ISE 2026 Reveals the New Rules of Pro AV

Free Futuresource show report explores the growing dominance of ecosystems, compliance and lifecycle management. 

ISE 2026 was a visual spectacular. Yet beneath the ultra-fine-pitch LED walls, AI workflows and expansive booths, something more consequential was happening. 

Now available as a free download, Futuresource Consulting’s ISE 2026 post-show report reveals a Pro AV market moving decisively away from hype cycles and hardware theatre, and towards operational maturity, ecosystem strategy and IT-governed infrastructure. 

With more than 92,000 attendees and 1,750 exhibitors, the show once again underlined its position as the focal point of the global Pro AV industry. Represented by 12 analysts across the show floor, Futuresource met with vendors, integrators and end users across displays, collaboration, audio, connectivity and pro video, capturing a market that’s evolving quickly and consolidating in many areas. 

“This year, the tone changed,” says Alistair Johnston, Head of Pro AV at Futuresource Consulting. “AI was everywhere, but the industry has moved beyond the grand claims of disruption. Conversations were focused on where AI genuinely improves workflow efficiency, reduces costs, or strengthens governance. The market is now separating real deployment from the marketing gloss.” 

Spectacle meets practicality

In professional displays, direct-view LED dominated visually, with 1.2mm pixel pitch COB solutions becoming the baseline. Curved and semi-transparent installations also drew attention. However, conversations increasingly focused on cost trajectories, controller differentiation and long-term deployment viability. 

At the same time, e-paper crossed the credibility threshold, transitioning from curiosity to infrastructure play. Futuresource notes that falling price points and improved colour performance are positioning it as a serious sustainability-driven alternative in signage environments. 

Across the display halls, hardware commoditisation was accelerating, and competitive advantage was migrating into content management systems, remote monitoring platforms and proprietary ecosystem layers. 

“The strategic battleground is no longer the panel,” says Johnston. “It’s the software layer, and in a commoditised hardware environment, lock-in happens at the ecosystem level, through control systems, analytics and lifecycle management.” 

Collaboration’s identity crisis

Collaboration technology was still prominent, yet hardware convergence and platform standardisation, particularly around Microsoft Teams Rooms, has reduced the levels of differentiation. In addition, AI framing and multi-camera scaling are no longer premium features. 

Futuresource’s analysis points to a deeper structural shift, where collaboration is already IT-governed. Procurement, security posture and lifecycle governance now determine viability and purchase probability, not aesthetic hardware refinement.  

“Collaboration vendors already know that certification alone doesn’t guarantee growth,” says Johnston. “When platforms standardise the experience, competition moves to price and estate management. The winners are those who understand precisely which segments of the market they serve, as well as the ones they don’t.” 

AV is infrastructure

Across professional audio and video, a similar pattern emerged. Innovation continues, but it is evolutionary, with networked AV, encrypted AV-over-IP and IT compliance expected as standard. 

In professional audio, lifecycle management, remote monitoring and software-defined flexibility took precedence over acoustic novelty. In professional video, broadcast-grade workflows continue to converge with enterprise deployment, with IPMX certification and standards-based interoperability reducing friction for non-broadcast environments. 

In short, Pro AV is no longer converging with IT. It is operating inside it. 

What’s in the Futuresource ISE 2026 Post Show Report? 
The free Futuresource report connects show-floor observations with Futuresource Consulting’s wider market research, identifying where operational value is replacing product theatre, and where structural risk remains. 

Key areas include: 

“ISE is where the industry showcases its capabilities,” says Johnston. “Our job is to assess which of those capabilities are commercially sustainable, which are transitional, and which are genuinely shaping the next phase of Pro AV.” 

The Futuresource ISE 2026 Post Show Report is available now as a free download [link].