations, AI is becoming the eyes and ears of the room, driving context-aware actions like presenter tracking, speaker detection, and intelligent room adjustments. This shift makes technology more intuitive, reduces friction for end users, and helps deliver consistent, high-quality experiences.

Scalability also plays a critical role. End users should think not only about solving today’s challenges, but also about whether their AV approach can expand across multiple spaces or campuses while continuing to deliver measurable outcomes. Collecting and analyzing data from connected systems will become essential for optimizing utilization, proving ROI, and informing future planning.

Ultimately, the future of AV/IT is about creating smarter, more connected environments that support collaboration and innovation. By prioritizing open, data-driven platforms, organizations can ensure they’re not just keeping up with change but actively shaping spaces that are efficient, adaptive, and human-centered.

KATHRYN TAUB
Senior Product Marketing Manager at Audinate

Over the past decade, AV over IP has become central to professional systems, with nearly every major manufacturer offering networked products. And yet, interoperability across brands remains uneven, and customers expect systems that are easy to deploy, adaptable, and capable of integrating devices from different vendors.

The main challenge is that many products are built on unique implementations that work within a single brand but don’t extend beyond it. Such closed systems may be reliable, but hinder specialized features, gradual upgrades, or integration with existing investments. Open standards offer a pathway toward compatibility, but progress is slow and adoption is uneven, usually limited to basic transport of media across the network. Licensable platform solutions have become a widely adopted alternative. Backed by dedicated engineering teams, they extend beyond basic transport to provide APIs, stronger security, monitoring, and cloud-based tools that work consistently across multiple manufacturers.

Interoperability is what ensures AV-over-IP systems meet expectations in practice. Reliable audio and video depend on devices working together without added latency or quality loss, regardless of brand. As networks grow from single rooms to campuses, interoperability allows them to scale without fragmentation or costly redesigns. Shared APIs and common control frameworks make management practical by giving integrators the visibility they need to simplify support. Security underscores the same point: A system is only as strong as its weakest device, and without network-wide encryption or access control, interoperability is incomplete. Systems must balance performance and flexibility so they can meet the distinct demands of any environment.

The future of AV over IP depends on interoperability. With common protocols, consistent testing, and manufacturer-agnostic design, the industry can build networks that scale and adapt with ease. Interoperability safeguards current investments while opening the door to the innovation and growth that will define the next generation of AV systems.

BRAD HINTZE
Executive Vice President of Global Marketing at Crestron

Ultimately, convergence is all about scale. While organizations grow and their services expand, every system has to evolve to support new demands. This doesn’t mean simply upgrading individual components; instead, it requires a strategic approach and selecting platforms that are built on scalable standards that can grow with an organization over time. This scalability isn’t enough on its own, though. The platforms must also offer flexibility to accommodate a diverse range of spaces and room configurations to address smaller huddle rooms and multifunctional boardrooms alike. When choosing solutions that balance both of these components, organizations can future-proof their environments while maintaining consistency and performance.

Just as important is the user experience, as the expectations of end users are rising rapidly.

Today’s employees walk into a room with a clear vision for how they want the space to operate. Basic connectivity and audiovisual capabilities are no longer sufficient. Organizations must enable people to use the room with an easy-to-use system that offers AI features such as transcription and notetaking—just like they have come to expect from their individual workspaces.

Success lies in selecting technologies that scale with your organization while enhancing the experience of every individual who interacts
with them.

KEITH YANKE
Vice President of Product & Solutions Marketing at Sharp Imaging
& Information Company of America

The AV/IT landscape is rapidly evolving, shaped by AI, cloud interoperability, and new display technology. For end-users upgrading legacy or newer AV systems, it’s important to consider scalability, security, and sustainability.

AI is transforming display intelligence. From content triggering based on audience behavior to predictive diagnostics and remote monitoring, AI makes systems smarter, more responsive, and easier to manage. Paired with cloud-based management, AV networks can be centrally controlled, ensuring updates are applied, standards upheld, and devices remain secure throughout their lifecycle.

As systems grow more interconnected, interoperability introduces both opportunity and risk—making security foundational. AV systems must be designed with lifecycle security in mind, including firmware and software support beyond deployment. With that, manufacturers will be expected to maintain robust protocols throughout a product’s life.

As display technologies evolve alongside AI and cloud, LED displays continue to gain momentum with chip-on-board (COB) and smaller pixel pitch options becoming more affordable. When paired with cloud-driven control, LED provides scalable, high-performance displays that integrate seamlessly into AV/IT ecosystems.

Immersive experiences—from simulation to projection mapping—are expanding as AI simplifies both content creation and the mapping process. Tasks that once required niche expertise now have easier learning curves, making immersive environments more accessible to broader markets and applications. Combined with cloud-based platforms, interoperable AV systems can deliver these experiences in ways that are seamless, adaptable, and scalable.

Sustainability has also become a decisive purchasing driver. Beyond efficient hardware, cloud interoperability supports smarter lifecycle management—optimizing usage, reducing waste, and extending product longevity. Combined with durable displays, this proves that performance and sustainability can align.

Looking ahead, AV/IT systems will be defined by their ability to adapt, connect, and contribute to intelligent, secure, and sustainable workplaces across industries.

EFFI GOLDSTEIN
President of the HDBaseT Alliance

Whether upgrading legacy installations or enhancing newer deployments, end users would be best served by adopting a strategy centered around proven, reliable standards.

Modern AV systems are expensive, and organizations need to be sure that today’s investment will support tomorrow’s requirements. Building on established protocols like HDBaseT helps teams avoid getting locked into a single vendor’s ecosystem, resulting in greater and faster access to equipment than when relying on one source. This flexibility is especially important when it comes to maintenance, replacement, and time-sensitive system expansion.

Another key factor that must be taken into consideration is maintaining full functionality of the interfaces being used. For example, USB-C has become ubiquitous in modern devices, but not all connectivity solutions support the same bandwidth, creating hidden bottlenecks. For example, when connecting a USB 3.0 camera, you don’t want it to be downgraded to USB 2.0 because a system’s connectivity infrastructure can’t handle the higher data rates. Quality standards ensure your investment performs at the level it was intended to.

An additional advantage of standards-based systems is their ability to support upgrades in stages rather than being forced into complete overhauls. HDBaseT’s backward compatibility means you can reuse existing components and upgrade others as needs evolve incrementally—all while staying within budget. This offers dual benefits: It’s more economically friendly for the organization, and it supports sustainability initiatives by extending equipment lifecycles.

PETRO SHIMONISHI
Director of New Business Development at Panasonic Projector and Display Americas

AV/IT convergence not only poses an opportunity to streamline workflows, but it also exposes the need for flexible, interoperable, and easy-to-use solutions. Delivering end-to-end workflow solutions is essential to empowering AV professionals to focus on what matters: creating shared experiences. Effective, efficient workflows allow users to deliver stronger results with fewer resources to maximize the value of AV systems.

We’ll continue to see more integrations between hardware and software providers to streamline workflows and give customers the ability to design, create, and manage applications with more ease than ever before. For instance, at Panasonic Projector and Display Americas, we recently partnered with XTEN-AV to develop an integration that allows AV professionals to specify the correct lens for their Panasonic projector. Corporate AV/IT teams can confidently create system designs, reducing guesswork and speeding installation of interchangeable lens projectors.

Another market trend we anticipate will continue is the evolution of simplicity in installations. Universities upgrading lecture halls or other spaces often require additional hardware to manage streaming, content sharing, and network integration. This can increase system complexity, which becomes challenging for tight spaces. Panasonic’s displays and projectors feature SDM card slots and our partnership with Matrox Video gives AV professionals the freedom to choose the AVoIP standard that best meets their needs, with a clean system design that’s flexible for the future.

The migration of AV system workflows to the cloud is accelerating. This transition will help power seamless, engaging content as siloed, proprietary systems inhibit integration and innovation. As a founding member of OpenAV Cloud, Panasonic aims to accelerate this transition by supporting OpenAPI standards and working with the association to create a cloud-to-cloud communication standard that drives easy, cross-platform collaboration.

JOE ANDRULIS
Executive Vice President of Corporate Development at Biamp

AI continues to transform the audiovisual landscape, integrating into both legacy and contemporary AV systems. For end users, this ongoing evolution represents an unprecedented opportunity to enhance meeting experiences while also simplifying system management and support.

Beyond traditional configuration and provisioning, AI is fundamentally reshaping how end users experience corporate meetings of all types, whether participants are in person, remote, or in a hybrid setting. The most remarkable aspect of this transformation is its invisibility. Participants benefit from sophisticated, AI-driven enhancements without ever sensing the technology working behind the scenes. This seamless integration is crucial for creating truly effective meeting environments that prioritize simplicity, speed, and unwavering reliability.

Modern conferencing solutions exemplify this invisible intelligence. All-in-one conferencing bars, for example, demonstrate how AI can elevate user experiences through intelligent features such as beamtracking technology, which actively monitors and intelligently mixes conversations to ensure remote participants feel fully engaged. Coupled with AI-powered noise reduction algorithms, these systems deliver crystal-clear voice reproduction that eliminates distractions and maintains professional communication standards.

Visual intelligence further enhances the experience through electronic pan-tilt-zoom cameras paired with auto-framing technology, ensuring all participants remain perfectly positioned regardless of their location or movement. This technology keeps everyone front and center, creating an inclusive environment where physical location becomes irrelevant to participation quality.

The impact of AI also extends into operational excellence, benefiting end users in other ways they may not realize. For technical support teams, AI provides unprecedented insights into system performance, enabling rapid problem identification and resolution. This enables support teams to implement predictive capabilities to address potential issues before they impact end users, transforming reactive support into proactive system optimization. This paradigm shift ensures that mundane technical issues are resolved automatically, while more complex challenges are anticipated and prevented, creating a seamless, uninterrupted meeting experience for all participants.

OMER BROOKSTEIN, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder at Xyte

For enterprise end users looking to evolve their AV systems, the most important step is ensuring a foundation that’s open and adaptable. Proprietary silos slow innovation and increase costs, while open APIs provide the flexibility to integrate best-in-class solutions and scale as needs change. That’s why OpenAV Cloud—an industry initiative focused on standardizing open, cloud-based APIs and fostering cross-platform collaboration—is so critical.

The value of choosing an OpenAV solution is clear: It delivers vendor-neutral flexibility, easier integrations and scalability, and faster support and troubleshooting—all while future-proofing AV/IT investments with the backing of industry leaders. With this foundation in place, enterprises can not only streamline today’s operations but also prepare for the intelligent automation that’s rapidly reshaping the industry.

The real opportunity today, however, lies in how AI will transform the way AV systems are supported, maintained, and experienced. AI-powered teammates are emerging as a force multiplier for IT and AV teams.

Autonomous issue resolution means that if a microphone drops mid-call, AI detects it and reboots or reroutes before users notice. With proactive scheduling and monitoring, AI forecasts failures from usage patterns and environmental data, then books service windows automatically. Context-aware support in hybrid meetings allows AI to adjust audio, cameras, and layouts to match participants and context. And finally, with self-service for end users, employees can resolve minor issues with AI-guided instructions, reducing IT workload.

AI in enterprise AV isn’t about replacing humans; it’s about augmenting teams with intelligent assistants that deliver resilience, efficiency, and better user experiences. Future-ready AV means building for both interoperability and intelligence—without one, the other cannot succeed. And with AI teammates stepping in to resolve issues, anticipate needs, and empower users, organizations that embrace this shift now will set the pace for the entire industry.

STEPHANE TREMBLAY
President of the SDVoE Alliance

Today, we’re recognizing that many integrators, IT managers, and end users are seeking solutions that deliver high-quality performance without requiring a complete rip and replace of existing infrastructure. As a result, AV over IP has emerged as a viable solution. By shifting AV distribution onto standard Ethernet networks, it enables organizations to harness the power of their current infrastructure while unlocking new levels of flexibility, scalability, and reliability. Unlike traditional systems that often depend on proprietary hardware and cabling, AV over IP integrates seamlessly into IT environments.

A key advantage of AV over IP, and particularly Software-Defined Video over Ethernet (SDVoE), is its ability to deliver high-performance video and audio with the reliability and interoperability that IT teams expect. With SDVoE technology, audiovisual functions become software-defined, meaning updates, enhancements, and even new features can be deployed through firmware rather than hardware replacement. A software-based approach offers significant future proofing, delaying obsolescence and protecting investments. In an era where supply chain disruptions and budget pressures remain real challenges, that flexibility matters.

Higher education, corporate facilities, houses of worship, and other verticals need standardized, interoperable solutions that scale to large spaces without compromising user experience. In higher education, for instance, AV over IP enables classrooms, lecture halls, and collaborative spaces to run on a consistent backbone, easing IT management and improving reliability.

Looking ahead, AV and IT continue to converge more closely. AV is no longer siloed, but treated as another service on the network, and is subject to the same demands for uptime, security, and scalability. Ethernet’s continued evolution, coupled with AV over IP’s flexibility, suggests that over the next few years, organizations will increasingly standardize on 10G Ethernet backbones. As a result, AV systems will become more reliable, interoperable, and adaptable to future needs, ensuring end users can keep pace with changing expectations without constant reinvestment.

In conjunction with the start of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, NETGEAR released a tailored security solution for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Based on an acquisition made earlier this year, NETGEAR delivers Exium, an all-in-one Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) and hybrid firewall solution designed specifically for SMEs and the managed service providers (MSPs) that support them.

[NETGEAR: 10 Growth Opportunities Defining the Future of AV]

According to the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, SMEs faced more than 3,000 cybersecurity incidents, nearly four times as many cybersecurity incidents as large enterprises, in 2025. Despite this increased risk, many security solutions remain overly complex or fragmented, making them difficult for smaller businesses to implement and manage effectively.

"Small and medium businesses are just as exposed to cyberthreats as larger enterprises, if not more, but most security solutions are either too complicated or piecemeal for them to handle," said Farooq Khan, VP of software security at NETGEAR. "By integrating Exium with our networking solutions, we’re offering SMEs easy-to-use, enterprise-grade protection. This helps empower them to counter modern threats confidently, lessening the burden on internal IT teams."

Delivering on the vision for NETGEAR’s enterprise offering set forth by NETGEAR for business president and GM Pramod Badjate, integration of the Exium SASE platform fills this gap by providing SMEs with a unified solution that combines advanced threat protection, AI-powered zero-trust network access (ZTNA), secure web gateway (SWG), SD-WAN, and firewall capabilities in a single, user-friendly platform.

The platform allows SMEs to replace certain outdated, fragmented security systems with a modern, cloud-managed solution. All features are managed through a centralized, intuitive interface, simplifying network operations and security management. This helps enable businesses to protect data, users, and devices across multiple sites and remote locations with ease. The platform is optimized for MSPs, offering multi-tenant management and streamlined service delivery. This scalable, cost-effective security framework equips SMEs with the tools needed to help build a secure and resilient network infrastructure. With this solution, businesses can focus more on growth and innovation.

This article was provided by Richard Jonker, VP marketing and business development at NETGEAR AV.

You know the scenario: Every organization needs an AV system that can grow with them, adapt to new technologies, and work seamlessly with the IT infrastructure. Then you hit the wall. Proprietary hardware that’s expensive to upgrade, incompatible protocols, infrastructure that’s obsolete before it’s paid off. For decades, this was the cost of doing business in Pro AV.

Not anymore.

[AVIXA Remains Positive on Industry Forecast]

The global Pro AV market stands at $332 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $402 billion by 2030, according to AVIXA's IOTA Report. Driving this $70 billion expansion is a fundamental architectural shift: the migration from proprietary, hardware-locked systems to flexible, network-based AV-over-IP infrastructure. Whether you’re an enterprise buying these systems, an integrator deploying them, or a manufacturer building them, this transformation unlocks 10 distinct growth opportunities.

1. AV over IP Becomes the Default Architecture

Traditional signal routing built on HDMI, HDBaseT, and SDI is giving way to IP networks. The numbers tell the story: In 2025, roughly 38% of AV deployments use IP-based distribution. By 2030, that figure is expected to hit 65%. The implications are profound: Every new conference room, every classroom upgrade, every stadium expansion now starts with the network.

2. Broadcast Meets IT Infrastructure

Broadcasters are migrating from SDI baseband to IP networks running at 25GbE and 100GbE. These speeds are essential for handling uncompressed 4K and 8K video under SMPTE ST 2110 standards, which separate video, audio, and metadata into distinct network streams.

The opportunity lies in designing broadcast networks that balance performance and cost. Specialists who can architect resilient, precisely timed IP infrastructures while managing the total cost of ownership will capture premium margins in this demanding vertical.

3. The Pixel Explosion in Live Events

Arena LED walls are jumping from 25 million pixels in 2025 to approaching 1 billion pixels by 2030, a 190% compound annual growth rate. Traditional distribution methods can't handle this scale. AV over IP is the only viable path forward, routing massive video feeds across standard network infrastructure. For venues, this means investing in multi-gigabit switching. For integrators, it means an entirely new category of high-value installations where networking expertise meets visual spectacle.

4. Video Surveillance Becomes a Strategic Asset

The $38.4 billion surveillance segment is growing at 7.7% annually, driven by AI analytics and higher-resolution cameras. Organizations now use surveillance to optimize operations, tracking customer flow in retail, monitoring production lines, and enhancing safety. Integrators who position themselves as strategic advisors will command premium pricing and long-term relationships.

5. Residential AV Demands Enterprise-Grade Networks

The smart home is no longer a luxury niche. Residential integrators reported median revenues of $1.1 million in 2024, with projected growth of 6.1% in 2025. Homeowners now expect whole-home audio, 4K streaming in every room, automated lighting, security systems, and IoT devices, all running seamlessly on a single network.

[Pescatore: The Rise of Resimercial]

Today's high-end homes require structured wiring, PoE for devices like access points and cameras, and managed switches are now table stakes, creating recurring service revenue opportunities.

6. The Relentless March to Higher Bandwidth

Corporate environments are transitioning from 1Gb to multi-gig and 10Gb connections. Broadcast facilities are moving from 10Gb to 25Gb, 40Gb, and 100Gb. This creates a sustained revenue opportunity. While the cost per gigabit decreases over time, the total demand for capacity grows faster. A 10Gb switch that cost $5,000 three years ago might be $3,500 today, but organizations need four times as many ports to support new applications. Switches purpose-built for AV with features like IGMP snooping, PTP timing, and traffic prioritization command premium prices because they solve real problems that IT switches can't.

7. Cloud-Managed Digital Signage Takes Off

Digital signage has shed its reputation as static displays showing cafeteria menus. Modern deployments are cloud-managed, dynamically updated, and distributed across hundreds or thousands of endpoints in retail chains, hotel groups, and university campuses. The combination of 5G connectivity, Wi-Fi 7, and cloud platforms is driving double-digit growth rates. For integrators, this represents recurring revenue through content management services, analytics subscriptions, and ongoing network optimization.

8. Ecosystem Partnerships Reduce Integration Risk

No single vendor can deliver every component of a modern AV over IP system. Success requires validated interoperability across cameras, encoders, decoders, switches, software platforms, and control systems.

Companies that invest in ecosystem partnerships—certification programs, co-branded solutions, joint testing—are building trust at scale. When an integrator sees that a switch has been validated with their preferred encoder and control system, it removes uncertainty. NETGEAR, for example, works with nearly 500 ecosystem partners to validate workflows. This collaborative approach accelerates adoption and reduces project risk.

9. Advanced Support and Managed Services Create Recurring Revenue

As AV systems become network-dependent, uptime becomes non-negotiable. Integrators are offering paid SLAs, remote monitoring, and proactive design support: high-margin services that guarantee performance. For many, managed services smooth out the feast-or-famine cycle of project work.

10. Emerging Markets Offer Above-Average Growth

While North America and Western Europe remain large markets, the highest growth rates are elsewhere. Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Central and Eastern Europe are projected to grow 3–5% faster than developed markets. Companies establishing credibility in these geographies early, through training programs, distributor relationships, and reference installations, will capture outsized market share as these regions mature.

These 10 opportunities share a common thread: AV is becoming inseparable from the network. Signal distribution, content management, device control, analytics, and security all depend on robust IP infrastructure.

The implications are clear. Technical mastery of networking protocols is now as important as understanding video formats. Ecosystem partnerships matter as much as product specifications. Global execution capabilities separate market leaders from the rest.

The $70 billion growth opportunity between now and 2030 will flow to organizations that recognize these realities. The architecture of the future is being built today. Make sure you're holding the blueprint.

AV Technology’s Cindy Davis and Sound & Video Contractor’s Cynthia Wisehart asked their respective audiences to share some questions about their most significant pain points surrounding networked AV. During a candid discussion, they put the challenge to NETGEAR’s ProAV Design and North American Team Manager, Alex Pendleton. Check out the video interview below.

Below are a few of the questions AV Technology’s end-user and Sound & Video Contractor’s integrator audiences asked. Check out the video for Pendleton’s answers, and our adventures down some rabbit holes.

The first question was a loaded one, and applies to end users and integrators: Should networked AV be on a dedicated network, or can it live harmoniously on the enterprise network?

From an integrator: My customer has an enterprise-wide Cisco network. How can I make a dedicated AV network transparent for management?

From an end user: Can multicast work on an enterprise network?

From an integrator: What about a network that serves up very high-resolution content like large-scale digital signage, theme park rides, or immersive experiences?

From an end user: Security is always a concern. How can I be sure a dedicated AV network is secure?

The conversation between Davis, Wisehart, and Pendleton ventured beyond these questions. Check out the video here.

DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION YOU'D LIKE ANSWERED DURING A CINDY & CYNTHIA ASK THE QUESTIONS?

If you're an AV/IT end-user and have a question you'd like answered, please send it to Cindy at cindy.davis@futurenet.com

If you're a ProAV integrator and have a question you'd like answered, please send it to Cynthia at cynthia.wisehart@futurenet.com

Let's keep the conversation going.

Setting aside the sports venues of previous years, the 2025 AV/IT Summit brought together industry leaders at Convene at One Liberty Plaza in Lower Manhattan for discussions centered on collaboration, innovation, and issues affecting the industry. Produced by Future B2B, it was the most successful summit to date, with more than 20 sponsors and record attendance.

[Subscribe to the FREE SCN Newsletter]

Led by AV Technology’s Cindy Davis and SCN’s Mark J. Pescatore, the conference program featured forward-looking sessions, networking opportunities, and actionable insights aimed at shaping AV/IT convergence. Here are some highlights from the day's program.

Bring the Pain

The summit kicked off with the new "Pain Points Panel," an interactive discussion about challenges currently facing the industry, including reducing system complexity and enhancing collaboration between AV and IT teams. Matt McCleskey of Xyte emphasized the importance of designing AV systems that are cloud-compatible and AI-ready, enabling them to adapt and stay relevant as technology evolves. He noted that standardizing a consistent set of components will make systems easier to service and training simpler.

Pescatore emphasized the ongoing frustration of not involving integrators early enough in the design process, which could prevent costly changes and better aligned technology choices with business goals. This resonated with the audience, with one participant noting that integrators are often faced with “nonsense” designs that they then must fix.

The panel also emphasized the problem of AV being seen as separate from IT, often found in facilities but not included in the IT strategy. Bill Chamberlin from Verrex claimed that AV should be treated as an operational expense, like IT hardware, with planned upgrade cycles of three to seven years, helping systems from falling behind in security and features.

Cybersecurity Realities

During his keynote, Jared Timmins of Diversified described the rapid integration of AV, IT, media, and cloud workflows as a technological renaissance that demands a new approach to security, design, and operations. Once isolated, modern AV systems are now intelligent, flexible, connected environments, but they are becoming more vulnerable to sophisticated cyberattacks, including a 4,000% increase in AI-driven phishing attacks over the past year.

[Diversified: Is Cybersecurity an Inside Job?]

Timmins stressed to attendees that they must go beyond “fit-for-purpose” AV systems and adopt "secure-by-design" principles, making security an integral part of the design and deployment process rather than an afterthought. “If you wait, security becomes a liability instead of a strategy,” he said.

While software orchestration, microservices, and cloud-based infrastructure offer scalability and agility, they also add complexity and potential vulnerabilities. Technology is crucial, but the connection between AV and IT teams is equally vital, as many security breaches stem from social engineering rather than technical flaws. Teams need not only better tools but also enhanced training, shared standards, and earlier involvement from integrators, manufacturers, and enterprise IT.

Virtual Misconceptions

Virtual production is a rapidly expanding field that offers numerous opportunities and practical uses across various sectors, including corporate and higher education. However, it is often misunderstood.

Sony's John Garmendi shared the “three Cs” of virtual production misconceptions: cost, complexity, and cinema. Many believe virtual production is only for Hollywood blockbusters, but there are many ways to get started small, such as greenscreens, AI-enabled tracking, or LED walls that can be scaled to fit your space and budget.

Matt Morgan of Ross Video emphasized that the key is asking the right outcome-oriented questions, such as what’s the purpose and how do we serve that purpose with the appropriate solution. Mark Metzger from AVIXA agreed, explaining that you can start small and scale as your needs grow, while still increasing engagement and production value.

Look to the Future

"The Future of AV Technology" session covered a variety of topics. Sharath Abraham from Jabra began by explaining how hybrid work has become the new norm, citing economist Nick Bloom’s research concerning return-to-office policies, with many companies often requiring at least one day in the office each week. Advanced Systems Group's Michele Ferreira added that hybrid work has expanded beyond conference rooms into broadcast environments, maintaining workflows that were adapted during the pandemic.

Looking closely at modern conference rooms, users expect them to function as a seamless extension of other workday tools, including integration with apps and a consistent user interface. Rob Pickering from TRITECH Communications emphasized that the most successful organizations make training a routine part of their culture through ongoing messaging and drop-in sessions, rather than one-time training events.

The panel agreed that when it comes to AI, it’s important to understand it rather than fear it, focusing on using it to streamline operational tasks like filtering emails, automating research, and mastering prompting to maximize its benefits.

Lessons from Higher Education

Moderated by HETMA chair Erin Maher-Moran from Johns Hopkins University, a session devoted to higher education wasn't focused on failures, but rather provided an opportunity to examine what’s worked, what hasn’t, and what we can all do better moving forward.

[SCN Goes Back to School—Get the August Issue Today!]

For example, Marcus Longmuir from The New School voiced frustration about a multi-room project that started smoothly but became overwhelmed by too many contractors, subcontractors, and project managers, which led to scattered communication and poor decision-making. “We ended up having seven final walkthroughs … and we still had, over the years, issues with all of the rooms,” he shared.

Tim Van Woeart from Rutgers University shared a cautionary story. Despite thorough preparation and testing, a crucial step was overlooked: network compatibility. This oversight caused AV switchers in 30 classrooms to lock up, requiring replacement and costing tens of thousands of dollars.

Even if everything goes perfectly, both panelists noted that well-installed systems can still be wasted if end users aren’t engaged or trained, which is why they emphasized ongoing support and faculty outreach. “If no one knows about it, or no one’s going to support it, it’ll then sit there in the system and just collect dust,” Van Woeart added.

AV/IT Convergence

As discussed during the "AV/IT // IT/AV" session, the rapid adoption of AI has compelled many to find ways to bridge the gap between AV and IT, with early collaboration being crucial for successful AI-enhanced experiences. Vanessa Jensen from Shure also pointed out that cloud monitoring and enterprise VLAN integration are becoming standard practices, with remote visibility, monitoring, and troubleshooting becoming game changers for many organizations.

With an IT background, Tom Nyhus of AVI-SPL highlighted the complexity of network strategy and emphasized that you can’t use a one-size-fits-all approach when comparing dedicated AV networks to their integration into enterprise infrastructure. By using proper segmentation, VLANs, and firewalls, you can build networks that support both while reducing costs and maintaining performance and security.

NETGEAR’s Alex Pendleton emphasized the importance of reliable enterprise-grade hardware, demonstrated by NETGEAR’s success in penetration testing with Fortune 500 companies. He also noted that low-end switches often lack the features necessary for AV security.

Giving Voice to the AI Buzz

The summit wrapped up with a discussion of everyone’s favorite buzzword, AI, and how it’s transforming collaboration, workflows, and revenue models. Joel Carroll of Mersive highlighted how powerful AI can be in easing friction in meetings—and if you don’t even notice it’s there, that’s when we will know AI is truly effective. Meanwhile, Misty Chalk of BrightSign emphasized the impact on digital signage, highlighting that AI enhances real-time analytics and personalization by processing gaze detection, demographics, and emotions directly on the media player, allowing for instant content adjustments.

AI can also influence speech-to-text and translation services by enabling instant live translations in multiple languages. Bill Bennett from ENCO Systems mentioned that it can even reproduce speech in synthetic voices modeled after the original speaker.

But AI isn’t perfect, with SCN columnist David Danto of TalkingPointz sharing that it is often "confidently wrong." As a result, it must always be viewed as a tool that requires human oversight and editing of the final product. That’s why, when asked if AI is currently more hype or hope, most of the panel leaned toward hype, but recognized real potential if the Pro AV industry can figure out the best ways to utilize it.

The professional AV industry stands at an inflection point. After decades of hardware-centric, proprietary systems that required specialized expertise to deploy and maintain, we're witnessing a fundamental shift toward cloud-managed, software-defined infrastructure that promises to transform how AV systems are designed, deployed, and operated.

At NETGEAR, our recent decision to join the OpenAV.Cloud initiative reflects our conviction that this transformation is essential for the industry's continued growth and relevance in an increasingly connected world.

[Pro AV Leaders Launch OpenAV Cloud]

The Limitations of Legacy AV Infrastructure

Traditional AV deployments have long been characterized by several persistent challenges. Complex commissioning processes often require specialized technicians and extended on-site installation periods. Proprietary protocols create vendor lock-in scenarios that limit flexibility and increase long-term costs. Managing distributed AV installations across multiple locations requires physical site visits for troubleshooting and updates. Perhaps most critically, these systems operate as isolated islands, making integration with broader IT infrastructure difficult and costly.

These limitations represent fundamental barriers to scalability and operational efficiency that no longer align with how modern organizations manage their technology investments.

Why Cloud Changes Everything

Cloud-managed AV infrastructure addresses these challenges through a fundamental reimagining of how AV systems operate. Rather than static, hardware-defined networks, cloud platforms enable dynamic, software-controlled environments that can adapt to changing requirements in real-time.

The benefits are transformative. Remote management capabilities eliminate the need for on-site visits for routine maintenance, updates, and troubleshooting. Centralized monitoring provides comprehensive visibility across distributed installations, enabling proactive maintenance and reducing downtime. Auto-discovery and intelligent configuration reduce commissioning time from days to hours while minimizing human error. Open APIs and standardized protocols enable seamless integration with existing IT infrastructure and third-party systems.

Perhaps most importantly, cloud platforms shift AV from a capital expenditure model to an operational expense framework, aligning with how organizations increasingly prefer to budget for and consume technology services.

The Business Model Revolution

This technological shift enables a corresponding transformation in business models throughout the AV ecosystem. For integrators, cloud-managed infrastructure opens new revenue streams through subscription-based monitoring, maintenance, and support services. Instead of project-based, one-time revenue, integrators can build recurring relationships with clients through ongoing service contracts and system optimization.

End customers benefit from this shift as well. Organizations can scale their AV deployments gradually, paying for capacity as they need it rather than making large upfront investments. IT departments gain the visibility and control they expect from modern infrastructure, while AV professionals retain the specialized functionality their applications demand.

This alignment of technological capability with preferred business models creates sustainable value for all stakeholders in the AV ecosystem.

NETGEAR's Cloud-First Approach

Our Engage Controller platform exemplifies this cloud-first philosophy. What began as a configuration tool has evolved into a comprehensive AV system management platform that provides auto-discovery, profile-based configuration, topology visualization, and secure remote management capabilities.

When integrated with OpenAV.Cloud's API-driven framework, networks managed by Engage become part of a larger ecosystem where devices and services from hundreds of partner vendors can communicate natively and securely. Our switches, particularly the new M4350 series with SMPTE ST 2110 support and precision timing capabilities, transform from simple network endpoints into intelligent, software-controllable assets within this broader digital AV infrastructure.

[NETGEAR Sets the Standard on Partnerships and Breaks 400]

Industry-wide Collaboration

The future of AV cannot be built by any single vendor. Today's customers demand solutions that "just work" regardless of brand, especially as AV systems become more IP-centric and cloud-integrated. This reality requires unprecedented collaboration across the industry to establish open standards, shared APIs, and interoperable protocols.

Our participation in OpenAV.Cloud represents our commitment to this collaborative approach. By working within this framework, we're helping build an ecosystem where value is measured by how seamlessly products integrate into customers' existing workflows and long-term technology strategies instead of by individual product specifications.

Looking Forward

The transition to cloud-managed AV infrastructure is a reimagining of how the entire industry creates and delivers value. Organizations that embrace this shift will benefit from greater flexibility, reduced operational overhead, and the ability to adapt quickly to changing requirements.

For NETGEAR, joining OpenAV.Cloud is about positioning ourselves and our 450+ partners at the center of the AV industry's most significant transformation in decades. As software-defined systems replace proprietary silos, and as operational flexibility becomes more important than raw specifications, we're committed to building the infrastructure that will power the next generation of professional AV applications.

The future of AV is cloud-managed, software-defined, and built on open standards. That future is arriving faster than many realize, and those who embrace it today will shape how the industry evolves for years to come.

There were some big moves in a few C-suites and among board members, as well as some expanded and new distribution partnerships. Buckle up, here is your weekly Pro AV rundown.

[Best in Market 2025: Nominations Open]

People News

Mark Towler Joins 22Miles as Product Marketing Director

22Miles has appointed Mark Towler as product marketing director. In this role, he will spearhead the company’s go-to-market strategy, channel enablement efforts, and accelerate growth across key Pro AV and digital signage markets. He is responsible for launching new initiatives that support partner growth, refining product narratives across categories, and driving adoption across transportation, hospitality, healthcare, retail, higher-education, and enterprise markets.

Towler brings a proven ability to translate complex technologies into compelling, actionable messaging for both partners and end users. With extensive experience in product marketing, channel development, and B2B storytelling, he will play a key role in strengthening the company’s presence in the AV industry.

PPDS Strengthen European Leadership Team

PPDS has appointed experienced indoor and outdoor dvLED integration specialist, Jeroen Feldman, to its European technical sales team. Assuming the role of solution manager dvLED, Feldman brings more than more than 19 years of knowledge and experience, specializing in indoor and outdoor installations for a broad range of settings including music festivals, football stadiums, shopping malls, boardrooms, large conference centers, and more.

Based at PPDS’ Amsterdam head office, and reporting to Jan Van Tieghem, director of technical sales support EMEA, Feldman will play an integral role in supporting and ensuring seamless installations of PPDS’ growing range of Philips LED solutions across Northern Europe.

Sonos Appoints Tom Conrad as Chief Executive Officer

The Sonos Board of Directors has appointed Tom Conrad as chief executive officer. Conrad, who has served as Interim CEO since January of this year, will remain on the Board of Directors.

Sonos has achieved notable progress under Conrad’s leadership as interim CEO. This includes setting a new standard for the quality of Sonos’ software and product experience, clearing the path for a robust new product pipeline, and launching innovative new software enhancements to flagship products Sonos Ace and Arc Ultra.

Wisycom Embarks on a New Chapter of Leadership

Wisycom SRL transitioned in its corporate management, appointing Davide Morsiani as chief executive officer (CEO) and Gerrit Buhe as chief technology officer (CTO), while Andrea Bulfon will continue as chief operating officer (COO) and Marika Stangherlin has been promoted to chief sales officer (CSO). These changes mark a natural step in a business development plan that began in 2022 to streamline operations and prepare Wisycom for future growth in an evolving global market.

Morsiani now leads as CEO, having worked with Wisycom since June 2023. With extensive experience across multiple operational roles in a variety of sectors, including manufacturing and supply-chain operations, Morsiani has the visionary leadership and organizational insight necessary to bring Wisycom to the next level.

As CTO, Buhe’s RF and wireless technology knowledge spans over three decades, including 20 years of professional audio research and product development. This background aligns perfectly with Wisycom’s identity as a highly professional partner in the pro audio industry and his capabilities will directly benefit the expansion of the brand’s product portfolio. Confirmed as COO in February 2021, Bulfon’s 35 years of expertise extends across printed circuit board production, electronic engineering and medical devices. Lastly, a dedicated sales professional, Wisycom’s new CSO, Stangherlin first joined the company in January 2017 and most recently served as the company’s global sales manager.

IABM Confirms New Members’ Board for 2025

IABM, the International Trade Association for Broadcast and Media Technology, has confirmed the appointment of its Members’ Board for 2025, following the conclusion of this year’s election.

The Members’ Board for 2025 is as follows:

Continuing IABM Board Members:
Josh Arensberg–Verizon (Chair)
Andreas Hilmer–Lawo (Immediate Past Chair)
Jade Kurian–latakoo
David Phillips–Multicast
Peter Sykes–Sony
Saleha Williams–CEO, IABM
Lucinda Meek–CFOO, IABM
Newly Elected IABM Board Directors:
Steph Lone–AWS
Alison Pavitt–Blue Lucy
Oscar Teran–EVS
Adam Marshall–Grass Valley
Glodina Lostanlen–Imagine Communications
Hasan R. Sayed Hasan–MasterMedia
Ajey Anand–Norigin
Tom Wootton–Red Bee Media
Chris Lennon–Ross Video
Anna Lockwood–Telstra

Chairs of IABM Member Councils:
Paul Stechley–Applied Electronics
Thomas Gunkel–Skyline Communications
Sumit Suri–U-TO

SMPTE Announces 2025 Honorees

SMPTE will honor some of the industry’s top minds and organizations at its annual Awards Gala, Thursday, Oct. 16, at the conclusion of the 2025 SMPTE Media Technology Summit. The Gala will take place in the Pasadena Convention Center.

This year, 14 honors will be bestowed upon 31 individuals and organizations. The David Sarnoff Medal is being awarded to Darryl Jefferson of NBC Olympics and Sports in recognition of his visionary engineering leadership and transformative innovations in large-scale broadcast systems.

The Progress Medal award is bestowed upon founder of Animation Research, Sir Ian Taylor, in recognition of his decades-long leadership and technological innovation in animation and sports production. The Excellence in Education Medal recognizes Polly Hickling for her outstanding contributions to developing inclusive and accessible learning pathways in the dynamic field of media engineering.

SMPTE will honor Michelle Munson, co-founder and CEO of Aspera, with the Workflow Systems Medal. The Camera Origination and Imaging Medal will honor Dr. Peter Centen for pioneering innovations in image sensor technology that transformed electronic cinematography and broadcast imaging. The James A. Lindner Archival Technology Medal is awarded to Reto Kromer in recognition of his pioneering contributions to audiovisual preservation through practical, accessible, and forward-looking technologies.

The Natalie M. and Herbert T. Kalmus Award honors Scott Miller for his pivotal contributions to the invention, development, advocacy, and standardization of the Perceptual Quantizer (PQ) transfer function. The Samuel L. Warner Memorial Medal Award recipient is Ben Burtt in recognition of his transformative contributions to the art and science of motion picture sound. The Excellence in Standards Award recognizes Steve LLamb in recognition of his exemplary leadership and enduring contributions to the SMPTE Standards Community.

The Louis F. Wolf Jr. Memorial Scholarship recipient is Anthony Guarino from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Four individuals will be honored with the Citation for Outstanding Service to the Society: Zandra Clarke, Bill Hogan, Jim DeFilippis, and Ujwal Nirgudkar.

The Journal Award for the best paper originally published in the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal during 2024 will be presented to Alejandro Arango, Simon Therriault, and Andriy Yamashev for their paper, “Enhancements to Media Transport in ICVFX Using SMPTE 2110,” by A. Arango, S. Therriault and A. Yamashev, published in the October 2024 issue of the Motion Imaging Journal–Volume 133, Issue 6.”

Thirteen new SMPTE Fellows will be recognized at this year’s Gala: John Abt, Francois Bourdua, Carolyn Giardina, Eric Gsell, Carys Hughes, Russell Trafford-Jones, Phillip Graham Layton, François Legrand, Nick Mitchell, Paritosh Saha, Florian Schleich, James Toten, and Ron Williams.

Company News

AtlasIED Announces Integration Partnership with Sittig Technologies’ PAXGuide Platform

AtlasIED announced a strategic integration partnership with Sittig Technologies, the developers of PAXGuide—a modular, intelligent software platform for managing automated airport announcements. Already in use at major airports worldwide, PAXGuide is designed to meet the evolving demands of modern aviation environments. It delivers multilingual, real-time, and fully automated passenger announcements, triggered by live operational data and tailored to meet the dynamic needs of airports.

Through this collaboration, PAXGuide now integrates seamlessly with AtlasIED’s GLOBALCOM systems. For airports currently operating GLOBALCOM or planning an installation, the integration allows for enhanced automation and intelligent public address functionality, without requiring changes to the existing infrastructure.

FOR-A America Partners with TecNec for U.S. Distribution

FOR-A America and TecNec Distributing have entered into a distribution partnership, making TecNec FOR-A America’s first-U.S.-based distributor. TecNec will carry FOR-A America’s systems for broadcast, professional video and the house of worship market, with a focus on the HVS-190 1 M/E video switcher series. TecNec, a subsidiary of Tower Products, is also well established as a premier reseller and distributor. The company has been a trusted reseller of FOR-A America for over 25 years.

HARMAN Expands U.K. Partnership with Live Technology

HARMAN Professional Solutions expanded its partnership with Live Technology, a Midwich Company. In addition to its current distribution responsibilities for HARMAN Professional’s audio brands (JBL Professional, BSS, Crown, Soundcraft, Lexicon, and dbx) Live Technology will now also oversee sales and support for the AMX video and control brand in the United Kingdom.

Based in Letchworth Garden City, Live Technology is well-positioned to deliver service and technical expertise to U.K. customers and integrators across the expanded HARMAN Professional Solutions portfolio. This strategic move reinforces HARMAN’s commitment to providing audio, video, and control solutions throughout Europe.

Boulevard Carroll Entertainment Group Opens Manhattan’s First L-Acoustics L-ISA Demo Space

L-Acoustics Certified Provider integrator and distributor Boulevard Carroll Entertainment Group has opened Manhattan’s first-ever L-Acoustics L-ISA demo space. Located at the company’s sixth-floor rehearsal suite at 625 West 55th Street, just blocks from Times Square and the city’s theater district, Boulevard Carroll’s new L-ISA-equipped Studio One is one of seven professional workspaces available, allowing engineers to experience L-ISA while they’re rehearsing in one of the other spaces or build an L-ISA show file during their rehearsal.

Featuring a design based on input from L-Acoustics technicians and utilizing Soundvision design software, Studio One has a complete 7.1.10 immersive sound system in place. The space, built out and equipped by Boulevard Carroll’s own AJ Nittoli, Daryl Moore, Jake Hertzog, and Joe Smith, is ideal for sound designers, audio mixers, and other technicians who are rapidly making L-ISA the premier immersive sound platform for the theater market.

PureLink Ends Partnership with EU Distributor PureLink GMBH

PureLink today announced it has ended its longtime partnership with its EU distributor, PureLink GMBH, and has begun carving out new distribution channels, via new sales and logistics partners, products, and services. PureLink had represented the ultra-high-end, professional series of products in PureLink GMBH’s lineup. PureLink now intends to fully leverage that pedigree to reach a greater audience throughout Europe.

Quince Imaging Joins the Stage Precision Service Partner Program

Quince Imaging has joined the Stage Precision Service Partner Program as an Authorized Service Partner (ASP). This partnership is a testament to Quince Imaging’s expertise and proven use of Stage Precision’s SP software for delivering large‑scale projection mapping and immersive visual experiences.

The Stage Precision Service Partner Program was created in 2023 to elevate standards across live‑event, virtual‑production, and AV sectors, while expanding SP’s reach into new creative markets. To qualify as an ASP, partners must operate a publicly accessible studio, volume or R&D facility, with Stage Precision integrated into their workflows, have team members who have completed an in‑person SP training, and they must have delivered at least one project where SP tools played a core role in the project workflow.

Learning and Shared Insights

Amadeus Acoustics announces consultant seminar

Amadeus Acoustics invites consultants, acousticians, system designers, and AV professionals to join the company in Vienna for a two-day seminar exploring the future of active acoustics and immersive audio.

Taking place on December 1-2, 2025, the seminar offers an opportunity to engage directly with the Amadeus team, experience our technologies in action, and connect with peers from across the industry. With live demonstrations, expert talks, hands-on workshops, and exclusive venue visits, the program is designed to inspire, inform, and foster collaboration.

Aurora, NETGEAR Partner for Two-Day Live Class for Designing

Join Aurora and NETGEAR for a two-day live class that dives into the intricacies of designing AV over IP systems using multiple switches and Dante audio technology. This comprehensive workshop is ideal for AV professionals, system integrators, and IT specialists who are eager to elevate their expertise and stay ahead in the rapidly evolving world of audiovisual technology.

The dates are August 19th and 20th, 2025, 8:30 a.m. ET-5:30 p.m. ET. Attendees will learn from industry leaders, including Chuck Espinoza, global director of education at Aurora Multimedia, and Alex Pendelton, senior system engineer from the PRO AV Design Team at NETGEAR. With extensive credentials and experience, they will guide you through the complexities of AV over IP design.

The Carolina Theatre, located in Charlotte, recently underwent an eight-year restoration project to reopen the historic venue. Quince Imaging—known for its immersive productions that bring fans into the action, like we covered with the Anaheim Ducks—took this restoration to a whole new level, that we believe has never been seen before.

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The theater originally closed in 1978, but in 2012 Foundation For The Carolinas began its push to reopen the historic site, and by March 2025, it was finally ready to open its doors.

Those doors opened to what Quince Imaging calls, "the world's first blended remote-head projection mapping installation... featuring a one-of-a-kind projection mapping system that sets a new industry standard." That projection mapping system doesn't appear to be in the background on LED screens, but brings the entire theater to life—stage, walls, and all.

The projection mapping system—which includes projectors from Christie—contains six lasers that projects images and content across the audience's sightline. “This system merges proscenium mapping technology comparable with the legacy system at Radio City Music Hall and the interactive real-time rendering seen in modern Location Based Entertainment (LBE),” said Eric Gazzillo, VP, Quince Imaging on the company's website. “The result is a system that can immerse the audience in visual imagery while adding the real-time interactivity for participatory shows and events.”

Additionally, a new JBL sound system was added, as well as Digital Projection and Q-SYS solutions along with NETGEAR switches were all involved in bringing the site back to life. We'll continue to bring more details as we find them out, but for now, enjoy the video above.

AV/IT TEAM:
Left to right: Todd Hughes, AV project manager; Michael Kozar, Technical Services director; John Hahn, Technical Services assistant director; Andy Beasom, AV Systems and Infrastructure engineer

GOALS: The technical support staff of Duquesne University’s Conference and Event Services and the Office of Classroom Technologies worked together to design a new AV system for the Student Union ballroom.

CHALLENGES: The 16-year-old AV system used Cat5e cabling to connect a projector and eight 55-inch flat panels. Implementation of a matrix switcher was discussed, but the challenge of re-cabling a 57-year-old concrete building with two-foot solid concrete beams spaced throughout the ceiling was a daunting task.

FINAL INSTALL/USER BENEFITS: Knowing the future of technology is in AVoIP, the aged system was replaced with a network-based solution, providing a cost-effective, flexible, and scalable result that has improved the presentation options of the ballroom. The system uses professional NETGEAR network switches and Extron’s NAV AVoIP distribution solution to connect 15 endpoints for easy manageability over the existing Cat5e cabling. This complex design also includes both a touch panel and a network button panel programmed for user control and operation. Design, configuration, programming, and installation were completed by the in-house team for a first-of-its-kind system on campus.

Use of the ballroom is very diverse, ranging from groups using a simple, empty stage to the need for major presentations. An additional design aspect was needed to accommodate system access at a movable podium for an HDMI connection, basic system control, and access to a 55-inch floor-standing confidence monitor. The Extron NAV system and NETGEAR switches allow for a secondary switch at the podium, which permits the Network Button Panel, NAV encoder (for the HDMI connection), and NAV decoder (for the confidence monitor) to be connected with a single Cat6 cable, making the podium configuration quick and easy.

Due to their extensive AV and IT knowledge, as well as their technical teamwork, the team delivered a robust, future-proof solution at a fraction of the cost of an external vendor. The commitment to advancing technology has provided a full scope of options available to ballroom users. Now, instead of displaying the same content to all displays in the ballroom, users have a plethora of options. Having the ability to manipulate the displays and other equipment throughout the room sounds like a simple idea, but the behind-the-scenes implementation was no easy task. Thanks to the efforts of Duquesne’s AV and IT staff, the Student Union ballroom is now at the cutting edge of today’s technology.

Get your free copy of SCN's Integration Guide to AVoIP.

High Marks for AVoIP

John Abbott College recently created 13 new classrooms out of mobile home-sized modular units, and installed an IP network to provide them with AV over IP technologies. Now, the technology is providing flexibility in the classrooms that accommodates different teaching styles and classroom configurations.

At Issue

Experts from Atlona, Cleerline, DVIGear, Matrox Video, and NETGEAR discuss the most compelling reasons for adopting an AVoIP workflow.

Download the Integration Guide to AVoIP.

Read the June issue of Systems Contractor News.

On June 10, the day before the InfoComm 2025 show floor opened, the winners of SCN Installation Product Awards 2025 were revealed during a ceremony at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. Winning products were recognized across 12 categories, including two new categories for 2025: Most Innovative KVM Solution and Most Innovative Speaker Solution (Installed).

"The SCN Installation Product Awards are all about celebrating Pro AV product innovation, and I want to congratulate all our winners for 2025," said Mark J. Pescatore, content director, Systems Contractor News. "It's clear that our industry is not resting on its laurels and that manufacturers are continuing to deliver new solutions to simplify workflows for integrators and end users."

And the winners are:

Most Innovative Audio Hardware

Extron: XPA U 4004 FX Power Amplifier

Sennheiser: Profile Wireless

Xilica: RoomHub

Most Innovative AV Installation Accessory

MAXHUB: Express Install Table Stand

NETGEAR AV: M4350 Series AV Switches

WyreStorm Technologies: NHD-510-TX Encoder

Most Innovative Camera

Blackmagic Design: Blackmagic PYXIS 6K

Canon: EOS C400

Promethean: 4K ePTZ Camera

Most Innovative Collaboration Product

Haivision: Command 360

LG Electronics USA: LG CreateBoard 105-Inch UltraWide Interactive Display

Mersive Technologies: Mersive Pro

Most Innovative Digital Signage Product

BrightSign and LG Electronics USA: LG UV5N Series UHD Displays Running BrightSignOS

Chief: Velocity Outdoor Pedestal System

ViewSonic: LDS138-151 Direct View LED Display Solution Kit

Most Innovative Emerging Technology

Ampetronic and Listen Technologies: Auri

Crestron Electronics: Automate VX

QSC: Q-SYS Reflect

Most Innovative KVM Solution

Matrox Video: Avio 2

Most Innovative Speaker Solution (Installed)

Bose Professional: Forum FC112

Shure: Microflex Loudspeakers

Sonos: Era 100 Pro

Most Innovative Sustainable Product Strategy

LED Studio: ECLIPSE

Most Innovative Video Display

MAXHUB: DVLED Raptor Series V3

Planar: DirectLight Slim Series

PPDS: Philips TruePerformance LED

Most Innovative Video Projection Solution

Epson America: PowerLite L695SE

Panasonic Projector & Display Americas: PT-RQ7

Most Innovative Videoconferencing Product

Vaddio: EasyIP Dock

Each of the nominated products were submitted by their respective manufacturers. Industry professionals were able to vote for their favorite products through a ballot accessed through avnetwork.com. Up to three winners were selected in each category, based on the number of entries. The nominated product must have first shipped between January 1, 2024, and May 9, 2025. Products that won in last year’s awards program were not eligible in any category this year.

NETGEAR announced a definitive agreement to acquire Exium, a cybersecurity company, as part of its continuing investment in cloud-based solutions for advanced business connectivity. The acquisition builds on the company’s goal of delivering next-gen networking solutions that provide simplicity, reliability, and cost-effectiveness to small and medium enterprises. Exium’s products and expertise will help to add an integrated Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) platform to NETGEAR’s robust network offering. This solution will offer the first, completely integrated, network and security solution, purpose built for MSPs and SMEs.

[How NETGEAR Makes AV over IP Easy]

According to Gartner, the SASE market is expected to grow at a 29% CAGR, reaching over $25 billion by 2027 as organizations increasingly prioritize cloud-based networking and security solutions. With the integration of Exium’s platform and expertise, NETGEAR for Business will build an all-in-one, easy-to-use solution that includes wired and wireless networking as well as firewall and integrated security.

“AI has changed the threat landscape for small and medium enterprises as well as larger businesses, but the solutions for SMEs are often too difficult to implement or need to be cobbled onto the network and managed separately,” said Pramod Badjate, president and GM of NETGEAR for Business. “By offering the Exium SASE solution with the goal of integrating it into our Insight cloud management platform, we’ll be able to bring our customers a seamless, single-pane-of-glass solution that is easily deployed and managed by small IT teams or MSPs.”

The Exium team brings deep expertise in building widely deployed networking and security solutions. The company’s SASE solution was built with MSPs in mind to help onboard and serve their small and medium enterprise customers rapidly. Exium CEO Farooq Khan will continue to lead the Exium solution, joining the NETGEAR for Business leadership team.

“Exium was built from the ground up as a cybersecurity solution to help protect small and medium enterprises that lack a comprehensive solution for combatting cybersecurity threats,” said Khan. “We share a similar vision with NETGEAR and are excited to be joining the team to build a fully integrated network and security solution specially tailored to serve the needs of these customers.”

InfoComm 2025 heads back to the Orange County Convention Center this June 7-13 in Orlando. SCN continues its look at InfoComm 2025 exhibitors talking trends, technology, inspiration, and an exclusive special sneak preview of what they’ll show in their booths.

[Products, Sessions, Insights: InfoComm 2025 on AV Network]

Today, John Henkel, product marketing director, NETGEAR AV, discusses constant evolution.

SCN: What is your company’s main focus at the show this year?

John Henkel: NETGEAR AV’s focus continues to be making IT easier for AV. We’ve added more people to our Pro AV Design Engineering team, more products with more capabilities, and more partners. We strive to live by our phrase: We make AV over IP easy.

SCN: What buzzwords do you expect to be the talk of InfoComm 2025?

JH: Across the show floor, we’ll hear more about AI than anyone expects (or maybe even wants to hear). Aside from that, I’d say IT is a buzzword. How AV integrates into IT and vice versa is STILL a topic for conversation and is more relevant than ever.

SCN: How does InfoComm inspire you?

JH: It’s all about connections. And I don’t mean that in an Ethernet sort of way. Connecting with the people who use our products is what inspires and drives us. The conversations we have about the challenges that exist and how we can help people overcome them is what InfoComm is all about. Oh yeah, and the chance we get to show off our cool stuff to people who have not seen it yet is also very inspiring.

SCN: Why is NETGEAR Engage 2.0 an important upgrade for AVoIP environments?

JH: Constant evolution. That’s what software development is all about and with NETGEAR Engage, we are packing in more features with every release. With v2.0, we added control over our Pro Router (PR460X) and our Wi-Fi 7 Access Points (WBE718 and WBE758) so you get to use the same free and award-winning Engage software for your entire networking package. Plus, there are always new profiles and enhancements to existing profiles for quick configuration of AV networks.

There were people on the move and more partnerships made, but this week in Pro AV was once again highlighted by two acquisitions.

First, CTI, which has been busy since Feb. 2024 in the acquisition department, made yet another, this time acquiring LightWerks. This expands CTI’s current operations in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, and the San Francisco Bay Area, while bringing Boise, Idaho, and Montana into CTI’s coverage for the first time. CTI serves customers worldwide as a member of the PSNI Global Alliance and across the US, with locations from Michigan to Texas and New Jersey to California. You can read our full coverage here.

Also, LiveU acquired Actus Digital, known for its compliance logging, quality assurance, and AI-driven media insight. This strategic acquisition will strengthen Actus Digital’s innovation roadmap and expand the long-term value delivered to customers worldwide.

Since 2005, Actus Digital has installed over 1,300 intelligent monitoring systems for broadcasters, regulators, governments, and intelligence agencies. The Actus Digital platform offers a blend of compliance logging, quality assurance and technical monitoring, content repurposing, and advanced AI-powered media analysis solutions.

What else did you miss? Sit back, we have you covered.

Tariff Talk

• Kramer announced that due to recent changes in U.S. import tariff regulations, it added a 15% tariff surcharge to all product lines sold in the U.S., including Kramer, ZeeVee, and Ashton Bentley. This surcharge will go into effect on May 9, 2025. Software and services are not impacted and will remain surcharge-free.
• Mimo, a manufacturer of small display and AV technology, announced its complete catalog of displays, tablets and AV solutions will be TAA compliant once remaining inventory is exhausted, thus making them exempt from tariffs. Based on the United States Trade Agreements Act (TAA) of 1979, TAA compliance refers to products or services that are either manufactured or "substantially transformed" in the United States or in a designated country that has a trade agreement with the U.S.

People News

Advanced Systems Group Names James Abee as Account Executive, Nashville Region

Advanced Systems Group has appointed James Abee as account executive, Nashville Region. Abee brings over 20 years of experience in broadcast production, live events, and business operations to his role leading business development in the region. Abee serves as ASG’s first full-time representative in the area, bringing the full range of ASG’s services and solutions to the local community.

Abee brings a deep production background in broadcast television, documentary, corporate, podcasting and live events, as well as post production, which will provide a solid foundation for his new position at ASG. His diverse production experience includes 25 years of editing and post production work. He’s been a Director, a Technical Director, and a Camera Operator; and held several titles, including Head of Post and Director of International Programming, at Current TV.

Atlona Promotes Paul Krizan to Leadership Position in Product Line Management

Atlona has promoted Paul Krizan to product line manager. He drives the innovation cycle for Atlona moving forward, leading the product management and hardware engineering teams as they bring the next generation of Altona’s AV products to life. He also maintains and evolves the existing portfolio of Atlona collaboration, connectivity, and control products worldwide.

Krizan joined Atlona as product manager, networked AV in 2020, where he was responsible for managing the complete product lifecycle for the company’s AV over IP solutions. His achievements include the development and launch of OmniStream 2.0, a free firmware upgrade that added 4K/60 4:4:4 video support, improved bitrate efficiency, integrated multiview processing and near-zero latency to existing OmniStream hardware. His experience in these and previous product management roles at AMX, Harman, and Signify prepare him for success in managing Atlona’s entire product portfolio, which he sees as ripe for development opportunities in several key areas.

Professional Wireless Systems (PWS) Expands New York Team

Professional Wireless Systems (PWS) is expanding its New York-based team. The company has hired Josh Lampf as B2B and business development lead and Chris Budin as 0perations coordinator.

In his role Lampf represents PWS at trade shows, networking events, and industry gatherings. He also collaborates with engineers to leverage technology and help PWS build strong client relationships, delivering solutions that enhance overall customer satisfaction.

Budin manages business logistics to ensure the company continues to run smoothly, overseeing various tasks such as monitoring projects and ensuring deadlines are met while working closely with employees and management. His new role relies heavily on his production and project management skills.

WAVIT Announces New Leadership 

Women in AV/IT (WAVIT) unveiled its new Board of Directors. With a renewed focus on mentorship, equity, and professional development, WAVIT’s leadership continues to evolve to meet the needs of today’s workforce while advancing representation for women across all corners of the AV/IT space.

Stepping into the role of president is Althea Ricketts, VP of corporate initiatives at Shure. With more than three decades of experience in the audio electronics industry and a proven track record in sustainability, DEI leadership, and global marketing and sales, Ricketts brings a wealth of strategic insight and a deep passion for mentorship and industry advancement.

Lex Evans, digital signage manager at the University of Southern California, has been appointed Vice President. A customer experience designer and board member of the Digital Signage Federation, Evans is also a co-creator of the WAVIT Podcast and a champion for accessible, inclusive technology experiences.

Joining the board is Nikki Ault, VP of clientservices at Coffman Media, who brings impressive credentials and fresh perspectives to WAVIT’s mission. With nearly 20 years of experience in client service leadership and customer experience strategy, Ault is a powerful advocate for women in client-facing tech roles.

Company News

AVer’s VB370A and CP10 G2 Achieve Zoom Certification

AVer's VB370A, a 4K dual-lens video conferencing bar, and CP10 G2 Controller, an intuitive touchscreen panel, have obtained Zoom Certification. Together, the VB370A and CP10 G2 offer an all-in-one conferencing solution, seamless Zoom Rooms functionality and an intuitive Android-powered interface in a plug-and-play design.

Designed to streamline hybrid collaboration, the VB370A combines AI-enhanced video, crystal-clear sound, and dual-screen support, making it an all-in-one conferencing solution for enterprises seeking elevated meeting experiences. The VB370A integrates an 18X zoom PTZ camera with a wide-angle fixed lens to deliver comprehensive coverage, from panoramic room views to pinpoint close-ups of participants. The VB370A's unparalleled flexibility ensures that every voice and expression is clearly captured, whether in a compact huddle space or a large conference room. With intelligent features like Smart Composition, Auto Framing and Voice Tracking, the VB370A automatically focuses on active speakers, enhancing engagement and reducing the need for manual camera adjustments. These AI-driven capabilities foster a more organic and efficient meeting experience, bridging the gap between remote and in-person collaboration.

Certified with Zoom, the VB370A and CP10 G2 empower users with Zoom Rooms functionality, allowing for more efficient meeting operations.

New AV Partnership Serves Up Total Hospitality Experience

A new partnership of AV technology leaders is debuting a fully integrated hospitality solution at the 2025 National Restaurant Association (NRA) Show. Designed to elevate guest engagement, increase revenue, and simplify control for operators, this collaborative offering brings together cutting-edge products from JukeVision (FlexBox), WyreStorm (Distribution), CrimsonAV (LED expertise), Symetrix (DSP), and Encompass Interactive (integration support).

Under the tagline “From Sip to Soundtrack — Your Ambiance, Amplified,” the solution delivers a complete ecosystem of audio, video, digital signage, control, and installation, built specifically for hospitality environments like sports bars, restaurants, hotels, casinos, and family entertainment venues.

UCLA Digital Spaces Collaborates with PlaceOS

UCLA Digital Spaces, the audiovisual design and support division of Digital and Technology Solutions responsible for shaping the future of campus environments, announced a multi-year strategic product development alliance with PlaceOS, a platform for smart workplace and campus automation. This collaboration aims to transform how students, faculty, and visitors interact with UCLA's physical spaces through intelligent, data-driven, and highly personalized experiences.

By leveraging PlaceOS’s innovative platform, UCLA Digital Spaces will integrate an innovative, dynamic suite of services across campus, leveraging a cloud-first strategy to automate audiovisual control and distribution, advanced room booking, wayfinding, environmental controls, space utilization analytics, streaming, learning tools, remote management and control, and event coordination. The result will be a seamless, adaptive, accessible, and sustainable campus environment that meets the evolving needs of its diverse community.

The first phase of the project will focus on deploying PlaceOS modules through an innovative pilot program scheduled to launch in Fall 2025. This initial deployment will introduce a robust suite of features, including cloud-first, app-based navigation tools; advanced audiovisual control and automation; intelligent room scheduling; interactive digital signage systems; comprehensive asset management; integrated AI enhancements; and a reimagined BruinCast cloud-streaming service. In addition, the pilot will implement intelligent lighting and climate control systems designed to improve sustainability, accessibility, and operational efficiency.

Subsequent phases will expand functionality to additional stakeholders across campus, incorporating real-time user feedback, space utilization data, and advanced analytics. This iterative approach will ensure that solutions evolve responsively, continuously optimizing the campus environment to meet the dynamic needs of students, faculty, staff, and visitors. Over time, the project aims to establish UCLA as a global model for intelligent campus design, where technology and human experience are seamlessly intertwined.

TEG and BASE Xperiential Announce Partnership

Transformation Entertainment Group (TEG), has partnered with Houston-based BASE Xperiential (BX). TEG is now BASE Xperiential’s exclusive provider for design support, equipment specification, equipment rental/lease/sale, and managed services which include installation support, tech support, maintenance, repair, and related AV production support services.

BX’s HoloTheater delivers a dynamic and immersive storytelling attraction using three-dimensional holographic technology, laser-projection, and video mapping to bring audiences up close and personal to content. HoloTheater debuted at the Houston Museum of Natural Science with its premiere film, Dinosaur Discoveries: A Holographic Adventure and has since partnered with MacGillivary Freeman Films on the production of its next holographic film coming soon, Ocean Giants. Following the success in Houston, BASE Xperiential will launch HoloTheater at the Museum of Discovery and Science in Fort Lauderdale, FL this summer and are collaborating with TEG to bring HoloTheater to a wide range of global venues.

Pro AV around the Globe

Riedel Communications opened new office in Hong Kong. This strategic expansion underscores Riedel's commitment to enhancing its presence in the Asia-Pacific region and providing superior support to its growing customer base. To mark the occasion, Riedel hosted an All-Asia Partner Conference in March at the new office. The event brought together regional partners to discuss market trends, product developments, and partnership strategies – fostering collaboration across the region, while providing hands-on access to Riedel’s latest solutions.

Bose Professional has partnered with AV Partner AS, a Midwich Group company, as their new sole-distributor in Norway, marking yet another milestone in the newly independent company’s global evolution. Founded in 2010, AV Partner AS is a specialized distributor of professional audio and video solutions based in Oslo, Norway.

NETGEAR opened a new software development center in Chennai, India. The new center builds on its recent acquisition of VAAG Systems, a Chennai-based cloud software company known for its expertise in AI-driven network troubleshooting. By welcoming their team and valuable IP into NETGEAR, it expands the NETGEAR's capabilities and scales the development of intuitive, high-performance solutions designed to address the real challenges facing businesses today and beyond.

It was a big week for the company formerly known as AVI Systems. At its Global Sales Summit in Dallas, the company ushered in a new era by rebranding to FORTÉ. We had the first interview with CEO Jeff Stoebner on what was behind the name and new logo. If you missed that, you can get caught up here.

Shortly after the official change, the company announced strategic investments in System Video, based in Dublin, Ireland, and GMS, located near Frankfurt am Main, Germany. The acquisition of these two audiovisual integration businesses, strengthens FORTÉ’s global presence and advances the company’s effort in transforming the modern workplace.

System Video, a provider of audiovisual and unified communication solutions, has built its reputation delivering workplace technology for multinational organizations. GMS specializes in AV integration, managed services, and smart workspace solutions, supporting some of the world’s largest corporations.

FORTÉ didn't make all the headlines though. Let's get you caught up with everything else you may have missed.

People News

AC Americas Announces Natasha Royal as Vice President of Finance

A.C. Americas welcomed Natasha Royal as VP of finance, bringing extensive experience in driving profitable growth, leading strategic initiatives, and building FP&A processes.

Royal will oversee financial planning, reporting, and risk management, ensuring the organization's long-term fiscal health and financial performance. Her responsibilities include developing and analyzing statistical and accounting information, establishing major economic objectives and policies, and directing financial and budget activities to maximize investments and increase efficiency. She also plays a crucial role in evaluating and developing her team, fostering strong partnerships with other departments.

B-Tech AV Mounts Appoint Nam Le as General Manager North America

B-Tech AV Mounts has added Nam Le to its team as the new general manager for North America. Based in Los Angeles, CA, Le oversees operations across the U.S., supporting both the internal sales team as well as B-Tech’s new and existing customers.

Le brings with him many years of experience in the AV industry, having held national and regional sales manager positions at leading companies such as ZeeVee, QSC, Crestron, and Extron. His extensive AV background makes him well-equipped to drive sales growth and lead a passionate, knowledgeable team to expand B-Tech’s presence in the market.

Nam now guides and supports the current sales team in broadening relationships and seizing new opportunities to fuel growth in the U.S. market.

Daktronics Announces Jeremy Johnson as VP of Commercial, High School, Parks and Recreation

Daktronics has appointed Jeremy Johnson as VP of commercial, and high school, parks and recreation markets.

Johnson brings deep expertise to his new role, based on his 30 years of experience at Daktronics across multiple sales and marketing responsibilities. In his most recent position as business development manager, Johnson was responsible for market management oversight for commercial, including out of home and on-premise, as well as high school, parks and recreation.

Disguise Appoints Jake Stone as New SVP of Commercial

Disguise has appointed Jake Stone as its SVP of commercial. In this role, Stone leads the global sales and business development teams as they meet increased demand for Disguise’s offering, which drives location-based experiences like Top of the Rock in New York City and live concert visuals for artists like Adele, as well as providing virtual production services for films like “A Minecraft Movie.”

A Forbes '30 Under 30' honoree, Stone most recently served as co-founder and chief revenue officer at CHEQ, where he led the company to 10 times year-over-year revenue growth before its acquisition by Cantaloupe. Prior to that, he was chief revenue officer at Independent Sports & Entertainment, where he launched the Properties division and secured over $35 million in new business. Stone has also held leadership roles at Disney and ESPN Media Networks, as well as Infront Sports & Media and has negotiated over $2 billion in partnerships across enterprise technology and content licensing.

Stone’s experience enables Disguise to push the envelope even further in the spheres of live events and shows, virtual production and broadcast, as well as location-based experiences and themed entertainment.

Yvonne Ho becomes President of PAMA Board of Directors

Yvonne Ho has become president of The Professional Audio Manufacturers Alliance (PAMA)’s Board of Directors for a two-year term. Ho succeeds Chris Regan (RF Venue) in the role, while Regan remains on the board as a director.

Ho is the co-founder and chief marketing officer of Point Source Audio, a manufacturer of innovative professional miniature microphones and audio headsets that have been used on premier stages across the globe, including on Broadway and in other top-tier theatrical and live sound productions. Its commitment to quality and innovation has earned the company a reputation as a trusted partner for sound engineers and professionals in the entertainment industry.

Earlier in her career, she worked for an assistive hearing device manufacturer, Phonic Ear, where she uncovered a passion for both helping those coping with hearing impairment, and participating in advocacy and outreach on the topic of hearing loss. This era planted a seed of interest that she now nurtures at Point Source Audio, where she is able to merge the business of audio and her desire to help people.

VTG Announces Greg Yarrington as Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of Technology

Virtual Technologies Group appointed Greg Yarrington as chief operating officer and EVP of technology. Yarrington oversees day-to-day operations and scales the firm’s technology and operational capabilities on a national level.

Yarrington brings over a decade of experience in operations and technical innovation within the managed IT services, cloud, cybersecurity, and technology sectors. He recently served as COO at ECI, where he led a team of more than 550 people to stabilize the firm’s workforce and expand its operations into global markets.

Company News

New ADI | Snap One Store in Omaha Hosted Grand Opening Celebration

ADI | Snap One celebrated the grand opening of its new store in Omaha, NE by showcasing product offerings from the combined business for the first time under one roof. Sponsored by Episode and Samsung, the event took place on Thursday, April 10 and gave attendees an exclusive chance to meet the store team, explore the new store design concept, spend time with suppliers, and take advantage of the expanded inventory and combined assortment of ADI and Snap One exclusive brands. 

ADI and Snap One teams worked together to develop the new, modern store design, which blends a retail storefront with its warehouse, featuring products across key categories including security, networking, AV, smart home, fire safety, and more. The Omaha location replaces the previous ADI store, offering Snap One customers a convenient shopping option that wasn’t available before. 

Additional store highlights include a 15,000+ square foot space, 2.5 times larger than the previous Omaha location, an expanded product assortment featuring 500+ Snap One SKUs, increased inventory and new brands introduced to legacy ADI and Snap One customers, including more than 100 consumer TVs from top brands, a 24-hour pick up room, customer reward benefits, a dedicated training space for in-store and virtual sessions, as well as a customer coffee and comfort hub.

DMF Lighting Expands Partnership with VITAL

DMF Lighting expanded its partnership with business advisory firm VITAL, reinforcing its commitment to dealer success through a robust offering of complimentary resources and training in 2025.

Building on the success of its VITAL Affiliate Membership program, DMF Lighting is introducing a new suite of exclusive benefits designed to elevate dealer performance, sharpen sales strategies, and drive business growth. The 2025 program includes access to workshops, a one-on-one business advisory session, and a comprehensive, downloadable Sales Mastery Tool-Kit—all offered at no cost to DMF dealers.

LG Teams Up with Mercedes-Benz Stadium 

Joining forces to enhance and extend in-stadium fan experiences in exciting new ways, LG Electronics USA and Mercedes-Benz Stadium announced a multi-year partnership.

[Boston Red Sox Get Monster Display Upgrade with LG]

As part of this new relationship, LG is providing hundreds of new LG DVLED and LCD displays for installation throughout the venue, led by a robust 98-screen pitch LED ribbon-board, that provides a vivid, field level backdrop for all Atlanta United Home matches, LG’s first such implementation in the United States.

As part of an ongoing stadium-wide display technology refresh ahead of the 2025 Club World Cup and 2026 FIFA World Cup, LG LED displays are now being installed across multiple areas of the venue, including the Gallagher Club and Lounge at Molly B’s, concourse areas, clubs and the most unique being the field level pitch boards used for soccer matches.

NETGEAR Revalidates Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism Certification

NETGEAR has successfully revalidated its Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) certification by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection (DHS-CBP). This voluntary certification, which is granted to less than 5% of importers, is renewed every four years. Earning it again is a testament to NETGEAR’s ongoing commitment to safeguarding its supply chain and meeting the highest security standards.

The revalidation process involves an exhaustive inspection of the company’s entire supply chain network, requiring NETGEAR to demonstrate compliance with rigorous security protocols. NETGEAR’s recertification shows the company has successfully addressed a wide range of security concerns and implemented security measures that align with global best practices. This achievement underscores the company's dedication to collaborating with DHS-CBP to reduce vulnerabilities and improve security within its operations.

tvONE Adds Plug-In Integration for Q-SYS

tvONE unveiled its new Q-SYS plug-in integration for CALICO PRO video processors. As a contributor to the Q-SYS Ecosystem, tvONE collaborated with Q-SYS to create a market-ready control solution that integrates seamlessly into Q-SYS, a cloud-manageable audio, video, and control Platform.

tvONE specializes in video, audio, and multimedia processing equipment. tvONE's CALICO PRO guarantees delivery of the highest quality 4K60, 10-bit and HDR video no matter the aspect ratio, resolution or color space.

Lawo, developer of the RAVENNA audio-over-IP technology, welcomed Sound on Digital as the latest partner to the RAVENNA community. Headquartered in The Netherlands, Sound on Digital specializes in the development of software solutions for the professional audio market.

Sound on Digital’s most recent product is RAVENNAKIT— a cross-platform SDK designed to simplify and accelerate the integration of RAVENNA audio networking into third-party software products. RAVENNAKIT delivers a complete solution for OEMs and developers, offering low-latency audio transport, precise synchronization, and broad platform compatibility — including Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Pro AV Around the World

1 SOUND has partnered with 7Hertz to bring 1 SOUND to the GCC, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as Lebanon.

Lawo, developer of the RAVENNA audio-over-IP technology, welcomed Sound on Digital as the latest partner to the RAVENNA community. Headquartered in The Netherlands, Sound on Digital specializes in the development of software solutions for the professional audio market.Sound on Digital’s most recent product is RAVENNAKIT— a cross-platform SDK designed to simplify and accelerate the integration of RAVENNA audio networking into third-party software products

For more than four years, we have been reporting on the trend of AV/IT companies forming partnerships at a rate we had not seen before. Early on, many of the partnerships were attributed to the unprecedented need for manufacturers to quickly ramp up and offer full videoconferencing and collaboration solutions. These partnerships were clearly displayed at trade show booths at ISE, NAB, and InfoComm.

However, one in particular stood out, and its timing was strategic rather than reactive.

The NETGEAR logo started appearing in the booths of manufacturers in 2019, and by the time the shows returned in 2021, the momentum was well underway. In March 2025, NETGEAR announced its 400th partner.

AV Technology’s content director, Cindy Davis, sat down with NETGEAR’s vice president of marketing and business development, Richard Jonker, to discuss the company’s entry into Pro AV and its strategy of growing the business through partnerships.

Davis: When did NETGEAR launch its first Pro AV product? What was it, and what was the go-to-market strategy?

Jonker: NETGEAR introduced its first Pro AV product in 2017 with the launch of the M4300 series managed switches, which were designed to support both IT and 1- or 10-gigabit AV over IP installations. The M4300 was the first series of switches that we pre-configured for multicast video. That was with SDVOE. We eliminated the complexity associated with configuring networked AV, which was completely new at that time.

The go-to-market strategy was focused on building credibility in the Pro AV space by working with large AV manufacturers and integrators, rather than going through traditional IT channels. We focused since then on education and ease of deployment.

In 2019, a dedicated Pro AV engineering services team was formed to support the needs of AV professionals. This still is the key differentiator with other networking companies, that were more IT-centric in their approach.

Davis: When did NETGEAR sign on its first partner?

Jonker: NETGEAR signed on its first official Pro AV partners in 2018. This was a milestone that came shortly after the initial launch of the M4300 series, as we began building formal relationships with AV manufacturers who were looking for reliable networking solutions for AV deployments.

Davis: When and why did the partner strategy become an important business strategy?

Jonker: The partner strategy became a core business focus in 2019, as NETGEAR recognized that success in the Pro AV space required more than just good products; it required focus, trust, and interoperability.

AV integrators and manufacturers were seeking partners who understood their workflows and could offer support for AV environments. By adding partnerships, NETGEAR could ensure its switches were tested and certified to work seamlessly with leading AV-over-IP platforms, making it easier for integrators to specify NETGEAR into their designs. For broadcasters and production teams, the partnership delivers thoroughly tested, interoperable solutions that simplify deployment while maintaining the critical performance and low-latency demands of live production. This strategy helped establish NETGEAR not just as a vendor, but as a trustworthy solutions partner.

Davis: When did NETGEAR begin ramping up the Pro AV partner program?

Jonker: NETGEAR began significantly ramping up its Pro AV partner program in 2020. This included the development of a formal channel partner ecosystem, joint marketing initiatives, interoperability testing, and building out the Pro AV Design Services team. We also expanded our product line with the launch of the 1 gigabit M4250 series, which featured AV-friendly design elements like port labeling, pre-configured AV profiles, and a sleek aesthetic suited for AV racks. These efforts were all aimed at supporting and growing the partner ecosystem. Most of the features were the direct result of ProAV VIP council input. You could say that the M4250 series was entirely built upon request.

Davis: NETGEAR has partnerships with competitive manufacturers that offer similar products. How does this work?

Jonker: NETGEAR’s philosophy is to be an open and agnostic, or neutral platform provider. We partner with competitive manufacturers, even those that offer their own switches because many of those vendors prefer to focus on their core competencies, like video processing, audio distribution, or control systems. Our role is to provide the cardiovascular system: with a robust, reliable networking infrastructure that allows those solutions to shine. These partnerships are built on the shared goal of simplifying AV over IP deployments and providing end users with the best experience. Even when overlapping offerings exist, the strength of NETGEAR’s networking expertise and support services often makes it a preferred choice in AV system designs.

Davis: What AV industry trends and technologies were the driving forces behind the success of the partnerships?

Jonker: Several trends fueled the success of NETGEAR’s partnerships. First was the industry-wide shift from traditional baseband video (HDMI, SDI) to AV-over-IP, which created a need for high-performance, multicast-capable Ethernet switches. The adoption of standards like SDVoE, Dante, and NDI further fueled the need for compatible, easy-to-deploy network infrastructure. There was, and is, a growing demand for simplified user interfaces and pre-configured solutions that minimize the need for IT expertise in AV projects. No expensive IT technicians, no truck rolls, predictable outcomes. Our investment in creating the NETGEAR AV OS with AV-specific configuration, preset profiles, simple documentation, and white-glove support aligns perfectly with this.

The largest manufacturers, like Crestron and QSC and a few others, decided to recommend and sell the NETGEAR AV switches because it lowered their support cost for AV-over-IP considerably, up to 70 percent.

Davis: How do integrators and end users benefit from these partnerships?

Jonker: Integrators benefit from our 400 partnerships mostly through fast network design and guaranteed interoperability. Having NETGEAR switches certified and validated by AV manufacturers gives integrators confidence in their deployments and reduces the troubleshooting burden. For end users, these partnerships translate into more reliable systems, better performance, and a smoother overall experience. Additionally, NETGEAR’s support infrastructure, including its ProAV Design Services team, gives integrators and end users access to expert assistance when they need it most; this helps projects stay on time and on budget. Integrators want to get in, get out and get paid—without surprises.

The big news last week in Pro AV was not one, but two more acquisitions.

CTI made yet another acquisition, this time acquiring MP Productions of Little Rock, AR, adding the team’s four decades of experience producing arena and stadium events nationwide to CTI’s portfolio. CTI has been busy the past year. First, CTI acquired Vistacom of Allentown, PA, in February 2024 before adding a pair of acquisitions in Advanced Systems Integration and Digital Technology Solutions. This is reported to be the 40th U.S. location for CTI.

“For over forty years, Mike Pope and MP Productions have brought world-class production service to arenas and stadiums across the United States,” said John Laughlin, CEO of CTI. “Beginning with national recording artists like Barbara Mandrell and REO Speedwagon in the eighties, they added corporate events, hosting dozens of shows a year for Amway and Success, earning the trust of organizations as diverse as ATA Martial Arts, Biogen, CAT and many, many more. Their creativity, reliability, and dedication to the client are second to none. I look forward to taking this team into the future and seeing them grow and prosper with CTI.”

Now, on with the show.

People News

Allen & Heath USA Expands Live Sound and Touring Team

Allen & Heath welcomed mixing engineer and experienced touring professional Jake Hartsfield as its new live sound and touring manager. Hartsfield, known for his work with artists such as Carly Rae Jepsen, Ben Rector, and Vulfpeck, brings a wealth of expertise and a passion for audio that will significantly strengthen Allen & Heath’s commitment to live sound users.

Hartsfield's predecessor in the role, Mike Bangs, has been promoted to senior manager of live sound and touring, a new position with focus on high level market development for touring customers and oversight of Allen & Heath training curricula.

In their new roles, Hartsfield and Bangs will both be instrumental in the expansion and delivery of Allen & Heath University, the company’s comprehensive in-person and online training program. Drawing on his extensive experience as a Front of House engineer and Tour Manager, Hartsfield will lead sessions across the United States, providing users with in-depth knowledge and practical skills to effectively operate Allen & Heath’s flagship dLive and versatile Avantis series digital mixing consoles.

Christie appoints Sean James as EVP of Global Sales and Service

Christie appointed Sean James as EVP, Global Sales and Service. In this new role, James leads the sales function and continue to lead the company’s service organization.

With more than 28 years of experience at Christie, James, who started his career as a field engineer servicing cinema equipment, was instrumental in developing support programs and relationships with many leading Hollywood studios as they transitioned to digital cinema. He helped to deploy the world’s first large-scale digital cinema deployment of nearly 4,000 screens across the U.S. and led the development of Christie’s first Network Operations Center (NOC), expanding it globally. James previously led Christie’s Enterprise and Entertainment division and has played a key role in driving Christie’s expansion in both markets. His insights over the years have strengthened the company’s reputation as a global leader in AV solutions for cinema, themed entertainment, government, and live and public events.

Don Sperling Joins KMH Team

The KMH Integration team is expanding with the addition of Don Sperling, who will lead the company’s growing creative services division as SVP of broadcast and digital engagement.

Sperling was previously SVP and executive producer for the New York Giants, where he continually re-invented the team’s in-house content and production workflows, creating dynamic gameday and branded content to enhance the fan experience. Most recently, Sperling oversaw “Giants 100,” marking the team’s 100th season anniversary with a series of digital and broadcast initiatives, events, and in-person experiential activations to commemorate the year-long celebration.

Now, Sperling brings decades of digital media experience to KMH Integration as the system integrator continues to expand its operations across a range of markets, from sports and broadcast to media and entertainment, education, corporate, and financial.

Dr. Markus Motzko Joins LYNX Technik

LYNX Technik has appointed Dr. Markus Motzko as head of production and administration. Motzko has extensive experience in production processes, manufacturing optimization, and technical leadership, with a strong background in the semiconductor and medical technology industries. Before joining LYNX Technik, he played a key role at Littelfuse-IXYS Semiconductor in Germany, where he introduced new production processes, supported manufacturing operations, led product development of a medical chip product line, and provided technical support for the specialized needs of medical clients. His expertise includes process engineering, supply chain optimization, and technical product management.

In his new role, Motzko will be responsible for improving production efficiency, managing supply chain operations, and overseeing administrative functions at LYNX Technik. He’ll focus on streamlining manufacturing processes and keeping operations cost-effective, all while ensuring the company continues to deliver the high-quality solutions the company is known for. He’ll also handle internal operations, financial oversight, and compliance efforts to support LYNX Technik’s ongoing growth.

RCF Appoints Brian Espinosa as Western Territory Manager

RCF has welcomed Brian Espinosa to the newly created position of Western territory manager. In this role, Espinosa oversees sales and marketing support activities across the western United States, further strengthening RCF’s presence in the region.

Espinosa brings over two decades of experience in the professional audio industry, having worked extensively in sound reinforcement, integration and event production. His career began in 1998 at Cakewalk Music Software, where he managed customer support and regional sales. He then spent nearly 20 years as an independent manufacturer’s representative with the Marshank Group, representing leading brands such as Adamson, Clair Brothers, EAW, Mogami Cable, and Genelec studio monitors. Notably, he has also previously represented RCF, giving him an in-depth understanding of the brand, its culture and its products.

Espinosa focuses on driving growth in the integration and event production markets while ensuring continued stability in the retail sector. His responsibilities include managing key product lines such as RCF, TT+ Audio and GTX, working closely with dealers, integrators and production companies across Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Montana, and Hawaii.

Stage Precision announces the appointment of Sarah Cox as CCO

Founder of Neutral Human and a thought leader in the AV industry, Sarah Cox joins the Stage Precision team in the role of chief commercial officer, ushering in the next evolution of the company’s growth. With her years of experience in commercial strategy, marketing, and the converging nature of the industries around us, Cox is ideally placed to drive the expansion of SP Grid.

Cox’s role as CCO will focus on driving SP’s commercial direction under Michael Giegerich, CEO, as well as overseeing brand, marketing and customer experience strategies. With SP V1 having successfully exited Beta two years ago, this next phase is focused on scaling SP Grid across multiple markets and ensuring it becomes the backbone of digital experience automation worldwide. 

Company News

Avidex Acquires Visual Commands

Avidex has acquired Visual Commands, a technology-driven AV programming and design consultant known for its expertise in custom programming and design, control system coding, automation, and remote monitoring service solutions. This acquisition strengthens Avidex’s position in the audiovisual industry by bringing expanded capabilities, deeper technical expertise, and a shared commitment to client success.

As part of this transition, Monty Champoux, president of Visual Commands, will join Avidex as chief technology officer (CTO), where he will lead technology strategy and innovation across Avidex’s portfolio. The entire Visual Commands team has seamlessly transitioned to Avidex, ensuring uninterrupted service and expertise for their existing valued clients while gaining access to Avidex’s robust infrastructure, extensive resources, and 24x7x365 National Help Desk for enhanced support.

With a trusted partnership spanning over two decades, Visual Commands and Avidex have spent the last five years collaborating to develop and implement Avidex Assure, a premier Remote Monitoring and Managed Services Platform. This acquisition paves the way for even greater innovation, scalability, and service enhancements across Avidex’s entire portfolio.

Pioneering Pixels: Absen Looks at the Future of LED

Absen pre-launched new products at its Spring Launch event. The event kicked off with keynote speeches by Absen’s senior leadership team, outlining the brand’s positioning and strategy for the coming year. The team emphasized Absen's commitment to pioneering advancements in Pro AV technologies with an in-depth introduction to the company's latest product launches.

The new products pre-launched include the Absen X V2 Series, featuring all-in-one LED display solutions for conference and corporate applications with 2K+ ultra-high resolution, high stability, wide compatibility and quick installation. Absen also introduced its upgrades for NX, KLCOB V2, CPS Series for different applications. These products symbolize exceptional structural engineering and optimal space utilization for strength and durability, as well as an unparalleled visual experience .Also making the introduction was Absen’s A25 Series, a low-carbon and energy saving LED solution for a wide range of creative DOOH applications.

NETGEAR Joins the DPP

NETGEAR has joined the DPP, an international association for media and technology. This strategic move to join the DPP marks the next step in NETGEAR’s commitment to empower businesses with the tools they need for next-generation content creation and distribution.

The company has embraced rapid innovation to ensure end users have innovative equipment for their projects. This includes the simplified approach to network configuration, NETGEAR AV OS with certified profiles for every major broadcast and Pro AV protocol. Additionally, NETGEAR offers free and direct access to engineering teams well versed in AV and IT for pre and post-sales support. Further, NETGEAR’s ST2110-capable series of switches reinforce the company’s rapidly evolving product road map that reflects today’s shifting industry standards. By joining the DPP, NETGEAR can continue to encourage and accelerate adoption of AV over IP.

The DPP’s extensive network provides NETGEAR with the ideal platform to further elevate its place in the broadcast ecosystem. This is complemented by NETGEAR’s base of nearly 400 certified AV manufacturers. By joining the DPP community of over 500 key players in the digital production ecosystem, NETGEAR will collaborate more closely with industry leaders, helping to usher in the next generation of advanced broadcast and digital production networks.

Pro AV Around the Globe

• LEA Professional strengthens international presence with ADI | Snap One EMEA partnership.  This distribution relationship will bring LEA’s rich technology catalog, featuring advancements in intelligent IT solutions, DSP, and smart power management, to Snap One customers in the EMEA region.
• Renkus-Heinz teams up with Asimetrik for a wider reach in Turkey. Asimetrik distributes a range of pro audio, lighting, and control products, with a strong reputation for service and technical support. The new partnership with Renkus-Heinz expands Asimetrik’s portfolio with an inventory of innovative products, including the ICONYX Series family of digitally steerable arrays. 
• Visionary and BVD International forge partnership for Caribbean distribution. This partnership appoints BVD International as the exclusive distributor of Visionary’s AV over IP and IPTV solutions across the Caribbean, highlighting a significant expansion for Visionary in the region.

AVT Question: Please share insights into your company's roadmap and what 2025 holds for customers.

Thought Leader: John Henkel, Director of Product Marketing at NETGEAR

NETGEAR is rooted in its commitment to the AV market, from initial concepts to installation through final user experience. We have focused our efforts on creating features and products tailored to ensure ease of use for the end user, which continues to guide our 2025 roadmap.

A powerful central management system is critical in the ever-changing AV world. As the new year commences, NETGEAR is driving a more seamless experience for the end user, starting with promoting simplified management software. Our free Engage Controller version 2.0 makes quick, reliable configuration of an AV network a reality. Engage 2.0 delivers expansive, unified control features for even the most complex AV installations. With the new router and wireless access point management, NETGEAR is helping make network configuration easier than ever.

NETGEAR will also continue to offer our Pro AV Design Services. Our goal is for our customers to maximize the potential of their network, starting with a team that is ready to identify the products that will best serve them. In addition to free network design, the element that differentiates NETGEAR from the rest is our emphasis on support throughout the entire life of the product. Our team is on standby to troubleshoot any problems on-site, offering a direct line to NETGEAR engineers. From pre-installation training to post-installation support and every solution in between, customers can learn from the experts.

Our goal is to constantly improve user experience, making this constant feedback loop essential. This year offers the opportunity to continue to grow and offer solutions that fit every business’s needs.

NETGEAR seeks opportunities to provide comprehensive solutions to ensure simple use for end users. This means an unwavering communication network so as businesses grow and technology evolves, NETGEAR will always be in step with customers to accomplish goals this year and beyond.

If you’ve ever wanted to visit the Oval Office, rooms of the State Floor, and all that encompasses the nation’s capitol’s most famous residence without obtaining official clearance, now’s your chance.

The White House Historical Association (WHHA) has created a permanent multimedia experience just a block away from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. It’s a more in-depth tour than most people usually get of the “President’s Palace” and it’s totally free.

[Behind the Scenes of 'Renoir: A Luminous Evolution']

The People’s House: A White House Experience is a 33,000-square-foot venue that opened in Fall 2024 and features a variety of replicas and interactive exhibits that go well beyond the president’s office. Visitors can explore a large-scale White House model, the State Floor in 360-degree immersive projection, a full-scale replica of the Oval Office, and recreations of key White House moments. It also includes compelling stories about the presidents and their families.

Overall, visitors can explore more than 20 rooms filled with digital history spanning more than 200 years. That history also includes the wide range of unheralded individuals that have worked there through numerous administrations who you might not know, such as Dale Haney, who has been at the White House since 1972 as grounds superintendent. It’s all part of the WHHA’s mission, founded by first lady Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961 as a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization to preserve the collections and stories of the Executive Mansion.

The People’s House: A White House Experience is located on the first three floors of the Mills Building, which was renovated at the beginning of the pandemic. Once the walls and miles of CAT-6 wiring were complete, Virginia-based system integrator Design and Production (D&P) set about implementing a bevy of Panasonic Connect displays and projectors—along with critical products from Chief, Draper, Extron, Logitech, Peerless-AV, QSC, Shure, and others—to make the exhibits come to life.

Limited Space, Maximum Effect

The ambitious educational project was completed by D&P in about 22 months, including design and reconstruction of the remodeled space that now houses the multimedia experience. A key challenge was working with the limited physical space to achieve the desired geometry for the visual displays. Panasonic Connect’s short-throw LCD projectors and 3-DLP projectors (including the 18,000-lumen model used in the Immersive Theater) helped overcome these constraints, allowing them to deliver impactful visuals while maximizing space efficiency.

“The vision for this project was to bring the White House to the people,” said Sue Lepp, SVP, technology systems group manager at D&P. “The venue offers a new, immersive way for the public to explore the White House’s history and legacy for free. It doesn’t replace or upgrade an existing project; this is a completely new experience, designed to educate and inspire visitors.”

All the interactive content was designed and produced by Ralph Appelbaum Associates out of New York and Cortina Productions from McLean, VA. Both companies have extensive experience designing and building new multimedia experiences around the world.

According to D&P, each technology choice was tailored to fit the venue’s physical constraints and storytelling needs, creating an engaging and seamless visitor experience. For example, in one section of the space, visitors can hover their hand in front of several large projection walls (supported by Panasonic Connect projectors), and then a window suddenly pops up. Now, they are looking at President Nixon landing on the South Lawn or perhaps a restoration of a famous object with descriptive text. Radar Touch sensors from Kleader accurately sense a visitor’s gesture anywhere on each wall and cue the computer-generated imagery and text.

As another example, as visitors take a seat behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office replica—furnished with reproductions of the art, objects, and furniture that adorn the president’s office—a media column in the center of the room transforms as visitors approach, showing historic and contemporary images. The column provides visitors with a portal to significant moments in the Oval Office. “The Oval Office Reflective Totem” uses Panasonic 55-VF2H-VWB4D displays, ensuring the unmovable (existing) building column was useful for displaying content, while making it appear less intrusive.

Setting the Tone

“This venue is one of a kind, offering a deeply personal connection to the White House's history,” said D&P’s Lepp. “Visitors can engage with historical artifacts, reenactments, and interactive displays that celebrate the White House as "The People's House." Whether it’s dancing in the State Dining Room, exploring historical events, or interacting with the Biden family Bible replica, the experience is unparalleled in its depth and accessibility.”

The main supplier of the AV technology was Panasonic Connect, which provided dozens of 4K LED monitors of various sizes as well as long and short throw 4K laser projectors. For example, in the venue’s Immersive Theater, a Panasonic PT-RQ18KU projector with an ET-D75LE95 ultra-short-throw lens delivers stunning visuals while avoiding visitor shadows. For the State Dining Room, Panasonic PT-REQ10 4K projectors equipped with ultra-short-throw lenses create immersive floor-to-ceiling visuals.

[Back to School: Short-Throw Projectors Offer Advantages in the Classroom]

“The 'People’s House' experience is so different from a lot of the museums in the area,” said Cynthia Pawlowski, marketing manager for Panasonic Connect’s visual systems business. “It’s fully immersive, and nowadays with the younger generation, that makes it much more impactful. Panasonic was proud to be a partner in this project, which we expect will remain popular for years to come.”

In addition to the Panasonic equipment, LG transparent OLED displays are used in tandem with rear screen projection for each recreated 1/5 scaled model room of the White House interiors. Each five-sided room is transformed historically by the storytelling presented on the OLED displays.

Both the projected and OLED video are delivered by Dell computers—a total of 18 dual output computers, plus 17 Microsoft Surface Pro Tablets that allow the visitor to engage with sections of the model and its history via interactive touchscreens. These are all tied back via NETGEAR switching to a Dell server to support the interactive experiences.

“These frames included amplifiers, patch bays, switches, and computers or video servers when they were not local to the displays,” Lepp said. “In the majority of cases, we were able to avoid using extenders. With the high quantity of video displays, this was critical to maintaining the overall budget as well.”

Technology Compliments Content

The WHHA is extremely pleased with the results and has been receiving rave reviews of the interactive space. Luke Boorady, managing director of “The People’s House,” said they expect to see 250,000 visitors this year.

“While all of our technology vendors did an exceptional job supplying their respective technologies and getting it all to work together, Panasonic Connect, really stepped up and made our vision a reality,” he said. “This was a Herculean effort to be able to get it all done in 20 months, and to do it in the quality that they did is really, really incredible. Having trusted technology partners allowed us to focus on the storytelling.”

Thanks to an innovative system design, which includes a control room directly tied to his office, Boorady has control over any device in the building without leaving his desk. “If something goes down, the way that D&P implemented it, I can diagnose it from my office and immediately power cycle a monitor, projector, tablet, or whatever I needed to.”

[Pro AV 2025: What's Trendy?]

In the end, it’s the subject matter and the highly detailed exhibits that really shine. “I think one of the things that we really focused on from a content perspective is featuring the people who aren't always featured in White House history,” Boorady noted. “Those are the are real people who work at the White House, regardless of who's president or who's first lady. And they care for that building.

"So we’ve done, I think, a really good job of weaving those stories throughout the experience. And that's something that I think people have been taking away, seeing the human aspect of the White House as well. It’s obviously a symbol of American democracy, but it's also a home. It's a workplace. It's a stage. You know, it wears so many different hats.”

The latest creation from the team behind MEATliquor, BLOODsports carefully combines the elements of sports bar and ‘dive’ bar into a unique nightlife spot in the heart of London’s Covent Garden. The bar broadcasts live sports all day and night, followed by late-night horror movies, with elements of classic horror films woven into the bar décor—even down to the carpet, which visitors might recognize from Stanley Kubrick’s chilling horror movie classic, The Shining. Having worked with founder Scott Collins on AV system design, implementation, and maintenance for the MEATliquor chain, London-based systems integration specialists, Tateside, were on board with the project from the outset.

With BLOODsports wanting to live stream every kind of live sport in the bar, the video requirements were a major focus. A total of 28 screens to cover every possible viewing angle in the venue were built into the system design. The spaces covered include the main bar area, alongside a games room and snug area, and a private room for events or larger parties—all without any walled separation. Even the bathrooms feature screens for non-stop entertainment. Due to the open-plan nature of the space, audio zoning was a crucial consideration, ensuring that multiple sports can be broadcast simultaneously without audio bleeding between areas. Tateside worked closely with the client and Hisense’s U.K. distributor to secure the best possible deal on a variety of screens ranging from 32 up to 75 inches.

The scope for audio was to implement a distributed system where different areas of the venue could listen to different audio feeds. The system is built with a mix of professional-grade audio brands, including Martin Audio CDD loudspeakers and XE212 subs in the main bar, Audac ceiling speakers throughout, and Void Acoustics in the private VIP area. Dante-enabled Powersoft amplifiers were chosen for audio distribution, whilst NETGEAR POE+ switches handle networked AV traffic . The overall system is controlled through Q-SYS, with a touch panel and iPad providing intuitive user control over audio sources, screen content and even karaoke playback from a karaoke system sourced by the Tateside team.

[Meet Orbi—The Emoji Lighting Up the Vegas Sphere]

Given the flexibility of the system and the ease of source selection, the karaoke system’s audio and video output can be distributed across multiple screens and loudspeakers, depending on how busy the bar is or what other fixtures are taking place at the time. Beyond sing-a-longs and sports, other entertainment options include a DJ booth with Pioneer CDJ and mixer.

Despite the project’s complexity and strict timeline, the involvement of Tateside from the design phase contributed to the smooth running of the project. Tateside will provide ongoing support for BLOODsports with a dedicated maintenance service that ensures any technical issues are addressed within four hours.

For decades, “Page Six” of the New York Post has been a must read for entertainment news fans. Now, the tabloid tradition is a must "read/watch/share” destination, following a multi-phase studio and control room upgrade and expansion project led by Brooklyn, NY-based KMH Integration.

[High Marks for New Studio]

In addition to being the third largest U.S. daily newspaper, the Post also ranks among the top 10 news and information providers across the internet, with millions following its social media channels. The newspaper has steadily increased its digital presence, expanding its media operations from print journalism to online and social media content. Its operations are continuing to evolve, from the print newspaper to the website to an increased focus on video.

“The vernacular now for all types of social platforms and communication is video, and so we had a key market imperative to translate what we do journalistically into video,” explained Warren Cohen, VP/head of video and audio, New York Post. “That was the basis for developing the new studios. We wanted to keep everything that Page Six is known for but also offer new formats, live production, basically everything we can do to reach the consumer with immediacy.”

Through its parent company, News Corp, the Post engaged KMH Integration in Fall 2022, at the earliest phase of project planning and design, to consult on the most effective way to upgrade its studio operations and build new digital production facilities. The main goal was to give the iconic print page a “digital face” with enough flexibility to grow with the Post’s constantly changing production requirements.

Unified Production Platform

The Page Six project combined emerging IP and cloud services for archiving, media management and accessibility. Editors can work anywhere in the world, with the same on-prem workflow and access as their on-site colleagues.

“We developed an entirely new look with new capabilities to match their future vision,” said Kevin Henneman, president of KMH Integration. “We collaborated with their management and technical teams to gather all the requirements needed to build out these spaces and achieve a higher quality output from these rooms.”

The Post previously had an existing studio that was only used for static recording and had no live video capabilities. KMH gutted the studio and rebuilt it into the new Studio 1, a virtual production space with both a green and a white cyclorama, as well as a position for recording standups. The result is a multi-purpose recording space with a supporting control room.

[Extra Lives for Esports?]

The new Studio 2, which is the home for Page Six, has the key elements of a traditional production-type space with hard sets, monitors, and camera positions. Studio 2 gives the Post the ability to record podcasts, as well as acquire and distribute video content to social media and streaming platforms.

KMH designed a unified production platform that connects the video production capabilities of the Post with other News Corp media properties, allowing for greater flexibility and content sharing to expand the reach of News Corp's creative output. Turnkey, cloud-capable production workflows to give the Post creative teams the choice of working on prem, remotely, or a hybrid combination.

The design and planning process also included building in connectivity and production feature sets that supported integrating the Post’s media workflow with other business units at the News Corp Building in Manhattan, so different media groups can easily access and share content. KMH provided network design and consulting to be able to specify the correct switch fabric, install it, and work with it and security teams within the NewsCorp environment to get the networks up and running.

“This project is a perfect example of embracing cloud services for archiving, media management, and accessibility, and integrating them with an on-premise production system,” Henneman said. “New York Post editors can work anywhere in the world with the correct credentials and security clearance to access content in the same way as on-premise editors.”

Reinventing Workflows

The Post reinvented its entire production workflow, working with the KMH team to evaluate and identify the right systems necessary for getting content acquired, ingested, edited, and delivered to a growing number of platforms. “We want to be equipped for speed, flexibility, and presence on as many output channels as possible,” Cohen said. “Our audiences rely on us for trusted and timely information. We needed to make sure we had a flexible production environment based on a seamless system that worked instantaneously and was easy to use. We have enough work to do uncovering our scoops. We didn't want the production process to be burdensome, too.”

Keeping the Post’s workflow burden-free is largely due to the KAIROS live production platform from Panasonic Connect, which Cohen described as the “infrastructure helping to bring our journalism to life.” The KAIROS system provides added flexibility to do secure, reliable video streaming—taking advantage of advancements in software-defined networks and software-controllable systems, plus IP protocols like ST 2110 and NDI. “With our small but growing team, it's important that we spend as much time as we can on the creative aspects and not on the technical aspects,” Cohen added.

KMH chose the KAIROS production platform for several reasons, including its support of multiple formats such as NDI, Dante, ST 2110, and SDI. It also supports resource sharing, allowing multiple control points to use inputs, outputs, and on-board graphics, and allows video files to be integrated into simultaneous independent productions.

"In the case of the New York Post, we were able to support their continued production growth by building a separate studio—two studios now in total—with each sharing the single KAIROS through a licensing model," Henneman said. "We were able to build out a second control position easily to support virtual production on a green and white cyclorama and take advantage of the KAIROS internal virtual set library. Custom sets can also be built and loaded into the switcher as needed. These concepts are not necessarily new to the industry, but the way that Panasonic integrated them into the KAIROS makes it easy to implement from an integration standpoint and allows the most creative flexibility to support the Post's production needs.”

The KAIROS system is complemented by three Panasonic AW-UE160 PTZ robotic cameras, which are ST 2110-ready to support future production requirements, but also flexible enough to function within the Post's new hybrid SDI/baseband plant. Other control room gear includes Samsung studio displays, Allen & Heath Avantis audio mixer, Shure Axient Digital wireless mics, RTS Odin intercom, Cinedeck video servers, Ross Ultrix 12G router, Evertz master sync generator, and NETGEAR AV line network switches. KMH led the overall Page Six project, developing technology budgets and managing specialized technology providers.

[How to Build Better Corporate Events and AV Infrastructures]

Completed in January 2024, the Page Six studio has been in use ever since. Cohen said the space is being used for headline and news coverage, celebrity interviews, reporter interviews about their scoops, and premium franchises such as "Virtual Reali-Tea."

“Our success is measured in seconds,” Cohen said. “We want to be the first out there with news and we want to make sure that we're developing new products for different types of platforms. We have so many plans to get our news and formats and journalists out to the world, and now we have the right platform and a base of operations to do it.”

It was a busy week at ISE 2025. With all those new products, you may have missed all the newsmakers in Pro AV last week. Yes, there was another acquisition, several more people moving up the ranks, Zoom Rooms certifications, and a slew of new partnerships.

Be sure to get caught up in this week's Pro AV Newsmakers.

ISE 2025 Best of Show: SCN | AV Technology

People News

AVI Systems Announces Five Senior Leadership Promotions

AVI Systems has promoted five leaders from within the company as part of the company’s strategic evolution to support rapid growth and further position AVI Systems as a trusted, strategic advisor to its customers.

To manage continued growth, AVI Systems evolved its operational leadership structure. This evolution ensures the company has the right leaders in place to drive innovation, implement best practices across the company’s locations, and scale to meet growing customer demand.

[New Year's Acquisition: AVI Systems to Add AVCON]

The following senior leaders have been promoted:

• John Bagnell has been promoted to EVP. In this role, he oversees all AVI regional business units in the United States, fostering continuity and collaboration, driving regional growth, and aligning to AVI’s value proposition
• Shannon O’Reilly and Roland Schlegel will both serve as new SVPs reporting to Bagnell. In their new roles, long-time AVI regional leaders, O’Reilly and Schlegel, expand their oversight and support in existing regions, mentoring regional and area VPs, driving strategic growth plans, and ensure best practices across their expanded regions.
• Michael Safranski has been named SVP of operations. He leads AVI’s Integration, Delivery, and Managed Services teams to ensure alignment across all service lines and adoption of standards and best practices. This represents an expansion of Safranski’s current role as VP of managed services.
• Keith Yandell has been promoted to SVP of innovation. In this role, Yandell continues to oversee the Practice Team, emerging technologies and offerings and AVI’s own Innovation Vault, which is showcased at each AVI LIVE event held nationally. In addition, he is establishing a new vision for AVI’s customer experience centers.

Zixi Strengthens Commercial Leadership

Zixi has appointed Josh Wiggins as chief commercial officer and Kris Alexander as VP of product and industry marketing. These strategic hires reinforce Zixi’s leadership team as the company continues to drive innovation and expand its market presence in next-generation video contribution and distribution.

Wiggins brings over 25 years of experience across the media and entertainment ecosystem, specializing in business development, sales, and customer success from machine learning and metadata solutions to drive industry-wide growth, serving in senior commercial management roles in AWS, ThinkAnalytics, GrayMeta and Deluxe to name a few. In his new role, Wiggins leads Zixi’s go-to-market strategy, business development, sales operations, and partnerships, ensuring that customers and partners can maximize efficiency and revenue opportunities with Zixi’s technology.

Alexander joins Zixi with decades of experience leading strategy, product, and marketing at businesses such as AWS, Akamai Technologies, and numerous board advisory roles in M&E and technology to create new market opportunities and drive revenue growth. At Zixi, he leads messaging, packaging, thought leadership, and education to simplify and accelerate the journey of customers to take advantage of IP-based live video.

Company News

Riedel Expands 5G Expertise With MECSware Acquisition

Riedel Communications acquired MECSware and launched of the transformative Private 5G network solution Easy5G. Developed in collaboration with MECSware, Easy5G is set to enhance 5G usage in dynamic environments like live events, remote productions, and industrial facilities, offering flexibility, simplicity, and rapid deployment.

Established in 2015 by Dr. Torsten Musiol, MECSware develops and supplies easy-to-deploy and easy-to-operate 4G/5G system solutions for private networks. As part of the acquisition, MECSware will join the Riedel Group, but will remain an independent company.

Easy5G redefines Private 5G deployment by combining Wi-Fi-like simplicity with the robustness of carrier-grade systems. With only a handful of setup parameters, the system can be operational in under 60 minutes, cutting deployment time by weeks compared to traditional networks. No specialized 5G expertise or dark fiber is needed; Easy5G can be managed by general IT personnel using a standard switch infrastructure.

Crestron Joins Microsoft Device Ecosystem Platform

Crestron Electronics will join the Microsoft Device Ecosystem Platform (MDEP). Built on the Android Open Source Project (ASOP), MDEP is a platform open to device manufacturers and software developers to create new, innovative solutions with users in mind. Solutions that are part of the Microsoft ecosystem are backed by the trust, security, and management standards set forth by the brand.

“By joining MDEP, we're taking the next step in delivering purpose-built solutions that combine Crestron's expertise in workplace technology with Microsoft's enterprise-grade security and management capabilities,” said Crestron’s EVP of global marketing, Brad Hintze. “This will enable us to create more specialized, secure, and manageable devices that address the specific needs of modern workplaces, while maintaining the seamless integration our customers expect. We look forward to bringing our first MDEP-powered products to market soon."

LEA Professional and NETGEAR Announce Interoperability Partnership

LEA Professional entered into a Pro AV partnership with NETGEAR AV, which announced the interoperability between the NETGEAR AV Line managed switches and the LEA Professional Connect Series IoT-enabled smart amplifier family for professional audio systems.

This partnership highlights the compatibility of NETGEAR AV’s product portfolio with LEA Professional’s. The two technology companies form this partnership to enhance their combined customers’ experiences.

Among the company’s product lineup is LEA Professional’s award-winning Network Connect series of professional amplifiers and companion Dante Connect series featuring Dante and AES67 connectivity. These series enable integrators to utilize cloud-based remote control, monitoring, notifications, and more from any internet-enabled device, allowing them to stay connected anywhere in the world.

L-Acoustics and Treble Technologies Announce Strategic Partnership and Investment

L-Acoustics announced its participation in Treble Technologies’ Series A funding round, alongside a strategic partnership between the two companies.

This strategic partnership unites the two in a shared mission to transform how audio professionals design and optimize sound experiences. By combining L-Acoustics’ sound system expertise with Treble’s acoustic modeling technology, the brands are creating a more powerful and efficient workflow for their partners, from venue acoustics to system design.

Treble’s wave-based simulation technology brings new capabilities to the partnership, addressing complex acoustic phenomena including diffraction, phase effects, and wave interference, particularly in the low-frequency domain. The hybrid solver achieves these detailed calculations up to 100 times faster than conventional solutions, enabling partners to analyze and optimize sound behavior more comprehensively and efficiently than ever before. This collaboration represents a significant advancement in giving sound designers the tools they need to create exceptional audio experiences with greater confidence and precision.

Samsung and Cielo Partner with AI-Powered Digital Signage Technology

Samsung has partnered with Cielo, a manufacturer in AI-powered franchise solutions, to transform retail advertising and franchise operations. This collaboration combines Samsung’s VXT display technology and Cielo’s AI-driven platform, introducing game-changing tools for digital marketing and operational efficiency.

As part of this strategic alliance, Cielo is introducing SmartSigns, a Digital Signage as a Service (DaaS) solution that leverages Samsung’s VXT technology to deliver ‘the right message to the right audience at the right time.’ By integrating CieloVision’s KYAI (Know Your Audience Intelligence) for real-time analytics and AI-driven advertising, businesses gain powerful insights into consumer engagement.

Shure Strengthens Commitment to GPA’s Global Partnership Program

Shure is returning to GPA’s Global Partnership Program. This collaboration aims to enhance workplace technology by combining Shure’s unmatched audio products with GPA’s global reach and expertise.

GPA is dedicated to transforming businesses worldwide through intelligent and human-centered workplace technology. By welcoming Shure into its Partner Program, GPA continues its tradition of fostering strong, enduring relationships with top-tier global vendors. Shure’s century-long commitment to excellence in audio technology uniquely positions the company to meet the sophisticated needs of modern enterprises.

GPA’s stringent selection process ensures that only the most reliable and innovative technology providers join their elite program. Shure’s inclusion reinforces its reputation for delivering superior audio performance and reliability, qualities essential for GPA’s goal of enhancing enterprise customer experiences.

Symetrix Radius NX 4x4 IP DSP is Zoom Rooms Certified

The Symetrix Radius NX 4x4 IP DSP along with third-party TCC2 Ceiling Microphones, and AD-C4T-LP ceiling speakers are certified for use in Zoom Rooms environments, enabling enhanced audio echo cancellation and system controls.

Symetrix brings seamless unified communications and system control to all types of workspaces. From simple huddle spaces to workspaces requiring multiple microphones, Symetrix components provide flexibility in networked digital audio routing, processing, and configurations when being integrated with Zoom Rooms.

With this integration, the Symetrix Audio Echo Cancellation algorithm can be utilized. This provides more flexibility and pristine audio quality in multi-microphone and multi-speaker applications. The integration also permits HID synchronization for users to have controls for making calls, changing the volume of Zoom Rooms, and having access to status monitoring.

Once upon a time, in every school, church, office, and government building, there was a cluttered room full of dusty speakers, a workbench with cables being soldered, and piles of hard cases with all sorts of gear, cameras, microphones, and more. Inside, you'd find one or a group of ponytailed guys, usually dressed in black rock band shirts, smelling of cigarettes, and killing time reading old, yellow-paged Marvel comics. Then, the phone would ring, or someone would knock on their door with a stressed voice saying, "I need a techie guy immediately!"

[The Integration Guide to AVoIP 2024]

If this scene brings a nostalgic tear to your eye, you're probably over 40—or, like me, you're younger but grew up in a small, underdeveloped town. In my case, it was Itupeva, an agricultural town with only one traffic light in São Paulo, Brazil. Today, that room clutter has largely been replaced by “the network.”

Back then, the AV department’s main job was to help with the auditorium, set up meeting presentations, and occasionally record full events. This meant setting up microphones, speakers, stage lights, and cameras. Audio and video guys each had their own skillsets.

The old-school audio guy was usually a music enthusiast, maybe even a musician. Rock 'n' roll fans loved soldering cables and tinkering with gear, while techno-heads gravitated toward lights and tech like MIDI and DMX. Sure, it's a bit of a stretch, but each audio guy back then learned the craft through trial and error, often with a Band-Aid on their finger from a wiring mishap.

How It Started

Having a camera felt magical. Looking through the viewfinder for the first time is unforgettable—I still see a lower-third with “January 1st, 1990” on my mind. Video guys came mostly from photography, journalism, cinema, and families that captured all those kid moments on film.

I volunteered for my first job in the AV department of my public school. I was 11, but tall and strong enough to carry stuff from the AV room to the stage. I rolled cables around my elbow and shoulders until my bearded mentor showed me the trick of twisting the cable with your fingers to create the perfect loop. (Don’t forget to keep the same pull length!)

Fast forward 15 years, and I’m working at TV Globo, Brazil's largest broadcaster, in Rio de Janeiro. On my first day as a Vision Mixer Jr., I was introduced to the mystical “Systems Engineering Room.” Coming from recording studios, my own AV production house, and freelancing in smaller broadcasters back in my small town, I never imagined I'd be considered part of a systems engineering team.

I had a bachelor’s degree in media sciences with a specialization in AV production, but "engineer" sounded boring. I wanted to be a director, a producer, a creator! But working at Globo taught me the importance of planning a topology and calculating the signal flow needed for large systems.

Whether it's a broadcast studio, school auditorium, office meeting room, or a multipurpose venue, the quality of your work is tied to the effectiveness of your operations and the flexibility to accommodate requests.

[Viewpoint: An Invitation for Collaboration]

"Hey Gus, I need a mic in the cafeteria." Sure, one wired mic and two active speakers should do it. Mic XLR to the first active speaker, link both with another XLR.

Ten minutes later, "Gus, the director wants to address the new students. Can you add a couple more mics?" No worries. Let me grab a mixing desk, a few more mics, and cables.

Three minutes before the speech, "Gus, some employees cannot come, but they want to call in and listen from their phones. Can you set that up?" OK, that'll take a minute.

Any more requests? "Yes, make sure they can ask questions over the Tannoy?" Well, that'll take a bit longer.

After the event, "Great job, Gus. Now send the recording to the archive."

What recording?!?

Where It's Going

Jokes aside—and this wasn’t a joke— a successful AV operation today needs flexibility and scalability, even for simple presentations. With most AV manufacturers adopting IP-based solutions for their signal transport, AV professionals must understand local and remote network topologies, or as we AV-over-IP professionals say, LAN and WAN. Today, an AV professional is only as strong as their IP/network knowledge.

If you're not yet familiar, it's time to learn about AVoIP protocols such as NDI, Dante, ST 2110, and AES67. These “agreements amongst machines” (as I like to call the protocols) help AV manufacturers make their products interoperable, scalable, and flexible. While you could accomplish many things with analog devices and point-to-point systems, going digital with networked solutions makes everything lighter, better, and future-proof.

What should replace the AV department? The ideal department includes systems engineering with professionals sharing AV and IP knowledge. IT experts build and maintain infrastructure performance, reliable AVoIP engineers specify and deploy devices and protocols, and AV operators ensure it all sounds and looks good.

If an apprentice today received the same request I had back then, I hope they'd know about AVoIP solutions and avoid the hassle of last-minute requests with a scalable and flexible setup.

“Hey Gus, I need ...” I'll bring a NETGEAR AV switch, Dante mixing desk, some wired and wireless analog mics, a couple of NDI cameras, a Zoom account with DVS, and stream the event via OBS while automatically recording it to the cloud.

[The ABCs of AVoIP, Part 1]

Want more channels? Dante handles up to 512. Want more cameras? Find another port on the switch, plug-and-play. Want to share? The recording is available automatically after the event ends. Project complete—and I can enjoy the rest of my day without rolling gluey cables and getting my rock band shirt stinky. Long live AVoIP.

AV/IT TEAM: Jeff Levesque, lead information technologist; Ethan Hicks, senior information technologist; James Xiong, information technologist; Katie Babula, AV manager 

GOALS:  The Robert J. Higgins Welcome Center is the heart of the public-facing side of the University of Rhode Island. Built in 2018, it hosts dinners, board meetings, and retreats, on top of being the entry point for all prospective students and their families. The original AV design did not take into account the variety of happenings in the space, and the emergence of hybrid events meant the system needed an overhaul to meet the necessity of current demands on the building.

The main purpose of this project was to update the AV in two presentation rooms and a conference room, in addition to adding audio playback and announcement functions in the public-facing spaces. This redesign needed to take into account the flexibility of functions in the building and allow the building to work as both individual spaces and a cohesive unit.

CHALLENGES:  Consolidation of three separate AV systems into one building-wide system necessitated the installation of an entirely new dedicated AV network. It took a coordinated effort by our entire four-person team to find pathways all throughout the building and pull the thousands of feet of category cable necessary for installing over 60 new network drops. Once all the new cabling was in place, standing up the new network became the next challenge to ensuring that all audio, video, and control passed along this network without any issues.

Furthermore, the size of the main presentation space presented challenges from an audio perspective. Vaulted ceilings and no attic access meant traditional ceiling or suspended microphones were not an option. A combination of several solutions was required to adequately amplify presenters’ voices while also capturing audience interactions for hybrid events.

FINAL INSTALL/USER BENEFITS: The most immediately apparent benefit of the project is the ability for the spaces to quickly pivot between the different events happening each day. When the morning’s information session wraps up, tour guides in the lobby can easily make announcements to direct families out into the campus. As they file out to explore the beauty of Rhode Island, the presentation room is already being flipped into lecture mode for that evening’s presentation on the similarities between poker and personal finance. The interconnectedness of the spaces allows for events to overflow into other spaces at a moment’s notice, without requiring the full team of AV technicians on site. 

With the addition of cameras and microphones, each meeting space can host hybrid meetings or presentations, whether from the in-room computer or the user-provided laptop. The combination of the Shure microphones and QSC PTZ cameras within the Q-SYS environment allows for automatic preset recall to supply meaningful camera shots as the speaker moves around the room, which elevates the hybrid experience in any of the three presentation spaces.

Title: Global Training Manager

Company: NETGEAR

Location: Southampton, England 

Overtime: Growing up in Brazil, Marcondes formed a singing trio with his father and older brother and performed around their hometown. He is currently the lead singer and songwriter of the "Tuto Tribe," a collective of musicians worldwide specializing in music blending samba, rock, and reggae styles. The group has performed at prominent European festivals, including the U.K.'s historic Isle of Wight Festival and Italy's San Remo Festival. 

Why You Need to Know Him: Marcondes stands out with his unique approach to technical training. Drawing from his artistic background, he infuses his sessions with musical metaphors and anecdotes, making complex technical concepts more engaging and accessible. He strongly believes in the concept of "edutainment," where entertainment serves as a conduit for delivering complex technical concepts.

After graduating with a degree in AV engineering in the mid-2000s, Gus Marcondes spent a decade behind mixing desks and vision mixers for studios like TV Globo and live events like Rock in Rio and the Rio Carnival. He then relocated to Europe in 2013 to complete his master's degree. During that time, he gained experience working with various AV manufacturers—including RANE Pro, ALTO, DENON Pro, and Audinate—until landing with NETGEAR, working on AV-over-IP protocols and Wi-Fi applications requiring networking infrastructure. 

This led to his current focus: increasing awareness about NETGEAR Academy and helping to position it as a premier platform for AV and IT professionals to gain accreditation and product knowledge. Marcondes champions a customer-centric approach and finds joy in streamlining AVoIP processes to make them more accessible. "Witnessing the overwhelming interest in our training sessions underscores the industry's hunger for knowledge and innovation," he said. 

For his own education, Marcondes feels fearlessness and adaptability have been essential in his development as an AV professional, and evolving industry trends and technologies constantly inspire him. "I firmly believe that effective teaching stems from first-hand experience, trial, and mastery," he said. 

The AV industry is about community, and he enjoys the camaraderie found within it. "As I navigate trade shows and events, I encounter former colleagues, students, and friends, reaffirming the enduring bonds within our vibrant community," Marcondes added. 

For those getting started in the industry, Marcondes recommends embracing feedback as well as acknowledging the beneficial value of constructive criticism and how it can help you advance in your career. "Express gratitude for the time and effort invested by mentors and managers in nurturing your professional development," he said. "It could be the missing piece in taking that next step." 

Meet the rest of The Nine.

AVT Question: Please share your insight into trends that will play a role in hybrid workplace culture, space planning, and technologies in 2024.

Thought Leader: John Henkel, Director of Product Marketing at NETGEAR

With many people working partly from home and sometimes in the office, organizations are shifting away from big boardroom-type investments to ensuring that every meeting room is fully equipped for both in-person and remote participants.

 At the very least, this means superior-quality microphones, speakers, and cameras, and while it is yet to be a seamless experience in many cases, it is evolving fast.

At the same time, companies are investing in improving their on-premise network experience, especially since their employees have become used to high-quality connectivity at home. Slow or patchy connections are no longer tolerable.

The demand for a faster-connected experience extends to employees on the move. It does not matter what type of network people use, but it must be fast and reliable. 

Looking ahead, companies will likely start providing employees with even better at-home work technology, which will become another differentiator to retain and attract talent. 

In addition, enhancing virtual collaboration will help remote workers feel more connected to their colleagues, and this needs to be in tandem with supporting a better work-life balance and mental health. In particular, Gen Z is coming into the workplace without the benefit of years of social interaction in the office and needs help developing those skills, otherwise they may become isolated. Likewise, more mature workers also require support. Otherwise, we could see another wave of the Great Resignation. 

As the first quarter of 2024 ends, the year is off to a great start. Companies are settling into hybrid workplace models, higher education institutions are continuing to deploy networked AV throughout the campus, and for the most part, supply chain issues are in the rearview mirror.

To understand upcoming trends, I look to the responses to my question regarding company roadmaps and philosophies. Artificial intelligence, sustainability, strategic alliances, cloud, immersive environments, ease of use, and improving the user experience are common threads from the responses of 40 AV/IT thought leaders. 

Manufacturers introduced new products and solutions at Integrated Systems Europe in February and are finetuning offerings that will be announced at InfoComm in June.

During the past couple of years, the most significant trend that emerged was out of necessity; end users embraced the need for high-quality audio, and the deployment of these solutions continues.

Set aside any thoughts of nefarious intent you might have about AI and look no further than the AV/IT industry to see the immense benefits already being implemented in audio and video collaboration products.

AI has entered our audiovisual products over the last few years, leading to better detection of meaningful audio versus non-meaningful audio, detection of speakers in audio and video, and delivery of a good meeting experience to remote participants. “The use of AI will increase in our products, delivering even more meaningful experiences to the remote participant at the far end,” said Holger Stoltze, director of Product Management at Yamaha UC. “It is important to note that these improvements can be introduced through firmware upgrades of existing products—not a ‘fork-lift’ upgrade of existing infrastructure.” 

When it comes to keeping the ship running smoothly, sustainability might not be what keeps you up at night, but fortunately, manufacturers are taking our future seriously. “Minimizing the environmental impact of our products will be an integral feature of our roadmap, including less energy wastage, even more recycling, and further steps to minimize our logistics’ environmental impact,” said Bjorn Krylander, chief executive officer and managing director at Datapath.

Mark Bonifacio, director of Business Management of Professional Display Solutions at Sony Electronics, added, “Building on our Road to Zero global environmental plan, we’ve implemented sustainable practices, large and small, across our entire product lifecycle.”

Creating alliances is one of the ways companies are helping to ensure the overall experience is seamless. “At Sennheiser, we want to be the easiest technology partner for our customers to work with, regardless of their setup,” said Charlie Jones, global alliance and partnership manager, Business Communication at Sennheiser.

History tells us that if something is not easy to use, it won’t be used, and the technology investment will have a negative ROI. Ultimately, a positive user experience will be the measure of success.

Susy Liem, associate vice president of conferencing product management at Shure, said, “Having the right AV equipment and solutions in place helps improve the employee experience, productivity, and decision-making—all key to a business’s success.”

“Nureva’s 2024 roadmap is focused on delivering large-room audio solutions that support the much-needed quality of experience—with maximum adaptability and flexibility but without complexity,” said Nancy Knowlton, Nureva's chief executive officer.

Amber Ward, director of marketing at Carousel Digital Signage, added, “As we move forward into 2024, we’re looking at one guiding principle: helping our customers break through the noise so they can get the most out of their signage system.”

“Working with our entire ecosystem of customers and partners, we’re going head-on into the new year to help elevate experiences and spaces so that they reach their fullest potential,” said Ryan Carson, vice president and general manager of Professional Imaging and Visual Systems at Panasonic Connect North America.

Read the full interviews of these thought leaders and more by clicking on the company names in the box to the right.

AVT Question: Please share insight into your company's roadmap for 2024.

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

Peerless-AV prides itself on keeping innovation, progression, and forward-thinking at the forefront of our goals. We continue to look for new, different, and better ways to deliver new solutions to our customers, enhancing the overall user experience.

As we enter 2024, our focus remains steadfast on delivering top-notch structural systems for dvLED video walls, hybrid work solutions, and more. With a dedication to innovation, Peerless-AV solutions carry OEM certifications; we offer continued education for our sales representatives; and more to ensure that from beginning to end, Peerless-AV is a valued partner to our customers. Grounded in quality manufacturing, perpetual innovation, and unwavering customer service, these core values empower everyone at Peerless-AV to defy conventions and unlock new possibilities.

AVT Question: Please share insight into your company's roadmap for 2024.

Thought Leader: Tim Bigoness, Chief Marketing Officer and vice President of Sales at D-Tools

D-Tools manufacturing roadmap for 2024 is as clear as it’s ever been. For 25 years, we devoted our product development time and resources to the evolution of our core business management software platforms, providing custom integrators a valuable tool that helps them operate their businesses more efficiently and prosper in a highly competitive tech market. Our knowledge of and appreciation for the products and services our integration partners provide commercial and residential customers runs deep, and our software solutions are a direct reflection of this understanding. With every new feature refined or added to our award-winning on-premise System Integrator and off-premise Cloud software platforms, integrators experience greater business efficiency and profitability. Workflow is streamlined, processes standardized, organization of data and schedules simplified, and communication with all stakeholders improved.

Due to the dynamic nature of software and the fast progression of the tech industry, our software platforms will continue to advance in 2024. The aim and focus of D-Tools has always been on enabling greater success for our integrator partners, and we’ll stay laser-focused on this primary initiative for 2024. Through closer collaboration with our integrator customers and intensive data analysis, we will gain even better insights into the market and the needs of integrators to further fine-tune and expand our software solutions. With each step, we will deliver meaningful benefits to our loyal integration partners through software that is easy to implement and for everyone in the company to use. When an integration business can tackle projects with efficiency, confidence and professionalism, everyone involved in a project stands to gain—employees, adjacent trades, and end users alike.

AVT Question: Please share insight into your company's roadmap for 2024.

Thought Leader: Omer Brookstein, Chief Executive Officer at Xyte

The landscape of device and hardware manufacturing is shifting profoundly due to hardware commoditization and evolving customer preferences. In response to these changes, manufacturers have been compelled to reassess their business strategies. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are pivoting towards offering integrated business solutions that encompass hardware, software, and services. 

As 2024 unfolds, Xyte Device Cloud, a comprehensive servitization platform, is poised for significant growth following a successful $30 million investment round. 

The investment will propel Xyte on its mission to support connected device manufacturers across diverse industries. With a focus on advancing capabilities and reach, the funding will fuel the company's success trajectory and expedite its expansion, particularly in North America and Europe. 

For the AV industry, Xyte is an AV-as-a-Service (AVaaS) enabler, allowing manufacturers to provide remote support and remote device management capabilities to their channel partners and customers. Yet AVaaS is a concept that encompasses much more—a direct engagement of OEMs with their customer base. This brings with it the option to tap into additional revenue streams beyond the initial sales, with the ability to provide additional functionalities on demand without requiring new hardware, eliminating the need to replace products, and allowing faster time to market for new features.

Throughout 2024 Xyte is set to unveil a series of enhancements. At ISE, Xyte introduced Xyte Connect, which empowers OEMs and their industry partners to share data via the cloud. Xyte Connect fosters collaboration on various fronts, including device configuration, setup, support, updates, and comprehensive monitoring and management. By facilitating this shared ecosystem, Xyte aims to enhance efficiency and collaboration across AV and other industries, enabling manufacturers and their partners to optimize and lengthen the life cycle of connected devices. 

With AVaaS, OEMs are able to extract more value from their products, fostering customer loyalty and a competitive edge in the dynamic AV market.

AVT Question: Please share insight into your company's roadmap for 2024.

Thought Leader: Kevin Morrison, Chief Executive Officer at Utelogy

As the global leader in the management, monitoring, and automated control in the modern workplace, Utelogy made a significant appearance at ISE 2024. The Utelogy platform enables customers to proactively manage their meeting space technology and helps to deliver meeting equity. 

The past year has been pivotal for Utelogy, with substantial enhancements to the platform driven by the growth of its global customer base. At ISE 2024, Utelogy announced a major architectural upgrade, introducing new features that promise to elevate platform usability and value. Strengthening the Utelligence program, Utelogy is raising the bar in security and compatibility, working alongside industry manufacturers to showcase exciting product integrations. Highlights include collaborations with MTR Cloud, Zoom Cloud, Logitech CollabOS, Poly Lens, NEAT Pulse, Yealink, and others.

A standout was Utelogy's integration with ServiceNow, which brings a new level of efficiency to alert management by seamlessly automating workflows and incident creation within ServiceNow's ITSM suite, backed by rich data from Utelogy.

Looking ahead, Utelogy's vision encompasses reshaping the AV/UC, IoT, and smart workspace management landscape. The forthcoming iteration of Utelogy will introduce digital twin technology, sustainability efforts, intelligent alerting, enhanced automation, self-healing features, and API expansions, all supported by a cloud-centric architecture and an improved user experience.

Utelogy's strategy is grounded in smart, software-only solutions, leveraging advanced analytics, IoT, and AI to streamline energy and resource management. This approach not only slashes total ownership costs but also delivers valuable analytics and insights.

Global growth and the crafting of connected environments demand bespoke solutions and relentless industry collaboration attuned to our customers' operational efficiencies. By delivering intelligent solutions that enhance user experiences through advanced insights and analytics, Utelogy is catering to the demands of a technologically interconnected global workspace. Utelogy's commitment to innovation ensures it remains the vanguard, meeting the ever-changing needs of AV and IT professionals with intuitive, cost-effective management tools.

AVT Question: Please share insight into your company's roadmap for 2024.

Thought Leader: George Walter, Senior Executive at Digital Projection

For Digital Projection, 2024 will be a year of getting back to the business of providing premium imaging solutions that help our customers overcome common design and installation challenges for quicker, faster deployment in residential and commercial environments and with greater customer satisfaction. 

We continue to receive glowing reports from our dealers about how our team worked with them to streamline the design, configuration, calibration, and installation of our projectors and LED displays and exceeded customer expectations with superior imaging performance. At Digital Projection, our strategy rests on providing our dealers with a great experience with our team, our products, and our company. After all, when our dealers are successful, we are successful. The new year is certainly looking bright.

After three years of proactively addressing the many business challenges and supply chain issues plaguing the AV industry, we’ve fully rebounded, are stronger than ever, and foresee a very exciting and promising year for Digital Projection. Our outlook is bright, showcased by many innovative product introductions and stronger than ever concierge-level service and support for our dealers and customers. We’ve added a host of new features and enhanced color gamut and brightness to our line of projectors and have made steady improvements to the resolution, color performance, and contrast of our growing family of LED displays, all while simplifying installation for a growing range of emerging applications—even those requiring curved displays! 

AVT Question: Please share insight into your company's roadmap for 2024.

Thought Leader: Bob Michaels, Chief Executive Officer at ZeeVee

Security remains a paramount concern, and we channel substantial resources into fortifying our systems. Our latest innovation, the ZyPer Management Platform 3.x, is a testament to our commitment to robust security measures. This software-based solution simplifies the implementation of safeguards across networks, user accounts, and graphical user interface applications. Notably, our dedication to security is heightened for clients engaged in government, enterprise, healthcare, and similar sectors where sensitive data is integral. 

As part of our comprehensive security architecture, we adhere to IT-level security standards, ensuring end-to-end video encryption and employing 802.1x authentication protocols. This multifaceted approach underscores our proactive stance on safeguarding against evolving cybersecurity threats and ensuring the integrity of our clients' critical projects and sensitive information.

Focusing on software-based solutions will enable us to add features, functions, and capabilities to our products that simplify the installation and operation of AVoIP-driven systems. We’re very aware that there are many AV system end users that still lean towards HDBaseT because they fear AVoIP is difficult to learn and implement. Intuitive management and control will go a long way to continuing the steady conversion of the industry to network-based AV signal distribution. Post-installation, users can confidently expect long-term performance with ongoing robust enhancements via firmware updates.

It has long been our mantra and corporate responsibility to provide the industry with detailed AVoIP education. Since the pandemic, we’ve offered our series of zero-cost, Certified Solution Partner Training courses that award attendees AVIXA CTS credits. Attendance at these twice-a-month sessions remains strong, and we’re adding three new courses that will dive deeper into best practices for successful AVoIP system implementations.

Lastly, our support for RF modulation persists, catering to applications like sports content delivery in HD, especially in settings like bars and restaurants. RF also remains a preferred and cost-effective solution for retail and health clubs.

AVT Question: Please share insight into your company's roadmap for 2024.

Thought Leader: Kohei Hattori, General Manager, Live Production Business Department at Roland

Demand for high-quality audio and visual production for online and in-person events has been increasing. Roland is firmly committed to meeting the expectations of mobile and installation-based customers with new product releases, timely updates for our current lineup, and adding more value to the investments our customers make with confidence.

As we begin the new year, we are introducing several unique functions for our flagship Roland switchers, the V-160HD and V-600UHD. These updates are in response to direct feedback from our customers and the market worldwide. 

It is also worth highlighting that our Roland video products continue incorporating advanced audio functions made possible by more than 50 years of Roland’s electronic musical instrument expertise. Professional quality audio functions like ours are highly appreciated in the streaming market as it continues to expand and evolve. 

Our products also allow system integrators to offer affordable solutions with unique technological integrations and intuitive user interfaces. 

The teams at Roland look forward to listening to and acting on customer feedback. It allows Roland to make businesses successful, and we become loyal business partners in the process.

AVT Question: Please share insight into your company's roadmap for 2024.

Thought Leader: Tomer Mann, Chief Revenue Officer at 22Miles

As we embark on the new year, 22Miles is celebrating a significant leap in our commitment to revolutionizing digital experiences. Our latest Content Manager update, version 7.5, brings new features to our customers to better manage enterprise space management, collaboration, and user experience across their hardware ecosystems. 

As part of this release, our AI tools—AI Command, AI Assistant, and AI Backoffice—harness the cutting-edge capabilities of large language models (LLMs) to deliver incredibly responsive user experiences. Using GPT or a propriety on-premises model, 22Miles creates custom AI interfaces suitable for enterprise use cases. These tools empower clients to integrate personalized, accurate, secure content and service tools into their digital signage walls, kiosks, websites, or mobile applications. 

Our platform updates include several new employee engagement features, including a Microsoft Outlook plug-in to make space management and room booking easier and more visually accessible for global users. We’ve also debuted the Microsoft Teams App, which integrates collaboration within Teams channels and chats directly with the system’s other functionality: space booking, concierge kiosk services, dynamic digital signage, emergency alerts, and push notifications. Customers will also enjoy new scheduling capabilities for over 250 players within Web Manager and new wayfinding templates to support workplace efficiency. 

Our product roadmap for 2024 reflects our ongoing commitment to delivering a robust, user-friendly CMS that has garnered client trust and loyalty for over a decade. With continuous evolution at our core and ongoing improvements at the forefront of our innovation strategy, our portfolio guarantees that customers will enjoy consistency and efficiency in the new year and beyond. Eager to deliver unparalleled consistency, efficiency, and ROI across digital ecosystems in 2024, we invite new and existing clients to harness the power of our CMS and our AI-driven solutions to craft engaging, unified, and secure experiences.

AVT Question: Please share insight into your company's roadmap for 2024.

Thought Leader: Robert Detwiler, Senior Director of Product Management and Training at Planar

In 2024, our customers can expect to see our selection of fine pixel pitch front-of-room display products expand. This includes support for outdoor use, and as MicroLED manufacturing efficiency and volume increase, we see an opportunity to incorporate MicroLED into more of our products. 

As with any year, we remain focused on assessing new and evolving technology trends to best address our customers’ needs and offer mature, repeatable products that are easy to integrate and are more readily available. This is true of all-in-one models, which are on the rise and enable quick deployment and ease of use for customers who have limited to no training. We’re excited to stay on top of this demand and further our support in this space.

We’re still seeing new virtual production (VP) applications emerge every day. This spans production and multimedia studios, universities, and an increasing number of corporate settings. We’re evolving our product portfolio as needs arise, and we continue to foster industry events and hands-on learning experiences to help those who may be implementing the technology in a new way or for the very first time. Last year, we launched the Planar Studios Virtual Production Workshop, offering the AV and IT communities a week-long series aimed at helping design, deploy, and support VP and extended reality (XR) projects. VP and XR were once new concepts for us, but today we know the technology holds tremendous opportunity for revolutionizing the production of lifelike content and we want to help make this accessible for all.

Outside of VP and XR, we’re closely following cybersecurity for networked devices, and exploring more connected devices that can help AV and IT professionals maintain their technology over large deployments.

AVT Question: Please share insight into your company's roadmap for 2024.

Thought Leader: John Henkel, Director of Marketing at NETGEAR Business

Last year, NETGEAR released the new PR460X professional router and the first wave of a completely new set of network switches, the M4350 series. For 2024, we will continue to target the AV market with products that are easier to use and at a great value.

We have just released two models of the new M4350 series that support the SMPTE ST 2110 broadcast standard, and this changes the equation. Now instead of a very expensive switch that you have to spend a lot of time configuring, you can get an M4350 switch and have the NETGEAR AV OS set up the switch with a certified profile in seconds. Additionally, our NETGEAR Engage Controller will continue to evolve and offer more and more functionality to anyone setting up an AV network—for a single switch or multiple switches. 

Our focus on making it easier for people to transition to AV over IP will continue with the use of our worldwide team of AV network specialists who can help design your network, choose the right products, and troubleshoot any issues that may arise. Our pro WiFi access points will be growing as well, with exciting new product releases taking advantage of the latest wireless standards. 

Bottom line: more of the same goodness we shared in 2023.

AVT Question: Please share insight into your company's roadmap for 2024.

Thought Leader: Joshua Rush, Chief Marketing Officer at Audinate

2023 was a bellwether year for Audinate, having shipped over 1 million units. Given the strong connection and recognition with customers, we plan to build on last year’s success by continuing to add elements to our complete Dante AV-over-IP platform. Long the de facto standard in networked audio, our growing portfolio of video products and ever-expanding options for control and management have transformed Dante into a comprehensive, interoperable solution for customers looking to deploy AV-over-IP solutions. 

We’re seeing rapid growth in Dante AV, our family of networked video solutions that bring the simplicity of Dante to AV-over-IP. Dante AV comprises hardware and software products that serve the needs of in-house video distribution (Dante AV Ultra), H.26x streaming (Dante AV-H), and products for signal distribution based on the ASPEED chipset (Dante AV-A). Audinate’s video products are rapidly gaining adoption within the AV-over-IP market, with 35 OEMs currently licensed and developing and delivering video-enabled products to end users.

Beyond the growth in video, our strategy over time is to add more value, services, and capabilities to Dante networks. For example, we’ve made huge strides in cloud-based management and control offerings with the recent launch of Dante Connect and our beta program for Dante Director. With Dante Connect, a network of Dante audio products can send up to 256 channels of synchronized audio from any site to cloud-based Virtual Machines for broadcast editing and production, saving time and money. The soon-to-be-launched Dante Director is a cloud-based application that enables you to organize Dante devices in logical groups and more easily manage Dante networks remotely.

We have a rich product roadmap planned for the remainder of 2024 intended to broaden our solutions offerings and delight our customers, so look for additional announcements from Audinate in the near future.

AVT Question: Please share insight into your company's roadmap for 2024.

Thought Leader: Beau Wilder, Global Head of Future Customer Experiences, Hybrid Work Solutions at HP

The success of any organization will depend on its adaptability to the ever-changing needs and work styles of its employees. Employees want flexibility, autonomy, inclusivity, and technology that enhances their collaborative capabilities and productivity.

At HP, we create technology that empowers employees to do their best work wherever they are. By leveraging more than a decade of workplace persona research, we have honed our ability to identify the right tools for various workstyle personas and workplace needs. Whether you work from home, in the office, or anywhere in between, we design our solutions to meet the demands of the modern-day workforce.

AI will become the collaboration technology standard for the future of work. Solutions that can scale, adapt, integrate, and be remotely managed will be at the forefront. HP and Poly have been in the AI space for decades. We integrate AI to enhance, not replace, the human experience. For example, HP | Poly’s DirectorAI technology automatically frames and captures speakers in a meeting, while NoiseBlockAI and Acoustic Fence technology block out unwanted noise. We will continue to leverage the power of AI-driven innovations that allow everyone to have a seat at the table—physically or virtually—so you can have your best meeting, every meeting.

A strategic focus on empowering employees to do their best work by investing in the right tools and technology integrations, and workspace transformation focused on the collaboration experience will be a top priority this year. At HP, our comprehensive portfolio of products can easily integrate with your existing tools and boost productivity. We want to help teams show up and stand out so everyone in the meeting feels seen and heard, from wherever they are.