By Jonny McKee, VP Product Management & Customer Support, Amino Communications

For decades, audiovisual (AV) technology in healthcare was viewed as a “nice-to-have” - primarily focused on patient entertainment. Today, that perception is changing rapidly. AV is becoming a critical part of clinical infrastructure, enabling new models of care, improving patient experience and supporting operational efficiency at scale.

Amino has been at the forefront of this evolution. As one of the first companies to deploy IPTV in hospitals, we’ve seen firsthand how early video delivery systems have matured into secure, remotely managed platforms that now underpin modern healthcare environments.

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From Bedside Screens to Connected Care Platforms

The role of AV in hospitals has expanded far beyond television. Modern deployments now integrate multiple use cases into a single, unified platform - including bedside IPTV, digital whiteboards, public-area signage and virtual nursing workflows.

In practical terms, this means that the screen in a patient room is no longer just for entertainment. It becomes a dynamic interface capable of switching seamlessly between:

• Live TV and on-demand content
• Patient information and care plans
• Real-time communication tools, including video consultations with clinicians

This convergence delivers tangible benefits. It improves patient engagement, reduces unnecessary room entries and enables consistent, reliable communication across thousands of endpoints. Increasingly, AV is not an add-on, it’s a dependable layer within the hospital’s wider digital infrastructure.

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Real-World Innovation: The Mayo Clinic Deployment

A clear example of this transformation can be seen in Amino’s deployment at Mayo Clinic.

Across multiple hospital sites and thousands of endpoints, Mayo Clinic has standardised on a single media platform to support a wide range of applications - from bedside IPTV and digital whiteboards to public signage and virtual care workflows.

At the heart of this deployment is the concept of a unified patient interface. The in-room TV acts as a central hub, allowing patients and clinicians to move seamlessly between entertainment and clinical interactions. For example, a patient can transition from watching TV to a live video consultation without needing additional devices or screens.

This approach simplifies the care environment while improving accessibility and efficiency.

Just as importantly, the deployment prioritises the requirements unique to healthcare environments:

• Enterprise-grade security to meet strict compliance standards
• Long-term device support to align with extended procurement cycles
• Remote management capabilities to minimise physical intervention

By enabling AV teams to manage devices centrally, reduce room entry, and extend hardware lifecycles, the system supports both clinical and operational goals. The result is a shift in perception: AV is no longer a peripheral system, but a trusted component of patient communication and care delivery.

Read the full Mayo Clinic Use Case here.

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What Healthcare Professionals Really Need

Healthcare environments place unique demands on technology. Access to patient rooms is often restricted, making reliability and remote management essential.

From our experience, clinicians and IT teams prioritise:

• High system uptime and robustness
• Advanced remote diagnostics and troubleshooting
• Centralised control across large device fleets

Platforms like Amino Orchestrate address these needs by enabling remote provisioning, monitoring, and issue resolution at scale. This reduces the need for on-site intervention while ensuring consistent performance - a critical factor in high-occupancy environments.

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Patient Experience: Simple, Accessible, Effective

While patient experience is a key driver, expectations differ significantly from consumer environments.

Hospital entertainment systems must be:

• Simple and intuitive for all demographics
• Immediately usable, without a learning curve
• Reliable, even on legacy infrastructure

Many hospitals still operate on older network technologies, including coaxial systems supplemented by Wi-Fi. This creates challenges when trying to deliver modern, IP-based services that combine entertainment with communication and clinical workflows.

However, change is underway. Content providers are beginning to offer B2B streaming services, and healthcare organisations are gradually modernising their infrastructure. The transition is complex, but it’s also essential for enabling fully integrated digital experiences.

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Core Requirements and the Challenges Behind Them

Healthcare organisations are navigating a complex set of technical, financial, and operational requirements.

Key priorities include:

• Reliability: Devices must perform consistently in high-use environments
• Simplicity: Interfaces must work for all users, instantly
• Integration: Systems must connect with patient records, communication tools and clinical workflows

At the same time, hospitals are increasingly integrating AV systems with electronic health records and telehealth platforms, expanding their role in care delivery.

From a technology perspective, flexibility is critical. Amino’s approach enables multiple applications to run on a single device, allowing system integrators to orchestrate different services - from entertainment to clinical communication - into a seamless user experience.

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A Unique Market: Scale, Regulation and Risk Aversion

The healthcare sector presents distinct challenges compared to other AV markets.

Procurement cycles are long, stakeholder groups are broad and decisions are driven less by features and more by:

• Proven reliability
• Long-term support
• Security and compliance

Security, in particular, is a major concern. Many commercial media devices lack the lifecycle management and patching required for healthcare environments. Conversely, some consumer platforms push automatic updates without sufficient control, introducing risk into clinical systems.

As a result, successful deployments require:

• Controlled update processes
• Transparent security roadmaps
• Alignment with hospital IT governance

In this context, AV must be positioned not as standalone technology, but as part of the wider clinical and digital ecosystem.

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Advice for Integrators Entering Healthcare

For AV integrators and manufacturers looking to enter the healthcare sector, several principles are critical:

• Prioritise flexibility: Devices must support multiple applications over long lifecycles
• Ensure lifecycle security: Regular updates and controlled patching are essential
• Enable full remote management: Deployment, diagnostics and updates must be handled centrally
• Maintain IT control: Hospitals must be able to test and validate updates before rollout

Ultimately, success depends on delivering solutions that minimise risk while supporting evolving clinical needs.

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Is Healthcare Making the Most of AV?

While progress is clear, many healthcare organisations are still constrained by legacy technology.

Traditional coaxial systems remain widespread, limiting the adoption of modern IP-based services. As broadcasters shift towards streaming delivery models, hospitals have an opportunity to rethink their approach entirely.

In some cases, this means moving directly to unicast streaming architectures - treating video as just another IP service alongside data and voice. While this requires greater network capacity, it offers:

• Simpler integration
• Lower operational overhead
• Greater long-term flexibility

The risk is that new builds continue to optimise for outdated delivery models, locking organisations into infrastructure that limits innovation.

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The Road Ahead

The healthcare AV market is evolving quickly, driven by the convergence of video, data and clinical workflows.

What’s clear is that AV is no longer a peripheral system. It is becoming a foundational layer in healthcare delivery - enabling better communication, improved patient outcomes and more efficient operations.

For organisations willing to modernise their infrastructure and rethink the role of AV, the opportunity is significant.