Update: I spoke to ZOOM CEO Eric Yuan this morning. He told me that it’s correct that they do try to establish relationships directly with the clients. But, he says that ZOOM’s policy about this is very specifically defined: If an AV integrator has an existing client relationship, all they need to do is register that […]

  At ISE, I had a chance to get a behind-the-scenes, top-secret look at the new SiliconCore LISA technology. LISA is basically an LED video-wall material (modular, like all the others) where the electronics and board drivers use Chip On Board (COB) manufacturing technology. So, on one side of the PCB is the LED array and on the other are […]

By Bob Romano CRO, BBH Solutions, Inc. Recently a story in rAVe AV News titled “Corporate Culture and the AVL Industry” by Anthony Coppedge caught my attention. I had a disconnect with his article, which seemed to say overworked integration teams (specifically in the AV ecosystem) was due to “cultural failures” of the organization. My belief is […]

It’s the Law The astonishing thing about the laws of physics and the mathematically derived acoustical parameters that govern sound reproduction is that, despite considerable effort by many well meaning or at least well motivated individuals and manufacturers over the last 150+ years, they simply haven’t changed, and, just in case you think there is […]

If you have gone to any AV leadership event over the last several years, ranging from the Commercial Integrator Summit to InfoComm’s AVEC to NSCA’s Business and Leadership Conference, you know that developing a revenue stream based on service has been at the forefront of the conversation. Many integrators have started offering managed services to their […]

Each week, I am highlighting on some of the incredible people who are in the Audio Video Industry. As this blog is mostly about AV insiders, today we are profiling Oliver Hall . Here is a brief intro about him. Oliver Hall has worked in the Audio Visual industry for over 10 years. Prior to […]

We had a lot of fun last week researching the AV demands of Generation Z, especially as those demands related to higher education. Now we are going to address the overlap of three of those demands as they relate to business success. They are augmented reality, touch screens and live streaming. For each trend, we […]

I was honored to be the Luncheon Keynote Speaker at the AVI LIVE 2017 show yesterday in Cincinnati, Ohio, yesterday. And, it was incredible. Everything about it! The branding, the education, the atmosphere, the venue, the vendors, the customers, the food — well, OK, the food was decent, but the rest was awesome. The Branding: AVI Systems founded in […]

There has been a lot of discussion lately about the use of Virtual Realty (VR) technology. One of the applications being touted as ripe for VR is virtual meetings — a Virtual Reality Telconference (VRTC) if you will. But will VRTC be the next big leap in meeting technology? Imagine getting ready for your next […]

Recently, I’ve blogged about salesperson lingo, specifically, tirekickers and be-backs. Since I’ve been diving into the vernacular of the salesfloor, here’s some more. Just as prospective customers who never buy anything have their own nickname, so to do their opposites: the customers who buy. In the parlance, a “whale” is a customer who’s spending big. […]

Each week, I am highlighting on some of the incredible people who are in the Audio Video Industry. As this blog is mostly about AV insiders, today we are profiling Cory Schaeffer . Here is a brief intro about her. Cory is the Director of Systems Solution for QSC’s System Business Unit. She is a […]

Suggested by a conversation with John Mayberry – Emmaco Engineering history is replete with decisions that, upon any kind of reasonable reflection, would prove at best questionable or at worst disastrous — for example, the rapid and urgent deployment of the legendary Boeing designed, engineered and constructed B-29 Superfortress in May of 1944 during WW […]

By Meghan Athavale CEO, Lumo Interactive There are obviously all kinds of factors that influence how a display is designed, and how it works. These include things like lighting requirements, durability, intuitive user experience, target audience, localization, accessibility… the list is super long. However, there are three simple rules that I’ve discovered must be followed […]

I’ve been around AV for the last 15 years and have worked for residential and commercial integrators as well as AV manufacturers. There has been a lot of change in that time, and most agree that the days of selling little black mystery boxes for 60 points margin are all but gone. In fact, many […]

The January/February 2017 CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY issue is fascinating, thought-provoking, intriguing, and overwhelming.  Do you realize that the current generation, Generation Z, is now entering their college-age years? Soon, this group of approximately 60 million young people will be future employees, home owners, entrepreneurs, and economic decision makers.  For those of us in the AV industry, […]

Are you a new company selling a new product? Well, this blog’s for you! Listen, don’t let people fool you — this industry is NOT that complicated. You don’t need a fancy marketing campaign and you certainly don’t need to waste your money with banner ads on on-line publications to make it BIG in AV. […]

Each week, I am highlighting on some of the incredible people who are in the Audio Video Industry. As this blog is mostly about AV insiders, today we are profiling Saar Litman. Here is a brief intro about him. Saar Litman is a Senior Analyst and Consultant at Wainhouse Research and a 17-year veteran of […]

It’s about time we got what we asked for. Residents in Central Oregon are tired of hearing the words, “home theater” and “stereo.”  One local home owner stated, “I will go to the theater if I want to see a blockbuster on a 20-foot screen.  And if I want a stereo, those are at Goodwill. […]

Last year at InfoComm, a friend from the industry who follows me on various social media platforms came up to me and said something like this, “I hate you! You’re so productive! How do you manage to work a difficult job, raise a kid, run half marathons and make craft projects?” I said something about […]

Today another eulogy was given to AV technology. As with most AV eulogies, the problem is that the technology declared dead is still alive and well. In this instance, the projection screen business was “buried alive” by Gary in his latest blog “Is the Screen Business About to Disappear?” However, like Uma Thurman in Kill […]

In the ProAV market, unless you’re blind (or just like to deny truths), you see the writing on the wall, LITERALLY (you’ll get that pun if you keep reading). The projection screen market is about to nearly die a somewhat rapid death. Let’s look at the reasons why: 1. The flat screen monitor (LCD and […]

It’s hugely exciting that CEDIA is one big movement and voice now, a truly global organisation. I’m so glad the voice is bigger and louder now because my voice is so quiet, I barely get heard by my audience. I have to use a microphone, amplifier and speakers to be heard. My sound system still […]

Back in December, my predictions for 2017 included the idea that collaboration would be a top driver for our industry this year, including the rental and staging portion of the industry. Several people wrote in to ask about this prediction, mostly inquiring as to how a rental company prepares for such a change in technology, […]

Each week, I am highlighting on some of the incredible people who are in the Audio Video Industry. As this blog is mostly about AV insiders, today we are profiling Hagai Feiner . Here is a brief intro about him. Hagai Feiner has worked in the Audiovisual industry for over 15 years. He is currently […]

Last week, I saw the movie Hidden Figures, the story of Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson. These trailblazing women were human “computers” at NASA (they did the math before there were electronic computers), and they all made significant contributions not just to the space race, but to advance women and people of […]

The good was the ISE show itself; the bad was going through security at the airport with a carry-on bag filled with small electronic devices and the ugly? Well — read on. Miravue was new to ISE this year so we decided to exhibit in the Discovery Zone (a one-time option for new exhibitors that […]

The market is flooded with online look-a-likes. Sadly, most people will just “rubber-neck” their way through it as the salesperson talks right over their heads in hopes that they’ll just get exhausted enough to press the “buy now” button and move on. I love the quote from the movie Tommy Boy as he is trying […]

You’ll read a lot about ISE over the next few months. It was the biggest ProAV and HomeAV show ever. Over 73,400 people attended in Amsterdam and it is NO LONGER A EUROPEAN SHOW. ISE is truly an international show. And, you’ll read about all the 4K stuff, all the new software codecs, all the new wireless stuff, all the […]

I am back from ISE 2017 and had an amazing experience. I learned so much and will have plenty to write about, and will be following up on over the coming months. I had two experiences with customer services, and the differences were so vast, I want to write about them. I am a firm believer […]

While at ISE, I caught up with InfoComm Sr. Vice President of Expositions Jason McGraw, and he filled me in on a bunch of new things going on at this year’s annual show in Orlando in June. This year’s event has more education than any show, ever, in the ProAV world. But, one special Tuesday […]

Planar Leyard surprised everyone at ISE with a 0.7 millimeter LED wall at ISE — it was in there booth as well as in the LANG stand. This is a big deal as the previously smaller working LED was 0.9 millimeter. And, 0.7 millimeter represents nearly the same resolution as direct-view LCD. In addition, Leyard […]

NEC Display Europe went to ISE with a new collaboration board where they partnered with Huddly (for the camera), Sennheiser (for the audio) and FlatFrog (for the touch) and built a Windows 10 interactive board with wireless collaboration integrated all-in-one. It was one of three big attractions in their stand at ISE this year and […]