And, We're Off!

May 1, 2006 12:00 PM, By Mark Johnson

It's official: With NSCA under our belts and InfoComm happening in just a couple of weeks, we're into the time for extensive product introductions, intensive product training, and exhaustive system design and installation. This is the time when we have no time to spare as we try to balance learning about the most recent advances in AV technology and how to apply them, and actually putting our newfound knowledge to practical use.

The InfoComm experience as a whole is extremely valuable for all involved in the AV industry. InfoComm provides one of the best “one-stop shopping” experiences in the industry, with virtually all of the disciplines strongly represented on the show's exhibit floor. And educational opportunities also abound at InfoComm, with seminars, sessions, and workshops covering everything from the business end to theory, design, and application of the newest products and technologies.

Digital signage technology (increasingly popular at InfoComm shows) is developing, too. While the processes and applications are still going through growing pains, the hardware needed to complete the chain seems to be further along in the development cycle. Perhaps this is an example of product development driving the application. InfoComm provdes an excellent opportunity to explore all aspects of digital signage technology. And to get the pump primed (so to speak), we're covering some of those aspects of digital signage in this issue.

And since this is the InfoComm issue — at a time when equipment and technology play such a large part of our lives, and we tend to forget the fact that people created the concepts of the technology, people developed the products, and people design and implement the systems for people — I thought this would be a good time to have a look at a few of the people who have helped to shape the industry (See the feature on p. 57).