A closer look at IP and AV in the 21st century
One way or another, today’s companies use the IP network as a primary enabler to more effectively manage technology fleets and to exchange data within the company as well as with customers. The explosion of network capabilities has changed work paradigms all over the world - and visualization is certainly not an exception.
On the one hand, the network has allowed visualization to function as the centerpiece of better collaboration, and on the other hand, it has changed the way facility managers interact with this hardware. Yet the integration of AV and IT has not happened overnight, because experts in the one field are usually not experts in the other. It’s still an ongoing process, but an inevitable one.
The Force is with us
In 2007, InfoComm International reported that over 80% of audiovisual products were networked. While most of these devices used the network only passively, the number of those AV devices that allowed or even promoted a deeper integration within the IP network has been rising steadily ever since. In a professional context, it’s hard to find a piece of hi-tech that can’t be networked. Like the Force in Star Wars, the IP network ‘surrounds us’ and ‘binds us’.
AV as part of the family
Some forward-thinking AV pundits even claim that AV is IT. InfoComm estimates that the global AV market is currently worth 65 billion USD. However this pales in comparison to the 130 billion USD made by the world’s top ten IT companies in 2009 alone. Thus, it’s better to say that AV is fast becoming an adopted member of the ever-growing IT family tree, especially with the increasing cross-over in product offering.
Different markets, different strokes
While all professional markets can clearly benefit from a deeper integration of visualization and network technology, the degree to which this integration is beneficial differs from market to market. For example, for digital signage, centralized content management and distribution are a benefit, but there is little use for telepresence. On the other hand, content distribution is a must for interdisciplinary teams in the oil and gas world, and telepresence is a tangible benefit in the globalized market.
Control through IP
While long walks through a facility will always be part of a facility manager’s job description, monitoring and maintaining an AV fleet over the network has cut into at least part of this routine. Administrators can view system runtimes and connection issues remotely and they can also control who is using, or who is allowed to use, which systems. Projectors and displays also alert the administrator in case of trouble or if maintenance is needed.
Machines in concert
AV equipment can also take a more proactive role. In a hospital, for example, radiology displays must be calibrated to exactly the same brightness and contrast parameters to minimize misreadings. Advanced medical displays do this automatically. In a more limited sense, the same is true for display systems that use a composite image from several projections or display cubes. In both cases, each unit in the network exchanges information with the other units and adjusts itself to a common spectrum of brightness, contrast and color quality.
Visible teamwork
Visualization truly kicks into a higher networking gear when it concerns collaboration - it is even becoming the cornerstone of a modern, professional collaborative experience. A high-level example can be found at the European Space Agency’s concurrent design facility in the Netherlands, where multiple engineers share their findings and collaborate on designs on one big digital canvas.
Decide now
Similarly, networked meeting rooms can bring together vital pieces of information simultaneously, instead of alternating among sources or cycling through sequential presentations. Whether it’s concurrent design, discussing finance or co-analyzing large sets of visual data, it ultimately boils down to one goal: getting to a decision faster. And this is not just talk: Microsoft and Accenture estimate that industry loses out on about half a billion dollars annually due to shortcomings in collaboration technology alone.
Passing the torch
But the display doesn’t always have to serve as a central collaboration canvas. It can also act as an information distribution center. In traffic or security management centers, for example, the various camera feeds and pieces of information that compose the overview for control room operators to asses, can also be forwarded to people anywhere in the facility, or even to other companies or governmental agencies.
Finding your way in the network
Today’s software and hardware offering to improve collaboration is almost breathtaking: it encompasses a full range of display hardware, switchers, remote controls, scalers, image processors and software. Barco is present in all of these components. Both our in-depth market knowledge and our cross-team experiences have entitled us to fine-tune networked visualization to the needs of each market.
