There’s a product we’ve written about a few times here in rAVe called Biscotti. Biscotti started out two years ago as a little $200 camera that you set on top of a TV that let you connect to other Biscotti users as well as to any Google Gmail user – face to face, via video and audio. […]

One of the things that continues to amaze me about today’s educational systems is how difficult they are to truly change. Before I go any further, let me say that I love teachers, educators and administrators. Like literally, I love them. My mother, father, aunt (four of them), uncles and wife have all been teachers […]

Its almost a cliché in the AV trade media that if you need a topic for your blog, post a picture of a dreadful installation and write a post that both mocks it and moralizes to the AV Pro readers about the importance of doing a better job than the one you’re writing about. Well, that’s one cliché. […]

FACT: I am an active Facebook user and a “Liker” of pages (from here on out, I will refer to myself, when referring to pages, as a “Liker” – I know it used to be “Follower” but that changed a while ago). Maybe it’s partly because I am a consumer so I enjoy the somewhat voyeuristic […]

So I’ve been reading a lot about the new 4k format for televisions and I’ve seen a few 4k displays, both out in the retail space and here in our shop.  I’ve read numerous 4k tweets, posts, and blogs, like this one by John Sciacca.  I’ve even watched an hour long video starring video guru Joe Kane discussing the subject.  So after all this 4k exposure, […]

Well, the time has come. My husband and I have been discussing this for months. We’ve gone back and forth asking the same questions over and over again: “Are we ready?” “Will our lives be different?” “Will we miss anything we used to have?”  “What if we regret our decision?”  “Is it actually going to […]

OK, so I know this comes on the heels of another post where I leveraged Star Wars to offer criticism on the Switch Wars, but being that yesterday was May 4th, the official Star Wars birthday I just had to write something else. Star Wars and AV have a long history as well, and anyone who […]

Last week I tried to make the case that AV dealers in search of both margin and market share need to embrace entertainment furniture as more than just an afterthought to audio and video. Rather, it has to be treated as an equally important category, and detailed some trends in styling and design that are worth being […]

Unless you have had your head in the sand over the past several weeks, you are aware of the dust up created by Crestron and their switcher “comparison.” If you are lucky enough to have had your head in the sand, catch up right now by reading my last blog. OK, are you back? Well, round three is now over […]

In a fit of self awareness, (followed by associated depression and fetal thumb-sucking ), I felt it might be necessary to introduce myself formally to rAVe readers. For anyone who may follow me or be familiar with some of my work in the industry, you may already know my take on a variety of AV issues. For […]

While “the cloud” has been a bit of a buzzword in the past, the reality is that reliable cloud-based, real-time communication solutions are available now – and these offerings are proving to be robust, efficient and a cost-effective alternative to premises-based technologies. What’s more… cloud-based services can help level the playing field between SMB’s and large enterprises […]

Spring is in the air, and with it comes Spring Cleaning. While I was tidying up around the house I took the time to dig through my Obsolete Gear Closet. Here’s some of what I found, pictured above: ADS DA converter. An inexpensive (under $150 retail, if I recall) DA/AD converter, I had purchased it […]

So I’ve been reading some AV “news” lately, and much of what I’m finding in this arena is not actually writing but regurgitation. Blame it on a slow news day if you must, but it seems many sites just repost manufacturer’s press releases ad hoc and call them“news.” Now if press releases only related newsworthy […]

If anyone has been following the Crestron/Extron/AMX Video Shootout of their HDMI switchers, let me start be saying. . . WAKE UP!  I’m sure the 5 minute demonstrations have lullled you into a slumber, so get some coffee. I will first take AMX out of the fray here, because their response video was awesome.  1 minute of “who cares”, with some quick red asterisks pointing out […]

It was six months ago that I purchased my new Windows laptop, as my old trusty Windows 7 laptop finally started to sputter. The new laptop was faster and ran on the new Windows 8 platform that I couldn’t wait to get on. Now there are those who won’t leave Windows 7 (and for justified […]

We’re in a technology business. As such, you’d think there would be a collective learning from the past that applies towards future technologies. What we continue to see, however, is that we’re often innovating and inventing at such an exponential rate that we’re not taking the time to learn from the past before creating new […]

DISCLAIMER: The following comments belong to me, and only me, the Analog Man. Not my employer, family, friends or anyone other than me. So if you comment, regardless if positive or negative please direct them to me. Any questions? I hate losing things! As we get older we lose things, yes, we lose all kinds […]

Insight Media will once again host the annual Projection Summit (PS 13) in Orlando, Fla. on June 10-11. The event will be held in conjunction with InfoComm 2013. And, you should seriously consider attending. For the past 20 years, projection has been the driver of our industry’s engine. And, the future of projection is bright — literally. Pico […]

Getting involved in corporate social media can be a daunting prospect, particularly if it is something you have had little experience with. You are aware that it has proven to be a viable channel for your company’s marketing, but have no real clue where to start with it. Social media marketing, as with other channels […]

Like most of you, I have been watching the evolving story in Boston over the last couple of days. Like most of you, I am aghast at the depths of human cruelty – and yet uplifted by the fact that, while causing bloodshed, mayhem and death, the terrorists (and that’s what they are, no matter […]

A drum that gets beaten often in my columns and blog posts is on the importance of networking with related trades as a conduit for referral business. As you might expect, I typically point to the usual suspects when I talk about having connections: electricians, millworkers, HVAC guys and, of course, interior designers. But beyond those, […]

As bosses and managers, it is sometimes hard to stay up on on all the latest technology, industry news and best practices that are constantly changing the landscape of what we call AV. We all know how critical this is for our companies to stay relevant and leaders in whatever sector of the market we […]

The other day Gary Kayye wrote a very on-point, insightful and rather harsh editorial about Samsung and LG’s pursuit of store-within-a-store experience centers in Best Buy. Gary makes a number of excellent points about how major CE brands aren’t failing because they aren’t doing retail like Apple does; they’re failing because their products aren’t well designed. The rush […]

I’ve seen a plethora of articles recently about how consumer electronics manufacturers have figured out what their problem is. After years of declining sales, laying off tens of thousands of people, reorganizing their corporate structurea and, in most cases, fired the president of the company, a handful of giant, Asian TV manufacturers and one giantU.S. software company […]

I am not the first person to write about this and surely I won’t be the last.  But, heck it is too tempting to leave alone.  In January,Crestron posted a video on their website that they purported to be a fair comparison of digital switching.  In the video, they blew away the comparable Extron switcher in both timing […]

InfoComm 2012 was an AMAZING tradeshow for the Women in AV!! It was truly awe-inspiring to see the welcoming our industry gave to our group and the encouragement that surrounds every one of us women who chose to make the AV industry our home.  Our luncheon sold out months in advance and the feedback about the […]

Like any IP-based technology, video conferencing is subject to security threats, and IT managers must factor security into their purchase and deployment decisions. Last year, there was a lot of talk around thepotential vulnerabilities of room-based systems. This year, I’m hearing a number of concerns around WebRTC building security into browser-based communications. Sally Johnson of TechTarget wrote an interesting piece on WebRTC and […]

It’s time to GET SOCIAL with rAVe [Publications] – the ONLY 100% digital publication in the AV industry. And since we’re getting social, we’re feeling a little generous. SO, with that being said, we’re giving away one REALLY AWESOME iPad Mini PRIZE PACK to one lucky rAVe Fan. So, by using the Rafflecopter tool below, earn entries by choosing any or ALL […]

Well, it has been an interesting, and not necessarily good, week. First, the story about the digital signage system collapsing and killing a child in an airport, and this morning, the news that a crew member was killed in a horrific fall from the rigging in San Antonio. Around my office, we often use the […]

Last week, President Obama created a media stir when he publicly said that California’s Attorney General Kamala Harris is “by far, the best looking attorney general. It’s true! C’mon…” Many people had a fit saying the President was sexist and a “pig” and equally as many people said everyone should just “lighten up” and complaining about how now […]

In my time in the retail trenches I’ve seen things that are hilarious, tragic and just plain fraudulent. When it comes to salespeople making up their own compensation (i.e., commission fraud) I think that by now I’ve pretty much seen it all. Most of those efforts are petty and easily ferreted out. Some, like I’m […]

Join us this Thursday, April 4th at 3 p.m. EDT, 12 p.m. PDT for our monthly Kramer Electronics Webinar — Under The Social Influence! Register here. We have a special guest for you. All AV Industry professionals should attend — young, seasoned, female and male! NSCA’s Executive Director Chuck Wilson will discuss his new book Under The Social Influence. It focuses […]