They say, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” But what if it’s outdated?
Keeping up with the latest technologies can be a challenge when the pace of innovation is so high, and new solutions come online almost daily. For office spaces, this isn’t just frustrating: It can also be a barrier to productivity.
Interactive Audio Visual (IAV), an Ottawa-based information technology company, can help by assisting organizations to incorporate new tools as they update their workspaces. Mainly specializing in technology retrofits, IAV introduces solutions that incorporate existing equipment for more efficient, cost-effective, yet high-quality transformations.
“Before the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations were beginning to change their systems from analog to digital. They planned to add new pieces of technology as time moved on, but the pandemic triggered a technology explosion, so they were unable to keep up,” says Ian Smith, president of IAV. “Now, they are left with tools that are no longer interoperable.”
When retrofitting an existing system, IAV provides an overall upgrade of the system’s capabilities. It then augments any equipment that’s still usable to improve functionality.
“The end result is better shared and better leveraged,” says Smith.
Helping local companies transition to high-performance digital systems
When a local firm needed to transition from an analog to a completely digital system supporting 4K resolution, IAV first determined what could be maintained from the company’s existing system.
Previously, the company used two different audio systems layered to support in-room and video conferencing audio. The resulting sound was functional for the company at the time, but clearly wasn’t optimal.
Another challenge was designing a high-performing but user-friendly audio-visual system, even for non-technical users.
“A frictionless user experience was a key requirement for this space: Users of this room are not technical by nature. A driving expectation was to be able to operate this space almost autonomously, and with very limited user interaction,” says Smith.
After an initial assessment, IAV determined that the existing amplifiers and speakers could be maintained. To enhance the company’s existing video system, IAV also reused the company’s cameras and integrated them into the new system. An additional three cameras were also installed.
“The multi-camera system receives information to determine which person is speaking in the meeting room and which camera best captures that person, using two-person camera shots. This system provides a clear shot of the speaker. It is automated and no user intervention is required,” says Smith.
A consistent, effective, user-friendly A/V experience
After IAV’s intervention, the audio is now consistent and stable and does not produce feedback. This solution has now been replicated in several of the company’s rooms.
“The now-stable audio is managed by distributing the sound in different places,” adds Smith. “The sound produced by those in the meeting room is distributed using conference discussion microphone systems permanently mounted within the table. Additionally, suspended ceiling microphone arrays are used for room ambience.”
IAV complemented this system by installing dual screens that support bilingual presentations at the highest possible resolution. Following the requirement to create a user-friendly experience, IAV implemented a room occupancy sensor to reduce the need for employees to interact with a control touch panel.
“User adoption has increased since the functionality and reliability of the systems improved,” says Smith, adding that his company has worked with this client for several years and that they’re pleased with IAV’s consistently strong results.
Technology is constantly evolving—but that doesn’t mean companies need to start from scratch with every tech upgrade. To ensure organizations can respond to fast-moving changes, IAV builds adaptable systems that incorporate existing equipment and enhance new technologies.
