In the latest session of #AVintheAM—a popular Sunday morning Twitter chat—Chris Neto, #AVintheAM originator and social media expert, asked questions like "Have you seen any emerging trends in 2019? What is your early prediction for the new trend of the year?"
Here is a roundup of answers.
I’m expecting that we see more industry consolidation heading into InfoComm 2019—I’m waiting to see who announces what merger or acquisition.
The UX blur between hardware and software is developing at an interesting pace, driven by AVoIP adoption for signal transport and control. I don’t think we have reached critical mass yet, but momentum is certainly building—a palpable difference in 2019 to 2017/18.
eSports has huge momentum at the moment—the end user is incredibly articulate in stating what they want and why they want and they are smart enough to know what exactly that technology does. Gaming is going to push hardware and streaming into some fun new places.
The term 'Huddle Space' will finally die, and this annoying football metaphor will be replaced the more appropriate to AV synonym, 'Cluster.' Especially as more end users install their own gear, you can truly say, "This install is a Cluster."
Margins are tightening as commoditization takes hold. Tracking labor costs, I see a lot of downward pressure even in a hot business climate. The bigger, top-heavy companies are analyzing costs even more.
For more stories like these, read the full Twitter thread here.
To join in the conversation, watch Neto's Twitter page on Sunday mornings for the weekly discussion topics and follow the #AVintheAM thread.
Editor's Note: Some responses have been edited for style/length/clarity.
