AV SuperFriends

Recorded February 6, 2026

ISE season is in full swing, and while much of the AV world is busy chasing booth demos and press releases from Europe, the AV SuperFriends are back doing what they do best: cutting through the hype. In this episode, the panel digs into the latest ISE announcements and trends, separating what's genuinely useful for higher ed from what looks great under trade-show lighting but falls apart in real classrooms.

A major thread of the conversation focuses on rethinking camera deployments in teaching and meeting spaces. The crew challenges the default "one camera at the front of the room" mentality, unpacking how faculty behavior, room geometry, and instructional goals should drive camera placement, not product marketing. From multi-camera approaches to integrated camera bars and tracking features, the discussion centers on what actually improves teaching and learning versus what just checks a feature box.

Naturally, the conversation eventually drifts into resolution arms races, with healthy skepticism about 8K's relevance and outright disbelief at the industry's eagerness to jump to 16K.

News articles discussed:

• https://www.avinteractive.com/news/audio/biamp-workplace-update-heads-raft-of-company-innovations-04-02-2026/

• https://ravepubs.com/sennheiser-launches-new-devicehub/

• https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/01/lg-joins-the-rest-of-the-world-accepts-that-people-dont-want-8k-tvs/

• https://www.linkedin.com/posts/josh-orenstein_8k-tv-is-officially-dying-and-the-production-activity-7424132250562392064-UOaD

Alternate show titles:

• One step at a time, Marc

• This pane of glass is a pain in my ass

• Shoebox worth of sh*t

• I want to be all inclusive

• Listen, pal…

• You know what, maybe he's right?

• With as much proliferication…

• I haven't quite got to the "I'm yelling at you" part

• When it exposes itself…

• Four cameras!

• I heard that's supposed to save lives

• I heard that's the bees knees

• Oh, joy!

• I don't think physics works like that

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 16, 2026

In this episode of On Topic, the panel leans hard into the "Groundhog Day" reality of higher ed AV, where every semester feels like a rerun of the last one. From the same classrooms and support tickets to the same mysterious $7 HDMI cable failures, the panel reflects on why our work so often feels stuck on repeat, even as we insist "this time it'll be different."

With their usual mix of sarcasm, experience, and self-awareness, they review the projects, services, and processes that keep coming back year after year… sometimes for good reasons, sometimes because no one ever really fixes the root problem. It's a funny, honest look at institutional memory, consultant déjà vu, and the strange comfort of knowing that no matter what changes, some AV challenges are forever.

Alternate show titles:

• What failed last time?

• I'm a shopping cart

• Not every year… every DAY

• I'm afraid to ask the question

• Room with too many TVs

• In cloud or on prem again

• Cloud-based whatchamadoolie

• I'll track your life

• Does everybody get access?

• Hybrid bastardized version

• What does that mean for YOUR internet of things?

• In my secret cloud

• Check in to get the services

• I'll flag it, but I won't unflag it

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 23, 2026

In this episode, the panel looks into the growing disconnect between AI hype and the realities of higher-ed operations. As campuses spin up task forces and strategy decks, the people closest to the work are still trying to explain that real progress comes from solid processes, clean data, and systems that actually integrate, not shiny tools bolted on top of chaos.

The conversation drifts (on purpose) through buzzwords, half-baked pilots, and the familiar frustration of being asked to support technologies that skipped the fundamentals. Along the way, the panel brings a healthy mix of skepticism, humor, and hard-earned experience from living at the intersection of AV, IT, and reality.

It's part therapy session, part reality check, and part drive-time radio nonsense. If you're sitting on an AI committee, dodging hype cycles, or just trying to keep classrooms running while everything gets labeled "AI-powered," this one will hit close to home.

News article: European Journal of Education - Intelligent Classrooms: How AI and IoT Can Reshape Learning Spaces

Connect with Dr. Kati Peditto: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katipeditto/

DLR Group "Evolution of Campus" https://www.dlrgroup.com/firm-news/evolution-of-campus-research-outcomes/

Alternate show titles:

• You drive the bus you throw people under

• It's a switch on the wall

• The AI-native

• We're gonna need you to talk about this with other people

• Two-factor three different times

• The sun couldn't rise tomorrow

• The cooperative nature this will require is one of the biggest hurdles

• We're doing this and if not you're getting fired

• Start in an existing building

• How insistent are you?

• AI-enabled whatchamadoolie

• Your internal relationships are not my problem

• Wait, can I give some context real quick?

• What the hell is the ask?

• Define something!

• Learning styles don't exist

• Information isn't as important as it used to be

• Florida ceiling

• They've conversated with the clients

• Am I gonna be the wet blanket here?

• Just give me some bread crumbs

• If your university has X amount of money

• How do we know we've elevated the human experience?

• Doubling the number of butts in seats

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 9, 2026

It's mid-January, and we kick off the first full show of the year with news from CES nonsense, reviewing what consumer tech trends might actually sneak into higher-ed AV and which ones should stay in Las Vegas forever. That quickly turns into an AI-heavy conversation covering lecture capture anxiety, faculty concerns, digital avatars, and synthetic presenters.

Then we dig into what happens when trust in a manufacturer, platform, or product is broken, whether that trust can ever truly be rebuilt, and how past experiences shape long-term decisions around standards, vendors, and institutional risk.

With conference previews, a preview of NWMET, and the usual mix of practical insight and unnecessary hypotheticals, this episode is a fitting start to the year. If your semester just started and your systems are already acting up, you're among friends.

News stories discussed:

• https://www.euronews.com/next/2026/01/07/ai-software-that-can-create-digital-clones-of-employees-unveiled-at-ces-2026

• https://www.engadget.com/wearables/ixis-autofocusing-lenses-multifocal-glasses-ces-2026-212608427.html

• https://smarthairclipper.com/

• https://mypersonas.ai/

Connect with Raul: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rburriel/

Alternate show titles:

• Micro lawnmower

• I do enjoy wearing banana hammocks

• Your Subscription Ran Out

• Why are we hiring experts, I just want to replace me!

• Unauthorized Digital Twin

• Testing in production

• There's no testing… just production

• I'm always going to assume that something is my fault

• We didn't think anyone would actually do that

• AI-bolted on features

• There are booths at InfoComm that I walk right past

• Button panel of tomorrow

• It's all ones and zeros

• MET payday loans

• Find your swimsuits for 2027

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 December 12, 2025

It's the AV SuperFriends New Year's special, which means one part retrospective, one part speculation, and several parts nonsense. The panel looks back at their predictions for 2025 to see who deserves credit, who gets partial credit, and who should maybe stop predicting things altogether. From conference room technology to AV-over-IP realities, the team grades themselves with the kind of honesty only friends (and live chat hecklers) can provide.

Then, eyes turn cautiously toward 2026. Expect bold takes on where AV is actually headed, which "next big things" might finally show up, and which trends are still just vaporware. Dante AV, displays, digital twins, medium conference room solutions, and the ever-present gap between marketing promises and real-world deployments all get their moment under the microscope.

As always, it's opinionated, occasionally insightful, and completely Larry-free. If you like your year-end AV and IT technology analysis served with sarcasm, self-awareness, and honesty, this one's for you.

Alternate show titles:

• 50 percent with an asterisk

• A-S-T-R-X

• Hot Dog Crap

• I've got a few or a couple or some number here

• PoE Toilet

• Which Kinda Works

• This might be a run-on sentence

• We've never been closer

• Room Classic

• KFC Classroom

• KFC is world wide

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 December 5, 2025

As December pretends to be festive while refusing to fully commit to Christmas, the AV SuperFriends gather to celebrate that special time of year when inboxes are ignored, productivity is optional, and every project update is deferred. Naturally, this means the conversation focuses on patent lawsuits, seasonal anxiety, and the true meaning of future-proof… which, as it turns out, might actually mean sealed in concrete for eternity.

From Barco's latest courtroom adventure to the existential question of who actually owns and maintains the hundreds of learning spaces PCs on campus, the panel wanders joyfully into topics no one planned for but everyone has opinions about. Sprinkle in questionable NDI workflows, a debate over whether ServiceNow stories should start with "Once upon a time," and at least one visceral reaction to USB extenders, and you've got yourself a classic AVSF experience.

News story: https://www.ravepubs.com/barco-yealink-patent-verdict-clickshare/

AI-generated alternate show titles

• Once Upon a ServiceNow Ticket

• Future-Proofed… and Future-Ruined

• Legal AV: The Trend Nobody Wanted

• The Great PC Custody Battle

• Reserved, Reversed, Whatever; Lawyers Are Involved

• NDI, USB, and Other Seasonal Nightmares

• December: Now Technically Christmas-Adjacent

Far superior human-created alternate show titles:

• It depends, it's diapers

• Immensely reserved

• Buckets are bigger than cans

• Future proof

• Zip tied off to all these rafters

• A hot dog is not a sandwich

• You seem to have it made here

• It happens so magical I don't know all the details

• We can biotrack 'em

• We have one support desk except for the…

• What do you mean by general support?

• Stop picking on me!

• We got some weird ask from some faculty

• When did we talk about this?

• I'm gonna cram it in somewhere

• You missed one thing, Marc

• I don't have any PC problems

• Church benches

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 November 14, 2025

The AV SuperFriends kick off their first holiday special of the season with a spirited look at the gear, gadgets, and AV workflows that should make life easier, but only if you also bought the missing accessories, licenses, adapters, or seventeen extra widgets the manufacturer forgot to mention.

In classic Christmas fashion, the crew shares their "Batteries Not Included" frustrations: software that secretly requires expensive hardware, switchers that almost solve every problem but miss the basics, power supplies that mysteriously vanish from product boxes, and cloud-connected ecosystems with more prerequisites than a graduate-level course.

Along the way, the panel detours into holiday lights, dubious Best Buy happenings, the return of RDL-style power-supply roulette, and the annual reminder that USB extension is still cursed. They also preview an upcoming deep-dive on enterprise cloud AV, tease the December call-in show, and, of course, deliver an unhealthy dose of seasonal immaturity.

If you've ever unboxed a "perfect" AV solution only to discover it needs three more boxes, a license key, an aggregator VM, and a Christmas miracle to function, this episode is for you.

Alternate show titles:

• Holiday Mode

• The setting on your doohicky

• Don't put it in holiday mode

• Who dropped the dogs off

• Allen Head Doll House

• It does everything you want but nothing you need

• Least offensive to "you gotta be kidding me"

• You can't get this to that

• You can buy HDBaseT out, you just can't get it in

• Similar to Larry, but different

• You always have to buy the power supplies separate

• They mostly last

• That's not the answer; stop it!

• Some adult supervision required

• I want that in my stocking

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 November 21, 2025

In this jam-packed episode, the AV SuperFriends welcome two guests from sunny Southern California, Raj Singh from USC and Joe Way from UCLA, to tackle one of the most challenging topics in higher-ed technology today: cloud-connected AV. The panel reviews what it truly means to run a "connected campus," exploring the benefits, hurdles, required workflows, stakeholder alignment, and how automation and virtualization are reshaping classroom support.

But it's not all cloud talk! USC and UCLA are days away from their big Crosstown Cup rivalry game, making this the biggest weekly rivalry segment of the season. Expect good-natured trash talk, playful jabs, and a surprisingly collaborative discussion between two AV teams who are supposed to be mortal enemies.

Along the way, the panel veers off the rails into corporate jargon, classroom design myths, camera panic ticket escalations, and the ever-expanding universe of AV podcasts and tools. As always, there's plenty of humor, plenty of trash talk, and just enough chaos to keep things interesting.

Whether you care about AV architecture, cross-campus ecosystems, sports rivalries, or just want to hear two LA schools grin through their competitive tension, this episode has something for you.

Download AV Buddy:

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/av-buddy/id476993821

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ionpixel.avbuddynew

Connect with our guests:

Joe Way: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josiahway/

Raj Singh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/r5ingh/

Alternate show titles:

• AV in a Box

• Craft Brewing Cloud

• So when AWS goes down…

• We're sky-connected

• Simple scales and complex fails

• You all spent a crapton of money

• Adopting standards that are already pre-existing

• Tickets are the results of problems

• They don't know how to speak "us"

• They're saying crap I've never heard in my life

• No one cares about the network

• We want the AI applications to be on the ground

• I have a number and it is 10

• People view your strategy through their strategy

• Do NOT let me do installation

• I was high on something

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 October 16, 2025

In this special Perspectives episode, Justin and Chris recorded live from ETC 2025 in Raleigh, NC, setting up in the middle of the action to capture conversations with Frank Alaimo from UNLV and Jim Spencer from Legrand.

The panel digs into the real-world challenges facing campus AV teams today: modernizing aging classrooms, navigating procurement hurdles, managing user expectations, staffing shortages, and the never-ending push toward standardization and scalability. Expect candid stories, practical insights, a few jokes about geography and campus politics, and a grounded look at what's actually happening on campuses heading into 2025.

Whether you missed ETC this year or just want the hallway-track vibe, this Perspectives episode brings the conference floor straight to your headphones.

Connect with our guests: Jim Spencer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jspence4/ Frank Alaimo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-alaimo-cts-i-01872466/

Join us at ETC 2026: https://www.etcollaborative.org/

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 November 7, 2025

In this episode, Chris, Jamie, Marc, Larry, Justin, and special guest Craig Park tackle the complexities of large capital projects, the importance of early engagement with AV consultants, and the often murky waters of project communication.

The conversation takes a humorous turn as they explore the trials and tribulations of navigating institutional silos, the challenges of meeting evolving educational needs, and the inevitable "telephone game" that occurs in project management. With insights on everything from classroom design to the philosophical implications of technology placement, this episode is packed with practical advice and entertaining anecdotes because in the world of AV, nothing is ever straightforward!

Connect with Craig: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigpark/

Listen to EdUp Smart Space: https://www.edupexperience.com/p/edupsmartspace/

Clark & Enersen: https://www.clarkenersen.com/

News article:

https://www.pages.biamp.com/index.php/email/emailWebview?email=OTI0LUpDWi03OTIAAAGd-OtXNgg1KlLd-RKlOt4vzDs3GRaZJ9NDForsuZXNtxtjAou5AngX71XLAYLZJ-EcPMbTf_pggjwyNPVJzRoBGWtpV3KKo2pwjw

AVoIP article:

https://www.avnation.tv/2025/10/06/av-over-ip-in-higher-education-from-hype-to-higher-purpose/

Alternate show titles:

• It's not about the person on the far end; I don't care about that

• The data says we need to care about our analog space

• We have a voice lift building over here

• We can almost leave the acoustician out of the room

• Oral clarity and visual acuity

• Top of mind or full of stomach

• How do we raise the bar instead of lower the bar?

• Something is better than nothing

• That's like my happy place

• Why didn't you tell me I was being stupid?

• You didn't tell us loud enough…

• If a decision is being made that goes against the laws of physics…

• I didn't have gray hair before that meeting

• Oh, man, I've been loud

• I got a couple questions about Punch Out

• Design Bid Build Litigate

• We're doing all the easy stuff

• We're designing 50 year buildings with 8 year technology

• I don't have a solution for that

• It's never me; I don't own sh*t

• Checkbook of novelty checks

• We'll all end up on an island

• I haven't seen anything innovative in two and a half years

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