Will virtual reality be the end of Pro A/V?

Ever since watching the movie Minority Report, a thought has been percolating in my mind, and watching a video this morning about the Microsoft HoloLens product I have come to a frightening idea... that I may be selling buggy whips.  Anybody that has read any business stories knows the classic tale about the company that made the best darn buggy whips but could not foresee the impact of the motor vehicle on their industry and eventually had to close up shop as there was no longer demand for their product.  

For many years I comforted myself with the thought that professional audio visual would be an industry that would exist indefinitely, at least as long as the time horizon that I am concerned with (until that time that my wife and I take the leap and land on a small island where drinks come with umbrellas and it never snows).  But now I wonder - will there be a cataclysmic shift that will endanger a huge segment of the A/V industry, in the form of virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR)?  More to the point... could it happen before I catch my life raft to paradise?

There are major players already in this space that already sell in the commercial A/V space (Samsung, Microsoft, Google for example).  But their Pro AV focus is dwarfed by other core business areas and the areas for substantial growth in VR and AR seem to be in software development and personal hardware devices such as eye-ware and tactile sensing technology (gloves, etc).  Neither of these are what my industry tends to deliver with exceptional efficiency.  

The gnawing thought I have is that if BYOD is here to stay, and consumers start using BYOD VR and AR devices, why will we need so many of the conference room audio visual systems that been the bread and butter of our industry.   To take this one step further, why will we need conference rooms at all?  As these devices and the software that drives them improves, the term immersive video experience will take on a whole new meaning and it will not involve arrays of screens and cameras.  In fact, as culture evolves the notion of looking at real human video images vs. an avatar that represents them may quickly become normal for us.  Because when it comes right down to it - how many of us really like to be on camera in the first place?

I write this post in hopes that the smart people I am connected with will weigh in with your thoughts on this.  Would you pay $500 for front row seats to see your favorite musician if you could be there virtually, with an immersive experience and crystal clear audio delivered in real time for $50?  Why do I need a large screen display if the content could be rendered crystal clear directly in front of the viewer on a VR device?  Why would I need a digital signage screen if my guests could view content on their AR device that was interactive and could give them choices such as wayfinding or corporate information without the need of a screen?

The once futuristic scenery depicted in Sci-Fi movies is coming quickly... as it emerges, what will be left for the A/V integrator  to do other than work on their resume?  Are we suited for the next evolution in our industry?  So far the convergence with IT has been slow and painful, but maybe that first step was only the beginning.  

Your thoughts, comments, questions or answers are all welcomed.  I hope you found this post to be thought provoking if nothing else.  Reply or hit the comments.  Make me feel better! Or worse... either way if you liked or hated this post take a minute to let me know why or why not.

Brad Orme, [email protected]