Audiovisual Technology Uses Sight and Sound to Educate & Entertain Audiences!

Every day, around the world, audiovisual communication uses the power of sight and sound to educate, entertain, inspire and motivate people. With each new day, society benefits from new applications of sight and sound. Once best known for overhead and slide projectors, the audiovisual industry now provides critical support to the business community, educational institutions, government, healthcare organizations, retail outlets, sporting events, entertainment venues, museums, worship and an increasingly sophisticated residential market. According to InfoComm International, the $55 billion worldwide audiovisual industry is poised to grow dramatically over the next several years. The demand for AV products and services is driven by the value it provides. Whether audiovisual equipment is being used in a command and control center designed to protect critical government infrastructure, provide distance learning opportunities, assist medical personnel in making lifesaving diagnoses, support more effective presentation of important information, inspire a congregation, bring families together or entertain fans at a large venue, the industry has an impact on virtually everyone’s life. The reason for this is simple — audiovisual communications has been integrated into our everyday lives. Everything from videoconferencing and streaming media to plasma displays, surround sound speakers, digital signage and interactive whiteboards are widely present. From the classroom, to the boardroom, to a family room near you, audiovisual communications is changing the way we view and hear the world. Trends in AV Use: * Five years from now, half of all classrooms in the higher education settings will have AV technology. * Instructional classroom technology and distance learning are the two main drivers of AV systems in higher education. As a result, the AV products that most commonly purchased are projectors, control systems, and audio and video conferencing equipment. * The rate at which classrooms have been outfitted with AV systems has doubled from 2000 to 2005, and that growth is expected to continue at a rate of 25-30% until at least the year 2010. * By the end of the next five years, 80% of surveyed institutions predict that more than half of their classrooms will be outfitted with AV systems. About 40% of institutions surveyed estimated that less than 20% of their classrooms were equipped with AV systems as recently as five years ago. Nearly half of those same institutions have close to 50% of their classrooms outfitted with AV equipment today. * About 75% of the demand for new AV equipment in higher education is driven by construction of new classrooms. About 25% of the demand is as a result of the need for upgrades to existing systems or facilities. * Four-year private institutions comprise 40% of the higher education AV market. Four-year public institutions comprise 22% of the market, while two-year public institutions constitute 21% of the market.?