AV SuperFriends

Recorded September 13, 2024

(Yes, I let AI write all this stuff - cjd)

In this special Friday the 13th episode, the AV SuperFriends are back with a mix of humor, chaos, and insightful discussions on the latest in higher ed AV. 

Today's topics include the love-hate relationship with button panels and the complexities of troubleshooting AV systems. The team dives into why button panels are still relevant, the importance of simplifying user interfaces, and the pitfalls of overcomplicating troubleshooting processes.

They also discuss the latest survey from Western Governors University on faculty perceptions of educational technology. The conversation touches on the burnout caused by constant connectivity and the pressure to keep up with ever-evolving tech tools.

As always, the episode is sprinkled with humor, off-topic banter, and a couple of brand-new commercials that are sure to make you chuckle.

Article discussed:

• https://edscoop.com/university-college-faculty-technology-burnout-wgu-survey/

• https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25080448/embargoed-wgu-labs-final_2024-faculty-edtech-survey.pdf

Alternate show titles:

• Button Panels: The New Touch Panels
• Why Does Everything Have to be So Difficult?
• More Tech, More Problems
• Friday the 13th AV Adventures
• Faculty Burnout and Tech Fatigue

Better alternate show titles:

• We’re going to be On-Prem-Remote
• People prefer the knob
• I need a 6-gang rough-in
• Two gallons of Internet
• Check this out!
• Buy it first and try it out
• If you do, you made a mistake
• Black box effect
• It could be any of the ‘trons

We stream live every Friday, and you can listen to everything we record over at AVSuperFriends.com

▀▄▀▄▀ CONTACT LINKS ▀▄▀▄▀

► Website: https://www.avsuperfriends.com

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/avsuperfriends

► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/avsuperfriends

► YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@avsuperfriends

► Email: [email protected]

► RSS: https://avsuperfriends.libsyn.com/rss

Individual Twitter links:

► Chris Dechter: @cdechter

► Jamie Rinehart: @avsfjamie

► Marc Cholewczynski: @avdiplomat

► Rachel Bradshaw: @tempurity

► Larry Darling: @lsdarling1

► Justin Rexing: @justinrexing

Donate to AVSF: https://www.avsuperfriends.com/support

Recorded August 16, 2024

(Yes, I let AI write all this stuff - cjd)

Chris Dechter kicks off another Friday afternoon podcast adventure with the AV SuperFriends. Despite a larger panel and some absences, the team dives into the ever-thrilling topic of budgeting in higher education AV systems.

Joined by a diverse panel including Marc Cholewczynski, Larry Darling, Justin Rexing, Lyle Waldron, and Donnie Merritt, the discussion revolves around the challenges and strategies of managing AV budgets across various institutions. From differing approaches to budgeting, to the impact of COVID-19 on funding, and the importance of standardization, the team explores how to stretch every dollar while maintaining functionality.

They also touch on the importance of being at the table with university executives, understanding the real needs of teaching spaces, and the potential for rethinking AV standards in a post-COVID world.

Whether you're dealing with a shoestring budget or trying to make the most of one-time funds, this episode offers valuable insights and practical advice for anyone involved in higher ed AV management.

Alternate show titles (from AI):

• The Budgeting Adventure
• Stretching Every Dollar
• AV Budget Woes
• Standards Are Not Brands
• The Art of Budgeting

Article discussed: https://www.avnation.tv/2024/07/29/the-higher-ed-technology-storm-brewing/

Connect with our guests: Don Merritt - Director, Instructional Resources at the University of Central Florida https://www.linkedin.com/in/donmerrittphd/

Lisle Waldron - Manager, Multimedia and Audio-Visual Services at The University of Trinidad and Tobago https://www.linkedin.com/in/lislew/

Real alternate show titles:

• I’m part of Florida now
• Magical Money from Heaven
• A Wish on a Monkey’s Paw
• Faculty don’t care what they’re touching
• I’m Justin on an Island
• The Good News is I have No Money

We stream live on the first and third Friday every month and you can listen to everything we record over at AVSuperFriends.com

▀▄▀▄▀ CONTACT LINKS ▀▄▀▄▀ ► Website: https://www.avsuperfriends.com

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/avsuperfriends

► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/avsuperfriends

► YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@avsuperfriends

► Email: [email protected]

► RSS: https://avsuperfriends.libsyn.com/rss

  Individual Twitter links: ► Chris Dechter: @cdechter ► Jamie Rinehart: @avsfjamie ► Marc Cholewczynski: @avdiplomat ► Rachel Bradshaw: @tempurity ► Larry Darling: @lsdarling1 ► Justin Rexing: @justinrexing ► Lyle Waldron: @lylewaldron ► Donnie Merritt: @donniemerritt

Donate to AVSF: https://www.avsuperfriends.com/support

Recorded August 23, 2024

(Yes, I let AI write this - cjd)

On today’s show, we dive into some of the worst AV mistakes we’ve ever made but never admitted to. From miswired speaker systems to network multicast nightmares, this episode is a confessional of epic proportions. We also tackle a listener email about tuning audio in a room, offering practical advice on how to make classrooms sound better using DSPs like QSC’s Q-SYS.

Article discussed: Extron Firmware Update: https://www.extron.com/article/gcp-driver_1740

Connect with Richard Mitchell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-mitchell-41972a8/

Alternate show titles:

• Global Resonance Only

• I Was Hot Sh*t

• The Great Diesel Gas Hybrid Experiment

• Shake It Till You Make It

• Mono Audio for the Win

• Nuke It from Orbit

• Firmware Friday

Better alternate show titles:

• Enough to wire a house

• I went through ten or twelve

• The whole sum’ b*tch

• There’s sound when I leave

• I was convinced to tie a cable to my belt

• I’m pretty sure I just filled this up with diesel

• I just had the IP address mixed in there

• Three words: Syn Aud Con

We stream live on the first and third Friday every month, and you can listen to everything we record over at AVSuperFriends.com

▀▄▀▄▀ CONTACT LINKS ▀▄▀▄▀

► Website: https://www.avsuperfriends.com

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/avsuperfriends

► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/avsuperfriends

► YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@avsuperfriends

► Email: [email protected]

► RSS: https://avsuperfriends.libsyn.com/rss

Individual Twitter links:

► Chris Dechter: @cdechter

► Jamie Rinehart: @avsfjamie

► Marc Cholewczynski: @avdiplomat

► Rachel Bradshaw: @tempurity

► Larry Darling: @lsdarling1

► Justin Rexing: @justinrexing

Donate to AVSF: https://www.avsuperfriends.com/support

Recorded August 9, 2024

Chris is confused about what day it is so he has to intro the show twice.  Then once we’ve figure that out, we’re joined by Robert Durbin and Travis Cawthorne from Kramer AV to talk about their recent acquisition of ZeeVee.  

Next, we discuss the concept of streamlining classroom AV systems to just a PC or laptop… or both. Why does anyone need more than that anyway?  All your content is starting there, so get rid of the rest of your stuff!  It’s contentious, but surely a glimpse of the future.

Finally, there’s a technology arms race for building out spaces on campus with student recruiting specifically in mind.  Besides, those campus tours never go look at our oldest and worst spaces, do they? 

Article discussed: https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2024/07/how-universities-can-use-tech-recruit-students

Robert Durbin

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rwdurbin/

Travis Cawthorne

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/traviscawthorne/

Alternate show titles:

• I love to drag around a case

• Oversaturated with ‘trons

• It’s USB all the way down

• Jamming Teams Room

• 90% is happening from a single source

• The other side of that argument is everyone else

• The cheapest USB adapter you have

• What Jamie did as a science experiment was cool

• Up to your knees in network video

• You got your chocolate in my peanut butter

• Tronasys

• Whack-a-mole one-button 

We stream live on the first and third Friday every month and you can listen to everything we record over at AVSuperFriends.com 

▀▄▀▄▀ CONTACT LINKS ▀▄▀▄▀

► Website: https://www.avsuperfriends.com

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/avsuperfriends

► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/avsuperfriends

► YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@avsuperfriends

► Email: [email protected]

► RSS: https://avsuperfriends.libsyn.com/rss

Individual Twitter links:

► Chris Dechter: @cdechter

► Jamie Rinehart: @avsfjamie

► Marc Cholewczynski: @avdiplomat

► Rachel Bradshaw: @tempurity

► Larry Darling: @lsdarling1

► Justin Rexing: @justinrexing

Donate to AVSF: https://www.avsuperfriends.com/support

Recorded (and streamed live) on July 26, 2024

No topic provided again this month, so we decided to look at the numbers for display technologies.  Where does it make sense to consider LCDs vs. projectors vs. LEDs?  Chris even built a spreadsheet of rough numbers because he’s a nerd that way.  Are LEDs becoming cheap enough to replace projectors?  Is anyone building LCD videowalls these days?  What are you installing on your campus?

Spreadsheet link: https://tinyurl.com/dkxv92t4

Alternate show titles:

• I should have three or four and looking at more

• Put the money on the wall

We stream live on the first and third Friday every month and you can listen to everything we record over at AVSuperFriends.com 

▀▄▀▄▀ CONTACT LINKS ▀▄▀▄▀

► Website: https://www.avsuperfriends.com

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/avsuperfriends

► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/avsuperfriends

► YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@avsuperfriends

► Email: [email protected]

► RSS: https://avsuperfriends.libsyn.com/rss

Individual Twitter links:

► Chris Dechter: @cdechter

► Jamie Rinehart: @avsfjamie

► Marc Cholewczynski: @avdiplomat

► Rachel Bradshaw: @tempurity

► Larry Darling: @lsdarling1

► Justin Rexing: @justinrexing

Donate to AVSF: https://www.avsuperfriends.com/support

Recorded July 19, 2024

It’s the summer doldrums, so instead of news, Marc shares the AV experiences from his summer vacation to the House of Mouse. Oddly painted speakers, immersion breaking VR, and RF-beacon driven proximity audio broadcasts are just some of the highlights. 

Then we respond to a Reddit forum post about how university AV teams are structured.  Everyone is a bit different and we didn’t even get to full division organization charts.  Some of us have partner teams on campus, some do it all, and some even do other teams’ jobs for them.  How are you structured?

Finally, who is buying all these capturing-recording-streaming boxes and why?  This concept breaks Chris’s brain and causes him to lose sleep. 

Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/CommercialAV/comments/1e40pxi/university_jobs

Alternate show titles:

• The Surprise AV Experience
• Fuschia not Chartreuse
• The Costco Experience
• Dollywood After Dark
• Subpar AV
• We do some advanced systems
• A lot of twirling
• How do you do all that work?
• The Cabling Crew
• If our internal team is in the hospital…
• Legitimate Programming
• Nobody’s responsible for anything ever
• It’s hard to know what everybody does all the time
• It’s not a flat service

We stream live on the first and third Friday every month and you can listen to everything we record over at AVSuperFriends.com 

▀▄▀▄▀ CONTACT LINKS ▀▄▀▄▀

► Website: https://www.avsuperfriends.com

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/avsuperfriends

► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/avsuperfriends

► YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@avsuperfriends

► Email: [email protected]

► RSS: https://avsuperfriends.libsyn.com/rss

Individual Twitter links:

► Chris Dechter: @cdechter

► Jamie Rinehart: @avsfjamie

► Marc Cholewycynzski: @avdiplomat

► Rachel Bradshaw: @tempurity

► Larry Darling: @lsdarling1

► Justin Rexing: @justinrexing

Donate to AVSF: https://www.avsuperfriends.com/support

Recorded July 12, 2024

We’re bookending the show with SMPTE 2110 stories, so we start with discussion of Cisco hosting a webinar on Precision Time Protocol (PTP).  If you don’t know what all that is, it’s potentially huge news for AVoIP to play nice on enterprise networks from the sleepy giant of networking. 

Then we discuss the non-electronic products we prefer for building equipment racks, mounting projectors, hiding gear behind display monitors, and working with conference tables.  We’re pretty well all over the place, but we all agree that ADA compliance and keeping things clean go hand-in-hand.  

Finally, we consider an odd product from Blackmagic Design.  This could be the greatest thing we didn’t see at InfoComm or the worst thing ever created.  And it’s SMPTE 2110 native!

Cisco webinar: https://blogs.cisco.com/sports-media-entertainment/take-your-st-2110-workflow-to-the-next-level

Blackmagic Ethernet switch: https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/blackmagicethernetswitch

Alternate show titles:

• Whatever the other acronyms are

• It nerdily excited me

• It’s going to have to trickle down a lot

• They have to do things and figure it out

• Keeps hands out of places

• It’s a 15 lumen projector

• Bop-it!

• There’s always a better way to do it

• Be careful of people’s knees

• It was kind of a b*tthole move on my part

• I’ve done weirder

We stream live on the first and third Friday every month and you can listen to everything we record over at AVSuperFriends.com 

▀▄▀▄▀ CONTACT LINKS ▀▄▀▄▀

► Website: https://www.avsuperfriends.com

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/avsuperfriends

► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/avsuperfriends

► YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@avsuperfriends

► Email: [email protected]

► RSS: https://avsuperfriends.libsyn.com/rss

Individual Twitter links:

► Chris Dechter: @cdechter

► Jamie Rinehart: @avsfjamie

► Marc Cholewycynzski: @avdiplomat

► Rachel Bradshaw: @tempurity

► Larry Darling: @lsdarling1

► Justin Rexing: @justinrexing

Donate to AVSF: https://www.avsuperfriends.com/support

Recorded June 26, 2024

No topic was provided this month, so instead we’re going to make this our summer Fourth of July special.   So, get out your flags, wake up the kids for the renewal of their annual loyalty oath, fire up the grills, smoker, or barbecue, light off the sparklers and firecrackers, and let’s celebrate America by blowing up a small part of it.  

We’ve each collected our favorite AV products, solutions, services, or approaches that we’d like to blow up.  Larry doesn’t like formal instructor stations in conference rooms, Marc hates giant card frames, Chris despises giant amplifiers powering only a few loudspeakers, Justin is not a fan of professional PTZ cameras with only USB output, and Jamie detests displays with onboard operating systems.

Happy Fourth of July everyone!

We stream live on the first and third Friday every month and you can listen to everything we record over at AVSuperFriends.com 

▀▄▀▄▀ CONTACT LINKS ▀▄▀▄▀ ► Website: https://www.avsuperfriends.com ► Twitter: https://twitter.com/avsuperfriends ► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/avsuperfriends ► Email: [email protected] ► RSS: https://avsuperfriends.libsyn.com/rss

Individual Twitter links: ► Chris Dechter: @cdechter ► Jamie Rinehart: @avsfjamie ► Marc Cholewycynzski: @avdiplomat ► Rachel Bradshaw: @tempurity ► Larry Darling: @lsdarling1 ► Justin Rexing: @justinrexing

Donate to AVSF: https://www.avsuperfriends.com/support 

Recorded June 12, 2024

In something of a lost recording that Chris couldn’t find, Justin, Larry, and Chris visit with Liberty AV and speak with Kevin Peterman about AVoIP solutions, Corey Briggs about cloud monitoring, and Ed Jankowski about Liberty’s approach to the AV industry.

Special thanks to Brad Thomas for wrangling colleagues.

We stream live on the first and third Friday every month and you can listen to everything we record over at AVSuperFriends.com 

▀▄▀▄▀ CONTACT LINKS ▀▄▀▄▀

► Website: https://www.avsuperfriends.com

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/avsuperfriends

► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/avsuperfriends

► Email: [email protected]

► RSS: https://avsuperfriends.libsyn.com/rss

Individual Twitter links:

► Chris Dechter: @cdechter

► Jamie Rinehart: @avsfjamie

► Marc Cholewycynzski: @avdiplomat

► Rachel Bradshaw: @tempurity

► Larry Darling: @lsdarling1

► Justin Rexing: @justinrexing

Donate to AVSF: https://www.avsuperfriends.com/support

Recorded June 21, 2024

The AV SuperFriends have returned from InfoComm which means it’s an InfoComm recap show! Short version: there was far less “AI” braggadocio and way more cloud cloud cloud. For those of you who weren’t able to join us on our traditional Friday AM show floor tour, we review our selections from that and links are below. We also discuss some additional products and solutions that we missed and didn’t read about until the following week but wish we could have seen in person.

Products from the best InfoComm show floor tour:

• Inogeni Toggle

  • https://inogeni.com/product-category/byod-byom-switcher/

• Hovercam eGlass

  • https://eglass.io/

• Hovercam Pilot wireless lectern

  • https://www.hovercam.com/teaching-stations

• Liberty CX Detect

  • https://cxunify.com/cxdetect.html

• Apantac Dante on-ramp - DA-HDTV-Dante-Tx-UHD

  • https://www.apantac.com/products/mt-hood/hdmi-to-dante-converter

• Revolution Acoustics SSP6 Multiducers

  • https://www.revolutionacoustics.com/products/ssp6-multiducers

• Squirrels Ditto wireless sharing software

  • https://www.airsquirrels.com/ditto

• Listen AURI Bluetooth system

  • https://www.listentech.com/auri/

  • https://www.bluetooth.com/auracast/

• Catchbox Plus system

  • https://catchbox.com/catchbox-plus

Alternate show titles:

• Stupid browser

• This is awesome and here’s why

• It’s gonna be kumbaya

• Nano-whatever-the-hell-technology

• No OSHA, no rules

• Sorry if I gave you my COVID

We stream live on the first and third Friday every month and you can listen to everything we record over at AVSuperFriends.com

▀▄▀▄▀ CONTACT LINKS ▀▄▀▄▀

► Website: https://www.avsuperfriends.com

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/avsuperfriends

► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/avsuperfriends

► Email: [email protected]

► RSS: https://avsuperfriends.libsyn.com/rss

Individual Twitter links:

► Chris Dechter: @cdechter

► Jamie Rinehart: @avsfjamie

► Marc Cholewycynzski: @avdiplomat

► Rachel Bradshaw: @tempurity

► Larry Darling: @lsdarling1

► Justin Rexing: @justinrexing

Donate to AVSF: https://www.avsuperfriends.com/support