Tech Companies Team Up For OpenAV Cloud Initiative Aimed At Encouraging Interoperability
May 21, 2025 by Dave Haynes
A “coalition” of six fairly hefty AV manufacturers and tech providers have announced something called OpenAV Cloud, an industry initiative its founding members say was put together to make everything from flat panels and media players to microphones more interoperable.
The founding members include Sony Electronics, Panasonic, Legrand, Shure, BrightSign, and Xyte. Planar and AUO are the most digital signage-adjacent companies around the other members listed.
OpenAV Cloud, says PR, aims to address one of the AV industry’s biggest challenges: proprietary systems that hinder integration and innovation. By developing open, cloud-based APIs and shared frameworks for secure data access and cross-brand compatibility, OpenAV Cloud empowers manufacturers, integrators, and end users to collaborate and innovate seamlessly, assuring interoperability and integration.
“Customers today expect their technology to work together seamlessly, regardless of the brand,” said Sam Sabet, CTO at Shure. “OpenAV Cloud is about collaborating to create AV solutions that are interoperable, efficient, and built for the future, ensuring we deliver top performance for our shared customers.”
“By prioritizing interoperability, OpenAV Cloud promotes greater accessibility and freedom for our customers, regardless of their preferred solution or workflow,” said Rich Ventura, Vice President, Professional Display Solutions, Sony Electronics. “We’re proudly committed to working together with other industry leaders, allowing us to jointly provide our community with a frictionless and collaborative way to streamline integrations and promote the adoption of beneficial cloud-based solutions that have the ability to save time, resources, and money.”
Members of OpenAV Cloud commit to:
- Meeting customer demand for flexible, interoperable solutions
- Building and maintaining open, read-write cloud APIs
- Collaborating on industry-wide standards and best practices
- Upholding secure, customer-controlled data access
- Promoting inclusive, cross-brand collaboration
With the pro AV business increasingly cloud-native with its solutions, OpenAV Cloud is being positioned as a framework that supports faster deployment, easier integration, and a better overall experience for customers and partners alike.
The founding members invite AV manufacturers, system integrators, and managed service providers to join the initiative. Membership is free, with the goal of building a broad, inclusive community that shapes the future of AV together.
I am in Munich at Digital Signage Summit Europe, and a Sony friend is here, as well. So I will try to get a little more detail, as these quotes are bit big on lofty terms like frictionless and light on detail.
My sense is this is not so much trying to get the industry using a specific open service or platform, and more about standardization, so the various components that make up AV jobs like signage get along with each other.
It also smells a bit like a subtle two-finger salute to Samsung and LG, who both mostly run on proprietary operating systems (Tizen for Samsung and webOS for LG).
The early days of SignageOS, out of Prague, were all about a middleware solution that bridged these systems with other technology. The Czech guys are here, too, so I’ll ask.
And if I steer clear of too much weisse beer tonight, I might even recall what they tell me. Might …
It’s a great initiative that we, as sensor providers, were happy to join. Interested to read your take on this announcement from the show