Essential Install October 2021

OCTOBER 2021

THE ESSENTIAL MAGAZINE FOR THE AV AND SMART HOME INDUSTRY

CI800 Series Diamond The ultimate in architectural audio Now available from AWE

HOME OFFICE AND BOARDROOM

WORKING SMART

SECURITY

EVOLVING TECHNOLOGY

PROJECTORS AND SCREENS

THE BIG PICTURE

NEW PRODUCT

HDBaseT™ Matrix with Advanced Audio Integration We are pleased to announce the launch of three feature rich HDBaseT™ Matrix, the HMXL88ARC, HMXL66ARC and HMXL42ARC-KIT. Using CSC technology, these powerful HDBaseT™ matrix support 4K 60Hz 4:4:4 resolutions over distances of 40m over a single CAT 6 cable. The new HMXL42ARC-KIT, HMXL66ARC and HMXL88ARC come into their own with advanced audio features specifically designed for maximising the integration of all AV sources in the modern home. Enhanced audio routing is achieved through the integrated independent audio matrix. This enables the audio both from displays (via ARC) and all other sources to be embedded and routed through the system at the users discretion.

These ARC and audio routing features enable our installation partners the ability to create a truly immersive AV experience throughout the home.

NEW

HMXL88ARC 8x8 HDBaseT™ CSC ARC Matrix

NEW

HMXL66ARC 6x6 HDBaseT™ CSC ARC Matrix

HDCP 2.2

J Advanced HDBaseT™ technology offering distribution of video and audio over a single CAT cable J Advanced Colour Space Conversion (CSC) supports HDMI 2.0 18Gbps specification including HDR J 26 x 8 Audio Matrix independently controllable from the video

HMXL42ARC-KIT

HDCP 2.2

J Advanced HDBaseT™ technology offering distribution of video and audio over a single CAT cable J Advanced Colour Space Conversion (CSC) supports HDMI 2.0 18Gbps specification including HDR J 20 x 6 Audio Matrix independently controllable from the video

NEW

4x2 HDBaseT™ CSC ARC Matrix including Receivers J Advanced HDBaseT™ technology offering distribution of video and audio over a single CAT cable J Advanced Colour Space Conversion (CSC) supports HDMI 2.0 18Gbps specification including HDR J 8 x 2 audio matrix that is independently controllable from video.

HDCP 2.2

NEW

UNCOMPRESSED

18Gbps

PRODUCT

OVER

Uncompressed 18Gbps HDMI Over HDBaseT™ Set The HEX18G-KIT HDBaseT™ extender set is an industry leading uncompressed HDMI 2.0 4K 60Hz 4:4:4 HDCP 2.2 solution utilising the

HEX18G-KIT

latest in HDBaseT™ technology. The HEX18G-KIT supports bi-directional IR, RS-232 and PoC up to lengths of 100m over a single CAT cable.

NEW

HEX70ARC-KIT HDBaseT™ ARC Extender Set - 70m J Advanced HDBaseT™ technology offering uncompressed video and audio with zero latency J Extends HDMI 1080p up to a distance of 70m over a single CAT cable J Supports 4K UHD video up to 40m (3840 x 2160 @30Hz 4:4:4, 4096 x

2160 @24Hz 4:4:4, and 4K @60Hz 4:2:0)

1080p up to 150m

HEX100CS-KIT

HEX150CS-KIT

HDBaseT™ CSC Extender Set -100m

HDBaseT™ CSC Extender Set - 150m

J Advanced HDBaseT™ technology offering CSC scaling with zero latency

J Supports ARC from display via HDMI and optical digital inputs

J Supports 4K 60Hz 4:4:4 UHD video up to 70m

J Supports 4K 60Hz 4:4:4 UHD video up to 100m

Become a Certified Blustream Installation Partner

Interactive Online Tutorials We have re-designed our regular interactive online tutorials, focused on providing convenient, bite sized insights into the latest Blustream solutions and the day to day challenges we all currently face in our rapidly evolving market. During these unprecedented times, we have increased both the content and frequency of the sessions we are hosting to bring you the most comprehensive range of interactive webinar content available in the UK.

Register now: www.blustream.co.uk/advanced-learning-portal J

Our UK Address: The Service Station,

Tel: +44 (0)115 824 7000

J Video over IP vs HDBaseT - which should you back?

Melton Road, Hickling Pastures,

Email: sales@blustream.co.uk

J with 10 more courses to choose from...

Nottinghamshire,

Web: www.blustream.co.uk

Current Tutorials Available

J Specifying a Custom Pro Matrix with 18Gbps support

J CAT Cable Certification & Verification J When is 4K, Actually 4K?

Book now at J www.blustream.co.uk

LE14 3QG United Kingdom.

24

43 30 56

CONTENTS

October 2021

4 FROM THE EDITOR’S CHAIR

62 CASE STUDY: SONITUS HOME

7 ESSENTIAL NEWS

70 ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS

16 ESSENTIAL HABITECH

FEATURES 14 AWE EUROPE

The home front

All the latest happenings

Unlock the magic of cinema

News build showcase More top toys

Bowers & Wilkins targets the CI channel

22 ESSENTIAL CEDIA Apprentice tales

48 INSTALL PIONEER

HOME OFFICE AND BOARDROOM 24 THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

61 TOGETHER FOR CINEMA

27 SETTING UP FOR SUCCESS

Phill Wildman, Technical Consultant at SY Electronics

Sarah Yule, UK Commercial Director at KEF

Phillip Pini, Director Residential Sales UK at Crestron

All the latest news

YOUR DISTRIBUTOR www.avoke.co.uk | av@avoke.co.uk

27 16 61 30 A SMOOTH TRANSITION TO HYBRID WORKING

45 STAY SAFE, STAY SMART

Till Gotterbarm, Product Management and Strategic Partnerships EMEA, Avocor

SECURITY FEATURE 36 EVOLUTIONS OF SECURITY TECHNOLOGY Jason hill, Co-Founder of Device Smart

PROJECTORS AND SCREENS 50 A MATURING MARKET

Marketing and Communications Manager at Habitech, Sophie Graham

54 DRIVING DEMAND

40 LINKING LIGHTING FOR INCREASED SECURITY

Chris Dawson, Business Development Manager Invision UK

Clint Choate, Snap One Senior Director, Security Market

43 SECURITY EVOLUTIONS

Steve Liddiard, CEO at Merit LILIN UK

Sam Cherri, Managing Director, G-TEC Distribution

56 THE ART OF HOME CINEMA

Tim Sinnaeve, Managing Director, High End Residential at Barco

FOR Smart Home www.avoke.co.uk | av@avoke.co.uk

OCTOBER 2021

THE ESSENTIAL MAGAZINE FOR THE AV AND SMART HOME INDUSTRY

pages 16–17 CI800 Series Diamond The ultimate in architectural audio Now available from AWE

OCTOBER

HOME IS WHERE THE ART IS First off, a massive thank you to everyone who attended EI Live!

It was a rush to have the industry back together, celebrating the most exciting sector in the UK and planning what is going to happen next! Having worked in many other sectors before, I for one feel privilege to work in an industry which brings happiness to people, but also sits on the cutting edge of technology; helping to shape the way we live and work. Thanks to everyone who helped make the show happen and of course thank you to our sponsors, including One AV, our main supporter this year.

Talking of work, we have a feature this month on Home Office and Boardrooms, a sector that has been around for a long time, but perhaps has struggled for prominence. However, as a home office has been part of EI’s life for a very long time, some thoughts occurred as to the potential for this area.

For obvious reasons, home working is big news as organisations (large and small) look to re-assess work, how to make it more effective and perhaps look to shape where and how people work around a more ‘human’ model. Hostility from some larger organisations to home working, has been giving way to a realisation that centralised work hubs are perhaps not the best way.

They have a role, but home working looks like it will play a more important one in the future. In addition to this, for those who are in direct control of where they work, new technologies and new expectations are available to take home working to a new level and make work less of a grind.

Drawing on EI’s own experience, it actually took a while to realise that a workspace, could be a joyous place to be.

Earlier incarnations were a little formal, it’s a workspace righ? so desk, computer, some lighting, computer equipment,

04 OCTOBER 2021

phone, was all that was needed. However, gradually it dawned that with a little thought, things did not have to be this way.

Now of course, the focus for the installer is going to be making sure the customer has everything they need to work effectively; nice big screens, super-fast connectivity and perhaps some audio. However, EI is encouraging operators to go beyond this and when given the opportunity to create a genuinely bespoke working space, the sky really is the limit in terms of immersive, relaxing and effective working environments. Lighting that changes during the day or depending on what task is being carried one is an obvious example. The power of audio and music should not be underestimated, from fav tunes to relaxing mood audio, the power of music to focus the mind and maintain energy is huge.

The key is making the space feel like a personalised haven, people need to WANT to go in there. Applying these principles, birthed what EI calls the Psychedelic Shed of Word Wizardry, a little land where lighting, music, a place to rest and of course all the other kit you would expect, meld with images and things that promote happiness and well-being - to create unique and welcoming space. We already have the power to change other aspects of people’s lives, now we have the technology to change their working lives too.

Work spaces can be anything we want them to be

HOME OFFICE AND BOARDROOM

WORKING SMART

SECURITY

EVOLVING TECHNOLOGY

PROJECTORS AND SCREENS

THE BIG PICTURE

GETTING IN TOUCH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Daniel Sait, dan@allthingsmedialtd.com

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Beatrice Lee, beatrice@allthingsmedialtd.com

SALES DIRECTOR

Ian Kitchener, ian@allthingsmedialtd.com

GROUP AD MANAGER

Claire Talty, claire@allthingsmedialtd.com

PUBLISHER

David Kitchener, david@allthingsmedialtd.com

STUDIO MANAGER

Mark Weller, mark@allthingsmedialtd.com

ACCOUNTS

susan@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.

ISLAND PRESTIGE

BRING SPATIAL AUDIO HOME As major streaming services race to promote spatial audio and ultra HD audio, L-Acoustics Creations offers immersive sound spaces and high-performance sound systems ideally suited to these exciting formats. AV professionals know that content is only as impactful as the technology used to play it. Designed by L-Acoustics, the world leader in premium professional audio, Island Prestige provides an unrivaled 360° spatialized experience. With a visionary plug-andplay acoustic design, Island Prestige immerses the listener in HD music, movies, or gaming in luxurious comfort and style.

Visit l-acoustics-creations.com to learn more or book an appointment in London, Paris, Los Angeles, Moscow, or Hong Kong.

l-acoustics-creations.com

E X T R E M E T H E AT R E - C i S E R I E S For the ultimate in Extreme Home Theatre, KEF’s formidable new custom installed THX models have the jaw-dropping acoustic capabilities of our class-leading floorstanders, with all the drama and emotional intensity of full theatre sound quality.

The addition of the top-of-the-line KEF Ci5160REF-THX in-wall model raises the standards of architectural speakers to a whole new level. Featuring signature innovations drawn from KEF REFERENCE technology, this model offers new levels of sound quality – REFERENCE performance out of the box and in the wall.

With support from a UK Service Centre, specification assistance and a five-year warranty on all Architectural Speaker models, KEF’s Extreme Home Theatre range sets a new standard of audio excellence for any space, however demanding.

Hide your speakers, not your sound.

View our Architectural Speaker brochure

Ci160RR-THX

KEF.com

Ci200RR-THX Ci200RS-THX

Ci200QSb-THX

Ci4100QL-THX

Ci3160RL-THX

Ci3160RLb-THX

Ci3160REF-THX

Ci5160RL-THX

Ci5160REF-THX

NEWS

NEWS LOEWE ANNOUNCES RETURN TO CI MARKET WITH SKYTEC TAKEOVER German luxury TV maker, Loewe, has announced its return to the market following a significant investment from Skytec Group Ltd. Intent on learning from any previous shortcomings having suspended operations in July 2019, the parent company plans to work closely with Loewe to turn the manufacturer into a global TV brand over the course of the next decade by employing modern technologies and savvy strategic partnerships.

One such partnership is with state-owned electronics powerhouse, Hisense, which has solidified the strength of the bond by moving onto Loewe’s lot in Kronach, Germany. This procurement partnership with Hisense has led to the development of a new operating platform, due to launch in September, alongside various advancements in contemporary technology to rival the current crop of competitors, including integrated platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime as standard. The maker underlines however, that all new models will carry the hallmarks of traditional Loewe products, thanks to their sophisticated design credentials and ‘Made in Germany’ ethos.

On top of this, Loewe is bolstering all core product sales with a five-year, pan-European warranty and the Loewe UK subsidiary is housing spare parts in the UK via global-wide service partner, Let Me Repair, based in Glasgow. This guarantees faster delivery times for dealers and, in turn, swifter resolutions for customers.

Loewe now has approximately 150 people employed at its HQ in Kronach, with former management team Alan Whyte and Patricia Smith at the helm of UK operations. The UK extension will be the only European subsidiary, with renewed collaborations with major retailers such as Harrods and Selfridges already in place. The brand is now in the process of rebuilding its supply chain with dealers both old and new throughout the UK, who will benefit from local stock holding for the first time since 2007.

The brand tells EI that Loewe will be launching initially into the UK’s independent retail and custom install markets, taking a direct approach with custom installers, instead of utilising a distribution partner.

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FIT ‘FAST’

Loewe loewe.tv Luxury TV manufacturer Loewe is back in the UK market

FLUKE RENEWS ‘BUY A FLUKE, GET A FREE FLUKE’

For more information and for full terms and conditions, go to: www.fluke.co.uk/freefluke

Fluke has renewed its ‘Buy a Fluke, get a free Fluke’ offer this Autumn so installation, maintenance, troubleshooting and repair engineers can continue to benefit with a broad range of safe, reliable, and easy to use Fluke tools, network testers and calibration equipment (available from now until December 15, 2021.)

A broad range of industrial and electrical tools, network testers and calibration equipment for residential and commercial use is available, enabling installation, maintenance, troubleshooting and repair engineers to work efficiently and safely.

Customers who purchase Fluke tools through authorised Fluke distributors can use their original invoice to claim their free product through Fluke’s website.

The ‘Buy a Fluke, get a free Fluke’ offer is divided into six levels depending on the value of the qualifying

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@Install_mag

purchase. The minimum purchase for customers to claim a free product is £100. A qualifying purchase includes Fluke’s electrical and industrial test tools, Fluke Networks and Fluke Calibration products.

Customers can then choose a second product from a selection of free tools available, including clamp meters, digital multimeters, advanced testers and accessories such as equipment cases.

For each of the six qualifying purchase levels, there is a fixed range of products to claim, based on the value of the original purchase through an authorized Fluke distributor. For example, after spending between £100 and £549.99 on a qualifying purchase, a customer can claim a free product from Level One such as a unique Fluke TPAK Magnetic Hangclip, a soft carrying case to protect the newly purchased instrument, a Fluke 2AC VoltAlert Non-contact Voltage Detector or a Fluke Networks Protool kit IS40.

At the highest level, Fluke customers have the option to claim a free advanced measurement tool such as the Troubleshooting kit DMM (containing an 87V TRMS Industrial Multimeter, a 325 True RMS Clamp Meter, a T6-1000 Voltage Tester, and a T150 Two-pole Tester), a one-year Gold Support Services for DSX-5000, an 8845A Digital Precision Multimeter or select telephoto or wide-angle lenses for thermal cameras.

GOOD 10G TO 100m

HNC 6A CAT 6A 600 MHZ

Fluke fluke.co.uk

/Essentialinstall

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14/09/2021 12:1

CELEBRATING 21 YEARS OF BUSINESS

Product Range 18Gbps SDSC product range includes HDMI/HDBaseT Matrices • HDBaseT splitters • Wall plates • Extenders • KVM extenders

General Matrix Product features: • • • • • • • • • • •

18Gbps HDMI Output scaling 4K>1080p Up to 150m cable distance Enhanced HDBaseT technology HDMI 2.0 4K@60Hz 4:4:4, 18G, HDR10, Dolby Vision HDCP 2.2/1.3 compliant Dual mirrored outputs RS232 & IR routing POC (remote powering receivers) CEC Compliant

SDSC-4x4-RSP and SDSC-8x8-RSP

And don’t forget our promises

W

3 Year Warranty

Lifetime Support

a 3 year no nonsense, no cost

Smart-e product we have ever

warranty with optional extensions

supplied forever

All Smart-e products come with

Smart-e

www.smart-e.co.uk

I

info@smart-e.co.uk

We guarantee to support any

I

+44 1306 628264

/smarteav

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Superior Service We always go the extra

mile to achieve complete customer satisfaction

/SmarteAV

SmarteAV

NEWS

ISOTEK JOINS FINE SOUNDS’ PORTFOLIO Fine Sounds UK, UK distributor for McIntosh, Sonus faber and Bassocontinuo, has been appointed by IsoTek, creator of power optimisation devices for audio and AV systems.

Effective immediately, IsoTek’s portfolio of power optimisation solutions will become available through Fine Sounds UK’s carefully selected network of audio dealers, installers and designers in the UK and Ireland.

The move follows the recent expansion of Fine Sounds UK’s headquarters in Fife, Scotland, designed to house a far greater range of Hi-Fi products from the company’s world-famous brands and improve the customers experience with reduced product waiting times.

IsoTek’s uncompromising range of power optimisation devices is well suited to Fine Sounds UK’s portfolio of brands, which like IsoTek, all employ proprietary technologies to deliver worldclass performance.

Commenting on the new distribution deal, Keith Martin, IsoTek’s Managing Director said, “Fine Sounds offers not only a class-leading portfolio of high-quality audio products, but a dealer support and sales program to match. Their drive and professionalism matches our own and we look forward to an exciting and bright future.”

Tim Jordan, Fine Sounds UK’s Managing Director added, “We’re delighted to be working with Keith and the team at IsoTek, to provide class-leading power solutions to the UK market. Clean power is absolutely the foundation of great sound and we are incredibly excited to begin this partnership and welcome IsoTek to the Fine Sounds family.”

Fine Sounds UK finesounds.uk

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FIT ‘FAST’

IsoTek is poised to announce several exciting new products for 2021

ONVIF INTRODUCES ADD-ON CONCEPT FOR INCREASED INTEROPERABILITY AND FLEXIBILITY ONVIF, global standardisation initiative for IP-based physical security products, has announced an addon concept, which extends the ONVIF conformance process to individual product features that can solve a specific use case or end user need. This new concept enhances the ability of ONVIF to more quickly respond to the needs of the market with increased interoperability and flexibility of choice for end users and systems integrators.

An ONVIF add-on is one or more features that solve a particular use case; for instance, a need for standardising file formats when exporting videos.

To conform to an add-on, a product must also conform to an ONVIF profile. The add-on concept enhances the ONVIF profile model by enabling conformance claims to additional features and capabilities that are not already included in ONVIF profiles.

An ONVIF profile involves a fixed and comprehensive set of features that enable a functional product to be developed solely on the profile specification. While the features included

Think Quality

in profiles cannot be changed, add-ons are easily adaptable to evolving technology/specification requirements. Because an add-on supports version handling, it can be updated quickly to adjust for new technology additions or updates.

Extending ONVIF conformance tests to include optional add-ons ensures that an ONVIF conformant device, such as an IP camera, and an ONVIF client, such as a video management system, that conform to an add-on will work together regardless of the manufacturer.

Founded in 2008, ONVIF is a leading and wellrecognised industry forum driving interoperability for IP-based physical security products. The organization has a global member base of established camera, video management system and access control companies and more than 20,000 profile conformant products.

BETTER 48G TO 40m 8K HDMI AOC Full 8K Ultra HD signal transfer 4-core SSF™ Fibre Optic Technology 5m - 40m lengths

ONVIF onvif.org

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NEWS

TREND NETWORKS RECEIVES GOLD IN 2021 CABLING INSTALLATION & MAINTENANCE INNOVATORS AWARDS The SignalTEK 10G bandwidth tester from TREND Networks, manufacturer of cable and network test solutions, has been recognised as a Gold Honouree at the 2021 Cabling Installation & Maintenance Innovators Awards.

An esteemed and experienced panel of judges from the cabling community recognised TREND Networks for SignalTEK 10G in the Test Equipment category, based on criteria such as innovation, value to the user, sustainability, meeting a need, collaboration, and impact.

“With SignalTEK 10G, we launched a product based on a real challenge facing the industry - the everincreasing demand on LAN networks from bandwidth hungry services which is putting extra pressure on networks and can lead to expensive downtime and lost productivity,” said Tim Widdershoven, Marketing Director for TREND Networks.

“We are absolutely delighted that our dependable SignalTEK 10G solution has received this accolade, as we have already seen how much it can really help installers to check whether upgrading to Multi-Gigabit switches to improve bandwidth will work before expensive investments are made,” he continues.

By simulating actual network traffic SignalTEK 10G enables users to test, troubleshoot and document network and data cable performance

up to 10 Gigabit Ethernet standards. With a max throughput test, the tester verifies what the maximum error-free bandwidth the cabling or infrastructure can support and establishes what hardware or applications would work on an existing link. This saves significant time and cost compared to replacing data cabling.

Think Quality

FIT ‘FAST’

Once the upgrade is installed, SignalTEK 10G can be used again to test and prove performance to international standards. With the free TREND AnyWARE Cloud test management system, it can generate professional reports for the client and support real time collaboration between Project Managers and Field Technicians to improve accuracy.

“On behalf of the Cabling Installation & Maintenance Innovators Awards, I would like to congratulate TREND Networks on their Gold level honouree status,” said Cabling Installation & Maintenance Chief Editor Patrick McLaughlin. “This competitive program allows Cabling Installation & Maintenance to celebrate and recognise the most innovative products, projects, technologies, and programmes impacting the industry.”

TREND Networks trend-networks.com

BEST

200G TO 1km Cleerline Fibre Duplex 50 / 125 Single / Multimode OM3

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NEWS

ESSENTIAL PEOPLE Exertis, distributor of technology products, has confirmed the appointment of Jamie Brothwell as Director of AV. With 19 years in the channel, Jamie brings with her a wealth of experience and has proven herself to be an effective leader of teams by transforming the performance of the areas she has accountability for.

Most recently, Jamie has done this with Exertis’ Accessories, Peripherals and Own Brand Division in role as Commercial Director. Prior to this, she held roles in Business Development for B2B and led Exertis’ Print business to deliver record sales and revenue growth. Jamie held roles at Samsung and Midwich Group prior to joining Exertis and has relationships with a number of key AV vendors.

Paul Bryan, Managing Director, Exertis UK&I, said, “This is a great example of the depth of talent in our business and the opportunities available for progression and development at Exertis. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Jamie on her new role and wish her every success.”

Jamie Brothwell, Director of AV, said, “It’s a really exciting time for the business and I am very much looking forward to working with our Exertis team, customers and vendor partners as we continue our Pro AV journey.”

The board of directors has appointed Mr Ken Cordes to the position of CEO of TRIAX. Mr Cordes, an American native, has been based in Denmark since 2007 and has a strong executive background in technical industries, with a focus on converting customer needs and market trends into value-adding products and solutions for partners, customers and end-users.

Mr Cordes will lead the combined organisation formed following the merger between TRIAX and Klode Media, the former Multimedia business unit of Ikusi, whose shared vision is to be the preferred partner to professionals for connected products and online services.

Ramon Sotomayor, Chairman of TRIAX, said, “We’re delighted to welcome Ken to TRIAX. His proven track record in integrating businesses, people and cultures in changing market environments is superbly suited to leading our newly merged company into the future. His unrivalled experience, energy and enthusiasm will steer TRIAX to new success in achieving our strategic vision.”

Ken Cordes, added, “It’s a privilege to join TRIAX at the beginning of our exciting new journey. There are so many opportunities to strengthen our position as technological leaders, and a commendable emphasis on customer-focused values. I’m looking forward to nurturing a culture full of opportunities and possibilities, where all our employees, partners and customers are instrumental to our future success.

I’m looking forward to getting started.”

Jamie Brothwell

12 OCTOBER 2021

Sharp NEC Display Solutions has welcomed Ross Burling as Business Development Manager for the UK and Ireland, working closely with Channel and End User sales teams to support the rapid growth of Sharp/NEC’s dvLED business.

Ross brings 22 years of experience working in the LED business, most recently with Concept Sign and Display, a leading UK based LED systems integrator.

Ross has been instrumental in key LED display projects for all the leading UK Digital-out-of-Home companies, and major installations across retail, leisure and entertainment, corporate, transportation and sports stadia.

“Over my many years in the industry I have gained tremendous market and industry knowledge with a vast network of contacts and business relationships,” Ross said. “I join Sharp/NEC with a sincere desire to further enhance the company’s reputation as the vendor of choice when it comes to quality and peace of mind at a reasonable price. I’m looking forward to developing new relationships and seeking out opportunities in new markets.”

Sound United LLC, parent company to Bowers & Wilkins, Denon, Marantz, Polk Audio, Definitive Technology, Classé and Boston Acoustics, has announced the promotion of Jason Dear to Vice President of European Commercial Operations.

“Sound United continues to experience rapid growth and development across the audio industry.

To support regional team development, and service our dealers the best way we know how, we have been on the lookout for the right candidate to oversee our EU Commercial Operations team,” said Blair Tripodi, Chief Commercial Officer for Sound United. “After an exhaustive search across the region, we were very pleased to find the best candidate had been on our team all along. We’re confident Jason will continue to lead our European business on its upward trajectory and are excited to see him grow.”

Jason has been part of the Sound United family of brands since 2006, when he was brought on to lead the Marantz business in the UK. After holding roles at Sound United in the UK & Ireland, Jason briefly left the company to join Bowers & Wilkins as the European Channel Lead. When Sound United completed its acquisition of Bowers & Wilkins late last year, Jason resumed his leadership role in the UK as General Manager for all Sound United brands.

“I’m looking forward to hitting the ground running, focusing on the development and management of the general business activities for all Sound United brands in Europe,” said Jason. “Re-joining the Sound United team felt like coming home. I couldn’t be happier to play an even bigger part in our continuing growth and look forward to maximising the many opportunities and facing the challenges of our new world head-on.”

Ken Cordes

/Essentialinstall

Ross Burling

@Install_mag

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ESSENTIAL AWE

Bowers & Wilkins is the perfect partner for high-performance home cinema

AWE, BOWERS & WILKINS AND ROTEL –A FORMIDABLE PARTNERSHIP FOR CI AWE begins a new partnership delivering the advantages of Bowers & Wilkins into the custom install channel.

Monday 16 August 2021 was a seismic day for UK custom installers. On this day, Sound United, the global force in audio manufacturing, announced that AWE Europe would be the exclusive UK CI distributor for the renowned loudspeaker brand, Bowers & Wilkins, and audiophile electronics company, Rotel. The partnership has been positively received by dealers and it’s clear to see why.

What’s In It For Bowers & Wilkins Dealers?

To reflect the premium nature of the brands, AWE will supply Bowers & Wilkins and Rotel under selective distribution agreements.

Products from each brand will only be available to approved CI dealers at trade pricing displayed on the AWE website. Existing Bowers & Wilkins and Rotel dealers are pre-approved as an accredited Dealer on the AWE system.

14 OCTOBER 2021

Underpinning this strategy will be AWE’s proven commitment to the highest standards of service and support, in line with the premium reputation of these two performance-led brands.

What will this mean in practice?

Firstly, AWE will build substantial stock at its warehouse in Epsom, with the aim of providing next day delivery on a vast range of Bowers & Wilkins and Rotel products across the UK. Ordering efficiency will also be improved for integrators, as Bowers & Wilkins and Rotel join other Sound United brands; Denon, Marantz, and Definitive Technology already at AWE, streamlining multiple brand orders.

On the service and support front, AWE’s experienced team with a wealth of CI technical knowledge will be on hand to assist dealers with product specification and system design advice, supported by the manufacturer’s own product experts.

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On show or integrated, Bowers & Wilkins is a strong choice for media room and cinema projects

One of the most exciting developments will be the access that Bowers & Wilkins and Rotel installers will now have access to a premium grade demonstration and training facility for themselves and their clients. AWE’s HQ in Epsom is currently being upgraded throughout, with the Reference Cinema being completely rebuilt to feature Bowers & Wilkins CI 800 Series Diamond speakers and Custom Theatre subwoofers in a 7.4.6 configuration. A Marantz Processor feeds into a stack of Rotel Power Amplifiers housed in a new 44U rack located in the adjacent comms room. This powerful, immersive audio system will be matched by the incredible 4m wide HDR picture provided by a 10,000 lumen Sony VPL-GTZ380 Native 4k laser projector. Wow! Opening in October 2021, AWE’s upgraded Reference Cinema will deliver an awe-inspiring cinema experience with the specification scalable to suit a wide range of premium clients. AWE’s performance cinema, den and other show areas provide further options, covering every budget. Dealers can register online to book a visit in, with or without their clients, and will be supported on-site by AWE’s experienced team.

“Our Reference Cinema is a top-quality demonstration space that ensures dealers can showcase the brands they’re selling as

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authentically as possible,” says James Drummie, AWE’s Product Manager. “With these upgrades showcasing what can be achieved, Bowers & Wilkins dealers will be able to make the sales process much easier and take full advantage of the upselling opportunities that it provides.

Watch this space for details of its opening launch in the coming weeks.”

The Best Loudspeakers For CI Bowers & Wilkins is a brand with an outstanding reputation for quality, performance, and technical innovation, not just in the Hi-Fi world but in the CI channel too. The 800 Series and the 700 Series offer dealers a huge range of complementary in-wall, in-ceiling and floorstanding options to satisfy clients that want to invest in a world-renowned, performance-led British brand.

The in-wall and in-ceiling loudspeakers within the 800 Series for custom installation feature all the key transducer technologies developed for the globally renowned 800 Series Diamond. This includes Diamond dome tweeters, Continuum midrange drivers and Aerofoil bass cones.

Every model in the range fits into engineered backboxes for ease of installation and dramatically improved audio performance.

The new floor-standing 700 Series is marked by the breath-taking clarity and definition of studio sound. This range combines studio-grade 800 Series Diamond technologies with purpose-built innovations in room-friendly cabinets to elevate home audio to an entirely new level. It’s an extensive range with cabinet designs that can fit comfortably within any home

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interior and is fully complemented by the CI700 series of in-wall and in-ceiling speakers. News on opportunities to see and hear the range at AWE will be available in the coming weeks.

The Perfect Partnership As the exclusive distributor to many of the custom installation trade’s highest quality brands, including Bowers & Wilkins, Rotel, Denon, Marantz, and Definitive Technology, AWE sets the standard in the professional home technology sector for customer service with award-winning training and technical support.

This partnership will raise the bar for Bowers & Wilkins and Rotel in terms of stock availability, technical assistance and access to high quality demo facilities.

It’s great news for custom installation dealers and great news too for the industry.

AWE awe-europe.com Gavin Shing - CI Channel Manager, 07973 761834, gshing@awe-europe.com Nick Mott - Internal Sales Manager, 01372 847570/07483 950294, nmott@awe-europe.com.

OCTOBER 2021 15

ESSENTIAL HABITECH

UNLOCK THE MAGIC OF CINEMA

The Sonance/CinemaTech cinema at Habitech: just one of a range of awesome experiences waiting for your clients

Habitech’s cinema design services will turn the key to far greater rewards says cinema specialist Craig Wheeler.

The march of tech has

shattered. It’s not simply the choice of speaker

played

into

types and positions, or the channel count,

the hands of all custom

amplification power, bass management or

integrators.

Alongside

even the perfect screen for the space, it’s also

functionality,

the size, shape and construction of the room,

reliability,

as well as the seating numbers and positions.

technological advance delivers

Hardware performance is important but not

more predictable outcomes

the only arbiter of success, because every room

as well. You’ll know for instance that with a

- the biggest audio processor of all - is unique.

little networking nous and the latest hardware,

For this reason, cinema design is perhaps the

you can send data faster from A to B. That’s a

last theatre of bespoke chemistry available

given. It’s expected. You’ll also appreciate that

to integrators. Minefield? You bet. Lucrative?

today, home automation success relies almost

Absolutely, when it’s done right.

beautifully

amazing simplicity

and

PERFECT CINEMA, STEP BY STEP Which is why Habitech has invested so liberally in materials and manpower to support your cinema build projects at every design level, from a small media room to a completely optimised flagship room-within-a-room cinema. We have the hardware, the demonstrations, and the experience to remove uncertainty from the design process, avoiding all the aggro that ensues when a system fails to live up to the billing because it’s too small for the space, or the bass is undercooked, or the wrong

exclusively on proven third-party innovation and rather less on local programming talent.

Even garden sound has a predicable acoustic environment, it’s called free air. For me at

Media room magic: James’ soundbars are custom made for the display with absolute precision

least, there is only one frontier in the CI design repertoire that remains freighted with creative bandwidth - and the possibility of failure - and that’s home cinema design. Like herding cats, you’ll need a helping hand, because there’s so much to think about.

To achieve the goal of AV immersion - what THX’s Tony Grimani used to call ‘the willing suspension of disbelief’ - designers need to get many interdependent variables aligned in a harmonious three-dimensional equilibrium.

Disturb one element and the illusion is

16 OCTOBER 2021

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ESSENTIAL HABITECH

Render

Real

Render v Real: take advantage of our new CAD design service as part of our end-to-end support for your project

choice of room fabric has made an expensive system sound like a cheap one. As with every CI enterprise, the best planning and delivery always makes for happy customers and locks-in loyalty, but it’s the size of the challenge that sets the dynamic arena of cinema design apart.

For instance, our new Home Cinema Essentials course lists six room variables for consideration, six further variables for the bass alone, seven for the speakers and four parameters for room acoustics. That’s before you tackle basic system setup, source components, audio calibration and video - with eight categories all to itself.

Whether you’re new to cinema or an established practitioner, our cinema design knowhow will guide you step-by-step toward achieving your goals, but long before a pen meets the contract, we’ll support your sales pitch by winning the hearts and minds of your customers. Bring them to Habitech for a dem.

Most will have preconceptions of cinema as a collection of speakers round the telly and no understanding of the meaning of immersion.

We’ll show them how it’s done with a generous application of ‘factor wow’ through flawlessly designed system environments serving budgets from £20k up. These residential settings personalise the adventure, as if it were taking place in their own homes and make the biggest contribution of all to our spectacular sales conversion rate, as well as gifting you with the opportunity for even greater rewards.

The Sonance ‘Motion Flex’ Invisible range now includes a 15” sub for serious cinema sound in the ultimate media room context

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THE POWER OF PERSUASION

We’ve found that nothing motivates upsales quite like a choice of good, better, best experiences. Very often a client will arrive with a budget in mind and come away spending more, especially if they fall in love with the dedicated cinema rooms. Some have signed up immediately for the entire environment, which simplifies the procurement process beautifully.

But this happy outcome for everybody starts with a jaw-dropping experience at Habitech. In the space of a few hours, we can make perhaps the biggest contribution of all to your project, not least because you can bag the signature without having to build your own dem. It’s the first stage of a proven and methodical path to hand-over, and we’ll be with you every step of the way, all variables optimised.

END-TO-END MAGIC

Habitech’s value-added culture provides the attention to detail needed for every project end-to-end. While rivals may offer you a design involving speakers, our service includes everything: complete bespoke AV system design and supply, backed up with CAD presentation and acoustic design packages - even interior design on the high-end systems. The entire caboodle is available from enlightenment to completion.

Media room system designs might involve James’ custom soundbars, which are purposebuilt and colour-coordinated with absolute precision for the TV display: a MicroLED Samsung for instance. Or you might opt for the new Sonance ‘Motion Flex’ Invisible range, now with a 15” sub model for grown-up theatre sound in the ultimate discreet media room context. Meanwhile our integrated room/system environments can offer you the video supremacy of Samsung panels, the new JVC ‘Procision’ 8K projectors and Projecta screens, combined with Sonance Reference Series architectural speakers for serious high impact/low footprint home theatre design. For the highest-end home cinema performance, choose Wisdom’s extraordinary

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flush speaker models, seamless and box free.

All of this supported by versatile permutations of Arcam, Yamaha and Wisdom amplification, Panamorph lenses, Infinity seating, Sanus/ Middle Atlantic racks, SCP looms and the option of full Cinematech room design consultation.

And to make it even easier, our one-stop cinema design resource can recommend readymade room treatment packages optimised for five room sizes (with three ideal AV systems specified for each according to budget), and back it up with a new CAD design service producing system layouts and room renderings for presentation to your clients, cost refundable with supply.

THREE DECADES OF DESIGN EXPERIENCE AVAILABLE

Even if you haven’t had the chance to bring the client for a demonstration, and you’re going it alone (but using Habitech kit), run the design by me to avoid potential issues before they’re installed. Unless it’s a completely optimised cinema space inside a larger edifice, every project involves compromises, which need to be minimised. Sometimes the solution can be as glaringly simple as moving a sub, but it takes experience and instinct to spot it.

So, bring us in at any stage. I’m confident we’ll add value. Whether you’re taking your first steps in the lucrative cinema design market, or a lifer like me, our end-to-end design support will guide your project passed the pitfalls to the moment when the willing suspension of disbelief unlocks the magic of cinema for your clients. And that’s when everybody wins.

Habitech habitech.co.uk

OCTOBER 2021 17

ESSENTIAL PULSE CINEMAS

KALEIDESCAPE TERRA 72 AND COMPACT TERRA:

RE-INVENTING HOME CINEMA Pulse Cinemas introduces what the company says are a “game changing set of product introductions and initiatives” for the Kaleidescape platform. Simon Gibbs, Technical Sales Support Manager and Brand Manager for the system at Pulse, explains.

Already the dominant force in high-quality home movie management, Kaleidescape now offers even more reasons for installers to invest. The company has just launched its most advanced movie servers yet, revealing new native compatibility with Lutron HomeWorks and has created an up-grade path that covers the entire range of products!

Available to order now, the new Kaleidescape Terra 72 delivers 4K Ultra HD, HDR and lossless audio and with a massive 50% increase on capacity from previous models, users can benefit from over 1,000 high fidelity 4K Ultra HD movies stored locally.

Naturally title capacity increases if the user is storing a mixture of 4K, Blu-ray and standard DVDs. For those users not ready or not in need of that much capacity, Terra is also available with 48TB, or 24TB of capacity and multiple Terras can be combined for more storage. Superb upscaling of Blu-ray and DVD quality content to 4K resolution is also part of the package.

20 OCTOBER 2021

Kaleidescape Terra forms the cuttingedge core of a multi-zone advanced home cinema system and adds storage to existing systems, giving a home to high-quality content on an array of enterprise-quality hard drives.

In addition to storing movies, Terra provides high-quality caching, staging and computing services that improve player performance, enable scaling to many players and improves significantly the quality of experience for the end user. This powerful new platform has been created for customers keen to move from disc to digital or to increase their collection through the Kaleidescape movie store.

The high-powered, multi-function Terra movie server can support any number of Strato C players and can serve up to an impressive 10 simultaneous 4K Ultra HD playbacks.

Kaleidescape Terra with Strato C players provides the best 4K Ultra HD performance and the most flexibility for future expansion - keeping customers happy as their needs change over time.

For ultimate flexibility Terra can simultaneously serve movies over a standard residential Gigabit Ethernet network to Strato S and Strato C players anywhere in the home.

Once a movie is downloaded and stored on Terra, it can be enjoyed immediately from any player, anywhere within the system. For extra peace of mind, Terra has been created to continue operating even in the unlikely event of hard drive fail. Movies will automatically be restored after the drive has been replaced as all content is mirrored in the cloud.

A really important point here is that Kaleidescape’s proprietary kOS operating system enables Terra to provide the advanced content protection required by Hollywood motion picture studios for their highest-fidelity movies, protecting the end users’ investment and also providing the opportunity to take advantage of more commercial/in-home simultaneous releases should that occur.

Another important point here, Terra is fast, downloading at up to 800 Mbps, a 4K Ultra HD movie is completed and ready to play in 10 to 12 minutes. For rack storage convenience, custom rack ears with faceplates are also available. End user price is quoted at £22,305.00 RRP ex vat.

THE COMPACT TERRA

This more compact cousin to the Terra 72, has been designed for customers eager to invest in the Kaleidescape experience, but not ready to commit to a larger movie server. However, this does not mean that owners miss out on the other abilities offered on the Terra 72. Compact Terra also has the power to download featurelength 4K movies in around 10 minutes and provides customers with the same experience as the larger servers, allowing the flexibility to add playback zones and grow movie collections over time by adding additional Terra servers.

Compact Terra also offers the same upscaling of titles.

Compact Terra can support any number of Strato C players and serve up to five simultaneous 4K Ultra HD playbacks, and

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ESSENTIAL PULSE CINEMAS

COMPREHENSIVE UPGRADE PROGRAM

two simultaneous playbacks for Strato S. It also has the ability to play back and download movies at the same time (with Strato C), which is something the Strato S cannot do. The Compact Terra (7.87in × 1.52in × 14.33in W × H × D) can be mounted beside a Strato C in a 1U rack space, using Kaleidescape’s custom rack mount, saving additional space. Combined with a Strato C, the Compact Terra will provide customers with powerful performance and flexibility for future expansion. The compact Kaleidescape Terra is available with 12TB of storage and up to four units can be combined in a single system for more storage. A single Compact Terra is capable of storing 180 to 360 movies with a typical mix of 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray quality and DVD quality titles and provides the same advanced content protection features for storage of 4K Ultra HD movies as its larger cousin. RRP on this unit is stated as £7,500.00 RRP ex vat.

LUTRON HOMEWORKS COMPATIBILITY A further exciting announcement, especially relevant for Pulse Cinemas dealers (as we support both these fantastic brands), is new compatibility between Kaleidescape and Lutron HomeWorks. This new development

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will offer lighting control directly integrated with Kaleidescape’s Strato players to offer seamless interaction between lighting and playback.

This is made possible because Kaleidescape is designed from the ground up for the custom integration channel and is the only company that encodes integrative cues into its movies using proprietary metadata. This is what enables the precise control of lights and shades managed by Lutron’s HomeWorks system.

By pressing play, Kaleidescape sends information about the movie to the control system to seamlessly adjust screen masking and lens shift in the projector, in the same sequence, lighting triggers close the shades and dim the lights, and intermission cues transition viewers in and out of the story when a break is needed. When credits roll, lights return gradually to ease viewers back into the real world. By eliminating outside distractions, these mood-defining capabilities captivate viewers through the transportive power of automation.

Oliver Deakin-Faux, our Brand Ambassador for Lutron, says, “Great lighting combined with playback has always been a big part of creating a great home cinema experience, and now with this new initiative it happens seamlessly and natively offering yet another reason to combine these high-performance brands.

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Announced in June of this year, Kaleidescape revealed a revamp of its trade-up program which was formerly restricted to the Premiere line. This comprehensive new approach offers dealers and end users the opportunity to upgrade any working products to a new unit from the entire range with discounts of up to 25%! The program is operated from one easyto-use system, controlled and administered via Kaleidescape’s dealer extranet site. The process is straightforward, so tasks like executing each upgrade, creating quotes and setting up logistics for moving the products around is all handled from within the site. Within the dealer extranet site dealers can see exactly what products are in the program and what products can be traded up for. The extranet can also be used to live browse customer’s Kaleidescape systems and see what possible upgrades might be appropriate for each system. To qualify, products must be in good cosmetic condition and be working. These units are fed into the remanufacture program and become part of the stock that can be accessed when a customer wants to upgrade to a remanufactured system rather than a brand new one. Return packaging is provided free of charge for every customer. Kaleidescape is also running a service where clients upgrading from one digital storage product to another can have all their existing content transferred onto their new or remanufactured product.

It all adds up to a simple but powerful way to enable logical upgrade paths for all your Kaleidescape customers.

Kaleidescape was already far and away the best high-performance content and movie delivery system available. With these recent product announcements, integration initiatives and the new upgrade programme, the best is now even better. Contact us find out how this fantastic brand can take your next project to a whole new level.”

Pulse Cinemas pulsecinemas.com

OCTOBER 2021 21

ESSENTIAL CEDIA

WORKING WITH APPRENTICES Chhaya Landschultz, of CEDIA member, IndigoZest relates the company’s experience of working with apprentices.

Recruiting new talent into an integration business is always a challenge. Especially since, until recently, there has been no formal pathway from higher education into our industry.

That’s changed now with CEDIA, in partnership with Skills4Stem, providing support for the Smart Home Technician apprenticeship.

We’re taking advantage of this scheme and would urge other integrators to take a serious look at it too.

Our interest in taking on apprentices coincided with the Government’s Kickstart scheme, which offers incentives to employers to help young people at risk of long-term unemployment.

So far, we have taken on two apprentices aged 18 and 19. Our first apprentice joined through the Kickstart programme. He had an NVQ Level 2 & 3 Electrical Installation and, once he started, we quickly recognised his potential and moved him onto the Smart Home Technician apprenticeship. Our second apprentice also had an NVQ in Level 2 Electrical Installation – Buildings and Structures but had been working for a security company and understood CCTV installation. He too is thriving with the Smart Home Technician apprenticeship.

In terms of the course itself, Skills4Stem have worked with CEDIA to create the programme and, as such, it is closely aligned with CEDIA’s own education programme. It also means that the apprentices can go on and sit the CEDIA CIT and IST exams in the future. We follow the course structure to make sure that the apprentices undertake all the requirements over the year in order to complete the course.

At the end of the programme, an assessment is carried out by an independent organisation and our apprentices will walk away with a nationally recognised Level 3 qualification.

The Smart Home Technician apprenticeship is open to anyone in England who is over the GCSE age with no age limit - just so long as they are a paid employee. It runs for around 18-months and can be started at any point in the year. It includes a mixture of taught knowledge, practical skills, and on-site training.

We conduct weekly meetings with each apprentice to make sure they’re on track, and when we are planning projects, we look at the senior integrator involved and allocate one of the apprentices to them for mentoring. That way we know the apprentices always have the time and knowledge of an experienced member of the team.

22 OCTOBER 2021

Our two apprentices, Ishmael and Dan, are loving the scheme. We’re making sure they are getting the right experience on-site and giving them varied assignments to grow their skills as quickly as possible. Both apprentices are extremely diligent and have the right attitude towards everything they do.

We would 100% recommend the apprenticeship scheme to any integrator looking to expand their workforce. However, we would caveat that with ensuring that your business is in the right place to make it work. When we first embarked on our apprenticeship journey, we made sure we were in a position as a company, in terms of experience, time and resource, to train new people and give them what they need to complete the course.

The apprenticeship scheme has proved to be a brilliant opportunity. For us, it’s great to be able to give back but it also works for us financially.

Ordinarily, senior members of the team would have to do the basic tasks along with everything else, now, the apprentices are there to help and take on those tasks. They are learning but we are not wasting the time of our senior integrators. It frees them up for other responsibilities.

This industry is limited in terms of the availability of the right skilled people and the apprenticeship scheme can change that. It offers a brilliant career path for those who want to be hands-on. We support it and recommend that others should too.

Contact CEDIA or Skills4Stem for more information.

CEDIA cedia.net https://skills4stem.com

The company has taken on two apprentices, Ishmael Ramnarine (pictured) and Dan Lawson

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A NEW FUTURE IS MADE POSSIBLE WITH 8K HDMI

HDANYWHERE.COM / 8K

ESSENTIAL HOME OFFICE AND BOARDROOMS

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME!

Home offices present a chance to create new types of spaces built around the person

Phill Wildman, Technical Consultant at SY Electronics Ltd offers some thoughts on the ‘New Normal’.

So, we’ve all heard all the stories talking about how we will be working now under the ‘New Normal’. The reality is there is no such thing as normal anymore. Everything is hybrid and looks set to stay that way from now on. If the normal means ‘flexible and adaptable’, then the working environment at home has to change.

Not everyone can, or wants to work at home, but for the many that do, they will have already found out that is not as simple as moving the stuff along the kitchen table and placing a laptop there.

Many people started out in early 2020 with the intention of ‘getting by’ for a few weeks in a makeshift corner of the house with an extension lead and perhaps an ethernet cable plugged into the home router.

But then of course it got serious, and people thought about moving into a dedicated spare room, so that they could spread out all their working accoutrements more permanently - without fear of the pets, the kids or worse still their partner doing a bit of a tidy up and losing all their carefully laid out documents.

One day after straining the eyes for a couple of weeks on a 15inch laptop screen most will decide to try connecting the laptop to a larger display, to help with being able to see properly once again.

24 OCTOBER 2021

Foiled by the multitude of cables and expired Sky Cards tucked behind the lounge TV cabinet, they think, “I know, I will get the company to send me a nice 4K 28inch computer monitor to me, so that I can work more efficiently in my home office area.”

Well, there it began, the quest to furnish a new home office with all the modern-day trappings that are now an absolute must for the person ‘WFH’.

After struggling for a few weeks, most people work out that simply placing a laptop in a ‘spare space’ is not going to work. Any good home office should have this tick list as the bare minimum.

• • • • • • • • •

Good quality Webcam Better Microphone Headphones or Desktop Speakers Keyboard and Mouse Laptop Docking Station Data Network Switch Better Broadband deal Long USB cable and Phone Charger Office Chair

HD, ATV, TV Set-top-box, Work PC/Home PC and the like. So now you can add an HDMI switch to easily interface all the source devices. From our own range a SY ‘MS42’ 4x input 2x output HDMI matrix switcher will enable the user to plug in a work laptop, home PC, Apple TV and games console and connect to both a main TV and that shiny new 4K 28inch company display. ‘Any Input’ to ‘any output’ with easy switching or auto sensing, much slicker and ergonomic. Connect everything together with pro quality slim HDMI cables and you are all set. Work from Home efficiently, peacefully and easily. Better connectivity is just one area of course, better lighting and good quality audio are other areas to be explored.

The new normal. Who’d of thought it would be so straight forward? Right, now time to put the kettle back on. I’ve work to do.

There is a growing group of new home workers looking for better solutions

If you are anything like me and the rest of us, you have the whole lot, and more. These once ‘nice to haves’ are now ‘must have’ items and the opportunity for installers to supply and fit this and a much wider choice of kit too is obvious.’ Supplying more inputs into a monitor for things like FireStick

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Prestigious yet affordable

Motion CI series

MDA8

The Motion CI series

With Martin Logan’s prestige, acclaimed sound quality and a high-end fit and finish that provides a discreet luxurious feel, what isn’t there to like? Whether you listen to music, movies or a little bit of everything, Motion CI gives you a true high-end audio experience at an outstanding price.

MDA16

The MDA series

Martin Logan also offers power with the robust MDA models - fully matrixed distributed audio with easy-touse independent room correction for each loudspeaker.

MDA Series is the most flexible and adaptive distribution solution available today, delivering dramatic levels of performance where it matters - in the room.

These models are a small selection of Martin Logan’s vast CI portfolio. If you want to know more, please get in touch.

T 01767 686300 sales@pmc-speakers.com

for Sonos One/One SL/Play:1

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

ESSENTIAL HOME OFFICE AND BOARDROOM

SETTING THE HOME OFFICE UP FOR SUCCESS

Phillip Pini, Director Residential Sales UK at Crestron, provides some tips for a successful home working experience.

Over the past year and a half, we have all had to adjust to new ways of living, working, and learning. Whilst it felt confusing and difficult at first, we can’t deny that some aspects are becoming normal. As human beings, we try to innovate and evolve in order to make our lives easier. Technology has always played a big role here. And while COVID-19 didn’t change the requirements of the workplace, it did accelerate the process. Activity-based work, where you decide where you work based on the nature of what you’re doing, is the perfect example. It’s a term that has been around for years, but, the adoption rate is increasing dramatically.

Working from home will remain an option in many organisations. In fact, some of the world’s largest companies plan to keep remote work as a long-term business strategy, causing homeowners to have to evaluate the best setup for their home office space. Architects and developers are designing homes with dedicated home office spaces and more flexible designs to accommodate working and learning from home. This is true for both new builds, as well as retrofits where a home office space had not been necessary before.

Depending on whether the project is driven by the homeowner or their employer, the requirements for these spaces can be different.

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If a homeowner is looking for a setup that will ease the way they work in the home office, they will usually request a desktop solution that combines home control and audio conferencing, using a separate video camera when needed.

This solution undeniably has its perks, as it allows the homeowner to turn off the music or raise the shades from the same device that they are taking a business call from.

If the home office is driven by the company, the requirements are different. While the company wants to help its employers battling meeting fatigue by providing a dedicated device, this also means they suddenly have an exponential amount of technology and spaces to manage, without an increase of IT staff to manage them. Companies want to make sure they can remotely provision, monitor, and manage devices across their entire enterprise; home offices included. And more often than not, they want a device where you can natively join the preferred collaboration tool that the company uses, for example, Microsoft Teams. As a result, companies are looking for a dedicated device that is always enabled and ready, allowing the employee to see their Teams calendar and join meetings with one touch, while working from home.

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For employees who are working from home, it’s important to equip them with the tools that keep them connected and engaged with their colleagues. With the right technology platform, employees can enjoy a consistent experience throughout their workday. Whether working inoffice or from their home office, organisations must empower their employees to work effectively with a reliable technology standard from wherever they choose to work.

But of course, the ideal home office is more than just picking the right technology. Good natural light will improve the mood and help boost performance. Background distractions should be eliminated to keep the attention of the employee focused during their video calls. Additionally, enough table-surface should be available, so workers can comfortably spread-out devices, papers, and other content necessary for their dayto-day responsibilities. The office chair should keep the body forward, shoulders back, and support the lower back. The correct alignment to the keyboard will impact typing accuracy, which in turn impacts cognitive performance.

Given the increase in home office requests we are currently seeing, it’s worth exploring the benefits and expectations of homeowners in these spaces if you are a residential installer.

After all, the hybrid workforce is here to stay, so it would be a shame to miss out on this opportunity.

OCTOBER 2021 27

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ESSENTIAL HOME OFFICE AND BOARDROOMS

ENABLING A SMOOTH TRANSITION TO HYBRID WORKING Till Gotterbarm, Product Management and Strategic Partnerships EMEA, Avocor, examines one of the biggest shifts in work culture and technology in living memory.

calls for any UC software, including Microsoft Teams, Meet, Zoom and Cisco WebEx. This simplifies both hardware and software options, saving time, money and resource so teams can hit the ground running.

SOLUTION FOCUS Define the ‘use case’ in the respective meeting rooms to determine if an all-in-one solution or a combination with peripherals which meet the room, requirements, with the display always being the center piece.

ANALYTICS AND DATA Critical to ensuring both operational efficiencies, Digital transformation was a trend for many organisations even before the COVID-19 pandemic, but it has faced a resurgence of interest in light of the changes to the workplace we have faced in the last year. Much has been made about the demand integrators have experienced over the past year, as both homeowners and businesses have looked to overhaul their tech set-ups; they have improved connectivity and facilities to support homeworking as well as security, entertainment and general lifestyle.

Many commentators agree that a hybridworkforce is here to stay, citing a desire to embrace flexi-working, combined with the use of new, richer and intuitive digital tools and processes to better support remote teammates.

It has never been a more important time to assess how the workplace must shift and how technology will play a role. Regardless of timing, the notion of how the office itself will need to change remains an important consideration.

The meeting rooms and spaces that employees will use – whether in-person or remotely - must perform differently to the ones that they left.

30 OCTOBER 2021

For technology to support hybrid working, forward-thinkers need to consider how physical space must evolve to accommodate instant video conferencing and collaboration.

When was the last time you used a landline telephone to speak with a client? Our go-to is to jump on a VC app, and modern open plan offices don’t work with this level of overlapping conversation. The new workplace will be carved up, accommodating desktop environments, phone booth meetings, home offices, spontaneous meetings in huddle spaces and the meeting room. For installers, this presents new opportunities as technology needs to be easily accessible from every space, and employees should be able to move fluidly between each with minimal set up time.

as well as ensuring employee comfort and

PLATFORM AGNOSTIC

technology we’ve seen in our lifetimes. As

Clients want technology that works seamlessly with their existing OS and applications, and be easy-to-use for their entire employee base. At AVOCOR our GroupShare for Microsoft 365 comes preconfigured for Microsoft enterprise customers and provides one-touch conference

confidence. Workspace intelligence analytic solutions built into workplace hardware - such as meeting room displays, allow decision-makers to take immediate action to re-evaluate meeting rooms, UC hardware and software ROI, as well as guide future planning.

GROUP ANNOTATION Features like the ability to show cloud-based real-time annotations in a meeting with (and from) everyone on a call and then saving and sending the meeting’s ideas and edits make it easy to connect in-person teams with those working from home.

This is the biggest shift of workplace habits and the biggest acceleration in workspace employers begin to navigate the multi-faceted needs of the new workplace, our expertise will be more important than ever. If we carefully consider workplace design and equally prioritise the needs of remote and physical teams, the opportunities for our industry are enormous.

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ESSENTIAL SECURITY

EVOLUTIONS OF SECURITY TECHNOLOGY Jason hill, Co-Founder of Device Smart and former Group Vice President of CCTV specialist Lilin, offers some thoughts on the evolution of security systems and technology.

Technology in the security industry isn’t entirely stagnant, but perhaps has not enjoyed the accelerated growth we’ve seen in other sectors of the CI industry. In the surveillance sector we’ve seen CCTV cameras successfully migrate from analogue PAL signals run over coax to IP HD cameras running on PoE power over networks (don’t get me started on Time-lapse VCRs and multiplexers…). There has also been a huge boom in wireless cameras and doorbells from Ring and Arlo who paid no attention to the surveillance industry and simply considered the needs of the home-owner, leveraging the cloud and the desire of owners to see what their dog has been up to.

In the Intruder alarm industry we have seen a gradual migration to wireless, battery powered sensors, a process slightly stymied by the speed the relevant standards could be updated. More recently some new entrants like Ukranian based Ajax have re-imagined the installation and operation of intruder systems with blistering success, having entered the market in 2015 they recently announced their one millionth user. Installers love the ease of installation and home-owners love the ease of use of the app, the design of the sensors and the enhanced level of functionality.

Access control technology was impacted by the pandemic in several ways; contactless biometrics and card readers benefitted greatly, whereas fingerprint reader and keypad based systems were eschewed by system owners across the world as paranoia of transmissibility through contact grew.

Locking systems have also benefitted from wireless connectivity and keypad entry, reacting to an opportunity from the Air BNB boom amongst many other drivers.

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36 OCTOBER 2021

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our products into the leading Home Automation range of innovative security solutions designed to meet the needs of the Custom Install market.

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ESSENTIAL SECURITY

EVOLUTION OF INTENT Combining

multiple

forms

of

detection

and effective deterrent technologies, then automating them in a way that prevents threats from turning into incursions is a realistic and achievable objective for the Custom Integrator, delivering this capability without the home-owner even being aware that the system did it’s job; reduces anxiety and exemplifies how an intelligent, integrated security solution should operate. A simple example is creating a moccupancy scene that creates the impression of occupants reacting to external events - the security light turns on when someone walks up the driveway at night, but then a hall light automatically turns on 20 seconds later. Alexa also offers a Burglar Deterrent skill that simulates ambient noise in the home. Additionally security technology can be leveraged to deliver welcome home scenes Prevention should be the aim of every security system

through geofencing - turning on the driveway floodlights as the owner returns home.

detection

installed discreetly under window-sills or eaves,

Security isn’t usually regarded as the sexy

and number plate recognition from CCTV

avoiding the push back from owners of high end

part of our industry, but it has always been a

Significant

advances

in

face

manufacturers like LILIN are integrating with access control to finally automate entry consistently and reliably, something that the

properties that fret over anything affixed to their property. The new models of Night Sabre lights

key driver for smart home adoption worldwide, building the optimum protection for your clients requires layering of multiple technologies inside

manufacturers have been striving to achieve

also offer Wi-Fi connectivity for full control and

for many years.

integration with other smart devices, or PoE

effectively deterring intruders and displacing

power with external control inputs.

their efforts elsewhere.

The security lighting market went through a minor step change with the adoption of LEDs

and outside to increase target hardening -

rather than incandescent bulbs but interestingly missed a trick; rather than develop luminaries around LED technology manufacturers simply placed the LEDs where the bulb used to go, leaving us with the same ugly fixtures we’ve seen for decades. There are now some smarter solutions available, Amazon (Ring) acquired US company Mr. Beams to bring in a radio linked garden lighting system that turned on all the lights when any one motion trigger was activated, reliant on battery power meant no cabling and a nice DIY solution. My new venture (Device Smart) has developed the concept of linear

Placing security at the heart of an automated home delivers many advantages

LED security lighting, allowing the units to be

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OCTOBER 2021 39

ESSENTIAL SECURITY

LINKING LIGHTING FOR INCREASED SECURITY How integrating connected lighting with security elevates customer peace-of-mind.

By Clint Choate, Snap One Senior Director, Security Market.

When it comes to security, there is one feature that remains underutilised that CI pros can help with: connected lighting. It’s no secret that security and surveillance systems help protect and monitor homes, but the impact of lighting integration into these systems is vastly unknown.

Lighting integration deters intruders, improves video capture quality, and generally increases safety. As custom installers, we can ensure that homeowners understand the benefit of linking lighting and security systems to improve functionality.

PROACTIVE SECURITY

Ever since the first window sensors and alarms began foiling criminals in the act, homeowners have largely viewed security systems as reactive solutions that take action only after a crime has been committed, sounding alarms and contacting law enforcement. Lighting, on the other hand, is a proactive solution because it can actually prevent an intrusion or incident from occurring.

There are two main proactive effects of security lighting: presenting a lived-in appearance and lighting exterior areas to expose trespassers.

With the ability to connect both interior and exterior light fixtures and set daily schedules for each one, security lighting solutions make homes look convincingly occupied when no one is home, an idea we call ‘mockupancy’. It’s incredible how effective it can be to make sure a porch light and one or two interior lights are on, especially if they are set to change to look as though people are walking through the home.

Exterior security lighting with motion sensors may be even more impactful, as it can scare

off potential criminals and greatly improve the quality of surveillance recordings. In the case of a theft or break-in, a standard response is for both interior and exterior lights to turn on or flash on and off, alerting neighbours and clearly identifying the house for responding officers.

Having the exterior lights turn on also ensures the clearest possible video recordings to help law enforcement identify and apprehend suspects.

VERSATILE ADD-ONS

The facts are clear that lighting functions improve the effectiveness of security and surveillance systems, and it’s important for customers to know these added features won’t cost an arm and a leg or require replacing existing equipment. The best solution is one that is easy to deploy and operate and doesn’t use specialty wiring. Many systems are compatible with Z-wave devices, which can communicate with Z-wave light switches and make them part of the security system events.

There are plenty of options for interested customers, from add-ons to smart lighting systems to full home control and automation solutions. With so many products to choose from, there is a security and lighting solution for nearly any budget, and integrators can create custom packages to fit any need.

Selling a customer on a lighting upgrade, whether up-front or for a retrofit project, can be as simple as telling them their cameras will look better at night or their lights will come on automatically when they drive up the driveway, which are lifestyle benefits that extend beyond security. For homeowners exclusively concerned

about security, the strongest argument is the major increase in criminal deterrence that connected lighting and ‘mockupancy’ schedules can provide.

LEAVE ROOM FOR EXPANSION

A core expectation of modern installations is that owners will want to expand the solution down the line, so it’s crucial to use products that allow for future expansion and multi-system integration.

This not only keeps the client interested and attentive to how their home electronic systems can be more useful, it also shows them that you’re looking out for their long-term safety and happiness, and not just trying to sell a one-anddone project. The last thing an integrator wants is a customer to forget about them!

Peace of mind and security can be increased with a more integrated approach

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ESSENTIAL SECURITY

THE EVOLUTION OF SECURITY Sam Cherri, Managing Director, G-TEC Distribution, takes a look at how the nature of security and security systems has changed in recent times. be compatible with other applications. It is predicted that remote surveillance systems will define the future of surveillance devices, since these systems can be controlled remotely by security specialists. They provide cost-efficient security against unauthorised elements.

Technological innovation continues to significantly impact various industries, and the emergence of advanced technologies leads to the emergence of new trends. A well informed customer demands that security solutions have following features backup data transport, multiple alert methods,live analogue monitoring, easy setup and configuration, reliable hardware with high performance.

THE PATH AHEAD GTEC Distribution has been in the security industry for more than 20 years now and in the last five years technology has evolved so fast that its very hard to keep up with a fast growing industry. Many factors contribute to this change; one being main major players such as HIKVIISON (of whom we are authorised distributors) have heavily invested time and money in R& D in order to sustain growth while at the same time compete with many other leading brands. Innovative software changes can benefit customers, but can pose challenges for installers. Technology has improved customer choice, so they can choose how to secure their home or business, regardless of the size. Therefore end-users are much more educated now and well informed and they now ask for solutions where in the past they just used to take the advice from the installer.

Security and monitoring in the field of home automation continue to evolve. Increasingly, homes are becoming automated, smart and connected as well, which means electronic designers need to continue to improve on power, sensing, command and control, and communications. A design engineer’s imagination is never automated. Imagining the possibilities of the future and making it more convenient, safe and secure can take hold of our future and our homes.

In today’s physical security industry, the term ‘integration’ has some serious momentum.

While truly interoperable systems were once only available to the largest and most complex installations, they are now becoming essential for medium-sized and even small installations.

Integration with other technologies such as intruder and home automations, features and spec have increased to evolve order to

Looking ahead, Approximately £2.25 billion is spent on video surveillance each year, which brings with it certain challenges.

Data protection and privacy laws have changed dramatically over the years. Historically, CCTV cameras could only provide evidence after a crime had been committed. With this still came hefty court fees, excess costs and damages for homeowners and businesses. However, as the technology behind surveillance has advanced, cameras are now able to prevent crime before it happens in addition to being able to monitor and record incidents. Technology is gradually being replaced by artificial intelligence, and the devices of the future are going to be capable of fully utilizing the capabilities of both. Security in AI is relegated to auto-control in CCTV; however, future devices will have end-to-end AI processing capabilities.

The rise of 5G will be bringing faster speed and bandwidth while providing more security, flexibility, and responsiveness to remote surveillance.

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OCTOBER 2021 43

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ESSENTIAL SECURITY

STAY SAFE, STAY SMART Steve Liddiard, CEO at Merit LILIN UK, answers some of the key questions facing the smart security sector.

Security itself is evolving, what are the major changes in requirements and expectation in recent times?

Home surveillance is constantly evolving- with massive changes over the last few years. It’s no longer enough to have a high-resolution security solution- it’s now becoming an expectation that it will be ‘smart’, including more advanced analytics that are, for example, able to differentiate between a human and an animal.

Of course, having a good mobile app is still the priority for the homeowners themselvesand it needs to be both easy to use and aesthetically pleasing! The peace of mind that remote monitoring of the home provides is one of the leading reasons for investing in a surveillance system. We’ve spent the last year at home- now we want to monitor our pets as they are left at home during the workday!

In the last few months, we’ve seen more interest in security manufacturers due to some ethical concerns arising in China- consumers now want to know where their products are coming from and more about the brand. CCTV hacks have been prominently featured in the news (in documentaries such as Panorama) and so Cybersecurity and protecting the home from such intrusions is important.

The convenience of having these powerful analytics loaded onto the camera itself is making AI more accessible for domestic and residential installations, feeding into the expectation of a smart surveillance system based on the ones seen in movies.

Mobile apps have evolved from providing basic remote access to including more features for camera control and playback as a standard.

The customer can have almost as much control through the app as they get through local access to their NVR these days!

How are security systems influencing and contributing to general automation within projects?

At LILIN we’ve been working within the home automation market since 2013, so eight years now. We’ve found that even back in 2013 there was a desire to have the security system integrated with the property’s automation system and this has only expanded since then.

The most common influence we’ve seen recently is tying in a security system’s ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) into

How has technology evolved to meet those demands?

the home automation platform to create a personalised scenario for the client upon coming home, from turning specific lights on to starting the kettle!

How will the market and the technology driving it evolve in the future?

The market will continue to evolve and become more intelligent, with AI becoming a more prominent feature. AI will be included on the backend of platforms, instead of running on a separate system, and become simpler for client to use. Personalised reactions- such as the one mentioned above with the ANPR camera- will become more commonplace and have more varied options. For example, a scene for an unrecognised numberplate, a scene for a human walking around the garden in the middle of the night, for example. In CCTV/surveillance, we expect that this will soon include more options for searching through your surveillance footageshow me a specific make, model or colour of car for example.

Smart phone functionality and apps have expanded big time for the security sector

AI is becoming more and more prevalent in the surveillance industry and it’s now more common to see AI features on the cameras themselves than through a traditional server or PC. At LILIN we’ve seen this first in ANPR, our standalone camera has been incredibly popular compared to our previous server dongle, and so it makes sense for this trend to carry over to other AI applications.

WHERE GREAT QUALITY MEETS GREAT PRICES

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OCTOBER 2021 45

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INSTALL PIONEER: SARAH YULE

FUSS-FREE

MOUNTS

YULE TIME! Sarah Yule, recently appointed UK Commercial Director at KEF, takes part in our returning Install Pioneer series.

Tell us about your career before KEF?

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I have always worked within the music, audio and consumer electronics space. Originally trained as an audio engineer, I have since then built my career across mainly European and International leadership roles within sales and marketing.

I’ve been fortunate to experience a few stand-out moments in my career thus far. The two that come immediately to mind are firstly, whilst I was with TL Audio (who were a British manufacturer of high-end tube mixing consoles, outboard and amplifiers). I did the conceptual design for a product called the ‘Fat Track’. It became one of the company’s best-selling products and won numerous awards. I still feel it is a unique product and now sells on marketplace sites for more than the original list price. My other highlight was probably back in December 2016, whilst I was Head of Sales for music creation startup ROLI. Within 18 months we had launched a new brand, set up global retail and distribution, become a top 10 selling product at every key music store in our category, then had a global launch with an entire wall display in every Apple store around the world.

Visiting one of these stores to see the execution in person was a proud moment.

What most excites you about working at KEF? Throughout the business, everyone is so passionate about what they do and committed to doing it to the best of their ability. For instance, at our Maidstone R&D Centre and factory, you can

48 OCTOBER 2021

see and feel the history, knowledge and dedication that goes into the design and manufacture of every product. We have the research engineers on site that developed our award-winning Meta technology and who developed our Uni-Q technology. Those two inventions are really outstanding as they create an audio experience like I’ve never heard before. Such clarity and an amazing soundscape that isn’t limited to the normal, narrow ‘sweet spots’ and frequency dropouts that you experience with other speakers.

To be able to immerse yourself in the brand, see the ground-breaking research being carried out, and clearly see the rich heritage right there on site is a huge selling point – and a huge achievement that it has remained that authentic.

What are KEF’s ambitions/plans for the custom install space?

The CI space is an important part of our business and as we move forward, we plan to continue to provide unique, high quality and feature-rich products for custom install applications. As we own our whole supply chain, with additional UK manufacturing and our service centre and R&D centre based in Maidstone, we are positioned to really provide the service level and product choice that installers and retailers need. We want to enable KEF customers to continue to plan and deliver projects with ease and peace of mind, knowing that the end customer will be delighted with the result.

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INSTALL PIONEER: SARAH YULE

What can retailers expect over the next few years from the brand?

The last few years have clearly been challenging for a lot of retailers. We want to focus on helping to drive store engagement and stimulate sell through and build customer loyalty. I plan to help do this via various marketing activities and support for our KEF authorised retail network over the next few years. Added to this, we also have a healthy and exciting product roadmap to help drive customer demand and interest in the KEF brand. The key goal being, that we can support retailers with the range and resources required to ensure end customers have a premium experience of the KEF brand. We want to empower customers to find the right KEF product that will bring a premium audio experience and much joy for years to come.

Can you tell us about any exciting projects/ products that are in the pipeline?

As said, we have a very exciting roadmap, but unfortunately, a little too soon to divulge the details! I can say that we will be building on our famed technology prowess, to introduce some more beautiful and premium new products.

We also begin our year-long 60th anniversary celebrations this month [October 2021], with one of our key activities being the launch of our KEF Foundation.

Tell us more about your work with the Music Industries Association (MIA) The MIA is the UK trade body for businesses making and selling musical instruments and associated products. It broadly covers everyone in that space - from manufacturers, to distributors, retailers, publishers and supporting trades. The organisation has recently had a refocus and we’ve expanded our board to help stay relevant and provide practical tools and needed services for its members. We are now committed to championing innovation and high standards of best practice within the UK music industry.

Tell us about your involvement with the Central Research Laboratory The Central Research Laboratory is based in the old EMI vinyl pressing plant in West London. It now harbours the UK’s only dedicated hardware accelerator programme, complete with full prototyping facilities for start-ups. I am involved as a business mentor, advising the founders around sales management, planning, scaling and generating value from their business ventures. Its great to be at the forefront of some of the UK’s brightest new innovations in hardware. I also love the history of the building and seeing it being put to good use!

You have won a few awards in your career, can you tell us a little about them?

Yes, there have been a few personal awards and then some related to projects I have worked on as part of a team. Personally, I was really pleased to win a ‘40 under 40’ recognition, whilst I am

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still young enough to do so! My proudest award is the iF design award I won earlier this year, for a conceptual product design I worked on in my spare time during ‘lockdown boredom’ with some fellow music-related pals! It really captured people’s imagination and even got featured in an exhibition at the London Design Museum!

You are described as ‘An advocate for women in tech’ what does the AV industry need to do next to improve the representation of women in the industry?

FUSS-FREE

RACKS

One thing I can say for the music, audio, consumer electronics and AV industries, is that there is absolutely room for a better gender balance!

A big part of making this a reality is to ensure work cultures are inclusive environments to prevent females who do join the industry feeling discouraged to stay. Visible role models also help.

For instance, I was attracted to KEF in part due to KEF’s President (Grace Lo) being a woman.

That is the first time in my career I’ve had a female leader running the business I work for. KEF is committed to play a part in improving the future of the industry too. This month [October 2021], we launched the KEF Foundation in celebration of our 60th anniversary. Its goal is to democratise audio excellence. The agenda will include championing creative excellence, innovation and diversity.

Tell us a little about yourself away from work, what are your interests?

Outside of work, I’m a married mum to two boys and enjoy cooking, reading, making music and HIIT classes. I like to do charity work, I am also involved as a tutor for an executive education course in sales management and act as an advisor with some music related start-ups.

Ultimately, AV companies are selling ‘content’ tell us about a few of your favourite music/ movie/TV choices Such a difficult choice! With music, I love discovering new artists and sounds, but also enjoy some classics. Therefore, I tend to listen to multiple formats and different streaming platforms to satisfy my ears! The vinyl sat on my turntable currently is Stevie Wonder’s ‘Signed, Sealed & Delivered’.

Having spent many years in Liverpool and being a big Stevie fan, ‘We can work it out’ is a firm favourite - as is a somewhat overlooked track that just makes me smile ‘Joy (takes over me)’. The last album I streamed was probably Robert Glasper or Hiatus Kaiyote as fancied something smooth. However, in the car I quite often have some Reggae, Drum & Bass or Ibiza Classics on. There is not a type of music I do not at least appreciate though – so always listening out for recommendations. As for movie and TV, who hasn’t binge-watched almost everything over the last 18 months! I’m currently watching BBC’s Vigil with my husband and love a thriller, comedy, or murder mystery. No horror stories though – real life is scary enough sometimes!

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The ultra-competitive CFR 2100 Series enclosed racks just roll out of the box, while the stackable CFR 1600 Series skeleton racks come together in less than 15 minutes.

Save time, cut costs, boost rewards Compatibility out-of-the-box 10-year limited warranty All racks on display at Habitech

OCTOBER 2021 49

ESSENTIAL PROJECTORS AND SCREENS

A MATURING MARKET Marketing and Communications Manager at Habitech, Sophie Graham, examines some of the key questions in the projectors and screens category.

Home cinema is on a roll, but how is the market changing?

No doubt the pandemic has boosted spending on homes and property, accelerating the demand for home cinema, which is great for the industry and distis with mature, high performance product ranges and support infrastructure.

With so much time and money to spare - and nowhere to go - consumers across the board are prioritising home entertainment. We’ve seen demand for streaming services soar on all screens: mobile and fixed, so AV has never had it so good. This means that dedicated home cinema environments have become an essential feature of high-end properties while the desire for flexible media room spaces is pulling in new money. And greater visibility on social media

50 OCTOBER 2021

is spreading the word, or more accurately, the image of the home as the centre of leisure and entertainment, rather than somewhere to stay outside working hours. For instance, folks are discovering - and liking - the media room idea on their mobile devices, or they’re appreciating how outdoor AV can transform the potential of garden spaces, so online marketing is the place to plant new ideas.

anything to go by, there are new customers for everything we do. It all depends on what they want and how big the budget, but the tiered

good/better/best

experiences

can

really shift preferences upwards. Every time, it seems, there’s an epiphany - which settles the issue. It could be a realisation that a multi-use media room format would be perfect for the space available and family circumstances, or the visualisation of how to transform an under-

Where is the demand, dedicated spaces? Multi-use living room spaces?

utilised room into a designed cinema living space. Then again if the client has the cash, the flagship cinema experience might loosen the

Now that a new life/work balance has taken hold, and visibility is up, I’m expecting demand to grow across the CI universe. Our dealers are as busy designing high-speed networks to facilitate home working and higher quality streaming as they are installing the hardware to deliver the data. If the experience of our new demonstration rooms in Basingstoke is

purse strings. It’s a case of horses for courses and obviously there will be more demand for the lower budget solutions in the population at large, but in our experience the split isn’t clear cut. If there is a rule, it’s to get as many people as possible sitting comfortably in front of the screen, because the cinematic experience always motivates a willingness to spend.

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Courtesy of Consexto

Freya & Freya+ Architectural Edition Our new Freya & Freya+ projectors are now available in a special Architectural Edition. Contact us to find out more about the features that make Freya and Freya+ unique in the residential market, offering breathtaking DCI compliant performance as well as an unprecedented level of architectural integration features and flexibility to create the world’s most exquisite private theatres.

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Enjoy front row seats with the new VPL-VW290ES 1,500lm native 4K HDR Home Cinema projector – perfect for your summer of sport.

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ESSENTIAL PROJECTORS AND SCREENS

JVC has released the new Procision Series DLA-NZ9, DLA-NZ8, and DLA-NZ7, and the Reference Series DLA-RS4100, DLA-RS3100, and the DLA-RS2100

How has technology advanced in recent times to cope with the more flexible demands the market is asking for?

Specifically in projectors and screens what are some of the outstanding technical advancements of recent times?

For us, colour accuracy is a priority when it

First comes the network. If you can realise the advances in data speed available, you’re on to a winner. Then comes the question of what you do with it. We’re starting to see Dante’s network-based audio matrixing being used to allow complex 32-channel cinema systems to be managed entirely on CAT cable: imagine the joy of avoiding the necessity to get 32 XLR cables back to the rack. We’re also seeing a huge step-up in video quality and practicality from MicroLED technology, as well as speaker designs to accommodate the new ‘shape of LCR’. Wisdom Audio, for instance, has created a horizontal line source speaker to allow a centre channel to be mounted close to the ground below large displays.

The advent of laser technology has increased longevity in projection, doing away with the inevitable lamp change after 3000 hours. Laser also allows for much higher quality projection at more accessible price points. And of course, you can’t beat the quality of all-glass optics.

Then there’s the quality of the screen. The newest designs from Projecta for instance have a microscopically finer projection surface to ensure the more accurate reflection of higher 4K pixel counts (and more captivating results).

HDR and contrast - JVC is market leading. It’s

What do you consider the most important performance characteristics that each component must offer currently?

comes to projection. JVC has always offered calibration to the DCI P3 standard, and in this respect - as well as its glorious abilities with undeniable that vibrant natural colours and darkest blacks, as well as the smoothest motion processing, help customers to believe that the action is real and - along with perfectly calibrated sound - contribute to achieving the objective for all system designers: full cinematic immersion!

What are some of the best executions of screen and projector installs you have seen of late?

The rising tide of quality and performance in system design reaches new highs seemingly every week. We’re continually bowled over by the ingenuity invested by our dealers in creating entire cinema environments dedicated to the film maker’s art. Just as George Lucas once developed THX AV standards for movie theatres to move performance closer to the ideal, I believe that it’s down to today’s designers to emulate that ambition. In video this means the use of anamorphic lenses for full screen ultrawide ratios, as well as high contrast projectors and finer projection surfaces. In this way the image and the sound envelop the audience just as the studio intended, and when this happens, we all get what we want: the happiest customers!

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OCTOBER 2021 53

ESSENTIAL PROJECTORS AND SCREENS

HOW ARE SCREENS AND PROJECTORS DRIVING DEMAND? A look at the technologies, designs and trends shaping the home theater industry, from Chris Dawson, Business Development Manager Invision UK.

Image courtesy of Haven Smart

At the dawn of home theater, there were many hard and fast rules to follow. Dark room. Check.

Set away from other rooms. Check. Huge screen and projector as the visual focal point. Check.

Designed solely for watching movies. Check.

Audio/video products were manufactured with these mandates in mind. But times have changed and the rules, loosened up considerably.

That’s good news for the home theater industry, as the current crop of screens, projectors, and supporting equipment accommodate all types of viewing environments—large, small, welllit, dark, and everything in between. Factor in the remarkable variety, accessibility, and highquality of Hollywood-produced streaming content, and it’s easy to see how home theater is experiencing a revival, with screens and projectors casting a starring role.

Thanks to ambient light rejecting screens, attractive motorized housings, short-throw projectors and automated window treatments, any room can function admirably as a home theater. Family rooms, dens, guest bedrooms, even the garages can transition into a theater with the tap of a button, removing what was once the biggest inhibitor to home theater ownership: a dedicated room. Consumers can apply their existing real estate to a home theater setup, putting their money towards quality equipment rather than the construction of a new space.

54 OCTOBER 2021

What hasn’t changed, however, is consumers’ love affair with huge screens and they’ll invest heavily in this pursuit. Adding a new twist to the screen purchase are fabrics and cosmetics. It’s no longer a matter of having the biggest viewing surface, but owning a screen that suits the environmental and aesthetic conditions of the room and with optical properties to optimize the performance of the projector. Thankfully, there are screen sizes, surfaces and designs for any home theater space, be it a dedicated viewing destination or a multipurpose family room.

BIG DOESN’T HAVE TO BE BRASH

Certainly, motorized projection screens are a great choice for multi-use living spaces, but there’s also a lot to like about fixed screens, thanks to new design-forward solutions. Slim, customizable frames applied around a fixed screen can lend visual impact and enable the screen to become a more natural part of the room. At the same time, a fixed, acoustically transparent screen can enhance the room aesthetics by concealing home theater speakers placed behind it.

Of course, a traditional fixed screen will consume a fair amount of wall space—which in multipurpose rooms can be in short supply.

Here’s where motorization makes sense, and this category has undergone a facelift, as well.

With motorized housings shrinking in size and exhibiting stunning, contemporary colors, styles, and finishes, they complement and blend in with the room design with installation ease. No longer is above-ceiling installation the only way to preserve the aesthetic integrity of a multi-purpose home theater, as the trend toward exposed, design-friendly motorized housings continues to push forward.

As projector technologies and content quality progresses, so have the optics of screen fabrics, with dozens of choices to optimize and even improve the brightness, contrast, and resolution of projected images. Screens engineered to display 4K and 8K content are on pace with the technological trends, as are screens that look just as good presenting video games, sporting events, virtual fitness classes, and video calls as they do blockbuster movies.

Two of the biggest inhibitors to having a home theater used to be light and space, leaving a dedicated, purpose-built room as the undisputed best option. Unique, application-specific ambient light rejecting screens, acoustically transparent screens, short-throw projection screens, and ‘floating’ screens have broadened the market immensely. Windows or simply a desire to watch video with the lights on has no impact on the image quality when displayed on an ambient light rejecting screen. Casual viewing on a projection screen in a multipurpose room suddenly makes sense when there’s no need to darken the room.

Exposed windows are also a non-issue for ‘floating’ screens. Suspended from the ceiling on thin cabling the screen can be placed in front of a bank of windows—a handy location when wall space is limited. Last but not least, screens designed for ultra-short-throw and short-throw projectors finally make home theater a viable option for apartment and condominium dwellers.

Together, the projector and screen can turn even the smallest of spaces into a high-performance home theater.

Broadening the home theater landscape further are home theater solutions designed for outdoor use. It’s a niche that’s gaining momentum– and screen maker Screen Innovations is making it possible with a wide assortment of projection screen options, for both fixed and motorized applications.

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ESSENTIAL PROJECTORS AND SCREENS

THE ART OF HOME CINEMA Tim Sinnaeve, Managing Director, High End Residential at Barco, examines how to use projection to architecturally integrate cinematic experiences in high-end living spaces.

As a private theatre renaissance is upon us, delivering a reference level cinematic experience to clients is a top priority for custom integrators, and a primary focus for Barco Residential, leveraging our heritage in professional cinema and post-production to bring a new level of technology and performance to the industry.

Fully addressing this opportunity however requires more than delivering the ultimate image quality and creating the best possible projectors for the high-end residential market. We need to ensure we create experiences that not only suit the tastes and lifestyle of the client, but can also be discretely integrated into the design and architecture of their home and living spaces.

A key element is that a great cinematic experience need not (or no longer) be limited to a traditional dedicated private theatre room, as the traditional ‘Dedicated Home Theatre’ versus ‘Media Room’ thinking is too limiting. In fact, the bulk of the opportunity before us may lie in living spaces where you wouldn’t expect a true cinematic experience to be possible, and where clients and their design partners are likely not aware that this level of experience is possible without building a more traditional, dedicated private theatre.

There are many of these spaces (attics, basements for example) in larger luxury homes, but it is especially true of luxury apartment or condo developments in places like London or New York, as no matter how high-end they are, space is still at a premium. These homes feature high-end design (often by famous architects and designers) as well as very high-end furnishings and appliances. Yet when you want to enjoy your favourite movie, TV series or even video game you tend to end up with a flat panel that in the best case is then ‘cleverly’ concealed into a piece of furniture maybe with a strip of matching marble across the top to integrate with the decor. Even a 98in 4K flat panel TV however doesn’t give you a cinematic experience (as well as potentially leaving you with a monolithic black rectangle as a centre piece for your home).

The design community however, seems to have come to assume that a cinematic experience is simply not possible in these types of environments and living spaces without making unacceptable design and aesthetic compromises that make it impossible to maintain the elegance and sophistication of their chosen designs. Of course they can be forgiven for making these assumptions, as there are very real challenges in these spaces,

56 OCTOBER 2021

such as high ambient light, not impeding design imperatives or interfering with design elements, as well as distances, shapes and angles within the space that don’t fit with the traditional idea of what is possible with projection.

It is however our duty to educate and most importantly inspire our clients and the design and architectural communities on what is possible today with projection to create architecturally integrated digital canvases that enable a cinematic experience. An interesting exercise is to take a look at some of the wonderful walk-throughs of luxury real estate (Enes Yilmazer’s YouTube channel is a good start). When viewed from the above perspective, they almost become an anthology of missed, or rather unrealised opportunity!

KEY ARCHITECTURAL INTEGRATION ENABLERS

Because we believe the above is key to unlock the full potential of the market for our industry, creating technologies that make cinematic experiences possible while maintaining the integrity of the architectural design, even where space is at a premium, is as primordial a design focus for our products and technologies as delivering the best possible, most immersive image on screen.

As we saw above, ambient light is one of the first challenges we encounter when creating a cinematic experience outside of a dedicated private theater. This is not simply a matter of

creating a light cannon of a projector. Image quality is a complex puzzle, where maxing out brightness necessitates compromise on the other elements of image like contrast, colour performance, uniformity. This is unacceptable to delivering a reference level cinematic experience and means you need a projection platform that is capable of generating as much raw brightness as possible, as a lot of that brightness will need to be sacrificed to maintain the best possible image quality. This is why most home theatre projectors on the market sit around the 2,000 lumens mark, while you can easily find a meeting room projector that delivers much higher lumens, but falls far short from the image quality we expect at reference level.

Thanks to our professional cinema and postproduction heritage, our Barco Residential projector range has options that are capable of delivering unmatched brightness without compromise, enabling integrators to overcome most ambient light levels except perhaps direct sunlight on screen. In addition, the flexibility of our laser lightsources allow you to seamlessly adapt light output to maintain reference picture quality in all viewing conditions, day or night.

Most of the other challenges are related to projector placement and ability to hide the projector. Hide everything but the picture is a central idea behind every Barco Residential projector design.

Features like liquid cooling systems, allow the projector to operate in any orientation.

Hide everything, but the picture.

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ESSENTIAL PROJECTORS AND SCREENS

An AV industry good cause enterprise that designs and installs cinema rooms into children’s hospices and other deserving locations across the UK.

Combined with a wide choice of all-glass lens options, including Ultra Short Throw (even angled at 90 degrees), wide lens shift and the built-in warping and blending engine this provides huge flexibility in terms of projector positioning and architectural integration in client’s homes.

The powerful warping and blending engine in particular, which borrows technology developed in Barco’s professional Simulation labs, is unique in the residential space. It allows the integrator to use advanced Image Geometry Correction to deliver an image with perfect geometry on the screen even when the projector is outside of the offset range of adjustment.

It uses the most advanced geometry distortion technology using proprietary bi-cubic interpolation, and is specifically optimised to preserve fine detail in the image and suppress resampling artefacts. No matter how complex your warp is, it is done in one single step and does not add extra latency to the signal. Our award-winning Pulse Projector User Interface makes this advanced technology almost drag-and-drop in terms of ease-of-use.

In practice these architectural integration enablers give integrators unprecedented options in terms of projector placement, making it possible to install the projector extreme off-axis, in the corner of the room, high in the ceiling. This would normally create image artefacts like a keystoned image overshooting the screen. Using shift and warp we can easily return the image back to a perfectly aligned image without any artefacts.

To then make the vanishing act complete, we have leveraged our partnerships with companies like Display Technologies to create options like motorized mirror drops that make it possible to hide the projector inwall or in-ceiling, or even inside furniture.

From a design and architectural perspective, these technologies and features all combine to allow unprecedented freedom in choice of living space and projector positioning, making it possible to truly hide everything but the picture even in the most challenging of spaces and design environments, where most people would never imagine a cinematic experience to be possible. Of course they are equally if not more powerful when creating experiences in new media art, gaming and wellness as well. These exciting times for our industry!

The possible room scenarios for high-performance cinema have expanded hugely

Can you

help?

Together For Cinema is needing some help in securing Auditorium Style Seating for it’s good cause installations.

Can you help?

Do you know anyone that can?

Together For Cinema – together for better Please contact Ian Morrish at ian@ad-con.uk or 01372 454366 / 07768 398007 to see how you can help make a difference.

www.togetherforcinema.co.uk

Proud Media Partners of Together For Cinema

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OCTOBER 2021 59

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BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE! Another regular update on all the news from our friends Together For Cinema.

Meridian Audio recently confirmed a Gold Level Sponsorship of Together For Cinema (TFC), the industry initiative to deliver high performance home cinema systems into hospice’s and support hubs around the UK. Katy Bradshaw, Director of Marketing, Meridian Audio says, “Meridian first became aware of TFC through the media coverage generated by its early installations. We came on board in August 2021 but have supported the scheme with products from the Meridian range that can be used in TFC projects. We’re also advocates for TFC and actively promote it to Meridian integrators and the industry at large.

“In our view, the concept behind TFC is such a powerful one that every company and every integration firm can unite behind and support. Our industry is all about creating amazing experiences for customers. With Together For Cinema, we can use all our technology and the know-how we have in designing and building great cinema rooms for a genuinely deserving cause.”

Katy adds, “We’d urge everybody to support TFC. It’s a brilliant cause that brings great entertainment and joy for children, their families and hospice staff. It’s also so rewarding for brands, like Meridian, and the industry to get behind and show what we can do.”

The initiative continues to develop and evolve, as founder of TFC, Ian Morrish, explained in his latest update, “Support for Together For Cinema continues to be forthcoming and there are many opportunities that are being presented to us.

Some are quick and easy, some are more complex and need a great deal of attention and others are long slow burners that will take time to develop.”

Ian also recently provided an update on projects planned for completion this year and into next.

Wessex AV has completed a project at Rose Road Association, Southampton, Hampshire. The Claire House Children’s Hospice, Liverpool, is receiving a cinema installed by Glo Audio Visual, due to a slight delay caused by the need to switch rooms within the site, completion date is now due early in 2021. For Reubens Retreat, Glossop, Derbyshire, the site visit is complete, room designs finished and product now being sought. TFC reports that an installation partner for this project has now been found and the project should be finished by November 2021. A new project is underway at a venue called Fitzroy in Arundel, more news on this project will be available soon and will be covered in these pages but also keep an eye out on the TFC LinkedIn page as well.

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Following an appeal for potential sites for TFC, the response has been extremely positive. Ian reports that the initiative is now actively seeking installation partners for several sites across 2022 and 2023. Industry colleagues are asked to get in touch if they feel they can help with any of the projects listed below.

Made in Taiwan UK Branch Office

Richard House Children’s Hospice, Beckton Jigsaw, (part of Eden Valley Children’s Hospice), Carlisle Ty Gobaith (part of Hope House Children’s Hospice), Conwy Robin House (part of CHAS), Glasgow Ellenor House Children’s Hospice, Gravesend Andy at St.Andrew’s Hospice, Grimsby Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People, Loughborough Hope House Children’s Hospice, Oswestry Helen and Douglas Children’s Hospice, Oxford The Douglas Macmillan Hospice, Stoke-on-Trent This year has also seen a fantastic response in terms of sponsorship support. TFC now has 33 sponsors for this year and the initiative is hopeful that all will continue into 2022. With new aspirations new expectations, and a full 12 month year in 2022, TFC believes it will needs to secure a total of 42 sponsors, so if you’re not already sponsoring please help make it happen and contact Ian for a chat on how you can help. To keep TFC going it will need a little support from a lot of companies and individuals, in our industry, so reach out if you can.

Together For Cinema togetherforcinema.co.uk

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Sponsors such as the Monitor Audio team have been sharing images with their supporter plagues

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01908 443 660 contact@lilin.uk OCTOBER 2021 61

ESSENTIAL CASE STUDY

SONITUS MAKES A BIG NOISE WITH WHOLE HOME PROJECT This attractive new family home in Hildenborough, Kent, has become a showcase for the integration skills of local installer Sonitus Home Limited.

A spacious five-bedroom new-build in the Kent

control over all connected devices through a

property. So, we started by introducing them

countryside has given local integrator Sonitus

smartphone, tablet or touch screen anywhere

to our Sonitus app for inspiration. They’re an

the opportunity to design and build the perfect

on the property. Suitably impressed, the family

absolutely lovely family and, as it happens,

example of a modern, integrated, whole-house

gave Sonitus cart-blanche to design a showcase

very enthusiastic about all of the possibilities of

system comprising audio, video, climate control,

for the complete smart home repertoire,

smart convenience inside and out. They said yes

Wi-Fi, security and a home cinema.

connecting and controlling reliable indoor/

to everything.”

At the suggestion of one of their contractors,

outdoor audio, multi-room video, whole home

the family contacted Sonitus to explore how

climate control, high-speed internet, home

technology could enhance the experience of

cinema and robust CCTV and alarm from a

living and working in their new home. Their first

single user interface.

HOME OFFICE TRANSFORMED “As soon as we completed the lighting design,

requirement was for automated lighting design

Sonitus’ Director Oliver Down, explains,

the next job was the home office connectivity.

throughout, but the scale of the project quickly

“Initially the family were unsure about what

The lockdown had presented our customer with

expanded once the family had seen Sonitus’

they wanted, other than the fact that they

a big challenge because the home’s existing

proprietary control app, which offered them

didn’t like the lighting they had at their existing

broadband speed was under 1Mbps - I kid you not.

62 OCTOBER 2021

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ESSENTIAL CASE STUDY

The project evolved to cover every aspect of this new build property

So, we installed an antenna on the roof and brought 50Mbps down to a Draytek 4G 2927 router and out to Ruckus R320 APs, covering every room,” explains Oliver.

AMPLIFIED CONTROL SMART AUDIO SOUNDBAR WITH CONTROL BUILT IN!

He adds, “Now that broadband speed is on everyone’s shopping list, the new network needed to be fast, stable and reliable. And because Habitech’s IP infrastructure (supplier of much of the equipment) and support is among the best in the industry, the choice of Draytek and Ruckus was a no brainer. We’re delighted with the results and the family is happy: they can connect, browse and download at will, troublefree.”

HIGH QUALITY AUDIO DISTRIBUTION Oliver continues, “Inside the home and outside, the audio needed to perform at full range with

Raising the bar once again, Savant’s revolutionary 3-Channel LCR Soundbar with built-in automation and control technology provides incredible audio quality, plus a single stream of Savant Music, integrated control ports, and Savant Host processing capabilities. This powerful tool can control your home, all while remaining the centrepiece in your media or living room.

definition and be very discreet. We installed Sonance speakers throughout: VP66R in-ceiling speakers in the kitchen, the basement and

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gym and in the home’s orangery, as well as two Sonance Outdoor Patio systems of satellites and subs covering the two zones, around the swimming pool and on the orangery terrace.

“Control from the Sonitus app means the family can enjoy great sound in individual spaces or have the same selection playing as they walk from house to garden, and they love the results.”

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OCTOBER 2021 65

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ESSENTIAL CASE STUDY

CINEMA/GAMES AREA Again, when designing the cinema AV, the team used brands from Habitech’s line-up, installing a JVC LX-NZ3 4K projector playing on a 113in HD Progressive Acoustically Transparent Projecta screen and choosing for the audio a Sonance discreet 7.1 cinema setup, comprising of three VP66-LCR in-walls, four VP66R SUR/SST inceiling surrounds and rears plus an i8 cabinet sub.

In this space an iPort Launch Port sleeve protects an iPad running the Sonitus app, which controls the entire system.

UNBLINKING EYE Oliver continues, “Situated in the Kent countryside,

can viewed on the home’s TVs and controlled and viewed, once again, directly via our app. It gives the family the reassurance that whether they are awake or asleep at home or away, there are eyes on the property, giving them perimeter surveillance and smart motion detection in real-time 24/7.”

So, what about installation challenges? Oliver says, “There weren’t any. The install went like a dream. It took a year in planning and execution, with about a month on site. Everything we did just worked and continues to perform brilliantly.

“Our customers don’t have to worry or even think about the tech: very quickly it’s become part of their lives. This is the most satisfying part of what we do; I’m proud of the job we did for the family - on schedule and within budget.

the home needed a visible deterrent to trespassers, so we installed a Dahua Security system of eight intelligent CCTV cameras and 8TB NVR. This

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A comfy, but high-performance home cinema is a big feature

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Distributor of the Year Finalist

OCTOBER 2021 67

MEMBERSHIP MEANS COMMUNITY Your CEDIA membership puts you in the centre of a thriving community of home technology integrators — a network of thousands dedicated to helping you build connections, stay competitive, and tap into new opportunities for growth.

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ESSENTIAL CASE STUDY

Exterior audio was a part of the plan

Installers Infrastructure solutions...

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Essential Cinema Kit List JVC DLP LX-NZ3 4KUHD Laser Projector Projecta Fixed Frame 113in Acoustically Transparent HD Progressive Projector Screen Sonance Visual Performance VP66 LCR 6.5in Rectangular Speaker Sonance Visual Performance VP66R SST/ SUR 6.5in Round Single Speaker

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iPort Launch Case and Wall Station

Draytek G1280 24+4 Port Gigabit Switch

Sonance Visual Performance VP66R 6in Round Speaker

Draytek P2500 44+6 POE+ Gigabit Switch

Sonance 4.1 Patio Series Outdoor Speaker System

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01488 73366 RGB Head Office, 13–14 Headlands Trading Estate Headlands Grove, Swindon, Wiltshire. SN2 7JQ

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PRODUCTS

THE FRENCH COLLECTION

High performing, audio video connectivity delivered in plastic free packaging

Coax Cables

After releasing the 1000 Series in-wall / in-ceiling delivers aesthetics as well as a quick installation. loudspeaker in January, Focal now unveils the Available in Black Satin or White High Gloss On Wall 300 line. Produced in its Saint-Étienne finishes, they should fit most interiors. The range workshops, On Wall 301 and On Wall 302 are can be combined with other Focal products, such on-wall loudspeakers to install around a television as the 300 Series line of in-wall and in-ceiling for home cinema enjoyment or a stereo listening loudspeakers, or the Chora, Aria, Kanta or even experience. While the accessories required Dôme Flax loudspeakers. for mounting the loudspeakers are included, stands specially designed for the loudspeakers Focal are also supplied as an optional extra. focal.com The installation is also simple to adjust, enabling integrators to create a configuration comprising two or three loudspeakers around the screen.

These loudspeakers incorporate the brand’s exclusive technologies, such as its Flax speaker drivers, with the cone made from French flax that has sound reproduction benefits such a more natural and warmer feel to the performance. The speakers also feature the Aluminium/ Magnesium tweeter, offering welldefined treble.

With a refined design and The Focal On Wall 300 Series are available to order now, speaker stands sold separately ‘angled’ silhouette, the shape of the On Wall 300 loudspeakers

JVC LASER PROJECTORS ARE WORLD’S FIRST WITH 48GBPS 8K INPUTS

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JVC is back with three new models that feature JVC’s BLU-Escent laser light source; compatible with HDR10+ and boasting 48Gbps 8K inputs, a world first says the maker.

The laser projectors feature new LSIs and JVC’s proprietary 8K/e-shift technology that enables the input and display of 8K high-definition images, while JVC’s BLU-Escent laser light source reproduces images with greater precision and dynamic range on large screens, says the maker.

The three new JVC laser projectors are available in both the Procision Series and Reference Series lines. They are the Procision Series DLA-NZ9, DLA-NZ8, and DLA-NZ7, and the Reference Series DLA-RS4100, DLA-RS3100, and the DLA-RS2100.

The company’s BLU-Escent laser diode light source was originally available only in JVC’s flagship model, the DLA-RS4500. Now, JVC brings the next generation of this technology to a full line of home cinema projectors, offering high-performance dynamic range, brightness and long life.

The laser projectors support 8K60p/4K120p input using a new LSI, which contributed to the evolution of JVC’s proprietary 8K/e-shift technology. This technology achieves resolution

close to native 8K by shifting pixels in four directions rather than two, as in the earlier version of e-shift. The top-of-the-line DLA-NZ9/RS4100 is equipped with a premium 100mm diameter allglass lens, Ultra-High Contrast Optics for strong contrast, and 8K e-shiftX. The DLA-NZ8/RS3100 shares most of the NZ9/RS4100 features, with a 65mm diameter all-glass lens. The DLA-NZ7/ RS2100 is a high value model, offering a laser light source, 8K input and 8K/e-shift at what the maker is calling ‘breakthrough’ pricing.

JVC uk.jvc.com

JVC has announced the next evolution in its line of home cinema projectors

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ADVANCED HI RES DISTRIBUTED AUDIO SYSTEMS FOR RESIDENTIAL INTEGRATORS

Distributed by

anatech.co.uk

INTRODUCING CI-FI… With over 70 years of world class engineering history and expertise, McIntosh delivers the finest audio and cinema systems for your residential projects. Invest more focus into the very best music and movie playback and your customer will thank you for it.

Distributors of the finest high-fidelity audio components

mcintoshlabs.com

Fine Sounds UK is a McIntosh Group Company.

t. 01592 744 710 www.finesounds.uk info@finesounds.uk

SPEAKER CABLE TO CPR CLASS CCA www.fscables.com sales@fscables.com 01727 840841

PRODUCTS

AN ENHANCED OFFERING FROM TRINNOV

Trinnov Audio has added four new channels and IMAX Enhanced playback on its Altitude platform

Trinnov Audio, designer and manufacturer of reference audio processors for home theaters, high-end Hi-Fi, professional audio and commercial cinemas, announces two free enhancement updates to its Altitude AV processor platform, IMAX Enhanced and extra channels.

The Altitude16 and Altitude32 will now be upgradable to four additional channels and is certified to render IMAX Enhanced content playback. Trinnov’s next software release will add these two features to every Altitude processor that has been installed worldwide since 2015.

The four extra output channels will be added to both the Altitude16 and Altitude32 models free of charge. In addition, Trinnov’s IMAX Enhanced application has been certified and will now be officially supported in both Altitude models. Both features are expected to become available by midOctober and will be available to Altitude owners through a free software download.

Throughout the COVID19 crisis, Trinnov says it has continued to experience unprecedented growth and had the foresight to secure a large stock of critical semiconductors, parts and components to help buffer the increased demand for Altitude processors this year. Trinnov says it is committed to maintaining current pricing as long as possible, even though there doesn’t seem to be any foreseeable improvement in the availability of key components.

Enabling extra channels on the Altitude16 presented a challenge and required some creativity. One of Trinnov’s engineers suggested converting the Toslink output of the Altitude16 to ADAT. ADAT is a transport protocol in the professional and production music industry that allows the carriage of four channels at up to 96 kHz. With this approach, Altitude owners can enable four extra outputs with the addition of a simple external D/A converter. On all Altitude32 models, these extra outputs will be available via the built-in AES/EBU outputs.

The availability of IMAX Enhanced on the Altitude comes in a timely fashion, as new announcements are expected from IMAX that will result in a much larger amount of IMAX Enhanced native content becoming available.

High performing, audio video connectivity delivered in plastic free packaging

Euro Modules

Trinnov trinnov.com

A REALLY BIG IDEA FROM LG LG Electronics has announced its first-ever Direct View LED (DVLED) display series designed specifically for high-end residential installations, the LG DVLED Extreme Home Cinema. LG’s foray into the super-luxury residential display segment combines the company’s years of building premium consumer electronics, understanding of affluent consumers and expertise as an innovator of DVLED technologies, says the company.

LG DVLED Extreme Home Cinema is said to be unlike any other residential display technology, using 2 million to 33 million individual diodes (depending on resolution) to deliver high performance with exceptional brightness, years of residential lifespan, strong viewing angles and a very high colour gamut even in rooms with high ambient light. LG argues Direct-View LED technology is visibly and fundamentally different from LED TVs, which it says are actually LCD TVs with LED backlighting to boost brightness. Direct View LED technology images are created directly by the LED diodes and provide high contrast ratio and brightness, creating some of the most vivid images available.

The product line up offers seamless 16:9 displays in sizes ranging from 81in to 325in diagonal, as well as UltraStretch video wall-style installations that deliver a 32:9 display, ideal for windowing multiple video sources such as live sports. LG DVLED Extreme Home Cinema

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displays are available exclusively through a new custom-installation dealer program and cannot be purchased at stores. To help simplify installation, LG has packaged over thirty DVLED Extreme Home Cinema Displays ranging in sizes and resolutions.

However, as the product line is available to installers in the U.S, we are still awaiting confirmation on whether they will be available in the UK and Europe.

The U.S package includes integrator training and customer support assistance; on-site help from an LG field engineer during installation; twiceyearly LG on site visit ‘health checks’ for three years; LG Connected Care software subscription allowing the integrator to remotely monitor their customer’s system performance; and a five-year limited warranty on every display. Again, we await details of UK/European set ups.

LG Electronics lg.com

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OCTOBER 2021 73

PRODUCTS

RUSS ANDREWS CELEBRATES IN STYLE

High performing, audio video connectivity delivered in plastic free packaging

Multicore Cables

Russ Andrews introduced one of the UK’s first audiophile mains cables in the 1980s, when the original PowerKord was launched. Tens of thousands of cables later and to celebrate the company’s 35th anniversary, it is introducing a special limited edition of its most popular mains cable, the YellOPower. The SuperYellO takes the fundamental design principles of the YellO and combines it with more conductors and higher-grade components to create an even better performing cable to upgrade the musical enjoyment of audio systems.

The SuperYellO is manufactured using 16 individually PVC insulated, high-purity copper Kimber Kable conductors, arranged in the familiar Kimber weave configuration. This doubles the number of conductors from the standard YellO, enabling a more densely packed weave, which further enhances the well-known RFI rejection properties of the Russ Andrews woven mains cables.

Hand built in the UK, SuperYellO is fitted with an AQ (audio quality) mains plug and a Russ Andrews specification 13A fuse. The standard IEC connector found on the original YellO cable is replaced for this special edition model with a high quality WattGate 320 EVO, whose construction is designed to provide greatly improved electrical and mechanical connectivity.

The SuperYellO is a limited-edition design, which will be available while stocks last or until December 31, 2021. It is available in three lengths, 1.0m, 1.5m and 2.0m, with UK and Euro plug options and is subject to the standard Russ Andrews 25-year warranty and 60-day money back guarantee.

Russ Andrews russandrews.com

Prices for the new cables are; 1.0m - £150, 1.5m £175 and 2.0m -£200

LILIN UK ANNOUNCES NEW AI CAMERA AND NDAA NVR RANGE

The LILIN platform is gaining a new level of intelligence

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LILIN UK has expanded its NDAA compliant product range with a new series of NVR offerings, giving a 4K resolution in 4, 8 and 16 channel units with in-built PoE. Building on the success of the previous PoE NVR series, these units feature embedded Linux hardware and are finished in a sleek, high gloss black design, ideal for the CI market.

Initial previews of these upcoming models garnered a lot of interest at The Security Event, and LILIN UK also showcased them at EI Live!

2021 alongside the new AI camera.

LILIN has been developing its proprietary AI platform AIDA since late 2019, and this now encompasses multiple ‘engines’, from Traffic Violations to Mask Detection. These AIDA engines will now be available on LILIN’s Z7 cameras to provide AI detection on the edge, ideal for smaller scale AI applications without a

traditional server. The Z7 cameras will expand the availability of AI to a wider range of customers, with engines including: AIANPR — Aida Number Plate Recognition, AICarMake — Aida ANPR and Parking Violation with Car Make Recognition, AIFLOW — Aida Traffic Management, AICAP — Aida People & Car Counting for Premises Capacity and AIMask — Aida Mask Detection with Social Distance Detection. Also included: AISPC — Aida Parking Space Counting, AISPD — Aida Estimate Speed & Distance Measuring, AIFIRE — Aida Fire and Smoke Detections, AISAFETY — Aida Construction Site Safety (includes Helmet/ Hi-Vis Detection) and AIRAIL — Aida Rail and Pantograph detection.

LILIN meritlilin.com

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THEY ARE BACK! CRESTRON EUROPE INTEGRATION AWARDS The Crestron Europe Integration Awards 2021 are a celebration of the finest projects featuring Crestron technology in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The prestigious awards return to recognise projects of excellence completed since January 2021. Submit your awardworthy project before December 3rd. Winners will be announced on February 4th at ISE. Visit crestron.com/Europe-Integration-Awards to learn more.

ALL BRAND NAMES, PRODUCT NAMES, AND TRADEMARKS ARE THE PROPERTY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS. CERTAIN TRADEMARKS, REGISTERED TRADEMARKS, AND TRADE NAMES MAY BE USED IN THIS DOCUMENT TO REFER TO EITHER THE ENTITIES CLAIMING THE MARKS AND NAMES OR THEIR PRODUCTS. CRESTRON DISCLAIMS ANY PROPRIETARY INTEREST IN THE MARKS AND NAMES OF OTHERS. CRESTRON IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ERRORS IN TYPOGRAPHY OR PHOTOGRAPHY. ©2021 CRESTRON ELECTRONICS, INC.

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PRODUCTS

SNAP ONE LIGHTS UP ITS OFFERING

High performing, audio video connectivity delivered in plastic free packaging

USB-C Adaptors

Snap One has announced a new line of Control4 Contemporary Lighting faceplates and buttons to offer Partners a modern solution that integrates with the Control4 system.

According to Control4 Product Manager Jeff Thomas, the new line provides Control4 Partners more options to ensure premium aesthetics for all home designs and decor.

Available in 10 of ‘today’s most popular colours’ with clear, backlit engraving, Control4 Contemporary Lighting is designed to be easy for everyone to use, so family members and guests can enjoy the smart lighting experience. The design is suitable for smart home or business environments.

In addition to the new appearance, the new keypads, dimmers and switches also provide a more tactile response and improved longevity.

With the ability to schedule lights to turn on and off at specific times, link lights to events such as doors opening or surveillance camera motion detection, and create custom scenes for specific interior needs such as dimming to watch a movie, the Control4 system offers peace of mind and enhances home comfort.

The Control4 Contemporary Lighting line works with existing Control4 lighting for a fast and straight-forward system upgrade. Partners simply

remove the existing keypad buttons and faceplates and replace them with the Contemporary colour change kits and faceplates. Like Control4’s existing lighting products, Contemporary Lighting keypads also enable simple control of systems beyond lighting, including shades, security and music.

Snap One will continue to sell all existing lighting products, assuring Partners have solutions to maintain existing installations and provide users greater flexibility when designing new projects.

Snap One snapav.com

All new products feature Control4’s back-end dimming and switching technology employed in all third-gen in-wall switches, dimmers and keypads

IMPROVED SUPPORT FROM JBL SYNTHESIS JBL Synthesis is upping its game through 2021 and into 2022

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HARMAN Luxury Audio’s JBL Synthesis has announced new products and initiatives designed to enhance the performance and dealer focus of the brand.

The announcement includes HDMI upgrades for the brand’s existing surround processor and AVR to support 8K video; a forthcoming surround processor and AVR with integrated 8K HDMI capabilities; and a new lower-priced, dedicated subwoofer amplifier.

The HDMI 2.1 upgrade program for the existing SDP-55 surround processor and SDR-35 AV receiver will become available in December 2021 with global availability via HARMAN Luxury Audio’s network of authorised service centres. Pricing will be announced in November. The upgrade will replace the existing HDMI 2.0 video board with a new HDMI 2.1 video board that supports uncompressed 8K video on all inputs and outputs.

Two new models, the SDP-58 and SDR-38, will become available in the first quarter of 2022.

Both will include the HDMI 2.1 video board as a factory-installed component. All other features found in the SDP-55 and SDR-35 (including full 16-channel immersive audio support for Dolby ATMOS, DTS-X, and Auro 3D; Dirac Live; DANTE connectivity and IMAX Enhanced certification) will remain in the SDP-58 and SDR-38. Pricing will be announced closer to availability in the first quarter of 2022. The existing SDP-55 and SDR35 will stay in the range well into the calendar year 2022 due to their lower price points and ability to serve duty in systems that do not require 8K video capabilities.

Also new is the SDA-1700 subwoofer amplifier designed to work exclusively with the SSW-4 passive in-wall subwoofer module. The SDA-1700 is a two-space rack-mountable chassis with front-panel level control, rear-panel crossover, phase, single-band PEQ and module EQ controls.

Availability is slated for the first quarter of 2022, with pricing to be announced at that time.

The introduction of the new 8K HDMI-enabled electronics, the new subwoofer amplifier, and the recently expanded range of SCL in-wall and inceiling loudspeakers enables dealers to provide solutions across a broader range of projects while still maintaining the exceptionally high levels of performance for which JBL Synthesis is known.

JBL Synthesis jblsynthesis.com

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New Sivoia smart wood blinds track and adjust with the sun for optimum light control

HOME OF LUTRON Our developing partnership with Lutron means we can offer the most inspirational design possibilities, and with our Lutron specialist on hand, help you to create the ultimate in lighting luxury and sophistication for your customers.

Visit habitech.co.uk for further information or meet us at Basingstoke for the full Lutron experience. www.habitech.co.uk | 01256 638500 | sales@habitech.co.uk

The ONE team for Smart Installers.

To learn more about these brands or speak to our specialist team call 01256 378550 or email exertisone@exertis.co.uk