What Is Audio Visual Technology? A Complete Guide to the AV Industry

Think about the last time you joined a video call from a meeting room, or watched the big screens light up at a gig. Somebody chose that kit and made sure it worked when it mattered. That’s audio visual technology, and the people behind it work in one of the busiest industries you’ve probably never thought about.

AV is everywhere, but it tends to go unnoticed. When it works, nobody gives it a second thought. When it doesn’t, everybody does. This guide explains what AV technology actually is and how the industry behind it fits together, whether you’re thinking about a career in AV or you’re just curious.

What is audio visual technology?

Audio visual (AV) technology is any equipment or system used to deliver sound and pictures to people, whether they’re sitting in the same room or watching from the other side of the world.

That covers everything from a single screen in a small huddle room to the LED walls and speaker arrays at a stadium concert. Most AV systems also include a way of controlling it all, like a touch panel on a meeting room table, and more and more of them now run over the same networks as a company’s laptops and phones.

What are the main parts of an AV system?

Whether it’s a classroom or an arena, most AV systems are built from four main building blocks.

Audio

This is everything to do with sound. Microphones pick it up and speakers play it back. In the middle sits a digital signal processor (DSP), which cleans up and balances the sound. It’s the reason you don’t hear a horrible echo of your own voice on a video call.

Video and displays

This covers what people see, from screens and projectors to LED video walls and cameras. Video switchers and matrices sit behind the scenes and decide which picture goes to which screen, so a presenter’s laptop appears on the main display and not the one in the corridor.

Control

A control system ties everything together so that people don’t need to be experts to use it. Pressing “start meeting” on a touch panel might turn on the screen, dim the lights, lower the blinds and connect the call, all in one go. Crestron and Extron are two of the best-known names here.

Infrastructure and networking

This is the part nobody sees. Cabling and racks all have to be planned properly. Increasingly, sound and video travel over a computer network rather than dedicated AV cables, which is known as AV over IP. Dante, one of the most widely used ways of sending audio over a network, now powers millions of devices from hundreds of manufacturers.

Where is AV technology used?

AV technology is used almost anywhere people need to share information or put on a show. Some of the places you’ll find it might surprise you.

Offices and meeting rooms

Hybrid working has made the meeting room one of the most important spaces in AV. The Office for National Statistics found that 28% of working adults in Great Britain were hybrid working in early 2025. Every time part of a team dials in from home, the room’s cameras and microphones have to make them feel like they’re actually there.

Schools, colleges and universities

Lecture theatres now record and stream teaching as standard, and classrooms rely on interactive screens. According to AVIXA, the trade association for the AV industry, classrooms and conference rooms are among the biggest spaces for pro AV.

Live events and entertainment

Concerts, festivals, conferences and product launches all depend on AV crews to rig and run the sound and video. It’s fast-paced work, and no two jobs are the same. Our live events jobs page shows the kind of roles involved.

Broadcast

Live sport and TV production use huge amounts of AV kit, and the line between broadcast and live events is getting thinner as more events are streamed online.

Control rooms and the public sector

Emergency services and transport networks rely on control rooms filled with video walls and monitoring systems. AVIXA points to government and energy as two of the areas where demand in Europe is growing.

Homes

At the high end, AV specialists design home cinemas and smart homes where lighting, heating, music and blinds can all be controlled from one app. Take a look at our home installation jobs if this side of AV interests you.

How does the AV industry work?

The AV industry is made up of several types of business, each handling a different stage of getting a system from an idea to a working room.

• Manufacturers design and make the kit itself, from microphones to control processors.
• Distributors buy from manufacturers and supply the businesses that install the equipment.
• AV consultants are often brought in on big building projects to plan what a space needs before anything is bought.
• Systems integrators design and install AV systems in buildings like offices and universities, and often look after them afterwards. You can find out more on our systems integration jobs
• Rental and staging companies own large stocks of equipment and provide the kit and crew for events.
• In-house AV teams work directly for one organisation, such as a university or a large corporate headquarters, and keep its systems running day to day.

Lots of AV professionals move between these types of business during their careers, so experience in one usually counts in another.

Is AV the same as IT?

No, but the two are getting closer every year. Traditional AV ran on its own cables and equipment, while IT looked after the network. Now that so much AV runs over the network, AV professionals need to understand IT, and IT teams increasingly have to support AV. That overlap is one of the reasons AV skills are in such demand.

Common AV terms explained

AV comes with a lot of jargon. Here are some of the terms you’re most likely to come across.

• DSP (digital signal processor): the “brain” of an audio system, which balances levels and removes echo and background noise.
• AV over IP: sending audio and video over a standard computer network instead of dedicated AV cables.
• Dante: a widely used system for sending audio over a network.
• Matrix switcher: a device that sends any video source to any screen.
• Control system: the hardware and software behind a touch panel that operates a whole room.
• Commissioning: testing a finished system properly to make sure it does everything it was designed to do before it’s handed over.
• Rigging: safely putting up equipment such as speakers and screens, often overhead, at events and venues.

What’s changing in AV right now?

AV moves quickly, and a few big shifts are shaping where the industry is heading.

More AV is moving onto the network

AV over IP means systems can be bigger and more flexible, with any source able to reach any screen across a building. It also means that networking knowledge has become one of the most valuable skills in the industry.

Meeting rooms are being rebuilt for hybrid work

Lots of businesses are upgrading rooms that were designed before video calls were the norm. Cameras that automatically follow whoever is speaking and microphones built into the ceiling are becoming far more common.

AI is starting to appear in AV kit

From cameras that frame people automatically to software that filters out background noise, AI features are already being built into AV equipment. We’ve looked at why AI could be the biggest opportunity for UK AV integrators in more detail.

Live events are reaching people at home too

Many events now have a streamed audience as well as the one in the room, which means AV crews are planning for both at the same time.

What jobs are there in the AV industry?

There’s a huge range of roles in AV, from hands-on technicians and engineers to project managers, programmers and technical sales consultants. You don’t need a degree to get started, and many people work their way up from entry-level roles.

If you want to explore this further, our guide to a career in audio visual walks through how the main roles work together. You can also read about the difference between an AV engineer and an AV technician, or how to become an AV technician in the UK.

Working in AV with Prospero Integrated

At Prospero Integrated, AV is all we do. We’ve been placing AV professionals since 2000, and we were the first UK recruitment agency to focus solely on audio visual. Today we have over 15,000 candidates registered with us, and we work with everyone from live event companies to corporate systems integrators.

If you’re looking for a role in AV, browse our latest AV jobs or register your CV and one of our consultants will be in touch. If you’re hiring, find out how we can help you find AV staff.