ISE 2026: Meritec’s Top 10 AV Innovations for Meeting Rooms, Digital Signage and Control
After some reflection and discussion, we’ve pulled together the ISE 2026 updates we think will genuinely matter in real projects — not just what looked good on a stand.
Our overall takeaway: ISE 2026 leaned practical. The most compelling launches weren’t necessarily the flashiest; they were the ones that improve what clients actually care about: rooms that start reliably, intelligible audio without drama, cameras that behave in larger spaces, displays that work in real lighting, and infrastructure that stays supportable years after handover.
Below are our Top 10 — through the lens of corporate meeting rooms, higher education spaces, and commercial environments in Ireland.
Meritec’s Top 10 from ISE 2026
1) Shure IntelliMix Bar Pro Kit
Shure’s move into an all-in-one collaboration bar stood out because it’s anchored in what Shure does best: speech clarity. The category is maturing quickly, but intelligibility is still the differentiator when it comes to meeting quality.
Our take: if the audio is right, the whole room feels premium. For many spaces, improving the audio experience delivers more impact than chasing features.
2) Crestron Collab Compute
Crestron’s collaboration direction is clearly centred on standardisation and manageable room deployments. The theme we kept coming back to was repeatability: consistent builds, consistent behaviour, easier support.
Our take: the best rooms are predictable. Standardised room compute is how estates reduce “why is this room different?” moments.
3) Crestron DM NAX Intelligent Audio (incl. DM-NAX-AP-100)
Networked audio continues to move toward more scalable ecosystems, and Crestron’s DM NAX direction is a meaningful step in that space. The appeal is straightforward: a structured approach to room audio that can be deployed consistently without turning every room into a bespoke DSP exercise.
Our take: we like anything that reduces complexity without sacrificing performance. That’s how you scale quality.
4) Logitech Rally AI Camera / Rally AI Camera Pro
AI camera features are becoming genuinely useful — particularly in medium-to-large rooms where traditional “wide shot” camera coverage falls down. The improvements are less about novelty and more about making hybrid meetings feel more natural.
Our take: smart framing done properly reduces operator dependence and improves meeting equity, especially in boardrooms, training spaces and larger collaboration rooms.
5) Samsung supersized signage – 130” Micro RGB signage (QPHX)
Samsung reinforced its leadership in supersized commercial displays with a growing lineup of extra-large formats designed for high-impact business environments. At ISE 2026, Samsung introduced the 130-inch Micro RGB signage (QPHX model) to commercial audiences, bringing Micro LED technology and advanced processing into an ultra-slim “statement display” format.
Our take: this is ideal for flagship spaces where visual impact is part of the brief — but the content strategy and placement matter as much as the hardware.
6) Peerless-AV STS680 ultra-slim scissor wall mount
Not glamorous, but genuinely valuable: the STS680 is the kind of product that makes recessed/flush installs more realistic while preserving service access.
Our take: service access is a design feature. When maintenance is easy, downtime drops and spaces stay reliable.
7) Sony BRAVIA Professional Displays – new BZ-P Series (BZ40P / BZ35P / BZ30P)
Sony’s new BZ-P Series was a strong reminder that “display performance” isn’t just about brightness — it’s about visibility in real spaces. Anti-glare and improved processing were a clear theme, aimed at corporate, education, retail and transport environments where reflections and readability can make or break usability.
Our take: bright rooms don’t forgive glossy screens. These are the kinds of upgrades that improve the everyday experience quietly but meaningfully.
8) Sony Crystal LED S Series – mid-market dvLED (ZRD-S12G / ZRD-S15G)
Sony’s Crystal LED S Series stood out as a more accessible dvLED option for commercial and institutional spaces that need strong visibility in brighter environments. The emphasis here was on natural colour reproduction, reduced reflection, and a form factor designed to be more deployable across a wider range of projects.
Our take: dvLED is becoming more practical beyond ultra-premium installs — especially when the space demands visibility and consistency.
9) Crestron 80 Series – TST-1080 touchpanel (room UX that users actually feel)
The control interface still dictates whether people trust a room. The TST-1080 stood out because it supports a more modern approach to room UI design and helps standardise the user experience across an estate.
Our take: people don’t remember the codec model number — they remember whether the room was easy to start. Good UX reduces support calls more than most “spec upgrades”.
10) Installability & serviceability (PureLink, ATEN, INOGENI, Legrand AV)
A quieter but consistent theme at ISE 2026 was the infrastructure layer: products that make systems cleaner to install and easier to support — from racking/integration infrastructure (PureLink, Legrand AV ecosystem) to dependable building blocks that solve real interoperability/layout challenges (ATEN, INOGENI).
Our take: the headline kit gets attention, but infrastructure decides whether rooms stay painless in year 3–5. If mounting, cable management, airflow and access are right, faults are quicker to resolve and support becomes predictable.
What this means for projects in 2026
If you’re planning upgrades this year, the opportunity isn’t simply “new kit”. It’s using the newer ecosystem to deliver:
- standardised rooms across sites,
- a supportable lifecycle, and
- a user experience that works for real behaviour and real room conditions.
If you’d like to talk through what’s relevant for your meeting rooms, teaching spaces, boardrooms, or signage environments, get in touch — we’re happy to share practical guidance based on what we saw at ISE and what we know works on live estates.