AV SuperFriends

Recorded November 12, 2021 Two of the AV SuperFriends have been to two large trade shows and conferences and lived to tell the tale. Larry and Chris were both at InfoComm in Orlando and EDspaces in Pittsburgh and, while both shows were smaller than in previous years, there were still large crowds, lots of people to talk to, and plenty of AV and learning spaces discussions. It was also a bit weird to see people from the neck down and not wedged into a box on Zoom. But that does raise the question: will manufacturers continue to make major announcements at large trade shows, or will they host their own events? Then, we return to the conversation about how to identify our departments on campus. We first discussed this in June and since then some of us have taken new positions and others have found themselves embroiled in a division-wide reorganization. How should we position our departments to campus? Are we too focused on the equipment in our classroom spaces and not enough on the larger learning experiences that take place outside those spaces? Or are we too centered on the academic aspect of our roles and not enough on the general construction-related tasks and responsibilities that many of us have? It's a pickle! Finally, we review some new trends in learning spaces—that is, trends of the physical environments. We're all seeing more learning taking place outside the four walls of a traditional classroom space, so how are we addressing the mixed hybrid online environments, informal spaces, classrooms without student seating, student seating outside of classrooms, and computer labs without computers. If nothing else, it's clear that everyone loves coffee. Furniture mentioned during the show: https://www.nookpod.com

This month we dive deep into the world of AVoIP. It's a thing. The cost-delta is over point-to-point transmission almost nil, the technologies and products are maturing, and it opens an entire new world of finger pointing and shirking responsibility! We first discussed AVoIP last October on Off the Rails Episode 4, so please give that a listen for more on how we're leveraging it at our institutions. Justin is still living in the wild, wild west of networking, Jamie is firing NDI down dark fiber, Marc is transporting all his production cameras over the campus LAN, Larry is building an AVoIP eSports arena, and Chris is swapping HDBaseT for IP in new general classroom designs because why not? While we all have different approaches, one item we all agree on is to work closely with your networking team. Some of us got lucky and just happened to be part of the Network/Telecom/Infrastructure teams and others had to go make friends to ensure their VLANs and ports were configured correctly. If you're not a first-name basis with your networking colleagues, you will be soon, so be proactive and get to know them before you start firing traffic across the network. We also do a quick Lightning Round about our preferred managed network switches and we're again all over the map. Cisco, Extreme, Luxul, Netgear, there's room for everyone! And even after all that, there's more to come, so stay tuned for the inevitable AVoIP part 3!

Recorded October 21, 2021 If you're reading this, the AV SuperFriends have been to InfoComm 2021 and lived to tell the tale. Well, at least two of us have (Chris and Larry). Everyone else skipped it and have been removed from the will. Speaking of InfoComm, we start with a listicle from rAVe Pubs about five trends to watch for at InfoComm 2021. Were these accurate predictions? As someone who attended, the answer is… sorta? And no, I did not look at IP-based KVMs. Then we all share unusual support tickets that we didn't see coming. There were a lot of predictions about how this first semester back would go, and as we're all past the half-way point, we can say that tickets have decided turned from quantitative to qualitative. That is, lots of request for improving the hybrid teaching experience, and less about "it's all broke." So, that's good. Finally, we introduce a new segment that we're calling "Dinosaurs of AV." We even have theme music. These are items that really shouldn't be part of a general classroom or teaching space and are due for retirement by asteroid. We'll periodically return to this list as it will only grow over time. Article: https://www.ravepubs.com/5-things-to-know-about-signal-routing-switching-before-infocomm-2021/

Recorded October 1, 2021 Hey, Classroom: Turn on projector. Turn ON projector. Hey, Classroom: Turn projector ON. Darn this voice control! On this episode, the AV SuperFriends share their current frustrations with supply chain issues causing delays in projects. We also share some solid suggestions on how to mitigate those challenges. Justin is Frankensteining systems out of whatever he has on hand, whereas Larry is ordering equipment for summer 2022 already. Next, who wants to talk about org charts? Trick question-- we all do! Marc is currently experiencing adventures in IT reorganization and it has raised the question of where AV belongs in the larger IT structure. Or does it? Regardless of whether your AV team is part of IT Support, IT Networking, or IT Academic Technology, we all agree that it's different everywhere. Finally, we're going touchless. That is, we promise to stop touching... things. Larry doesn't want people yelling into the void to operate classroom systems, Chris wants to schedule every space in order to automate as much as possible, Jamie still wants to use more arcade buttons, and Marc suggests even if we don't like the concept of touch-free UI, it's coming soon, one way or another.

Recorded September 17, 2021 Fire up your RGB LEDs, put on your headset, and get caffeinated! For this month's episode of On Topic, the AV SuperFriends are joined by Josh Kell, CEO of Horizon AVL System Integration, to talk about eSports. Josh has been working with Larry on a new eSports arena at UNCG and he provides a fascinating look at developing an eSports program holistically and not just piling a bunch of computers into a room and calling it good. Despite this being an AV-focused show, the technology itself isn't the most important aspect of eSports and we talk about laying the groundwork for a successful, long-term, and competitive eSports program, tying into existing academic programs on your campus, dogged persistence to get buy-in from university leadership, and ensuring everyone understands that eSports is not just video games. We also give a preview of the two workshops the AV SuperFriends are leading at InfoComm 2021. Join us on Tuesday, October 26 for the Higher Ed AV Project Life Cycle Crash Course, and the Higher Ed AV Design Challenge: Developing Flexible Institutional AV Standards. Links for Josh: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-kell-50a24735/ Tweeters: https://twitter.com/AVLKell Company: https://horizonavl.com

Recorded September 10, 2021 It's the season finale of Off the Rails! We did it— an entire year of shows… and no on air fights. A lot of swearing by text (Chris), complaining about things (Chris), and getting frustrated at people not reading emails (Chris). Wait a minute… For Season 2, starting in a few weeks, or whenever we get around to it (Chris says "the first week of October"), we'll have more topics to discuss, more news, and more technology! And we might even get around to new commercials (which are already written but have been sitting since December). The AV news article discussed on this episode comes from the world of K-12 (because Chris didn't read the headline closely enough) but is quite relevant to colleges and universities in that it's about talking with users to determine needs and tasks long before selecting technologies. I think we all recognized it as best practice and wish it happened more often. Then, we again break format and stay on a single topic for the entire show— this time on the challenges, processes, and frustrations with hiring AV staff at our institutions. Jamie is in the middle of it right now and he shares some of the issues he's run into, especially with candidates who don't read job requirements and standardized interview questions. Is it best to hire someone with a solid technical background, or focus on the person and train them up to the position? All this and more! Article discussed: https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2021/09/how-choose-k-12-educational-technology-intentionally

This month's topic is "Time for Change," which we interpreted as "how do we think of classroom AV systems in 2021 as opposed to the same systems in 2019?" The technology hasn't really changed, but the tasks in those classrooms most certainly have changed, which means we now select the technology differently. But before we get into all that, we cover some recent news from QSC—or at least leaked from QSC via Rave—about how they're responding to on-going supply chain shortages. Rather than continuously delay orders, QSC is apparently telling their industry partners (but not necessarily their end-user customers) that some product lines simply will not be available for the foreseeable future. It's an interesting tact to be sure, and Jamie and Rachel are especially appreciative of it. Rachel also highly recommends an article by a colleague on communicating with customers during a crisis (linked below). Then we discuss what a classroom system should look like in 2021 or 2022. Sure, the general technologies are the same as we've been recommending for years, but now what was once considered an optional add-on is a critical component that is absolutely required for day-to-day teaching and learning. Additionally, "classrooms" clearly extend beyond the four walls of the physical room, so other technology items that were previously considered to be core components can be removed as they no longer easily tie into the new model of mixed hybrid and hyflex learning. Articles discussed: https://www.ravepubs.com/qsc-stop-fulfilling-orders/ https://castercomm.com/2021/08/27/three-pillars-that-should-define-your-crisis-comms/

Recorded August 20, 2021 One of the things we all love about our jobs at colleges and universities is working with students. They're a fantastic resource, eager to help, keen to help, and willing to hop on a bike and race across campus at a moment's notice. On this unusual episode of Off the Rails, we stay on topic and focus entirely on our interactions with student staff in our departments. We're joined by Don De Mello and Lawrence Eng of Oregon State University to talk about their top tier program for recruiting, hiring, mentoring, training, and preparing students for professional positions after they graduate. We talk about everything from writing the position descriptions for students, treating them like professional staff, integrating them into the working environment, and growing them as professionals and even programmers. Also, Justin and Don talk about the excellent scholarship and internship opportunities afforded by the AVIXA Foundation. Apply now! Don De Mello: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donald-demello-7b352117/ Lawrence Eng: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawrence-eng-763b188/ AVIXA Scholarships: https://www.avixa.org/about-avixa/who-we-are/avixa-foundation/scholarships AVIXA Internship program: https://www.avixa.org/about-avixa/who-we-are/avixa-foundation/internships/av-interns

Recorded August 13, 2021 We're back! It's been a weird couple of weeks with some of the AV SuperFriends moving across town, some moving across the country, and others staying right where they are. Summer is full of vacations and travel… and so many AV installation projects! And what better way to close out summer than with a discussion of digital signage on our campuses? We first try to define digital signage in a very general sense and then describe some of the issues we've had deploying, supporting, and maintaining it at our institutions. Jamie describes how to blind your students and faculty, Rachel suggests we use the devices that students carry with them, and Chris shares how to booby trap digital signage content players so they don't sit on a logo for 8 months. We then talk about how we might use digital signage players and displays for academic purposes and vice versa. After all, we've got a bunch of displays around— we might as well turn them into informal huddle spaces or support the teaching in the space. Also, we discuss some AV news about something that should have happened a year ago— Zoom support on Smart TV streaming boxes. Well, at least on one box from Amazon. Where are the home telepresence devices? News story: https://www.techhive.com/article/3627488/amazons-second-gen-fire-tv-cube-now-lets-you-make-zoom-calls.html

Recorded July 7, 2021 It's Back to School season, so get some new shoes, a nice shirt for the first day, a new Trapper Keeper and pencil bag, and let's all take an awkward picture by the front door on the way out to catch the school bus. And, we have some survey results to discuss— and we love our surveys! — from Classroom Technology on the ways Online Learning (whatever that means) is changing post-pandemic. The students are driving change, so it'll be interesting to return to this topic after a year and see how we did. Next up, Marc knows what our top Help Desk ticket issues will be this fall and lets us all in on the secret. Are you prepared? It really focuses on the dichotomy of experience between teaching and learning at home and from a classroom. And it will inform AV design for years to come. Also, get rid of your codecs in classrooms. Finally, do you have rooms you haven't been in for over a year? Well, chase those spiders away, those rooms need to be 100% for the start of Fall classes! Jamie walks us through how UMKC does their room checks and the advantages of allocating resources to support that model. Article discussed during the show: https://campustechnology.com/articles/2021/06/22/how-the-pandemic-changed-higher-eds-priorities-for-online-learning.aspx

Recorded July 9, 2021 In AV news, Sharp/NEC announces a new display with support for an insertable module (SDM, the replacement for OPS) that has NDI and Dante onboard. While that sounds as exciting as burnt toast, it could be a harbinger of things to come— displays (and general AV devices) with support for multiple AVoIP transport protocols on a single NIC. It's clearly the way of the future, so let's hope we see more of this in the coming months. Speaking of harbingers, we then review some disruptive technologies that are available today and changing how we think about designing classroom AV systems. Some of these technologies are so disruptive, we're including them in our newest classroom standards… if that makes sense. We also return to the idea of a PC as the center of the AV system, instead of the monstrous $5,000 all-in-one switcher. Finally, students are keeping us on our toes as we have to adapt to their learning styles and comfort with multiple, simultaneous content streams— official and unofficial— during classes. Should we really let the whims of 19 year old students determine the future of learning spaces and AV design? Like, for sure, boomer.

Recorded July 2, 2021 Biamp buys Neets and presumably looks to get into the larger ecosystem of AV control. And that raises some interesting questions about control systems. Aside from the big two, Crestron and Extron (AMX no longer counts), we're seeing a ever-increasing number of smaller companies introducing solid control options, often at a significant savings. We've tried a few from Atlona, QSC, and others and they show real promise. Also, what's the deal with these ePTZ cameras? Are they worth it? Spoiler: for the most part, yes. Articles and links from the show: https://neets.io https://www.biamp.com/company/press-releases/press-release-detail/biamp-acquires-neets-a-s https://www.avinteractive.com/news/business/biamp-broadens-control-range-neets-acquisition-22-06-2021/ https://www.ravepubs.com/biamp-control-system-manufacturer/

Recorded June 11, 2021 It's summer! Spend the next three hours as the AV SuperFriends review all their summer projects, one by one. No, that's boring and tedious. We're all doing the same thing you're doing at your school. Instead, let's talk supply chain. We're joined by Clay Stahlka, Senior PreSales Engineer at Starin to talk about the current situation regarding the AV and electronics supply chain. Clay shares his insider perspective and gives some great tips on planning projects early in order to get your gear on time. Marc also shares an article about holograms (which don't really exist). They're the future! No, no they're not, but not because we don't all want a Star Trek Holodeck— Rachel reminds us that there's simply no content for holograms (which still don't exist). Connect with Clay Stahlka on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clay-stahlka-cts-d-06205941/ Articles from the episode: https://www.wsj.com/articles/tech-companies-want-to-make-holograms-part-of-routine-office-life-11623232800 https://blog.google/technology/research/project-starline/

Recorded June 18, 2021 Trade shows are back and that means lists upon lists of trade show awards! We look at a list from ISE by Commercial Integrator and CE Pro and note some awards that make sense and some that seem suspicious. Also, Jamie really doesn't like "listicles" like this. Then, let's talk AV department branding and identity? What is our current AV department called? Are those names out of date or still accurate? What should we be called in 2021? In a super non-scientific study, Chris gathered 25-30 names from universities around the country (but he didn't note which name came from which school) and we're pretty sure some version of your department name is in there somewhere. Hopefully this spurs some similar discussions at your school. Finally, what actually happens when someone presses the "Power Off" button on your touch panels or button panels? Are we really powering off equipment or just telling the users that so everything is ready immediately for the next user? What about remote power control? Are you using that and if not, why are you doing it wrong? PoE is great until it isn't. And Justin reveals that all the instructors at WKU are required to strap two yard sticks together and flip the rocker switches on the back of ceiling-mounted projectors at the end of every class. Top New Technology Awards article: https://www.commercialintegrator.com/product_news/2021-top-new-technology-awards-winners/ Department Names: Academic Technology and Media Services Audiovisual Educational Technology and Media Services Audio Visual & Systems Technology AV & Event Services AV Operations AV Services / Audiovisual Services AV Solutions Audio/Video Services and Engineering Classroom Support Services Classroom Technology and Media Classroom Technology Services Classroom Technology Support Classrooms, Digital Media and Events Collaboration and Classroom Technologies Desktop and Classroom Technology Instructional AV Instructional Technology Interactive Video Services Learning and Technology Spaces Learning Environments Learning Experience & Technology Learning Spaces Media Services / Media Services Technology Media Productions and Audio Visual Services Multimedia Classrooms Office of Classroom Management Teaching and Learning Technologies Technology Management Services Technology Support Services Video Communication Services

Recorded June 4, 2021 It's June so hopefully you have your summer orders submitted because it's too late now! We start with a quick look at AVIXA's recent survey on commercial AV salaries, certifications, and job satisfaction and how those might be reflected in Higher Ed. We then review a report from Commercial Integrator about the future of distance learning written by non-educators, though one of them does mention pedagogy. Speaking of which, Larry suggested we share our current AV industry pet peeves and there is no shortage of things that are bothering us, be they from manufacturers, integrators, vendors, or even other universities. In the interest of time, some of us didn't get to all of our list, so there's plenty more where that came from. It was quite cathartic, actually. Finally, while it may be well known to some, we didn't realize that Zoom is providing full commercial AV designs for everything from conference rooms to classrooms to telepresence suites. The designs are quite comprehensive, but use multiple manufactures where they're not always necessary (in our opinion). If nothing else, the Zoom designs are a good place to start. Links from the episode: https://go.avixa.org/webmail/888683/42579103/2e447cf9a9d892949d1ab60e0c1cab8e36844b94be6a7d8e8412cc0915030fb8 https://www.commercialintegrator.com/download/a-look-at-distance-learning-in-2021-and-beyond/ https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/sections/360009297492-Professional-Services-ProAV-Designs

Recorded May 14, 2021 The AV SuperFriends welcome Mandy Beckner, President and Chief Operating Officer at THE rAVe Agency to the show and peer into our Magic 8 Ball to determine what tradeshows, conferences, and events are going to look like in the future. The 8 Ball says "Reply hazy, try again," which isn't terribly helpful. Some events are already returning with various approaches to COVID-19 safety while others are seemingly going to wait out 2021 and hope for better luck in 2022. Regardless of the status of your favorite conference or tradeshow, online events— or some variation thereof— seem to be here to stay. In a world where information is king, how do you sell the shared conference experience over the actual information? Are manufacturers, sponsors, presenters, and attendees alike willing to admit that it's not just about the information, but the larger experience? News stories discussed: ISE throws in the towel in Amsterdam and Munich What Is the Future of the Edtech Conference?

Recorded May 21, 2021 Let's start with some AV industry news about two integrators merging. Wait, why are we covering this? Ah, because Marc sees this as a coordinated move into the education vertical. After all, schools have money (CARES or otherwise), a need to spend it, and generally their staff are easy to push around. Next up, it's summer project show & tell! We each talk about a project that we're looking forward to— Marc is building an aquarium, Chris is describes the Phil Collins Sussudio Stustudio, Larry is focusing on eSprouts (or perhaps eSports), Justin is cranking out Zoom Rooms, and Jamie is laying the groundwork for zero latency direct fiber connections between campuses. Rachel then surprises us all with an under-the-radar project about standardized 3D content formats that is likely years away, but sure sounds cool. Finally, we dive deep into difficulties finding AV integrators with availability for our projects in recent months. Most of us prefer to do everything in house, but as COVID upgrades in 2020 took the place of a regular replacement cycle, we're effectively a year behind, so our university AV staff are booked for 2021 and there's still more to do. On the other hand, a lot of schools don't do their own installs and never have, so they are reliant upon AV integrators. But what happens when those integrators aren't available because they're all busy with other commercial projects— especially the myriad of "return to the office" upgrades? AV News articles: https://www.avnetwork.com/news/trox-and-tierney-merge https://www.commercialintegrator.com/business_resources/sales_marketing/trox-acquires-tierney-to-expand-education-client-base-across-north-america/ https://www.trox.com/20210426-trox-and-tierney-unite

Recorded May 14, 2021 We start with our take on an article from Inside Higher Ed, which says "Students Want Online Learning Options Post-Pandemic." In related news, water is wet and my son wants only hot dogs for dinner. Next, we take a deep dive into the world of training, professional development, and industry certifications. Most of us have a collection of letters we can attach to our signatures when the moment calls for it, so we wanted to talk about which ones we consider truly valuable and which certifications we look for when reviewing job applications. Finally, it's a lightning round of unique control options we have implemented. That is, something beyond a standard touch panel, button panel, or keypad. Jamie games us all on a creative solution. Article discussed: Students Want Online Learning Options Post-Pandemic

Is AV part of IT? It's a topic that keeps coming up in the larger higher ed AV circle and it's the focus of our discussion this month. Did you know there are still schools out there who don't consider their AV department to be under the auspices of IT? Some are located in the library, some are under the Provost, some are under facilities, some are part of the TV/video production team, and some are part of events. And, in our collective not-so-humble opinion, those schools need a new org chart. After all, AV and IT use many of the same technologies, the same standards, and certainly the same infrastructure, so why shouldn't we all be one big happy family? We also play a game of "You might not be using AVOIP if…"

Recorded April 23, 2021 What does the phrase "distance education" mean at our institutions? Is it the same as "online education" or are those distinct models? And are we going to change those definitions post-COVID? We discuss a few recent news stories that higher education is considering looking into possibly doing some sort of distance education model… whatever that might mean. We also beat up each other over our past terrible, terrible choices in flexible AV furniture and moveable lecterns. We've all done it and it never works as well (or as often) as we'd like and costs way, way too much. Don't do it! Finally, we're joined by Aaron Peterson, an engineer from an AV integration firm, who wrote in with comments about our previous discussion on "Is Higher Ed AV part of Pro AV?" and was brave enough to come on the show and talk with us. Thanks, Aaron! Articles referenced during the show: https://www.commercialintegrator.com/markets/education/distance-learning-education-nsca-almo/ https://www.commercialintegrator.com/av/rosemont-college-hybrid-learning/ https://educationdata.org/online-education-statistics

Recorded April 9, 2021 Is Higher Ed AV a type of Professional AV? There certainly are enough universities acting as in-house integrators, but we know it isn't always that cut and dry. The fact that a university paid for a boundary mic on a pole tells us there is still work to be done. Seriously, a boundary mic on a camera extension pole, and people are proud enough to make press releases about it. What are some indicators you look for when you are talking to other universities to determine that they have their ducks in a row? Internal programming staff? What about industry certifications and an emphasis on training? What's important and what's just noise. And how does the rest of Pro AV see Higher Ed AV? (Here's a hint: letting someone charge you to put boundary mics on poles stuck to the ceiling doesn't help our image) How have we had to prove ourselves to architects, consultants, manufactures, and integrators to ensure they're listening to us? Install Fail: https://www.ravepubs.com/videosonic-chooses-mxl-ac-404-mics-for-zoom-room-application/

On a recent episode, we peered 20 years into the future to imagine what universities and learning spaces might look like. The most fun aspect of that discussion was trying to the envision technologies that would be in use at the time. It was a balance between outlandish and very real technology of 2021, even if it currently exists only as a tech demo. On this episode, the AV SuperFriends are all on the same page about what the next groundbreaking AV technology might be— and it's not exciting to the end-users, but it is to the nerds in all of us. Hint: we're looking for the "Dante of video."

Recorded March 26, 2021 We start by discussing our love/hate relationships with a specific large interactive monitor. We still aren't sure if we like it or not, but it seems to be the best tool for the job. That might be damning with faint praise, but when it does everything you want but nothing you need, I'm not sure you will get a better endorsement. Chris walks us through AV history as he describes the path that brought us to the one true aspect ratio we should be using. Oh, there are others, but should you really be using them? Finally, Larry explains his concept of hybrid learning vs hyflex learning, using delicious, nutritious, scrumptious hot dogs. It's actually quite clever, and it allows Justin to make a lot of wiener jokes.

Recorded March 19, 2021 This entire episode is about 4K resolution and all the benefits and issues that come along with it. And by 4K, we mean UHD or 3840 x 2160. Larry asks, if you were planning a new classroom building, would you design entirely to make the most use of 4k resolution in standard classrooms? Does that mean every room with 20-foot ceilings for properly-sized displays? If so, those rooms might not sound great, but they'd sure look fabulous! With a screen that large there isn't a bad seat in the room! In fact, with a screen that wide there aren't many seats in the room, but hey, that helps with social distancing and maximum occupancy. What about 4K and hybrid learning? Would you add 4K cameras for all your Zoom and Teams needs? Wait, what's this 360p number in the corner… Stick around after the show for an outtake where Justin doesn't get the very common AV "what's your New Year's Resolution" joke.

This is a recording the AV SuperFriends did with Erik Ofgang of Tech & Learning about podcasting in education and podcasting for educators. We cover everything from what types of microphones are best, to how many co-hosts you should have (hint: less than five), to how often you should publish, to developing your story before going shopping. Thanks to Erik for putting up with us! Erik's article is available here: https://www.techlearning.com/how-to/podcasting-for-educators

Recorded February 12, 2021 Well, it's Groundhog Day… again. This month's theme is supposed to be "the one year anniversary of COVID-19" but as that's something we've all been living 24/7, it fell flat as a topic of discussion for the AV SuperFriends. Instead, we decided to look at long term impacts that COVID might have on higher ed AV and eLearning. We managed to push a monitor cart up to 88 mph and captured a recording of the AV SuperFriends: On Topic from March of 2041. Take that, space-time continuum! Presenting six perspectives on what universities, higher ed AV, and eLearning looks like 20 years from now, here are six tales featuring drone cameras, swarms of microphones, multi-content display walls, corporate sponsorships, and apprenticeships aplenty!

Recorded February 19, 2021 (The audio quality gets pretty spotty at times on this recording. Sorry, listeners.) Years ago, the only way to do video conferencing was via proprietary hardware. They had limited interoperability— remember the old People + Content model? — but you could always tell when you connecting to a different system. Then we started exploring the idea of using PCs as the center of a video conferencing system. Software and hardware had caught up to where the quality of the call was roughly equivalent to the hardware appliances— and PCs are more flexible and can have added features during a call. Now we have systems that want to take control of the PC, essentially turning them back into dedicated appliances. And at CES this year, Logitech announced a new line of VC appliances that work only with their cameras, and their microphones. Are we going back to the proprietary model of appliances?

The big news is that Infocomm has moved— but not out of Orlando, so we can all continue to experience the added risk of a hurricane. But, if AVIXA can't fix the location, they did a good job fixing the date. We react to the news and discuss why we hope this is a long term change (seriously, who wants to go to Vegas and Orlando in the middle of summer?). On that note, have we considered Infocomm: Nantucket? I hear it's lovely that time of year! Then we take a dive into the topic of central AV monitoring systems and determine that half of the group is just using those systems incorrectly… or not at all! (OK, that's not what we agreed to say about the topic, but I get to write these and they don't, so there!) Those who aren't leveraging central AV monitoring are just being obstinate. These systems can make your life easier— just drink the Kool-Aid, people! All that and more on the latest episode of the AV SuperFriends: Off the Rails!

For this month's show, we're celebrating our love… of AV. And it's going to get messy in here. It's February, and as legally required by Hallmark and your Great Aunt Silvia, this show will be Valentine's Day themed. We each have a box on our desk and we're going to go around and virtually drop off little cards covered with stickers, glue, and glitter… and foil-wrapped candy. We share our backgrounds and how we got into AV and why we do what we do. For a bit of prognostication, we also cover what we'd love to see from AV in the future.

Recorded January 22, 2021 What is the perfect Higher Ed AV team size? The AV SuperFriends dig into this topic and come up with the perfect answer! OK, not really, but we do find out that one of our universities has more AV employees than the rest of us combined… and they still need more, more, more! We discuss how different responsibilities affect team structure and attempt to come up with a ratio of supported spaces versus coverage. Chris has numbers. No one else likes them. We then look at how we find those employees and discuss actual, no fooling, real life job listings. We've changed the names to protect the guilty and try to determine if universities are actually looking for Unicorns with low self esteem, or if they are just desperate for anyone who will swipe right at this point.

Recorded January 8, 2021 It's the start of a new year and the AV SuperFriends are off the rails again. We start the show with a sincere apology to all the students, teachers, and parents out there until Rachel tells how she really feels and we have to mark this episode as *EXPLICIT* Next, we introduce a new segment where we do a deep dive into the technical details of a recently-completed project. This one is IU's flagship active learning room, but used to be the flagship map storage room, and was the flagship swimming pool room before that. Regardless, it's a great room and Chris walks us through the design and installation process. We'd love to talk with you about one of your projects in an upcoming episode so we can steal ideas from your school, as well as from each other. Finally, we discuss proprietary video conference hardware. Most of us thought that with the elimination of codecs in most of our spaces, this type of thing was going the way of the dinosaur. However, every time we look around someone is promoting a Zoom Room or MS Teams appliance. We wonder if this is a trend we got out in front of, or if we were throwing things out just when they were coming back in style. Indiana University - Bloomington Student Building 015: 2012 https://learningspaces.iu.edu/explore/rooms/SB015.html 2020 https://cts.iu.edu/rooms/index?room=503

Recorded December 18, 2020 (Producer's Note: There's some background noise throughout this episode that we didn't catch until after the recording. Lo siento con carne!) It's January, so let's plan for summer! Chris is really, really upset with "Classrooms of the Future" (but not necessarily for the reasons you think) and give them both barrels. Do you have a Classroom of the Future? Isn't it just the bee's knees? Then, the AV SuperFriends recover and share their take on how to get ready for summer projects and Justin again tries to explain the wacky budgeting process at WKU. Also, Rachel has been getting lots of questions from AV manufacturers about forecasted spending from colleges and universities— budget decreases for some, increases for others, and mysteries for everyone. Hint: Put all your funding requests into hybrid teaching technologies.

How many projects and installations are universities tackling over the holidays this year compared to last? For some of us, a lot-- for some, none. Weird. Then Jeff Peterson and Jordan Basham return to continue the discussion from our last episode about university athletics AV, managing student employees, the future of live AV production, and the critical importance of being able to properly over/under cables. We wrap with a lightning round of our AV-related New Year's Resolutions.

Shure buys Stem Audio- are they making a play at the conference room market? (Hint: Yes). The AV SuperFriends are joined by Jeff Peterson from Oregon State University and Jordan Basham from Western Kentucky University to talk about AV for NCAA and Athletics as well as the interaction between academic AV and athletics AV. Also, what happens when you have a student you just can't let escape? Finally, we each have a Naughty and Nice list for the AV industry.

Originally recorded November 20, 2020 Plug in the twinkle lights, shine up your aluminum pole, and get out the fancy liquor— it's time for the holidays with the AV SuperFriends! In keeping with the theme of general end-of-year merriment and holiday wishlists, we all share our letters to Santa asking for our favorite AV-related products… or items that don't quite exist, but should. And Chris shares about seven of them, because he just can't help it. Next, we play a round of "if you can have only one item from your Holiday Wishlist, what would it be" as we each describe the one item we really, really want. A video wall for little Justin, a cup of bandwidth for little Jamie, and so forth. Finally, we close with the traditional Feats of Strength as it just wouldn't be the Holidays without physical altercations.

Originally recorded November 13, 2020 and November 20, 2020. We have a news flash about Flash, where we share our flashing disbelief at the way the industry has prepared for the long-awaited end of Flash. Spin up your VMs and disable Windows Update! Then, Dr. Jon Dorbolo returns to continue our exploration of technology and pedagogy with a look at what the future might bring. Finally, we all went on the Internet and found this! Is that a 65-foot USB cable that you plan to rely upon to ensure all students have access to your instructor in a hyflex environment, or are you just happy to see the AV Superfriends again?

The AV SuperFriends sit down with Dr. Jon Dorbolo from Oregon State University to talk about the interaction of technology and pedagogy. Jon quickly puts us all in our place and runs circles around all of us-- except maybe Rachel and Larry-- as he provides a history lesson on teaching online over the last 30 years. Also, remember Gopher? And Turbo Gopher?

Originally recorded on November 6, 2020 On this episode of AV SuperFriends: On Topic, we're taking a look back at an interesting last few months. Did we choose the right model microphones and projec... ok, no one really cares about that. We take a holistic look at AV, eLearning, pedagogy, and the college experience and talk through how making six years of changes in six months might affect the future learning spaces. Also, Justin comes up with the idea to charge tuition to online students based on how far they are from campus.

Originally recorded on October 23, 2020 Marc is upset with an integrator and that immediately derails our conversation. Then, we argue about what makes a "standard" classroom. How do we determine what that should mean on our campuses? Has that changed in the last six months? (Hint: Yes... and no). Also, Jamie gets angry and manufacturers in general about equipment mounting.

Originally recorded October 16, 2020 Jamie is coming in hot with a problematic project. We define AVoIP, then argue about that definition. Is it better to put things on the network or on a network? And who manages all our network stuff, anyway?

Originally recorded October 02, 2020 We discuss our universities' responses to COVID-19 and how those decisions might affect higher education AV design in the future.

Originally Recorded on September 25, 2020 We discuss the changing relationship between trade shows and new products, take a look at AV's responsibility in supporting pedagogy, and dive into the mailbag to answer your questions.

Originally recorded on September 18, 2020 We discuss dueling trade shows, doing the wrong things-- but for the right reasons, and dig through the mailbag to answer your questions.

Originally Recorded September 11, 2020 We talk about some clever, but cheap solutions to common AV issues, dig through the mailbag, and explore the concept of the academic gig economy.