Installation ISE 2017 Ebook by Future PLC

March 2017

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ISE 2017 REVIEW

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Making sense of ISE 2017 CONTENTS 4 Interview: Mike Blackman Managing the show’s future growth is a key issue for ISE’s managing director

5 Vox Pops Impressions of ISE 2017

6 Conferences and seminars Away from the showﬂoor there were plenty of learning opportunities at conferences and seminars – as well as the Opening Address and Closing Keynote

12 Displays and signage Paddy Baker – Editor, Installation pbaker@nbmedia.com @install8ion

n his interview over the page, ISE managing director Mike Blackman talks about the issue of managing the growth of the show. One particular challenge concerns the number of people attending on the second day; he and his team are looking at ways to spread the attendance more evenly, particularly on to the final day, which is currently much lighter. He observes that two days is not long enough to visit ISE to take in everything. For my part, I’m not even sure that four days is enough. By that, I don’t mean that the show should be held for longer; rather that there is so much to see while you’re there that you need a period of time afterwards to take stock and organise your thoughts. And that’s truer than ever when this year’s show was as big as it was – with 14 halls, just short of 1,200 exhibitors and the most extensive programme yet of conferences, seminars, show events and features. So, now that we’ve had time to digest the ISE 2017 experience, we’re pleased to bring you this special digital review supplement. If you weren’t one of the more than 73,000 people who attended, this should give you a good summary of the event; and if you were there I hope you’ll appreciate our coverage of the show, broken down by key technology sectors. And because this is a digital publication, we’re able to augment it with video content we shot at the show with key suppliers. I hope you enjoy reading it – and that it helps you to collect and refine your thoughts about this incredible, industrydefining show.

There was a notable emphasis on developments in the LED space – but that was far from the only signiﬁcant trend

14 Projection Solid-state technology continues to displace conventional lamp-based illumination

16 Signal management and connectivity AV over IP was featured even more strongly at this year’s show

18 Collaboration and conferencing The latest developments from the worlds of working together and learning together

20 Audio An increase in cross-technology collaborations was one of the trends this year

21 Vox pops We ask exhibitors to give their view of the market in ﬁve years’ time

22 Best of Show Awards All the winning entries in our ISE 2017 competition Editor: Paddy Baker pbaker@nbmedia.com +44 (0)20 7354 6034

Sales manager: Gurpreet Purewal gpurewal@nbmedia.com +44 (0)20 7354 6029

Senior staff writer: Duncan Proctor dproctor@nbmedia.com +44 (0)20 7354 6037

Account manager: Ollie Smith osmith@nbmedia.com +44 (0)20 7354 6026

Designer: Tom Carpenter tcarpenter@nbmedia.com +44 (0)20 7354 6041

Production manager: Jason Dowie jdowie@nbmedia.com +44 (0)20 3829 2617

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04 INTERVIEW: MIKE BLACKMAN

March 2017

Managing growth This year’s ISE saw another substantial hike in the attendance figures. But, as ISE’s managing director tells Paddy Baker, this brings some issues of its own Congratulations on another record attendance figure. Where did the growth come from? We saw a lot more integrators this year – about 8% of the new attendees were integrators. That really surprised me – I thought we would get most of the growth from end-users. There are more integration companies coming to ISE, and companies are sending more of their junior staff. But when you look at the profile of attendees, they’re still very senior overall. Forty-one per cent of our attendees were first-time attendees – which is phenomenal. The disappointing part of that is that we have churn – people who don’t come back. Sometimes people attend for a specific reason – they’re looking at a new investment and they come to the show to get the knowledge they need to make a purchase. Another of the encouraging things is we had more women attend this year. In the past that figure was around 5-6%, but this year 12% of our attendees were female. That’s been a big push for us, and a big initiative from InfoComm as well to get more women to attend, which is paying off. We’ve also had a big increase in non-European attendees. I’m not trying to tread on the toes of our sister events – but they do take place at different times of the year in different regions. We have the advantage that a lot is launched at the beginning of the year, so ISE is becoming a good platform for seeing what’s new in the market.

Do you see the growth in attendance continuing? Growth is easy to get, but what we try to manage is getting qualiﬁed growth. One of the key things our marketing team works on, in consultation with exhibitors and our exhibitor committees, is to ﬁnd out who the people are that they what to see. When we go out to market, we try to choose the most pertinent of these groups, and target our promotion and our partnerships to reach them. Our focuses this year have included the hospitality, IT, retail and education sectors. As an example, if you look at channel business – distributors and integrators – 15% focus on retail, and almost 9% of our endcustomers are directly involved in retail and leisure. In education – and your sister publication Tech&Learning UK has been helping us with that – 19% of our end-users are involved in that sector.

We had an initial meeting during ISE with a group of exhibitors, where we got feedback on our top-level numbers, and we’ll meet again in the coming months to discuss which sectors to target as we put together our marketing plan for next year.

‘We would rather see fewer people coming on day two’

What do you see as the key successes of the show? First of all, having a real sellout of the show – bar about 40 square metres, every space was sold. That’s one of the measurable successes. The second part of it was bringing in a good worthwhile attendance. I also think we had two fantastic

keynotes. The Opening Address was very good, it covered both commercial and residential, and what Ole Scheeren presented was really relevant to our audience – every example showed how AV was related to it. Our Closing Keynote with Daniel Lamarre I found very interesting – the guy is a real storyteller, and he also showed the relevance of the AV that Cirque du Soleil uses to make its shows exciting and experiential. Beyond that, there were so many things it’s hard to pinpoint individual ones! You said before that you hadn’t been expecting the integrator numbers to go up – but was there anything else at the show that surprised you? How crowded it was on the second day. I thought we had maxed out the building the previous year, but it increased again. That’s a positive

INTERVIEW: MIKE BLACKMAN 05

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and a negative; this kind of success brings its own issues, coping with that number. But this is something we’re learning, and every year we try new things to make it a better experience for attendees. Next year you’ve announced there will be a 15th hall – will that be a temporary structure at the front, along similar lines to the one at IBC? Correct. It will be slightly bigger than the one at IBC. Our new Hall 14 this year didn’t look like a temporary structure from the inside, and it worked well. We’ll be doing more of that – we spend a lot to make sure that things look good and work well. How did attendance on the Friday compare with last year? We had almost 17,500 people – that compares with about 12,000 in 2016, so a substantial increase. From the feedback we got, and from walking around the show, everyone felt it as well. Certainly up to about 2:30 it was quite busy. On the ﬁrst day we had almost 30,000 people coming through the doors. On day two, we had almost 36,000; on day three, just over 31,000; and day four, almost 17,500. We would rather see fewer people coming on day two. Our average visit is just under two days, but people are still are coming at the front end: days one and two, or two and three. We’d like to see them coming on days three and four, because day two is just much too crowded: exhibitors don’t get the time they need to spend with customers. Realistically, two days is not enough to see ISE. But we’re working on initiatives to get people to attend on days three and four. If we didn’t add a single extra attendee next year, everyone would still be happy. We would rather spread the load. Adding up those daily ﬁgures, we had around 114,000 visits this year. If we could get to around 28,000 visitors a day, it would be much more comfortable and work better for everybody. The city is putting on more initiatives for people to spend the weekend, and we’re looking to see

VOXPOP What were your impressions of ISE 2017? Finding new companies

Cutting-edge solutions

In the new Hall 14, I discovered a whole community of companies there who have not been to ISE before and indeed, some of the information we gathered is already inﬂuencing our project work. The theatre space, where the presentations and panels were, I had never ventured to before and I found the topics and the attendance in that space informative and in one case inspirational. Blair Parkin, principal, TEECOM

ISE is a very important show for us, both in terms of networking and ﬁnding out about the latest in technology, as this helps us to provide cutting-edge solutions to our clients. ISE gave us with the opportunity to see impressive new products ﬁrst hand. Sawan Nichani, director, MACBEE

More collaboration

ISE was great this year and there’s no better place to see product launches... It remains the most simple way to see and compare products rapidly and side by side. Jim Harwood, managing director, Focus 21

Team collaboration was a common thread throughout most products at the show. This has made videoconferencing a ‘musthave’ productivity tool for most businesses, but sound quality and ease of use are still hurdles. Users want videoconferencing capability in more rooms, which is creating pressure to drive down costs without compromising quality. Paul Gunia, product manager, Shure

Unmissable event

You need four days

We had a fantastic visit to ISE 2017. The sheer range of technology on show makes it a genuinely unmissable event. We always ﬁnd ISE a hugely informative and useful show to attend, but this year seemed bigger and better than ever. Edd Stonham, technical services manager, Electric String

ISE is always an engaging event to see the latest in the world’s leading AV. As usual the event was so well attended and we were delighted with the interest and visitors to the Canon stand. The RAI is an excellent venue and, with the addition of Hall 14, four days are needed if you seriously want to see all that is on offer. Having the opportunity to see the latest in technology all under one roof is invaluable. Colin Boyle, European product marketing specialist – projectors, Canon

Side-by-side comparisons

Breathtaking innovations We are continually ﬁnding new and more exciting ways of providing an experience with digital signage. As I walk around events like ISE, I continue to see innovations that take my breath away. As long as we can maintain that, then our present growth trajectory will continue and perhaps even accelerate further. Jeff Hastings, CEO, BrightSign

what else we can put on to make that work. Amsterdam is a nice city, and if we put in some advantages for attendees to stay the weekend, and maybe bring their partners, then more people will come on the Thursday and Friday. You’re currently committed to Amsterdam up to 2019. What will you be looking for from the RAI and from the city to extend that relationship beyond then?

our company is tremendous, and is vital to the success of our company. Robin van Meeuwen, CEO, Crestron EMEA

Social media influence I noticed that the use of mobile devices and computing technology have started to impact the way people present and the way rooms were controlled. Every manufacturer was developing a different user experience and interface. For the first time I saw the use of social media interfaces starting to influence this piece of the AV/IT world. Why reinvent an interface when millions of users are already using social? Blair Parkin, principal, TEECOM

Bigger but still focused

Time and time again ISE impresses me with the level of professionalism and positivity of the visitors. The energy and feedback the show brings

We picked up a few negative comments that the show was getting too big and too diverse, but it’s not an opinion I personally share. I have been around long enough to have attended CeBIT in its heyday and understand the perils of losing focus. ISE just doesn’t have this feel yet. Yes, it has broadened its focus to include new areas, Smart Building being a great example, but all the zones are absolutely relevant to the pro AV community. Perhaps the important point here is a more general reﬂection of the world around us; we have moved into a converged and connected era where pro AV is often now part of a wider ecosystem. This trend will only accelerate moving forward and we can expect the show to continuing innovating to keep pace with these changes. Chris Mcintyre-Brown, analyst, Futuresource

We have to manage our growth, and our exhibitors. We don’t want to move away from a city that works for us, but if we can’t accommodate the growth that we have, then we should be looking elsewhere. We think Amsterdam works, we know our exhibitors and attendees like it, and we’re a service company – we’re not going to dictate that we want to go somewhere else. Based on that, we’d prefer to stay there.

We have some other ideas for expanding. We’ll have a new hotel next door to the RAI in 2019; the RAI has also been showing us plans for more growth, and the city is coming up with ideas about how to encompass ISE more into the whole city as well. These are some of the things we’re looking at. So we would like to stay in Amsterdam, but we haven’t made that commitment beyond 2019 yet.

Professionalism and positivity

06 CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS

March 2017

ISE’s knowledge boosters There were plenty of opportunities for ISE 2017 attendees to update their knowledge of important topics such as smart buildings, DSP in audio, digital signage and much more – as well as the very well-received Opening Address and Closing Keynote. Here are some of the highlights from the conference and seminar programme

Buildings, technology and people Creating amazing workspaces

The ISE 2017 Opening Keynote was given by internationally renowned and multi-awardwinning architect Ole Scheeren. His eye-opening (and often jawdropping) buildings have not only transformed landscapes, but the lives of those who use them, along with the wider community. In his presentation, entitled ‘Connective Architecture(s) Reloaded’, Scheeren examined the relationship between buildings and technology, and between physical space and the digital space. “Buildings and technology need to go hand in hand to achieve maximum impact,” he said. For Scheeren, the two are all about the connectivity that enables people to live together, work together and communicate with each other – and the impact each has on our daily lives and their creative inﬂuence on each other. He used examples of his work to show how buildings and technology can be connected with humanity. This included the CCTV Headquarters in Beijing, China, the second largest building on the planet, which has a radical loop design. “The shape suggests that we think of the building as a life form rather than a technical installation,” he said. The building

includes social clusters – formal and informal spaces designed to bring people together. Another project involved designing an office building for a series of small technology start-ups that would encourage collaboration and communication. His solution was to create a “collaborative cloud”, an area where workers and visitors could be “in an informal work environment, where people could share a cloud of ideas and a cloud of knowledge,” said Scheeren. The role of the architect in creating the future in which we will live – a point he illustrated with reference to The Matrix, a dystopian vision of technology and real life interrelating in the hands of a rogue architect – is a vital one for Scheeren. While technology is an important component of many buildings, it should not detract from the human experience. He said: “Smart buildings and smart cities are more than just about technology – it’s about socially inclusive environments. A building that saves you energy but is horrible to live in, doesn’t matter. Ultimately, it’s about the quality of life – the most important measure of everything.”

Smart building technology used to be about making buildings more energy efficient, but now, it’s being used to create amazing work environments that can attract talent and boost productivity. So says Aglaia Kong, Google’s chief technology officer, corporate networking. In her keynote address at the Smart Building Conference at ISE 2017, ‘Building Powered by IoT – Beyond Just Energy Management’, Kong described the challenges faced by enterprises that want to develop smart buildings. “Different systems – lighting, energy, security, BMS [building management systems] and AV – exist in silos, which makes smart buildings difficult to maintain,” she noted. Google’s solution is to take a “horizontal approach”, added Kong, which involves creating a converged network that combines IT and OT devices (operational technology devices – used for monitoring or control). The data from all the devices is pooled into a “data lake”, analysed and used to create better work environments.

“For example, you can use WiFi location-based services to track how people are moving around a building and use the data to design more efficient workspaces,” said Kong; “retailers could use the same technology with shoppers.” Other potential solutions include personalised workspaces, and motioncontrolled systems that, for example, automatically switch on the air-conditioning when a person enters a room. Google has found that factors such as the density of employees in a workspace and the amount of daylight around a building can affect productivity, and the company has used this data to develop some of its new buildings around the world. Kong said later that privacy is an important issue when it comes to implementing smart building technology. “If you’re just using non-personal data from a device, then employees don’t need to be consulted, but if the data is personalised, then people need to know. Google doesn’t use the latter system.”

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Smart buildings embrace the Internet of Things The smart building world is leveraging the power of the Internet of Things (IoT) to transform the way people work, rest and play, the Smart Building Conference 2017 was told. The IoT is a global network of billions of connected devices found in workplaces and homes, from heating, lighting and security systems, to televisions, fridges and baby alarms. Bob Snyder, conference content chairman, said: “The smart building is already creating cataclysmic disruption and the Internet of Things is adding more disruption on top. That’s why it’s such a big theme at this year’s conference.” In his morning keynote, ‘The Challenge of a Smart Building is Not in the Technology’, Mark S Valenti, president and CEO of the Sextant Group, noted that the IoT offers great opportunities. But he added: “Standardisation is complex and confusing to navigate – it’s like the Wild West.” Speaking afterwards, Valenti said that this shouldn’t stiﬂe the smart building market. “It’s not going to be resolved anytime soon and I don’t think it needs to, because the various standards organisations have different perspectives on the

marketplace, and they are all valid.” Another keynote speaker, Gabriel Wetzel, vice president for IoT projects and smart city at Bosch Software Innovations, revealed that his company would soon launch a new connected building solution, which will focus on equipment monitoring, space management and enabling other players to access the data, in order to develop further solutions. Charlie Kindel, director Alexa Smart Home, Amazon, delivered the Residential Keynote, ‘Voice:

Breakthrough in Smart Home and IoT’, and described how consumers are now using Amazon’s voice recognition platform to operate numerous devices around the home, from coffee makers to robot vacuum cleaners. The closing keynote by Claire Penny, worldwide solution leader, Watson IoT, IBM, ‘This is my Building’s Final Offer’, described how cognitive computing and IoT are combining to create buildings that can learn how people use them. “Buildings are built for people,” she said, “so you have to

learn how the building is behaving in response to the people.” This involves collecting data from sensors and systems, and managing the data to make changes to the environment. “Someone could walk into a building, and using Watson’s voice recognition technology, simply ask for a free meeting room, book it and even set the room temperature.” Penny also revealed that IBM Research has developed the ‘IoT Brain’, an analytical tool that enables existing buildings to be converted into smart buildings.

Audio Forum explores role of electronics Audio Forum was another part of the ISE 2017 programme of preshow events. The ﬁve presentations at the one-day conference were themed around the impact of electronics on audio, from the developments in DSP over the decades to the management of sound from outdoor events and increasing the efficiency of subbass systems. In his keynote, Umberto Zanghieri tracked the history of audio DSPs from the earliest processing concepts in the 1960s with the pioneering work on MUSIC by Max Mathews, on to the development of DSP processors, leading to DSP within more general chips and on

computer platforms. While covering the wide range of processor implementations, Zanghieri noted that dedicated DSPs will continue as an important building block for professional audio applications. Rudd Kaltofen discussed his work on implementing variable acoustics and moved on to automated noise pollution solutions. “Quite a few open-air events here are in builtup areas and there are problems with noise pollution.” He noted the traditional ways of measuring have limitations, and has developed a portable system that can monitor from multiple locations with good correlation to the performance stages and can

be monitored via the web. Closing the morning’s sessions, Eighteen Sound’s Mario Di Cola took a new view on increasing the efficiency of sub-bass systems. Using high motor strength drivers and Class D ampliﬁers “has a magic effect of handling back EMF without the ampliﬁer overheating,” he said. The afternoon sessions covered the decentralising of DSP solutions, from Powersoft’s Marc Kocks; and the use of acoustic simulations to model the complete audio and acoustic chain, presented by Audio Labs Systems’ Paolo Martinon. AudioForum was put together by Connessioni with collaboration from the AES. Connessioni

president Chiara Benedettini said afterwards: “DSP is not an easy topic, and this audience wants to understand not just how it is used but also what is inside.”

08 CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS

Bright future for retail signage

The retail industry is on the cusp of a revolution that could transform the way we shop – and digital signage has a key role to play in this development. That was the message from Digital Signage Summit ISE. In a presentation, ‘Creating the Smart Retail Store of the Future’, Vidya Nagarajan, senior product manager Chrome & Android, Google, said that “Google sees huge opportunities in retail,” adding that “more than 90% of retail sales happen in bricks and mortar stores.” Technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality, intelligent tracking and smart digital signage displays that present information relevant to speciﬁc customers, could help make the shopping experience more personal and engaging, said Nagarajan. She added that customers “want to buy the right product, in the right amount, in the right channel at the right moment.” Jose Avalos, global visual retail director for Intel Corporation in the Internet of Things Group, said digital signage was bringing new functionality to devices like vending machines. “A drinks vending machine that only offered ten ﬂavours can now offer thousands, as well as provide extra product information and advertising,” he said. Many new retail developments will use analytics – collecting and analysing data to detect patterns of consumer behaviour, but Chris

Riegel, CEO of Stratacache, warned, “Analytics are highly important, but our industry has been overselling it to retailers – we have tended to go too far, too fast.” He also noted that many retailers had had their ﬁngers burnt by rushing into developing mobile apps “that hardly anyone uses.” In a fireplace talk that looked at investment, Philippe Graf von Stauffenberg, chairman of the board, Trison, admitted that his worst digital signage investment was “3D technology – it absolutely bombed.” The Summit ended with a worldwide industry outlook panel, with representatives from the US, Europe, Russia, Latin America and Middle East, giving a mixed picture of market developments. While the Russian market was challenging, the US and Latin American markets were showing good potential. Replying to a panel question about the importance of content, Stewart Caddick, managing director, Connectiv Middle East, said: “You can’t spend 90% on a screen and 10% on the content – it just doesn’t work. Digital signage is a living animal, and once you buy it, you have to keep feeding it.” Florian Rotberg, managing director invidis consulting, and Summit moderator, said afterwards: “Many markets that were closed to digital signage because of return on investment are now open to it, with retail being the biggest one.”

March 2017

VR and sports venues

At the Sports Venue Technology Summit, a panel debated the question ‘VR: even better than the real thing?’ Imagine you could experience the thrill of racing in an F1 motor car while sitting in your living room, or jumping off a cliff in a paraglider. That is the tantalising prospect sports fans could be offered with virtual reality technology. Dave Elliot, enterprise business development manager, Holovis, thought that VR could be used to “extend the experience of the main event at a venue. What if you could experience walking through the players’ tunnel before the football match started?” But Jean-Luc Affaticati, CEO Digit Arena, said, “We are not focusing on bringing VR into venues, but using it to bring fans from the outside into them.” That was the majority view of the panel. Samuel Westberg, director of

sales EMEA, LiveLike, stated: “The quality of VR is not good enough to watch whole games – there are limits to the medium,” but added, “I think VR has the potential to become a media aggregator, and eventually, the main media to watch sports events at home.” There was potential to make money from VR, said Elliot. “What if you could experience parachuting or high cliff diving without any danger? There’s pay-per-view potential for that.” The panel concluded that, ultimately, the decision would be made by rightsholders. When the panel was asked if VR could become a commercial ﬂop like 3D, Pieter Van Leugenhagen, business strategist, Yondr, said: “I don’t believe VR will be hyped like 3D. 3D was seen as a replacement for cinema and normal TV, but VR is not – it’s just a new medium that sits next to TV and cinema.”

Boosting Russian business ISE’s ﬁrst ‘Insights into the Russian Markets’ presentation and networking event delivered valuable information on the up-and-coming Russian AV integration market, and gave manufacturers a chance to connect with key distributors. Expert insights came from ISR’s Daria Petrova; invidis consulting founder and managing director Florian Rotberg; Polymedia CEO Elena Novikova; Digis’ Pavel Sigov, Iridium Mobile’s Nikolay Rusanov; and Hi-Tech Media managing

partner Sergey Kuznetsov. Petrova said: “We want to introduce Russian manufacturers to the wider market. GDP is projected to grow between 1% and 2% in the next year, and, with our recession coming to an end, there is great deal of potential in the Russian market.” As an example, she cited the growing DOOH and digital signage market throughout Moscow and St Petersburg, where over 15,000 out-of-home advertising structures generated approximately €190 million in 2016.

10 CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS

March 2017

Cirque du Soleil and the business of show

The importance of taking risks, allowing creativity to ﬂourish and relishing new challenges were key themes of the ISE 2017 Closing Keynote, given by Daniel Lamarre, CEO of Cirque du Soleil. The world’s largest theatrical production company, Cirque du Soleil’s shows combine acrobatics and other traditional circus skills with cutting-edge audiovisuals and staging. During a very engaging and entertaining presentation,

Lamarre, who is responsible for the company’s creative and business strategy, gave some pointers from his time at Cirque du Soleil that can be applied to other businesses in the worlds of creativity and technology. “I’m a big believer that new technology is going to change entertainment,” he said, going on to describe some of the ways that evolving technology has inﬂuenced the content of a

number of highly successful Cirque du Soleil productions. An important part in the development of Cirque shows, which helps to push the envelope creatively, is C:LAB. This is an in-house creative laboratory where new ideas and technologies can be tested, with a view to incorporating them into future productions. Cirque’s very ﬁrst show in Las Vegas, Mystère, which is still running after 22 years, contains a spectacular but expensive special effect where a curtain is shredded into a large number of pieces. Steve Wynn, the owner of the casino venue, questioned the need for it, but, Lamarre recounted, the company’s founder Guy Laliberté insisted that it would create a wow factor that audiences would remember. “When you want to do a breakthrough in technology, you have to take risk,” said Lamarre. Being open to new ideas has been a constant throughout Lamarre’s time as Cirque CEO. He recounted meetings with

Paul McCartney, James Cameron and representatives of Michael Jackson’s estate, all of which resulted in new shows. Lamarre also described how one of his creative teams – generally comprised of people with a mix of nationalities, to provide a varied perspective – once explained to him their vision of a show without a stage, using technologies that didn’t exist, but which they thought could be created by bringing together the work of two people who had not met before, and which they wanted to pitch to MGM. “Isn’t it great?” they exclaimed, full of optimism. MGM’s response? “‘Only you guys from Cirque du Soleil can be crazy like that – so let’s go, do it.’” The result was Kà, which has been seen by more than a million people since it opened in 2005. He concluded: “If you take the words ‘show business’, the word ‘show’ comes ﬁrst. If you have a great show, you will have a great business. If you don’t have a good show, you will have no business.”

AV and IT professionals: we need to talk

Recalling the famous words of Sun Microsystems’ John Gage – “The network is the computer” – Volker Löwer of IFB Consulting began his presentation at InfoComm’s ‘Interfacing between IT and AV’ conference

by suggesting that today “the network is the media system”. However, he pointed out, there is much misunderstanding: it is, for example, too easy to assume that everything is data, so we can put it on the network. Löwer

took this a step further, claiming that “not everything that looks like a network is indeed a network”. Using HDBaseT as an example, he explained how, just because the requirement was to move an AV signal from a transmit point to a receive point didn’t mean that it could pass through the switches and routers typical of an IT network. He also noted the constraints placed on network management by protocols such as Dante. Löwer went on to describe the differing requirements of the primary users of the network – the IT organisation – and the requirements of the AV application. Latency, for instance, is a key concern for AV,

while conserving bandwidth is a preoccupation for IT. He went on to describe how, in his view, IT organisations often appeared not to care about the specific requirements of AV devices, while AV professionals tend to be unconcerned by the demands of network management. “So,” asked Löwer. “How do we make things better?” His recommendation was that communication between the IT and AV teams was essential, with a full and frank exchange of requirements and preconditions. “Both sides,” he said, “need to understand the issues facing the other side, and work together to find feasible, effective, robust solutions.”

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DISPLAYS, DIGITAL SIGNAGE, ACCESSORIES

March 2017

LED moves ahead There was a notable emphasis on developments in the LED space – but that was far from the only signiﬁcant trend it’s time for Sharp to start breaking ground again. Some of it is good, mass-market appeal, but in other areas we offer our partners unique opportunities like huddle, like 70in, and even in the signage area we’re offering a range of ﬂexibility in terms of spec and the entry-level screens that I haven’t seen anywhere else in the market.” Barco announced an addition to its super-narrow bezel LCD

LED displays were central to LG’s stand. Its Flexible Open Frame OLED signage display allows for convex or concave displays, whose curvature can be changed even after installation. The 65in Dual-View Curved Tiling OLED panel offers 4K image quality with system on a chip (SoC) and 128GB of internal memory. In-Glass Wallpaper OLED signage, available in both standing and hanging versions, is suitable for high-end businesses, art galleries and boutiques. And also new was the 65in and 55in OLED Video Wall solution, available in both portrait and landscape formats. Samsung launched its QLED (quantum-dot LED) displays; smart UHD displays that support high dynamic range (HDR) content. The company says these displays can showcase one billion colours with greater accuracy: deeper blacks, sharper whites and precise colour hues. The QLED signage features an ultra-wide viewing angle in both portrait and landscape orientations. Sony was showcasing its CLEDIS (crystal LED integrated structure) technology for the ﬁrst time at an ISE show. This a large-scale canvas

solution based on Sony’s selfemitting display capabilities, but with ultrafine LEDs as the light source. SiliconCore showed a new LED technology platform in prototype form. LISA (LED In Silicon Array) implements chip-on-board manufacturing, a departure from the usual surface-mount process. Bonding the individual diodes to the PCB is said to make the module more robust and rigid, increasing its durability. It also brings significant visual benefits, including improved colour uniformity and reduced colour shift throughout the product lifetime. A new concept on show from Christie was Ultrascape, a direct-view LED display. It has been developed to introduce the inherent advantages of LED (high brightness, low maintenance and cost of ownership) to 24/7 mission critical applications, and for those looking to use direct-view LED to address unconventional and creative videowall design. CreateLED launched the aspectratio friendly AirTV LED fine-pitch LED display, which comes in 0.9mm, 1.2mm and 1.6mm pixel pitches. Roger Feldmann, VP of international sales and marketing at CreateLED,

commented: “It’s been well received, people really like that it can retroﬁt into existing 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio displays, where often the modules are not designed in that conﬁguration which makes it a bit awkward.”

LCD developments There was also innovation on the LCD side. Among six new products from Sharp was a 70in LCD videowall display – the world’s largest commercially available model. The PN-V701 promises a consistent, high-quality image across the entire videowall with minimal picture interruption and easy image maintenance. It is aimed at luxury retailers who want to create maximum impact. Also new were 70in and 80in BIG PAD interactive displays for corporate and education markets, as well as a 40in model for huddle spaces. Speaking to us ahead of ISE 2017, Sid Stanley, Sharp Visual Solutions Europe general manager, commented on how investment from new owner Foxconn has given Sharp a new market dynamism: “I think for the system integration channel, now that we have this investment,

videowall portfolio, the 55in OverView HVD5521, with a total bezel width of 1.8mm. It is designed for use in control rooms, with high reliability, low total cost of ownership and minimal maintenance needs. It features Barco’s Sense X automatic colour and brightness calibration system, which automatically balances the videowall at all times. A redundant external power supply is an option; because this is located remotely, maintenance can be performed without disturbing operations. An 8K 65in glasses-free 3D LCD display made its worldwide debut on the Dimenco stand, aimed at digital signage or other ﬁelds of visualisation such as medicine. Combined with Dimenco Clear View technology, the screen offers high contrast and deep black levels, a crosstalk level of below 1.5% and a 140º 3D viewing angle. A special optical structure has been overlaid on top of the panels. Maarten Tobias, CEO of Dimenco, commented: “You’re actually seeing a 4K input no-glasses 3D picture, but to achieve that level of experience you need an 8K panel.” Planar unveiled the QE Series of Ultra HD LCD displays, an all-in-one 4K solution for high-impact digital signage. Available in 75in, 86in and 98in sizes, the Planar QE Series comes with an embedded Planar ContentSmart 4K Media Player, providing a way to design, distribute

DISPLAYS, DIGITAL SIGNAGE, ACCESSORIES

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and play back ultra-high resolution digital signage on a single display or multiple displays within a network. All Planar QE Series displays support native 4K at up to 60Hz, with HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.2 to enable smooth motion video. Four sources may be simultaneously viewed in quadrants on the display.

Interactivity Whether targeting digital signage, collaboration applications, or both, many manufacturers were showing new interactive panels, including BenQ, InFocus, NEC, Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp, Viewsonic and Vivitek. Eyefactive software and 3M LCD touchscreens came together at the show to create a ready-for use object recognition solution. “Object recognition is about expanding the experience of the multi-touchscreen, taking it away from just navigating boring websites,” explained Markus Meier of 3M. “It’s providing a different relationship to the content on the touchscreen, because using objects related to the content to interact with a screen is now possible.” Interactive glass manufacturer Seloy Live showcased its innovative new touch window technology with embedded sound. The 90in interactive touch window, called Sense, which is available as doubleor triple-glazed glass, has the technology to create the touch capacity as well as sound embedded within the layers. Using sound technology from Feonic, this solution enables the combination of a transparent insulating glass unit and interactive touch surface to be used as part of a retail environment’s façade – and for sound to be easily heard on the street. According to Zytronic’s sales and marketing director Ian Crosby, the company’s main direction is “adding more functionality to touch”. To this end, Zytronic was demonstrating its force-sensing technology. Rather than using a piezoelectric or other layer in the glass to measure the applied force, the technology measures the surface area of the ﬁnger on the display. Developers can

use soft and hard touches in different ways: for instance, using a hard touch to zoom in on a map; or using a soft touch to select an option, and a hard touch to conﬁrm it.

Digital signage The strongest trend in digital signage was the growth of system-on-chip (SoC) displays. Samsung’s SoC offering makes use of its Tizen operating system, while others, including Panasonic, Philips and Viewsonic models use the Android platform. Best known for its purple signage media players, BrightSign launched the HS123 built-in HD module for integration into OEM displays. “This is the ﬁrst time we provide in-built players and we think it’s a nice way to turn dumb screens into smart screens,” said Jeff Hastings, CEO of BrightSign. BrightSign’s first player to support the Intel Open Pluggable Specification (OPS) was also on show. Tripleplay launched a low-cost, solid-state set-top box for delivering 4K digital signage and IPTV, produced with long-term technology hardware partner Amino. The new 4K STB allows Tripleplay to offer HEVC content delivery, a protocol which, the company says, makes delivery of UHD media content up to 60% more efficient, ensuring network capacity is not unduly impacted. Additionally, the release of the B3.0 software platform has added extra features to Tripleplay’s digital signage and IPTV streaming solution. These include QuickDrop, a new media upload tool that allows the instant creation of video and music playlists; and authenticated webpage support for digital signage deployments. Signagelive introduced a new Content Marketplace which contains over 500 pre-built pieces of digital signage content, including layout backgrounds, pre-built applications and widgets. The company also revealed a suite of developer APIs for network and content management, bespoke player development and real-time content triggering, as well as a new user interface accessible via

tablets and containing a wealth of new features. Exterity used its ArtioSign digital signage system to drive the ten displays on its stand, as the company announced new scheduling and content creation management tools. Launched last year, ArtioSign was making its ﬁrst ISE appearance. “We are targeting primarily the corporate enterprise space,” said CEO Colin Farquhar. “A lot of our customers are in the banking/ ﬁnance sectors who have extensive IPTV deployments and want to implement signage. Beyond that, we are also working on stadium and hospitality projects.”

Accessories

Handy AV managing director Aubrey Wright commented: “There is no doubt that LED panels continue to play a big part in commercial digital signage. We are showcasing not only how easy it is to mount an LED solution, but also how a pop-out mount makes maintenance and replacement of panels a simple process.” New from Peerless-AV were the SmartMount Universal LED Mounting Systems in Flat Wall and Full Service conﬁgurations, for recessed LED videowall applications or those requiring convenient rear access. The Full Service system features robust, smooth-gliding scissor arms that allow the entire wall to pop out, giving enough space for the installer

B-Tech was demonstrating its popout mounting solution in conjunction with 4mm pixel pitch HandyLED panels. The latter come from Handy AV, an established AV integrator that has produced its own line of LED panels in recent years.

to get behind and manage cabling or tile replacement. The SmartMount can be built to any flat-to-wall, floorstanding, floor-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling or other front-service specification or configuration.

DynaScan Technology launched its dual-sided DS551DR4 display, a 55in ultra-high brightness LCD offering 3,000-nit and 1,000-nit images, and an ultra-slim form factor. Dual video inputs allow each side to display separate content. The display is designed to offer an all-in-one solution for storefront window applications, where one side sits in direct sunlight and the opposite side faces indoor viewers. As part of the new DI Premium Indoor Series, the DI551ST2 and DI651ST2 are 55in and 65in premium high-brightness professional LCDs for indoor use. At 29mm they are claimed to be the thinnest professional LCDs in the industry. With an ultra-high brightness rating ranging from 800 to 1,000 nits, these displays feature 24/7 visibility in high ambient light locations, low power consumption, and are individually calibrated for colour quality. The DI Series utilises fanless cooling technology, delivering virtually silent operation.

14 PROJECTION

March 2017

Dazzling line-up Solid-state technology continues to displace conventional lamp-based illumination

n projection, the main trend at ISE 2017 was, once again, the increasing popularity of solid-state illumination. Almost all manufacturers announced new SSI models, whether you were looking at bright, high-resolution models or their more humble counterparts. Here are some of the most notable launches, roughly in ascending order of brightness. JVC showed the new DLAVS4500 4K projector, featuring the manufacturer’s BLU-Escent laser phosphor technology. Designed especially for visualisation applications, the DLA-VS4500 offers 12-bit imagery, 3,000 ANSI lumens and high native contrast ratio. It supports an extensive range of video and imaging formats, and has a 120Hz refresh for artefactfree, smooth motion display. Sony was showing seven new models in its E-series, with a choice of XGA and WXGA resolutions and brightness between 3,200 and 4,300 lumens. Targeting the education and corporate markets, the new projectors feature a 20,000:1 contrast ratio and Sony’s 3LCD BrightEra technology. Casio, which claims to be the global leader in SSI projectors, unveiled its ﬁrst 5,000-lumen 4K projector. The Large Venue XJ-L8300HN is a DLP model with

a resolution of 3840 × 2160. Also on show was the new Core and Advanced Series range. This includes ﬁve WXGA and three XGA models, offering the option of 3,000, 3,300 and 3,500 lumens. The latest addition to Canon’s 4K installation projector range, the XEED 4K600STZ was on show. This 6,000-lumen, 4,000:1 native contrast ratio solid-state model features four DVI-D and two HDMI 2.0 inputs. It supports the projection of high-quality content from a variety of 4K sources at 60Hz with a single HDMI cable. Colin Boyle, European product marketing specialist – projectors at Canon, said that “great interest” was shown for this model, shown in an immersive dome. “The 4K laser projector, due to its size and weight, offers installation opportunities that may have not been available previously.” Vivitek introduced two largevenue laser projectors, the DK8500Z (4K/UHD, 7,500 lumens) and the DU8190Z (WUXGA, 10,000 lumens). Designed for easy installation, both projectors offer motorised lens shift and Lens Position Memory function. Eight optional lenses are available, ranging from 0.38:1 to 5.31-8.26:1 throw ratio. Both include built-in edge-blending, warping and portrait-

mode projection to meet the needs of a variety of applications. NEC launched two filter-free laser-based additions to its PA Series of LCD projectors. The 8,000lumen PA803UL and 6,500-lumen PA653UL boast a fully sealed optical engine, allowing brightness levels to remain high and consistent without risk of dust ingress and image degradation. The projectors also feature motorised zoom and focus, interchangeable lens options, 4K60 image signal processing and Rec2020 colour conversion. Barco launched its new F70 laser projector, which is an 8,000lumen model available in 4K and WUXGA resolutions. On the stand it was mounted on a robotic arm to emphasise that it can be used in any orientation, and that it is suitable for moving projections within dark rides. Seven new DuraCore laser projectors were on show on the Optoma stand. These included the new flagship ProScene ZU850 projector, a WUXGA dual-colour 8,000-lumen laser installation model. Also on the stand was Optoma’s first professional 4K UHD projector, the 4K500. This singlechip DLP model is said to deliver extreme precision with no ghosting. Epson expanded its EB-L1000 range of 3LCD laser installation

projectors. With eight new models, the range offers 12,000 or 15,000 lumens brightness, WUXGA or SXGA+ resolution, and a choice of black or white housing. Panasonic introduced the new 20,000-lumen PT-RZ21K, a 3-chip DLP Solid Shine laser projector aimed at the large venue, rental and events markets. It is a laser lightsource companion to the PT-DZ21K, which is claimed to be Europe’s best selling high-brightness projector. “We believe moving the industry’s most popular high-brightness projector to laser will grow the market for projection even further,” said Hartmut Kulessa, Panasonic’s European marketing manager. Panasonic, along with a number of partners, was also responsible for one of the most popular showfloor attraction – a ‘magic show’ featuring over 300,000 lumens of projection, object tracking and mapping onto balloons flown by hand-controlled drones. Among the five new models launched at ISE by Digital Projection was the new INSIGHT Dual Laser 27,000-lumen solid-state projector, with a native contrast of 2,000:1. It is 3D-capable, and can be synchronised for active glasses. It features ColorMax for large-scale imaging, alongside scaling and edge-blending.

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16 SIGNAL MANAGEMENT AND CONNECTIVITY

March 2017

The IP case ﬁles Even more than before, AV over IP was the name of the game at ISE 2017 distances of up to 10km. Thanks to the source synchronisation of the video channels, G&D says that even the highest video resolutions can be extended over long distances. One noticeable trend at ISE 2017 was a greater concentration by vendors on the relative merits of approaches that use video compression and those that do not. Uncompressed 8K playback

V over IP seems to rise in prominence with every major trade show. ISE 2017 was notable for the launch of the SDVoE (software-defined video over Ethernet) Alliance, a group of manufacturers promoting technology for ‘zero-latency’ uncompressed video over IP. SDVoE technology provides an end-to-end hardware and software platform for AV extension, switching, processing and control through advanced chipset technology, common control APIs and interoperability. Using offthe-shelf Ethernet switches offers cost savings and greater system flexibility over traditional point-topoint extension and circuit-based AV matrix switching. Atlona introduced Velocity, a new AV system control platform that works with both Atlona and third-party products. Featuring a cloud and premise-based system architecture, it can be used in a single room or scaled up for use in 500 or more rooms across an entire campus or enterprise. Velocity is comprised of three distinct elements that work together as a single, unified platform. Velocity Control Suite is a cloud-based service and centralised resource for integrators to create and manage their AV control projects. Velocity Control Gateway is a software-based control processor that resides on site

with the client’s AV systems. And 5.5in and 8in Velocity Touch Panels are available for user interaction. Companies producing IP-enabled encoder/decoder solutions included Black Box, Data Video and Gefen. Black Box announced the VS2000 H.264 encoder and decoder, designed to enable transmission of full HD video and audio over the internet or any IP network. The encoder delivers signals that can be played with any H.264 decoder, including third-party decoders such as set-top boxes, or other media players. Users can purchase the encoder alone, or with its matching decoder. One VS2000 encoder can transmit to any number of decoders. Black Box is to integrate the VS2000 with the company’s own product ecosystem, including the Radian videowall processor, iCompel digital signage, and ControlBridge for remote management. Data Video launched the DVS-200 streaming platform. This allows the user to encode, transcode, record and deliver real-time video to multiple devices. It comes as a software package or as a turnkey solution. “Users can deliver their stream to any location, any screen, in any quality, in a ﬂexible and easy manner,” commented marketing manager Valentijn Diemel. The DVS-200 can be combined with Data Video’s streaming decoders to create an IPTV or digital

signage network. Gefen introduced new 4K sender and receiver KVM-over-IP units (EXTUHDV-KA-LANS-TX and -RX). These feature built-in scaler, videowall controller, PoE and digital/analogue audio break-out. The new models feature HDMI and VGA inputs and outputs, and can support DVI when using Gefen HDMI-to-DVI cables. They support HDMI input resolutions up to 4K 60Hz 4:2:0 and output resolutions up to 4K 30Hz 4:4:4, HDCP 2.2 and 1.4, and 7.1 channels of High Bit Rate lossless and LPCM digital audio up to 100m. Staying with KVM, Guntermann & Drunck launched what it claims is the world’s ﬁrst and only 8K-capable KVM extender, the DP1.2-VisionXGMC4. Designed for uncompressed, latency-free transmission of 8K video at 60Hz, the extender system consists of a computer module and a user module. It allows users to operate their computers remotely while transmitting uncompressed high-resolution DisplayPort video over four video channels and

is now an option across the full range of Picturall media servers, available in 2TB, 4TB and 8TB formats. The system can play back images with up to 10-bit colours of 4:4:4 chroma subsampling. This was one of the new additions to the company’s ‘Mark 2’ range of media servers. Another was a new range of input cards that provide DisplayPort 1.2 and HDMI 2.0 connectivity for full end-to-end 4K compatibility. Conﬁgurations of up to 4-in and 16-out are available. Opticis showed the IPVDS-500ED 4K supportable IP videowall controller. This can carry 4K at 30Hz or 1080p at 60Hz with analogue/ HDMI audio. It also supports fast switching and low video latency. Users can easily set up videowall systems up to 8 x 8 with multicast sources and multicasting to up to 200 clients. Drag-and-drop PC control software enables users to merge, split, overlay and clear sources, and check preview scenes on the Layout Manager before applying them. Additionally, IPVDS500-ED provides a virtual matrix function via an IP network. 4

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SIGNAL MANAGEMENT AND CONNECTIVITY

ISE 2017 saw the European debut of NewTek’s MediaDS real-time media encoding and live streaming video delivery system. MediaDS is an end-to-end streaming solution that allows any production, presentation or live event to be delivered to any browser-enabled device. MediaDS combines NewTek’s live production technology with Wowza streaming software in a compact 1RU footprint. It sports four SDI inputs supporting up to 3G 1080p, and integrated NDI technology that supports live input and output over IP. Multiple MediaDS units can be combined to create a virtual CDN or edge network – either through a LAN or remotely over IP. Video production to content delivery over IP makes enterprise deployments effortless.

A founder member of the SDVoE Alliance, ZeeVee was showing the latest versions of various members of its Zyper family. Zyper 4K encoders and decoders can send uncompressed 4K over standard IP networks. The latest versions work with 4K60 4:4:4 video and are compatible with HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2. The boxes are available in different varieties, with HDMI on one port and different video formats (such as DisplayPort or HD-SDI) as an option on the second. New to ISE was ZyPerHD, ZeeVee’s platform for distributing highdeﬁnition H.264 video over standard Gigabit Ethernet switches. The company also showed HDbridge3000, which supports multi-format IP and RF streaming in a single chassis.

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18 COLLABORATION AND CONFERENCING

March 2017

Hubs of activity Huddle room solutions proved popular, but there was innovation in many other areas too a ﬂexible number of displays across multiple wall surfaces. Prysm demonstrated its thirdparty compatibility with the cloudbased Visual Workplace (VW), along with three new features. Live Source Streaming allows all participants using VW to view and manipulate all live sources displayed in a common workspace. Prysm Quick Start enables employees without a Prysm account, or guests

ose entered the conferencing market this year, debuting the ControlSpace EX audio conferencing solution. It includes the EX-1280C conferencing processor and three under-table Dante endpoints for streamlined integration. Fuat Koro, director global sales and marketing at Bose commented: “This is a mature market, but we believe that we can bring real beneﬁts to the industry with the ControlSpace EX conferencing solution through products and tools that streamline the implementation of conference room audio.” Cisco launched the SparkBoard, an all-in-one device combining digital whiteboarding, wireless presentation and videoconferencing. The board is designed for collaboration both in the room and remotely: it uses Cisco’s Spark service, which can run on a wide variety of devices, and the Cisco Collaboration Cloud. It consists of a 4K 55in LED touchscreen with integrated 4K camera and an embedded 12-microphone array. Comm-Tec’s Collaboration Hub builds up a complete centralised communication system for boardrooms and meetings, giving

participants the option to feed almost any material onto the conference room screen. “The thinking is that we have one system with software that is easy to control so you can include different types of sources,” said presentation unit manager, Micheal Sanger. Crowdbeamer uses a private WiFi hotspot to connect devices together so audiences can see a speaker’s lecture or presentation material on their personal screens. Those individuals can then capture, store, annotate, export and share the information as they wish. Acendo Core from Harman is a presentation solution for huddle spaces and small meeting environments. It features direct integration with MS Exchange scheduling, one-touch Skype for Business integration, native document viewers and email document sharing. “Acendo Core offers a complete integrated solution that enables teams to get to the heart of their meeting as quickly as possible and make optimal use of huddle spaces and smaller meeting rooms,” said Paul Krizan, product manager, networked AV solutions, Harman Professional Solutions. Huddle Room Technology launched the Huddle Hub One,

a wireless video hub that allows people to use their own mobile devices in a multi-camera VC experience. Giulio Ferrari, sales manager at HRT, commented: “You already have a screen and a camera in your pocket, so all you need is a table and with Huddle Hub One, you have a meeting room.” Kramer expanded its VIA range of wireless presentation and collaboration solutions. VIA GO is a wireless plug-and-present solution that lets meeting participants present from any device, and includes built-in WiFi capabilities and connectivity to wired LAN. VIAware is a software-only solution for wireless collaboration in meeting, education and training environments. Logitech unveiled BRIO, its new premium 4K webcam that opens up new uses for desktop video in areas where highest possible video resolution is required, such as telemedicine, engineering collaboration and ﬁeld service. The latest generation of Mezzanine was on display from Oblong. Remote participants can now connect from anywhere on the internet, with no VPN required. Support for videoconferencing from the web browser is built in. Other features include support for

in a room with a Prysm-enabled display, to access VW. Wireless Screen Sharing allows users to wirelessly display a laptop, tablet or mobile device to a Prysm display. Revolabs exhibited the HD Venue and HD Dual Channel wireless microphone systems. Featuring wideband frequency response and audio processing designed to accurately reproduce human speech, both systems are said to deliver clear audio that sounds as natural as a personal conversation. Microphone channels can be mixed at the base unit or managed independently. The integration of Yealink’s videoconferencing meeting room hardware and StarLeaf’s UC OpenCloud platform offers interoperability between Yealink systems and all other video systems including Skype for Business. As well as calling directly between all hardware and software endpoints, Yealink users can schedule multi-party conferencing for up to 50 participants. TSL Services introduced its Media Production Solution, a suite of products and services designed for the corporate and education markets as a low-cost singleoperator production facility. “This is a show that brings in the corporate IT, education and corporate marketing sectors who want to ﬁnd new ways of getting their content out into the ether,” commented director of services Chris Philips.

COLLABORATION AND CONFERENCING

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Arthur Holm introduced the DB2 range of retractable monitors. This is designed to have minimum impact on the furniture, with a depth of just 20cm, as well as being easy to integrate and intuitive to use. The monitors are finished in anodised aluminium, and are equipped with front double anti-reflection glass which protects the screen, reduces the ‘mirror’ effect and increases the contrast ratio.The DB2 is powered by a low consumption video controller and has an interactive set-up display using a 2.2in LCD. This allows local and remote configuration, operation and troubleshooting without having to remove the monitor from the furniture. The range is available in 17.3in and in 21.5in screen sizes, both with full HD native resolution and two DVI HDCP-compliant inputs.

Products on show from Vivitek included laser projectors, interactive panels and most notably the new NovoEnterprise and LauncherPlus. NovoEnterprise has been engineered to enhance the guest experience for SME or enterprise customers, building on the strengths of NovoConnect wireless screen sharing and collaboration systems. With its standalone operation and external antenna, NovoEnterprise provides guests with an ad-hoc wireless connection. LauncherPlus has embedded WiFi so content can be streamed from a meeting participant’s laptop to the big screen with NovoPro or NovoEnterprise. Combined, LauncherPlus and NovoEnterprise suit meeting rooms with lots of external users, and hotel guests renting a meeting room.

David Zrihen EMEA sales director

Install awards 2017

The InstallAwards offers a mix of networking, celebrating and most importantly recognising the achievements of the AV market across the globe. Join us for a three course meal, awards ceremony and after party!

29th June 2017, Central London

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20 AUDIO

March 2017

Partnership working The sector maintained its reputation for technology collaborations between companies

continuing trend at this year’s show was the number of collaborations between manufacturers sharing expertise across technologies. For example, Shure announced partnerships with Biamp, QSC, Symetrix, Yamaha, and Audinate; Astro Spatial Audio teamed up with Alcons Audio to showcase immersive audio; and d&b audiotechnik introduced an ampliﬁer plug-in for Peavey MediaMatrix.

Audio processors The TesiraFORTÉ DAN range of audio processors was introduced by Biamp Systems, the result of its collaboration with Shure. Graeme Harrison, executive VP, Biamp, explained: “The TesiraFORTÉ DAN is compatible with the Shure MXAseries mics. We also added new dedicated Shure MXA input blocks into the latest Tesira 3.0 software – both were extremely well received.” For its own part, Shure introduced the IntelliMix P300 audio conferencing processor, a new digital signal processor created speciﬁcally for small to mediumsized conferencing applications. Paul Gunia, product manager, network systems, global product management, said: “System integrators felt that the P300 and ANIs hit the sweet spot for

performance, connectivity, and simple installation.” Also targeting the meeting and conference sector, Peavey launched its MediaMatrix Claro processor. The single rack processing frame holds 12 balanced mic/line level inputs with eight line outputs. “What separates this is that it is already preconﬁgured in the DSP,” said global marketing manager Shayne Thomas.

with a variety of power levels and outputs. The newly released compact 5A drivers employ Class D technology and DSP and offer automatic gain control and strong phasing performance. AUDIOropa, the professional division of Humantechnik, launched its xeption tour-guide and interpreter system. The RX-1 receiver is simple to use, with just a channel select and a level control. The TX-1 transmitter and TRX-1 receiver/transmitter completes the line-up. Opus Technologies showcased a new compact Class D induction loop ampliﬁer series providing high-quality sound for hearing-impaired people in public places. The LD3.2 is a 19in half-size dual ampliﬁer with a phase shift of 90°, that can power several loops and provide 10A (RMS) per channel, to cover up to 2,600sqm.

LF response to cabinet size for this class of mid-size line array using a single 10in driver.

Other technologies

Renkus-Heinz showed its new T and C Series speakers. These follow on

Clear-Com added several new products, including a new beltpack for the HelixNet Partyline system, which can be run on PoE IP lines back to the main station. Also new was a Dante card for the Eclipse-HX matrix. “This gives us up to 64 ports of lowlatency audio and high-quality links to audio consoles,” said director of product management Simon Browne. 4EVAC showcased its C500 voice alarm system, a compact EN54compliant unit for cost effective installation and operation. It comprises self-contained compact wall-mounted control and voicealarm indicator panels, providing advanced digital audio distribution for a networked VACIE solution. Using the essentials of its flagship dLive S Class mixer, Allen & Heath has created its new dLive

from the TRX and CRX ranges, and like them, are designed for installed sound applications. Based on the same core designs, the C series is a standard range, while the T series offers custom ﬁnishes, colours and form options. The new GEO M10 line array from Nexo is a high-output sound reinforcement system for long-throw theatre and live music applications. The model delivers a strong ratio of

C Class. This is a compact range of Surfaces and MixRacks, which opens up the dLive platform to a wider spectrum of AV, installation and live applications. Each Surface and MixRack has a 128-channel I/O port, supported by a wide array of networking cards. The C Class Surfaces also employ the dLive Harmony UI, which offers gesture touch control via 12in capacitive screens.

Speakers

Amplifiers Unveiled to Installation pre-ISE, Powersoft’s Duecanali 1602 two-channel amplifier received its show debut, alongside the new Quattrocanali four-channel amp platform. In terms of on-board technology, it is similar to the new Quattrocanali series, but differs from the current Duecanali models. Cloud Electronics showed two new models of the MA40 Mini Amplifier series, which are aimed at decentralised solutions and where audio zones need to be added to legacy installations. The MA40F and MA40T are the first in a line of four models, with RS-232/Ethernet and remote level functionality being added to the line-up.

Assisted listening Contacta launched the ﬁrst two hearing loops of a new range, which will number ﬁve in total,

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Looking ahead

We asked a number of ISE 2017 exhibitors: How will the industry be different in ﬁve years’ time, and how will your offering be different as a consequence? participant’s laptop or mobile device. These rooms will amplify the power of the AV conferencing hardware and apps that the user brings into the room. Audio networking has hit its full stride and many manufacturers are embracing it. Maybe at ISE 2022 we won’t see an analogue mic cable on the showﬂoor! Paul Gunia, Shure

AV over IP standards needed

Hardware less important Software will continue to grow in importance. However, the AV market is very conservative: manufacturers have vested interests in hardware, and their customers don’t like to think that big expensive gear will become obsolete. Currently, 95% of the market is in hardware, and 5% in software, but this will change. We’re in lots of different verticals, and they don’t all move at the same speed. One vertical – I don’t know which one – will lead the drive for change. I’m not sure if HDMI and DisplayPort will survive much beyond ﬁve years – everything is moving to IP. Vesa Laasanen, Picturall

meeting room or huddle space. Scott Wharton, Logitech

Greater emphasis on solutions (1) We’ve been addressing basic connectivity needs for the last two years – on and off the network. Today our products are multifunctional, like Swiss army knives. Going ahead we’ll see tighter integration, with a deeper focus on solutions. This will lead to more application-speciﬁc products and better overall solutions. The industry isn’t about selling boxes any more. It’s increasingly about putting solutions in front of the user. Mike Sims, Attero Tech

Greater emphasis on solutions (2) Growth of cloud Over the next five years, cloud-based video will be almost universal in businesses. We’re already seeing increased adoption, with the likes of Skype for Business, Zoom and BlueJeans gaining prominence. The exponential growth in cloud-based video, coupled with more flexible and remote working patterns, will make the deployment of video collaboration solutions a necessity. We’re investing to build products that integrate highdefinition cameras with exceptional sound quality so that communication is crystal clear whether you’re in a large

If I knew, I’d open my own company! Progress in display technology is unstoppable. I believe that AR-VR and collaboration will become more important. The other unstoppable trend is a dedication to solutions. Our parent company Delta already has a strong focus on solution sales in other sectors (such as automotive), and I can see this being adopted in our industry. As Vivitek, we will probably get into new technologies in the next ﬁve years. However, the way we communicate and interact won’t fundamentally change. Holger Graeff, Vivitek

Projectors get smarter Projectors will keep getting brighter and their resolutions will keep increasing. The challenge will be making them live on a network delivering and possibly even storing content to make them smarter. These all-encompassing computer-based devices will be available at all resolutions, and laser and LED light sources will become an industry standard for manufacturers moving forward. Lee Turpitt, Casio

Get into IP before it’s too late Two years ago, our product sales were split 50% RF, 50% IP. Five years’ time from now, there will be no RF. So if you haven’t got into IP by then, you’ll be maintaining legacy systems – and no integrator wants to do that. Systems won’t just be about AV – it will be audio, video and control of IT-related things. Chris Scurto, ZeeVee

Devices more prominent in meetings It seems clear that videoconferencing is an enabling technology that is driving the continued growth of dispersed team collaboration. Going forward I think we’ll see more meeting rooms being equipped with AV endpoints – microphones, processors, and video displays – that connect to and supplement the

The industry is going through the transition to IP at the moment, and there are so many questions still to be answered. As soon as standards are established, we will see faster progress. The transition will take a long time – we won’t see a large number of all-complete IP solutions within ﬁve years. Customers shouldn’t just move to IP because it’s fashionable. Our task right now is to offer solid solutions that are a safe investment but allow for the transition to IP. Serkan Guener, Riedel/ASL

Greater interaction with screens The challenge has always been giving retail customers a better in-store experience, and will be even more so in five years’ time. This means more interaction with signage. Today we have prototypes of clothes systems with cameras that will fit you with your chosen jacket or shirt, change the colour and so on. Systems like this, and other ways of having direct interaction with screens, will be much more common in five years. Pierre Gillet, Brightsign

User interfaces will improve Clearly, the proliferation of AV over IP will continue. Companies like us, with experience in dealing with multiviewers and wall processors, will leverage our expertise to offer expanded capabilities which differentiate us from the crowd. The key thing is: as manufacturers, we’ve got to look past our own ecosystems and think more about the end user. It’s not just about the hardware, which is becoming less important. We’ve got to understand the different use cases, and provide great user interfaces. The world of apps on phones and tablets is affecting our industry, with users expecting an improved ease of use. John Henkel, RGB Spectrum

22 INSTALLATION’S BEST OF SHOW Award winners Installation ran its Best of Show competition once again at ISE 2017. Companies showing products new to the show submitted their entries beforehand, and were visited at their stands by a member of our judging team. Here, with our congratulations, are the winners. Absen – HDV 1.6 Breathtaking images meet installation flexibility. Made for fixed installations, the HDV can be used flush against the wall with power located underneath. AUDAC – AUDAC Touch Free to use, Audac’s Touch app offers complete control of the company’s audio range and room automation. Users can create customisable dashboards that perfectly match specific control needs, and the app allows the creation of a new widget for every external device requiring control. Audinate – Dante Domain Manager Available in three variants, Dante Domain Manager administers security, device domains and reporting in a manner that IT administrators are familiar with – making it a valuable tool in the converged AV-IT world. Chief – Fusion Modular Flexible and adaptable mounting solution linked to user-managed configuration tool. Enables rapid product delivery, to specific customer requirements, easing the integrator’s workload. Cleerline – SSF-FKIT02E and SSF-FKIT03P An impressive demo. Options include the benefits of cost and high-standard fibre termination tools. An essential when delivering 4K2K 60 4:4:4 HDR on projects. Control4 – Control4 Alexa Integration UK By adding Alexa to an existing Control4 set-up, users can operate everything in their homes without having to use touchpanels. It encourages the addition of further interfaces and hardware – perfect for re-engaging with clients and increasing profitability. Crestron – DM NVX Series A natural extension to the successful DigitalMedia range to facilitate delivery of 4K60 4:4:4 HDR video with HDCP2.2 capability using 1Gbps networks. Takes AV distribution to the next level. DiGiCo – SD12 This sonic powerhouse is of the most impressive products we saw at ISE, and is perfect for expandability. DVIGear – DisplayNet DN-200 Series Boasting high-speed USB 2.0 connections as well as HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2, the DisplayNet DN-200 series is super-scalable and super-powerful, supporting real-time resolutions up to 4K. The internal scaling in the Tx and Rx allows for very robust videowall applications and also multiviewer applications. Guntermann & Drunck – DP1.2-VisionXG-MC4 The concept of the KVM extender has really evolved. Uncompressed, latency-free 8K video transmission at 60Hz over great distances is now within reach and the benefits

March 2017

will be clear to any organisation that requires pixel-perfect DisplayPort video. Harman – Connected PA Solution An impressive use of integrated technology that is seamless to the end user, but will save so much time in set-up and soundchecks. The possibilities for personalisation and customised functionality make this a worthy winner.

PRESENTED AT ISE 2017

Holovis – Near Miss Simulator A terrifyingly realistic immersive simulation involving a ‘moving’ platform, realistic 360º visuals, audio, wind and more. The perfect way to get people to take notice of health and safety presentations! JVC – DLA-Z1 The first 4K THX-approved projector, with a wide range of features and high image quality that delivers image depth and high contrast. An affordable projector that raises the bar in 4K picture-price performance. Kramer – AOCH/60 Fibre Optic HDMI Cables Billed as the easiest way to pass HDMI for 4K over distance, Kramer’s AOCH cables feature a unique detachable head that enables easy installation in tight spaces. Leyard and Planar – Leyard DirectLight LED Video Wall System Supremely flexible and virtually limitless in its scalability, this next-gen videowall is also a breeze to install and maintain. Nothing else available achieves the same ultra-fine pixel pitch arrays, and the provided front-install mounting solution is genius in its simplicity. Loxit – Magic Carpet The Magic Carpet can be set-up within minutes. A simple but effective concept for indoor use, with loads of apps. NewTek – MediaDS A complete content encoding and publishing solution-in-abox that simplifies and delivers a highly efficient solution. With the scope to deliver to any platform, it is the only publishing solution required in most applications. Peerless-AV – SmartMount Supreme Full Service Video Wall Mount Available in two versions, pull-lever and push/quick-release for easy access, the Supreme is very easy to service with tool-less lateral micro-adjustment. Lightweight and easy-fix design plus cable management complete the no-nonsense approach. QSC – Q-SYS software on standard Dell server By demonstrating how an existing Q-SYS software rack can run on a standard Dell server, QSC has offered a glimpse of what could become a typical audio-video-control processing set-up for many corporate and larger-scale enterprises. RTI – CX10 This countertop version of the KX10 features a customisable 10in LCD touchscreen. The multifunctional device has intercom capabilities, composite video inputs for security devices, direct control capabilities for projectors and other devices along with built-in stereo speakers, making it a neat and versatile solution for commercial and residential applications.

Sennheiser – TeamConnect Wireless Set Tray M The new Tray M represents an attractive option for small meeting rooms or conferences of up to 12 people where ease of use and high sound quality are key requirements. The elegant design of the satellites and the charging/ docking tray add to the appeal. Sharp – PN-V701 70in Video Wall Display 70in LCD specifically designed for videowall installations. A tiny gap width of 4.4mm enables installers to create large displays with minimal bezel interruptions for the luxury signage market. Shure – IntelliMix P300 This compact box could have a big impact on your conferencing experience. Get Shure-quality audio through your laptop or mobile quickly and easily in a simple to install and cost-efficient solution that enables collaborative, effective meetings. SiliconCore – LISA technology platform A new concept for displays featuring a smooth laminated, LED surface with diodes bonded to the PCB. It offers significant advantages over previous technologies and look set to open up new applications. Stewart Filmscreen – Phantom HALR Twelve years in the making, the Phantom High Ambient Light Rejecting screen is the largest in its category at up to 40ft x 90ft seamless. Image quality is as you’d expect from Stewart, and with 16K-plus resolution it’s futureproofed too. Stream TV Networks – 65in Digital Signage Display with Glasses Free Ultra-D An innovative solution for glasses–free 3D that ties into an established cloud-based content distribution route for digital signage. With the partnership with SignageLive and IAdea in place, Stream TV looks set to make a big impact in the visual display market. TSL Products – InSite Great for outsourced systems, this DCIM software uses an impressive 3D GUI with systems monitoring. wePresent – WiCS-2100 A step ahead in collaboration technology with advanced and unique features including preview, thumbnails and onboard GoogleCast and AirPlay handling sets a new level in collaboration tools. Advanced management tools make multi-system control simple.

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