Honestly, the pro AV world used to be so much simpler. You’d pick a display, find some decent speakers, run a bunch of proprietary cables, and call it a day. But as we kick off 2026, that old "set it and forget it" mentality is basically dead. If you’ve been following av industry news today, you know the conversation has shifted from "what does this hardware do?" to "how does this AI-integrated ecosystem survive on my network?"
It’s a weird time. We’re seeing a massive convergence of physical security, IT infrastructure, and generative AI that is making even simple huddle rooms feel like mini data centers.
The Big Shakeup: Security 101 and the AV-Worx Merger
One of the most telling pieces of news hitting the wire this week is Security 101’s acquisition of AV-Worx. On the surface, it’s just another corporate merger. But look closer. This isn't just about business growth; it’s about the fact that AV and physical security are now basically the same thing.
Security 101 is a massive player in commercial security, and by bringing AV-Worx—a specialist in mission-critical control rooms—into the fold, they’re signaling that the "A" and "V" in your office are now officially part of the security perimeter. When you think about it, your conference room camera is just a networked sensor. If it’s not secured like a badge reader or a firewall, it’s a backdoor.
This move follows a string of late-2025 acquisitions, like Ricoh grabbing Presentation Products and VITEC swallowing Datapath. The "mom and pop" integrator is becoming a rare breed. Everything is scaling up.
ISE 2026: The "AI-Ready" Fever Pitch
Barcelona is currently the center of the universe for tech managers as Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2026 ramps up. If there’s one phrase you can’t escape, it’s "AI-ready."
🔗 Read more: The MOAB Explained: What Most People Get Wrong About the Mother of All Bombs
PPDS (the folks behind Philips professional displays) just announced their first "AI-ready" signage models. What does that actually mean? It’s not just a buzzword anymore. We’re talking about displays that can analyze the demographic of the person standing in front of them and change the content in real-time without needing a separate media player.
Then you have companies like Jetbuilt. They’re showing off a platform called Jetbot Drawings. It uses AI to take an equipment list and automatically generate rack elevations and floor plans. For anyone who has ever spent three days fighting with CAD to show where a single switcher goes, this is life-changing. It’s moving the AI hype into actual "let's save ten hours of labor" reality.
Quick Look: The Hardware Everyone’s Watching
- Sennheiser’s Spectera: The world’s first wideband bidirectional wireless ecosystem. It’s basically trying to solve the "too many microphones, not enough frequency" headache in large venues.
- Matrox Video: They’re marking 50 years by pushing the Mura DVW, an IP-based 4K video wall appliance that finally plays nice with web-based previews.
- Barco ClickShare Hub: The modular wireless conferencing world is getting a refresh here, focusing on "meeting equity"—the idea that the person on the Zoom call shouldn't feel like a second-class citizen compared to the person in the room.
Why 2026 is the Year of "Standardization over Innovation"
There’s a bit of a hangover happening right now. During the "hybrid work" panic of the last few years, a lot of companies just threw whatever gear they could find into their offices. Now, IT directors are looking at a mess of different platforms, cables, and software.
The biggest trend in av industry news today isn't actually a new gadget. It’s the push for "Standardization."
Enterprises are tired of their Atlanta office having a completely different user interface than their London office. They want a "standard" where a user can walk into any room on the planet and know exactly how to start a meeting. This is why we're seeing such a heavy focus on Managed Services for Data Collection. Companies like AVI-SPL and Creation Networks are pivoting hard toward helping clients use data to see which rooms are actually being used and which ones are just expensive storage closets.
💡 You might also like: What Was Invented By Benjamin Franklin: The Truth About His Weirdest Gadgets
The MicroLED vs. Everything Else War
In the world of big screens, things are getting spicy. We’ve moved past the "is LED better than LCD?" debate. Now, it’s a fight between MicroLED and "Chip on Board" (COB) technology.
Planar and LG are leading the charge here. The goal is "Brighter, Lighter, Greener." The newest generation of MicroLEDs coming out this month use significantly less power than the stuff we saw two years ago. This matters because of the new sustainability mandates hitting corporate real estate. You can’t put a 200-inch video wall in a lobby if it melts the HVAC budget and ruins your ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) score.
What Most People Get Wrong About AV AI
People hear "AI in AV" and think of ChatGPT writing a script. That’s not where the money is.
The real innovation is happening in "Self-Healing" systems. Bill Chamberlin, president of Verrex, has been vocal about this recently. We are finally seeing systems that can detect a failing DSP (Digital Signal Processor) or a dying backlight and either fix the software routing or alert a technician before the CEO walks in for a board meeting.
It’s less "Terminator" and more "highly efficient janitor."
📖 Related: When were iPhones invented and why the answer is actually complicated
Real-World Actionable Insights
If you are currently planning a refresh or just trying to stay ahead of the curve, here is what you actually need to do:
- Check your 2026 Title II Compliance: If you’re in education or government, the April 2026 deadline for accessibility is a freight train coming at you. You need to ensure your audio systems support advanced assistive listening (like Auracast) now.
- Stop buying "dumb" displays: If a screen doesn't have a path for remote monitoring and cloud-based firmware updates, it’s a liability.
- Audit your AV Cybersecurity: Ask your integrator for a "Secure-by-Design" document. If they look at you blankly, find a new integrator. The Security 101/AV-Worx merger proves that the industry is moving toward a world where your microphones are treated like network endpoints.
- Prioritize AV-over-IP: Moving signals over standard Ethernet (using things like SDVoE or IPMX) is no longer the "future." It's the only way to scale without ripping out drywall every three years.
The industry is moving incredibly fast, and the "convergence" we've talked about for a decade is finally, actually here. It's no longer just about the gear; it's about the data, the security, and whether or not the system is smart enough to fix itself.
Next Steps for Your AV Strategy:
- Review your current equipment list for any "end-of-life" proprietary hardware.
- Schedule a meeting with your IT and Security teams to align on networked AV protocols.
- Look into "Software-Defined AV" solutions that allow for feature updates without hardware swaps.
[End of Article]