The Fusion 2019 Technology Expo in Charlotte North Carolina, hosted by ClarkPowell is an annual event that brings together AV integrators and hardware manufacturers. While the conference isn’t specific to classroom technology, it’s not uncommon to see regional colleges and universities represented. This year, seminars were provided by Crestron, Extron, Biamp, Draper, Kramer, Panasonic, Tightrope, Vaddio, and ClarkPowell. ClarkPowell provided an overview of NDI-Video over IP, which is gaining popularity in many segments.
I attended Vaddio’s session to get a sense of how the manufacturer is addressing the need to offer reasonably priced PTZ USB cameras, specifically for soft codecs (Zoom, WebEx, etc.) and Zoom Rooms. Considering the audience, Vaddio was able to provide a deep dive into their offerings and provide a range of “things to think about” especially considering USB’s distance limitations. One area to explore is the use of fiberoptic USB cables for sending signals long distances. As the Vaddio representative said, “The days of grabbing a USB cable and having it ‘just work’ are over.” It’s going to require a considerable amount of understanding of the connection protocol to ensure things work as expected, and some trial and error.
Extron’s AV over IP, named NAV, is also an area of interest. While Extron isn’t the first manufacturer to offer AV over IP, their cautious approach to the segment is appreciated. The platform looks to be easy to deploy in a mixed environment, and we look forward to seeing it in a deployment in the near future.
No expo would be complete without networking! There were opportunities to connect with other AV professionals and manufacturers, and honestly… it’s one of the main reasons the journey to Charlotte was worth the trip. Bouncing ideas off of like-minded AV professionals is a great way to spark new approaches to AV challenges. Having face to face conversations about hardware and software eliminates the need for hours of online research. Also, hearing the “horror stories” associated with AV failures is a wonderful form of AV therapy.
