AV SuperFriends

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!