EI caught up with our managing director Nick Pidgeon to find out the impact of wireless technology to rack integration and what to expect from the future of AV...

What types of services do you provide and what are Visualization’s main aims?

Our core business is rack integration services for the audio visual industry.  As well as building racks we also distribute racks and related equipment & accessories, offer firmware & programme uploads, custom cable assembly and panel wiring. We are a bolt on to large partners that require additional resource. As well being a resource to smaller partners that allows them to save on overheads and concentrate on winning new business. Our main aim is to provide the industry with a higher standard of rack integration.

What changes have you seen in terms of sizes of racks, given that some solutions are no longer a standard size, in addition to wireless tech being so present now? Do you always use one centralised rack or do you have several smaller racks placed around the home?

Size and location of racks is often more dictated by the available space within the property, although the preferred would be a centralised hub system.

We haven’t noticed a change in the core elements of the rack since wireless tech has become more proficient although have certainly seen an increase in what once would have been a business style network incorporated within the home.

How has the growth in wireless technology changed your business? What impact do you predict wireless tech will have on the future of the industry?

It is hard to see from our position in the market but I would presume the fact that wireless has made the technology we integrate more available, in turn has increased the clients within our industry, the integrators business and then in turn ours.

What are the main issues/complications that you encounter with rack building and how do you overcome these?

We frequently see rack elevations with little regard for the volume of kit and thermal management so we look to educate our partners and the industry through CEDIA training on best practices and make adjustments to the systems we build accordingly.

How has involvement with CEDIA benefitted your business?

CEDIA approached me as a services member and the owner of Visualization, a company that specialises in rack build and integration to create a coarse around fundamentals of rack build, that they believed to be a much needed course.

Often the rack is a large element of lot of projects and prior to the course there was no set direction in how to approach it.

The Rack Build & Wiring Fundamentals course has been pretty much fully booked since we started it nearly two years ago. I am always frustrated with the lack of education in the industry and look to set a precedent in my profession.

As a services member, our involvement with CEDIA has most certainly raised our profile and provided great opportunity to network with peers and likeminded individuals.

What about your rack standards work with Infocomm Standards?

Similarly to CEDIA, InfoComm asked me if I’d be interested amongst others to be involved with a rack build standard task group to help write an industry standard.

Previously I’d always been given the impression that the InfoComm material was very U.S focused and took this as an opportunity to provide a British perspective.  InfoComm are actually very aware of this and much of the group has been selected with a global perspective in mind.

This differs from CEDIAs method of training by setting a written & visual criteria to be met. While InfoComm at any one time are writing many standards and working on their CTS material, my involvement is more focused on the rack standards rather than current legislation.

What do you think will be the next big tech trend in the AV industry and why?

I personally feel that voice control integration may be the next big thing, if not already.  But if you’re like me and feel a little awkward talking to your technology, maybe this is something that will be more utilised by the millennial’s onwards.

Do you think cyber security is posing a serious threat to the industry? 

The more technology we integrate together, the more I see it as a threat to our industry. The key point here is that it’s our issue to tackle as an industry not just to expect to pass it off to I.T and the client.