Security Operations Centers (SOC) and Beyond

As businesses focus on business continuity and situational intelligence, IT integrators with a holistic approach are increasingly being asked to extend their expertise beyond the peripheral systems that they are deploying — into the Operation Centers that manage the systems. This natural expansion emphasizes the growing need for a comprehensive approach that combines security, operational functionalities, infrastructure and AV considerations within the enterprise.

C-Level Recognition of Platform Solutions

A significant shift is occurring in the C-Suite with chief information officers (CIOs) recognizing the value of adopting platform solutions over point solutions for visual displays serving core enterprise operations. Enterprises are increasingly seeking integrated platforms that go beyond individual applications, thus providing a unified solution for all visual display needs. This shift reflects a desire for comprehensive solutions that streamline operations and enhance overall efficiency.

Rise of Data Dashboards in Enterprise

The rise of data dashboards in the enterprise is fueled by the growing need for effective metrics measurement and tracking. In this landscape, operational benefits play a crucial role, allowing businesses to manage content on any screen without relying on expensive and unsecure thin client PCs or USB drives, eliminating the need for significant manual intervention in content updates. Users can securely and centrally manage content directly from their web browser, presenting a more efficient and secure approach.

This trend is underpinned by the demand for integrated solutions that seamlessly connect with leading technologies. Notably, these data dashboards fully integrate with key applications like Power BI and Tableau as a single source, ensuring automatic, persistent and secure authentication to dashboards, charts and reports.

The aggregation of multiple charts as a source facilitates the secure distribution of operational data to relevant teams and stakeholders. This not only highlights the importance of technological compatibility but also underscores the broader trend of fostering informed decision-making through streamlined and secure data management.

Software-Defined Solutions versus Hardware Limitations

The paradigm of hardware-based point solutions is becoming obsolete as software solutions gain prominence. The ability of software solutions to seamlessly integrate with various industry-leading technologies provides a level of flexibility and scalability that hardware-based solutions struggle to match. This shift marks a departure from the limitations of hardware-centric approaches to a more agile and interconnected future.

The Significance of 8K Solutions

The advent of 8K solutions adds a new dimension to AV/IT integration. As display resolutions continue to evolve, the demand for higher quality visuals in enterprise environments is driving the adoption of 8K solutions. This shift is not just about increased pixel density; it’s about providing a more immersive and detailed visual experience that enhances collaboration and decision-making processes.

AV Integrators Embracing IT Protocols

On the flip side, AV integrators are gradually embracing IT protocols and solutions designed for the digital age. Software-defined solutions built for IT — standardized over networks — are gaining traction. While the adoption may be slower due to the historical reliance and subsequent familiarity that hardware solutions provide, the industry is witnessing a transformative shift towards embracing more agile and adaptable software-defined solutions.

In conclusion, the convergence of AV/IT is reshaping the landscape of enterprise operations. From organizational restructuring, to the demand for comprehensive platform solutions, and the adoption of software-defined approaches; the trends in AV/IT integration indicate a paradigm shift towards a more interconnected, data-driven and technologically advanced future for businesses.

As the industry continues to evolve, staying abreast of these AV/IT integration trends is imperative for integrators seeking to provide modernized enterprise-class solutions to their clients.

Another version of this article originally appeared on our sister-site Commercial Integrator on March 15, 2024. It has since been updated for My TechDecisions’ audience.

Jamey Miles is VP Channel & Strategic Accounts at Userful.

The post Top AV/IT Integration Trends Shaping Enterprise Operations in 2024 appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Be sure to also check out the slideshow, below, for more information on the products.

2024 TNT Commercial Winners

Audio Components

Lenbrook
Bluesound Professional BCS300 In-Ceiling Pendant Speaker

Audio Distribution Systems

Listen Technologies
ListenWIFI

Automation Software

Nanolumens
NanoSuite

Digital Signage Hardware

LG Business Solutions
LG MAGNIT 4K 136-inch Micro LED Display

Digital Signage Software

Samsung Electronics
Samsung VXT

Video Monitors

Sharp Electronics Corporation
PN-LC2 AQUOS BOARD Collaboration Displays

Installer Loudspeakers

Renkus-Heinz
OmniBeam

Display Mounts

Chief
Tempo Flat Panel Wall Mount System

Projector Mounts

Tempest
Fly

Network Management Solutions

Samsung Electronics
SmartThings for Business

Power Conditioning, Surge Suppression and Energy Solutions

Nice
Nice DC-12 IP Smart Power Manager

Project Management and Design / Web Software

XTEN-AV LLC
X-VRSE by XTEN-AV 

Conference Projectors

Christie
Christie 4K860-iS

Specialty AV Cables or Connectors

Pure Fi
Pure Fi Pro HDMI 2.1 Active Optical Cable

Audio Conferencing Components

Crestron Electronics, Inc.
Crestron Flex Pods

Cameras

Jabra
Jabra PanaCast 50

Collaboration

Barco
ClickShare Bar Pro

Interactive Whiteboards

LG Business Solutions
LG CreateBoard with ChromeOS Flex certified slot-in OPS

Videoconferencing Components

Crestron Electronics, Inc.
Crestron Videobar 70

Video Streaming Solutions

Epiphan Video
Pearl Nexus

Category Cable Distribution

Valens Semiconductor
VS6320: HDBaseT-USB3 Extension IC

Coax Video Distribution

ZyCast Technology, Inc.
U5 Single Channel 4K (HEVC) Encoder Modulator with Simultaneous RF and IP Out

IP Video Distribution

Audinate
Dante AV-H

Matrix Switchers

BZBGEAR
BG-8K-1212MA | 12×12 8K Matrix Switcher w/ Audio De-Embedder

Videowall Hardware

Planar
Planar DirectLight Pro Series

Videowall Software

Samsung Electronics
Samsung Signage Setup Assistant

To see a list of all entries, click here!

Another version of this article originally appeared on our sister-site Commercial Integrator on January 31, 2024. It has since been updated for My TechDecisions’ audience.

The post 2024 Top New Technology (TNT) Awards appeared first on My TechDecisions.

“With the increase of people working remotely — either in hybrid or fully remote environments — the demand on AV/IT teams is more important than ever,” says Annette Sandler, Director, Live Content, U.S./Canada, AVIXA, producer of InfoComm. “Our enterprise IT program at InfoComm will help ensure AV and IT teams work together and stay ahead of the curve.”

On Wed., June 14, “Network Convergence and AV System Optimization” will give an informative overview of everything related to on-site corporate networks. Led by Nyere Hollingsworth of Grainger, attendees will learn how to speak a common language with their technology partners and ensure their systems can reliably operate on a converged network.

Also, on Wed., June 14, Peter Lurie of Microsoft will lead a session on the security of private meeting spaces in “Hacking Conference Rooms: Are Your Rooms Secure?” Data leaks about projects, mergers, layoffs, and more are often due to conference room hacks. Lurie will help attendees identify where risks come from and show how to mitigate any potential vulnerabilities.

On Thurs., June 15, Scott Josephson of Google will lead “Supporting Videoconferencing at Google” to give a high-level overview of how the company can continuously upgrade its videoconferencing technology. Attendees will learn how to apply these tactics and solve similar problems at their organizations.

In addition, the Technology Innovation Stage (booth 2260) will host a trend forecasting session on enterprise IT. It will bring together a panel to discuss how emerging technologies are bringing true network convergence within reach, opening that path toward unified, data-driven AV/IT management. On Wed., June 14, join Rachel Bradshaw of Caster Communications, Mehryn Corrigan from Microsoft, Nyere Hollingsworth from Grainger, Frank Padikkala of Audinate, and Jennifer Steinhardt from Shen Milsom & Wilke.

For the full schedule of Enterprise IT sessions, visit infocommshow.org/event-info/enterprise-it.

InfoComm will also host a show floor tour led by Jose Mozata of Freeman Solutions on Thurs., June 15, from 10-11:30 a.m., focused on the latest networking and cloud technologies developments.

To register for InfoComm 2023, visit infocommshow.org.

Another version of this article originally appeared on our sister-site Commercial Integrator on June 9, 2023. It has since been updated for My TechDecisions’ audience

The post InfoComm 2023 to Bridge AV/IT Gap with New Enterprise IT Program appeared first on My TechDecisions.

The problem is most companies do not typically update their office AV setups. While equipment promises a long life, even up to a decade, once you’ve had a piece of hardware for five years, it might start to feel outdated and end up costing you time.

Updating technology to avoid these problems is more important now that our remote and hybrid working lives rely so heavily on tools. Yet, our propensity to upgrade hasn’t caught up with our workplace behaviors. About 34% of employees report that their employers are not prioritizing investments in better hybrid working technologies, according to a study by Barco.

Pre-pandemic, in a mid-size company with 10 conference rooms, there might have been two rooms that needed a fully equipped AV system. Now, pretty much every room in the workplace needs to be ready to provide a high-quality AV experience.

Updating tech can not only help solve problems and save time, but it can also level up the experience of meetings and give employees that extra boost of productivity and inspiration.

What Kind of AV Technology Needs to Be Upgraded?

In short, you need to update whatever pieces of hardware and equipment that are important for your setup. If something isn’t upgraded, it could cause wasted time.

Camera and microphone systems are the major must-haves for a reliably great AV experience. That could mean upgrading to camera systems that can pan around the room based on who is talking or multiple microphones across the room that can focus the input of the audio toward particular speakers.

As part of the Barco study mentioned above, interviewees were asked what kinds of technology they felt needed upgrading. Videoconferencing capabilities were a big request, with 77% of respondents believing that all meeting rooms should be set up with videoconferencing technology.

Then, there are tools in which upgrades will take your work to a new level. Touchless technology, for example, could drastically streamline your meeting practices. Integrate your call system with your AV system and have a one-touch meeting start, seize the energy in the room, and start right on time.

Technology that empowers hybrid and remote workers is also crucial. Per Barco, 35% of employees would like to have personal touchscreen devices, for example, and 36% want tech that enables them to use their laptops as the centers of their in-office and home-based work.

What Can Teams Gain From Tech Upgrades?

There’s obviously a cost involved in staying proactive about upgrading tech. Still, the benefits and costs saved from increased efficiencies will most likely outweigh the initial expenses of hardware and installation. Consider these benefits:

• Overall improved productivity. Upgraded AV can cut time and inefficiencies, saving meeting time for more productive tasks. People in meetings will feel the benefit of enhanced engagement because they can see, hear, and collaborate with each other more clearly. This has an inevitable impact; working relationships are more effective, and morale becomes higher.
• Increased actionability of meetings. The human brain has a limit, and now that we’re more immersed in technology than ever, we’re also more distracted. The average American looks at their phone 344 times per day, and people remember only about 10% of content two days after hearing or seeing it. Better presentations mean increased engagement and better recollection of information, which in turn makes meetings more actionable.

How Can Companies Successfully Upgrade Their AV and Hardware?

The aim is to better engage workers and make workflows smoother and more efficient. The process for identifying your AV needs and installing upgrades should bear those objectives in mind. Start here:

Stage a walk-through.

To make sure upgrades are practical and needed, walk through the rooms that need technology. What do you use this room for? Who uses it? The exec team? Sales? What kind of meetings take place here? Are investors or clients present? Create an inventory of these rooms. This will help you understand the type of tech you need and how “mission critical” each upgrade choice will be.

Identify which tech is best.

You can use an AV integrator to identify your needs and what the best, most reliable and well-priced equipment options are. Because an integrator is manufacturer-agnostic, its role is to understand your situation and make recommendations based on how you use rooms in your office. Pay attention to how experienced an AV integrator is. Supply chain issues are plaguing the world right now, and an experienced integrator will know which items can be sourced the quickest, so you can move forward with the critical job of running productive meetings.

Updating your organization’s AV setup has been important for a while, and it’s becoming impossible to overlook this task. As we gear up for even more hybrid work in the future, we all need to hear and see each other as best we can. Start upgrading today!

Bob Marsh is the chief revenue officer at Bluewater, a design-forward technology company that helps craft moments that connect and inspire. Specializing in retail technology, displays and fixtures, as well as AV integration and event tech services, Bluewater works with top brands like Walmart, Ford and Rocket Mortgage.

The post Why Now Is the Time to Update Your Company’s AV Tech appeared first on My TechDecisions.

The Infinity Platform combines AV enterprise services with machine learning, computer vision and advanced computing. The platform is capable of handling a wide range of applications, from advanced data analytics and AI-driven insights to control room operations, digital signage, immersive experiences, videowalls, and local and remote operator consoles. By collaborating with NVIDIA, Userful says it plans to take the Infinity Platform to the next level, giving users even more power, flexibility and performance.

Userful’s collaboration with NVIDIA will involve aligning NVIDIA’s products for GPUs with Userful’s future platform roadmap. This will result in a more powerful and comprehensive solution that can handle even the most complex AV and data processing tasks. Using NVIDIA GPUs, the Userful Infinity Platform will be able to deliver real-time and proactive insights and help businesses improve their operational efficiency and productivity.

The Infinity Platform will soon be available to customers worldwide, and the collaboration with NVIDIA is a significant step towards creating a platform that can deliver real value to businesses across the globe. By combining Userful’s expertise in enterprise AV and videowall systems with NVIDIA GPUs, the company’s says its work is aimed at revolutionizing the way businesses approach AV, data processing and decision-making.

“Userful is excited to collaborate with NVIDIA to enhance our Infinity Platform,” says John Marshall, CEO of Userful. “Our efforts will enable Infinity to provide customers with an advanced, scalable, and versatile platform that can process and analyze data in real-time. It’s a significant milestone for Userful as we continue to expand our platform capabilities and offer businesses an innovative and cutting-edge solution for enhancing their AV and decision-making processes.”

Userful’s collaboration with NVIDIA is a testament to the power of innovation, and paves a potential path to revolutionize the use of AV within IT for a brighter future, says the company.

Another version of this article originally appeared on our sister-site Commercial Integrator on May 8, 2023. It has since been updated for My TechDecisions’ audience.

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The post Userful Collaborates with NVIDIA GPUs To Enhance Infinity Platform appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Userful underlines its commitment to interconnecting any enterprise application from any source to any screen. The company says that its Infinity Platform provides all of this through a single pane of glass for IT departments.

Main Features

According to Userful, the Infinity Platform is the first IT solution to deliver a comprehensive suite of enterprise AV applications. These are as follows:

• Decisions, Operation Centers
• Trends, Data Dashboards
• Engage, Digital Signage
• Spaces, Meeting Rooms
• Artistic, Experiential Environments
• Remote, Streaming Channels and Training

Suite of Management Tools

The Userful Infinity Platform is also the first to deliver a suite of management tools, the company notes. These include:

• AV service management through advanced workflows and cloud-based monitoring
• AV source monitoring, from legacy AV sources to AV-over-IP streams
• Server management, monitoring both CPU and GPU
• Network monitoring of AV services
• Endpoint management, from smart displays to adapters to zero clients
• Grafana-based analytics and alerts

According to Userful, the Infinity Platform modernizes AV service delivery versus traditional deployments that significantly increase complexity and cost with their siloed architectures with proprietary hardware and software. Additionally, the platform is delivered through a future-proofed SaaS business model. It thus allows customers to deploy on-premise, private cloud or virtual private cloud.

Increased Adaptability

The Userful Infinity Platform is founded on a groundbreaking, innovative video engine that leverages state-of-the-art GPUs. It also utilizes CUDA cores for efficient video processing, tensor cores for advanced vision AI applications and video encoders/decoders to facilitate real-time streaming. This video engine, underpinning the Userful Infinity Platform, called Chronos, can also be seamlessly integrated within multi-GPU or multi-server configurations. Here, it employs Userful’s Aether manager for unified management and control of any hybrid or distributed architecture. Thus, it provides infinite scalability.

Also Read: Userful Launches Ecosystem Partner Program

This adaptability also empowers organizations of all sizes to manage the interconnect of enterprise applications for industry 4.0. Moreover, it helps manage diverse visual assets and destinations centrally. Aether not only offers centralized control over the video engine, visual assets/destinations and security policies, but also furnishes an API that supports both applications and the interconnect of third-party applications in the future.

Entering a New Phase

“The launch of our Infinity Platform marks a significant milestone in the company’s growth,” says John Marshall, CEO, Userful. “For the last three years, we have been building from a leadership position in control rooms, where operations requirements upon AV are the most extreme — real-time demands; a multitude of sources; resolution, frame rate, color depth; scale of visualization and collaboration demands. This new platform represents three years of R&D, breakthrough development, integration with third parties, and optimization for the demands of enterprise IT. Our Infinity Platform delivers on the promise of offering infinite possibilities for enterprise IT.”

“We’re delighted to see Userful realize its AVaaS platform vision, which we discussed during our first introductory meeting four years ago in a small coffee shop in Calgary,” says Brad Johns, chairman. “Execution of this vision has been impressive, despite the challenge of leading industry transformation, pandemic, and recession. With all metrics positive and a strong growth rate, we’re delighted to have Userful in our portfolio. This represents an inflection point for the company, as Userful enters a new growth phase in channel, ecosystem partnerships, and growth financing.”

Another version of this article originally appeared on our sister-site Commercial Integrator on April 21, 2023. It has since been updated for My TechDecisions’ audience.

The post Userful Announces New Infinity AVaaS Platform appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Microsoft investigating threat actor consent phishing campaign

Microsoft says it is investigating a consent phishing campaign involving threat actors fraudulently impersonating legitimate companies when enrolling in the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program.

According to a Microsoft Security Response Center blog post, the actor used fraudulent partner accounts to add a verified publisher to OAuth app registrations they created in Azure Active Directory (Azure AD). The applications created by the threat actors were then used in a consent phishing campaign that tricked users into granting permissions to the fraudulent apps.

Victims were primarily based in the U.K. and Ireland. Microsoft says all fraudulent applications have been disabled and impacted customers have been notified.

Read Microsoft’s blog for more information. Cybersecurity firm Proofpoint, which says it notified Microsoft about the attacks, also has a blog about the incident.

Google FI warns customers of data breach

Google FI, Google’s U.S.-based telecommunications and mobile internet service, told customers this week that personal data was exposed by a data breach at one of its primary network providers, and some customers have been impacted by SIM swapping attacks, according to reports.

Bleeping Computer reports that Google sent notices of a data breach to Google Fi customers, informing them that the incident exposed their phone numbers, SIM card serial numbers, account status, account activation date and mobile service plan details. However, other sensitive information such as full names, email addresses, payment information, SSNs, tax and government IDs, passwords or SMS and call content was not accessed.

Read Bleeping Computer’s story for more information.

New Gmail user interface

Google is rolling out a new user interface and customizable integrated view for Gmail that brings apps like Gmail, Chat and Meet in one unified location. The new Gmail look will become the standard experience, with no option to revert to the original user interface, the company says.

The rollout began last week and is expected to be completed Feb. 3.

Read Google’s Workspace Updates blog for more information.

New AV products at ISE

Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) took place in Barcelona, Spain, and in conjunction with the large tradeshow, winners of the 8th annual Top New Technologies (TNT) Awards@ISE were announced by TechDecisions’ sister publications Commercial Integrator and CE Pro.

The awards span several categories, including conferencing tools, cameras, interactive whiteboards, microphones, digital signage, video walls, automation software, audio processors and more.

Read about the TNT Award winners here.

The post This Week in IT: Google, Microsoft Cyberattacks; Gmail UI; ISE 2023 appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Let’s dive into three key areas that will have a significant impact on the direction of AV equipment and corresponding set-ups in the new year. 

The advancement of meeting equity

With regard to “new tech,” the advancement of meeting equity — or an equal share of presence and voice — in the video space is not only a top challenge but also a leading opportunity for platform-based systems like Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Webex. 

The challenge is straightforward: what’s the best way to ensure that in-room participants get an equal share of screen time? 

The solution is much more complicated, but advanced camera technology combined with artificial intelligence (AI) and multiple video streams is the best path forward. 

With this, each “face” gets its own window. This allows an endless number of remote participants to have the same face-to-face experience with each individual in a conference room. This is a sharp contrast to the traditional model of a single camera set on one individual or focal point.

There are several ways to approach this:

• Facial recognition cameras: These devices target each face in the room and place them into their own window, which is a sub-window inside the bigger experience. 
• Auto-framing: An auto-framing camera automatically frames all the participants in view during a meeting.
• Auto-switching: Typically combined with auto-framing, auto-switching uses a combination of facial recognition, movement and audio triangulation to display the person who is talking. 

There are pros and cons to all these options, and it’s important to remember that this technology is still in its infancy. However, with rapid developments, the advancement of meeting equity is well underway. 

The adoption of new office design trends

An understanding of new office design trends — and how to implement them — is critical to staying ahead of your competitors. 

The biggest design trend in office spaces for 2023 has nothing to do with the physical AV technology in a room, but rather with how a space is planned and supported. 

While remote work remains a viable option for many workers, a growing number of companies are demanding more physical time in an office setting. This has led to an increase in the volume of meetings, leading to design-related questions such as:

• What’s the best way to design a conference room to include both in-person and remote participants simultaneously? 
• How does your current AV equipment work with the setup of your meeting space?
• Do you have access to a dedicated AV support team with experience in both design trends and technology? 

Take for example Microsoft Front Row. It’s developed to counter the feeling of watching a video meeting as opposed to being fully engaged as a participant. There are many benefits, led by the display of remote attendees at eye level. However, whether or not it works depends largely on the design and layout of your meeting space.

Is your room oriented to the short side or wide side? Do you have a long table or a half table?

Design has an impact on technology, and technology has an impact on design. They must flow together seamlessly for the best possible experience. 

A greater focus on sound management

It’s easy to get so caught up in video technology that you overlook the importance of sound design and management when designing and installing office AV systems. You can have the best cameras and technology at your disposal, but a lack of audio support will result in a subpar experience.

Let’s start here: the best solution for one space isn’t the best for another. A superb audio experience hinges on the ability to control multiple variables. Answer questions such as:

• How many people are generally in the room during a meeting?
• Do you typically have remote participants?
• What are the architectural requirements of the space?
• Where can you place microphones?

Microphones are a big part of the sound management experience. In the past, a microphone was more or less a static piece of equipment. It was placed in a central location within a conference space and paired with an application for managing it. 

Over the past five-to-seven years, microphones have developed into a much more dynamic technology. Now, they can move their pick-up beam continually, using the proper trajectory to target where the audio is coming from. 

As a standalone, advanced audio technology won’t generate the results you’re seeking. Instead, pair it with a high-quality visual experience and a well-designed space to meet your objectives. 

Final word

With a growing number of workers returning to the office, now’s the time to take your office AV technology and step up to the next level. Start with a review of your current approach and popular trends, followed by the implementation of the guidance shared above. 

Bill Thrasher is vice president of AV-Tech, a Roswell, Georgia-based AV integration firm. 

The post What to Expect from Office AV in 2023 and Beyond appeared first on My TechDecisions.

These include AdTechno, AVer, AVONIC, Bolin, BZB Gear, Chingan Technology, Cypress, Lumens, Minrray, Patton, PTZ Optics, ProAVIT, Soundhouse, Televic, Telycam, Tenveo, ValueHD, Yamaha and Yuan. Moreover, several of the OEM partners will introduce new Dante AV-enabled products at ISE 2023 in Barcelona.

Presenting at ISE

Some of the partners presenting at ISE include:

• Bolin: the D2-210H and D2-220H PTZ cameras
• BZB Gear: the BG-ADAMO-4KDA PTZ camera
• Lumens: the VC-A71P PTZ camera
• PTZOptics: the Link 4K 20x PTZ camera

According to Audinate, these add to the ever-growing ecosystem of 15 Dante AV products currently released and available to purchase. Some of the products comprise cameras, encoders and decoders. In addition, several manufacturers will preview pre-production products at the show, including AdTechno, Bolin, Soundhouse and Yuan.

“The network effect is in full force here at ISE,” says Joshua Rush, chief marketing officer at Audinate. “We have seen a sharp increase in demand for Dante AV from OEMs seeking to bring the ease of use and interoperability of Dante to the networked video market, and we’re excited to see more and more of these products come to market and make their way into customers’ hands.”

Dante AV is a family of hardware and software solutions that allow manufacturers and end users to add networked video to the Dante platform. It thus guarantees interoperability between manufacturers, says Audinate. At the same time, it keeps discovery, configuration and control to a single platform for all audio and video devices.

Advantages of Dante

With Dante-management solutions, all endpoints can also be secured with user access control, actively monitored and remotely accessed to simplify system maintenance and support. All Dante AV solutions also provide independent video, audio and control signal routing. With this, signals only get sent where they need to go. Additionally, Dante AV solutions are compatible with the thousands of Dante-enabled products available today.

• Dante AV Ultra is a hardware-based solution offering 4K60 video encoding and decoding for high-quality, visually lossless video. It also features subframe latency and tight time synchronization between endpoints. This makes it ideal for real-time events with the exactitude for clean effects transitions, videowalls and multi-image projections. Users can enable content protection with a fully validated implementation of HDCP 2.2 over IP.
• Dante AV-H is embedded software that manufacturers can add to their Ethernet-enabled H.264/H.265 cameras, encoders and decoders. This effectively turns them into Dante AV endpoints. Integrators and end users also gain all the benefits of Dante. These include automatic network discovery and IP addressing. Moreover, it eliminates the need for fixed point-to-point connections. Best of all, manufacturers don’t need to make hardware changes to new or existing products to implement Dante AV-H.

Audinate also noted that it will showcase the latest Dante products at ISE 2023 in Barcelona in Hall 3, booth #3R100. The event will take place on Jan. 31 to Feb. 3, 2023.

This article originally appeared on our sister site Commercial Integrator. 

The post Audinate Dante AV Adoption Accelerates with New Partners at ISE 2023 appeared first on My TechDecisions.

On March 13, 2020, the president declared a national emergency in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. If they had not done so already, every higher-education institution, on that day, announced a move to online learning. It would only be temporary…or so they thought. What was initially believed to be a short-term stopgap became a transformational moment in learning: Distance education moved from being a niche enrollment category to the single biggest defining factor in education as it moves forward. 

As technologists, we naturally jump to the things that make distance learning possible. Many of those tools — for example, unified communication (UC) platforms, in-room cameras, ceiling microphones, learning management systems (LMSes) and recording capabilities — might not have been part of classroom standards in prior days. But although having the proper tools is important for an effective installation, the tools themselves are not the lessons learned. 

Content is Critical for Distance Learning

Effective distance learning is about content — specifically, content delivery and content comprehension. Translated, that means it’s about the people: People sending the content and people consuming the content. Students adapted extremely well to online content delivery. In fact, they have been doing it for more than a decade; just look at the popularity of TikTok, Snapchat, FaceTime and a host of other social-media communication platforms. The college-aged demographic was primed to learn through the screen. 

Faculty members, on the other hand, experienced a roadblock. “How do I take what I have been doing for 20 years and put it online?” the professors asked. “You don’t,” the tech managers responded. The world is different; learning is different; and your teaching style and skill set must also be different. Faculty must adapt to the technology provided and students’ experience of it. 

Online teaching is a fundamentally separate endeavor than in-person instruction is. Distance education is not traditional education, and it should not be treated as such. The move out of brick-and-mortar classrooms and to virtual learning exposed some weaknesses in conventional education practices. Issues of equity and access became glaringly apparent. Whereas, formerly, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was considered a checklist item during space design and construction, the pandemic demonstrated something important: There are people behind the regulations. Likewise, online-learning best practices, like those of Quality Matters (QM), had to become commonplace rather than being “nice-to-haves.” 

“A” comes before “V,” but the “V” is vitally important for equity and accessibility. The pandemic helped clarify the old AV adage that audio is more important than video. In the context of work-from-home offices, many would argue that it’s OK if people can’t see you so long as they can hear you. That, however, is a flawed theory when it comes to distance education. While audio is important, closed captioning ranks above it — and that is visual. It is not the camera that is so important, but, rather, the ability to consume the content’s message. And that message is delivered both aurally and visually in an equitable digital world. 

Learning without being able to stop a livestreaming professor for questions and discussion means that having ability to rewind, relisten and reread is also a determining factor in the success of distance learning. 

Considering the Visual/Hearing-Impaired 

Distance education proved to be a blessing for those who are visually impaired and/or hearing impaired. Although most technology managers would agree that professors aren’t supposed to serve as AV technicians and show producers, they are expected to follow best practices in content delivery. Many institutions’ Offices of Teaching and Learning formerly taught these practices, but they were rarely obeyed in in-person teaching. For example, proper audio enhancement and voice lift, as well as proper microphone-placement techniques, have always been important. It’s always been good practice to be sure you’re speaking loud enough — and toward the students (not the whiteboard). It’s also important to consider appropriate fonts and point sizes on presentation slides, ensuring they can be easily read by the farthest student in the room. 

When “share screen” became a standard, students were empowered read the content without feeling displaced and without fear of exposing their disability to the rest of their colleagues. Likewise, with streamed content, ear buds and headsets were a huge boon to people who formerly had struggled to comprehend a professor’s soft voice or accent. Paired with the previously mentioned closed captioning, true digital equity could be attained in distance education. 

Thankfully, these feature sets were enacted for a long enough time that there’s no going back. Students now expect multi-modal content delivery. Both colleges and UC platform manufacturers have figured out how to utilize automation, plugins and SaaS-to-hardware integrations to create interactive, accessible and equitable content on the fly, with limited faculty involvement. 

Capitalizing on the Transformation 

How do manufacturers and integrators capitalize on this transformation? The answer is by focusing not on the technology, but, rather, on the outcome. That entails considering the following questions: Who is being served? What obstacles are possibly present that might interfere with teaching and learning? Can the lectures be recorded? Can remote students hear and see? Can the presentation slides be uploaded for review? Is the lighting and projector brightness sufficient to be picked up by an ePTZ or PTZ camera mounted at the back of the room? Because rooms are typically designed with seated viewing angles in mind, is the camera angle sufficient for a remote student without being skewed? How will the in-room faculty know the remote student wants to ask a question? 

All those questions must be asked, thoughtfully considered and answered before the appropriate technologies can be selected. 

In conclusion, we learned that effective content delivery matters. What works is providing solutions for equitable and accessible learning. What does not work is assuming the world will, or should, return to former practices. The technology provided must complement the learning requirements to ensure that distance education is not simply an informational transaction. More importantly, it must be a connection to the needs of the student consumer.

Joe Way, PhD, CTS, is the director of learning environments with the University of Southern California (USC). 

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