No matter how well you set up your AV for any event, problems will always occur. Technology can never be 100% reliable—sooner or later, something will go wrong. Whether it be a microphone that isn’t working, audio feedback that rumbles through the room, or a slideshow that refuses to respond, these issues can be quite infuriating.
Fortunately, many AV-related failures can quickly be fixed if you know what to do. With that said, here are the common AV failures and what you can do to fix them:
Failure 1: Tiny Text
Has your audience ever complained about content that’s unreadable when displayed on a screen or any surface? This is generally caused by using a font that’s either too small or too hard to read at a distance
As you are designing a presentation, take the time to step back and look at the screen. If you can stand six feet away from the monitor and still read the text clearly, chances are it will do well when projected anywhere.
It’s also essential to make sure that the AV team’s setup is just right. Having a projector too far or too close can make it struggle to focus, hurting the text’s readability more. If this is the case, then one must spend the time to readjust the projector’s position.
Failure 2: Loud Feedback
Audio feedback can cause sharp pain in the ears, which can be frustrating. Unfortunately, other types of audio feedback can be incredibly loud, which can even end up causing temporary hearing loss. Regardless of the type of feedback being dealt with, they all shouldn’t be something that’s ignored by the AV team.
The AV team should be running tests in the venue to test the microphone and look out for feedback to fix this problem. However, educating the speaker or whoever’s using the microphone must also be a priority. They should never stand too far from the microphone, as it is often set lower only to pick up the person’s voice. Anything too far to pick up the voice at a farther distance, causing the pesky feedback.
Failure 3: Unresponsive Video
Events always need a moment of video playing, used by speakers to support their message. Unfortunately, things don’t always go according to play. They get up on stage, only to find out that either the video doesn’t seem to respond or that the video is in the wrong format.
An easy way to tackle this problem is to have dedicated video-playing software supporting as many codecs as possible. Testing the video before the presentation is also a must to ensure everything is working according to plan. Should any failure happen, the AV team will be readily available to figure out a fix—hours before the intended event.
Conclusion
There are many other AV failures that you may experience, such as misplaced speakers, troublesome wireless mics, and more. Fortunately, the fix to many of these problems is generally the same: test them before the actual event.
By testing what needs to be used for the presentation, your team will be able to catch all the problems to be solved before the fateful day—anything. As such, make sure to dedicate some time to have your AV team test as many aspects of the presentation as possible.
SAVI A/V Specialists are audio and video experts in Birmingham, AL Area, offering various AV services to satisfy your needs. Work with us today to ensure your presentations run without a hitch!