Opinion: Page (1) of 1 - 09/04/03

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2003 Predictions Review How well did Kayye do so far? By Gary Kayye, CTS It's that time of year again. The year is more than half way over and it's time to review my 2003 predictions.

Each year for Sound & Communications magazine, I write a "crystal ball-style" article that addresses products, technologies and trends that I believe will make an impact in the upcoming year. And, each year, about half way through, I take the opportunity to review the year's predictions and see how well (or poorly) I'm doing so far.

So, here it goes:

The AV/IT convergence trend will finally be real in 2003: Well, so far, so good. Now, every projector manufacturer has network-enabled projectors, every switcher manufacturer either has integrated network-compatibility or using an IP to RS232 adapter, can make their boxes IP-able. Both Crestron and AMX have networked control systems. Crestron's RoomView, however, is the big winner here! It's a free software application that, when used with any Crestron eControl control system, can monitor every room, device and person using any AV equipment.

Finally, in 2003, there will be an ROI on Videoconferencing: If you haven't seen or aren't already selling Sonic Foundry's MediaSite Live, you're missing the proverbial GIANT boat. MediaSite Live, while not a traditional VTC product, is the "bomb" (to use my daughter's apparently hip term) when it comes to real applications of streaming video and audio via IP networks. It's destined to be one of the top new products of 2003, if not the top new product of 2003. It not only streams video and audio but also data (i.e. PowerPoint slides or ANYTHING on your desktop) but it's also perfect for web-based training applications. I highly recommend that you check it out and become a dealer as it will get you started into streaming with something that is a "real" application using IP-based integration - and won't be as hard to justify as a ROI as VTC technology still is today.



IT departments will become more influential buyers of AV than AV departments: This is certainly happening in many places of the world already. In university communities, they are, in fact, the decision-makers for most AV applications. And major corporations are quickly making the transition. But, want to know a secret - the fastest way to win the heart of the IT manager in buying AV gear? Show them Crestron's RoomView.

Chinese and Taiwanese projector manufacturers are coming: Even if you haven't noticed or seen them, they're here and affecting everyone. Why do you think prices have dropped so quickly on projectors and plasmas recently? You got it!

The economy will, finally, start to recover in 2003: Well, in many places around the world, this is true. Right now, in the USA, the government and educational institutions are the largest buyers of AV equipment and in Germany, it's the manufacturers. It appears that we're seeing signs of recovery and there's growing optimism that the second half of this year will see a major recovery of some kind.

Well, let's hope so, but the jury's still out on that one.

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Gary Kayye, CTS, is Chief Visionary at Kayye Consulting, Inc., a Chapel Hill, NC-based marketing consulting firm that serves the ProAV and Home Theater markets. In addition to strategic marketing consulting, Kayye Consulting, Inc. is also a training development company. Gary can be reached via e-mail at gkayye@kayye.com or through his Web site at www.kayye.com.

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Gary Kayye, CTS is Chief Visionary at Kayye Consulting, Inc., a Chapel Hill, NC-based marketing consulting firm that serves the ProAV and Home Theater markets. In addition to strategic marketing consulting, Kayye Consulting, Inc. is also a training development company. Gary can be reached via e-mail at gkayye@kayye.com or through his Web site at www.kayye.com.

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Related Keywords:AV Guru Gary Kayye, CTS writes a "crystal ball-style" article that addresses products, technologies and trends that he believes will make an impact in the upcoming year -- this years article also appeared in his inaugural issue of Gary Kayyes rAVe in February. And, each year, about half way through, he takes the opportunity to review the years predictions and see how well (or poorly) hes doing so far.
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