ISE 2023

NEBULA – THE ELEMENTAL LIGHTING PLANET

BARCELONA, SPAIN / 31 JAN – 3 FEB, 2023 EMEA

With a spectacular 2023 showing and back in its usual Jan/Feb position on the calendar, ISE has solidified itself as the premier trade show for the AV and systems integration industry.

Show organisers reported 58,107 unique visitors from 155 countries attending over the four days, with almost every exhibitor that the MONDO-DR team spoke to reporting busier-than-usual footfall on their stands. There were whispers among people at the show that organisers are considering a hall with darker ambient light to create a more demonstration-friendly space in order to attract more professional lighting companies – which is about the only thing missing from ISE’s resume currently. The audio demonstration rooms are an eight-minute walk from the end of the exhibition halls, which is a minor inconvenience for attendees wishing to see and hear as much as they can throughout their visit, but the number of leading audio manufacturers - including AED Group, Coda Audio, d&b audiotechnik, HOLOPLOT, Martin Audio, Pioneer PRO AUDIO and Void Acoustics –who showcased their latest capabilities indicated that they are set to be a fixture at the show going forward.

One of the first press calls of the week came on the Panasonic booth, where they recreated the visual exhibits seen at Frameless, the UK’s largest digital immersive art experience. Also in attendance were the team from HIVE Media Control, who provided the media servers across the Frameless venue, as they launched two new products – Player_3-Pro and Player_4-Pro – as well as demonstrating their technology working with Panasonic’s DLP projectors on the stand.

Digital Projection partnered with VIOSO to showcase the capabilities of its MLS System, with the new M-Vision 27000 shown ahead of its release later this year. VIOSO demonstrated its latest VIOSO 6 software, which offers automatic calibration of any kind of projection setup, including for domes, VR, simulators, and projection mapping projects. “ISE 2023 was back to its best,” said Mark Wadsworth, vice-president of global marketing, Digital Projection. “Although the overall unique attendance numbers are a way off the highs reached in Amsterdam, we felt that the quality of visitors was better than in previous years. This is perhaps due to the fact that Barcelona is more difficult to get to, so those who made the effort were there for business. Overall we were very happy with the show and look forward to an extended presence next year.” Analog Way presented its most powerful live presentation capabilities with three new features of the LivePremier platform – an 8-HDMI input card, IP-SDI input card and a LINK feature, which allows four units, no matter their size or type, to be interconnected for a unique larger device that can be controlled by a single Web RCS. Modulo Pi demonstrated the interactive capabilities of its Modulo Kinetic Version 5, the newest version of its flagship media server, which was highlighted in a demo at which visitors could control both the content on moveable LED screens and the positions of the screens themselves. Designed with user-friendliness and reliability at its core, Founder and CEO Yannick Kohn said: “While the demand for interactive experiences is significantly growing, their creation and implementation often seemed over-complicated and based on costly custom developments. Based on this observation, we’ve upgraded Modulo Kinetic with new features to provide a unified, yet versatile solution tailored for interactive experiences.”

Barco showcased its latest solutions across four zones on an expansive stand, including an immersive room and RigiFlex, a rollable rearprojection screen. The newest addition to Barco’s Pulse ecosystem is the Pulse App, which facilitates projection control from a remote position.

L-Acoustics announced visitor numbers to their booth in Hall 7 and the L-Acoustics Creations booth in Hall 2 were up 25% from last year, and their Soka colinear speaker – a dedicated installation loudspeaker – was a star attraction on their main stand.

Powersoft used ISE to announce UNICA, a cloud-based amplifier platform designed for fixed installs across a wide variety of markets which features Powersoft’s third generation amplification technology. Peavey Commercial Audio announced NAS Solutions as the new PCA distributor for Australia and New Zealand. Founded in 1998, NAS is a respected distributor and wholesaler of professional audio and visual brands across Australia and New Zealand.

1 SOUND made its international trade show debut at ISE, launching its new c8 coaxial loudspeaker in the process. “We were really proud to exhibit at our first ISE and to have had our global debut as a company,” said Julia Mannarino, Creative Director, 1 Sound. “After talking with many distributors and experiencing the excitement surrounding 1 SOUND, the expansion of the brand looks promising as we embark on developing our global distribution network.”

AtlasIED showcased a comprehensive range of systems at this year’s show and announced that they saw a boom in traffic on their stand after they moved halls for 2023. “ISE 2023 did not disappoint,” said Gina Sansivero, VP, Marketing and Corporate Communications, AtlasIED.

“In 2022, during rebooking, we looked at the structure of the Fira Barcelona, the makeup of the attendees, the anticipated growth in 2023, and our mix of technology solutions and decided to move from Hall 7 (audio hall) to Hall 3 (general technologies). That decision paid off, and we not only saw an increase of stand traffic, but a positive change in the quality of the leads captured. We are building our brand in EMEA and Europe specifically, and ISE allows us many opportunities to meet with individuals who will help us continue to grow in the region.”

Stage Precision made its first appearance at an international show and extensively showcased the capabilities of their core software tool, SP, which can orchestrate and control digital experiences, acting as the connection between all software components. This flagship software, now in Version 1.0, includes the new 3D LIDAR integration tool. This feature delivers an accurate depiction of moving objects in the sight of the sensor and identifies each person moving within the specified area. “Whether it is fixed installations, live events, or virtual productions - SP is the ‘glue’ in the middle for all media system devices,” said Michael Giegerich, Stage Precision Managing Director. Stage Precision also launched Space Composer, the first software product of its kind that can be tailored to AR applications and live graphics environments.

Fulcrum Acoustic showcased its newest passive cardioid technology, including the international debut of the CCX8 and CCX15 series compact loudspeakers, as well as the CS212L and CS218L subwoofers. digiLED introduced its power-saving ZEUS (Zero Energy Usage System). Recently installed at The O2 Arena in London, the company’s previous system used 130,000kWh of energy per annum just showing a black screen. Now with digiLED ZEUS this will reduce to zero.

Women In Lighting had a meet up on the stand of project supporter

Ayrton to connect and share information. ISE also featured WIL speaker, Rebeca Sanchez of LEDSCONTROL talking about her work.

After a one-year absence from ISE, Alcons Audio presented its ProRibbon Immersive Experience, which featured a Dolby Atmos 11.4.8 system, and by utilising the exact same transducer technologies throughout the system, a seamless immersive experience was obtained. On its booth, Alcons partnered with StormAudio for residential processing and TiMax for professional processing.

AV Stumpfl presented its new AnyShape projection screen system on their stand, which gives creators the ability to custom-design frame shapes for screens, and not rely on standard rectangular shapes, effectively revolutionising the way content designers can approach projection surfaces.

Equipson Group had a busy show, announcing that WORK PRO, the installation and pro audio division of the group, is to undergo a transformation this year with a redefined product range and image. Meanwhile LightShark unveiled LightShark CORE iO, a lighting console which is compatible with integration systems such as Crestron, AMX and Control 4 thanks to new GPIO ports and the implementation of RS-232 and RS-485 protocols.

Funktion-One launched a new generation of Compact Range speakers with enhancements in high frequency driver technology –advancements two years in the making.

CHAUVET Professional unveiled its new Ovation E-2 FC fixture, an LED

1415 ellipsoidal spotlight with an RGBAL engine and 25-50° zoom lens. CODA Audio teamed with pioneering electronic musician Jean-Michel Jarre to launch SPACE, with the Frenchman on hand at their demo room to play his latest work. SPACE by CODA integrates immersive 3D audio, a 4K projector screen, ambient lighting and advanced acoustical treatment with the art or projection of your choice into a united system solution to transform spaces with audio – a 70mm deep SPACE Panel. Installation amplifier brand APEX announced that it had been acquired by fellow Belgian professional audio business Community Europe S.A., with APEX Sales Director Alain Boone commenting: “With this additional support and investment through Community Europe S.A., I am confident we can continue to provide our partners and customers with world class products and service as the business levels up.”

1 The 1 Sound Team on their stand.

2 Members of the Adam Hall team on their stand.

3 Kai Tossing of Sennheiser.

4 Jane Eagleson and Adam Korsvik of Meyer Sound.

5 Katie Colledge and Colm Nicell of ARRI.

6 David Glaubke of HARMAN.

7 Alvaro Fontanals Salgado of DAS Audio.

8 Angela Ciociolo of Fulcrum Acoustic.

9 David Webster, CODA Audio.

10 The ADJ team on their stand.

11 Graham Hill of Elation Professional.

12 Members of the HIVE and Panasonic teams pictured with Simon Kentish, Frameless (right).

13 The Modulo Pi team on their stand.

14 Gina Sansivero of AtlasIED.

15 Steve Capling of Christie.

Adam Hall Integrated Systems debuted LD Systems’ QUESTRA software, a platform which allows for ease of planning, designing and managing a project, while Lightware celebrated 25 years of operation by highlighting its new security features across its range of products, such as isolated ethernet networks and data diode technology, which guarantee unidirectional signal data flow while maintaining the flexibility to design collaborative environments.

Hall Technologies took the first step in expanding its presence around the world with a first exhibit at ISE, and underlined its new business model in the process. Having been recently acquired by Gun Lake