Commercial AV · Conference Rooms

Conference room AV that actually works.

2026-09-21 · Obsidian Audio Video · Houston

Most conference room AV is designed by an IT department that cares about the specs, not the experience. The result: rooms where no one can figure out how to share their screen, the microphone picks up the air conditioner but not the person speaking, and the video call looks like it was shot in a cave.

The essentials

1. Display: Right-size the display for the room. A 20-foot room needs an 86-inch display minimum.
2. Audio: Use a dedicated conference speakerphone with ceiling-mounted microphone array for rooms over 10 people.
3. Camera: Use a PTZ camera with auto-tracking, or a dual-camera system.
4. Control: One-touch start. Press "Start Meeting" and everything launches.
5. Cable management: HDMI and USB-C cables on the table with clean cable management. Wireless presentation for frequent sharing.

Common mistakes

• Under-sized display
• Bad microphones (built-in TV mic is useless)
• No acoustic treatment (glass walls create echoes)
• Complex control (if you need a manual, it's too complex)
• No redundancy (should have a fallback if the control system goes down)

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