The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted almost every industry around the world in one way or another. The audio-visual tech industry has also seen significant changes due to the pandemic. With lockdowns and social distancing measures implemented globally, people started spending more time at home for work, education and entertainment. This increased reliance on technology at home has accelerated some key innovations in the audio-visual space, especially around role of artificial intelligence in audio visual innovation. This blog post analyzes how the pandemic has impacted different areas of the audio-visual tech industry.
Rise of Streaming Services
One of the most noticeable changes during the pandemic has been the massive surge in the popularity of streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, etc. With people confined to their homes, streaming entertainment became the primary source of movies, shows and live events for most. Recent statistics show that worldwide paid video streaming subscribers grew by 26% to reach 1.1 billion in 2020 alone due to the pandemic. Major streaming platforms had to quickly upgrade their servers and expand into new global markets to handle this unprecedented surge in demand. They also spent heavily on acquiring new original content to keep users engaged for longer periods at home. This exponential growth of streaming is expected to continue even after the pandemic due to changed consumer habits.
Boom in Home Audio Equipment
Another area that received a big boost due to the pandemic is home audio equipment sales. With movie theaters and live concert venues shut, people invested more in high-quality audio solutions to enhance their at-home entertainment experience. Sales of soundbars, wireless speakers, Bluetooth headphones grew massively during this period. Leading brands like Bose, JBL, Sony saw record sales of their premium home audio accessories. Even lesser known D2C audio brands gained many new customers online. Headphone manufacturers also benefited as people spent more time in video calls requiring good quality mics and headphones. Overall, the focus on upgrading home theaters acted as a catalyst in the advancement of immersive audio technologies like Dolby Atmos.
Rise of Virtual Concerts and Events
With physical gatherings banned, the events and entertainment industry was badly hit. However, technology came to their rescue as well. Virtual concerts and digital events became a new phenomenon in 2020. Major music artists started live streaming concerts on platforms like Twitch, YouTube and Facebook. Famous festivals also went online by broadcasting pre-recorded lineup of artistes. Though not a complete replacement for the live experience, it helped the industry sustain to some extent during lockdowns. Virtual events also witnessed innovations in merging AR/VR to enhance interactivity. This trend is expected to continue complementing physical events even in the post COVID world.
Acceleration of Smart Homes
The pandemic fast forwarded the adoption of smart home devices and technologies. As more people stayed indoors, the need to automate and control home appliances remotely increased significantly. Sales of smart speakers, smart displays, cameras, thermostats and other IoT devices surged globally during this period. Smart home platforms like Alexa, Google Assistant gained many new users for tasks like playing music, making calls, streaming entertainment via compatible devices. Even elderly consumers who were initially skeptical started embracing smart assistants and cameras to stay connected with families. Home automation is bound to grow further as adoption becomes mainstream during and after the pandemic.
Innovation in Video Conferencing Tools
With offices shut and remote working becoming the new normal worldwide, video conferencing apps emerged as one of the biggest success stories of 2020. Previously niche platforms like Zoom, Webex, Google Meet gained massive user base almost overnight. Major tech companies also rapidly enhanced their existing collaborative software to meet the exponential increase in demand for virtual meetings and classes. Video quality, screen sharing, virtual backgrounds etc saw major improvements. Even low cost or free video calling solutions from Meta, Microsoft, Google, Apple became popular options for personal use. All these innovations have changed how people work and learn remotely, paving way for a more hybrid work culture even after the crisis is over.
Advancement in Cloud Based Solutions
The shift to remote everything also led to rapid innovation in cloud computing solutions for media organizations. Cloud based video editing, graphics, audio mixing and other post-production tools became mainstream choices for content creators working offsite. Platforms like Frame.io, Splice, Dropbox, Adobe Creative Cloud helped smoothen remote collaboration significantly between globally distributed teams. Even live production and broadcasting also transitioned online with cloud-based solutions for switching, graphics and transmission. Online video production has now become a viable alternative to physical studios, allowing smaller companies to produce high quality content virtually. Cloud driven workflows are expected to continue revolutionizing how audio-visual content is created and distributed.
Accelerated Development of AR/VR Technologies
While the pandemic temporarily hampered commercial applications of AR/VR, it also fueled more research and development in this space to enhanceimmersion for remote experiences. Tech giants doubled down on creating compelling metaverse platforms where digital assets can be experienced in mixed reality. NFTs and blockchain became popular means for monetization of virtual goods and events. Industrial and architectural VR also found new use cases for remote collaboration and virtual site visits. Healthcare emerged as another promising application area for telemedicine, phobia treatment using immersive VR. Overall, the need for realistic virtual experiences has accelerated innovations that can make AR/VR a mainstream reality in the next 5 years.
Impact on Consumer Display Trends
During lockdowns, television emerged as the main window to the outside world for most families conferring onto it multiple roles for entertainment, education and work. This reignited demand for bigger, feature loaded TVs globally. Smart TV shipments grew by over 15% in 2020 according to industry reports. Additionally, PC monitor sales also increased significantly as people upgraded their workstations for WFH. Meanwhile, smartphone sales saw a temporary dip as high end devices were postponed during the economic slowdown. Going forward, dual screen folding smartphones, dual purpose laptop-tablets and seamless device connections promise to further blur the lines between consumer displays.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic delivered both challenges and opportunities for the audio-visual industry. While cinemas, events faced short term losses, streaming and interactive virtual experiences gained prominence. Work and collaboration became more distributed spurring innovation in video conferencing, cloud workflows and AR/VR. Overall, the crisis accelerated digital transformation trends that were already underway. Industries that embrace hybrid physical-virtual models and focus on immersive virtual experiences will stay ahead of the curve. As we advance in the post pandemic world, innovations at the intersection of artificial intelligence, virtual reality and high quality multimedia will continue to be essential for growth across this dynamic sector.
Read Related:- https://audioboxpro.jimdofree.com/2024/01/14/the-role-of-artificial-inte...