Brad Grimes's Page

You know you're onto a big project when you have to open a new office just to service it. Today I'm out visiting the new headquarters of Audio Video Systems (AVS) outside Washington, D.C. But that's not the new office I'm talking about.

AVS is in an envious position because it has carved out a healthy niche in government work. It recently won a $20 million contract from Harris Corp.'s IT division to handle all the AV at U.S. Army Materiel Command (AMC) and the U.S. Army's Security…

Back when I was editor of Hanley Wood's Digital Home, one of the first stories I assigned was about Best Buy's foray into new home systems integration. Not Geek Squad; Best Buy for New Homes, it was called. It had the CEDIA installers talking. So I didn't really blink when news came out that Best Buy's Magnolia division is getting into commercial AV integration. But it's got InfoComm installers talking.

Earlier this month, word got out in the blogosphere that Best Buy's…

And so it begins. Around this time of spring, the phone starts ringing and companies begin asking various versions of the question, "So, whatcha doing for InfoComm?" Half the fun of InfoComm is catching up with AV manufacturers on all the new gear they're introducing. The other half is everything else.

Now, InfoComm lasts longer than four days. Heavy-duty education from groups like NSCA and Syn-Aud-Con start up the weekend prior, June 5 and 6. But with apologies to United…

In prior years when I attended the NAB Show in Las Vegas, the broadcast industry's annual confab, I'd meet with product manufacturers who, upon learning I edited PRO AV, would say something to the effect of, "We don't have anything to show you." That was because until recently, broadcast and pro AV were fairly distinct. This week I'm here at NAB 2010 and guess how many vendors have said they have nothing for pro AV. That's right. Zero.