The Power of Partnership at InfoComm 2019
InfoComm 2019 was another packed show for Shure. Two trends became clear throughout the many conversations I had with attendees. First, that more and more IT specialists and software developers are attending the show. And second, that the focus on delivering full solutions versus component-based designs really resonates with these professionals.
New Partners
These trends were perhaps the reason why news of our Zoom Room certification on several key audio-conferencing solutions was so well received. Since then, we’ve announced a similar partnership with Microsoft Teams that is equally as exciting.
We were not the only manufacturer to announce relationships with software providers. IT continues to have a major impact on our sector, as manufacturers work to develop open platforms that support the software solution ecosystem our customers demand. We’re reliant on new partners in IT that have developed platforms, codecs and tools such as Zoom. It also means we’re adapting to their languages and communication styles while we ensure that our products perform flawlessly with pre-existing IT platforms.
Attendees were quick to appreciate the value of these relationships. For them, compatibility is mandatory, since many customers regard these platforms as the foundations of their AV systems.
New Perspectives
Something that people at the show really appreciated was this: while we highlight our products’ place in the signal flow, we also acknowledge the role that IT platforms play in making the actual conference room come together.
This awareness has impacted all aspects of our business, from marketing to product development. The fact that we take these platforms into consideration when we’re developing our products means that we’ve completely redefined how we look at manufacturing. Expect to see the effects of this in the future as we expand our range of innovative solutions.
Case in point: The impact of our focus on software was present at InfoComm with the introduction of our patent-pending Autofocus™ technology as a part of the new firmware update for the MXA910 Ceiling Array Microphone.
Put simply, Autofocus takes typical human behavior in a conference environment – leaning back or standing up - and accommodates for it, without bleeding in all the ambient room noise. It automatically re-adjusts and fine-tunes the audio pickup in real time for consistent sound. Autofocus provides a 1.5 foot adjustable coverage area to accommodate speakers, making it work well within Voicelift design considerations. However, this is not to be mistaken with auto tracking technology, which automatically adjusts lobe coverage to track a speaker despite their position within the preset configuration.
The Audible Difference
Of course, the benefit of shows such as InfoComm is that they offer a great opportunity for customers to be able to hear, in a variety of environments, the differences between products. We recreated an AV conference room to demonstrate how Shure conferencing products sound in that environment.
This contextual approach gave visitors the chance to see and hear Shure products in the type of environment in which they’ll be used. It also gave us the chance to showcase the full capabilities of our products.
Even customers who regularly specify Shure ceiling arrays, for example, are often surprised by the full power of the solution, especially as firmware updates become more common. Since its launch in 2016, the MXA910 has been vetted against third-party and customers’ proprietary DSPs and has proven itself time and again in multiple verticals. The attendees we spoke to at InfoComm were excited about that, too.
Eye on Technology
We continuously monitor the industry’s IT and AV software requirements and work with IT platforms to develop the products our customers want. With a decades-long heritage of innovation and quality, we plan to remain true to our brand and our customers, and stay ahead of the curve.
The AV industry is undergoing a period of rapid change. Shure is delighted to be at the forefront of it, helping to shape what the future will bring.
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