- Looking out over the vast swath of exhibition spanning the Orange County Convention Center was a bit like peering through a telescope. The need to take in as much as possible yet to zero in on precise details is a balancing act. There were many disparate shiny lights, often interconnected in various overlapping relationships without a singular, all-encompassing connection.
- As I took in the landscape, I found myself searching for an overarching theme, yet coming up with many more takeaways than possible to squeeze into one neat soundbite. Feeling as though I missed some major idea staring me straight in the face, a few colleagues confirmed my suspicions. So maybe that is precisely the theme—that there wasn’t one, technologically speaking. Was 2017 the year that the InfoComm community finally moved beyond the box?
- Sure there were still plenty of boxes out there—countless encoders and decoders were pervasive—but shimmering glints of experiences shone threw much brighter. The conversations were front-and-center, how the solutions are making everyone’s lives easier with new features; increasingly flexible, open, and scalable software; one-stop shop providers; and bold new pricing plans that look to challenge the status quo and uproot business models. The acceptance of hardware commoditization has hit a breaking point, and AV companies have turned to measuring outcomes with determination.
- Was there some major technology theme you noticed at the show? Let us know in the comments.
InfoComm 2017: Have we Finally Moved Conversations Beyond the Box?
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