The nation’s largest AV product and integrator conference was held June 4th-10th in Las Vegas, Nevada. InfoComm is the largest, most exciting event in the Western Hemisphere focused on the pro-AV industry, with more than 1,000 exhibitors, thousands of products, and nearly 40,000 attendees from 110+ countries. The InfoComm show is a once-a-year opportunity to see the latest audiovisual technology, learn skills that will advance your career, and grow your professional network.
CCS Presentation Systems had representatives from around the country attending the conference and everyone was able to take some unique experiences home to their teams, along with inspiration for new project types and new products to introduce to clients.
From the CCS Southwest office, Rod Andrewson, Manager of Technology and Quality Control and a seasoned Systems Engineer with over 30 years of experience in the professional AV field, gave some key conference takeaways below:
What were some of the newest AV innovations showcased at the conference?
- I think there was a lot of interest in Dante-enabled products. QSC has enabled or opened video up on their proprietary QLan network and is now selling its own HD cameras
- Vaddio’s Auto Trac system is very stable (I really did try to break it, no luck, worked perfectly)
- Shure’s new Micro flex ceiling arrays are awesome and available
- The Intel Unite software is very cool! Take a look
- Bluescape Digital visual collaboration is a very exciting and thought provoking product for many vertical markets that need real-time or off-line collaboration solutions
- Crestron’s Commercial DSP products are a very exciting opportunity to make the install easier and smoother
- Crestron has done this product the right way. They brought in the right talent and listened to the right people to create a product that pulls in one piece of the Commercial AV pie and does it well
- Wireless content display has finally matured to a healthy point. Mersive and their Solstice product is great. WePresent and Kramer’s Via products are also very full feature and reliable
- PakEdge is the bomb for your networking needs. They have really tailored the products to suit the commercial and residential market, but even more importantly they are a total solution provider. The products support all of the packet technology I need covered, streaming video, packetized audio, control and plain old They have the product, incredible sales tools, training and great technical support.
Was there a solution you found at the conference that targeted a specific challenge currently in the AV industry?
- Indoor LED displays were a big focus for me this year and I obviously found it on the show floor. The products have matured, the cost has come down, and they are giving flat panel video walls a run for their money
- 5 – 2.5 LED displays are really good looking and reduce or eliminate the “crosshair” effect that so many folks just can’t let go of
- NanoLumen grand opened an incredible showroom in Las Vegas right off the strip to allow customers to see their product up close, and with the content you want to see in a shoot type environment
From a specific LED display manufacturer point of view, all the big manufacturers have jumped on board the LED band wagon, either with their product or acquisitions. Leyard and Planar, NEC, Christie, Silicon Core, NanoLumens, Samsung and I know I am leaving several out. I really liked the Absen products and the partnership approach they have. Their products are well placed in the 2-4 mm range, they look great are easy to install and the company has priced the products right, they have stock on the shelves in the states and are easy to work with.
This is not a fad, LED displays are viable replacements for large displays in auditoriums, classrooms, house of worship and of course retail and corporate applications. So the time is now to jump on board.
What market sector do you think currently has the most demand for AV innovation?
- I think there is a lot of room for Innovation in the Digital Signage market, Display technology, DSP and Collaboration technologies and tools. I also think that BYOD based audio distribution in facilities is poised to really make an impact.
- Audio Everywhere, BroadcastVision, Listen, all have solutions that allow users to see and hear what that want or need to hear on their phone, tablet or PC. The markets are Retail and Hospitality, Education, Fitness, Medical, etc.
- Probably the biggest opportunity in the commercial space right now is Video over IP solutions. SVSI has a big head start but there several others out there that offer whole suites of applications to bring an entirely different level of value to the table.
What was your favorite part of the conference overall?
My favorite part of InfoComm is usually the Exhibit Floor. This year that was really the case. I spent three days with wall to wall meetings all designed around specific needs and opportunities.
Contact Rod with any questions or to get in touch before the next show!
Rod Andrewson, CTS
Manager of Technology and Quality Control
CCS Presentation Systems
17350 North Hartford Drive
Scottsdale, AZ 85255
(480)273-8238
[email protected]