About this episode

The panel discusses the challenges and frustrations of AV systems in higher education, particularly focusing on vendor lock-in and design issues.

Recorded June 12, 2026 In this Fourth of July–flavored episode of On Topic, the panel celebrates America’s birthday the only way they know how: by declaring independence from the worst habits in higher ed AV. This month’s grievances include single-vendor ecosystem lock-in, consultant-led designs that ignore campus standards, isolated “AV network islands,” overcomplicated touch panels, mystery DSP files, proprietary cables, terrible display home screens, and every “professional” product that somehow requires a cloud account just to configure the thing. Along the way, the panel debates automation versus user control, whether classrooms really need touch panels at all, and why interoperability always seems to mean “mostly works, as long as you bought everything from us.” It’s patriotic, petty, and painfully familiar: a fireworks show of AV complaints aimed directly at the systems, specs, and design habits we should have dumped into the harbor years ago. Alternate show titles: We might be making headway The future of buildings No new islands! At least a ferry service Press to start Blank and Freeze I want to agree with you, but… Sometimes people plug in things they don’t want to see…

People in this episode

Host: AV SuperFriends

Topics covered

• higher education AV
• interoperability
• AV design
• automation
• user control
• vendor lock-in

Keywords

• AV complaints
• touch panels
• DSP files
• cloud account
• consultant-led designs

Mentioned in this episode

Places: America

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