Installation April 2016 Digital Edition by Future PLC

Issue 190 / April 2016

AV INTEGRATION IN A NETWORKED WORLD

www.installation-international.com

Made in France p20

Two audio manufacturers announce alliance

New days, new halls p24 Prolight + Sound preview

Still time to submit a Team award! See page 6

Immersive club audio p34 Is Ministry of Sound the new template?

IS YOUR NETWORK SAFE? Addressing the security implications of converged AV-IT systems p28 Connection of User Stations via LAN with PoE switches or via powered daisy chain lines Full color high-resolution displays 48 kHz / 16 bit uncompressed audio 4 Master Stations may be linked Remote Speaker Station

Master Station serves up to 24 remote stations

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4-ch Master Speaker Station

2-ch Beltpack

FLEXUS is designed & manufactured by: ASL Intercom BV, Utrecht, The Netherlands www.asl-inter.com

WELCOME 03

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Babes in Freedonia

Installation is published 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

US sales – Executive vice president: Adam Goldstein agoldstein@nbmedia.com

Managing editor: Joanne Ruddock jruddock@nbmedia.com

Production manager: Jason Dowie jdowie@nbmedia.com

Staff writer: Duncan Proctor dproctor@nbmedia.com

Digital content manager: Tim Frost tfrost@nbmedia.com

Head of Design: Jat Garcha jgarcha@nbmedia.com

Content Director: James McKeown

Designer: Tom Carpenter tcarpenter@nbmedia.com Sales manager: Gurpreet Purewal gpurewal@nbmedia.com Senior account manager: Peter McCarthy pmccarthy@nbmedia.com

Contributors: David Davies Jason Fitzgerald Rob Lane Ian McMurray Steve Montgomery Special thanks: Alexis Lipoff Sara Sowah

Print ISSN: 2050-6104

Online ISSN: 2052-2401

Cover image: Fotolia

A sister title to SCN

Paddy Baker, Editor pbaker@nbmedia.com @install8ion

’m going to withhold names of people and companies here, because I’m more interested in a general discussion than in pointing ﬁngers. A lighting manufacturer, let’s call it Acme Corporation (thank you, Road Runner), based in the country of, let’s call it Freedonia (thank you, Marx Brothers), posted this on its Facebook page last month: “Are you planning to come to Prolight + Sound this year? If yes, what is the main reason of your visit? a) new Acme products; b) Freedonian beer on tap; c) Freedonian girls on reception; d) Acme Jäger machine; e) lightshow”. This prompted various people – of both sexes – to take to Facebook to complain that this post was objectifying women, putting them on a par with beer, Jägermeister and a lightshow as reasons for visiting a tradeshow stand. The post was taken down after three days; and while it’s no

‘This prompted various people – of both sexes – to take to Facebook to complain that this post was objectifying women’ longer there to check, it’s clear from comments elsewhere that many of the comments on this post were from men talking about Freedonian girls, in a way that one poster described as “unsavoury”. The original poster (male) apologised and said he never intended for it to be read in that light. What do you think of this? Do you think, as one male commenter on the complaint thread did, that the complaints were disproportionate? After all, just four words (or maybe just one, depending on how you look at it) are at issue; and where’s the harm in ‘booth babes’ anyway? If you do think that, then may I point you towards this reply to his comment: “When you have been discriminated against in terms of the jobs you get, the pay you receive and the promotions you are considered for just because of your gender, then you might also be offended by this choice of words.” If you’re still not convinced, have a look at the #WomenNotObjects campaign on social media. A growing number of organisations – such as Women in AV (WAVE), Women of InfoComm Network (WIN), Women in Stage Entertainment (WiSE) – are working to promote and support women in the industry, and attack inequality. But it’s incongruous – if not downright insulting – that these groups are doing their work while some companies are still using booth babes to sell their message at shows. InfoComm CEO Dave Labuskes has said that this “creates an environment that is unwelcome for some, that perpetuates ‘old school thinking’ which should have been abandoned 75 years ago (frankly, it should have never existed), and one which diminishes the professionalism of our practice.” Like him, I shy away from the idea of enforcing a ban; I just want to be in a place where exhibitors no longer think it acceptable or even useful. I’ll raise a glass of Freedonian beer to the wish that that day comes soon.

Driving the Creation of Knowledge

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Presentation. Collaboration. Knowledge Sharing.

04 CONTENTS

April 2016

News & Data 08 Analysis Businesses at risk of alienating ‘selfie-generation’ IoT presents massive security challenges 12 Regional Voices: France

People 14 Industry Moves 16 Opinion Rob Lane on the excitement and concerns surround AV/IT convergence Core Brands’ Jason Fitzgerald discusses how video over IP is transforming communication 20 Interview As Active Audio’s Régis Cazin takes charge at APG Audio, we talk to him and APG’s Grégory Dapsanse about the two companies’ ‘equity alliance’ 22 Interview Bensen Chan of Pakedge on working within the Control4 structure and what the future holds for the partnership

Features 28 Network security Maximising network and asset security is crucial as AV becomes increasingly important in the IT world 34 Club audio Could immersive be the next big thing in this unpredictable market?

Solutions

40 Finnish National Opera, Helsinki The sound reinforcement system has been transformed enabling the venue to extend its repertoire 44 Fiumicino Airport, Rome The advertising infrastructure at Italy’s largest airport has been overhauled following a major investment in LED displays 48 Solutions in Brief Featuring GDS at HOME in Manchester and Electrosonic at Bulgaria’s first children’s museum

Technology 51 New Products Including amBX, ATen, Optoma and Martin

56 Demo of the Month

Shure Microflex Advance

58 Showcase Amplifiers

Also inside 06 InstallAwards 2016 Team Awards and Rising Star still open for nominations

24 Show preview Prolight + Sound 2016

VISIT us at prolight & Sound

5-7 april 2016 | hall 3.1 | STAND NO. C31

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visit www.pioneerproaudio.com to learn more about our GLOBAL installations. venues include Sound Nightclub LA, Sankeys Ibiza, UshuaÏa, Pikes and Bierfabriek #madeintheUK

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06 INSTALLAWARDS 2016

April 2016

Riedel announced as InstallAwards sponsor

People power It’s already been a record year for the InstallAwards with a bumper number of entries, but the excitement doesn’t stop there…

s the InstallAwards team works quietly behind the scenes drawing up shortlists and judging projects, there’s still plenty going on that we can shout about. Although the Project awards are now closed to entries, there’s still time to get involved in the Team awards. The deadline to enter these categories has been extended to Friday 8 April; with three awards recognising teamwork within different parts of the AV supply chain you can get involved, whatever your role in the industry. For the Integrator’s Choice: In-House Team of the Year award, we’re looking to integrators to nominate the end-users, and their in-house AV teams, that they feel have contributed the most to successful installation projects, or provide a high-level of ongoing support to their clients. The Distribution Team of the Year award will be presented to the distributor that has been the best team player in its work with integrators and/ or manufacturers. The judges will be looking for evidence of responsiveness, technical proﬁciency and understanding customer needs. The Marketing Team of the Year award will go to the team – either in-house or external – that has produced the best results for its client over the period from March 2015 to February 2016. As the name suggests, nominations for the Integrator’s Choice: In-House Team of the Year award may only be made by integrators. However, this restriction does not apply to the Distribution and Marketing Team awards – anyone may nominate a team in these categories, and you can even nominate your own team!

To submit a nomination for any of these awards, go to www.installawards.com/categories The Rising Star award is also now officially open for nominations. New for 2016, this accolade will be presented to someone aged under 30 or with fewer than three years of industry experience but who has used that time to make a huge impact in the AV world. To nominate yourself, a colleague, or someone you’ve worked with, simply send a brief email to installawards@nbmedia.com, by Friday 15 April, explaining who you’re nominating and why. Continuing the theme of recognising the people

Tickets now available Tickets for the 2016 InstallAwards are now on sale. This year’s ceremony will be held at the Grand Connaught Rooms in central London. The celebrations will start with a champagne reception at 1:00pm before lunch, the awards presentation and a late-night after party.

Afternoon Schedule 1:00 pm-2:00pm Drinks reception and canapés on arrival 2:00 pm-3:30pm Two-course lunch 3:30pm-4:30pm

Awards presentation

4:30pm-Late

Afterparty

Dress Code:

Black Tie

We are pleased to announce that Riedel will be supporting the 2016 InstallAwards as sponsor of the Entertainment: Venues category. “Riedel’s latest communications and signal distribution solutions are an ideal fit for the pro-AV and installation market, and we’ve been engaged in a rapidly increasing number of exciting installations around the world,” said Riedel’s Serkan Güner. “We’re committed to excellence in bringing each of these projects to completion, and as a proud sponsor of InstallAwards 2016, we look forward to recognising and celebrating companies across the pro-AV industry that share this commitment.” There are a limited number of further sponsorship opportunities available. To find out more contact Pete McCarthy on pmccarthy@nbmedia.com / +44 (0)20 7354 6000 behind some of the great projects and products in our industry, the 2016 InstallAwards will also see the introduction of the Installation Hall of Fame. Decided by the Installation team, this prestigious award is designed to honour those people who have had a huge impact on our industry. Returning to the Project awards: remember to keep an eye on the Installation website and our social media channels this month, as we reveal the ﬁnalists in each category.

www.installawards.com www.installation-international.com

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08 ANALYSIS

April 2016

Businesses at risk of alienating ‘selﬁe-generation’ through outdated communication practices By Steve Montgomery

he vast majority of employees use video as part of their everyday lives today. However employers rarely encourage them to use video at work to communicate. While only 14% of employers are good at providing communications tools that mirror those employees use at home, around 63% of employees assert that their employers could make better use of live video; pointing to culture, collaboration and training as examples. James Campanini, VP & GM EMEA, BlueJeans Network commented: “Millennials communicate in real time and use video and photographs in all aspects of their lives. They are the ‘selﬁegeneration’ who are comfortable on screen and sharing experiences with their friends and colleagues. Businesses are failing to recognise that the way their staff want to interact and collaborate is changing. If the last business communications revolution was about the written word and email, the next one is about live interaction. In the future, every meeting, phone call or email will be a live video chat.”

Employee attitudes to live video at work – % believing in beneﬁts and consequences Beneﬁts of using live video

69%

65%

Greater employee retention

50%

Greater diversity of business teams

41%

Less travelling

38%

Increased ability to work remotely

Increased ﬂexibility

33%

Consequences of not adopting live video

33%

Inefficient use of resources

Increasing travel costs

32% Slower decision making

25%

Disconnected management teams

www.bluejeans.com

Failure to innovate

Source: BlueJeans

IFPDs sales double in 2015 with over 800,000 units sold By Duncan Proctor interactive displays for boardrooms, meeting rooms and huddle spaces. Currently IFPDs are in 25% of classrooms, whereas only 1 in 50

meeting rooms have interactive displays.

www.futuresource-consulting.com

Interactive ﬂat panel display growth (%) 100 90 80

Growth %

report from Futuresource Consulting has revealed the extent to which the global interactive ﬂat panel display (IFPD) market has grown, accounting for 59% of all interactive display sales as of Q4 2015. The growth of the technology has gone from 18% in 2013, and 33% in 2014 to 57% in 2015, and this growth is forecast to rise to 82% by 2020. As a result, sales of interactive whiteboards (IWB), the original technology, are in decline; however combined the two technologies contributed to 1.5 million displays in 2015. The next phase of development for IFPDs is to expand from the classroom into meeting rooms. At ISE, a number of manufacturers showcased

70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

2013

2014

2015

Source: Futuresource Consulting

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10 ANALYSIS

April 2016

IoT presents massive security challenges By Steve Montgomery

ecurity is the number one challenge threatening Internet of Things deployments. The technology offers great opportunities but in interconnected environments the security risk increases exponentially and is potentially limitless. The nature of the rising number of attacks from malicious entities is broad: physical attack; compromise of credentials; configuration, protocol and network attacks as well as user identity and privacy threats. They can occur before and after device deployment. With more connected devices worldwide, there is a major threat to the safety and operation of products and services, including building management, vehicles, healthcare, financial services and utility supply. “Security cannot be bolted on as an afterthought. Devices must be inherently secure by design and default, at all stages of

Causes of security threats – cited by % of survey respondents 0%

10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% End user carelessness Malware Spyware External breach BYOD, mobile devices Internal breach Endpoint/perimeter attacks Open ports Source: Strategy Analytics

deployment. It requires proactive management and offers potential for vendors and consultants to offer guidance and advice to organisations to maximise security of their IoT devices,” said Laura DiDio, director of

enterprise IOT and analytics at Strategy Analytics.

www.strategyanalytics.com

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REGIONAL VOICES

April 2016

FRANCE How is the installation market faring in Europe’s second-largest economy? Our latest country survey ﬁnds out

ccording to the OECD, the French economy is expected to show gradual growth this year and next, due to the combined effects of lower oil prices, reduced fiscal contraction and sustained monetary stimulus. Looking at the country’s GDP and budget deficit figures, both show a small improvement compared with when we last surveyed the French market (in the June

1.1%

GDP annual growth rate, 2015 Source: Trading Economics

2015 issue); and – while we wouldn’t argue a deﬁnite cause and effect – our respondents seem more upbeat about the prospects for their own businesses. Around three-quarters believed that revenues would grow in the next 12 months – while around 50% held the same view last time around. However, the vast majority of respondents this time felt that the market itself would be ﬂat over the same period – so most of our survey felt that their companies would be outperforming the market. Asked to pick their most pressing business concern from a list of six, just over half chose ‘clients going for lowest price rather than best value’. Our respondents bemoaned the way that this practice inevitably damages margins, while one noted that prices tend to be pulled down by certain products. (‘Falling margins’ was separately selected by a minority of the sample as their

biggest worry.) Another concern cited was ‘being undercut by competitors’ – with one respondent singling out competitors from the Benelux countries as being responsible for this. So, not surprisingly, when we asked what our respondents would like to change about their market if they could, customer behaviour came top of the list. “[I wish] that customers would buy sustainable technical installations and therefore quality, rather than buying a price” was a typical comment here. Our survey also asked for advice to companies entering the French market – both manufacturers and integrators. One integrator offered what must be the shortest piece of advice for a manufacturer we’ve ever received – “Novelty” – while another stressed the importance of

3.7%

Budget deﬁcit (as proportion of GDP), 2015 Source: Trading Economics

pre-sales advice and technical support. There was possibly some reluctance on the part of our integrator respondents to offer advice that might help potential competitors – even theoretical ones – but consultants suggested that integrators joining the French market should concentrate on following up leads, providing a high-quality service and ensuring guaranteed stock levels of key components.

What will be the business trend in the following vertical markets?

GREATEST INCREASE Digital signage Corporate Education Retail Bars, clubs, restaurants Museums/visitor attractions Performing arts venues Worship Sports venues NO CHANGE

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14 INDUSTRY MOVES

April 2016

TD Maverick announces strategic changes

AMETEK Electronic Systems Protection

Several appointments and promotions have been made

Dave D’Agostino is now director of sales for the ESP and SurgeX brands. He will manage all sales for AMETEK Electronic Systems Protection, which was formed following the acquisition of ESP/SurgeX earlier this year by AMETEK Inc. Prior to this he was director of ESP Sales.

www.espsurgex.com AVMI

Mark Williams has taken up the role of sales director at AVMI, as part of a global recruitment drive to hire over 50 people. Williams will be responsible for the UK sales team, driving new business opportunities in key vertical sectors and developing strategic relationships with new and existing clients to support AVMI’s growing business.

www.avmi.com

D Maverick has announced key organisational changes to reﬂect its main priorities for 2016. Mark Tildesley (pictured) has been appointed collaboration director and will focus on the commercial objectives and market execution for TD Maverick’s collaboration partners, including Microsoft and Barco. Additionally, he will serve to retain the supporting infrastructure components and form new alliances with vendors in this market. The UK senior leadership team for TD Maverick has also been extended and will now be encompassed by managing director Simon Fagan, newly appointed sales director Tony

Scully and Tildesley. Fagan explains: “This is an exciting time for TD Maverick, as we work to extend into new markets and products, and we are happy to have a strong team behind us to drive this reality. The new structure will allow us to be more agile and responsive in the marketplace, and will help to deﬁne the new era of AV. This is a strong beginning for us, as we look to make several new appointments in the coming teams as well, to ensure that 2016 is a fantastic year for the industry.”

www.exertis.se www.wyrestorm.com Lexair has been named as the exclusive distribution partner in Australia and New Zealand for Elation Professional. The company is already master distributor for High End Systems, Green Hippo and TMB in Oceania. www.elationlighting.com www.lexair.com.au

Matthew Buck has been promoted to the position of regional sales manager UK and Ireland. With over 10 years of experience in the AV industry, Buck began his career in the industry with Polar Audio in the role of business development manager. He joined Crestron in 2011 as a commercial account manager.

www.crestron.eu Nanolumens

www.tdmaverick.eu

New Partners Wyrestorm has strengthened its position in Sweden with the appointment of Exertis CapTech to take over distribution of its products in the country. Exertis CapTech has offices in Stockholm and Gothenburg and has IT distribution, entertainment, and AV and largeformat displays (LFD) divisions. Tthe company holds the largest share of the Swedish market for both projectors and LFD.

Crestron

Apart Audio has named AV Marketing as its exclusive distributor for Finland while Professional Audio NI will fiulfil the same role for the whole of Ireland. According to Kris Vermuyten, sales & marketing director at Apart: “Professional Audio NI’s history as sub-distributor for Apart in Northern Ireland... is an invaluable extra asset for Apart’s business continuity in the Irish market.” www.apart-audio.com www.avmarketing.fi www.proaudioni.co.uk Analog Way has appointed Domeosys as its official distributor for Morocco. Based in Rabat, Domeosys will distribute video processing and switching solutions, including the Midar and LiveCore ranges. www.analogway.com www.domeosys.com

Vishnu Rao is now director of software services and platforms. The product development specialist joins from Sharp Electronics, where he served in a number of leadership positions throughout the past 15 years. Over the years, Rao has been awarded numerous US and global patents in user interfaces, connected platforms, big data and server technology.

www.nanolumens.com Powersoft

Fabrizio Romano Bolzoni has taken on the new role of sales manager, rack amps. He has spent the past 15 years in the sales and marketing departments of various multinational companies in a range of industries.

www.powersoft-audio.com

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16 OPINION: ON THE AGENDA

April 2016

Rob Lane The fast pace of change As AV collides into IT things become more exciting – and more complicated

uring ISE’s opening panel discussion, ‘IT in AV: Interconnecting for Smart Solutions’, discussion moderator and Wired UK’s editor-in-chief David Rowan discussed how AV and IT are colliding in today’s breakneck speeds of technological advancement, and how sensors in particular are bringing the AV and tech worlds together. “If you think AV is going to be what it was last year, it’s all going to change very quickly,” said Rowan. “You’re in a very exciting moment of two worlds colliding: the sensor-connected world colliding with the storytelling tools of audiovisual. I think that’s a big moment of potential growth for a lot of people’s businesses here.”

Moore is more Rowan name-dropped Moore’s Law, often seen as the reference point and explainer as to how quickly technology has been advancing in the past half-century: “The exponential curve that is the Moore’s Law idea that processing power keeps doubling every 18 months to two years? It is still happening, it hasn’t reached the limits of physics. And it’s going to hit the AV world in all sort of interesting ways.” He added that in a connected world where “nothing is offline any more”, we’re on a Moore’s Law curve – particularly for sensor technology, which is, pretty much, at the beginning of its technological lifespan. In signage for instance, the use of sensor tracking “merging with the display of information” is in its infancy, “because we are still at that exponential growth curve”. In 1965 Gordon E Moore, who was co-founder of what was to become the Intel Corporation in 1968, made the observations that became known

as Moore’s Law. Electronics magazine had asked him to write an article predicting what would happen in the semiconductor component industry in the subsequent 10 years. Moore looked at all of the elements being used in chips at the time (approximately 60 transistors, resistors, capacitors and diodes) and based on their use in the preceding years, concluded that the semiconductor industry would double elements every year for 10 years until they hit 60,000 per chip.

‘AV and IT are converging at pace in our über-networked, über-connected world’

Ten years on from this and his prediction was proved to be accurate, prompting a colleague to coin the term ‘Moore’s Law’. But Moore wasn’t done, and revised his prediction to a doubling of elements in a chip every two years, and the Law eventually became a driving force in itself, encouraging manufacturers to plan development and set R&D targets to keep pace with it – even today! Moore’s Law has determined our technological reality and – as David Rowan asserts – continues to do so at a faster rate than ever. You’ve only got to look at the pace of interactive technological advancement since Minority Report made its bold visual predictions for interactive tech in 2002 – a lifetime away in

technological terms, and a full ﬁve years before Apple launched the iPhone. It took us a few years to catch up with Spielberg’s vision – advised at the time by a future-gazing John Underkoffler, now Oblong’s CEO – but now things are racing along at Moore’s Law pace. Virtual reality, gesture interaction and whatever it is that the $1.3million-invested wizards at Magic Leap are leading up to (“some kind of display technology”, according to Rowan): AV and IT are converging at pace in our übernetworked, über-connected world.

Potential pitfalls Great news for AV, of course. But there are potential pitfalls ahead, as those AV integrators with no head for IT are beginning to ﬁnd out. As Rowan explained at the RAI: “Once you network everything, there is vulnerability.” As AV and IT continue to converge and the 20-yearsestablished, corporate demands on IT companies (security, security and security!) become more applicable to AV businesses, we’re sure to witness a sea change in the AV industry; one that will almost certainly result in a reduction in traditional AV integrators plying their trade. Survival of the IT ﬁttest, perhaps. In the connected world of the cloud, security is key. As John Chambers, former CEO of Cisco, once commented: “There are two types of company: those who have been hacked, and those who don’t yet know they have been hacked.” Rob Lane is a tech/business journalist and founder/owner of Bigger Boat PR. He remembers those halcyon days when being security conscious meant locking doors.

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18 OPINION: ON THE AGENDA

April 2016

Jason Fitzgerald A new future Video over IP is transforming communication

t’s no secret that the worlds of AV and IT have converged in the past five years. Our everyday reliance on networking has led to a revolution in the AV industry. At this moment, network infrastructures are working behind the scenes, providing better avenues for communication and serving as the conduit for much of the in-home media we consume. Traditional distribution, previously run over separate and external mediums, can now utilise these networks for video transmission and control extension in AV. This means that the data paths for the application of video and control over IP are, in most cases, already available and waiting to be tapped. By utilising video over IP, we are opening the door for products that can wear multiple hats, take on various roles and change the landscape of how we integrate AV solutions. In particular, matrixes can gain significant video and control signal advantages over their I/O-restricted, hardware-driven brethren. By decentralising the I/Os and allowing switches to manage the data traffic, we are enabling scalability. In turn, scalability offers a new and unprecedented level of customisation that gives integrators the option to expand any matrix system in the future without replacing major system components. Though it’s new in application, we’re already beginning to see the benefits of tapping into this high-speed network infrastructure in the field.

Richer collaboration Video over IP is already being utilised in the corporate market. I recently visited the headquarters of an innovative, fast-paced

company where there was a major push from management for collaboration on a smaller and more intimate scale. Instead of congregating in conference rooms for meetings, employees were encouraged to engage with each other at their workstations and share their progress in a more organic fashion. To make that a reality, the company fully integrated employee’s workstation into a video-over-IP network. By integrating each workstation into the video-over-IP network with a control layer, employees can walk to the desk of a fellow team member and share their progress on a workstation with the simple wave of an ID tag over a sensor. This signals the control system to immediately switch the current video and control interfaces to reflect the identified user’s hardware, regardless of its location within the building. They are now able to share their progress on their colleagues’ screens. Video over IP significantly changed this company’s culture and, based on the cuttingedge nature of the product, an integrator could easily add new workstations to the network with additional inputs and outputs as the company grows.

Education interaction We are also seeing a ramp-up of video-overIP utilisation in the education market. In the higher education segment, the interaction between professors and their students is integral to the learning experience. Video over IP can enhance this interaction through an asset sharing system similar to that of the corporate application I previously described. With a properly deployed video-over-IP solution,

student- and institution-provided computing solutions can easily be connected in an ad hoc manner. Thus, educators will be able to assess each student’s progress, and share this with other students as needed. The real-time interactivity has the capability to create an organically interactive learning environment with a hands-on approach. The versatility of a scalable solution goes beyond just the student-to-professor interaction; in every school, exacting needs can be deployed in each classroom. For example, institutional video equipment can be shared between departments with implemented centralised management. Campus-wide signage, typically networked, can be leveraged with video-over-IP equipment to share messaging without the reliance on locally based players. Video and control distribution that takes advantage of current high-speed network infrastructures is rapidly becoming a growing segment in our industry. It enables scalability, versatility and high-definition content in a way that wasn’t possible before. As Gefen moves forward with this technology, integrating 4K and employing better compression methods, it will be clear that the first early adopters of this synergistic fusion of IT and AV will certainly gain a significant competitive advantage in the AV industry. Jason Fitzgerald is Gefen product manager at Core Brands.

www.gefen.com

20 INTERVIEW: RÉGIS CAZIN, GRÉGORY DAPSANSE

April 2016

Alliance française

Active Audio has just taken a majority shareholding in APG. Paddy Baker and Dave Robinson talk to the two manufacturers to ﬁnd out what’s behind the deal and how both sides expect to beneﬁt

PG Audio’s Grégory Dapsanse admits that the French manufacturer’s press conferences at trade expos – particularly Prolight + Sound – have always been conducted with a little “theatre”. Here’s the new loudspeaker product, here’s an enthusiastic user to say a few favourable words, and then – plop, glug-glugglug, chink-chink – have a drop of zesty organic wine and a piece of exquisite soft cheese. Playing to the audience? Oui, monsieur! But, in the past couple of years, the dramatics have had to stop. APG Audio had been losing its way and needed a new script. A fresh face to direct the action, if you will. Welcome then, to the opening show of a whole new season. And the head of Active Audio, the steerable column loudspeakers and installation specialist, is in the director’s chair. Prolight + Sound will set the stage for what the companies are calling an “equity alliance”:

Nantes-based Active Audio has acquired 60% of APG’s shares, and Régis Cazin, Active CEO, has joined APG in Paris, becoming CEO of both companies on legal completion of the deal (expected at the end of March). Cazin explains: “I really wanted to keep the existing shareholders as shareholders because they are operational people, and I need them to develop APG and the company.” These include Dapsanse, who has been with the company since 1994 and is moving from executive VP for R&D, innovation and marketing to the role of marketing and business development director; Philippe Frarier, one of the founders of APG in 1978, who moves from CEO to the position of industrial director; and Jean-Luc Moncel, an electroacoustic consultant with long-standing links to the company. APG Audio had been independent since 2004, following a management buyout from SCV France, which at the time was the largest

independent European audio distributor. While, says Dapsanse, the plan had always been to develop APG through technical innovation and international development, by 2015 he and his colleagues felt that it was time “to ﬁnd another way to manage the company”.

More fun An entrepreneur, Régis Cazin has been a part of several start-ups and also has experience in taking over (and turning around) “distressed’ businesses. Before joining the audio industry, he managed companies making electronics for transportation systems. He joined the audio industry when he took over at Active in 2008; the idea of working somewhere “more fun than the defence industry” appealed to him. The company had been founded in 2002 by his friend Xavier Meynial, who he says was more of a researcher than a businessman. Cazin says: “I enjoy good sound but I was not a

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specialist, even if I am an electronic engineer. So I could understand what makes good sound, but what I discovered that in terms of market is it’s very special – it took time to understand that. You have networks of relationships, you have brands with known names, loyalty and existing partnerships: people know a brand for years: unless that brand makes some major mistakes, they will continue to work with them. And they don’t want to take any risks. So it takes a long time to establish a new brand, a new technology.” Active Audio was growing but, for these reasons, not as quickly as he wanted. Growth from external sources was considered: in fact, Active Audio’s name came up in internal discussions as early as 2014, but “it was too early,” he says.

Synergies The two parties made contact last November, at the JTSE show. Right from the start, he says, the idea of the two companies working together just made sense: “Everything was so obvious, the synergies were so readable.” Cazin invited the APG team to visit Active Audio at Nantes “to put all the info on the table. It was clear at the end of the day we had much more synergy than I could have imagined on my own.” Cazin comments: “My ﬁrst analysis of APG was they have great knowhow, they have a good image in terms of sound. People are very loyal to the APG brand, and they love the APG sound.” However, “the customers also think there is a lack of innovation for new products and, I would say, a lack of communication for the last two, three, four years.” He points to “a lack of leadership” as a fundamental issue for APG in recent years – the “lack of a real boss giving the direction, giving some targets to achieve”. Cazin has shifted responsibilities around within the company, producing a clearer structure with more speciﬁc individual responsibilities. (Putting a positive spin on the old APG, he characterises it as “a democracy”.) In his new role Dapsanse is still in charge of product strategy, but not product development. “It was too much,” confesses Dapsanse. One director is in charge of purchasing and manufacturing, and there is another responsible for R&D – “and we are building a schedule of product launches for the next 36 months,” says Cazin. In addition, as part of a new investment plan, recruitment has already started within the R&D function. “That’s very important, because if we want to develop we need to add new products, so we will increase the development forces.” Cazin says he is committed to this expenditure, and it could even increase if sales outperform expectations. Both men are enthusiastic about these

INTERVIEW: RÉGIS CAZIN, GRÉGORY DAPSANSE new arrangements. “The compatibility of the companies and management and philosophy is really, really strong,” says Dapsanse. Cazin says: “I’m still amazed to see so many synergies – much more than I expected at the beginning before knowing APG deeply.” First, there’s the obvious one of having the sales force working across both brands. As far as distributors are concerned, Cazin notes: “The idea is to keep the two networks separated, but with mutual know-how, and of course if one can aid the other, it will be done.” However, in territories where one brand is not represented, it is hoped the other brand’s distributor will step in. “They are not obliged to do this, but it is an opportunity.” There are also technical synergies to be gained: “In the ﬁeld of digital signal processing, which becomes more and more important in the pro audio industry, I can say that Active Audio is really strong in that ﬁeld” – and so it can share its knowledge and speed up APG’s product development in that area. There’s more too, he hints: “It’s too early to tell you what, because it’s just at the beginning, but we have ideas for products that could merge the technologies of both companies.”

‘The compatibility of the companies and management and philosophy is really, really strong’

That’s not to suggest any blurring of the brands. “In terms of market and products, we want to keep the markets as they are now,” says Cazin. Broadly speaking, low-power loudspeakers, generating up to 95-105dB SPL are typically Active Audio products; high-power speakers are APG’s territory. APG’s next product launch will be the Uniline Compact, at Prolight + Sound – a development that, Dapanse stresses, predates Active Audio’s involvement. Its predecessor, the Uniline – a modular line array range that can be scaled to suit small venues all the way up to large festivals – was launched ﬁve years ago. “After a few years without launching a main innovative product, we decided to come back to development... So this was the task of 2015 – going back to the DNA of APG.” He continues: “So we are there with new products in non-conventional line array, with our modular concept, and also an important extension of the electronics range. Now we will have a complete range of electronics with external processors, simple ampliﬁers but also

now built-in DSP ampliﬁers, to cover the full spectrum of customers’ needs.”

Assembly The companies share another philosophy when it comes to the actual building of the boxes. All assembly, for both brands, is in France. Component sourcing for APG is 90% from France, less for Active Audio. “Assembly, we want to keep in France,” insists Cazin, “but we have to save some purchasing costs and so probably for APG we will have to find other suppliers.” “We had an exclusive partnership with PHL, [a driver manufacturer close to Paris] – and that was very practical for us,” reveals Dapsanse. “For the next step, it makes sense to open the door to other manufacturers – in Italy and Germany – that will give us opportunity to be more competitive.” “But we want to keep that ‘Made in France’ feel,” emphasises Cazin. “With Nexo and L-Acoustics [here], we really have an industry to do this, so let’s do it!” What about the market focus? While Active Audio is totally committed to the installation market, with products such as the StepArray digital steerable array and the Ray-On column loudspeaker, APG’s loyalties are around 60% rental and touring and 40% installation. “Over the last five years we focused a lot on the rental market. But now we think it’s time to extend our market in theatre, sports halls, houses of worship… There are a lot of good examples of markets we could address together with Active Audio, because more and more we see in fixed installation markets, for new venues, there is a requirement for PA messaging and a high-powered sound systems. Consider the Asian market, there is a particular market for the casinos, hotels with bar rooms, restaurants, karaoke... we can supply the whole thing. That makes sense for integrators and sound designers: that they can get the same global support from two French companies supplying the whole system… that could be easier to manage, to design, to integrate. That is part of the strategy.” There’s plenty more to get excited about with the new arrangement: Prolight + Sound will see both brands sitting on the booth of their new German distributor, AHA Audio. (Dapsanse quips, “When people first hear APG speakers, they say, ‘A-ha!’”). What’s more, Active Audio – which still has its own development agenda, of course – will debut an EN54-certified loudspeaker. The curtain goes up in Frankfurt. Mesdames et

messieurs, take your seats: but be ready to give Active Audio and APG a standing ovation.

www.apg.audio www.activeaudio.fr

22 INTERVIEW: BENSON CHAN, PAKEDGE

April 2016

Controlled connections

Rob Lane talks to Benson Chan, VP business development at Pakedge Device & Software, about how the company will work following its acquisition by Control4, and what the future holds for the partnership What is the history of the conversations that took place ahead of this groundbreaking deal? It all started around a demonstration of our Connect+ network platform and an exploratory partnership discussion between Control4 and Pakedge in June 2015. As the discussions progressed and Control4 began to understand the signiﬁcance of the technology and engineering capabilities that Pakedge had, the scope and vision of the partnership began to evolve. We realised that we both shared the same vision and solved the same problems, but from different perspectives. Our discussions shifted to a strategic re-imagination of a new connected experience that required a deeper level of integration between our two companies, and we realised that we both shared synergies beyond the vision, technology and customer base. We also had very similar corporate cultures, complementary engineering capabilities and management styles. It was a perfect convergence of technology, vision, culture and timing that made the decision to join together a logical and natural one. Would this acquisition have made sense, say, ﬁve years ago, or has the current state of technology development made it more meaningful now?

No. At that time, our two companies were in two different stages of evolution. We were trying to perfect our technology, and so were they. More importantly, our industry was still growing up and maturing. Many of the applications and services did not exist, nor were they as mature. Customers did not use technology as they do now. While businesses understood the importance of the network, many customers did not understand or feel the same. Today, the world is a different place. Everyone and everything is connected, and will continue to be so, especially with the emergence of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. Customers consider connectivity to be the fourth utility, behind electricity, gas and water. Customers connect with each other not only through computers, but also through mobile devices and smartphones. Technology is not a luxury, but a facilitator of everyday living and working. The network has evolved to become the most important thing that no one thinks about but cannot live without. Control4 saw where the connected experience was headed and began building out the smart home infrastructure. At Pakedge, we saw where everything was headed and began building out smart networks through development of the next-generation Connect+ network platform.

Our coming together was a perfect convergence of customer expectations, a critical mass of applications and services, industry maturity and technology readiness. Would it be fair to say that the acquisition is part of Control4’s wider push into the connected business market? Control4’s focus is, and will continue to be, in its current markets – residential, hotels/ hospitality and light commercial (ﬁtness centres, restaurants, bars, small offices, etc), where it has a differentiated solution and competitive advantage. The merger of Pakedge with Control4 will create new solutions that will solidify and strengthen its value to this existing base, and allow it to grow. Pakedge has solutions for both the residential and commercial AV market and will continue to extend its reach in the commercial markets where Control4 does not participate, with its new line of networking solutions. What would you say are the main markets for the Control4/Pakedge combination? In the short term, the current markets – residential, hotels/hospitality and light commercial – that Control4 serves are the main beneﬁciaries. The immediate integration of

INTERVIEW: BENSON CHAN, PAKEDGE 23

www.installation-international.com

Pakedge enterprise-grade network solutions into Control4’s smart automation solutions creates instant value. These markets are looking for an integrated solution that works well together, sold and supported through a single channel, easy to install and maintain and cost effective to own. In the longer term, with a deeper level of integration, the market possibilities are endless and exciting and one that we will explore at a later point in time. What do you think the two companies can do together that they would not have achieved separately? The acquisition gives Control4 a true integrated end-to-end smart home/automation infrastructure solution. It allows our customers to buy a full solution from one source. If they need product and technical support, they can now get it from one place. This integrated solution addresses several issues that have long plagued our industry: firstly, ‘Frankenstein’ systems cobbled together with products and applications from different manufacturers. These products are often not well integrated, nor always compatible with each other, thus limiting performance and scalability. Secondly, overly complex systems have long since been an issue. Each vendor component has a different installation and set-up procedure, may be functionally redundant, difficult to integrate, optimise, diagnose and maintain. When tech support is needed, the installer will need to call different vendors trying to figure out where the problem is. Systems are expensive to set up, maintain and troubleshoot because of the complexity of integrating components from multiple vendors and operate inefficiently. While ‘Frankenstein’ solutions provide basic functionality, their limited integration means that the individual hardware is acting on its own with no awareness of other hardware, and valuable device information that could be used to optimise the system is ‘marooned’. Incompatibility is a major issue. Different vendor technology release cycles, misaligned roadmaps and different interfaces result in continuing incompatibility and non-compliance with customer needs – plus an inability to support new class of devices. With the acquisition, Control4 and Pakedge will be able to offer a single integrated system platform that neither of us could do on our own. As an integrated solution, we are able to offer an integrated end-to-end infrastructure that is seamless, scalable, reliable and optimised for performance, as well as being much simpler to install, configure, service and support – dealers go through a single source for technical support. In addition we are more cost effective over the

A brief biography Benson Chan graduated from California Polytechnic in 1988 before completing an MS, Engineering at Purdue University followed by an MBA at UCLA Annderson School of Management After a year as a flight simulation engineer at SYRE he spent seven years at Hughes Electronics holding roles including systems engineer and business development manager In 2006 he joined Cisco Remarketing as senior manager of worldwide business development and marketing before moving to the role of senior business development manager, worldwide sales strategy and planning new business models He has been VP business development at Pakedge since October 2013 solution’s life cycle, as it takes less time and expense to set up, maintain, operate and service. Individual system components are aware of each other and work together as part of a team with other components while leveraging individual device information to improve overall system performance – a much smarter approach. And ﬁnally, we’re better future-proofed. The network and automation components have aligned requirements, aligned product technology release cycles and modular architecture to ensure continuous compatibility and operation.

‘With the acquisition, Control4 and Pakedge will be able to offer a single integrated system platform that neither of us could do on our own’

Pakedge president and CEO Victor Pak mentioned a shared “corporate philosophy and strategic vision”. Can you expand upon this, please? Although we develop different products and come from different perspectives, our two companies are very similar. We share the same vision for the technology, where the market is headed and where we want to go, and the customer connected experience. We are engineers and infrastructure builders – Control4 for the smart home and Pakedge for the connected experience. Although we sell hardware, we both consider ourselves software companies. It is through software – the engineering, intelligence, and the integration – where our differentiated technology and functionality manifests itself. Beyond the engineering, we share the same level of energy and passion for the technology, customer satisfaction, dealer focus and user experience. Our people are similar: we are

engineers and enthusiasts, we are dreamers, and we are doers. With so much in common, it is no surprise we were on the same page from day one and came to the same conclusion. The synergies between our two companies – the vision, the management style, the culture, the technology – were a perfect ﬁt. How will Pakedge operate within Control4? How much autonomy will it have? Pakedge will become the Networking Solutions organisation within Control4. Our mission remains unchanged: to develop highperformance networking platform solutions for residential and commercial AV and automation applications, regardless of brand. Control4 is one of many customers that we support to ensure our products work well together and Control4 is committed to ensuring that Pakedge remains true to its mission. We will continue to work with Control4 and non-Control4 dealers, and provide them with the best and most robust network for their needs. We recognise that many of our Pakedge dealers sell, install and service a variety of automation systems other than Control4 and we have no intention of disrupting that. They do not have to be Control4 dealers in order to buy Pakedge, and unless they are already Control4 dealers they do not automatically become Control4 dealers through the acquisition of Pakedge by Control4. Will the Pakedge brand remain, or will it be subsumed within the Control4 brand? The Pakedge brand will continue to exist separately from the Control4 brand. Over the 12 years, we have built up a lot of brand recognition and trust within the industry and we don’t want to disrupt that nor cause confusion in the marketplace. Equally important is that Pakedge will continue to expand into underserved markets, such as commercial AV networking, in which Control4 is not participating nor established.

www.pakedge.com

24 SHOW PREVIEW: PROLIGHT + SOUND

April 2016

New halls, new days It’s a new-look Prolight + Sound show this year, as the show moves to the eastern halls in the Frankfurt Messe. Here are some of the highlights on and off the showﬂoor

rolight + Sound is ringing the changes for 2016. Not only is it running from Tuesday to Friday rather than Wednesday to Saturday, it has changed places within the Frankfurt Messe with Musikmesse, and will now occupy the eastern halls, to accommodate growth in the show. The new allocation of halls is as follows: • 3.0: Light and stage • 3.1: Sound and audio • 4.0: Light and multimedia • 4.1: Audio and AV systems • 5:0: Light and effects A highlight of the conference programme is a keynote lecture by China’s leading stage designer, Guang Jian Gao, who is designer-inchief and art director at the Chinese National Centre of Performing Arts in Beijing. The keynote will cover his many years’ experience as a set designer and will feature his sector expertise. The lecture will be held in Forum.0 of Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre on Thursday 7 April at 15:30.

This is part of an expanded and restructured seminar programme, which this year features more than 70 expert lectures. As in previous years, the seminar programme will be split into the Prolight + Sound Conference for professional users, and the Eventplaza Conference for managers and organisers of events, congresses and conferences. New this year is the Manufacturers’ Forum, at which companies present the latest trends from the world of event and AV media technology, illustrated by speciﬁc projects. Another innovation is the Future Talents Day on Tuesday 5 April. This is aimed to connect students and

technical trainees in the technical ﬁeld, who want to ﬁnd out about career opportunities in the sector, with relevant sector companies.

VIDEO Among the technology on show at the Christie stand will be Version 5.9 of Pandoras Box. This now encodes files up to four times faster, delivers additional codec information through the file inspector, and includes a completely redesigned Patch-Tab and new templates that deliver faster workflow for remote control from a lighting desk. Users can create their own profiles, as well as export and import patch templates with exceptional ease. A Cues Tab has also been introduced for an overview of all cues, which can be used to navigate through the timeline and leave individual notes per cue. Visitors will also be able to see ID tagging in action. The ID Tag Tracking is a smart and easy way to track people on stage to be followed by moving lights or to create trackable stage props for freely moving projection mapping. Sharing a stand with MMT and SmartMetals Mounting Solutions, eyevis will show a number of brand new product innovations. Two vertically mounted modules of the new EYE-TOLED-5500, the transparent 55in OLED display, is set to draw visitors to the booth. Wherever black image content is shown, the display becomes transparent, while the active pixels are self-luminous and put forward very brilliant colours. Also on show will be bezel-free LED wall made up of modules from the new ePANEL product line, with a pixel pitch of 1.2 mm. The ePANEL product line is the result of a recently announced strategic partnership with Chinese LED manufacturer Unilumin. Finally, a selection of professional displays from the eyeLCD series, flagshipped by a 98in display with a resolution of 3840 x 2160, will top off the product range being showcased at Prolight + Sound.

AUDIO Alcons Audio will debut the LR18 line array in Frankfurt. The three-way, ‘compact-mid-size’ format line-source sound system features Alcons’ pro-ribbon technology for mid and high

What? Prolight + Sound 2016 Where? Messe Frankfurt When? 5-8 April, 10:00-19:00 frequencies, leading to a fast impulse response with up to 90% less distortion. According to Alcons, this enables the LR18 to offer a fully intuitive linear response, with very high intelligibility and non-compressed identical tonal balance at any SPL. d&b audiotechnik will be introducing NoizCalc, a new software tool to predict the far ﬁeld noise emission of open air events. Designed by d&b in collaboration with noise consulting and software development experts SoundPLAN, NoizCalc predicts sound propagation of multiple coherently emitting sources such as line arrays

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26 SHOW PREVIEW: PROLIGHT + SOUND and subwoofer arrays. Using 3D terrain data the software accurately predicts the far field noise emission across the terrain, allowing system designers to predict any potential noise issues during the event planning stage. DPA Microphones will be adding to its popular d:facto Handheld Microphone range by launching a new version of the d:facto Vocal Microphone. The new version has an extremely linear frequency response compared to the original d:facto Vocal Microphone, which has a 3dB soft boost at 12 kHz. Featuring a new capsule with an isolation-optimsed supercardioid polar pattern that is specifically designed to augment the human vocal range, the d:facto Linear Vocal Microphone combines the very best of cardioid and supercardioid directional characteristics, just as the original d:facto Vocal Mic. This ensures complete focus on the sound source with minimum bleed, thus delivering high separation, natural sound and SPL handling up to 160dB. Fohhn will be showing the current models in its award-winning Linea Focus series, which are now equipped with an Optocore interface. (A corresponding Dante connectivity option is currently being planned.) In future, all active Fohhn loudspeakers, amplifiers and controllers will be equipped with digital, transformerbalanced AES/EBU inputs, making them compatible with any digital audio network. Within this context, Fohhn is introducing the first models from to its new generation of even more powerful digital amplifiers. These are equipped with AES/ EBU inputs and integrated DSP, with a power capability of 2 x 2000 W @ 4 ohm. A further stand highlight will be Fohhn Texture Design, a new and exclusive printing process that enables Fohhn to achieve optimal visual integration of its loudspeaker systems: In addition to the full range of RAL colours and gloss levels, an extensive selection of photorealistic finishes – from wood to marble – will now be available (for speakers with aluminium housings and a maximum length of 1.5 m). Funktion-One will be launching Vero – a new, large-format touring sound system. The Vero

speaker range features six highly efficient, low distortion horn-loaded loudspeakers – the V60 mid-high, V90 mid-high and V315 mid-bass with a choice of V221, V124 or V132 bass. The V60s, V90s and V315s all have identical dimensions, enabling them to be flown in the same vertical array. The ground-stacked V221, V124 or V132 bass enclosures offer a choice of size and low frequency extension. The company will also debut the Evo 7T Touring loudspeaker and F132 bass enclosure at the show. Martin Audio will be announcing its CDD-LIVE! Series of loudspeakers. The range will build upon the company’s highly successful Coaxial Differential Dispersion technology, and will primarily be targeting the live sound community. Dom Harter, recently appointed managing director, says: “This new product range will build upon our patented technology that will further Martin Audio’s credentials as the true innovator in the marketplace and will deliver our customers a clear competitive advantage. We are extremely excited to unveil this new series at Prolight + Sound, where we have a multitude of activity planned.” Proel will launch its new compact line array system at Prolight + Sound. Featuring two 8in LF drivers and a 1.4in HF compression driver in a lightweight moulded polypropylene enclosure, the two-way AX800A is said to be ideal for is ideal for theatre, houses of worship, live music venues and small clubs, theme parks, leisure and sports facilities, and retail spaces. The Class D amplifier is a tried and tested DA series module used in many of the other powered Axiom loudspeaker products, and in this configuration it is optimised to deliver 900W to both LF drivers and 200W to the compression driver. The AX800A delivers 132dB maximum SPL, with a frequency range of 85Hz to 16.8kHz over a horizontal coverage angle of 110°, and is designed to partner with the matching dual 18in powered manifolded bandpass SW1800A in both portable and permanently installed applications.

LIGHTING Avolites will launch its new Titan V10 and Ai V9 software. Among the wealth of new features in Titan V10 OS, one of the most striking is the full 3D visualiser powered by the Capture engine, which allows the user to create and edit shows right inside the Titan interface and lay out ﬁxtures in the space using the console’s encoder wheels. V10 also allows the user to view intensity values in one place via the Intensity Grid. Ai V9 features an all-new audio engine, a dynamic content page, a new user interface and 58 new and updated effects. Also on show will be the Ai R Series, launched

April 2016

Proel will launch the two-way AX800A

at ISE, which is Avolites’ most powerful range of media servers to date, comprising a range of fourand eight-output media servers. All servers in the range take advantage of the increased speed and power of the latest processors, solid-state drives and AMD graphics cards. Philips Entertainment Lighting will be unveiling a broad portfolio of creative tools for lighting designers. From Philips Showline comes the SL HYDRUS 350, which will be launching at the show. The first Platinum lamp-based luminaire in the originally LED product line, the SL HYDRUS 350 is a super bright hybrid moving light that is ideal for the live event and TV market because of its small size and speed. Feature-packed with a wide zoom range in each mode, the SL HYDRUS 350 offers a vibrant colour pallet and is loaded with all the tools a designer needs to create midair effects, clear and precise projection as well as seamless blended animated washes. Also on the stand will be a brand new addition to the refreshed Philips Selecon PLprofile series, the PLprofile4 MK II. Much like the improved PLprofile1 series, the PLprofile4 MK II now offers boosted light output, superior colour consistency and brilliant beam quality. The Philips Entertainment team will also be showcasing the latest additions to the Philips Vari-Lite product line – the VL4000 Spot and VL4000 BeamWash. Meanwhile Philips Strand Lighting will show the complete NEO Lighting Control system, with its new wings and 19in rackmounted playback unit. Zero 88 will show its FLX and FLX8 lighting consoles, with demonstrators highlighting the latest ZerOS 7.9 software and the online universe upgrade program for FLX. Sitting alongside the FLX will be the new ZerOS Wing, allowing the expansion of FLX to increase the number of playback faders. A number of configurations will be shown to demonstrate the versatility of the ZerOS Wing package. Also showcased will be new Remote and Monitor apps for all ZerOS consoles on iOS and Android. These new free apps deliver more accessible remote operation of ZerOS consoles via mobile devices.

www.pls.messefrankfurt.com

28 BUSINESS FEATURE: NETWORK SECURITY

April 2016

Key Points Responding to the need to maximise network and asset security is the biggest challenge facing the AV industry as AV and IT converge

AV/IT convergence: it’s about security

The ‘threat’ of attaching AV devices to a corporate network is little different to that posed by attaching any ‘non-IT’ device Hardware manufacturers are responding vigorously to the need for more secure platforms For integrators, the requirement is to develop a broad understanding of the issues and concerns, rather than to become IT security experts

Once upon a time, AV security meant little more than providing a Kensington lock on a projector to ensure it couldn’t be stolen. Now, in an IT/AV converged world, it means signiﬁcantly more, as Ian McMurray ﬁnds out

ccording to a report by digital security company Gemalto, 707 million data records were stolen in 2015 in 1,673 separate breaches. That’s about 22 records every second. Since 2013, 3.6 billion records have been exposed. And those numbers may well be understated, either because the companies that reported the breaches didn’t actually know how many records were compromised – or because not all breaches were reported. The need for IT security has never been greater – and, as AV assumes a position of increasing importance in the IT world, complying with IT security requirements has become a fact of life for manufacturers and integrators alike. “The relentless evolution of new business

requirements and potential efficiency savings means that AV devices and services have had to be granted access by IT managers – sometimes against their will – especially when they have the C-level board breathing down their necks for new features and services,” smiles Chris Rawden, collaboration and communications specialist at integrator Saville.

Top priority “For years, AV has had the luxury of being somewhat ignored, with AV solutions often operating on our own networks,” says Paul Zielie, manager of enterprise solutions for Harman Professional. “However, now that AV/ IT integration has happened, the reality of technology of all kinds on the network has

made security a top priority for integrators and manufacturers alike. “AMX has seen these challenges, which is why we have really led the industry in a major push for IT security for a number of years now,” he continues. “We continue to look at ways that we can improve our technology to meet concerns of the modern IT world. That, really, is what our motto ‘AV for an IT World’ is all about.” “Security is a very important aspect of AV/ IT convergence, and recent events have made it very clear that it cannot be taken lightly,” notes Toine C Leerentveld, technology manager, control solutions at Crestron. “As Crestron has been at the forefront of AV/IT convergence, we have identiﬁed the major cornerstones of this convergence. All of these are equally important

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to us, since you really cannot call yourself converged until you’ve addressed all of them.” Leerentveld goes on to explain how each device on the network should integrate into IT security’s best practices, with support for Active Directory Integration, 802.1X network security, industry-standard encryption protocols such as TLS 1.2, SSH, SFTP, Remote Syslog and a full audit system. Security, he says, also means that manufacturers need to stay up to date with encryption and security patches that are released as vulnerabilities are found. He also describes the challenges of scalability, noting how the proliferation of AV devices means that individual manual updating is no longer feasible, and creates a need for centralised support and management.

Key role Providing necessary levels of security is far from purely a manufacturer responsibility – although the development of appropriate platforms is, of course, key. Integrators also have a crucial role to play. “We’re really well placed because we have got the relevant skill-sets in the company,” says Pete Symes, senior product and solutions architect at AVMI. “My background, for instance, is in IT. I moved into IT 20 years ago, and branched across into AV ﬁve years later – and I’ve been working on IT/AV convergence products for 15 years, predominantly in the video over IP space. As such, I understand the security concerns. Everything I design addresses those concerns up front, making everything much easier – rather than putting something in and trying to solve the problem at a later date, which is a horrible way of working. AVMI has a lot of IT-savvy and networksavvy people who also have that AV knowledge.” Having that in-house expertise is unquestionably a great asset – but no less important, from an integrator point of view, is the ability to develop appropriate relationships. “By working closely with IT companies and teams, AV integrators like ourselves can deliver installations that are fully integrated with IT networks,” observes Toni Barnett, managing director of integrator CDEC. “IT/AV convergence has been ongoing for a number of years and, during that time, both industries have been building on shared experiences. AV was never truly an island; we’ve always had to link with other elements. At CDEC, we pride ourselves on learning, adapting, staying abreast of technology developments – and, perhaps most importantly, our ability to build collaborative relationships based on mutual respect.”

Challenging Kieran Walsh, regional manager of global support services for EMEA at Audinate, sees the

FEATURE: NETWORK SECURITY 29

The weakest link To the uninitiated, it may seem counterintuitive that an AV system might represent a security risk. Audinate’s Kieran Walsh (pictured) explains why the potential threat is so real. “One of the biggest security breaches in US history happened because hackers realised that US retailer Target used an ancillary system that was easier to exploit – the HVAC system – than the EPOS system, which stored all customer transaction details,” he says. “Lack of traffic segmentation safeguards on the inside allowed for execution of an HVAC system exploitation, which provided access to the EPOS systems.” “IT departments that have to deal with many different embedded and/or industrial control systems – broadly, what networked AV systems look like – will have more sensitivity to the ‘hardware’ exploit side than departments more used to safeguarding the intellectual property of their organisation when held on desktop computer-based systems,” he continues. “In the latter category, the concern would generally focus more upon obtaining conﬁdential media information from the AV system directly, rather than the AV system being a soft vehicle to compromise a ‘higher value’ system.” The 2013 attack on Target is said to be the largest in US retail history, having exposed details of some 40 million customer credit and debit cards. It is claimed that the attack resulted from the HVAC integrator’s own systems being hacked. Target offered $10 million to settle a class action lawsuit. “The trouble is that a lot of people implementing ‘smart devices’ do not recognise the security risks of placing them on a production network where they can access other sensitive data or systems,” Dwayne Melancon, chief technology officer of cyber threat detection company Tripwire, said of the Target attack in an article in Security Week. “This is yet another example of the need for security professionals to take a step back and look at the overall ecosystem of devices and how they are connected. Attackers will ﬁnd and exploit the weakest link in an interconnected network every time.”

integrator’s role as perhaps being simpler than many imagine. “To comply with, and train in, IT security as a specialism is challenging,” he believes, “and often, integrators appear to be under the impression that they are required to do this. The simple truth is that they can rise to these requirements by learning some of the principles of security, and understanding how the networked system that they are proposing functions.” “Also,” Walsh continues, “by having access to trusted sources of knowledge, documentation and training to cover any questions from the security specialists – who are likely not part of the client’s IT department in any case in all but the largest organisations – systems integrators can continue with their appointed role while interfacing on a professional level with specialists in other disciplines.” But what exactly are the security issues that make the corporate IT team nervous?

“What keeps them awake at night is the possibility of transitioning a ﬁrewall and leaving a ‘backdoor’ into the network,” says Symes. “The biggest fear of all corporates is intrusion into their networks. Coming from an IT background, I see the corporate network as the crown jewels as it allows access to everything; it’s regarded as such, and rightly so. Access to it has got to be earned rather than given. This is always the default position and it’s the sensible position. But: if you understand the requirements you can meet them.” “There are recurring questions that the security team ask of any device that’s being attached to the network,” adds Leerentveld. “Can someone put a virus on this device, or run unauthorised code? How do I make sure only trusted employees have management access to these devices? Is there a way for someone to gain unauthorised access to the network by connecting to the many innies and outies that AV equipment has? And – how do I make sure

30 FEATURE: NETWORK SECURITY that the latest patches are on these devices, to ensure they are up-to-date?”

The unknown There is also something akin to fear of the unknown when it comes to AV technology, as Symes notes. “They’re concerned that the AV devices are appliances, rather than traditional IT equipment – servers, PCs, printers and so on,” he says. “The lack of in-depth conﬁguration of these appliances frightens most IT staff, as they don’t know exactly what these devices are doing to their infrastructure. It’s understanding what these appliances do and the ability to put in the correct controls and parameters within the devices so that they can be protected and they can’t be hijacked and used in a nefarious way. It’s just like putting a PC on the network really; IT people understand what they can do with IT equipment, but with AV they haven’t got the experience or the visibility, so it’s up to companies like ours to be able to translate AV into a language that they understand.”

‘As an industry, we need to provide more training on security and enterprise deployments, so that integrators and AV departments know what to look for, and what to do’ Toine C Leerentveld, Crestron

According to Zielie, it’s the typical spaces and applications for which AV technology is installed that gives cause for concern. “AV systems are often installed in meeting spaces,” he points out. “This means these are shared devices, often with no authentication required for use on the network and very limited AAA [authentication, authorisation and accounting] features. AMX has actually been working hard in this area. We offer LDAP integration with our NX controllers, which gives the potential to have a system that requires users to enter corporate login credentials before operation.” “And,” he goes on, “AV systems are often installed in unprotected spaces. Often, the only place you leave an unaccompanied outsider in your organisation is in a conference room.”

management systems and IoT devices – but the problems these systems have are different from the IT security challenges of general-purpose computers. IT departments that try to manage AV/IT systems like their computer networks often have problems.” [See boxout, page 29.] Barnett is in agreement. “There aren’t many AV-speciﬁc security threats,” she believes. “The threats are general and can relate to integrating any device onto a network – not just AV devices. “And,” adds Barnett, “BYOD is more of a threat/ challenge than any AV equipment could pose, as BYOD sees external technology sources joining the network on a daily basis.” So: what are the security measures that IT organisations are looking to take? “The priorities depend on the risk management framework of the organisation, explains Zielie. “The ﬁrst is usually increased scrutiny of authentication, authorisation and accounting – AAA. Enterprises want the systems to support password policies like complexity and forced password changes after a set period; multiple roles with different privileges appropriately assigned to individual users; and security logs to support the organisation’s audit requirements. Increasingly, they want to offload these tasks to their centralised management system like Active Directory. “Second,” he continues, “they want the ability to disable deprecated and unused services. It is important to be able to disable non-secure protocols like Telnet. And third, they want to be able to use encryption. Devices like the Cisco Codecs no longer have RS-232 ports, so the ability for controllers to use secure network protocols such as SSH to control the device is critical.” Understanding exactly what is required in terms of security policies and

April 2016

implementation leads, of course, to the need for quality communication between manufacturers, integrators and end users. That can be of a formal nature, according to Leerentveld. “As a manufacturer, we work hard to keep in lock-step with the developments in security in the corporate world,” he says. “As an industry, we need to provide more training on security and enterprise deployments, so that integrators and AV departments know what to look for, and what to do.”

Trust “The question is mainly one of trust,” believes Symes. “AV companies have got to earn that trust. The quickest way of earning it is to talk their language – in IT terms instead of AV. You have to show a thorough understanding of their concerns. If you walk into a situation where you don’t even understand their concerns, they’re not going to let you near the network – and quite rightly so.” There is also a requirement to be prepared to learn – and to be ﬂexible. “The communication with the customer has changed,” claims Zielie. “Rather than just getting a set of required features, there is a lot of give and take with various stakeholders, such as negotiating whether something will be secured via the network or directly on the device, which can impact device selection, or explaining the trade-offs when security requirements impact functionality.” The discussion is, according to Walsh, one to be relished.

Not unique “It’s important to remember, though, that AV is not unique,” he concludes. “There are systems with similar problems – such as building

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32 FEATURE: NETWORK SECURITY “Materially, the only difference between when I was integrating AV as an island and working in converged systems is the extra conversations with, and explanations to, IT departments,” he says. “This is actually a pleasurable activity. An initial meeting will likely start with suspicion, and evolve to curiosity – and with enough mutual understanding, any security concern and network policy can be adhered to and a working system can be delivered.”

April 2016

is a particular discipline, with niches as many and varied as those occupations found within AV. The purpose of being an AV systems integrator is not to be an IT security specialist, no more than an IT specialist should be required to understand the vagaries of AV. Simple professionalism is the only requirement, and bridging the skills and communications gap is a requirement for all who wish to ‘converge’.”

Moving target

‘BYOD is more of a threat/ challenge than any AV equipment could pose, as BYOD sees external technology sources joining the network on a daily basis’ Toni Barnett, CDEC

Walsh goes on to pick up on an earlier theme. “In general, the AV industry could beneﬁt from training as to how to present systems that are capable of being conﬁgured by an IT security specialist,” he says. “In the IT world itself, security

The bridging process to which Walsh refers is an ongoing one. “The problem with security is that it’s a moving target,” believes Leerentveld. “Hackers are becoming smarter, and their attacks are becoming more powerful. As such, the IT security industry needs to keep upping its game to keep up with the latest threats. The AV industry needs to work closely with the IT industry to stay apprised of these changes, so we can be in sync, rather than a few steps behind. “I know that at Crestron we visit IT security conferences, read security journals and newsletters to ensure we know what’s coming next, and that we are ready,” he concludes. “I can’t speak for the rest of the industry, but I strongly believe that in the long run, only the companies that embrace the IT and security

culture will be able to survive.” There is, then, little doubt that leading AV manufacturers are acutely aware of the need to design-in security at the hardware and system software level – or that they have been working (and continue to work) to ensure that the needs of corporate IT security organisations are met. That’s good news for integrators who can, increasingly, propose platforms that will be acceptable in security terms. The challenge here, though, is not for integrators to develop in-depth expertise in corporate IT security – but rather, to understand the principles and issues, and the ‘careabouts’ of the IT security team. That too is becoming increasingly the case. As many in the industry note, however, security is a moving target with new threats emerging on an almost daily basis. As such, it’s incumbent on the whole AV industry to maintain the rapid progress it has already made as the move towards AV/IT integration continues.

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34 TECHNOLOGY FEATURE: CLUB AUDIO

April 2016

Key Points

Surrounded by sound

Immersive audio installations such as that at London’s Ministry of Sound show a new approach to club sound Despite the possibilities immersive audio is not expected to become a ‘default’ for club installations any time soon Adverse market conditions in clubland are encouraging venues to diversify, necessitating more flexible audio systems

A recent installation at an iconic London venue has led some to wonder whether immersive audio might be the ‘next big thing’ for club audio. But as David Davies reports, a need to accommodate different applications in an unpredictable market may exert a greater inﬂuence on the clubs of the future

t is tempting to say that these are unpredictable times for clubland – but then in truth it was ever thus. After the electronic music boom of the Nineties and early Noughties that spawned a new generation of (super) clubs throughout Europe, a slowdown was surely inevitable – although in the UK it has been especially marked, with the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR) recently reporting that nearly half of the UK’s nightclubs closed their doors between 2005 and 2015. Simultaneously, however, there has been a dramatic expansion of the club scene in the US, where a belated embracing of rave (handily, if somewhat blandly, rebranded as EDM) has financed a new wave of clubs in key cities such as Los Angeles and Las Vegas, as well as a series of spectacular festivals. Elsewhere, thriving scenes in cities such as Macau and Singapore are pointing to an increasingly vibrant future for clubbing in Asia-Pacific. Despite these fluctuations, there is no such inconsistency in the general improvement of club audio standards. Highly directive line array and point source systems have made a dramatic difference to club sound, and allowed venues to cope not just with the ever-increasing number of dance-related sub-genres – but other styles of both recorded and live music as well. And now – with installations like the recent landmark project at London’s Ministry of Sound – we are

beginning to see the emergence of immersive sound environments. While this trend is widely acknowledged, it is not expected to become as commonplace as it is in some other settings, such as cinemas. Instead, venues are likely to place more emphasis on system designs that allow them to diversify into other areas such as corporate events and private parties – a pragmatic response to a market whose trajectory remains difficult to predict.

a music company – but more importantly we already had a six-point system set-up, and The Box is an acoustically treated space – so it was a perfect ﬁt.” While Martin Audio R&D director Jason Baird was closely involved with the project, he doesn’t expect immersive audio to become ubiquitous any time soon. “I think it is an emerging trend, but one that will remain the preserve of clubs with high production values,” he says.

Thinking inside The Box

Mass adoption or marginal?

But first a few words on that aforementioned Ministry of Sound installation. A long-time exclusive user of Martin Audio sound systems, the MoS recently invested in 16 of the company’s new CDD15 (Coaxial Differential Dispersion) speakers for installation in the ceiling of key dance room The Box. The result is that, as of January 2016, the venue has been able to utilise Dolby Atmos sound technology, with a total of 22 Martin Audio loudspeaker channels delivering sound anywhere throughout the room. Reflecting on the project – which also allows synchronised lighting cues to be generated from music mixed in the Dolby Atmos surround sound technology – MoS production manager Chris Thoms remarked: “When Dolby decided to introduce Dolby Atmos to the club world they were looking for a flagship venue to showcase it. We were approached both as a business and

Baird’s view is echoed elsewhere in the manufacturing community – albeit to varying extents and with different emphases on the types of technology that will form the basis of immersive club experiences. For Ken Berger, CEO of VUE Audiotechnik: “The trend to incorporate more immersive environments, both with video and audio, is going to continue and expand, with LED walls being the primary driver of these new environments. The spread of LED walls will change virtually all clubs, along with most public spaces. Developing audio systems to support these immersive experiences will be one of the biggest growth markets the audio industry has ever seen…” Pioneer has lately seen its GS-WAVE Series – which comprises a three-metre danceﬂoor stack with dispersion and high SPL across a broad frequency range – installed in a number

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36 FEATURE: CLUB AUDIO of immersive club designs, including Berlin’s Magdalena Club, which features a set-up based around eight GS-WAVE Stacks and related subs. “These are of course top-of-the-range systems, but it is apparent that systems which allow people in the club environment to feel properly immersed in sound are becoming more popular,” says Pioneer professional audio specialist David Ferreira. “Not only does it give venues a great sonic resolution, it has a positive aesthetic impact as well.” Ferreira agrees that a certain amount of upskilling is required to make the most of such systems, but his recent experiences indicate that “FOH engineer and DJ skills are getting better all the time. There is an awareness that ﬁlling the environment with sound in this way can be a cause for enhanced creativity – it’s just that you do require the infrastructure to match.” Auro Technologies – the immersive audio specialist that grew out of Belgium’s Galaxy Studios – continues to bring its Auro-3D audio technology to cinemas, home theatres, portable listening and more. Business development manager for music Iwan De Kuijper describes immersive sound as “an evolution in audio that is here to stay”, but implies that it could be a while before it becomes a preference for clubs.

April 2016

“Immersive audio is an interesting subject when it comes to the club environment, but given the experimental phase today we notice that many components to it still need to be taken into careful consideration,” says De Kuijper,

‘The spread of LED walls will change virtually all clubs, along with most public spaces. Developing audio systems to support these immersive experiences will be one of the biggest growth markets the audio industry has ever seen…’ Ken Berger, VUE Audiotechnik

who suggests that reconfigured layouts could be part of immersive implementation in clubs. Nonetheless, “we are confident the immersive experience can be translated over time to a variety of larger and high-profile venues”. For Funktion-One founder Tony Andrews,

the reasons why immersive is taking a while to arrive in clubs “are to do with having a suitable environment, suitable material and the slow speed of sound doesn’t help – and overcomplicating it with masses of digital processing is not necessarily an answer”. But with “more and more people appreciating dimensional audio”, it is clear Andrews sees current developments as inevitable and part of “a long-term trend going back to the quadraphonic systems of the 1970s. Funktion-One has been doing pioneering work in this area since The Experimental Soundﬁeld of Glastonbury 1992. For the last 20 years we have been installing fourand sometimes six-point systems around the world simply using interesting locations of right and left stereo.”

Multipurpose motivation Quite apart from multichannel mixing, it is evident that optimising immersive audio for clubs entails a not insigniﬁcant learning curve. The implications for the acoustical environment and the issue of how much sound around and above the clubgoer makes for a pleasant, long-term experience will need to be understood carefully by both venue owners and designers. In the shorter term, however, it is likely that

FEATURE: CLUB AUDIO

www.installation-international.com

many clubs – especially in the problematic European market – may have other things on their mind. Baird summarised some of these key issues when he spoke to Installation sister magazine Audio Media International last autumn. “Pressure from more flexible licensing hours and the late night bar scene has forced the club market to look for ways to increase their usage, towards the holy grail of seven days a week operation,” he said. “The knock-on effect for club sound is that it has to be more flexible. The weekends may still see the traditional club nights but in the weekday evenings, it is now more common to see live acts on the bill too. Add to that the possibility for corporate hire during the daytime (if the venue is kept to a high standard) and the modern club’s business model starts to become viable.” The ability to optimise a club audio system for different applications means that flexibility of (re)configuration is now high on the agenda. In this regard, Baird is able to point to the Martin Audio MLA (Multi-cellular Line Array) system’s capability to “allow electronic configuration of coverage patterns and SPL profiles across the venue, which can be adjusted to suit different applications”. Noise limitation issues are inevitably important as clubs work to accommodate other user

Case Study

d&b system helps Ibiza venue cater to clubbing, cabaret and more The recurring point in this feature about an increasing number of venues accommodating multiple applications alongside clubbing is neatly illustrated by a recent installation in Ibiza. The latest venue from entertainment group Pacha, Lío combines a club, cabaret theatre and restaurant under one roof. The loudspeaker system therefore needed to be able to be configured quickly and easily throughout the evening. Having decided to standardise on d&b audiotechnik across its venues in 2014, Pacha opted for a system based around various d&b components – including Yi12s, Yi10Ps, E12s, E8s and Bi6 subwoofers – with custom AmpPresets for different zones and programme material. The system can be accessed and adjusted using the d&b R1 Remote control software, enabling the Lío team to fine-tune sound in each of the seven zones at all times. “We created a ‘dinner mode’ AmpPreset where all sound comes from the stage on the terrace,” said Pacha Ibiza head of sound Toni Prats. “After the show, we change to the ‘club mode’ AmpPreset, which brings all the sound inside and increases the levels significantly as DJ sessions get underway.”

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38 FEATURE: CLUB AUDIO groups. Francesco Maffei is product specialist at K-array, whose latest launches include the Concert Series KH2, KH3 and KH5 loudspeakers with digital steering capabilities. “Multipurpose venues and concept clubs where the dancefloor shares the same space as a restaurant, lounge or retail space have been on the rise, as well as regulations set up to protect bordering facilities and surrounding residential communities from sound pollution. Today’s most common request from clients is to reduce as much sound emission as possible outside the dance floor,” he says. Berger confirms the demand for multipurpose systems. “The dance club market has always been sort of the Formula One of the sound business where concepts are tested that may or may not be practical in larger or broader applications,” he says. “The trend today is starting to move in the opposite direction with more general-purpose systems (typically smaller line arrays) finding more applications in clubs over the more traditional large horn-loaded systems – [although] of course you can probably find examples of both old and new trends as dance clubs tend to be very individualistic in design.” For Andrews: “In terms of expectation the one thing that continuously seems to increase is the need for lower and lower frequencies. Generally

April 2016

the desire for good sound quality slowly moves forward with awareness creeping in about everything from quality of source material to room treatment.” Along these lines he points to the Prolight + Sound introduction of the F132, a 32in horn-loaded bass enclosure which uses the Powersoft M Force linear motor coupled with some of Funktion-One’s aerospace cone technology. With venues needing to adapt to different applications and clientele, it also follows that more ﬂexible signal distribution and processing are increasingly de rigueur. By contrast, adoption of immersive audio may be a more limited pursuit – and one that takes place over an extended period. But it should also be perceived in the

context of “healthy competition and the evolution in general of the pro-audio industry”, as Maffei puts it. “Manufacturers should continue to always strive to improve upon a client’s sound experience and proactively ﬁnd ways to anticipate client needs. As long as there is something better on the market, clubs will continue their quest for the best – regardless of their size.”

www.auro-3d.com www.dbaudio.com www.funktion-one.com www.k-array.com www.martin-audio.com www.pioneerproaudio.com www.vueaudio.com

40 SOLUTIONS: FINNISH NATIONAL OPERA, HELSINKI

April 2016

FINLAND

Perfect sound in every seat

PROJECT OF THE MONTH Improving on the previous system – as well as a move into musical theatre and surround sound – was behind the complete refurbishment of the audio systems at this prestigious venue. Tom Bradbury reports

ecause much of opera is not played out in the listeners’ native tongue, the story is not solely communicated through the sung libretto: acting, singing, scenery and lighting all play a part – and it’s reasonable to expect that the audience will at least have made some cursory investigations into the piece. It was with all that in mind, and the added potential of a deliberate drive into contemporary musical theatre, that specialist opera consultant Santtu Sipilä was first engaged with a complete refurbishment of the Finnish National Opera (FO) in Helsinki. “This was not some simple tale of transition through technological update,” says Sipilä. “We were asked to transform the sound reinforcement system at the opera house by considering the needs of all those influences.” Sipilä assembled a small team; he would develop the master plan founded upon QSC’s Q-SYS network control throughout the entire facility, while Reima Saarinen, assisted by Timo Liski, designed a completely new loudspeaker installation based on the full catalogue of d&b audiotechnik. Liski summarises the brief: “No matter what the production, musical theatre or opera, and however elaborate the lighting and set design, we needed to be able to reconfigure the loudspeaker system to accommodate many

differing formats without any compromise to the listening experience of the audience. That might sound simple, but it was not.” The needs of the FO were complex. It maintains an enormous repertoire (more than 100 productions) and now also wanted to present musical theatre and modern dance productions with surround sound. Expectations were high and the opera house outlined a very realistic budget. Says Liski: “A d&b Q-Series system had been installed quite some time ago so they already had long experience of d&b loudspeakers – so our primary recommendation of sticking with that manufacturer was an easy choice for them. It also meant we could use the old loudspeakers redeployed to a monitor role.”

Three needs There were then essentially three needs to be fulfilled. “Firstly, when we drew up the specific system design, ArrayProcessing did not yet exist, and in fact the Y-Series loudspeakers we specified for mains left, right and centre, had not yet gone into production either. But we knew from d&b that both were coming, and the specification of Y-Series fitted the needs of the auditorium in many ways. We knew the coverage data would be accurate, and we were very comfortable with the

Installed Audio d&b Yi8, Yi7P and Yi12 compact line array speakers d&b Yi-SUB and J-INFRA subwoofers d&b T10, 4S and 8S two-way speakers d&b 30D, 10D, D80, D12 and E-PAC amplifiers QSC Q-SYS processor performance figures in terms of output. Speaker size was a more critical factor. “With so many productions in repertoire the bulk of the enormous stage lighting system needs to stay in place. That places strict limits on available speaker hanging points,” he continues. “By selecting Y-Series we had a loudspeaker that was physically no bigger and took up no more space than the old Q-Series.” Although the speaker positions were not ideal, “they did allow us to place the Y line arrays in a position that ensured coverage to every seat”. All d&b equipment was to be provided through msonic oy, the d&b sales partner for Finland, overseen by director Mikko Palomäki and Tero Hölttä. These men have long established relationships with the opera house. Although D80 amplifiers were initially specified, the team then heard about the new

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42 SOLUTIONS: FINNISH NATIONAL OPERA, HELSINKI

April 2016

10D and 30D installation amplifiers. “In terms of cost that brought things down; it also meant that we could seriously consider adding amplifier channels to implement ArrayProcessing across all line array elements. The installation amplifiers were no compromise to the performance of the system: in fact they brought other benefits. With 10D and 30D you can use four analogue and four AES3 digital inputs simultaneously, an option you don’t have on the D80.” Thirdly, implementation of ArrayProcessing would bring benefits across the whole space: “If the sound system delivers homogeneously, as enabled by ArrayProcessing, then the room will respond in similar fashion, just as the original acoustic design intended. That makes it very natural sounding. “In a more detailed example, there is an orchestra pit hard up against the front rows of the audience. At the lowest trim the bottom cabinet of the L/R system is 7m from the front row audience. While we can use ArrayProcessing to maximise the listening experience in those front rows, the bigger gain is in being able to take away energy, across a broad spectrum, from what goes into the orchestra pit. With upward of 100 open microphones in there that’s a really significant benefit. The same applies on stage, so the performers hear only their monitors (for musical theatre) and what comes back from the room, which is what they are accustomed to and what they like.”

System design The installed system design is relatively large and complex. Left/right mains are a mix of Yi8 and Yi12 loudspeakers, while the centre cluster has the same Y-Series components, plus flown Yi-SUBs and a J-INFRA. Fills include E8 loudspeakers at the top balcony, Yi7P and T10 for front fills, while the surround system uses over 60 4S and 8S loudspeakers. d&b product manager Wolfgang Schulz comments: “The new installation amplifiers fit well into the design due to the parallel analogue and digital inputs. Since the system at the opera house is pretty complicated and redundancy is a really big factor, there is an analogue backup connection to the L/C/R arrays and SUBs as well. This gives a ‘worst-case scenario’ backup that can also be used for guest consoles. “Going deeper, we encountered a variety of functionality issues because Santtu Sipilä’s master design uses a Q-SYS backbone. The Q-SYS platform uses custom programming to send power and mute commands. The complete system uses 30D, 10D, D80, D12 and E-PAC amplifiers. The 30D and 10D amplifiers are controlled with the R1 Remote control software using AES70/OCA via Ethernet and with a QSC processor via GPIO/relays (load amp presets,

power on and mute off). The D12 and E-PAC amplifiers are controlled via CAN-Bus through Ethernet using the R70 Ethernet to CAN interface with R1 and the QSC processor. The Q-SYS platform uses custom programming to send power and mute commands. “How does all that manage the different ArrayProcessing settings for the different show configurations? In particular, the opera has different physical positions and setup for the centre cluster. The current architecture demands separate ArrayCalc files for each setup; the above solution allows us to provide and use separate R1 files with their own ArrayProcessing. To switch between them, the user opens the correct R1 file and loads correct ArrayProcessing settings, and then checks that all settings have been correctly loaded into the amplifiers.” Within ArrayProcessing, the degree of DSP can be selected using a fader nicknamed ‘Power and Glory’. At one extreme, the focus is on maximum SPL and system headroom (Power); at the other, a best match of the target level distribution and frequency responses (Glory). Sipilä comments: “We never even considered the Power option;

Glory was, in our opinion, the best option without compromise. This was proven when Andreas ‘Stanley’ Lönnquist together with Sakke Kiiski did the sound design to Phantom of the Opera. This was the first full musical at the opera house after the installation completed; the house audio team did all the installation work themselves. It was at the time the loudest show they had experienced and we still had 10dB of headroom at full Glory. They have another three fully amplified shows with over 150 channels this year, but we don’t anticipate ever running out of headroom.” “The primary aim of the project,” concludes Liski, “was to make the listening experience for every seat in the house as perfect as modern technology will allow. What we have achieved has surpassed that goal because we can also physically reconfigure the system, putting loudspeakers at different positions to suit a variety of productions, and still achieve such ideal listening experiences.”

www.dbaudio.com www.qsc.com

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44 SOLUTIONS: FIUMICINO AIRPORT, ROME

April 2016

ITALY

DOOH as the Romans do A two-year, multi-million euro project has seen the complete overhaul of the advertising infrastructure at Italy’s largest airport – which had to be carried out without disrupting daily operations. James Christopher reports

lear Channel Italy has overhauled the advertising infrastructure at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport, which has seen major investment in several Absen LED displays. With 40 million passengers served in 2015 alone, Fiumicino – run by Aeroporti di Roma (ADR) – is the largest airport in Italy and one of the busiest in Europe. And thanks to the city’s history, architecture, gastronomy and nightlife, it attracts a demographic that premium brands are keen to reach. These are brands for which proper representation is sacrosanct. However, outof-date advertising assets were hindering the airport’s advertising revenue; this was the thrust of ADR’s decision to appoint Clear Channel in December 2013. Jonathan Goldsmid, airports director for Clear Channel Italy, led the multimillion euro project, which took two years to complete. He opted to utilise Absen products to get the job done, citing their “premium quality”, “reliability” and “price-to-quality ratio” as the key factors that led to the decision. Goldsmid says: “Clear Channel employs a number of different formats that cater to different advertising needs” – rather than being into digital advertising for its own sake. However, he acknowledges that an airport of Fiumicino’s scale will “automatically look to digital as a key part of their advertising asset strategy”. One of the core objectives was to create the opportunity for brands to really stand out, be that through the installation of spectacular large-format opportunities or the installation of tactical digital advertising networks.

Reduced area The project began with the removal of almost every outdated panel across the airport. Clear Channel reduced the number of square metres of advertising by approximately 40%. For some of the more bespoke and eyecatching installations, involving short viewing distances, Clear Channel chose to use the Absen A2 LED display, which has a 2.5mm pixel pitch and a 160º viewing angle. “The fact that Clear Channel entrusted the Absen A2 on a project of this scale is a great vote of confidence,” comments Nacho Perez Borjabad, senior director advertising market for Absen Europe. One of the signature solutions installed by Clear Channel is the four large digital columns in the C Gate area of the airport, booked exclusively by Chanel; these comprise 61.44sqm of four-sided Absen A2 displays. Subsequently, two huge Absen AI06 LED screens were set up in the check-in hall of Terminal 3, the airport’s main international terminal. The Absen AI06 possesses a pixel pitch of 6.25mm, and measures 8m x 4.5m, delivering effective coverage to 100% of the passengers within the vicinity. The AI06’s 85mm panel depth and 16kg panel weight facilitated the installation process, and maintenance is also improved by the module, power supply and receiving card being accessible from the front. Also installed during the project were two other models in Absen’s high-definition LED line-up, the AI03 and AI05, boasting pixel pitches of 3.9mm and 5.2mm respectively. Terminal 1’s check-in hall was fitted with two large AI03 displays, which were immediately sold

Installed Video All Absen A2 2.9mm indoor LED display AI03 3.9mm indoor LED display AI05 5.2mm indoor LED display AI06 6.25mm indoor LED display exclusively to magazine publisher Conde Nast. Installed last in the check-in area was a 36sqm AI05 screen, between two traditional lightboxes.

Premium audience Perhaps the biggest challenge during the project came in the form of the Fiumicino’s Pier B. Classed as a “very premium business audience and environment” by Goldsmid, Clear Channel felt under pressure to deliver here both because of the clientele, and as the area required a more extensive reworking than many of the others. In a similar manner to the four columns for Chanel in C Gate, Clear Channel digitised Pier B, but with 10 columns – or 131.04sqm – of Absen A2s. Goldsmid is particularly proud of the column conﬁguration, which stretches from one end of the area to the other. By the very nature of the airport environment, the installation process wasn’t without its challenges. Undertaking a large-scale project such as this in any ‘live’ venue is problematic, but Fiumicino’s long operating hours; high volume of foot traffic; the columns’ close proximity to a boarding gate; and endemic access restrictions and security protocols all posed another level of challenge.

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46 SOLUTIONS: FIUMICINO AIRPORT, ROME

April 2016

About the installer Â&#x201E; Clear Channel Italy is part of Clear Channel Outdoor (CCO), one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest advertising corporations Â&#x201E; CCO is the leading supplier of airport advertising in Italy: the deal announced with Aeroporti di Roma in 2013 encompassed Giovan Battista Pastine airport in Ciampino in addition to Fiumicino in Rome Â&#x201E; CCO operates in 265 airports worldwide Because all â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;long-termâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; operatives had to pass an airport training day, and all materials needed to run past security before entering the site, forward planning of provisioning materials was essential. Since maintenance could only occur for a ďŹ xed period at night, Absenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s products had to offer high reliability. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to face the risk of maintenance problems so quality and reliability were paramount for everyone involved,â&#x20AC;? says Goldsmid.

Rejuvenation Due to the airportâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rejuvenated digital landscape, Goldsmid states that â&#x20AC;&#x153;advertisers are now ďŹ&#x201A;ocking back to Fiumicinoâ&#x20AC;?. It was crucial for Clear Channel to view the airportâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lack of advertising

viability from the perspective of consumers just as much as the brands themselves. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Airports... are fundamentally seen as part of the travel experience, and so... are investing heavily to create exciting, innovative added value experiences for passengers.â&#x20AC;? Goldsmid is optimistic about the prospect of a continued partnership with Absen: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our relationship with Absen internationally has been a good one. They have listened to us intently throughout the process and havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t shied away

from making the necessary investments to improve and maintain the relationship.â&#x20AC;? Would Clear Channel Italy would work with Absen again? Goldsmid concludes: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have discussed the potential for working together again in the future and I have no reason why we wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t at this juncture.â&#x20AC;?

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48 SOLUTIONS IN BRIEF

April 2016

GDS modular lighting system at HOME The HOME arts complex in Manchester has been fitted with a modular GDS ArcSystem LED lighting solution in multiple spaces within the complex. Almost 150 ArcSystem fittings were used in the main theatre, studio theatre and five cinemas, wirelessly controlled using GDS’s ArcMesh protocol. The majority of the fittings comprised 1-cell 2700K 27 Degree Black Recessed Fixed, but a smaller number of more powerful 4-cell round 2700K 60 Degree fixtures were used in the theatre and studio. Jasper Gilbert, technical director and head of production at HOME, explained: “The quality of light offered by ArcSystem throughout all the spaces at HOME is superb and contributes to a first-rate experience for users of the theatres and cinemas.”

www.gds.uk.com

BULGARIA

Electrosonic supports first children’s museum Muzeiko Children’s Museum in Sofia, Bulgaria has opened with an array of AV solutions from Barco, AMX and Samsung plus control equipment integration by Electrosonic. The centrepiece of Bulgaria’s first children’s museum is a three-story tree scenic element, which rises at the centre of the building and represents the past, present and future of the region. The equipment selected by Electrosonic includes Samsung monitors as the primary displays, Christie and Barco projectors for several exhibits, Elo Touch Solutions touchscreens as the major interactive video components and Dell PCs behind the scenes.

www.electrosonic.com

IRAQ

eyevis videowall protects Holy Shrine A high-resolution eyevis videowall has been chosen for the control room that protects the Holy Shrine of Al-Attaba Al-Abbasiya in Karbala from the threat of terrorist attacks. All the video analysis information, alarms, live video cameras and playback are shown on a videowall made up of 27 eyevis EC-56LWXT-1000 DLP rear-projection cubes. The videowall was installed together with an eyevis ACT-CommBoard for auto colour tracking, eyeCON V4 complete software solution for the easy control of large screens, and the netPIX

4800 videowall management system. eyevis worked on the project with video analytics experts iOmniscient and Al-Moashour Co, an information technology pioneer in Iraq. Eng Firas Abbas, project manager at Al-Moashour, says: ”Al-Attaba holy shrine is a very crowded place. We needed a large videowall to be installed in an area with limited space and capable of displaying hundreds of cameras. We required maximum resolution and reliability and eyevis was the only supplier able to supply the DLP solution at 1920 x 1200 pixels.”

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TECHNOLOGY

Kit you need to know about

PRODUCT OF amBX THE MONTH Smart Core

It’s… Control software designed for use with smart, connected lighting systems enabled by the Internet of Things (IoT) and power over Ethernet (PoE). What’s different? amBX believes that Cisco’s UPOE technology, which can send 60W of power over an Ethernet cable, is set to deliver “a paradigm shift in lighting”. Beneﬁts include more sophisticated, “human-centric” control, as well as greatly reduced amounts of programming compared with traditional lighting control systems. Signiﬁcant cost savings are claimed, too: reduced infrastructure costs from sharing Ethernet cabling, and savings of up to 75% in commercial and public buildings from more efficient lighting usage and switching to LED.

Details: Rather than taking the rules-based approach of conventional lighting control systems, Smart Core deﬁnes different areas of a room by usage – meeting rooms, corridors, desk areas and so on. Taking as its inputs readings from sensors as well as direct control by users, Smart Core produces, in real time, the best possible implementation of the desired outcome using the light ﬁttings that are available. Among other advantages, this slashes system commissioning times: according to amBX CTO David Eves, a building that would take two weeks to program conventionally can be completed in a morning. This is because, unlike conventional control systems, Smart Core is scalable: similar scenes can be easily applied to any number of lighting points.

The ﬁrst lighting system to use Smart Core is the Transcend Network Connected LED Lighting System, produced by connectivity manufacturer Molex. Transcend includes luminaires from various manufacturers designed for PoE operation with tunable white capability; a range of smart sensors, network gateways and drivers from connectivity solutions manufacturer Molex; Cisco Catalyst network switches; plus a set of amBX software tools, including SmartCore. The SmartCore system uses ﬁve different types of sensors: daylight harvesting, occupancy, colour temperature, air quality, and room humidity and temperature. (The technology can also be combined with daylight harvesting systems.) Additionally, a graphical user interface enables users to select different scenes – such as presentation or meeting, which have different white colour temperature requirements. Because it is easy to understand, it is more likely to be used than conventional room lighting controls, amBX believes. Smart Core enables a “bio-adpative” approach to lighting, says amBX; where tunable white LED luminaires are used, the warmth of the light can also be adjusted during to match the quality of the daylight, which stops people’s circadian rhythms from becoming unsettled. Although amBX’s main development focus has been on commercial lighting systems, it says that Smart Core technology is transferable to other sectors.

Available: Now www.ambx.com

52 TECHNOLOGY: NEW PRODUCTS Extron DTP DP 4K 230 and DTP DP 4K 330 Extron is now shipping its 4K DTP transmitters and receivers for sending DisplayPort, audio, as well as bidirectional RS-232 and IR signals, over a CatX twisted pair cable. They extend signals up to 70m or 100m and support video signals up to 4K. The DTP DP 4K 230 and DTP DP 4K 330 also accept analogue stereo audio signals for simultaneous transmission over the same cable. The compact enclosure size and remote power capability make these models suitable for placement in lecterns, beneath tables and behind flatpanel displays. www.extron.com

April 2016

ATEN CS782DP

It’s… a DisplayPort KVM switch. Helvar ILLUSTRIS This Bluetooth connected touch control panel is designed to provide easy-to-use control of Helvar lighting control systems and DALI Type 8 colour devices. The clean, fresh lines of ILLUSTRIS are complemented by a choice of different fascia graphic layouts, including a scene control panel, an RGB colour control panel with a colour wheel, and a tuneable white layout, complete with colour temperature and intensity controls, and pre-set scenes. www.helvar.com Vision Techconnect3 Vision’s modular faceplate has received a facelift. The main improvement is that modules can be removed from the front without having to remove the surround from the backbox. Aesthetically, Techconnect3 features a more pure white matt finish. Modules have labels printed on the front, and all fixing screws that are hidden. The modules hook in at one end and screw in on other end. This fixing screw is already in situ and only takes a few turns to lock the module in place. The modules are 8mm shorter and more rigid. Because they are shorter there is more space for reseller branding stickers on the surround. www.visionaudiovisual.com Vivitek DU8090Z Vibitek has released its first laser phosphor light source projector. Offering 20,000 hours of operational time and with built-in edge-blending, warping and portrait mode projection with 360º, the DU8090Z is a versatile projector designed for multiple applications. It benefits from a native WUXGA resolution and includes DLP and BrilliantColor technologies from Texas Instruments to ensure high-performance projection. The DU8090Z delivers a high brightness up to 8,000 ANSI lumens with a contrast ratio of 10,000:1. www.vivitek.eu

What’s different? This switch has been optimised for graphicintensive applications and media creation. It also supports resolutions up to 3840 x 2160 at 60Hz. The device allows users to access two 4K-enabled USB computers from a single USB keyboard, USB mouse and DisplayPort monitor. Details: The CS782DP DisplayPort KVM switch meets the growing market demand for 4K-enabled solutions across a range of industries. The unit is lightweight and slim in design, and provides switching between computers via Remote Port Selector, Hotkeys and Mouse.

It also supports 2.1 channel surround sound systems and HD audio for an improved audio experience. The compact CS782DP device is DisplayPort 1.2 compliant and has the added versatility of Multi-Stream Transport (MST) and DisplayPort Dual Mode (DP++) support. These features make multi-monitor conﬁgurations and the use of DVI and HDMI monitors possible.

Available: Now www.aten.com

Ecler eCURVE series It’s… a new range of installation loudspeakers.

What’s different? The first model in the series, the eCURVE104, is a wall-mounted installation loudspeaker with a curved design. Details: The eCURVE104 features a 4in woofer, 0.75in tweeter and 40W RMS maximum power at 16 ohms impedance. This allows multiple units to connect in parallel with standard low impedance amplifiers. Up to four eCURVE104 units can be connected in parallel to each output of the new eGPA series amplifiers, which will include two-, four- and eight-channel models. The applications this series of installation loudspeakers is suited to includes shopping

centres and retail, PA distributed sound systems, and meeting and conference rooms.

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54 TECHNOLOGY: NEW PRODUCTS Martin VDO Sceptron 20 and 40 For outdoor usage, the VDO Sceptron 20 and VDO Sceptron 40 linear LED fixtures are the latest additions to the VDO Sceptron linear LED series. They are suited to both rental and installed markets and driven by the Martin by Harman P3 System controllers for easy configuration, mapping and set-up, with no external components required. In addition, the fixtures offer integrated power and data cabling connectivity for daisy-chain configurations. www.harman.com

Altinex VP500-103 This high-resolution media player supports video, audio and still image formats across a number of presentation environments. Offering selectable NTSC/PAL or wide screen HD TV resolutions for viewing material on the display, the VP500-103 includes a 500MB USB flash drive for storing content. It can also accommodate SD, SDHC and MMC memory cards. www.altinex.com

Kramer VIA Site Management Kramer’s new enterprisewide management platform lets IT administrators control and configure all VIA devices in a network from a single window. VIA Site Management includes an integrated dashboard and allows administrators to monitor real-time performance data and usage, perform simultaneous firmware updates and optimise every VIA device in the network. www.kramerav.com

Zytronic ZyConﬁg App The aim of the ZyConfig App is to simplify the design of multi-touch user interfaces for Android. Increasing numbers of system integrators are adopting the operating system for digital signage and other self-service hardware. However, setting up the Android operating system with a touch controller and touchscreen requires expertise. This app removes the complexity from the installation and set-up process as the user simply downloads an app onto the target hardware. www.zytronic.co.uk

April 2016

Sharp PN-H801 It’s… an 80in 4K UHD large-format display designed for in-store digital signage, speciﬁcally luxury retailers.

What’s different? Sharp claims it’s the ﬁrst professional display to feature an extended colour range provided by UV2A LCD technology. Due to the high bandwidth required by 4K content, the PN-H801 also offers standalone image rendering capabilities through an integrated 4K media player. It allows the playback of full HD video and 4K still imagery without needing to be connected to a PC or local network. Other features include ultra-slim aluminium bezels, installation in portrait or landscape mode and 24/7 reliability.

textile colours in retail signage applications to give customers a greater understanding of the products. The integrated USB media player offers performance and ﬂexibility to create a standalone PC-less display system. The internal USB media player will access the content and can either display 4K UHD still images, or show a full HD motion video ﬁlm.

Details: The PN-H801 is equipped with a wide

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colour gamut capability, which allows visible colours beyond the standard sRGB colour space. This enables businesses to display product and

www.sharp.co.uk

Optoma ZH300UW It’s… an ultra-short throw projector, designed for business, education and specialist AV applications.

What’s different? The combination of wide aspect ratio, short throw lens, laser-phosphor light engine and TouchBeam technology. This makes the ZH300UW adaptable to different environments including visitor centres, retail, videoconferencing facilities and classrooms. Details: The model features a solid-state laser phosphor light engine and produces 3,000 lumens and 1920 x 720 native resolution. The laser engine eliminates the need for lamp replacements and has a life expectancy of up to 20,000 hours. The ZH300UW can be positioned portrait for tall, narrow images in digital signage retail environments and downward projection can

be used for museum and visitor centres for projecting images onto a ﬂoor. Additionally, the projector features an ultrashort throw lens, which can deliver a 300cm image from a throw distance of 72cm. For businesses and schools that have multiple projectors, the ZH300UW is fully compatible with Crestron, AMX and Extron systems, enabling control of almost all of the projector’s functions via the network.

Available: Now www.optoma.com

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56 TECHNOLOGY: DEMO OF THE MONTH

Shure Microflex Advance With a sleek, elegant design and a whole new polar pattern, the Microflex Advance is set to change the face of audio-video conferencing. Joanne Ruddock finds out more

romising ‘innovative new technology’ and ‘pristine speech intelligibility’, the arrival of the Microflex Advance from Shure was one of the highlights of ISE 2016. The new premium network solution is designed specifically for audio-video conferencing, whether that’s in a high-end executive boardroom, general meeting room, huddle room, or other similar space. The demo suite in this case consisted of a huddle room-style meeting area featuring a MXA910 ceiling array microphone and a MXA310 table array. General system features that apply to both these products include the IntelliMix DSP suite and Dante digital audio networking. The IntelliMix DSP suite, used in Shure’s range of automatic microphone mixers, now includes Steerable Coverage technology, which enables the configuration and control of accurate polar patterns in any area of a meeting space. The microphones have a single Ethernet jack: that one cable carries all the Dante audio, all the control signals and the power – they are powered by standard PoE. On the control side they feature a built-in browser–based software for set-up and configuration. They can store up to 10 device presets which can be saved, loaded, imported and exported for later use. The microphones also feature preconfigured templates for easy, quick set-up depending on the room type being used. Also important is compatibility with thirdparty control systems, so Shure uses Ethernet commands to communicate to audio DSPs or control systems – meaning the mics can be controlled via touchpanel.

Table Array The main feature of the Table Array is its new polar pattern, the toroid, which picks up everybody who is seated around the table but does not pick up from anything overhead. So if the room suffers from projector fan or heating/cooling system noise, this pattern rejects overhead noise while optimising the voices of participants. Ease of set-up and ease of use are central to the design. The Table Array offers configurable coverage and has capacitive touch mute capability which can be programmed by users in the software – whether it’s toggle push to talk, or push to mute. It is also possible to disable the muting function if you’re just going to be muting from your touchpanel. The Table Array comes with a highly configurable full RGB LED light bar. Users can chose from a wide range of colours via software. It is also possible to turn the light off, dim, flash or even change it from showing the full colour ring to just showing segments to indicate where the pick-up of the microphone is aimed. As a digital intelligent microphone, all the parameters of the Table Array are changed through software, including the polar pattern. Coverage for up to four areas can be set in 15º increments and the polar pattern specified for each configuration, be that omnidirectional, cardiod, bidirectional, toroid etc.

Ceiling Array When it comes to the Ceiling Array, the mounting options are certainly worthy of a mention. The unit can be suspended thanks to built-in anchor

April 2016

points and it has a VESA mounting plate so it can be hung via any universal mount in the same way as a projector. However, perhaps the easiest option is to ﬁx it in a drop tile ceiling – if you have this type of ceiling it is simply a case of taking out the tile and putting in the microphone. Another point to note is that the pick-up of this microphone is not a traditional polar pattern, it’s very directional and very narrow – narrower than a shotgun mic. However it’s also adjustable in the software so it is possible to choose between a narrow, medium or wide pick-up. Once this is done it can be aimed anywhere you want: not only can you change the x and y position, you can also change the height of where it’s aimed. This is particularly useful if you have a talker at a podium as opposed to seated at a conference table, as it can be aimed directly at the talker’s mouth. Up to eight individual lobes can be conﬁgured and positioned wherever needed. And, similar to the Table Array, each of those eight has its own Dante channel, which means they can be routed to an audio DSP and processed individually.

In use The demo was carried out in a huddle room-sized space split into three quadrants: a talker in each quadrant controlled the mics via touchpanel. The ﬁrst stage featured a Table Array set to bidirectional pattern pointed at quadrants 1 and 3 before being switched to quadrant 2 only in order to show the difference in speech intelligibility – as expected, the audio from the quadrants where the mic was pointing was much clearer. It was then switched to an omnidirectional pattern pointed at quadrant 2. Again a talker in each quadrant demonstrated the differing levels of intelligibility before a noise source was turned on to simulate projector fan noise or heater/ventilation noise creating interference in each quadrant. The system was then switched to the new toroid pattern, resulting in a clear and immediate reduction in interference from above. As the mics were switched back and forth between omni and toroid it became increasingly clear how much overhead noise was rejected – in the omni pattern it was a strain to hear what was being said; in toroid voice clarity was much higher across all quadrants. Next the Ceiling Array, mounted at a height of 2.7m, was tested. With one lobe pointed at a talker, audio was clear due to the narrower pickup pattern, but other participants sounded more distant. As lobes were pointed at different speakers their speech clarity improved signiﬁcantly. The demo then switched between the Ceiling Array with one lobe directed at quadrant 1, and the ceiling-mounted MX202 omnidirectional mic, to highlight the different polar pattern behaviour.

www.shure.co.uk

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58 TECHNOLOGY: SHOWCASE

April 2016

AMPLIFIERS Manufacturers are catering to a wider range of applications with added features such as remote monitoring and wireless control, writes Duncan Proctor

Crown provides compact functionality The four highest-powered amplifiers in the DriveCore Install (DCi) Series are designed for larger applications such as stadiums, amusement parks and casinos, and replace Crown’s CTs Series. The models, both two and four channel power amps, include the DCi4|1250, DCi2|1250, DCi4|1250N and DCi2|1250N and are available in DCi Analog and DCi Network Ethernet-linkable configurations. Each model delivers 1,250W per channel into 2, 4, or 8 ohms and 70Vrms and 100Vrms without the need for a step-up transformer. The features, efficiency and compact size (2RU) of the four amplifiers is as a result of Harman’s DriveCore amplifier IC chip, which

combines the ampliﬁers’ driver stage into the power output stage, along with additional audiosignal functions. The DCi4|1250N and DCi2|1250N offer networked monitoring and control via Harman HiQnet Audio Architect system software. The network capable DCi Series amps offer digital audio connectivity using the company’s proprietary BLU link as well as analogue inputs.

www.crownaudio.com

d&b improves reproduction accuracy

The D80 is d&b audiotechnik’s flagship amplifier and features advanced control capabilities and the power to efficiently drive d&b loudspeakers. The four-channel, 2RU amp incorporates DSP to provide configurations for all d&b loudspeakers. Each of the four channels feature a signal delay of up to 10 seconds and two 16-band equalisers, providing parametric, notch, shelving and asymmetric filters. Both analogue and digital inputs and links are provided as well as specific functions for d&b loudspeakers such as Cut mode, Coupling

and High Frequency Compensation. All four outputs can deliver up to 4,000W into 4 ohms and are distributed through the single NL8 connector, or the individual loudspeaker outputs. The LoadMatch function electronically compensates for loudspeaker cable properties, without the need for an extra conductor. This results in increased accuracy of audio reproduction over a bandwidth of up to 20kHz, preserving the tonal balance when using cable lengths of up to 70m.

www.dbaudio.com

Bosch includes multizone wireless control The PLM-4Px2x PLENA matrix amplifier aims to deliver high quality audio and flexible control in applications including shopping centres, restaurants and bars. Its loudspeaker library enables tuning of all Bosch/EV/Dynacord loudspeaker products, and ‘Amp Link’ means the PLM4Px2x amplifiers can be easily combined with the PLM-8M8 8-channel DSP matrix mixer to transport up to four channels of audio. The PLM-4Px2x provides wireless control across up to eight output zones. The PLENA matrix system enables users to control the audio settings and adjust volume levels wirelessly via an iPad or iPhone app.

www.boschsecurity.com

Alcons Audio promotes efficient signal distribution The Sentinel’s sample-rate conversion allows it to accept any signal between 44.1 up to 192kHz digital AES3 format. The DSP engine is upgradeable and ensures minimal latency during processing of even the most complex (IIR, FIR) algorithms. Additionally, the Sentinel’s modular construction allows for hardware upgrades if, for example, more powerful processors were needed. The four Class D ampliﬁer stages and two redundant switch-mode power supplies all feature a microcontroller. This allows parameter monitoring via the internal communication network and enables operating efficiency.

www.alconsaudio.com

r a e y t x e n in ga a u o y See in Amsterdam.

A joint venture partnership of

60 TECHNOLOGY: SHOWCASE

Biamp delivers remote monitoring The Tesira line includes four amplifiers, both in four-channel and eight-channel options. Tesira amps can receive a signal from anywhere on the audio network, so offer greater flexibility in sound reinforcement and distribution. All models support optional expander cards, which enables customisations such as analogue failover, whereby if there is a loss of network connection, the analogue inputs can route to specific output channels of the amplifier to continue operation. Tesira software can remotely monitor the entire system throughout the installation and during routine maintenance for the life of the system. This also provides information on the condition of the loudspeakers connected to each amplifier.

www.biamp.com

Powersoft brings DSP capability to eight channels

The Ottocanali 1204 DSP+ETH features DSP functionality on each of its eight ampliﬁer channels, each selectable for lo-/hi Z or constant voltage operation, supporting up to 55 output conﬁgurations. This model generates up to 1,200W output power and includes Ethernet connectivity, managed via Armonía Pro Audio Suite software. This connectivity allows users to manage system set-up, monitoring and control directly from Crestron, AMX and other control systems. A DSP controller and amp in 1RU, the 1204 is suited to boardroom, retail and home cinema uses. Additionally, IEC 60849 compliance means it can be used for voice evac systems.

www.powersoft-audio.com

April 2016

QSC offers high-ﬁdelity power

The CXD-Q Series of amplifiers combine the new amp technology found in the CXD platform with the Q-SYS network processing and control system for a product range suited to installed applications. The CXD-Q line includes three models, the CXD4.2Q, CXD4.3Q and CXD4.5Q, all capable of high-fidelity power to drive a number of loudspeaker configurations, such as 70V and 100V systems. Connecting the amplifiers via standard Layer

3 Ethernet, the Q-SYS Core can route audio to and from the amps, and provide total control and monitoring of all amplifier functions. Flexible Amplifier Summing Technology (FAST) actively distributes total amplifier power across between one and four outputs, enabling amp channels to be paralleled or bridged for maximum current and voltage output.

www.qsc.com

Distribution ﬂexibility from Lab.gruppen The D Series integrates into a wide range of high performance installation environments delivering 6,000W per channel. This range supports Dante, as well as AVB, AES and analogue audio distribution, also providing failover and redundancy. Its open interoperability meets system integration requirements on control and monitoring, and can integrate into any major DSP matrix on the market.

The D Series’ ESP design tool helps the designer pick the optimal solution of ampliﬁers and placement of channels, also predicting mains service and cooling requirements. Rational Power Management (RPM) enables the D Series to share available power over its channels. With power factor correction and internal energy storage, the power supply minimises mains draw while not affecting performance.

www.labgruppen.com

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Learn more about the LEO Family at Prolight + Sound, Hall 3.1 Stand A71

PLANYOUR MONTH AHEAD

Our pick of what to see, do and discover in the weeks ahead, including tradeshows across the globe and the ﬁrst CEDIA Tech Forum in the UK

PICK OF THE MONTH

InfoComm China ﬁrst exhibition showcasing the entire range of technologies for the hospitality industry. In addition, Digital Signage Asia Forum will look at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the smart retail sector.

ATTEND

www.infocomm-china.com

READ

the 2016 event is hyperconnectivity – ensuring disruptive technologies that are set to shape the new networked economy will take centre stage. InfoComm China will run concurrently with Hospitality Technology Expo, the country’s

LEARN

Now more than a decade old, InfoComm China returns to the China National Convention Center on 13-15 April. Around 280 exhibitors from 40 countries are set to attend showcasing the latest pro AV and ICT solutions. The main theme of

CEDIA Tech Forum

The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future

NAB

CEDIA’s first Tech Forum will take place at the Hilton Bristol on 20 April. This free one-day event includes ten 90-minute Manufacturer Product Training sessions from CEDIA Trade Supplier members including AWE, Habitech, Invision, Just Add Power, Teleste and Wyrestorm. www.cedia.co.uk

By Kevin Kelly Kevin Kelly provides a road map for the future, showing how the coming changes in our lives – from virtual reality to an on-demand economy to artificial intelligence – can be understood as the result of a few long-term, accelerating forces.

Over 100,000 media entertainment professionals will descend on the Las Vegas Convention Center from 16 to 21 April for NAB 2016. This year will see the introduction of a Virtual and Augmented Reality Pavillion and the Aerial Robotics and Drone Pavillion complete with fully enclosed flying cage. www.nabshow.com

THE LEO FAMILY TRUE SOUND IN LINE ARRAYS.

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