ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First, thanks to everyone in the AV industry for making this such a growing, dynamic, and successful field. It’s a clear indication of how far and fast professional AV has come that thousands of the best and brightest recognize a need to certify their skills to each other and to the wider world. Ideally, you’re next in line to be a Certified Technology Specialist (CTS).

Thanks to all the volunteer AV experts who have worked with AVIXA over the years to define what it means to be a CTS-certified professional and share their knowledge with the next generation of great technology minds.

I would like to thank Amanda Beckner, CTS, and Brad Grimes from AVIXA for giving me the opportunity to work on this project. Special thanks to Tim Green, Rachel Fogelberg, and Claire Yee at McGraw-Hill Education, who have supported and patiently mentored me on this voyage from magazine editor and technical writer to book author.

Like every twenty-first-century technical writer, I must acknowledge the contributions of Vannevar Bush and Ted Nelson, whose concept of hypertext made researching this work possible, and tip my hat to Jimmy Wales and his imperfectly-amazing Wikipedia project, which serves as such a valuable launching point for journeys into the unknown.

This book happened only because of my partner Val’s encouragement and support, together with her “tolerance” of my late-night work habits and teleconference meetings.

To all of you, good luck on your CTS exam!

—Andy Ciddor

I first want to thank AVIXA’s amazing volunteer AV experts and my AVIXA family for welcoming this former academic and student of Renaissance optics with open arms and for a boundless willingness to help. Special thanks to AVIXA’s Tom Kehr, who always has patience with my persistent questions, to Amanda Beckner for trusting me with this project and providing me with a guiding hand, and to the many, many others for their invaluable assistance.

Many thanks to Andy Ciddor for his tireless dedication and his persistent demands for excellence. This book is a testament to your passion and commitment to the industry that you so dearly love and intimately know. Equal thanks to Tim Green at McGraw-Hill Education for keeping us on task and keeping a level head as we pushed to meet deadlines.

Thank you to my loving wife, Leslie Fisher, who was and is always my rock. Your unwavering support and steadying hand as I edited the manuscript are made all the more astounding by the fact that you gave birth to our amazing son, Bruno Fisher, during its creation. Your love and support mean more than you’ll ever know.

—Zak Fisher, AVIXA

2019 AVIXA Board of Directors

LSC Chair: Julian Phillips, Whitlock

Chairman: Joe Pham, Ph.D., QSC

Vice Chair: Jeff Day, North of 10 Consulting

Secretary-Treasurer: Jon Sidwick, Maverick AV Solutions

Directors: Victoria Dade, Sonic Foundry

Wallace Johnson, CTS, WLJ Consulting

Bharath Kumar, Kramer Electronics India

Cathryn Lai, Scientific Games

Shaolei Liu, Beijing Oriental Prime Connections and Film and TV Technology

Rodrigo Ordóñez, CTS-D, K2

Samantha (Sam) Phenix, Planar Systems

Martin Saul, ICAP Global

AVIXA Staff

David Labuskes, CTS, RCDD, Executive Director and CEO

Heidi Voorhees, Chief Operating Officer

Amanda Beckner, CTS, Vice President of Learning

Bob Higginbotham, CTS-D, CTS-I, Director of Learning

Zachary Fisher, MA, Curriculum Developer

Rachel Bradshaw, Director of Program Design

Ann Brigida, Director of Standards

Brad Grimes, Senior Director of Communications

Tom Kehr, CTS-D, CTS-I, Senior Staff Instructor

Adrienne Knick, Senior Director of Certification

Loanna Overcash, Standards Developer

Debbie Sausville, CTS, Manager, Member Data Integrity

Kelly Smith, DCMP, Marketing Manager

Nicole Verardi, Director, Education and Certification Marketing

Sean Wargo, Senior Director, Market Intelligence

Hank Wieland, Marketing Writer/Editor