AV SuperFriends

Recorded June 19, 2026

After a full week at InfoComm 2026, the AV SuperFriends stagger onto the AVIXA TV set for one final wrap show: tired feet, fried brains, louder-than-necessary opinions, and just enough caffeine to mistake exhaustion for insight.

This episode is the team's end-of-show download after days of booth demos, hallway meetings, badge scans, lukewarm coffee, live shows, sketchy product pitches, and enough walking to qualify as either professional development or a cry for help. The crew talks through what actually stood out on the show floor, including the quiet rise of REST APIs, AV gear that's finally opening up to outside control, middleware boxes that make existing systems smarter, and AI that might be useful when it isn't just being sprinkled on brochures like tradeshow glitter.

They also pick their favorite finds from the week, including Inogeni's IP2USB tools, Ross Vertex's "wait, it does what?" visualization platform, Nureva's HDX audio approach, larger-chip PTZ cameras, decentralized DSP, and Epson's beautifully boring direct-view LED display that does the one thing AV people keep begging for: display the image without trying to become a smart TV.

It's the InfoComm wrap show: part trend report, part group therapy, part warning label for anyone who thinks "quick booth visit" means anything under 45 minutes.

News article: https://www.avinteractive.com/news/fire-breaks-out-on-ba-flight-packed-with-infocomm-visitors-16-06-2026/

Alternate show titles:

• Acoustic chicken

• Rise of REST

• Just use these and put it in there

• This is my excited face

• Costco Down

• I might actually trust NDI now

• Down to one tchotchke and life is good

• There's AI built in!

• Level 17 master guru ninja

• Known mistakes over unknown mistakes

• You messed with my code, man

• That horse ain't pushing that cart

• You can't defeat physics but you can try

• It might be possible today

• The future is now

• We're going to buy all your stuff, blow it up, and re-do it

• I can't even explain what it is

• How many vertices do I need?

• More affordable; that's what better meant

• I want to marinate on it

• Beyond the IO

We stream live every Friday at about 315p Eastern/1215p Pacific 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

► Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/avsuperfriends.bsky.social

► Email: [email protected]

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

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

Recorded June 19, 2026

In this final InfoComm 2026 morning show, the AV SuperFriends are running on caffeine, conditioned air, and whatever energy is left after three packed days in Las Vegas. The crew recaps the previous day's marathon of AI sessions, podcast recordings, and the wildly successful Q-SYS-sponsored "Voice of the Vertical" game show—complete with questionable judging, reluctant contestants, fire alarms, and a winning team that may or may not have known anything about AV.

From there, they look ahead to the annual hidden-gems show floor tour, including honorable mentions for the products that were worth seeing but geographically inconvenient. Along the way, the conversation wanders through AI workshops, fake dashboards, VR goggles, fiber USB-C cables, large-sensor cameras, higher-ed broadcast furniture, and whether "projectors as a service" is a nightmare, a necessity, or both.

It's the last morning show of InfoComm 2026, and everyone is tired—but there's still one more day of show floor wandering, AVIXA TV, questionable product scouting, and arena-rock-level enthusiasm to go.

Alternate show titles:

• My team won, by the way
• I got hosed
• I quit!
• Give them fake AI
• I'm gonna nerf this a little bit
• Urinal rating system
• I made a comment one person didn't like
• I made assumptions about them and moved on
• That looks like an interesting widget
• We've been wanting to tip toe into this…
• Installment plans or indentured servitude?
• Pay per packet
• I shocked myself with the conversation
• It's a tidal wave

We stream live every Friday at about 315p Eastern/1215p Pacific 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

► Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/avsuperfriends.bsky.social

► Email: [email protected]

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

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

Recorded June 18, 2026

Live from the Biamp booth at InfoComm 2026, the AV SuperFriends sit down with Zach Snook, Chris Dieterich, Michael Hooper, and Abdul Chaudhri to talk through Biamp's latest announcements for higher ed and beyond.

The conversation covers Biamp Workplace Control, including its cloud or local configuration, drag-and-drop design, node-based logic, Lua scripting, and AI-assisted workflows. They also dig into the new Devio UCX line for Teams and Zoom Rooms, expandable mics and speakers, USB-C content sharing and charging, and the value of running a full collaboration system from a single power connection.

Along the way, the crew explores sound masking, speech privacy, paging, Parlé Voice Lift, Max Connect Auditorium Mode, ClearOne microphone integration, and Biamp's free design services—plus the usual AVSF detours into booth noise, wardrobe emergencies, steak dinner drama, and which microphone is actually blinking.

Connect with our guests:

• Zack Snook https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachsnook/

• Abdul Chaudhri https://www.linkedin.com/in/no1salesleader/

• Chris Dieterich https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-dieterich-cts-cqd-22843190/

• Michael Hooper https://www.linkedin.com/in/mlhooper/

Products discussed:

• Workplace Control and Workplace Control Designer

• https://www.biamp.com/company/press-releases/press-release-detail/biamp-introduces-workplace-control--a-unified-av-automation-platform

• Devio UCX

• ​​https://www.biamp.com/company/press-releases/press-release-detail/biamp-introduces-devio-ucx--a-new-android-based-uc-compute-platform-with-integrated-professional-dsp

• Parle Voicelift

• https://www.biamp.com/solutions/applications/parle-voice-lift

Alternate show titles:

• If you remove the Internet from your system

• We do eavesdropping

• Specially trained chihuahuas

• Reasonable music

• It can help but it cannot change physics

• Borderline too small

• That's a very popular form factor… legally.

• Small things that make me happy

• I've checked 'em and they're actually accurate

We stream live every Friday at about 315p Eastern/1215p Pacific 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

► Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/avsuperfriends.bsky.social

► Email: [email protected]

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

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

Recorded June 18, 2026

The AV SuperFriends are back on the InfoComm 2026 show floor for day two with first impressions, fresh booth finds, and a newcomer's view of just how overwhelming the show can be.

This episode covers the practical side of InfoComm: EASE modeling, PTZ camera overload, reusable silicone cable ties, modular conferencing systems like Nureva HDX, and the ongoing tension between full ecosystem solutions and small, purpose-built widgets. The crew also spots a familiar trend: plenty of auto-tracking, plenty of "AI," and not always a clear difference between the two.

Rachel Bradshaw crashes the show to talk about working the Vanco booth, hearing directly from end users, and how AV is being used to create better experiences in places like zoos, courtrooms, campuses, and public spaces. Along the way, the group digs into Dante adapters, EVO-IP updates, digital signage, accessibility, and why sometimes the most exciting thing on the show floor is still a really satisfying button.

Alternate show titles:

• It's a lot
• Here's something that'll blow your mind
• Silicone zip ties
• Can we get our logo on this?
• Rack dressing
• Widgets, big time
• Chinese button factory booth
• Hi-Fi listening room
• If you're an end user, ask your integrator
• You can't go in there with a cattle prod

We stream live every Friday at about 315p Eastern/1215p Pacific 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

► Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/avsuperfriends.bsky.social

► Email: [email protected]

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

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

Recorded June 17, 2026

Live from the Q-SYS booth at InfoComm 2026, the AV SuperFriends sit down with Mike Brandes and David Maksa to talk through what's new, what's practical, and what might accidentally become a future entitlement.

The big topic is Q-SYS NVM, the new network video distribution platform aimed at larger-scale deployments where ultra-low latency is less important than getting lots of video to lots of displays without melting the network… or the budget. The panel digs into bandwidth, latency, PTP timing, frame lock, USB bridging possibilities, sports books, cruise ships, theme parks, and why programming an entire demo system in under two minutes is either impressive or deeply suspicious.

They also take a look at the new Q-SYS meeting room options, including the MTR-on-Windows conference bar, modular room kits, light-touch provisioning, QR-code onboarding, Cheetos mode, and the eternal danger of throwing away the box too soon. From there, the conversation wanders into performance audio, free design services, questionable speaker arrays, and the higher-ed pain of walking across campus just to plug HDMI back in.

It's part product discussion, part therapy session, and part live proof that "single pane of glass" remains both the dream and the punchline.

Connect with our guests:

• Mike Brandes https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikebrandesav/

• David Maksa https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-maksa-05527322/

Q-SYS products discussed

• NVM https://www.qsys.com/products/q-sys/video/nvm-series/

• Room Suite Collaboration Bar https://www.qsys.com/products/q-sys/roomsuite/roomsuite-collaboration-bar/

• Room Suite Modular System https://www.qsys.com/products/q-sys/roomsuite/roomsuite-modular-system/

• Performance Audio line https://www.qsys.com/products/loudspeakers/installed/passive/performance/pl-series/

Alternate show titles:

• Teach and preach spaces

• Get up on that mic

• 10-4, good buddy

• Try to do the entire thing with no mouse

• I'm sure there's an entitlement involved

• Saddle up your horses

• Wizard-based configuration

• Take away scissors from people who are running

• We all love our science fair product line

• I had some chicken tenders

We stream live every Friday at about 315p Eastern/1215p Pacific 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

► Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/avsuperfriends.bsky.social

► Email: [email protected]

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

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

Recorded January 1, 2017… or June 17, 2026

Live from InfoComm 2026, the AV SuperFriends kick off the show floor with a morning check-in from the Computer Comforts booth and immediately discover that their mixer believes it is January 1, 2017. Naturally, this leads to time travel investment advice, questionable production decisions, and the introduction of their newest unpaid-but-fed intern, Jon, who may or may not survive a week of AV nonsense in Las Vegas.

The crew previews a packed InfoComm schedule, including live shows, an AV-focused practical AI session, the now-infamous unofficial show floor tour, and a Friday appearance on AVIXA TV. They also dig into what they are actually looking for this year: interactive direct-view LED, reasonably priced soundbars, useful AI workflows, orchestration software tools, smaller disruptor companies, broadcast furniture, better PTZ camera sensors, and add-on systems that can make existing classrooms and conference rooms smarter without ripping everything out.

Along the way, there is a surprisingly detailed review of The Wizard of Oz at the Sphere, an extended discussion of whether direct-view LED walls can be smuggled home from the show floor, and the eternal AV trade show question: what small booth has the weird little widget that might quietly solve a real problem?

Follow along all week as the AV SuperFriends wander InfoComm 2026 looking for practical tools, hidden gems, and whatever else gets thrown at them.

Alternate show titles:

• Smidge and a bit

• A decent sound bar that doesn't cost a ton

• The land of 1,000 soundbars

• I'll wait for Netflix

• I have my own Sphere

• Skeptical-ness

• Fisher-Price broadcast studio

• Emotional Support Broadcast Console

• Disruptor Camera Company

• A fool's errand

• Is Sony guts

• I need it gooder

We stream live every Friday at about 315p Eastern/1215p Pacific 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

► Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/avsuperfriends.bsky.social

► Email: [email protected]

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

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

Recorded June 5, 2026

This week on Off the Rails, we descend into the glamorous, finger-burning, cable-stretching world of Layer 1: the place where every brilliant AV system either starts working… or quietly dies behind a rack because someone trusted a discount connector.

The regular panel is joined by Stacy Kaskon and Brant Mathiason from Neutrik to talk about why physical connectivity still matters, why proper termination is becoming a lost art, and how Neutrik's new FAST training initiative aims to teach students, techs, integrators, and higher ed AV teams how to build, test, and trust the cables and connections literally holding their systems together. Soldering, RJ45s, fiber, connector standards, classroom durability, InfoComm training, and the eternal truth that no amount of programming will fix a bad cable all make the cut.

Then, because this is Off the Rails, the group swaps horror stories about cursed terminations, fiber polished in bucket trucks, cables pulled with pickup trucks, adapters stacked like archaeological layers, and all the other "temporary" fixes that somehow became load-bearing infrastructure.

Neutrik FAST Training contact: [email protected]

Connect with our guests:

• Stacy Kaskon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacy-kaskon-4435ba2b/

• Brant Mathiason: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brant-mathiason-a19535b/

News story discussed:

• https://www.avinteractive.com/news/collaboration/microsoft-sunsets-its-covid-era-teams-together-mode-02-06-2026/

Alternate show titles:

• Singularity of bad ideas

• Glob and blob-level soldering

• You're not going to solve a Layer 1 problem with programming

• That happens until it can't any more

• One person wears a tutu

We stream live every Friday at about 315p Eastern/1215p Pacific 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

► Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/avsuperfriends.bsky.social

► Email: [email protected]

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

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

Recorded May 15, 2026

This episode of On Topic gets into the glamorous, soul-polishing world of how AV projects actually begin, which is apparently somewhere between a formal intake form, a support ticket that got out of hand, a hallway ambush, and someone discovering the room needs power, asbestos abatement, and lots of opinions.

The panel compares how different campuses define and initiate projects, from TeamDynamix and ServiceNow workflows to informal emails, consultation requests, facilities handoffs, and the dreaded "this was supposed to be a simple fix" scenario. A big theme is the messy boundary between support ticket, request, incident, problem, and project, especially when aging systems, construction needs, or money get involved.

They also get into the joys and failures of project management platforms, Project, Planner, Smartsheet, TeamDynamix, ServiceNow, and the eternal higher-ed struggle of trying to force real work, real communication, and real accountability into software that was clearly designed by people who have never been asked do any of that.

In short: projects should start with clear scope, timelines, goals, funding, stakeholders, and process. In reality, they start with an email that says, "quick question," and end with everyone arguing over whether it was ever a project in the first place.

Alternate show titles:

• Is this directed to me?

• Wow, that's big!

• I don't touch tickets

• What if I email you?

• Hey, we're going to do this thing

• We'll have the meeting eventually

• Facilities doesn't do power

• Requires a state employee to inspect the electrician

• We get requests every which way from Sunday

• We want to drive everybody to a ticket

• Rapid fire from wherever-the-hell-it-came-from

• That means it's approved and no one wants to do that sh*t

• I don't do projects, I do stories and epics

We stream live every Friday at about 315p Eastern/1215p Pacific 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

► Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/avsuperfriends.bsky.social

► Email: [email protected]

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

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

Recorded May 21, 2026

In this road-show episode of Off the Rails, the crew broadcasts live (from the same room, even) from NWMET in Salt Lake City, surrounded by too many laptops, too many cables, travel fatigue, and the kind of improvised conference setup that makes AV people both proud and deeply ashamed.

The conversation starts with two cheerful reminders that everything is temporary: digital signage may be "dead," meeting room appliances may be next, and anything running on abandoned Android builds is probably just waiting to become tomorrow's security problem. From there, the group digs into the real higher-ed pain points behind cloud-managed signage, appliance lifecycles, accessibility requirements, captioning, and why "cheap and fast" usually leaves "good" bleeding out behind the rack.

They also recap NWMET itself, including the executive summit, AI sessions, accessibility discussions, vendor floor discoveries, oversized displays, strange LED signage widgets, USB bridge boxes, and one especially baffling speaker deployment that may or may not have been designed during a bad trip. It's a conference recap, a product roast, and a warning label for anyone who thinks AV support can be handled entirely from a browser tab.

News articles:

• https://www.avinteractive.com/news/digital-signage-and-dooh/digital-signage-is-dead-its-totally-dead-as-we-know-it-20-05-2026/

• https://www.avinteractive.com/news/android-end-of-life-alarm-sounded-at-the-av-user-group-13-05-2026/

Alternate episode titles:

• Converting it to Kentuckian

• What is this A-1 thing you keep talking about?

• Place water near your special area

• Higher Ed Festivus

• It doesn't work like that

• Is that because everyone lost their sh*t in the mail?

• It was an Austin Powers moment

• Tissues, Fabric, and Muscle

• A lot of speakers on the wall

• I know, it was sold out!

We stream live every Friday at about 315p Eastern/1215p Pacific 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

► Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/avsuperfriends.bsky.social

► Email: [email protected]

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

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

Recorded May 1, 2026

In this episode, the crew tackles the cursed middle ground of campus AV: spaces that are technically classrooms, sort of event venues, occasionally multipurpose rooms, and absolutely someone else's problem until the microphone dies five minutes before the dean walks in.

The discussion starts with classrooms hiding inside dorms, performance venues moonlighting as lecture halls, performing arts spaces being asked to behave like standard teaching rooms, and the eternal mystery of "who exactly is moving the lectern back?" From there, the panel wanders into the even darker woods of off-campus support, county extension locations, pseudo-university spaces, rented venues, service agreements, chargebacks, lifecycle planning, and the dangerous phrase "just give us your standard classroom setup."

Along the way, they discover that standards are not just a pile of boxes, support does not magically travel across counties, and transparent lecterns are only classy until the glue yellows and everyone can see the wires.

Alternate show titles:

• What do you do with your students?

• STD Aware

• How big is Oregon?

• Traveling snake oil salesman

• Which of the four food groups?

• Who may or may not be named the same as you…

• We get in our little vehicles…

We stream live every Friday at about 315p Eastern/1215p Pacific 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

► Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/avsuperfriends.bsky.social

► Email: [email protected]

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

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