The Future of AV: Audio-Video Trends for 2023 and Beyond
When thinking about the pace of audio-video tech development, a quote from Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass comes to mind:
“Here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!”
This quote is an excellent depiction of the AV market right now. What was considered cutting-edge yesterday becomes obsolete in a month. Exciting discoveries and futuristic prototypes get old before even getting to the mass production stage. Keeping up with these changes is not easy – but we’re here to help.
In this article, we will discuss some key trends in the AV universe and offer our predictions as to how they will develop in the following years.
Flexible Screens
Foldable phones have already become mainstream, but what about larger flexible screens that you can roll? Imagine the space-saving and portability possibilities opening up once this technology becomes widely used.
While prototypes and even some extremely expensive consumer models are already available, mass production of larger flexible screens is yet to come. But it’s coming.
Touchless Displays
We already mentioned this exciting tech in one of our previous articles, so here is a quick reminder: a touchless display allows you to manipulate data on screen without actually touching it.
The technology relies on AI and sensors that predict your finger movement and which exact point you want to interact with. This tech has come a long way in the past few years, especially with concerns about touch displays and COVID.
Hologram Projection
Not just the stuff of fantasy as seen in the chess game with Luke Skywalker and Chewbacca. Sorry, we’re sci-fi nerds! This cutting-edge technology, 3D holographic projection, may soon become ripe for mass adoption.
Hardware for displaying it exists today and can be seen at some museums, events, and showrooms. Modern hologram projection equipment often has major limitations – for instance…
- some systems may display only basic shapes
- others cannot work properly in bright environments
- some produce 2D images that trick you into perceiving them as 3D
However, some exciting new tech is in the works. One example is Light Field Labs’ SolidLight which creates floating 3D objects that feel real – or at least those who actually saw it working say so.
AR/VR (Augmented and Virtual Reality) and the Metaverse
Augmented reality and virtual reality became buzzwords in the 2010s. However, their use is not yet as widespread as experts predicted a few years ago. Today, AR and VR are gaining a strong foothold in education and other applications.
VR classrooms offer an unparalleled level of interactivity and effectiveness, and most likely this trend will increase in the coming years. And we believe that AR and VR will have an impact on corporations, houses of worship, sports, and others.
The Metaverse and Audio-Video Technology
Keep an eye on the Metaverse and start thinking now about how you might take advantage of this.
Houses of Worship, AV, and the Metaverse
For example, if you are a church, you could do a hybrid sermon where members of the congregation unable to attend the sermon for health or other reasons could throw on some VR googles and feel like they are right there in the church with everyone else.
Corporate Training in the Metaverse
Also, imagine how this could impact corporate training efforts. It’s not always practical for everyone to be in the same room. So many businesses are doing hybrid events where employees who are not in the room can watch a video of the instruction.
Now, imagine this (because it’s coming) … instead of someone watching a training session on their computer screen (where distractions are prevalent), they could put the goggles on and feel like they’re in the room with everyone else meaning they are more engaged and more likely to retain the information they’re being taught.
This will also start happening for regular meetings like board meetings, budget meetings, and others. Video and sound equipment is going to play a huge role in these scenarios and many more.
Invisible Sound
Another new technology is invisible sound. Modern speakers may look great – but what if you don’t want them to be seen at all? Invisible speakers can be installed into walls or ceilings and provide excellent sound quality while leaving your interior design intact.
Installing invisible speakers may require some work but the result is worth it. This technology already exists, and we expect that the popularity of invisible sound will increase in the near future.
Spatial Audio
Another red-hot trend in audio technology is the adoption of spatial audio. In a nutshell, it is a combination of hardware and software that creates a 360-degree sound stage around a listener offering complete audio immersion.
While some may think it is only good for video games, in reality, use cases for spatial audio are countless. For instance, it is already changing the way we perceive conference calls.
Instead of a phone-like experience users are now able to get a natural feeling of “being there”: each voice comes from a specific direction and sounds as if all the participants were in the same conference room for real.
Audio and Video Compression
Software continues to play a crucial role in media creation and distribution. New compression methods contribute to more efficient media delivery over networks with less strain on bandwidth and less computing power needed for encoding and decoding the signal.
And let’s not forget about storage issues! Imagine being able to record hours of 8K video on your smartphone – future codecs will make this possible. In fact, you are already using compression technology when you post videos to Facebook.
Audio-Video Connectivity
A cable-less future is around the corner. AV over IP technology uses standard network hardware for audio-video signal transmission. Does it mean that analog AV tech will become obsolete? Eventually, yes.
AVoIP (Audio Visual over Internet Protocol) offers unparalleled scalability and flexibility. It is also cost-effective and relatively easy to install and manage. As you can see, there are virtually no reasons for this tech not to become the industry standard.
The Future Is Now!
We will continue to follow the hottest audio-video trends and keep you updated on new developments.
Want to discuss the future of your AV system? Let’s talk!