AV News Roundup: July 2026

July arrived with fireworks on the Fourth of July and concluded with a bang, as the Pro AV industry delivered a burst of industry headlines. The month’s news spanned a major manufacturer freezing product prices, an economic market report on digital signage growth, and a call for submissions for the 2026 Integrator of the Year awards. Our roundup also includes some M&A and partnership activity, new product innovations, and record-breaking attendance at APAC’s biggest trade show event. Here’s a look at some of the month’s biggest stories.

InfoComm Asia 2026 wrapped up its three-day Bangkok gathering on July 21 with record-breaking attendance, drawing 6,638 AV professionals and roughly 3,800 organizations from 80 countries. With more than 44% of attendees traveling internationally, the event reinforced its position as a key launchpad for global and regional Pro AV innovation. The strong turnout highlighted growing demand across APAC for AI-powered AV infrastructure and demonstrated that organizations are moving beyond experimentation, toward real-world deployments. Read more.

Global pro AV and unified communications solutions provider Kramer is holding prices steady and plans to maintain product stock levels through the remainder of 2026. Most of the product line will remain at current pricing, with the company stocking up on inventory so orders ship faster. The goal of the initiative is to give integrators and customers a way to plan projects and quote jobs without worrying about costs spiraling. Computing-based products are excluded from the freeze, since their processor, memory, and licensing costs are tied to variability in the broader chip market. Read more.

Marking its 50th anniversary year, MultiDyne has acquired the assets of Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC) to form MultiDyne Robotics and Motion Control. The deal allows MRMC to retain its engineering team, intellectual property, and product line while combining its precision robotics and automated tracking with MultiDyne’s fiber-optic signal transport and video distribution. Together, the new entity creates an end-to-end "one-stop shop" that spans image acquisition to signal delivery, to support remote, cloud-based, and live-event broadcast workflows. Read more.

Despite a resilient U.S. economy projected to grow over 2%, North America’s digital signage sector is expected to expand by just 1% to 2% in 2026, according to Invidis’ latest regional market analysis. The slowdown highlights a shifting corporate climate where enterprise capital is increasingly diverted toward AI data centers and software infrastructure, while 2025 tariffs continue to delay major hardware rollouts as pricing and supply chains stabilize. The report also ranked North America’s top integrators by revenue, with AVI-SPL claiming the #1 spot, followed by Ricoh and Diversified, while major restructurings continue to reshape the competitive landscape. Read more.

AVIXA has partnered with Futuresource Consulting to develop a series of research studies that examines demand for professional AV technologies across key vertical markets. Combining AVIXA’s industry expertise with Futuresource’s buyer-focused research, the partnership will provide deeper insight into purchasing behavior, technology adoption, channel expectations, and emerging trends. The first study will focus on the North American education market, followed by studies examining corporate enterprise demand. The partnership will help providers better understand evolving customer needs as the industry moves toward more intelligent, experience-driven AV environments. Read more.

Panasonic Projector & Display Americas has partnered with Illumibot to launch IllumiBeast—a fleet of co-branded, AI-powered, projection-enabled Cybertrucks. Sponsoring the first six vehicles, Panasonic kicked off the launch with a high-impact 31-cities-in-31-days tour last month, celebrating America's 250th anniversary, in which the vehicle projects images onto iconic landmark buildings nationwide. While traditional projection mapping demands massive budgets and crew sizes, IllumiBeast democratizes the technology: users can now map surfaces and generate stunning visuals on the fly using just a smartphone camera and natural-language prompts. Read more. 

McIntosh launched a new processor aimed at custom residential audio and video installations. The 13.4-channel processor supports 8K video processing, spatial audio formats including Dolby Atmos and DTS:X Pro, among others, room calibration, web-based remote configuration, and automated backup functions. The product was designed with installation technicians in mind, prioritizing standardized control protocols and long-term serviceability. The launch is a noteworthy addition for the residential Pro AV segment, which continues to see rising demand for high-end, professionally installed home theater and whole-home AV systems. Read more.

The National Systems Contractors Association (NSCA), in partnership with Commercial Integrator and Security Sales & Integration, has officially opened nominations for the 2026 Integrator of the Year awards. Open to all commercial integration firms through August 24, the fee-free program recognizes outstanding achievement across four distinct categories: overall Integrator of the Year, Differentiating Strategies, Talent Development, and Strategic Transformation. Honorees will be featured across publication channels, with the overall winner profiled in the November/December issue and all category winners participating in a live executive panel at NSCA’s annual Business & Leadership Conference in February 2027. Read more.

Sarah Rose, VP of Global Services at Daktronics, has been officially inducted into the Information Display and Entertainment Association (IDEA) Hall of Fame at the 2026 IDEA Conference in Cincinnati. Highlighting her induction, IDEA Co-Chair John Franzone praised Rose’s unwavering professionalism and dedication. Rose has been a key force, serving on committees like Women & Inclusion and Outreach, and previously leading a Daktronics team that earned 14 Allied Achievement Golden Matrix Awards alongside the prestigious President’s Award. Read more.

The month’s news demonstrated that the Pro AV sector is navigating a period of transition. Faced with inflation and supply chain unpredictability, organizations are prioritizing long-term stability and business efficiency. Across the industry, value is shifting toward software solutions and AI-enabled workflows. Paired with record-breaking global trade show attendance and ongoing innovation, the month’s news cycle underscores an industry continuing to transform to meet business realities and emerging customer demands.