There’s some exciting trends on the horizon for AV and technology in the business arena. With 2017 comes greater adaptability and flexibility giving integrators and our customers exciting new possibilities.
- IP Video and Audio
IP in the AV world is redefining the way we distribute audio and video data. IP technology allows the source and destination to be anywhere and everywhere whereas previous signal paths were much more confining. This gives the integrator more options to create an optimal design and ultimately a better experience for our customers. Plus, with less of an equipment requirement and a more simplified infrastructure, the benefits cut costs and resources while also increasing efficiency and flexibility.
- USB-C and Thunderbolt 3
The days of digging through a pile of cables to find the right connection are over as both the USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 will now both share the same connection type. This means cleaner installations in public areas, as well as a simplified experience when utilizing your equipment. This in addition to the increase in power and transfer speed (up to 40Gbps) will undoubtedly mean that these types of connectors will become more widely available in more products in the very near future.
- Laser Projectors
Laser Projectors may soon be taking over the traditional bulb projectors and even LED projectors. They offer amazing picture quality that is much brighter than traditional projection systems, the lasers last longer, are much more durable, and offer almost instant on/off. Epson’s ProL Series projector has a life of 20,000 hours. Most projectors lamps only last 3,000. With the cost of lamps being between $250 and $400, that’s a huge savings over time.
- Virtual and augmented reality
With the advent of virtual and augmented reality, virtual walkthroughs offer the advantage of giving the client a sneak peek at a new design, offering them the ability to truly visualize a project like never before. It will cut costs and project timeframes by avoiding expensive and time consuming design changes as well as allow for more strategic and a highly functional design approach. If this is something you are interested in, we can do this for you.
- Architecture-driven content and AV coordination
Previously, AV was a secondary consideration in the architecture of a space. This is beginning to change with the foresight now provided by VR and AR design systems. The future of AV design and implementation is that it will start to lead the overall design considerations and allow for the adaptation of the architecture rather than the reverse as has been customary in the past. AV will start to take a more central role and the architecture will follow its lead. Though the adoptions of these techniques may be slower than other trends in the industry at present, with the advancement of experience centers, and VR design requirements, this is a trend that will no doubt continue to gain pace over the coming year.
