Qualifications
AV HERO Assessment Test includes the following four categories: Audio, Video, Control/Networking, and Service/Troubleshooting. All are represented equally. It is our stance is for individuals to be an effective all-around AV HERO, they need to have a decent knowledge base in all four categories.
If a HERO is familiar with the below terms, concepts, processes, and ideas it will result in success.
Audio – Wired microphones, wireless microphones, microphone element pick up patterns, DSP’s (digital signal processor), amplifiers, speakers, ohm vs. constant voltage speakers, audio conferencing, echo cancellation, digital vs. analog audio, Dante, CobraNet, Q-SYS, AVB, balanced audio signals, unbalanced audio signals, analog/digital telco, gain structure, noise floor, nominal volume level, signal flow, automatic and manual mic mixing, mono, stereo, multi-channel audio, feedback, various termination methods, etc.
Video – HD displays, HD Projectors, HD cameras, BluRay, DVD, HDMI, Display Port, USB-C, Thunderbolt, DVI, VGA, HD-SDI, transmission via category cable, digital vs. analog video, EDID, HDCP, aspect ratio, resolution, digital video bandwidth, color space, compression, signal flow, routing, matrix switching, streaming, various termination methods, etc.
Control/Networking – Touch panel remote controls, traditional remote controls, central control processors, application programming interface (API), RS-232, RS-422, TCP/IP commands, telnet, dry contact closures, GPIO, the Internet, Ethernet, Ethernet speeds and their uses, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), virtual private network (VPN), IP protocols, IP addresses, subnet masks, static vs. dynamic addresses, network interface card (NIC), switches, routers, gateways, wireless access points, CAT5/6 cabling and termination, etc.
Service/Troubleshooting – The service requires being a good communicator, treating clients with respect, being honest, following the AV HERO guidelines, doing the right thing no matter what. The troubleshooting portion is about how well one understands and comprehends the issue at hand, how they approach the problems, how well they document the steps they took, keeping a cool head, using logical thought processes, and applying those things to solve the customer’s issue.
Not included in the above categories and not on the Assessment is one other skill that will also be helpful to their success as a HERO. That is being handy. As a HERO, an individual will be required to remove items from equipment racks, walls, beneath tables, and put them all back again in as good or better order than they were found. HEROES will need to use ladders, various hand tools, test equipment, etc. Being a handy person will definitely be helpful.
