Systems Contractor News - May 2023

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SYSTEMS CHECK

Do You Waste Time with Technology?

Videoconferencing has become an indispensable part of today’s business world. Too bad it’s such a waste of time.

Well, maybe not the meetings themselves. In any organization, there are budgets to discuss, courses of action to debate, and corporate cultures to nourish. All these talking points can be addressed via videoconference—and with today’s remote workforce, it might just be the most effective way to get through that laundry list of action items. Your results may vary.

The wasted time comes from tangling with technology. Late last year, MAXHUB shared some rather alarming research. Based on a sample size of 2,000 adults in Great Britain, almost 60% of employees admitted it can take up to 10 minutes for them to setup virtual videoconferencing technology. And before you scoff at those struggling to make the platform of the day play nice with the camera of the day, let ye among us who have not been accosted with the dreaded “You’re on mute!” declaration cast the first stones.

Back at the office, 48% of workers said user-friendly technology was the top priority when using videoconferencing to work with their off-site colleagues. Specifically, more than a third (37%) stressed the importance of a good microphone, while another 37% said hassle-free BYOD was central to hybrid success.

Here’s another nugget: 28% of respondents didn’t think their company had the right technology for them to perform to the highest standard for their job (for hybrid work). The tech numbers are bad enough, but what’s arguably worse is that 23% of U.K. workers felt excluded when they remotely joined a virtual work meeting. For workers aged 18-24, that number increased to 27%.

I know what you’re thinking: Aren’t those whippersnappers supposed to be better with technology? Maybe they are, but they aren’t necessarily better at working from home. Maybe they’re new to the workforce and less inclined to speak up in a meeting with people who haven’t had a chance to truly engage with them. Instead, they’re just another face in a Brady Bunch video mosaic—and too young to get the Brady Bunch reference.

Tony McCool, MAXHUB’s U.K. and Ireland sales manager, noted that many businesse s have failed to keep pace with the AV equipment needed for the new hybrid workforce. “It is crucial that all businesses carefully assess their AV needs and the design of AV within meeting spaces,” he explained.

Whether you like it or not, hybrid meetings are the new normal. According to a different research study, this one from Crestron, 60% of respondents said remote participants were part of at least half of their meetings— and almost a third (30%) have at least one remote participant in all their meetings. If you don’t want employees to feel excluded when they work from home, make them feel like part of the team.

How do you do that? A smart first step is to create a remote worker technology kit. Not only should integrators be providing these to their employees, but they should have two or three kits at various price points ready for the next bidder.

Everyone who works remotely, even on a hybrid basis, should get a standardized satchel of tech. We’re talking webcam, speakerphone, headset, lighting, and a portable USB docking station that can handle all the peripherals you provide. Standardize it all, so it’s easy to deploy, support, and replace.

To be fair, standardized technology kits will be quite the expense, depending on the size of the organization. You know what else is expensive? Replacing quality remote employees who feel disconnected from virtual meetings.

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MAY 2023 VOL. 30 NO. 5

CONTENT

VP/Content Creation Anthony Savona

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

Content Manager Wayne Cavadi

Contributors Vic Bhagat, James Careless, Steve Greenblatt, Jennifer Guhl, Nyere Hollingsworth, Evan Landry, Julian Phillips

Group Art Director Nicole Cobban

Art Editor Rob Crossland

Trainee Designer Eva Garis

Production Managers Nicole Schilling, Heather Tatrow

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New York, NY 10036

Everyone who works remotely, even on a hybrid basis, should get a standardized satchel of tech.

Level 3 Audiovisual Achieves AV900 Compliance

Level 3 Audiovisual has achieved AV9000 Compliance, making it one of only a handful of companies worldwide to achieve the designation, highlighting its quality assurance processes for full design, implementation, and management of AV systems for enterprise businesses. The designation confirms that Level 3 Audiovisual has implemented quality management processes in its services and meets the rigorous standards set by AQAV for AV technology providers.

“Achieving AV9000 Compliance is a critical milestone for us and has been a part of our vision for many years,” said Jeremy Elsesser, CEO of Level 3 Audiovisual. “Our team has been running a marathon of inches that requires everyone to be aligned and in sync with our vision for excellence in quality. This certification is an incredible moment in our history, and we are proud to serve as a leader in quality for our industry.”

More buyers, especially at enterprise businesses, are requiring AV vendors to be AV9000 compliant. It goes beyond individual skills and certifications—and verifies that the company as a

whole is applying quality management in the services it provides. This provides the first level of evidence to buyers that they are receiving the services they ordered, and that the company is committed to delivering high-quality solutions that meet their expectations.

“The Association for Quality in Audio Visual Technology is thrilled to welcome Level 3 into the small and elite group of companies who have attained AV9000 Compliance,” said William Lawrence Jr., executive director, AQAV. “Level 3 Audiovisual has shown exemplary evidence of compliance during the qualification audit, and is clearly invested in Page 1 furthering the pursuit of quality. Achieving AV9000 Compliance certification is no small effort, and demonstrates Level 3 Audiovisual’s invested efforts to make all their outcomes better through pervasive quality assurance.”

Memnon Opens New HQ

Media preservation and migration services provider Memnon has completed a move to a new, purpose-built facility that will act as its headquarters for U.S. operations.

Since 2014, Memnon has been located on the campus of Indiana University, Bloomington, initially as a dedicated on-site delivery facility for a major multi-year migration project with the university. Now, as both Memnon’s regional and global operations continue to grow, the team has moved to a new facility just a few miles away in Bloomington. The new media migration and warehousing facility provides the team with more space, allowing them to improve overall capacity and efficiency across production and operations, and opens the door for future expansion.

Memnon has also welcomed John Macdonald as its new U.S. director of operations and production. “I’m excited to lead such an amazing team here in Bloomington, and I look forward to seeing what new opportunities the facility brings us," he said.

Utter Is Now ZTransform

Utter Associates has announced a rebrand and change of company name to ZTransform.

Since it was established in 2004, the Seattlebased company has built a reputation for innovation and quality in services such as facility planning, architecture and construction interfacing, systems engineering, integration, and operational readiness. ZTransform has expanded into the corporate new media space, added a broad managed services catalog—including technical and operations training, technical support, and staff augmentation—and continues to offer value-added equipment sales nationwide.

Digital Projection Brings Alley Mural to Life

“Mountain Majesty” is a 40x60-foot, black-andwhite mural accentuated by colorful, projectionmapped visuals via by a Digital Projection Titan projector. One of many featured pieces in AdAmAn Alley, an outdoor art exhibit in downtown Colorado Springs, CO, it merges fine art and digital imagery to relate the beauty and wonderment of Pikes Peak

through a child’s eyes. Immersive experience designer George Berlin said the Titan projector “allowed us to create a focused, rich, and vibrant display, integrate projection software to layer the digital images perfectly over the mural, and make it pop both day and night, all within the tight confines of an alley.”

“The inspiration for this exciting rebrand revolves around the continued growth of our team, our expanding customer roster, and our increased ability to manage multiple projects without compromising the first-class standard of service that our customers have come to expect,” said Erik Utter, president and founder. “Through our continued focus on emerging technologies and managed services, we are extending solutions well beyond our native broadcast space.”

John Macdonald

The Future of AV Distribution is Here

The DisplayNet ® DN-300 delivers an unprecedented level of AVoIP performance, versatility and reliability; at a price point that defines a new industry benchmark for value. Based on the latest SDVoE technology, the DN-300 provides 4K/60 (4:4:4) video distribution with limitless scalability, zero-frame latency and zero image artifacts.

This single unit offers several unique features that provide system designers with exceptional versatility:

 Switchable Transmitter /  Receiver operation

 Dual (copper /  fiber) network interfaces

 Auxiliary H.264/5 video output streams

 Powerful network security features

 PoE+ support

 Silent, fanless operation

 Versatile KVM Routing

 Full-bandwidth USB 2.0 support

DisplayNet also provides software-defined MultiViewer and Advanced Video Wall engines that power a wide range of applications without the expense and complexity of ancillary products. A highly intuitive web-based UI and API greatly simplifies setup and installation, as well as integration into third-party control systems. Contact us today to see how DisplayNet can move your next AV system into the future.

'Scoreboard 2.0' Welcomes Back Minnesota Twins Fans

Daktronics is helping to enhance the gameday experience for Minnesota Twins fans at Target Field for the 2023 season and beyond with an extensive upgrade of its displays, a project Twins president and CEO Dave St. Peter affectionately called “Scoreboard 2.0.”

Target Field now has 22 new LED screens that total more than 23,000 square feet, which is “63% more than what we had here in 2022 and 110% more LED since the

ballpark opened in 2010,” St. Peter noted. “Digital displays bring the game day environment to life, and these LED upgrades will equip our ballpark with the very best of stadium videoboard technology.”

The main attraction is the left field video display that measures approximately 56.5x178 feet—76% larger than the previous display and the sixth largest in Major League Baseball. As one of a select few in MLB to be HDR-capable, the display will

With Fulcrum Acoustic, Stetson Baseball Scores Big

Melching Field at Conrad Park in DeLand, FL, is home to the Stetson University Hatters, a Division I baseball team. It is also used by DeLand High School and numerous recreation teams. Owned by the city and managed in partnership by the city and Stetson University Athletics, the facility opened in 1999 and was well overdue for renovations.

As part of an $8 million renovation project, the City of DeLand Parks and Recreation enlisted the help of Entertainment Arts (EAI), an AV integration and production company based in Orlando, FL, to design a new AV system. The goal was to transform Melching Field into a modern facility.

Byron Conerly, owner of EAI, spearheaded the project. “In recent years, several MLB players have come out of Stetson University, so the stadium has been getting a lot of attention. It was time to put the attention on the audience,” he explained.

EAI chose Fulcrum Acoustic because of its weather-resistant product offerings, domestic availability, and legacy of installs at high-profile sports venues. “We wanted

to offer them something where they could say we have the same system as a notable NFL practice field or MLB stadium,” Conerly said. “I showed them other sports stadium projects that Fulcrum had done and said, ‘That’s the caliber of what we bought.’”

For the loudspeakers, EAI focused on high-quality coverage with an emphasis on the audio and control on the field.

CX826-WR compact coaxial loudspeakers were used on the smaller poles, GX1226-WR coaxial loudspeakers for the

deliver excellent image clarity and contrast with wide angle visibility. The display will also incorporate environmental protection to ensure it operates as expected in the outdoor elements of Minnesota.

A 1,600-square-foot auxiliary display in right field is 60% larger than the previous display. There is also an outfield fence display running 110 feet long and an 800-square-foot bullpen display, all within the seating bowl to add to the game-day experience. Additionally, 11 new ribbon displays totaling 1,485 feet in length have been affixed to the seating fascia throughout the stadium, which allow for game-inprogress information, captioning abilities, additional statistics and graphics, and the opportunity to highlight sponsors throughout events.

But wait, there’s more. A tower adds more than 2,000 square feet of content, and a box office display provides an additional 187 square feet of digital space to connect with audiences and communicate information pertinent to those spaces. At Gate 34, another large display welcomes audiences and Twins fans to the stadium.

“This current update will put the technology and information available to the fans at Target Field to the top of all ballparks at the highest level of professional baseball,” said Tony Mulder, Daktronics regional manager. “We’re proud to continue our relationship with the Minnesota Twins that dates back to the early days of the HHH Metrodome.”

main press box, and FH1596-WR full-range coaxial horn loudspeakers for field coverage.

The field had never had audio coverage, so it was important to Conerly that the field have outstanding sound. “The new video system has audio tied to it, the lighting system has audio, so the field system needed to kick,” he said. “With its pattern control and projection, the FH is just an amazing cabinet. They really push.”

The new sound system also required an expansion of the distribution system powered by three new Apex amplifiers: two CloudPower1504s 4x1500W and one CloudPower354 4x350W. “It was our first time using Apex Amps,” said Conerly. “We liked everything about it so far. The interface will do a lot. No matter what you need to connect to it, it will work.”

EAI also installed wireless control connectivity to the audio console, so it can be controlled on the field via iPad. The system was setup with various zones and customized presets for special events. “It sounds amazing,” added Conerly. “The director of the City of DeLand Parks and Recreation was delighted. At the first practice, everyone was ecstatic with the install and how it’s working.”

The Minnesota Twins opened the 2023 season with 22 new Daktronics LED screens, including one of MLB's largest video displays.

Fulcrum Acoustic's weather-resistant loudspeakers (left) helped modernize Melching Field at Conrad Park (right).

VuWall Helps Transform Sports Stadium into G7 Command Center

VuWall’s TRx centralized video wall management software, encoders, and video wall controllers were used to monitor the 48th G7 Summit that took place in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany last year. Deployed by integrator AVS, the town’s sports stadium was transformed into a makeshift command center where the summit police could visualize the proceedings and surrounding area from giant video walls powered by VuWall’s solutions. While world leaders discussed and proposed solutions to global issues, more than 18,000 police officers were commissioned to oversee the safety and security of the event from the stadium. From traffic accidents to spontaneous demonstrations, all incidents before and during the summit were projected onto a 12x4-foot video wall in the com-

mand room, along with a smaller 4x2-foot video wall. In addition, six 65-inch displays were deployed in the meeting room of joint staff.

To disseminate streams of data, camera feeds, and other incoming information, the team relied on VuWall’s comprehensive visualization management solution, which provided the flexibility to ingest and visualize the wide range of sources at a moment’s notice. AVS installed 40 VuStream 150 encoders, which were all centrally configured and managed by TRx. Along with 16 HDMI 2.0 AVXT extenders, the VuStream 150 allowed high-quality video streams to be delivered across the organization’s IP network.

In addition, two VuScape 640 video wall controllers were deployed, providing easy control and distribution of all content sources to any display

within the summit’s network and with the utmost flexibility and full-featured management software. After the G7 Summit, the system was reinstalled to police stations in Bavaria, adding visualization resources to the organization.

“The G7 Summit is an event that brings together dignitaries from several countries to discuss topics of global importance, so being able to build an effective and secure video wall solution to monitor the town and the event was paramount,” said Fadhl Al-Bayaty, vice president of product management at VuWall. “Our video wall solutions not only were fast and easy to deploy, but they also enabled the various streams of data and video to be accessed and controlled as needed, ensuring the safety and security of the event.”

VuWall solutions were deployed for security monitoring at the International G7 Summit.

New LG|U Academy Offers Accredited Courses for Integrators

To help Pro AV integrators learn skills necessary to sell and install the latest products, LG Business Solutions USA has launched LG|U, a new training academy at its headquarters in Lincolnshire, IL. LG|U will offer comprehensive product and installation classes for integration partners, starting with in-person accredited courses on dvLED technologies.

According to James Pfenning, technical sales director at LG Business Solutions, LG|U will also offer virtual courses and embark on a U.S. tour for in-person classes in 2023. The objective is to provide more accessible training programs to help professional integrators maintain industry readiness that is essential to satisfying market demand and maintaining competitiveness.

“Technology advances every day, offering new opportunities for businesses and integration firms that design and install AV solutions,” Pfenning said. “Technicians who are properly trained and certified to install, integrate, and service the latest products are best prepared to capitalize on these opportunities. Without this education, firms limit their ability to bid on many projects. We want our partners to enjoy continued success and growth, and by opening LG|U programs to the professional integration community, we are providing easy access to valuable training with both in-person and virtual options.”

The inaugural LG|U course, “DVLED Installation,” provides integrators with extensive hands-on training for installing and maintaining both pre-packaged and customizable displays that come in a variety of pixel pitches, sizes, shapes, and even curvatures. Pfenning said the dvLED curriculum will soon expand to include a basic course on dvLED technology and a course on system design.

To maximize value for participants, LG worked to achieve course accreditation from AVIXA. The two-day installation course provides up to 32 total renewal units (RUs), including 16 standard Certified Technology Specialist (CTS) credits and 16 CTS-I (Installation) credits.

Kent State’s Immersive Blank_Lab Provides Space for Collaboration

Kent State University, one of Ohio’s leading public universities, is home to more than 25,000 students and offers more than 300 degree programs. Nestled within Kent State’s campus is the Blank_Lab, an immersive environment designed to encourage new projects and cross-disciplinary collaborations.

The Blank_Lab is a resource for students, faculty, and staff to investigate experiences that bridge the scope of immersive technologies, including augmented, virtual, and extended reality tools. The space is a black box environment designed to be reconfigurable to support the development and demonstration of projects utilizing these technologies. It supports group experiences of up to 15 people, regardless of whether users engage with AR/VR headsets or experiment with projections to create an immersive experience.

“It’s a maker space with a range of AR, VR, and XR technologies,” explained J.R. Campbell, executive director, Design Innovation Initiative, Kent State University. “Rather than creating a dedicated cave or a static projection environment, we created a larger one with a hung grid ceiling to allow for a hung curtain wall and support reconfiguring of supporting cameras, projectors, and other components. We integrated screen mounts that support 360-degree projection and a 15-channel audio system to support the ability to experiment with 3D spatial audio.”

Kent State University selected Scalable Display Technologies to automatically warp and blend multiple

AVIXA Partners with HETMA at InfoComm 2023

AVIXA has partnered with the Higher Education Technology Managers Alliance (HETMA) to bring a wide-ranging program for higher education technology managers to InfoComm 2023, which takes place June 10-16 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. HETMA will host education, networking events, and show floor tours, and have a presence on the InfoComm trade show floor.

Making its debut at InfoComm 2023 is the Higher Education Summit, presented by HETMA. The half-day collaborative program on June 13 will focus on the current AV and IT topics facing

projectors across the 360-degree projection to create a seamless display. “Scalable Display Technologies answered a unique challenge for the Blank_Lab,” noted Campbell. “The other vendors we were considering had completely fixed packages with controlled projectors and software. We are not a single use case scenario. We required a solution that would flexibly support our maker environment. We wanted the ability to change components as needed. We purchased 10 prosumerlevel projectors, and we needed a software solution that would allow us to effectively create a seamless image around a 360-degree environment.”

Campbell said the Blank_Lab can easily showcase anything in a browser window or desktop without relying on specific software driving the system. “Our goal is to have a solution that’s easy to use, meanwhile eliminating any barriers to entry for students, faculty, or staff,” he added. “We’ve confidently accomplished our goal with Scalable’s software.”

colleges and universities. The summit will follow the structure of a typical project lifecycle from initial inception through consulting, design, installation, and support, with attendees working in small groups to address challenges and discuss best practices. HETMA’s booth on the show floor will feature a HETMA Approved classroom, conference room area, and events space, while the organization’s show floor tours will focus on technology for the higher education space.

“Higher ed tech managers have always wanted a voice in the conversation in the AV world. The partnership between HETMA and AVIXA gives us a physical presence to the voice we’ve been asking for,” said Joe Way, Ph.D., chair of HETMA and director of learning environments at the University of Southern California. “AVIXA has been a major supporter of HETMA ever since day one, and we’re excited to grow this partnership.”

The Blank_Lab offers an immersive collaboration environment for Kent State students and faculty.

DAS Audio Pumps Up Legacy Fitness

After years of training professional athletes and A-list celebrities, Manning Sumner developed a fitness system called Partner Interval Training (PIT), which made professional-level fitness results accessible to everyone. Now, Sumner is the founder and CEO of Legacy Fitness, which has expanded to include Florida-based facilities in Fort Lauderdale, Pembroke Pines, Coral Gables, and Wynwood. Music is an integral part of Legacy’s programs, and its locations have been equipped with sound reinforcement systems from DAS Audio, including models from the company’s ACTION-500 Series, ARTEC Series, and E11EVEN Sound by DAS Audio product lines.

“Throughout 2022, we had systems deployed into each of our locations,” explained Sumner. “While there is some variation between each facility due to room size and other factors, one thing is consistent: great sound that motivates people to give their very best effort.”

The Wynwood facility also serves as Legacy’s headquarters. It houses Sumner’s office, administration offices, conference room, podcast room, cold plunge facility, sauna, IV suite and smoothie bar, as well as the open gym. Its audio system includes eight ARTEC-310.96 compact two-way wide array enclosures, eight ARTEC-308 wide-range two-way passive systems, and four E11EVEN Sound ESBR18 passive direct radiation subwoofers. E11EVEN Sound EP-6K4 amplifiers power the system, with signal processing from BSS Audio completing the setup.

Other locations include a mix of ES-10 two-way point source loudspeaker enclosures or

ARTEC-310.96 array enclosures, ACTION-S18 subwoofers, EP-64K amplifiers, and BSS Audio signal processing. With support from DAS Audio personnel, Guillermo “Willy” Rodriguez, owner/ operator of Willy-Tech Services of Miami, an AV system integration services firm and E11EVEN Sound certified installer, handled the installation.

“At each location, the one most important and consistent factor regarding the quality of sound is the clear, natural, and balanced performance. As you move about the various spaces, the sound is very consistent,” Sumner said. “Dead zones simply don’t exist. Because the areas are so well covered, the volume doesn’t have to be overbearing.”

DAS Audio sound reinforcement systems keeps customers motivated in several South Florida Legacy Fitness locations.

DAS AUDIO

There are plenty of awards that recognize technological achievements. After all, the Pro AV industry is driven by innovative products and solutions. But at SCN, we also like to recognize the importance of providing meaningful and effective services. The Stellar Service Awards provide an opportunity for manufacturers, integrators, and distributors to showcase how they deliver high-quality service to clients.

Between March and April, we received thousands of votes from you, our readers, to determine the winners of this year’s Stellar Service Awards. Thank you for your participation—and now here are your exceptional service providers.

Best In-House Training

Platinum: Shure Audio Institute’s Wireless Best Practices and Techniques

Shure Audio Institute’s Wireless Best Practices and Techniques is a master class for anyone involved in the specification, installation, or operation of multichannel wireless audio systems. The comprehensive training program covers a variety of topics including the basics of radio waves and wireless transmission, best practices for antenna selection and placement, and understanding frequency coordination. Offered both in-person and online, the master class incorporates effective demonstration and real-world anecdotes for Shure’s RF experts.

Gold: TD SYNNEX Strategic Partner Summit

Silver: The Exertis Almo E4 Experience

Best Online Training

Platinum: SynAudCon Online Audio Training

SynAudCon has trained thousands of audio practitioners worldwide for 50 years. The principles taught in SynAudCon courses have been implemented and tested on “tens of thousands” of systems. SynAudCon teaches the theory as a means of problem solving using a multimedia presentation. Learning the “why” and the “how” becomes intuitive: Learn it once, use it for a lifetime. There are 11 available that serve all levels of expertise on a wide range of audio-related topics.

Gold: Legrand’s AV University

Silver: Crestron Technical Institute

SCN Announces 2023 Stellar Service Awards

Best Sales Operation

Platinum: Extron

Extron was founded on the core value of professional integrity, with the ultimate goal of complete customer satisfaction. This commitment is reflected in its three ongoing guiding principles: Service, Support, and Solutions. Employees are prepared to do whatever it takes to make certain that the entire process of doing business with Extron is a positive and professionally rewarding experience.

Gold: TD SYNNEX AV Sales Professionals

Silver: The SoundPro Experience Team

Best Project Management Tools

Platinum: D-Tools System Integrator

D-Tools SI is a project management solution that can help manage large, complex projects and improve business performance. With its advanced capabilities and features, it can streamline workflows, improve communication and collaboration, and enhance customer satisfaction. From flexible formatting and comprehensive content to detailed project planning, business reporting and analytics, and API integration and support, it enables integration with third-party solutions, such as accounting software, CRM systems, and more.

Gold: TD SYNNEX Services Portal

Best Website Dealer UX

Platinum: Crestron Pro Portal

Crestron’s new Pro Portal was designed to make every project a success. One portal enables dealers to proactively manage their accounts and their client’s expectations. Now, dealers can plan projects more effectively with access to up-to-theminute lead times via the Estimated Product Availability tool. The Order Status Tool provides 24/7 access to the detailed status of every order: tracking numbers, serial numbers, order confirmations, delivery confirmations, and more.

Gold: Shure Partner Shop

Silver: Extron

Best Tech Support

Platinum: AVPro Edge Tech Support

AVPro Edge’s Tech Support not only helps with video distribution needs when it comes to its products, it also helps solve the entire issue. The company’s experienced staff is not only trained to just figure out what could be happening with one device—they work the entire signal flow path and help configure everything in the path for smooth AV distribution.

Gold: Haivision GuardianCare

Silver: Biamp Global Tech Support Team

Best Supporting Content

Platinum: Shure User Guides, Educational Booklets, and Webinars

Shure provides essential resources to help audio professionals keep pace with rapidly evolving technology and emerging design innovations. Shure always offers its user guides, educational booklets, and webinars for free to share knowledge and encourage best practices. The company works directly with system integrators, consultants, music industry retailers, engineers, and musicians to develop and deliver content that helps our customers get the most out of their gear.

Gold: BrightSign BSN.cloud Cloud-Based Digital Signage Management

Silver: BZBGEAR Technical Support Webpage

Best Design Services/Tools

Platinum: XTEN-AV

XTEN-AV’s AI-powered AV design and proposal software empowers designers, integrators, and end users to automate their AV diagramming, design calculations, documentation, and proposal creation. X-DRAW allows users to streamline designs with AV-specific capabilities like automatic cable labeling, block styling, 1.5 million products from 5,200 brands, and more. x.doc equips users with features to create winning proposals and reduce close times, specifically for the AV industry. XTEN-AV’s patented solution offers end-to-end automation on every step of project.

Gold: Extron

Silver: NETGEAR Pro AV Design Services

Lightware Simplifies Connectivity for Bank

Founded in 1990, Northrim Bank has matured from a small community bank to Alaska’s only publicly traded, publicly held company with branches from Nome to Ketchikan. Growth in Alaska has come with its fair share of obstacles and required videoconferencing available to those customers who couldn’t make it to physical locations. Lightware’s zero-latency MMX HDMI Matrix Switcher and Cisco solutions help solve some of those challenges.

“Northrim Bank has customers who live off the road system, branches that can only be serviced by air, water, or sled, and branches stretched across geography twice the size of Texas,” explained Ben Craig, executive vice president, CIO for Northrim Bank. “In 2014, Northrim Bank deployed Cisco secure videoconferencing to every branch and remote employee to better connect employees and customers. As with most pre-pandemic videoconferencing solutions, initial organizational adoption was slow.”

Craig said the bank integrated Cisco WebEx SX80 room codecs to enable collaboration between remote and in-person meeting participants, but there was no simple way to power displays, manage inputs, or connect peripherals. Although the team tried to deploy “home-grown” solutions, the result was an “overwhelming and intimidating user experience creating a large barrier to adoption.”

At this point, Northrim Bank discovered Lightware’s MMX HDMI matrix switchers. The standalone solution offers 4K30 fps signal management through HDMI 1.4 connectivity, with zero latency for critical operations as well as compatibility and connectivity features. The Lightware’s MMX Series expanded the capabilities of Northrim’s investment, transforming each meeting room into a powerful, yet easy-to-use tool for all employees.

“Lightware’s technology removed users’ real and

perceived barriers to adoption by delivering intuitive and colorful graphical user interfaces to control the room’s projector screen, TVs, power, volume, mics, input sources, and display and projector outputs,” said Craig. “Once users enter the room, they are immediately greeted with intuitive instructions prompting them to wake the system using the touchscreen, their

displays and peripherals are powered on and changed to their correct default inputs, and their speakers and microphones are adjusted to preset volumes. Users can enter the room without being overwhelmed by the technology. It provides them with a consumer technology experience and is as simple as using an iPhone or an iPad.”

Lightware’s matrix switchers have helped simplify videoconferencing for Northrim Bank employees.

LIGHTWARE

JBL Modernizes Audio for Historic Warner Theatre

To provide incoming productions and touring artists with a rider-friendly sound reinforcement system with excellent coverage and audio quality, Warner Theatre’s production manager Ryan Patsy teamed up with consultant David Bateman, CTS-D, of Acentech and integrator Todd Pander of Dobil Laboratories to outfit the historic theater with new JBL VTX Series line arrays and subwoofers.

Commissioned in 1929 by the then-named Warner Brothers Productions and opened in 1931, the Warner Theatre is an iconic landmark located in Erie, PA. The venue operated as a cinema theater until it was sold to the city of Erie in 1976 and converted to a performing arts center. In addition to being the home of the Erie Philharmonic, Lake Erie Ballet, and the Erie BROADWAY Series, the Warner Theatre regularly hosts concerts and performances by touring artists like Alice Cooper, Kenny G, Jerry Seinfeld, and more.

Venue operator Erie Events conducted extensive building renovations to improve the facility in the downtime of the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the renovations, venue officials wanted to install a new house audio system that could support most incoming productions. The modernized live-sound reinforcement solution features JBL VTX Series loudspeakers and Crown I-Tech Series amplifiers.

“They were looking for a house sound system that could meet as many of the touring acts’ riders as possible,” Bateman explained. “Erie Events was

bringing in more Broadway-style big performance bus-and-truck type shows, and it wanted to be able to facilitate that. The JBL system is rider-friendly because of name recognition, performance, and longevity. If you see JBL on a rider, you know it’s going to work and it’s going to sound good.”

“I’ve had a lot of experience with JBL in the past,” added Patsy. “It’s as rider friendly as they come, in my experience, making bands happy on riders.”

To ensure wide and balanced coverage with power and clarity, the main left-right hang consists of 18 JBL VTX A8 line array speakers, suspended nine per side.

VTX A8 combines two 8-inch woofers, four 3.5-inch midrange drivers, and two 2-inch high-frequency drivers in a single low-profile cabinet to provide productions at Warner Theatre with efficiency and a consistent 110-degrees of horizontal coverage. Additionally, the team installed four JBL VTX B18 subwoofers deployed on the ground for reinforced bass response throughout the venue.

“We used to have complaints before, largely in part because we’d do shows in one day, and they wouldn’t have time to tune the system properly under the gun,” Patsy recalled. “We’ve eliminated that step for a lot of our smaller performances. We just need to hook the system up and it’s going to cover the space great with intelligibility everywhere in the room. We’ve had no complaints with the new system.”

In addition to the VTX A8 and B18, JBL AC25 and

AC26 loudspeakers serve as front fills and balcony fill speakers, respectively. Crown I-Tech 4x3500 amplifiers supply the entire system with clean and ample power, while the Crown plug-in for QSC Q-SYS systems enable the production staff to easily monitor the status of all amplifiers remotely from front-of-house.

“The Crown plug-in for Q-SYS is really cool,” said Patsy. “I can put it on a touchscreen display at FOH that’s easily visible by anyone on the crew, so we can just look at a glance and make sure we’re running the system within the right parameters without blowing anything up.”

Patsy noted that the new JBL VTX system helps the Warner Theatre in-house crew support a vast majority of the incoming productions without having to rely on outside rental companies. “Because the JBL VTX system is so rider friendly, a wider variety of acts will accept it and play on it,” said Patsy. “It costs thousands of dollars to rent a PA for the day, no matter what it is. We made this investment and charge the promoter a smaller fee than rental companies. It’s a win-win because the promoter saves money, and it generates revenue for us.”

On the rare occasion that a touring production insists on bringing their own sound system, the VTX A8’s innovative auto-locking rigging mechanism helps Patsy’s team streamline the breakdown and subsequent re-deployment processes rapidly, saving the show promoter time and money in the process.

BattleBots Arena Gets Loud with Biamp

Robotic combat fans now get a premier audio experience to go along with the technological carnage of BattleBots, as Biamp is the official audio provider for the BattleBots Destruct-A-Thon live events at Caesar’s Entertainment Studios in Las Vegas. Installed throughout the studio, including in the BattleBots arena, the lobby, VIP lounge, and the BattleBots Store, the equipment creates an immersive audio experience to enhance the visual thrills of live robot combat five shows a week.

The arena features two dozen Community IV6 line array loudspeakers installed in the combat cage along with Amplified Loudspeaker Controllers (ALCs). The VIP area includes 10 Desono ENT212 column point source loudspeakers and associated amplifiers. Four Desono EX-S8 surface mount loudspeakers are installed inside the store and another 16 are in the lobby.

The gift shop area also includes two Community IV6 line array loudspeakers, four Community compact subwoofers, and ALCs. Local integrator PSX AV Las Vegas provided the audio installation and support services for the project.

“Biamp is amped to partner with the world’s largest and only professional robot fighting sport in

the world, providing an array of premium loudspeakers, amplifiers, and accessories that will engage fans in an immersive sensory environment unlike anything they could experience on TV screens,” said Joe Andrulis, executive vice president of corporate development at Biamp.

“The opportunity to take BattleBots directly to our fans through a live stadium environment provides another avenue to experience the best in robot combat sports in one of the world’s great cities, Las Vegas,” said Keith Wright, BattleBots Destruct-A-Thon general manager. “Biamp helps make the Destruct-A-Thon come to life, providing an unparalleled audio experience that heightens the excitement for fans of all ages.”

The Warner Theatre now features a house audio system with JBL loudspeakers and Crown amplifiers that can support most incoming productions.

Biamp loudspeakers help engage fans at BattleBots Destruct-A-Thon live events in Las Vegas.

JBL

Surprising and Substantial Leap in Pro AV Growth

By Peter Hansen

“With the economy slowing and the return to in-person boom mostly exhausted, Pro AV growth seems to be settling into a moderate expansion phase.” Or not. The introductory sentence for the February index report does not seem quite so certain with the March data in hand.

This update saw the AV Sales Index (AVI-S) leap from 56.6 in February to 66.0 in March. An increase of 9.4 is rare, and a level as high as 66 is uncommon. It’s great news. But to keep it in perspective: Anytime a significant change happens without a clear explanation, you have to be skeptical of its informational value.

The shift may be noise rather than signal. Especially given that March was a month with meaningful economic turbulence in the form of several bank failures, it seems wisest to discount some of this change as a lucky one-off. That said, it’s still good news.

For example, though luck may have driven it so high, it does shift expectations upward for April relative to what they would have been after February. In addition, if April comes in hot, too, that will be more trustworthy than if the mark came out of nowhere the way the March figure did.

In September 2022, we began to track the top issue for our Insights Community via a multiple-choice question. This augments the open-ended question where respondents share the factors having the biggest impact on their business that month.

Unsurprisingly, supply constraints (i.e., delay and lack of availability) have been the top issue since we started asking. However, this question also reveals a trend of improvement over time. In September, 49% of respondents highlighted supply constraints as the top issue; this month, that percentage was only 36%. No single other issue stands out as a clear second.

Unsurprisingly, the AV employment market does not show the volatility observed in sales. While the AVI-S jumped almost 10 points, the AV Employment

Index (AVI-E) crept up just 0.8. That said, the AVI-E remains at a very positive level.

Going forward, we expect only further continuation of current AVI-E levels as companies seek to continue to fill out staffing shortages that developed during the rapid growth and difficult hiring market of 2022. That continuation becomes only more certain to the extent this month’s excellent AVI-S turns out to be a longterm signal rather than a one-off blip.

The Pro AV Business Index report is derived from a monthly survey of the AVIXA Insights Community, a research community of industry members that tracks business trends in commercial AV. For more information about joining the AVIXA Insights Community, visit www.avixa.org/AVIP.

Peter Hansen is an economist at AVIXA.

Serious Cable Management

Kordz’s Chen Reflects on 20 Years of Building Better Connectivity

By Mark J. Pescatore

: How long have you been with this company, and what are your responsibilities?

James Chen: I began my career as an integrator and moved into sales management, where I helped put BenQ on the map in Australia. I also helped expand the reach of Epson and Samsung products into the professional integration community.

I joined Kordz in 2008 as general manager. Back then, it was a promising startup in Melbourne, Australia, finding a foothold in the professional cabling market. For the last 10 years, as managing director of Kordz International, I’ve focused on serving the connectivity needs of the professional integration community and spearheaded the distribution of our solutions to more than 40 countries.

: Your company likes to say, “It takes one to know one.” What do you mean by that?

JC: At Kordz, many people on our team started their careers as integrators. We are all the kind of guys that grew up with parents who were handy with tools, and it fostered a love of tinkering, pulling things apart, and finding ways to make them better and faster.

As adults, we channelled this inquisitiveness into our professional lives in AV, where we felt fed up with service calls and stiff, inflexible cables that were so difficult to install. We knew there had to be a better way and hence strove to make better cabling products.

Our team shares a desire to do high-quality work that’s right the first time, so we can move on to the next thing. We realize that the kind of integrators that use Kordz products are just like us. A good integrator knows what good quality is when they have it in their hand. We know not everyone is wired this way, and that’s why we say, “It takes one to know one.”

: What makes your new PRO SlimCat product line unique?

JC: Kordz was one of the first brands to develop slim patch leads. It wasn’t long before our customers were asking for a slim Cat6 cable that they could site terminate. Hence, the PRO SlimCat line was born. PRO SlimCat is a new-gen network cabling system that offers all the power of a Cat6 cable in half the size. We are very excited about our suite of PRO SlimCat products, which includes cabling and

matching connectors and keystone sockets. Based on the response of attendees at ISE, the global integration community seems excited about it, too.

PRO SlimCat mitigates many of the common pain points experienced by integrators during the deployment of networking cable, especially in retrofit situations where space is tight and in projects with high-density equipment racks. The fact that PRO SlimCat adheres to all current communications standards, including full 100-watt PoE++ compliancy, makes it all the more beneficial to systems integrators and their customers.

: We tend to focus on the cables, but what’s your approach to developing the connectors?

JC: Connectors are just as important as cables. They are the point at which the greatest signal loss can occur. At Kordz, we believe connectors should be tailored specifically for every cable to ensure the entire network performs optimally.

We believe that a good connector should fit well in the socket, so it’s neither tight nor loose, has the appropriate extraction force for the specific application, and is made of materials to ensure durability and longevity. The internal construction should exceed the specification and meet the promised capacity. It can take us up to 18 months of careful engineering and testing to get the design and manufacturing of each connector right.

I believe the most critical aspect of a quality connector, however, comes from how it was manufactured. A poor-quality connector is the result of tolerances eroding on the production line due to both human and machine error. At Kordz, we minimize these errors by manufacturing the connectors in-house on high-quality machinery and testing every component on the line at each phase of development.

: What have been some of the major changes in the cable manufacturing industry since Kordz was established?

JC: Kordz was born 20 years ago at the infancy of digital connectivity. Since its inception, we’ve seen a huge array of electronic devices enter the market. At the same time, consumers have grown increasingly tech savvy, expecting greater performance and capabilities from their technology. As the market shifts, so must the supporting cabling infrastructure. Today, the cabling foundation of homes and businesses must facilitate stable, reliable connectivity

and optimal performance of bandwidth-intensive technologies, platforms, and services.

In the early stages of networking, the options for cabling were somewhat polarized. There were high-quality, expensive, standards-based, proprietary solutions—and there were open, more costeffective, less capable protocol-agnostic solutions. There was nothing in between for the professional integrator. Kordz was one of the first brands to cater to this middle ground, offering a range of products, each designed and engineered to adhere to a specific communications protocol, ensure superior connectivity, and enable fast, efficient deployment.

Cabling requirements may likely shift again as we enter a new era of networking that demands something I call predictable reliability. Our world has become increasingly unpredictable, as control and management of smart devices have moved to the cloud, where updates happen transparently, and subscriptions and support often lapse, potentially rendering devices inoperable.

Predictable reliability is the practice of providing a predictable and reliable experience for end users. It takes time, knowledge, practice, and therefore experience to deliver a reliable and predictable outcome for any situation. Kordz has made predictable reliability its ongoing goal to deliver value to its customers.

Last but not least, I notice greater recognition among integrators of the importance of quality, safety, and adherence to fire regulations, better transmission methods and language, and simplification of cabling to single twisted pair cabling.

: How is Kordz celebrating its 20th anniversary?

JC: We launched our 20th anniversary celebrations at ISE earlier this year. It was a wonderful opportunity to connect with many of our dealers and customers from around the world who have been on the journey with Kordz for many years, as well as meet many new people. We hosted several evenings of birthday drinks, presented many giveaways, and moderated a cable termination challenge at our booth, which was the highlight of the show.

As the year progresses, we want to celebrate our customers and learn how they are applying technology in meaningful ways. By better understanding the challenges they face, we can continue to refine our solutions to meet their needs. Personally, I feel really proud of what the company has achieved and everything it’s taken to reach this point.

am an avid foodie, photographer, and musician.

Core Connectivity

Swigert Emphasizes Seamless Operation as Atlona Celebrates 20th Anniversary

By Mark J. Pescatore

: How long have you been with this company, and what are your responsibilities?

Jamey Swigert: I was responsible for managing Atlona’s inside and outside sales teams in the Americas upon Panduit’s acquisition of Atlona in 2019. That included setting sales strategy, establishing quotas, overseeing sales incentive plans, developing partner programs, and managing the distribution channel. I became executive director of Atlona in 2021, and today I am responsible for overall management and P&L responsibilities as it relates to Atlona’s business.

: As Atlona celebrates its 20th anniversary, what are you most proud of?

JS: Two points come to mind. The first is how we successfully integrated Atlona into Panduit. We have an intentional and well-thought-out plan to maintain Atlona as an independent organization and brand. We also wanted Atlona to leverage the resources and capabilities of a larger parent organization and bring the best of each company to the other. We have achieved those objectives.

Plus, we wanted to maintain Atlona’s culture, which was and remains very distinct from Panduit’s culture. There has been some blending of those cultures, but in a way that doesn’t make Atlona employees feel as though they have been swallowed by a large global company. They maintain their independence and Atlona still projects that feel of a private company. I think that is very important in the AV industry.

: How is Atlona addressing the growing trend of BYOD in meeting spaces?

JS: Atlona was among the first out of the gate with wireless collaboration products in 2017. This was around the time that the BYOD movement gained momentum, and most products at the time relied on dongles or software downloads. We were at the forefront of supporting native casting capabilities direct from the user’s mobile device. Last year we began shipping the AT-WAVE-101, our secondgeneration wireless presentation platform, which added dynamic content layouts and automated connect and disconnect capabilities, which among other enhancements positioned the WAVE 101 as a hands-free BYOM solution.

We continue to move forward with other connectivity innovations that are at the core of Atlona’s

philosophy. That includes the inclusion of USB-C in many Atlona products, as USB-C is becoming the predominant connection technology. We are adding more power into USB-C delivery for our customers, including the ability to charge devices as they present. Finally, we continue to advance our capabilities with USB routing, such as tying microphones, cameras, and speakers together. Working on the core technology that enables our products and everything to seamlessly work together helps us stand out in the marketplace.

: What trends—or stumbling blocks—are you seeing in the AVoIP space?

JS: The integration side of the AV business remains somewhat challenged with fundamental networking knowledge, such as properly configuring switches. The industry has made strides in developing networking talent from the inside and bringing in outside talent with IT experience. But integrators lacking those networking skills are hesitant to propose or specify it.

The lack of standardization among vendors presents another challenge. There are arguments to be made about whether standardization is good or bad, but when products do not work together, that is problematic for the end user. Interoperability matters, and while it’s not a complete barrier to AV-over-IP, it does make customers think longer and harder about whether that’s a route they want to take.

: Atlona is known for its connectivity solutions, but then there are the Atlona Room Kits. What makes your room kits unique?

JS: The Atlona Room Kits, or ARKs as we call them, developed from discussions with our integration partners. We were hearing that they wanted to bid on more projects but lacked the resources to handle the workload. When you have two designers and 10-15 bids, the math doesn’t work. Project bids are timeconsuming tasks that require a lot of knowledge, parts from at least several manufacturers, and assurance that those parts will work together. This was made more difficult as supply chain challenges emerged.

The ARKs were developed to reduce the bottleneck of design, procurement, and hours on site. These are all-in-one kits that helps integrators complete jobs as quickly as possible. That begins with a single part number that provides everything an integrator needs to setup a meeting space—down to the pre-terminated category cables. All the customer needs to know is the size of the meeting space. There is no design, the ordering is simplified, and the kits are 80%

Jamey Swigert

Position: Executive Director

Company: Atlona

Overtime: I spend time with my kids, both of whom are very active in sports, and build loudspeakers. I enjoy the combination of woodworking and electronics.

configured upon being received. This speeds up the entire process and helps the integrator get in, get out, and move on to the next job.

: What new initiatives can we expect from Atlona at InfoComm and beyond?

JS: We debuted OmniStream 2.0, our next generation AV-over-IP firmware, at ISE. It is a major advancement that brings new capabilities like 4K@60, fast switching, and multiview processing. These will help customers create layouts on video walls that typically require external processors that cost north of $10,000. We can provide thumbnail previews on our Velocity touchpanels for sources, and new, highly-efficient coding means that customers can move more streams between switches. And the best thing for OmniStream customers is that it is a completely free firmware update. That is a lot of new capability for no cost.

Given all of these important benefits, OmniStream 2.0 will be the center point for us at InfoComm. We will soon release a new Velocity touchpanel and that will be on the stand, and there are several other new products under development. I don’t want to give away too many details yet, but Atlona has a very strong product release schedule through 2023, some of which will debut at InfoComm.

: What’s next for the Pro AV industry?

JS: There will continue to be change. Things have changed very fast in AV over the last three years, but I don’t see that slowing down in the near future. We know that chipset vendors behind HDBaseT and AV-over-IP are on the verge of bringing new functionality to the market. That will shake up things on the manufacturer side.

Customer preferences are also changing and diverging. There is a set that is moving toward BYOM. That is timely because we all became very familiar with soft codec conferencing and remote work during the pandemic. Another segment wants to invest in licensed rooms that run a specific instance of codec and locking themselves into an ecosystem of certified hardware.

These are two very divergent paths, and it will be interesting to see how each develops. As manufacturers, we have to be prepared for the market moving in many directions.

SAM CRAIG has joined ADVANCED SYSTEMS GROUP as vice president of cloud production engineering. He is responsible for managing an internal DevOps group that modifies and deploys ASG’s Virtual Production Control Room (VPCR) systems. He will also spearhead engineering and testing of cloud-based systems, and coordinate with the ASG on-prem systems integration team in the creation of hybrid systems. Craig comes to ASG from a sevenyear run with Grass Valley, where he served most recently as vice president of global pre-sales.

B-TECH AV MOUNTS has promoted MARK WALKER to managing director U.K. He first stepped through the doors of B-Tech in 2007, forging a successful career in sales. His contributions to the company went beyond his sales duties, and he was promoted to director of operations U.K. in 2018, where he oversaw all aspects of the business from manufacturing and logistics to sales. As managing director, Walker will continue to lead the U.K. team in all aspects of the business, and will be a key decision-maker about operational procedures that affect the wider B-Tech International Group of companies worldwide.

Pro AV veteran STEVEN PEDROZA has joined HALL TECHNOLOGIES as western regional sales manager. He will serve as the primary point of contact for all resellers, distributors, and reps within the western

Riedel Strengthens Management, Expands U.S. Sales

Riedel Communications has strengthened its Project Division management team with the promotion of Jan Eveleens to COO and the appointment of Daniel Url as chief commercial officer (CCO). As part of this move, Oliver Zimmermann will take on the role of executive director, digital transformation, leading Riedel’s transformation journey.

Eveleens joined Riedel in 2018 as director of business development for video, and he has been instrumental in driving the company’s growth in this area. Before joining Riedel, he served as the CEO of Axon and general manager of the Camera Division of

territory states of Alaska, Hawaii, California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Nevada.

Rep Report

MAXHUB has welcomed ANNIE SUNSERI as enterprise sales manager for the Northwest and business development manager for distribution. Assuming two important roles for the company, Sunseri will oversee all sales for the U.S. Northwest territory and manage distribution partnerships for the entire U.S. region. Most recently, she served as senior channel sales manager for Avocor and previously operated Sunseri Marketing. Also new is JASON D. TESSIER, who joined MAXHUB as enterprise sales manager, Northeast, and TODD MOFFETT, who has been named enterprise sales manager, Southeast. Both are responsible for driving sales of MAXHUB LED displays and UC Series conferencing products throughout their respective regions. Tessier has more than 25 years of industry experience, most recently as a regional sales manager for FoxFury Lighting Solutions. Moffett is another industry veteran with previous sales experience with Optoma and Panasonic, among others.

As part of its continued recruitment drive in the region, PPDS has added KRISTEN O’CONNOR as its new sales operations manager for North America. Based in Oregon, she will be responsible for driving revenue, providing data-driven insights, pipeline develop-

Grass Valley. As COO, he will oversee all aspects of the company’s production, logistics, and supply chain, ensuring that Riedel continues to deliver innovative products and solutions to customers worldwide.

Url brings more than 20 years of experience in sales and customer success to his new role as CCO. He previously served as managing director and CSO of Qvest, head of global product management at Vizrt, and chief product officer for Grass Valley. In his new role at Riedel, he will be responsible for driving the company’s global commercial strategy, working to identify new market opportunities and develop effective go-to-market strategies.

Zimmermann previously served as Riedel’s executive director of manufacturing operations. In his new role, he will lead the development and implementation of the company’s digital strategy, leveraging technologies to drive innovation and enhance customer experience.

CAD DISTRIBUTION, which represents six commercial AV manufacturers in North America, has appointed Image Marketing Group to join it in Southern California and Southern Nevada, while the Henderson Company will join CAD in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and upstate New York. Plus, NAVA-Tech Sales will rep the company’s portfolio of audio and video solutions in Montana, Southern Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and El Paso, TX.

In March, DAS AUDIO OF AMERICA appointed Samuel K. Macdonald (SKMac) as its new rep through the Mid-Atlantic and New York metropolitan territories. Specifically, the Marylandbased company will represent DAS Audio in Washington, DC, Virginia, Maryland, Eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, and the Tri-State area.

Techrep Marketing is the new rep for EASTERN ACOUSTIC WORKS (EAW) in the Ohio Valley region. The company will represent EAW’s entire suite of products, and has a reach that includes Ohio, Kentucky, Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Michigan, and Indiana.

ment, management and forecasting, performance metric analysis, and sales process optimization. In addition, O’Connor will also provide sales data management, communication, and tools administration to ensure increased efficiency and productivity, while helping to improve the sales onboarding process and provide ongoing training on sales tools.

Meanwhile, the company has expanded its Americas sales team with Todd Gardner as channel manager, North America, and James Skupien and Ben Gabrielson in regional sales manager roles. Dave Caulwell, who has managed and grown the channel (along with the Riedel RED program) in North America for years, will move into a new position as regional sales director, East. Skupien, based in Chicago, will serve as regional sales manager, North Central, and Gabrielson, based in Arizona, will serve as regional sales manager, South Central.

Sam Craig

Kristen O'Connor

Mark Walker

Steven Pedroza

The Riedel Product Division includes (from left) Oliver Zimmermann, Daniel Url, Rik Hoeree, and Jan Eveleens.

From Left Annie Sunseri, Jason Tessier, Todd Moffett

Why Small Businesses Need a Leadership Team

Decentralized Approach Is Better Strategy for Long-Term Success

By Steve Greenblatt

It is not uncommon that business owners who are the president and CEO also assume the roles of COO, CFO, CMO, and more. After all, that person was the founder—and likely the sole employee— during the company’s infancy. Although holding on to these roles is a great way to manage costs, ensure consistency, and maintain accountability, it can also be the root of many organizational problems and the biggest obstacle to growth and long-term success.

Considering the popular business philosophy that growth comes when “working on your business, not in your business” and success is marked by “building a business that doesn’t rely on the owner’s day-today involvement,” can either of these aspirational goals be reached without investing in a trusted team of leaders who can be relied upon to be a foundation for the business?

Plan for Success

Many business owners/CEOs struggle with the concept of investing in others. This apprehension may be a result of actual experience; however, one should question whether those undesirable outcomes were a function of the CEO’s own doing. Were the individuals being asked to take on new roles truly given the opportunity to succeed or were they set up to fail?

To develop a team, it is important to start by implementing effective management strategies. Consider the following guidelines, which can serve as an effective learning process for both parties:

• Establish realistic goals.

• Clearly define tasks, expectations, and desired outcomes.

• Provide ample preparation to take on a role.

• Empower team members to think for themselves, make mistakes, and learn personally and professionally.

• Provide positive feedback and encouragement rather than scrutinizing efforts or micromanaging.

While concerns for business owners and CEOs loom around the notion of relinquishing power, extending trust, and turning over decision-making

authority to others, the alternative of not making such a commitment and continuing to be the jack-ofall-trades can be even more detrimental to the CEO, team members, and organization.

Organizations that refrain from decentralized leadership rely on the CEO to make or sign off on all the decisions, thus making the company dependent on the CEO for day-to-day activities. When the CEO is not available for any reason, the progress of the team and the success of the business becomes inhibited. Plus, if something were to happen to the CEO, what does that mean for the success of the company? A company that centers around one person does not allow for growth and scalability, which limits its potential and reduces its value.

The Right Stuff

Building a leadership team starts with identifying trusted and committed team members who display their desire and ability to step up, truly believe in the company vision and owner, and have the innate ability to put the company’s needs before their own. These are typically the “A” players within an organization.

An elite breed of “A” player, known as an intrapreneur, embodies the business instinct, leadership qualities, and entrepreneurial mindset while working within an established company. These standouts naturally challenge themselves to grow, hold themselves accountable to improve, identify and seek out solutions to problems, share ideas to add value and capitalize on opportunities, and think outside the box. As such, they tend to instinctually inspire others to follow them on a course to success.

The subtle difference between the intrapreneur and the entrepreneur is that the intrapreneur exists within the organization rather than independently, because they want to invest in the future of the company and trust in the values and decisions of the CEO. Instead of taking on the risk, responsibility, and demands of running a company of their own, they are committed to growing and improving an existing company that supports them in pursuing their career goals. These are the types of individuals that need to be sought after, nurtured, and provided the latitude to grow within a leadership team.

Inasmuch as it is important for members of a

leadership team to have common qualities and meet a certain set of standards, it is just as important that they think differently, are willing to challenge and be challenged, speak up for what they believe, and engage in healthy conflict when required. Diversity is a critical component in a leadership team; it ensures the organization does not overlook blind spots and all major aspects of business that make the organization run are covered.

Hold Your Course

Easing the burden of the CEO by taking on responsibilities is not the only purpose of the leadership team; what is even more critical is how they support the CEO in keeping the company on its defined course and ensuring that the organization remains focused on achieving the goals that have been established and agreed upon by everyone involved. Although it is natural for disagreements to exist amongst passionate leaders (as well as with the CEO), those disagreements must remain behind closed doors. Outwardly, the entire leadership team must remain unified in echoing the agreed upon decisions that undeniably define the company strategy and vision—and demonstrate a commitment to the company’s long-range plan.

The best leaders are those with innate qualities who naturally find themselves in roles of responsibility and authority on a team. As such, members of the team crave their guidance, gravitate toward their influence, and rally around their mentorship and security. Not only can a leadership team help futureproof the company, it can also foster the growth of team members, amplify the messaging of the company, unite the team around common goals, and diffuse concerns by setting a confident tone that strengthens the team’s focus.

Building a leadership team does not happen overnight. Even once the CEO becomes comfortable with the notion and benefit of establishing a leadership team, it is critical to define the roles that are needed and invest the time and effort required to identify, groom, and/or hire the right people to assume the responsibilities required.

Steve Greenblatt, CTS, is the founder of Control Concepts, Inc., which provides specialized software and services for the Pro AV industry. Contact him at steveg@controlconcepts.net.

GETTY IMAGES

They take risks. They forge new paths. They bring professionalism and positivity to the workplace. They are The Nine—and the future of Pro AV is the hands of individuals like these young leaders.

Mel Baglio

Title: Director of Operations Company: AV Chicago Location: Chicago, IL

Overtime: When she’s not spending time with her husband and pets, Baglio enjoys architecture and landscape photography.

Why You Need to Know Her: Don’t tell Mel Baglio she can’t do something. She might just make a career out of proving you wrong.

Baglio was a theater kid in high school, roughly until the moment she realized she had horrible stage fright. That’s when she noticed a large A-frame ladder and a bunch of guys hanging lights in the auditorium. She wanted to give it a try, but was promptly dismissed, because girls don’t do lighting or tech work.

Today, Baglio is a seasoned master electrician with a bachelor of fine arts degree in lighting design from the University of Oklahoma. Oh, and she happens to be the director of operations for AV Chicago, a leading events production services provider.

Her career has been a steady diet of creativity mixed with professional challenges. Although Baglio enjoyed working in local theater, she decided to put

her skills to the test on the road, lighting Broadway shows on tour. During her time on the My Fair Lady national tour, she met her husband, who was a stage carpenter at the time.

“Living on a tour bus is only glamorous for so long,” she joked, so she moved to Chicago as a freelancer, eventually leading stage operations and lighting for regional theaters. Another move, this time to Colorado, saw her establish a team as director of production for the Ent Center for the Arts, a new $90 million venue in Colorado Springs. However, AV Chicago was able to lure Baglio back to the Windy City almost two years ago.

When she joined the company, there was a skeleton crew of five employees. Like so many other companies, AV Chicago had been ravaged during the pandemic. Along with the general manager, she helped develop a plan to rebuild the entire company.

“I really like a challenge—fixing things, putting in new processes, creating new ways for us to be successful in the long term,” Baglio explained. “And finding ways to do things—not just because it’s how they’ve always done it, but because it works for us.”

Under Baglio’s leadership, AV Chicago is significantly healthier these days, with a team of 31 employees, including 17 in operations. The company produced more than 650 events in 2022, from music festivals to galas to store openings. Baglio said business is probably busier than ever; AV Chicago has welcomed several returning clients as well as an influx of new clients.

However, labor is at a premium these days, with many techs choosing not to work full time. As a result, to schedule the company’s “inside circle of outside help,” events require more planning and coordination.

“In the ‘before times’ as we call it, there were 20 full-time techs that worked for AV Chicago, and right now we have four,” she said. “People don’t realize there’s a lot of stuff happening behind the scenes to make just one event happen—and we have 15 or 20 at the same time. It’s just a little bit different than it used to be.”

Contributors: Wayne Cavadi, Jennifer Guhl, Mark J. Pescatore

Jeremy Codiroli

Title: Vice President, Process Improvement Company: AVI-SPL Location: Richmond, VA

Overtime: Codiroli loves football and played defensive end on a state championship-level team. He also loves spending time with his wife and two kids, mountain biking, and watching as many movies as possible.

Why You Need to Know Him: Jeremy Codiroli has the ability to put a strong focus on complex calculations, data, and processes—but also can transition to more creative thinking to come up with unique outside-thebox solutions. Combining that with his extensive process improvement and supply chain experience allows him to focus on transforming AVI-SPL’s supply chain model, improving consistency as well as the quality of what they provide for their customers.

“We’ve involved some customers in this process, and hearing their excitement for our long-term plan makes me proud to work for a company open to ‘crazy’ ideas and dramatic business transformation,” said Codiroli.

Starting as a supply chain analyst and project manager for a chemical company, Codiroli developed process improvement skills that eventually led him to improve various areas of operations and led to his love

of data-driven improvement projects. When Whitlock approached him about being its first-ever process improvement manager, he was fascinated by the possibilities within the AV industry.

After the merger with AVI-SPL, Codiroli was promoted to director of process improvement. This led to the opportunity to manage more complex initiatives, later leading to his eventual promotion to vice president of process improvement.

“I’ve loved every minute of it, and I’d be interested in continuing with the process improvement or supply chain path within this industry,” he said. “My ultimate goal is to become a COO, since everything about corporate operations excites me to wake up and get started every day.”

One thing he learned pretty quickly is that the Pro AV industry is complex. “This is not an easy industry to master due to the vast number of literally intercon-

nected pieces and processes,” he explained. “Our customers demand high quality, and everything we do should be focused on delivering a consistent experience that meets every one of their needs, on their schedule, wherever they need it.”

Data is king for Codiroli, and he inherently relies on making decisions based on it. Still, he tries not to get stuck in the trap of “paralysis by analysis,” causing him to drag out decision-making due to the goal of perfection. “The key is knowing that sometimes you just need to move forward with a decision and be ready to iteratively adjust your strategy instead of waiting too long to make a decision,” he noted.

Codiroli has achieved a lot at the relatively young age, earning him admiration from the senior leadership team of AVI-SPL, who seek his counsel and support on the future development of the business. “For the AV industry to continue its path of continuous growth and market relevance, we need more ‘Jeremys,’ and every CEO should be making these kinds of investments in their business,” said Julian Phillips, managing director of XTG, the API-SPL Experience Technology Group.

“There is no greater feeling than loving what you do, and the satisfaction of seeing your organization improve because of your contributions,” he said. “I will never get bored of experiencing that.”

Karen Castaño

Title: Director of National Business Company: Exertis Almo Location: Dallas, TX Overtime: While she enjoys photography and writing, you’ll most likely find her chasing around her two-year-old triplets in her spare time (which she photographs and writes about in her blog).

Why You Need to Know Her: Karen Castaño’s own ambitions are secondary to her team’s success, where she is a strong advocate for promoting the future talent of Pro AV. “My joy is seeing other people succeed,” she said. “It’s far more important than my personal glory.”

Castaño has had a wild ride in her recently celebrated sixth year in the Pro AV industry. She started with Stampede in 2017, saw the company rebranded to Exertis Pro AV in 2020 and then transition to Exertis Almo in January 2022. She was named to her current position, director of national business, in April 2022.

A career in Pro AV wasn’t necessarily Castaño’s future. She attended UCLA as a theater major with aspirations of being an actress. She then got her MBA at Claremont Graduate University in California. While her focus on marketing and strategy helped her get to where she is today, so did UCLA.

“That theater degree serves pretty much any job

that you do because at some point, you’re going to have to get up in front of people, whether you’re in an interview, you’re in a sales position, you’re in a coaching position, and you’re going to have to perform,” said Castaño. “Learning that gives you a lot of confidence to be able to do it.”

Today, she guides a national team of account managers and customer engagement representatives. Well, at least per her job description and resume. What stands out about Castaño is her passion for her people. “That’s probably my biggest role,” she said. “I’m in the business of growing my people.”

Castaño was at a software company when Pro AV came calling. “It was the strategy piece of it that felt really interesting,” she said.

She entered the industry in what she called “trial by fire” and quickly learned what made it the right fit. “I discovered that the thing about the industry that’s really amazing is the people are just really

Brandon Heinz

Title: Product Manager Company: Renkus-Heinz Location: Los Angeles

Overtime: Heinz organizes dance music events with a group of best friends, highlighting domestic and international artists and record labels, and produces his own house and techno music.

incredible,” she said. “That was it, hands down.”

All this makes her current role a perfect fit, as it married her two passions, team and strategy. “You think of what’s happening right now, like the mergers. Yesterday’s little company might be bought and then they become the next day’s big, big company. It’s the same thing with account managers,” she explained. “These people who start out tomorrow, they might go and become a field manager, they might become a business development manager. And they’re all the future leaders of what we’re doing. I’m shaping that, and I think that that’s a big role and a big responsibility.”

While Castaño may not have intended to be, she is part of the changing landscape of Pro AV. As a strong and successful female leader, she is one of many who are rising to positions that not long ago were male dominated. “You can feel [the shift]. And it is really nice, because I do think that that is changing dramatically,” she added.

What advice does she impart on the future of Pro AV? Be curious and be flexible. “It's a great place to get your feet wet,” she said. “If you can be flexible and just know that changes are part of what happens when you have this many products and this many manufacturers, then the cool part, especially about distribution, is you have so many choices—and that's awesome.”

and learn from some of the industry’s brightest minds,” said Heinz. “I owe so much of my current knowledge, skillset, and relative success to a few of my favorite mentors, and I couldn’t be more grateful for those opportunities.”

Why You Need to Know

Him: With a formal education in biology, Brandon Heinz brings a unique perspective to systems-level thinking. This approach allows him to dissect and analyze how various parts of an AV system work together, allowing him to identify the appropriate trends that will enable Renkus-Heinz to connect with a broader market.

After a reluctant start to his AV career, working at Renkus-Heinz after college to make some extra money, Heinz fell in love with the atmosphere and his interest grew from there. As a technician in the electronics production department, he worked closely with their engineers as they completed design validation testing on an IC-Squared project. This experience jumpstarted his interest in loudspeaker systems, and he began attending as many

classes as possible with SynAudcon, leading him into applications engineering.

As an applications engineer, Heinz immersed himself in all aspects of sound system life, including concept development, design, commissioning, and post-sales support. He also was able to take part in acoustic evaluations of the Renkus-Heinz Gen 5 product line.

Following a short stint working as an audio system engineer with Faraday Future, Heinz returned to Renkus-Heinz to take on his current role as a product manager. In this role, he has streamlined development procedures and feedback mechanisms, helping them be more responsive to their partners and refine their future product offerings.

“I’ve been incredibly blessed to work around

Heinz thrives on the teamwork-based atmosphere of the Pro AV industry, and feels every project is an opportunity to learn from the client’s perspective. “An excellent AV system integration takes a lot of knowledge about many disciplines, and to provide the correct solution, you often must rely on many people to get the most out of the whole system,” he explained. He takes pride in seeing his clients thrive and watching them utilize RenkusHeinz solutions in a variety of places with greater consistency and less time on site.

Heinz feels you can never stop learning, and recommends always looking for takeaways from every situation. “Nearly everything we're confronted with can be a learning exercise if you have the right mindset,” he added, “and approaching challenges with an open mind will allow you to gather new and helpful information, even in seemingly insignificant areas.”

“I’m in the business of growing my people.”

Karen Castaño

David Kaszycki

Title: Co-Founder and CEO

Company: Beam Dynamics Location: Winston-Salem, NC

Overtime: In his off hours, Kaszycki can be found cooking, writing, trying local craft beers, or golfing.

Why You Need to Know Him: David Kaszycki is an entrepreneur at heart who likes to solve problems. That combination led him to co-found Beam Dynamics, a company that is bridging the information gap between Pro AV manufacturers and end users. With an entrepreneurial father who had worked with some of the earliest touchscreen kiosks, Kaszycki figured it was inevitable that he’d lead a startup in the tech industry. He started early, establishing his first company with two partners when he was a sophomore at Furman University in Greenville, SC. NBinnovation installed digital LCD screens across the university campus and sold digital advertising. Kaszycki even left school for a year to pursue the opportunity.

protecting the business from people with ulterior motives, and focusing on business and operations, not just the “fun” stuff. Kaszycki re-enrolled and graduated in December 2012.

A few years later, he was working in the professional video industry, tasked with visiting hundreds of broadcast studios and production sets every year—and he continued to see the same problem. Gone were the days of simply opening a chassis and addressing an issue. Equipment needed firmware, software, and security updates, none of which could be fixed with a screwdriver or soldering gun.

Beam Dynamics was born when Kaszycki devised a way to help end users manage their products. Basically,

inventory, then dynamically searches for documentation, updates, end-of-life announcements, and more. As software updates are made available, Beam pushes notifications to customers automatically.

When COVID-19 hit, Kaszycki’s hours were reduced, leaving plenty of time to make progress on Beam. The company won a startup grant, and Kaszycki became Beam’s only full-time employee in December 2020. Today, Beam has 21 employees and is expanding its feature set and into new market verticals—and Kaszycki expects the company to be self-sufficient by the end of the year. Beam already has more than 5,000 manufacturers and vendors as well as almost 500,000 unique products in its database.

Meanwhile, as a young CEO, Kaszycki is transitioning his leadership style. In the beginning, he was focused on having a strong vision for the company. Now, he is focused on helping his team understand and deliver on his vision for the future.

Kaszycki thinks Beam has real value for both end users and manufacturers. “Our platform brings together the people who own products with the

Adrienne Knick

Title: Senior Director, Certification Company: AVIXA Location: Fairfax, VA

Overtime: If you don’t see Knick working, chances are she’s in the air working on her pilot’s license.

Why You Need to Know Her: Adrienne Knick has long worked on improving the AVIXA testing and assessment space, and was a driving force behind making the CTS exam available through online exam proctoring.

Though one of the industry’s brightest young stars, Knick is already a seasoned AV veteran, spending her entire career in the certification department at AVIXA. Beginning her journey in 2009, the testing and certification process has come a long way while she climbed the ladder to senior director of certification.

A life in Pro AV wasn’t necessarily in the cards. Knick graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in psychology. She worked at Best Buy’s Geek Squad, which piqued her interest in technology. (It’s also where she met her husband, so it turned out to be a great job for her future.) However, finding the right career after graduation in 2007 was no easy task, so Knick patiently waited, temping until the right

position came along.

That position was certification coordinator for AVIXA. “I’m actually one of the very lucky people who got a psych degree and actually get to use it,” Knick said. “A big part of [the certification program] is industrial organizational psychology, the science of human assessment, and what makes something statistically valid and what makes something a good test question, and how you actually measure reliably and validly the knowledge you’re trying to target.”

As Knick looked back at the past 14 years with AVIXA, every new position presented a new challenge. Getting up to speed on accreditation standards and how to administer them were not taught in Knick’s psychology classes. Nor were the thousands of pages for her annual audits once she was in a managerial position (audits AVIXA always looked very good in, mind you).

“I don’t shy away from a challenge and even if it doesn’t work out, you’ve learned something that’s

James Knight

Title: CEO

Company: Xilica

Location: London

Why You Need to Know Him: James Knight had little prior experience in the AV industry before joining one of the leaders in collaboration technology, Xilica, in 2020. But he leveraged his extensive management consulting experience to bring a fresh perspective to the business, increasing value while deploying solutions that are easy to implement.

Knight started his career as a management consultant to large, multi-national businesses in the consumer goods, technology, and hospitality industries, helping companies to reposition themselves based on changing client needs and trends. “Manage-

ment consulting offers great insight into organizational behavior and the full value chain employed to deliver a great product or service,” he said.

Using that experience, Knight joined Xilica, where he currently serves as CEO and has empowered the evolution and expansion of the business, developing long-term strategies to meet client needs now and in the future. One of those strategies was further growing the company’s partnership with Sennheiser, with a strategic alliance with their Business Communication division announced last year. Both companies understand the importance of connectivity and work collaboratively to create impactful systems using a range of tailored products. “We’ve worked closely with Sennheiser to enhance interoperability between the two portfolios and ensure that system deployment can be turnkey,” he said.

Authentic interaction and ease of use are a sustained focus for Xilica, especially when developing future product offerings. Building on its established range of audio products for meeting rooms and

going to make you stronger for the next thing that you try,” Knick said. “And I think that was a really hard lesson to learn, to not be afraid to fail. But failure is only temporary, and it improves your odds for next time.”

Knick is most proud of helping AVIXA maintain its relevance. She was the force behind getting the CTS exam proctored online. Of course, COVID-19 accelerated the process—but Knick looked another challenge in the face and once again conquered it.

“It really opened up the opportunity to take the CTS exam to just a huge number of people across the world,” Knick said. “There are going to be some places around the world where it’s still cumbersome to have to go to a test center. It might be a day of travel. And now we have removed that barrier to entry for them, which is so important for workforce development.”

After more than a decade in the industry, what parting advice does Knick have for the next wave of Pro AV talent? “Be ready to learn,” she said. “AV is constantly evolving. We saw a huge jump in evolution with the pandemic when everyone was suddenly like, ‘We have to figure out how to make everything online now.’ We were here for that. And there is going to be something else. There’s always going to be something else that is going to be that kick to have the next round of innovation.”

educational centers, Knight makes it a point to seek out feedback from Xilica’s user base and customer advisory board to improve and scale its technology offerings.

With the industry challenging all to innovate, Knight recommends staying nimble, thinking fast, and always finding ways to support your partners. With Xilica being entirely channel-driven, Knight is proud of its channel program, Xilica One, which offers extensive benefits to their resellers in Pro AV, UC, and datacom. “Xilica understands that to be a vendor of choice, we must be meaningfully different and profitable to supply,” he said.

Even though he ended up in the AV industry fortuitously, he finds himself fascinated by emerging industry trends like the convergence of AV and IT, the blend of communication technology between the UC sector and traditional Pro AV, and the way IT and consumer electronics companies are expanding into the AV industry. He is definitely an AV industry newbie no more.

“Be ready to learn. AV is constantly evolving.” Adrienne Knick

Justin Lachovsky

Title: Director, Sales and Marketing Company: Telecine Location: Montreal

Overtime: Lachovsky is a massive fan of DC comics, especially Batman. His fandom is so large that he even has a half-sleeve Batman tattoo on his right arm. You could say the Dark Knight is always with him.

Why You Need to Know Him:When it comes to digital signage, Justin Lachovsky focuses on content first. It’s a concept that Telecine, the innovative digital signage company where he serves as director of sales and marketing, continues to provide education on for the industry. He also approaches everything with the customer and their needs first, helping them to find the best solution to achieve their desired effect rather than pigeonholing them into a pre-built solution.

“There is always a solution to their request, but focus on the objective they are looking to achieve and success is guaranteed,” said Lachovsky.

You could say Lachovsky “fell down the rabbit hole” of the Pro AV industry, working in various roles until he found his current position. As he was

finishing his undergraduate degree, he started to work at Telecine as a marketing assistant. From there, he worked in everything from project management to account management. “I just love technology so much that I took a deep interest in everything we did to make cool content for our clients’ displays,” he explained.

A self-proclaimed tech geek, Lachovsky is currently responsible for leading the strategic direction for all marketing and sales initiatives, but is always looking to expand upon the company’s business operations. Recently, he spearheaded an initiative to make the company more agnostic concerning its content creation efforts, allowing them to work with a broader scope of signage software platforms.

Katie Murphy Khulusi

Title: Engineering Director, Acoustical and Mechanical

Company: Meyer Sound Location: Berkeley, CA

Overtime: What doesn’t she do in her free time? Along with snowboarding and backpacking the Sierras with her dad, she is the neighborhood coordinator for the Berkeley Food Pantry, makes candles, and moonlights as a bar trivia host.

Why You Need to Know Her: You would think that being the driving force behind Meyer Sound’s PANTHER loudspeaker system would top the list, but that is just part of Katie Murphy Khulusi’s story. She’s not just part of the youth revolution in Pro AV, she is likely your strongest ally and advocate, using “every platform that is available to me to do that.”

Sometimes a person is destined for a profession. Call it fate or happenstance, but that seems to be exactly the case for Murphy Khulusi. Music was her passion since her youth, and the former oboe player had dreams of being a studio lot musician and working on film scores. As she got older, she decided she was much better at math and went to the University of Southern California for electrical engineering.

It was there, while minoring in music recording,

that she became an audio assistant. “And somewhere in there it was kind of like, ‘Okay, there is a general path for electrical engineering that has music in it; this whole technical side of the music industry,’” Murphy Khulusi explained. Luckily for her, she was trained on a Meyer Sound system. Even more fortunate was that the stars aligned when it came time for the job hunt: Meyer Sound was looking for an acoustic test engineer.

Destiny called and Murphy Khulusi obliged, beginning her rise in Meyer Sound until she landed in her current role in February 2022. When asked about her crowning achievement, it was a quick answer: The launch of PANTHER. Facing the duress of pandemic challenges (supply chains, for example), Murphy Khulusi had to execute with little wiggle

Authenticity is also essential for him; he focuses on doing that in everything he does—and believes that if you are always yourself, the rest will follow as it should. “My passion for technology has made it easy for me to learn more about all the industry components,” he added. “It’s not just work for me, it’s fun.”

When Telecine sadly lost its beloved founder, James Fine, last year, Lachovsky helped make the transition as smooth as possible with his selfless, compassionate leadership. “While he is smart as a whip, it is his empathy, his emotional intelligence, that makes him smarter than the average bear,” said David Defelici, vice president of business development with Telecine. “It sounds cliché, but his humanity sets him apart.”

Looking to the future, Lachovsky said he loves everything the industry has to offer, and his goal is to stay within the digital signage industry for as long as possible. The constant evolution within the sector makes every day a new adventure and forces him to adapt to the ever-changing technology landscape. “Just when you think you are getting used to a certain technology, bam! Something new to play with,” he said.

room. The product launch was Ed Sheeran’s +–=÷x Tour, and the show would go on, PANTHER or not.

Fortunately, it wasn’t only a successful launch, but one of Meyer Sound’s most successful line arrays to date. “I was one of the designers acoustically for it,” she explained. “I made the new horn for it. So that was the first time that I was able to not only say, ‘I designed this major part of it, but I was also the project manager.’ I was the product owner. My whole self was completely tied to that project.”

However, success and glory are not what drives Murphy Khulusi. Being young, female, and now a leader in the industry, she is passionate about the future and making it a better place to work for everyone. “I am a very outwardly presenting, bubbly young female,” she said. “Overall, women in engineering and in Pro AV—there’s only a handful, especially as you start to get more towards the top.

“I am not afraid to say what I think. I will take every opportunity that is given to me to talk about how I’m proud of myself and my company, but also to talk about what I see going on in the industry and how kind of this new, younger generation that’s now starting to come into these senior management roles can help propel it into the future.”

“There is always a solution to their request, but focus on the objective they are looking to achieve and success is guaranteed.”

Justin Lachovsky

One Standard to Rule Them All?

With Common Chipset and 10GigE Transport, Alliance Members Make the Case for SDVoE

By James Careless

According to the application and network intelligence company Sandvine, streamed video usage grew 24% in 2022 and accounts for 65% of all internet traffic. This is why streaming video distributors need access to a video streaming standard that is reliable, interoperable among many AV equipment platforms, and uncompressed for 4K traffic to maximize viewing quality.

Software Defined Video-over-Ethernet (SDVoE) is a proven, reliable AV-over-IP standard that runs on commercial-off-the-shelf 10GigE networks. It is compatible with technology made by major AV equipment manufacturers and vendors including NETGEAR, ZeeVee, Christie, Semtech, Black Box, and IDKAV—all of which banded together to form the nonprofit SDVoE Alliance consortium in 2017. Today, it has more than 55 members, with approximately 800 SDVoE products in their combined catalogs.

“SDVoE is different from other AVoIP video standards because SDVoE is built around a chipset that is common to all SDVoE devices,” said Justin Kennington, president of the SDVoE Alliance. “This means interoperability is built into this standard from the start.”

The Key Is Interoperability

The creation of the SDVoE standard addresses one of the AV user community’s biggest complaints, namely that proprietary AV equipment made by Vendor A won’t interoperate with AV equipment made by Vendor B. Such restrictions limited the choices of users when it came to buying new AV equipment, including combining gear from various vendors to reuse legacy equipment and get the best prices for new purchases.

Before Windows-based personal computers became ubiquitous, this was something AV vendors could get away with, but no longer. “You can’t go to the IT director and say, ‘Well, we have to buy Dell printers because we have Dell laptops, and as you know, Dell laptops only work with Dell printers,’” Kennington said. “That’s an insane conversation, and yet that used to be the conversation in AV. If I’ve got a specific AV vendor’s system today and I want to expand it, I need to buy from the same AV vendor tomorrow. That’s how AV has done business in the past. But I don’t think this approach works anymore

in an IT-centric world, and neither do the members of the SDVoE Alliance.”

In fact, the clear, compelling need for an interoperable AVoIP standard is what galvanized a handful of manufacturers and others to put aside their proprietary pasts and come together for the AV industry’s common good. “The founding members of the SDVoE Alliance all believed that we have to ultimately change how we do business to stay competitive,” said Kennington. “Although changing their way of doing things was scary—it feels safe to say, ‘You can only use my products with my products’—they all knew what the AV industry was facing thanks to PCs and how we had to start looking at the world.”

Kennington’s explanation is echoed by Bob Michaels, CEO of ZeeVee. “Our involvement with the core technology goes back to 2014 when we were looking to move our legacy products, which were all RF-based, into AVoIP,” he said. “We became a founding member of the SDVoE Alliance as a result of the experience we gained over those earlier years, and because we truly believe in the technology.”

“SDVoE was one of those places where we saw a kinship in needing some kind of standardization in the industry for how AV is moved over an IP network,” added John Henkel, NETGEAR’s director of SMB marketing. “With SDVoE, our customers realize that they can use endpoints from any manufacturer depending on their need, and they can mix-andmatch in different rooms if that’s the way it works best for them. All kinds of SDVoE signals can come from various vendors’ equipment and then run through a simple NETGEAR switch and it’s all going to work reliably.”

Other Advantages

SDVoE’s interoperable design delivers tangible benefits to AV vendors, content providers, signal distributors, and end users. The technology's use of 10GigE networks is another big benefit in the emerging world of 4K video.

“Our philosophy is to use as little compression as needed to transport signals,” Kennington said. “If your video signal is less than 10 gigs per second, we don’t even compress it. So, a 4K 30fps signal is 6 Gbps of raw video data: We just transmit that as a 6 Gbps stream on our network.”

Of course, there are larger video data streams—for example, 4K 60fps works out to 12 Gbps of raw data,

Compatible with other SDVoE products, the ZeeVee ZyPer encoder and decoder product line distributes content to an unlimited number of displays over a 10Gb Ethernet switch.

More than 55 members of the SDVoE Alliance, including Christie, have combined to produce hundreds of SDVoE products.

which won’t fit into a 10 Gbps pipe. “That’s when we turn on our very lightweight and usually lossless compression, which will squeeze it down to 9 Gbps,” said Kennington. “The most bandwidth that we ever consume for a video stream is 9 Gbps, because we want to leave that last gigabit available to support data traffic.”

As for signal latency? It can occur when video is streamed using the SDVoE standard, but latency can occur no matter what standard is being used. “Everything has latency: If you and I are standing in a room six feet from one another talking to one another, there is latency in the speed of sound,” Kennington observed. “The real issue is whether or not this latency is detectable by the user.

“In SDVoE, the latency is the same that you would experience going through a matrix switch, which is the latency of a few memory buffers in the line. If SDVoE compression is turned on, that adds five video lines of latency. So, for a 4K60 video signal, with compression turned on, our latency is a fixed 117 microseconds. That’s 0.117 milliseconds.”

Then there’s power savings. SDVoE runs on ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) chipsets, which have been designed to support the SDVoE standard. As such, they use up to 70% less electricity than an FPGA (field-programmable gate array)—a common architectural choice for other AVoIP products—doing the same job. This reduced power can save operators serious money when hundreds or even thousands of SDVoE devices are in use.

“ASIC technology is at our core,” said Kennington. “Our approach to AV-over-IP is more sustainable, which is great to think about in big green/save-the-planet terms. Saving electricity means cutting emissions and reducing your carbon footprint and all that, and it’s also saving a lot of money for the end customer.”

NETGEAR’s M4300 line of AV-over-IP managed switches support the SDVoE standard.

Bob Michaels

John Henkel

Justin Kennington

AI: A Business Accelerator Is Born

Four Ways Artificial Intelligence Can Help Pro AV Sustain Profitable Growth

By Julian Phillips

Donning his signature black turtleneck, Steve Jobs ambled on to the stage at Mac World 2007 and proclaimed, “Every once in a while, a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything.” He was, of course, talking about the launch of the iPhone—and how right he was. Before the end of that decade, smartphones had revolutionized the way people worked and played, and had dominated the attention span of a generation.

I believe we have now arrived at a new “tipping point” where artificial intelligence, most recently popularized by ChatGPT, will change everything as well. I also believe the AV industry is ideally positioned to take advantage of AI engines and bots, helping to shield us from recession and acting as a powerful accelerator of business transformation

and profitable revenue growth.

Over the last 30 years, the Pro AV industry has grown to be a $258 billion powerhouse (according to AVIXA), helping to transform business collaboration, education, government, healthcare, entertainment, and hospitality around the world. In the most part, this success has been achieved through the curated fusion of space, content, and technology.

Our traditional AV technology has helped people tell better stories, communicate remotely, engage and delight audiences, educate and inform, and simulate real life situations. To that end, we have played our part in the progressive digital transformation of the economy.

Now, envision a new technology that goes beyond being a mere aid to human productivity, but can perform the work for human beings instead. This technology is so advanced that it instills a sense of job insecurity among knowledge workers,

akin to how agricultural laborers felt during the industrial revolution 250 years ago.

That technology is AI, and it is no longer the science fiction of Space Odysseys and Ex Machinas; it is here, it is now, and it’s already playing a significant role in shaping our future. AV industry leaders, therefore, need to resist any luddite reflexes and embrace it with open minds and open arms.

To help allay fears and encourage experimentation and discover pathways to business value, here are four ways AI can assist the AV industry to experience another 30 years of sustainable and profitable growth.

1Audio Fidelity

During the pandemic (and when permitted), my kitchen was being remodeled over a two-week period. My office is on the other side of the wall, and I was on nonstop Teams and Zoom calls in the middle of crashing, banging, sawing, and swearing. Not once did any remote participants during these meetings hear anything other than my voice, AI playing its role in keeping the good and getting rid of the bad without any additional hardware or programming.

These very same AI engines are moving beyond video calls and headsets into open spaces and immersive experiences. There is not a single audio manufacturer not embracing the power of AI, with some ahead of the pack.

BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS BUSINESS

2 Video Equity

Post COVID-19, many organizations are seeing the benefits of a “video first” culture. Unfortunately, there are still issues with video quality and the equality of experience between in-person and remote participants. And this is having a real impact on return-to-office (RTO) strategies.

Again, AI can play a significant role. Microsoft’s VRTO (Virtual Real-Time Optimization) uses AI to code and decode video to make best use of available bandwidth, helping to reduce video freezing and pixelation, resulting in a more stable and high-quality video experience.

Zoom has developed “Smart Gallery View.” This feature uses AI and machine learning algorithms to adjust the video feed layout and ensure that all participants in a meeting are visible and clearly framed. Zoom also offers an AI-powered feature called “Touch Up My Appearance” (tough job in my case), which uses machine learning algorithms to smooth out facial features and reduce the appearance of blemishes and wrinkles on the video feed. This feature is designed to improve the appearance of users during video calls and help them feel more confident and professional.

3 Repetitive Tasks

I was recently on stage at AVI-SPL’s global Sales Acceleration Summit (SAS), and I asked 500 salespeople and designers if they knew anything about ChatGPT. Virtually every hand went up. After my speech I was approached by dozens of people regaling stories of how they were actively using it to write code, format statements of work, conduct research on customers, create copy for marketing campaigns, and solve technical problems without referring to manuals.

For the CTS holders reading right now, ask ChatGPT to calculate viewing aspect ratios for you (providing a few simple inputs) and watch what happens. In short, we just don’t have enough qualified people in the global AV talent pool to meet current demand, if we keep doing our jobs the same way we have always done them. We must embrace AI tools like ChatGPT to minimize repetitive, manual tasks and liberate our people to create more value and deliver better experiences for our customers.

4 Business Intelligence

Let’s move on from the agricultural laborers to the mill owners for a minute, the business leaders of the Pro AV industry. Are you listening? This AI stuff is for you as much as it is for the techies.

There are countless ways in which AI can be used to eliminate recurring costs and redundant overheads, streamline business processes, and provide real insights into customer and market behaviors. If you are not already adopting AI in your business, then you might already be behind the competition.

Now is the time to experiment, dedicate resources

to look at how AI can help you to transform your business. As Rudyard Kipling would direct you, “Meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two imposters all the same.”

We return to Apple, this time with current CEO Tim Cook, who declared earlier this year that AI is a major

focus for the company. But he also said something very profound at an MIT commencement address back in 2017: “I’m not worried about artificial intelligence giving computers the ability to think like humans. I’m more concerned about people thinking like computers.” Put that in your ChatGPT and smoke it!

By Evan Landry

Do You See What I Hear?

Don’t Let Poor Audio Design Detract from the Experience

Our attention is sought after so commonly in the human experience, and staying focused on any one activity or task can be challenging. It may be that we’re attending a concert, worship service, or business convention (events that we go to intentionally) and are intent on paying attention. But the audio system fails to promote engagement with the content—or worse, it distracts us or gets in the way of our focus. There has to be a better way.

How does an audio system detract from the listening experience? I’ll start with the obvious: Speakers generally aren’t pretty. They’re often large obtrusive boxes on sticks. Fixing this problem is on the accessible side of removing distractions: using loudspeakers that are visually pleasing and blend in with the architecture.

The more challenging part is increasing listener engagement after making the loudspeaker visually unobtrusive. Our brains are stimulated via sight and hearing during a concert, service, or convention. Authentic engagement can be increased with less effort when what you hear lines up with what you see. The goal is to place the primary audio source so that the sound seems to come from where it looks like it’s supposed to come from.

For example, if the person speaking is center stage and the loudspeakers are on the sides, the listener’s attention is being pulled in two different directions: visually straight ahead and aurally to the side. This increases cognitive load, as the brain is required to process information from two different places—and the increase in cognitive load decreases engagement.

Ideally, the loudspeaker is placed near the action. This approach is known as co-locating the audio source (loudspeaker) with the visual source (the person speaking or video display), which significantly improves understanding, enhances comprehension, reduces cognitive load, and lowers the barrier to active listening.

True Engagement

I once had the pleasure of attending a worship service at a cathedral in Utah. The audio system had just been replaced, and speech reproduction was precise. I arrived a

few minutes late and sat in the back row. The audio system installer had done a great job—the main speaker was visually unobtrusive and color-matched to its surroundings. The speech was unmistakable.

But there was one glaring oversight. While the podium and gooseneck mic were installed for lectors on the right side of the church, the main line array speaker was installed on the left. The origin of sight and sound were separated by more than 40 feet. My face hit my palm.

The co-location of the main loudspeaker with the message being delivered is called the acoustic anchor approach. The loudspeaker “anchors” your attention to the priest, professor, musician, or keynote speaker, and results in increased engagement from the audience.

Articulation Extension

What if the space is too large for just one loudspeaker?

Large rooms are typically afflicted with a drop off in high-frequency energy, which causes the clarity and articulation to decrease as the distance from the speaker increases.

This drop off in articulation in a large room can be mitigated by using additional smaller loudspeakers for articulation extension while enabling the listener to engage with and focus on the audio from the main loudspeaker. High frequencies (which account for the clarity and intelligibility of speech) will drop off before any other part of the signal, and additional loudspeakers will need to be supported.

To avoid interfering with the listener’s attention to the acoustic anchor, the articulation extension of an

audio system (adding smaller support speakers with shorter distances between them) can be accomplished with the help of three audio processing tools:

• Frequency shading: Only allow the frequencies lost over acoustic attenuation to pass through to the support speakers.

• Amplitude shading: Only provide enough volume to “support” the acoustic signal from the main acoustic anchor line array. We are not making it louder than it would have been, as doing so would draw the listener’s attention to the support speaker instead of the acoustic anchor.

• Delay: Each support speaker is delayed by approximately 1 ms per foot of distance, so the sound coming out of each support speaker lines up with the sound from the main line array. Without delay for time-alignment of supporting loudspeakers, clarity and articulation take a sharp decline.

In a large room—whether a theater, auditorium, or cathedral—the sound will begin to attenuate as the listener gets farther from the sound source, which would require supporting speakers (aka delays). The approach here is that we’re only replacing what has been lost by acoustic attenuation over the distance traveled within the space. Allowing most of the frequencies to be reproduced by the acoustic anchor, and only extending the high frequencies, will increase the listener’s attention in the direction of the acoustic anchor.

Transient Response

Clarity and speech articulation are highly reliant on the audio system’s ability to effectively and efficiently reproduce the transition markers of speech, such as “t” in “toy” or “b” in “boy.” This is because 50% of the intelligibility of speech is attributed to only 2% of its energy. To do this and increase clarity and intelligibility, we need a high-frequency driver (tweeter) in our loudspeaker’s construction with a better transient response. The best way to do this is by utilizing a ribbon tweeter or AMT (air motion transformer) to reproduce high frequencies.

The acoustic anchor approach to audio system design includes a line array loudspeaker co-located with the visual source. This provides increased listener engagement and decreased effort required from the listener, reducing cognitive load. From there, we add supporting loudspeakers for larger spaces and process their signal with frequency shading, amplitude shading, and delay. Finally, choosing a loudspeaker with superior transient response will provide an adequate rendering of transition markers, yielding unmatched clarity and articulation of speech.

Evan Landry is the CTO for CommLink Integration.

Churches can be particularly challenging for audio design.

By Vic Bhagat

Certify or Die

Why UC Device Certification Programs Matter in Today’s Hybrid Workplace

Over the past several years, we have witnessed significant shifts in the modern workplace, where hybrid environments with dispersed teams rely heavily on a seamless experience to effectively collaborate. With varying room sizes and needs, it is important to select hardware and software that works seamlessly with your UC platform of choice, while offering enhanced room features and capabilities to enable meeting equity for both in-room and remote participants. To help simplify selection, many UC platform manufacturers have established device certification programs to help ensure these devices deliver a consistent and optimized end user experience.

These certification programs are typically a two-phase process consisting of objective and subjective testing. Objective testing is completed by an independent lab that operates many tests depending on the device type and intended use. For example, audio tests typically include single talk, double talk, echo cancellation, and HID sync functionality. After passing the objective testing, the devices also must pass real-world subjective testing to gain certification.

While most UC platforms do not block the use of any device, uncertified devices will vary in performance and may increase support needs. The benefit of using a certified device is not only to ensure a high-quality, reliable, and optimized experience—but also knowing

the device is supported by both the device vendor and the UC platform. This eliminates the guesswork and support time, so IT teams can gain greater efficiency by spending less time troubleshooting.

So, what does device certification mean for the end user? It means a consistent, repeatable user experience regardless of room complexity. It is easier to find certified solutions for typical small, medium, and large rooms, but for high-impact spaces it is critical to select certified solutions that meet the AV needs of the space to deliver an elevated user experience. In addition, selecting a certified system with advanced features like automatic camera switching, multizone audio, and video distribution enhances meeting equity and delivers an elevated collaboration experience.

The most significant factor to consider when

selecting solutions is how the room will be used. If it is a multipurpose space, you will want to make sure there are control and automation features to transform spaces as needed to accommodate different functions. Imagine taking a common area like a cafeteria and converting it into a hybrid collaboration environment for an all-hands meeting. The ability to reenergize existing spaces provides greater value by enabling flexibility for the future. By using certified devices, you can be confident that the room will work as intended when switching between modes.

With employees working in a hybrid capacity, we must deliver exceptional experiences for in-person and remote workers. This means the spaces where people come together must be equipped with the right technology to serve in-person and remote needs for every meeting type such as company training, all-hands meetings, and spontaneous collaboration. And with certified solutions, you can have confidence in your technology investment.

Vic Bhagat is the principal, alliances and ecosystem, for Q-SYS.

Austin Government Access Goes 4K with Canare

ATXN, the government access channel for Austin, TX, has made the move to a completely 4K environment with the aid of Canare 4K-capable 12G-SDI cables, video patchbays, and BNC connectors. The station’s chief engineer, Garry Wilkison, and local integrator Kvasir Systems directed the recent upgrades.

According to Wilkison, the greatest challenge with the upgrade was the size and scope. “This is a huge facility,” he explained. “We have three studios within the building and four remote locations from which we go live. So, we have more facilities and coverage than any broadcast station in the area. We also operate four streaming channels, many of which are live at the

same time, several times a week.”

As ATXN covers live events up to three times a day both online and via cable networks, Wilkison needed reliable cables. In the main studio, the team integrated the L-CUHD Series coax cables, which are specifically designed for 12G-SDI applications.

Also Included in the renovation was the new SMPTEcompliant 32MCKA-ST patchbay, which offers fully normalized capabilities without the need for patch cords or looping plugs.

“I’ve been using Canare for years,” Wilkison said. “In my role, I usually specify all the equipment for an install, and I have been going back to Canare since the old analog days. Years ago, Canare created a cable

stripping tool that was perfect for just about every use. That’s what initially sold me on the brand. Today, I especially like Canare cables, as they meet all the performance specifications I require.”

Austin’s ATXN selected Canare cables, connectors, and patchbays for its 4K renovation.

The modern workplace relies on a seamless experience for collaboration within hybrid environments.

Room Scheduling Made Easy

How Do You Choose the ‘Right’ Control Panel?

By Wayne Cavadi

Today’s hybrid workspaces—whether corporate buildings or college campuses—come with their challenges. People come and go on different schedules, while others work remotely. As a result, writing down meeting times on a whiteboard has become a dinosaur-like approach.

Meeting equity and collaboration is important, but so are room analytics for IT professionals. The right hardware and software to manage all this is something systems integrators are prioritizing in one of the hybrid world’s latest trends.

Control panels, both the mini-digital signage dynamos themselves along with the right software, can help manage it all. We called on industry experts to find out what features are essential, as well as best practices behind room scheduling control panel installation.

More than the Minimum

So, where do you start in your quest to find the “right” control panel? Colin McDonough, product marketing manager, Crestron, said the bare minimum should feature adjustable time and date calendar functions, along with an occupancy/status indicator. “The most efficient solutions can work with a variety of scheduling platforms—communicating with the Microsoft

Outlook calendar, for example,” he explained.

“Native compatibility with popular calendar programs is vital to the user experience,” confirmed Robert Bird, product marketing manager, Atlona. “Workers want the freedom to use the systems they are comfortable with and understand.”

Joe da Silva, vice president of marketing for Extron, feels there are a slew of “must-have” features to look for in a control panel. Some of the more important features include enterprise-grade security with encrypted communication across the ecosystem; analytics to track room usage, activity patterns, and occupancy trends; intuitive touchpanels with an LED status indicator to check space availability and meeting length; a check-in button to confirm meeting attendance; and the ability to monitor room occupancy to release the room to available status if left unattended.

While control panels used to take a more-is-less approach, with advances in software and technology to keep up with the ever-evolving hybrid world, more is more. So, what else can these panels do?

“To further simplify finding, booking, and locating a space, [Extron’s] Interactive Wayfinding Interface connects directly to our Room Scheduling touchpanels,” da Silva explained. “This combination provides real-time meeting space status and room location details on a centralized display. Having a Wayfinding

Interface is especially useful in high-traffic areas such as lobbies, elevators, and major corridors.”

“Given current technologies, the possibilities are limitless—in fact, we’d recommend a panel designed from the outset to be capable of many, many functions,” McDonough said. “Scheduling and controlling lighting, shading, and HVAC, programming the right AV solutions for a hybrid meeting or a presentation, reporting on a room’s usage, even sending info to a control platform to track device lifecycles and licensing—all of those functions can now be handled from a single panel.”

Keep It Simple(r)

As the technology world turns faster and faster, a key feature that most integrators and end users also look for is simplicity. This starts with an easy-to-install product as well as an easy-to-operate solution for the wide range of technological expertise end users possess.

“A properly designed touchscreen should be extremely easy to install—and versatile,” said McDonough. “Crestron manufactures a variety of mounting kits for any surface or application you could conjure. And if wall installation simply isn’t possible, there’s a hefty tabletop version that’s available.”

“Atlona AT-VTP-1000VL touchpanels are very easy to install,” added Bird. “They ship with a dual-purpose glass and wall mount that is universally compatible with one-gang U.S., U.K., and E.U. openings. They also have a standard VESA 75 pattern for compatibility with third-party mounts.”

As for whether these devices are agnostic, well, that depends on what the end user wants. According to McDonough, it is dependent on the manufacturer, although his solutions at Crestron are easily customizable and integrated with a variety of solutions.

“[Atlona’s] Velocity gateways and touchpanels work together for room scheduling applications,” Bird said. “In addition, they can be integrated with several popular calendar applications including Google Workspace, Office 365, Microsoft Exchange, and Astra Schedule.”

Remember, installation doesn’t end with mounting the control panel; you need to get the software up and running as well. “Setup is a breeze, with options to customize the touchpanel interface with the meeting options you need,” said da Silva regarding Extron’s room scheduling panels. “The free Room Agent scheduling software connects directly to popular calendar services such as Microsoft Exchange, 365, Google Calendar, and others.”

In terms of scheduling the room itself, it should be a simple process. But can it be done right from the touchpanel, or is a separate software required?

“In a best-case scenario, either/or,” said McDonough. “While many users will schedule a room from the calendar apps on their devices, there are occasions when it’s handy to tap the screen itself and book a meeting time. A good solution can handle both.”

In a hybrid world where lives are dictated by schedules, room scheduling control panels help facilitate fluid and accurate room booking while minimizing wasted time.

ROOM SCHEDULING TECHNOLOGY

Hybrid or Bust

It seems with every new device or solution that’s introduced, the question has to be asked: Why is it important for a hybrid work environment? When it comes to room scheduling solutions specifically, why is something that schedules a physical meeting room important for people that may not even be in it?

“Room scheduling system synchronization with popular calendar applications is critical,” Bird offered. “With this capability in place, the system can support meetings booked by participants across the country, across the corporate campus, in the building, or at the room.”

“More than ever our work lives are dictated by schedules,” added da Silva. “With hybrid work, employees may have a variety of schedules. Room scheduling, in conjunction with a calendar system, facilitates fluid and accurate information across staff to find, book, and locate a space—keeping everyone in sync and avoiding wasted time to search for a space. Room scheduling touchpanels maximize resource management and room usage, enabling users to locate and book the proper size room.”

It’s important to remember that IT and executive leaders benefit as well as employees or students. “Understanding the true amount of ‘connected real estate’ that a business needs in the modern hybrid work environment can be incredibly useful to a C-suite that’s making budgeting decisions,” McDonough said. “These tools can also tell IT which rooms may be underutilized—and help them understand why.”

Now that you know what to look for, which control panels should you consider? Here are nine for your consideration.

Atlona Velocity

AMX Varia Touch Panels

The professional-grade AMX Varia Touch Panels are designed to adapt to the unique needs of multiple environments by offering a selection of pre-loaded apps—called personas—that define the entire panel experience. Personas include Web Kiosk, Zoom Rooms Controller, AMX Book Room Scheduling, and AMX G5 Control. Varia panels offer simplified mounting flexibility with included wall, glass, and VESA-mount capabilities, as well as optional tabletop mounting accessories. Varia panels include advanced security protocols, and an integrated wizard streamlines initial setup, while CloudworX Manager ensures seamless future support through mass configuration and updates.

Black Box Reserva iCompel Edge

The Reserva iCompel Edge line of touchscreen meeting room signage solutions is powered by Black Box’s flagship iCompel digital signage platform. Available in three screen sizes, Reserva provides an intuitive and customizable user interface that enables users to locate and schedule rooms in an instant. Businesses, educational

Velocity is Atlona’s complete solution for AV control, room scheduling, device management, and remote access. The room scheduling component is designed to provide information on the current status of meeting spaces as well as upcoming events. Velocity gateways synchronize with several popular calendar applications, including Google Workspace, Office 365, Microsoft Exchange, and Astra Schedule, allowing room schedules to be displayed on Velocity touchpanels. The touchpanels utilize color coded GUIs and bezel LED lighting, if equipped, to indicate whether a room is available or busy. Plus, users can book a meeting for an unoccupied room right at the touchpanel.

institutions, and hospitality venues can advertise, build brand awareness, and share internal communications through Reserva.

Crestron Flex Scheduling

With Crestron Flex Scheduling, workforces can quickly book the right space with the right technology, all while helping manage occupation density. Crestron Flex Scheduling gathers the different types of spaces in your workplace on one convenient platform that allows you to quickly identify what you need and determine availability.

TECHNOLOGY ROOM SCHEDULING

Book from your desk, on a personal device, or on the spot using enterprise-grade scheduling panels. The illuminated indicators and wayfinding integration help teams and guests quickly locate rooms. Scheduling panels outside rooms and in-room signage display work together to show availability and schedule for a seamless start to meetings.

stylish design that can be mounted horizontally or vertically on any material, including glass, textile, metal, and wood—and positioned on walls, tabletops, shelves, and underneath desks. Interoperable with Humly Reservations software, the device is compatible with Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Office 365, and Google Workspace. Advanced features include control functionality for adjustable desks and sensor detection as well as a PoE powering option.

RTI KX4

Extron TouchLink

Extron TouchLink room scheduling panels connect directly to popular calendaring services including Microsoft Exchange, 365, Google Calendar, and others, which simplifies the room booking experience. Users can reserve rooms with a couple of taps on the panel or from their mobile device. Free Room Agent software makes setup easy, allowing customization of the touchpanel interface without additional processors or programming skills. Vibrant touchscreens and bright LEDs make it easy to see if a room is occupied or available, and the TouchLink Wayfinding Interface, in conjunction with the room scheduling panels and a display, provides a centralized real-time view of availability and location.

Humly Booking Device

The new Humly Booking Device addresses the evolving challenges of the hybrid workplace, providing users with a capacitive, high-resolution touchscreen solution to view and reserve bookable spaces on campus. Its flexibility is balanced with a compact,

RTI designed the KX4 touchpanel to provide an easy-to-deploy solution that takes full advantage of singleroom commercial control—from boardrooms and huddle spaces to classrooms. Combining an in-wall touchpanel and hard-button input with a built-in control processor, the KX4 allows integrators to complete installs faster and with the fully customizable control and interfaces their clients demand.

The KX4 delivers both the on-wall control and processing power to manage multiple devices with ease. By bringing together a 4-inch capacitive touchscreen, five-button interface, and a control processor in a single unit, integrators can deploy cost-effective standalone single room solutions.

Uniguest Reserva

Predominantly used in corporate, education, and hospitality environments, Reserva integrates with calendar and timetabling systems to enable seamless delivery of room information alongside engaging room signage. Reserva provides centralized management and customization tools that allow organizations to easily monitor, control, and create branded content. Built-in analytics provide a clear

insight into room utilization, while room summaries help staff, students, or guests easily navigate to their location in unfamiliar environments. Reserva Edge is a compact 10-inch, ergonomically designed room sign with a tilted touchscreen interface and built-in NFC card reader. Larger 15.6-inch and 21.5-inch room signs are available where visibility from a greater distance is critical.

Visix Connect

Connect interactive room signs provide a featurerich, cost-effective space management solution. Publish schedules from Exchange, Office 365, EMS, CollegeNET, and Google Calendar—and start, extend, or end meetings right at the room sign. Room booking is simplified: See if other rooms are available with red and green side lights, or cancel a walkup reservation at the room sign with the press of a button. Other features include customizable backgrounds, fonts, colors, room numbers, and AV resources, plus analytics to track room usage, availability requests, and resource issues. Multiple power sources include PoE network switch, injector, or DC power supply.

TECHNOLOGY NEW PRODUCTS

Owl Labs Owl Bar

The Owl Bar is a front-of-room camera, microphone, and speaker that pairs with the Meeting Owl device and Whiteboard Owl camera to make hybrid meetings even more immersive. It works as a standalone device or integrates with other Owl Labs products to create a custom ecosystem, which uses its proprietary AI-powered software to automatically switch between cameras to capture the best view of in-room attendees, enabling more natural face-to-face conversations between in-person and remote participants. It accurately frames the faces of in-room participants on screen as they turn their heads, improving eye contact and preventing side views. The Owl Bar features a 114-degree, 4K camera along with four omnidirectional microphones and can pair with eight smart mics on the Meeting Owl, so everyone can be heard. Manage the Owl Bar and other devices via tablet, phone, or desktop app.

Peerless-AV Smart City Kiosks

The new single (KOP55XHB) and dual-sided (KOP55XHB2) Smart City Kiosks are designed for simplified installation of running power and data cabling, while offering a dedicated storage space for media components. The dual-sided model offers increased screen space and opportunities for revenue-generating digital advertising and wayfinding, and its two screens can play content

independently or from a duplicate feed. The kiosks incorporate 55-inch Xtreme High Bright Outdoor displays with Full HD resolution for bright and crisp images, even in direct sunlight. The sealed, IP66rated design prevents access to foreign materials. The kiosks have an operating temperature of -31-140 degrees, and are wind tested up to 135 mph. Available in black or silver, Smart City Kiosks are available with or without 4-inch, 100-watt waterproof speakers and an optional IR touch overlay, which can detect up to 10 touchpoints.

Platinum Tools PTS Pro Crimp Tool

The new PTS (Pass Through Standard)

QSC L Class

QSC’s next generation of advanced, intelligent, active loudspeakers is for applications ranging from portable, plug-and-play setups to demanding, networked AV productions and fixed installations. The new LA108 (two-way, 8-inch) and LA112 (two-way, 12-inch) active line array loudspeakers are complemented by the LS118 (single, 1-inch) active subwoofer. Both line array loudspeakers can be deployed using dedicated array frames, ground-stacked, or mounted in one of two pole cups. The LS118 can be deployed in both horizontal and vertical orientations in a ground-stack configuration or using one of its two pole receptacles. L Class delivers high-output amplification, premium components, DSP, extensive system intelligence, and an intuitive user interface. Users can configure and deploy any L Class system with speed and reliability, while onboard Dante connects L Class to networked AV systems and connected stages.

New Partnership with Audinate Brings Dante to Marshall IP Cameras

Marshall has announced a collaboration with Audinate that integrates Dante AV-H into Marshall’s line of AV-over-IP cameras with up to UHD/60fps resolution. Dante AV-H will be accessible from Marshall IP cameras in June starting with the CV730-BK/WH, CV355-30X-IP, CV420e, and CV420-30X-IP, followed by the new CV630-BI/WI platform in August.

Dante AV-H is a software solution designed to allow manufacturers to incorporate Dante video control and audio into existing H.264/H.265-based IP video product designs. Dante AV-H brings interoperability to networked cameras and other video endpoints, providing automatic discovery, connectivity, and manageability while using the familiar, reliable H.264/AVC and H.265/HEVC codecs already supported in common hardware.

“Marshall has been speaking Dante on the audio side of our business for some time with audio rack monitors. Now, with the development of Dante AV-H, adding video to the equation is something we had to participate in,” explained Tod Musgrave, senior director of cameras at Marshall. “Dante AV-H was designed as a highperformance network solution where low latency and ultra-high video quality matters, which is exactly where Marshall IP cameras have matured over the past 12 years, making this an ideal partnership extension.”

With Dante AV-H, all video and audio routing, as well as device configuration and management, is done within the Dante platform. Dante Controller provides a single point of control for all audio and video routing, and Dante Domain Manager

Pro Crimp Tool combines multiple tools into one sleek design. It allows for the termination of both ezEX-RJ45 connectors and the legacy EZ-RJ45 connectors in a single tool with no part changes. The tool uses a sliding plate to change between the different types of connectors, and a captive thumb screw makes swapping between connector styles seamless. It also features a connector locking mechanism, so connectors “click” into the tool for termination. Cutting and stripping blades for Cat5e and 6 are built directly into the handle. Designed for UTP and STP connectors, it also includes a wiring guide printed directly on the tool for easy connector wiring, replaceable blades, and an ergonomic grip for comfort during extended use.

WyreStorm NHD-500-DNT-TX

The NetworkHD 500s series is an HDMI 2.0 AVover-IP solution capable of encoding up to 8-bit 4K60 4:4:4 over 1 Gbps network via copper or fiber connection, including Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG content. The NHD-500-DNT-TX is the Dante version that has the same technical and physical features of the existing NHD-500-TX with the addition of an integrated two-channel Dante and AES67 audio output for enhanced interoperability with other Dante and AES67 enabled hardware solutions such as amplifiers, DSPs, mixers, or speakers. The new 500-DNT-TX allows Dante to

adds monitoring and user access control to AV systems. Dante AV-H video and audio flows are independently routable, allowing video and audio to be sent where it needs to go without the need for demuxing hardware. Plus, audio channels from Dante AV-H endpoints are completely interoperable with the thousands of Dante audio products on the market today.

Marshall cameras, including the CV730-BK/WH, will be able to access Dante AV-H.

transmit audio from one of two inputs, HDMI or analog. The analog input can connect BYOD audio devices or be used as a connection to a microphone in a podium/presentation or similar application. It is specifically practical in scenarios like live events, professional broadcasts, and houses of worship.

Bogen Nyquist Zone Paging Microphone Station

The new Nyquist Zone Paging Microphone Station (NQ-ZPMS) is an intuitive combination VoIP phone and paging microphone station for hands-free, simplified communications across multi-zone commercial applications. It includes a 10.1-inch color touchscreen control panel and gooseneck microphone for hands-free paging and calling. The touchscreen enables easy visual selection of zones for immediate paging and announcements, simple menu navigation, and call functionality. Featuring up to 112 one-touch Direct Station Selection keys, the NQ-ZPMS allows end users to program specific features based on their unique needs. The NQ-ZPMS uses G.722 wideband audio codec for superior acoustic performance, with built-in noise reduction and full-duplex acoustic echo cancellation. It can operate as the primary

INSTALLATION PRODUCTS

Nyquist administrative station by handling all daily system operations. Plus, using its built-in Chrome browser, users can directly access the Nyquist web

Visionary 5 Series

systems, the HDL310 simplifies the task of getting audio in spaces up to 30x30 feet. Using the next generation of Nureva’s Microphone Mist technology, it offers 44% more coverage area than its flagship HDL300 system. Combining a single Nureva microphone and speaker bar with a new connect module, the HDL310 system delivers Pro AV performance in a plug-and-play, IT-friendly solution that is easy to install, setup, and manage at scale. The HDL310 system comes with Console Direct, providing a secure and continuous connection between the HDL310 and Nureva Console, which allows IT staff to manage their systems remotely—without an in-room computer running client software. The HDL310 also includes a feature that lets users mute their audience to focus microphone pickup on the presenter’s voice, reducing all other microphone pickup in the space.

A next-generation evolution of Visionary’s PacketAV Matrix Series endpoints, the 5 Series boasts 4K60 4:4:4 1GbE encoders and decoders. The 5 Series raises the bar with an array of innovative features and enhanced performance. Its 4K60 4:4:4 video support delivers clear image quality and color depth without compromising bandwidth. Audio Return Channel (ARC)-over-IP enables audio to be returned from a display or endpoint to the source without additional connectivity requirements. Isochronous USB-over-IP simplifies webcam extension for enhanced videoconferencing and remote collaboration. Plus, a full-motion MJPEG substream provides users with a secondary, lower-bandwidth video stream for remote monitoring and simplified video distribution.

FURNITURE

Meeting Equity: A Progress Report

We Need Better Communication Between Corporate Real Estate and Tech Professionals

By Nyere Hollingsworth

As I reflect on the direction of corporate collaboration and the evolving utility of corporate office space, it is clear to me that things are never going back to the way that they used to be. Having been party to major space renovations in multiple companies in various industries, one common theme has remained true: Technology professionals and corporate real estate professionals need to talk more and work together to make the office make sense, as well as to facilitate collaboration and productivity among their colleagues.

By now, the “return to office” is well underway. Lessons learned from the widespread adoption of video collaboration technology have brought these two entities closer together than they have ever been.

Mistakes of the Past

Five years ago, video collaboration was a “nice to have” feature of a medium-sized conference room or executive boardroom. The participant experience for those unable to be in the room was hardly a consideration in the budget and subsequent design of these spaces, because the most important people were always in the room. Today, this technology is a requirement in all collaboration spaces, and many organizations are trying to figure out what to do with the space that was not designed to suit the needs of a workforce that is no longer dependent on physical office space.

In the past, many organizations relied exclusively on the corporate real estate team (since they carry the budget) to determine the collaboration technology needs of their organization. Despite good intentions, these professionals often had little to no experience in this technology and less of a desire to ultimately support and maintain it once deployed.

As a result, spaces were often built with little consideration for the lighting and acoustic treatments necessary to realize the value add of a well-designed collaboration system—and often these systems would be value engineered to the point of being ineffective to satisfy the use cases of the organization. That leaves organizations with a present-day collaboration technology landscape that now needs a major overhaul in its conception, and intent, to enable the equitable meeting experience that is critical to the justification for corporate office space.

The Right Direction

Organizations that had remote working cultures prior to the pandemic are better positioned today to cope with these changes, as their space designs at least considered remote participants. Those that are moving in the right direction tend to be those where technology and real estate are talking very often and collaborating on the strategic vision of the organization.

They are more realistic about the technology lifecycle of their space beyond the cost per square foot

of a given project. They are shortening the asset depreciation timeline to allow for technology to be refreshed on a more frequent basis. They are shifting space improvement funding to the technology team and bringing them in earlier in the project to help determine what the right technology investments should be.

However, these organizations are more of the exception than the rule, and the vast majority of U.S.-based companies are struggling with what to do, now that people are coming back into the office and relying on poorly designed video collaboration space for their communication needs. Investment in meeting equity rarely factored into key design choices 5-10 years ago, and many of those spaces have inherent architectural limitations that make it nearly impossible to incorporate technology to enable equitable collaboration among remote and in-room participants today.

We are in the very early stages of conceiving collaboration space where technology is utilized to enhance human physiology and equalize engagement across geographic boundaries. Yet, at present, we are looking for technology to mitigate the effects of design choices made years ago. When the technology needs of today conflict with decisions made years ago, it is really hard, really expensive, and really time consuming to implement truly equitable collaboration spaces that every organization needs.

Nyere Hollingsworth is the senior manager for collaboration and productivity solutions at Grainger.