Top Factors to Consider When Purchasing Commercial Audio-Video Systems

A commercial audio-visual system is one of the most helpful hardware for businesses in the twenty-first century. It does more than improve the performance of your business in terms of productivity and customer engagement.

After all, text-based outputs have been replaced by audio, images, and video content that are easier to understand and more engaging. The new technologies have allowed companies to translate text-based output into speech and videos.

Other than that, a unique commercial audio-visual system can have lots of benefits for your business. It can increase productivity and team member engagement. It also gives companies a unique way of marketing their brands and products in Ontario.

In order to get the most out of your business, this buying guide will show you some key factors to consider when purchasing a commercial audio-video system. We will elaborate more on the importance of contracting an installation services company.

Understanding Your Ontario Business Requirements for AV Systems

Generally, every business in Ontario has its unique requirements; after all, they are competing against each other. It means that they do everything possible to outdo their competitors. Therefore, even businesses in the same industry don’t have the same AV system design.

So, during the initial consultation phase, you’ll have to elaborate more on your firm’s technology needs. Remember, every AV system is designed to improve your business, so you should consider your business’s current needs and what you’ll need to compete with the other players in the industry.

The future AV needs of your firm can also help the installers create a unique design. Unfortunately, determining the future AV requirements may not be entirely apparent initially. But after learning more about the different AV systems, your team may discover other ways to improve the business.

The best way to integrate some of the latest technologies in your firm is by going beyond the normal bill of materials.

Therefore, before settling on certain AV designs, you should do more research on different technologies. During the consultation phase, you can ask our team how various technologies can improve your business. And if you are working beyond your bill of materials, our team can show you some of the latest equipment that fits your business.

We can even demonstrate to you and your team how some technologies fit in your company’s settings and how it works. But most importantly, it has to be flexible, which means the design should have the option to upgrade.

Considering the Scale and Size of Operations

We would all love to go beyond our bill of materials and install the best equipment in our business, but we have to be realistic. So when designing the AV system, you should consider the size and scale of our business operations.

If you have a small boardroom, you won’t need an enormous displaying screen; instead, you should get a perfect screen size for the room.

For instance, if your business has a small focus room, you may need a non-interactive 45-inch screen. But if your company has a huddle room for a maximum of 5 people, you should get an AV with a 45 to 55-inch display perfect for video conferencing and small group meetings.

Boardrooms for over 16 people will require multiple non-interactive/interactive TVs. Installing multiple large screens in a huddle or focus room setting is irrelevant. But you may need a more powerful AV system with a video wall when dealing with a massive space like a classroom.

Assessing Specific AV Needs of Ontario Businesses

The main goal of an AV system is to reach the demand of a wider audience. It helps transform a written presentation into a high-quality experience for in-person and virtual attendees. But every business has specific needs, which means a unique AV design system serving its exact needs.

Therefore, you should assess your business’s AV needs before consulting AV service needs. For instance, you’ll need to make your business sound lucrative and exciting at a trade show. So you’ll need to incorporate more technologies to capture the attention of the interested parties.

It means you’ll need more than just a simple boardroom AV system. A simple boardroom AV cannot improve the quality of your brand in a trade show. Therefore, you can have different types of systems for different occasions.

Considering the Technical Aspects of Commercial Audio-Video Systems

After assessing your organization’s needs, the next step is considering the technical aspect of an AV system. You should know the different components of a commercial AV system that your organization needs. Some of the crucial features of these systems are:

1. Displays and Cameras

Suppose your goal is to create a unique video conferencing system. In that case, you’ll need a powerful camera to capture the videos from certain room parts and distribute them to others. You may need to capture videos of a couple of endpoints and display them to several rooms, devices, or displays.

Remember, you’ll be including virtual and in-person attendees, so the quality of the videos matters a lot. So you should always consider the lens quality, focal length, lens aperture, and resolution of the cameras. Plus, you’ll need reliable camera software for controlling all the cameras. On top of that, the size of the screens will guarantee that everyone can see the videos from every angle in the room.

When picking the display, you should consider the maximum viewing distance. If it’s a considerable boardroom over 14 ft., your display size should be over 52″ by 29″. A display below 24″ by 12″ can work perfectly for small rooms.

2. Speakers and Microphones

The audio part of every video conference is usually captured by a microphone and transported to the speakers. The microphones can be mounted to the ceiling, surfaces, or suspended from the ceiling depending on the required audio quality. Therefore, you need the correct type of microphone for the event or office. For instance, a gooseneck microphone produces high-quality audio but takes up more space.

For huddle rooms, you can pick a display with integrated speakers. But for large conference rooms, you’ll need speakers positioned all over the room.

3. The Codec

Codec helps decode and encode visual and audio data sent to the endpoints and conferencing systems. They’re available in software and hardware forms, each with unique advantages. Soft codecs are easy to implement and cheaper, while hard codecs can be helpful when video call quality and stability are mandatory.

4. Digital Signage Solution

Generally, digital signage displays resemble TVs but can be used for long-term continuous usage. Therefore, they’re built with onboard fans, durable components, and big heat sinks to prevent thermal damage. Digital signage displays are ideal for luxury clothing stores, restaurants, and ventures on commercial plazas. You’ll also need software to edit the layout and adverts and do several functions.

Evaluating System Compatibility in Ontario

An AV system comprises numerous hardware and software that work together to help enhance the experience. Therefore, you’ll need a unique AV design with compatible components. For better results, you’ll need the hardware with the same capacity in terms of voltage and watts. Any mishap can overload the system or produce poor-quality audio and video output.

Remember, most amplifiers and receivers are compatible with modern speakers, but you’ll have to focus on these components’ specifications. You’ll need to learn more about impedance to match the speakers to receivers. It’s the speaker’s resistance, and it’s reflected in ohms. Generally, impedance is between 4 and 8 ohms.

Fortunately, the amplifier supports most speakers, but you must ensure their impedance matches. After all, a low-impedance speaker can easily strain your amplifier. Therefore, you’ll need a professional to match the right equipment and guarantee high-quality output.

Future-Proof Technologies for AV Systems

Generally, future-proofing a system can be an exaggeration, significantly, since technology is constantly changing. But the best commercial Audio Visual systems should be able to grow and expand with the business. After all, their main goal is maximizing productivity; plus, they should support portable devices. A future-proof system will make it easy for your staff to work easily.

On top of that, conference rooms should accommodate hybrid and remote work models. Therefore, you should consider the business’s objectives for the next ten years and incorporate them into your AV system. It would be best if you worked with a unique integration team that can implement the latest technologies for optimum output.

The team can help you identify numerous pain points and create opportunities for future AV solutions. These pain points can force you to upgrade the system in the future. Some of these reasons include the following:

• Display disruptions
• Poor audio quality
• Frequent troubleshooting
• Incompatible AV systems

A future-proof system should account for the above reasons and focus on the following facts:

• Business objectives: Incorporating future objectives can make your system future-proof. They can guarantee that your system will always be up to date and never fail you.
• Budget for audio-visual upgrades: since technology is always changing, your system should be flexible and accommodate these changes.
• Scaling your AV equipment: when future-proofing your AV system, you should consider its growth. You may have plans to change the seating arrangements or get a bigger conference room. Plus, your system must feature equipment compatible with upcoming relevant technologies, or you may have to upgrade the system in the future.

Ease of Use and Maintenance in Commercial Av Systems

Generally, commercial audio video systems feature many components, including microphones, speakers, display screens, amplifiers, and cameras. Fortunately, each of these components comes with switches. But switching all of them off using their specific controls can be pretty challenging.

So it would be best to have a unique control interface that lets you control the display and entertainment systems from one point.

The right AV system has a unique interface that replaces the many sound and lighting engineers while streamlining operations and reducing errors. And since you won’t be using the physical switches on these devices, you won’t have to replace them regularly.

Luckily, all the companies selling commercial audio video systems offer maintenance services. So you should purchase a system that’s easy to control and ensure the service company maintains the system regularly.

Proper maintenance will increase the lifespan of your system so that you can do regular cleaning and dusting of the system. But ensure the installer comes to service the system at least once yearly. If it comes with a warranty, you won’t have to worry about system breakdown as long as the warranty is effective.

Evaluating Vendor Support for Commercial AV Systems in Ontario

A commercial AV system can be quite complicated, especially if it has more av equipment that supports a trade fair or other large conference rooms. Since you didn’t design the system, operating it can be challenging. Therefore, you’ll need a staff to control the entire system.

If you encounter any problem with the interface platform or error, you will need to contact the company that installed the system or helped design the AV system. Therefore, it’s crucial that you consider the vendor’s support team. You should go online and go through some of the available customer reviews.

The best vendor should have a live chat on their website that responds within minutes. They should also have more than two ways to reach them. Other than the live chat and via email, you should be able to access them via phone. On top of that, their FAQs section should answer most of the problems you may encounter.

You can get the above details from the many customer reviews found online. But if you can access their previous clients directly, you can get the correct information before settling on a particular vendor.

The Importance of Installation Services

An AV system can be pretty complicated, especially the installation process. After all, you’ll have to design a unique system to overcome certain obstacles. Therefore, you need to hire a service team to help with the design and installation process. Some of the essential installation services that some vendors typically offer include:

Access to the latest technologies and equipment

All trained AV system installers and designers spend a massive amount of time learning more about the top products in the market. They know which systems can work for certain industries and how you can use them to increase the business’s productivity. Therefore hiring a professional will give you access to top-rated equipment and technologies.

You will have a better future-proof and reliable system, especially when you need it most. Professionals, like our team will ensure that it does what it should do every time without fail or compromising on the quality of the videos or audio.

Provide desired and effective results.

Generally, there is no comparison between a professional installation and a DIY option. Sure, you can install your system with the manual, but a professional can do more than attach cables and ensure everything works. After all, they have undergone extensive training and have the proper credentials.

Therefore, they can overcome all the obstacles in your offices and ensure everyone can see the displays from any point in the conference room. After all, they know how every product functions and how to get the most out of each component. Their experience and training make them the best team to install the system perfectly with little to no errors.

Access to an ongoing tech support

Most vendors also help with the installation process. They help design the system and then install it to perfection. On top of that, they help with maintenance. But the best part is their tech support team. After the installation, they leave you with access to their support team, always ready to help you at any given point.

So instead of a DIY and various errors that can leave you disappointed several times, you should hire a professional to help with the installation process.

Remember, you will be dealing with different technologies at the same time. Therefore, some bugs will pop up at some point. These bugs will prevent you from utilizing the system to the fullest. But with their support team, you will be in safe hands.

Help with upgrading the current AV system.

If you already have an AV system, then professional installers can access it and determine what you need to add to improve the quality of its output. With DIY, you might purchase a new system, but a professional installer can work with what you already have and improve it. Sure, you may buy various components, but the results will be much better than if you try to figure it out independently; plus, they can work with your budget.

Training and after-sales service in Ontario’s AV market

Proper training is mandatory since you won’t be the one operating the AV system every time. Luckily the installation team can help with that. So when picking the right installation service, you should find out if they can train your team as part of their after-sale services.

Remember, they will be working with multiple technologies; therefore, the installation team must train your staff. And make sure they train a couple of people and even develop a manual for operating the system.

Other after-sale services you can enjoy from vendors are maintenance and access to their support team. Remember, improper maintenance can harm your system; the right installer should help with the maintenance process. After all, they did help design the system and are in the best position to help with the maintenance services.

The support team can also help your staff deal with several complications that may arise while using the AV system. 

Conclusion: Making the Right AV System Purchase Decision in Ontario

With the many components of any AV system, picking the right ones can be challenging. But with our buying guide, you know the right factors to consider when investing in commercial audio-video systems. And one of the most essential factors is consulting the right service provider.

A trained av installer can grant you access to some of the best av equipment for your business. Plus, with the right information, they can help you create a perfect system for your business. They can help determine the correct specifications and help configure the control interface. On top of that, they can train your team and help you with servicing the system.