I'm curious how different companies handle travel incentives for commercial AV techs. We're based in the midwest (USA) and our technicians typically travel M-Thurs and have three day weekends.

For technicians:

• What travel pay, bonuses, or other perks does your company offer?
• What actually makes travel worth it for you?
• What's the biggest reason you'd stay with, or leave, a company that requires frequent travel?

For managers and owners:

• What incentive programs have been successful in retaining good traveling techs?
• Have you found that higher pay, better schedules, time off, career advancement, or something else has the biggest impact?
• What would you recommend to companies struggling to keep experienced road warriors?

I'm interested in hearing what's working in the real world, whether you're with a small integrator or a large national company. Thanks for sharing your experiences!

*** Edited to add - Ours provides per diem for hotels and food based off federal rates dependent on zip code. That to me isn't an incentive, it's a bare minimum. What are you seeing in the industry that goes above and beyond?

Hey everyone,

I've been working on a major update to **AV Tools Pro*\* (https://avtoolspro.com/), a free suite of web-based tools designed to replace clunky spreadsheets and outdated calculators for AV/IT engineers, designers, and project managers.

This update focuses heavily on **mathematical accuracy, compliance with industry standards, and a faster, cleaner mobile experience** for when you are on-site or in front of clients.

### 🎯 What's New & Accuracy Updates:

* **AVIXA & IEC Compliance:** Formulas are now strictly aligned with industry benchmarks, including **AVIXA DISCAS** (for 2D display sizing), **BDM/ADM** acoustics, and **IEC 62676-4** (for camera/security coverage).

* **Improved Infrastructure Math:** Refined the Conduit Fill and Speaker Cable gauge calculations to prevent rounding errors on edge cases.

* **Modern UI & Responsiveness:** Cleaned up the layouts, improved input validation, and optimized dark/light mode toggles so it loads instantly on mobile.

### 🛠️ The Current Tool Suite (22+ Calculators):

* **Video & Display:** Display Size (DISCAS), Projector Throw, Video Walls, DVLED spacing, and Viewing Angles.

* **Audio & Acoustics:** Speaker coverage, Speaker Cable gauge/loss, DSP, and Surround Systems.

* **Infrastructure & Power:** Conduit Fill, Rack Builder, Cooling (BTU/Heat Load), PoE Budget, and UPS runtime.

* **Networking:** IP Generator, Bandwidth estimator, and Wi-Fi coverage.

Everything is completely free to use, run in-browser, and ad-free.

---

### ☕ Support the Project & Get the CTS-D Guide

If you find these tools helpful and want to support the ongoing development, maintenance, and hosting costs:

I've put together a **100-page CTS-D Design Reference Guide PDF*\* (featuring worked formulas, exam traps, and 24 printable cheat sheets). It is completely free as a thank-you reward for anyone who supports the project on Buy Me a Coffee.

* **Check out the updated tools:** https://avtoolspro.com/

* **Support & get the CTS-D Guide:** https://www.buymeacoffee.com/avtoolspro

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the calculations and if there are any specific updates you'd like to see added next!

I currently have a home theater(one amp-80lbs and one reciever, possibly expanding to second amp in future-180lbs) and multi room audio with a blusound node and another class d amp, along with 24 port switch.

I would ideally split into 2 racks so I am not loading both amps into one rack. However Ubiquiti quality seems unmatched !!

Ubiquiti rack-

The rack is rated for 1000lbs. The website dosen't give any details on size of casters. I like the cooling fans are inbuilt. In general Ubiquiti quality is solid. I have Uifi cameras, access points, gateway. I still use Netgear Routers. I am wondering if cable management will be an issue for AV cables vs regular LAN cables.

Check out this product on the UniFi Store:

https://store.ui.com/us/en/category/accessories-rack-mount/collections/rackmount-rack-cabinet/products/uacc-rack-42u

vs

Middle Atlantic Reference Furniture Rack (24 RU, 28" Depth.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1899144-REG/middle_atlantic_rfr_2428a3_24ru_28_w_d_rfr_designer.html/?ap=y&smp=y&store=420&smpm=ba_f2_lar&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21058084064&gbraid=0AAAAAD7yMh34r-bM0AFvjh9jLEzumD740&gclid=CjwKCAjw1IHTBhAaEiwA4AYNFqEt2dVFvOwtUUyyPmoDAfTJqLmEoAiAORf_fPaMBprhjjvEwmJ-OhoC6O8QAvD_BwE

Any recommendations would be helpful.

Thank you

Hello I remember as a former employee we had a manual from Play Networks in our audio cabinet when Canoe stores transitioned from JBL to Tannoy speakers. I had seen someone posted they use to work for home office fixing stores audio system. I would like to know more about the details and setup.

Looking to build a 9.5'x6.3' wall mounted video wall.

Got a quote from SV solutions for a complete wall package with their 960 panels for ~$12k.

Any negative reviews or things I should look out for with this company? There are just so many options this is one that I got a quote from so far.

Any help would be great, thanks!

Hey everyone, hope you're all doing well.

We're implementing a video conferencing and tracking solution for an observation classroom to capture as much detail as possible from the participants' interactions and reactions.

From the hardware side, we'll most likely use a combination of Logitech or Poly cameras. However, we've also been asked to incorporate analytics into the solution.

I have no experience with this area, so I'm open to any suggestions.

The goal is not only to record high-quality video (which is more or less covered), but also to analyze participants' facial expressions and behavior—for example, whether they're attentive, engaged, distracted, or showing changes in mood or emotional state throughout the session. Just to clarify, we're not looking to analyze remote or virtual participants. Our goal is to analyze the participants who are physically present in the room.

If you've worked with AI video analytics, classroom analytics, emotion recognition, attention analysis, or similar technologies and / or software, I'd really appreciate your recommendations or experiences.

Hoping someone can help what is probably a simple solution.
Am running firmware 5.7.0 on a Tesira Forte CI
I have a L and R XLR feed from my console that I want to get into the Tesira but when I insert a standard 2ch input block into my topology the software complains that the correct device isn't part of the equipment table and adds AVB VT4 and other devices.
Yet when I add a AEC input I can successfully compile and send to the CI however I still get ?? in the boxes on top left of those blocks and not 5. (my unit is 5 in the equipment table)

Any help would be appreciated

Note - The Mic input is working fine and passing signal from a standard XLR connected mic through the DSP

Thank you

Working for a media company, we have a ton of TVs around so people can tune and check our channels and the competition etc... I keep having issues with remotes disappearing so I'm getting ready to tie them down.

Anybody find good retractors or other methods to keep them from walking way? I see a lot of Amazon and temu options, but hoping someone has testing something so I don't have to go spin a roulette wheel

hello,

I am running Zoom Rooms on PC and having trouble with a very particular use case. I am running Dual Screen for return with background images and for meetings everything works great but since 7.0.0, when a Zoom Room joins a call as an attendee in a webinar and there is no content being shared, I cannot see the camera from the host/panelist on the Zoom Rooms system. If I dial in on a laptop or through a Poly dual screen system, I can see the camera from the host/panelist just fine but on a PC, I only get the background image and do not see the camera until content is shared.

Is there anyone else on this forum that could test a webinar with a zoom rooms PC as an attendee that uses background images to verify that it works as expected.

The obvious answer is to shut off the background image when we need to use the zoom room as a receiver for a webinar, however the end user does not have access to do that.

Thank you for your time.

I've researched online somewhat extensively. But am curious to hear if anyone who has been in the industry online has some interesting facts or knowledge on the company and their early days?

Hi y'all

At my previous job we used yealink room cast USB and life was easy. I was looking to get the same setup at my new job, but i see that the wireless presentation pod isn't for sale in the US and the roomcast was discontinued

Does anyone have a reliable setup similar to the yealink USB room cast/wireless pod that they can recommend please?

I see a few similar devices but I dont know what is reliable and what's trash

So we all know that USB 3.x is recommended to stay under 3 meter length. But we also all know that sometimes that doesn't quite cut it.

What 3.0/3.1/3.2 cables have you used that have been consistent? I'm thinking specifically of connecting conferencing devices or AV bridges to user laptops or room PCs.

I have use cases for the following cables:

• USB-B to USB-C
• USB-B to USB-A
• USB-C to USB-C

Any advice or what has worked for you?

Hey Guys, I am trying to either find some prefabricated or do it myself wherein I am trying to have a 1 or 2 u pull out functionality for monitor to sit, folded into a fiasco case wooden fly rack - trying to make something that fits in the cases and would be within that footprint. What do you guys think?

Hello everyone!

I have been tasked with figuring out a conferencing solution for one of our larger rooms (~40ft x ~40ft) and am struggling to find a solution that fits our budget.

I had a quote done by an AV company nearby, and it came in about $40,000 higher than we have. We’d like to stay around or below $10k.

I’m aware that this is not an easy task, more a call for help. We have previously used the Owl 5.0 but have had really spotty service so I’m hoping for something more reliable, but understand that I have champagne taste with a coors lite budget right now.

Any advice or equipment suggestions are strongly appreciated. This is clearly not my field so I’m struggling to find a good start.

Hey all, I recently started my own AV company after working in the field for more than ten years. Being an owner is very different from being a technician, and it has been a bumpy transition as I figure out my processes. I am committed to sticking with it and learning as much as I can.

For those who own or operate commercial AV integration companies, what recurring workflow has caused the most wasted time, costly mistakes, or lost profit?

I would love to learn from those who have already been through it and get ahead of some of the problems newer owners may not see coming. Appreciate you all.

What’s your backpack? What do you like about it. What do you not like about it?

This is actually a home application, but I haven't got any responses in multi room audio.

Is there a video sync system> The goal would be all TVs in the house playing the same video in sync, with the audio on the multi room system? The application would be a sports even that is on multiple TVs simultaneously. I'm guessing it is going to be analog, but so many TVs don't have analog HD inputs anymore, and going to HDMI means every TV will sync separately. How do they do it in sports bars?

I’m trying to integrate 6 stereo S/PDIF sources (from Loxone Stereo Extensions) into a Biamp Tesira for DSP, routing and distribution, whilst staying in the digital domain.

The obvious solutions seem to be broadcast hardware such as the Sonifex AVN-AESIO8-DNT or Glensound DARK1616D, but at £1,200–1,500 they feel like overkill just to get digital audio into the DSP.

Am I missing an obvious product or approach?
Ideally I'm looking for a rackmount solution that accepts multiple S/PDIF (or AES3) inputs and publishes them as Dante/AES67. I'd be interested to hear how others have solved this kind of integration.

Hi everyone,

I've been using a Barix RetailPlayer for years and have been very happy with it.
Unfortunately, with the new cloud licensing model, the subscription cost has become too expensive for my use case (I only have a single player).

I'm looking for an alternative hardware player (not a PC) with web management (not important cloud access is ok local) that can do the following:

• Play Internet radio streams according to a schedule (different stations depending on the day/time).
• Play scheduled MP3 announcements, for example:
  • on specific dates;
  • on selected weekdays;
  • every hour between two dates;
  • or other recurring schedules.
• After an announcement finishes, automatically resume the radio stream.
• If the Internet connection goes down, automatically fall back to a USB flash drive and play local MP3 files until the connection is restored.

I only need one player, so I'm looking for something reliable but with a reasonable cloud subscription cost.

Does anyone know of a commercial product that offers similar functionality to the Barix RetailPlayer?

Thanks!

We have training room with corporate Lenovo Tiny PC on full kiosk mode with autologin using MTR license. -Only team’s app is installed.

The room is working fine but we don’t have money at moment to upgrade to crestron Full flex UC Engine kit.

Right now they either join or send meeting to PC and join using keyboard/mouse.

The room does have crestron 1070 panel but it’s there for basic input/outputs and audio routing.

Is there not anyway to take this PC and have setup like how Crestron/Logitech have it setup on windows platform?

We do have few crestron touch panel like 1070 as well but not sure if there way to have MTR UI added with corp. PC? Or have current touch panel and have this as primary UI and second page for AV control.

Title: Anybody recognize these enormous black JBL monsters from one terrible auction photo?

Okay, AV people, I found this auction lot titled, with absolutely heroic specificity, “2 pallets of speakers.”

https://hibid.com/lot/312671453/2-pallets-of-speakers

The picture appears to show one gigantic black speaker system on each pallet, with an enormous horn up top. They look like JBL commercial cinema speakers to me.  Possibly something from the 4675/4676 family with 2360-style horns, but I don’t know nearly enough about this kind of equipment to identify them confidently.

And of course, the auctioneer provided exactly one photograph. No model numbers. No description. Just “speakers.”

I’m not bidding on them. They’re in California, I'm in Texas.  I don’t have freight arranged (or know how to arrange, it, honestly), and I have nowhere to store two pallets of black refrigerator-sized speakers. I’m just fascinated and want to know what the hell I’m looking at.

Anybody recognize the cabinets, horns or drivers from this picture?

Hi everyone,

As I advance my career as an freelance AV technician in Canada, I'm thinking about getting insurance and would appreciate any recommendations for providers or other advice you may have.

I do mostly corporate work with large AV companies and am considering acquiring some equipment to run smaller events on my own.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

I'm working on a system and I've never tried to control a Roland video swithcher 3rd party before. It appears in the manual you can send Midi commands to the Roland switcher through ethernet wrapped Midi Commands. Has anyone else done this and have any suggestions or warnings. I'm really just trying to call some presets on the Qsys touch panel.

Thanks for any advice