The Top 5 Things to See at InfoComm19

Written by Mark Coxon

InfoComm is the premier trade show for commercial audio video solutions in the United States. As such, it is a great place to not only see new products, but also to get educated on industry standards and trends as well as network with forward-thinking AV professionals.

With over 1000 exhibitors and thousands of products filling the Orlando convention center halls, you will find it necessary to prioritize your time. With that in mind, here are the 5 things you won’t want to miss at this year’s InfoComm.

Products

Flexible OLED Screen by LG

The first product to prioritize is the Curved OLED over at LG. Now at ISE, LG created a spectacle with their immense curved wave display. If they bring this screen along to InfoComm, it is guaranteed to steal the show.

This OLED screen rolls up in an enclosure and then rises up to produce a display. This is great for hiding screens in furniture such as mantles and credenzas, but the significance of this feature points to the future of drop down screens as well. When inverted, a 110” diagonal roll-able OLED screen can act just like a traditional drop-down projector screen, eliminating the need for a projector and mitigating all the issues with ambient light that a projected image has, as OLED brings both its own brightness as well as its own black level.

8K Projector by Digital Projection

The second must-see product is Digital Projection’s Insight 8K projector. Projectors are still very viable in the marketplace, especially for large scale images, and an 8K projector offers the same resolution as stitching 16 1080p projectors together without all the intense work needed to blend together 16 projectors on a canvas of that size. The primary reason to see this product; however, is really because of the content. DOPI is using 8k native content at 16 bits per color, which means the images look 3D. Color depth and processing are actually way more important to the eye than resolution, and DPI leverages create an image that is getting very close to achieving the experience of looking through a window.

Companies

QSC

The folks at QSC have been on a transformative journey the last five years. They have gone from being a professional live sound brand to a company offering a whole ecosystem of products, including video over IP products, network switches, IP cameras, control system software, amplifiers, DSPs, and of course, speakers. Because of their holistic understanding and experience in the market, they are definitely worth checking out.

Williams AV

Williams AV may be the biggest little AV company that no one has ever heard of—and that is meant in the best way. There are two reasons to pay a visit to their booth. First, Rob Sheeley and Tom Mingo, the current heads of Williams AV, are admired by many and there would be much value in meeting them in person. Second, they have some new professional grade Bluetooth hardware. In a world where the lines between personal and professional technology are blurring, and where mobile devices are being used in the workplace at an increasing rate, having a robust understanding of current Bluetooth technology is vital.

Events

Coffee & Conversation: AVintheAM

There is one event at InfoComm that you can’t afford to miss: #AVintheAM, an in-person gathering of a Twitter community started by Starin Marketing’s Chris Neto on Thursday, June 13 from 8:30-9:30 am.

This community is made up of a diverse group of thought leaders in the AV world. Every week on Sunday morning, a group spanning the country converges online to discuss 4 or 5 questions that are vital to the success of the industry, garnering an astounding 4-8 million impressions every week. It will be a great experience to put faces to Twitter handles and be a part of an important conversation IRL (In Real Life).

I hope to see you all there.

About the Author

Mark Coxon is the Technology Sales Director at Tangram Interiors. He has over 17 years of experience in AV sales and relationship building, as well as industry visibility as a blogger, podcaster and social media influencer. His expertise spans both the integration and the manufacturing sides of the A/V industry, and he is a Certified Technology Specialist through AVIXA, the Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association.

If you are attending InfoComm and are interested in hearing more from Mark, attend his seminar or course beginning on Wednesday, June 12th at 9am. He will be speaking too attendees on how to use AV technology to trigger biological responses and make their messages more memorable, ultimately cementing their call to action. There will additionally be a workshop opportunity later in the day for a chance to apply the course to a real project.