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AV vendors to watch in 2025

Installation has hand-picked what we believe to be the 75 most dynamic companies in pro AV, in the first of a two-part feature

In choosing what we consider to be the most dynamic AV vendors operating right now, the Installation team took multiple factors into account across the last 12 months.

Many manufacturers introduced innovative new products in 2024, or high-profile installations that floated our boat. But there were other considerations, including innovating in areas such as AVoIP, or AI – as well as exciting distribution deals in new geographical areas, or intelligent acquisition deals. We discuss the key achievements for each company in this article.

Our choice of 75 ‘ones to watch’ illustrates the exhilarating speed of change in the AV sector. Technologies continue to evolve at breakneck speed, and the best companies are adapting to the rapid shifts in the market.

AV Stumpfl tech, deployed in Gasometer Oberhausen, an old gas holder, and now a exhibition space

Absen
In 2024, Absen announced the opening of its first UK showroom, in Theale, Berkshire. Serving as a hub for European operations, the showroom boasts Absen’s solutions in various markets, including rental and staging, virtual production, commercial, conference, DOOH, and data visualisation. The European hub also presents a display experience through collaborations with ecosystem partners. Alongside its strategic partnerships, it showcases Absen’s latest addition to its DOOH portfolio, the AW1.9. Meanwhile, Absen’s pro AV product portfolio featured in the showroom also includes its professional MicroLED KLCOB series.

Adam Hall
The Adam Hall Group, a German manufacturer and distribution company that provides event technology solutions, offers a wide range of professional audio and lighting technology, as well as stage equipment and flight case hardware under its own brands LD Systems, Cameo, Gravity, Defender, Palmer and Adam Hall.

In the past year, the LD Systems brand has introduced the TICA range of audio, for applications such as hotels, restaurants, shops, companies and schools. LD Systems also released QUESTRA v1.2, the latest version of the design and management software for its network-based installation solutions. Meanwhile, Cameo, the group’s lighting technology brand, introduced the AZOR and OTOS moving head series, complemented by a variety of spotlights for installation, broadcast and theatre applications, including the ZENIT models and PIXBAR G2 LED bars.

Adamson’s System Engineering
Founded in Vancouver, Canada, Adamson celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2024. It has been an innovator in pro AV loudspeaker manufacturing for four decades. The company has adopted a core principle of in-house manufacturing and has built a $4m, 16,800ft production facility with a high-speed assembly line.

Emphasising its commitment to innovation, Adamson launched the VGt Line Array System in 2024, featuring the patent-pending M140 MF compression driver, onboard Class D amplification, and advanced DSP capabilities. The launch of VGt, the first product in the Vergence Group, was highly successful, with several deployments during the French festival season, as well as on Canadian stages and on tour with Imagine Dragons and Jelly Roll in the USA.

Adder Technology 
Command and control environments require greater protection than ever due to the exponential increase in data, which has raised the threat from hacks and cyber attacks. As a globally recognised leader in high  performance KVM solutions, Cambridge, UK-based Adder Technology is well-placed to thrive. Its ADDERView Secure and ADDERLink INFINITY ranges work together to provide greater security for modern government and defence environments.

AJA Video Systems
AJA Video Systems is a manufacturer of technology for broadcast, cinema, pro AV, and post production. The company develops video interface and conversion technologies, digital video recording solutions, and colour management, streaming, and remote production tools at its facilities in California. Working in some of the industry’s most dynamic sectors, including AI, IP video, and virtual production, AJA is well-positioned to prosper.

The company believes there is strong demand for more flexibility and control of video workflows, along with the kind of low-latency required in broadcast. This requirement has driven efforts to improve how data and media are shared over long distances in a short time. Highlights include the company’s BRIDGE LIVE and BRIDGE NDI 3G products, which are popular in corporate AV, education and broadcast due to their ability to bridge multiple baseband and streaming/IP video formats.

ALLEN & HEATH
Allen & Heath, a British producer of professional audio mixing consoles, achieved high-profile installations in 2024, such as augmenting the sonic experience on the huge Icon of the Seas cruise ship, which made its maiden voyage last year, has a capacity of 7,600 passengers and 20 decks.

Entertainment venues Absolute Zero and Music Hall showcase Allen & Heath’s  S5000 Mixer. The audio apparatus has been designed to enhance Absolute Zero’s ice skaters’ performances in the ice arena. At night, the system animates the dance floor.

Meanwhile, the AquaDome features an Allen & Heath C1500 Mixing Surface and Allen & Heath’s SQ-5 Mixers form the core of the tech for several other on-board live music and entertainment venues. The upscale restaurants and bars are outfitted with Allen & Heath Qu-SB Mixers.

Barco projectors at Chimelong Spaceship 
Park, China

Atlona
Atlona, a Panduit company and manufacturer of AV distribution, AVoIP, collaboration, and control solutions, has a global presence in multiple verticals, including retail and hospitality, as well as schools and private businesses. But it has increasingly focused on serving the education and corporate verticals, introducing products to help them improve learning and meeting space environments. Atlona’s technologies also help the company to distribute, control, and manage signals through campuses and large office spaces.

The dynamism of the education vertical should continue as AV managers and IT directors freshen up spaces to achieve better connectivity. Atlona’s engineers help to design USB switching and management for AV systems using platform-agnostic technologies.

In its corporate vertical, there have also been good sales of the Captivate family of cameras and speakerphones for small- to medium-sized spaces. Meanwhile, Atlona’s WAVE-101 wireless presentation switcher has also performed well. And the company launched new Omega switching/extension and Velocity control solutions in 2024.

Atlona has also been busy striking European distribution deals. It spread its partnership with commercial AV distributor EET Group throughout the continent in 2024. From its HQ in Denmark, EET Group has absorbed all product distribution for France, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia.

Audio Technica
Audio-Technica, a Japanese company that designs and manufactures audio equipment, announced a direct expansion into Northern Europe in 2024 with the establishment of the Audio-Technica Nordic AB.

The branch covers Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden and has taken up operations under its new name. Audio-Technica also announced an expansion in Africa in 2024 with the appointment of Alpha Technologies as a distributor in South Africa.

AV Stumpfl
AV Stumpfl, an Austrian company that designs mobile and installation projection screens and media server software, has carried out a series of spectacular installations in the past year. For example, back in March, AV Stumpfl supplied the tallest screen in the world – a 40m-high projection surface from its Flex Contrast PRO range – to the Gasometer Oberhausen, a former gas holder-turned-exhibition space in the Ruhr region of Germany.

It formed part of Planet Ozean, an exhibition focusing on the beauty of the world’s seas. Meanwhile, PIXERA, AV Stumpfl’s media server system has been in demand, including powering futuristic video set-ups for Sonne/Luft, the latest work by Nobel Prize-winning playwright Elfriede Jelinek. PIXERA transformed the stage at the Graz National Theatre, Austria, into the gleaming interior of a spaceship.

Avocor
It was announced in August 2024 that AUO Display Plus (ADP), a subsidiary of the Taiwanese company AUO Corporation (AUO), had obtained the required internal approval to pursue the acquisition of Avocor Technologies, the Oregon-based provider of collaborative communication solutions. The plan is expected to combine the operational synergy of both companies in product development, business operations, marketing, sales and R&D talent. The goal is to build a comprehensive value chain to accelerate the development of smart education and enterprise sectors for AUO Display Plus.

Epson projectors, at the Museum of Art + Light, in

AVPro
In 2024, AVPro Global Holdings, parent company of the AVPro Edge, AudioControl Pro, Bullet Train, Murideo, and Thenaudio products, celebrated 10 years of delivering AV solutions and support services for integrators. AVPro Global is headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, with several US satellite offices, a European office in Bratislava, Slovakia, and an office in Shenzhen, China.

Acquisitions have helped it to expand. In 2023, AVPro purchased the home components division of Seattle-based AudioControl, a  manufacturer of DSP-driven audio matrix distribution amplifiers and immersive audio home theatre processors. Also in 2023, AVPro acquired ThenAudio, a boutique craft manufacturer of HDMI interface solutions designed to integrate usable legacy HDMI products with current HDMI 2.1-spec devices.

Barco
Barco, a Belgian provider of laser-powered cinema solutions, expanded its HDR by Barco premium format programme internationally in November, 2024, with the announcement of a new site in the UK, at Cineworld Leicester Square. Together with Cineworld, Barco enhanced the superscreen auditorium at London’s famed Leicester Square cinema with HDR by Barco and a new Harkness Hugo screen, beginning with the release of Paramount Picture’s Gladiator II on November 22.

The move gave audiences outside of the US a chance to experience HDR by Barco format, based on Lightsteering technology, for the first time. Moviegoers in Los Angeles, New York, Dallas, Miami, and Kansas City also had the opportunity to see Gladiator II in HDR by Barco when it opened in US theatres that same week.

BIAMP
In business, for more than 45 years, Oregon-headquartered Biamp has strengthened its portfolio with shrewd acquisitions. These include: Cambridge Sound Management, a world leader in sound masking;  Community Loudspeakers, a manufacturer of premium large venue loudspeakers; Apart Audio, a provider of commercial and leisure audio solutions; Huddle Room Technology, a wireless collaboration solutions provider; Neets, leader in control solutions; and Evoko, meeting room and desk scheduling pioneer. One of many interesting projects in 2024 was at the world-renowned Thunderbird School of Global Management, at Arizona State University (ASU), where Biamp outfitted 140 classrooms, lecture halls, and collaboration pods.

Black Box
Black Box is a global digital infrastructure integrator delivering network and system integration services and solutions, support services, and technology products. Black Box has strong offerings in network integration, digital connectivity infrastructure, data centre build-out, modern workplace, and cybersecurity. In 2024, Black Box, a platinum certified solution provider for Zoom Rooms and Zoom Phone, announced its certification to sell and implement Zoom Customer Experience (CX). Also, in 2024, Black Box announced the opening of its Hyperscale Data Centre of Excellence (DCoE) in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, which has AV integration a main focus area.

Blackmagic Design
Blackmagic Design, founded in Australia in 2001, has brought high-quality and affordable video editing and production equipment to the video production industry. Founder Grant Petty saw an opportunity to disrupt the market by offering professional-grade equipment at a fraction of the cost.

Breaking into a market dominated by established players such as Sony, Panasonic, and Canon wasn’t easy. But Blackmagic managed it by creating intuitive technology, clever use of social media and online marketing, and innovative product development. Its repertoire includes a wide range of software and hardware suited to the full spectrum of the film, television, and broadcasting industries.The company struggled for a while in 2022 and 2023 as the supply crisis hit profits, but it bounced back in 2024 and has a bright future.

Boom Collaboration
The fast-growing video conferencing manufacturer Boom Collaboration was founded as recently as 2020 in Texas, but is now making waves globally. In 2024, Boom agreed a partnership with TD SYNNEX, a global distributor and solutions aggregator for the IT ecosystem. Boom’s complete range of high-performance cameras, audio and connectivity hardware is now distributed by TD SYNNEX across the US and Canada. In November of last year, Boom launched a dedicated ‘meeting room in a box’ video kit for large rooms. It features an intelligent videobar, expandable mics and one-cable connection hub – designed to capitalise on high demand for ‘bring your own device’ (BYOD) deployments.

Bosch (Electro-Voice, Dynacord)
Germany’s Bosch is a global behemoth with a 2023 global sales figure of €91.6bn. Among its many subsidiaries are the pro audio brands Dynacord and Electro-Voice. In 2024, they were paired for an exciting project at Glasgow’s Kong Complex, a multi-site venue containing bars and restaurants, as well as night clubs and event spaces. Dynacord’s MXE5 Matrix mix engine was combined with hundreds of Electro-Voice loudspeakers. Each space benefited from an individually tailored system of the Electro-Voice loudspeakers and Dynacord electronics, all networked via four MXE5 performance matrices.

Brompton Technology
Brompton Technology, the UK-headquartered global manufacturer of LED video processing solutions, collaborated with partners on a number of exciting projects in 2024. For example, Brompton processing and Pixreal LED panels were installed in a new studio space created by Kantana Post Production, a production company in Bangkok, Thailand.

The studio features an ICVFX VP LED Volume – the largest VP LED stage in Thailand, and delivered “the brightest studio skyline of Bangkok City”. Brompton processing was also often paired with ROE LED panels, such as for a virtual production facility in Samat Prakan, Thailand – Figment Studio – which has been widely acclaimed as “the most advanced VR technology in Southeast Asia”.

Christie
Christie, a California-based global leader in digital projection and projection tools, enjoyed spectacular installations worldwide in 2024, from the Christie RGB pure laser projection used to power the “world’s greatest opera house”, The Teatro Real, in Madrid, Spain, and the Christie HS Series 1DLP laser projectors that illuminated major bridges along the scenic Suzhou Creek in Shanghai, China. Christie tech was also deployed for several music festivals.

Clear-com
Clear-Com is a California-based manufacturer of electronic intercom products, widely used in theatre, filmmaking, TV, concerts, and AV presentations. A striking deployment of the company’s technology came during the coverage of the solar eclipse in 2024. Leveraging its Eclipse HX Digital Matrix intercom system and Agent-IC mobile app software, Clear-Com provided the TV stations NBC KXAS and Telemundo KXTX with the tools to deliver live broadcasts from the Reunion Tower in Dallas, Texas.

Coda AUDIO
CODA Audio is a leading designer and manufacturer of high-quality pro audio loudspeaker systems, based in Germany. It has a growing reputation for its ability to support live events, such as a huge concert in 2024 by the French pioneer of electronic music Jean-Michel Jarre. He specified Coda for his ‘Bridge From the Future’ show at the STARMUS festival, Bratislava, Slovakia, in front of 100,000 fans. Jarre’s gig opened STARMUS, a science and music festival co-founded by legendary Queen guitarist Brian May.

Atlona Straslund

Crestron
Crestron will benefit from the growth of AVoIP solutions over the next 10 years. A Futuresource Consulting report predicting that AVoIP would increasingly become the technology of choice for video distribution. Crestron is ahead of the game. In 2024, the company celebrated the ongoing success of one of its most popular solutions when the DM NVX AV-over-IP line shipped its one-millionth unit.

Crestron also debuted several products in 2024, notably Crestron 1 Beyond Cameras with Optical Zoom for larger spaces, which relies on optical as opposed to digital zoom. Another important release was the Crestron Videobar 70, an all-in-one collaboration bar designed for medium to large meeting rooms. Driven by the latest Qualcomm chipset, the Videobar 70 provides massive computer power.

Crestron also announced it had added new points of control for unified communications systems. Previously introduced with Zoom Rooms software, Cisco Webex meetings, and the Google Meet platform, Crestron Control became available on Microsoft Teams Rooms, on Windows OS with page flip integration.

d&b Audiotechnik
d&b audiotechnik, a leading German provider of pro audio and AVLM solutions, announced in 2024 it had bounced back from a tough period with growth surging 30 percent. The US led the growth in touring and production, but the Middle East and Europe were also dynamic regions. d&b put the progress down to its MILAN systems becoming part of larger ecosystems, integrating with other standards, control systems and software, plus VR and AR.    

In 2023, the private equity firm Providence acquired d&b. Under previous owners Ardian, the number of employees had soared from 350 in 2016 to a global team of 1,000 with offices in major cities. The global growth trend for events, concerts and major events makes d&b well-positioned to thrive.

Daktronics
Daktronics has established itself as the leading US-based designer and manufacturer of video communication displays and control systems. Growth continues to be impressive. The company announced sales of $226.1m for the 2025 first fiscal quarter, a 4.7 percent increase from the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024. The previous 12 months were a period of high-profile installations, such as the 5,500sqft scoreboard for LA’s Crypto.com Arena, featuring 41.7m pixels and hanging above the action during LA Lakers, LA Kings and LA Sparks games, as well as for concerts, and myriad other live events.

Datapath
Datapath, a British company offering integrated control room solutions and video wall controllers, expanded in 2024. Its Aetria demo suites, integrated platforms for control rooms of any size, are now installed with more than 10 partners globally.

The markets for control rooms solutions are growing, especially in India and South America. Aetria is already being used on six continents and many installations continue in the Middle East, US, Europe and Far East, in multiple verticals, including healthcare, entertainment, aviation and mining.

In 2024, Datapath announced advances to the API of Aetria, increasing its compatibility with third-party software, including Crestron and Q-SYS, making it easier to adopt into legacy systems.

DiGiCo
A complex series of financial transactions has characterised DiGiCo’s recent development. The British manufacturer of digital mixing consoles and other audio technologies, announced the acquisition of UK-based Fourier Audio at the end of 2023, strengthening its investment in live sound innovation.

Then, back in April 2024, PAI Partners, a private equity firm, and Ardian, an investment house, agreed a deal worth around £2bn for DiGiCo’s then parent company Audiotonix, which had been created through the merger of three businesses – DiGiCo, Allen & Heath and Calrec.

Digital Projection
The projection mapping market is experiencing growth, with businesses and clients across various sectors, including entertainment, advertising, events and retail increasingly turning to the tech. Digital Projection, a brand of Delta, is well-positioned to prosper.

After three years of battling business and supply chain issues, Digital Projection has rebounded. The company has added new features and enhanced colour gamut and brightness to its projectors.

Digital Projection has also developed a new software tech stack that enables users to design and implement a complete installation within the firm’s bespoke software platforms. Using the company’s electronics platform, Nexus, customers can now benefit from automatic projector calibration. The precise pixel blending and warping is done directly in
the projector hardware, something the company says is unique to Digital Projection.

Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW)
In 2024, Massachusetts-based Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) consolidated its market position, with sports stadia, a particularly dynamic field. EAW Anya speaker arrays were supplied for the University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor-based Michigan Stadium, the largest stadium in the Western Hemisphere, seating almost 108,000 spectators.

A range of major league (MLB) and minor league (MiLB) baseball stadiums also turned to EAW. In the MLB, Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals, and Nationals Park, home of the Washington Nationals, acquired the MK Series, MKD Series and QX Series. 

Blackmagic Design at Fontys Academy of Journalism

EM Acoustics
In 2024, EM Acoustics, an independent British manufacturer of high-end professional loudspeaker systems, released its new R5 loudspeaker in its Reference Series, which offers full-range point source loudspeakers with flat frequency and phase responses.

The R5 was a smaller enclosure which the company said was a response to strong demand. The company’s portfolio has been in use in London West End theatres, live music venues, touring events, fixed installations and festival stages, including Glastonbury’s Acoustic Stage.

Epson
Epson, the more common name for Japanese multinational Seiko Epson Corporation, is a major global manufacturer with numerous subsidiaries. One of the subsidiaries manufactures projectors, which in 2024 were involved in a series of eye-catching installations.

Striking projects included being paired with the Modulo Pi media server, such as to help create the immersive museum space at the Museum of Art + Light (MoA+L) in Manhattan, Kansas. More than 100 Epson projectors spanning 37,000 linear square feet produced about 188m pixels of animated beauty for the Renoir: A Luminous Evolution, dedicated artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

G&D
Guntermann & Drunck (G&D), headquartered in Siegen, Germany, is one of the leading KVM manufacturers for control room applications. Continuing to innovate, it introduced the new DynamicWorkplace-CON at InfoComm in June 2024. Integrated with a digital G&D matrix system to create a complete installation, DynamicWorkplace-CON enables the consolidation of several CON modules and associated monitors, resulting in an efficient, easy-to-use working environment.

Genelec
In 2024, Genelec, a manufacturer of active loudspeaker systems based in Iisalmi, Finland, celebrated the 20th anniversary of its Genelec 8000 series. The last year has been productive both locally, such as the installation of Genelec’s S360 loudspeakers and 7380 subwoofers in four classrooms at the prestigious Lumit performing arts school, in the city of Kuopio, but also internationally, including the striking deployment of 70 Genelec 4430 Smart IP networked loudspeakers to power the Marvel: Earth’s Mightiest Exhibition show at its recent world premiere in Wellington, New Zealand.

Harman/JBL
HARMAN Professional, a US audio company that operates as an independent subsidiary of Samsung, operates several brands, including JBL Professional, Crown, BSS, Soundcraft, AKG, and dbx. In 2024, HARMAN looked to expand in the UAE with the opening of the 1,800sqm HAV/HARMAN Experience Centre in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The collaboration with Halwani Audio Visual (HAV), a provider of AV event solutions in Saudi Arabia, was a milestone.

In 2024, JBL Professional was in demand. For example, JBL’s VTX A-Series loudspeakers replaced the JBL VerTec Series system installed more than a decade earlier at the iconic Crypto.com Arena, in Los Angeles. And Clair Global Integration (CGI) installed a JBL Professional bowl sound system for the $2bn, 18,000-capacity Intuit Dome, home of LA Clippers and “the world’s most high-tech basketball arena”.

Humly
Humly, a US provider of workplace solutions, has established permanent bases in various locations across Europe, North America and Asia. In the past 12 months, the company has strengthened its reputation.

The Humly Booking Device was among the winners in the Red Dot Award: Product Design category, which aims to distinguish how innovative design qualities make a positive impact on business activities. And it also won both the German Design Award and GOOD DESIGN Award earlier in the year.

In 2024, Humly announced its certification in three ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) standards: ISO 9001 for quality management, ISO 14001 for environmental management, and ISO 27001 for information security management.

The ISO certification is globally recognised among consumers, clients, and business partners. Humly said that achieving these certifications was a “significant milestone”.   

Datapath (C&C1)

IDK CORPORATION
Headquartered in Kanagawa Japan with support operations in the USA, Europe and Asia, IDK has been operating for 30 years. It initially developed several models of video distribution amplifiers and video adaptor cables, but has expanded its portfolio. It now creates multi switchers, video converters, matrix switchers, and AVoIP systems for pro AV, all manufactured and tested in Japan.

IDK Corporation’s FX Series Modular Matrix Switchers offers both point-to-point and AVoIP, and was in demand in 2024. Ryohei Iwasaki, the executive director of IDK Corporation and CEO of IDK America, presented a talk at ISE 2024 on Point-to-Point for the SDVoE Alliance.

LIGHTWARE VISUAL ENGINEERING
Lightware Visual Engineering, a manufacturer of connectivity solutions for the professional integrated systems market and a pioneer in signal management, continued to thrive last year.

There were new releases, such as the Taurus TPN and Gemini GVN products, designed to deliver flexible AVoIP connectivity in hybrid work and meeting room AV environments.

Lightware Visual Engineering also announced the opening of a number of training centres in 2024, which reflected its confidence in the future. These included its first training facility in Germany, the Düsseldorf Centre, which  joined existing venues in London and Paris as part of the company’s commitment to delivering training and education across Europe. Lightware also opened the Iberia Experience Centre in Madrid in 2024, serving as a key hub for AV professionals across Spain and Portugal.

Towards the end of the year, the company also created the new Southeast Asia Training Centre in Singapore and another new experience centre in Warsaw, Poland. Complementing the Singapore opening was a strategic partnership with Aquila Data Group (AQS), a distributor of unified communications (UC) and AVoIP solutions. AQS will act as the official distributor of Lightware’s advanced AV products, including matrix switchers, extenders, and AVoIP solutions.

The second part of our look at the leading 75 AV manufacturers will feature in the March edition of Installation.