Highlights from InfoComm 2021

InfoComm is the largest professional audiovisual trade show in North America. The event, which took place in Orlando, Florida this year, showcased thousands of products for audio, unified communications and collaboration, display, video, control, digital signage, home automation, security, VR, and live events.   

Due to the pandemic, in-person AV tradeshows have not taken place in the US for the previous 16 months, with some transitioning to an online format with limited success. The bulk of typical InfoComm attendees were not yet ready to travel to Orlando, or faced lingering restrictions.    As a result, a fraction of the usual turnout attended the show. In 2019, the last InfoComm before the pandemic, there were a record 44,129 attendees and 950 exhibitors.  This year’s event included 7,335 total attendees and 254 exhibitors, a reduction in size by 83.4% and 73.3%, respectively. Absent from InfoComm 2021 were heavy hitters such as Sony, Christie, Leyard, Eiki and DiGiCo.  

Despite modest expectations and a lower turnout than what the AV industry’s most comprehensive event would normally draw, attendees used this year’s three day event as an opportunity to get back together again in-person to strengthen and build relationships within the community. The trade show floor doors opened on Oct. 27 at 9 a.m. for pro AV buyers and sellers, and AVIXA reports from suppliers that despite the anticipated lesser attendance, connections were strong during the show and morale was high. This year’s show focused on quality not quantity.    

It included exhibitors and demo rooms, as well as educational seminars and technical presentations. 

Check out some of our favorite highlights from the event! 

AVIXA’s market intelligence team reported that all regions are expected to see recovery and long-term economic growth by 2022 at its State of the AV Industry presentation. 

The total pro AV industry reached a peak of $259 billion in 2019; revenues then declined by 17% globally in 2020, more than the 8% AVIXA’s market intelligence team initially predicted. Growth will return in 2022 with revenues rising by 10%, according to AVIXA. By 2026, the industry will have risen to $329 billion representing a compound annual growth rate of 7.2%. 

Global supply chain issues are expected to continue. Those who plan and make purchases earlier are better equipped to handle these challenges. 

AVIXA also announced a global compensation tool, scheduled for release in December, to provide personalized salary estimates. 

Samsung introduced The Wall IWA P1.26, a MICRO LED-based commercial display, featuring a MICRO AI processor and a bezel-free modular display screen that Samsung says can be customized to suit the design of any space. 

According to the company, it features black seal technology and ultra chroma technology, delivering AI-optimized visuals for up to 8K resolution. The model comes with enhanced installation with pre-adjusted seam and cable-less docking connection. 

The display can be configured in a variety of options, including L-shape, concave, convex, on a ceiling or hanging. Samsung markets The Wall to a variety of verticals, including corporate, control rooms, design centers, studios and even cinemas. 

Draper used InfoComm 2021 to display several new solutions for the market including its Foundation Mount System for LED, battery-powered Acumen Recharge screen, and TecVision screen surfaces.

The Draper Foundation Mount System accommodates nearly any LED panel on the market. Foundation was designed specifically with installers in mind and is loaded with features to help technicians install and precisely align LED panels in significantly less time than ever before. The Foundation is preconfigured at the factory and ready to be installed right out of the box with no onsite cutting or modifications.

The battery-powered Acumen Recharge motorized screen, installs like a manual screen, according to the company, with simple mounting brackets and no electrician needed. The unit runs on a lithium-ion battery located inside the roller. The motor only needs to be recharged about every 500 cycles, but the Recharge can be plugged in all the time due to an automatic shutoff that  guarantees there will be no battery damage. Acumen Recharge can optionally connect with PoE to stay permanently charged.    The screen can controlled by a wireless wall switch or handheld remote. An optional dry contact interface also allows connection to systems like Crestron and AMX. Add the optional hub and it can be controlled by Google, Alexa, and many other systems. With the wireless hub, it can be controlled via a smartphone app.

Also in the Draper booth in Orlando was the TecVision line of premium projection surfaces, which has five different ambient-light rejecting surfaces.

Sharp/NEC won the following awards during InfoComm 2021:

• ActiveScene – Most Innovative Digital Signage Product, Installation Product Awards; SCN
• ActiveScene – InfoComm Best in Market Award; Sound and Video Contractor
• LED-E012i – InfoComm Best of Show Award; AV Technology
• NP-PA804UL – Best of Show Award; ProjectorCentral

Sharp/NEC’s one-of-a-kind ActiveScene was awarded a Best in Market Award by Sound and Video Contractor as well as an SCN Installation Product Award in the category of Most Innovative Digital Signage Product. ActiveScene is a game-changing solution that transforms previously underutilized glass walls into dynamic displays. With Avery Dennison’s Vela™ smart window film, ActiveScene can be retrofitted to any glass surface. Controlled electronically, the film becomes opaque on command, creating a canvas for a unique AV projection through the use of an NEC projector. ActiveScene can turn glass storefronts into advertising displays, conference room walls into privacy screens or video canvases, glass-fronted museum vignettes into engaging history lessons, and more.

A focal point of the Sharp/NEC meeting room at InfoComm, and named Best of Show this year by AV Technology, was the NEC LED-E012i. Part of the E Series dvLED lineup, the 1.25mm LED-E012i module provides cost-conscious customers with impressive LED imaging and serves as the perfect entry into dvLED for those looking to replace aging projection or tiled LCD video walls. This display is a cost-effective, long-term signage solution ideal for indoor installations in corporate, education and House of Worship environments.

Crestron hosted a modest booth at InfoComm this year, and sent a small, experienced group to meet with partners and customers. Despite their smaller footprint, Crestron continues to be leader in workplace technologies that drive successful collaboration.  Crestron’s role in the convergence of unified communications (UC), and AV over IP, as well as partnerships and future integrations with Jabra, Huddly, and Shure were discussed by Crestron’s executive vice president of marketing Brad Hintze.

Consistent with this year’s growth in hybrid meeting technology, InfoComm’s Conferencing and Collaboration Pavilion reinforced the idea that remote and hybrid work styles are here to stay.  Highlighting their theme of “The Future of Collaboration in Here,” the Conferencing & Collaboration Pavilion showcased the latest products and solutions one needs to meet demand and create a seamless video experience.

This Area Included:

• Audio Conferencing Systems Hardware/Software
• Cameras (Conferencing)
• Conferencing & Collaboration Installation Services/Support
• Meeting Room Booking Hardware/Software
• Mobile/Wireless Applications/Middleware
• Team Collaboration/Chat Apps
• Telephony & VoIP Systems
• Video Conferencing Systems Hardware/Software

For a complete list of exhibitors and presenters at the Conferencing and Collaboration Pavilion, Click HERE.

The audio pavilion on the InfoComm show floor had a number of manufacturers presenting their latest offerings. In addition, every seat in the audio demo rooms was full.   The demo rooms gave attendees the opportunity to listen to audio systems from several brands roar in their full glory, and have questions answered directly by the manufacturer’s professionals.  Audio Demo Rooms were located away from all the noise and bustle of the Exhibit Hall in an environment specifically designed to showcase the full range of the equipment. Attendees sampled more than a dozen audio manufacturers throughout all three days of the show.

The Audio Pavilion Included:

• Acoustic Materials, Sound Masking & Speech Privacy Systems
• Assistive Listening, Language Interpretation & Soundfield Systems
• Amplifiers, Mixers, Processing Systems
• Headphones, Headsets, Earphones, Earsets
• Loudspeakers, Microphones, Multiroom Audio
• Public Address (PA), Paging & Background Music Systems

For a complete list of exhibitors and presenters at the Audio Pavilion, Click HERE.

The Digital Signage Pavilion gave attendees the opportunity to discover the latest digital signage solutions, including content creation software, direct-view LED displays, touchscreens and interactive displays, and much more.

This Area Included:

• Content Creation Software
• Digital Signage Software
• Direct-View LED Displays
• Displays/Monitors
• Projection Screens (Installed or Portable)
• Projectors
• Touchscreens & Interactive Displays/Whiteboards

For a complete list of exhibitors and presenters at the Digital SIgnage Pavilion, Click HERE.

1. Touchless Interactivity Will Continue to Rise in Popularity

“One of the greatest impacts on current digital signage trends has nothing to do with an improvement in technology. Because of current sensitivity, digital signage has seen a rise in touchless interactivity. This can be as simple as adding a QR code to your screen, or as advanced as camera-based gestures. The most common way that digital signage is addressing interactivity, is allowing control of content with the user’s personal mobile device. By introducing mobile integration, you allow the user to comfortably interactive with content on a device that they control. I don’t believe this trend will mean a reduction in interactive displays in the long term, as most applications are better suited to a larger display. Touchless interactivity is a way for digital signage providers to offer a solution during a time of heightened sensitivity that can continue to be used well into the future for those who prefer it.”

—Todd Heberlein, Business Development Manager, Almo Professional A/V

2. Out-of-the-Box Solutions are Necessary

“Over the last year, it’s been ever more important to keep patrons informed through digital signage messaging. We’ve helped a lot of clients keep their staff and patrons up to date with our displays. In addition to the traditional use case for dvLED displays, we are being asked for more out-of-the-box solutions — unique shaped displays, displays that wallpaper an architectural element and displays that are impactful to the senses. At NanoLumens, we’re able to do very simple, to incredibly complex designs. Whatever the vision, we can exceed the expectations to bring digital signage displays that excite the senses.”

—Kara Green, Regional Sales Manager, Nanolumens

3. No Seams Allowed

“Seamless digital screens and direct view LED displays have become more common and now expected by customers. Customers are no longer willing to accept seams in their video wall systems and, as the demand for a more seamless experience rises, sales for LCD video walls have slowed. Take a look at the changing landscape in sportsbooks — while in the past projection and LCD video walls were once acceptable, dvLED video wall systems are now the highly requested solution.”

—Megan Zeller, Business Development Director, Peerless-AV

4. Simple Interfaces are Mandatory

“One trend that continues to break new ground in digital signage and video management is user experience — with users wanting a simple, single interface with which to manage connected equipment. Video processing specialist Datapath has met this requirement with its award-winning Aetria solution, an integrated platform for the design, management and control of command and control room applications. The past eight years has seen the company call upon its extensive experience in multi-display and multi-source control to engineer ‘the complete solution’ that removes complexities for a seamless user experience.”

—Mark Bohs, Director of Sales, Americas, Datapath

5. Hybrid is Growing the Digital Signage Market

Public spaces are shifting strategies in many different ways — either accommodating people staying at home, creating environments to bring people back going back to the public spaces full time or trying to create a hybrid option to be a middle ground between the two. We’re seeing more focus on enhancing the hybrid workspace and learning experiences and also a reimagined public spaces, either in workplaces or entertainment spaces, that make workplaces, classrooms and entertainment venues more attractive places to come to in person. As LED has become more and more cost accessible, LED video walls are a solution many venues, companies and educational institutions are looking to in order to achieve their new hybrid experiences by providing both a display screen that and has a performance advantage over older generations of digital technology in longevity and image quality.

—Adam Gilliland, Product Manager, Daktronics 

One of the most eye-catching displays on the show floor at this year’s InfoComm was the large, high-performing ALR screen from Pompano Beach, FL-based CarbonBlack Technology. The cutting-edge CarbonBlack material, developed in the Netherlands, is engineered for laser projectors. Unlike a traditional screen, it does not actually reflect light in the classic sense. Instead, the nanotechnology integrated on the screen surface works something like the cones in your eyes that take in light and convert it to another form of energy. In this case, the carbon-based screen surface is designed to resonate specifically when it sees laser-generated light, while ambient light is dissipated as kinetic energy. Company officials say that the material is so finely tuned to laser energy that peak brightness would drop off by about 30% if it were to be used with a common lamp projector. Click HERE to learn more!

Pathway Innovations, Inc. showcased their illuminated glass writing board,  eGlass  at InfoComm. An all-in-one communications tool featuring a built-in camera and adjustable LED lighting, eGlass merges the presenter’s face and writing, along with presentation media, into a single picture for in-person or remote collaboration. Available in 35-inch and 50-inch models, eGlass is easy to set up and use by connecting to a PC, Mac, or Chromebook with a single USB cable. It comes with intuitive software that allows almost any digital content to be seamlessly imported into the camera window, allowing the presenter to markup the content with glowing annotations after automatic background removal is applied. As presenters write on its glass, eGlass’ integrated camera captures their faces, writing, drawings, and annotations, while displaying media from a computer in any format.

eGlass’ software automatically flips the content so it reads correctly for the audience. It offers one-button image capture and video recording features and is compatible with Zoom, Teams and other virtual meeting platforms.