- A fresh new year means a fresh trail of trade shows. It is possible to hop from one to the next all year, but for systems integrators, there are a few that have greater impact on your business.
- CES started it off in a January Las Vegas with gear making national mainstream news that now has an impact on the systems integration business. As Kirsten Nelson discusses from the trenches on page 11, convergence is becoming more of an all encompassing phenomenon in the world of technology. The line between consumer and commercial gear is continuing to blur with gear crossing over the line back and forth. The trick is for each individual to use the gear to its greatest potential and most efficiently without getting caught up in the Vegas glitz of it all.
- Next comes the NSCA Expo, March 15-17 in Orlando, FL (with the conference starting March 13). Part of the foundation of the audio side of systems contracting is explored this month in the extensive coverage on line array and portable speakers starting on page 44. While the industry has proven adaptable to convergence and combinations and the technology that makes the convergence possible, basic components are constantly evolving and finding new venues and uses.
- Rolling into InfoComm, the Expo happens June 19-21 (with the conference starting June 15) in Anaheim, CA. InfoComm covers all aspects of AV integration including the latest in video displays and the issues behind delivering content. As Michael Heiss discusses in the digital TV story on page 30, the digital tuner mandate will move through its final phase starting on March 1, 2007.
- The FCC has been ambitious with mandates
- over the past few years with many issues involved requiring more room on the spectrum for transmitting communication that is not television, like cell phones. With the complications of pleasing all factions involved, there's even more to consider than audio and video.
- -by Joy Zaccaria
