Commercial Integrator December 2022 - 11

lesser-known suppliers) make " good stuff. "
So, baseline quality is not usually a major
deciding factor. What is important is the
decision of whether to buy commercial
displays or consumer displays. Commercial
displays are more expensive, but they
have many features missing from consumer
displays.
So, you might be asking, are those
features necessary? Let's consider them. At
the top of my list is duty cycle and warranty
relative to TCO. But the real decision of
whether commercial or consumer is appropriate
can only be answered by looking at
what is expected and needed for a specific
project. I can say this: In our consulting
services for our clients, we support end users
who might have bought a consumer display
when, in fact, they really needed a commercial
display. Think touch capable, system on
a chip, videowall processor, IR lockout and
more. That's tough to correct after the fact.
Is commercial always the answer? Of course
not. But commercial is a safe bet, and it's the
most flexible in any application.
It's also important to consider component
compatibility. We group this under interoperability.
Of course, everything connects
with everything and works, right? Wrong!
Think firmware, software, network ability and
more. Does it all work together as a system?
AV integrators know all this, but the end
user might not. In most cases, the research
of the " involvees " will not have shown what
works with what. As a result, all too often,
something does not work as hoped. This
ends up being a waste of time and money,
not to mention having a negative effect on
overall system operation.
Considering Warranty Issues
The next issue is huge: What is the warranty
on the product and, more importantly,
who replaces it if it's defective?
Who services and maintains it for optimal
performance? If an end user buys products
from multiple vendors, they expose themselves
to dealing with 10 or more individual
companies. If the product they buy is
defective, they will have to return it to the
source of purchase. If it was purchased
online, then it will take time - and often
involve frustration - to get a replacement.
Can they really afford that? There is no
responsibility for the entire system.
commercialintegrator.com
AV integration professionals bring expertise beyond what end users can ferret out
themselves. Integrators know what works together in a system and what does not.
Integrators know about serviceability, as well as system uptime and lifetime.
A small rant here: This is all about
end-user uptime. With our dependence
on real-time information and fast data
transfer and response, uptime takes on
a new meaning. What was your response
the last time that your network
went down, or the last time your laptop
stopped working? Think risk avoidance
for the end user and risk transference and
assignment to the AV integrator.
The AV integrator
must find a way
to regain some
control - not only for their
own benefit but also to
benefit the end users they
serve. The AV integrator
brings expertise beyond the
information found on the
website.
My final example is futureproofing. Most
companies have a five-year amortization of
capital expenditures. The AV integrator is
uniquely qualified to look at the products
set to be purchased, as well as the system as
a whole, and ensure that, where possible,
growth/expansion is built in. This is all about
operations and TCO.
The AV integrator must find a way to
regain some control - not only for their
own benefit but also to benefit the end
users they serve. Think of all the online
information that might (or might not) have
the proper focus and detail. The rabbit-hole
metaphor comes to mind, whereby the
pursuit of something (e.g., an answer or
solution) leads to other questions, problems
or pursuits, with no clear end. Think of
time spent and, perhaps, time lost.
Expertise Beyond Information
Managing this process and, yes, controlling
it will have exponential benefits for
end users. And this is where the commercial
AV integrator comes into play. The AV
integrator brings expertise beyond the
information found on the website. Integrators
know what works together in a system
and what does not. Integrators know about
serviceability, as well as system uptime and
lifetime. They know how to futureproof a
system for the end user. In other words, AV
integrators ensure, protect and increase
customer ROI.
The added value that commercial AV
integrators bring lies in delivering a superior
experience through a systems-design
approach, proper product selection, interoperability
and professional integration,
rather than a simplistic (and often random)
selection of products that are, at best,
" good enough. "
Quite simply, today, " good enough " is
just not.
Alan C. Brawn, CTS, ISF, ISF-C,
DSCE, DSDE, DCME, is the
principal of Brawn Consulting.
DECEMBER 2022 Commercial Integrator
11
PORMEZZ/STOCK.ADOBE.COM
http://www.commercialintegrator.com
Commercial Integrator December 2022

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