It is June, which means InfoComm 2023 is here. Before the show floor opens on June 14 at the Orange County Convention Center, we turned to several exhibitors and posed the question:
What trends and technologies can attendees look forward to seeing at InfoComm this year?
David Bacher, Head of Marketing for LG Business Solutions USA
Attendees will see the latest in transparent signage technology. LG is showcasing various transparent displays designed to provide high-impact digital visuals that pull the viewer in while still showcasing what’s behind the graphics. Another technology sure to generate buzz is our MAGNIT DVLED display line, which delivers stunning images as the content creator intended, with vivid colors, breathtaking contrast, and ultra-fine detail.
Matt Czyzewski, Executive Vice President for AtlasIED
The expectation is to hear more about [mergers and acquisitions] activity, as there was already one big announcement earlier this month. We often think of M&A activity on the manufacturer side, but also look for this on the integrator side as well. Maybe InfoComm will not be the right time for some to announce, though the discussion may start or be concluded at the show, with the announcement to come shortly after.
Jordan Feil, Director of Marketing, Navori Labs
I would be very surprised if it’s anything but Artificial Intelligence. AI is all the rage right now, and most exhibitors will likely have some form of AI integration on display. As an early adopter of AI and computer vision in our digital signage software and marketing analytics, Navori has always taken an interest in the technology, and we believe it’s important for the AV and digital signage industries to find new ways to help integrators and end users leverage the technology in a way that benefits their businesses, operations and interactions with consumers.
Ken Frommert, President ENCO
AI will be a hot topic this year. We are at the brink of what AI can do and as the technology advances, its role in the AV industry is expected to grow. I'm curious to see how other companies are currently applying it to their AV workflows.
Dan Holland, Marketing Manager for IHSE USA
As computers and monitors continue to advance image quality, we expect to see an increase in demand for video distribution and switching systems to support high dynamic range (HDR) and high frame rates (HFR). These will be big influencers for the production, media and entertainment and live-events venues. Conversely, we expect to see demand for better compression and IP-based KVM to support higher bandwidth and resolutions. UHD has more options available now and many display manufacturers are introducing full 4:4:4 60 frames now with 120 frames making headway in early adopters. With the higher bandwidth, professional AV users will be looking at fiber optic solutions.
Satoshi Kanemura, President, FOR-A Americas
XR, virtual production, and immersive experiences with high-quality LED walls—tailored specifically for live event and non-broadcast video applications.
Anders Karlsson, CEO, Humly
The hybrid workspace remains a hot topic that companies of all sizes are still learning to navigate. AV suppliers have accelerated their development cycles to equip offices and corporate campuses with technology that help managers and workers be more effective, from Zoom and Teams Rooms to digital signage content to scheduling and booking systems, which is Humly’s specialty. We exist to help companies reduce friction in hybrid workplaces that everyone is still struggling to understand to different degrees, especially as people are still only just beginning to return to offices on a larger scale.
Sam Malik, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for MAXHUB
The advent and popularity of IFP Touch Screen Technology is very exciting for the corporate marketplace. This technology is changing the way people meet and communication with each other. MAXHUB has created the meeting-in-a-box solution, where one unit includes everything. The display, microphones, speakers, and PC module allow you to connect to others with just one touch, and really share their ideas easily. I think this technology will grow more and more in the next few years, eliminating all of the extra hardware, and the required knowledge of how to hook them all together for easy communication and meetings.
Sean Matthews, President and CEO of Visix
Collaboration. Immersion. Sustainability. Those were key themes at ISE, and I think they’ll be centerpieces of InfoComm as well. Collaboration has really dominated AV innovation in the past couple of years, and I think a lot of space management, VR and AR tech is blooming in that area, moving away from hardware to be more immersive and sustainable. I’m also hoping to see some cool holograms on the show floor.
Scott Normand, Snap One Security Market Director
I expect that the expansion of remote management platforms and services is going to be big this year. Integrators want and need these solutions more than ever to be able to scale their businesses and generate recurring revenues. Aligning with this trend, Snap One will be showcasing its OvrC cloud platform, Control4 automation platform for bars and restaurants, and a new systems design service to help integrators be more successful.
Paul Richards, Chief Revenue Officer of PTZOptics
At InfoComm 2023, I expect to see a lot of discussion around Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its applications in the Pro AV space. AI has the potential to revolutionize various aspects of our industry, from video analytics and content creation to automation and personalized user experiences. At PTZOptics, we are showing some very advanced AI-based auto-tracking capabilities that can automatically detect individual presenters and steer a robotic PTZ camera to follow them. Additionally, I believe advancements in computer vision will open up new markets for Pro AV, which is especially interesting in large markets that are fairly new to Pro AV investment such as industrial manufacturing and construction.
Eliran Toren, CEO, MSolutions
One area is the growing demand for high-speed, high-bandwidth video transmission over long distances, particularly in applications such as digital signage, broadcast, and live events. As more organizations seek to leverage high-quality video content to engage audiences and drive business outcomes, there is a need for reliable and efficient transmission solutions that can handle the demands of high-resolution video formats and large-scale deployments. MSolutions will showcase solutions that address these needs, such as advanced spec 3.0 testing and measurement equipment, and also next-generation USB switching for USB applications.
Robb Moodey, EMEA Business Development Manager for Matrox Video
I expect InfoComm 2023 to be the show where the U.S. AV industry first took serious note of IPMX—the point at which products designed for IPMX were shown by multiple vendors—as shipping products rather than ‘technology showings.’ In particular, we’ll remember the use of IPMX to bridge between islands of HDBaseT without going via baseband.
Kevin Luther, Owner of Blackwire Designs
AV-over-IP continues to be the dominating force behind anything commercial. As manufactures come out with new hardware and software, we are excited to be involved in those new trends and are able to offer additional products and services to complement those systems.
Patrick Kittredge, CTS, Product Marketing Manager, Middle Atlantic Products, Legrand | AV
I expect that hybrid conferencing and the proliferation of 21:9 and the Microsoft Front Row experience will continue to be a trend this year. We are all still trying to figure out how to effectively collaborate in a hybrid environment and as a manufacturer, we are working on solving it from a product standpoint.
Rich Ventura, Vice President, Professional Display Solutions, Sony Electronics
I expect virtual production and artificial intelligence to be trending topics that are driving creativity during InfoComm 2023. Virtual production has been a hot topic over the last few years, especially as many people were limiting travel and working remotely. Beyond television and movies, virtual production has emerged as an extremely viable solution in the corporate world. Without the use of a green screen, corporations can enhance meetings and presentations with immersive backdrops and impressive production values, allowing a spokesperson to travel to a far-off location without ever leaving their office. Visit Sony in booth 1701 to see how our breathtaking Crystal LED displays can transform operations, power creativity, provide cost-savings, promote sustainability and enable stunning visuals for your business.
Another topic that will be permeating the InfoComm show floor is AI. While it’s a broad technology, it can be used in so many ways to provide smarter automation, enrichment, personalization, interactivity, better communication, and enhanced creativity. In the Sony booth, we’ll be proudly showcasing our new SRG-A40 and SRG-A12 PTZ cameras with revolutionary PTZ Auto Framing technology powered by built-in AI analytics. Be sure to see their high-quality imagery and how the cameras automatically and consistently track and naturally frame presenters, without an operator.
Josh Rush, Chief Marketing Officer, Audinate
The move toward software and cloud solutions continues to transform the industry. The pandemic only accelerated the need for organizations to be able to deploy flexible, scalable AV solutions that can be configured, managed, and supported from anywhere. And I expect there will be a lot of buzz about generative AI and how companies expect to harness it to deliver enhanced AV experiences for customers.
Jonas Gyalokay, Co-Founder of Airtame
I expect to see a continued focus on hybrid conferencing—there is a ubiquitous need for better ways to collaborate via conferencing, and I still think we’re in the early stage, there’s a long way to go. I also expect to see more software as a service solutions (SaaS) enter the AV space.
