Installation July 2015 Digital Edition

Issue 181 / July 2015

AV INTEGRATION IN A NETWORKED WORLD www.installation-international.com

What’s missing? p26 Completing the 4K picture Smart hearing p32

Personal devices for assistive listening

Evolving lessons p36

How professional development is changing

AISLES OF PLENTY Highlights from a record-breaking InfoComm show p20

MORE connectivity MORE flexibility MORE MEDIORNET

The new MEDIORNET MICRON

www.riedel.net

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WELCOME 03

www.installation-international.com

Subscriptions to Installation are free to qualified readers. Register online at www.installation-international.com/subscribe Circulation & subscription enquiries Tel: +44 (0)1580 883848 Email: installation.subscriptions@c-cms.com Installation is published 12 times a year by NewBay Media Europe, 1st Floor, Suncourt House, 18-26 Essex Road, London N1 8LR, England Editorial tel: +44 (0)20 7354 6002 Sales tel: +44 (0)20 7354 6000 Please send press material to ukpressreleases@nbmedia.com Editor: Paddy Baker pbaker@nbmedia.com

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Contributors: Gordon Dutch, Rob Lane, Ian McMurray, Steve Montgomery, Richard Northwood Special thanks: Beky Cann, David Davies, Sinead O’Connor

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Editor’s comment O

Online ISSN: 2052-2401

Cover image: InfoComm15, courtesy of InfoComm International

A sister title to SCN

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Paddy Baker, Editor pbaker@nbmedia.com @install8ion

ne of the more noticeable things on the showfloor at InfoComm last month was the number of stands displaying the Dante logo. The networking protocol has been a remarkable success, with increasing numbers of licensees and products announced at successive industry tradeshows. At the Audinate-organised AV Networking World conference, held in Orlando the day before InfoComm opened, I talked to CEO Lee Ellison about the past, present and future of Dante. You can read the interview on page 18.

Now, the media love a turf war, but perhaps we have been guilty of overplaying the Dante-versus-AVB line in recent years. After all, it’s not a fight in which there can be only one winner. And, as Ellison points out in the interview (echoing audio consultant Roland Hemming in our March issue), the real competition is not between different audio protocols, but between digital networks

‘The real competition is not between different audio protocols, but between digital networks and analogue connections’ and analogue connections. No one has quantified the penetration of audio networking: the best estimate seems to be between 1% and 3% of projects – an educated guess from Roland’s company, RH Consulting. (Roland sometimes hears this figure quoted back to him, so it’s gaining traction...)

It’s because of the lack of insight into so many aspects of the audio networking market that we have been co-operating with RH Consulting and Audinate over a major survey about attitudes to, and uptake of, audio networking. Many thanks to all of you who took part, by the way. We will bring you the results soon – watch this space.

Part of the reason that networking is currently little used is that it remains difficult to do – something that Roland’s colleague Richard Northwood discusses on page 14. One development that should make things easier is AES67, and it was good to see the Media Networking Alliance, which promotes this interoperability protocol, making its presence felt at InfoComm.

Meanwhile, AVB – which has now morphed into TSN (time-sensitive networking) – continues to make its presence felt, sometimes in unexpected ways. As Biamp’s Graeme Harrison pointed out to me at the show, AVB has always been about much more than pro audio, which is the protocol’s smallest target market. However, Biamp’s AVB connections have enabled the company to get close to Intel, and given it “a seat at the table of the Internet of Things”, as he put it. This has resulted in some of the audio company’s products being supported by the new Intel Unite unified communications solution (see InfoComm review, page 20). Unite is a development that could significantly disrupt the UC world, just as Dante has shaken up audio networking.

23/06/2015 16:51

04 CONTENTS

July 2015

News & Data 06 Analysis Strong outlook for edtech spend Location technology takes next step WiFi to take the load as mobile traffic data grows 10 Industry Moves 40 Regional Voices: United Kingdom

People 12 Opinion Rob Lane on the rise of collaboration Richard Northwood’s vision of a networked future Gordon Dutch on opportunities in outdoor displays 18 Interview Audinate’s Lee Ellison discusses the growth in Dante adoption and future plans for the networking technology

32

Features 26 4K The subject of much discussion and varying opinion, we find out where the market is really at 32 Assisted Listening The growth in smart devices is having a huge impact on the market 36 Professional Development How do course providers keep their programmes up to date and how is the market evolving?

Technology

45

45 New Products Including Microsoft, Sony, Sommer Cable, dnp, D3

48 Demo of the Month ZeeVee ZyPer4K

50 Showcase

Videoconferencing equipment

Solutions 52 Museum für Kommunication Berlin Creating a projection solution for a cramped space

54 Dorfman Theatre, London

Flexibility was crucial in this National Theatre revamp 56 Solutions in brief Including RCF in Estonia, d&b in Dubai, and Tripleplay at the Antwerp University Hospital

50

Also inside 20 InfoComm 2015 show review 24 We look back at the InstallAwards 2015 42 InstallFutures launches

04 Install181 Contents_Final.indd 1

24

52 23/06/2015 15:18

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6/10/2015 10:19:28 AM

06 ANALYSIS

July 2015

Strong outlook for edtech spend

By Steve Montgomery

T

EMEA - Shipments of education technology equipment 10 9 Number of devices (millions)

he global value of classroom technology hardware climbed by 16% to reach $14.9 billion in 2014 and is expected to increase further to reach $16.3 billion by 2019, representing a CAGR of 8.5%.

According to Futuresource Consulting’s Universe of K-12 Education Technology Spend 2015 report, classroom displays – which include interactive whiteboards, interactive flatpanels and standard and interactive projectors – are experiencing continued popularity. Sales are set to approach 8 million devices in 2019.

However mobile PCs – notebooks, Chromebooks, netbooks and tablets – are expected to decline slightly, and complementary devices, including visualisers, lectern panels, voice amplification and voting systems, will suffer a dramatic decline, falling to just a quarter of peak value experienced in 2012.

“The education sector is an exciting space and has a vast potential for vendors and services; 26.6 million mobile computers, including 11 million tablets, were purchased in 2014 along with more than 5 million classroom displays,” said Mike Fisher, associate director education technology at Futuresource Consulting.

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

2012

2013

2014

Complementary devices

www.futuresource-consulting.com

2015*

2016* Mobile PCs

2017*

2018*

2019*

Classroom displays

Source: ABI Research

* = forecast

Huge growth in large-format flatpanels in US

By Joanne Ruddock

06 Install181 Analysis_Final.indd 1

year-on-year growth of 50%, US professional flatpanel display sales which is a testament to the use Quarterly sell-through: IT and pro-AV distribution of digital signage networks in 60,000 small to medium-sized business +14% Y/Y 50,000 applications like quick-service restaurants, entertainment 40,000 venues and professional offices.

30,000 The trend in screen sizes 20,000 also continues to edge towards 10,000 larger screens. But in the 0 professional segment, smaller Q1 2014 Q2 2014 Q3 2014 Q4 2014 Q1 2015 screen sizes still dominated, Source: PMA Research with 40in-49in models taking over 50% of the unit volume share in March. levels. Even more significant, year-over-year “Manufacturers continue to sell the sales were up 46% and revenues were up 55% advantages of commercial-grade glass, the from April 2014. These are very encouraging longer warranties, covering 18- to 24-hour daily signs for the business.” n operation,” said PMA analyst Rosemary Abowd.

“We see additional growth in professional models www.pmaresearch.com in April with a 2% increase over March’s lofty Units

U

nit sales of large-format (32in and above) commercial grade flatpanels rose 14% in Q1 2015 over Q1 2014 in the US, according to the latest data from IT and pro-AV distributors in the country. Reports suggest that sales may have been even stronger had it not been for the harsh weather conditions and labour disputes in the West Coast ports impacting supply.

According to PMA Research, multiple market segments enjoyed strong gains during the quarter. Shipments of models designated for 24/7 use nearly doubled from last year’s Q1 due in part to their growing adoption for digital signage within airports, and for network operations centres.

Models with ultra-narrow bezels also saw strong growth as usage of sleek and eyecatching signage is becoming more popular in retail and advertising applications. Finally, use of media players with flatpanel displays saw strong

19/06/2015 11:22

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Available with WXGA or WUXGA resolution, the Barco laser phosphor projectors are not only compact and light, they can be rotated 360° and support portrait mode too. What’s more, they also come with five different lenses – featuring throw ratios from 0.75 to 5.5 – to fit any project.

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4/15/2015 3:33:52 PM

08 ANALYSIS

July 2015

Location technology takes next step

By Steve Montgomery

L

Worldwide Bluetooth Low Energy deployments 4,000,000 3,500,000 3,000,000 Number of units

ocation technology is now moving beyond GPS to hybrid technologies including WiFi, audio, Bluetooth, microelectromechanical systems (MEMs), LED and magnetic field, enabling technology and revenue evolution.

Customer mapping techniques, analytics and direct advertising opportunities are creating a new industry around location-based services which appeals to retail, stadiums, airports and other venues, according to Location Technologies Market Data, a recent report from ABI Research.

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is expected to become the predominant technology in the retail sector as applications in the home, personal tracking and corporate/ industrial sectors take hold, stimulating retail applications and driving take-up and familiarity.

“Beacons are rapidly spreading across retail and venue locations. QSR and convenience stores are two of the fastest-growing areas, with CAGRs of 85% and 47% respectively. We

2,500,000

Personal Tracking

2,000,000 Corporate/Industrial

1,500,000 1,000,000

Retail

500,000 0

2013

2014

2015*

2016*

Source: ABI Research expect some major chain-wide deployments over the next 12 months. Ultrasound is a vital and necessary companion technology given the limited reach of iBeacons and is forecast to be the second most deployed technology

* = forecast

in 2015,” commented ABI Research principal analyst Patrick Connolly.

www.abiresearch.com

Sharp’s UCCT delivers white point uniformity

By Duncan Proctor

S

harp has developed a proprietary Uniform Colour Calibration Technology (UCCT) that is designed to provides white point uniformity across displays.

It was first used on the PN-V551 55in videowall display, which debuted at this year’s

08 Install181 Analysis_Final.indd 1

ISE show in Amsterdam.

The technology corrects issues affecting LCD panels, such as brightness and colour uniformity varying within a display. This leads to the appearance of grey ‘Mura’ staining across areas of a display.

UCCT uses an XYZ camera to measure the white point across every screen from edge to centre, mapping the screen defects and calculating pixel by pixel all relevant chromatic, hue and luminance corrections required.

Sharp uses 3D pixel-topixel Mura correction and L*ab calibration methodology instead of gamma. While gamma calibration only models the RGB output of physical devices, the L*ab colour system uses a

3D colour model (with luminance as the third dimension) that takes into account human vision and colour perception; its luminance component closely matches human perception of light.

Corrections made are saved onto separate ‘look-up tables’, which are mathematical tables on board each display. This ensures displays have every trace of Mura removed and achieve a uniform white point consistency from the edge to the centre of a screen and between all displays in a videowall.

While Mura correction remains stable over time, the colours produced tend to drift as displays become exposed to prolonged thermal stress. This is where Sharp DIT software can be used to readjust colours and so maintain colour consistency. The one slight trade-off is that the colour recalibration reduces the brightness of the display, depending on the level of colour uniformity chosen.

www.sharp.eu

23/06/2015 15:20

ANALYSIS 09

www.installation-international.com

WiFi to take the load as mobile data traffic grows

By Joanne Ruddock

N

ew research has forecast that mobile data traffic, generated by smartphones, feature phones and tablets, will approach almost 197,000PB (petabytes) by 2019, equivalent to over 10 billion Blu-ray movies.

However, the research from Juniper Research found that only 41% of the data generated by these devices will be carried over cellular networks by 2019, with the majority of mobile data traffic offloaded to WiFi networks.

The research, Mobile Data Offload & Onload: Wi-Fi, Small Cell & Network Strategies 20152019, estimates that the average monthly data usage by smartphone and tablet users will double over the next four years. The daily media consumption by mobile users will continue to rise, bolstered by the rise in 4G adoption and factors such as HD video usage.

“Certainly, video is forming an ever-greater proportion of network traffic. For example, Juniper Research anticipates that video traffic over smartphones will increase by nearly eight

Mobile data growth drivers (YoY % growth) 2013-14 79%

Mobile Data Traffic Generated

87%

Smart Wireless & Wearable Device Base Tablet Installed Base

42%

Smartphone Installed Base

36%

Mobile Apps Accessed

35%

Mobile Subscribers (SIMs) 4% Population 1% 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Source: Juniper Research times between 2014 and 2019,” said research author Nitin Bhas.

Video currently accounts for around 60% of global IP traffic and, in some developed markets, this proportion is likely to exceed 70% in two to three years. In 2014, data traffic generated by smartphones, feature phones and tablets in the Far East and China exceeded that of North America for the first time.

Additionally, the research observed that WiFi

has now become an integral part of operators’ network strategy. WiFi is not just being used for data offload, but also to maintain call connection quality in challenging network topologies. For example, EE UK launched its WiFi calling feature on a selected number of handsets in April 2015.

www.juniperresearch.com

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19/06/2015 11:16

10 INDUSTRY MOVES

July 2015

n RCF

UK operation expands

n Amptown System Company

Dirk Schmerschneider

is now responsible for the newly created yachting/residential business area as key account manager at integrator ASC. The hire adds to ASC’s expertise in maritime projects and extends it to encompass a target group made up of exclusive private clients.

Personnel changes ‘will add new efficiencies and impetus to the company’s sales drive’

R

CF has announced a significant expansion of its UK operation. Central to the change is the appointment of industry stalwart Miles Brooke – who brings 20 years of experience in pro, commercial and consumer audio within the D&M Group.

Taking up the newly created position of regional sales manager (south) he will focus on installed sound/commercial audio and rental & touring customers, while Mick Butler will continue to represent RCF in the north of England and Scotland.

Prior to the formation of D&M, Brooke worked with Denon distributor Hayden Laboratories, a company he joined in 1994. “RCF’s diverse brand portfolio offers exciting challenges in market segments with which I am already familiar – and I look forward to increasing their market share,” he stated.

Brooke’s arrival will enable the long-serving Dean Davoile to step up to director of sales for RCF’s UK office. Davoile takes up the senior

www.amptown-system.com n Electrosonic

Gary McQueen and Douglas Walker

(L-R): Miles Brooke, Dean Davoile and Phil Price

www.electrosonic.com position as Phil Price, who originally set up the RCF UK operation 25 years ago, moves to a new role as RCF international sales (voice evacuation systems).

“RCF has made considerable investment in designing all new electronics that are fully certified to EN54 standards – which will particularly impact on the DXT 3000 and DXT 9000 digital evacuation systems,” Davoile said.

“I am relishing the opportunity to build on this momentum.”

www.rcf.it

www.audmax.hu www.symetrix.co Music Group has extended its network in the APAC region with the appointment of Alphatec Audio Video as distributor for Midas, Klark Teknik, Turbosound, Behringer and Bugera for India. www.alphatec.co.in www.music-group.com

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n Exterity

Travis Anderson

is now country manager Australia and New Zealand at Exterity.

Anderson will offer specialist support for existing customers and partners as well as helping to facilitate the company’s growth into Australasia, following the opening of its APAC office in Hong Kong in 2014.

www.exterity.com n Renkus-Heinz

David Schuster

New Partners Symetrix has announced a further strengthening of its presence in the eastern European market with the appointment of Budapest’s Audmax to serve as its distributor for Hungary. Established 10 years ago, Audmax represents brands including Allen & Heath, Audio-Technica, Avid, Genelec, Korg, Tascam and Vox.

have joined the service team based in the new Aberdeen regional office of Electrosonic. The new recruits, both with substantial oil and gas and AV industry experience, will enable Electrosonic to offer an enhanced service to local clients in and around the Aberdeen region.

Avolites has appointed Integrated Entertainment Solutions (IES) as its sole distributor for the Indian market. The company will undertake local marketing, training and support for Avolites’ Titan lighting control and Ai video control product ranges, in addition to sales for the Indian market. www.avolites.com www.iesolns.com Dubai-based Venuetech is now the official distributor for all Active Audio products in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. This is an important strategic move for the French manufacturer, as the region is seen as an important market for PA systems. www.activeaudio.fr www.venuetech.ae

has been appointed production manager at Renkus-Heinz.

A veteran in manufacturing and operations, Schuster has held high-level positions within a wide range of companies including General Dynamics, Pacific Scientific, Kaiser Electro-Precision and JWC Environmental.

www.renkus-heinz.com n Wyrestorm

Hal Truax

has bought his 30 years of AV industry experience to WyreStorm. In his new role as vice president of sales and marketing, Truax will be tasked with the strategic growth of the various channels in which WyreStorm has a presence, providing leadership and co-ordination of sales and marketing functions.

www.wyrestorm.com

23/06/2015 17:22

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6/10/2015 10:08:13 AM 10/06/2015 12:17 pm

12

OPINION: ON THE AGENDA

July 2015

Rob Lane

Collaboration is key Videoconferencing and communication are on the rise

D

emand for videoconferencing (VC) installations and their broader-remit, broader-tech siblings, ‘corporate collaboration suites’, has spiked considerably in the last couple of years as more companies demand sophisticated tech for their corporate HQs and satellite offices.

It’s easy to see why. A recent global study, commissioned by videoconferencing experts Polycom and conducted by Quocirca, found that more than 90% of those who regularly use video to collaborate are experiencing higher productivity, better teamwork, financial savings and reduced travel expenses. Over 80% directly link their fiscal savings to making faster business decisions and improving employee work/life balance.

Another recent survey from Redshift Research, again commissioned by Polycom, found that 56% of business leaders and managers expect video to be their preferred collaboration tool by 2016.

According to Tim Stone, Polycom VP marketing, EMEA, organisations are beginning to see beyond the traditional perceived benefits of collaboration solutions such as reduced travel costs, “which means the decision to implement video solutions is not just sitting with facilities or IT”.

Video meeting rooms (or VMRs) are becoming increasingly popular with companies, especially in ‘huddle rooms’ intended for smaller groups – four or fewer. Another major growth area is softwarebased video solutions, or video-as-a-service (VaaS), allowing users to collaborate via laptops, tablets and smartphones while on the move.

In addition, the popularity of flexible working continues to grow, in the UK especially, since the launch of the flexible working regulation in 2014.

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“What this means for corporates is that video becomes the lowest common denominator for any meeting whereas a few years ago it would have been an audio call,” explains Stone.

Of course, reduced costs are key too. Marc Coleman, sales director for Feltech, reckons that cost reduction has a big part to play in the broadening appeal of videoconferencing.

“Conferencing is becoming a nearly-free part of other platforms, which of course lowers cost per head. Given that conferencing tech adoption in the personal lives of employees is significantly further advanced, cost per head becomes the key factor for advancement in the corporate arena.”

He adds that a number of ‘impactors’ are affecting the VC market, with unified communication platforms and cloud-based services set to make a significant difference, alongside Skype for Business. “In addition, LED screens used internally in boardrooms and auditoriums are proving disruptive against traditional technologies. This is likely to increase significantly in the next two years,” he explains.

Another big influencer on the growth of VC is the holistic approach many companies are taking to the installation process, which in turn has helped expand videoconferencing into the more expansive corporate collaboration model.

AVMI (formally AVM Impact) devises solutions that help its clients to realise pre-designed and validated approaches. Its True Collaboration suite of solutions is the result of a programme of close working with experts in HR, ‘agile working’, office design and IT, together with major AV, VC and office furniture suppliers.

Similarly, Oblong’s Mezzanine corporate collaboration solution provides an effective

way to simultaneously engage multiple users – including those working remotely – with their own devices in a shared visual space.

This is good news for integrators and manufacturers, and it’s perhaps no surprise that a growing number of traditionally experiential installers are looking to employ a business model that is more focused on conferencing and corporate collaboration. Perhaps the best example is Engage Works, formerly Engage Production, which is looking to build on its successes integrating huge videowall installations with conferencing and data technology.

As Engage Works founder and CEO Steve Blyth explains: “Conferencing and collaboration represent a burgeoning market for integrators and we continue to see increased demand from huge, global corporations for complex, intelligent communication solutions. I don’t anticipate any slowdown in this sector, rather exponential growth over the next few years and beyond.”

Installers take note.

Rob Lane is founder/director of comms agency Bigger Boat PR and a tech journalist/columnist who prefers to VC with the camera switched off.

19/06/2015 11:39

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14 OPINION: ON THE AGENDA

July 2015

Richard Northwood The networked future

Audio networking is an under-used resource just waiting for adoption

I

was a very early adopter of audio networking, first using the technology in 1999. Speaking as someone who has been using it for over half my career, I find it strange that overall this technology is still only used on a minority of audio projects. If we discount the tiny, localised projects such as bars that may not need it, it seems that audio networking is only used on a small quantity of large projects; that leaves an awful lot of medium-sized projects. What is ironic is that many of these medium-sized projects probably have equipment installed that has networked audio ports of one flavour or another, but they are not being used.

The question I ask myself is why? But the answers are easy if you think about it.

One of the reasons why I am known in the industry is because I make systems work: when systems are large or complex, or when people have problems, I am there to make it happen. In many ways that part of my job shouldn’t exist anymore; the reason it does is because audio networking is still too difficult for most people.

We use audio networking because of the considerable advantages it offers – high-quality audio, interference-free signals, large channel counts, anywhere-to-anywhere signal patching and flexibility to expand and adapt relatively easily in the future.

For all the talk of standards and compatibility, audio networking still requires a great deal of thought and care. Even now I come across new issues all the time. We are still a long way from plug and play.

Manufacturers don’t seem to really think much about things beyond adding a network port to their products. The real on-site user experience needs

14 Install181 Opinion 2_Final.indd 1

far more work. We have long said that the industry doesn’t need more standards – it needs better software. I think that it is down to manufacturers to provide a lead here. We have rapidly become used to a world where software is free or costs next to nothing as it is funded by hardware or advertising sales. This makes it increasingly difficult for a third party to come in with some excellent ‘digital glue’ to make our life easier.

Another area is that of compatibility. I’ve used most of the audio networking protocols and they all have their advantages and disadvantages; but we’ve never been able to make them work together. When we carry out a project we have to decide at the beginning what protocol we will use and then we are stuck with that decision for a very long time. The only alternative has been to convert to an intermediate format such as analogue, AES3 or MADI and then convert to the other networked audio protocol you wish to use.

However, there is now AES67, which is not an audio protocol but an interoperability standard.

It allows some of the newer audio protocols to communicate with each other. Some data is lost,

but the key audio information can be transferred between different audio devices. This inevitably means I have more to learn, but it will be worth it as it will lead to more robust solutions for my clients, with greater longevity.

This opens up the possibility of having a much wider choice of products to choose from and more confidence that you can connect different systems together, both now and in the future.

This is still in its early days and the same issue of ease of implementation still applies.

To date I’m unaware of a true multi-protocol multi-manufacturer AES67 installation actually in the field. Who knows – we might be the first? If we are, we will report back on what was involved in taking that route and how successful it was. If you have already done this please let me know: I’d love to hear from you.

Richard Northwood is a consultant at RH Consulting. He was talking to Phil Ward.

www.rhconsulting.eu

23/06/2015 15:34

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6/8/2015 11:14:20 AM 12/03/2015 17:19

16 OPINION: ON THE AGENDA

July 2015

Gordon Dutch Opportunities in outdoor

All-weather displays conquer the elements as barriers to outdoor deployment are overcome

F

rom the beginning, a major barrier to outdoor display integration has been the inability to use a conventional flatpanel display anywhere outside a climatecontrolled environment. Not only do they lack the ability to survive extreme temperatures but they are unable to withstand rain, humidity, snow, dirt, insects or anything else nature might throw at it.

Bulky and expensive sealed metal enclosures were subsequently introduced but, as these needed additional heaters and aircon units, they were difficult to install and maintain and they suffered from condensation issues. Placing a display behind enclosure glass also impacted picture quality, enabling clear viewing only when standing directly in front of the screen.

Aesthetics, size and weight were big drawbacks in an industry working towards thinner, lighter, brighter displays and the enclosures were generally too large for many locations.

Today’s outdoor enclosures have much improved since these early offerings, particularly in their ability to safeguard against the elements in any climate. Ingress protection ratings, vandalism protection and corrosion resistance have all increased, and some offer fan-cooled or heated options with thermostat-controlled fans to ensure sufficient air circulation and heat ventilation. Peerless-AV’s environmental enclosures are not only IP56 rated with climate control but they look neat and include universal display mounts that accommodate a variety of mounting patterns.

The choice of display for these enclosures is the responsibility of integration and OEM partners. To avoid any issues resulting from

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a display that performs inadequately in an enclosure exposed to direct sunlight, site surveys and careful installation planning are required to ensure the right technology is utilised in the best possible location.

Pushing the boundaries Enclosures still have their place but, most recently, the digital signage market has witnessed the emergence of a new generation of slim, sealed, all-weatherproof displays that are changing the face of outdoor AV integration by making all the traditional limitations a thing of the past. Peerless-AV is pioneering this technology trend with its range of fully sealed outdoor displays. Earning a coveted IP68 rating, these displays offer the highest particle and liquid protection in the industry, provide the widest operating temperature range and their NEMA 6 rating means they function without any issues under hose-directed water and temporary submersion. All this, combined with a ventless design, without filters or exhaust fans, means digital signage can now go anywhere.

A fundamental feature of these weatherproof displays is optical bonding, a process used in the manufacturing of outdoor displays that accomplishes multiple feats. Firstly, it reduces glare and reflection through the UV absorptive gel inserted between the protective glass and the screen. Secondly, optical bonding eliminates the air gap between the panel and the safety glass to prevent entry of moisture and formation of condensation. Thirdly, the technique essentially creates a level of sharpness and perceived brightness from a 700cd/sqm (nit) LCD compared to a 1,500-2000 nit high-

brightness panel but, most importantly, it does this without any extra investment or additional HVAC requirements necessary for the heat generated by these high-bright screens.

Outdoor displays are now completely viable for any business wishing to update and modernise the look of their establishment.

The placement opportunities are endless, but certain sectors such as amusement parks, zoos, train stations and quick-service restaurants are taking the lead. Stadiums and arenas, ski resorts, cruise liners, golf courses, marinas and restaurant patios are also showing great potential. But where next and what can be improved? Outdoor digital menu board kiosks are already available. Slimmer, thinner-bezel models and touch-enabled interactive capabilities are in production. The barriers are down. Plan for outdoor and reap the benefits.

Gordon Dutch is managing director of Peerless-AV Europe.

www.peerless-av.com

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18 INTERVIEW: LEE ELLISON, AUDINATE

July 2015

Making connections

Paddy Baker caught up with the Audinate CEO at the AV Networking World conference ahead of this year’s InfoComm show to discuss the origins of Audinate and what’s next for Dante networking technology Tell me about your career pre-Audinate.

My career really started back in 1980, and the days of the long-distance carriers when they first came in to compete against AT&T. I used to run the sales organisation for the mid-west for a company called Sprint. After that I went with a couple of other global carriers and then got into technology and into the voicemail processing business focused on the cellular market and infrastructure. I was then with a company called Glenayre, which was involved with processing voicemail systems as well as being the leading provider of radio paging infrastructure; I ran their global sales and international operations.

I left there and ran the worldwide sales and global operations for Tektronix, which is a leader in test and measurement equipment. There we did a lot with respect to IP systems for backbones and testing of equipment.

I then joined a company called Dilithium

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Networks, where I was their founding head of sales and marketing. One of the co-founders of Dilithium Networks is a gentleman named David Meyers, who is one of the co-founders of Audinate. I was with them for quite some time and then went back to Glenayre to be a general manager of one of their operations, probably after a six-year stint.

While I was doing that, David Meyers came down and said: “We’ve got this neat technology – it’s audio-over-IP for professional sound”. It had a lot of the characteristics that I felt we had at some past companies where we became a market leader. It had really bright people, they had a competitive market that they were involved in, yet the other companies in the field didn’t seem to have the market responsiveness, and it just seemed like all the ingredients were right to come back in, and take what was great technology and help productise it and get it to market.

It sounds like you saw the potential of Dante quite early on.

I saw the potential. Coming from the industries I came out of, they were primarily telecom.

Parts of them were very much involved in the IT aspect of things. And we used to deal with telecom people; we then saw this evolution that the telecom groups became IT focused. So for a company with a vision to lead the convergence of AV to IT – and doing what’s happened in the telecom world, where there used to be standard telecom systems, and now they’re really just voice-over-IP – it was obvious that if someone did it right and simplified the way that it was done, it could transform the industry.

So how does the reality of where you are today match with your expectations then?

When I joined, there were about 10 manufacturers who were licensees. We would

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www.installation-international.com

A brief biography

Lee Ellison n Lee Ellison has been CEO of Audinate since 2008 n Prior to this he had two stints at Glenayre as senior VP and senior VP marketing n He also spent time at Tektronix and Dilithium before founding strategic management consulting firm SustainOne in 2008 have anticipated, back then, that if we could get to 50 or 75 then that would be a pretty good job. Four years ago, it was just this eyeopening time when companies looked at different options for digital networking and we became the standard in many company’s products – and they were not trivial companies.

Yamaha adopted Dante as standard inside their new lines of mixers, and it became evident that they had put a lot of due diligence into technologies, and they had been known in the past to be very open and neutral in terms of which networking technologies they used. The fact that they were now relying on one more than another was an indication to the market that it was a changing moment.

When I joined the company, I remember the very first strategic off-site meeting we had: we really mapped out the signal chain and asked what kinds of products we needed to focus on to make a difference when it comes to networking, so that you could build products.

What’s really exciting now is that you can get Dante in virtually any category of products.

Does that mean that we have achieved the vision? No, we’re just scratching the surface, but we’re without question the market leader in this industry.

Newtek is exhibiting here at AVNW. Where is Dante and video currently?

Let me take a step back: our relationship with Newtek started when the major broadcasters were looking at when they distribute AV signals in their facilities, they also need to distribute high-quality audio into the system. Everybody knows that Microsoft Skype is becoming a part of many broadcasts, with either remote journalists, or call-in guests, and so it was very important for them to be able to take the feed that came in and distribute it throughout the facility. Since so many of these customers had been converting to Dante, they looked at our Dante virtual soundcard and asked how they could incorporate that into the Newtek product – so it was Newtek’s TalkShow Skype TX product that we were first integrated with.

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INTERVIEW: LEE ELLISON, AUDINATE In terms of video, that’s something we demonstrated five years ago at ISE using Dante.

Our initial focus has been in the audio market to become the market leader, but video is becoming a hot topic: we see that the market is starting to accept video over Cat5 cabling and we see that in our future.

How much further do you have to go in the audio realm?

Our big competitor is the way people used to do things, so the convergence of going from telecom to VoIP or 15 years ago is where we are at today with the AV to IT industry; our competitor is analogue and other point-to-point digital connectivity methods. We think it’s really important that people start to communicate more about how this makes your job easier, how this makes changes to a design system easier.

It’s not about this networking technology versus that networking technology. At the end of the day, the common message throughout this industry needs to shift from ‘Which protocol is the one to choose?’ to ‘What digital networking solution makes my job easier?’

“The common message throughout this industry needs to shift from ‘Which protocol is the one to choose?’ to ‘What digital networking solution makes my job easier?’”

AES67 has been mentioned today; how important do you see that being to Dante and the industry?

Dante is a complete solution that incorporates various transport technologies, but it incorporates a lot of value-added features on top of that. When we look at Dante, we don’t look at it as a protocol, we look at it as a solution that fits various form factors, including software that works on Macs and PCs. Dante Via is our latest innovation. AES67 is a kind of lowest common denominator, we look at it kind of like the plumbing in the building, if I can connect it all then I can get signals from point A to point B. What we like about it is that it uses some similar time synchronisation standards that we use today with Dante, it uses a Layer 3 approach which is IP, and we believe that’s the future.

When AES67 came about it didn’t take us long to say it was something we should incorporate underneath the hood as one of the transport vehicles for our technology.

We still feel that Dante has a much more encompassing solution, but it’s not Dante versus any other technology, those are just components that fit in the all-encompassing

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Dante solution. We think it opens up things.

There are certain markets where people like the concept of a standard, and rally around that. And this allows us to have an open system where people can get the best solutions.

We think of it as looking at the world like Cisco does. The reason everybody standardises wherever they can on a single platform is really the tools and the management suite of information they get from it. Dante gives you that complete suite, there will be situations where you want to extend beyond that – and the more people making products in the space, the bigger the market will be.

You mentioned Dante Via, which you trailed at InfoComm last year.

I think it’s fair to say it has slipped a bit in the development – is there any particular reason for that?

Dante Via is a solution that allows you to take any of your audio soundcards and a computer, and route them over a Dante network; so it could go to other Dante-enabled hardware, it could also go to another computer that has Dante Via on it.

A year ago at the show we demonstrated it and the user interface was Dante Controller; while that is the most widely adopted digital networking management controller, we also felt that as this opens up markets down to a broader horizontal market we wanted a different user interface. So we contracted with a firm that specialises in UX development, and really helped customise a brand new user interface – a drag-and-drop interface. We made the decision a year ago to really do this in a way that made it easy for a person in a day-to-day environment to utilise it, who may not have IT skills.

What can you tell me about the next steps for Audinate and Dante?

One of the things we always strive to do is get feedback from the market, in terms of what people want next. The feedback we get is that they want our products to go in a wide offering of cost-effective implementations. We released various versions of Ultimo over the last 12 months, we released a high-channel version with Dante HC, but now a lot of the end users are saying, ‘How can I improve some of the management capabilities that I have in it?’

One of the things we see as very important is the ability to distribute across wide area networks and multiple subnet domains. So we are working on things that allow you to build more scalable systems than you could do before, in an easier way.

www.audinate.com

23/06/2015 15:31

20 SHOW REVIEW: INFOCOMM15

What a scorcher

July 2015

InfoComm15 drew a record number of attendees – 39, 105

New products, new technologies, new alliances and new ownerships – InfoComm15 was a hotbed of activity. Paddy Baker reports from a week in the Orlando heat (and the air-conditioning)

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record number of AV industry professionals visited InfoComm 2015 last month at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

The final figure was 39,105, a 5.6% increase over the 2014 show, despite the latter having been held in Las Vegas, which has the reputation of being a bigger draw. While the number of exhibiting companies, 950, was almost identical to last year’s figure, they occupied a record amount of space – 515,000sqft (net).

Talking to exhibitors, though, a much more mixed picture emerged than the headline figure might suggest. One declared it had seen “spectacular” levels of traffic to their stands, while another had had “non-stop” visitors on day one; others, however, thought the show quieter than last year’s. Some thought there were more end-users than the last InfoComm show in Orlando, in 2013; some thought there were fewer. Some were impressed by the quality of the attendees and their product awareness, while one exhibitor felt that visitor numbers and quality were so low as to call into question the The opening keynote panel discussed the Internet of Things

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very viability of Orlando as an InfoComm venue.

What can’t be challenged is the sheer range of technologies covered by the show – either within the main showfloor, within special themed section or as part of the multifarious panel sessions, training courses and demo rooms that were on offer. And InfoComm15 showed it had its finger on the pulse by addressing many of the topics that are the subject of industry buzz.

Take the Internet of Things, for example. The InfoComm Keynote this year took the form of a panel discussion on the IoT: senior figures from Cisco, Crestron, Harman and Samsung gave their takes on topics such as the use of drones; using mobile devices to personalise corporate life; analysing and optimising the use of office spaces; IoT security and privacy concerns; and potential uses of Big Data.

Elsewhere, the rise and rise of the Dante protocol was evident both on and off the showfloor. Over 60 products that use Dante were announced at the show. Overall, the number of licensees has reached the 225 mark.

When one considers that just over a third of these (87) have products available today, it’s clear that there must a significant pipeline of products in development.

At Audinate’s AV Networking World event, which took place offsite the day before the InfoComm exhibition opened, RH Consulting’s Roland Hemming pointed out that more products using the Dante protocol have been released in the past six months than have been released for all other protocols in two-and-a-half years.

On the first day of the show, a major item of industry news broke: AMX had acquired SVSi, which manufactures networked AV and 4K over IP products. “This is a really big story for us,” Joe Andrulis, VP of global marketing at AMX, said.

“We’ve been keeping an eye on networked AV for some time, and looking at our options.” He declared himself “very impressed” with SVSi’s product portfolio: “This is a company that has really looked at AV/IT comprehensively,” he told us – citing its separate solutions for LAN, WAN and internet video, with differing amounts of compression and bandwidth requirements. The company’s products will be marketed under the AMX by Harman badge, with the SVSi name remaining as a sub-brand.

Biamp revealed a hook-up with Intel – specifically with that company’s new Unite unified comms solution. Announced a couple of weeks ahead of InfoComm, Intel Unite looks set to disrupt the UC space because it is deployed on inexpensive NUC (next unit of computing) miniPCs; the software element, which enables users to share files and display their screens on the main display, is available free of charge. “Some people call it ‘Apple TV for the enterprise’,” said Biamp’s Graeme Harrison. Biamp’s connection is that its TesiraFORTÉ family of digital audio processors connects via USB with Intel Unite.

A more modest alliance of companies, perhaps, was announced by audio company Eighteen Sound, which has assumed control of worldwide sales for Ciare, an manufacturer of high-quality speakers for B2B and consumer markets.

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22 SHOW REVIEW: INFOCOMM15

July 2015

Ten of the most notable product launches at InfoComm 2015 Atlona launched new lines of matrix switchers, including the AT-UHD-CLSO-824 for classrooms and conference rooms, as well as two additions to its UHD-PRO3 range.

The AT-UHD-CLSO-824 is an eight-input, twooutput 4K/UHD matrix switcher with mirrored HDMI and HDBaseT outputs for classrooms and conference rooms. Meanwhile, the AT-UHDPRO3-1616M 16 x 16 matrix and the 4 x 4 ATUHD-PRO3-44M are designed for use in multizone applications and home AV systems with distributed audio systems. They can handle 4K/UHD at 60Hz with PoE and HDCP 2.2 copy protection.

Atlona’s Garth Lobban shows the company’s new switchers

Analog Way’s NeXtage 08 seamless switcher is equipped with eight scalers, eight seamless inputs and two main outputs. It sports 28 input plugs: four HDMI, six DVI-D, two DisplayPort, eight 3G-SDI and eight Universal Analog. The device can handle any source from composite video, up to 2560 x 1600 (DVI Dual-Link available). It also outputs a variety of formats, including HD-TV and Computer format up to 2560 x 1600. 4K resolution I/O is available as an optional feature.

Biamp Systems unveiled the Oreno platform for conferencing environments. The Oreno User Interface, which runs within a web browser, extends control of Biamp Tesira and TesiraFORTÉ audio conferencing equipment to handheld devices.

Oreno Manager allows control to be passed to the end user. Deployed onsite on a Windows PC or virtual machine, it provides systems administration tools and network management

capabilities –allowing control to be passed to the end user. The Oreno Creator tool provides a simple UI builder, which uses drag-and-drop tools and pre-built templates.

Suited to standalone or multi-room conference settings, the Oreno suite allows participants to lock access to specific conference rooms during a meeting, place calls, and recall presets from web-enabled devices.

The latest release of Crestron Fusion is now available as a managed private cloud service, in addition to a traditional software download or pre-loaded on a rack server. Fusion Cloud Edition will appeal to smaller businesses that do not want to manage an on-premise solution.

Additionally, Fusion InSite provides interactive, real-time 360º 3D visualisation of entire buildings across the enterprise and the status of the individual spaces within them.

As part of its ‘year of installation’ in 2015, d&b audiotechnik introduced the 10D and 30D amplifiers, which are designed to drive permanent solutions. The 10D and 30D deliver 700W and 1,600W per channel respectively and share the same DSP platform and capabilities as the d&b D20 amplifier and the flagship D80. They incorporate two 16-band equalisers comprising parametric, notch, asymmetric and shelving filters along with up to 10s delay for each of the four channels.

Not quite a launch, but Leyard was displaying a prototype of the smallest-pitch LED we’ve ever seen – 0.935mm.

New from Matrox was its Mura IPX line of 4K capture and IP encode/decode PCI Express Jeff Singer of Crestron introduces new Fusion features

d&b CEO Amnon Harman at the company’s press conference

boards. These have been designed to work optimally with Mura MPX videowall capture and display boards or C-Series multi-display graphics cards. They are said to be ideal for applications involving high-density capture, encoding, streaming, recording, decoding, displaying and control.

OK, Microsoft Surface Hub was first seen at ISE, but it still made waves in Orlando. Read more on page 45.

QSC marked its move into the corporate AV market with the introduction of three new products or ranges. The Q-SYS Core 110f delivers networking integration via Q-LAN – see more on page 46.

The SPA Amplifier Series is aimed at corporate spaces using multiple speakers. The SPA2-60 offers two channels of Low-Z output into 4 or 8 ohms, but can be bridged to provide 70V or 100V output. The SPA4-60 is similar but offers more channels, enabling elegant solutions like a pair of stereo channels with a single 70V or 100V output, or a Sub/Sat combination. Finally, the TSC-7t PoE Tabletop Touchscreen can be used in any Q-SYS networked audio solution, including the Core 110f.

Tannoy’s AMS series loudspeakers comprises seven models ranging in three form factors from 5in to 8in, all with an IP65 rating, which is among the highest in the industry.

UUMW ICT driver versions are also available. The technical heart of AMS is Tannoy’s Omnimagnet technology and the Torus Ogive Waveguide device. Together these provide benefits such as more consistent and controlled directivity and improved HF response.

Overheard at InfoComm “Security in the technology is only as good as what you do as an organisation… We can no longer look at unified communications as a silo from a security perspective: the threats are coming from everywhere.”

Scott Cruikshank, Dimension Data

“For most of us in AV, the Internet of Things isn’t really a new concept… What’s really making it exciting today is the personalisation part… The exciting opportunity that we have is to use the mobile device to do something special and to personalise some place that’s not your home.”

Fred Bargetzi, Crestron

“I haven’t been to InfoComm for about 10 years – it’s great to see such a wide range of technology. Video displays are bigger, cleaner, crisper – really amazing. The InfoComm15 slogan – ‘Wow’ – certainly holds true for me.”

Janet Matey, Matrox

“I think this needs to be a wake-up call to the IT folks. The users have found [videoconferencing] technology, whether it’s from the millennials or from frustration with things they’ve been trying to do. If you don’t work with them, they’re going to do an end run around you. Simple as that.”

Carol Zelkin, IMCCA

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“One of the biggest next disruptors is what Microsoft’s released with the Surface Hub – integrating into the entire Lync environment, bringing collaboration, interactive whiteboarding and display all into one solution.

I think it’s got the potential to be incredibly disruptive and give us all an opportunity to progress towards workplace transformation.”

Tim Rich, AVI-SPL

www.infocommshow.org

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24 INSTALLAWARDS 2015

July 2015

Guests entered via the ISE-sponsored red carpet

And the winners are…

The second InstallAwards welcomed guests from across the industry to the Bloomsbury Ballroom in central London for an evening of dinner, drinks and celebration. Here is a selection of photos from the night

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he InstallAwards took place on Thursday 4 June and celebrated the work of manufacturers and integrators over the past 12 months. Following a successful debut last year, the InstallAwards returned bigger and better in a new venue with an even broader range of award categories.

Best Project and Star Product Awards were up for grabs in each of the six categories as well as one Teamwork Award spanning nominations from all the categories. In addition, the Lifetime Achievement and Grand Prix were announced in the lead-up and presented on the night.

Our thanks to the independent panel of judges, to all those who entered and made each award extremely competitive, to the sponsors for supporting the event, and for everyone who came along and made it such a great night.

The home team: Installation’s Duncan Proctor and Gurpreet Purewal flank NewBay Media Europe MD Mark Burton

www.installawards.com

Beky Cann of PeerlessAV and James Heron of Green Hippo

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Nick Fletcher and Alistair Ingram of Clearsphere with the Residential Best Product Award

The first award of the night went to Meyer Sound, which won the Best Project in the Audience Venues category.

Collecting the award was Roger Harpum (left) and John Pellowe

Paul Rivens accepted Riedel’s Star Product Award in the Audience Venue category for MediorNet, which was used aboard the Quantum of the Seas ship

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www.installation-international.com

Paul Bostock from Jaguar Land Rover (left) and Stuart Hetherington from Holovis were in attendance to receive the Corporate and Industrial Best Project Award

On stage to collect Panasonic’s Star Product Award in the Education category was PR manager Gareth Day

Neil Muir (left) and Adrian Livsey of Blynk Digital Media picked up the Best Project Award in the Retail, Transport and Public Space category

SiliconCore won the Star Product Award for its Peony 2.6 LED wall with anti moiré filter developed with integrator Display Systems. Collecting the award was from left to right: Steve Scorse (SiliconCore); Tommy Skoglun (Display Systems); Laila Hede Jensen (SiliconCore); Pål Atle Normann (Display Systems)

The Powersoft duo of Francesco Fanicchi (left) and Luca Giorgi collected the Hospitality Star Product Award for Powersoft’s M-Force technology

Crestron won the Residential Star Product Award for its TSW-1052 touchpanel; accepting the award was Petra van Meeuwen and Matt Buck

The Star Product Award in the Retail, Transport and Public Space category went to Absen for the use of the Absen LED AI03 panels on the Melissa’s store launch project. Liam Norris (PSCo), Adam Wilson (Intevi) and Steve Halliday (Absen), pictured left to right, represented the distributor, installer and manufacturer respectively.

The Best Project Award in the Education category went to CDEC; holding the award is managing director Toni Barnett

Andy Robinson and Matt Barton of 7thSense Design collected the hotly contested Team of the Year Award

Sponsors

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Emma Bigg of SSE Audio went home a winner for the Best Project Award in Hospitality

Paddy Baker presented Harman Professional with the Grand Prix Award, accepted by Dave McKinney (second from right) of Harman Professional with colleagues Karl Chapman of Studer Professional (far left) and Mike Walker of Martin Professional (far right)

For the final award of the evening, Mike Blackman (right), managing director of Red Carpet sponsor ISE, presented Greg Jeffreys of Paradigm AV with the Lifetime Achievement Award

Event partners

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26 BUSINESS FEATURE: 4K

July 2015

Limited availability of 4K sources is immaterial in applications where multiple high-resolution images need to be shown on a single screen, as here with Prysm’s Cascade collaboration solutions

An evolving truth 4K resolution is on its way; 4K resolution is here; 4K resolution is now dominant. The reality of the matter is somewhere between all of those. Ian McMurray talks to the industry to find out what’s really going on

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ome industry cynics claim that resolution is the primary weapon display manufacturers use to encourage us to buy new screens. Certainly, 3D didn’t do it for most of us. It’s a strategy that appears to work: according to Futuresource Consulting, we’ll be buying over 100 million 4K televisions per year by 2018. Economies of scale are already driving 4K pricing towards where 2K was only a year or so ago – so, inevitably, the AV industry has been sitting up and taking notice.

“Over the past year, we’ve seen a big change with manufacturers beginning to try to address 4K,” says Mark Armon, product manager at TV One. “In the past, no-one considered it a realistic want or need in the commercial AV space.”

Fast transition “As expected, the transition to 4K in the professional AV sector is very fast,” notes Jeff Hastings, CEO of BrightSign. “BrightSign has shipped over 20,000 4K players in seven months.

The industry has been able to move quickly as, unlike the consumer sector, it has control of the whole ecosystem – from content creation and

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distribution to presentation on the display.”

That’s bullish stuff. Chris Ault, reseller account manager at LG Electronics UK, is no less positive.

“The demand for 4K has significantly increased,” he says. “A lot of education has taken place throughout the industry to show people how to make 4K accessible as a whole integrated solution, rather than just one element like the display.”

“Almost everyone ‘wants’ it,” adds James Ross Heron, AViary business development director at Green Hippo, developer of the Hippotizer media server and AViary video tools, “particularly the clients who want to write ‘…and all in stunning 4K resolution’ on the press release. We live in a world where the public can hold a tablet retina display in front of them playing high-resolution content of a quality which was no more than an aspiration for even professionals a few years ago. People expect a certain standard now.”

“We’re seeing our customers across many verticals buying 4K,” declares Tim Messegee, who is vice president, marketing at Prysm, “for collaboration, visualisation, real-time business management, command and control, and for

Key Points n 4K is being widely embraced – by verticals that value the additional resolution, and more widely for reasons that are sometimes less obvious n The industry is divided on the readiness of 4K infrastructure – a function, often, of what it understands 4K to mean n The coming months will unquestionably see the industry rising to the challenge of deploying ‘true’ 4K n ‘In development’ accurately characterises the state of the 4K market – requiring those implementing it to be vigilant

venues where they want to make a strong visual impact such as lobbies and auditoriums.”

“It’s been no surprise that the number of displays featuring 4K resolution has increased,” says Brian Davies, AMX European technical director. “In fact, it is moving towards being a ‘no-cost’ option for many manufacturers in their professional ranges.”

So far, so good. It seems that everything in the 4K garden is rosy. But wait.

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FEATURE: 4K

www.installation-international.com

“Customers are demanding 4K/UHD for everything without understanding or considering whether they actually need it,” asserts Tim Brooksbank, chairman of Calibre. “The TV advertising by major Korean television brands has been so strong that nobody seems to consider the merits for or against: they just presume they must need it without considering what will actually be shown and how to get it to the display device.”

Doing the right thing?

He has an ally in Davies. “At least 90% of the people buying 4K now undoubtedly don’t need it,” he says, “but believe they are doing the right thing by installing 4K to be ‘future-proof’.

Unfortunately for these customers, when it comes to signal distribution technology, not all solutions available today provide this.

Technology-savvy customers are electing to hold off investing in 4K solutions until the market is able to demonstrate it can provide 2K flexibility in the distribution and switching of 4K60 signals.”

For current resolutions, “getting it to the display device” isn’t something anyone gives much thought to any more. 4K, it seems, presents challenges. Christopher Parker, senior product marketing manager, NEC Display

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Solutions Europe, takes up the story.

“The displays are basically there now,” he says, noting in particular the soon-to-be-launched PH1201QL projector which offers full 60Hz refresh at the native 4K resolution over quad SDI, “but the signal processing and connector chips have been more demanding in the development stages. This has introduced some unforeseen delays into the general 4K product

‘The majority of largeformat screens deployed in 2017 will be 4K’ Jeff Hastings, BrightSign

line-ups. We’ve seen some interim or stop-gap dual-chip solutions from competitors, that have offered a quick fix, but these dual-chip solutions tend to be expensive and not so easy in the video signal handling or source configuration.”

“DisplayPort version 1.2 is also now established and offers very straightforward handling of 4K

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signals at 60Hz,” he continues. “However, the HDMI connector with version 2.0 has had to play catch-up, and chipsets are only now just starting to ship to display manufacturers.”

“Nonetheless,” he concludes, “the 4K infrastructure is falling into place, and is quickly becoming an established and mature portion of the market.”

HDMI 1.4 is limited to 8-bit colour at 30 frames per second with its 10.2Gb/s bandwidth. HDMI 2.0 will provide the 18Gb/s bandwidth required for 12-bit colour at 60 frames per second, and DisplayPort 1.2 will handle up to 21.6 Gb/s in its full four-lane implementation (and the DisplayPort 1.3 specification sees that increase to 32.4Gb/s) – at which point, distribution/ cabling becomes the challenge.

“At this time, the infrastructure is still very limited,” says David Close, products and applications manager, EMEA at Digital Projection.

“There is some capability for cabling and for high-end media servers and image generators.

These are fine for specific applications such as visitor attractions and visualisation centres, but for general users such as corporate and lecture theatre who need to present various sources and need switching and so on, this aspect of the infrastructure is only just emerging.”

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28 BUSINESS FEATURE: 4K Shock Armon sees similar challenges. “Along with trying to offer 4K has come the reality and the shock of how difficult and expensive it will be to accomplish,” he says. “So, instead of ‘4K’, you’re being offered UltraHD – 4K30”.

And there’s the rub. Not all 4K is created equal (see boxout, page 30). But if there is a certain amount of disquiet about the extent to which ‘true’ 4K – or UltraHD – can be implemented, that’s not to say there isn’t progress.

“The appearance of DisplayPort 1.2 support in more display devices has changed things substantially,” believes Heron. “This time last year, we were experiencing a lot of pro-AV equipment accepting 4K via four HDMI ports – which was less than ideal. The ability to daisychain multiple monitors together is a promising development too, especially with the limited cable distance that still exists with 4K over DisplayPort. This is of benefit in the installation market.”

And there’s even better news at Crestron, according to the company’s product manager for DigitalMedia, Justin Kennington. “At Crestron, the full 4K infrastructure is already in place – transmitters, receivers, input/output cards, matrix switchers, scalers and cables,” he avers. “Crestron already offers end-to-end 4K distribution systems. We’ve also announced the first and only 4K/60Hz scaler on the market, capable of upscaling to 4K at 60Hz or

downscaling from 4K to 2K at 60Hz. We needed to develop our own scaler chip in order to have this capability. We fully expect to remain ahead of our competition for years with this technology.”

Crestron may face competition from Calibre sooner than Kennington thinks, however.

“There’s a general lack of technology at present for us pro-AV manufacturers to base 4K products on,” says Brooksbank, “and what there is tends to be limited in its capabilities or severely compromised. That’s why we’ve developed our own 4K technology from the ground up rather than relying on third-party video processing ASICs as we used to do for HD. Calibre’s HQUltra 4K video processing is one such technology, with initial products launched at InfoComm this June.”

AptoVision has also developed its BlueRiver NT chipset to address the bandwidth issues presented by ‘full’ 4K. Given, then, that opinions differ as to the state of the art, what advice does the industry have to offer?

No crystal ball “It’s all a question of selecting the correct infrastructure and ensuring that, wherever possible, what is purchased today will be able to be ‘upgraded’ to support the signal formats of tomorrow,” according to AMX’s Davies. “While I don’t have a crystal ball, I would recommend that in terms of infrastructure, any location that is likely to need 4K signals distributed to

Case Study

4K Prysm wall helps skyscraper builder achieve $650 million sales In May, Prysm announced the installation of one of its 4K Olympic videowalls at Millennium Tower, a luxury high-rise residential skyscraper currently under construction in Boston, Massachusetts. When complete, Millennium Tower will be 1.1 million square feet, including over 250,000sqft for retail use. Installed to enhance the sales centre, the 13ft wide x 8ft high (104sqft) digital display – based on the company’s LPD (laser phosphor display) technology – tells the story of the new building and takes buyers on a virtual tour of their residence with interactive floorplans and 360º skyline views from the selected condominium. The videowall has helped Millennium Partners reach a milestone of $650 million in sales for Millennium Tower Boston in only four months.

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July 2015

NEC’s soon-to-be-launched PH1201QL projector offers full 60Hz refresh at the native 4K resolution over quad SDI

it should be served by two Cat6a and two fibre paths. The minimal additional costs of providing this physical wiring during the initial install will offer the maximum flexibility moving forward.”

“Secondly,” he goes on, “the selection of a modular switching solution with inherent bandwidth capabilities that support 4K60 4:4:4 and higher, such as the AMX Enova DGX6400 Digital Media Matrix, mean that, while elements of the distribution solution may need to be replaced in future as new signal formats become available, there should be no need to write off the total investment.”

“The fact is that no other cable can provide true 4K other than fibre,” claims Armon. “4K30 and possibly 4K60 (4:2:0) can be squeezed down a Cat6 cable for a hundred metres, but when it comes time to fire up your 4K60 (4:4:4) system, you will need to pull cable. If an integrator or consultant is truly mindful of the future and of their customer, they have to be using fibre on every new installation. Even if their customer has no interest in any type of 4K today, this small change to an infrastructure actually future-proofs a building. Nobody wants to hear that they need a construction budget when they just want to upgrade their AV system. And, to be honest, IT has been pulling fibre for years.”

“To protect their investment, integrators and users need to be sure that every component that they buy supports H.265 encoded 4K content at 60fps and 10-bit colour depth and HDMI 2.0,” adds BrightSign’s Hastings.

“But,” he continues,” the standards are continuing to evolve. There is an update to the HDMI 2.0 standard, HDMI 2.0a, which allows for 10-bit high dynamic range (HDR) content to be used over the HDMI 2.0 link. This will be a software upgrade for devices that already support HDMI 2.0 at 10 bits.”

As Hastings points out, it is a fluid situation – which makes the advice of Digital Projection’s Close particularly noteworthy.

“The best thing anyone can do with any change is to keep an open ear and eye on

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30 BUSINESS FEATURE: 4K developments in interfacing technologies such as cabling, connectors, copper, fibre, dedicated video, IT and so on,” he says. “It is the development here that often forces users to replace equipment in order to access new formats.”

Past the tipping point The obvious question becomes: when will we reach the point at which 4K will fully supersede 2K? “In commercial applications, we’ve already passed the tipping point where 4K is the mainstream solution,” believes Prysm’s Messegee. “That won’t be because of 4K content, but because of the real estate 4K provides for collaboration and other applications.

There are complete 4K solutions available now, but there will always be continued improvements in the capabilities of 4K-enabled solutions.”

“That’s a really tough question,” answers Armon. “I’d say it would likely be five years.

But that said: as soon as we finish with 4K, 8K or 12K will be shown at the next Consumer Electronics Show. But,” he laughs, “if you pulled fibre, it won’t matter.”

Crestron’s Kennington agrees on the timescale. “Everyone is utilising 4K because, with Crestron, 2K and 4K are the same price. As the technology progresses, 4K will be the only solution. It offers higher resolution and bandwidth over 2K – so why wouldn’t someone buy 4K?” he asks. “We expect 4K to completely take over any legacy 2K products within five years.”

‘At this time, the infrastructure is still very limited’ David Close, Digital Projection

“Economics will drive the pace of transition,” replies Hastings. “The screens are already proving very popular within the consumer market, which is driving screen manufacturers to switch their commercial production to the new standard. HD screens will become more and more difficult to find. While it will be some time before the huge installed base of HD and even SD screens disappears, I believe most new installations will be specified as 4K within a year or so. In other words, the majority of largeformat screens deployed in 2017 will be 4K.” “In the projector world, the latest laser light sources are providing a wide colour gamut

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July 2015

On colour space The discussion in the industry about 4K and UltraHD isn’t about the minuscule difference in the number of pixels – it’s about how the 4K specification calls for 12-bit, 4:4:4 colour, while most current UltraHD implementations offer a much smaller colour space, and at only 30, rather than 60, frames per second.

Calibre’s Tim Brooksbank (pictured) gives his view on why colour space matters – or doesn’t.

“There are differing opinions on whether current 4K with 4:2:0 colour space really is 4K,” he says.

“My view is that this depends on the application. For video signals, use of 4:2:0 is completely acceptable, not least because virtually all 4K video nowadays has been compressed with an H.264 or H.265 codec which will have used 4:2:0 colour space anyway – so the underlying content has 4:2:0 colour space. Also, this closely matches human vision – so it looks good to viewers. Where 4:2:0 is a problem is with computer graphics which have unnatural hard-edged solid colours and single-pixel wide saturated coloured lines. This needs 4:4:4 colour space – so either a higher bandwidth 4:4:4 solution is required, or a lower frame rate can be used to get 4:4:4 connectivity.

For most computer applications, a lower frame rate is fine as the graphics re-draw rate is typically low anyway; the only situations where this is an issue is with high speed graphics – for example, fast jet simulators or high-end computer gaming.” that essentially meets most of the Rec. 2020 requirement,” claims NEC’s Parker. “On the monitor side, there is still more research and development needed, but it is hoped that backlight quantum dot technology will be the key to reaching Rec. 2020 compliance. In effect, 100% compliance with all aspects of the Rec. 2020 standard will mark the point at which 4K can be considered ‘complete’.”

LG’s Ault is cautious, however. “4K might never completely take over if the needs from different market sectors don’t require it,” he says. “People are confident with what they know, so if a solution isn’t broken, they are unlikely to want to fix it.

“The consumer market is always a good indication of how quickly trends that we are accustomed to in the industry will become mainstream,” he continues. “Major TV stations are still not broadcasting in 2K, let alone 4K, so the wider market is still not fully aware of the differences.”

Messegee injects a note of realism. “I think customers are best served by making investments that will benefit their businesses today,” he judges. “It’s the nature of technology that it is always evolving and there is never a final destination. Our solutions are highly adaptable, they can start making an impact in our customers’ businesses now, and can scale and help future-proof their investments for new developments in technology.”

Confusion There can be little doubt, given the widely divergent views in the industry, that the state of 4K is a confusing one. Some claim that the

infrastructure is all in place – others, that there remain significant holes. Some see markets such as rental/staging and retail moving to adopt 4K rapidly – others, that they are resisting it.

The situation isn’t made clearer by confusion about terminology. 4K and UHD/UltraHD are used, in many cases, interchangeably – and the waters are muddied still further by the fact that ‘true’ 4K (or UltraHD) is in a state of transition as it migrates towards 60Hz refresh and a 4:4:4 colour space. And, as many note, ‘true’ 4K will create its own set of challenges given the enormous bandwidth it will require.

The conclusion has to be that the 4K market remains something of a minefield for the unwary.

Development of the supporting infrastructure is proceeding at a rapid pace, meaning that it’s vital that integrators and end users stay abreast of rapid changes. Technology dead-ends are a real threat: this year’s installations need to have a clear view of where the world will be in five years’ time, and to be planned accordingly.

But then: perhaps it were ever thus. As Green Hippo’s James Ross Heron sagely points out: “4K will be almost complete when the industry is halfway into 8K,” he smiles. “Welcome to the world of AV.”

www.amx.com www.brightsign.biz www.calibreuk.com www.crestron.com www.digitalprojection.co.uk www.green-hippo.com www.lg.com/uk www.nec-display-solutions.com www.prysm.com www.tvone.com

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32 TECHNOLOGY FEATURE: ASSISTIVE LISTENING

July 2015

Sennheiser’s MobileConnect provides inclusive technology for Hamburg Theatres

All inclusive The growth in smart devices is helping to deliver more personalised experiences for people with hearing impairments. Steve Montgomery investigates the development of these systems and the benefits they offer

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asic assistive listening devices were originally designed to operate in churches around 50 years ago. With the advancement of hearing loop, infrared and FM radio technologies, this equipment now supports just about any situation where sound is amplified and delivered to hearing aids. Assistive listening devices are now mandatory in many countries in Europe and the US and are a legal requirement wherever sound is an important constituent: in classrooms, lecture halls, courtrooms, legislative chambers, auditoriums, theatres and sports stadiums. They can be found in transport waiting areas and on platforms as well as onboard trains, buses and taxis and in many retail locations.

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Smart devices, and in particular smartphones, are now being used more frequently to deliver personalised assistive listening services to users with hearing impairments. Apple, for example, has released the Made for iPhone hearing aid that connects via Bluetooth to an iPhone, while some large hearing aid manufacturers have also released solutions that work in conjunction with personal devices. However smartphone manufacturers are unlikely to build the technology directly into their products as components to receive FM, infrared or hearing loop signals would increase the costs disproportionately, considering the number of users who would take advantage of it.

Smartphone apps are also emerging that

Key Points n An EU directive requires member states to adopt legislation to prevent disability discrimination, and mandates accessibility solutions are provided wherever it is reasonable n Smartphone apps, combined with WiFi audio streams at venues, can supplement the primary system to users’ own devices n These systems offer new opportunities for audio channel delivery to other applications for other users n The falling cost of personal device technology is likely to bring about the use of direct systems as the primary assistive listening system in the future

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www.installation-international.com

enable users to access dedicated audio streams in a venue, without requiring hearing aids and without the associated transmission equipment.

This is particularly beneficial to users of hearing aids that are not equipped with loop receivers, who would otherwise need to identify themselves and borrow in-house loop receivers: doing this is often perceived as unsanitary and is the reason that assistive listening devices are unused in many venues.

App advantages Such apps have other advantages, as Alistair Knight, marketing and communications manager at Ampetronic, explains: “Smartphones and apps also offer the potential to digitally tune or control the received audio signal to suit an individual’s particular requirements, such as amplification of specific frequency bands, in the same way as people might alter their home sound systems with equalisers or DSP presets.”

This is a boon to users. However Knight points out: “There is a problem that has yet to be addressed, which lies in the technology used to broadcast the signal. Wireless and Bluetooth technologies currently have a limit to how many users can connect at once and both are proprietary, requiring that the smartphone is paired or otherwise connected to a service in order to use it. This is fine if the number of

Each barrel in the barrel ride interactive tour at Edinburgh’s Scotch Whisky Experience features a multichannel audio system, augmented by sound from within the scenic elements of the ride

FEATURE: ASSISTIVE LISTENING 33 people using the service is limited and they are tech-savvy enough to understand how to connect to the service. But hearing loss is most prevalent in the 50-plus age bracket and a user may not have a smartphone or the technical skills to connect to WiFi networks or Bluetooth.

While there are Bluetooth-enabled hearing aids on the market they are hindered by the fact that Bluetooth drastically reduces the life of the hearing aid battery.”

Hayley Heaton, creative content specialist at Listen Technologies, also points out: “There are some smart device applications that use a WiFi signal to broadcast sound to users but these systems are not compliant with legislative requirements for assistive listening. The technology hasn’t been developed sufficiently and at this point doesn’t offer the same kind of sound quality as other types of assistive listening devices. For someone with hearing loss, sound quality is critical.”

Sennheiser’s CinemaConnect solution is a new type of product that enables people with visual and hearing impairment to enjoy the cinema. It is attractive to other types of venue, such as stadiums and museums, and has the potential to deliver audio channels to people without hearing impairment.

“An app is downloaded once at the venue which then provides the cinema soundtrack or an audio description to the user’s headset,”

Williams Sound’s Hearing Hotspot app

explains Senthilkumar Vellaichamy, product manager at Sennheiser. “CinemaConnect has been developed in conjunction with specialists who design aids for people with visual and hearing impairments. It has extremely low latency to provide accurate lip-sync and users don’t need to prepare before arrival. The control unit filters the film soundtrack in real time to the reduce music level compared to speech to make it more audible. In the future it will be able to provide different language soundtracks and subtitles. There is great potential for this system to provide audio streams for other applications.” Potential problems with powerdrained smartphones can be met simply by a stock of loan low-cost power-banks at the venue, he says.

The use of personal devices by clients is welcomed by cinemas and other establishments, as it removes the need to provide expensive hearing loop receivers along with the tasks of charging and cleaning them after use and ensuring that sufficient devices are always available. It also provides inclusion for users, allowing them to participate better in community and live events allowing the venue to deliver a better event to all.

Wide appeal These types of devices have application in a much wider range of market segments. Listen Technologies has recently released a personal listening system aimed at fitness centres, sports bars, airports and waiting rooms that can simultaneously stream up to 20 different audio programmes directly to hundreds of smartphones and tablets over a dedicated WiFi network.

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34 FEATURE: ASSISTIVE LISTENING Williams Sound’s Hearing Hotspot provides up to 56 digital audio channels over WiFi to smart devices. The system is aimed at sporting venues, hospitality, casinos, healthcare and transportation locations, allowing customers to listen to TV, live and recorded music sources, live commentary and digital signage content.

Williams Sound main dealer CUK Audio has

recently introduced it in the UK. “It is ideal as an auxiliary to the primary assistive listening system but not as a replacement, as there is a legal requirement for venues to provide loan devices,” believes Stuart Cunningham, CUK general manager.

“Smartphones are currently far more expensive than loop receivers and less

Cinemagoers can enjoy movies with audio description and hearing support on their own smartphone with CimemaConnect from Sennheiser

July 2015

attractive to the site manager. However that is likely to change as smartphone and tablet prices fall and venues can provide sufficient stock economically. It has application beyond assistive listening. For example we are working with a university that is currently installing the system in a laboratory to deliver the audio channels for teaching videos to students at their benches.

The lecturer can add his comments over the stream as the students work.”

Cunningham predicts that there is a bright future for personalised audio delivery: “Not only are audio-to-smartphone systems enhancing the quality and capability of assistive listening applications, the latency is now low enough to appeal to general users in multi-stream environments. The sound quality is also improving at such a rate that we will be able to deliver better-than-CD sound. I believe that these two aspects will open the market dramatically.”

www.ampetronic.com www.cie-ltd.co.uk www.cuk-audio.com www.listentech.com www.sennheiser.com www.williamssound.com

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Learn more about Crestron Certified Design by visiting crestron.eu/ccd

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. Š2015 Crestron EMEA

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36 BUSINESS FEATURE: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

July 2015

CEDIA has now established a core curriculum of courses that are scheduled throughout the year

Learning curve Professional development courses have been a mainstay of the industry for some time. But how do the main providers keep their programmes up to date, and what’s changing in the way they are disseminated? Paddy Baker finds out

A

s the two main trade associations in the audiovisual installation industry, InfoComm International and CEDIA offer a wide range of courses and qualifications. Even if you haven’t availed yourself of any of these recently, it’s hard not to be aware of them, particularly at key tradeshows such as ISE and InfoComm.

Talking to both associations, it’s clear that a major factor driving the development of their educational programmes is increasing their reach – although each association has a different set of priorities and tactics for achieving this.

Pam Taggart, director of international education at InfoComm, highlights three recent changes that, taken together, have constituted “a big sea change for us in how we’ve done training”.

First, she points to a big push towards providing training in multiple languages: “We have solid programmes in English, Spanish, Portuguese and German – and that’s a change from even two years ago.”

Second, InfoComm has made “a major investment in learning content management systems, so we can put out with more courses more quickly, responding as technology changes and knowledge needs change”.

Third, making course pricing more affordable in countries with a less developed AV market has paid dividends, she says: “We’ve had a really successful programme in India for the

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past year or so – working in partnership with manufacturers, who are subsidising some of the cost, we’ve gone to a different pricing scheme, charging appropriate prices to the region. That has led to extremely full classes.”

Simon Buddle, education director at CEDIA

‘While onsite training will never go away, we’ll see a lot more video training, particularly in the developing world on mobile devices’ Bill Thomas, InfoComm

EMEA, points to three different steps that his association has taken to extend the reach of its professional development programmes.

The first has been establishing a core curriculum of courses that are scheduled throughout the year. “In years gone by it was more reactive,” he explains, “responding to what people say they want. Now we have a curriculum – pitched at all sorts of levels – set in stone throughout the year, which gives people the security of knowing that those courses are there

Key Points n Increasing the reach of training programmes is key for providers n Providing content in multiple languages and across more territories is increasingly expected n The popularity of online training courses is growing as content becomes more interactive and engaging and they can get on them.”

The result, he says, has been a rise over the past 12 months in the number of people taking courses at CEDIA’s St Neots HQ. The second change has been to provide training at other training establishments.

“One key bottleneck is the number of trainers available to deliver our content – so we’re going out to companies that can offer training for themselves, and using their classrooms and training their instructors to deliver CEDIA training,” he continues. “This has been a huge success during trials over the past nine months.”

And then there’s an increasing amount of online training provision – primarily from CEDIA in the US. “As people become busier, it’s another opportunity for them to take training without making the commitment to travel anywhere.

They are between one- and three-hour courses, and of course you can pause them and return to them a day or so later.”

Bill Thomas, education programs director at InfoComm, sees similar benefits: “The nice thing about online training is the reach. Everyone’s busy in their jobs, and particularly with people lower down in the organisation, their company may not be ready to invest in them travelling to an on-site class.

“For instance, with installation training, we have a really robust set of three online courses that cover pretty much the same territory as a

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38 FEATURE: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT three-day class, but you can take them at your own pace, your own motivation level.

“We’re finding more ways to make online learning more interactive and engaging. We’re trying to make it an immersive environment where there are challenges that learners have to keep meeting: small chunks of video, tests and simulations. These sorts of thing are important to raise the uptake of online learning among people who aren’t visual learners.”

Taggart points out that producing an online installation course not only removes the venue and instructorcosts , but also the costs of obtaining and transporting the equipment to be worked on. “Animations have improved in recent years, and we’ve been able to incorporate them into our online training. That’s enabled us to train a lot more people in an interactive way without incurring that cost of gear, which would have to be passed on to the learners.”

Tech trends Of course, keeping the content of training courses up to date with the latest technological changes is an important requirement.

Within CEDIA, says Buddle, there are “visionaries” tasked with tracking the tech trends through contacts within universities,

July 2015

The manufacturer’s view Manufacturer-provided training is an important part of the picture in the installation industry, and one of the most prolific providers is Extron: the company offers 13 courses – including online training, certification courses, and instructor-led training – and has trained nearly 10,000 customers worldwide over the past year and a half.

“Education and training are the cornerstones of Extron’s commitment to our customers,” says Rainer Stiehl, vice president of marketing (pictured). “We strive to provide educational programmes that enable students to investigate, research and participate in active learning. Our training is not a sales pitch: while we may use Extron technology to show attendees how to solve problems, our main focus is helping the industry gain new skills and get up to speed on developments in the industry. In contrast, our certification courses – including Extron Control Associate, Extron Control Specialist, XTP Systems Engineer and XTP Systems Technician – are focused on Extron products.”

Like InfoComm and CEDIA, Extron has also been working to extend the reach of its education efforts. “In the last four years, Extron has added 25 training and education centres around the world,” he says. “This has given us the opportunity to expand training, add more classes and make it more accessible for our customers to attend a session.”

Looking five years ahead, Stiehl believes that staying on top of technology trends is vital to remain competitive. “As we have in the past, we will continue to stay abreast of these changes and update our curriculum accordingly. In addition, as we see applications become more complex, we anticipate the need for additional certifications.”

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Silicon Valley and elsewhere, and who feed this information into the association – and frequently present “top technology trends” sessions at industry expos.

“In simple terms, there’s a logical conveyor belt: topics like HDMI 2.0, UHD or 3D sound come in through our visionaries, then they hit the marketplace and we go out to subject matter experts to create and deliver that content.

This year at ISE, our HDMI 2.0/HDCP 2.2 update classes were the best attended – along with the top tech trends.”

Thomas describes a similar process within InfoComm: new course content is determined by a combination of top-down and bottom-up approaches, with topics chosen by experts from the organisation and demand from the membership.

While InfoComm also covers new technologies just as CEDIA does, Thomas has seen another change in course content: “We try to focus on the whole process now. For instance, it’s important that installers understand the big picture – such as what documentation is involved, and set-up and verification of complex AV systems – as well as the individual skills that are required. This requires installers to be much more thoughtful in their skill development.

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FEATURE: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 39 “For example, previously they might not have worried too much about a big networking component in a project – someone else was going to do that; now, in many cases, it’s up to the installer to be the person who knows about that, knows how to make it work, and develops that skill within themselves and within their firms.”

Future paths What do the organisations see for the longer term? For InfoComm, Thomas sees further progress along established paths. “I see more, smaller chunks of information, more just-in-time training.

“While onsite training will never go away, we’ll see a lot more video training, particularly in the developing world on mobile devices.

“And there will be much more localised content and a lot more regional education. We’ve already begun that, and it continues on.”

Buddle reports that CEDIA is aiming to get its courses “on the national education map” by getting them accredited by leading UK vocational education organisation City & Guilds. He explains: “Maybe in time to come we can take this out to colleges and start to build some courses around what one might call a smart home technician.”

While this is “a very long road”, he says that the

process has begun and “we hope to be able to report successes before the end of the year”.

He elaborates: “As the smart home market explodes, we’re going to need technicians who have a very broad skill set, with a knowledge of analogue audio, digital audio, networking, wireless security, heating controls, how those interact with the rest of the house, how LED lights work, how video is delivered, off air, over baseband in the home, and so on.”

To finish, both Thomas and Taggart are optimistic about greater co-operation across the industry. “InfoComm is able to give a true global view,” say Thomas, “and the contributions of our international members are just astounding.

Integrators here in the US have much to learn from their brothers and sisters in other parts of the globe.”

Taggart adds: “InfoComm has a vast knowledge base, and access to a lot of experts across the globe, but where we can co-operate with others, such as manufacturers, we can actually get that knowledge out. I think we’ll see a lot more of that going forward.”

www.cediaeducation.com www.extron.eu www.infocomm.org

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40 REGIONAL VOICES

July 2015

UNITED KINGDOM

The world’s fifth-largest national economy by GDP has had a tough time in recent years – and with the prospect of a referendum on staying in the EU looming combined with further public sector spending cuts in the pipeline, uncertainty still prevails. There are some positives though…

D

espite being hit hard by the global financial crises of 2007-08, the UK economy has been in recovery since 2013 and is now experiencing an expansion of its economy. The UK government has been pursuing a programme of austerity since the coalition government of 2010 was formed. Following the General Election earlier this year, which saw the Conservative

2.4%

GDP annual growth, 2015 Source: Trading Economics

Party take a majority, this programme looks set to continue with more public sector spending cuts planned to help reduce the budget deficit.

Despite much opposition, the programme seems to be achieving its aim with the deficit at 5% as of September 2014, compared with 11% in 2009-10. This, combined with lower unemployment figures and recent report of growth in wages, paint a positive picture of the business environment.

However, as one of the world’s most globalised economies, a key issue affecting business with the UK is the planned referendum on EU membership. UK citizens will go to the polls before the end of 2017, and possibly as early as May next year, to decide what role the country will play in Europe. Business leaders are largely against withdrawal, and the uncertainty

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around any potential changes is certain to cause concern.

When it comes to the installation market, our survey paints a similarly largely positive picture of the current state of the market, with around 60% of respondents expecting their company’s revenue to grow by 5% or more. The remaining responses were split evenly between up to 5% growth and no change; no one expected their revenue to fall.

The main concern that came from the survey was the perceived lack of quality and standards across some parts of the market. One respondent called for “better quality control, policing of standards. Higher understanding by clients of professional nature of a good installation – AV is all too often seen as little more than a hobby-level add on by persons who might run a mobile disco once a week for ‘pocket money’.” “Too many ill-equipped cowboys getting

the industry a bad name especially on low tech installs and event hire”, was another concern.

The call for accreditation and education certification also came from more than one respondent.

5.7%

Budget deficit (as a proportion of GDP), 2014 Source: Trading Economics

For manufacturers looking to enter the market, advice included ‘choose your products carefully’, ‘make equipment that’s easy to install’, and ‘research and talk to the market’.

Integrators, meanwhile, were warned about the very competitive nature of the market and advised to plan ahead.

To what extent do these challenges apply to your business?

GREATLY Cost pressures The need to expand into new vertical markets Getting paid on time Maintaining a good project pipeline without over- or under-committing people Ensuring staff keep up to date with the latest technologies Managing complex projects Recruiting/retaining employees with the right level of skills SLIGHTLY

23/06/2015 17:21

SONY BRAVIA 4K PROFESSIONAL DISPLAYS

ADVERTORIAL

41

Nine benefits for your business This summer, Sony will launch its most innovative and expansive range of BRAVIA 4K Professional Displays yet, with six models ranging in size from 43-85 inches.

S

ony’s value-packed and feature-rich BRAVIA Professional 4K LED Displays are the compelling choice for a wide range of signage and presentation applications.

With four times the resolution of Full HD, 4K means more detail and even more visual impact for customers and internal audiences alike.

Here are 9 more reasons why BRAVIA 4K Displays can benefit your business with brighter, better-looking pictures, smart features and affordable running costs.

4 Easily create powerful, costeffective signage

BRAVIA Professional Displays deliver class-leading brightness. Coupled with 4K image resolution, that means high-impact signage and presentations that stand out in brightly-lit boardrooms and foyers, retail spaces and visitor attractions.

Say goodbye to set-top boxes and expensive media player hardware.

BRAVIA 4K Professional Displays support direct playback of HTML5 content, making it easy to create highimpact digital signage – quickly, efficiently and at low cost. Sony offers a complete HTML5 content creation solution with easy-to-use TDM Digital Signage software.

2 More detail, more impact

5 In touch with your audience

There’s a fast-growing world of 4K content.

BRAVIA Professional Displays can display images with 4K resolution directly from USB devices or an IP network connection. What’s more, BRAVIA upscale Full HD input signals to 4K resolution (3840 x 2160 pixels): that’s four times more detail. The difference is clear with a crisp, sharp look for signage, video conferences and more.

Even close to the screen your audience can’t see individual pixels, just smooth, natural images.

Audience engagement is right at your fingertips.

Optional U-Touch overlays turn BRAVIA into a super-size interactive touchscreen for compelling new experiences your customers can’t resist. It’s ideal for a huge range of signage and display applications – from schools, universities, museums and libraries to offices, hotel lobbies, hospitality zones and visitor attractions.

3 Better quality, exceptional value

Personalize and control BRAVIA Professional Displays with Android. Create and download apps and use Googlecast to share content from a PC, tablet or smartphone through easy screen mirroring. Compatibility with AMX and Control4 systems enable seamless integration into modern IPTV and networked AV environments.

For extra versatility and convenience, display on/ off, input select and volume can be controlled remotely over standard Ethernet networks.

1 Brighter images that always stand out

Migrating to 4K with Sony is more affordable than you’d think. BRAVIA Professional Displays are aggressively priced compared with other manufacturers’ 4K Displays – giving you market leading image quality and advanced functions for less.

6 Easy to install, integrate and control

7 Make an instant impression

Pick slim, stylish BRAVIA 4K Professional Displays to get your message across in a wide range of environments, from retail stores and hotel lobbies to boardrooms and school classrooms

41 Install181 Sony Advertorial_Final.indd 1

BRAVIA’s slim, modern styling makes an elegant addition to any environment – from boardrooms to hotels and stores. With a wide range of mounting options, every display integrates beautifully into corporate, retail or educational environments.

Make a first impression with extra impact

8 Lower running costs Every BRAVIA 4K Professional Displays uses an energy-efficient LED backlight, dramatically reducing power consumption to just 320W (FWD-85X9600P 85” model) and delivering a class-leading reduction in running costs.

Coupled with highly attractive pricing for all Sony 4K Professional Displays, it adds up to an unbeatable business proposition.

9 Industry-leading peace of mind Downtime is something your business can’t afford. If there’s an issue with your Professional Display, Sony will send you a replacement to keep your business up and running at absolutely no extra cost. It’s all part of the enhanced PrimeSupport service with Advanced Exchange, giving you three years of valuable peace of mind.

The new Professional Displays will be available Summer 2015. To learn more about BRAVIA 4K Professional Displays please visit: www.pro.sony.eu/products/professional-displays

Contact n Sony Professional Solutions Europe www.pro.sony.eu/products/professional-displays @SonyDisplays

24/06/2015 11:11

42 INSTALLFUTURES

July 2015

Facing the future A new conference from Installation will help businesess plan for success in the AV integration market in 2020 and beyond

I

nstallation is pleased to announce the launch of a one-day conference offering insight and analysis on the future of the AV integration market and advice on how best to steer your business towards long-term stability and growth.

To be held at BAFTA on London’s Piccadilly on Tuesday 29 September, InstallFutures will feature three sessions debating transformational technologies as well as an integrator and an end user panel.

Starting at 10:00, the first session, entitled Transformational Technologies… or Shortterm Solutions, will see leading industry voices examining a cross-section of emerging technologies and considering which ones have the potential to be truly transformative.

Everything from 4K to IP-based signal transport will be up for discussion.

This will be followed by the first Technology Showcase, focusing on AR/VR and drones.

Vendors of AR/VR and drone technology will outline their latest solutions – before facing questions from a diverse panel of industry experts. The aim is to examine these technologies’ potential and determine the principal challenges involved in integrating them into existing applications.

Integrator Insight: How Best to Achieve the 2020 Vision, will be the final session

42 Install181 InstallFutures_Final.indd 1

before lunch. Although assessing emerging technologies effectively is no mean feat, sensing wider changes in user requirements and then modifying your integration firm to suit is arguably even more challenging. Our panel will project forward to 2020 and consider how business models will need to change, and whether it will be necessary to target new customer bases and/or verticals.

Afternoon sessions The afternoon kicks off with the second Technology Showcase, this time looking at the Internet of Things. Leading consumer electronics manufacturers have declared that it is the future – but where does it offer the greatest potential benefit to the installed AV community? Two IoT providers will set out their stalls and, as in the previous Technology Showcase, will then be questioned by a panel of industry experts.

The final panel of the day will focus on the end user and how technology will affect their futures. End User Panel: The Way Forward will look at what end users expect their business to look like in 2020 and what will need to change in the business environment for this to happen. Questions from the audience of industry professionals from across the supply chain will provide valuable insight into how the market will evolve.

The day will wrap up with closing remarks from the organiser before networking drinks nearby.

To find out about the latest speaker and sponsor updates visit www.installfutures.com

Sponsorship A number of sponsorship opportunities are available at, and in the run up to, InstallFutures. n For more details contact Gurpreet Purewal on gpurewal@nbmedia.com or Pete McCarthy on pmccarthy@nbmedia.com.

Join us at BAFTA InstallFutures takes place on Tuesday 29th September at BAFTA in London. Registration begins at 9:00 and the conference finishes at 4:30.

Early bird tickets are currently available for just £75. n Visit www.installfutures.com or email Georgia Blake on gblake@nbmedia.com to book your space now.

23/06/2015 17:03

Welcome to the New Search the World’s Most Powerful AV Product Database with Over 440,000 Products from Hundreds of Manufacturers Visit the New AV-iQ at www.av-iq.eu today!

AV-iQ is a comprehensive online resource for the pro-AV industry that includes a database of over 440,000 products from hundreds of manufacturers, all with richly detailed product information, manufacturer and installer case studies that provide detailed examples of real world installations, local service directories, product comparison tools, and much more.

And it’s been redesigned just for you...

ALL NEW LOOK AND FEEL

The new AV-iQ.eu now boasts a significantly improved user interface with more intuitive and visually driven navigation, easier filtering tools, and a responsive design to better accommodate visitors using tablet devices.

START YOUR SEARCH HERE

With a comprehensive database of hundreds of thousands of products from hundreds of manufacturers, AV-iQ is your first stop for spec’ing a job or any product research. It is free to join and use, although you can upgrade to a paid account and unlock even more features.

IN THE KNOW, ON THE GO

The new, completely responsive design will let you search up product information from your laptop, tablet or mobile device. And the AV-iQ newsletter series will give you the latest updates to the site and give you insider tips on getting the most from your membership.

Visit the New AV-iQ at www.av-iq.eu today!

For information on sponsorships, contact Bruce MacIntosh at 212-378-0491/bmacintosh@nbmedia.com or JŸrgen Mšnch at +49 (0)711 25005-61/moench@avipool.com.

AV-iQ14_Launch_Print_Installationv2_SHIP.indd 1 AV-iQ14_Launch_Print_Installationv2.indd 1

21/05/2015 17:07 5/21/15 12:00 PM

The global resource portal for media technology content

White papers, webinars, opinions, blogs, case studies, tutorials and more.

NewBay Connect now offers even wider content for its registered users, is easier to navigate and provides users with dedicated weekly newsletters offering a digest of the latest content and carefully selected content from its themes of the month.

NewBayConnect-MediaInfo-PDF.indd 1

Why join NewBay Connect?

Free and easy to use – stay informed with the latest industry white papers, opinion pieces, web seminars and case studies that affect your business and your career.

26/05/2015 12:59

• Categorised Content All material is organised into clearly referenced, specialist areas.

• Customised search You can quickly locate the information relevant to your business or area of interest.

• Tailored email alerts Notifications sent to you whenever there is an update within your chosen areas.

• Dedicated weekly newsletters Visit www.newbayconnect.com to register, browse and download content for free today.

Editor: Melanie Dayasena-Lowe mdayasena-lowe@nbmedia.com +44 (0)207 354 6001

NewBay Connect_v7.indd 1

Sales: Ben Ewles bewles@nbmedia.com +44 (0)207 354 6000

Campaign Manager: Warren Kelly wkelly@nbmedia.com +44 (0)207 354 6000

26/05/2015 16:03

TECHNOLOGY

Kit you need to know about This Month n New Products including Sony, Sommer Cable, dnp, D3 p45

OF THE MONTH

Microsoft Surface Hub

It’s… a large-screen collaboration device.

What’s different? Microsoft describes it as “a new kind of productivity experience optimised for groups”.

Previewed earlier this year at ISE, the Surface Hub combines Windows 10, Skype for Business, Office, OneNote and Universal Windows apps and is available in 55in and 84in configurations.

n Demo of the Month: ZeeVee ZyPer4K p48

“This will be a very easy-to-deploy product that will replace all the bits currently being pulled together to make a solution.”

The Surface Hub experience is designed around a highly responsive screen built for ink and touch. Both versions of Surface Hub are integrated with optically bonded displays capable of detecting 100 points of multitouch and up to three simultaneous pen inputs, dual 1080p front-facing video cameras, and a fourelement microphone array that detects and follows voice to eliminate background noise during videoconferencing sessions. Surface Hub also features built-in WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and a variety of ports for easy wired and wireless connectivity options, allowing devices to share content to the screen.

Microsoft is also partnering with control, automation and conferencing system specialists

n Showcase: Videoconferencing equipment p50

such as Crestron and AMX. Its partnership with Crestron means it will be available direct from the manufacturer and natively integrates with its meeting room technology. This compatibility allows users to utilise Crestron control and display content on the Hub from any device.

Room and environment settings can be adjusted via the Crestron App or from a TSW touchscreen.

AVI-SPL has also been added to the Surface Hub commercial sales channel as an authorised reseller in the UK, US and Canada.

Available: Ordering now, shipping September www.microsoft.com www.tdmaverick.eu www.crestron.eu www.avispl.com

Details: Pictured here being demonstrated on the Microsoft stand at InfoComm last month, Surface Hub is designed to be easy to use straight away – whiteboarding, initiating a videoconference or sharing content. It’s based around the Windows 10 interface. Additionally, users can use a wide variety of Windows apps to put real-time data and business tools at the centre of meetings.

TDMaverick is one of two main European distributors: Jon Sidwick, European director, said: “With Surface Hub you get a full collaboration and communication product covering everything from basic peer-to-peer presentation all the way through to multi-site, multi-room videoconferencing and data collaboration.

45 Install181 ProdOfTheMonth_Final.indd 1

23/06/2015 16:42

46 TECHNOLOGY: NEW PRODUCTS n Beale Street IA1250, D2.1, A4X40, A100 Beale Street Audio has announced four new amplifiers. The IA1250 features 12 independent channels of amplification with bass and treble control by zone, zone and global IR control, and bidirectional RS232 control. The D2.1 (pictured) is designed for small rooms and boasts IR input for control with any remote. The A4X40 offers flexibility in a compact Class D amplifier design. Finally, the A100 100W subwoofer amp offers 40Hz to 300Hz crossovers and 0º to 180º phase settings. www.bealestreetaudio.com n Thinklogical TLX Series

Thinklogical has added KVM features to its new TLX Series of matrix switches and extenders. TLX can extend and switch computer peripherals and uncompressed 4K video at full 4096 x 2160 resolution and 4:4:4 colour depth at 60Hz using only two CatX cables or three fibres. www.thinklogical.com n Clockaudio CDT-100

July 2015

Sony VPL-GTZ270, VPL- GTZ280 It’s… two new laser projectors for large-format viewing.

What’s different? Both 5,000-lumen models have native SXRD 4K (4096 x 2160) resolution and can deliver up to 20,000 hours of maintenance-free operation. They can operate in 4K and 3D mode.

Details: The VPL-GTZ270 is designed to create an immersive, realistic viewing experience in the entertainment market. Image enhancement functions including ‘Reality Creation’ upscaling and High Dynamic Range (HDR) capability give users the ability to view the entire range of an image accurately and clearly.

A wide colour space covers the full DCI range and simulates the new ITU-R BT2020 colour gamut.

A new chassis design enables easy handling and stacking of multiple projectors.

The VPL-GTZ280 uses high-speed motion functions and new highspeed 4K 120Hz signal processing capability for 4K 3D 60Hz in each eye and reduces blur in fastmotion scenes. Other features include smear and transport delay reduction, infrared light output for night vision simulation and vibration resistance.

Available: The VPL-GTZ270 will be available in January 2016 and the VPL-GTZ280 in March 2016. pro.sony.eu

Sommer Cable DVM-HDT-KIT It’s… a measurement tool for HDMI

Clockaudio has partnered with Audinate and integrated the Dante protocol in its CDT-100 transporter. In response to the need to streamline data and power cables for boardrooms, conference rooms and videoconference rooms, the CDT-100 reduces cabling requirements from multiple and individual microphones from the conference table to the AV cabinet. www.clockaudio.com n QSC Q-SYS Core 110f

installations, rental companies, troubleshooting and product development.

What’s different? The HDMI 2.0 Engineers Toolkit simplifies the testing and controlling of HDMI sources, sinks and cable lines. Despite its compact size, the DVM-HDT-KIT means challenges that can result from faulty set-ups, cabling, EDID communication, or HDCP are easily analysed and rectified.

Details: Responding to the

The Q-SYS Core 110f is the latest addition to the Q-SYS lineup of network audio solutions, which are built on Intel-based technologies and a Linux Real Time Operating System. Features include software-based implementation of DSP; flexible analogue I/O channels and Q-LAN networking integration. www.qsc.com

46-47 Install181 Products_Final.indd 1

increasing demand for larger bandwidths and higher resolutions of AV products, the DVMHDT-KIT is fully 4K compatible and offers HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 support. It also supports all popular colour formats (RGB4:4:4, YUV4:4:4, YUV4:2:2 and YUV4:2:0) and features an intuitive front panel controllable via encoder and buttons, or remotely through RS232, USB or Ethernet.

The Toolkit is available as 19in 2RU quarter-rack device (it can be installed in SYSBOXX or any standard 2RU 19in rack) or in a portable desktop version.

Available: Now www.sommercable.com

23/06/2015 17:29

TECHNOLOGY: NEW PRODUCTS

www.installation-international.com

dnp

n Alcorn McBride A/V Binloop Uncompressed The new A/V Binloop Uncompressed synchronised video player offers the ability to play content at the highest possible quality. It’s designed for videowall and blended projection applications because it eliminates the loss of quality due to stretching that’s commonly seen in traditional videowall controllers or video processors.

For large applications, it’s possible to sync multiple units using the product’s Genlock input feature. www.alcorn.com

100in display It’s… a range of optical flat screens for use in meeting rooms and smaller classrooms.

What’s different?

The new screens meet users’ demands for larger display sizes (100in) while remaining affordable for companies, educational institutions and homeowners.

Details: The optical flat screens are based on optical screen technology, and powered by a laser projector mounted over the screen which shoots down from a steep angle. They are said to give the same image quality as LED screens, but in a 100in model, and at a competitive price.

The display can be mounted on the wall in a similar way to LED flat screens. And as it is a short-throw solution, users don’t need to worry

about stepping into the beam while presenting.

For the first time, dnp has also opted to provide a complete bundled solution – everything the customer needs is contained in the box, including screen, projector and wall mount – addressing market demand for plug-and-play solutions.

Available: Now www.dnp.dk

D3 Technologies

theatre productions, and fixed and architectural installations where fewer outputs are needed but power, flexibility and performance are required.

What’s different? The 2x2plus plays back up to eight layers of HD video (DXV or HAP codecs) or up to two layers of uncompressed HD video (QT Animation codec) with canvas sizes up to 16K pixels. It can simultaneously run up to 256 universes of Art-Net and KiNet, receive motion control information and map content in real time.

Details: Although it does not include the pro range features required for massive shows, the 2x2plus comes with the same suite of

46-47 Install181 Products_Final.indd 2

n Crystal Display Systems

Transparent LED window displays Designed for high-impact shop windows and store fronts, the transparent LED technology allows outlets to create video displays while still allowing people to see into the shop. With a transparency of 80-85%, the screens also offer flexibility thanks to their modular structure and the range of different content they can display – images, video, messages, and so on. They can be installed floor standing or hanging and can also be used for internal walls. www.crystal-display.com n Extron CS 123T

2x2plus

It’s… a media server designed for small events,

47

d3 software pre-installed as its pro range counterparts. According to D3, the media server can ‘Push Every Pixel’ of its two 2560 x 1600 outputs; an extra output is reserved for the GUI. Push Every Pixel is the manufacturer’s benchmark for the playback power needed by video professionals. It means that a machine should have enough power to fill every physical pixel of its outputs with two simultaneous layers of content.

The 2x2plus is available as a base unit.

Factory-fitted options include 3G-SDI, DVI capture and Pro-Audio.

Available: Now www.d3technologies.com

The CS 123T SpeedMount ceiling speaker system is a low profile, plenumrated two-piece speaker system. It provides 165° conical dispersion for flexibility in speaker spacing.

The system is designed for applications where high intelligibility and maximum coverage are desired in paging applications and low ceiling installations. The system consists of the CS 120P plenum rated enclosure and a CS 3T full-range speaker cartridge. www.extron.com n Vision AV-1700+ Vision is now shipping a more powerful version of its AV-1700

classroom/meeting room amp.

The AV-1700+ has the same inputs – four line-level, one balanced XLR mic with phantom – and outputs as the AV-1700, but it has a super-charged digital amplifier for large room applications, such as lecture theatres, small churches and large meeting rooms.

The low-impedance digital amplifier has an output of 2 x 100W RMS at 8 ohms. It comes with an IR remote control and can be controlled via RS-232. www.visionaudiovisual.com

23/06/2015 17:30

48 TECHNOLOGY: DEMO OF THE MONTH

July 2015

Rob Muddiman explains the benefits of ZyPer4K

Off the shelf ZeeVee launched ZyPer4K earlier this year at ISE and displayed the switch technology at the NEC Solutions Showcase in May, where Duncan Proctor watched a demonstration

T

he seventh edition of NEC’s Solutions Showcase, which took place in May at Vinopolis in London, featured solutions tailored to meet the specific needs of applications, presented within real-world scenarios.

One such solution was ZyPer4K, which distributes and switches uncompressed 4K video, audio and control using industry-standard Ethernet networks to connect sources and displays. “ZyPer4K is a very different way, and we believe a better way, for distributing video.

It enables you to send 4K video over a standard 10Gb IP network,” explained ZeeVee’s EMEA sales director, Rob Muddiman.

The ZeeVee stand at the Showcase was set up with a demo rack consisting of four encoders and two decoders attached to a 12-port 10Gb network switch. There were also two 4K sources in the rack providing video into the two encoders.

Muddiman added: “We’re able to switch the sources through to the display, we’re able to do videowall capabilities as well as handling RS232, IR and transport 1Gb Ethernet to each of the end points.” The solution used at the NEC Showcase ran over fibre; however, last month a Cat6a version was on show at InfoComm.

“A typical set-up is to have an encoder or decoder for each source or display, and encoders/decoders can be plugged in anywhere on the network and be detected and managed by the API software. The ability for the system to run over a standard 10Gb IP network gives the user more flexibility as well as the builtin features, such as videowall and multiview capability,” said Muddiman.

It offers a highly scalable architecture with no real limit – evidenced in the fact that ZeeVee currently has a project with over 300 inputs and 300 outputs. There are also no ‘square’ switch limitations – a 24-port switch doesn’t have to be constrained to 12 x 12, it could be 3 x 21 or 6 x 18, for instance.

Plug and play The user interface is configured using ZeeVee’s API, which sits between the hardware and any control.

48 Install181 Demo_Final.indd 1

This minimises the customisation required and gives the solution plug-and-play capability.

The control panel at the Showcase was based on Windows; ZeeVee subsequently launched a full HTML-based platform at InfoComm. The software supports third-party control systems or applications such as AMX and Crestron.

Advantages of ZyPer4K over other matrix switchers, added Muddiman, are its scalability and its faster deployment. It is also cost effective, particularly when used with 12 or more ports, combined with the fact that it uses off-the-shelf Ethernet switches. There are two switching modes: fast switching, which is under 30ms end to end; and Genlock mode, which according to ZeeVee takes latency down to microseconds.

Potential uses include facilities or campuses that need to switch multiple digital sources using existing fi bre infrastructure to multiple discrete displays. ZyPer4K also offers the ability for use in point-to-point configuration to encode a 4K video source across a dedicated fi bre connection to a display up to 30km away.

ZyPer4K began shipping in Q2 2015 with the first encoders and decoders supporting fi bre cabling. As of Q3, a version supporting copper (twisted pair) cabling has also been available.

Elsewhere at the event, ZeeVee used older technology – its coax-based encoder/ modulators and decoders – to take video from cameras in each of the 11 Showcase halls and display it on two videowalls.

www.zeevee.com

23/06/2015 17:33

From the publisher of Installation, AV Technology and SCN, a new launch for the UK education sector.

1 Color - 100 White

From primary through to higher education, Tech&Learning UK engages with those responsible for AV & IT technology throughout the UK education sector.

Tech&Learning UK reaches 16,000 decision makers and influencers in the UK and provides manufacturers and service providers with the perfect marketing platform for targeting this growing market.

• • • • • •

Quarterly print magazine Dedicated website Weekly newsletters Custom email campaigns Roundtables Webinars

New online platforms: • Dedicated website • Weekly digest newsletter • Theme of the Month newsletter

Tech&Learning UK audience includes: • Business managers • ICT managers / technicians • Head teachers / deans • Heads of department / faculty • AV resellers and integrators

Sign up at www.techandlearning.uk

www.techandlearning.uk For further information on subscribing, advertising or submitting content for Tech&Learning UK, please contact: Sales: Gurpreet Purewal +44 (0) 20 7354 6000 gpurewal@nbmedia.com

Tech&Learning UK Fp 220x290.indd 1

Editorial: Peter McCarthy +44 (0) 20 7354 6000 pmccarthy@nbmedia.com

Michael Nicholson +44 (0) 7823 777 528 michael@weareoutput.co.uk

23/06/2015 15:52

50 TECHNOLOGY: SHOWCASE

July 2015

Videoconferencing solutions Software and hardware companies have created interoperable solutions with added app functionality that are highly flexible and offer wide appeal within modern scalable business environments, writes Duncan Proctor

Polycom utilises proprietary technologies for flexible solution

Pexip adds exclusive external user capability

The Polycom Realpresence Group Series is designed specifically for huddle rooms and personal workspaces. Audio and video have been optimised for video collaboration, with a 1080p screen, support for high-definition voice and an easy-to-use interface. Content can be shared through direct HDMI or VGA connections, or via the Polycom People+Content IP application.

SmartPairing technology allows users to share and annotate documents from their mobile devices or PCs wirelessly. The EagleEye IV camera captures everyone in the room with optical zoom and optional wide-angle lens; this is coupled with EagleEye Producer technology, which frames participants using facial recognition technology.

Global availability ensures consistency in

Pexip’s latest update to the Infinity meeting platform is Version 10, which is easy to manage using standard enterprise IT tools, and offers interoperability. Advanced enterprise multi-protocol call control capabilities are included as well as the ability to add external registrations, which is exclusive to Pexip. This capability comes via external policy servers, providing ease of use in deployment.

The software architecture is virtualised and distributed, which enables organisations to deploy as much capacity as they want.

device and saves on training, which also allows customers to have standardised rooms from a support point of view.

www.polycom.com

www.pexip.com

StarLeaf brings interoperability With the GT Mini 3330 Range, StarLeaf has put a strong focus on usability with a featurerich touchscreen interface that works like a smartphone. This meeting room solution includes an advanced codec, touchscreen controller, camera and microphone.

The range contains four options that allow

users to choose between an HD USB or PTZ camera and the number of support screens required, which makes it cost effective for businesses to equip huddle rooms up to large boardrooms.

The GT Mini is managed from the StarLeaf Cloud (therefore requiring no additional infrastructure) and offers quick plug-and-play installation. The usability focus extends to its interoperability, as users can call any other professional video system including Lync, Cisco, H.323 and SIP systems.

Added benefits of a cloud-managed endpoint include unlimited guest invitations, meaning users can meet anyone on any device, and unlimited company-wide distribution of the StarLeaf Breeze software. The StarLeaf Cloud also automatically upgrades the software so the user is always on the latest version.

www.starleaf.com

50-51 Install181 Showcase_Final.indd 1

Oblong’s inclusive approach Oblong’s Mezzanine 3 collaboration solution sees the company expand the digital workspace across multiple walls and surfaces. This includes more screen configurations and the ability to host a variety of data and content feeds that can be moved between walls.

There are also added capabilities for remote participants, with simultaneous engagement of multiple users and their devices and data.

Added benefits of Mezzanine are that hardware is not prescribed and it doesn’t place constraints on multi-location and multiparticipant communication. Users from around the world can connect to meetings on mobile and wireless devices via the Mezzanine web app.

www.oblong.com

23/06/2015 17:39

TECHNOLOGY: SHOWCASE

www.installation-international.com

Cisco’s package offering includes content sharing The Cisco TelePresence SX80 Codec provides a powerful and flexible video collaboration platform. The SX80 acts as the audio and video engine to incorporate HD video collaboration applications into large meeting rooms, boardrooms and purpose-built or vertical application rooms.

The SX80 delivers up to a 1080p60 end-toend HD video and offers support for H.265, which lays the foundation for future bandwidth efficiencies made possible by the standard.

The codec offers numerous inputs and outputs, a flexible media engine and support for three screens, which enables a variety of use cases adaptable to specific needs.

Cisco offers three SX80 Integrator Packages to reduce the need for external equipment and the overall cost of enabling video in larger meeting rooms. The SX80 also has the ability to collaborate with four simultaneous video inputs and eight microphones directly to the codec and

claims to have limitless integration possibilities.

Application features include support for Cisco Intelligent Proximity for content sharing to mobile devices and wireless sharing from Macs and PCs. Support extends to Switched Conferencing for enhanced layouts and enabling video on both screens of dual-screen endpoints.

The SX80 also has a full ‘Touch10’ API, allowing users to move between modes; the software is compiled as a set of modules that are tied together into one package tailored to the briefing room type. The SpeakerTrack 60 camera can find and zoom in on the active speaker in the room, facilitating a responsive dialogue between presenter and audience.

www.cisco.com

51

Blue Jeans blends streaming and interactivity Blue Jeans Primetime is an interactive online events platform that can connect thousands of users through large-scale broadcasting and video collaboration. Blue Jeans Primetime blends the interactivity and engagement of a video meeting with the scalability and reach of a broadcast event. It is accessible on any device allowing greater interaction between attendees and presenters.

Primetime augments the Blue Jeans cloudbased video collaboration service with new streaming capabilities to broadcast events to a worldwide audience. This includes the ability for the moderator to switch participant roles between active participant and passive observer.

www.bluejeans.com

Tely Labs combines value Lifesize provides scalability and mobile access with app functionality Lifesize Cloud recognises the needs of management, IT departments and employees by offering a videoconferencing solution that can be expanded and adapted to meet changing staff sizes as well as budget requirements. It can be accessed in meeting rooms as well as on a laptop or mobile device.

Lifesize offers a room video system with mobile apps combined with a cloud video service for a connected experience from the meeting room, office and mobile devices.

The subscription-based solution integrates the meeting rooms and mobile apps and allows customers to connect person to person, like a phone call, and then expand to a group call.

A number of different ways for people to connect are supported including directory dialling, point-to-point calling and call escalation. Third-party video

50-51 Install181 Showcase_Final.indd 2

systems are supported as well as Mac, PC and iOS and Android devices. Lifesize Cloud allows up to 40-way group calling with the same ease of use as a direct call. Any Lync users can join meetings from their Lync client application with one click.

Users can also make use of favourites lists, audio calls, instant messaging, data sharing and calendar integration with Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook.

www.lifesize.com

TelyHD Pro offers standards-based interoperability and integrated Skype support to connect with millions of users. Suitable for conference rooms, huddle rooms and remote offices, telyHD Pro also comes with a one-year subscription to telyCloud.

Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) interoperability enables telyPro to use third-party cloud-based conferencing services. It is also Skype certified and includes built-in HD Skype video calling for point-to-point connections to Skype-enabled mobile devices.

Apps give users the ability to share content with remote users during a videoconferencing call from their computer. The TelyShare App enables wireless projection from PCs to any telyHD Pro-connected HDTV, and the SmartRemote App gives wireless control.

www.tely.com

23/06/2015 17:39

52 SOLUTIONS: MUSEUM FÜR KOMMUNICATION BERLIN GERMANY

Lines of communication

July 2015

Three Canon XEED WUX400ST WUXGA projectors combine to project an image 14m wide and 3m high

The designers of an exhibition exploring communication in the First World War struggled to find the right projection solution for the cramped space. Paddy Baker reports

C

onsidered to be the oldest museum of its kind in the world, the Museum für Kommunication Berlin (MKB) was founded as a postal museum in 1872. Its permanent exhibits explore the history of all communication, including tools of the written word, such as wax seals, postcards and stamps, as well as tools of the spoken and visual worlds, including early telephones and radios.

Last year saw the opening of the ‘Networks of War’ exhibition at MKB, showing the use of a communication facility in the First World War. As part of this exhibit, traditional displays are enhanced with changing projected images.

The exhibition was conceived in 2013 to mark the centenary of the war the following year, and show the techniques that were used for field communications during the conflict. “We have an extensive collection of pictures that we wanted to show next to exhibits such as field post letters, telephones and radios,” says Dr Oliver Goetze, head of public relations at MKB.

Mesh of pictures MKB worked with Cologne-based agency res d on the exhibition design. Christoph Hülle of res d explains the visual concept: “It’s like a mesh

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of telephone lines that you might find in Verdun or anywhere in the world. Our idea was to take this idea and bring a multivisual mesh filled with pictures from that scenario to one big wall.”

However, the exhibition is located in a fairly small room, just 100sqm in area, “so the question was whether it would be possible to get such a big image on one side of the room with very short distances to realise the projection,” says Hülle.

“We were seeking a device that was capable of projecting from a short distance of 2m and we were also looking to install the projector just below ceiling level. The aim was to create a 5.6m projection; however, many of the projectors that we tested were not able to produce highquality images at this scale,” says Goetze.

Three projectors would be needed to create a combined image 14m wide and 3m high.

Hülle explains: “We tested three different brands of short-throw projector – two that feature a built-in mirror [in front of the lens], one with a standard optic. The problem with the two models with mirrors was that because the mirror is curved, the edges of the projection became curved as the projector was moved further from the projection wall [to increase the image size].”

Installed Video n Canon XEED WUX400ST WUXGA projectors n Heddier FP-PRO HD media players n Heddier FP-PRO HD sync-board n Beitex 310g/sqm projection canvas There was the added complication that the rest of the room for the exhibition was to be kept fairly dark, with individual objects on display illuminated – there could be no light spill from the projector onto the exhibits.

Shortly before the exhibition opened, a suitable projector had not been found. res d called a personal contact at Canon, who suggested the XEED projector range. “The XEED WUX400ST had recently been launched, but was not yet available in Germany. We received the model for testing in March 2014 and it took hardly any time at all to convince the curator that this device fit our needs,” said Goetze.

“In our tests there was a big difference between the projectors, and the Canon had all the features that we wanted to have,” says Ingo Plato, architect and co-owner of res d. “The

23/06/2015 17:46

The images have been cut to fill an irregular grid, inspired by the mesh of communication lines across a battlefield

Complete line of installation solutions ... for floor, desk, wall and 19” systems ■

Canon’s lens makes it possible to have a very wide image with a short projecting distance; another important feature is that there is a huge lens shift in the vertical direction. This helps us to mount the projectors high up and avoid shining the beam onto the exhibits or the visitors.”

Because the projector model was so new, it was not immediately certain that three devices would be available for use at the exhibition launch.

Fortunately, thanks to successful collaboration between the MKB, Canon, res d and authorised dealer Beamerpartner24, the first three XEED WUX400ST projectors in Germany were secured for the exhibition a week before it opened.

Had they not become available, the fallback plan was to show static images with other projectors.

Combinations The WUXGA projectors display 51 photos in varying orders and combinations, merging regularly to create a single image that covers the projection wall. The individual images have been cut in Adobe AfterEffects to fit the grid design.

They are served to each projector by a dedicated Heddier FP-PRO HD media player, and the three are synchronised by a Heddier SyncBoard (already in the museum’s AV inventory) over an RS-485 connection.

The Canon projectors have integrated edge-blending capabilities, but to avoid complication it was decided to design the projection so that black borders separate the different

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elements of the combined picture – so the images from the projectors are overlaid without overlapping, and edge blending is not required.

The projection surface was manufactured by exhibition services company D4 Projekt using a beitex 310g/sqm canvas.

As well as being able to meet the geometrical requirements of the installation, the Canon projectors also outperformed the other tested models on picture quality, says Plato: “We always try to find projectors where black is really black. That was important here and the Canon projectors have good quality in this regard. In this case, we used the projectors for black and white pictures, but we would also like to use them for colour pictures in the future.”

In March 2015 the exhibition moved to a museum in Frankfurt, using the same equipment, and res d was involved in setting up the system there.

The museum bought the projectors outright. Hülle explains: “Our advice was to buy them because of the opportunity to have a very high vertical shift, also horizontal shift, a good price – these are all factors [that mean that] other companies working in exhibition design will be able to integrate these kinds of projectors very easily in their designs, so this model is a good investment for the future.”

www.canon-europe.com www.heddier.com www.mfk-berlin.de www.resd.de

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54 DORFMAN THEATRE, LONDON

July 2015

UNITED KINGDOM

Twenty-five Lab.gruppen IPD1200 and 13 IPD2400 were purchased for the theatre (Picture: Philip Vile)

National treasure

Installed Audio n Lab.gruppen IPD1200 and IPD2400 amps

About the installer

Flexibility was a key requirement for this refurbished theatre space, and the audio system needed to be equally versatile, writes Tom Bradbury

T

he National Theatre’s ambitious transformation of the Cottesloe Theatre into the refurbished Dorfman Theatre, named after Travelex founder Lloyd Dorfman who donated a personal gift of £10 million to the NT Future redevelopment project, was completed in September 2014.

The 19-month refit saw the 350-capacity space kitted out with greater capacity, more comfortable seats, a lift, improved acoustics, lighting and sight-lines, enlarged foyer spaces and flexible staging which allows almost any combination of seating and performance space.

An essential component of the refit was an upgrade to the audio infrastructure, specifically for the extensive surround and delay loudspeaker systems. The theatre originally specified Lab.gruppen’s C-Series installation amplifiers but as all the system outputs were presented on the AES protocol from the control gear, it was realised that Lab.gruppen’s IPD Series was actually a better solution. Although requiring more rack space than the eight-channel C-Series, the IPDs feature AES inputs as standard as well as extensive network monitoring and control facilities – however the space required was minimised as IPD amps are designed to be able

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to be racked one on top of another without compromising cooling.

The National was already a Lab.gruppen user but Autograph Sales & Installations provided an IPD unit for the theatre team to put through their own stress and listening tests before making their decision. The sheer scale of the purchase (25 IPD1200 and 13 IPD2400) also required some special testing at the Lab.gruppen factory to ensure that the network switch could comfortably handle 38 amplifiers.

Alex Caplen, sound and video supervisor at the Dorfman Theatre, says: “I have a long-standing relationship with Chris Austin at Autograph and approached him in the early stages of planning for the Dorfman to find out more about the IPD series. Chris kindly came in and talked us through the features and left us with a demo unit to put through our own tests until we were satisfied that it would be the right tool for the job.”

Focus on flexibility The networked advantages of the IPDs are particularly applicable to the Dorfman Theatre, since much of the redesign was done to maximise the flexibility of the space – it can accommodate everything from traditional

n Autograph Sound & Installations was founded in north London in 1982 n It is active in the sales, installation and design of pro-audio solutions n In addition to theatres, the company has also supplied sound design and installation services in the education, house of worship, sporting venues and clubs sectors proscenium productions through to the most avant-garde experimental theatre and the sound reinforcement needs to be able to keep up with that configurability. Being able to access all the onboard DSP and monitoring functions within the amplifiers remotely via a laptop or iPad while wandering round the room gives a level of real-time control that is perfect for such a multipurpose space.

Caplen continues: “The IPDs form a core part of the system in the Dorfman – their flexibility in speaker presets and digital inputs allows us to drive a wide variety of speakers from a fully digital infrastructure, enabling us to give sound designers independent access to a potential 92 channels of amplification across the whole system. The Dorfman system has been redesigned such that sound designers are not limited by the technology in the room but rather encouraged to let their imaginations run free.

Autograph and Lab.gruppen’s support in this process has proven invaluable.”

www.autographsales.co.uk www.labgruppen.com

23/06/2015 17:50

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56 SOLUTIONS IN BRIEF

July 2015

ESTONIA

RCF for figure skating ice arena When the Tondiraba Ice Arena, seat of the 2015 World Junior Figure Skating Championship, was conceived and built, acoustic quality was a key consideration. The sound system for this 20,000sqm multipurpose sports arena was provided by local company Event Center with RCF Audio products.

Event Center installed 10 clusters in the main hall, each consisting of three RCF P4228 loudspeakers coupled with one P8015-S subwoofer. Eight additional P2110-T speakers ensure full coverage to the 30m x 60m playing field in the main hall. Furthermore all practice rinks and the curling hall are equipped with eight P5228-L two-way speakers and 15 RCF TT22 WP, a weatherproof version that is adapted to openair environments.

www.eventcenter.ee www.rcf.it

BELGIUM

Enhancing patient care in Antwerp

www.tripleplay-services.com

The Mother and Child department at Antwerp University Hospital (UZA) has invested in technology to help achieve its ‘aim for quality’ in the level of care and service it provides. After visiting a local hospital already using a Tripleplay digital signage and IPTV system, UZA invested in 40 screens of digital signage around the hospital and IPTV and information portal to 30 beds.

This was quickly expanded to 100 beds of TV and then a further 70 in the on-site care hotel; providing a hotel-quality TV system for patients.

“Aside from providing digital signage and IPTV services, the interactive TV portal integrates into our property management system, meaning we could allow patients to receive messages from care staff, find answers to questions and, of course, access high-quality live TV,” says Dirk De Man, head of technical services at UZA.

DUBAI

Pacha expands with d&b A d&b audiotechnik system has been installed in Pacha Ibiza Dubai, the latest and largest in the club’s global franchise.

Located next to the prestigious Madinat Jumeirah resort, Pacha Ibiza Dubai is spread over three floors. The mix of entertainment experiences, room spaces, VIP locations and an open rooftop terrace demanded a complex, zoned solution requiring over 100 channels of amplification. The setup draws on elements from the d&b V-Series and Q-Series for main PA, with a selection of loudspeakers from the installation-specific xS-Series.

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www.dbaudio.com

23/06/2015 17:53

UNITED STATES

AV upgrade for US war museum The National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri, has undergone an audiovisual technology upgrade with support from Electrosonic.

At the core of the museum is the Horizon Theater, which features a life-sized diorama and 100ft wide panoramic screen. To deliver video to the screen, six 5,700 ANSI lumen projectors are edge blended to fill the screen with seamless images. Video playback and edge blending are done in Dataton’s Watchout video server.

Electrosonic also installed six High End Systems DLV projectors on moving light pedestals; they move images around the diorama and replace older High End Systems DL1 units.

The entire theatre system is controlled by Medialon Manager LITE software, a network-driven technology; eight new HP 3500 Series network switches were also added.

www.electrosonic.com

GERMANY

University extends digital signage system The University of Wuppertal in North Rhine-Westphalia is extending its digital signage system from 12 displays to 20 along with 75 digital doorplates for lecture halls, all of which will be controlled by the kompas digital signage system from dimedis. In addition, for the first time, kompas will be responsible for the content management of SMIL players at the university. The changes are expected to be in place by the 2015-16 winter semester. The current 46in displays are spread across the main campus and provide information about the university, its departments and facilities, staff and students, along with travel information and regional and national news.

Picture: dimedis

www.dimedis.de

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23/06/2015 17:53

PLANYOUR MONTH AHEAD

Our pick of what to see do and discover in the weeks ahead, including AV technology in China, robots in the US and training in India

PICK OF THE MONTH

Palm Expo China 2015 READ

China. This year’s event runs from 19 to 22 August at the China International Exhibition Centre in Beijing.

VISIT

As well as an opportunity to showcase the latest technologies, Palm Expo also serves as a gateway to gain access to markets in Greater

VISIT

With 23 successful editions under its belt, Palm Expo China is looking to attract over 62,000 visitors and 1,100 exhibitors to its 2015 edition.

Robot Revolution

CTS Prep – Mumbai

Organic Light-Emitting Materials and Devices, Second Edition

Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry is offering visitors the chance to interact with robots that have rarely been shown to the public before. Control an allterrain crawling robot, participate in a love drone show and discover the ways in which robots can contribute to our lives, now and in the very near future.

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Ease your nerves before you take the Certified Technology Specialist (CTS) exam by uncovering the content areas on the exam where you should focus your study. The course will run in English from 7 to 9 July at Vits Hotel in Mumbai. Students will learn testtaking strategies, review exam content and more.

Zhigang Rick Li This second edition is a compilation of the advances made in OLED technology in recent years and of the challenges facing its future development. It reveals the state of the art in OLED materials, devices and displays.

23/06/2015 17:57

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X-LINE ADVANCE Forward-thinking line-array design starts here.

The result of rigorous R&D, the introduction of the new X-Line Advance family sees Electro-Voice push the parameters of line-array performance to the next level.

X-Line Advance utilizes state-of-the-art EVengineered components and incorporates a range of innovative new features, all of which work together to surpass the capabilities of other line arrays, and all in a significantly more compact, flexible, and quickerto-set-up package.

KEY FEATURES: • An unprecedented performance-to-size ratio for installed and concert sound applications.

• Advanced audio quality and control via a host of new and exclusive EVengineered technologies, including next-generation Hydra wave-shaping devices, high-output transducers, and proprietary FIR-Drive optimization.

• New-look EV industrial design and new Integrated Rigging System combine streamlined appearance with simplified setup.

The first wave of X-Line Advance products includes two full-range elements (X1-212/90 & X2-212/90) and the X12-128 — the most powerful subwoofer EV has ever developed.

Designed, engineered, and tested for ultimate reliability by Electro-Voice in the USA. Learn more at: www.electrovoice.com/X-LineAdvance

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6/15/2015 9:37:59 AM