AV SuperFriends

Recorded June 16, 2023 For our final group recording at InfoComm 2023, we invaded the Biamp booth where we were joined by Shirley Imai, Richard Mitchel, and Michael Hooper to discuss how the week went, the most interesting things we saw at the show, and what InfoComm is like from a manufacturer's perspective (hint: they don't get to leave the booth). Alternate show titles: Michael Boltron What do you bring as a former higher ed person? Nothing I'm like Hawaii I like to do strange things

Recorded June 16, 2023 As we were setting up for our Day 3 preview, we noticed Frank Padikkala nearby and corralled him into our nonsense to talk about networking, IT as people, and the importance of diversity in everything we do. Alternate show titles: The Most Amazing Moderator I've ever had Get your sh*t off the network The Perfect Network (You're not going to) become a cybersecurity expert in 30 minutes People, Process, Technology Put it in a PowerPoint

Recorded June 15, 2023 In our wrap show for Day 2 at InfoComm 2023, we're joined by very good friend of the show, Darryl Krall from Panasonic Connect to talk about trends such as Chat GPT, AI, AVoIP, and gathering data and analytics from all our stuff. Thanks to Panasonic Connect for letting us take over their booth for the waning hours of the day Alternate show titles: Has this system ever worked? It's like Ragu - It's in there Any fish you wish It's Zeros and Ones

Recorded June 15, 2023 We're back LIVE from the InfoComm show floor before the show floor is open with our thoughts on Day 1, trends we're seeing, products of interest, and noting that simply everything is on the network these days. Alternate show titles: Everybody's big to Jamie It's about switch protection Cool, but unnecessary Using AI as a brand to sell it

Recorded June 14, 2023 We're celebrating our 100th full episode! When we started our podcast adventure, it was simply a way to continue sharing ideas during COVID and we're all heartened to hear just how many people really enjoy our nonsense. For this very special episode, we were prepared to share our thoughts about Day 1 of InfoComm, but instead we invited a cadre of friends, listeners, supporters, and general well-wishers (and whoever was brave enough to wander over and pick up the mic) to join us for a few minutes and give their opinions. Special thanks to Frank Kolavo and his team at Computer Comforts for letting us park at their booth! Visit them at: https://www.computercomforts.com Featuring the voices of: Joe Way Tim Van Woeart Ken Williams Jim Wellings Ryan Gray Jimmie Singleton Frank Alaimo Ann Kelly BC Hatchett Natalie Gillespie Johanna Pierson Chris Hewitt Erin Maher-Moran Alternate show titles: Tim was double dutching over here People are seeing the value in free That's a BS marketing term The way most people use it is nonsense "but not in every room" No, there's no cookies And the funfetti variety I think we're going to need a bigger booth All problems become nails Hot desking And you used the word compute correctly

Recorded June 14, 2023 For the first time ever, all six AV SuperFriends are in the same room… like close enough to touch each other… and touch each other we did! We recorded on the show floor before the show floor opened and shared our thoughts on InfoComm 2023, our plans for the day, where you can find us, hosted sessions, network challenges, and the possibility of gaining knowledge by… eating brains? Alternate show titles: Hit the floor as hard as I can This is a product I want to see something out of this world Official Acquisitions Row Fake People

Recorded June 13, 2023 It's our first ever live recording with five of the six AV SuperFriends in the same room, so prepare for a show with an even more rambunctious atmosphere. We cover Apple's announcements of their new Goggles On Please Pro headset, Apple's overlooked announcement of FaceTime (and by extensions Zoom and Teams) coming to the Apple TV and thus to a conference room near you (we don't like it either, but it's going to happen), the AV SuperFriends thoughts on the first Higher Ed AV Awards, and our last set of predictions for InfoComm 2023. We'll be cranking these out every day this week, so get ready! Apple Vision Pro: https://www.apple.com/apple-vision-pro/ https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/06/apple-vision-pro-screen-concession-gadget/674375/ https://www.tomsguide.com/news/apple-vision-pro-virtual-keyboard-is-visually-stunning-heres-how-it-looks https://www.creativebloq.com/news/vision-pro-memes Apple TV FaceTime support: https://www.zdnet.com/article/you-can-now-facetime-from-your-apple-tv/ HEAV Awards: https://higheredav.com/higher-ed-av-awards/ Alternate show titles: Openly groping each other Apple Room The Best Adjunct If kids were willing to come play with me Googled the Igloo thing They can change it with money The widest aspect display possible There's no reason to have AI in this You shop for AV where you get your bananas

Recorded May 19, 2023 It's June and, for the pro AV world, that means InfoComm… and that also happens to be the topic of this month's episode. Our download numbers show that you're likely listening to this before you travel to Orlando, so this episode is all about what we're doing there all week long. Justin is teaching a 3-day course, Chris is leading a HETMA workshop, Larry is presenting a case study, and we're recording and publishing every day, so look for a glut of content. If you're listening to this episode after InfoComm 2023, you can score us on our predictions and plans. See you in Orlando, y'all!

Recorded June 2, 2023 It's a veritable smorgasbord, a cornucopia, a plethora of topics! In our last show before InfoComm, we cover such diverse elements as fear, surprise, a ruthless efficien… wait. We discuss the announcement of a 16K (consumer) display that isn't 16K or for consumers. It's weird, but most importantly, it's not in 21:9 but instead in 16:9 (AKA the correct aspect ratio). Then, we delve into the challenges (and opportunities) with hiring qualified staff at our schools. Pay is too low to directly compete with the commercial AV industry, but work-life balance and the (generally) excellent benefits can offset that, partially. Marc talks about success hiring student workers as full timers, Chris warns about looking only at salary, Larry questions just how much the work-life balance is worth, Jamie came from an industry that somehow paid less than education, and Justin is working 14 jobs to afford his yacht. We wrap with coverage of scholarship opportunities by AVIXA, so for those of you with student workers, be sure they apply! Articles discussed: https://www.avinteractive.com/news/displays/world-first-110-16k-consumer-tv-unveiled-at-display-week-31-05-2023 https://er.educause.edu/articles/2023/5/pivoting-to-higher-ed-4-ways-to-successfully-recruit-tech-job-applicants https://go.avixa.org/webmail/888683/700837296/90dd14f350fbe5467659035de80fe48665ee767781cff5863c2db82a62f754ce Alternate Show Titles: Home digital signage Why did you make this product? I was very disappointed by the article Long Paws Even moving to higher ed was a raise San Fran-freakin-cisco The "me" in central Iowa Expose yourself to the industry Kickback or pushback

Recorded May 12, 2023 Well, it finally happened; a big school is going all in on VR in a big, general ed program. Goggles on, please. Arizona State is replacing their introductory biology lab classes with VR. Chris is not amused. Then, we review recent technologies to determine if they are just marketing or if these are real, long-term solutions. Marc doesn't like term "broadcast" anywhere near your PTZ cameras and Zoom events, Chris says USB-C is just marketing and a real thing, Justin reviews recent "automatic" setup utilities for DSPs and network switches, Jamie really has it in for MTRs, and Larry notes where Hyflex falls short. Finally, the AV SuperFriends are taking over #AVintheAM on Twitter. Look for that on May 21, 2023, so if you're listening to this after that date, that's why Twitter shut down forever on May 22. News: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/tech-innovation/digital-teaching-learning/2023/05/10/arizona-states-big-bet-virtual-reality Alternate Show Titles: River City Ransom Excel sheets in VR Chemy 101 Walmart-ify It It's trash, too I'm using air quotes you can't see Most of the time it works It's just a hose It doesn't care what you try to put through it The value of the easy button Difficult Mode You plug it in and it doesn't work Just drop it on your network and see what happens Giant displays of heads You can do it! Zeams Rooms Move it around your WAN Happy little trees

AV SuperFriends #AVintheAM - May 21, 2023

Recorded May 5, 2023 We start with a news story about making digital content accessible and that leads to a larger discussion of accessibility in AV. Look for that on a future show. Then we talk "selling" our campus clients on AV in order to deliver the experience they think they want; especially in conference rooms. Marc leverages the client's business case to convince them how to spend, Justin hates the word "sales," and the rest of us are simply trying to drive prices downward on standard spaces. Except Chris, who is the only one of the AVSF who actually budgets projects correctly including required specialized infrastructure, labor, and contingency pricing. It's an apples-to-oranges discussion, but Chris is correct and everyone else is wrong (because I write these descriptions). Finally, we stay on conference rooms and share our thoughts on BYOM and why it's not a thing. Yes, we get it, you can make it happen with all-in-wonder packages, commodity AV hardware, and wireless doodads, not to mention larger switching infrastructure (unless you're doing it via IP which requires none of that), but that all pales to a simple installed PC. News: https://www.edsurge.com/news/2023-05-03-digital-accessibility-is-a-bigger-education-issue-than-we-think-here-s-what-we-can-do-about-it Alternate show titles: Still cashing those checks It's just "effort" The Easiest Way to Say No He Called you for everything he shouldn't have clicked on And you realize it was nothing that was in the ticket What you just said IS sales Half-giraffes They wanted to look good Athletics is an Arms Race I charge only in nickels and dimes I don't know what sales is to you all All the shiny furniture What's an adapter? There's a lot of letters between I and O You can bring your laptop and it will probably work

Recorded April 14, 2023 Is it over yet? While the topic for this month's show wasn't clear, it was assumed to be about the approaching end of the school year. Instead, we opted to discuss technologies that we're just sick and tired of discussing. And, if you know us, you know we just love VR and the metaverse. And while we don't wish anyone ill will, we do enjoy our schadenfreude. News articles: https://www.wsj.com/articles/disney-eliminates-its-metaverse-division-as-part-of-companys-layoffs-plan-94b03650 https://futurism.com/the-byte/virtual-metaverse-real-estate-trouble https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2023-03-26/apple-reality-headset-details-pro-features-top-100-meeting-watch-like-start-lfpgdgdb https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/26/technology/apple-augmented-reality-dissent.html Alternate show titles: Curved-D Mass Deployment Everywhere All the Time I didn't mean to be intentional Would you say I have a plethora? It's swinging and we're just jamming stuff in there Smarthat Strap the thing to your ass

Recorded April 28, 2023 Instead of AV news, we return to the topic of digital canvases only a few days after our previous discussion. We're joined by Atkins Fleming who has a suggestion for a software platform that seems perfect for digital canvases and remote teaching and learning, but the company seems unaware of the education market. Then we hash out the support tools and skills necessary for modern AV systems. Jamie puts it best when he says, "bring your laptop." As AV becomes more and more IT, those with an IT background seem most comfortable supporting IP-based AV and many of those who grew up with analog AV are struggling. If nothing else, buy everyone a few managed network switches and get them comfortable with managing IPs and VLANs. Finally, Jamie covers the news from NAB. There were lots of announcements related to large, cloud-based delivery platforms, but perhaps the best news is the increasing support for SMPTE 2110 as a unified interoperable AVoIP standard. Fingers crossed! ON24: https://www.on24.com Alternate show titles: Don't Say WebEx Novelty Checkbook I don't know; talk to Marc about that one Our skillset made it easy for us Piece of Pizza The team is like "what the heck?" This is right up our wheelhouse Catered Zoom Rooms Stop Grabbing Your Toolbag and take your laptop Stop grabbing that too Judging success by the number of USB adapters That's the beauty about what we're doing and it's also terrible I have a couple that I pulled off Maybe sometimes Just click it and it goes Ready for me to blast across the WAN I'm on the fence; I keep flip flopping

Recorded April 27, 2023 We begin with a follow up to a news article we covered a few months ago regarding the University of Arkansas buying the University of Phoenix. Has the deal soured? Are there concerns of propriety and branding? Oh, my, yes! Next, we're joined by Raul Burriel from Oregon State University (and current President of NWMET) to talk about the NWMET 2023 conference at Carroll College in Helena, MT earlier this month and to give the first ever preview of NWMET 2024 in Corvallis, OR next year, hosted by our very own AV SuperFriend Marc! We can't spoil what's in store for next year's conference, but here's a hint: rain! Then we hash our options for digital canvas displays— that is single unbroken video displays with multiple content fields. Something like that anyway. Chris and Jamie talk about one they had at UMKC ten years ago, Larry discusses a variation he built a few years ago for a computer animation classroom, and Justin suggests manipulating content via software instead of hardware. Chris is going to install an ultrawide digital canvas display this summer, but not in the aspect ratio you're thinking. To heck with 21:9, here comes 32:9 displays! Northwest Managers of Educational Technology (NWMET) https://www.nwmet.org News Articles: https://edscoop.com/university-arkansas-trustees-vote-against-phoenix-acquisition/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/03/31/university-phoenix-arkansas-deal-draws-scrutiny/ Alternate show titles: It was largely Don's fault We bought this, now what? How do we use this thing now that we have it? I'm the only person looking at my screens Just a little wonky-ass The Content is IN the Computer Throw it out and replace it Give somebody the back-end Use this; don't call me

Recorded March 10, 2023 Who wants some riveting discussion of IT budgeting? Yeah, neither do we, but we make a heckuva effort to stay awake for this. Chris budgets projects with massive contingencies and with market pricing, Marc budgets by time, Larry is concerned about trying to make up all of last year's projects and complete this year's projects, Jamie borrows used gear from the rich to give to the poor, and Justin just wants to know "What can I buy today that will last until I no longer work here?" Alternate titles: WAGs and SWAGs Standard Deviation minus 7 Sound in the Ceiling Administrative Swirl Done Been Learnt

Recorded March 29, 2023 Ever wanted a 360 camera paired with a camera bar below a display? Me neither, but here's a news story (well, product announcement) from our favorite inappropriate UCC solution. Then we hash out the various options for BIG displays (and we all agree that anything over 85" falls into the category of big displays). Does projection still win the day? Are we still building LCD video walls? What about LED video walls? As prices continue to come down, have our perspectives on display technologies changed? Finally, digital signage— the "almost AV" we love to hate. Jamie wants to hand off content to students and run ads everywhere, Chris would just be happy if the cabling was cleaned up, Marc is fighting the uphill battle to standardize on a common content platform, Larry already has a standard signage platform that not everyone uses, and Justin is proud of the system WKU has in place. Article discussed: https://www.avinteractive.com/news/products/owl-labs-first-with-front-of-room-and-360-camera-pairing-27-03-2023/ Alternate Titles: No risk it, no biscuit Where do you not want to see this well? A dollar a lumen The poking stick

Recorded March 24, 2023 We're joined by Paul Ziele to talk networking… and we get waaaay into it. We're talking Mariana Trench, Kola Borehole, Hollow Earth. Record deepness… and we really only scratched the surface. We'll have Paul back to continue this talk. Paul shares his frustrations with AV people not knowing networking, Network people not knowing AV, and no one willing to budge more than a few wiggles to make it all work. We also share a listener email about appropriate applications of 21:9 and we're all (mostly) onboard! See, we're not entirely anti-ultrawide aspect ratios… Article discussed: Dirty Hands and IPMX https://www.avnetwork.com/news/dirty-hands-and-ipmx Paul Ziele's Deep Dive series https://www.avnetwork.com/news/zielie-deep-dive-series-introduction Alternate episode titles: It works until it doesn't Automagically No one could mess that up A lot of things breakdown when you leave a single subnet It's a secret because the manufacturer doesn't know the answer Dumber products or smarter integrators Call me when nobody buys it I hate security There is almost no device in AV that has good enough security Don't put that button in; people will use it They'll change 15 settings at once Put on your big boy pants The Layer 2-3 boundary If a limit isn't given, then it's unlimited Forbidden VLAN

Recorded February 10, 2023 It's the coldest part of winter, so let's talk Spring Cleaning! Remember to fully submerse your touch panels in bleach before re… oh, not that kind of spring cleaning. We're joined by Joe Way to talk through our plans for Spring Clinging— that is, what we should be thinking about replacing, what we are holding on to, and what things we should be getting rid of entirely. We all have rooms full of old gear that should go… or should it? On an unrelated note, we also want to hear from you on 21:9, so head over to Twitter to share your opinion. Article mentioned by Larry: https://www.ravepubs.com/why-mtr-with-front-row-looks-so-bad/

Recorded February 24, 2023 This is the audio recording of our live session at the HETMA 2023 Conference. We proclaimed that AV is dead and simply part of the larger IT umbrella… or is it! We were joined by Ryan Gray of Yavapai College who wrote in a few weeks earlier suggesting a new approach to the continuing AV/IT convergence, so we put him on the panel. Thanks to HETMA for the opportunity to share with the community and for all those who asked live questions. HETMA: https://www.hetma.org

Recorded Feb 3, 2023 We cover all the news from ISE… *cough* The state of Arkansas is buying Phoenix… or something. We hash out what it might mean for the future of higher education when traditional universities buy online for-profit schools. Then, training. What training are we working on? What about our staff? Are we focused on technical skills or wider professional development? And where does the AVIXA CTS belong? Finally, we get a mailbag question on wireless sharing appliances. While we all like the concept of wireless sharing, we don't like the dedicated appliances. Free advice to manufacturers: stop adding "collaborative" features to these little boxes. Articles discussed: https://www.highereddive.com/news/university-phoenix-acquisition-arkansas-system-for-profit/641378/ https://www.highereddive.com/news/hilbert-college-acquire-for-profit-valley-college/641247/ Alternate show titles: 21x9 will never happen They had to put their name on a stadium Perceived value Oh, boy, our program sucks Walmart.edu That might be on my short list, too A programmer who doesn't like to type or do math Registered Communication Dudes and Dudettes Screw this screw and pull this cable Pooh-poohing signal flow Boop! Hit the button A mound of swag

Recorded January 11, 2023 This month's topic is BYOD and why that's a terrible idea all around. Wait, it's not? Well, you'll have to convince me. We discuss BYOD for conferencing vs. BYOD for presentation only, BYOD for meetings, BYOD for student devices, wired vs wireless connections, why all wireless sharing appliances are bad, and even campus-wide iPad/Chromebook/laptop programs. Larry introduces the term BYODTRTMADETPIF and Justin again reminds us of his (in)famous Zoom Rooms. Alternate show titles: Anything that may be on your person BYOPD BYODTRTMADETPIF BYODPCVC This topic makes me queasy Bring Your Own Cloud Bring Another Device Bring Your Own LaserDisc It's either gonna work or it's not Non-Meat Version Built into Meat Bring Your Own Room

In light of so much recent AI-related news, we skip the news and dive right into AI. Will AI take over or is it just the newest fad in technology? Afterall, we've been using AI-generated artwork for months, so that means even this podcast is AI-enabled, right? The current spate of AI search engines are really just cranking out the top result from Google, Wikipedia, Stack Overflow, and other sites, often without citing sources or verifying information, but they sure do seem to be the bees knees! Or are they? Is this the Dunning-Kruger Effect or Gell-Mann Amnesia? Regardless, we openly speculate about the AI-enabled AV consultant of the future. We already have automatic calculators for projector throw distance, screen size, microphone layouts, speaker coverage, and more, so how soon until we have a single program that takes all the information entered into account and can generate AV systems writ large? Alternate show titles: This is Super Clippy! Not today, Dave Not fed by ads, yet Super Furby of the Future Roughtimate Trust but verify Eyeballs on the spitball

Recorded January 20, 2023 In a change of pace for Off the Rails, we're going to stick to one subject: USB. We're joined by Joe Cornwall, Legrand's AV Technology Evangelist to dive deep into USB and why it seems to be anything but universal. We all get the question from users that their laptop, tablet, phone has USB-C for charging, so why can't we do that in an AV system? We'll also cover such questions as: Why is trying to simply extend USB a bad idea? Why can't I rely on USB extension? Why is HDBT & AVoIP more reliable to do essentially the same thing? Why is USB switching a bag of hurt? Why is it so hard to identify the right cable with the proper capabilities? Finally, all the panelists will share their thoughts on implementing USB-C in their classrooms. Spoiler: sorta, but not really. Also, stop extending USB. Legrand's AV University - https://www.legrandav.com/tools_and_training/training/training_and_certification Look for Joe's AV Transport and Signal Distribution Masterclass at InfoComm 2023! Alternate show titles: USB-C, the AV Unicorn You cannot tow that boat with a Corvette The parts you need to do that; they don't exist yet Lots of reasons to start foaming a the mouth The bad taste left in your mouth 80 gigabits per second Give 'em the finger and walk away USB-C is a desktop transport; full stop It's called "Go Home!" As fat as it needs to be

Recorded December 14, 2022 It's our annual prediction show! But first, a Festivus Miracle— ClearOne and Shure have settled their dispute over squares, or whatever it was. Anyway, we review our predictions from January 2022 to see how right (or wrong) we were and then make bold predictions for 2023. Marc talks AR and VR, Chris foresees a student-driven redefining of the college experience, Rachel is both impressed and creeped out by AI, Jamie sees increased training and development for instructors, Justin expects someone to buy Zoom (Amazon? Apple?), and Larry says we'll all be using Microsoft Teams more than Zoom. Article discussed: https://www.avnetwork.com/news/shure-clearone-have-reached-global-settlement

Recorded Dec 16, 2022 Apple is including a new application in all their devices with a new service pack called Freeform. While it may look like any other whiteboarding app, it is a harbinger of the types of second or third channel content that students will bring with them to our classrooms as it's now pre-installed on billions of devices. Then we review the concept of designing on expected system lifecycle rather than capability. Should every system we design, specify, install, and support run forever? Or, given the significant changes in teaching and learning over the last three years, should we be prepared to modify systems after only two or three years? Finally, now that almost all learning spaces are distance education capable, can instructors expect the same level of production and support? How do we manage those expectations? Apple Freeform: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2022/12/apple-launches-freeform-a-powerful-new-app-designed-for-creative-collaboration/ Alternate show titles: Cockroach Technology That's all I expected out of this device Don't Future-proof Disposable Equipment … and a Side Toilet They Beta Drove It Rip off the bandaid without them knowing I didn't get no complaints

Recorded December 09, 2022 (Watch the video of this show: https://avsf.live ) In our second live show, we host a typical awkward office holiday party complete with ugly sweaters, a gift exchange, seasons greetings from the Higher Ed AV community, some special guests join us to share what they've been up to, and AVSF trivia to give away AVSF swag (and everyone likes swag, right?). And Chris Neto breaks big news about the future of #AVinTheAM! Our gift exchange is of AV-related gifts that we found in our storage spaces. Old classroom-in-a-box systems, non-standard ersatz keystone inserts, table devices with more non-standard inserts, a lamp-based travel projector, a "compute," even AVSF swag— it's all fair game. Special kudos to Larry for sending Jamie a hammer for his whack-a-mole control system and to Rachel for sending Marc the world's weirdest sad clown artwork… which is now the episode artwork! If you want to be part of the next AVSF: Live show, sign up for notifications here: https://avsf.live Erin's Maher-Moran's links: HETMA Prism Scholarship AV Nation Ed Tech Podcast Chris Neto's links: #AVintheAM @theAVintheAM Joe Way's links: Higher Ed AV

Recorded October 26, 2022 In the spirit of American retail annual sales scheduling, here's a holiday episode recorded in October. Our theme for this show is stocking stuffers, so we all have a little gift to share (aka a "recommendation") or something from our AV wish list that will hopefully arrive soon. Little Marc gives everyone AVoIP decoders, little Chris gives "secret" analog I/O for QSC Cores and wants the perfect button panel controller, little Justin gives everyone an NDI to USB converter, little Jamie also gifts us all an NDI decoder, and little Larry brings a Dante remote decoder from the local corner store. Don't forget to join the AV SuperFriends LIVE on Friday, December 9 at 300p EST for our holiday spectacular! AVSF Live: https://avsf.live Products discussed: VANCO Handheld HDMI Tester: https://www.vanco1.com/product/handheld-4k-hdmi-tester/ BirdDog Pod: https://birddog.tv/pod-overview/ BirdDog Play: https://birddog.tv/play-overview/ Focusrite RedNet R1: https://pro.focusrite.com/category/audiooverip/item/rednet-r1 Alternate show titles: Fool around at the house Jamie learnt me something today That's the gift that keeps on giving the whole year Uncle Larry's at it again It's a twofer learnt day Listen to Zoom trash my sound

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Recorded November 11, 2022 Remember movie theaters? Enormous sodas, greasy popcorn, giant candies, and … Zoom? Have you ever wished you could combine the experience of a summer blockbuster with a Zoom meeting? Neither have we, but it's coming to a theater near you. Then we return to the topic of AR, VR, XR, and other Rs. Larry makes a cogent argument about AR and Marc broadens his definition to encompass nearly everything. Regardless of how we think of it, the application of AR in higher ed will be driven by students, so be ready. Also, the Metaverse is never happening. Finally, Larry shares his thoughts on UNCG's new Esports arena. What does he like, what would he change, and where is gaming leading us in the future? Article discussed: https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/7/23446136/amc-zoom-rooms-theaters-meetings UNCG's Esports Arena: https://esports.uncg.edu AVSF: Live! on December 9: https://avsf.live Alternate show titles: An Owl Cam at the Movies Where are we using AR today? We're just calling old shit "AR" The AR-ish type thing we're trying to do here The Google Person Real-time Fact-checking Baby's First Step was Zoom According to Wikipedia… That's the Job! No Cameras and Flashing Allowed

Recorded November 4, 2022 Meetings! We love 'em! We need more of 'em! Or do we? And are all these fancy spaces we've built out to support hybrid meetings just adding to the problem? Next we dive deep into the hardware side (and a few software bits, too) of selecting AVoIP encoders and decoders. We're putting together a list of criteria, separating them into Nice to Have and Need to Have and are in the process of testing these all in real-world environments. Why? Because we aren't going to wait until Q3 of 2023 and there's a LOT of alternatives out there. Finally, Jamie raised an interesting question: has the challenge in getting certain types of equipment changed how we get rid of old gear? Are we hanging onto equipment that would have ordinarily been discarded and sent to surplus in 2019? Justin has the best suggestion for how determine when something must be cast-off. Article discussed: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220926005145/en/One-third-of-Meetings-Are-Unnecessary-Costing-Companies-Millions-and-No-One-Is-Happy-About-It Alternate show titles: That One Special Space Frustration Multiplier It's a Pixel Bus I'm a regular person Rookie-friendly Just put a magnet on it I cut 'em up all the time

Recorded October 28, 2022 In the news, Chris shares his thoughts from the recent CCUMC conference at UCF in Orlando. Also, CCUMC has changed their inscrutable name to the slightly more scrutable ETC. Then we're joined by Jason Zapf from the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay to discuss how to (or how not to) provide hybrid capability in active learning environments. While the temptation is go big and expensive, we all provide alternative suggestions to keep things simple and not over complicate an already busy learning environment. Finally, we hash out the recent push for the 21:9 ultrawide aspect ratio. It's not particularly new (1957), it will lead to detrimental compromises in screen element size, and frankly, it's not going to happen, Microsoft. ETC (nee CCUMC): https://www.etcollaborative.org Alternate show titles: I hate everything about it It goes all the way up Hell, no… but! Eat together, drink together, sleep together

Recorded October 21, 2022 For Thanksgiving, the AV SuperFriends all gathered at Marc's house and stood around the kitchen waiting for the turkey to cook in the indoor deep-fryer. In addition to an assortment of side dishes, we all brought an AV Turkey to share. Marc reminds us of the nonsense of touchless AV control, Chris complains bitterly about wireless sharing appliances, Justin gives up on Stem Audio, Jamie rewinds to multi-cable digital video extension, and Larry despises digital signage. Turkeys all around! Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!

Recorded September 28, 2022 In a change of pace, we've collected our scariest and creepiest tales of AV projects, equipment, customers, and support. Join the AV SuperFriends as we sit around the bonfire and share our tales of fright. Justin brings an Old Kentucky Fable, Marc recounts his end of summer waking nightmare, Larry reminds us that our worst fears can come true during the Year of Good Enough, and Chris visits the Twilight Zone to recount the Needs Analysis of Terror. Happy Halloween, y'all!

Recorded September 16, 2022 We had a different news story selected for this week but given the recent public email exchanges between Aurora Multimedia and Crestron, we had to discuss it. Is Crestron being the bully or getting taken advantage of? Marc raises the possibility that this is all a staged act to generate publicity and we all like the idea of a Crestron - Aurora conspiracy! Then, we're joined by Dean Heckler of Heckler Design to talk about his company's novel approach to AV-friendly furniture, mounts, brackets, and finding the niche products that make life easier. Dean talks us through Heckler's earliest days making iPad mounting brackets, to custom pieces for large universities, to the process of re-thinking the classroom lectern, to ADA wall panels— all with an eye on making everything feel like it's from the future. Finally, Chris is going to replace every projection screen on campus with direct view displays, regardless of size and appropriate viewing height. Well, not exactly, but we discuss the concept of doing so and the price delta between large monitors and small projection screens. Seriously, though, why are we installing 105" projection screens? Heckler: https://www.hecklerdesign.com

Recorded September 9, 2022 The AV SuperFriends kick off Season 3 with some announcements of upcoming changes and a new show, AVSF: Live! Yes, live-- on video, that is-- but live! With video and you! We want you to join us! The link is below. Then we return to our Twitter poll from a few weeks ago to share the results. With equipment lead times continuing to be a challenge, what are other schools doing? We hash out the three most common approaches— waiting for preferred gear, looking around at alternatives, or implementing new equipment. Marc then shares his thoughts from a recent tour to Biamp's headquarters in Portland, OR. It sounds like it's well worth a visit if you're in the area. Finally, we dig into the mailbag and respond to a listener email about control system automation. Our discussion gets pretty heated! AVSF Live!: https://avsf.live Twitter poll: https://twitter.com/AVSuperfriends/status/1562109314923237376

This month's topic is software AV and we couldn't decide between software AVoIP content, software AV control, or software management platforms, so we'll cover all three! We start with an article about a semiconductor manufacturer widening software (and hardware) support for SMPTE 2110, which gets us one step closer to HDBaseT-style interoperability… in theory. Then, it's a whirlwind tour of software AV content, control, applications, and more. Why are we using legacy thinking when building our networks? Will we ever fully trust the PC to be a true AV endpoint? After all a huge amount of current content originates from or is delivered to the classroom PC, so why can't we (reliably) leverage that for multi-protocol high bandwidth content? Article discussed: https://www.ravepubs.com/macnica-new-software-hardware-smpte-2110/

Recorded August 12, 2022 We fire up the AVSF time machine and travel back to 2010… to talk about HDBaseT. It's all in good fun, but it's a weird article to see in 2022. Then, what's your threshold for standardization? That is, are you looking to broaden you AV equipment portfolio or just waiting out the on-going equipment delays? What happens if that wait becomes six, eight, 12, 16 months or more? Jamie is always game to try new gear, Chris is re-engineering systems from the ground up, Justin is stuck between a rock and a hard place, Larry is concerned about staff support, and Marc is staying the course. Finally, how are we responding to the increasing commoditization of AV integration? In addition to structured cable contractors, there are new service providers who want to help you offload some of your repetitive work (and make money, of course). It's an interesting concept… Article discussed: https://www.avnetwork.com/features/how-hdbaset-simplifies-av-installs

Recorded August 5, 2022 Panopto is buying Kaltura! Sorta. The investment firm who owns Panopto also wants to own Kaltura. While this could mean we'll see a really cool platform come from this "merger," most likely it'll be bad for all of us. Look for your license fees to increase dramatically. Then, what do you mean by "AV design?" What does it mean to be an AV designer? How much time are you spending doing documentation? How much is too much? Justin just wants to avoid questions, Larry would rather think of cool concepts than create drawings, Jamie hates CAD, Marc hates all documentation, and Chris loves all documentation (in fact, he's working on a reflected ceiling plan right now). Finally, what do we all think about eliminating traditional AV cabling and equipment just because we can? Sure, it might not be best practice, but could it be considered "good enough practice" for our spaces? Articles discussed: https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-panopto-bids-to-buy-israeli-video-co-kaltura-for-383m-1001419838 https://www.avinteractive.com/news/business/panopto-raises-its-bid-to-buy-competitor-kaltura-to-383m-01-08-2022/ https://old.reddit.com/r/CommercialAV/comments/wefc3x/av_systems_designers_of_reddit_how_much_time_do/

Recorded July 15, 2022 It's Back to School season! What will the 2022 - 2023 school year bring? We start with an article from EdSurge about schools who put massive student CRM systems on hold and are now restarting those massive projects. Regardless of how many times we've all been through this process, the end result seems to be the same: a litany of complaints, nostalgic stories of the previous system, and plans for the next upgrade. Then, plans for our Fall terms to start in just a few weeks. Setting expectations based on un-finished projects, mitigating standards to make something work, and delays delays delays. We also prognosticate on what we think will be our top help desk tickets this fall. But, if nothing else, fresh Trapper Keepers for all! Article discussed: https://www.edsurge.com/news/2022-06-21-higher-ed-is-investing-in-student-success-tech-is-it-a-new-golden-age-or-just-vague-talk

We start with an article from the Chronicle of Higher Education that asks why colleges and universities are constructing so many new buildings, but leaving older facilities to rot? We're all guilty of focusing on the new hotness and ignoring the old and busted, but what will happen now that enrollment is set to drop? Then, active learning rooms. Do they really need all that stuff (no) or all those options (no) or all those displays (no) ? Larry explains active learning as a food analogy, Marc suggests we focus on the students and avoid all the "stuff," Justin uses software rather than hardware to avoid monstrous AV budgets, Jamie bemoans the lack of pedagogy and overspending of technology, and Chris has built way too many of these spaces all over the country. Finally, AVIXA wants feedback on the CTS programs. We review the survey for the general CTS and share how we think the CTS holders on our teams leverage those skills. Article discussed: https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-overbuilt-campus https://archive.ph/XDGwT

Recorded July 8, 2022 Marc starts us off with an article about new, high resolution and AI-driven optical microphones that will never be a product, but will be in almost every audio product in five years... and probably in your phone, too. If this technology goes where we think it will, it'll be the next version of beam-tracking & beam-steering. Then, with apologies to Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, we apply the Five Stages of Grief to delayed AV projects (which in 2022 means every project). We discuss the client perspective as they experience denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. We also share some of the analogies we use to explain to clients why partially received AV systems can't be installed. Hamburgers and cars seem to be the most common. Also, Justin shares his terrible method of preparing hamburgers. Finally, Larry has an idea about hand-me-down classrooms and we try to help determine if that's a good idea, bad idea, or just reality. Article discussed: https://gizmodo.com/optical-mic-camera-record-multiple-instruments-separate-1849104793 https://www.cs.cmu.edu/news/2022/optical-microphone

Recorded June 22, 2022 Have y'all heard of this VR thing? It's a thing! Or is it… We start with an article about highly customized content for highly specialized academic programs and how that just doesn't scale. And that leads a discussion covering everything from shared standards for metaverse content to nursing simulation systems to user generated content. Then, scope creep. Have you done that thing you didn't know about and weren't technically responsible to do? Why does it always seem to fall to AV and IT to take on more than we're responsible for and clean up others' messes? Is it because we're the last ones in the door? Or, because everyone knows we'll get it done? Probably both. EdScoop article: https://edscoop.com/virtual-reality-universities-class-design/ NYT article: https://rd.nytimes.com/projects/an-end-to-end-guide-to-photogrammetry-with-mobile-devices Metaverse Standards: https://metaverse-standards.org/

Recorded June 24, 2022 It's a Christmas Miracle— all six AV SuperFriends are on the same episode together! We start with some AV news that created a minor crisis for some of us (for about 30 minutes), but as it's about one of our "favorite" products, we're enjoying the schadenfreude. Also, maybe if your network allows unauthenticated devices to connect directly, you deserve the lumps. Then we're joined by Geoff Robinson from PTZOptics to discuss their recent release of MIDI camera controls. Does this mean you can use a drum kit as a control system? Sure! Can you tie presets to cues in your production software? Yepper! Jamie said it best in that we probably don't have an immediate use, but rather a myriad of future applications for this. Very cool! Finally, we discuss the challenges of hiring qualified IT staff at universities. Chris and Larry are both hiring now, Jamie just went through the process a few months ago, Justin must keep the position listings as generic as possible to attract a wider applicant pool, Marc keeps getting asked to apply for internal positions to sandbag the search, and Rachel is amazed at just how regimented the hiring process is at universities. Anyone want a job? We're hiring! PTZOptics MIDI Camera Control: https://ptzoptics.com/midi/ Articles discussed: https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/06/vulnerabilities-in-meeting-owl-videoconference-device-imperil-100k-users/ https://edscoop.com/owl-labs-vulnerability-patch-cisa/

Recorded June 09, 2022 Chris, Larry, Rachel, and Justin were all together in Las Vegas for the largest single gathering of AV SuperFriends since 2019, so we fired up the microphones to share our general impressions of the first InfoComm since the last one! We cover products of note, the best swag on the show floor, celebrity sightings, the utter lack of VR (yea!), the sad lack of esports (boo!), fidget spinners, Justin's drug smuggling backpack, purses vs clutches, the single best product of the show, the .87 miles from one side of the convention center to the other, computes are not a thing, AVlebrities, where to stay in Vegas, gauging distance by egg tossing, the best steaks in Vegas, Rachel's (and Chris's) apparent fandom of Smash Mouth, the best hangover breakfasts in Vegas, why Friday is the best day at InfoComm, and Justin's adventures in sneaking onto the show floor. Special thanks to Chris Neto and our friends at Starin Marketing for the podcasting space!

Recorded March 31, 2022 Chris and Marc were at NWMET 2022 in beautiful Coeur d'Alene, Idaho in March and set up a table in the middle of the hallway to talk with as many people as possible about AV in higher education. In this episode, we're joined by Doug McCartney from Oakland University and Jon Loney of Whitman College to talk about the NWMET that didn't happen in 2020, Doug's recent election to the NWMET Hall of Fame (and his brand new car!), plans for NWMET in the future, and Doug's reflection on almost 40 years of educational technology. Doug's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doug-mccartney-97aa2516/ Jon's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonloneyakajlo/

Recorded March 31, 2022 Chris and Marc were at NWMET 2022 in beautiful Coeur d'Alene, Idaho in March and set up a table in the middle of the hallway to talk with as many people as possible about AV in higher education. In this episode, we're joined by Jessica Sunset from LightWerks to talk about how colleges and universities can be better partners with integrators (hint: parking!) and how integrators can be better partners with colleges and universities (stop bidding the lowest cost gear). Jessica's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-sunset-38369b3/

Recorded May 13, 2022 It's our annual InfoComm Preview show! Or, if you are listening to this after the first week of June, it's our annual InfoComm Wrap-up show! Chris, Larry, and Justin will be there in person, so come join us for presentations, tours, and interviews. Or, listen to recordings of those same presentations, tours, and interviews because InfoComm is over! We hash through what we expect to see and hear: Chris is still expecting announcements of heretofore unannounced stuff, Justin is wondering if we'll see last year's gear with a new model number, Marc isn't expecting much of anything and would prefer manufacturers use the show to get product ideas from end users, Larry is expecting only minor announcements, and Jamie is giving up and going to the beach for a the week. Follow us on Twitter @AVSuperFriends to stay updated with what we're doing!