Systems Contract News March 2026

YOUR INSIDER BUSINESS RESOURCE FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS

NOT SO QUIET

REFLECTION House of Worship Architecture Invites Audio Headaches

AVNETWORK.COM

MARCH 2026

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

THE INTEGRATION GUIDE TO

VIDEO WALLS BETTER DECISIONS, FASTERTM

Integrated Solutions for Command and Control Any data, any network, any display Video Wall Processors Desktop Multiviewers Visual Data Recorders KVM Enterprise Level AV-over-IP Learn more at rgb.com

YOUR INSIDER BUSINESS RESOURCE FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS

NOT SO QUIET

REFLECTION House of Worship Architecture Invites Audio Headaches

AVNETWORK.COM

MARCH 2026

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

THE INTEGRATION GUIDE TO

VIDEO WALLS BETTER DECISIONS, FASTERTM

Integrated Solutions for Command and Control Any data, any network, any display Video Wall Processors Desktop Multiviewers Visual Data Recorders KVM Enterprise Level AV-over-IP Learn more at rgb.com

CONTENTS

14

Not So Quiet Reflection Whether it’s a modern or

historic house of worship, aesthetics and intelligible audio are critical.

By Michael Grotticelli

16

The Integration Guide to Video Walls

Viewpoint

18 A Combination of Contemplation and ‘Wow’

Want to be more credible? Here are six steps to elevate

A new video wall is supporting a mission of

34 An ‘Insult’ Crafted My Path you from salesperson to advisor.

By Rob Voorhees

wellness at the University of Virginia.

By James Careless

24 Video Wall Brings MLK’s Vision to Life at King Center

People 12 Executive Q&A Courtland Gray, COO, celebrates 60 years of Peavey and the future of networked audio.

By Mark J. Pescatore

Visitors to the facility are being greeted with a new video wall and high-end audio.

By Wayne Cavadi

Departments 4 SYSTEMS CHECK 6 NEWS

13 NEWSMAKERS 32 PRODUCTS

18

Technology 30 Cloud Power The status of cloud production is changing, and

Business

it turns out the real value proposition is choice.

By Dave Van Hoy

16 Serious Christmas Spirit

31 Red Hills Church Switches to PTZ

Prestonwood Baptist Church has added

The need to regain seating space from manually

immersive audio to its annual holiday

operated cameras has also improved video

mega-production.

productions.

Vol. 33 No. 3 March 2026 Systems Contractor News (ISSN 1078-4993) is published monthly by Future B2B. 130 W. 42nd St, 7th Floor, NY NY 10036. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to PO Box 1051 Lowell MA 01853.

Subscribe online at www.MySCNews.com. Please allow 6-8 weeks for address changes to take effect. © Copyright 2026 by Future US, Inc. PRINTED IN U.S.A.

avnetwork.com // March 2026 // SCN

3

SYSTEMS CHECK

For Whom the Alarm Bell Tolls

MARK J. PESCATORE Content Director

N

obody wants their home alarm triggered, especially at 4:30 a.m. And yet, there I was, awakened from a dead sleep from something a lot louder (and earlier) than my Apple Watch’s happy little chirping to announce a new day.

In some homes, the alarm is an absolute call to action. You’ll find someone instantly

EMAIL

mark.pescatore@futurenet.com

man muttering about his glasses and wandering over to the control panel.

Why so calm? When my alarm went off, it didn’t include that high-pitch siren that informs me of a breach. It was just the alarm. Don’t get me wrong, it was annoying, but I

there was a low battery. Not a battery on one of the sensors—that would trip a real alarm.

Instead, it was the chunky battery that sits in the control box year after year until it can find an inopportune time to lose its charge. One bleary-eyed order placed with Amazon later, I was in bed trying to will myself back to sleep.

Now, if you really wanted to sound an alarm, you should have joined me at the inaugural Cybersecurity Summit last month at ISE 2026. I sat in on the opening session, “Building Cyber Resilience: Why AV systems become part of critical infrastructure,” and let’s just say it didn’t appease my trust issues.

The speaker was Shaun Reardon from DNV Cyber, and his message focused on the importance of planning. Reardon, who is outrageously qualified to speak on matters of security and cybersecurity, didn’t sugarcoat the situation.

Cyberattacks are a given, and if you don’t think about cybersecurity early, it’s going to cost you a lot of money later.

Pro AV has its own cybersecurity challenges, because our industry’s supply chain includes a heaping pile of vendors and a surplus of high-risk entry points, from IP-based cameras to digital signage systems and more. Reardon warned that this is where integrators can encounter liability; in fact, cybersecurity negligence can lead to lawsuits, fines, even potential prison time.

DNV Cyber’s Shaun Reardon didn’t sugarcoat the importance of cybersecurity into today’s Pro AV environments.

Production Managers Nicole Schilling, Heather Tatrow

We’ve probably all heard about the case of the

Sales John Casey, john.casey@futurenet.com, 845-678-3839 Janis Crowley, janis.crowley@futurenet.com, 845-414-6791 Debbie Rosenthal, debbie.rosenthal@futurenet.com, 212-378-0468 Zahra Majma, zahra.majma@futurenet.com, 845-678-3752 Andi Tureson, andi.tureson@futurenet.com, 646-544-0007 SUBSCRIBER CUSTOMER SERVICE

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LICENSING/REPRINTS/PERMISSIONS

SCN is available for licensing. Contact the Licensing team to discuss partnership opportunities.

Head of Print Licensing Rachel Shaw licensing@futurenet.com M A N AG E M E N T

SVP, MD, B2B Amanda Dawrman-Allen VP, Global Head of Content, B2B Carmel King MD, Content, AV Anthony Savona Global Head of Sales, Future B2B Tom Sikes Managing VP of Sales, B2B Tech Adam Goldstein VP, Global Head of Strategy & Ops, B2B Allison Markert VP, Product & Marketing, B2B Andrew Buchholz Head of Production US & UK Mark Constance Head of Design, B2B Nicole Cobban FUTURE US, INC.

130 West 42nd Street, 7th Floor New York, NY 10036

hackers who stole data from about 40 million credit cards from Target’s IT network more than a decade ago. They broke in using stolen network credentials from a third-party HVAC vendor. In the case of Pro AV, you’ve got all sorts of gear with default passwords that need to be changed and/or firmware that needs to be patched (seriously, when was the last time you plugged in a new device and it didn’t want to immediately update its software).

Plus, there’s the added wrinkle of managed services. Yes, we all love that it reduces truck rolls and provides a steady revenue stream, but it’s yet another access point that can be breached by the cyber bad guys. And I haven’t even talked about potential personnelbased cybersecurity threats.

It’s easy to be complacent with cybersecurity, treating it like you would a checklist for packing your suitcase for summer vacation. However, Reardon considers the cybersecurity standards in place for our industry and others as minimal effort—conformity is not security. Consider those the starting point for your cybersecurity journey.

Yes, journey: Cybersecurity needs to be a continuous effort, not a one-time deal.

Basically, Reardon suggested a holistic approach. That means having a comprehensive understanding of your Pro AV environment, an incident response plan in place for when the cyberattack comes, and an active security mindset. Yippee Ki-Yay.

4

Art Editors Rob Crossland, Sam Richwood

A DV E R T I S I N G S A L E S

Turns out I was right to be annoyed rather than panicked. The control panel declared

X x.com/scnmag

Contributors Erin Budnik, Michael Grotticelli, Jennifer Guhl, Dave Van Hoy, Rob Voorhees

Managing Vice President of Sales, B2B Tech Adam Goldstein, adam.goldstein@futurenet.com, 212-378-0465

was reasonably sure I wouldn’t have to channel my inner John McClane.

LINKEDIN linkedin.com/company/ systems-contractor-news

Senior Content Manager Wayne Cavadi

chuck/chuck sound of a round being loaded in said shotgun, followed by a pithy comment In my home, the response was somewhat different. There was no shotgun. There was a

facebook.com/ systemscontractor

CONTENT

Content Director Mark J. Pescatore, Ph.D. mark.pescatore@futurenet.com

alert, shotgun in hand and bandolier magically slung over one shoulder. Next comes that worthy of Bruce Willis in his prime.

FACEBOOK

avnetwork.com

MARCH 2026 VOL. 33 NO. 3

SCN // March 2026 // avnetwork.com

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NEWS

Sharp Completes NEC Display Solutions Acquisition—Now What?

By Mark J. Pescatore

“This timing allowed us to thoughtfully address evolving customer needs while advancing innovation

B

in a way that aligned both organizations. Full ack in March 2020, NEC Display Solu-

integration between two global brands is a multi-

tions announced that Sharp had acquired a

year effort, particularly when it involves aligning

majority stake in the company. Last Novem-

product roadmaps and technology platforms.”

ber, Sharp became the sole owner of the company,

With the merging of two global brands, there were

Level 3 Audiovisual Joins Online Instruments

carry the Sharp brand name. Sharp’s Mark

knowledge. “Both companies had long-

A

Quiroz, SVP and general manager,

term teams with well-defined processes

for Online Instruments in the United States

displays, said Sharp Display Solutions is

and structures that had evolved over

and enhances its ability to serve multinational

the division handling all displays. That

time,” he explained. “Business decisions

enterprises with consistent, scalable, and regionally

division is part of Sharp Imaging and

have a direct impact on how organizations

aligned AV solutions.

changing the name globally over the last

plenty of lessons to be learned. For Quiroz,

few months.

the biggest was respecting established

Moving forward, all new products will

Information Company of America, which

organizations with deep institutional

Mark Quiroz

operate day to day, so it was critical to be

major milestone in its global expansion strategy, India-based Online Instruments has acquired U.S.-based Level 3 Audiovisual.

The move establishes a direct operational presence

Level 3 Audiovisual will continue to operate

itself is a division of Sharp

deliberate and balanced in how we

under its current brand and leadership team.

Electronics Corporation.

brought the teams together. In a

“Maintaining our leadership structure and

To minimize customer

joint venture between two global

operational approach ensures consistency for our

confusion, Quiroz said Sharp

companies, we also learned the

customers as we take this next step,” said Jeremy

“intentionally overcommunicated” to help inform

value of approaching integration with curiosity and

Elsesser, president and CEO, Level 3 Audiovisual.

customers what was changing, what was not, and

openness to how work is done across different

“Becoming part of Online Instruments positions us

what they could expect moving forward. “Our goal

geographies, including outside the U.S.”

to grow our U.S. presence, deepen our capabilities,

was to provide clarity, reduce uncertainty, and give

Quiroz said that with its expanded portfolio,

customers confidence throughout the integration

Sharp is now positioned to deliver greater value and

process,” he added.

deeper support to its customers worldwide. “We’re

So, what took so long? According to Quiroz, the

and support customers with a more globally integrated delivery model.”

Through Level 3 Audiovisual, Online Instruments

focused on continuing to deliver the best customer

gains a strong operational presence supported by

unhurried approach was intentional, designed to

experience and the lowest total cost of ownership,”

established technical teams, mature delivery

support long-term product performance as well as

he noted. “No other display organization can offer

processes, and deep insight into the U.S. enterprise

technological progression.

our level of customer experience on a global scale.

AV landscape. Integrating this U.S. capability with

Building off that strength, Sharp plans to drive

Online Instruments’ established operations across

five-year refresh cycle, which is consistent with

innovation and remain at the forefront of display

India, the Middle East, and Asia strengthens the

refresh rates within the industry,” Quiroz told SCN.

technology and customer support.”

company’s global delivery platform.

“From the outset, we planned for a standard

Pleneo Launches to Simplify Large Meeting Room Deployments Pleneo has announced its launch as a new

Rather than treating each room as a bespoke

with cloud-based orchestration via Pleneo Cloud,

collaboration technology company, introducing a

project, Pleneo focuses on enabling rooms to behave

enabling zero-touch provisioning of component-

fresh approach to medium and large meeting rooms.

and be managed as a single system, enabling simple

based room systems.

Built by the team behind Xilica, a 25-year professional

deployment for IT teams and clearer, more repeatable

audio brand with thousands of large rooms deployed

delivery for UC and AV channel partners.

globally, Pleneo combines deep experience in complex

“Pleneo was created to offer a new way

secure, localized edge intelligence into the room while

spaces with a new operating model designed for

forward—one that makes large rooms easier to

remaining tightly integrated with Pleneo Cloud. By

modern IT and UC environments.

deploy, easier to operate, with a user experience

processing audio and video at the edge, RoomHub

ready for what collaboration is becoming,”said

enables advanced capabilities while keeping latency

James Knight, CEO of Pleneo.

low and sensitive data local.

While small meeting rooms are now routinely deployed as standard IT endpoints, larger rooms are still delivered room by room—making them harder to

At the heart of Pleneo is Room OS, a software-

deploy, more complex to operate, and increasingly

driven operating layer that defines how medium and

difficult to manage consistently as organizations

large meeting rooms are deployed and operated.

scale. Pleneo has been created to address this gap.

Room OS combines secure, on-device intelligence RoomHub

6

Pleneo’s approach is anchored by RoomHub, the physical heart of the Pleneo room. RoomHub brings

SCN // March 2026 // avnetwork.com

AVIXA officials announced InfoComm EDGE, a new Dubai-based experiential event, at ISE 2026.

NEWS

ISE 2026: Points of Interest from Barcelona

InfoComm is getting even more international.

During the show, AVIXA officials announced the

By Mark J. Pescatore

launch of InfoComm EDGE, which is scheduled for Oct.

I

27-28 at Dubai’s Festival Arena. It was designed from ’ve been covering trade shows for a long time, and

the ground up as an experiential event designed to

the energy on the ISE show floor never seems to

raise the profile of the Pro AV industry with

disappoint. ISE 2026, which wrapped up its four-

stakeholders outside of the industry.

day exhibition on Feb. 6, was no different.

Why Dubai? From a Pro AV perspective, it’s

The Next Big Thing is still MIA in Pro AV, but

booming. According to AVIXA research, roughly 85%

technology is still moving and shaking. Driven by AI,

of end user entities in the region plan to increase Pro

which seemed to be an underlying theme for everything

AV spend this year, and the annual spend on Pro AV in

but the paella in Barcelona, there were plenty of points

the GCC region in 2026 will exceed $15 billion for the

of interest to explore on the show floor.

first time.

This year’s theme, “Push Beyond,” could have

But they’ll be doing things a little differently at

easily been applied to the show itself, not just the

InfoComm EDGE. Instead of a grid, the floor plan is

industry. Co-owned by AVIXA and CEDIA, ISE 2026

built around a center stage. There will also be four zones

broke its own records, with an 8% increase in total

representing the priority verticals for the region,

attendance over last year. According to show officials,

including government and enterprise, leisure and

there were a record 1,751 exhibitors, including 323 first

entertainment, education, and retail. The show will be

timers, to welcome 92,170 visitors across the largest

curated for key buyers and influencers from the region,

total show floor space in ISE history.

allowing them to experience Pro AV innovation through

Impact Experiences,” while Alfalite showcased “20

thought leadership, networking, and technology.

years lighting the future.” And Matrox Video and

What fuels the energy at ISE? While the widespread availability of espresso on the show floor doesn’t hurt,

David Labuskes CEO, AVIXA, said initial

HDBaseT celebrated its 15th anniversary at ISE 2026.

Symetrix celebrated their 50th anniversaries.

the fact is Pro AV is a vibrant industry serving tons of

expectations are about 4,000 attendees. Yes, that’s a

vertical markets. And there’s plenty of business to be

lot smaller than ISE, but InfoComm EDGE will be

Media Solutions (AIMS) officially launched its Internet

done once the show floor closes, from small, one-off

intentionally compact, focused on quality, not

Protocol Media Experience (IPMX) as a fully developed,

projects to enterprise-wide retrofits.

quantity. Labuskes anticipates the event will “end up

certifiable standard at the show. According to Andrew

being about connections being made, not people

Starks, marketing working group chair and a member of

through the door.”

the AIMS board of directors, the AV over IP standard was

During the show, I spoke with Tom Morrod, co-founder and research director at Caretta Research. While he agreed Pro AV is growing and it’s a “very diverse industry,” corporate meeting rooms

There were reasons to celebrate.

are still the top draw, with a “huge transformation”

Anniversaries certainly kept the mood festive in

taking place from simple audioconferencing to

several booths on the show floor. First, the PSNI Global

multimedia production.

Alliance celebrated 40 years of global collaboration.

On the other end of the scale, the Alliance for IP

officially certified on Jan. 23 after years of development.

Next up: more refinements, including multi-vendor HDCP and multi-vendor privacy encryption.

That’s a lot to celebrate. Congratulations all around!

To that end, the platforms to manage these

The network of integrators, manufacturers, service

Was I right about e-paper?

transformations not only need to be bulletproof but

providers, and technology partners provides coverage

After last year’s show, I was pretty high on e-paper. In

must work for end users who are less proficient at

in more than 70 countries across six continents.

fact, I predicted a breakthrough in two years. Well, it’s

using these types of tools. “Democratization of technology is a big driver,” he noted.

only been a year, but I checked with a few ISE exhibitors. Looks like I need to be more patient.

Of course, Pro AV hasn’t had the

way since it was founded by LG, Samsung, Sony, and Valens Semiconductor. Today, there are almost 200

although the company has been involved in some big

months. While tariffs have had

members, and a display at the booth showcased

projects, it’s a “maturing” space. While the market

a “broadly negligible impact

dozens of new products from more than 30 of those

works to catch up to the idea, the company is focused on

on growth,” there has been

members. Effi Goldstein, president of the HDBaseT

improving the technology and delivering color accuracy.

disruption—and integrators

Alliance, told me the secret to the alliance’s

have had to bear the brunt of it.

“connectivity backbone” success has been

business development at AUO Display+, part of the

technological reliability and true partnerships

problem behind the slow adoption is the learning

between manufacturers.

curve. Users have to differentiate e-paper as “digital

in the middle of it,” Morrod explained. “The channel has

8

15th anniversary. The organization has come a long

smoothest path in recent

“It can be really difficult if you’re

Tom Morrod

Meanwhile, the HDBaseT Alliance celebrated its

been dealing with the complexity of it.”

SCN // March 2026 // avnetwork.com

Then there were the companies. Both Alfalite and

Vicky Fox at Philips (PPDS) tactfully admitted that,

So, what’s the hold up? For Till Gotterbarm, VP of

print” as opposed to a replacement for LCD. “We still

SpinetiX marked their 20th anniversaries at ISE.

have to educate the market,” he added. “I do see that

SpinetiX used the occasion to launch “The Year of High

starting to resonate.”

NEWS

SCN Celebrates Best of Show at ISE 2026 Winners

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

By Mark J. Pescatore

coverage. The ability to use POE++ creates a whole new

designer’s drawings easier is a bonus, and Jetbot really

A

category of audio system design for integrators.

assists in mapping out designs in an easy-to-read

s in previous years, Future publications contracts with AV industry experts to evalu-

AVI-SPL, AVI-SPL Symphony

ate products submitted by manufacturers

What the judges said: Every product has to have

layout.

exhibiting at ISE 2026 for its Best of Show awards.

embedded AI these days, whether it needs it or not, but I

Mimo, Mimo FlashCast Visual Alert Overlay

This year, the Best of Show awards are presented by

like that Symphony is a quiet workhorse with AI features

What the judges said: Mimo FlashCast is a messaging

nine of Future’s industry titles, including Systems

that enhance what it already does well. The aggregation

overlay device that integrators can use to enhance the

Contractor News.

of events helps to cut down on noise and alert fatigue. I

security and operational awareness of their clients.

While our judges remain anonymous, we can tell

liked the dashboard that gives technicians a birds-eye

The easy-to-deploy hardware solution directly ties

you they are your peers, AV/IT managers, directors,

view of where the problems are, with the ability to filter

into existing platforms that your clients most likely

engineers, or industry consultants and integrators.

for high-importance spaces. I like that Symphony is

already have on premise. The Cloud UI is cost effective

They also take their judging duties very seriously, and

hardware agnostic. Its rich feature set means that it can

and simple to use.

were meticulous in reviewing the products chosen for

integrate with just about everything. It looks to be a

them to evaluate. And the winners are …

great way to augment a ticketing system.

AIMS Alliance, IPMX

Christie, Korus Series

What the judges said: Two years ago, I asked AIMS at

What the judges said: The projector has a great design

have a network admin configure things in advance and

InfoComm about encryption. They must have listened,

and great image output, and the color reproduction is

then deploy when you receive the hardware. The

because it’s a feature now. Nicely done! A certification

good quality. It’s easy to install and easy to setup with

ability to use templates will be a huge time saver.

process makes this a much more useful standard.

the blending system.

Airtame, Airtame 3

d&b audiotechnik, U-Series

What the judges said: Airtame continues to improve its

What the judges said: d&b’s U-Series is now one of the

an early 2000’s external hard drive, but it provides a

list of products for BYOD capabilities. A very neat little

most versatile, small form factor, point source speaker

compact yet powerful processing engine that allows

product that could fit behind any screen, and I really

systems for integrators in the world. The legendary

integrators to use cloud-based configuration tools to

like the cloud capabilities for such a small device.

sound of d&b’s storied history now fits into immersive

control PTZ cameras, microphones, and room

environments and portable experiences without

hardware. What is really impressive for integrators is

sacrificing quality. Besides the sound quality, what

the ease of which the Pleneo RoomHub works with

What the judges said: We could say AI is going to take

will really blow contractors away is the ability to

Zoom and Teams rooms.

the AV sound engineer’s job; well, this unit is really

deploy either passive or networked POE++ U-Series

performing many tasks to assist with sound

cabinets, depending on the application.

AISpeech Co., AISPEECH

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

digiLED, Westfield Rise’s Immersive Experiential Display (IXD) Network

NETGEAR AV, Engage Controller 2.4 What the judges said: Offline and advanced configuration will solve so many headaches. You can

Pleneo, Pleneo RoomHub What the judges said: Pleneo RoomHub may look like

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

What the judges said: IXD Networks Westfield Rise

Dante with a convenient web-based configuration

creates a whole new avenue of possibility for AV

and long distance Cat 5e extension for transmitters

integrators looking to supplant traditional print

make the Infinium one of the easiest systems to

advertising. The low pixel pitch provides ultra-close

deploy. The ability for venues to allow users to BYOD

What the judges said: These new loudspeakers finally

viewing for high-end retail environments with a

or use an Auracast receiver provides the ultimate

allow integrators a true single cable solution that

projected lifespan of 10 years, creating huge upside

level of convenience for the guest and the

provides excellent frequency response and strong SPL

when it comes to ROI for end users and integrators.

management team.

10

SCN // March 2026 // avnetwork.com

NEWS

Pro AV Entering Strong in January

By Erin Budnik

soft non-residential construction activity early in the year. Education,

T

corporate, and live events markets all he AV Sales Index (AVI-S) for January regis-

experienced slower starts as budgets

tered 55.6, easing from December’s 56.6 and

reset, project timelines extended, and

reflecting a typical start-of-year modera-

cost pressures persisted.

tion in AV demand. The pullback is consistent with

The January AV Employment Index (AVI-E)

from a monthly survey of the AVIXA Insights

seasonal patterns, as education, corporate, and live

dropped by one point to 54.4. January 2026 U.S. labor

Community, a research community of industry

events markets pause amid calendar resets, budget

market conditions appear stable but soft, with low

members that tracks business trends in commercial

finalization, and slower project starts.

layoffs and subdued hiring momentum.

AV. The report comprises two diffusion indexes: the

Despite the slight month-to-month softening, the

“Economic uncertainty on both a global and local

AV Sales Index (AVI-S) and the AV Employment

index remains solidly in expansion territory, signaling

scale is making a lot of our customers back off.

Index (AVI-E). In each case, an index above 50

continued growth in overall AV activity. Importantly,

Especially churches. Businesses and government and

indicates an increase in sales or employment activity.

January’s AVI-S stands above year ago levels (51.5),

large-scale construction projects that were already

Visit www.avixa.org/AVindex to access the free

reinforcing that underlying demand conditions

planned for 2026-2027 are still moving forward, but

monthly Pro-AV Business Index reports and learn

entering 2026 are stronger than in early 2025.

the small day-to-day projects from local schools and

more about the methodology. For more information

churches have really fallen off because no one knows

about joining the AVIXA Insights Community, visit

seasonal effects and broader macroeconomic

what is going to happen next,” shared a North

www.avixa.org/AVIP.

conditions, including stable but still restrictive

American AV Integrator.

Erin Budnik is the manager of market insight for

January’s index reflects a combination of typical

interest rates, cautious business investment, and

The Pro-AV Business Index report is derived

AVIXA.

avnetwork.com // March 2026 // SCN

11

PEOPLE EXECUTIVE Q&A

Looking Back, Moving Forward Courtland Gray celebrates 60 years of Peavey and the future of networked audio.

By Mark J. Pescatore

Courtland Gray Position: COO Company: Peavey Overtime: That would be getting outside, working in the garden or greenhouse, and taking care of my horse and donkeys. I also like to cook.

this, as some saw Peavey as a hardware company and

However, anything new is moving to Dante or soon to

not a software company. But Hartley saw the

sNET, our protocol that is backward compatible with

opportunities this would have for the brand, and we

current nWare installs as well as RAVENNA and AES67.

SCN: How long have you been with Peavey, and what

flew people in and out of Meridian to teach them about

The first CobraNet installation was with MediaMatrix.

are your responsibilities?

the future of audio DSP. We were the first to market

Courtland Gray: I’ve been working at Peavey for 24

with this technology, and it proved to be a good

SCN: What new Pro AV initiatives are we likely to see

years. I started in our finance division. I became more

decision that continues to give us opportunities for

from your company?

involved with various parts of the business as time

growth and expansion.

CG: This is an exciting year for us as we launch the

went on, and have served as COO, CFO, and since our

latest and greatest addition to our MediaMatrix range.

legendary founder, Hartley Peavey, has referred to me

SCN: It’s all audio, of course, but what sort of

It’s called Scion and is, quite simply, the most

as CEO in a few emails to people, I claim that now as

technological overlap is there between your Pro AV

advanced and powerful media and control processor

well. The responsibilities are broad and wide, covering

products and your instrument/amp products?

platform available. Scion is the third generation

both our Commercial Audio division and the musical

CG: Peavey Commercial Audio is, essentially, made up

MediaMatrix DSP from Peavey and calls upon 30 years

instrument side of the business.

of two halves—Crest Audio develops and

of our pro audio engineering excellence in both

manufactures products for the live performance space

hardware and software design.

SCN: Last year, Peavey celebrated its 60th

such as sound reinforcement,

anniversary. How has the company been celebrating?

mixers, and amplifiers, while our

operating in venues today that

CG: From a product viewpoint, we have brought back

MediaMatrix line focuses on

continue to run without issue for

several classic Peavey guitar amps from over the years

networked audio, matrices, and

more than 20 years. This latest

and put them into a pedal preamp format, which have

sound distribution. Ultimately,

generation is purpose built from

been very popular. And after many years of

it’s all about high-quality, reliable

the ground up to meet the

development, we are thrilled to release Scion, the next

sound, so we use our extensive

demands for today’s (and

generation of MediaMatrix. We are immensely proud

experience in speaker design to

tomorrow’s) IP-networked

of our long-term legacy.

produce, for example, our superb

installations. With proven

Versarray speaker line.

24/7/365 reliability in the most

In September, we had an anniversary party in Bali for our APAC distributors and customers, which was a

But I will say the divisions have not overlapped as

We have MediaMatrix systems

demanding and prestigious venues globally, we

great event. We have also brought our 60th

much as I would like. We need tighter integration of

believe we are delivering the most powerful DSP based

anniversary celebrations to trade shows, with both our

technology, but our engineering groups have been

media and control system available today.

ISE and InfoComm booths heavily leaning on our U.S.

mostly apart and have not collaborated ideally. I see

heritage with an old time Western bar theme showing

opportunity to take some of the most advanced audio

SCN: From an audio standpoint, what's next for the

our achievements over the past six decades. Like most

technology on the market from MediaMatrix into our

Pro AV market?

established companies, we have had our share of ups

other sound reinforcement and MI products. The cost

CG: There is little doubt that the future of all AV

and downs, but we continue to learn and grow as we

of driving the code has come down dramatically over

installations will be on the network. Across the U.S. and

look to the future with exciting new developments on

the years, which could make the very different price

Europe, AVoIP solutions are now the norm, with the

the horizon.

points of each division less of an issue today.

Middle East and Far East now embracing the

SCN: I know it’s available in some of your mixers, so I

SCN: What makes Peavey’s MediaMatrix unique in

have to ask: Are you for or against Auto-Tune?

the industry?

CG: I’m for it. There is a big difference between the

CG: That’s an excellent question which I’m always

cabling in certain projects in the years to come.

aggressive T-Pain effect of Auto Tune and its use for a

happy to answer. Quite simply, Peavey was the very

Bluetooth and 6G will have almost limitless data

tired singer trying to stay in key toward the end of a

first to introduce networked audio protocols to the

capability, removing the need for cables altogether. I

gig. Our mixers help tweak it just enough to make a

industry. Even Dante can trace its roots back to

would expect many organizations to cling to their

pleasant experience for everyone.

MediaMatrix.

legacy infrastructure as the new technology is proven

SCN: What prompted Peavey to move into the Pro AV

SCN: Is CobraNet still an important selling point for

lot less cabling as a whole. Similarly to the connection

market back in the 1990s?

your MediaMatrix DSP solutions, or has Dante taken

conundrums we have had around DVI, HDMI, and

CG: We were approached by a startup company to

over completely?

USB-C, it will be great if there was one wireless uniform

distribute the technology that is MediaMatrix. At the

CG: We still have some customers running CobraNet

connection protocol looming to make things easier for

time, there were some heated debates about doing

and we can still, for a little longer, support them.

everyone, from manufacturers to end users.

technology. India continues to be a booming market for AV as a whole for both legacy and AVoIP technology.

Longer term, I wouldn’t be surprised to see zero

for security and reliability, but there will certainly be a

12

SCN // March 2026 // avnetwork.com

NEWSMAKERS PEOPLE

Jeff Singer

ANALOG WAY appointed JEFF

RE-SAUCE has appointed BEKY

STREAMGUYS appointed DARA

SINGER as chief marketing

CANN as head of global PR and

KALVORT as VP of digital sales and

officer. With more than 30 years

marketing. Cann joins the

strategy and promoted EDUARDO

of experience in global marketing

Re-Sauce leadership team in 2026

MARTINEZ to EVP of technology.

and product launches, Singer has

to expand the consultancy’s

led go-to-market and demand

communications and media

generation strategies for

Beky Cann

Kalvort leads the company’s sales efforts for the StreamGuys Ad

Dara Kalvort

services worldwide, strengthening

Network. Martinez, who spent

technology-driven organizations worldwide. He

its ability to support clients in brand storytelling,

nearly two decades at StreamGuys,

previously served as executive director of global

channel influence, trade press engagement, and

previously served as VP of

product marketing at Crestron. In this worldwide role,

strategic marketing delivery across Europe, Middle

technology, leading R&D and

Singer leads Analog Way’s global marketing strategy

East, India, North America, and APAC.

helping bring many of the

with a strong focus on go-to-market execution, sales

company’s core products to

enablement, and ownership of the company’s product

SOUNDTUBE ENTERTAINMENT

roadmap and product definition.

appointed ANDERS OLSEN as

Eduardo Martinez

market.

European manager. With an

SYMETRIX has welcomed JASON

On the heels of investment

extensive background in the audio

DICAMPELLO, CTS, as Eastern

news, OPENDRIVES promoted

industry spanning more than 17

regional sales manager. With

long-time COO, TREVOR

years, Olsen brings a wealth of

more than 25 years of experience

knowledge and experience to

in the Pro AV industry,

MORGAN, to CEO. Morgan has

Anders Olsen

led a multi-year operational and

SoundTube and its brands. In his new role, Olsen

strategic transformation of the

leverages his expertise to expand SoundTube’s

Jason DiCampello

business and brings deep

presence in international markets, with a particular

commitment to customer success. Throughout his

experience in data management and SaaS across

focus on Europe. His goal is to strengthen existing

career, he has built strong relationships across the

both early-stage companies and Fortune 500

partnerships, develop new business opportunities, and

Eastern United States by delivering thoughtful

enterprises, including Cisco and Capital One.

drive growth for the SoundTube brands.

solutions and trusted support.

Trevor Morgan

DiCampello is recognized for his consultative approach and deep

avnetwork.com // March 2026 // SCN

13

BUSINESS CHURCH AUDIO

Not So Quiet Reflection Whether it’s a modern or historic house of worship, aesthetics and intelligible audio are critical.

By Michael Grotticelli

Compared to the church’s main worship hall, which accommodates both contemporary and traditional

F

services, Hasley Chapel is more intimate, seating

balcony. All audio is managed via a Q-SYS control system and a Yamaha digital mixing console.

The result is a system that delivers “natural, even

or houses of worship of all types, installing

approximately 120 people on the main floor, with a

sound” throughout the room, according to Fuller.

a high-quality audio system that delivers

balcony for overflow seating or a modest choir. Despite

“Anytime we’re designing audio in a traditional space,

clear speech from the altar, supports musical

its smaller footprint, the space presented significant

reflective surfaces like stone and wood are a major

performances, and accommodates live streaming

audio challenges: The area behind the stage is entirely

concern,” he added. “We also had to account for the

is often the most critical component of a new build

glass, the stone side walls feature multiple windows,

balcony to ensure coverage to the back of the room

or retrofit. Achieving the right balance between

and the chapel’s 35-foot ceiling and high-pitched roof

while minimizing reflections.”

speech intelligibility and musical reinforcement

further complicate sound control.

can be challenging—particularly if acoustics,

While the chapel embraces a traditional aesthetic,

To address these issues, Clear ProAV collaborated with the architect to slightly tilt the glass balcony

architecture, and aesthetics are not carefully con-

its modern execution demanded that technology be

panels downward, redirecting reflected sound into the

sidered from the outset.

seamlessly integrated. “The aesthetics are huge,”

audience rather than back toward the stage. Speaker

The specifics of an effective audio system depend

explained Chad Fuller, systems designer at Clear ProAV.

placement was also carefully calculated to minimize

heavily on the space itself, as well as the technologies

“Everything we did, especially with the audio, had to fit

energy directed at the glass wall behind the altar.

selected to support it. Two recent projects—one a

into the design. The look and feel of the chapel are

modern chapel in Texas and the other a historic

beautiful, but there are a lot of reflective surfaces to

visual integrity. “They don’t want to see a big PA

church in New York City—illustrate how thoughtful

contend with. We really had to think carefully about the

hanging in the room,” Fuller explained. “In a space like

system design, collaboration, and planning can

system as a whole and how it fit into the space.”

Hasley Chapel, the audio system must become part of

overcome acoustic challenges in vastly different worship environments.

Modern Problems

The floor-to-ceiling glass walls limited speaker placement options and increased concerns around reflections and glare from natural light. Working

Equally important was preserving the chapel’s

the architecture. So, we’re taking our technology and making it part of the room.”

While acoustic treatments such as wall or ceiling

closely with church leadership and the architectural

panels can help control reflections, they are not always

Located on the campus of St. Andrew Methodist

team, Clear ProAV focused on minimizing the visual

acceptable from a design/aesthetic standpoint. “If we

Church in Plano, TX, Hasley Chapel was designed to be

impact of technology while maintaining consistent,

can find treatments that match the aesthetic, we’ll

as visually striking as it is acoustically refined.

intelligible coverage.

recommend them,” Fuller said. “But sometimes the

Designed by Dallas-based architectural firm GFF, with

A custom-designed L-Acoustics audio system was

client wants a nice, clean look with no visible treatment

audio system specification and installation by local

selected for its sonic performance and its ability to

integrator Clear ProAV, the chapel overlooks a pond

visually blend with the chapel’s stone walls. Subwoofers

at all.”

and wooded area and hosts traditional worship

and front-fill speakers were also discreetly integrated

Retrofitting History

services, weddings, memorials, small conferences,

into the stage and surrounding steps, while an

If new builds pose challenges, retrofitting audio

and other events.

additional pair of L-Acoustics speakers supports the

systems in historic worship spaces can be even more complex. Michael Walker, director of engineering at system integrator IVCi, in Hauppauge, NY, recently worked on a major audio upgrade at St. Bartholomew’s Church in New York City.

Preserving the church’s architectural heritage was paramount. Over nine months, the church collaborated with reseller AudioPros, design consultant Salas O’Brien, and IVCi to deploy a new audio system— including an Allen & Heath AH-SQ-5 digital mixing console, Shure microphones, and Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) AC6 ADAPTive column loudspeakers, all on a Dante network.

“One of the biggest challenges is that St. Bartholomew’s has the second-largest pipe organ in the world. There are thousands of pipes throughout the building, so you can’t just drill wherever you want,” Walker noted. “Everything must be planned very carefully.”

In some cases, the installation team drilled through

Preserving the architecture of St. Bartholomew’s Church was an important consideration for the recent audio retrofit (see column loudspeaker, left).

14

SCN // March 2026 // avnetwork.com

more than a foot of limestone to route new fiber cabling to the basement. Structural engineers were also brought in to confirm that mounting locations could

Maintaining the aesthetics of Hasley Chapel created several audio challenges.

CHURCH AUDIO BUSINESS

for systems like adaptive audio.

adequate sound pressure levels remains one of the

Resolution enabled Walker

biggest challenges in worship spaces. “You want a

and his team to use detailed

strong direct sound-to-reverberant ratio at every

sound mapping, whereby

seat,” DiFabio explained. “High ceilings, reflective

individual lobes of the

surfaces, and long decay times make that balancing act

loudspeaker could be focused on

especially difficult.”

specific seating areas. The

safely support the selected loudspeakers.

Modern IP-based audio systems rely on software

approach helped maintain sonic

tools to fine-tune performance. At IVCi, Walker’s

clarity while reducing

company has developed custom internal

reverberant buildup caused by the

applications for project management, system

church’s soaring cathedral ceilings.

design, and pricing, alongside industry-standard

The team chose EAW AC6 speakers for their

“Directional control in loudspeakers is extremely

“steerability,” which allows sound to be precisely

important in these environments,” said Bryan DiFabio,

real-time analyzers to identify and correct

directed to a specific area of the room, using EAW’s

application and support engineer at EAW. “It keeps

problematic frequencies.

Resolution software. “You install the speakers, then

sound on the audience and off reflective surfaces like

steer the audio so it goes where you want it and nowhere

walls and balconies.”

else,” Walker explained. “That’s critical in a space with long reverberation times.”

EAW’s Resolution software (specifically Resolution

No Substitute for Planning

tools such as sound pressure level (SPL) meters and

Ultimately, both projects underscore the importance of planning and communication.

“Everyone has to be on the same page well before you step on site,” Fuller said. “You have to understand the

DiFabio noted that EAW’s proprietary design tools such

space and have a clear plan for how you’re going to fill

2) is free-to-use simulation software for audio

as Resolution and F Chart allow system designers to

it with sound.”

engineers to design, model, and optimize EAW

model performance in advance, experimenting with

loudspeaker systems. It can accurately predict coverage

different arrays, heights, and coverage patterns before

or retrofitting a centuries-old landmark, successful

and performance in venues using EAW’s proprietary

installation. “That reduces guesswork and helps ensure

audio installations in houses of worship depend on

F Chart acoustics modeling software engine for precise

a consistent, high-quality experience for

careful coordination between architecture,

acoustic and mechanical analysis, which includes

worshippers,” he said.

technology, and acoustics—ensuring clarity,

interactive array adjustments and real-time feedback

Maintaining speech intelligibility while delivering

Whether designing a modern glass-walled chapel

consistency, and reverence for the space itself.

avnetwork.com // March 2026 // SCN

15

BUSINESS WORSHIP AUDIO

Serious Christmas Spirit Prestonwood Baptist Church adds immersive audio to its annual holiday mega-production.

B

ased in Plano, TX, Prestonwood Bap-

Prestonwood's head of audio. “Making manual

provided by a DS100 signal engine running Soundscape

tist Church is known as one of the larg-

operation of such a complex mix would be next to

with En-Scene and En-Space software. The entire

est megachurches in the United States. Its

impossible. Included in our automation are En-Scene

system is connected through three DS10 audio network

annual production, The Gift of Christmas, features a

and En-Space changes to enable immersive audio

bridges and powered by three D80, 33 40D, and nine 5D

nearly 1,000-member cast and choir, as well as a live

experiences that adapt throughout the production.”

power amplifiers.

orchestra and live animals. To ensure the audio expe-

Executed in conjunction with d&b and Spectrum

According to Smith, Prestonwood’s musical team

rience matched the monumental scale and theatrical

Sound, the design process went through several

arranges and orchestrates the music for every service

demands of the show, Prestonwood partnered with

refinements due to the room’s enormous size, wide

and production. Now, they are designing new elements

integration firm Spectrum Sound to replace its aging

shape, and curves. “The final design required five

with Soundscape in mind because they have the tools

PA system with a comprehensive d&b audiotechnik

hangs of the SL-Series line array on a custom curved

to “translate their creativity” into the 7,000-seat

Soundscape with En-Scene and En-Space deploy-

truss,” shared Mitchell. “Our selection of d&b XSL

main sanctuary.

ment featuring SL-Series line arrays and subwoofers.

loudspeakers was strategic due to their cardioid

“The capabilities for an immersive audio option soon became the core of the discussion, and we arranged a Soundscape demo,” explained Zach

“The overall benefit of Soundscape is that it opens

behavior, keeping stage noise down, and their perfect

up the sonic palette,” Smith added. “Previously, mixing

size to fill Prestonwood’s large room.”

was constrained, and we needed to shove everything

Spectrum Sound implemented the large

into two points. Now, we can spread things apart and we

Mitchell, operations manager, Spectrum Sound. “It

installation in three distinct phases, starting with

don’t have sound objects fighting in the same frequency

was not difficult to make the decision for a

surrounds and fills to accommodate the church’s

spectrum. This freedom means we use so much less EQ

Soundscape installation once we went down that

active schedule. Mitchell said the final phase, when the

and processing than before. Plus, the ability to create

road. The sonic clarity and spatialization we now

main PA went up, started on a Sunday afternoon and

and distribute sound within its sonic landscape allows

have in our weekly services are just unbelievable, but

was ready for a rehearsal on Thursday, so there was

the team to run the mix in a way that feels more present,

The Gift of Christmas is really where the system is used

time for pre-programming before weekend services.

without it necessarily being louder.”

to its maximum potential.”

“The installation was incredibly easy and went in

The results of the d&b Soundscape installation

Running almost two hours and featuring pyro,

flawlessly thanks to the planning and system design

have been extremely positive. “We’ve received praise

laser, and lighting effects, The Gift of Christmas is the

work we did with ArrayCalc and then d&b’s efficient

from everyone on the upgrade, from the worship

church’s most intricate production. “We have around

rigging features,” he added.

leader and the band to the choir, to the congregation

200 console snapshots, with about 25 snapshots

The d&b audiotechnik system configuration

themselves,” Smith shared. “But the favorite feedback

automated with control bus routing and fader

includes 20 XSLi8, 30 XSLi12, eight KSLi-SUB, and six

I’ve received came from two elderly people that who

movements via Create.Control,” said Mike Smith,

SL-SUB for the main PA components. Numerous point

told me, ‘We don’t know what you did differently, but

source loudspeakers are

it now sounds so good in here, we don’t have to mess

placed throughout the room

with our hearing aids anymore. We can now hear

including four V7P, two

everything.’ That right there, knowing we’re able to

Y7P, four 24S, six 24S-D,

reach everyone in the audience, was worth a thousand

and 35 44S. Processing is

compliments.”

PRESTONWOOD BAPTIST CHURCH

Prestonwood Baptist Church uses d&b audiotechnik Soundscape with En-Scene and En-Space to immerse its congregation during its annual holiday production.

16

SCN // March 2026 // avnetwork.com

THE INTEGRATION GUIDE TO

VIDEO WALLS SPONSORED BY A BSEN • DATAPATH • JB&A • LEDMAN • LYNTEC PANASONIC • PLANAR • SHARP • SONY • VUWALL | G&D

A Combination of Contemplation and ‘Wow’ A video wall helps support a mission of wellness at the University of Virginia.

By Jennifer Guhl

T

he University of Virginia’s new Contemplative Commons, located within the 57,000-square-foot Contemplative Sciences

architect of record. Planar worked closely with Apeiro

wanted to avoid heat from the video wall affecting

Design, which provided design consulting for the AV

people’s ability to do that. “You never want to have too

systems and architectural lighting within the

much heat bothering the people who are relaxing in that

Contemplative Commons.

lobby space,” Mataras noted.

But this long timeline, including some brief

With the installation occurring at the same time as

project pauses due to COVID-19, can be challenging in

construction, the wall also needed protection from “all

Center on the Charlottesville campus, was envi-

the ever-changing world of products. “That’s a

the other trades and all that dust,” Shaner said, as it was

sioned as an inviting central hub that could bring the

lifetime for products,” said Lainie Mataras, general

part of an active job site. This required extensive

campus together and support wellness and mind-

manager and consultant, Architect Design Group with

coordination with all other on-site trade partners to

body practices through studios, gathering spaces,

Planar. “Technology is changing so quickly, so you

ensure their work could progress while keeping the

and shared learning environments. But when think-

can design with one product and then end up with a

display protected from the comings and goings of

ing about how to integrate technology into the new

different product.”

ongoing construction. For the display itself, ActiveLock

space, a central AV need emerged: a large-format

Even with such early planning, the install followed a

technology helped maintain positive contact between

LED canvas visible from the street that serves as an

familiar pattern in the AV world. “It can take three years

modules by accounting for vibrations, heating, and

experiential, immersive entry point.

talking about it, but about three days to actually install

cooling, keeping everything aligned.

The donor for the video wall system envisioned a large display within the lobby to show contemplative scenes from nature and complement the building entry.

it,” said William Seifert, president–Southeast for Pavion, which served as the AV integrator.

The Content Conversation

While the size of the video wall helped create the

When it came to managing the video wall, Analog Way’s

This request led to the design and installation of a

“wow” factor, its location posed technical challenges

Picturall Quad Mark II media servers were selected to

floor-to-ceiling, 16x24-foot Planar DirectLight Ultra

for the team. The lobby design includes floor-to-ceiling

support operational simplicity and provide continuous

Series LED video wall with 1.2mm pixel pitch. It

windows, which can complicate LED use.

playback, helping the impressive video wall avoid

definitely provides a visible “wow” when people enter

“One of the biggest challenges was the temperature

becoming an expensive, dark screen. “That’s one of the

the space. The display also features an ERO matte

when the sun hits directly at a certain point in the day,”

major reasons why we sell the Picturall server line— it’s

coating, a practical option to provide durability in a

explained Mike Shaner, account executive with Pavion.

designed specifically for 24/7/365 playback,” said Seth

public space where students mill around and may brush

“We installed temperature sensors behind the wall to

Teates, senior regional sales manager for Analog Way.

or tap against it.

monitor it. If the module is below 92 degrees, it’s green,

Planning Phases (and Pauses) Project design began in 2019. To help realize this vision, Aidlin Darling Design served as the design architect for the building, with VMDO Architects as the

18

SCN // March 2026 // avnetwork.com

The goal was also to minimize downtime risk on the

but the minute that it gets over 95 degrees or higher, the

video wall, and the Picturall media servers provided

affected module will actually appear red, and the video

features to help with this. “The machines have

wall will shut down, so there’s no damage.”

redundant power supplies built in, so if you should have

Speaking of heat, as a lobby space with furniture arranged to encourage communal gathering, installers

a power supply failure, there’s no downtime,” Teates added. “It’s a Linux-based system running on all

INTEGRATION GUIDE VIDEO WALLS early stages of the install. “It wasn’t until the very end that the firm came in, and we had to make sure Analog Way was there at the same time,” said Shaner.

He added that this required multiple visits with the content team, making adjustments during each visit.

“In AV design, the challenge is always designing a system that users who are not necessarily AV people From left, Daniel Mei, Mike Shaner, Lainie Mataras, Seth Teates, and William Seifert

understand and find easy to use,” said Daniel Mei, associate principal, AV technology, Apeiro Design.

server-grade hardware with our own proprietary drivers.”

For UVA, these complexities were magnified by the

Analog Way did its part, providing field engineers to

unconventional aspect ratio, but that’s where the

train the UVA team on the Picturall GUI and the Media

For a canvas of this size, the content often is the

Picturall media server shines, as it is designed to display

Manager workflow, helping them build playlists, set

difference between being impactful and awkward. “How

high-resolution content across a multi-output canvas.

the playback order, and define transitions between

many lobbies do you walk through where there’s a video

“The end user can create the content files at full native

segments without disrupting the canvas.

wall with something like the Weather Channel on

resolution of the wall, load those right into the machine,

stretched beyond recognition?” Seifert offered.

and the machine just automatically sends it to the right

video wall functioned as an architectural element

“Nobody planned for it, they just said they wanted a big

segment of the screen,” Teates explained.

within the space, not just as AV. “I look at spaces like

TV in the lobby.”

Planar agreed and emphasized that content was the

An Architectural Element

One thing all the partners agreed on was that the

this, and I’m most proud of the fact that LED is now kind of considered an architectural element,” said

most important topic to discuss before display

Full-resolution, pre-recorded custom content was

Mataras. “You don’t look at it and see a space that

specifications. “When we start a conversation about an

used to showcase nature scenes from around the

added an LED wall.”

LED video wall, we often talk about content way more

world, highlighting the space’s natural design

than we talk about the actual video wall,” Mataras said.

elements, such as the beautiful stone wall set beside

reaction Pavion was hoping for within the space.

She added that many end users neglect to consider the

the video wall.

“Everything I’ve heard has been extremely

cost of content and its management, which can exceed the cost of the video wall over time.

Pavion noted the final content wasn’t available at the outset, so temporary content was used during the

Seifert said the video wall is receiving the

positive,” he added. “It’s that ‘wow’ factor, and it sets the space apart.”

At Issue How are video walls being used creatively in retail and hospitality environments?

JOHN KOZLOWSKY

customers in the brand through exciting visuals and

In retail, high‑impact visuals, branding elements,

CHANNEL MANAGER, ABSEN

showcase products in real-world settings. Outfitting

advertisements, and real‑time promotions can be

Video walls in retail and hospitality

hotel conference rooms with video walls gives

displayed across creative layouts of almost any shape

have evolved from digital signage into

presenters the power to transport attendees to another

or size, maximizing impact and enhancing the

experience-driving design elements.

world. Similarly, hotel lobbies can use video walls to

customer experience. In hospitality, video walls can

In retail, brands use immersive LED as

highlight the top attractions in the area and drive

be deployed to deliver atmospheric, brand‑defining

guests’ excitement.

visuals that transform lobbies and event spaces,

dynamic storefronts that showcase seasonal campaigns, real-time product storytelling, and

while aligning with broader AV and digital

interactive moments that guide customers through the

ANNA KOZEL

space. In hospitality, video walls create atmosphere:

VP OF MARKETING, VUWALL | G&D

consistent brand identity. Hardware‑based video

grounding lobbies into destinations, elevating bar and

While video walls are often associated

wall solutions ensure synchronized, ultra‑reliable

dining environments with motion-driven ambiance,

with eye-catching retail and hospitality

playback across layouts, supporting cohesive

and supporting wayfinding with premium design. The

experiences, some of the most creative

storytelling.

most creative deployments blend content,

and impactful uses are in mission-

touchpoints throughout the location to maintain

architecture, and customer flow in a way that makes

critical control rooms, where creativity isn’t about

MARK MILLER

them feel deeply integrated while staying reliable

spectacle—it’s about turning complex information into

PRODUCT MANAGER, SHARP

enough for continuous operation.

clear, actionable insight. Across public safety,

dvLED video walls are being used

transportation, utilities, healthcare, and stadium

creatively to transform retail and

security, video walls unify real-time video, data, maps,

hospitality spaces into immersive,

RUDY VITTI GROUP MANAGER, PRODUCT

and alerts into a shared operational view. The real

MARKETING, PANASONIC

“wow” factor is faster decisions, stronger collaboration,

retail, they can showcase eye-catching dynamic

PROJECTOR & DISPLAY AMERICAS

and better outcomes when every second counts.

branding, seasonal campaigns, and interactive

Audience expectations for immersive and dynamic experiences continue to

COLIN FARQUHAR

experience-driven environments. In

product storytelling. In hospitality, dvLED walls create striking digital lobbies, wayfinding displays,

grow, leaving retail and hospitality organizations to

SVP SALES, VITEC

and mood-setting backdrops for bars, restaurants,

continuously evolve their customer touchpoints.

Retail and hospitality brands are

and event spaces. Their seamless, modular design

High-quality, captivating visual storytelling has

deploying increasingly eye‑catching

enables floor-to-ceiling visuals, curved installations,

emerged as a differentiator, taking these experiences

video walls to create immersive

and architectural integration—helping brands

to the next level. Video walls provide the ideal canvas

environments that capture attention,

engage visitors emotionally, elevate ambiance, and

to elevate brand experiences. Retailers can immerse

deliver deeper engagement, and increase dwell time.

20

SCN // March 2026 // avnetwork.com

deliver memorable, shareworthy experiences.

INTEGRATION GUIDE VIDEO WALLS

ROBERT DETWILER

displays often operate on schedules that surge and

triggering animations as customers approach. These

SENIOR DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT

fall being tied to guest traffic, special events, or time

creative executions transform stores into

MANAGEMENT, PLANAR

of day, making sequenced power-up and automated

experiential spaces that capture attention,

Increasingly, we see video walls

shutdown essential to prevent inrush current,

strengthen brand identity, and make shopping more

designed to work with or blend into a

reduce heat buildup, and extend display lifespan.

memorable and engaging.

building’s architecture. Pair this with

Centralized or distributed power control allows

more of today’s LED technologies moving away from

facilities teams to remotely monitor circuits,

JASON METCALFE

traditional square and rectangle designs, enabling

perform hard resets without physical access, and

BUSINESS MANAGER, CRYSTAL LED,

unique and even custom shapes, and customers

fully remove displays from the grid rather than

SONY ELECTRONICS

experience fewer limitations and more creative

leaving them in standby. This approach improves

Video walls are being used in retail

freedom with indoor and outdoor installations.

uptime in high-visibility environments while

and hospitality environments, as

Imagine attending a concert or visiting a clothing

helping venues manage energy costs, reduce

well as in corporate and higher

boutique to see footage or advertisements projected

maintenance, and maintain consistent performance

education, to showcase content and information

across archways, rotating towers, or wave-shaped

across complex, multi-zone installations.

that elevates engagement and unlocks more

columns. As we see finer pixel pitches as well as

valuable and relevant customer interactions. For

improvements in brightness and color performance

BILL ZHU

emerge, these creative uses cases will be supported

DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS

immersive content, and storytelling can draw in and

by even higher quality viewing experiences.

DEVELOPMENT, JB&A

drive business and cross-selling opportunities,

Modern retail environments have

highlight timely and localized communications such

been using video walls to turn their

as upcoming events and promotions, capture an

MARK BISHOP PRESIDENT, LYNTEC

stores into immersive brand

audience’s attention, provide wayfinding

From our perspective, the creative

experiences. Nike’s House of Innovation, for

opportunities, and create an experiential

use of video walls in retail/

example, uses massive LED walls that shift between

destination. All of this can strengthen brand

hospitality settings places

cityscapes, athletes, and product stories, making

perception, provide a premium ambiance, increase

significant demands on power

customers feel inside the brand world. Some stores

dwell time, create social moments, and help

use interactive walls that respond to motion,

generate repeat business.

control and distribution infrastructure. These

22

retail and hospitality, large scale, color accurate,

SCN // March 2026 // avnetwork.com

INTEGRATION GUIDE VIDEO WALLS

A new video wall at the King Center pairs live and pre-recorded visuals with high-end audio.

The new lobby system is managed through components from BrightSign, LEA Professional, LynTec, Lumens, NovaStar, QSC, and more.

Video Wall Brings MLK’s Vision to Life at King Center

By Wayne Cavadi

four additional days of pre-deployment shop and post deployment commissioning.

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

The large video wall was installed in the main

challenge, Collins and the S&L Integrated team went

ocated near downtown Atlanta, the Martin

lobby at the King Center to serve as the central visual

with a FlatPanel Audio System and amplifier from

Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social

element, ideal for digital signage and video content. It

LEA Professional. Collins said the reflective surfaces

Change, or the King Center, was established

is a challenging space, with brick walls, large glass

were the primary reason these were his choice. The

by the civil rights leader’s wife, Coretta Scott King,

windows, and a tiled floor. Glares and acoustics were

only problem? “There were no issues with the audio

in 1968. What began in the basement of the King

certainly a large consideration.

other than the sub working too well at first,” he

L

home eventually moved to its current location in

Per Collins, S&L Integrated went with a 160-inch

joked. “One minor adjustment was all that was

1981. In the spirit of changing for the betterment

diagonal BLOX LED dvLED video wall above the

of all, the King Center recently went through a

bookstore entrance in the lobby. The wall includes a

S&L installed two FlatPanel Audio DML500

technological upgrade, with a new BLOX LED video

NovaStar video processor for signal input and LED

loudspeakers paired with a FlatPanel Audio LS118

wall and a FlatPanel audio system powered by LEA

mapping. The system is powered by a LynTec power

subwoofer in the beautiful, but tricky, lobby. Their

Professional.

relay panel with four 20-amp relays. A Lumens LC200

165-degree conical coverage and sound waves

video processor functions as a system switcher to

transparently deliver FPA’s signal path. The center’s

monument, but “a living memorial, filled with all the

handle multiple video inputs and enables the ability

employees told Collins the speakers paired with the

vitality that was [King Jr.’s], a center of human

to have several multi-window options, as well as the

LEA amplifier yield a “significant sound quality

endeavor, committed to the causes for which he lived

ability to record or stream events in real time.

improvement” over the previous system.

and died.” While guests can see his birth home and

The content source for the video wall is a

Scott King had said the King Center is not simply a

required.”

Both visitors and the King Center’s staff have

historic Ebenezer Baptist Church where he preached,

BrightSign XD235 PoE+ digital signage player, which

been overwhelmingly pleased with both the video

the center also educates visitors in King Jr.’s

was selected because of its ability to deliver 4K video

wall and audio system supporting it. “They have been

Nonviolence365 philosophy.

content. The system also includes an HDBaseT

very impressed with the functionality,” Collins

receiver capable of 4K transmission up to 230 feet

concluded. “It was quite a change from the previous

for Atlanta-based S&L Integrated, which was

and a 12x optical zoom PTZ camera for live video

equipment, but I have been there along with our

awarded the project, prior to the new video wall, King

capture. Control is driven by the Q-SYS Core 8 Flex

service and support team to onboard them, especially

Jr.’s speeches and other videos were simply displayed

and accessed by two Q-SYS touchscreen controllers.

with the video scheduling. They are now very

on a portable screen from an ultra-short throw

A NETGEAR M4250-26G4F-PoE+ serves as a

confidently using the integrated systems well on

projector. The installation took five days on site, with

managed switch.

their own.”

According to William Collins, account manager

24

SCN // March 2026 // avnetwork.com

INTEGRATION GUIDE VIDEO WALLS

Absen JD-H Series Absen’s JD-Holographic

LynTec RPC Series

Series is designed for

LynTec’s

transparent, design-

Remote Control

forward installations in

Breaker Panel

retail and hospitality

(RPC) Series combines circuit protection, power control,

environments. With more

and monitoring in a single integrated solution. Built on

than 90% light

the Square D Powerlink platform, the RPC uses

transmittance, an ultrathin profile, and a

Planar CarbonLight CLI Flex Series

motorized circuit breakers that can be remotely operated via an onboard web server or third-party control

lightweight structure (5kg/m2), it integrates

Planar CarbonLight CLI Flex Series pliable LED video wall displays

systems. It supports multiple control protocols—

directly onto glass without disrupting

combine to create immersive concave or convex curved video

including DMX, sACN, HTTP, Telnet, RS-232, and

architectural lighting. The display supports

walls that bring stories to life. Available in pixel pitches ranging

BACnet—for flexible integration in any AV or lighting

naked-eye 3D floating visuals for attention-

from 0.9 to 3.9mm, the modules can form curves as tight as 25

environment. The panel offers advanced features such as

grabbing storytelling, while modular

inches without color shift, offering a more visually appealing

circuit-level sequencing, load shedding, scheduling with

construction enables fast on-site

alternative to faceting flat LED cabinets into segmented curves.

an astronomical clock, and brownout protection,

maintenance and flexible installation on

The series supports wall-mounting, free-standing, or hanging

delivering safe, reliable, and energy-efficient power

curved or uniquely shaped glass structures.

installations requiring smooth curves, waves, or column wraps.

management for complex installations.

VITEC Fx4 VITEC’s Fx4 is a powerful, standalone 4K video wall controller designed for flexible, creative display environments.

With a choice of DisplayPort 1.2 and HDMI 1.4 inputs plus four genlocked outputs, it delivers seamless 1080p60 playback across multi-display arrays. Its high-bandwidth loopthrough enables scalable daisy-chaining, while Wall Designer software simplifies configuration of unique layouts, rotations, and cropping. FX4 empowers retailers, hospitality venues, and public spaces to deploy visually striking, custom video walls with ease.

26

SCN // March 2026 // avnetwork.com

INTEGRATION GUIDE VIDEO WALLS Sharp EC Series The upcoming Sharp EC Series dvLED displays deliver exceptional durability, energy efficiency, and visual performance

VuWall | G&D TRx

in a cost-effective design. Featuring COB

JB&A Barco UniSee II

Sony Crystal LED S Series

technology, the EC Series offers enhanced

Barco UniSee II takes LCD video wall

The Crystal LED S Series is the latest

TRx, VuWall’s centralized video wall

image quality and reduced power

visualization to the next level,

expansion to Sony’s immersive and

and KVM management platform,

consumption compared to traditional

delivering striking performance for

impactful Crystal LED dvLED lineup.

enables organizations to visualize,

SMD displays. Plus, the added durability

critical decision-making. New

The ZRD-S12G and ZRD-S15G are

control, and distribute content across

from COB technology makes the EC series

mini-LED and Chip-on-Glass

mid-market displays that feature a

multiple displays and operator

ideal for public, high-traffic areas found

innovations boost contrast with

1.25 and 1.56 mm pixel pitch,

workstations from a single interface.

in retail and hospitality environments.

deeper blacks, while quantum dot

respectively, while providing

Designed for mission-critical

High contrast ratios and multiple pixel

technology adds crisper color and

brightness of 800 cd/m2. This is paired

environments, TRx manages AV over

pitch options ensure

richer saturation. Revolutionary

with simplified installation, flexibility,

IP sources, G&D KVM systems, and

vivid, reliable

uniformity and advanced inter-

durability, and a reduction in total cost

other connected devices within one

performance in

panel communication keep images

of ownership. The models are

secure, scalable ecosystem. Operators

almost any

consistent across the wall. Paired

optimized for a diverse range of uses,

can instantly route any source to any

application.

with Barco’s bezel-less LCD panels,

including corporate settings,

display, improving situational

UniSee II creates the look and feel of

educational institutions, and

awareness and more.

one seamless, single-canvas display.

commercial facilities.

Panasonic Projector & Display Americas TL-55LV12AW Building and upgrading video walls can pose complexities. The upcoming TL-55LV12AW 55-inch LED video wall panel streamlines this process with its VESA mounting pattern that simplifies the replacement of existing LCD video walls. Its self-contained design with a built-in controller supports ease of use, empowering AV professionals to display content without seams or bezels. COB LED technology drives energy efficiency, resulting in a flexible, high-performance solution that delivers dynamic visual experiences.

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SCN // March 2026 // avnetwork.com

TECHNOLOGY CLOUD POWER

The Changing Status of Cloud Production Turns out the real value proposition is choice, not cloud.

By Dave Van Hoy

E

especially with custom chips or FPGAs, you’re talking

highly redundant colo. If they want operators

about long development, prototype, and test cycles. In

anywhere in the world to produce events in any room

software, you can iterate that in days or weeks. So, the

in the world, cloud instances become attractive.

very few years, the AV industry declares

shift is less about “moving to the cloud” and more

The key point is this: The AV operator uses the

that this is the moment everything moves

about moving to software-defined AV, which just

same tool no matter what business decision their

to the cloud. And every time, reality is far

happens to be cloud-compatible.

company makes. That has never been the case before.

more complicated.

Every now and then, someone asks whether the

This flexibility isn’t tied to a specific type of

What’s happening now follows that familiar

“second or third-tier” cloud providers change the

corporate AV, either. It applies to everyone, from

pattern. When people speak of the “state of cloud

equation. And yes, many of them are less expensive

production studios to everyday meeting room

production,” there’s often an assumption that AV

simply because they charge less. But the economic

operations. The software runs wherever it makes the

infrastructure is racing toward public cloud platforms

model is the same: You pay based on how much you

most sense at that moment.

like AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud at the

use. The classic disaster scenario remains—someone

same pace that IT departments adopted cloud

forgets to shut down the infrastructure before the end

Complicated Financial Planning

solutions for data storage and software hosting. But

of the day, and the organization receives a surprise bill.

For years, the industry talked about cloud as a financial

from where I sit, working with enterprise clients every day, that’s not what’s happening.

What we’re really seeing is a very big movement

You also have models like co-location facilities,

strategy: Move CapEx to OpEx. But true financial

where companies, such as Level 3, rent out data center

planning is more complicated. Companies care about

space. In that case, you get their power, cooling, and

total cost of operation, efficiency, and competitive edge.

toward cloud management infrastructure, but not a

security, but you bring your own hardware. That

big movement of AV infrastructure itself to the cloud.

brings the model back to CapEx, but still gives you the

They want to communicate, collaborate, and run their

And the reasons why have everything to do with

resilience and scale of a professional data center.

businesses as effectively as possible. We need to think

budgets, existing investments, and probably the biggest driver right now, the broader economy.

For quite a while, the idea of shifting from CapEx to

All these variations prove one thing: Very little in this space is black-and-white.

Our clients aren’t trying to become AV companies.

at that level. If I’m working with an automotive company, their goal is not to become the best videoconferencing organization. They want to build

OpEx was a major motivator for companies moving

Where Are We Going?

toward cloud workflows. But with today’s interest rates

Public cloud adoption for AV remains relatively small.

and economic pressures, the financial advantages of

Software-defined AV continues to grow. And more of

public cloud have softened. Without that pressure,

that software is running on customer-owned

automatically do that. Software-defined workflows

organizations are less inclined to abandon hardware

hardware, not cloud infrastructure.

might. Flexibility might. Better uptime might. Lower

they’ve already paid for, especially when that hardware still does the job.

Meanwhile, our vendors, who’ve poured time and money into cloud-based versions of their products,

It’s an interesting shift and it creates its own

great cars; they expect us to deliver solutions that make them better at their business.

Cloud, whether it’s public or private, doesn’t

total cost of operation might. But the answer is

challenges. For example, moving to private cloud means

different for every organization. That’s why the

an organization must deal with its own security team,

movement toward software-defined AV, rather than

server maintenance, replacement cycles, and so on.

public cloud, is the real story right now.

find themselves pushing against a market that’s hit

But because all this hardware is COTS, AV teams

the pause button. The result is that private cloud has

can lean on existing IT skill sets. Maintaining a server

defined” with “public cloud.” Those are very different

become the dominant force.

today isn’t exotic. It’s everyday IT work.

ideas. Software-defined AV can run anywhere,

The upside for vendors is that, if they build

Many people mistakenly equate “software-

including on prem. As our industry gets more

What ‘Private Cloud’ Means in AV

correctly using containerized technologies like

comfortable with containerization and virtualization,

There’s a lot of confusion around this term, so let’s

Kubernetes and Docker, the same software can run in a

customers will gain even more freedom to shape

define it. Private cloud doesn’t mean spinning up a

room, in a company’s data center, at a colocation

workflows around their business priorities, not the

bunch of AWS or Azure compute instances on premise.

center (colo), or in the public cloud. That flexibility is

limitations of hardware.

It means running cloud-designed, software-defined

absolutely new to the AV world.

tools on servers that the customer owns.

This capability means that I can take, for example,

At the end of the day, our industry is shifting from asking, “Should we move to cloud?” to asking, “Where

a software-based video switcher and run the exact

should this run to make our organization most

server in your server room. Or it can be a full rack

same tool in four different places without changing

effective?” That’s a much more mature conversation.

running a hypervisor with all the bells and whistles.

anything except the license assignment. That allows

And it signals a future where AV technology isn’t just

Either way, the cloud piece is in the software

companies to choose deployment models based on

keeping up, it’s finally aligning with the way

architecture, not the location.

what matters most to them today.

enterprises actually operate.

A private cloud can be as simple as one big, fast

If a CFO wants the most predictable cost model

Dave Van Hoy is the president of Advanced Systems

hardware to software dramatically shortens R&D

possible, the company can run it on owned hardware.

Group, and was named a member of the SCN Hall of

cycles. When you’re building physical hardware,

If the priority is maximum uptime, they can run in a

Fame in 2026. Contact him at dvh@asgllc.com.

Vendors like this model because moving from

30

SCN // March 2026 // avnetwork.com

CHURCH VIDEO TECHNOLOGY

N

Red Hills Church Switches to PTZ eeding to regain valuable seating space for

really easy for my volunteers so they can feel like

letting us dial in presets during early rehearsal and

worship attendees in their auditorium, Red

they’re participating in the worship service, not just

then with one person creatively controlling three

Hills Church in Newberg, OR, switched its

doing a volunteer role,” said Hahn. “The way the PTZ

different shots, lets the operator become a key part

cameras work with the Telycam control surface,

of the experience.”

video productions from using manually operated cameras to Telycam PTZ cameras. The results exceeded the church’s expectations, delivering both practical and team bonding benefits beyond their original goals.

Red Hills Church hosts approximately 600 people across three worship services every Sunday. With the auditorium of the century-old building holding just 250 people, space is at a premium. To accommodate growing attendance, the church has overflow rooms within its main facility and in separate buildings on the same block. Live video of each service is distributed from the auditorium to TVs in each overflow space.

The church had been using high-end DSLR cameras, with a volunteer operator at each one. “Each camera position and operator took up the space of six seats, but we needed to maximize seating,” explained Chris Hahn, production director, Red Hills Church.

Red Hills Church purchased three Telycam Vision+ N3 PTZ cameras, two with 20x optical zoom and one with 30x optical zoom as the main camera for following worship leaders and presenters. The cameras are controlled with a Telycam V-Joy+ AT PTZ controller, with SDI output from the cameras routed to a Blackmagic ATEM Production Studio 4K switcher. A Blackmagic ATEM Mini Pro then combines the program output from the switcher with ProPresenter graphics content, while an Epiphan LiveScript system applies live captioning.

The Vision+ cameras and V-Joy+ controller have also eliminated difficulties the volunteers had with their previous DSLR cameras, which were frustrating because of manually adjustments to zoom and focus.

“With the Telycam PTZ system we have one-touch auto-focus, and zooming in and out is just twisting a knob on the controller. It’s very easy,” Hahn noted.

The ease-of-use of the cameras and controller have also enhanced the volunteer experience. “I’m all about trying to create a technology stack that’s Three new Telycam PTZ cameras have saved space and improved productions at Red Hills Church.

avnetwork.com // March 2026 // SCN

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avnetwork.com // March 2026 // SCN

31

TECHNOLOGY NEW PRODUCTS

Arlington CableAble

options including Unistrut, beam clamp, metal or

Designed for commercial or residential applications,

wood stud or joint, or threaded rod. Effective for

CableAble cable and conduit support brackets are

indoor, outdoor, or wet locations, they can handle

effective for power, data, communications, and

extreme temperatures (23-194 degrees Fahrenheit).

control systems. They provided high cable density

By minimizing space required for support, CableAble

with a small footprint, as well as multiple mounting

support brackets are ideal for crowded ceilings and can lower total installed costs.

CableAble CABLE & CONDUIT ®

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SAVE up to $26 per

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audio input, with flexible gain, level, and routing controls to support professional audio integration. An 8.8-inch

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Four- and eight-hole CableAble mounts horizontally or vertically to studs or unistrut. And horizontally to all thread and beam clamps.

LCD touchscreen provides real-time input preview, audio control, graphics creation, and system configuration. For remote operation, the built-in, browser-based web user interface mirrors the intuitive experience, enabling fast setup and control from anywhere on the network. Mix One supports local recording up to UHD resolution to external USB flash drives, HDDs, and SD cards.

dBTechnologies VIO W12T A high-performance, 12-inch coaxial active monitor, the VIO W12T was developed to address the evolving technical requirements of stage monitoring and distributed sound reinforcement across a variety of

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performance in short-throw and tightly controlled zones. The system is powered by a 1600W RMS Class-D amplifier operating on dBTechnologies’ Digipro G4 16S4 platform. A suite of selectable high-pass filters (60–120 Hz) allows for precise contextual tuning. For

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remote control, monitoring, and integration, the W12T features native RDNet support via AuroraNet, along with a dedicated expansion slot for A2Net or Dante networking. The enclosure features a polyurea-coated wooden cabinet, wraparound powder-

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coated metal grille, and recessed handle design.

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SCN // March 2026 // avnetwork.com

NEW PRODUCTS TECHNOLOGY

ElektraLite Stingray Mini IP65 A weather-resistant version

of

elektraLite’s compact ellipsoidal Stingray Mini, the new Stingray

RØDE RØDECaster Video S

Mini IP65 is an ideal choice for

Building on the success of the flagship RØDECaster

outdoor and indoor lighting

Video, this streamlined model packs the same

applications. Available in two

processing power and broadcast-quality

power configurations

Extron DTP3 T 211

performance into a more compact form factor.

(30-watt and 80-watt) and

The DPT3 T 211 transmitter sends USB-C video and

Designed for professional content creation for solo

boasting a CRI of 95 or

bidirectional RS232 signals up to 330 feet (100 meters)

creators, video podcasters, and live streamers, the

greater, each new

over a shielded Cat 6A cable. It enables the reliable,

RØDECaster Video S combines powerful video

model utilizes a

long distance transmission of USB-C DisplayPort

switching, recording, and streaming capabilities with

single-source COB LED

alt-mode video supporting HDR, Deep Color up to

a fully integrated professional audio mixer. It

module as its light engine.

12-bit, 3D, and embedded HD lossless audio formats.

features three HDMI inputs and a configurable HDMI

Both are available in warm white, cool white, variable

Plus, it provides up to 100 watts of charging power to

output, making it easy to connect and switch between

white, and RGBW versions. Fixtures are equipped with

the USB-C source when deployed with the Extron UPI

multiple cameras or other external devices. A flexible

interchangeable zoom lenses, offering a choice of

100 power injector. The transmitter supports video

USB-C input adds even more versatility, allowing

15-30 or 25-50-degree beam spreads, and feature

resolutions up to 4K/60 at 4:4:4 color sampling, EDID

creators to integrate additional video or audio

camera manual rotary control for fully adjustable

Minder, and HDCP 2.3. All supported video resolutions

sources as their setup evolves. Each of the nine stereo

focusing. Housed in marine-grade aluminum chassis,

are transported without compression. The compact

audio channels is powered by APHEX processing. For

the Stingray Mini IP65 is IP65 rated and fanless.

enclosure size and remote power capability make the

solo operators, the RØDECaster Video S includes

Fixtures can be operated manually or controlled via

DTP3 T 211 ideal for discreet placement in lecterns,

intelligent auto-switching, which automatically

DMX. A four-piece shutter assembly allows for exact

beneath tables, or wherever needed to meet

switches camera angles based on who’s speaking for

cuts, plus there’s a gobo slot for custom gobos and a

application requirements. HDMI loop-through is also

hands-free video control.

double-slot for optional accessories.

available for convenient local monitoring.

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avnetwork.com // March 2026 // SCN

33

VIEWPOINT

An ‘Insult’ Crafted My Path There are six steps of credibility that elevate you from salesperson to advisor.

By Rob Voorhees

I

Step 3 Show up when it doesn’t matter.

new video wall, or audio setup. When you learn why the

Sometimes, there simply isn’t a sale to be made.

gear is so important to them, that will enable you to

Customers are not afraid to do their research and

offer a more thorough advisory during the discussion.

t's not very often that a perceived insult can be

educate themselves. It’s important that we show up at

flattering—but there I was, a college freshman

those times just as much as we do during the actual sale.

Step 5 Your word is your calling card.

working as a retail sales associate at a big box

Be available to troubleshoot, offer opinions, or

Someone’s integrity usually outweighs all else. I’d

electronics store. I had just sold a Bose 3-2-1 system

explain new technology and trends. It will go a long

rank it up at the top of the list along with honesty. If

along with a Sony WEGA flatscreen CRT TV to an

way that could lead to plentiful future business

you promise a deadline, make sure you achieve it. If

elderly woman. After handing her the receipt she

opportunities.

you promise to follow up, set that calendar reminder

gave me a polite smile and said, “You know, you would make an awful car salesman!”

I laughed it off at first, until she added, “You are too honest.”

Step 4 Their business matters, not yours.

to ensure that you do. This seems to be such a rarity in this day and age that when I do follow up with a

There are numerous times in my career where I heard

customer, they seem legitimately surprised, even if

a salesperson pitch a product because it helps them.

they do not intend on purchasing at that exact time.

It’s important to note that I have a lot of respect

Maybe it’s a higher commission or simply something

for those in automotive sales. It’s a high-stress job

that’s in stock at that time. Whatever the motivation,

that is more often plagued by a dirty reputation than

it completely ignores the obvious flaw—it’s not right

Step 6 Post-sale can be the most important sale.

just about any other career. I have certainly had my

for the customer.

Don’t disappear after the sale! Ironically enough, this

share of bad experiences while car shopping, though I’ve also had some incredibly positive ones.

Take the time to learn about the customer’s

happened to me recently. I bought my daughter her first

business, how they plan to use their control system,

used car in March. The salesperson was one of the more

In this particular instance, I took this as a compliment, and it is something that has continued to shape me as I’ve gotten older. What this customer

persistent ones. I even got a post-sale email, which seemed very personalized to my daughter and me.

A couple of weeks later, her air conditioner stopped

was so eloquently trying to explain was that I had

working correctly. Since it was a used car, I was worried

been a trusted advisor to her on that day; while I could

about what was covered and what wasn’t, so I called

have upsold her to a larger home theater system or a

the salesperson. Needless to say, I am still waiting for

more expensive television, I didn’t because that was

the salesperson to return my messages or calls.

not what she needed.

Thankfully, the issue did get fixed, but that salesperson

As a director of business development, I still hear it to this day. Everyone loves to think they are an advisor or that they provide “white glove” service.

However, that’s just not the case. How can we

has lost any chance of future business with us.

Be present and be prepared to guide that customer long after the sale is made. It could lead to several more opportunities.

elevate ourselves from salesperson to

The “advisor” title shouldn’t be

advisor? Here are my “Six Steps of

self-proclaimed. It needs to be earned

Credibility.”

and conferred by past customers. We earn the title through each interaction

Step 1 Be better than the brochure.

we find ourselves in and each relationship we have worked

Don’t be afraid to put in the work and

tirelessly to build.

educate yourself on the products/

In the Pro AV industry, with

services you are selling. Perfect your

all its new technology and bells

pitch and relate those products/

and whistles, building

services and their benefits to your

credibility through our

customers on an individual basis.

interactions cannot afford to become a lost art. Thankfully,

Step 2 Above everything, be honest.

based on those that I have crossed paths with over the

It should go without saying, even when it

better part of a decade, I am

might cost you a particular sale, but the

confident we have enough

customer can usually determine when you are

“advisors” to guide us further

attempting to “con” them. That elderly

into the future.

customer didn’t need a $2,000 home theater

Rob Voorhees is the director of

system to watch Wheel of Fortune and her soap

business development for Almo Pro AV.

operas, and I advised her of that at the time.

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