TECHNOLOGY - CONFERENCING
7 New Trends in AV Conferencing to look out for this year
From augmented meetings and interactive whiteboards to LED video walls and seamless acoustics -
Pooja Shah, Editorial Assistant at PALM AV-ICN, reports a comprehensive roundup of the biggest
AV conferencing trends to keep an eye out for in 2022.
Gone are the days of physical meetings, where people gathered in a single room, sat on leather-laden
chairs, and used static whiteboards for their brainstorm sessions. Gone are the days when meeting
with your co-workers face to face equated to enhanced productivity. With hybrid working now the new
normal, holding meetings seamlessly, flawlessly, and flexibly is now the need of the hour.
Developments in the world of AV are bringing an uninhibited revolution in the conferencing
technology.
Augmented Meetings:
While video conferencing works well when it comes to attending a meeting without even leaving the
house, the biggest AV trend in conferencing is the introduction of VR conferencing, which allows
users to put on a pair of headphones and meet/interact in 3D, almost as if they are meeting
in-person. This delivers a more customized, personalized experience for teams working from remote
locations. With eye tracking, head tracking, and gesture tracking, VR conference meetings are set to
create immersive holographic experiences in real time, without glitches or errors.
Interoperability:
One of the most critical AV conferencing trends to look out for is interoperability. Interoperability
is no longer a dream for the distant future, interoperable devices are becoming a present-day
reality. With compatibility between software and solution becoming more commonplace by the passing
day, and more and more vendors ensuring (or trying to ensure) that their respective video
conferencing apps support a wider expanse of meeting apps, the day isn't far when BYOD-based
meetings won't require intensive end-user support and everything will become hassle-free.
LED Video Walls:
With the very space meetings are held in undergoing a transformation, it is now more paramount than
ever to give that ever-transforming space an edge. Again, the ability to install a video wall
without an ounce of hassle makes it an easy choice for businesses looking to reshape the way
meetings take place. Apart from that, LED video walls are being preferred by businesses with a
vision because they come with LED backlighting and slim bezels, which doesn't disrupt the viewing
experience from any angle or even when viewed at from up-close. By allowing multiple users to
interact with the interface at the same time, coupled with the non-invasive cooling systems, LED
videos walls are key to having an effective audiovisual conferencing at its finest.
Interactive Whiteboards:
Typical whiteboards worked just fine when meetings used to be physical in nature, under a single
roof. Now, with the idea of a productive workplace rapidly metamorphosing in form and function, the
usual whiteboards just aren't ideal to bring result-yielding meetings to fruition. That's where
interactive whiteboards enter the picture. They are easy to install, and not just that, interactive
whiteboards offer the freedom to engage with the content and material being discussed, for instance,
allow multiple participants to draw or edit the content in real time, making everyone feel included
and valued, thereby paving the way for increased collaboration equity and productivity.
Seamless Acoustics:
Many neglect the significance of sound, done right in a conferencing room. Average acoustics were
tolerable when meetings would only take place face-to-face. But today, where meetings have turned
into collaborations and businesses from one corner of the world can connect with businesses from the
other corner of the world in a single click, it won't do if sound becomes a barrier. Therefore, a
major AV trend in the world of conferencing is seamless acoustics, a marvel of technology that
allows sound to travel from one person to another in a flawless manner, no matter where they are
sitting. Courtesy an evolution in the family of microphones, right from ceiling-mounted microphones
to pendant microphones, and more, a transformation in the acoustics of a conferencing room will
guarantee a more efficient, a more result-oriented meeting.
AI-Powered Conferencing:
The technology has now evolved to a point where not just attending meetings, but also setting up
meetings will become less and less of a manual or physical task. With the process of conferencing
becoming more and more AI-powered every passing day, video conferencing devices can now
automatically face-map, identify non-verbal cues, and analyse body language of the speakers and
attendees to suggest if, and who, needs to be invited to the meeting/conference. Not only that,
AI-powered video conferencing devices are now also capable of suggesting points of discussion and
debate before and during the conferencing to help speakers and participants hold better
collaboration equity. This also helps corporate sectors to understand areas of improvements for
participants within the meeting, enabling enhanced productivity as the end goal.
Rooms As A Service:
Just like SaaS, the AV industry is now witnessing the emergence of RaaS. Also known as Room As A
Service, this technological AV trend aims at creating and powering a collaborative workspace with
cutting-edge conferencing technology and equipment. These one-touch collaborative spaces takes the
afore-mentioned trend of interoperability to new heights by seamlessly connecting every single
equipment in the conferencing room. This trend will soon become a norm, as it offers a
cost-effective solution in the long run by reducing 'technology refresh' time, since all the
software and hardware in the room is interconnected and buying it as a part of a service ensures
that they stay up-to-date without any manual effort.
The audiovisual world is always changing, always evolving, bettering itself day by day. And with it,
the business of conferencing is always upgrading too. The integration of the two is set to change
the way people meet each other for business.