Installation June 2018 Digital Edition by Future PLC

Issue 212 / June 2018

AV INTEGRATION IN A NETWORKED WORLD

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‘OK, show me the options’ Will interactive displays be given voice control?

AV Las Vegas! Looking ahead to InfoComm 2018

Inspiring women into tech Polycom’s CMO on mentoring, company culture, and bias

STADIUMS GET SMART The technologies boosting fan engagement – and driving revenue

Hall of Fame inductees and Company Excellence shortlists – p6

PERFORMANCE ART

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‘Speech recognition is probably the most widely used application of artiﬁcial intelligence today’

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id you get drawn into the Laurel/Yanny debate recently? Online, someone posted a sound loop of a synthesised voice saying one word – but while some people thought it said ‘Laurel’, others heard ‘Yanny’. It was like an audio equivalent of the dress that was either blue and black or white and gold. Apparently, the people who heard Laurel were better at picking up high frequencies – or the device they were listening on, or the social media site they were accessing, reproduced those frequencies more strongly. Someone else posted pitch-shifted versions of the clip, which had a startling effect on which word you heard. One of the things that surprised me about this aural ambiguity was the two words appear quite different – they don’t have any vowel or Paddy Baker, Editor consonant sounds in common. But perhaps I shouldn’t have been paddy.baker@futurenet.com that surprised, given my experiences with transcription software. @install8ion There’s a particular package that I’ve been using to process interview recordings for a few months now. There are an number of factors that can differ from one recording to another – such as the overall audio quality, the interviewee’s accent, and the speed of their speech – so you never know at the outset how accurate it will be. But often it will render what sounds to me like a fairly well-articulated phrase as something wildly different. It’s easy to forget, though, how much speech recognition has improved in recent years. Because, of course, it’s not just a tool to save writers a bit of time working on transcripts: it’s used for captioning video

Chief executive Zillah Byng-Thorne Non-executive chairman Peter Allen Chief financial officer Penny Ladkin-Brand Tel +44 (0)1225 442 244

(see Opinion, page 10), and for the much bigger market of voice assistants. In fact, it’s arguably one of the most widely used applications of artiﬁcial intelligence today, thanks to Alexa, Siri, Cortana, Bixby and ‘Hey Google’. It’s another technology that is starting to move from its roots in the consumer market into the professional market – and on page 30, we look at the prospects for voice control of digital signage. AI is now the next battleground for the tech giants. Google has been calling it a priority for a couple of years, and last month rebranded its research division as Google AI. Microsoft has declared its mission “to help every developer become an AI developer” – although cynics might say that it has only focused on AI after failing to make much headway in the mobile space. And a lot of what Facebook does involves the use of AI. So it looks like AI is going to steadily become more signiﬁcant in our daily lives. (If you’re going to InfoComm, you can attend a session on AI, VR and voice control in the Integrated Life Day programme – see page 16.) And I can look forward to my transcription program improving in accuracy – because its algorithms will become smarter, and processing power will continue to increase. Will it ever be perfect? Maybe not – I think people are too downright unpredictable for machines to understand us fully. But wouldn’t it be boring if they could? Misheard phrases and ambiguous audio clips make for a more interesting life.

04 CONTENTS

June 2018

14 Special Report: Smart Stadiums 20 All to play for

As modern stadiums have to meet greater expectations, what are some of the ways venues are looking to enhance the ‘match-day experience’?

26 Sound thinking

We reveal the latest thinking around stadium audio design as well as the standards issues that will inform the next generation of venues

Viewpoints

Solutions

08 Opinion

34 MGM Cotai Integrated Resort, Macau

Rob Lane on Roon’s impact on digital music Ken Frommert and Eduardo Martinez detail captioning live and streamed content James Chen on achieving assured connectivity with HDMI 14 Interview Polycom’s Amy Barzdukas talks about how the industry can do more to inspire women to progress 54 Last Word Chris Lavelle discusses his new role and the wider personnel changes at AVIXA

Various stakeholders have created a space that features the world’s largest area of permanent indoor LED displays 36 Storey’s Field Centre, Cambridge This multi-purpose community centre benefits from discreet audio, video and lighting equipment 38 Whitworth Hall, Manchester A Grade II-listed venue that features a new soundscape to improve audio coverage and the audience experience 40 Solutions in Brief Including a wooden rollercoaster; a landmark DLP videowall install in Belarus; and a dual-venue beachside sound upgrade

Industry Events 06 Install Awards: the final shortlists and Hall of Fame inductees

Contributors: James Chen, David Davies, Ken Frommert, Rob Lane, Ian McMurray, Eduardo Martinez Special thanks: Brian Galante, John Houston, Erica Whittle Cover Image: Kingspan Stadium, Belfast – courtesy of Exterity

16 Show Preview: InfoComm 2018

Technology

Feature

45 New Products

30 Interactive Displays

50 Showcase

As with a number of technologies, voice is set to be a major presence going forward, but what will its impact be on interactive displays?

Including Microsoft, Amadeus, AMX, Barco and NETGEAR Audio consoles

52 Demo of the Month ThinkHub team collaboration software

06 INSTALL AWARDS 2018

June 2018

Get set for a great evening

Ahead of the Install Awards ceremony later this month, we present our ﬁnal preview of the event, which includes the remaining shortlists as well as this year’s two inductees into the Installation Hall of Fame

aking place on Thursday 28 June at the elegant Millennium Gloucester Hotel in central London, the fifth edition of our awards ceremony once again focuses on the most innovative projects from the preceding 12 months and the technologies, companies and people that drive the industry. Below we list the finalists for the Company Excellence Awards in three categories: Integrator of the Year, Distributor of the Year and Manufacturer of the Year. For the 2018 Install Awards, we are also announcing two Outstanding Achievement Awards – one for a company, one for an individual. They become the latest inductees into the Installation Hall of Fame, joining these previous honorees: Robert Simpson, Greg Jeffreys, Reinhold Stumpﬂ, David Willrich, Dr Joseph Kramer and Gordon Dutch; and companies Barco, Harman, Biamp and Audinate.

Integrator of the Year Focus 21 O Pioneer Group O Pure AV O Reflex O

Manufacturer of the Year O Clevertouch O DSN Innovate O Luxul O NEC Display Solutions

OTHER AWARD CATEGORIES

Collaboration Product of the Year Display Product of the Year O Networking/Signal Management Product of the Year O Projection Product of the Year O O

For a full list of the shortlisted companies, see our May issue, the Install Awards website or search ‘Install Awards 2018’ on the Installation website. The awards will be judged by an independent panel of industry experts from a broad range of disciplines.

The evening will also see trophies presented in the following categories:

COMPANY EXCELLENCE AWARDS FINALISTS

Project Excellence Awards O Corporate and Industrial Project of the Year O Education Project of the Year O Hospitality Project of the Year O Retail/DOOH Project of the Year O Venue Project of the Year O Visitor Attraction Project of the Year

Distributor of the Year O Maverick AV Solutions O Midwich O Sahara Presentation Systems

Technology Excellence Awards O Audio Product of the Year O AV Accessory of the Year

Red Carpet Sponsor

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Hall of Fame

INSTALL AWARDS 2018

On the night Guests at last year’s Install Awards were full of praise for the Millennium Gloucester Hotel, so the Install Awards will return there again this year.

HALL OF FAME AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT BY AN INDIVIDUAL Jon Sidwick, Maverick AV When Jon Sidwick joined the newly founded Maverick in the late 1990s, the company employed just six people. Today it has market presence in 18 countries, 30,000 customers, and a turnover of $1 billion. He told Installation in January last year: “One of the reasons I’m still at Maverick is that it feels like I’ve had a new job every three or four years – and that’s a function of how we’ve been growing.” Initially working to establish Maverick as a business in the UK, he then masterminded the company’s expansion into Europe on a country-by-country basis. More recently he has had his eyes on North America, leveraging the AV team within parent company TechData, and also on Asia-Pacific. He’s a passionate advocate for the AV industry, and an astute observer of technology and market trends. He also believes in playing his part to ensure that the wider industry continues to flourish – he was elected to the InfoComm (now AVIXA) board of directors in 2016. “I am surprised and honoured to receive this award,” Sidwick told us. “AV is in my DNA, I love the business we are in, the fast pace of evolution and the impact great AV has in almost every aspect of life. Receiving this award is recognition of many years’ involvement in the best industry around, but more importantly a reflection of the great team we have whose hard work, innovation and ‘Maverick’ spirit has got us to where we are now – and continues to drive the business even farther in the coming years.”

Where? Millennium Gloucester Hotel 4-18 Harrington Gardens Kensington London SW7 4LH Nearest Underground station: Gloucester Road

When? Thursday 28 June 2018 HALL OF FAME AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT BY A COMPANY QSC QSC is celebrating 50 years in the market this year – but arguably it has changed more in the past dozen years than in all the decades before that. Some of its developments have been bold responses to changes in the market, while others have helped drive the industry forward. Around a decade ago, QSC was best known for its amplifiers, speakers and DSP products. But then it launched Q-SYS. Initially an audio router and processor, this has developed over time into a fully featured audio, video and control platform – and has become a popular choice worldwide in large-scale installation projects. Industry observers have predicted that as computer processing power continually increases, the need for dedicated hardware devices will reduce – and perhaps disappear completely. QSC seized the initiative, and at ISE last year showed how Q-SYS could run on offthe-shelf Dell servers. The company has also recognised the customer preference for buying systems that work together, rather than individual components. So, now reinvented as QSC Systems, it offers a number of non-audio products, including conference cameras and USB bridges. It’s QSC’s vision, innovations and willingness to adapt that we’re saluting with an Outstanding Achievement Award. “Looking back on 50 years corporate history this year, it is a great honour for us to be awarded for outstanding industry achievements – which would not have been possible without an extraordinary QSC team around the globe,” said Duncan Savage, managing director QSC UK and Ireland (pictured). “QSC has offered innovative solutions, including the Q-SYS platform, which is the only software-based platform to offer audio, video and control in one solutions. We have also created a shift in the AV/IT paradigm by offering the first solution to put AV&C processing in the data centre with the Q-SYS real-time operating systems running on standard off-the-shelf hardware.”

Order of events Here is the schedule for the evening: 18:00

Drinks reception

19:00-20:30

Dinner

20:30-21:30

Awards presentation

21:30-23:00

After party

Dress Code: Black Tie

Tickets For tickets and table bookings, please contact Becky Hancock becky.hancock@futurenet.com / +44 (0)203 871 7378 or visit www.nbmevents.uk/installawards/booktables

Sponsorship opportunities To find out more about sponsoring this event, please contact Gurpreet Purewal gurpreet.purewal@futurenet.com +44 (0) 207 354 6029 Additional event information can be found here: www.installawards.com

08 OPINION: ON THE AGENDA

June 2018

Rob Lane Revolutionary sounds Digital music ﬁnally grew up

ast issue I reminisced about the once crowded consumer electronics magazine market, and promised to add a little CE spice to the pages of Installation, albeit with a commercial twist. When it comes to digital music, Roon is that spice. So what is it? In simple terms, Roon is software wizardry for downloads, rips and streaming – digital music, in other words. It could be said to give a vinyl makeover to digital, while smartening up streaming so that audiophiles ﬁnd it more acceptable. All hi-ﬁ systems using Roon (which requires a monthly or lifetime subscription) need to be based around a ‘core’, which manages digital music from a variety of different sources.

Roon service The Roon core is able to manage even the most disconnected digital music collections – from multiple sources and even multiple PCs and Macs – curating them into a seamlessly interconnected digital library, augmented with enhanced information from the Roon software service. Cores can be Macs or PCs, NAS (network attached storage) devices, music/media servers/ rippers, or Roon-ready network players or zone controllers from Roon’s burgeoning list of hardware partners. Roon even has its own NAS/media server device, the bold-looking Nucleus, which Roon says is the best way to enjoy its service – whether part of a hi-ﬁ or home cinema set-up. The cores work with Roon to stream music (via Tidal or downloaded/ripped ﬁles) to any appropriately networked, Roon-ready audio devices: “high-resolution, multi-protocol, multiroom streaming for the whole home”, as Roon puts it. Roon can stream formats up to 384kHz/24-

bit PCM and DSD256 to Roon-ready devices, intelligently converting audio to the optimal resolution for all other devices. It is, in my opinion, the perfect revenue booster for hi-fi and AV retailers and custom installers – but is could also be of great interest to AV integrators working with commercial establishments requiring music. I believe Roon is also the perfect digital companion to vinyl, and bridges the gap between the digital and analogue listening experiences, while also dovetailing streamed audio with digital files in an intelligently sophisticated and seamless way. Roon’s design team – the brains behind Meridian’s groundbreaking Sooloos system – has built a system that treats digital music files with the same care and attention as a vinyl box-set might treat the black stuff inside. The previously (to my eyes) cold experience of listening to downloaded and ripped (and, to a lesser extent, streamed) music is now given an exciting, visceral and engaging aesthetic. Digital vinyl-heads would be proud to use it alongside their turntables, in other words.

Living Roon With an iPad or similar as the controller and interface, Roon presents users with a beautifully designed, intelligently curated ‘playbook’ of their entire digital collection, with additional information for albums and bands (it licenses extensive artist information and will continue to review and expand) sitting alongside Tidal-driven access to related and inﬂuential artists, and so on. Think album sleeve notes to the max and you come somewhere close. So, while viewing one’s collection of Bowie LPs – ripped or downloaded – with information and

ratings for each album, one is then able to segue seamlessly to other albums and tracks by the same artist on CD-quality Tidal, alongside related artists and similar music genres – a rabbit-hole well known to all fans of streaming services! It’s also possible to experience Tidal’s growing selection of MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) 24/48 recordings – although in order to fully appreciate full studio resolution (24/192 or higher if the MQA ﬁle was recorded at higher resolutions), users require an MQA-ready DAC.

‘Roon gives digital music a chance to stand alongside its analogue cousin as its audiophile equal’

In these strange days, where 13-year-old girls would rather buy vinyl copies of Billie Eilish’s 2017 debut LP on vinyl than download them (forget CD – they’re not interested!), Roon gives digital music a chance to stand alongside its analogue cousin as its audiophile equal. At the same time, its unrivalled system architecture allows residential and commercial users to easily and seamlessly navigate through both their own extensive collections and the CD-quality (or better) library offered by Tidal. Roon is an audio game-changer and a musthave for audiophiles and commercial venue operators alike. Rob Lane is owner/director of Bigger Boat PR.

d&b Soundscape â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and everything is a concert hall. Enveloped by sound. Exhilarating acoustics, inside and outside. Emulated with the reverberation signatures of exemplary venues. Sound coherent with the program and setting. Transforming spaces to bring completely new listening experiences. d&b Soundscape is a revolutionary audio system processor, an object positioning tool, a reverberation system, akin to a musical instrument â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a tool to provide the appropriate stage for a culture â&#x20AC;&#x201C; even under the open sky.

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10 OPINION: ON THE AGENDA

June 2018

Ken Frommert & Eduardo Martinez Open captioning in the AV universe Improvements in speed and accuracy are opening new doors for captioning live and streamed content

he production and transmission of live manual captioning have long been challenged by high costs, availability, varied latency and inconsistent accuracy rates. Today the transition to more automated, software-defined captioning workflows has introduced a new series of challenges. This is true of both closed and open captioning. Closed captioning is traditionally associated with broadcast TV. Simply put, closed captions are encoded within the video stream and decoded by the TV or other viewing/receiving device. More common in commercial AV, open captions are laid on top of video from a meeting or seminar; they not only serve the hearing-impaired, but also people viewing content that is not in their first language. Automatic speech recognition removes the costs and staffing concerns of manual captioning. The speed and accuracy of speech-to-text conversion continue to improve with advances in deep neural networks. The statistical algorithms associated with these advances – coupled with larger multilingual databases to mine – more effectively interpret, and accurately spell out, the speech coming through the microphone.

Scalable architecture In single classrooms, conference rooms and auditoriums, that audio is processed by a standalone system, consisting of a specialised speech-to-text engine that instantaneously outputs to a display. An alternative workﬂow can more efficiently process open captions to potentially hundreds of rooms on a campus. In this case, a dedicated device in each room would receive the audio and send to a private or public cloud server, which would then instantaneously output

the speech as data back to the devices in each space. Those devices would distribute the captions with the video to the display in that room. This approach offers a very scalable architecture, with dedicated devices serving each space. Meanwhile, the more powerful computing engines within captioning technology have signiﬁcantly reduced the latency to near real time. As an example, ENCO’s just-released enCaption4 closes the gap between speech and the on-screen appearance of captions to about three seconds.

‘The speed and accuracy of speech-totext conversion continue to improve with advances in deep neural networks’

As more systems move to software-defined platforms, the captioning workflow for pre-recorded and/or long-form content has been greatly simplified. For facilities captioning existing content for later viewing, operators can essentially drag and drop video files into a file-based workflow that extracts the audio track for text conversion. These files can then be delivered in various lengths and formats for digital signage, online learning and other platforms. The integration of dictionaries into the captioning software is growing in significance.

Convergence with streaming Captioning systems are applicable in both on-premise and cloud conﬁgurations. In the latter case, some systems are now offered as SaaS

platforms, with monthly fees that include hardware costs coming out to as low as approximately $15 per hour for average rates of use. Cloud-based captioning software also extends the service for online audiences outside the local facility. One emerging opportunity is automatic generation of transcriptions for live and archived content. The latter aligns especially well with the desire to caption the large volumes of stored media in higher education and corporate campuses. There are also uses within government for court reporting or community meetings. Content repurposing software from companies like StreamGuys, previously used for podcasting and speciality AV streams, are being tailored for open captioning applications. In this architecture, previously ingested content is recalled through archive search. This level of integration also enables users to label and search for specific speakers for improved recognition and tracking, and later search the system for all content that contains a specific speaker, including exact spoken sentences. The overarching business benefit of updating the captioning workflow remains clear: the cost reduction opportunities multiply as these systems move to software-defined platforms. This not only provides ongoing low cost of ownership for the end-user, but allows systems integrators to potentially plan for open captioning as part of a broader AV-over-IP ecosystem to help facilities more efficiently manage this growing need. Ken Frommert is president of ENCO; Eduardo Martinez is director of technology at StreamGuys.

www.enco.com www.streamguys.com

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OPINION: ON THE AGENDA

June 2018

James Chen Ready, willing and cable How to achieve assured connectivity, whatever the application, with reliable HDMI cabling

DMI cables are to AV systems as nerves are to the human body. If a nerve is not functioning properly, and the information the brain is sending or receiving is not accurate, that part of the body may not function as it should. In an AV system environment, if an HDMI cable is not made properly (to HDMI specifications or certification), is damaged or is underspecified, then the system will inherently suffer issues. By making the right HDMI cable choice, integrators and installers will make their lives easier and ensure a reliable ‘nervous system’ for their projects for years to come.

Installation challenges There are a range of key features to look out for when selecting a cable. First, flexibility in the cable is needed to ensure it can be easily manoeuvred into place without damaging it. A small connector shell is also advantageous; this allows the cable to fit into tight space applications or a congested rack. Once your cable is in place, connector retention will ensure the connector doesn’t release from the socket too easily. A connector should fit into a socket such that it cannot be easily removed with the slightest amount of pull pressure. For example, when you are cleaning around a set of equipment, you may disconnect accidentally. A quality connector will have a retention force that keeps the connector in the socket. These connectors are made within a micro-millimetre of the required specification. Not all manufacturers engineer and produce their products to this detail – so be sure to check. Another important factor to consider is the head shell pull strength. This allows integrators and installers to pull long lengths without damaging

the cable. Grip-tab head shells make the job of removing cable from a component a much simpler task. In addition, some manufacturers pre-test cables to provide further piece of mind. Saving money on a project is critical to profitability, but using poor-quality components can and will erode the saving very quickly as soon as an issue arises. Cables are most critical when they have been run through walls and ceilings, where to replace a faulty or incorrectly specified cable could see the profit quickly disappear once a replacement is needed. Each service call to resolve an issue comes at a cost to a business, and the use of poor-quality cables is well known by the discerning integrator to cause many issues.

‘Using poor-quality components can and will erode the saving very quickly as soon as an issue arises’

Many integrators see an HDMI cable as a very basic part of an AV system and may not have the knowledge or training to understand the importance of its role. More experienced integrators will have learned to appreciate the value of this component. One of the ways to further educate and inform the industry is through marketing material that makes sense of the technology and is sourced from reputable authorities such as DPL Labs, THX or HDMI Licensing, test instrument manufacturers like Quantum Data and Murideo, or industry associations such as AVIXA and CEDIA.

Moving forward With the increasing demand on the industry for higher data rate transfer on HDMI cables – and potentially other cables also – it’s important that integrators are provided with the products that meet their requirements. The goal for manufacturers such as Kordz is to provide reliable and capable products for the industry, while keeping a step ahead of the latest technology to bring it to market as soon as possible. Furthermore, it’s important to keep up to date by meeting with industry peers and partners, as well as attending education programmes from industry associations. Sourcing appropriate reference material from leading global manufacturers, engineers and companies is another way to help to meet the challenge of being a reputable cable manufacturer. With the introduction of new technology, there will always be challenges. But with each challenge, there is an opportunity to provide the industry with additional reliable products to meet the demand of these technologies. With so many new combinations of products available, cabling quality is now more critical than ever in every application. For manufacturers, the challenge is to ensure that they are not only at the forefront in connecting this technology together, but that they are able to provide solid, reliable solutions to meet the needs of the industry users. It’s important for them to continue to focus on enhancing quality and developing more cabling products for the latest available technologies. James Chen is managing director of Kordz.

www.kordz.com

Visit us Booth C1334

THIS IS STATE-OF-THE-ART WIRELESS COMMUNICATION

THE NEW BOLERO

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Daisy chain or redundant ring antenna network Redundant antenna power scheme Up to 300m CAT5 cable between Antennas 100 beltpacks, 100 Antennas, 12 Partylines and unlimited point to point connections Advanced DECT with seamless handover Simple OTA and NFC registration Integrated web browser for setup External 4W and GPIO Interface box

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14 INTERVIEW: AMY BARZDUKAS, POLYCOM

June 2018

Reaching a hand out

Amy Barzdukas addressed a Women in AV event about how women can be inspired to rise through the ranks – and then talked to Paddy Baker about the importance of role models, being aware of unconscious bias, and how leaders set the corporate culture for good or ill

osted by Polycom in its Executive Experience Centre in the City of London, May’s Women in AV (WAVE) meeting was entitled ‘Inspiring women to go up the leadership ranks’. Given by Amy Barzdukas, Polycom’s chief marketing officer, the keynote was based around the idea of the “little red wheelbarrow” of experiences, tools and skills that we each carry with us throughout our lives. She focused on three wheelbarrow items: code switching – adjusting your vocabulary, and what you talk about, to suit the situation; personal branding - establishing a particular image or impression of yourself in others’ minds; and her “golden rule”: treat others as you would like to be treated. During her presentation, she said: “One of my

personal pet peeves about diversity and women in business is, we are often accused of not reaching a hand out to bring up more behind us. In tech, I have a personal theory that is some of us got to be successful because we learned how to survive as the only woman in the room. Now when another woman comes in the room, they’re the competition, because there’s only room for one.” When I sit down with Barzdukas at the end of the event, she tells me that most of the leadership training that she underwent had little focus on how to be a mentor. “There was a lot of training on how to be successful as the only woman in the room – don’t simper, take up more space, don’t apologise, don’t say ‘but that was pure luck’, things like that. But there was less training or coaching on how to

bring others with you – [the focus was] on how to be individually successful rather than how to be a successful mentor and coach to others. And I think that’s critically important across all diversity campaigns. It’s not just how can you, as whatever minority you represent, be successful; how can you be successful and bring others with you, is much more how we should think about it.”

Mentoring Another of the presentations was a live video link from STEM School Highlands Ranch in Denver, Colorado, given by computer science teacher Simi Basu – who moved into education after 13 years with IBM – and some of her female students. Basu has been mentoring the girls in some impressive technology projects – including seventh-grader

www.installation-international.com

A brief biography Amy Barzdukas began her marketing career in publishing, which included two years as a marketing director with Oxford University Press She spent 16 years in a variety of marketing leadership and general management roles at Microsoft. This was followed by two years at HP, latterly as vice president of worldwide marketing for the Business Personal Systems group She joined Polycom in 2015, becoming CMO in May 2017 Gitanjali Rao, who won the US Young Scientist Challenge in 2017 for developing a system that detects lead in drinking water much more quickly and easily than existing technology. However, girls like this are all too uncommon. Another presentation made the point that boys and girls are roughly equally interested in science and technology at school until about age 15. What happens at that age that puts girls off those subjects, I ask Barzdukas? She believes that as girls and boys go through the changes of puberty and become more selfconscious, “it’s appealing to pull to the people who look more like them.” And if the majority of women haven’t been modelled” – by which she means, they haven’t had the example of a role model – “that, yes you can be a rocket scientist, then it can very quickly become not fashionable. You see it in other situations, [such as] in a poor rural school where reading big books or using big words is not seen as where you should go, it’s a lot easier to be sidelined as a nerd – it would be a lot easier just to go play football or whatever. And so I think that is certainly part of it. “What we heard from the from Simi and her STEM students, [it shows] you’ve got to model it, you’ve got to encourage it, you’ve got to make people realise that you can imagine it. And then it’s a lot easier for it to be socially acceptable. But you just cannot overestimate the impact of what is seen as socially acceptable during those transition years, because kids can be really mean.” So what can the average man who works in the AV industry do to help women rise through the ranks? “Being aware of unconscious bias. There are all these studies that show that if you ‘blind’ a resumé, so you have no idea if it’s a man or a woman or what country or anything they’re from, the pure skills will win. But the minute you put a name that allows you to infer, you know, gender or religion or anything else, bias will come into play, despite the fact that otherwise the resumés are perfectly identical. So challenge what are you assuming ﬁrst, and then go from there.” She recalls a former colleague at Microsoft,

INTERVIEW: AMY BARZDUKAS, POLYCOM the executive sponsor for diversity – a man – who was very sensitive of unconscious bias. “If you’re having a conversation about two people who are up for promotion, are you assuming the skills that they have to model all look like Steve Ballmer?” Not all kinds of people will exhibit those sorts of “very male” behaviour, she points out. “As you look at talent, and as you look at hiring and promotions, being sensitive to that goes a long way.” It’s not just in recruitment, though – unconscious bias extends into day-to-day interactions too. “One of the best things I think that I’ve had male colleagues [realise] is there can be a dynamic that, at a conference table, women will often get talked over, or they’ll say something and people don’t really hear it. And then five minutes later somebody says exactly the same thing and people say, ‘Oh Peter, what a fantastic idea, that’s awesome.’ Listen for that, and it goes down significantly when somebody at the table says, ‘That is a great idea, and you know, Sonal raised that point five minutes ago – so great idea, Sonal.’” Also, she suggests, help to create the ‘space’ for more voices to be heard, along the lines of “‘Hang on a second, I think Amy has been trying to say something for a few minutes.’ It’s not like ‘Shut up, don’t be a jerk’ – it’s helping to do it in a way that nobody’s being punished.”

‘If you really believe that people are your greatest asset, a lot of diversity issues and inclusion issues get solved’

This isn’t just a gender thing, I suggest – there are shy men as well. “Exactly. I am a pretty hardcore introvert. I’ve learned over the years how to speak up. But there’s a lot of people who have a hard time breaking in or making themselves heard.” She’s a ﬁrm believer in how company culture percolates down from the top. “There are companies where senior leadership models certain behaviours, and what that does is give permission to people in the ranks to behave exactly as they’re seeing. And when that behaviour is not respectful, it creates an incredibly toxic culture… and those are the kinds of companies I would never want to work for.” Living the values She raises an interesting ﬁnding – “pretty much universal” – from respondents to company surveys in all kinds of industries. “When they’re polled ‘Do our senior leaders live our values?’,

the closer they are to the executive suite, the harsher they are in assessing that, because they’re the ones who get to really see how [they] behave under pressure; which is why I think it is absolutely critical that in senior leadership meetings, that you absolutely model the behaviour that you want everybody to have. Because if you don’t do it there, it doesn’t roll through.” For an example of a company where senior management do live the values, she doesn’t have to look far. ”Since Mary McDowell became the CEO and about 40% of our executive staff were either new to Polycom or new in role, and we had four women in the C suite – which was great, but not really the whole story – there’s been a real concerted effort to shift the culture to be one of more inclusion, more transparency, giving permission to actually be honest about how things are going. The culture in the company over the last 18 months has just gotten better and better – and I think it really is the senior leadership across the board living the kinds of things that we’ve been talking about here.” Has this culture arisen because the CEO is a woman? “I don’t think it’s because she’s a woman. I think she brings a wealth of experience from a number of places. And she’s incredibly smart and empathetic, which is a nice balance, so she understands why people do what they do as well as what they’re doing. “It’s more that it’s been a deliberate focus of the executive team to take the people seriously. ‘Our people are our most important asset’ is not just something on some poster on the wall, it actually is something that we believe in and are trying to live. And if you really believe that, a lot of diversity issues and inclusion issues get solved because you’re really recognising that that’s where your talent comes from.” That’s not to say that everything is perfect at Polycom. “As recently as a month ago we were doing a project review with our CEO. She is an engineer by training – she came up as a product person in engineering and built her business acumen over time – and someone mansplained some of the most basic stuff about cloud computing to her. I was like, I’m offended that this is being explained, and I’m not an engineer.” At the end of March, it was announced that Plantronics is to buy Polycom – in a transaction that is expected to complete in the third quarter of this year. So although she is looking forward to the next chapter of the Polycom story, “there’s a little bit of ‘oh no, it’s too soon’. We’ve built something just beautiful now. I really want to keep living this. We have to shift it over into the new world after the deal closes.”

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16 SHOW PREVIEW: INFOCOMM 2018

June 2018

Taking AV to new heights Last year’s InfoComm saw new events that refreshed the show and brought in voices from industries adjacent to professional AV. This year’s event looks to continue that trend

s ever, InfoComm this year looks set to offer a packed showﬂoor over its three exhibition days. But it’s not just about seeing products on stands – the show is a valuable resource for those who are looking to boost their professional knowledge. We’ve counted over 200 bookable education events on the show website, including all-day conferences, manufacturers’ presentations, AVIXAaccredited training sessions, AV technology tours, networking events, discussion panels, and even orientation tours for ﬁrst-time visitors. There are even a dozen three-day courses running Saturday to Monday, so that visitors can get a serious boost to their knowledge without missing out on any exhibition time. Here are some of the main attractions of the show – starting with the conference programme.

TIDE Following its successful launch in Orlando last year and a second edition at ISE in February, the

TIDE conference returns to InfoComm on Tuesday 5 June. TIDE (Technology. Innovation. Design. Experience) offers InfoComm attendees a wider perspective of the world of AV, as a broad range of presenters – designers, architects, artists, integrators and more – share their views on how technology is created, implemented and used. The theme of this edition of TIDE is HumanCentred Design, which involves creating AV technology solutions that resonate with the user. “We want attendees to take a step back from their day-to-day way of thinking about technology,” says Dan Goldstein, senior vice president of content and communications, AVIXA. Listening to innovators on stage and seated next to them will open their minds to new possibilities. Starting off the week with the TIDE conference will have people looking at the technology spanning the InfoComm trade show ﬂoor in a whole new light.” Dr Beau Lotto, a globally renowned neuroscientist and founder and CEO of Lab

What? InfoComm 2018 Where? Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, US When? Conferences and education: 2-8 June Exhibition: 6-8 June 09:00-17:00 (16:00 on last day) of Misfits Studio, will open the conference. Described as the world’s first neuro-design studio, Misfits Studio creates real-world ‘experiential experiments’ that place the public at the centre of the process of discovery. The afternoon keynote presentation will be given by Rana June, a pioneering creative technologist. Her work leverages biometric data to examine the spectrum of human emotion and transforms them into experiential artworks. She is the founder of biometrics company Lightwave,

SHOW PREVIEW: INFOCOMM 2018

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which has been recognised internationally for measuring the ‘energy’ of large-scale events, including Wimbledon and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championships.

including Microsoft and Google Cloud – with technology portfolios that cover Internet of Things, intelligent building systems, peoplecentred workspaces and many other areas.

TIDE Portals

C2 International

Shared_Studios will be bringing one of its Portals to the TIDE Conference. Taking the form of gold shipping containers or inﬂatable rooms, Portals are equipped with immersive AV technology that allows visitors to connect with people in other Portals around the world in a live collaboration experience. Biamp’s Devio is the chosen audio solution for the more than 35 permanent Portals in operation around the world. TIDE attendees will be able to take part in a Portal experience at the event, and speak to people in Portals in different global locales during the breakout sessions. Connections will range from a public park in Mexico City to a community centre in Herat, Afghanistan.

One of the more unusual attractions on the showfloor will come from C2 International, a group of creative thought leaders who create events based around immersion and collaboration. “Over the past six years, the C2 team has been researching and testing ways to take people outside of their usual frames of reference in the belief that experimentation leads to a culture of innovation,” says Martin Enault, president, APAC at C2i. “We’ve been designing and fine-tuning experiences that encourage participants to think differently about a problem, shifting their mindset in a way that will help them find new solutions to their business challenges. Core elements of that are atypical brainstorming experiences that we call labs.” One of these out-of-the-comfort-zone experiences is called Sky, which is a moderated, collaborative experience – during which the participants are suspended above floor level.

Center Stage Another InfoComm attraction returning for a second year is Center Stage. Situated in a central position on the showﬂoor, Center Stage is a series of over two dozen discussion sessions featuring the AV industry’s most creative makers, users and creators. The subjects covered are at the forefront of the industry, including AR, VR, wearable technology, voice assistants, capture technology, smart buildings, immersive audio and compelling online video. “We’re excited to have Center Stage return after a successful debut at InfoComm 2017,” says Jason McGraw, senior vice president of expositions, AVIXA. “It’s a great opportunity to learn from these bright creatives who employ technology to push the human potential to learn, connect, and entertain.” Center Stage sessions are free to attend and do not need to be booked – just turn up and watch.

Integrated Life New for 2018 at InfoComm is Integrated Life, a brand that explores the convergence between commercial and residential AV technologies. It comprises a one-day conference, and a dedicated showfloor area. Taking place ahead of the show on Tuesday 5 June, the Integrated Life conference will discuss a variety of topics at the confluence of commercial and residential technology, such as user interface innovations, security and privacy, managed services, artificial intelligence, and consumer expectations and habits. It will also examine the role that integrators can play in this new landscape. The Integrated Life pavilion on the showfloor features more than two dozen exhibitors –

Trends: AV over IP AV over IP looks set to be a key trend once again in Las Vegas. At what is only its second InfoComm show following its foundation in early 2017, the SDVoE Alliance will be demonstrating AV network management and control software designed to run on the SDVoE platform. Demos will include VuWall TRx, ZeeVee MaestroZ and iMAGsystems Lightning applications, all built on the SDVoE API. The Alliance will also be running ‘SDVoE 20/20’ – more than 20 20-minute education sessions about different aspects of SDVoE. While SDVoE is positioning itself as ‘the platform for networked AV’, it’s not the only game in town for AV over IP. Expect to see many manufacturers offering their solutions for 1Gb and 10Gb Ethernet networks. It will be interesting to see if there is any less confusion around terms such as ‘visually lossless’ and ‘zero latency’ that there was at last year’s InfoComm. Also, details are sketchy at the moment, but we’ve received word of a new initiative from the Avnu Alliance to be announced at the show. Manufacturers including L-Acoustics, d&b audiotechnik, Meyer Sound, Biamp and Avid have been working together under the Alliance umbrella for more than 18 months, and will be presenting and demonstrating “a new network solution that will reshape the AV networking industry and future of high-performance professional media”. Could this be another chapter in the AVB story? And, of course, there will be another edition of the Dante-based AV Networking World taking place the day before the exhibition opens.

Ten product launches to look out for at InfoComm Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling 2 Designed for medium-sized to large meeting rooms, TeamConnect Ceiling 2 contains 28 omnidirectional microphone capsules integrated within a discreet ceiling array, and uses beamforming technology to pick up voices from anywhere in the room. It has one analogue and two Dante digital outputs, supports power over Ethernet and works with the Sennheiser Control Cockpit app.

Datapath’s latest VSN controllers Datapath’s VSN videowall controllers are used in premium command and control rooms around the world, and the latest additions to the family will get their ﬁrst public showing at InfoComm. The most recently updated is the VSN 4 Series, which now includes Intel’s seventh-generation Kaby Lake Core i5 (or i7) processor, and can provide up to 16 HD outputs or 16 HD inputs.

beyerdynamic conferencing products beyerdyamic is introducing a number of new conferencing products at the show. Among these is Phonum – a premier Wireless Bluetooth speakerphone, suitable for quick, impromptu meetings, particularly in huddle spaces. And the Unite digital wireless communications platform, which can scale up to 32 channels at once, is suitable for tour guiding, hearing assistance and other two-way communication scenarios. >>

18 SHOW PREVIEW: INFOCOMM 2018 ClearOne CONVERGE Huddle One of seven new ClearOne solutions debuting at the show, the new CONVERGE Huddle conferencing solution for huddle rooms is derived from the CONVERGE Pro 2 line of DSP mixers. Audio and video collaboration applications can be accomplished through a single cable connection to BYOD devices running applications such as Spontania or Skype for Business, and more.

popular services including YouTube, Facebook Live or Twitch, or to a custom-speciﬁed server.

Riedel Bolero standalone Riedel will be showing the Bolero Standalone Application, an upgrade for its Bolero wireless intercom system that delivers performance enhancements alongside standalone capabilities. With the Bolero Standalone Application, antennas are daisy-chained to each other via a low-latency synchronised TDM network. The system can be easily conﬁgured via a web GUI internal to the antennas. Other new capabilities include individual rotary programming, Bluetooth headset support, and a new beltpack QuickMute feature.

June 2018

Here are some of the other exhibitors with AV-over-IP offerings: • Matrox will be giving an educational presentation entitled ‘Networked AV, remote monitoring, and security’, which will focus on understanding the most common streaming protocols, identifying key performance metrics and monitoring protocols for IT network management, and protecting against security vulnerabilities created by networked AV equipment. • Clear-Com will show E-IPA, a high-density audio-over-IP connection card for the Eclipse HX digital matrix intercom family • Bogen Communications will show the C4000, its ﬁrst IP-based, softwarecentric communications system optimised for commercial paging and audio distribution applications

Trends: Collaboration and conferencing Atlona Management System The latest version of the Atlona Management System (AMS) will receive its global debut. Available as the AT-AMS-HW server appliance (below) or as a free software application, AMS enables multiple Atlona products to be quickly conﬁgured, monitored and serviced from a web browser. The second-generation AMS sports a redesigned GUI that adopts interaction and navigation elements from Atlona’s Velocity solution. Key Digital extends HDMI over 18Gbps Key Digital will introduce the KD-X444L, its ﬁrst 18Gbps extender kit with full bandwidth support for HDMI 2.0A. It extends UHD/4K 18Gbps digital video with audio formats up to Dolby/DTS HD and IR/RS-232 control signals up to 70m, or 1080p signals up to 100m, with Cat6 cabling. It is HDCP 2.2 compliant and also supports HDR10.

Barco XDL laser projector Barco’s new range of XDL laser projectors, targeted at the largest venues and events, provides brightness of up to 75,000 lumens. Turn to our Products section (page 48) for more details.

Magewell Ultra Stream HDMI encoder InfoComm 2018 will see the AV industry debut of Magewell’s new Ultra Stream HDMI standalone streaming encoder, which is said to make live streaming simple even for non-professional users. Users can record or stream high-quality video with one click using on-device buttons or an intuitive smartphone app, and stream to

FSR HuddleVU Bundles FSR is launching HuddleVU Collaboration Bundles, a series of prepackaged collaboration system conﬁgurations. Five different options are available, accommodating from two to four users. Each bundle includes a table box, a switcher and all the necessary cables, but can be upgraded with optional cable retractors. Systems can also include FSR’s HuddleVU Air, a wireless four-input auto-switching presentation unit.

As you can see from our list of 10 key product launches, there is a lot of activity from vendors in the collaboration and conferencing space – whether it’s the core equipment for working on shared information, or audio systems that improve the quality of the conferencing experience. Here are some other companies showing collaboration and conferencing solutions: • QSC will have a 20-minute QSC Conference Room Experience demonstration on its stand • Oblong will demonstrate integration with Cisco Webex Teams, bringing virtual workspace applications into physical workspaces • Yamaha Uniﬁed Communications – which combines expertise from Yamaha and its subsidiary Revolabs – will take part in a number of education sessions encompassing AI, UC, PCs as codecs, and huddle room technology – as well as showing its latest conferencing products • MXL is debuting a new conference microphone • Marshall Electronics is showing its new high-deﬁnition USB camera

Lavelle’s advice We’ll give the ﬁnal word to Chris Lavelle, recently promoted by AVIXA to the role of senior director of development Europe (see Last Word, page 54). He says: “For somebody that has been to the show before, then there’ll be something new and different for them. And for somebody who has never been to the show before it will wow them, because there is just so much to do… There’s something for everybody. If someone is going, they should deﬁnitely look at the schedule and book what they want – and then use the time that they’re out there well.”

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20 SPECIAL REPORT: SMART STADIUMS

June 2018

All to play for To begin this special report examining the design and demands of the forward-facing modern stadium, David Davies examines the latest technologies – many of them concerned with enhancing fan engagement – informing the development of new stadiums for sports applications

here once attendance at a sports stadium involved a relatively straightforward process of interaction between visitor and venue – in essence: turn up and watch the event, buy a drink or two and maybe some food and merchandise, leave the premises – now there is talk of the all-encompassing ‘match-day experience’. In addition to experiencing the on-pitch action, there is likely to be the opportunity to enjoy replays and interview material in the highest possible quality on display screens; access additional content on mobile devices using the stadium’s (hopefully) robust Wi-Fi network; receive targeted messaging related to the stadium via text message; and – for those with deeper pockets – savour all the excitement from a VIP suite equipped with the very latest AV equipment.

Related technological expectations have led to the increasing use of the term ‘smart stadiums’, although as Pete Egart – vice president EMEA at video display, scoreboard and messaging technology specialist Daktronics – observes, the trend has actually been several decades in the making. “The expectations of the stadium experience have been growing every year for the last 20 years,” he says. “Stadiums not only compete with rival clubs to draw fans, they also compete with home entertainment systems. At home, fans have access to large-screen LCD or projection systems, access to high-speed internet to track game stats and interact with social media, and unlimited access to food and drink within a few steps from their screen. Stadiums also compete with other venues, such as local bars and eateries, where fans gather to support their team in a social environment.”

Key Points The trends underlying smart stadiums have been developing over several decades, although they have accelerated in recent years Sending video to multiple screens, and increasingly to fans’ mobile devices, makes significant demands on stadium infrastructure There is a growing requirement for centrally controlled systems to marshal the different kinds of content being created Virtual reality is currently being used to sell to fans and advertisers, as well as in broadcast analysis, and is likely to be extended into VIP suites

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One primary result of this often intense level of competition is that stadium and arena venues have had “to escalate in both size and functionality to create experiences that cannot be replicated in any other environment. The rate of this escalation has been accelerating in recent years as venues try to bring the next ‘never been done before’ to the market. New innovations drive excitement for fans and aid in driving ticket sales and advertising revenue as brands want to be associated with the unique experiences that the venue provides on game day,” continues Egart. In short, there is all to play for when it comes to the newest generation of sports stadiums – from the robust networking backbones on which many of the latest systems will reside, to the quality of the screens that greet visitors in the concourse areas of the stadium and, of course, those located at pitchside too. So, to what extent has this state-of-the-art vision now been deployed at sports stadiums across Europe, and what are the new technologies – such as VR and robotics – that are likely to determine the design of venues in the future?

Planning But first things first – some definitions. By its very nature, a smart stadium is one that is not

SPECIAL REPORT: SMART STADIUMS only able to cope with current demands, but also affords some capacity to accommodate possible future needs. It is therefore deﬁned by Egart as “a stadium that has been well designed to integrate multiple technologies and provide the right content to the right people at the right time.” By extrapolation we might conclude that connectivity and display screens constitute the two most important single elements of the modern stadium’s infrastructure, particularly when sports are the main attraction.

‘A lack of connectivity will reﬂect poorly on the experience and be a major hurdle in retaining fan attendance’ Pete Egart, Daktronics

Mike Allan, CTO of IPTV and digital signage specialist Exterity, says that the cycle of upgrades in these areas began to intensify “about two or three years ago. It was at that point that you began to see real interest in gearing up and increasing the offer to fans.

So you saw a lot of stadiums start to adopt new technologies, and not [only in terms of distribution of TV] over networks.” It is true that one of the major drivers is “higher-quality VIP suite displays, but you are also seeing the development of networks that cover very large deployments. Venues, clubs and organisations are keen to improve the fan experience for everyone, and that means installations that do run to hundreds of endpoints and so on.” James Keen – group marketing manager of video steaming, IPTV and digital signage company Tripleplay – neatly summarises the expectations of video that a sports stadium would typically have in addition to feeding the primary pitch-side screens. “You will probably want to send live TV to the concourses as well as to the corporate boxes and suites. You may also wish to deliver promotional and advertising materials to concourses, retail outlets and reception areas,” he says. In terms of the feeds there will likely be a requirement to accept both standard broadcast feeds as well as additional cameras provided by the venue itself. “For example,” says Keen, “many venues will have their own IP cameras in gantry and these will stream content that can then be distributed to selected TVs around the

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22 SPECIAL REPORT: SMART STADIUMS stadium.” So there is, potentially, a huge amount of content with which to work, and this calls for the implementation of a “centrally controlled content system” that enables personnel to effectively marshal all of the content sources. While the merits of a centralised management system are easy to understand, there are plenty of methods by which the content may be distributed. In the case of Tripleplay, its solutions use self-contained LAN networks “so that nothing touches the ‘wider’ internet within the venue. One of the reasons for this is that if you have, say, 1,000 screens all showing an IPTV channel with a live stream from the game, then at an HD level that will take 5Mbps off the network speed. [Rather than] pushing out a match to every individual screen, we are able to do multicasts whereby each individual service can pick up the stream and therefore have a lower impact on the overall performance of the network.” Maciek Janiszewski, application engineering manager of optical digital fibre-based network company Optocore, underlines the general sentiment that each stadium will have differing needs of its network infrastructure. But one shared requirement is likely to be “flexibility – that is their main concern – both in terms of the ability to have every channel everywhere in the stadium, but also simplicity of control and usage.” Janiszewski also highlights “the issue of the weather and how that will influence the system”, noting that there may be areas of the stadium where devices are exposed to high or low temperatures, so related precautions may need to be taken.

Wi-Fi access The other primary concern regarding connectivity is, of course, individual user access to the internet during the event itself. As an integral part of the smart stadium experience, visitors now expect to be able to view high-resolution content, in real time, as the match or other sports event proceeds. Correspondingly, broadcasters

‘[Rather than] pushing out a match to every individual screen, multicasts have a lower impact on the overall performance of the network’ James Keen, Tripleplay

are keen to feed this appetite – and augment their advertising revenues – by providing access to immediate replays of key moments in the game, as well as specially created content such as player interviews and highlights packages derived from previous matches.

June 2018

Case Study

Highly integrated video for Lord’s Warner Stand As part of its long-term vision for the legendary venue, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) decided to replace the existing Warner Stand at Lord’s Cricket Ground in north-west London with a new £25 million state-of-the-art stand, which was opened by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh last year. Enhancing the spectator experience was a key priority for the project, so video and display capability was always near the top of the shopping list. To this end, Lord’s opted for a complete endto-end Exterity IP video and digital signage solution to deliver high-quality live TV and digital signage throughout the Warner Stand, including bar and catering areas and match control facilities. The solution involves Exterity AvediaStream HDCP encoders securely supplying content, such as live Sky and BT Sports channels, to screens around the Warner Stand, JP Morgan Media Centre and new scorers’ box. Non-televised county cricket matches are also streamed as channels over the IP network via live camera feeds being fed into an existing RF system, which are in turn captured by an Exterity AvediaStream TVgateway. The same single TVgateway also delivers all UK digital terrestial TV channels. In addition, Exterity’s ArtioSign digital signage solution – which is integrated into every AvediaServer and AvediaPlayer media player – is deployed in the bar, catering areas and lobby to display drink menus and pricing, show sponsor adverts, and promote Lord’s Shop and cricket store merchandise on event days. All of this calls for extremely robust bandwidth throughout the stadium, so it’s no surprise to discover that many owners and operators are currently investing in boosting their Wi-Fi connectivity. The extent to which they have got to grips with this requirement as of mid-2018 is generally felt to be decidedly variable, but it’s only likely to become more acute as 5G networks roll out and expectations of uninterrupted video quality are raised even further. “Connectivity is of paramount importance,” confirms Egart. “Fans expect to be able to share their experiences on social media platforms throughout their time at the venue, [and] a lack of connectivity will reflect poorly on the experience and be a major hurdle in retaining fan attendance. Maintaining bandwidth for Wi-Fi and cellular communications is a challenge in a stadium or arena environment due to the proliferation of technology, which can include a combination of large video displays, ribbon displays, pitch perimeter displays, LCD networks, concourse displays, exterior displays, wayfinding displays, and both wired and wireless broadcasting equipment.” In combination, these different systems can “put out a large volume of electromagnetic interference [EMI], which can impede network performance and ultimately cause a negative effect on the fan experience. In stadium and

arena environments, venues can work to minimise the effect of EMI by working with longstanding, reliable suppliers and by choosing products that offer lower EMI emissions.” Although the quality of the individual mobiles and tablets on which stadium visitors are viewing content is obviously beyond the control of the venues, owners and operators can ensure that the main displays deliver the highestresolution images possible. Increasingly, this is prompting upgrades from HD to 4K, while even higher-resolution formats – notably 8K – cannot be too far away, although resolution is by no means the only concern here. “Resolution in a display is important, and many stadiums have shown a desire to hit certain resolutions [such as HD and 4K],” says Egart. “Resolution in a stadium is not always the best measurement for determining the display technology and what will provide the best value and fan experience. To choose the ‘best display’, the stadium should consider minimum viewing distance, maximum viewing distance, viewing angles, exposure to direct sunlight, and a host of other variables.”

Production principles For those stadiums that are regularly descended upon by broadcasters to produce coverage of major tournaments and championships, it

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24 SPECIAL REPORT: SMART STADIUMS

stands to reason that accommodating their needs is another crucial ingredient of the smart stadium. As far as outside broadcast operations go, that includes not just sufficient room and connectivity provision in the grounds to house OB trucks, but increasingly space within the venues for what are called ﬂyaways. To save money spent on personnel and resources, more and more broadcasters and OB companies are exploring the concept of remote production, whereby various key parts of the production process for traditional linear or online content can be kept back at the studio. This may negate the need for an OB truck on site as such, instead allowing only the equipment that is needed to be set up at the venue – often in a quiet spare area of the stadium. This also has the pleasing knock-on effect of allowing other equipment and personnel to be allocated to other projects where they may be needed more urgently. Quite apart from external broadcast provision, there is also the issue of the stadiums generating their own content. For some this involves calling on the services of a company like ADI.tv, which has a long track record in providing programming that is managed and delivered directly from its own production galleries. Others may seek to take on the responsibility themselves, although this is likely to involve a signiﬁcant initial outlay to cover a production system, multiple cameras, wireless audio equipment and more, as well as several members of staff with the necessary

skills to create content that at least bears reasonable comparison to its ‘professionally’ produced equivalent. Keen confirms that, as one might expect, the extent to which in-house content production is adopted is determined by factors such as the club’s position in its league and the general state of its finances. “There are some venues that have the capacity to invest in their own production suites and make sure that people are as engaged as they can be from the moment they enter the stadium [with a variety of content],” he says. “But then there are those at the other end of the scale where the budgets are much smaller and there is less money around to be invested.” However, an increasing number of more attractively priced production systems are now available – NewTek, Grass Valley and Blackmagic Design are among the manufacturers to have recently brought popular mid-level systems to market – so it is surely only a matter of time before a majority of venues have at least some internal production capacity. Meanwhile, there is a more mixed outlook for some other emerging technologies. Several contributors referred to their awareness of current trials involving robotics, although at present no one seems quite sure how these applications might be monetised in the long term. There is, however, slightly more confidence around the subject of virtual reality. At one level this might involve a new addition to VIP suites,

June 2018

whereby visitors can enjoy a VR experience related to the event in question using goggles and pre-recorded footage; your present correspondent can testify to the immersive feel of some of these experiences, having tested several at major sports venues during the last 12 months. Then there are other applications, as summarised by Egart: “Virtual reality is currently being used as a sales tool for season ticket sales and for selling advertising spots throughout the stadium. VR is also being used in broadcast analysis of the event, allowing broadcasters to be inserted into the action and explain what is happening and/or what should have happened during the action.” These are transitory times, then, for the modern sports stadium, but what all of the new technologies have in common – from enhanced Wi-Fi capacity to 4K screens and VR – is that they are set to bring sports fans even closer to the action. The upshot is it won’t be too long before they are able to access content anywhere, anytime in the stadium, ensuring that their match-day experience is dynamic and compelling from the moment they enter the venue to the moment they depart.

www.daktronics.com www.exterity.com www.optocore.com www.tripleplay.tv

26 SPECIAL REPORT: SMART STADIUMS

June 2018

Sound thinking Although sports remain the primary driver of proﬁts for many stadiums, an increasing number also host regular live music and other entertainment events. In the second half of our special report, David Davies hears the latest thinking about stadium audio design – including its contribution to more immersive match-day experiences – as well as some key standards issues destined to inform the next generation of venues

s the previous article in this two-part report into smart stadiums has made clear, it is the sports events that pull in the punters week after week which tend to be the drivers of new investment – especially during an era when deepening ‘fan engagement’ is (in every sense) the name of the game. Perhaps inevitably, this often translates to higher-deﬁnition screens (and more of them), enhanced connectivity for mobile services, and visually driven new technologies such as VR and AR. The ‘smartest’ of the smart stadiums, however, know that high quality permanent audio systems can also play an important role in creating a compelling overall experience – both on sports event days and as an auxiliary component to hired-in systems for live music and other entertainment events. No wonder, then, that Daktronics’ EMEA vice president Pete Egart describes audio as “an unsung hero” of the stadium experience.

“It usually only draws attention when it is not working correctly,” he says. In reality, “there is a large amount of engineering that goes into designing an immersive audio environment. It is very important to work closely with experts when designing an audio system to ensure a clean and clear audio experience at the venue.” Indeed, speak to vendors and integrators and you will quickly establish a consensus view around sound speciﬁcation becoming evermore critical above and beyond the essential requirements of a permanent PA/VA system. As NEXO engineering support division director François Deffarges observes, “increased interaction between audience and sound will play a growing role. [Consequently] we see clear trends for improving the audience experience through general usage of subwoofers, and total audio system integration.” Guillermo Wabi – professional sound application design manager, Bosch Building Technologies, Communications Systems Division – concurs

Key Points As audience expectations rise and venues look to offer increased engagement, audio quality in stadiums has never been more important A system that can support touring concerts will make the stadium more affordable for - and therefore attractive to - big-name tours Audio systems that are fully integrated with other systems, such as those for security, fire, access control and evacuation, offer lower cost of ownership as well as a more consistent fan experience With EN54 compliance now widespread, standards development is set to concentrate on complex evacuation scenarios, including guidance related to dealing with terrorist incidents

SPECIAL REPORT: SMART STADIUMS

www.installation-international.com

about this general drift towards more powerful permanent systems. “Audio systems’ usage in stadiums has changed in the past 20 years from an announcement system to added dual functionality beyond just announcements to evacuation systems, and is now evolving [towards] multifunction systems including entertainment functionality,” he says.

Top-class entertainment In general the factors that underpin notions of ‘good sound’ in a stadium are the same as those in other large-scale public spaces: even coverage and intelligibility to all seats in the venue; consistency of levels and clarity across different types of content; reliable ampliﬁcation and integrated, systems-wide control; and effective protection from the weather and its many extremes. The advent of highly directional beam-steering, line array and point source technologies has meant that, for those venues willing to make the investment, there is really no bar to high quality sound at every seat. And with systems such as these, some venues are looking to structure sports event content – including interviews and dynamic pre- and post-match music – into comprehensive programmes that complement the changing moods of the day. A recent project undertaken by NEXO at Wolves FC home ground Molineux Stadium – for which delivering a “topclass programme of entertainment on matchdays” was a key priority – is a case in point [see box item]. For non-sports events, such as concerts, a high quality stadium PA may be used to augment the substantial loudspeaker system that will be brought in by the band’s audio rental company. “By plugging in parts of the stadium PA as delays it is possible that a venue will be able to sell more seats for concerts,” explains Roland Hemming, founder/consultant, RH Consulting. “A good example of this is Amsterdam ArenA, where they plug into the delays and rotate the clusters to ‘concert mode’. This enables them to reduce the amount of temporary PA equipment that needs to be brought in for concerts, which is obviously good for the [overall cost base] of events.” However, just because well-speciﬁed venues do have this capability doesn’t mean that they always take advantage of it. Hemming cites personal experience of a recent UK stadium gig by a very well-known rock band in which the house PA was left unused in favour of temporary delays “which sounded quite appalling where we were sitting. It was just as well that I knew the songs because I could not hear the words – and the between-song chat was also unintelligible. A lot of people around me were complaining about it too.” With the mass availability of highly directional speaker systems, such oversights are difficult

Case Study

Boosting match-day entertainment at Wolves FC One UK venue that can attest to the potential rewards of taking an integrated approach to audio system design is Wolverhampton’s Molineux Stadium. Best known as the home ground of Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (‘Wolves’), the stadium wanted to upgrade to be able to deliver the blend of music, player interviews and commercial content that fans have begun to expect on match days. Wolves’ head of operations Steve Sutton enlisted TG Baker to design and install a new audio system suitable for both entertainment and PA/VA requirements. The previous system was 24 years old and “well past its recommended working life. Our new owners and Laurie Dalrymple, our managing director, were very keen to deliver a top-class programme of entertainment on match days,” says Sutton. The end result of their deliberations on behalf of the 31,000-capacity stadium is a versatile system based around a total of 34 NEXO PS15-R2 cabinets, fixed to the roof of each stand, with a mere six NXAMP4x4 amplifiers powering the speakers. Ensuring compatibility with the VA requirement, the NXAMPs feature a special firmware version designed with a focus on life safety systems. The new installation has delivered significant improvements to fans’ enjoyment of an extensive match-day programme that may include DJ sets, pitch-side interviews, and even pyrotechnic displays synchronised to audio. Hence, Sutton concludes, “we can now deliver a much more professional entertainment programme, especially in the crucial five minutes before kick-off. Consequently, we can see fans coming into the stadium earlier than before. Sound is subjective, but in my opinion it’s made a massive difference since the NEXO system went live.” to justify – and hardly likely to win over a notinsignificant group of music fans who remain unconvinced of the merits of the stadium gig experience. As ticket prices continue to rise – frequently hitting three figures for even the least desirable seats once booking fees are taken into account – it’s an issue that could become increasingly acute for those venues wishing to maintain their lucrative non-musical ‘sidelines’.

‘All systems can be interfaced to one multiplatform and multifunctional system, with selfmonitoring and diagnostics’ Guillermo Wabi, Bosch Building Technologies

Smart (re)conﬁguration Of course, plenty of stadiums are getting it right – and for Wabi, integral to the success of many is an integrated approach that sees all applications being masterminded from one central platform, with the ease of re-conﬁguration that this

implies. Not surprisingly, IP has proven to be the great enabler here. In truly smart stadiums, he says, “the audio system is now linked to the security system, the fire system, access control, evacuation, video systems and mechanical systems. All can be interfaced to one multi-platform and multi-functional system, with self-monitoring and diagnostics.” Adopting such an holistic approach paves the way for stadium owners to benefit from a “lower cost of ownership and a better and more consistent fan experience, resulting in higher profits to the owners with the added benefit of higher safety and security for the public.” Different configurations can be created for different event types, meaning that “with the push of a button we can change the system from sports mode to concert mode, and the system operator can dial in the correct delay to the stadium system in order to align with the temporary concert system and function as a support or delay system to the live concert.” Equipping a control room with this kind of overarching control functionality also makes it easier for venues to furnish conference and seminar suites with varying audio content. Corporate gatherings and social events are

28 SPECIAL REPORT: SMART STADIUMS

another common contributor to (in the words of Wabi) “providing a constant revenue stream” for stadiums, so it’s unsurprising that some integrators have beneﬁted from a steady stream of related indoor audio upgrade schemes.

‘We see clear trends for improving the audience experience through general usage of subwoofers, and total audio system integration’ François Deffarges, NEXO Technologies

Setting standards While they contemplate the stadiums of the future, operators and their consultants also have plenty of standards-related matters to bear in mind. Compliance with EN54 is a given and has been well documented in Installation over recent years. Next on the horizon is a comprehensive update of BS 7827, which provides recommendations and guidance for the design, speciﬁcation, maintenance and operation of permanently installed sound systems used for emergency purposes at sports venues. Roland Hemming has been engaged in the revision project as a committee chair for several years now, and conﬁrms that the updated standard “will have a wider remit and cover all large public buildings, for want of a better term.” In particular, it will offer more explicit guidance on complex evacuation scenarios, such as instances involving “a combination of internal and external

areas, which haven’t really been clariﬁed before. There will also be an expanded environmental section and additional guidance on the issue of back-up power.” The end result, says Hemming, will be a code of practice that brings “clarity to a lot of issues related to more complex projects”. The updated standard – which may be published before the end of 2018 – is also set to incorporate guidance related to counter-terrorism and measures that venues can implement to ensure their audio systems remain effective in a host of possible attack scenarios. With the ﬁrst anniversary of the Manchester Arena attack having only just been marked internationally, the need to have extensive planning in place should be at the very top of venue operators’ and consultants’ priority lists. However, Hemming clearly feels there is some complacency about the issue in the wider industry, suggesting that awareness of the latest UK Home Office advice – such as the ‘Guidance to Improve Your Security Stance’ issued last summer – remains minimal. Not surprisingly, this latest Home Office guidance is likely to inform the relevant sections of the new version of BS 7827, which will address issues such as “how to keep people in or moving around the building [during an attack], or maybe bring them in from the outside.” The effect upon, and utilisation of, staff during such an emergency will also be tackled, along with the steps that should be taken to create an effective risk assessment whenever a new system is established. “There is a real obligation on consultants to be up to date on these issues, and therefore be in a position to provide [venue operators] with the

June 2018

necessary information. Without that there is a risk that some venues are not well protected at present,” says Hemming.

Smart ‘micro-cities’? In turn, these very real and pressing challenges may encourage further diversification by stadiums to ensure a minimum of non-event days as operational costs continue to rise. Wabi puts it succinctly: “Sports venues cost lots of money to build and maintain, and if they are used just for sport [there may not be sufficient] profits to maintain the cost of operation year-round.” Expanding upon his vision of the stadium of the future, Wabi envisages the nurturing of “‘smart micro-cities’, built around the stadium and following the evolution of the ‘work, live, play’ lifestyle, all implemented in one interconnected IP-based area.” Extended partnerships with food and beverage outlets, shops and hotels in the surrounding environs are bound to be integral to these ‘smart micro-cities’ that have stadiums as their hub centres. It’s a tantalising vision, but one that will call for an even more consistent focus on audio quality, not least to convey the commercial messages that will be fundamental to these sites’ financial viability. Therefore, the smartest of the smart venues will be thinking not just about the fan engagement expectations of the next few years, but the likely habitational and behavioural patterns of their customers a decade or more into the future.

www.boschsecurity.com www.daktronics.com https://nexo-sa.com www.rhconsulting.eu

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30 BUSINESS FEATURE: INTERACTIVE DISPLAYS

June 2018

Key Points Voice is likely to become increasingly pervasive as a UI in business Major players such as IBM, Microsoft and Amazon are targeting the corporate market with their voice technology There are applications for which interactive displays will remain better suited than voice

Hearing voices?

The future will likely see voice and interactive displays complement rather than compete with each other Voice represents a real opportunity for the integrator community

Complex systems have become increasingly easy to use with successive generations of user interface. Voice looks as if it may be the next one – but, asks Ian McMurray, what will its impact be on interactive displays?

ioneered by Apple and popularised by Microsoft in April 1992 with Windows 3.1, graphical user interfaces – GUIs – were the first attempt to make computing technology accessible to the masses. Remarkably, given the widespread perception of touchscreens as a new technology, the H-P 150 was the first commercially available PC to offer it as an option 10 years before Windows 3.1. The Apple iPhone brought us the wonders of multitouch in 2007. The quest, of course, has always been to make the electronic devices we use more intuitive. But: if we want something, what could be more intuitive than asking for it? Enter voice recognition. What has transformed its viability – to the point where we now take the likes of Alexa, Cortana and Siri for granted – has been the processing horsepower necessary, coupled with AI. Given the proliferation of voice-controlled devices in our homes it’s apparent that conversing with a computer is no longer the stuff of sci-fi. But: is the technology ready now for commercial prime time – and will it displace interactive screens as our primary interface?

Going mainstream “The obvious advantage of voice as a UI is the ability to communicate with a computer using our own language,” believes Kevin Hague, vice president, technology strategy for Harman International. “Advances in machine learning have enabled computers to ﬁnally do a reasonable job

understanding our questions. This will be key when interactive displays are in environments where people need speciﬁc data and are unfamiliar with how to use the display.” “Voice is certainly going more mainstream as a user interface with devices and services, although it has largely been limited to interesting proofs of concept and demonstrations to date,” says Chris Mcintyre-Brown, associate director, Futuresource Consulting. “The development in consumer devices is based upon the fast-growing smart

‘Voice control systems have the potential to create huge growth in the interactive technologies market’ Joel Chimoindes, Maverick

speaker market and compatible devices, which are spreading throughout the home. Enterprise and customer-facing adoption of voice is not at this level, with manufacturers largely still evaluating voice and how it can be used. The challenge is to make it more than a gimmick – otherwise there may be some tentative adoption, but it has to have more appeal than touch.” “Voice control systems have the potential to create huge growth in the interactive technologies

market, thanks to the simplicity and speed of use they offer,” believes Joel Chimoindes, European commercial director at European AV distributor Maverick AV Solutions. “However, a long journey of research and development is required to ensure that voice activation systems work ﬁrst time, every time, to ensure that users have complete conﬁdence in their systems.” “Users know and recognise touch now, but it has taken a long time to get there,” adds McIntyreBrown. “Voice is not close to that level yet. Discoverability and awareness of voice, knowing the right wake-word and phrasing to interact with a virtual assistant is important. It will take time for users to reach this level of comfort and knowledge.”

Not as long The long journey to which Chimoindes refers may not be as long as we think. CES earlier this year saw the debut of the Lenovo Smart Display – in effect, a Google Assistant-powered smart speaker with a built-in touchscreen. The device is sensitive to different voices – allowing personalised information to be displayed. There were similar products on show from Sony, LG and JBL (part of Harman) with its LINK View. Although currently aimed at consumers, it’s easy to envisage them becoming a universal piece of desk furniture. With 128 million Alexa-enabled devices predicted to be in use by 2020, and Amazon ‘owning’ 70% of the US market, Google may struggle to make inroads – although you

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underestimate the search behemoth at your peril. That hasn’t deterred IBM, however, which in March launched Watson Assistant. Described by the company as an AI enterprise assistant, it’s a service aimed at companies looking to build voice-activated capabilities for their own products. Where it seems to differ most from its competitors is that it is designed for ‘own-brand’ applications – so developers can specify their own wake-up command, or perhaps none at all. Given IBM’s strength in the corporate sector, the company could emerge as a serious contender. A month after the Watson launch, IBM and Harman announced Voice-Enabled Cognitive Rooms – using IBM’s Watson AI technology and Harman AKG microphones, JBL speakers and AMX AV control and switching systems. The companies said they were targeting medical, corporate, hotel, cruise ship and hospitality applications.

Game-changers? Are Alexa for Business and IBM’s Watson gamechangers? Many think so. Alexa for Business provides tools and resources for organisations to set up and manage Alexa devices at scale, enable private skills, and enrol users. It has obvious attractions in the uniﬁed communications space: a simple “Alexa: begin the meeting” to automatically

FEATURE: INTERACTIVE DISPLAYS start up the necessary devices, make the connection and so on, for example. IBM’s Watson holds similar potential. Voice control isn’t entirely without its downsides, though. “The main points of conﬂict around voice control are deﬁnitely simplicity versus security,” says Chimoindes. “It has the potential to make audiovisual solutions easier to use, more accessible and more efficient. However: voice relies heavily on a device which is always listening, raising a huge heap of security issues and causing major concern for enterprises and commercial, retail, education and medical areas alike.” That’s a phenomenon of which domestic users are also aware, despite Amazon’s attempts to allay their fears. Given current concerns about the harvesting and misuse of personal data, it’s hard to dismiss those fears as mere paranoia. Natalie Harris-Briggs, vice president of marketing at workspace solutions company Avocor, sees other potential downsides. “Speed and usability are the primary advantages for control via voice,” she thinks. “The user will be able to quickly gain access to applications and meetings just by using their voice, with no complicated adoption training required to experience the full capabilities of a system or solution.”

“The disadvantages,” she continues, “could be a poor user experience because of inadequate third-party microphone and audio devices. This is an issue that brands in the video collaboration area have already witnessed, and so they have implemented third-party certiﬁcation, such as Microsoft with Skype for Business and Teams.”

Unique strengths It becomes clear that the question is not “voice or interactive displays?” – it’s “how will voice and interactive displays work together?” There are applications today for interactive displays for which voice is patently unsuited – but others where it can bring greater responsiveness. Each brings unique strengths – and, in fact, the two seem to be symbiotic. “Interactive displays will continue to be needed in those environments where meetings happen – particularly to unify in-room and remote meeting participants, or where groups of people need to collaborate to ﬁnd a productive outcome,” believes Harris-Briggs. “When AI becomes an element of the interactive display, voice can be used for control to ensure that the meeting experience for the user is simple and seamless. Voice recognition could also be an added beneﬁt to the overall meeting

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32 FEATURE: INTERACTIVE DISPLAYS

June 2018

space technology offering – authenticating the meeting through voice, for instance.” Beyond this, voice will not displace interactive touchscreens, not least because there are environments where it is wholly inappropriate. “Voice control will also suffer in louder environments outside of the meeting and conference room, in multilingual environments and areas like education,” says Chimoindes, “where interactive displays would maintain strength.” Similarly, a conversation with Alexa is hard to keep private. And while proactive voice applications may be in the future, today, interactive screens can provide information even when they’re not being interacted with. Complex choices will almost certainly be better made via an interactive screen.

Not all use cases As McIntyre-Brown points out: “Voice can give a very precise interaction – but it is important that users can input a query and then narrow down the options. This may require a display to be included. Initially audio-only, the more recent devices for new applications are often including a display as well – which shows that voice alone cannot meet all use cases.” As companies like Harman have demonstrated, the way forward will often see voice and touchscreens combined – and rather than threatening the position of displays, voice could strengthen their appeal. Yes, as voice technology matures, it will perhaps fill some application slots that would once have been occupied by interactive displays – but it’s easy enough to imagine a future where sales of interactive displays benefit by being augmented with voice. “Interactive displays will only lose market share where voice is not integrated into the display,” avers Hague. “In some cases, where information is easier asked than looked at on the screen, there are cases where the interactive display may be impacted – but the overall market size will increase with the enhanced user functionality brought by voice.” Will those displays also feature, for example, gesture control and/or facial recognition? The answer has to be: why not? “Not only will interactive displays very likely be deployed with some form of intelligent voice interface over the next few years,” Hague continues, “but this will go beyond voice control and will include multi-modal interactions such as screen, touch, gesture and mid-air haptic systems providing an enhanced user experience.” “Generally,” believes McIntyre-Brown, “voice shows the best fit with those applications in public or open spaces for a combination of reasons. One of these is that providing more automated access to information will provide additional levels of service, complementing the staffed resources in place – think hotel lobbies, cinemas, museums, transit

hubs, airports, retail outlets, malls and showrooms. People will often want to access various types of information, from directions, status and updates to product information and placing orders. There is less constraint in these use cases: data does not need to be tied to an individual’s account; consumers can get audio and visual feedback; the typical information being accessed is public and generally available – so privacy is not such a barrier.”

‘Speed and usability are the primary advantages for control via voice’ Natalie Harris-Briggs, Avocor

“I see voice control as being part of the solution,” says Harris-Briggs, “and therefore as development of the voice control proposition increases, it will be in conjunction with the interactive display, camera and video collaboration elements to build a solution which brings together voice, video and audio efficiently and effectively.”

Exciting prospect No less clear than “how will voice and interactive displays work together?” is that voice represents an exciting prospect for integrators. With the advent of Alexa For Business and IBM’s Watson offering – both clearly encouraging the development of enterprise-wide applications using voice – the opportunity will exist to differentiate and add value. That should be especially attractive in a technology marketplace that is becoming increasingly commoditised. “Where true simplicity can be achieved through voice control, the need for interactive displays will

diminish, creating opportunities for completely seamless control,” notes Chimoindes. “This type of innovation also has huge opportunities for delivering solutions for the blind and visually impaired.” The issue, perhaps, is about backing the winner. Google and Amazon are currently the clear leaders, with IBM on their heels. But in the same way as Microsoft made a (very convincing) play for the huddle space with the Surface Hub, will it also pursue its Cortana technology in the desktop space? Like IBM, the company is well entrenched and respected in the corporate environment.

Inevitable Harris-Briggs believes it will. “Microsoft sees voice control as an important part of its enterprise offering moving forward,” she says. “With the emergence of Microsoft Azure and the ratification of brands such as Microsoft and Google, I think it’s only inevitable that more vendors emerge with voice control systems in the future.” Harman’s Hague, however, believes there is an opportunity for new entrants to the field. “There are other companies in the ecosystem that provide more customised functionality for people creating interactive displays,” he notes. It seems inescapable that voice will become as accepted as a user interface in business as the keyboard, mouse or finger – but interactive displays will also thrive, almost certainly in conjunction with voice. It will, though, be interesting to see whether the prescience of perhaps the ultimate sci-fi movie 2001: A Space Odyssey will once again be reinforced. How long will it be before, as you initiate a collaboration session, a chilling voice asks: “Just what do you think you’re doing, Dave?”

www.avocor.com www.futuresource-consulting.com https://pro.harman.com www.tdmaverick.eu

34 SOLUTIONS: MGM COTAI CASINO AND RESORT, MACAU

June 2018

CHINA

PROJECT OF THE MONTH

A collaboration Spectacle Multiple stakeholders came together to realise the MGM Cotai Integrated Resort’s Spectacle ‘sensory experience’. Rob Lane discovers how the various contributors worked to create a space that features the world’s largest area of permanent indoor LED displays

he US$3.4 billion, 1,390-room, MGM Cotai Integrated Resort, in Macau, China – MGM’s second integrated casino, hotel and entertainment complex in the territory – opened earlier this year with an innovative, multi-dimensional sensory experience at its core: Spectacle. Housed in a vast atrium space at the heart of the resort complex, MGM Cotai’s Spectacle comprises an immense LED canvas made up of 25 huge LED display walls, is over four storeys high and spans the length of a soccer ﬁeld. The LED displays comprise approximately 73 million pixels at 4mm pitch, and boast a surface area spanning more than 800sqm. (In addition, similar-sized exterior screens comprise 12 million pixels at 8mm pitch.) The displays are engineered in different shapes and are set at different levels to form a horizontal wall under a meticulously engineered, column-free, long-span ‘diagrid’ structure. Approximately 1,000m of UHD LED displays combine to make the world’s largest area of permanent indoor LEDs, and the Spectacle is programmed with digital art from some of the world’s foremost artists showcasing the beauties of China and the natural wonders of Asia. Also featuring more than 700 LED lighting ﬁxtures, combined with over 130 highperformance speakers, Spectacle includes

production cameras and a full matrix, to allow the LED screens to operate in live mode to capture events within the atrium. The intention is that the space appears to be alive, continually evolving and responding to changing conditions such as visitor behaviours, weather, time of day or season. As Grant Bowie, CEO and executive director of MGM China Holdings, comments: “Everyone wants to know what is Spectacle… It’s a digital canvas, a reﬂective space, it’s mesmerising, whimsical and entertaining. You really have to see with your own eyes to understand it…”

Partners Electrosonic and its trusted partners Smart Monkeys, Analog Way, Grass Valley, disguise (formerly d3 Technologies), Meyer Sound and QSC are among the companies supplying the expertise and technology required to create the Spectacle’s immense LED canvas and immersive audio system. The integrator’s Design Consulting Group speciﬁed the choice of technology for the Spectacle AV control system and LED walls – plus outdoor and lobby displays – with signiﬁcant collaboration from Smart Monkeys in designing the video and control head-end (control centre). Electrosonic partnered with Smart Monkeys to design and program a fully IT-integrated system featuring its ISAAC control system; Electrosonic

Installed Video Analog Way Ascender 32 4K seamless switchers Blackmagic Design MultiView 16 UHD multiviewer disguise 4x4pro media servers Grass Valley Sirius 830 288 x 288 audio/ video router Marshall Electronics QVW1708-3G rackmount 17in quad 3G-SDI monitor Evertz Master SPG master clock system Riedel MediorNet MN-Compact Pro mainframe

Audio Meyer Sound Galileo 408 loudspeaker management system QSC CXD4.3Q 400W power amplifiers QSC Q-SYS Core 510i processor QSC Q-SYS Core 3100 DSP QSC TSC-7w wallmount touchscreen QSC I/O-22 network audio I/O units also provided Spectacle’s complex engineering, integration and project management. Close collaboration between all of the stakeholders from the design phase onwards was key to the success of Spectacle. The threeyear project involved design/speciﬁcation, LED manufacturer evaluation, engineering, production and programming phases. In its largest project delivered to date, Analog Way supplied 20 Ascender 32 switchers with 80 2K outputs to cover the Spectacle’s LED

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SOLUTIONS: MGM COTAI CASINO AND RESORT, MACAU 35

About the integrator Electrosonic operates on a worldwide basis with a staff of more than 400 people and principal offices in the USA, the UK, Sweden, China and the United Arab Emirates Over more than 50 years, the company has built a strong reputation for working on complex AV projects large and small Key markets for the company include entertainment, museums, corporate, control rooms and digital signage screens. disguise furnished eight of its 4x4pro media servers with 12 outputs each, sending data to the atrium’s ceiling and lighting for a twinkling starscape and other effects. The same systems and equipment used for Spectacle also drives the MGM Cotai’s exterior and lobby LED screens. Analog Way was involved throughout the process, with design assistance, periodic design reviews to consider any changes or new requirements, as well as working closely with the on-site team to deploy the control system, and training for MGM’s on-site technicians.

Training and support For disguise, after the deal had been agreed, “next step was to deliver training and support to Electrosonic in Burbank on initial delivery and build-out of the system,” explains Hans Beijer, VP sales Americas at disguise. “Further training was then scheduled at Smart Monkeys in Miami, to train their operators and programmers on our software workﬂow. Our teams turned out to be very compatible and immediately took off in the same direction.” Electrosonic hosted a team MGM’s technicians in Burbank for two full weeks of training on the entire system. The project presented a new challenge for

disguise, compared with its core market of live events and concert touring, where timescales are generally measured in weeks. It was also the company’s first contact with this end client, as well as being an overseas project. “The overall timeline was very long, [with] months between steps moving forward,” says Beijer. “Initial meetings on the project were in February 2015, final spec was decided in April 2016 and our order shipped to Electrosonic in August 2016. Onsite installation commenced in February 2017 with final opening and project delivery in February 2018.” Electrosonic, along with its partners, designed and fabricated the broadcast-quality head-end system supporting 104 million pixels. Electrosonic delivered 15 equipment racks for the Spectacle video and control headend, along with two BGM audio racks, one theatre show control rack and over 100 QSC amplifiers for distribution in dozens of equipment rooms across the resort. “This massive head-end system supports 72 million pixels across 25 individual 4mm LED screens that stretch 1,000m around the Spectacle space,” explains Josh Cottrell, senior account manager at Electrosonic. “Twelve million pixels are pushed to the exterior LED screens and 20 million pixels support a large lobby screen.”

Challenges The challenges faced by Electrosonic were similar to those found on most other huge construction sites. Logistics, staging coordination and shifting construction schedules were a particular challenge. “With dozens of rooms and various parties involved, one faced the usual problem of showing up to a room for which no one had a key!” says Scott Decker, Electrosonic

production manager. “This was all to be expected, and required an ongoing, concerted coordination effort. “The installation was comparable to other large LED wall projects and came with the same challenges one expects when so many talented but far-flung groups are involved. Considering the size of the project, and how many groups were involved, MGM’s team did an excellent job facilitating communication and collaboration across the project.” “The scope of this project is quite incredible,” opines Andrzej Lubaszka, chief technologist, Analog Way. “Considering that the Spectacle is one continuous integrated system in the same room, it is the largest single integrated system that Analog Way has sold to date.” According to Lubaszka, Spectacle uses over 13 times more outputs than the Comcast Experience in Philadelphia, which also utilises Analog Way LiveCore Ascender switchers, and is five times larger than 20 Times Square, currently boasting the highest-resolution screen (8K x 4K) in Times Square and utilising four Ascenders. “After demonstrating the latest capabilities and solid reliability of Analog Way’s LiveCore platform, we worked with Electrosonic and Smart Monkeys to design a solution,” adds Lubaszka. “The resulting design was a system of twenty Ascender 32 units, which drive a collective 80 outputs to manage all of the LED displays, [with a capacity of] up to 176 megapixels. “Even though I’m sure the control system is quite complicated, as it needs to seamlessly manage the entire fleet of equipment, the team at Smart Monkeys was very efficient at incorporating the Ascenders into the control system. Electrosonic did an excellent job coordinating all of the moving parts.” Numerous moving parts, multiple stakeholders, hundreds of metres of LED displays and LED lighting and dozens of highperformance QSC and Meyer Sound loudspeakers in a surface area spanning more than 800sqm across four storeys: Spectacle surely lives up to its name, both in terms of its end product and the collaborative design, build and production process that led to its completion.

www.analogway.com www.blackmagicdesign.com www.disguise.one www.electrosonic.com www.evertz.com www.grassvalley.com www.marshall-usa.com www.meyersound.com www.mgm.mo/en/cotai www.qsc.com www.riedel.net www.smart-monkeys.com

36 SOLUTIONS: STOREY’S FIELD CENTRE, CAMBRIDGE UNITED KINGDOM

June 2018

Installed Audio Meyer Sound CAL 32 column speakers Meyer Sound 500-HP subwoofer JBL Control 28 8in full-range speakers JBL Control 25 5.5in full-range speakers Yamaha 01V96 32:4:2 digital mixer Yamaha MG16 16:2 analogue mixer Samson SM10 8:2 rackmount analogue mixer Tascam CD200IL CD player & iPod docks Tascam BD-01U DVD players Tascam SSC-CDR200 recorder Sennheiser 100 Series G3 radio microphone systems Sennheiser clip-on lavalier mics Shure SM58 vocal mics RØDE NT5 studio condenser mics RØDE NT6 cardioid condenser mics AKG C568 shotgun microphone Ampetronic MLD5 multiloop drivers Triple E bespoke acoustic banners

Video

An elegant installation A community space in an award-winning new development has beneﬁted from a discreet installation of audio, video and lighting that blends in with its environment. Tom Bradbury reports

torey’s Field Centre is an elegant, innovative and sustainable community space recently opened at Eddington, a new neighbourhood being built as part of the University of Cambridge’s North West Cambridge Development (NWCD). Last year the development won the Masterplan of the Year Award from the well-respected Architects’ Journal. A civic building in the heart of the new development, the Centre encompasses meeting rooms and a large multi-purpose hall for exercise classes, lectures, music of all genres, local festivities and events, alongside a nursery. Acousticians and theatre planners Sound Space Vision (SSV) joined the project to support the range of uses both in the acoustic design and the noise isolation and the activity-led design and speciﬁcation of the technical ﬁtout of the building. SSV worked closely with architectural practice MUMA, and created several bespoke technical solutions that optimised the hall’s performance.

Main hall The hall is the centre’s primary public space, holding up to 275 standing and 180 seated.

Given the hall’s rectangular shape and the centre’s mandate for a varied and active schedule, SSV envisioned a space that was adaptable, flexible and, crucially, easy to operate by its users. It is a light-filled three-storey space with AV and lighting equipment that is discreet, adaptable and hidden within the architecture. SSV began by specifying technical and production equipment as well as adaptable acoustics, to facilitate multiple seating and staging scenarios. A combination of Selecon Acclaim fresnels and ETC Source Four profile spots was chosen to provide lighting angles for any stage configuration; this is integrated on motorised bars which also include house lights and Elation Platinum HFX moving heads for special events. The main hall is fitted with individually sized acoustic banners created for SSV by Triple E Systems; a bespoke Centre Stage Systems control solution allows the bottom third banners to move up and the upper third to move down. Irregularly spaced timber ‘fins’ extending to and across the ceiling diffuse the daylight and sound in the room as well as hiding the lighting positions and banners.

Christie DWU850-GS 1-DLP 8,000-lumen laser phosphor projector Christie LWU601i-D Series 6,000-lumen 3LCD WUXGA projector Gerriets Runway Plus 6.6m x 7.5m projection screen ScreenInt Major Pro C 4.8m wide projection screen LG 42in video monitor

Lighting ETC Element 60/250 lighting control desk with 22in touchscreen ETC Paradigm custom master panel ETC Paradigm architectural control processor Selecon Acclaim 650W fresnels ETC Source Four 750W zoom profile spots Elation Platinum HFX hybrid MSD moving heads There are two production consoles – one in a cupboard at ﬂoor level, the other built into a specially designed desk in the balcony. A Christie 7,500-lumen WUXGA laser projector retracts into the ceiling when not in use. It projects onto a 6.6m x 7.5m electrically operated Gerriets projection screen.

Variety of events The brief for the Centre included high-performance acoustics for the main hall, with a requirement to accommodate a variety of events from chamber music to rock concerts. SSV designed the space to have acoustic ﬂexibility that spans every requirement from very dry, clear sound to live, resonant acoustics, with architectural and design features that double as sound dispersive, absorptive or isolation solutions. For ampliﬁcation, SSV chose to use three beam-steering Meyer Sound

www.installation-international.com

SOLUTIONS: STOREY’S FIELD CENTRE, CAMBRIDGE Multipurpose spaces

About the planner Sound Space Vision provides services including theatre planning, performing arts and architectural acoustics, and auralisation modelling Noted UK projects include Colston Hall, Bristol; the Royal Academy of Arts, London; and the Attenborough Centre at the University of Sussex The company has also worked on projects in the US, Canada, Hong Kong and Turkey column array loudspeakers, which have substantial output over a wide frequency range. These are augmented by a subwoofer, also from Meyer Sound. A small Yamaha digital mixer sits at the heart of the audio set-up. Live sound can be captured by a variety of microphones – including Sennheiser lavaliers (part of a G3 radio mic system), Shure vocal mics and RØDE condenser mics. There are also Tascam CD and DVD players and a solid-state recorder. The hall sits between two ‘labyrinths’ of soundabsorbing baffles, which also act as natural ventilators: this means that fans are not required, and so no noise is created in the hall. An assisted listening system has also been installed, based around an Ampetronic multiloop driver and a suspended AKG shotgun microphone.

The two smaller multipurpose spaces in the Centre – one 20-seat and one 50-seat space – are used primarily for meetings, gatherings and classes. Both are ﬁtted with acoustic curtains. The larger space has a 6,000-lumen WUXGA Christie projector beaming onto a 4.8m ScreenInt Major Pro C screen, plus a pair of wallmounted JBL Control 28 speakers and a small Yamaha analogue mixer. The smaller space has a 42in LG display, a pair of JBL Control 25 speakers and a rackmounted Samson analogue mixer. Multi-layer windows, doors and vestibules prevent outside noise from disturbing activities in the rooms, and also ensure that neighbouring residents are not disturbed by the sound coming from the building. In Storey’s Field Centre, the SSV team has achieved a venue which embraces its multifunctional and diverse purpose, fulﬁls its responsibility to sustainable building practices, and provides a desired and worthy destination for educators, artists and residents, as well as a warm, inviting and supportive environment for its new community. Anne Minors, design principal at Sound Space Vision, comments: “Our vision at SSV is to complement the architecture of a space, and

to give clients a very high level of design, ﬁnish, and functionality at the lowest possible cost.” The warm reception that the Centre has received from the new community of Eddington suggests that this vision has been manifestly realised. As a concert-goer commented recently: “Storey’s Field Centre really ﬁlls a gap in Cambridge for bands looking to play in a small to mid-sized music venue. There isn’t another one like it in the area.”

www.3-eee.com www.akg.com www.ampetronic.co www.christieemea.com www.elationlighting.com www.etcconnect.com www.gerriets.com www.jblpro.com www.lg.com www.meyersound.com www.rode.com www.samsontech.com www.screenint.com www.seleconlight.com www.sennheiser.com www.shure.eu www.soundspacevision.com www.tascam.com www.yamahaproaudio.com

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38 SOLUTIONS: WHITWORTH HALL, MANCHESTER

June 2018

Making the grade The University of Manchester’s foremost events venue hosts an expanding number and variety of events, prompting a rethink on the venue’s soundscape. Tom Bradbury reports

hitworth Hall and its classic Grade II architecture provide an ideal location for some of the University of Manchester’s major events, such as award ceremonies and graduations. In recent times, the variety and technical complexity of events held at the venue has increased and as a result the University decided it was time to upgrade the audio system. Faced with a challenging acoustic environment, the University turned to Pure AV to help design and install a solution that would cope with the live acoustics of the space, fit in with the aesthetics of the hall and deliver the flexibility to support a wide variety of event types. “We had an ancient sound system in need of an upgrade,” explains Trevor Byrne, media services manager, University of Manchester. “We engaged Pure AV to look at a powerful, flexible solution for all of our needs – for voice amplification, music, choirs, bands, and one calibrated to the unique acoustic properties of the hall.” The design of the solution is further complicated by the Grade II listed status of the hall. Any solution had to be unobtrusive and sympathetic to the environment and where possible utilise existing fixings. In addition, with the structural acoustics geared towards

the amplification of organ music, the solution needed to compensate to ensure full and even coverage and clear voice reproduction.

Superior performance JBL by Harman CBT passive column arrays were selected as they offered superior technical and audio performance in a format that would blend in with the environment and meet the available budget. The speakers were also custom sprayed with sandstone-textured paint to minimise the visual impact on the space. A new BSS BLU-100 audio processor and Crown digital amplifiers were integrated with an existing mixing desk to complete the system. Before specification, Pure AV worked with specialists from Harman to model the audio. Even allowing for the requirement to use existing fixings where possible, they designed a layout that improved the coverage of the space but used far fewer units than the previous system. The calibration of the system postinstallation by Pure AV audio specialist Colin Hasted ensured that settings were optimised to respond to the specific acoustic quirks of the venue and extract the best possible performance from the equipment. “We used to struggle to obtain uniform coverage throughout the hall; with the new

Installed Audio JBL CBT 70J-1 column loudspeakers JBL CBT 70JE-1 LF extensions JBL CBT 1000 two-way line arrays JBL CBT 1000E extensions JBL CBT 50-LA column loudspeakers JBL SRX818S 18in subwoofers Crown CRO0309 4 x 300W amplifier Crown CRO0317 2 x 1,250W amplifier Crown CRO0332 4 x 2,300W amplifier Crown CRO0279 amplifier BSS BLU-100 audio DSP system we can reach every corner of the hall at a fantastic level – there’s no echoing, there’s no slap back, so that’s fantastic,” says Byrne. It’s not just audience members who have benefited, Byrne adds: “The experience of my technical staff has been transformed as well. For large events we’d have to bring in additional audio equipment, now from the sound side of things it’s simple, it’s all precalibrated, so it’s great for both the user and the support staff.” And, with the need to bring in external audio systems virtually eliminated, the new system has brought savings in third-party hire costs, along with a reduction to the resource and rigging required to set up for events. Byrne concludes: “We’ve worked with Pure AV for many years, Pure AV has got some very advanced audio knowledge which for a project like this is vital, and as a result, the experience has been very, very good.”

www.harman.com www.pureav.co.uk

40 SOLUTIONS IN BRIEF

June 2018

‘Wicker Man’ ride burns brightly ‘Wicker Man’, the UK’s first wooden rollercoaster for 21 years, has opened at Alton Towers Resort. The £16 million, six-storey attraction features real fire and fire effects created using a ProLights AlphaPIX video system, plus various lighting fixtures, supplied by AC Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET). To get flame-like effects close to the riders and also visible from a distance, the 5,500-nit 6.6mm ProLights AlphaPIX 6T LED display was used. Content for this was created by Holovis, which also worked with the resort’s technical team on the immersive pre-ride experience. AC-ET supplied the complete video system, which also included two Novastar VX4S controllers and two Green Hippo Hippotizer V4 Amba media servers (for the flame effect and pre-show content), as well as the complete lighting set-up.

www.ac-et.com www.holovis.com

MEXICO

Seamless sound at beach venues Dublin-based design and installation company Audiotek and local integrator Dextra Electronics have installed an L-Acoustics Kiva II system into two venues in the Vidanta Los Cabos complex.The brief was for high-SPL nightclub sound in the open air, with minimal spill to the surrounding complex. The Omnia Dayclub system comprises four hangs of six Kiva II with two SB15m below each hang, plus a main sub array of six SB28 sited in the front of the DJ booth. The Casa Calavera restaurant is sometimes used as an extension of Omnia, so seamless audio was needed between the two. For the main bar drinks/lounge area, two X12 are wall hung, with three SB15 installed beneath the stage. A total of 14 5XT are in the main dining area, outside table area and entrance corridor. System ampliﬁcation is by two LA8 and 10 LA4X ampliﬁed controllers.

www.l-acoustics.com

BAHAMAS

Ceiling LED display added to luxury club The Bond nightclub, within the Baha Mar resort in the Bahamas, has been ﬁtted with a 2,000sqft, ceiling-mounted FLEXLite LED system from PixelFLEX, installed by Think Simple. The nightclub, which includes a DJ booth, sound, lighting and video system, has a 1.8m x 5.2m videowall above the bar, in addition to the ceiling video display. This was part of a larger project that also included the installation of the sound, lighting and CO2/fog systems. “The customisation on this project was

a lot of fun for our team, from design to implementation to seeing the ﬁnished look,” comments PixelFLEX senior sales representative Will Dickey. “Adding a visual element such as FLEXLite LED video into such a high-class, luxury nightclub experience is only going to add to the already booming tourism industry in the Bahamas.”

www.pixelflexled.com

NEW SHURE INTELLIMIX P300 AUDIO CONFERENCING PROCESSOR ®

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Smaller meeting spaces need A/V conferencing technology that fosters productive meetings and easy collaboration, without compromising on sound quality. The Shure P300 offers IntelliMix DSP algorithms optimized for small to medium-sized meeting rooms, featuring Acoustic Echo Cancellation, intelligent noise reduction and auto mixing that eliminate poor audio. Easy to install and configure, the P300 provides Dante, Analog, USB and Mobile connectivity options that makes connecting to room systems and collaborating with laptops and mobile devices easier than ever. Seamless TM integration with Shure Microflex® Advance and Microflex® Wireless microphones allows the P300 to deliver a complete audio experience from Shure, providing the most intelligible conferencing sound.

42 SOLUTIONS IN BRIEF

June 2018

BELARUS

Videowall aids decision-making Mitsubishi Electric has commissioned its largest ever 80in diagonal DLP cube videowall in Europe, at the National Dispatching Centre of the Republican Unitary Enterprise, which manages the national uniﬁed energy system in Belarus. The 11.2m x 3.5m videowall is made up of 21 Mitsubishi Electric VS-80PE78UA 80in DLP cubes, delivering a total of 9,800 x 3,150 pixels. The entire power system diagram, with detailed status information, is clearly visible to the dispatchers, who can monitor the network, adjust parameters and control power generation more efficiently. In the event of an accident or malfunction, response times have been reduced and easier access to data ensures better decision-making to recover network operability.

www.mitsubishielectric-displaysolutions.com

SINGAPORE

Star theatre goes wireless The renowned Star Performing Arts Centre (Star PAC) has expanded its intercom capabilities with Riedel’s Bolero integrated wireless system. The system offers wireless integration and channel support for the existing Riedel Artist digital matrix intercom, delivering clear, reliable communications throughout the 5,000-seat auditorium, function halls and broadcast production centre. It replaces a legacy wireless intercom that could only integrate to Artist via analogue four-wire connections. Through Artist Director software, Bolero beltpacks can be programmed via a drag-and-drop interface. Bolero’s modern codec and efficient use of bandwidth means the Star PAC team can support up to 10 beltpacks per AES67-networked antenna, and provide much wider coverage with outstanding sound quality.

www.riedel.net

AUSTRIA

All-weather digital upgrade for ski resort cable car stations Mountain cable car operator Patscherkofelbahn Betriebs has equipped its newly opened stations with Xtreme Outdoor Displays from Peerless-AV. Innsbruck-based Kapsch BusinessCom carried out the installation. The fully sealed, weatherproof displays are positioned at the ticket counters to offer up-todate passenger information and current events in the area. Throughout summer and winter months, the cable car transports more than 2,000 people per hour to the summit of the Patscherkofel mountain in the Tux Alps.

Three 49in Xtreme Outdoor Displays have been installed in the cable car stations. The displays are impact resistant, offer optimum readability in direct sunlight and can operate between -40 and +60˚C. Xtreme is believed to be the ﬁrst outdoor display without ventilation openings, ﬁlters or exhaust fans, thanks to Peerless’s Ventless Dynamic Thermal Transfer system. It has IP68 and NEMA 6 protection ratings.

www.peerless-av.com

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TECHNOLOGY

Kit you need to know about

PRODUCT OF Microsoft THE MONTH Surface Hub 2 It’s… the next generation of Microsoft’s collaboration devices. What’s new? Portrait and landscape orientation, tiling, and a shift from front-of-room presentation to side-of-room team collaboration. Details: Described by Microsoft as ‘sleeker, more agile and more affordable’, Surface Hub 2 can be used singly as a digital flipchart, or up to four devices can be tiled together to create a large working canvas. While the original Hub was available in 84in and 55in options, only a 50.5in model has been announced for the new product, which is thinner and lighter than its predecessor. Surface Hub 2 can operate in landscape and portrait modes, and can be rotated dynamically; its inbuilt 4K cameras rotate with the device, and the displayed content retains its orientation as the Hub turns. The ‘4K+’ resolution, 3:2 ratio multitouch display is intended for open offices, huddle rooms and team workspaces. The device is equipped with integrated speakers and far-field microphone arrays, to enable everyone in the room to participate in the meeting. Office furniture manufacturer Steelcase has created a series of mounts and rolling stands for Surface Hub 2, enabling it to be used in different orientations and locations. Jon Sidwick, global VP at Maverick, one of the distributors of the original Surface Hub, saw the new product at a Microsoft partner event in Seattle last month. He told us: “Without exception the response from all was incredibly positive, and we all felt that Microsoft had again moved the whole market opportunity forward. We see the Surface Hub 2 opening up a massive opportunity for the whole channel – from resellers to vendors.” Compared with its predecessor, Hub 2 is “a far more flexible solution with so many more applications,” he said. He views it as a “side-of-room

collaboration system” rather than the “front-ofroom presentation system” that is the original Hub. “When you speak to most people, they think, ‘I need a projector or a large format display at the front of the meeting room. Do I make it into an interactive one? How do I put videos through it?’ It’s not a natural thought process to start thinking of side-of-room collaboration. So we will have to work very closely with the channel, as quickly as possible, to enable them to start taking this solution to market.” One of the features he was most taken with is the ability for multiple users to log into the same session. “The multi-user option is really interesting,” he said. “Multiple people can log into their own accounts, so you can ﬂip between accounts – that’s a really unique experience. And using cloud-based storage, people can work together and store simultaneously, so you’re not having to go somewhere else to get notes or to ﬁnd the shared work – it’s just there.” Hub 2 also supports remote collaboration, using familiar Microsoft software including Office 365, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Whiteboard, Windows 10, Active Directory and OneNote.

“Other than that nothing else [on the software side] is locked down or conﬁrmed,” he pointed out. “So it could it be that and that alone, or it could be that and many other things.” Sidwick believes that, while the original Surface Hub created a new category in the industry, Surface Hub 2 has the potential for even greater success. “With Hub version 1, we had more people looking for issues around it; with version 2, we’ve got almost everybody looking for opportunity – and that’s a massive shift. And I think that’s testament to the validity that Microsoft have got in this space now... they can absolutely be a market leader. Everybody is going, ‘Oh wow, I’d have that’ – it’s the iPhone reaction. And if a bunch of people in the industry have that reaction, I think the end-user reaction is going to be phenomenal.”

Available: On sale in 2019, following tests with select customers later this year.

www.microsoft.com/en-gb/surface/ business/surface-hub www.tdmaverick.eu

46 TECHNOLOGY: NEW PRODUCTS Peavey Elements C series Peavey’s Elements outdoor speaker series now boasts dust protection in addition to being waterproof. The IP56-rated Elements C speakers are constructed from an advanced composite material that is dimensionally stable in wet conditions and resists contamination. Further protection comes from the Black Hammerhead poly-urea finish; a stainless steel moisture-repellent grille, featuring reticulated foam and a layer of water-repellent cloth; and gland nut cable entry into the water-sealed input cup plate. The speakers are available in three two-way, full-range configurations and as a flyable subwoofer. https://peavey.com Wyrestorm NetworkHD 600 Series The new flagship 600 Series sits above Wyrestorm’s other AVoIP offerings, the low-bandwidth NetworkHD 100 and 200 Series and the low-latency 400 Series. The 600 Series uses SDVoE technology for ultra-fast seamless switching of 4K/60Hz and HDR using RGB or YUV, along with audio, control, scaling, processing, encoding, and encryption, over a 10Gb IP network. 4K video is supported up to 4,096 x 2,160 60Hz at 4:4:4 8-bit or 4:2:2 12-bit HDR-10 over both HDMI and DisplayPort, with Dolby Vision to be supported by the end of the year. www.wyrestorm.com Christie FHD493-XE Available from July, this Extreme Series 49in LCD display is suited for 24/7 high-performance, nearseamless videowall applications. It sports a 1.8mm combined bezel width and is compatible with the Christie Phoenix EP embedded processor. Advanced panel matching eliminates many of the image adjustments typically required when installing videowalls, and its integrated electronics support videowall scaling up to a 10 x 10 configuration and 4K multi-stream transport across up to four panels. Smart Light Control automatically adjusts the brightness of each panel across the videowall for lifelong uniformity and consistent performance. www.christieEMEA.com Kaptivo Kaptivo Enterprise Designed to convert dryerase boards into digital whiteboards for content sharing, Kaptivo Enterprise is a micro-optical camera and software system that offers automatic image capture and live streaming via the web or videoconferencing platforms, providing remote colleagues instant access on any device. Security features include SSL encryption and approval protocol for whiteboard sessions, plus the option to connect via Ethernet. The price includes the Kaptivo hardware and three-year cloud service (SaaS) licence. www.kaptivo.com/enterprise

June 2018

Amadeus C Series It’s… a new series of horn-loaded point-source speakers, initially comprising two models.

What’s new? The speakers are said to offer uniform coverage and excellent reproduction across a wide frequency range. Details: The C12 is based on a two-way pointsource transducer featuring a 12in woofer and a 1.75in driver; the C15 is based on a triaxial point-source transducer with a 15in woofer and two neodymium-diaphragm compression HF drivers. The speakers were initially created for the Théâtre National de Chaillot in Paris, which stages diverse types of events, uses multiple audio sources, and has a high level of natural reverberation in its auditorium. Each C Series model has a speciﬁc diffraction horn, optimised for 60º vertical dispersion and 90º horizontal dispersion; this can be switched by rotating the system 90º. The horn allows for directivity control up to 800Hz and is said

to offer a very high signal-to-noise ratio, and an optimised reach, compared to conventional coaxial systems. The C15 uses a two-way tweeter for extended frequency response, high efficiency, and wide dispersion pattern. The larger annular midrange diaphragm, with a 3.5in voice coil, covers the 800-6,500Hz frequency range, while the ultralight HF annular diaphragm for the high range, with 1.75in voice coil, covers 6-22kHz. The speakers are said to offer highly uniform coverage and an excellent spectral quality throughout the whole listening area.

Available: Now http://amadeusaudio.fr

AMX by Harman N7142 Networked AV Presentation Switcher It’s… a presentation switcher targeted at applications that include active learning environments and overﬂow classrooms.

What’s new? It’s said to be the ﬁrst all-inone presentation switcher to combine local matrix switching with low-latency networked AV video distribution. Details: The N7142 can switch local AV sources and distribute video over the network. Features include support for 4K60 local and networked video, audio DSP with acoustic echo cancellation, a high-wattage ampliﬁer and a variety of control options. Connectivity options include 6 x 2 video switching, plus two networked AV card slots for use with the broad range of AMX encoder and decoder cards. Supporting 4K60 4:4:4 video, HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2, the N7142 can distribute UHD content from 4K60 sources to most modern displays. The two discrete video outputs each have a mirrored HDMI port for

connecting to an additional display, encoder card or other video distribution equipment. On the audio side, the switcher supports source HDMI audio, two microphone inputs with phantom power, as well as six independent stereo inputs. A powerful built-in DSP with AEC and a 60W stereo ampliﬁer can operate in 4-ohm, 8-ohm, 70V or 100V modes. Front-panel controls offer basic input switching or volume adjustment, with more sophisticated control and conﬁguration available via a web interface. The N7142 is also AMX NetLinx Native for use in NetLinx control systems.

Available: Now www.amx.com

48 TECHNOLOGY: NEW PRODUCTS Erard Pro PODYS The lack of size standardisation in tablets can make sourcing the right anti-theft stand difficult. Erard Pro has addressed this issue with PODYS, which is compatible with most 9-11in touch tablets. It can be easily installed on a table or on a wall using the two mounting holes. Adjustable diagonal claw arms hold the tablet in place; a bracket lock ensures the stability of the tablet while a security lock makes the stand anti-theft. The tablet can rotate 360º and also swivel, to show the display to someone standing behind it. www.erardpro.com Optoma ZH420UST This ultra short-throw laser projector features 4,000 lumens brightness and 1080p resolution. Powered by a DuraCore laser light source, it is said to offer 20,000 hours maintenance-free operation at full brightness. Advanced installation features include four-corner correction – useful for uneven surfaces or when the projector is in an awkward location – and a built-in edge blending and warping processor. An HDBaseT input simplifies cabling requirements. The projector has 114% Rec709 colour gamut coverage, and has been independently certified with a IP5X dust resistance rating. www.optoma.co.uk ATEN Technology CL3800 This ultra-short depth dual-rail widescreen LCD console is designed for control rooms with limited space. Supporting HDMI, DVI and VGA, it features an 18.5in LED-backlit widescreen LCD monitor with an integrated keyboard and touchpad. The design fits 19in cabinets and is especially suited to shallow racks down to 45cm depth. The dual-rail design allows the LCD monitor and keyboard/touchpad modules to operate independently. To manage the computer from an external console, the CL3800 features a port for an external USB mouse on the front panel, with ports for the second KVM console on the rear. www.aten.com Atlona HDR-H2H-88MA This 4K HDR 8x8 HDMI to HDMI matrix switcher is suited to light commercial and residential installations. HDCP 2.2 compliant, it has 4K/UHD capability @60Hz with 4:4:4 chroma sampling, and also offers support for HDR formats. Each output has independent CEC display control, and the device offers HDMI audio de-embedding for each input. It can be controlled via TCP/IP, RS-232, and IR, and is said to offer fast, blinkfree switching. www.atlona.com

June 2018

Barco XDL Series It’s… a new range of laser projectors for the largest venues and events.

What’s new? The range tops out at 75,000 lumens.

Details: These 3-chip DLP projectors use the Rec. 2020 colour space, and are said to offer super-crisp images, remarkable contrast and native 4K resolution up to 120Hz. The range currently comprises three models, the XDL-4K75 (75,000 lumens) XDL-4K60 (60,000 lumens) and XDL-4K30 (30,000 lumens). According to Barco, the XDL Series combines the laser light source (and superior colour performance) of its ﬂagship cinema projector with state-of-the-art image processing from its UDX events projector. The XDLs consume 40% less power compared to xenon projectors. Providing up to 75,000 lumens from a single projector enables the use of larger projection surfaces with a single unit – creating higher-

impact experiences while removing complexity from installations. The projectors support vertical lens shift of up to 100%, and on-board real-time warping and blending makes it easy to match images to the projection surface. Their modular design is said to make servicing straightforward. Companies that already own Barco XLD+ lenses will be able to reuse them on the XDL projectors. And, to futureproof the investment, the projectors are 8K ready.

Available: This month www.barco.com

NETGEAR M4300-96X It’s… a stackable 10G and 40G modular SDVoE-ready managed switch.

What’s new? It comes either empty or pre-populated, and scales up to 96 ports of 10G Ethernet or up to 24 ports of 40G Ethernet, or a combination. Details: With 12 open slots and two redundant power supplies, the M4300-96X supports copper, PoE+ and fibre, and offers enables long-term infrastructure investment. A replacement for matrix switches up to 48 x 48, the M4300-96X contains 12 empty slots in 2RU, each of which can house an 8 x 10G or a 2 x 40G port expansion card. PoE over 10G is supported in first six slots (48 x 10G PoE+ 30W each). There are also two empty slots for redundant power supply units. It is preconfigured for easy AV and multicast ‘zero touch’ network configuration. Simply select the M4300-96X port expansion cards that suit your requirements, insert the cards, connect the

SDVoE encoders and decoders, and power on the switch. (An online conﬁgurator is available to assist with switch design.) Because it is SDVoE ready, it can work with products from multiple AV vendors without the need for separate programming interfaces. It’s also possible to start small and build capacity as needed by adding port expansion cards. SDVoE systems with symmetric I/O conﬁgurations (such as 48 x 48) or asymmetric ones (such as 24 x 72) are permissible.

Available: Now www.netgear.com

50 TECHNOLOGY: SHOWCASE

June 2018

Audio consoles We asked six manufacturers to nominate a mixing console model or series particularly suited to installation applications. Their choices reﬂect a desire for ease of use, a small footprint and integration with the wider venue

SSL console is highly configurable Solid Stage Logic’s L200 is a mid-scale console that is designed to make many of the benefits of the SSL Live range available to a much wider audience. According to the company, these include outstanding sonic performance, accelerated workflow, ultra-low latency and an advanced feature set. L200 features 144 processing paths, all with full processing, which can be configured as up to 96 input channels, up to 48 aux sends, up to 24 stem groups and six masters. In addition, a 4 x 32-input, 24-output matrix is provided. It offers a full suite of onboard FX processing – with the same options as the more powerful L300 and L500 models. Forty-eight instances of FX processors are available at any one time. Show files are also compatible with these consoles.

The L200 features a full Dante speciﬁcation, including network-wide Dante routing from the console with no need for Dante Controller software. Because of its flexible architecture, the console can be configured and its surface layout rearranged to suit the demands of each production. It has been designed to be easy to use, with multi-touch gestural screens, and several routes to any function or feature. The cut-away chassis design can accommodate additional displays on sprung-arm mounts – either to increase console functionality or for the control of other systems, such as lighting or video control. Finally, the company says that the L200 offers SSL quality at a price that is comparable to other mid-range consoles.

QL series offers CL functionality Available in three frame sizes, Yamaha’s compact QL series has found a particular niche in the installation market. The series delivers the high-end facilities of the company’s CL mixers in a smaller, more budget-friendly package. For venues such as conference centres, corporate HQs, and hotels, the QL series allows everything from single mic presentations to large events to be staged with the same production values as any high-end show. Attention has also been paid to details such as fader feel and channel name display visibility to deliver a sophisticated overall operating experience. ‘Touch and Turn’

functionality contributes to smooth, intuitive operation: touch the parameter you want to adjust on the screen, then rotate the Touch and Turn knob below and to the right of the screen to adjust. The colour displayed below the knob changes to match that of the selected parameter. With 32 inputs and 16 outputs on the QL5, and 16 ins and eight outs on the QL1, the consoles can handle a variety of applications without the need for stage boxes or other external equipment. However, the consoles come with Dante networking as standard, so if necessary they can be combined with other Dante-capable consoles, rack units or other devices to suit applications of any scale or complexity. The QL series can be remotely controlled either by the iPad-based StageMix app or as part of a complete system with Yamaha’s ProVisionaire Touch/Control customisable remote solution.

www.yamahaproaudio.com

www.solidstatelogic.com

dLive offers complete ecosystem Allen & Heath describes its dLive range as a complete ecosystem of distributed audio, processing and control options. There’s a choice of seven DSP mix engines and six console surfaces, to which portable stageboxes, modular expanders, PoE-enabled remote controllers or tablet-based control, can be added. In fact, a dLive system can be installed and operated without a physical control surface if desired. With PoE wallplate controllers, wall-mount remote audio units and network GPIOs, integrators can scope a system that goes far beyond the main performance hall. A dLive system can handle up to ﬁve networking cards, each one with 128 bidirectional channels of 96kHz audio. Format and sample rate conversion are provided – so, for example, a Dante 48kHz input can be patched to a MADI 96kHz output, or Cat5 to ﬁbre.

www.allen-heath.com

TECHNOLOGY: SHOWCASE

www.installation-international.com

Lawo console offers simple operation Lawo’s mc236 is the ﬁrst console within the mc2 family with an all-in-one architecture: its powerful DSP micro-core with internal 512 x 512 port audio matrix, and integrated I/O make it highly suited to permanent installations with limited space. The console has been designed to be simple to operate, not only through the clear layout of the control surface, with colour-illuminated rotary encoders, but also through the large touchscreens, which can be used to access the comprehensive function set. Intuitive operation is aided by means of windows on the displays, which automatically pop up when a parameter is being adjusted and close again afterwards. The Lawo iPad app can be used for remote adjustment of the console settings, helping the

sound engineer to tune the PA while moving around in the audience area in a concert hall. Up to 40 physical faders on the mc236 operate up to 192 DSP channels. Interfaces include 32 mic/ line inputs, 32 line outputs, eight digital AES3 inputs, eight digital AES3 outputs, eight GPIO ports, one MADI (SFP) port, three RAVENNA/AES67 channels, and a headphone jack. Additionally, a MADI tie-line connection and three RAVENNA/AES67 audio-overIP ports provide connectivity for up to 384 external inputs and outputs, offering a total capacity of 496

Power in compact package

Soundcraft’s Vi1000 digital console is the most compact member of the Vi-000 family, measuring just 86cm x 81cm, although it features the same mixing and processing power as the larger Vi2000 and 3000 models. The Vi1000 employs Soundcraft’s intuitive Vistonics II channel strip user interface, together with FaderGlow, as well as the SpiderCore DSP and I/O engine, which offers 40-bit ﬂoating point processing. Rear panel local I/O features 16 HQ mic/line inputs, 16 line outputs, plus two 64-channel expansion slots to connect MADI-based stageboxes or D21m I/O option cards. Four channels of AES/EBU I/O plus USB and MIDI connections complete the back panel. The total I/O count of the console is 212 in x 212 out.

A built-in 64 x 64 Dante/MADI interface provides direct recording/playback connection via Ethernet to Windows or Mac recording software, or allows the Vi1000 to integrate into an existing Dante network. Built-in monitoring support for AKG, Shure and Sennheiser wireless microphone systems displays battery power, RF levels and frequencies, plus audio level and clipping status, on the channel strip that controls each mic. The Vi1000 can also be used as a remote control surface for any of the larger consoles in the range, using the Mirroring feature.

physical inputs and outputs. For operational security, the console not only has redundant power supplies but also DSP redundancy.

www.lawo.com

High quality, low latency from new Cadac ﬂagship Newly launched at Prolight + Sound in April, Cadac’s new ﬂagship CDC seven-s replaces both the original CDC seven and the CDC eight. Cadac says that the CDC seven-s noticeably improves the audio performance of any PA system. It also offers extremely low latency, thanks to its use of Cadac’s CDC MegaCOMMS digital audio protocol. This automatically manages all internal routing and associated processing latency and synchronises all audio samples before summing, resulting in absolute phase coherency at all outputs. Total through-system propagation delay, from inputs on stage to outputs, is under 0.4ms – said to be the industry’s lowest-latency protocol. The console has 128 inputs (up from 96 on the original CDC seven) and 64 busses, of which 56 are assignable in FOH mode and 62 in Monitor mode. It features two 23.5in touchscreens, which display the CDC swipeable user interface. Encoders immediately to the right of and below both screens encourage the instinctive use of touch and swipe gestures in navigating and operating the console. The intuitiveness of the interface makes the console easy to learn and reduces training costs, claims Cadac.

www.soundcraft.com www.cadac-sound.com

52 TECHNOLOGY: DEMO OF THE MONTH

June 2018

Choose your collaboration display Among the numerous solutions being exhibited at last month’s NEC Solutions Showcase was ThinkHub interactive collaboration software. Paddy Baker had a demo from its European distributor

hinkHub is created by T1V, an American company based in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was demonstrated to me at last month’s NEC Solutions Showcase by Roger Cornish of Vucanvas, the company’s European distributor. “We don’t sell screens,” Cornish told me. “The customer chooses what they want – it’s as agnostic as it can be.” The ThinkHub solution consists of a server (based on Apple technology), which is sold outright, plus software which is licensed annually. The software is known to work on displays from Avocor, Elo, LG, NEC (unsurprisingly, given where we were!), Planar, Philips, Samsung and others, and with touch technology from Baanto, CVT, FlatFrog, DisplaX, PQLabs, Zytronic and 3M. Any type, size and resolution of display can be used, either singly, in multi-panel displays or in videowalls.

The software offers whiteboarding and snapshotting functions that will be familiar to users of interactive boards. On-screen items can be quickly maximised in size as a quick attention grabber. A second screen can be used like an electronic pinboard, to dock selected content. The operating canvas is about 20 times the size of the display, so there is plenty of room for working. Any object on the screen can be emailed or printed – the software converts it to a PDF. (According to Cornish, the ability to export text from notes as a CSV ﬁle will be added this month.) ThinkHub integrates with Microsoft Exchange Server and Google Calendar. A nice feature is that it’s possible to share either the whole canvas or just the visible canvas. So users can select and send just the information that individual participants are interested in, rather than the whole of the meeting.

Session start To start work, one either hits Start or one of the quick launch buttons on the (customisable) splash screen: Sketch, Present and Browse. (Because ThinkHub can integrate with AMX or Crestron room control systems, it’s also possible to start a session from there.) A strip along the bottom of the screen shows apps, media (content) and any connected devices. Opening an app or some content is a simple matter of touching an icon, or dragging it up into the main display area. ThinkHub does not use cloud storage: everything resides within the customer’s ﬁle location, behind their ﬁrewall. Cornish pointed out that this avoids any data protection issues around data being hosted in a different country.

Remote collaboration ThinkHub also lends itself to remote collaboration. Its videoconferencing mode is compatible with Cisco and Polycom hardware codecs, plus WebEx, Skype for Business, BlueJeans and Zoom soft codecs. There’s also BYOD connectivity. “A lot of wireless collaboration is only one way – throwing content up on a screen,” commented Cornish. But using T1V’s wireless AirConnect app, meeting participants can also create sticky notes or whiteboard drawings on their devices and send them to the ThinkHub canvas – and they can also send URLs. Additionally, they can see the whole canvas on their devices and either interact with a simple pointer, or have the same level of

control as if they were standing at the display itself. (A setting on the canvas sets the degree of interaction with the canvas given to guests.) This functionality can also be used to allow remote presentation. So if a presenter ﬁnds they can’t make it to a meeting, they can download the app to their laptop and they can present remotely. ThinkHub doesn’t limit the number of devices that can connect wirelessly – it’s simply a question of how much network bandwidth there is available. The app grants access in two different ways: users on the corporate network can connect by entering the display’s IP address, while those on another network, whether guests or remote participants, enter a code – both of these are shown on the main display. It’s also possible to switch the wireless off completely and connect devices via the HDMI input on the application server. (Up to eight inputs are available as an option.) Finally, it is also possible to link multiple ThinkHub installations across different sites. A maximum of 10 sites can collaborate “in nearreal time” in any one session, but there is no practical limit to the number of sites that can be linked together. I was taken by ThinkHub. While I didn’t see the VC mode being demonstrated, the feature set is an impressive one, and I like the fact that the customer – or the integrator – has the freedom to make their own choice of display hardware and touch technology.

www.t1v.com www.vucanvas.com

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54 LAST WORD: CHRIS LAVELLE, AVIXA

June 2018

Growing in Europe After nine years as AVIXA’s regional director for UK and Ireland, Chris Lavelle moves to the position of senior director of development Europe at the start of this month as one of a number of changes at the association. He spoke to Paddy Baker about his new role Congratulations on your promotion. Broadly, what will be your new responsibilities? I’ll be taking over from Pam Taggart – who is taking up a new role in the US – and building on her work, and that of her predecessor Godwin Demicoli. The primary focus will be to grow AVIXA across Europe, building awareness of the association and developing the programmes that add value to the membership. As well as the UK office where I’m based, we have a German office and we also have account managers in various parts of Europe. Is AVIXA’s new membership structure, introduced at the start of this year, helping to attract new members? Yes, it’s been well received – it offers even better value for the membership fee. The Bronze level is the most common enterprise membership; for £350 or €400, you can select ﬁve people for Elite seats: Elite is an individual membership that gives free access to all of our online training and even more discounts. We also have Silver and Gold membership which can add even more Elite seats.

What are you most looking forward to in the new role? I’m really excited about going into regions where AVIXA’s still quite new. It will take me back to my days when I took over from my predecessor Geoff Turner, when we were InfoComm International in the UK and Ireland, building on all the groundwork he had done. It was a very exciting time, developing the recognition of the association and growing our end-user base as well as in the channel. The fact that we’re a neutral entity that represents the global pro AV industry worldwide is a fantastic thing. When people learn about us, and the fact that we’re purely there to advance the AV industry globally and raise the bar for everybody… It’s really exciting to have these conversations so I’m really looking forward to being in that position again. I understand that AVIXA has also appointed a new European marketing manager. Yes. His name is Peter Schaedel, and used to look after the marketing for Meyer Sound in Europe. We’re very fortunate that he knows the industry well – he has worked on both the live events side and the integration side – he knows the publications and is very experienced in the market. He is going to be based in the Munich office, and we’re excited that he

knows how the European AV industry operates and has the contacts already.

‘The fact that we’re a neutral entity that represents the global pro AV industry worldwide is a fantastic thing’

You’ve been with AVIXA (or InfoComm) nine years now. What are the main ways in which the organisation changed in that time? From my point of view, the name change is key in terms of how the association has changed. Previously in conversations with people, we would say ‘InfoComm’, and they’d say straight away, ‘Oh, the show’ – and we’d have to explain that there’s an association with members and volunteers and council and committees that work on standards and certiﬁcation, education and all sorts of market research. There was so much that was not known. A big part of what has changed is, we’ve created great awareness of all of the various things that the association has done, is still doing or has on the horizon. What will be the key highlights of InfoComm 2018 for you personally? Personally I’m looking forward to TIDE. I think it’s going to be a good conference, I’m really looking forward to attending it. We are also looking forward to welcoming our European members there, and we have our European team over at the show as well. Last year there was a really good atmosphere at InfoComm, because it focused on new ways of doing things, new content. A lot of people fed back that it just had a different feel, was more energised. A lot of effort is put in to keep the show current and fresh, very much in line with our rebrand.

www.avixa.org www.infocommshow.org

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