The audio visual industry is one of constant innovation – can we even remember what life was like before the days of wireless solutions and HD video? To keep up with the ongoing technical innovations that affect our industry, A/V integrators need to stay informed on the latest technologies and trends, especially when it comes to how these changes and advancements might enhance or disrupt customer environments. As we look to 2016, there are a few things – new and old – that we recommend integrators and end users keep an eye on. Let’s take a look!
Interactive Displays
Interactive displays have been around for a while, but these intuitive tools garnered a great deal of attention from the industry this year. We saw first-hand how InFocus Mondopads improved the learning environments at Brenau University, and our CEO spoke on a display panel at InfoComm 2015, which discussed how interactive displays were changing the industry. Although these intuitive tools were buzzworthy this year, we think they will truly be disruptive in 2016. The highly-anticipated Surface Hub is expected to ship in January and many organizations are lining up to demo or purchase it. Existing popular interactive displays, such as the Smart kapp IQ, InFocus Mondopad and SHARP Aquos Board have already improved in performance and usability. We live in an age where touchscreen capabilities are not only desired, but expected. Interactive displays fulfill this expectation in the business and education collaboration space. We think it’s just the beginning for interactive displays and we are excited to see what’s next with these tools.
4K as the New Standard
In 2016, 4K will be much more mainstream and the new standard for quality over 1080p. With four times the resolution of 1080p, 4K is meeting today’s demand for higher image quality, driven by applications such as digital signage, visualization, medical imaging, sports and more. Although 4K has made great strides in the past couple of years, it’s still not mainstream. We think that will change in 2016 as the resolution of devices entering the marketplace is already expanding at a fast rate. People want the latest and greatest resolution, and 4K delivers.
BYOD and Wireless
BYOD (“Bring Your Own Device” for anyone who has been living under a rock the past few years) and wireless technology will definitely shake up the A/V industry next year. We know what you are thinking – BYOD and wireless are nothing new – and you are right! However, we think they will be much more commonplace in 2016. It is no secret that mobile technology is increasingly dominating the collaboration industry, and A/V technology will need to make more changes in order to accommodate everyone bringing their own devices to meetings. This will include creating new wireless presentation technologies, such as the Crestron AirMedia solution we used in our Clarence Brown install, and modernizing sharing tools.
These are just a few of the many technologies and trends we think will greatly affect the A/V industry in 2016. Have others to add to the list? Tell us below!
