AV trends today: The evolution of TV streaming and AVoIP

Remember when TV streaming arrived in our living rooms, phones, computers, and tablets, and made the change from traditional broadcast to streaming over the internet? It’s hard to pinpoint a date because it has been an evolving and continuing trend. However, both technologies are still extremely popular and exist alongside one another. The AV trends are moving in the same direction, in terms of speed of adaptation reach and popularity of the AVoIP technology.

While many assume newer is better, a quick comparison between traditional AV and AVoIP suggests, that while AVoIP is growing and impacting our lives – it’s not eliminating the need or desire for traditional AV. Just like traditional and TV streaming, both still exist alongside one another.

In this article we explore the AV trends in 2023 and take a non-trivial look at the similarities between TV streaming evolution and AVoIP trends.

AV trends and the evolution of TV streaming

It turns out video did not entirely kill the radio star, nor did streaming put an end to cable, satellite, or over-the-air TV. Despite the steady increase in streaming services, traditional TV still holds the lead.

Recent Nielson data shows that streaming accounts for 38.7% of consumption in the US, while broadcast and cable TV account for 49.6%; VOD and gaming account for the remaining 11.6%.

Regarding AVoIP’s regional market forecast, in 2023, the number of expected units was (in terms of combined 1G and 10G AVoIP shipments):

• Americas: 189,000 units
• EMEA: 148,000 units
• APAC: 223,000 units

And the forecast for 2026 is:

• Americas: 390,000 units (a growth of 106.35% from 2023)
• EMEA: 313,000 units (a growth of 111.49% from 2023)
• APAC: 367,000 units (a growth of 64.57% from 2023)

(Credit: “Mapping The Low Latency AV Over IP Market 2022”, p. 33, Futuresource consulting).

Clearly, despite the incredible convenience of on-demand viewing, virtually unlimited program selection, and wide choice of viewing devices, traditional TV is still holding its own against TV streaming. That’s because broadcast still has advantages like familiarity, stable prices, and no strain on the family’s internet bandwidth.

3 lessons that AVoIP took from TV streaming

Nowadays, the AVoIP market of today echoes the TV market of a few years ago, and we can expect it to evolve similarly in several respects. At this point, AVoIP has comfortably moved out of the early adaption stage and is now a rapidly growing market, particularly in mature organizations and large installations in government, education, and enterprise.

This means exciting times for AVoIP, with three key lessons from the TV market that apply:

1. Traditional is good, but new technology has advantages

While traditional Pro AV will remain relevant for the foreseeable future, AVoIP has distinct advantages. These include:

• Flexibility and scalability
• Speed of deployment
• The ability to support hundreds of endpoints
• Network security
• Remote support

Plus, it doesn’t need special infrastructure, thus it reduces the total cost of ownership, especially in large installations. In addition, recently introduced standards enable more connected smart devices, cloud-based services, and mobile devices.

But however advanced and technology oriented AVoIP has become, this places an increasing demand on IT network bandwidth, requiring it to evolve to support the load from AV applications. This must be taken into consideration and planning, while deploying AVoIP.

2. Existing equipment is (just) part of the equation

Leveraging existing investments is always a consideration, but it is also important to consider the current use cases and future plans. If there is good equipment or infrastructure already in place, and the company is not looking to expand, then traditional AV can be a good choice.

Here, AVoIP can provide an advanced answer to newly built buildings, or sites that are expanding (i.e. additional buildings on a campus or new floors added to an office space). And where growth and new hybrid use cases are anticipated, AVoIP is the preferred choice due to its scalability and flexibility.

3. Both technologies will continue to co-exist

It’s not AVoIP or bust. The shift is happening, but in the enterprise Pro AV market there is room for both traditional AV and AVoIP – and there will be for many years to come.

Just like most of us watch TV on more than one platform, in many cases, both traditional AV and AVoIP will work together harmoniously, each filling their unique roles.

In conclusion: AV trends today, and AVoIP

Traditional AV still has uses, but the AV trends of transitioning to AVoIP have many advantages. For it to become the standard, AV and IT departments must change their mindset and work together to ensure the best solution is chosen for the long haul.