AVPro Academy in Chicago - Grand Opening Class

​By Jason Dustal

​The first AVPro Academy class of 2020 is officially in the books! Thanks to Andy Spolar at the AWA reps showroom in Chicago, IL where we not only host the class, but also have our brand new AVPro Edge Experience Center. The AVPro Edge Experience center is a great place to visit to see live demos of AVPro Edge and Murideo products such as the Multi-Viewer, the 16x16 matrix switch, extenders, Murideo HDMI test equipment, and more. If you are in the area feel free to stop by and meet Andy. He can give you a live demo of AVPro Edge products and discuss with you about what AVPro can do for you and your customers. 

AVPro Academy consists of 2 days day of learning the fundamentals of Audio and Video in residential and commercial environments. During day 1 we cover everything from system design to troubleshooting. We dissect HDMI and learn how to troubleshoot small to large distributed A/V systems. Day 2 is all about display calibration and learning the core fundamentals on how to make a display look it’s best. My favorite part of AVPro Academy is always the hands-on activities. The students in this class learned how to use the Murideo tools to test the bandwidth on various HDMI cables, test devices for HDCP compliance, read and emulate EDID, and some valuable troubleshooting skills. Steve from Cleerline stopped by and gave a great demo on fiber optics. The class learned about the great benefits of using fiber as the A/V backbone, and by the end of the class some of the students themselves were terminating fiber in less than a minute. For the rest of the hands on activities we had some great tools and displays to practice with, including LG and Sony OLEDs, a Sony Z9 LED/LCD, JVC projector, a 2x2 video wall, and light meters from Xrite, Klein, Portrait Displays, and Jeti, and of course AVPro Edge distribution and Murideo HDMI testing products.
 
This particular AVPro Academy class had a wide variety of students…some who were brand new to the A/V industry, and some with as much as 30 years experience. We even had a Home Theater enthusiast who wanted to learn about calibrating his displays at his own home. It is not uncommon to meet students in class with all kinds of different backgrounds. Broadcasters, manufacturers, post production, colorists, writers, and TV reviewers are just some examples.
 
Most of the students stayed for the second day to learn about display calibration. This is a service very near and dear to my heart as I am a videophile who is always chasing the perfect picture. Learning this skill as an integrator is valuable and can set you apart from your competitors. Consumers want to maximize the potential of their system, and learning this skill will help with that. Integrators use the skills they learn to sell better systems and to maximize customer service, which in turn maximizes profits. Everyone who attends day 2 of class gets to learn the basics of ISF calibration, including an introduction to different display technologies, hands on with the tools that are used for calibration, and a temporary CalMAN license so they can go home and practice calibrating. Everyone who attends class and takes the ISF Level 1 exam earns a certificate and is listed on the ISF website as a certified dealer (imagingscience.com/dealers). CEDIA and AVIXA members are also awarded CEUs for attending AVPro Academy.
 
One class down and several more to go in 2020! If you would like more information on class dates and locations, feel free to give us a call at 605.274.6055 or you can always visit our training site at avpro.training. Thanks and I hope to see you in 2020!

Find more information at https://www.avpro.training/avpro-academy.html
AVPro Academy is an AVIXA and CEDIA certified course, earning you credit hours.