Essential Install - Feb 2020

FEBRUARY 2020

THE ESSENTIAL MAGAZINE FOR THE AV AND SMART HOME INDUSTRY

ISE 2020 PREVIEW

WHAT’S IN STORE?

BRACKETS, RACKING AND SUPPORT

HOLDING YOUR OWN

CABLES AND CONNECTIONS CONNECTION KINGS AND QUEENS

S U P P ORT I NG

4K HDR up to 40m

PRO88HBT70CS

Custom Pro 8x8 HDBaseT™ CSC Matrix (4K 60Hz 4:4:4 up to 40m) C U S T O M P R O

- Supports 4K HDR, IP Control, PoH, 2-Way IR, 4 x Simultaneous HDMI outputs , Audio Breakout with volume control J Advanced Colour Space Conversion (CSC) supports HDMI2.0 18Gbps specification over HDBaseT™ J Supports 4K resolutions including HDR (4K 60Hz 4:4:4) to a distance of 40m

Our Custom Pro 8x8 HDBaseT™ CSC Matrix offers unprecedented

J Smart Scale technology - automatic 4K to 1080p scaling

4K HDR performance for the custom installation market. The PRO88HBT100CS is a HDMI2.0 4K 60Hz 4:4:4 HDCP2.2 Matrix utilising CSC technology to deliver HDMI, Bi-directional IR, PoH (PoE) up to lengths of 100m over a single CAT cable (4K HDR up to 70m). The Matrix also provides advanced features including HDBaseT™ video down-conversion, 4 x simultaneous HDMI outputs, audio breakout with line level pre amp volume control and a web browser interface module for control and configuration of the matrix.

60Hz 4:4:4

HDCP 2.2

2.0

EDID

PRO88HBT100CS

HDR HD

4K HDR up to 70m

Custom Pro 8x8 HDBaseT™ CSC Matrix (4K 60Hz 4:4:4 up to 70m) - Supports 4K HDR, IP & RS-232 Control, PoH, 2-Way IR, 4x simultaneous HDMI outputs, Audio Breakout with volume control J Advanced Colour Space Conversion (CSC) supports HDMI2.0 18Gbps specification over HDBaseT™ J Supports 4K resolutions including HDR (4K 60Hz 4:4:4) to a 60Hz 4:4:4

Blustream_EI_DEC_2019.indd All Pages

HDCP 2.2

2.0

EDID

HDR HD

distance of 70m J Smart Scale technology - automatic 4K to 1080p scaling

M U L T I C A S T

IP200UHD-RX/TX Multicast 4K UHD Video Receiver / Transmitter J Supports up to 4K HDR UHD video sources (3840 x 2160 @30Hz 4:4:4, 4096 x 2160 @24Hz 4:4:4 and 4K @60Hz 4:2:0) J Advanced signal management for independent routing of IR, RS-232, USB/KVM, audio and video

4 K

U H D

V I D E O

O V E R

I P

HEX100CS-KIT

HEX150CS-KIT

100m HDBaseT™ Extender Set Supporting 4K 60Hz 4:4:4 (70m)

HDBaseT™ CSC Extender Set Supporting HDMI 2.0 4K 60Hz 4:4:4 up to 100m (1080p up to 150m)

J Advanced HDBaseT™ technology offering CSC scaling with zero latency J Supports 4K UHD video up to 70m (3840x2160 @60Hz 4:4:4 and @60Hz 4:2:2 including HDR)

C O N T R A C T O R

J Advanced Colour Space Conversion (CSC) supports HDMI2.0 18Gbps specification including HDR support

S E R I E S

C44-KIT Contractor 4x4 HDBaseT™ Matrix Kit J 70m (4K up to 40m) Includes 4 x HEX70B-RX HDBaseT™ Receivers

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22 27

CONTENTS

67

February 2020

05 FROM THE EDITOR’S CHAIR

22 PULSE CINEMAS

07 ESSENTIAL NEWS

ESSENTIAL CABLES AND CONNECTIONS

It’s ISE time!

Hot and happening

ISE Tour time!

24 DON’T SCRIMP ON THE CRIMP

16 ONEAV

Introducing the ‘new-school’

27 COPING WITH CABLING CONUNDRUMS

18 HABITECH

31 USB 4.0 FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Build the best network

37 THE CASE AGAINST (SOME) ROOM TREATMENT

20 CEDIA

Make the right lighting choices

Room correction or room treatment?

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

59 70 64

42

40 ESSENTIAL REVIEW

67 CASE STUDY: KNEKTD

42 ISE PREVIEW

70 ESSENTIAL COMMENT

56 CONTENT IS KING

72 ESSENTIAL TRAINING

BRACKETS RACKING AND SUPPORT

75 ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS

Antiference Powerbank

Integrated show preview

One nil to the Arsenal!

Streaming: Why quality matters

Time to embrace streaming

Get some education

Time for the toys

59 RGB COMMENT The middle way 63 SIZE DOESN’T MATTER So long as your bracket fits the bill 64 THE FORM FACTOR Form that meets function?

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underneath them but the WavePlane™ assures optimal high frequency dispersion throughout the listening area.

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to increase the sound pressure level at the critical mid-range frequencies so that acoustically, listeners enjoy a much larger sweet spot.

UK Distributor - Aldous Systems (Europe) Ltd - sales@aldoussystems.co.uk / +44(0) 1296 719 582

FEBRUARY 2020

THE ESSENTIAL MAGAZINE FOR THE AV AND SMART HOME INDUSTRY

pages 18-19

ISE 2020 PREVIEW

WHAT’S IN STORE?

BRACKETS, RACKING AND SUPPORT

HOLDING YOUR OWN

CABLES AND CONNECTIONS CONNECTION KINGS AND QUEENS

GETTING IN TOUCH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Daniel Sait, dan@allthingsmedialtd.com

SALES DIRECTOR

Ian Kitchener, ian@allthingsmedialtd.com

PUBLISHER

David Kitchener, david@allthingsmedialtd.com

STUDIO MANAGER

Ben Bristow, ben@allthingsmedialtd.com

ACCOUNTS

susan@allthingsmedialtd.com

BUSINESS SUPPORT ADMINISTRATOR carol@allthingsmedialtd.com

Essential Install magazine, Suite 14, 6-8 Revenge Road, Lordswood, Chatham, Kent ME5 8UD T: +44 (0)1634 673163 F: +44 (0)1634 673173 www.essentialinstall.com

SOCIALS /INSTALL_MAG /ESSENTIALINSTALL Whilst we make every effort that everything printed in Essential Install magazine is factually correct, we cannot be held responsible if factual errors occur.

All articles are copyright and remain the property of Essential Install magazine.

FEBRUARY

GET READY FOR ISE AND MORE MUSIC

So here we are again, it’s ISE time; EI sincerely hopes that if it’s your first or last or anything in between the show goes well.

ISE has always been a good event for our magazine - those readers who know the history will know that is was at this show that we launched the magazine, and it was also at ISE that we announced the addition of the southern arm to EI Live! to add to the established northern version.

So, we have a great history with the show, and we are really looking forward to a last lap of honour around Amsterdam and the RAI Centre.

I can also reveal that a very old friend of the magazine and one of the people that helped put the magazine on the map on the sales side is back for 2020 and will be at the show. It’s great to have Claire Talty back!

She was, and will be again, a great asset for EI so keep an eye out for her at the show and at industry events in general.

Our ISE preview forms one of the main focuses for this issue, so we hope you find that useful in what is the show’s biggest ever event. There’s loads to see and hear so be sure and take a look.

THE MUSIC BUSINESS

During the 70/80s ‘the music biz’ was a money making behemoth, not always for the artists mind (a problem that still exists today), but for the company’s involved, control of the means of products and distribution meant huge profits and bloated expense accounts. Back in the stone age, EI had a driving job for MTV when it first

opened in London and can directly attest to some of the bad behaviour and excesses of the industry at that time. However, it did not last. As digital music files and file sharing became a ‘thing’ the music moguls lost control, sales plummeted, and it was the end of that model as we knew it.

However, there was some interesting news recently, that ‘consumption of music’ in the UK is now higher than in any year since 2006. In 2006, music was powered by the downloadable mp3 file as Crazy by Gnarls Barkley becoming the first song to get to No 1 on downloads alone, as people ditched CD singles for individually purchased tracks.

Now here is the interesting part, vinyl has of late enjoyed a revival, and CD, which still comfortably outsells vinyl five times over, is holding its own, in the main due to the consistent quality users get. What has suffered most in the last 13 years is the ‘new’ format of digital download, as users have switched to streaming.

The data says we’re not consuming as many albums in 2020 as compared with 2006, but this is mostly since many now pay their monthly subscription fee for streaming and don’t ‘buy’ albums, because they don’t need to.

However, the most important number here is that in the UK we now play an improbable sounding 100bn tracks a year in the digital domain.

So, as an installer this represents a huge opportunity. We sell music systems so people can enjoy those tracks whenever and wherever they are and, in many cases for the first time, in fantastic quality. Happy days!

Daniel J Sait Editor

FEBRUARY 2020 05

Hi-Fi sound quality in a CI package.

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NEWS

ONEAV ADDS AURORA AND MONITOR AUDIO In a very busy start to the year, OneAV has added two major brands to its roster in Aurora and Monitor Audio.

With the Aurora Lighting Group, OneAV is drawing particular attention to the AOne mProZX Fixed IP65 tuneable fire-rated downlight.

Zigbee controlled, this IP65 direct replacement has a one-step installation process and features a convertible body with a removable driver for recess voids as low as 56mm. Installing and using ‘Smart Inside’, the mProZX can be controlled individually or as part of a group and the tunable white feature allows the user to control the colour temperature between 2200-5000K. Thomas Lane, Aurora’s Head of Smart Home Partnerships, said, “We’re extremely excited to be partnering with OneAV and making our products accessible via their portal to OneAV customers. This is an exciting time for the industry and we’re pleased to be offering a wide range of smart lighting that installers can easily use for both residential and commercial applications.

Throughout 2020 we will be touring the UK and delivering Aurora Smart training in a city near you!

We will show installers exactly how our Aurora Smart Lighting system works and how it can be installed in four simple steps. The programme is free, so all you need to do is sign up and turn up.”

Those that participate will gain all the necessary information to become an AOne Smart Lighting Installer. More information is available on the AOne website page.

OneAV and Aurora are hosting a training day on Thursday March 5 at Welwyn Garden City (Herts), and Thursday March 19 at a Northern location TBC. Andy Oattes, Sales Director of OneAV added: “OneAV are really excited to be working with Aurora on the launch of their amazing AOne Smart Lighting range. Smart LED lighting is a really fastgrowing product sector within CI and the AOne range has been meticulously created to maximise performance and efficiency per pound spent.”

OneAV has also announced a new partnership with British loudspeaker brand Monitor Audio.

As an authorised distributor, OneAV’s depth and range of speaker products are significantly broadened with performance-per-pound that it argues is hard to criticise.

In the strength and number of an evolving product portfolio, OneAV says Monitor Audio continues to demonstrate the power of high quality, high-performance solutions that serve every application, taste and budget.

Recently the company released a range of installation amplifier solutions and many of the company’s range of products are already included in The CEDIA Designer software.

James Trumper, Director of OneAV, says, “We’re thrilled to be working with Monitor Audio to complement our existing range of audio solutions.

Not only are their speakers beautifully designed with great engineering and high-quality sound, but Monitor fits perfectly into our performance per pound ethos. We’re looking forward to being able to offer our dealers a substantially increased range of audio solutions for their residential and commercial projects.”

Monitor Audio UK Sales Account Manager, Jon Bennett, comments, “I’m excited about expanding the reach of the Monitor Audio brand by partnering with OneAV as our latest Authorised Custom Install distributor. Leveraging the diverse custom install and trade customers the team at OneAV already serves, this new partnership represents a unique opportunity to bring our environmental and architectural products to those who are seeking one manufacturer to satisfy these needs.

“With access to a broad portfolio of Monitor Audio speaker and amplification products – many with a Lifetime Warranty – OneAV’s customers will really have all the tools available to them to deliver high quality, bespoke installations that stand apart from the crowd.”

OneAV www.oneav.co.uk

FEBRUARY 2020 07

Ultra-discreet loudspeakers for any location Come visit our stand to preview new products at ISE, RAI Amsterdam, Hall 5 - Stand R85 By choosing Monitor Audio Custom Install products, you’re securing the utterly desirable combination of reliability, seamless integration and superior sound quality, backed by decades of design innovation and award success.

monitoraudio.com/install

MA CI Essential Install Feb20 ISE Ad.indd 1

22/01/2020 12:24

NEWS

EX PEERLESS-AV MD LAUNCHES CONSULTANCY BUSINESS Gordon Dutch, ex MD at Peerless-AV EMEA, recently established a consultancy business called BBG Business Development LLP. The new BBG business has already been involved in numerous projects for brands, installers and retailers and offers everything from a very basic ‘assessment’ of any business, through to project management, sales introductions and even press and PR. Gordon, who has been active within the AV industry for over 30 years, has a long history of success both in the retail and B2B/pro markets, creating award winning brands that have proven the test of time and winning two life time achievement awards in the process.

In his previous role as CEO of BBG Distribution which Gordon sold to Peerless-AV in 2009, he was responsible for all aspects of the business and, since the sale, was instrumental in evolving the business from a mainly a retail distribution company into a commercial juggernaut within EMEA. John Potts, CEO of Peerless-AV, said, “PeerlessAV would like to pay tribute to the incredible work Gordon and his team have done since 2009.

Peerless-AV was a brand that was well known in the US, Canada and South America. However, its sales

and brand awareness since we launched PeerlessAV EMEA in 2009 has been massive.

“Gordon’s strategic leadership and incredible work ethic, along with the dynamic leadership of a best-in-class team, which he assembled, has led Peerless-AV to the forefront of the mounting business and opened new areas of opportunity, including our very successful outdoor displays, kiosks and LED systems. It has been an absolute pleasure working with Gordon and we wish him all the luck in his new venture.”

Nick Belcore, Executive Vice President of Peerless-AV, added, “Gordon is well known for his enthusiastic and straight-talking style. He is bound to be a massive asset to any business that is looking to expand both within the UK and outside of the UK.” Gordon added, “I am really looking forward to getting involved in a new major business or project.

Whilst I have enjoyed the past 18 months R & R, I realised that I wasn’t very good at golf and really missed the front line where I spent so much time when incepting and building the various business ventures that remain so healthy and vibrant today.”

It is planned that Gordon will remain on the Peerless EMEA board as a strategic advisor and non-exec role for the coming years and is therefore free to take any ‘non-competing’ roles.

BBG Business Development LLP www.bbgbusdev.com

ORIGIN ACOUSTICS HIRES CSI AS REP Origin Acoustics has announced the hiring of Custom Solutions International (CSI) as its international representative for Europe, Middle East, Africa and Australasia.

CSI, founded in 2000 by Roger Campbell serves the growing custom installation, home cinema, professional audio, and the hospitality industry in more than 70 international markets.

Origin Acoustics says the CSI team has years of experience in building strong, mutually beneficial, professional relationships in the markets they represent with installers, dealers, retailers and supporting distributors with technical support, training, sales and marketing support.

Jose Coelho, International Business Director for Origin Acoustics, said, “CSI offers two decades of experience and relationships in markets we are starting to engage. Their seasoned sales team and support are invaluable for us in these new territories.”

CSI’s Roger Campbell added, “Origin Acoustics offers a unique mix of audio products in growth categories for our clients.

We embrace the synergies between Origin and CSI. Our entire staff is quite excited to represent Origin Acoustics internationally.

The new partnership focus is to expand into new territories and grow business in markets where Origin is already present.”

Origin Acoustics www.originacoustics.com

FEBRUARY 2020 09

Extraordinary entertainment Beautifully delivered home entertainment in true 4K HDR Our home cinema range brings all your entertainment beautifully to life, with SXRD panel technology delivering extraordinary clarity, colour and contrast.

From Full HD 3D to 4K, the Sony range of home cinema projectors ensure the most breathtaking entertaining experiences.

For more information visit pro.sony/home-cinema

T: 01359 270280 E: sales@invisionuk.com W: www.invisionuk.com

NEWS

CEDIA AWARDS NOW ACCEPTING ENTRIES FOR 2020 The entry system is now open for the 2020 CEDIA Awards programme. The awards, which were created to spotlight the finest work the industry has to offer, are considered amongst the premier prizes for projects crafted by residential technology integrators.

“The recognition winners and finalists receive from the process is priceless,” Senior Vice President of Industry Engagement, Giles Sutton, said. “CEDIA Award winners have been showcased in publications like The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The Financial Times, and The Sunday Times, among others.”

This year, CEDIA is launching a new awards platform that streamlines the entry process. This new system walks entrants through each step of the submission, and project details can be entered in stages or all at once. Giles said, “We are happy to adopt this new platform, which keeps the highquality and integrity of the CEDIA Awards criteria, but is just a lot more intuitive for users completing the entry.”

Project categories include: Integrated Home; Media Room; Home Cinema; Showroom; Auto, Marine, or Aircraft; and Multiple Dwelling Unit Design. CEDIA members can submit projects in multiple categories, and judges will determine cost categories based on all completed entries.

Entries will be categorised based on their region: Americas, EMEA, or Asia Pacific.

New for 2020, CEDIA is also launching a new category for projects produced for less than $25,000 or the equivalent in the local currency.

Giles added, “Our new category highlighting projects under $25,000 has been developed through suggestions from our dedicated volunteers and we think it will boost inclusiveness and showcase the full scope of what CEDIA members can accomplish.”

Finalists and winners will receive: • A CEDIA-created, individualised case study to use for their business marketing purposes.

• Recognition in a globally issued press release.

• Projects will be highlighted on the new CEDIA Awards website (cediaawards.org), the flagship CEDIA website (cedia.net), and CEDIA social media channels.

• Authorisation to use CEDIA Awards Finalist and Winner logos.

• CEDIA Finder Service Profile recognition.

Winners will also receive: • Winner trophy.

• Feature in CEDIA E-Newsletter.

• Projects actively pitched to major media outlets by the CEDIA public relations team.

• Printed copies of their case study.

Entries from the Americas and Asia Pacific regions are due by March 23 while EMEA submissions close April 20. Americas and Asia Pacific finalists will be announced June 8, while EMEA finalists will be announced the week of June 29. Awards celebrations are as follows: • Americas winners will be announced at the CEDIA Awards and Leadership Conference on July 22 in Chicago.

• Asia Pacific winners will be announced at the CEDIA Awards event during the 2020 Integrate conference in Melbourne, which runs August 1921.

• EMEA winners and winners of Global Awards will be announced at the CEDIA EMEA Awards event in London in the Autumn.

To qualify for the 2020 programme, projects need to have been completed between March 2018 and March 2020. To apply for the 2020 CEDIA Awards, integrators should have documentation and project information on hand.

More information on the programme, the entry process, and its benefits is available at cedia.net/ awards.

CEDIA Awards www.cedia.net/awards

FEBRUARY 2020 11

Sky Pro for Elan: Unrivalled User Experience.

NEWS

KARMA-AV NOW DISTRIBUTES OSC BLACK AND OSD AUDIO Audio Gear Group recently announced that Karma-AV will now distribute its OSD Black and OSD Audio lines of architectural speakers to the UK market.

Karma-AV will be representing the complete OSD Black brand to UK dealers and integrators, and managing the OSD Audio line through sub-distributor Alltrade.

The OSD Black brand is Audio Gear Group’s premier line of architectural speakers, on-wall theatre speakers, outdoor speakers, multi-channel amplifiers, 100V products, and integration accessories.

OSD Audio, meanwhile, is AGG’s highest value-for-money range. OSD Audio is now available to the UK exclusively though subdistributor Alltrade.

“When tight budgets bear down on design choices, OSD’s comprehensive Black and Audio alternatives will prove to be a great option,” said Karma-AV’s Ian Severs. “We’re confident that even in a congested market there’s an unanswered demand that OSD can satisfy.”

Simon Spears, Audio Gear Group Director of International Sales, added, “Like-for-like, the premium OSD Black and value-based OSD Audio brands are priced 30-40% below rivals but are extremely well made and backed by warranties that are as good as any in the industry. And they’ve already won recognition from UK integrators, so we are extremely excited to be entering the UK market at this time. With their proven track record of superior sales, customer support, training and technical support, I believe that Karma-AV and Alltrade are the right partners for us in the UK, and I look forward to working with them to introduce OSD Black and OSD Audio to dealers and integrators here.”

Dealers in the UK who would like to learn more about Audio Gear Group’s OSD Black or OSD Audio brands should contact their KarmaAV representative.

Karma AV www.karma-av.co.uk

ESSENTIAL PEOPLE EET Europarts, the specialist technology distributor, is pleased to announce the appointment of Franceso (Frankie) Bellavia to the role of Sales Director - Surveillance and Security.

Sunil Bouri, Managing Director of EET Europarts UK, said, “We are pleased to appoint Frankie to this new role and further strengthen our position in Surveillance and Security since the acquisition of Pro-Vision Distribution. Frankie brings

with him a wealth of industry experience and skills and along with his strong background in distribution and very personable character, he is a great addition to the team.”

Frankie said, “I’m really looking forward to my new role at EET Europarts. With such a comprehensive product offering and growing team, there is a tremendous opportunity to support our customers further across Bosch, Idis, Pelco and Wisenet.

“We are also very strong within storage and networking, and for example, as leading Ubiquiti Master Distributor can offer Surveillance and Security customers a very popular product range used across many installations today.”

FEBRUARY 2020 13

NEWS

ESSENTIAL PEOPLE HTE (Home Theatre Environment) has announced the appointment of Peter Aylett to the growing HTE team.

Maurizio Conti, the Founder and President of the company said, “I am very proud to have Peter entering in the HTE family, as I am sure that his expertise in our market will lead HTE to grow up organically all over the world, making HTE a global brand, well recognised for clever interior acoustical solutions not only in the entertainment market, as we are going to explore more and diversified application of our acoustic technology.

“His internationally recognised skills and knowledge, linked with his natural ability in teaching and leading courses and training sessions will define our sales training process and our technical training, making it a must for everyone. I am sure

our joined forces will lead HTE to be a global one stop solution provider for lots of professionals around the world.”

Peter brings 30 years’ industry experience to HTE and said, “I am thrilled to be joining Maurizio at HTE to help the company take the next steps in expanding to become a globally recognised leader in the design and construction of room interiors that combine amazing Italian design, with the world’s finest acoustics. I’m looking forward to helping integrators both deliver amazing rooms, as well as make money from the room fit out - a profit centre that all too often gets left on the table for an external contractor to deliver.“ Peter will be continuing his involvement with Archimedia and GR Media Solutions.

CEDIA has announced that the 2020 Executive Committee has received approval from the CEDIA Board of Directors. In a separate vote, the board approved three appointed directors.

The members of the 2020 CEDIA Executive Committee are;

Rob Sutherland, Chairman Inspired Dwellings.

London, United Kingdom

John Buchanan, Treasurer Meridian Audio Huntingdon, UK

David Weinstein, Chairman-Elect Lutron Electronics.

Coopersburg, Pennsylvania, USA

David Humphries, Immediate Past Chairman Atlantic Integrated Rockleigh, New Jersey, United States Ex-officio, non-voting member

Melanie Malcolm, Secretary Bespoke Cinemas Leeds, UK

In addition, CEDIA’s board of directors has approved the appointment of three directors.

Appointed directors are selected from among all member types (manufacturers, service providers, home technology professionals, etc.). The three appointed directors joining the CEDIA board are; John Buchanan, Chief Executive, Meridian Audio.

Alex Capecelatro, CEO, Josh.ai.

David Weinstein, Vice President Residential Sales, Lutron Electronics.

Rob Sutherland, sated, “As CEDIA enters our fourth decade, the call to serve our global membership and the industry is louder than ever. The opportunities to provide the growing workforce and established professionals within the channel the right support to succeed are endless, and the CEDIA Board of Directors is well positioned to help create the ideal environment for integrators everywhere to succeed.”

Rounding out the board are the following directors: Peter Aylett Archimedia West Sussex, UK

Michael Cogbill ETC West Palm Beach, Florida, USA

Bill Skaer Bill Skaer and Associates LLC Mesquite, Texas, USA

Jamie Briesemeister Integration Controls St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Albert Mizrahi SmartLab Mexico City, Mexico

Joe Whitaker The Thoughtful Home Clayton, Missouri, USA

Lots of CEDIA people news this month as Jenn McGuire is now to lead CEDIA’s Global Member Services Department.

The promotion elevates Jenn to the head of the global organisation’s membership department. She will remain based in the CEDIA EMEA office in the United Kingdom.

“Jenn has been with the organisation for four-and-a-half years and brings a wealth of experience, knowledge, and excitement to the Global Member Services Manager position,” said CEDIA Managing Director of EMEA, Matt Nimmons. “As the lead in the launch of our successful Member of Excellence programme, Jenn’s focus on providing the highest level of service to our members was on display. She has a keen grasp of

14 FEBRUARY 2020

Amanda Wildman TruMedia Ada, Michigan, USA

the global reach of our organisation and brings great energy to the massive opportunities available to connect with members and industry contributors. We’re thrilled to have Jenn continue to serve CEDIA in this leadership role.”

Jenn joined CEDIA in 2015, initially focussing on outreach in the EMEA office. Prior to joining CEDIA, she worked in the events planning industry. In her time with CEDIA, Jenn has concentrated on supporting members in the EMEA. In February, the CEDIA Member of Excellence programme, a global initiative led by Jenn, debuted.

In her new role, Jenn’s responsibilities include managing the global membership team and all of its initiatives.

WE CREATE TECHNOLOGY FOR THE CONNECTED WORLD A wave of digitisation is sweeping our world and increasingly shaping and altering how we act and live, our homes and workplaces, businesses, public facilities and spaces – even entire cities. Digital technologies are now omnipresent. Everything is communicating with everything else: people with devices, devices with other devices, buildings with people, and buildings with other buildings. It’s up to us to

In every system, multiple components interact in very important ways. Many of our products incorporate a number of basic AV and IT functions to perform a range of tasks, even over long distances.

This is the philosophy that guides us – Combined Connectivity Solutions.

shape our digital future so it will yield the greatest benefits.

At Lindy we’re convinced that, if we have the right ideas and persevere, we can protect the environment while enjoying safer, more rewarding lives. The basis

SHARING

EXTENDING

CONNECTING

CONVERTING

for doing so, and the intelligence behind it, can be summed up in one word: connectivity. This is the prerequisite for all communication. And we are working to forge connections and make the whole universe of content available anywhere and in any setting.

DISCOVER LINDY lindy.com

ONEAV

ISE STAND 1N134

THERE’S ONLY ONEAV YOU NEED TO SEE AT ISE 2020 OneAV (Stand 1N134) is the only UK CI distributor with a dedicated booth at ISE. Andy Oattes has shared with EI what OneAV customers can expect in 2020.

approach with some excellent developments in the way we do business. Here are just three of many reasons why you should feel confident about partnering with OneAV in 2020:

OneAV is a new-school supplier for new-school professionals, distributing AV, smart home and lifestyle technology solutions to the trade. We are prolific at bringing exciting brands to the market with great new products and profitable solutions, all with performance-per-pound that’s hard to criticise.

The CI market is all about collaboration, and ultimately there’s a client at the end of the chain that wants the best performing solution. OneAV is all about genuinely helping our customers wherever we can to be more successful, always aiming to make their busy lives easier by increasing knowledge and removing obstacles.

In 2020, we’ve energised our new-school

1 – We’re supplying whole new categories of tech. OneAV thinks beyond AV to other great tech so professionals can profitably offer their clients the opportunity to solve everyday problems, like smart plumbing and mobile signal boosting, all exclusive to OneAV. Brands like Hero Labs with their Sonic intelligent water monitoring device, or Cel-Fi with their UK legal cellular boosting solutions to banish the problem of poor mobile signal in any building are exiting new categories available from OneAV. 2 – We resist boring. For example, no one likes classroom-based training, so we’ve stopped it. Our customers lead busy lives, time away from the day-to-day business is always a costly & difficult choice. OneAV has a bespoke 1:1 approach to education bringing training directly to you. We’re also expanding our convenient webinar series to provide customers with even more specific and focused training.

3 - A brilliant new loyalty rewards system that translates into more profitability for our customers. Points aren’t only earned through purchases but also through training, event attendance (business and social) as well as participation in OneAV marketing activities.

Shop with us in 2020 as we recognise the changing landscape, challenges, and opportunities for the industry. We spot the trends early and bring these technologies to our customers to help them create more opportunities. Come and check us out at ISE on our Stand (1-N134) and remember we are the

16 FEBRUARY 2020

leading sponsor for EI Live 2020. I promise you 15-minutes on our stands at both shows will be well worth your time!

New-school professionals place importance on quick response times, well-engineered brands that dependably perform, and a collaborative approach during pre and postsales from their suppliers. OneAV is there to help our customers ‘do their thing’, while making working life more fun and, most importantly, their businesses more profitable.

An excellent example of this new-school OneAV approach would be our trade events, not held in some beige hotel function room somewhere, but in the Aztec, Industrial, Medieval and Futuristic zones of the Crystal Maze! OneAV is taking over the famous game show The Crystal Maze for a unique distributor trade event.

Combining the fun of winning crystals with a showcase of standout One AV products.

OneAV’s Crystal Maze experience has already taken place in London (January 30th) and the next date is Manchester on Thursday, March 26 at 4 pm.

ONEAV

OneAV is the only UK CI distributor with a dedicated booth at ISE. Stand 1N134.

OneAV with its UK and German teams are proud to be exhibiting at ISE 2020 for the fourth year running, and this year we’ll have a completely different type of feel to our booth.

Come and chat with us about future projects, catch-up with the team, and check out the variety of residential and commercial products that we’re exhibiting, including some new and exciting products. So, which brands should you keep a lookout for on OneAV’s stand this year?

HDANYWHERE

With MHUB PRO 2.0, HDA have dreamt up the dream matrix. Designed for uncompromising AV professionals who don’t have time to find workarounds or accept compromise. With perfect-plug-n-play 18G 100 metre 4K support, audio return (ARC in Control4) and 4K>1080 downscaling, MHUB PRO 2.0 is next-level matrixing.

JUST ADD POWER & ENADO CONTROL

The AV-over-IP experts at J+P will be demonstrating instant switching video matrixing, video walls, image tiling and new hardware for creating mosaic video walls called the ‘warp engine’, as well as a new smaller, slimmer wall plate Transmitter. The J+P live demo will be controlled via Enado to show off the browser-based control platforms rich features for simple AV system control.

HERO LABS

Sonic by Hero Labs is a ground-breaking smart water monitor with automatic shut-off that integrates into third party control systems.

Fitted directly to the mains, it can detect minute water flows and identify appliances connected to the plumbing network for usage monitoring.

For those OneAV stocked brands that we can’t fit on our booth we have the OneAV ISE Brand Tour, where guests can visit our other key suppliers like NAD, Focal, Monitor Audio & Phillips Commercial Display Solutions on their stands for a personal demo and overview.

Visit them all and you’ll go into a draw to win OAV points to be redeemed against future purchases!

Lots of exciting initiatives and new brands are landing at OneAV in 2020, and it’s barely even begun! Speak to your account manager for more information on any of these announcements and to get involved in our wonderful events!

Let’s make 2020 the best year yet!

Andy Oattes

FEBRUARY 2020 17

BUILD THE BEST NETWORKS END-TO-END When AV arrives almost exclusively in a stream, your future relies on next-gen network design. Work with Habitech, says Jonathan Pengilley, and we’ll patch you through.

According to Kim Bayley, chief executive of the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA), “the rise of digital entertainment has created the biggest revolution in UK leisure habits in history”. She isn’t wrong.

In less than a decade UK consumer demand has shifted dramatically away from physical media toward internet-

based services. The numbers are stark.

As the ERA’s recent 2019 trading report reveals, the physical market has shrunk by 70% since 2010, while over 80% of total entertainment spend is now buying digital content delivered by subscription servicers over broadband.

Streaming into homes from the likes of Netflix, Amazon, Warner Disney and Sky, digital video is the fastest growing sector of all, surging 21.5% in 2019 alone to hit £2.1bn. A decade ago it was just £154m.

Similarly, 2019 saw UK music streaming soar 23.5% to burst through the £1bn barrier for the first time. In 2010 it was a paltry £31.5m. Booming sales in a tiny vinyl niche cannot disguise the truth: the party is over for disc-based entertainment and every one of us in CI is affected. Now

that the Internet is viewed by so many of our customers as essential life support, we will forever be judged by our skill in data distribution and quality. Today, beneath the surface aesthetics, the custom integrator is more than ever a network designer.

THE FUTURE IS FASTER

And the scale of this new digital estate is ballooning by the second.

Together with other supply-side agencies, you’re facing rapidly spiralling bandwidth demand, fuelled by the media giants in their fight for new market share. Even the national infrastructure builders appear to have caught on (at last), with the

Building better networks: the quality and resilience of SCP’s 10G network infrastructure, including its 10GBaseT ‘loaded’ and ‘unloaded’ patch panels is now guaranteed for 25 years...

18 FEBRUARY 2020

Covered by SCP’s guarantee of quality, Premium-Certified Ultra-Violet HDMI leads will handle 2.1 eARC and Dynamic HDR over a 6M range...

HABITECH

Warranted against failure and correctly terminated, SCP’s shielded and unshielded RJ45 field connectors will ensure longest-term 10G network integrity...

major ISPs, network operators and government agencies unanimous in their belief that pure fibre optic (‘full fibre’) Fibre-to-the-Premises / Home (FTTP/H) broadband is the only future.

Just last month, in Jan 2020, telecoms regulator Ofcom published its Fixed Telecoms Market Review 2021-26 (FTMR), which proposed major financial and legal incentives to boost the rollout of full fibre broadband, which currently delivers 1Gbps to around 11% of UK premises but theoretically is capable of delivering Terabit speeds (Tbps) to the masses.

Encouraged by a £5bn investment war chest from the government and an ambitious target to bring ‘gigabit-capable’ broadband to every home by the end of 2025, the two main protagonists Openreach (BT) and Virgin are hoping to connect 17 million premises within this timeframe, the remainder being mopped up by alternative network (AltNet) ISPs, such as Hyperoptic, Cityfibre, Community Fibre and Gigaclear.

THE FUTURE IS NETWORKED

One thing’s for sure: market optics are confirming a perpetually fatter pipe at your customers’ door.

Your challenge, and the major CI challenge of the age, is to capture and preserve the quality of whatever streams out. In building a network that can support home devices and sensors in their hundreds, you’ll also be expected to optimise the proficiency of security, lighting and heating systems, and the capability of cyber defences.

Now that everything relies on the internet, your ability to fine-tune the design and performance of home networks end-to-end is indisputably the most valuable skill you can possess. Clients will love you for it, but on the flip side, you’ll be off the Christmas list if your network, literally, hits the buffers.

Install with confidence: SCP’s 25 year/10GBaseT certified shielded CAT6A won’t let you down when it’s in the wall.

Don’t forget the most expensive cable is a retrofit cable...

OUR PRONET PROMISE

This is why, since 2012, we’ve been leading the charge to help integrators build the fastest, most reliable networks with the best tech in the rack from Ruckus, Draytek, Wyrestorm, WatchGuard and Aten, supported by the consumer world’s most powerful Wi-Fi infrastructure, backed by our acclaimed training at gateway and advanced levels.

On the journey we’ve learnt that great network design is about more than just the major components like a Draytek router, or a WatchGuard firewall, a Ruckus switch or AP, or even a new SCP patch bay. What completes the most successful networks is the stuff that connects them, the quality of which is all too often overlooked when spec’ing. My definition of madness is investing good money on the nodal hardware, skimping on the cable infrastructure and expecting a high performance design at the end of it. It ain’t gonna happen.

Existentially a network relies on its connections, so, at Habitech, we’re giving special priority to the performance of our fibre and copper bulk cable, connectors, terminations, keystone jacks, patch cords and panels, AOCs, and HDMI leads. It’s these links that help the network do the heavy lifting end-to-end. It’s also why SCP has established a reference level of quality for its 10GBaseT product line, backed by a 25 year guarantee.

Build with the best: SCP’s CAT6A patch leads and keystone sockets are part of the company’s Connectivity System Guarantee

up to 100m; SCP’s RJ45 field plugs shielded and unshielded; its CAT6A/7A keystone jacks; 1U, 24 port 6A patch panels loaded and unloaded; new 6A colour-coded patch cords up to 5m; SCP’s 995AOC active optical HDMIs up to 30m, and Premium Certified Ultra Violet and Ultra Slim HDMIs supporting 2.1’s eARC and dynamic HDR features. Long and short, we’ll supply everything you need to build the most resilient networks, and it’s all available under one roof, quality guaranteed and complete with our legendary sales and service support.

ALL THE NETWORKING OPTIONS FROM ONE SUPPLIER

HIGH-SPEED SCP QUALITY GUARANTEED

SCP now offers a comprehensive 25 year 10GBaseT and 4K Certified Connectivity System warranty for systems designed and installed by certified integrators using approved SCP brand bulk cables and SCP connecting components. All eligible SCP branded passive components are covered against defects in materials and workmanship for 25 years from the date of installation. If an installed SCP component fails during this period, SCP will repair or replace the failed component at no cost to your customer (including labour) through Habitech. Qualifying products include SCP’s comprehensively shielded CAT 7A and CAT6A cables, designed for 10GbE transfers

Over many years Habitech has devoted major investment to the cause of making nextgen networks easier to deliver. Whether it’s 10GBaseT, HDMI 2.1, IP or WiFi6; specialised routers, firewalls, switches and patch bays, tools, ports and plugs, we combine the latest hardware with the best knowhow to help your business custom-design unrivalled network performance.

It’s as if all of our futures depended on it, and, by no coincidence whatsoever, they do!

Habitech www.habitech.co.uk

FEBRUARY 2020 19

CEDIA

HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST SMART LIGHTING SYSTEM? Gavin Baker of CEDIA Member, Micarta, asks why all too often, installers will stick to a singular product base or manufacturer.

What if there’s an existing smart automation system?

This is usually because we hold deeper knowledge of one system or another. However, this approach has the problem of locking clients out of the vast benefits of choosing a system based on the needs of the project.

At Micarta we feel it is important to give the client the whole picture, even if this leads to a more complicated answer. We would rather focus on the requirements of the client and the project than the products. The question we should ask and answer first is ‘How to choose’ rather than ‘What is the best’. Let’s looks at the key areas that will help us get to the right answer.

Is the client seeking lighting control for all rooms or just key areas?

Is the project a new build where cables can easily be run or is it a retrofit where changes to anything existing would preferably be kept to a minimum?

If new cables can be run then it would be our recommendations to choose a wired system.

Complete wireless solutions solve the issue of running new cables (within range), however, they limit other areas such as the quality of real time control and can, in rare situations, cause issues if the local airwaves are congested with radio frequencies. The other consideration is that even though a system may be wireless, the units may not fit into existing backboxes or even require a neutral power core at the light switch.

20 FEBRUARY 2020

In this case, then, using the same manufacturer provides the benefit of the system being designed to work together from the start and usually offers more in-depth control. It’s an important consideration, but other contexts may well be more significant.

If the latter, then wireless systems may be better as they will be quicker and more cost-effective to install and offer the ability for expansion at a later date. That said, if the lighting scheme is complex, then a wired system gives greater flexibility and would be preferable. We would always recommend running extra cables so that expansion later is easier and less expensive.

How large an area can be allocated to central control units?

Assuming the system is not a retrofit, then, there will likely be a single, centralised location of control or on larger builds, multiple. These control boards can vary in size depending on preferred functionality and there are two options to consider.

Centralised dimming requires all the lighting circuits to be wired to the control board and dimming and switched units inside this board control the power going to light circuits. This delivers a single point of wiring and fault finding and also means that lighting circuits can be installed first with most fittings then chosen later in the build. This approach requires a larger space in the central location and a higher cost. However, the reduced cost of electronics at each light fitting and flexibility in light fitting choice often outweighs the additional expense.

Alternatively, localised dimming requires less space centrally, by serving as a point of communication with each light fitting or group of fittings. Here, all lights receive permanent power and control their level individually via the communications line (usually DALI). This method gives ultimate lighting control flexibility as each fitting can be controlled individually and takes up less space in a central location although it is less flexible in terms of light fitting choice and requires more pre-planning.

What is the preferred ‘look’ when it comes to in wall control?

Major brands offer fantastic keypads that are responsive and proven. There are many manufacturers also offering devices compatible with KNX. Our job as integrators is to show the client what is possible and leave no stone unturned in making sure they are satisfied with their choice.

What about budget?

The sky is the limit in terms of what is achievable with lighting control but the client’s budget is a major determining factor. Solutions from different brands come at different price points and offer varying functionality so sometimes spending more money does not actually result in a better system. Warranties should also be considered. Some products may not seem to offer any more functionality, yet the manufacturer stands by their performance with exceptionally long warranties that give us and the client peace of mind on the longevity of the system.

Micarta www.micarta.co.uk

PULSE CINEMAS

SIGN UP FOR THE PULSE CINEMAS ISE TOUR! Mike Beatty, Pulse Cinemas MD, introduces the ISE Tour 2020, a unique chance to explore the show and discover more about the brands the distributor supplies and supports in the UK. The whole Pulse Cinemas team is gearing up to welcome dealers once again to our exclusive ISE Tour where our customers get VIP treatment and specially arranged access to all the brands that matter.

One thing we can all agree on about the ISE show is that it has got bigger in recent years, a lot bigger. Now this is a positive thing in many ways; more opportunity to learn, explore and find new ways to wow customers. However, we at Pulse Cinemas, always looking to add value, appreciate that a show of this size can be a real challenge to navigate. Finding the right brands to talk to and ensuring someone is free to talk to you when you get there is not easy. However, it is easy if you sign up for the Tour, it’s all arranged for you – check out all the options on our website in the news section.

2020 VISION

Building on the success of previous Tours, we have upped the ante this year, making it even easier for you to find a programme and time that suits.

22 FEBRUARY 2020

Taking the lead in organising the tour once again is our Internal Sales Manager, Simon Schino, who explains, “This year we have no less than three scheduled tours on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday taking in our key brands who will be able to give attendees valuable insight into these fantastic AV opportunities. Also new for this year is an extra audio only tour which takes place in the middle of the day for those who want to focus mainly on this area.”

THE BRANDS!

Screen Research will be showcasing its wide range of high-quality and adaptable cinema screens. Anywhere from fixed frame to full masking for the highest adaptability, this brand leads the development of next level luxury home cinema. Underlining its leading part in product development, Screen Research is the proud holder of several international patents.

The company’s ClearPix fabrics deliver the best acoustically transparent screens around and the automated masking system means customers can have any format they want from a single system. The Screen Research patented floating tab-tensioning system (TFX) also delivers flexibility and aesthetic advantages.

The Anthem AV booth is going to be built around a smart home concept, with multiple zones of audio all running from the recently updated MDX range of amplification to demonstrate the functionality of this forwardthinking brand. Not just focused on delivering great performance, Anthem AV wants to show how it fits into a wider whole home system, delivering multiple use scenarios

and performance advantages to installer and customer.

Sister brand Paradigm will be partnering the MDX range with high-quality speaker deployments showing what a strong combination these two brands are. Visitors will also be able to get full information on the recent upgrades to the ARC Genesis room correction platform delivered via Anthem products.

Also worth noting that all of the Anthem units in operation at the show will be controlled via RTI underlining the seamless integration between Anthem AV and RTI. Joining the tour for the first time this year since its addition to the Pulse Cinemas line up last year is automation brand RTI. This brand always makes a big splash at ISE and so if you are unfamiliar with it, there’s a great chance to get up to speed. RTI delivers a huge amount of functionality in an easy to understand and deploy system that will allow you to add more control to more projects.

Another new addition to Pulse Cinemas last year, Pulse Eight is right on the cutting edge of the matrix and signal distribution market. A genuine engineering company with unique insight into the technology and the market trends needed to stay one step ahead, Pulse Eight is a fantastic ally in today’s install landscape.

Fortress Seating will of course showcase its huge family of high-quality home cinema seating. Speaking recently about the brand’s strengths, Vice President, Gabi Wolper, said, “The main thing is, we are the actual manufacturer of the seating, so we do a lot of custom designs and accessories. ‘No’ is not

in our vocabulary, so if a dealer has a specific request from their client, we will always figure out a way to make it happen.”

Lutron, simply put, is the best intelligent lighting and ambient light control brand on the planet. This brand tends to play its cards pretty close to its chest in the run up to the show, but if the company’s presentations at the CEDIA show in the US last year is any indication, there should be plenty of interesting information to get installers excited this year too.

StormAudio is planning a very big ISE this year. The show will be the platform for the launch of its re-imaged line up MK2 with 16-, 24- and 32-channel analogue preamp/processors, a digital AES 32-channel version, and 8- and 16-channel amps, all with even more advanced functionality than before. Available to order now and due to ship in March/April, the new models boast Dolby Atmos, DTS :X Pro, Auro-3D, IMAX Enhanced, Dirac Live Room Calibration and StormAudio’s proprietary web-based remote monitoring tool StormMonitoring.

Lastly, there is a chance to check out all the latest developments from acoustic treatment expert, Vicoustic, a brand that had a big 2019 adding a new version of the VicPattern Ultra Wavewood, one of the brand’s flagship treatment products.

This product is one of the leading solutions that Vicoustic offers in terms of the Absorption and Reflection Control System and presents a

Lutron is set for a big 2020

strong solution to those who are looking for a balanced sound that can also control any noise energy in a room, and still manage and create a living and bright sound.

Undoubtedly there is something for everyone this year, so visit our website where you will be able to register for the show and for a top night out as well.

IT’S PARTY TIME!

A great tour is not complete without a great party, right? Well our special type of Pulse Cinemas hospitality is back even bigger this year. Taking the lead here is Stephen Carr, Brand Manager for the Kaleidescape system, who explains, “After such a successful 2019 party, we felt it was only right to give De Biertuin Prinsengracht, or in English, ‘The Beer Garden’, an encore and considering it’s going to be the last one in Amsterdam, we thought why not go the whole hog.

“So instead of a single room, we have booked the entire venue from 7pm till ‘late’ and entry will be strictly invite only with 180 capacity. Entertainment-wise we are blessed to have Geoff Meads and his Country music act, Tennessee Twin, performing on the night, as well as the usual networking and industry chat to be had with colleagues.”

Stephen explains, “Invites will of course be offered to all of those who book in advance to join us on one of our daytime tours and we

The best food and beer in town awaits guests to the Pulse Cinemas Tour Party

have invited representatives from all of Pulse Cinemas brands and collaborators. As always, Pulse representatives will be present too, catching up with all of our guests and ensuring they are well fed and watered.

“With the event moving to a warmer and further away destination next year after four amazing years in the Dam, we wanted to make sure this last event was one for the ages so we look forward to welcoming everyone and sending ISE 2020 off with a bang.”

The party would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors who this year are: Headline Sponsor – Anthem & Paradigm, Dinner Sponsor – Kaleidescape, Drinks Sponsor – Lutron, Associate Sponsors – Screen Research, Storm Audio, Pulse Eight, RTI and BenQ. See you in Amsterdam!

Pulse Cinemas www.pulsecinemas.com

ESSENTIAL CABLES AND CONNECTIONS

DON’T SCRIMP ON THE CRIMP Tim Harris, Technical and Support Services Manager of Cablecraft, discusses why it is important to achieve a quality crimp connection.

In the ever-evolving installation market, some core requirements never change – the need for quality, reliable electrical terminations.

Whether it be through the application of solderless crimp terminals or the use of cord end ferrules inserted into a terminal block, the fundamentals are the same. Correct wire preparation, terminal selection and the right tooling, are three of the five key elements required to create a quality crimp terminal.

Documentation and trained personnel make up the remaining elements of the crimping system.

Matched tooling and terminals are required to achieve quality results that can be relied on.

Correct tool and terminal selection at the point of design plays a vital role in ensuring that the job is done in the correct way first time. Without all the elements in place, errors can be made resulting in wasted time, scrapped products and costly failures.

1. WIRE PREPARATION

A key element to achieving a quality crimp is wire preparation. Good quality, well maintained tools will cut the conductor cleanly and avoid damage. Insulation material for cables can vary, so having the right tool for the job ensures that insulation is removed completely, and all the wire strands are kept intact. The temptation to use cable cutters should always be avoided and a specialist stripping tool should always be selected to complete the job.

During the stripping process up to 60% of strands can be removed or damaged thus reducing the carrying capacity of the cable, whilst also reducing the mechanical strength of the joint. Whilst this is less of an issue with single core cables any damage to the conductor can lead to problems with the electrical connection.

24 FEBRUARY 2020

Torn or ripped insulation can cause issues with the placement of the insulation support and wire barrel in the terminal. This is a problem as correct strip length is key for positioning of the wire in the terminal barrel. Selecting the right design of stripping tool with the correct blade shape, can greatly reduce the chance of mistakes being made and damage to the cable.

2. TERMINAL SELECTION

Selection of a terminal can be based on varying different factors including price, application, ease of use, specification and availability.

Selecting quality terminals from reputable manufacturers gives contractors the peace of mind that the equipment is fit for purpose. All terminals should have the manufacturer’s name and sizing stamped on the terminal. This is vital for traceability and quality control after the terminal has been installed. Terminal suppliers should be able to provide technical data and drawings for all the terminals they sell and have recommended tooling to match each terminal.

Insulation material and base metal needs to match the cable and time should be taken in selecting the correct product. While end ferrules are installed to contain the strands and are not the final termination of the cable, care still needs to be taken in the crimping of these products and quality manufacturers selected.

3. TOOL SELECTION

Terminals come in many shapes and forms with many companies and suppliers to choose from. Whatever the size or shape the goal is the same - to create a solid mass of material, and this is achieved through the crimping process.

The correct matched tooling and terminals are essential to achieve this.

Each tool has a set of dies which match the terminal in terms of size and form. The dies are designed to crimp the terminal to the correct size to ensure the wire barrel achieves the

correct compaction and the insulation support is formed into the correct shape. Many tools come fitted with a terminal locator to help the user position the terminal in the correct place. Incorrect compaction through the use of unmatched tooling can lead to air gaps, which in turn can lead to overheating. The tools dies should also mark the terminal to state that it has been crimped with the correct size of die or the correct aperture in the tool head.

Crimp tools need to be maintained and kept in good condition. In many industries tool calibration is required and is an essential part of quality assurance. To prolong the life of the tool, we advise they are calibrated on a yearly basis to ensure they are performing to the correct standard. Along with the manufacturer’s instructions and terminal data, calibration certificates form the documentation element of a crimping system.

4. DOCUMENTATION

Crimping systems were developed so repeatable results can be achieved and ensure quality results time after time. The BS EN 60352-2:2006 standard gives guidance on general requirements and test methods for quality assurance.

5. TRAINED PERSONNEL

Trained personnel are key when creating a perfect crimp. We offer a full range of crimping solutions along with matched terminals and tooling, to achieve results that meet all the relevant industry standards. Crimp training courses are available and expand on the basics of the crimping process and quality control. All of the steps mentioned in this article go towards ensuring that a quality crimp can be produced.

The information is not manufacturer specific and applies to all solderless crimp terminals.

Professional Bathroom TV

As seen at ISE 2020

RS232 & IR connectivity

IP65 rated

ProofVision

“Making it work in challenging conditions�

Distributed by

01684 576 348 sales@oneav.co.uk oneav.co.uk

2 year warranty

ESSENTIAL CABLES AND CONNECTIONS

USB 4.0 FOOD FOR THOUGHT The USB standard has a long and eventful history. Now USB 4 promises to bring clarity to the specification chaos and simplify the use of cables and devices.

Since its introduction in 1996, Universal Serial Bus, or USB for short, has established itself as a universal and indispensable IT interface for all computer peripherals. Many of the previously existing peripheral interfaces have long since become history (ADB, PS/2, SCSI, LVD, IEEE 1284, etc.). Others, such as RS232, now only have a niche existence.

Throughout the 23 year history of the USB interface there have been many hurdles and obstacles, but potential competitors such as Firewire, which was supposed to correct some of USB’s weaknesses, have simply been pushed out of the market by the sheer ubiquity of USB. Others, such as Thunderbolt, are now part of USB 4.

USB SUCCESS STORY

The development and release of USB 1.0 was based on the idea of creating a way to connect computer peripherals using one standardised port. What today appears to be a matter of course was then a futuristic idea because of the multitude of different interfaces then in use.

These were all replaced by USB. Key factors in the reason for USB’s success were new ideas such as Plug & Play, the support for hotplugging devices, ease of use, and data transfer rates of up to 12Mbps, which were quite high at the time. The USB connector has changed several times over the decades.

USB technology has undergone multiple developments throughout its lifespan. Version 1.1 brought corrections to minor specification errors; in 2000, USB 2.0 increased the transfer rate to 480Mbps; USB 3.0 arrived with a 5Gbps data rate and new extended connectors.

These advancements were built upon further

by USB 3.1 in 2013, which has a data rate of 10Gbps, and USB 3.2 with 20Gbps at the end

of 2017. This constant increase in data transfer rates has enabled potential USB competitors to be pushed out of markets, or at least kept in check, with only time-critical, niche applications using other standards.

TWO BECOME ONE

At the beginning of 2019, Intel and the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) announced the transfer of the protocol specifications from Thunderbolt to the USB-IF. Towards the end of the 3rd quarter of 2019 the convergence was completed with the newly published standard, USB 4 (Enhanced Superspeed), which combines the best of both worlds under the guise of USB. Thunderbolt gave the new specification a maximum transmission speed of

40Gbps – twice as fast as the USB 3.2! USB, on the other hand, contributed the tree structure of the entire system made possible using hubs, because Thunderbolt devices could previously only be connected in a chain.

The transmission speeds have massively increased over the generations. USB has become a great deal more complex now that it must incorporate the bi-directional PCIe protocol inherited from Thunderbolt 3 in addition to the Enhanced SuperSpeed signals.

It must also be able to handle the DisplayPort Alternate Mode for AV transmission, which has been possible with Thunderbolt since the beginning and with USB since version 3.1. Moreover, it must still maintain USB 2.0 protocol support for downward compatibility.

FEBRUARY 2020 27

ESSENTIAL CABLES AND CONNECTIONS

THE WHOLE AND THE SUM OF ITS PARTS

with USB 4, the Type C connector will become the standard. The Type C connector has been retained from USB Version 3.1 and TB3. It was introduced in the wake of USB 3.1, but independently of it, and enables alternate mode: switching from pure USB or Thunderbolt data output to DisplayPort signals. The wire pairs intended for data transfer are then used completely or partially for the transfer of AV data. Thus, not only peripheral devices, but also monitors and projectors can be connected.

USB 4 allows a maximum of 40Gbps as defined for TB3 specifications, but it is less binding to that specification. This means that USB 4 does not necessarily have to be fully downward compatible with Thunderbolt 3 devices. These will run on any USB 4 host, but at a reduced speed of 20Gbps. Users will need to take a close look at what’s possible when buying hardware. Whether a USB 4 host can deliver the full 40Gbps or not will probably be

a question of cost, at least for the first one or two generations of host adapters available on the market.

NAMING CONVENTIONS SIMPLIFIED

The designation scheme used since USB 3.1 takes some getting used to. Before this version, the speeds were directly assigned from the USB version number (USB 2.0 with 480Mbps, USB 3.0 with 5Gbps), but since version 3.1 one had to take a closer look.

With the introduction of USB 3.1 • USB 3.0 with 5Gbps was identified as USB 3.1 Gen 1 (Gen for Generation) • USB 3.1 with 10Gbps was known as USB 3.1 Gen 2 With the introduction of USB 3.2 • USB 3.1 Gen 1 with 5Gbps was now called USB 3.2 Gen 1 (It uses a Gen 1 wire pair with 5Gbps)

• USB 3.1 Gen 2 with 10Gbps is now called USB 3.2 Gen 2 (It uses a Gen 2 wire pair with 10Gbps) • USB 3.2 with 20Gbps is called USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 (because it uses two Gen 2 wire pairs with 10Gbps each) You can see how this naming scheme works: each new USB version contains the previous ones and distinguishes the data rates by the corresponding ‘Gen’ version. Whether this scheme will continue with USB 4 and whether the older 3.x versions will be adapted by name is not yet clear, but the following is certain: • USB 4 with 40Gbps is called USB 4 Gen 3×2 (because it uses two wire pairs of the new Gen 3 with 20Gbps each) • USB 4 with 20Gbps is called USB 4 Gen 2×2 (because it uses two pairs of wires of Gen 2 with 10Gbps each)

WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?

USB 4 and the merger of USB with Thunderbolt are nothing more than the implementation of market requirements for higher bandwidths as well as uniform and universal standards. The implementation for the transfer of 40Gbps and the unification of the two standards under the umbrella of USB is a decisive step.

Once USB 4 is fully established in the market, and provided that the user owns those USB devices that support full USB 4 functionality, life with USB will probably become easier. In the medium to long term, there will only be one type C connector for all peripherals.

Devices with other connectors will eventually disappear or require the use of an adapter.

Until then, however, buyers are forced to keep their eyes open and take a very close look at the manufacturer’s specifications regarding the speed and power delivery capability of the individual components of the hardware they wish to purchase.

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ESSENTIAL CABLES AND CONNECTIONS

COPING WITH CABLING CONUNDRUMS Paul Robertson, Senior Product Manager UK – Installer Solutions at Kramer, offers some cable related installation insight.

As consumers demand ever increasing quality and resolutions, we as an industry face the challenge of how to deliver installations that match their expectations. The ever-increasing bandwidths needed, and the myriad of different digital high-resolution formats create many challenges for the industry including format conversion and long-distance signal transmission.

There are many innovative cabling solutions on the market to meet these demands including active copper and fibre cabling (e.g. Kramer CAHM active copper and CLS-AOCH/XL active fibre) which can extend full 4K/60Hz 4:4:4 HDR HDMI at distances up to 100m.

In parallel, there are other options, such as HDBaseT, which can use existing twisted pair cabling infrastructure for passing up to 4K/60Hz 4:2:0 at distances up to 100m. There is also AV-over-IP technology which opens up the possibility to send a signal anywhere in the world using encoders/decoders and existing IP infrastructure.

To convert between the different signals, there are also adaptor rings available (e.g. Kramer AD-RING-5) which offer a range of adaptors to allow an existing HDMI cable to interface directly with a range of different source formats such as DisplayPort, Mini-DisplayPort, USB-C. Of course, these new solutions bring with them a learning curve for the installer as technology moves forward. Here are some top tips for cable and connection installation from our experience that may help: •HDMI Signal attenuation: One of the most common support issues we encounter is HDMI signal attenuation along the chain from the source to display.

The choice of HDMI cable for an installation needs to be appropriate to the task and resolution requirements of the customer. If you

are going to send HDMI over longer distances, the chances are you are going to need an active solution as described above to ensure the signal quality is maintained throughout.

For passive copper HDMI cables, the higher the resolution needed, the shorter the distance that signal will go. As an example, the premium Kramer passive HDMI cable range will pass 1080p/60Hz at up to 15.2m but for 4K 60Hz 4:4:4 this reduces massively to 6.1m. The key thing to remember is that that this distance is direct from a source to display with nothing else in the chain. If you put pass-throughs and other cables in the chain, that total attainable distance reduces even further.

Passive pass throughs in an HDMI signal chain attenuate the signal by several meters which often leads to issues in the signal reaching the display. e.g. Consider the (fairly common) scenario where a source is connected to a pass through in a table enclosure which then has a short patch cable to a pass through a floor box and then over a long HDMI cable to another passive pass through in a wallplate at the other end ,which in turn is patched into the display. By the end of the chain the signal is attenuated so much by the pass throughs that the desired 4K resolution is not achievable.

So, what’s the solution? Firstly, if you have a long distance cable run that exceeds the stated limits of the passive copper cable you are using, consider an active solution that will be able to achieve it instead. Secondly, limit the use of pass-throughs wherever possible and consider using those with inbuilt equalizers or reclockers inline to maintain the signal integrity (e.g.

Kramer WP-3H2 wallplate) •Cable quality: There are many good quality cable manufacturers in the industry to choose from who have a great reputation. Your installation is only as good as the cabling you use to support the hardware, whether that be patch cabling or infrastructure cabling. Think of the analogy of buying an expensive sports car and then putting remoulded tires on it!

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Installation Essentials

ESSENTIAL CABLES AND CONNECTIONS

High quality cable manufacturers design their cables with great care to ensure only the purest copper is used and enhanced shielding to guard against external interference. Sure, a cheaper cable may cost you less on the initial install but in the long run will cost you more in support visits as shortcomings become apparent.

• Zip ties: Using Plastic zip ties to secure AV cables is not good practice. These can crush the internal structure of the cabling which leads to signal integrity issues.

If a tie is required to tidy cables in an installation, the advice is to use fabric style hook and loop ties (e.g. Kramer CT-200) to prevent damaging the cables.

• Cable Bundling: Care needs to be taken when bundling cables together. One recurring issue we see from a support side is where unshielded twisted pair cables are bundled tightly together leading to crosstalk and signal drop out to twisted pair receivers. If cables need to be bundled, it should be a loose bundle to avoid crosstalk.

Bundling of AV and power cables together is not good practice and should be avoided. There should be a clear separation of power and AV cables in racks to avoid cross interference.

• Bend Radius: Every cable has a bend radius specified, which is the minimum recommended bend that may be applied to a cable before it does damage to the cable. Always ensure when installing cables that they are installed in conduits that are large enough to ensure the bend radius is not compromised.

• USB Type C: This connector can and does lead to a lot of confusion in the market.

Normally when you see a jack on a piece of equipment, it is what it is. However, a USB Type C jack can be used for a myriad of things including: USB (2.0, 3.0, and 3.1); Thunderbolt 3.0; Alternative Mode Video (DisplayPort, HDMI, VGA, MHLR, and SlimPortR); power and charging.

Just because that piece of equipment has a USB Type C port does not mean it can support all these items. Always check the manufacturer’s specifications to confirm what is supported on the USB-C jack to avoid confusion.

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• HDMI cable retention: Legacy standards such as VGA and DVI feature locking thumbscrews to secure the connector to the source or display. DisplayPort features a latching connector for the same reason. However, standard HDMI connectors are non-locking and therefore can easily be dislodged from sources or displays in installations. There are however a number of solutions available to overcome this issue. These solutions are either cable based or equipment based (or a combination of the two).

Firstly some manufacturers have added an friction lock to the HDMI connector on their cables. This provides a restraining force for a non–slip connection (e.g Kramer K-lock).

Another popular solution features an HDMI connector with integral retaining screw mounted above it. This does however rely on the source and display equipment having the mating hole to accept the retaining screw. So in essence both the cable and other devices in the chain have to support it for it to be effective.

Lastly, there is the H-Lok option. This features a H shaped bracket which is available on the interfacing device which can be secured to any HDMI cable connector using a tie wrap round the bracket and the cable: In a nutshell it is important to know your cable; your installation can be let down by an incorrect choice, or poor quality or poor management of cables on site.

Happy cabling!

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ESSENTIAL COMMENT

THE CASE AGAINST (MOST) ROOM TREATMENT Last issue we focused with several articles on the area of acoustic treatment in home cinemas. This month, Rob Sinden, Founder of distributor Gecko Home Cinema, presents the case against (some) treatment.

When you install a tgood audio system, the weakest link in sound quality is typically the way the room changes the sound of the speakers.

There are two ways to try and correct these errors; room treatment and room correction.

Well over half of what you hear will be created by the room so understanding the pros and cons of both methods is well worth the effort.

THE SIZE OF THE PROBLEM

Assuming you bought good speakers, they will provide even frequency response so each note on a piano say, will be heard as loud as the next.

The problem is, we don’t listen to speakers from 1m away. In a home cinema the ‘money seat’ is typically 4m from the speakers. From this position you may only hear 20% of the sound coming from the speakers while the rest has been reflected off the walls, ceiling and furniture in the room.

If you measure the sound of the same speakers from 4m away and from 1m away, the difference you will see will be something like in Figure 1.

The green line shows the measurement in the room while the smoother yellow line shows the measurement taken from 1m away.

These days, most speaker manufacturers

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don’t provide useful information about their products, but the industry standard for expressing the response of a speaker, is that it must not vary by more than 6dB across its useable range. Place the same speaker in a room and the variations are now typically over 15dB. This means that some notes will be heard two or three times louder than others.

SO, LET’S FIX THE ROOM

As the room has created the changes to our speakers, treating the room seems like an obvious place to start. But first you have to understand a little about sound waves and the differences between high and low frequencies.

The rule of thumb with absorbing frequencies is that the material you use has to be half the depth of the wavelength we want to treat.

A high frequency at 10,000Hz is just 3.4cm long, a low frequency at 40Hz is 8600cm long.

Putting treatment on a wall to reduce a 3.4cm long wave is no problem, but the 4300cm depth of material required to absorb a peak at 40Hz is totally impractical.

Room treatment is a very low-resolution approach to a very high-resolution problem.

Trying to smooth out 20,000 frequencies with a few different thicknesses of foam simply can’t give the smooth speaker response that our speakers were designed to produce.

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ESSENTIAL COMMENT

LIMITATIONS OF ROOM TREATMENT

Because of the length of bass waves, room treatment has almost no effect on these, the most obvious errors created by the room.

At higher frequencies they are much more effective, but they simply don’t have the resolution to restore the smooth even response our speakers should deliver.

Room treatments cannot restore the even frequency response of our speakers, so the benefit they focus on is reducing reverberation time. This is the time it takes for a sound produced in your room to die away so it can’t be heard.

Room treatment is very effective at this, but so are curtains, carpets and soft furnishings. The reverb time in your bedroom will be lower than your kitchen for example.

Most UK rooms have carpet, sofas and other features in the room that will naturally absorb and diffuse the sound from your speakers. If your room is carpeted but has no absorption or diffusion, a little treatment on the area of the side wall where most sound is reflected from, can work wonders.

The problem with room treatment is that’s its recommended by people selling it.

Unsurprisingly, their recommendations are that the more treatment you add, the better the sound will get which simply isn’t true. A room with too much treatment is an unpleasant space

to spend time in or to listen to music or film in.

Look at any concert venue or space designed for the enjoyment of music and you’ll see hard, reflective side walls, not absorption.

Music lovers will visit a particular venue because the room’s acoustics will add to the sound of the orchestra or band. Reflections from the room provide a positive addition to the performance and shouldn’t be regarded as the enemy and removed with treatment.

The vogue for selling treatment often creates dead spaces that are unnatural to sit in and that make the enjoyment of music and film at their best impossible.

ROOM CORRECTION

Some room treatment is essential in some rooms, but even the most extensive design and treatment cannot restore the even response our speakers were designed to give.

Fortunately, room correction does have the potential to fix room errors and to restore the sound of our speakers. It is such a powerful tool that it is found in almost every surround sound receiver.

Most room correction systems use a microphone that you place in the seating positions, firing towards the ceiling. When you have taken your measurements, it will adjust the sound sent to your speakers to match the target curve created by the correction system. These systems vary in quality but all will help reduce the biggest errors created in the room.

CAVEAT EMPTOR

The consumer looking to buy a great Hi-Fi or home cinema needs to weigh up the cost v performance of the systems available including any design and treatment. When you do this, the price/performance of the total solutions with extensive treatment rarely stack up.

In the Hi-Fi world, the reflections from the room are recognised as a positive addition to the direct sound from the speakers. Just like spaces where music is performed, rooms for listening to Hi-Fi are understood as a positive addition to the performance, not something that needs to be removed.

Room correction is a much more powerful, higher resolution tool than treatment. It works with the positive additions your room creates rather than trying to remove them and can be used with Hi-Fi and home cinema systems.

COMMERCIAL REALITY?

Foam and fabric are cheap to produce and when treated as ‘acoustic devices’, can be sold at crazy prices. The profit in selling treatments seems attractive, but do you really want to tell clients you can only deliver the best sound in one room? Unless you can demonstrate great sound in regular rooms, we are preventing the sale of great audio systems throughout a home.

If your ‘solution’ to great audio is room treatment, perhaps it’s worth looking for other alternatives.

FEBRUARY 2020 39

ESSENTIAL REVIEW: POWERBANK

POWERBANK

TAKE IT TO THE BANK! EI takes a look at the PowerBank from distributor Antiference, a handy duo of power providers that look to reach the parts others can’t.

EI first spotted these devices at the Smart AV Distribution trade show just before Christmas on the Antiference stand. Chatting with Dan Winterton, Sales and Marketing Director for the company, EI noticed the products on display and wondered what the idea behind them was and why the departure from the normal products that the company offers. The answer it turns out is pretty simple, just a handy device that will help installers on site in getting power to where they need it for multiple devices, but also a buddy away from work for trips out, around the home, or maybe use in a camper van or camping trip.

The PowerBank battery pack and inverter is delivered in two options (ASG02 and ASG01), offering a different approaches to getting power to places where it is needed. EI got to spend some time with the ASG02 model which comes in an attractive blue livery and includes a heavy duty 60A/h power bank with built in AC inverter, USB and DC charging options as well as an integrated LED torch.

The unit has a 12V DC charging/powering port, and the charging suite includes no less than five USB ports including a USB 3.0 superfast charging port. The product also has a clear and easy to understand LCD screen showing power status and connected loads. The in-built solar controller also allows a solar panel to be directly connected to the power bank to enable on-the-go charging. Perhaps most surprising as most power banks don’t often offer this, is the three pin 240V plug at one end, delivering power to those products that need this type of connection.

40 FEBRUARY 2020

PERFORMANCE

Right out of the box, the product feels well built, and solid. It’s not the lightest thing ever, but the trade-off for the amount of connections and power you get is well worth it. There is a carry handle at the top and it’s easily small enough to be carried around in a rucksack or kit bag. The outer coating has a good non-slip quality to it, so it stays safely in the hand as you are moving it around whilst not using the carry handle. The sure grip feet on the bottom also give it a solid base whatever surface it is being used on.

Charge up is simple. We plugged ours into the mains with the supplied lead, but you can also charge up via solar panels supplied separately and via an in-car 12V connector.

Happily cables for both these power up options are supplied.

During EI’s normal workday the equipment that gets used the most are one laptop, one smart phone and in the summer (and sometimes winter) an exterior Bluetooth speaker. Not until you don’t have to rely on being near a normal power source to keep all these units powered, do you realise how liberating it is. Being able to move to anywhere and carry on working without worrying about power, was a real eye opener.

The unit should prove useful when moving around a site, especially during first fix and the product is robust enough to stand up to harsh conditions and dust often encountered at this stage. It’s worth noting that the product (both of them actually) is also capable of powering items such as a distribution matrix or TV distribution amps.

During this type of use, the unit never went below three bars on the power indicator despite supporting several devices. The fast charging USB port is particularly welcome and effective.

EI was also keen to test the product’s credentials away from a work scenario and so took the device on a short trip away in the company camper van. Now, any tech dependent person knows camping can be a real challenge when getting power to those all-important smart phones, tablets and music systems.

The van that EI was using does have USB charging points of its own, but only a couple and the PowerBank proved to be way faster in terms of phone and tablet charging.

However, the use scenarios did not end there, a fairly chunky electric shaver was more than happy being powered by the unit and EI was particularly pleased to be able to employ a more power hungry portable music system than the USB charged one that normally get used on these trips. On trips out, its also nice to have a proper cook out, and some labour saving electrically powered products we took along, were also able to be deployed for the first time.

Its really was a game changer to have products that will only work with a three pin plug out and about with us. The ability to power this type of product really sets the unit apart, you wouldn’t try and run anything really power hungry from it like a drill, but it managed everything we tried it with easily.

All in all, we couldn’t fault this clever and featured packed product. The different power up options accessed from the top button array are easy to understand and even the torch delivers a decent performance via its double LED set up, which is not the case with ‘built in’ torches where this is not the main function of the product. This function could prove quite useful on-site in darker corners where other types of illumination are not available. Well worth a look.

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ISE PREVIEW

ISE’S AV AND INSTALL EXTRAVAGANZA So, the very last ISE in Amsterdam approaches. EI presents a guide to just some of the attractions at this largest ever AV/installation event.

Pulse Cinemas is continuing its initiative of offering installers a guided tour of its brands as well as a free night out in Amsterdam.

All the details are available on the Pulse Cinemas website under the news section and in the dedicated Pulse pages of this issue. Brands covered include StormAudio, Screen Research, Anthem AV, Paradigm, RTI, Pulse Eight, James Loudspeaker, Fortress Seating, Lutron and Vicoustic.

Pulse Cinemas will also be returning to De Biertuin Prinsengracht on Wednesday, February 12 for a top night of food, music and fun. More details of timings, where to meet and how to sign up direct from the company or on the Pulse Cinemas website.

A particular highlight promises to be the launch of StormAudio’s MK 2 line-up of processors and amplifiers with many new features. This upgrade delivers a family of 16, 24 or 32-channel analogue preamp/ processors, a digital AES 32-channel machine as well as 8 and 16-channel amps.

StormAudio already supported Dolby Atmos, DTS :X, Auro-3D, Dirac Live Room Calibration and its own as web-based remote monitoring tool, StormMonitoring. This new generation adds support for DTS:X Pro, IMAX Enhanced, Auro-3D Version 2, eARC HDMI, 24-channel (13.1.10 Dolby Atmos

and DTS:X Pro), rapid codec switching (as much as 50% improvement), and advanced bass management including the recently introduced Dirac Live Bass Control module carried across the new 4.0 firmware package. As well as the company’s own Stand 5V85, MK2 will be demoed on Stand 6K160 in partnership with Alcons Audio using an ISP.32 Digital MK2 in a full digital 11.4.8 cinema set up. This unique demo opportunity will be playing DTS:X Pro tracks.

Monitor Audio will be demonstrating its new IMS-4 Music streamer. Featuring BluOS technology, the slimline IMS-4 can stream to four separate zones and its BluOS Controller app offers flexibility, including streaming from music services, access to music libraries and voice control through a smart device. Accessed through the app, or one of the many supported integrated control systems, multiple IMS4 Music Streamers can be integrated with other BluOS devices to provide up to 64 zones of music, with each zone able to play together in sync or play different streams to separate zones. BluOS allows streaming of lossless music up to 24-bit/192kHz to every room and supports Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) recordings too.

Monitor Audio recommends that the IMS4 is partnered with an installation amplifier such as its IA150-8C. Integrated with Crestron, Control4 and RTI, the IMS-4 is also compatible with other BluOS enabled

devices. Experience it on Stand 5R85.

OneAV says it is the only UK CI distributor with a dedicated Stand at ISE and is planning to underline many of its recent product and installer incentive initiatives at the show. Check out a full article on the company’s presence at the event in this issue.

The company plans to underline that the modern CI market is all about collaboration, rewarding its loyal customers with benefits and initiatives and helping ultimately to deliver a better result for the client.

Recent brand introductions such as CelFi and Hero Labs will be highlighted, as well as a fresh approach to training, and a new reward points system will also be covered.

Experience it all on Stand 1-N134.

Invision has announced that Procella, (Stand 1-N100) will have an impressive home cinema demonstration suite in partnership with Trinnov Audio and Kaleidescape. The room will feature Procella’s flagship P815 loudspeakers as the centrepiece of the audio configuration. P6V ear-level surround loudspeakers (identical voice matched to the P815s) will deliver high-quality surround transitions around the room. The front heights for the DTS:X Pro format will be handled by Procella’s P6s, and the P5 ceiling speakers will provide Atmos and DTS:X Pro. A Procella V21 subwoofer will

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ISE PREVIEW

Lots of cinema demos this year including one from Procella, Trinnov and Kaleidescape

deliver sub-bass rumble and two P15FP subwoofers will support the bass management for the surround and overheads, balancing out the room.

The sub and the P815 loudspeakers will be powered by a bank of Procella DA5000DSP and DA2800-DSP amplifiers with three Trinnov Amplitude8 amplifiers driving the surround and overhead loudspeakers.

Trinnov’s Altitude32 audio processor will control the DTS:X Pro and Dolby Atmos immersive audio format (layout 15.3.10) decoding and room EQ processing. Video will come from a Sony VPL-W5000ES laser projector and a Kaleidescape Strato S movie player providing 4K /HDR picture quality. Guests will be able to sit back in one of 15 luxury HCM seats on a double-raised podium to enjoy the demo.

Dynaudio is bringing its all-new in-wall/inceiling subwoofer, Sub RCC to the show. Sub RCC installs in walls and ceilings, either into standard 2x4 stud-bays before construction or on the surface afterwards using the supplied adapter kit. It uses Reactance Cancelling Configuration (RCC) technology derived from the company’s pro studio subwoofers: two drivers work in opposition to each other to eliminate vibration in the speaker and the wall or ceiling.

The assembly is housed in a special aluminium enclosure. To keep things simple

when it comes to specifying the right sub for the job (surface-mount or between studs), Dynaudio includes brackets for both situations in the box. Two magnetic grilles are also supplied for different installations (retro-fit and pre-fit) – and they can be painted too.

The company will also be highlighting the breadth of its CI and Hi-Fi ranges. The company is keen to demonstrate how it’s a ‘one-stop shop’ for installers wanting to specify complete audio systems. The stand will feature Custom Performance, Studio and Outdoor ranges as well as the new sub.

PMC will unveil four new models in its custom installation series, the ci30, ci45, ci65 and ci90 complete the offering in this series of slimline, high-performance on-wall and in-wall loudspeakers, following the launch of the ci140 and ci140sub at CEDIA 2019.

The ci30 is the smallest, designed for discreet applications and may be installed in-ceiling, in or on-wall. While it may be compact, the ci30 reportedly out-performs

speakers twice its size, thanks largely to the proprietary ATL technology, making it good for surround channels and stereo in smaller rooms.

Using a larger cabinet provides the ci45 with all the speed and power of the ci30, but it delivers a greater image depth, bass extension and dynamism, says the maker.

By adding a second, long throw, 130mm bass driver, the ci65 creates greater slam and presence, with increased headroom and extension. This model is suitable for use in medium to large sized cinemas for all channels.

With standard wall construction in

Some major introductions from PMC

FEBRUARY 2020 45

ISE PREVIEW

mind, the ci90 slim is encased in a long slim cabinet, 280mm (11in) wide, which fits between studwork.

All four are designed with a shallow depth for wall mounting and may also be used inwall, due to an optional mounting sleeve which fits around the cabinets to conceal the in-wall mounting system.

PMC has worked closely with installers during the development of the ci series, to make them installer-friendly. An example is PMC’s Qikfire spring loaded mounting system, which, with a simple twist of a screwdriver, mounts the loudspeaker securely and quickly and permits post installation micro adjustment. Removal of the speaker is said to be just as easy. The on-wall mounting is a simple process using the optional interlocking wall bracket, which is designed to also offer pin-point level adjustment. Check them out on Stand 1-F60.

Meridian Audio will be working alongside its partners to showcase and demonstrate the latest innovations in High Resolution audio, teaming up with Barco Residential to provide high performance audio solutions in Room E-107. Visitors will be able to enjoy the ‘Architectural Integration Zone’, split into two areas — the reception and the living room — Meridian products will be on display throughout.

The reception area will include two DSP640.2 loudspeakers, which feature eight power amplifiers delivering 100W per

drive unit and L + R mode for high-power soundbar applications, as well as a 210 Streamer and 218 Zone Controller. The Living Room will showcase two Meridian DSP5200SE loudspeakers in matte black, which the maker says deliver ultimate high-resolution performance in a compact design. This statement piece will also be teamed up with a 218 Zone Controller.

The standout zone of the Barco room will be the 9.4 Reference Theatre that will feature the latest Meridian loudspeakers and subwoofers — the DSP750 and the DSW.2. As the brand’s highest performing architectural loudspeaker, the DSP750 in-wall digital active loudspeaker has been created to demonstrate complete audio immersion, providing power and bass for a high-impact listening experience. The nine loudspeakers will be partnered with four DSW.2 active subwoofers. With a long throw 12in downward firing woofer, the DSW.2’s aim is to create deep, tight, room filling bass. The room will also feature Meridian’s Reference 861v8 processor with Meridian Room Correction. With a full 96/24 signal path all the way through the chain, the 861v8 is designed to maximise the resolution of UHD content.

As part of the CEDIA Training programme, Meridian’s Education Manager, Hugo Fitzjohn, will be hosting a session entitled Stop Selling Products, Make More Profit! Taking place on Thursday February 13 from 14:00 – 15:30.

The Harman Luxury Audio group is excited to be presenting a full JBL Synthesis cinema demonstration. The new line of JBL Synthesis electronics for 2020 once again firmly establishes the JBL Synthesis brand as your turnkey solution to the ultimate home cinema experience, says the company.

Announced earlier in 2019 at CEDIA, the SDR-35 Immersive Surround Sound AV Receiver, SDP-55 Immersive Surround Sound Processor and JBL Synthesis SDA2200 and SDA-7120 Class G Amplifiers with Dante deliver exceptional performance, value and flexibility without compromise for a broad range of custom install applications, argues the company.

The SDR-35 and SDP-55 provide a number of ways to experience content over Ethernet or Wi-Fi with Google Chromecast built-in and Apple AirPlay2, playback from network media servers, or a USB flash drive.

High resolution audio can be sourced from a smart TV via eArc. Bluetooth with aptX HD is supported, as well as DAB/FM for terrestrial radio. The MusicLife app enables control of the streaming content from iOS and Android devices. In addition, the SDP35 and SDP-55 are Roon Ready.

This new line of products features Dante, the uncompressed multi-channel digital media networking technology, with nearzero latency and synchronisation common in pro audio installations. All 16 channels of 24 bit / 192K processed audio, plus Zone 2 (18 channels total) can be routed to any Dante-enabled receiving device over a standard network. Eliminating the need for expensive analogue or multicore cabling, replacing it with CAT5e or CAT6 cable.

The SDR-35 AVR, SDA-2200 and SDA7120 feature dynamic Class G amplification, implementing multiple power supplies.

The first power supply runs in pure Class A, which has no crossover distortion. If a dynamic signal is received that goes beyond the capability of this first power supply, the secondary supply is gradually incorporated up to full rated power output as required.

This design means additional power is only used when required and delivers exceptional fidelity. The JBL Synthesis brand is available in the UK from Karma AV. The company will also be launching the JBL Conceal series of loudspeakers, designed to envelop listeners in premium sound with an invisible footprint. The

JBL Synthesis will feature turnkey high-end home cinema solutions

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loudspeakers combine patented Stealth Acoustics invisible loudspeaker innovations with JBL acoustic design to deliver an advanced invisible loudspeaker design.

The speakers use Stealth’s patented transducer implementation in a rigid compression moulded baffle that is skinned with seventh generation Fidelity Glass acoustic panels. They feature JBL premium acoustic crossover networks and spring-loaded connections, as well as an integrated back box enclosure. The design results in a loudspeaker that installs like a drywall patch. The surface can be painted to match the wall, or custom finished for blending into any creative decor.

Experience it all on Stand 1M50.

Canadian speaker brand, Totem, will be at the show on Stand 5T92 with a number of new products including additions to the Tribe series with the Solution Bars. The Tribe Duo Solution Bar is a two-channel design in a sealed cabinet. The Tribe Trio is an LCR with ported enclosure. Both models are designed to partner 65in screens and above and ship with a flush wall bracket and isolating feet for furniture mounting. True to Totem form, they are easy on the eye and are designed to excite the ear of music, movie and gaming lovers. The maker says

they produce an enormous soundstage with accurate phase coherency.

The KIN series also gains some well thought out new family members.

The new compact KIN Monitor pushes the boundaries of performance expectation in a compact sized monitor. The KIN Monitor drivers were selected for their ability to create harmonious interaction, resulting from a virtually perfect phase response. This is the most critical hallmark of Totem’s sonic signature and provides a three dimensional, almost holographic like soundstage. The maker says it delights with its fast-musical bass and airy, yet detailed and natural sounding highs.

The KIN Play Mini has been created to be the perfect entertaining partner in a mid-sized room. Based on the larger KIN Play, the Mini can take a wide range of digital and analogue sources. KIN Play Mini delivers strong off axis response and perfect phase coherency. Featuring HD Bluetooth (Qualcomm aptX v4.1), KIN Play Mini also promotes ease of use.

The KIN AMP completes the list of new KIN models. Totem says the KIN AMP is about both simplicity and sophistication and comes equipped with HD Bluetooth (Qualcomm aptX v4.1) for seamless and

uncomplicated wireless streaming. The KIN AMP features digital and analogue inputs allowing sources from turntables to gaming consoles to be connected. It even features bass and treble controls, which given the sonic challenges from the variety of source components that can be connected, means the KIN AMP is flexible in allowing a customisable sound.

The SKYLIGHT is the newest and most affordable member of the SKY family.

It’s a logical extension to the SKY Series and establishes a new high-performance standard for affordable bookshelf speakers, says the maker. It’s easy to drive and can happily be partnered with a wide range of amplifiers delivering genuinely deep bass and strong phase coherency. Totem argues its dynamic capabilities exceed that of many smaller sized floor-standing speakers.

In addition to the new products, Totem will be showing its line of Architectural speakers; the KIN SLIM in-ceiling speakers and the KIN in-wall media line. Vince Bruzzese, Chief Designer and Founder will be on hand to guide visitors through the range with his ussual passion and style. The teams from Redline (UK CI distributor) and Joenit (covering Benelux and UK 2-channel) will also be on hand to extol the virtues of the brand.

FEBRUARY 2020 49

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Innovative speaker maker, Lithe Audio (Stand 10N158) is planning to launch no less that four new products at the show. ISE will see the birthing of; Wi-fi PRO updated all-in-one ceiling speaker, Wireless Sub – Micro sub, In-wall Dual Zone audio system and Updated Bluetooth Ceiling speakers with Bluetooth 5.0.

Equipped with Airplay2, the new Wireless Sub – Micro sub is a discrete solution that can be easily connected to the Lithe Audio multiroom audio system and boost the bass for any music. The unit can be fully integrated with smart home systems and works with other speakers equipped with Airplay2 or Google cast. The sub comes in a compact form factor of just 17cm cubed and of course has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built in.

Aimed at the hospitality sector, Lithe Audio is also introducing the In-wall Dual Zone hotel audio system with Bluetooth 5.0 and DAB+ radio bringing the brand’s improved high-quality speaker sound to hotel rooms, or in fact any single room application. This approach is a good match for when music playback is required without the use of a phone or smart device. The system can link together DAB+ or FM radio, Bluetooth and TV audio into the Lithe Audio two zone system with a sleek glass customisable touch-plate controlling zones together or independently.

The company’s popular wireless inceiling Bluetooth speakers introduced the concept of being powered by the lighting circuit, simplifying installation. ISE will see an overhauled version equipped with Bluetooth 5.0, a new 30m range (compared to 10m on previous models) and an Aptx

50 FEBRUARY 2020

Low latency protocol for seamless wireless syncing with TVs. The event will also see the introduction of Lithe Wi-Fi PRO for ultimate connectivity, offering wireless multiroom audio or hardwire connections. Powered by the lighting circuit or via PoE, the speaker is WISA compatible for wireless surround sound and other connections include Airplay2, Google cast, Bluetooth, optical input and Ethernet.

Information on the brand’s other options, which include an IP44 rated bathroom version, will also be available. UK distributor is Invision.

CONTROL SYSTEMS

Crestron (Stands 2C20, 2E20, 2E30) will be underlining many of its new product offerings and in the commercial world one of the big announcements will be the addition of USB-C across many of its systems. This type of connection is becoming widespread for laptops and is part of Crestron’s commitment to allow installers to offer the connectivity options companies want and to operate more seamlessly across IT real estate as well as AV. Crestron will also give its AirMedia 2 wireless presentation connections platform and the Mercury X line a big push. Crestron Mercury X connects to a room’s AV and IT systems via a single cable and also offers the flexibility to run native software, including Microsoft Teams and Zoom Rooms, and BYOD on the same device.

Crestron will also underline that Crestron Home, its recently introduced rapid deployment platform, now natively works

with Lutron. Perhaps surprising as Crestron does have its own lighting solutions, but the company wants to show a willingness to work with other brands it considers to be able to deliver a high-performance solution and deliver packages that installers and their customers want. Also highlighted will be a new connectivity hub called the MC4-R, which will drive a lot of the new integration the company will be offering.

Crestron says the MC4-R provides a secure, high‑performance, cost-effective control processor and interface for use with Crestron Home OS in a small form factor and low-profile unit. The product is suitable for single‑room systems, small to medium‑sized homes and MDUs. Big news on the programming side is that HTML5 and Crestron now together.

The next Crestron Masters programming events will feature this new option strongly.

Crestron was keen to add this as it opens up a wider range of possibilities to add other types of designers into the Crestron universe as well as Crestron specialists.

Other updates included in Crestron Home OS 3 will also be highlighted such as new page designs, dynamic room controls and icons, with stylish, responsive, smooth performance. The update also offers support for multiple homes and new icons to save as favourites.

The platform has also been created to offer a more refined layout for easy access to commonly used functions, and personalisation of the UI using photos of the home to represent rooms. There is also enforced end-to-end encryption for secure communications.

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ISE PREVIEW

Also new, integration with CoolAutomation to deliver native BACnet integration. CoolAutomation now works directly in the OS 3 world allowing installers to customise the BACnet modules within the Crestron Home app to ensure an easier installation.

This solution is a strong option for MDU applications where there is a centralised BACnet controlled HVAC system. Instead of manually commissioning each unit, integrators can now deploy thousands of units with one touch using the MyCrestron deploy code concept.

Another control platform planning for a big show is RTI. On Stand 1-N85 the company will showcase the advantages RTI dealers have with custom solutions that allow them to compete across markets and project sizes. On display will be media distribution and collaboration solutions for commercial spaces, including the new VXP82 All-In-One Presentation System and VXU-SC Conferencing and Collaboration System. RTI will also exhibit the new CP16i Cool Power amplifier in addition to the flagship T4x and weatherproof U3 remote controls and RTiQ Intelligent Remote Monitoring.

“This year at ISE we’re continuing to expand the capabilities, going further with a range of products for integrators looking to expand into commercial — or resimercial — projects,” says Brett Stokke, Director of Marketing, RTI. “With products like the VXP-82, our latest AV distribution solutions, and new controllers like the T4x and U3, we’ll show visitors to our booth how they can grow their businesses from the family room into the conference room, all on the RTI platform.”

RTI says the VXP-82 is a perfect solution for large meeting spaces and lecture halls. The all-in-one control processor and presentation switcher comes with a builtin 8 x 2 multi-format video switcher and

enough processing for control over all of the systems in the room. Handling video signals from multiple sources, including HDBaseT support, the system also delivers audio mixing and KVM support in a 2-U chassis.

RTI says its VXU-SC video conferencing and collaboration system enables multiple users to interact easily with softcodec conferencing solutions such as Microsoft Skype, Cisco WebEx, and Citrix GoToMeeting. In addition to support for video content from a wide range of devices, USB sharing also enables control from any connected PC or interactive display and allows inexpensive webcams and microphones to be used.

Now shipping, RTI’s CP-16i expands the company’s line of audio distribution systems and is compatible with virtually any other system. Providing 100W of audiophilegrade sound to 16 channels and bridgeable audio outputs for increased power, the unit features thermal overload and overcurrent monitoring, while Class-D amplification delivers efficient heat dissipation and low power consumption. Available in rackmount or freestanding installation options, the amplifier only requires one rack space.

RTI will also highlight the VHD-4x and VHD-8x HDBaseT Matrix Switches and the VMS-741 4K Quad Multi-Viewer, which features seven video inputs and a 4K video output and can be configured for viewing up to four sources simultaneously on one display.

Hand-held controllers on display will include RTI’s new T4x, which the maker says argues features a sleek, sophisticated design that offers superb ergonomics, a high-resolution 4in capacitive touchscreen, and fully programmable soft-touch buttons.

RTI argues the T4x sets the standard in wireless control with advanced features, including grip sensors, Wi-Fi and dual RF. For environments that are too harsh for standard remote controls, RTI will

showcase the U3 weatherproof controller.

Featuring an electronic ink display, the durable remote uses inductive charging and wireless programming updates, allowing the unit to be completely sealed.

The RTiQ intelligent remote monitoring system will also be on display. This cloudbased solution monitors RTI control system components and other electronic systems.

Dealers are notified via email and text if a failure occurs so they can perform actions remotely to correct the situation — eliminating the need for service calls to address simple issues and reducing system downtime.

DESIGN AND PLANNING

D-Tools will demonstrate the latest version (v13) of its business software on Stand 1N80. The company says powerful new features have been added to its flagship, on-premises System Integrator (SI) solution including service plan management and supplier pricing. The newest version of SI, with its enhancements, helps system integration firms like never before— improving operational efficiency for increased profitability, while reducing time, cost, and errors for a streamlined business process, says the company.

For those unfamiliar with the system it offers integrators a robust, comprehensive software that guides users through the sales, estimation, system designs, project management, installation, and service aspects of their business.

The latest release now features Service Plans so users can define, create, sell, and manage service contracts and supplier pricing allowing access to dealer-specific

RTI is focusing on its ability to span residential and commercial spaces

FEBRUARY 2020 53

ISE PREVIEW

pricing from select partner brands.

Also in the update, multi-conductor cable documentation allows users to draw connections down to the individual conductor.

Bundled cable support provides accurate labour calculation for bundled cables and bar code scanning allows the collection and validation of product data, and synchronization with projects upon item receipt.

Lastly, payment processing allows the integration with ProPay, providing the ability to accept initial deposit on projects through the D-Tools Customer Portal. designflow Stand 14E125 will officially launch the company’s new Outsourced Design Shop. This allows commercial, residential and marine integrators to make quick online purchases of design services, for entire projects or to fill gaps within a project’s design and documentation. There are all the usual designflow outsourced design services available individually to purchase on the web shop. At the same time designflow has chosen to include its popular Site & Engineers Packs as bundles. These bundles simplify the buying process as all you need to enter to purchase a suitable Site Pack Bundle is the number of floors in your project. It’s a similar case too for the other bundles.

The launch of the Outsourced Design Shop sees the addition of a couple of new bundles including the Cinema Site Pack. This bundle provides all the design and documentation required to install a cinema system, with 1-3 rows of seats, with or without fabric walls and or acoustic treatment. Also new, the Engineers Panel Bundle, which provides a panel layout and

schematic for items such as lighting, blind or control panels. designflow’s Proposal services have also had the bundle treatment for the launch of the Outsourced Design Shop. This bundle combines options for a simple proposal, embellished and a full Gold, Silver, Bronze version. There are bundles for each of the One, Two or Four proposals a month and also the Pay As U Go option.

Designflow chose to launch the Outsourced Design Shop at ISE following findings in the last edition of the CEDIA Size and Scope Report. In the business sentiment section of this report the single biggest challenge facing integrators was found to be staff recruitment and retention.

This is seen as twice the threat as the next biggest challenge, DIY integration products.

Leading on from this were findings by entrepreneur.com that in the current economic climate, outsourcing is key to building rapid but stable growth. They also found that best practice in outsourcing is to outsource where specialised knowledge is lacking in-house but avoid outsourcing your core competencies. It also found that it was key to ensure the company chosen to outsource to should be aligned and adhere to similar business values to your own.

Some key things to note about designflow’s Outsourced Design Service that the company is keen to highlight in the light of these findings are that it is currently the only company solely focused on providing a complete, outsourced AV and Smart Building design service. designflow does nothing else but design and document AV & Smart Building projects and can provide a complete end to end service

D-Tools will showcase the latest version of its software platform

54 FEBRUARY 2020

including full system specification. The company has also been recommended to its customers by Artcoustic, CEDIA, Crestron Europe, Genesis Technologies and Ivory Egg. designfow says it is trusted by these organisations to deliver cinema design, design documentation courses and lighting and control system design to them, their dealers and members.

The SDVoE Alliance will present a shootout between the SDVoE platform and a traditional matrix switch on Stand 1-F40.

The alliance says the initiative will offer a simple demonstration of two video systems, one an SDVoE network and the other a traditional matrix switch design. Each system consists of four 4K displays arranged in a 2x2 video wall. A single touch panel and control system will drive both video systems simultaneously.

“It’s time to leave the matrix switch behind us. Our industry’s future is Ethernet, and this demonstration illustrates that SDVoE delivers that future with the performance we’ve come to expect, and capabilities not previously imagined,” says Justin Kennington, President of the SDVoE Alliance. “Today’s successful AV implementations are focused on experience, not on bits and bytes. The SDVoE platform makes it simple to deliver an experience unmatched by any other technology, old or new.”

The Alliance says the key takeaways from the head-to-head include proof that SDVoE provides built-in multi-view compositing capability without added hardware, synchronized video wall processing that eliminates image tearing and motion jitter, instant switching for seamless content transitions and image scaling without the usual one- or two-frame latency.

The Alliance also argues the SDVoE approach delivers multi-vendor interoperability that reduces the risk of stranded investment as business needs change (a mix of hardware from Christie, NETGEAR, ZeeVee, Altimium, Aurora Multimedia, DVIGear, IDK, Kramer and Black Box will all be part of the SDVoE network.) Substantial cost saving for installation, maintenance, system changes and expansion are also argued for as key advantages.

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CONTENT IS KING

STREAMING HAS COME OF AGE Peter Aylett, recent recruit to the HTE (Home Theatre Environment) team, President of install company Archimedia and member of CEDIA’s Global Board of Directors, sees streaming content in a new light.

Content truly is king. Physical media took us from VHS, through Laserdisc, DVD, and now finally onto UHD BluRay; the last type of physical media we are ever likely to see. Outside of the DCI World, the highest quality source content is now Kaleidescape, and whilst we should all educate our customers about the hierarchy of content quality and the difference this makes to the overall experience, the reality is that Netflix has changed the content game forever with much of the most compelling content now being created by, and delivered on the streaming platforms. These are now a far cry from the early days of 2Mbs 1080i, with Apple TV+ giving us 30Mbs+ streams in UHD with Atmos and Dolby Vision. When doing demonstrations, we still love content from a Kaleidescape Strato to show off a system to its best abilities. Now, however, we also include some ‘real-world’ streaming content.

A word of warning, however. Check that you and your customer’s internet connection is capable of delivering the 30Mbs+ that is required for the content to be delivered in the highest possible quality!

With Apple recently joining the party with their Apple TV+ service, their selection of

content is nowhere near as rich as Netflix, but from a quality standpoint, they are currently top of the pile. Nothing illustrates this better than ‘See’, a series where most of the protagonists in a post-apocalyptic dystopian world are blind.

Because of this, the sound design is all about the subtle sounds that allow the blind to ‘See’ with their hearing.

Before we had today’s streaming platforms, the sound design for Hollywood content took a different path, with the original mix being designed for theatrical release rather than consumer. This is especially true with Dolby Atmos where the theatrical audio mix is done in the knowledge that the cinema showing it in Atmos has a speaker array worthy of the mix. When the consumer mix (a completely different one to the commercial Atmos mix) is done, it is considerably ‘dumbed down’ compared to the theatrical one to acknowledge the lack of a high channel count speaker array in most residential setups. What I have experienced in the straight to streaming programming, is that this content was mixed with consumer in mind to begin with and the sound designers have been much more adventurous, leading to this streaming content often providing a much better demonstration of consumer Atmos’s abilities than Hollywood content.

In See, the opening scene (even the credits are beautiful, with a soundtrack worthy of an Atmos demo disc. 1.09 to 2.25) starts with a lo-fi rendition of Lou Reed’s Perfect Day (2.29)

then builds with some impressive subsonic LFE action showing the destruction of a dam.

Throughout the action, there is plenty of Atmos activity to demonstrate an immersive setup. The action scene ends (6.14) fading to a much softer scene of solitude, with one of the protagonists standing by a still lake. This transition from violence to tranquility is stark. If you have a quiet room with projector and equipment noise isolated, the sudden silence is striking. There then follows some simple female dialogue, always the best demonstration of a system’s ability to deliver realistic and un-coloured vocals.

The scenes flip from dark shadow detail to bright daylight. A well dialled in HDR setup will show this to its best. Projection systems that are too dim need not apply; with a peak white luminance of 45fl, it looks amazing.

All of this is delivered in a level of technical quality that I’ve never seen or heard from streaming content before. The picture is mostly grain free, HDR is very well used and the Atmos soundtrack very dynamic and packed with detail.

For years, streaming has been the poor relation to physical media. Whilst a UHD Bluray or Kaleidescape download still exceeds the quality of an Apple TV+ stream, our customers will probably be watching more streamed content than physical. We now have the opportunity to demonstrate streaming in the knowledge that it is not limiting the performance of the systems we work so hard to engineer.

PETER’S HOME SYSTEM LG 65in OLED Apple TV 4K Trinnov Altitude 16 Audio Control Pantages G3 Genelec 1032 L&R as part of a 4.1(2).2 system Artcoustic SL Diablo (Surrounds and Tops) B&W DB4S x 2 Kordz HDMI Cable Chord Company Analogue Cables

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HIDDEN TECHNOLOGY Andy Atwell, Sales Director at RGB Communications, examines the shifting priorities and influences on the support sector.

FULL-MOTION

Whether it is for residential or commercial use, the reliance on electronics in our everyday lives has increased significantly. Yes, certain products have reduced in size but, with technology moving on and offering the ability to enhance our workflow at the office or aid relaxation at home, we are now having to accommodate

more and more electronics wherever we base ourselves.

It used to be the case that technology made a business look sleek and professional, where it would be positioned within an area of use or, ideally, in a huge plant room somewhere in the bowels of a building that only the technology management team would have access to. However, more and more, the call for localised technology zones within huddle spaces, meeting rooms and open-plan office spaces in the commercial market has made it essential that technology is placed within the space it is being used for simple user-control.

This is fine in practise but, with modern design being the way it is now, architects and interior designers are looking to have ‘technology

invisible’ zones by clearing away anything that is assumed clutter. Sadly, this often means the cabling and the technology that drive these zones. However, practicality is also essential and we have seen a large increase in desk-top or built in solutions at local level, which allows for easy connectivity by the end user.

Good examples include display devices, such as TVs and monitors, mounted on-wall with little or no furniture beneath, making the housing of interface products, such as Sky boxes, AVRs or connectivity stations, practically impossible. As a result, manufacturers are looking at increasingly innovative solutions for storing and hiding products out of sight but that can also be accessed for routine maintenance and upgrading, whilst wall-mounted interfaces allow for localised connectivity. To this end, we have seen a significant demand for in-wall and in-ceiling equipment boxes and racks. Whether built into a false wall or even dropping the level of a ceiling to accommodate the rack, these solutions are becoming ever more popular,

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FEBRUARY 2020 59

ESSENTIAL BRACKETS, RACKING AND SUPPORT

particularly those that can be dropped/dragged out and rotated for easy access and maintenance. For areas where furniture is allowed, Middle Atlantic, for example, now have racking solutions that can be hidden away in cabinets and/or lecterns. Importantly, all power and thermal considerations have been made, so where a conventional cabinet may be utilised for a 19in rack, the equipment housed within it will be managed just as if it were housed in a more conventional storage location.

CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT

There has also been a development towards smaller interface devices that can be mounted behind screens. As well as receivers for AV signals, such as HDBaseT modules, many of which can now be run off USB power to reduce the need for additional mains power sockets, recent developments include amplification, allowing installers to mount speakers and/or soundbars with the screen without affecting the quality of the performance.

Where furniture is specified/permitted, the focus is always on aesthetics rather than practicality.

For furniture that has not been designed to house electronics, some rack manufacturers now deliver solutions that not only allow easy access to the electronics housed within, but also have made provision for the vital power and thermal management of the electronics, to ensure optimised performance and reliability gels perfectly with aesthetic excellence. Middle Atlantic has created a range of office furniture (boardroom tables, desk draw sets etc) designed to house all of the electronics locally as a single, stand-alone solution.

We are often asked by installers and interior designers for help in all areas of equipment housing, working with our vendors to create unique solutions for specific problems.

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THERE’S MORE TO SEE - For the full range of TV mounts go to www.sanus.com or request a full line product guide.

60 FEBRUARY 2020

7°

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Available from Premium Audio at Exertis: 01256 378 550 or Alltrade: 0844 225 2700

ESSENTIAL BRACKETS, RACKING AND SUPPORT

SIZE DOESN’T MATTER – SO LONG AS YOUR BRACKET FITS THE BILL James Attfield, Managing Director of Turnstone AV, the UK’s distributor of Vogel’s brackets, examines how the sector has changed, driven

by TV development.

LOW-PROFILE

Demand for bigger and better wall mounts has certainly grown as TV screens are now regularly up to 100in.

And, as panels have grown, so too has the requirement for wall mounts to be able to cope with the increased TV screen sizes both in terms of quality and fixings. It’s quite common now for a consumer to want to mount a 70-85in TV on a wall so it’s very important that bracket manufacturers are ready with products which meet those needs with design and safety the key priorities.

Also, because of the changing nature of TVs, brackets need to be designed in a different way.

Take OLED for example where in most cases and, certainly with LG, the VESA holes are at the bottom of the structure of the TV, which has

meant a change in design.

Vogel’s is the only company building products specifically for OLED TVs when it comes to articulated wall mounts. And, as a result, we have seen an incredible amount of growth in this area. In fact, unit for unit it’s our fastest moving sector.

At the high end, the CI market has moved away from traditional commoditised products into design-rich features as consumers in the market generally want the best that they can get.

This is borne out by our own experiences not least in the area of colour. A lot more people now demand white mountings as an alternative to black. Black might have been okay for Henry Ford but not for today’s discerning consumers investing a lot of money into their home environments where style and design are significant factors.

But of course it’s not just about how a product looks. Functionality is also key – even in areas where the product is not necessarily on

display because it’s in an alcove. In this scenario there is still a need for high quality articulated wall mounts which enable the CI installer to move the bracket for necessary servicing knowing that it will go back exactly where it came from. This is about build quality and you can’t run and you can’t hide from this as a wall mount manufacturer. You don’t want to install a TV only to see that a constant 2cm border turns into a 1cm border at the top and 3cm at the bottom as can happen with some lesser quality brackets!

There is of course an increasing growth in the area of automation. Vogel’s offers a prizewinning motorised TV wall mounting – including the Motion Sound Mount – that also features a sound bar and sub woofer for those consumers who might seek bespoke sound solutions.

In conclusion it is a very exciting market to be in at present. And long may it continue.

PREMIUM TV MOUNTS High quality products for professionals

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VESA / PROFILE 100X100 TO 700X400 / 1.50 INCH

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THERE’S MORE TO SEE - For the full range of TV mounts go to www.sanus.com or request a full line product guide.

FEBRUARY 2020 63

ESSENTIAL BRACKETS, RACKING AND SUPPORT

THE FORM FACTOR With the rapid technological advances of modern displays trending towards ‘interactive artwork’ for the home, the mounting brackets which conceal and reveal these modern displays have had to advance at an equally fast pace, as Will Holdsworth, Media and Marketing at product support specialist Future Automation, explains.

SPECIALTY

Previous generations of displays were thicker and heavier as they would traditionally house all the necessary hardware to control the display including speakers, circuit boards and power supplies, which would be concealed inside the display housing. Mounting these types of displays would only typically be limited by the weight capacity of the bracket, which made the manufacturing and installation of these brackets a simple affair for smart home integrators.

However, as modern displays trend towards becoming ‘interactive artwork’ for the home, new challenges need to be considered by manufacturers to maintain a seamless transition between the home and its integrated technology.

Display manufacturers are now choosing to separate the additional hardware which was previously integrated into the display housing into external enclosures, such as the Samsung Connect Box, which are attached to the panel via a cable.

However, we are swiftly moving into a wirelessly connected world, with the advent of entirely cable-less devices with significantly increased wireless capabilities compared to those produced in the previous decade.

With 5G on the horizon and fully portless iPhone rumours, homeowners are beginning

to transition into a truly wireless future. As homeowners are becoming more accustomed to a connected wireless world, their demand for the technology in their home to be free from any visible cables has also increased.

As displays have yet to transition into a fully wireless state, the onus is now on bracket manufacturers to create innovative solutions which create an illusion of a truly wireless home for the owner. Cables (even ‘invisible’ ones) break the continuity between the technology and an environment and are often deemed unacceptable in modern smart homes. The demand for a solution which accommodates all of the additional hardware and cabling, which has been separated from the display panel has increased dramatically as these displays have gained in popularity.

A more considered approach for wall mounting is required for this type of display because of its unique form factor. Future Automation has created a purpose-built Wall Box which is designed specifically to house the Samsung One Connect Box inside it while allowing the Frame TV to mount flush against a wall as was originally intended. This is because of increased client demand for a product which would conceal the additional hardware out of sight and an obsession to design a home with completely convincingly disguised technology. The solution pairs the Wall Box with a manual pull and swivel bracket which enables an integrator to access the rear of the display without removing the display from the wall.

This approach allows a more seamless transition between the display and its environment with no visible cables or hardware which would break the

illusion of a seamless piece of ‘integrated artwork’.

At the current speed of development within the display space, a yearly release cycle has been established for display manufacturers, which has meant that the hardware that sits behind a display is more likely to age faster than in previous generations. Clients who demand the latest features from their smart home will also require more regular hardware upgrades as new products are released. It’s therefore more important than ever that hardware installed in these smart homes is easily accessible and simple to swap for newer variants by an integrator. Creating a convenient void behind the display in this way has gifted integrators with a singular hub where they can gain quick and easy access to the additional display hardware for servicing and upgrades. Knowing that all additional hardware is located directly behind the display makes it a simple task to go around a property and methodically upgrade each display one at a time.

In an age where we are cutting ties with cables, it is only a matter of time before display manufacturers are capable of reliably transmitting display and data signals wirelessly to their display panels. This will completely change how smart home integrators specify displays, as displays will be able to be disguised as traditional interior decoration without the need to run cabling around a home as is currently the case.

However, until that time arrives the on us has been placed on display mounting manufacturers to create practical and functional solutions to fully blend technology and its environment.

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64 FEBRUARY 2020

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CASE STUDY: KNEKTD

KNEKTD, SONANCE AND YAMAHA ADD TO ARSENAL FC’S RETAIL ARMOURY Something a little different this month as we delve into the world of retail AV with an immersive experience which brings the atmosphere of match day to Arsenal’s newly refurbished flagship store in North London.

A comprehensive refurbishment of Arsenal FC’s flagship store has provided the opportunity to combine audio effects and video displays in a multizone AV design, created to empower the retail experience with the sights, sounds and excitement of match day.

The Armoury re-design, launched at the beginning of July 2019, has been timed to celebrate Arsenal’s renewed partnership with sponsor adidas and reveal the 2019/20 home kit. “The new store, says Arsenal’s website, “is a shrine to nostalgia and the club’s rich history with adidas, and includes a caged skills area where you can have your skills rated by a member of the first team. Customers heading into the store will see a host of exciting digital content on the in-store large screens and experience the thrill of a match day by sitting in Unai Emery’s touchline chair and sampling the smell of freshly-cut grass in the stadium themed change rooms.”

Commenting on the refurbished space Arsenal Retail Director Simon Lilley, says, “The newly refitted Armoury is our flagship store at Emirates Stadium and we’re proud to provide a best-in-class retail environment for our fans.”

THE BRIEF

Working with Arsenal’s interior design team, 442, installer Knektd was asked to design the audio for four in-store zones.

The brief required immersive sound for a new virtual ‘player tunnel’ at the entrance to the store; atmospheric sound for three themed changing rooms; precise audio level and intelligibility for

FEBRUARY 2020 67

CASE STUDY: KNEKTD

the areas in front of two new video walls, and high quality continuous SPLs for ‘The Cage’, a Virtual Reality area where customers can enjoy training pitch skill challenges with the Avatar of a first team player.

Knektd’s Project Leader Stewart Maynard, selected Sonance Pro Series and Sonance Invisible speakers for the first three zones and a Yamaha Commercial PA system for ‘The Cage’.

The Knektd team relied on Ease software to optimise the sound in each zone and to blend individual audio zones globally with the store’s in-house sound. Ease analysis also provided Knektd and 442 with a design blueprint to agree prior to installation.

Stewart explains, “We were absolutely delighted to be asked to pitch for this prestigious project by 442, after recommendation by the Armoury’s music streaming provider and audio effects creator, Open Ear. 442’s specific brief was for immersive sound to create a sense of a shared experience with the Arsenal Club and team.

68 FEBRUARY 2020

Essentially the new Armoury would be an audio experience as much as a visual one, the two coming together to inspire customers with the excitement of a match day. A greater sense of ‘being there’ would generate stronger customer loyalty and sales. So the challenge was to create believable atmospherics in specific zones.”

Stewart adds, “Customers gain access to the new Armoury through a walk-in player tunnel, imbued with a realistic match day ambience that places them with the players on their way to the pitch from the locker room. To create this effect the sound needed to be non-directional with no obvious source, so we used three Sonance IS4C invisible speakers in the ceiling.

These are entirely concealed behind plaster, but retain high intelligibility and dynamic range for the most natural simulation. To complete the surrounding ambience, we installed two Sonance Pro Series PS-C63RT 6in in-walls at low level on the tunnel sides. Triggered by a PIR sensor, these reproduce the sound of football

boots on a hard surface allowing customers to imagine they’re walking with the team. Then we used Ease EQ software to mix the output for a realistic effect within the tunnel and to blend tunnel ambience with store’s background sound.”

THE CHANGING ROOMS AND VIDEO WALLS

Stewart explains, “Part of 442’s design for the new Armoury involved changing rooms with a choice of design themes based around the sights and sounds of the Arsenal Tube Station, the Club’s Locker Room and the Emirates Stadium itself.

“For added authenticity these areas are enhanced by individually designed soundtracks played through a Sonance Pro Series PSC43RT 4in in-ceiling speaker installed within each booth.”

Stewart explains that for the area around the large LED displays the company designed a sound field loud enough to draw shoppers’

CASE STUDY: KNEKTD

attention without being overly dominating.

Two Sonance Pro Series PS-P43T Pendants were used for each, allowing the team to set a precise height for the speakers, blending with store aesthetics while delivering optimal sound levels around the screens.

THE CAGE AND CHALLENGES

The Cage is literally a caged area in front of a large LED screen, in which customers can practice football tricks with a virtual first- team player. The brief here called for immersive high output SPLs over longer durations, so a Yamaha Stagepas PA system was deployed for this zone.

As for particular challenges on this project, Stewart states, “Offering easier access and greater install flexibility, the larger retail space at the Armoury made wiring and speaker installation fairly straightforward. The design brief did however require the most discreet installation in order to allow the various ‘being

there’ illusions to do their work. The major creative challenge brought our experience and judgement to bear on 442’s design vision. We had to justify our choices and simulate the audio performance on paper before any work started.

Using Ease software we could switch speakers and change their positions in real time to design the simplest way to achieve optimum coverage.

“This process proved invaluable in building understanding between the teams and ultimately, delivering the audio results they were after. Of course, this was the most satisfying part. We also built in some level control to enable shop staff to adjust the system for busy match days and other days. Some degree of staff training was required.”

ESSENTIAL KIT LIST Sonance PS-C43RT Pro Series 4in In-Ceiling Speaker (x 3) PS-P43T Pro Series 4in Pendant Speaker - pair (x 2) IS4C Invisible Series Speaker (x 3) PS-C63RT Pro Series 6in In-Ceiling Speaker - pair (x 1) Yamaha Stagepas 400BT System (x 1) XMV4140 4-channel amplifier (x 3)

Knektd www.knektd.co.uk

FEBRUARY 2020 69

ESSENTIAL COMMENT

STREAMING AND WHY A HIGH-QUALITY AUDIO SYSTEM STILL MATTERS Hugo Fitzjohn, Education Manager, Meridian Audio, delves into the world of streaming and why quality matters.

Not so long ago, the most valuable resource on the planet was oil. No more. In 2017 the Financial Times reported that the world’s most valuable resource is actually now data.

Globalised corporations are ruthlessly trawling the internet for our data, and streaming media is essentially highly nuanced click bait, with the creative and artistic element in many ways an inconvenience. In fact, streaming revenues are so low that the business model for most bands has shifted from traditional album sales to gigs and merchandise.

Of course, this doesn’t stop us enjoying streamed music. In fact, 91 billion songs were streamed in the UK last year. Spotify is still the market leader but there’s plenty of choice in the streaming market space with services such as Tidal, Deezer and others all available.

When it comes to delivering streaming audio solutions, clients will invariably tell integrators what they want. Our skill as an industry is to hone that technology to deliver what they need to the best of our ability and know-how. A holistic view of a system is always required.

Sound quality at the expense of a good user experience with a lack of access to a variety of content is a folly, and vice versa. Radio still has a surprisingly large

70 FEBRUARY 2020

market share, with around 90% of the UK population regularly tuning in to a range of content including music, conversation, documentaries, comedy, drama and more.

I’d also wager that in your friendship group there’s at least one person that is a podcast addict. Audio in the home isn’t just about listening to music.

As a result, we need to engineer flexible systems that deliver on ease of use backed up by excellent sound quality.

DON’T ASK, DON’T GET?

Most people don’t ask for excellent sound quality, most have sadly never experienced it, but, once clients have heard it, they usually agree that they need it!

Also, humans are subconsciously and deeply tuned into how the human voice sounds. An audio system that offers great vocal reproduction will just sound right, have greater intelligibility and make the experience that much more authentic and visceral. Virtual reality doesn’t have to be confined to strapping googles to your head.

Design and choose your audio systems thoughtfully. You will be giving your clients an audio experience that they cherish and will readily share and recommend with their friends. Simply put, do it right and make sure that you create not just an amazing audio experience but also the most powerful marketing tool for your business, the referral.

For information on Meridian’s highquality range of audio solutions for streaming media, visit: www.meridian-audio.com/products

LONDON BUSINESS DESIGN CENTRE - 31 MARCH 2020

EDINBURGH GTG EDINBURGH - 02 JUNE 2020

LEEDS LEEDS UNITED STADIUM - 15 OCTOBER 2020

REGISTRATION IS FREE. THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE PRICELESS. RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW - www.cedia.net/techsummits

TRAINING DATES

B EMCO K N X TRAINING AL LT R A D E ADVANCED ELAN CERTIFICATION DATES/LOCATION: March 11 (9am) Reading Branch Mrch 12 (9am) Reading Branch

ADVANCED HDL

KNX PARTNER (BASIC) COURSE DATES/LOCATION: March 23-27, Bemco Wandsworth, June 22-26, Bemco Wandsworth

DATES/LOCATION: March 18 (9am) Reading Branch

COST: £750 + VAT

INTRODUCTION TO SONOS

DATES/LOCATION: February 10-14, Bemco Wandsworth May 27-1, Bemco Wandsworth

DATES/LOCATION: February 4 (10am) Brighton Branch February 4 (10am) Bournemouth Branch February 6 (2pm) Hemel Hempstead Branch February 6 (2pm) Reading Branch February 6 (2pm) Maidstone Branch

KNX ADVANCED COURSE:

COST: £750 + VAT

All KNX Intro courses are free of charge

LEVEL 1 UBIQUITI

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DATES/LOCATION: February 5 (2pm) Brighton Branch February 13 (2pm) Maidstone Branch February 20 (2pm) Hemel Hempstead Branch February 27 (2pm) Reading Branch March 11 (2pm) Hemel Hempstead Branch March 12 (2pm) Maidstone Branch March 18 (2pm) Brighton & Hove Branch

CA I

LEVEL 2 UBIQUITI DATES/LOCATION: February 26 (2pm) Bournemouth Branch March 18 (2pm) Bournemouth Branch March 25 (2pm) Brighton & Hove Branch

CCTV OVERVIEW - HIKVISION DATES/LOCATION: February 12 (2pm) Brighton Branch February 12 (2pm) Bournemouth Branch February 13 (2pm) Hemel Hempstead Branch February 20 (2pm) Maidstone Branch March 4 (2pm) Brighton & Hove Branch March 19 (2pm) Maidstone Branche March 25 (2pm) Bournemouth Branch March 26 (2pm) Reading Branch

INTRODUCTION TO IRS DATES/LOCATION: February 27 (2pm) Maidstone Branch March 4 (2pm) Bournemouth Branch March 5 (2pm) Reading Branche March 11 (2pm) Brighton & Hove Branch March 26 (2pm) Maidstone Branch

INTRODUCTION TO FIBRE DATES/LOCATION: February 19 (2pm) Brighton & Hove February 26 (2pm) Bournemouth Branch February 27 (2pm) Reading Branch March 5 (2pm) Maidstone Branch March 12 (2pm) Hemel Hempstead Branch

CAT5E/6, THEIR CONNECTORS AND BEYOND DATES/LOCATION: February 5 (2pm) Bournemouth Branch February 27 (2pm) Hemel Hempstead Branch All courses are free of charge

MORE INFORMATION »

For more information or to book call 0344 225 2700 / 01273 765180, e-mail training@alltrade.co.uk or visit alltrade.co.uk/training-sessions

72 FEBRUARY 2020

KNX ‘TASTER’ COURSE - FREE DATES/LOCATION: February 19, Bemco Wandsworth March 18, Bemco Wandsworth April 22, Bemco Wandsworth

Bemco 0208 874 0404, bemco-knx.co.uk

BASIC AERIAL & SATELLITE INSTALLATION (THREE DAY COURSE) DATES/LOCATION: 25, 26 & 27 February 2020 – Leeds 10, 11 & 12 March - Watford 12, 13 & 14 May 2020 – Watford 23, 24 & 25 June 2020 – Nottingham 21, 22 & 23 July 2020 - Watford 8, 9 & 10 September 2020 – Watford 27, 28 & 29 October 2020 - Leeds 10, 11 & 12 November 2020 – Watford COST: £815.00

IRS NETWORKS STAGE 1 DATES/LOCATION: 19 & 20 March 2020 – Watford 18 & 19 June 2020 – Watford 17 & 18 September 2020 – Watford 19 & 20 November 2020 – Watford COST: £465.00

INTRODUCTION TO PROJECT MANAGEMENT DATES/LOCATION: February 5-6, Watford CAI Ltd COST: £800.00

MAKING THE BOND (ONE DAY COURSE) DATES/LOCATION: 9 March 2020 – Watford 11 May 2020 – Watford 20 July 2020 – Watford 7 September 2020 – Watford 9 November 2020 – Watford COST: £310.00

FIBRE OPTICS IN SIGNAL DISTRIBUTION STAGE 1 (ONE DAY COURSE) DATES/LOCATION: 16 June 2020 – Watford 15 September 2020 – Watford 17 November 2020 - Watford COST: £330.00

TRAINING DATES

CAI (CO NT ) FIBRE OPTICS IN SIGNAL DISTRIBUTION STAGE 2 (ONE DAY COURSE) DATES/LOCATION: 18 March 2020 – Watford 17 June 2020 – Watford 16 September 2020 – Watford 18 November 2020 – Watford COST: £330.00

INTERMEDIATE HOME NETWORKING & CONNECTIVITY DATES/LOCATION: 12 & 13 February 2020 - Watford COST: £465.00

MORE INFORMATION »

CAI 01923 803 030, cai.org.uk

RGB CO MMU N I CAT I O N S SAVANT INTRO TRAINING VC DATES/LOCATION: February 6 March 5

BECOME A SMART HOME TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATOR DATES/LOCATION: March 12

SAVANT CORE TRAINING (2 DAY COURSE)

HABITEC H PRONET – FOUNDATION COURSE (1 DAY)

DATES/LOCATION: February 25-26 March 24-25

NETWORKING & WIFI FOR AV SYSTEMS DATES/LOCATION: February 20

DATES: February 26, Basingstoke April 2, Basingstoke May 6, Basingstoke June 3, Basingstoke

DATES/LOCATION: March 17

PRONET – INTEGRATOR COURSE (2 DAY)

DATES/LOCATION: March 18

COST: £99.00 + VAT DATES:

February 19-20, Basingstoke March 11-12, Basingstoke April 22-23, Basingstoke May 20-21, Basingstoke June 24-25, Basingstoke

MIDDLE ATLANTIC INTEGRATING THE RACK

LUTRON RA2 SELECT

MORE INFORMATION »

All course are held are RGB’s Offices in Hungerford, call 01488 73366 for more information

COST: £150.00 + VAT

DAHUA (1 DAY) DATES: March 3, Basingstoke April 14, Basingstoke May 26, Basingstoke July 7, Basingstoke COST: FREE

WYRESTORM - 4K END TO END (1 DAY) DATES:

February 4, Basingstoke March 17, Basingstoke April 28, Basingstoke June 9, Basingstoke July 14, Basingstoke COST: FREE

WYRESTORM - NETWORK HD (1 DAY) DATES:

February 5, Basingstoke March 18, Basingstoke April 29, Basingstoke June 10, Basingstoke July 15, Basingstoke COST: FREE

All courses are free of charge unless specified otherwise

I VO RY EG G K N X TR A I N I N G KNX BASIC COURSE (4 DAYS) DATES: February 3-6, Bosham May 11-15, Bosham

June 22-25, Bosham

October 5-8, Bosham

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KNX SALES AND SPECIFICATION (1 DAY) DATES:

April 28, Bosham June 9, Bosham

October 20, Bosham

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Ivory Egg, 01243 572 700, ivoryegg.co.uk

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Habitech 01256 638500, tanya.sworn@habitech.co.uk, habitech.co.uk

FEBRUARY 2020 73

PRODUCTS

THE WONDER OF WI-FI Unveiled at Habitech’s 10G networking event in January, the Ruckus Networks R750 Wi-Fi 6 AP is the UK’s first 802.11ax AP and marks an up-tick in capability from gigabit to multigigabit Wi-Fi. Built for ultra-dense residential and commercial client environments, and Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 6 from the Wi-Fi Alliance, the R750 will support device speeds approaching four times that of its predecessor Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac).

The Ruckus R750 is a dual-band, dualconcurrent Wi-Fi 6 AP that offers eight spatial streams (4x4:4 in 5GHz, 4x4:4 in 2.4GHz), 3.5 gigabit-per-second (Gbps) aggregate throughput and embedded Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and Zigbee radios. Complementing Ruckus’ advanced Wi-Fi design technologies, enhanced WiFi 6 features allow the R750 to support a larger and more diverse set of client devices including those demanding peak performance, such as for 4K video streaming and AR/VR applications, as well as IoT sensors requiring

low power and low latency.

Ruckus’ collaboration with the Wi-Fi Alliance has contributed to the successful launch of WiFi CERTIFIED 6, with the Ruckus R750 AP serving as one of the first products in the test bed for interoperability certification. Ruckus was also involved with the original specification and testing and helped spearhead efforts to get the standard finalised and released.

By harnessing the R750’s Wi-Fi 6 capabilities, Habitech argues UK integrators are able to optimise future-ready network capacity for their customers, dramatically improving the speed and integrity of simultaneous high density connectivity while integrating next-gen Wi-Fi CERTIFIED WPA3 security.

The Ruckus R750 Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 6 Access Point can be effectively partnered with the latest Ruckus’ 10G switch range and other ultra-fast networking intros also available from Habitech.

Habitech www.habitech.co.uk

DEFINITIVE TECHNOLOGY DEMANDS HIGH-PERFORMANCE Definitive Technology has added the Demand D15 and D17 floor standing speakers and D5C centre channel to the Demand range.

The Demand D15 and Demand D17 towers and the D5C centre are described as beautifully designed as well as employing advanced materials.

The D15 and D17 feature an annealed 1in aluminium dome tweeter, which is laterally offset and coupled with a 20/20 Wave Alignment Lens. This allows for more precise imaging by eliminating symmetric diffraction from the corners of the front baffle.

Definitive Technology says the patented Balanced Double Surround System (BDSS) midrange/woofer has been created to promote greater excursion and deliver superior midrange detail and punchier bass in comparison to

competing drivers of a similar size. In addition, a linear response waveguide extends on-and off-axis frequency response, while improving dispersion.

The tower speakers also boast a patented 5.25in and 6.5in mineral-polymer BDSS midrange/woofer, respectively, for superior and punchy mid-range detail. New to the Demand Series, each tower features dual 5.25in and 6.5in carbon fibre bass drivers alongside dual 8in and 10in side firing passive radiators. The new dual integrated side-firing passive radiators produce extended low-frequency reproduction from a smaller enclosure design.

The D5C two-way centre leverages dual 5.25in mid-range drivers and a 1in annealed aluminium dome tweeter with the same Wave Alignment and Linear Response Waveguide to

ensure accurate and full-sounding audio.

The Demand Series boasts a clean, modern look with a substantial bead-blasted aluminium baffle that is designed to exude timelessness and blend into any décor. With artisan-quality details, each cabinet is meticulously sanded, painted with five layers of premium gloss paint and buffed to a near-mirror (Level 6) finish.

Each monitor’s acoustically transparent magnetic black grilles provide natural, uncoloured sound and can be removed for when the speakers are meant to be shown off. Pricing for the Demand Series includes, D15: £,2,999, D17: £4,299 and D5C: £799.

Definitive Technology en.definitivetechnology.com

All three additions to the Demand Series line come in both Piano Black and White colourways to match any listening environment

FEBRUARY 2020 75

PRODUCTS

JBL STICKS TO THE CLASSICS Harman has introduced the JBL L82 Classic, a modern bookshelf version of the JBL L100 loudspeaker.

Based on the JBL L100 Classic loudspeaker introduced in 2018, the L82 Classic’s 8in, twoway system design is more compact, but still delivers a premium Hi-Fi sound experience and an attractive aesthetic that appeals to both retro and modern sensibilities.

“The L100 Classic has been a tremendous success for us, delivering on the promise of JBL sound and the romance of the vintage aesthetic,” says Jim Garrett, Senior Director, Product Strategy and Planning, Luxury Audio.

“With the L82 Classic, we have a product that

evokes the same instantly recognisable design and revered sound quality, and yet it does so with a considerably smaller physical footprint.

We expect these to be a hit with music lovers who desire the attributes of the L100 Classic in a more compact size.”

Packaged and sold as mirror-image pairs, the L82 Classic loudspeakers feature a 1in titanium dome tweeter with acoustic lens waveguide and front-panel HF Level attenuator. The tweeter is the same as used in the larger L100 Classic. The system’s 8in cast frame white poly cone woofer is optimised to deliver a full, natural sound with bassreflex tuning via a front-firing Slipstream port.

The L82 Classic loudspeakers feature a

retro design with vintage JBL styling including an iconic Quadrex foam grille in a choice of three colors – black, orange, or blue – all with a black and bronze JBL logo. The enclosures are finished in a genuine, satin walnut wood veneer and can be positioned vertically or horizontally.

Accessories for the JBL L82 Classic loudspeakers include the JS-80 floor stands (sold as a pair - £175). Additional retro Quadrex foam grille packs (black, orange, or blue) are also available to easily fit the speakers into any decor.

JBL www.jblsynthesis.com/home

GET SMART Netatmo has unveiled its Smart Door Lock and Keys. With the Netatmo Smart Door Lock, users can manage and share access to their home securely and easily says the maker.

Users lock and unlock their door by inserting their Smart Key in the Door Lock, like a conventional key, or by using the Netatmo Security app. In the app, they can add as many Smart Keys as they like to open their Door Lock and can deactivate a lost or stolen Key with one click. Users can send an invite to their guests’ smartphones giving them access to their home, wherever they are.

Users control all the features of the Door Lock and Keys directly from the Netatmo Security app. They can add as many Smart Keys as they like in real time, to make sure all family members can access their home.

In case of seasonal rental, users send their guests an invitation that can simply be withdrawn at the end of their stay via their smartphone.

The Netatmo Smart Door Lock is designed to withstand physical and electronic attacks obtaining the A2P, BZ+ and SKG security certifications.

The Door Lock works via Bluetooth so is not connected to the internet using Near Field Communication (NFC) to interact with the Smart Keys, which are tamper-proof and impossible to duplicate. If the Keys are lost or stolen, access to the house is still secure: the users deactivate them in real time with one click on their smartphone, without having to change the whole lock. To keep users’ data secure, the access authorisations and identification data for each Key are stored locally in the Smart Door Lock and not in the cloud.

The Door Lock features an accelerometer which senses the vibrations caused by an attempt to break in. Users can access the front door usage history via the app, when they are within Bluetooth range of the Door Lock, so they can see whether an intruder has tried to force their door. The Netatmo Smart Door Lock can be installed as a replacement of an existing cylinder door lock.

The Smart Door Lock is equipped with batteries that last for two years; when battery power is low, the Door Lock sends a smartphone notification

Netatmo www.netatmo.com/en-us

FEBRUARY 2020 77

PRODUCTS

19” RACK SPECIALISTS! Part of the e Infrastructur range from

Order any Lande ‘Set & Stack’ and receive 40% discount off MSRP on all orders shipped before 31st March 2020.

The Lande Set & Stack system is a beautifully simple and unique range of assembled floor & wall-mounts. Cleverly designed for easy stocking, transportation, construction, one-person installation and future expansion.

Available from the experts at

rgbcomms.co.uk or call us today on

01488 73366 RGB Head Office, 2 Lambourn Business Park, Lambourn Woodlands, Hungerford, RG17 7RY

Distributor of the Year Finalist

78 FEBRUARY 2020

EASY AS ONE, TWO, THREE! McIntosh has announced that, now with Simple Device Discovery Protocol (SDDP) implemented, the MX123 AV Processor has received Connects with Control4 Certification from Control4.

The maker says its 13.2 channel MX123 AV Processor marries a long tradition of uncompromising McIntosh sound quality with the latest home cinema technologies to deliver an unsurpassed luxury home entertainment experience. It is compatible with home cinema surround sound and object-based 3D audio formats including Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and Auro-3D. Its seven HDMI inputs and three HDMI outputs are compatible with 4K Ultra HD video sources and are HDCP 2.2/2.3 compliant. They all have 18Gbps of bandwidth to support High Dynamic Range (HDR) formats Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG; 4K Ultra HD at 50/60Hz; 4:4:4 colour spacing; Rec. 2020; and 3D video pass-through.

Products embedded with SDDP are automatically discoverable on a Control4 network for easy integration and installers can also benefit from SDDP in the MX123 in many ways, including reduced installation complexity, configuration time and costs in Control4 projects.

Audio is a key part of the Control4

experience, with native support for most streaming services, and high-resolution audio.

With Control4 Smart Home OS 3, all of the devices in a media room, home theatre, or whole home including audio components, speakers, and services are united for simple control from the app, wall keypads, remotes, and more.

“With SDDP, Control4 customers who choose the McIntosh MX123 AV Processor benefit from faster installation time and a seamless control experience in their entertainment system,” says Noel Gouff, Vice President of Business Development, SnapAV, parent brand of Control4. “The processor adds to over 7,500 products in our SDDP ecosystem, enabling product choice, smooth installation, and seamless integration.”

All MX123s will work with a Control4 system with no need to update the MX123 firmware. The installer simply needs to add the MX123 to a Control4 system and the controller will recognise it. Then the correct driver will automatically be downloaded from Control4 and the MX123 will be installed in the system.

McIntosh www.mcintoshlabs.com

Designed by Apple in California Integrated by Intrinsic in the UK

Visit www.intrinsicdev.co.uk for more information

PRODUCTS

DAYLIGHT COME! Savant, in partnership with architectural lighting manufacturer, USAI Lighting, has introduced lighting control functionality called Daylight Mode that can align lighting schemes to match the natural circadian progression based on timeof-day. Designed to promote healthy living, Daylight Mode can be personalised by each user to suit individual lifestyle and situational changes.

Savant Daylight Mode is available now and relies on the Savant App to suggest a circadian curve based upon scientific data that highlights time-of-day settings for colour temperature and lighting intensity shifts seamlessly throughout the progression of each day. The Savant app intelligently adjusts for related factors such as

geography, time zone and season.

Beyond the scientific defaults, users can personalise their lighting experience by adjusting timing, intensity and colour temperature settings to suit their daily habits. Users can turn on and off Daylight Mode in specific rooms of the home from within the Savant App, plus have keypad buttons to instantly override circadian settings for specific task lighting or entertainment settings.

Savant’s Daylight Mode is most effective when used in combination with advanced tunable white LED lighting or WRGB fixtures that have dynamic colour temperature capabilities, such as USAI Lighting’s recessed fixtures that feature the company’s Colour Select or Infinite Colour+

technology. Savant’s Daylight Mode also supports fixtures within the home that are not dynamic, precisely dimming the intensity of each fixture in sync with the tunable LED lighting.

Any Savant Scene can include Daylight Mode settings, providing users with instant access at the touch of a button. Daylight Mode can be easily overridden as needed for specific tasks, events or mood lighting. In order to support these advanced features, Savant has created a lighting and energy education space within the Savant Experience Centre.

Savant savant.com www.savanteurope.co.uk

DON’T GET STUNG, GET A STING! Stealth Acoustics will be providing ISE visitors with a European debut of its new 8in threeway high performance StingRay outdoor speaker – the StingRay 83 on Stand 5-R96.

The StingRay 83 is designed for outdoor audio quality in luxury residential, commercial and marine applications by producing a bass response down to 40Hz, with a smooth midrange and solid upper frequency. It features a 30mm midrange device, a 25mm tweeter and an 8in high-power cone woofer in combination with Stealth’s Fidelity Glass Advanced flat front radiating surface to give ultra-wide dispersion within a hermeticallysealed enclosure. Designed with outdoor theatre audio in mind, the peak power handling of over 300W allows the device to become

80 FEBRUARY 2020

more than simply a background music speaker.

The StingRay 83 is completely sealed off from the elements. It is constructed using high strength UV protected fibreglass and marine grade, fibre-infused ASA plastics, meaning the speaker is sealed against intrusion from any outside elements. It has an ingress protection rating of IP-68. No moisture, salt or sun will affect the unit, nor will it ever rust or discolour over time, making it ideal for audio performance in harsh, superyacht or outdoor environments.

This speaker is available in standard black, white or with a custom graphic wrap finish. Look out for EI’s review in a coming issue.

Stealth Acoustics www.stealthacoustics.com

Taking the world by Stealth at the ISE, the new StingRay 83

SUPPORTING THE UKʼS FINEST HOME CINEMA INSTALLERS

W: www.pulsecinemas.com

E: info@pulsecinemas.com

T: +44 1279 647 039