How Often Should You Evaluate Your Conference Room Tech?
If your business is like most, you’ve got a conference room or two (or ten) as a part of your facility. And every conference room has some smattering of A/V technology. As with everything tech-related, your conference room tech has a finite lifespan. Eventually it needs to be replaced.
We do everything A/V related your business could need here at Experience Audio Video, from entire new facility installs to small in-place updates (like a conference room refresh). When it’s time to evaluate and update your conference room tech, we’re here to take care of you.
Perhaps you’re wondering how frequently businesses like yours ought to go through this process. We can help with that, too. The Experience Audio Video team has the experience necessary to help you evaluate how often you should evaluate your conference room tech.
General Rule of Thumb
Our general rule of thumb is that you should take a conference room tech audit every three to four years. This is about the right timeframe where you can keep things fresh without any one piece of equipment looking too outdated.
Now, we’re not suggesting that you’ll need to gut your conference room A/V tech this frequently. This is simply an audit. You want to evaluate what’s come on the market since you last checked and consider what equipment is getting sluggish or unreliable.
Adjust for Your Industry and Style
Industries and businesses differ, we realize, so our rule of thumb may need customizing. We recommend you start with our rule of thumb — an audit every three to four years — and then scale it up or down based on business factors.
For example, if you’re a tech-forward business with gleaming, futuristic office space, three to four years is too long. And if tech isn’t a big part of your office culture, it’ll be ok to wait more years between evaluations.
Facility-wide Intercom System: Worth the Investment?
If your business occupies older facilities or ones that weren’t purpose-built for what you do, it’s possible that your facilities aren’t equipped with a facilitywide intercom system. You can see a real use for one, so you’re stuck with a question: is a retrofit and install worth the investment?
And if you’re in the process of planning a new build, you may be facing a similar decision. Yes, it’s easier to include a facilitywide intercom system when planning from the ground up, but still: is it worth the investment?
At Experience Audio Video, we’ve helped numerous commercial clients through the calculus on decisions like this one, and we can help you, too. Here are some factors to consider when deciding whether a facilitywide intercom system for your business is worth the investment.
Frequency and Urgency of Use
Consider first how frequently you’d use such a system (or, if you already have one in your current facility, how frequently you do use it right now). Some businesses use intercom features multiple times a day, and in that case it’s an obvious decision. Others use them quite infrequently or hardly ever use them, and for those businesses the benefit of having an intercom system may not be worth the investment.
Urgency of use is another factor. There are some businesses where having an intercom system is a matter of safety and security. In those situations, it doesn’t much matter how frequently the system is used. If it’s a matter of physical safety, your choice is clear.
Other Benefits to Your Business
Beyond frequency and urgency of use, consider what other benefits your business might realize with a facilitywide intercom system. Likely you can identify tasks that would be more efficient with one, and there may be a quality-of-work-life increase, as well.
Ready to Learn More?
If you’re interested in learning more about installing an intercom system at your business, give us a call today!
TV or Projector? Which Is Right for Your Conference Rooms?
At Experience Audio Video, one question we hear every now and again from our commercial customers is about how to handle video capabilities in conference rooms. Are projectors and screens the right choice, or would businesses be better served using large TVs? It’s a great question, and the answer isn’t the same for every organization. Let’s look at the pros and cons of both options.
Projectors and Screens: Pros and Cons
The digital projector has been a conference room staple for a few decades now. It’s ubiquitous, and for good reason. You can get a pretty large projection in a relatively small space, and when properly configured a projector will mimic the experience of looking at a computer screen for a larger group. Excel files, for example, tend to display in a size that makes sense.
Projectors aren’t without their downsides. They tend to be a little bit dull/dim, and some models are hard to adjust when they go out of focus. Typically, their onboard audio capability—if it exists—is terrible. They also tend to be fairly pricey.
Large HDTVs: Pros and Cons
The price of large televisions has dropped drastically in the last decade, even as their quality has increased just as drastically. A good large TV will have a sharper display and a higher brightness than the average digital projector. If crisp visuals are a priority, a TV or two might be the better choice. They often tend to be much cheaper than projector/screen combos.
The downside is that they aren’t exactly intended to be used as business displays. Play a video or PowerPoint, and they’ll do great. But if you’re displaying a spreadsheet? Your attendees may have real difficulty reading. They also tend to be mounted in more accessible locations, increasing the risk of damage.
Get an Expert Opinion
So what’s the right choice for your business’s conference room? Well, it depends. The team at Experience Audio Video can help you decide, and we’re happy to do so. Call us today to schedule a free consultation.
About the Author
Experience Audio Video has been serving Orange County and Area since 1999 for residential and commercial audio and video installation services. 5 Star Yelp Ratings, Thousands of Referrals, there is not a better choice than Brian Chappell and the Experience Audio Video Team. One phone call and you will know right away the difference in working with Experience Audio Video vs. others in the area. Contact us now at 714-744-4455 or info@eav-inc.com for a Free Consultation.