As we take first steps into a brand-new decade, we begin to consider upcoming trends in the processes & technology of the Audio-Visual industry, & how they will impact the design & build of conference rooms, huddle spaces, classrooms, & video displays. With that in mind, we surveyed experts in their respective fields to ask what they predict might be important AV (trends) for 2020 & beyond. Gathering information from movers & shakers from across various sectors – Architects, General Contractors, AV Integrators, End-Users, & Manufacturers…this is what they had to say:
SIMPLE SOLUTIONS
Larry Taormina, Associate Director, Gardiner & Theobald Inc.
“I have worked with most recently in both the Media and Law Office build-outs this past year, and it has come to my attention that in both industries, the client is looking for simple solutions that make it easy for the End-User to understand and implement. They both went from a Cisco-based solution to Zoom equipment, where the AV and technical capabilities are extremely whittled down, and provide the aesthetic appearance of a more sophisticated system.”
WIRELESS COLLABORATION
John Radocy, Senior Systems Engineer, CAPTUS SYSTEMS
“Two words – Wireless Collaboration. Examples of a great devices that do everything & connect to the Client’s device via Blutooth, are the Presenter Hubs from Williams AV: The Presenter Hub VP S1, The Audio Presenter Hub VP S2, & The Audio Presenter HUB Bundle VP SY2.”
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE PEOPLE
Michael Diodato, Principal, Cerami – Consultants in Acoustics, AV, IT & Security
“I have been in this industry since 1991, but I am not a “tech” person at heart. I am a “people” person. The technology is unimportant without the people that design it – and especially the people that support us. Every month vendors visit our office to tell us about the latest and greatest widget. When the presentation is done, I ask them about the support. If they can’t support our team and our clients, it really doesn’t matter if it is the coolest technology ever.
Bottom Line: It’s all about simplicity combined with end-user experience-focused design.”
TECH & THE CLASSROOM
Mark V. Proto, M.S. , M.B.A., Associate Director of Endpoint, AV & Telecommunications, Adelphi University
“The traditional classroom evolution to full collaboration, integration, and creativity by utilizing technology to leverage and enhance our students’ experiences…some of the trends we are experiencing now with full integration are:
The increased use of collaboration tools, shared spaces, distance learning, video collaboration, shared content, and recording capabilities. We’re also designing more classrooms with flexible furniture to be able to break-off into small groups. Virtual Reality in education has enhanced the development in STEM. The influence of technology is encouraging critical thinking, creativity and innovation.
Future trends include the Internet of things: Full automation through integration over the network utilizing a unified communication platform that enables data gathering and energy efficiency, as we progress into the new decade. This is the wave of the future.”
AT THE HEART
Will Salas, Partner & Director of Audio-Visual, GroupM
“In 2020, streaming lining video conferencing technology and simplifying users’ interaction with it within a commercial space will be center spotlight in the coming months. Video conferencing will be the heart of AV design as telephony once was. The telephone will be left behind like the Kodak Carousel.”
BYOD TO THE BYOM
Lieven Bertier, Segment Marketing Director, Barco
“Moving into a new decade, IT departments are faced with real challenges in formulating their digital workplace strategies. They need solutions to boost collaboration and meeting efficiency that will be versatile, connected and secure – open to any user, both in-room and remote. Since users want to use their own devices, their own tools, and preferred video conferencing systems (our research shows people on average use 6 different conferencing platforms on their laptops, tablets and phones) – the key to address these challenges lies in BYOM, Bring Your Own Meeting. BYOM will transform the workplace and revolutionize employee engagement.”
SIMPLICITY
Toby Daschbach of Metro Tech Reps
“Simplicity is still the number one thing general users need to make their use of technology not get in the way of their actual jobs! So, technology that allows users to interact with the technology without complications is most important! As an example, the Atlona Omega Soft Codec solutions allow hands-free, zero UI operation delivering seamless sharing of the room’s camera and microphone, between room pc’s and all users’ laptops. All the user has to do is simply plug-in the laptop’s USB-C cable!”
Julie Wolfe, Account Executive – Sales, ScanSource
“Simplicity will be key in 2020. Companies want reliable technology that works easily and seamlessly, allowing for increased collaboration wherever their users may be. We’re seeing a trend toward streamlined processes to effortlessly collaborate, as well as simple-to-use huddle spaces, taking advantage of cloud technology in a cost-effective manner. With more cloud conferencing and the increase of collaboration equipment on the network, security and 5G will also be key in 2020.”
HIGHER RESOLUTIONS
Jason Tirado, President, Lightware Inc.
“The consumer display industry keeps pushing forward with higher and higher resolutions. We are about to see consumer 8K displays on ready availability. Most content still hasn’t made it to true 4K yet, so I believe that the mismatch between what displays are capable of and what content is available for them, will grow wider and wider.
HDMI2.0 adoption is still growing quickly. We see an acceleration of this trend continuing throughout the coming year.
Network audio/video standards continue to be more widely adopted. Dante and SDVOE are the ones to watch going forward.”
At CAPTUS SYSTEMS, we truly value & back the opinions of these authorities, & always do everything we can to support these trends. Welcome to the 2020s – the decade of infinite possibilities in Audio-Visual Technology!
Yeah. We’ve Got This!