Almo Pro AV
Almo Pro AV

Emerging AV Trends Shaping the Future of Government Facilities

by | Sep 2, 2025 | Business Development, Cameras, Collaboration, Digital Signage, Government, Networked AV, Pro Audio, Pro Displays, Signal Distribution, Uncategorized

Government facilities are undergoing a technology modernization – and AV technology is at the heart of it. From city halls and courthouses to command centers and public safety offices, agencies are investing in smarter, more secure, and more scalable AV systems to meet the demands of hybrid workforces, citizen engagement, and operational resilience.

At Almo Pro AV, we work in partnership with resellers and integrators to help them stay ahead of the curve. Let’s look at the top technologies shaping the future of public sector AV – and how you can leverage them to grow your business.

  1. AV Over IP: The Backbone of Scalable Government Infrastructure

Kramer kds7mngrAV over IP is rapidly replacing traditional AV distribution in government buildings. It offers flexibility, centralized control, and cost-effective scalability – especially for multi-site deployments and command centers.

Integrator Insight: Agencies are prioritizing TAA-compliant, secure AV-over-IP solutions that integrate with existing IT infrastructure. Almo’s product portfolio includes vetted, standards-based systems ready for federal and SLED environments.

Featured Product: Explore Kramer’s reliable AV over IP solutions, such as the KDS-7-MNGR, for seamless video distribution.

  1. Hybrid-Ready Meeting Spaces

PTZOptics Move 4kVirtual and hybrid meetings are now standard in government operations. Agencies need AV setups that support remote testimony, live streaming, and real-time collaboration with high security and accessibility.

Integrator Insight: Focus on UC platforms with ADA-compliant features, real-time captioning, and EO 14028 alignment. Almo offers training and sales enablement to help you map product features to policy requirements.

Featured Product: PTZOptics Move 4K offers built-in auto-tracking capabilities and comes native with NDI® HX3 for unparalleled performance and versatility.

  1. Digital Signage for Public Messaging and Wayfinding

SpinetiX media playerDigital signage is becoming essential for real-time alerts, multilingual communication, and interactive wayfinding in public buildings. Agencies are replacing static signage with dynamic, remotely managed displays.

Integrator Insight: Offer signage solutions with emergency alert integration and remote content management. Almo’s partners benefit from access to exclusive signage platforms and deployment support.

Featured Product: SpinetiX iBX440 is the digital signage player that makes
video walls accessible to everyone.

  1. Assistive Listening and Accessibility TechListen Technologies

Accessibility is a legal and ethical priority. Agencies are upgrading council chambers and courtrooms with assistive listening systems, captioning, and inclusive interfaces.

Integrator Insight: Almo’s team helps you spec and source ADA-compliant solutions, including induction loops, IR systems, and real-time translation tools.

Featured Product: Auri™, powered by Listen Technologies, is the first Auracast™ broadcast audio-based solution for assistive listening.

  1. Sustainable and Energy-Efficient AVViewSonic ViewBoard

Sustainability is now a procurement priority. Agencies are seeking energy-efficient AV systems, recyclable components, and eco-conscious installation practices.

Integrator Insight: Almo offers EPEAT-certified displays and consults on green AV design to help you meet agency sustainability goals.

Featured Product: The EPEAT Gold-rated 65” ViewBoard series from ViewSonic is made with over 90% post-consumer recycled materials.

Why Almo Pro AV Is the Perfect Public Sector Partner

court roomChoosing the right technology is only part of winning in the public sector. The other part is having a partner who understands the entire procurement and deployment ecosystem – and that’s where Almo Pro AV excels.

✓ Deep Public Sector Expertise

Our dedicated public sector team has decades of experience navigating government buying cycles – from GSA contracts to SLED procurements. We speak the language of contracting officers, compliance reviewers, and IT security leads.

✓ Bid and Compliance Support

We help our partners position themselves competitively in bids by providing:

    • TAA and NDAA compliance documentation
    • RFP-ready technical narratives
    • Grant eligibility guidelines
    • Sales Enablement & Training

command and control centerWe train your sales staff to position secure AV solutions to government buyers, aligning product features with mandates like EO 14028, CISA OT guidance, and directives. Government buyers value reliability and expertise – we show up with both.

✓ Exclusive Product Access

As Christie Digital’s exclusive distribution partner for the Secure Series III, we give you a competitive edge – delivering a high-demand, compliance-ready display that your competitors can’t source through standard channels.

✓ Integration Support

We don’t just ship boxes. We understand each agency’s mission. Our technical specialists consult on system design, ensuring that your deployments align with security policies, accessibility standards, and command-center workflows.

Partner with Almo Pro AV and Lead the Future of Government AV

Public sector AV is evolving fast. Agencies need partners who understand the mission, the mandates, and the technology. With Almo Pro AV, you get more than a distributor – you get a strategic ally.

Let’s build smarter, safer, and more connected government spaces – together.

Contact an Almo Pro AV representative to get started.

Pro Audio Trends 2025: The Good, The Smart, and The Acoustically Ugly

by | Aug 28, 2025 | Business Development, Networked AV, Pro Audio, Sound Engineering, Uncategorized

As we continue to barrel through 2025 (how is it the middle of August already?!?), I wanted to take a second to look at some of the trends that are shaping pro audio in our current landscape. We are seeing a steady march of technological breakthroughs – particularly in the conferencing space – which make our lives as audio professionals easier and our solutions more effective. However, as they say – physics is physics – and the spaces in which we are having to implement these solutions are making our success harder and harder to come by.

Let’s take a look at the pro audio landscape in 2025 – the good and the not-so-good.

All 1s and 0s – Networked Audio

In my opinion, we can declare the networked audio wars over, and Dante has emerged the victor (for better or for worse). Although many networked audio protocols still exist and see limited, niche use (AVB, I’m looking in your direction…), Dante now sees the most widespread use and adoption across the pro audio industry. Dante has become so popular and inexpensive that we are now seeing it at almost every price point – from budget mixers to entry-level speakers, and even some in the consumer audio world.

Networked audio is such a revolution that it deserves its own blog post, but put simply, it maximizes installation convenience and flexibility by routing all audio channels through a digital, networked backbone of Cat cables and network switches. For example, an event that used to require 32 individual input cables run from the front to the back of the room can now be handled by one Cat6 cable.

Not only is networked audio convenient, but it is also incredibly flexible. Routing one input to multiple outputs can now be done with a few mouse clicks. Changes can be made on the fly without even having to touch a physical cable.

Will Dante be the ultimate networked audio solution into the future? Due to its channel count limitations, likely not. But for now, its ease of use, flexibility, widespread adoption, and low cost, Dante is the go-to solution for 2025 and at least the next few years.

Audio-Technica beamforming ceiling micCeiling and Wall Microphone Arrays

We all work in the conferencing space extensively these days, and most of these spaces have the same needs: effective and professional-sounding audio which is as aesthetically unobtrusive as possible. Into this breech have stepped most of the major audio manufacturers – Shure, Yamaha, Sennheiser, Audio-Technica – with ceiling- or wall-mounted beamforming array microphones.

The amount of choices here is dizzying, but the technology in all of them is similar. They use sophisticated beamforming algorithms to isolate individual speakers, suppress background noise, and automatically adjust pickup patterns based on who is talking. Typically these are mounted on the ceiling, which eliminates the paper-shuffling noise of a table microphone, and the inconvenience and limited durability of gooseneck microphones.

Are beamforming microphones the correct solution for all conference rooms? Of course not. Most are limited to a maximum 25’x25’ coverage area, and audio at the edges of these coverage zones can sound thin. Locating microphones as close as possible to the speaker is always best practice, and some room configurations may not lend themselves to a ceiling mic array. Beamforming mics can also tend to be on the expensive side, so some situations may be better served by a more traditional solution.

The Challenge: Did Architects Forget About Sound?

modern conference roomFinally, for the trend that is assuredly NOT one that I hope sticks around, is the continued assault on acoustics that is modern conference room design. The aesthetics of modern conference room design seem to be engineered to be in direct opposition to what makes a room sound good.

Take a look at pretty much any conference room designed in the last 5-8 years: floor-to-ceiling glass walls and polished concrete floors that reflect every minute sound, exposed HVAC duct work that creates a continuous low-frequency rumble, open, cavernous ceiling spaces – it’s a miracle that we can hear anything intelligible in these spaces.

Although current mic and DSP technology can work miracles to overcome some of these challenges, the frustrating part of this is that with proper acoustic design choices, we wouldn’t need as many of these work-arounds. We are spending thousands of dollars on sophisticated signal processing to compensate for poor design choices.

These trends tend to come and go, so my fingers are firmly crossed that the open-ceiling, glass wall, concrete floor trends of this era go away – and quickly!

Wrapping Up

The professional audio industry has always been about solving problems and making communication clearer. We are seeing the promise of networked audio and advanced processing in action on a daily basis to make projects successful.

The future of pro audio is networked, intelligent, and unfortunately, still dealing with some questionable architectural choices.

If you need help finding the right technology for your next project, or have a difficult audio problem that needs solving, reach out to the audio team at Almo ProAV at [email protected]!

Audio enthusiast? Check out “Visiting the JBL Experience Center“.
John Rossman - headshot-frame

About the Author

John Rossman | CTS

BDM II – Technical Specialist

Supported Manufacturers: Harman Professional – AKG, AMX, BSS, Crown, DBX, JBL, Lexicon, Martin, & Soundcraft

AV Ecosystems: Because ‘Just Plug It In’ Never Works Out That Way

by | Aug 12, 2025 | Business Development, Digital Signage, Networked AV, Pro Audio, Pro Displays, Projectors, Signal Distribution

If I had a dollar for every time someone told me “We just need a screen and maybe a speaker,” I could retire early and start an LED ministry on the beach. Let’s be honest. AV is not a bunch of parts you slap on a quote to check a box. It’s an ecosystem. Everything has to work together or nothing works at all. When you get it right, the tech fades into the background and the experience takes the lead.

Here’s a real one from a client in Raleigh. High-end financial firm, fancy chairs, gorgeous space, zero tech harmony. Meetings were starting late, execs were sharing content through personal hotspots, and the poor IT guy was one coffee away from quitting.

We stepped in and flipped the script.

We gave them a Sony Pro BRAVIA 98 inch display that actually made spreadsheets look exciting. Dropped in an AVer CAM570 with smart AI framing so no one had to babysit the camera. Ran Legrand Wiremold cable management to keep the conference table looking sharp. Deployed a Netgear M4250 AV Line switch to handle bandwidth like a pro. Then added a Nureva HDL410 audio system that made the whole room sound like everyone had a mic, even the quiet ones in the back. Everything was integrated clean with Chief and Middle Atlantic gear.

Now their meetings start on time, nobody’s crawling under the table with a USB-C adapter, and the CEO stopped cursing during video calls. Progress.

Let’s hop down to Myrtle Beach. A boutique hotel wanted to upgrade their banquet space. They do weddings on Saturdays and corporate meetings Monday through Friday. One mic system wasn’t cutting it and the projector looked like it came from a garage sale.

We gave them an LG 136 inch All-in-One LED that stole the show. Installed a Shure MXA910 ceiling mic that catches every “I do” and every quarterly forecast. Added an Absenicon display in the lobby running BrightSign XT5 for customized welcome messages and event branding. Listen Technologies handled their ADA audio compliance. And they’re running everything off Atlona’s Velocity platform. It’s simple enough for the front desk to use, but powerful enough for back-to-back events.

Now they’re booking more events, charging more per room, and the tech just works. Imagine that.

Down in Guatemala City, a university needed hybrid learning across multiple classrooms. What they had was a mess. Different brands in every room, spotty audio, and teachers wasting half their class time setting up.

We standardized the setup. Epson PowerLite projectors. Sharp interactive displays. PTZOptics cameras with AI-powered tracking so teachers can walk and teach without losing the shot. BrightSign controls their content campus-wide. Netgear handles the network backbone. One ecosystem, one support path, one happy IT team.

And let’s talk about AI. If your system isn’t leveraging AI today, you’re already behind. From auto-framing cameras to predictive audio leveling, AI is the new teammate in the room. It doesn’t just make things smarter. It makes things smoother. Faster. Simpler. That’s the real win.

The truth is, when AV is done right, people don’t talk about the tech. They talk about how great the space feels. That’s the goal. And we get there by building real ecosystems, not tech Frankensteins.

So whether you’re designing a boardroom in Raleigh, a venue in Myrtle Beach, or a classroom in Bogotá, stop cobbling. Start connecting.

You bring the vision. We’ll bring the brands and the brains to make it all work.

Want to read more from Gisela? Check out “The Impact of AV Over IP on Global Installations: Why is everyone converting?“
Gisela Ramirez, Sales Director - LATAM

About the Author

Gisela Ramirez

Sales Director – LATAM

Exertis Almo

Why Your Church Clients Struggle with Sound – and How You Can Help

by | Aug 5, 2025 | Business Development, Pro Audio, Pro Services, Uncategorized

Have you ever walked into a worship service and the sound was bad? You’re not alone. “Sound” in and of itself isn’t bad. It’s a combination of musicians, instruments, sound equipment, acoustics and whoever has been tasked with mixing the sound.

That’s a lot of things in the sound pathway to the listeners and with an amazing number of variables in each step.

I’ve been involved in church sound for almost four decades and historically, at least for me, my main struggles don’t normally involve the musicians or their instruments.

That leaves the sound equipment, acoustics and the sound person – and fixing any of these can be costly.

The Sound Equipment:

The cost of sound equipment, especially for small or struggling congregations, can be a challenge. Complicating that – and often setting unrealistic expectations – is equipment that can be found cheaply online. It’s often an off-brand name sporting ridiculously low prices. (A hint here: If it says, “Professional” in the name or description, it usually isn’t, and that applies to many more things than sound gear.)

When an equipment upgrade or renovation is evident, the research usually starts with an online post that begins with, “What can I get for $xx?” If the cost and not the application is always paramount, you’re probably headed down the path of substandard, throwaway and unsupported equipment with a side dish of questionable sound quality.

I get it. Dollars can be hard to come by. I faced it every time I needed equipment for the sound business I used to run. However, I never once regretted putting off a purchase so I could afford better equipment the first time. I did -multiple times -regret buying the ever-so-popular inexpensive substitutes because it was “all I could afford”.

The Room:

The big questions here are, “Is this room suitable for the particular worship style and can the spoken word be heard intelligibly?”

This quote is from Jun Lim, an AV Designer and Instructor in the Philippines:
“No matter how excellent an audio system is, it cannot surpass the limitations imposed by the acoustic environment.”

Read that again and take it in. That quote is worth plastering everywhere.

The late John Murray said, “Once the sound leaves the loudspeakers, it’s out in the wild.”

They are both saying the same thing. The room matters. If the room sucks, the sound is going to suck. If you’re wanting a contemporary worship style in a cathedral that was designed for Gregorian chants, it’s not going to work. The reverse is true as well – Gregorian chants won’t work in a drywall box.

Sadly, acoustical analysis and treatment is the most oft-neglected aspect in all of Pro AV – including House of Worship (HoW). It seems easier to justify purchasing a loudspeaker or a screen because you can better see that tangible asset. Where did the congregation’s money go? You can see it hanging right there!

Spending money on acoustical analysis and treatment can sometimes be a harder sell as sometimes we think technology can fix everything. If we adhere to that mentality, we end up in a constant cycle of buying the latest, greatest most updatest mic, console, loudspeaker, processor, etc. while never addressing the core problem: the acoustic environment.

It’s also amazing how well you can make lower-end equipment sound in a good room.

The Sound Person:

The Tech Team (if you’re fortunate enough to have a team) is usually all volunteer and not often a sound professional. They only get to practice their craft about eight hours a month if they’re the only one doing it and if that’s the only band and room they know, it’s hard to develop increasing skills. Sadly, without proper training, learning may only come through tribal knowledge, and misconceptions about how to run sound and how to tune a sound system run rampant.

Where to Spend the Congregants’ Money:
Dollars are not unlimited so you will need to make choices. My recommendation is to forget the gear and first consider the acoustic environment. Ask the question, “Is this room properly suited for what we are trying to accomplish?” If not, fix it. After the room is fixed, consider equipment but not until then.

While I can buy wireless microphones online for as little as $25.00 per channel, don’t let temptation get the best of you. You should know better. While a budget wireless system might run you a bit over $300.00 per channel, consider for around $500.00 the increased sound quality of a hardwired mic by the same well-known microphone manufacturer as an alternative. (Who would not want to sing into a Shure KSM or a Sennheiser MD 431 II?)

The same philosophy should be used for every aspect of your sound system. What’s popular may not always be the best. Upgrades and replacements may have to be done over time. Another overlooked practice is the establishment of a budget for maintenance and upgrades.

It’s also probably going to be more expensive than you think.

How Can Almo Pro AV help?

We are here to assist integrators in a variety of ways when needed. We can cover it all, from contacts for acoustical treatments and recommendations to full-blown paid engineering services through our LinkLab services division.

Your Almo salesperson can provide direction and can loop in any of us on the audio or product teams as needed. We carry well-known, reputable and respected brands like JBL, Crown, Electro-Voice, Dynacord, Bose Professional, Sennheiser, Shure, Audio-Technica, Ashly, LEA Professional, Allen & Heath and many, many more.

Need audio training? Synergetic Audio Concepts has the best online technical training on the planet. Need more than the technical skills, check out Curt Taipale’s Church Sound Check.

Tom Kehr
About the Author

Tom Kehr

CTS-D, CTS-I, Network+, LEED Green Associate, ISF-C, ATD Master Trainer

In-House System Designer and Trainer

Supported Applications: System Design

Where Talent Meets Teamwork: The Real Magic Behind Pro AV

by | Jun 19, 2025 | Business Development, Pro Audio, Pro Displays, Pro Services, Professional Development, Uncategorized

You can spec the sharpest display, install the cleanest rack, tune the tightest DSP—but without connection? It’s just a bunch of impressive parts sitting quietly.

AV isn’t about isolated greatness. It’s about what happens when individual talent meets collective purpose—when the right people and the right gear sync up to create something greater than the sum of its parts.

This industry runs on collaboration—and that’s my favorite part.

Every Piece and Every Person Matters

On the surface, a polished AV system looks seamless. But behind that experience is a network of sharp minds, skilled hands, and real-time teamwork.

  • Displays shine because someone spec’d the right brightness.
  • Tom KehrAudio hits because someone knew how to tune it.
  • Control works because someone thought through the end-user experience.

Individual talent makes it shine—but collaboration is what makes it unforgettable.

A few weeks before Easter, one of our audio pros, Tom Kehr, CTS-D, CTS-I, helped me figure out what questions to ask the AV tech at my church to spec headsets. That gave me exactly what I needed to take to our always-friendly and responsive partner, Sean at Shure, who helped me choose the best headset option available in time for the Easter program. Just a few small pieces of gear—but a perfect example of how great results come from people working together and sharing what they know.

This Industry Runs on Connection

Compatibility. Sync. Collaboration.
These aren’t just tech specs—they’re the values that keep ProAV moving.

Jennifer FisherWe play well with others. We share what we know. And we show up—online, onsite, at trainings, and at events. Trade shows and demos give us a chance to exchange more than information—we share a little of ourselves. That’s where real bonds form, and those connections make everything we do together stronger.

Whether it’s our in-house technical lead Eric Olson, CTS, hopping on a call to break down complex specs… or my west coast LG BDM counterpart, Jennifer Fisher, turning a long-lead DVLED project into a ready-to-ship solution by combining two of LG’s 136” all-in-one DVLED bundles with a connector kit—saving time and serious money… or Daryl from LG following up on an RMA on his day off to make sure it’s approved in time for a grand opening.

Darryl SeeseIt’s these behind-the-scenes wins that turn potential into real results.

Almo: Collective Support in Action

At Almo, nothing moves alone—including our reseller and dealer partners.

Our culture is rooted in integrity, innovation, teamwork, and treating people like family. That’s how we show up for each other—and it’s why we’re able to support the AV industry in such a meaningful way.

Every win is backed by a crew that makes it happen:

  • Sales reps who stay sharp to offer real solutions
  • BDMs who bring product expertise and project support
  • LinkLab specialists who step in with programming, drafting, and install services when you need them
  • Warehouse teams who pack with care and move fast
  • Buyers who keep gear in stock
  • Behind-the-scenes pros in registrations, claims, inside sales, IT, and marketing—working together to deliver the best experience for everyone involved

We don’t just move product—we help move the whole project forward.

The Best Part of AV? The People.

This industry doesn’t just run on tech. It runs on people who care.

People who dig into design, stay up on specs, and solve problems under pressure.
People who build not just systems—but experiences—for the people who use them, and with the people who help bring them to life.

And we have a good time doing it. I’m proud to be part of that.

LG team

Together Is How It Works

AV isn’t a solo gig—it’s a team effort from start to finish.

When strong products and sharp professionals sync up, the result is something no single piece could achieve alone.

So here’s to the techs, the trainers, the reps, the warehouse teams, and our vendor and reseller partners. To the folks who ask smart questions, find better answers, and always make time to help.

When we plug in, sync up, and support each other — we build systems that work, and an industry that works even better.

Want to know more? Check out Tiff’s other blog “What’s a Business Development Manager (BDM), and What Value Do They Bring To Exertis Almo Resellers?“
Tiff Jones-Morton headshot-frame

About the Author

Tiff Jones-Morton | DSCE

BDM – Brand Specialist

Supported Manufacturers: LG Business Solutions (NE, SE, MW)

Contact Exertis Almo for product info, inventory availability, or to start a quote.

Case Study: High School Stadium Audio Upgrade

by | Jun 17, 2025 | Business Development, Education, Pro Audio, Sound Engineering, Uncategorized

One of the great parts about my job is that I get the chance to work on a wide range of exciting projects, each with their own unique challenges. The particulars of each project help keep me on my toes and ensure that we never apply a “one size fits all” approach. I wanted to share with you a recent high school stadium audio upgrade project that I worked on which is a great example of overcoming challenges – and bringing in external resources to help bring things home.

A customer came to us with an opportunity to upgrade a high school football stadium’s sound system, which was working but in need of a refresh. The existing sound system consisted of a series of Community outdoor loudspeakers mounted above the home side press box:

stadium press box

Although these speakers were functional, attendees were complaining that announcements and music could not be heard over the crowd noise, particularly at larger events with a full capacity crowd, and particularly on the visitors’ stands, which are over 400’ away on the other side of the stadium.

stadium aerial view

My first thought was to add speakers to the light poles on the visitors’ side to improve coverage and intelligibility. However, according to the customer, the school was unwilling to add trenching to the other side for this project, and there were no known pathways connecting the two sides.

With this disappointing piece of news in hand, I knew I needed a second opinion, so I decided to reach out to one of the most capable and helpful people in the industry – Harman’s Dave Tewksbury. Dave is an amazing and knowledgeable resource on all things JBL and BSS, and I knew he could help to find a creative solution.

AW566 loud speakersAfter explaining the limitations of the project, Dave surprised me when he stated that JBL’s AW series of speakers (the AW566 in particular) have the ability to project over that distance when paired with the proper amount of amplification.

But what is the proper amount of amplification? In order to determine that, we need to have a target sound pressure level at a given distance. Although ideally we would want something above 90 dB SPL to truly overcome all crowd noise, the amount of amplification required to hit that from 430’ away would be both impractical and would overload the speaker.

Together we settled on a target of 85 dB SPL, which according to both Crown’s amplifier power calculator and JBL engineers, would require approximately 1083 watts of power for the AW566:

amplifier requirementsFinally, something we could work with! We settled on the Crown DCi 2×1250 to power (2) JBL AW566 loudspeakers mounted above the press box to provide sound to the visitors’ side. The home side situation was much easier to solve for – it simply required selecting speakers with the appropriate coverage patterns. Those turned out to be (3) JBL AWC82 speakers, powered by a Crown DCi 4×600. We also recommended relocating the home side speakers so that they would no longer be in the acoustic shadow of the press box roof, as the previous Community speakers were.

Through all of this legwork we were able to provide the customer with a reasonably-priced solution to drastically improve the acoustics and intelligibility of their sound system. We were able to navigate challenges which prevented implementing the “ideal” solution, and were able to provide them with an easy-to-implement significant upgrade to their current system.

My thanks as always to the invaluable Dave Tewksbury, as well as all of the great folks at Harman, for their continued support, knowledge, and help!

If you are interested in more information on amplifier power and speaker ratings, Crown has an excellent guide on their website, and if you need help with a complex or challenging audio project, simply send an email to [email protected] and our team of experts will be there to help!

Check out John’s other recent blog: “Digital Signal Processors – a Beginner’s Guide“.
John Rossman - headshot-frame

About the Author

John Rossman | CTS

BDM II – Technical Specialist

Supported Manufacturers: Harman Professional – AKG, AMX, BSS, Crown, DBX, JBL, Lexicon, Martin, & Soundcraft

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