From Bangalore’s new experience center, industry leader discusses platform integration, AI innovation, and the future of professional AV.

The professional AV industry is undergoing a paradigm shift, transitioning from traditional product-based approaches to comprehensive platform solutions. At the forefront of this transformation stands QSC, the renowned audio, video and control systems manufacturer, which recently opened a world-class Experience Center in Bangalore, India. In an exclusive interview, QSC President Jatan Shah shared insights into the company’s Q-SYS Full Stack AV Platform strategy, the role of artificial intelligence in modern AV solutions, and the company’s growing commitment to the Indian market.

Jatan, who has been with QSC for 15 years and serves as Chairman of AVIXA’s Board of Directors, outlines a clear vision for the future of professional AV. “Full stack AV platform and the way we think about AV solutions is that full-stack AV includes all from the edge to cloud, all the platform and the ecosystem that makes an AV solution come to life,” he explains. This approach marks a fundamental shift from traditional product-centric thinking.

The Q-SYS platform, now 18 years in development, has evolved from its original focus on integrated audio, video, and control systems to now include cloud features and AI-driven innovations. “We started with integrated audio, video, and control, and then we added the cloud on top of it, and now with the AI-led innovations that are just taking the platform to a whole other level,” Jatan notes.

This evolution shows that QSC understands modern AV solutions and now need to go beyond traditional limits. The full-stack platform allows AV systems to connect with other building subsystems using sensor technologies and various integration points, opening up opportunities for insights that wouldn’t be possible with standalone products.

Central to the QSC vision is the integration of artificial intelligence across multiple layers of the AV experience. Jatan describes a dual approach to AI implementation: “It could be AI in the room like a Q-SYS VisionSuite or some kind of a computer vision type approach to actually bring the experiences to the next level, but then also applying AI to different data that we generate.”

This strategy recognizes that modern AV systems serve as both the “eyes and ears” and the “brains” of intelligent spaces. By collecting and analysing data from various touchpoints, AI-enhanced AV platforms can generate actionable insights that benefit end users in ways that traditional systems cannot match.

The computer vision applications Jatan mentions represent just one facet of this approach. By leveraging AI for real-time analysis of room occupancy, user behaviour, and environmental conditions, AV systems can automatically optimize experiences, predict maintenance needs, and provide facility managers with valuable analytics about space utilization.

What sets the full-stack approach apart is its ability to integrate AV platforms with broader building ecosystems. “You’re able to use AV platforms that can actually go through the cloud and other ways to talk to things beyond AV,” Jatan explains. “Whether it’s in the buildings, different subsystems through sensor technologies, what insights can you generate by having the integration of AV with other areas of a space?”

This integration capability transforms AV systems from isolated solutions into central nervous systems for intelligent buildings. Meeting rooms can automatically adjust lighting, temperature, and acoustics based on occupancy and usage patterns. Lecture halls can change their configurations depending on the type of presentation being delivered. Corporate spaces can provide real-time analytics about collaboration effectiveness and space utilization.

The industry has responded enthusiastically to the Q-SYS full-stack approach, “The response has been tremendous,” Jatan reports, particularly highlighting the impact of hands-on demonstrations at experience centers like the new Bangalore facility. “When we talk about some of these experiences that are coming to life at an experience center like what we have here, you can actually experience what a full-stack can do.”

The experiential aspect proves crucial for helping customers understand the platform’s capabilities beyond traditional AV functions. Rather than simply demonstrating audio and video quality, these centers showcase how integrated platforms can transform entire spaces and workflows.

While Jatan didn’t specify particular vertical markets showing stronger adoption, he emphasized that the platform addresses diverse space types, including meeting rooms, divisible spaces, and lecture halls, suggesting broad applicability across corporate, education, and government sectors.

QSC’s investment in the Bangalore Experience Center reflects a broader strategic commitment to emerging markets, particularly India and the Middle East. “India is a strategic market for us,” Jatan states. “We started our journey a long time ago, and then we’ve continued to evolve in a market like this.”

The company’s approach to these markets recognizes their unique characteristics and growth trajectories. Jatan notes the “maturity of this market” in India, where both multinational companies and local organizations are increasingly understanding “the power of technology and what’s possible within the AV.”

This maturity creates opportunities across multiple vertical markets. “There’s tremendous growth in corporate, higher education, government,” Jatan observes, attributing this growth to organizations recognizing “the value coming out of these investments for people.”

The regional strategy also demonstrates QSC’s understanding that successful platform deployment depends on local support and expertise. The company has established a significant local presence, with over 120 employees in India and support teams across key geographic centres within the country.

Recognizing that the shift from product-based to platform-based approaches represents a significant change for system integrators and partners, QSC has developed comprehensive support strategies. “When you have a full-stack AV approach, you’re thinking about a solution and not product,” Jatan explains. “You’re really thinking about what is possible, you have an outcome you’re trying to achieve for an end user.”

This outcome-focused approach requires different skills and perspectives from traditional AV installation practices. To address this need, QSC provides multiple support layers, including comprehensive training programs, hands-on experience opportunities at centers like Bangalore, and robust local technical support.

The experience center model proves particularly valuable for this transition. Rather than attempting to explain complex platform capabilities through documentation or presentations, partners can experience integrated solutions firsthand. “It’s hands-on experiences that you can actually come here, visit, and spend time with our teams and see it,” Jatan emphasizes.

The Bangalore Experience Center represents the commitment QSC has to demonstrating full-stack capabilities in real-world environments. Jatan describes it confidently as “one of the best AV experience centers in the world,” noting that visitors can “see everything in one place and just experience it.”

The facility goes beyond traditional demonstration spaces by showcasing not just QSC technology but also ecosystem integrations with technology partners. “It’s a platform that uses both the platform and ecosystem concepts; we have our technology and alliance partners, and you’ll see how the platform works with these alliance partners, then those solutions come to life,” Jatan explains.

This comprehensive approach tackles a common challenge in AV demonstrations where potential customers see isolated proof-of-concept implementations instead of integrated solutions. The center offers a complete view of what’s possible when full-stack platforms work together with complementary technologies.

For Jatan, who describes himself as both biased and passionate about technology, the message to AV professionals is clear: experience the platform firsthand. “If you are a technologist and a technology enthusiast, at least come take a look at it,” he urges. “Experiencing and seeing is believing.”

As the professional AV industry continues to evolve toward platform-based solutions, QSC’s full-stack approach and global experience center network position the company at the forefront of this shift. With AI integration, cloud connectivity, and comprehensive ecosystem support, their vision represents not just technological progress but a fundamental rethinking of how AV solutions create value in modern intelligent spaces.

For Jatan, standing in the new QSC Bangalore facility, the moment signifies both achievement and a new beginning. “It’s a pivotal moment and we’re just getting started,” he reflects, indicating that the full-stack AV revolution has only started to show its potential.