Installation October 2014 digital edition

Issue 172 / October 2014

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

‘We’re here to stay’

Interview: AVI-SPL EMEA head p22

Platforms for AV

Opportunities in oil and gas p36

Larging it

How club systems keep Ibiza pumping p42

HEADS YOU WIN

Becoming a player in the digital signage market p32

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WELCOME 03

October 2014

Editor’s comment I

Paddy Baker, Editor paddy.baker@intentmedia.co.uk

’VE HEARD the phrase ‘cottage industry’ a couple of times this past month in relation to AV integrators.

The first was at our InstallMarket conference, where Nick Gale, moderator of the retail session, was talking about how it’s not unusual for small companies to find themselves working for billion-pound retail clients. He said: “I’m wondering if one of the barriers to this industry moving forward is the end users see us as a collection of cottage industries that they’ve got to hold together in order to get the total solutions that they’re looking for.”

The other occasion was in my interview with James Shanks, EMEA managing director of AVI-SPL, the world’s largest integrator. On page 22, he says: “We will see the industry taking further steps away from being the biggest cottage industry in the UK” as the major players

‘Having giant customers working with small suppliers runs a number of risks on both sides’ both expand and take more of a corporate, systems-driven approach to the market.

This trend has got to be a good thing for the market overall. Having giant customers working with small suppliers runs a number of risks on both sides. Also, worldwide projects require worldwide deployment, and so the integrator needs to be of a size to fulfil this. One approach, of course, is to form a network of partner companies, but as Shanks points out, control, insight and visibility are usually better when one’s own people are involved.

I’m not suggesting that there is no room in the industry for smaller players. There are small integrators that make a comfortable living in niche markets that aren’t going away any time soon. But having more large integrators that can service the largest of international blue-chip clients entirely with their own resources is something that will not only benefit those clients – it will also go a long way to raising the public profile of our industry.

I’VE JUST got space here to introduce Installation’s new sales team. Sales manager Gurpreet Purewal joined us in mid-September from Incisive Media (following our managing director Mark Burton who did the same thing earlier this year); and account manager Peter McCarthy joined in August from a technology publication serving the maritime sector. They’ve both taken to their new roles with great gusto, and are already making their presence felt within the industry. Great to have you on board, guys.

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

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

Managing editor: Joanne Ruddock jo.ruddock@intentmedia.co.uk

Production manager: Jason Dowie jason.dowie@intentmedia.co.uk

Deputy editor: James McGrath james.mcgrath@intentmedia.co.uk

Digital content manager: Tim Frost tim.frost@intentmedia.co.uk

Designer: Tom Carpenter tom.carpenter@intentmedia.co.uk

Publisher: Steve Connolly

Sales manager: Gurpreet Purewal gurpreet.purewal@intentmedia.co.uk

Contributors: Daniel Borg, Rob Lane, Ian McMurray, Steve Montgomery, Daniel Roth

Account manager: Peter McCarthy peter.mccarthy@intentmedia.co.uk

Special thanks: Jo Boyd, Lee Ellison, Josh Reed, Bob Snyder

© NewBay Media 2014. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior permission of the copyright owners.

Printed by Pensord Press, Wales

Print ISSN: 2050-6104

Online ISSN: 2052-2401

Cover image: Casino Gran Madrid – courtesy of NEC

NewBay Media is a member of the Periodical Publishers Association

A sister title to SCN

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04 CONTENTS October 2014

32

News & Data 06 14 24 28

Update Appointments Industry Data Bright future for quantum dot LCD Regional Voices: UAE

Features

People 16

22

32

Opinion Rob Lane on augmented reality Daniel Borg on control rooms Daniel Roth on projection mapping Interview James Shanks, AVI-SPL

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36 42

Digital signage: Keeping in touch with market movements Oil and gas: Exploring AV in an expanding market Club audio: Ibiza under the spotlight

Solutions

Technology 49 54 56

60

New Products Demo of the Month Oblong’s Mezzanine Showcase Microphone systems

49 Show News 10 12 30

PLASA London: What to look out for at ExCeL this month InstallMarket: Highlights from our conference event last month IBC 2014: The latest AV-broadcast convergence products

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12

63

Microsoft Production Studios, Redmond: Largest media production facility in the Pacific north-west transforms operations with new networking solution Gala Bingo, UK: The bingo hall chain has updated its signage system to ease queuing during peak times

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06 UPDATE October 2014

EN54 system for Polish sports hall Community R Series loudspeakers are part of a new audio system at the $40 million Toru´n Sports Hall. The multisports complex in the Polish city has a capacity of 6,000, expandable to 9,000.

System designer and project manager Marcin Zimny of Tommex Zebrowscy commented: “EN54-24certified versions of R Series models were used to cover the seating which is a full 360º.

Eight R2-77Z loudspeakers were employed for the seating areas down the length of the venue, and a combination of six R1-94Z and 14 R166Z loudspeakers for the shorter ends and the sports competition field. Being EN5424 certified, these loudspeakers met the specification required and their outstanding audio quality fully satisfied the venue’s announcement and entertainment needs.”

The system is managed by a g+m elektronik APSAprosys voice evacuation system and uses the new

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g+m 500W Class D amps to power the loudspeakers. Zimny explained: “Like all of our EN54-24 projects, when pro sound meets voice evacuation we design the system with two independent channels.

This provides a signal for voice evacuation directly from the microphone desk or message memory to the APS-Aprosys, as required to meet the regulations and certification.

A second signal for pro audio goes from the commentary desk via two Community dSPEC226 processors directly to the amplifiers. For the Toru´n Sports Hall we used a 2-in/6out dSPEC226 and a 4-in/6out dSPEC226AN, giving us a total of 12 output channels for optimisation of the signal to the loudspeakers.” The installation was carried out by Łód´Z -based IRBIS.

www.communitypro.com www.tommex.pl www.irbis.com.pl www.gm-elektronik.ch

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08 UPDATE October 2014

Hide and speak

How many loudspeakers can you see in this picture? This is Hamad International Airport in Doha, which covers 29sqkm, and has been equipped with a PA system based around RenkusHeinz Iconyx digitally steerable line array speakers.

Look carefully – still can’t see any? That’s because every single one of the 245 speaker columns has been hidden from view. “They have all been flush mounted and concealed behind grilles, or they have been integrated into custom-designed

stainless steel pillars,” explained Renkus-Heinz Middle East sales manager Norbert Bau. It’s an architecturally stunning facility and the best Iconyx installation I’ve ever seen.”

The system includes 208 IC8-R, 30 IC16-R, five IC24-R, and two IC32-R loudspeaker columns, all networked to provide individual control of each individual unit. The project also included a massive IED announcement control system and thousands of small ceiling speakers for the voice alarm system.

www.renkus-heinz.com

New Partners Atlona and Bang & Olufsen have formed a global partnership under which Atlona products will be preconfigured for plug-and-play compatibility with Bang & Olufsen systems, and Bang & Olufsen integrators will be encouraged to use Atlona products in configuring systems for clients. Bang & Olufsen dealers will also be able to purchase Atlona products directly from B&O’s dealer website. www.atlona.com www.bang-olufsen.com

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inMusic, parent company of Denon Professional and Marantz Professional, has appointed PAG Canada to handle sales operations in the country. Denon Professional and Marantz Professional products will be disseminated to Canadian dealers from inMusic’s distribution centre in Quebec. PAG will handle all outbound sales and dealer support while inMusic provides order entry, fulfillment, credit, and customer support. www.denonpro.com www.pagcanada.com

Optocore has appointed Audio Solutions to distribute its products in Russia. According to manager of the pro audio department, Igor Kovalev, the Moscow-based company will be providing Optocore solutions to its two core markets: sound reinforcement (theatres, concert halls, live events) and broadcast. The two companies have previously worked together on a major concert hall installation. www.audiosolutions.ru www.optocore.com

RGB Communications has been named as the UK distributor for the SurgeX brand of AC power solutions. SurgeX provides professional-grade power protection and intelligence solutions for rack systems, branch circuits and standalone equipment for missioncritical electronics in solutions including residential and commercial projects, ranging from digital signage displays and home cinema to education and houses of worship. www.rgbcomms.co.uk www.surgex.com

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10 SHOW PREVIEW: PLASA LONDON October 2014

After making the move to ExCeL in 2013, PLASA returns to east London from 5 to 8 October with more floor space and an expected growth in visitor numbers

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LASA London’s second trip to ExCeL will see a strong exhibitor line-up and an even stronger Professional Development Programme.

Highlights of this year’s programme include ‘Rediscovering lighting control – past, present and future’ presented by Neil Austin, Robert Bell, Rob Halliday, Jim Laws, Richard Pilbrow (chair) at 15:45 on the first day of the show. This is followed

by Tony Andrews and John Newsham discussing ‘Point source. Line Array. What do these terms really mean?’ at 14:00 on Monday, with ‘The convergence of video and lighting – whatever next’ presented by Selvin Copper at 14:45.

Audio Cadac is showing its CDC eight-32, CDC eight-16 and CDC four digital consoles, as well as the LIVE1 compact analogue desk.

The company is launching the latest V2.3 CDC eight software, which brings a host of new features to the flagship concert

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sound console, as well as exhibiting the CDC MC Router and MC MADI Bridge.

Source Distribution will host the European debut of key products from WorxAudio and PreSonus.

Newly acquired by PreSonus, WorxAudio’s lineup comprises more than 20 loudspeaker models that feature integrated rigging hardware for streamlined installation and pack-out. A selection of the company’s compact line array and subwoofer products – including the V5, X2, X115 and TL118 models – will be showcased in Europe for the first time.

Also new for PLASA is the PreSonus RM-series of rackmount digital mixers, which offer complete recallable touch control.

Another new PreSonus technology that will be on display is the optional Dante networking card for the StudioLive AI PA loudspeakers – making these speakers the first Dante-enabled active models on the market.

Shure Distribution UK will be giving two new products their UK public

debut at PLASA: TouchMix from QSC and the QLX-D wireless microphone system from Shure.

Available in two sizes, TouchMix-8 with 12 input channels and TouchMix-16 with 20, the mixers include comprehensive EQ and dynamics processing on each input, main and aux output channel, and four mix busses feeding four internal digital effects processors.

Using the same underlying technology as Shure’s ULX-D digital wireless mic system, QLX-D delivers transparent 24-bit digital audio with a flat frequency response, but comes in a more affordable package and with a streamlined feature set compared to ULX-D. Absent from last year’s event, Yamaha Commercial Audio returns to PLASA London with its Version 3 software for CL and QL digital mixing consoles.

Visitors will also be able to get ‘hands on’ withthe QL1 and QL5 compact consoles, launched at Prolight + Sound.

Lighting ArKaos PRO is launching MediaMaster 4.1, the latest version of its media server software. Previewed at Prolight+Sound, this new version offers a plethora of features and more flexible protection to make it “the most adaptable, secure and user-friendly software around”, says the company.

Topping the bill on the Artistic Licence stand is the new versaSplit system, a rackmount product that sweeps away traditional approaches to DMX and Ethernet distribution.

Designed to be a radio distribution system one day, or a DMX splitter or Ethernet node the next, versaSplit embodies a modular and configurable solution that breaks down

the barriers between conventional product types.

Avolites is unveiling Quartz, a compact console aimed at the touring market. “Quartz is the newest addition to the Titan Mobile family, complete with on-board processing and a bright, vibrant 12.1in screen,” said Avolites sales manager Stephen Baird Smith.

Elation Professional will be showing the Elation Sniper multi-effect and laser simulator, which created a buzz when released at the PRO show in September.

Also on the stand will be a host of other lighting innovations, including the hybrid Platinum SBX: a 3-in-1 beam, spot and wash fixture with an innovative new optical system.

Philips Selecon’s RAMA LED Fresnel, will be in action at PLASA London. Designed for 230V operation, it combines the control and light quality of a Philips Selecon Fresnel but with added LED advantages. It provides an adjustable cone of light, has a soft edge and is easily blended with adjacent beams to provide even illumination.

Visitors will be able to see the VL4000 Spot in action during the twice daily light shows on the Philips VariLite stand. Features include high-resolution optics, which ensure ‘remarkable’ centre-to-edge focusing and an ‘unprecedented’ contrast ratio, and a 5:1 zoom covering 9º to 47º without sacrificing output or clarity.

www.plasashow.com

PLASA LONDON Where? ExCeL When? 5-7 October 10:00-18:00 8 October 10:00-16:00 22/09/2014 16:40

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4th September 2014

Business Design Centre - London

12 SHOW REVIEW: INSTALLMARKET October 2014

Here’s a flaovur of what took place at our InstallMarket conference and networking event, which was held at London’s Business Design Centre on 4 September KEYNOTE Award-winning projection artist Ross Ashton gave the keynote address at InstallMarket, discussing examples of his work and talking about how the technology to create them has changed over the years. He compared two similar projections at the Shell Building in London in 2008 and 2013: while the media servers had increased in power, and shrunk in size, dramatically over this period, the projectors used were the same: 18,000-lumen Christie Roadsters.

His work, which has taken him all around the world, has featured both event-based and permanently installed projections. He showed examples of the latter from Las Vegas and India – sadly, however, there are currently no permanent examples of projection mapping in the UK.

RETAIL The opening session ‘Forces that Drive Retail Tech’ saw three leading retail integrators talk about the challenges that they are addressing and present some of the solutions that they have installed. The session was moderated by Nick Gale of Realisation.

Steve Blyth, managing director of Engage Production, talked about the evolution of the GUI to the NUI – a natural user interface that retail customers can use intuitively. “The goal of NUI is to create seamless interaction,” he said. Blyth also showed a video of the InstallAward-winning Virtual Style Pod, which allows shoppers to try on clothing virtually.

“Dumb displays are a thing of the past,” said Adam Wilson, commercial director of Intevi. “A simple screen stuck on the wall with a DVD player is not good enough any more.” The role of technology, he argued, is to add to customers’ journeys, rather than distracting them.

“Every asset has to earn money,” said Paul O’Reilly, managing director of Vivid. He was speaking on the morning that Gap’s new ‘Dress Normal’ campaign had launched, across screens in the company’s stores in London (Oxford Street), Paris and Milan – with the installations co-ordinated by Vivid. He had received the RFP (request for proposal) for the campaign just three weeks earlier – on his honeymoon!

SPONSORS Platinum Sponsor

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Gold Sponsors Sponsor

BROADCAST AND AV The session ‘AV & Broadcast Convergence: A Marriage in IP’ addressed the many ways in which both the AV and broadcast markets are changing.

“Convergence is shifting now to an alignment of production flows, marketing needs and skills,” said venture capitalist James Raby, who moderated the session. “Technology is an enabler, but the important thing is the way this is now changing the differentiation between everyone in the industry.”

Picking up on Maby’s point that the meaning of the phrase ‘broadcast quality’ is no longer clear, Carmelo Amenta, project manager at Metro Broadcast, described how the streaming codec for a certain client event was chosen as it gave the most acceptable tradeoff between quality and upload time.

Nevil Bounds, group sales director, Torpedo Factory Group, applauded the affordability of video production solutions – it is possible to buy a ‘studio in a box’ Nevil Bounds for around £10,000 – but bemoaned the “horrific lack of production values” that are sometimes evident, and called for more user training with these new tools.

Dave Raymen, southern regional manager, Saville AV, commented that it’s very important to choose your partners well when embarking on any kind of IP video distribution project. While different manufacturers’ technologies are fundamentally similar when it comes to moving data around the network, they sit within different areas of expertise.

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SHOW REVIEW: INSTALLMARKET 13

October 2014

EDUCATION Futuresource senior analyst Colin Messenger, moderator of Mike Brown the session ‘Not Your Father’s Classroom, Not Your Mother’s Campus’, began with some interesting market statistics. In the UK education market, there are now more interactive flatpanels than interactive whiteboards: “The world watches the UK with these kinds of products,” he commented. Additionally, by 2018 there will be twice as many computers as people within higher education.

Daryl Clarke, managing director and owner, Digital Message, declared he was “not a fan of the manufacturer-distributor model”, as low-cost providers generally lead to poor deployment, wth technology not used and then being dismissed as a waste of money.

Mike Brown, business manager 3Ducation, CDEC, discussed lesson capture systems, which he believes will become standard in education.

However, in the case study that he described, there was a significant delay in the deployment because of concerns from teachers’ unions about various data protection issues, including who would initiate recording sessions and how the recordings would be used subsequently.

HOSPITALITY In the hospitality session, entitled ‘What Hospitality Venues Really Want’, moderator John Grew, MD and principal consultant, Spartan Comms, commented: “The hotel room used to be the place that had the technology that everybody wanted in John Grew the home – like a big plasma TV. What we’ve found over the past four or five years… is that the AV in there is far less than you have in your own space.”

The challenge for hoteliers, he said, is find new products and experiences for the guests, not just within bedroooms but also in their meeting spaces and public spaces.

The three panellists developed this theme by talking about three different kinds of hotel installation. Tom Blackwell, managing director of AV3, described an audio installation in the public areas of the high-end Edition hotel in London; Peter Hall, managing director of Future Projections, talked about the cinema installation in the Ham Yard Hotel; and Daven Bodhani, managing director of the Hotel TV Company, talked about alternative guest-room revenue sources, given that the advent of online streaming services has had a hugely negative impact on in-room pay-TV.

TRANSPORTATION The session ‘What Moves Transportation Technology’ concentrated on control room technology, as it featured two specialists in this area: Paul Brooks, business development manager at AVISPL and Daniel Borg, managing director of Electrosonic AB. Brooks made the point that in transportation, near realtime processing of the image is more important than high resolution.

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Increasingly he is finding himself talking to the large transport systems integrators, such as Siemens, to discuss how their software can be integrated into control rooms.

He also remarked that there is often the need for a consultancy approach when selling control rooms to local authorities, as the client contact may have little or no knowledge of how they should be designed and what they can achieve.

You can read an edited version of Daniel Borg’s presentation on page 18.

AV-IT In the final session, ‘Whose Network Is IT, Anyway?’, three integrators – Mike Brooman, director of Vanti, Graham Fry, managing director of avsnet and Rich Denham, managing director of FitzPro – discussed their experiences of projects in the light of AV-IT integration. The session was moderated by Keith Humphreys, principal consultant at euroLAN Research.

Brooman pointed out that, while there are huge cost savings to be had from converged systems, that is generally not the line to take with clients: “Don’t talk to clients about about how much money they’re going to save – talk about how much better [the new system is] going to be.”

Fry said that, since his company rebranded to avsnet and expanded its skillset to include networking and telephony alongside traditional AV, it has been able to supply a larger proportion of the total project on many occasions.

Denham said that IT people can be scared off the prospect of AV people plugging equipment into ‘their’ network. Being able to demonstrate a basic understanding of IT and networking helps here, as does establishing “dialogue from day one”.

Summary In his closing remarks, Installation editor Paddy Baker summed up some key messages for integrators from across the sessions: Know your customer and their needs. As their requirements become more complex, your depth of knowledge needs to increase. Sometimes, you will have to show them what is possible.

Remember that you may have a broader perspective than your immediate customer. For instance, in the hospitality market, hotel owners, operators and guests will have different priorities – you may have to remind your customer of this.

Understand the limits of your expertise – and bring in complementary expertise where necessary.

Particularly when they are not technical experts, training for end-users on their new system is essential – though it often gets overlooked.

As projects grow in complexity and scope, project management and planning become ever more important.

Establish trust with other the parties in the project – but if you can’t manage this, you may have to bully a little.

Paul Brooks

We’d like to offer our grateful thanks to all the moderators and speakers, and to Bob Snyder (the event’s content editor) for helping us to create such a full, detailed and thought-provoking conference programme.

www.install-market.com

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14 APPOINTMENTS October 2014

RENKUS-HEINZ

Audiologic

New president at Renkus-Heinz The company has also created a product marketing position, filled by Jim Bailey

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enkus-Heinz has appointed Roscoe Anthony (pictured) to the position of president. He joins after a lengthy tenure as president of Califone, a provider of audio and multimedia solutions for education. His 12 years at Califone saw the company through a period of record growth, including the transition of its product lines from analogue to digital.

Prior to this he was division manager for pro-audio manufacturer Tascam and held executive positions at JBL Professional and SKB. “Roscoe brings with him an extraordinarily wide-ranging skillset, with deep expertise in business, marketing and manufacturing, along with a powerful

grasp of today’s complex technologies,” remarked chairman Harro Heinz. “We are truly pleased to welcome him, and are looking forward to working together.”

Also new to the company is Jim Bailey, former general manager of Aphex, who has taken up a product marketing position. His lengthy career in pro audio has included product management positions at Avid and Tascam.

In this new position, Bailey will fill a number of roles within the company, including the creation of technical documentation, educational videos and software development. He will work directly with both marketing and engineering.

www.renkus-heinz.com

Dave Smith has joined Audiologic in the newly created role of business development manager. With a strong background in both the consumer electronics and music industry sectors, Smith brings a wealth of experience gained from his time with Panasonic, Micron and latterly, Sennheiser. www.audiologic.uk

Blynk Digital Media Adrian Livsey Has been appointed sales director at Blynk Digital Media. His recruitment comes at a point where the company is developing fast, following its creation as a spin-off from Pro Audio Systems. www.blynkdigitalmedia.com

Digital Projection Ian Ambler has been named regional sales manager for the UK & Ireland at Digital Projection.

He will be charged with developing the company’s business through a network of new and existing partners. Ambler comes with 20 years’ experience of the AV industry, including time with Barco and projectiondesign. www.digitalprojection.co.uk

DPA Microphones RH CONSULTING

SHARP

Richard Northwood joins team

Visual Solutions team expanded

Consultant brings 30 years of industry experience to the company

Two additons to the European management team announced

Consultant Richard Northwood has joined London-based RH Consulting. He brings 3 decades of experience working on projects including Wembley, Ascot, Nokia, Oman Opera house and more.

“We’ve been talking about working together for quite some time, so it’s great that we have now finally made it official,” commented Northwood on joining the company formed by Roland Hemming.

“Roland and I have already worked together on a number of projects and our skills are very complementary.

“I regard this as an excellent move for me personally, and RH Consulting benefits by the addition of my experience and skill set to what was already an impressive base.”

Sharp has added two new members to its Visual Solutions European management team, with responsibility for developing Sharp’s professional large-format display business.

Sid Stanley becomes sales director Europe. He has has over 18 years’ experience in the AV industry at companies including Sony, Barco and Promethean.

Michael Bailly joins as product planning and marketing director Europe. He is responsible for product strategy and planning, communication, brand and web strategy for B2B visual solutions across Europe. Bailly has over 15 years’ experience in the display and digital signage industry across EMEA with NEC Display Solutions Europe and Samsung Electronics Europe.

www.rhconsulting.eu

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Christopher Spahr has joined DPA as area sales manager for the Eastern US. Pedro Rocha and Leonardo Romero have taken up the same position for the Western US and Southern US/ Latin America, respectively.

The company has also promoted Shan Siebert to general manager of the Longmont, Colorado-based office. www.dpamicrophones.com

Polar Audio Stuart Leader has been promoted to head of installation at Polar Audio, following the company’s recent realignment into two distinct sectors – MI and Installation. He has been with the company for two years, previously as business development manager, and has spent time at Crestron and Sanyo. www.polaraudio.co.uk

Stewart Filmscreen Douglas Brashear who served as president of Stewart Filmscreen since April 2013, has transitioned to the board of directors. Grant Stewart will assume the role of both CEO and president until a successor is named. www.stewartfilmscreen.com

www.sharp.eu

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16 OPINION: ON THE HORIZON October 2014

Rob Lane

Real-world augmented applications Is AR just a bit of fun, or does it have genuinely practical uses?

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ne of the challenges for augmented reality (AR) gurus is to find genuinely practical uses for the technology – and the US fashion industry has been quick off the mark. Earlier this year, Californiabased start-up Cymplifi released a fashion AR app which allows users to ‘try on’ clothes via their smartphones. In a nutshell, it drops images of apparel on top of user pics or videos. Users can share the image with their friends via social media, and if feedback is positive they can make the purchase from their phone.

While the video function is to be avoided – the garment is static against the motion of your selfie vid – the photo try-on is better than just staring at an image of the clothing. However, for pricier purchases especially, you’d be wise to ensure the store has a good returns policy, just in case.

Another US apparel handheld device AR solution is Zaphat, available via the Zappar app.

Zappar was the first company anywhere to develop an AR-enabled hat collection both for its own label and for licensed baseball caps from US retailers including JCPenney, Target, Macy’s and Walmart.

Users wear a Zaphat beanie or a licensed Zaphat product, the logo of which acts as a target allowing the Zapper app to track position and orientation of the user’s head and overlay 3D virtual content – zombie heads, etc – on top.

Zaphats are purchased from selected stores or online and the in-app store gives access to original and licensed content. Of course, users can capture and share images and video.

Launched in time for the 2012 US Presidential elections, Barack Obama baseball caps did a

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roaring trade, unlocking an augmented reality cartoon President via the app. In this case, a fashion item (the Zaphat) is the enabler for the AR, rather than the other way around. However, the concept is certainly interesting and is a clever way of giving consumers another decider when it comes to choosing their beanie or baseball cap!

This summer, beauty retailer Sephora launched an augmented reality mirror in its Milan store that simulates cosmetics in both real time and 3D – allowing shoppers to try different shades of eye shadow.

Once the colours have been applied from a virtual palette, the user can move her head to see how the make-up looks from different angles. Virtual makeover tech from ModiFace allows the mirror to track the location of a user’s facial features.

Another AR fashion product requiring in-store placement is Fashion3D, a new kind of ‘virtual changing room’, offering – for the first time – ‘accurate cloth simulation’ in 3D. Using software developed by Space3D, and distributed in the UK by Engage Production (regular readers will remember that this is one of my clients), Fashion3D started life as the Virtual Style Pod, showcased in autumn 2013 at luxury Abu Dhabi retail destination The Galleria.

With Fashion3D, users stand in front of a display that mimics a full-length mirror, while AR software overlays their image with realistic 3D renders of clothing and other items. The system enables users to quickly create outfits by mixing and matching a wide range of garments from the host’s inventory – ideal for retailers. Not a new concept,

Fashion3D is certainly the most effective virtual changing room yet.

Away from fashion, I have been very impressed with Cimagine Media’s markerless AR system.

Using a combination of the internal sensors on mobile devices and high-end image processing, Cimagine’s 360º Super-Reality technology

‘Barack Obama baseball caps did a roaring trade, unlocking an augmented reality cartoon President via the app’

ensures that the AR object is realistically rendered to maintain scale and position.

This allows users to view the AR object from all angles and distances on their tablet or smartphone, while positioning it in the real world.

The AR object can be touched and accurately manipulated on screen to define the best fit within the intended environment.

I tried it with a range of furniture, and I was seriously impressed with its effectiveness. It’s possible to get a very accurate idea of how objects would look in your sitting room. This is an AR application with genuine real-world aspirations and one that has already found a home – it was recently incorporated into Shop Direct’s e-commerce platform.

Rob Lane is founder/director of PR/ marketing agency Bigger Boat PR Ltd and will do anything to avoid shopping on the high street.

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18 OPINION: ON THE AGENDA October 2014

Daniel Borg

How are control rooms changing?

Personalisation and virtualisation are two key trends

W

e have had the good fortune to work with the Swedish Transport Administration for the past eight years. Like any road traffic administration they collect, process and distribute data to everyone on the roads, and we deliver all the visual and user systems to support that.

Among the many changes we have seen during that time, perhaps the most significant is that the control room is becoming more personalised. Basically, the emphasis has shifted from large displays showing a lot of visual data to something that is closer to the operators.

This puts demands on the system topology, and on the integrator, to make it more usable.

The old control room walls are not gone entirely, but they are often complemented by smaller walls used either by individuals or by smaller groups with more specialist tasks in maintaining the traffic flow.

‘IP is a huge opportunity but also a huge challenge for the integrator in making the systems user-friendly’

Generally we see that everyone recognises that control rooms are a great place to host critical functions; in Sweden a big change has taken place where all of the different government agencies have been separated, but we now see increasing interest from the municipality to be in the same control room as the road administration – and interest from the

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police and any other agency that may like to use the data that is being collected.

The control room itself is not growing physically, so to fit these additional people into it we need to make the operator consoles a little smaller. At the same time there is more technology becoming available for the individual operator, so there is demand for much more integration – so they don’t have 14 or 15 buttons to press, or five or six systems to operate. Also the integration is becoming different, because most of the new systems being deployed are either virtualised or web-based – so it’s rather far away from classical AV as we know it.

Control rooms have always been very display driven. It’s been the dream of any screen manufacturer to get into a control room because they can sell a lot of displays, which will need to be replaced after a few years. If you can provide a good product and good service, you will probably have the business for a very long time.

We started at the Swedish Transport Administration with rear-projection cubes. There are only two reasons why that might change: first of all price, and second, space – which is becoming a scarce resource in the control room.

So what are our control room clients asking for? First of all, image quality is key, especially if you’re watching a lot of camera images. In Stockholm we have three major tunnel systems where it’s extremely important that the image quality is perfect, especially for darker images.

The size is determined by viewing distances classically. There has also been a demand for greener technology. You can really see a difference between older display types and new, more power-efficient models.

Of course, reliability is essential as well.

Compared with the screens we see today, my prediction is that we’re going to see something that is even more reliable over a long period of time. The market will also move towards something that is longer lasting and will get rid of all the spaces between screens – even though they’re down to about 3.6mm or even less now.

I think that technologies like LED can overcome the price barrier and the image quality barrier.

Then we have the image distribution aspect.

IP-based systems have made a huge impact – maybe not so much in traffic but in other kinds of control rooms in the Scandinavian market. It’s a huge opportunity but also a huge challenge for the integrator in making the systems userfriendly. IP parts are quite simple to understand for many clients – but they may not understand the impact it has on network infrastructure and the skillsets that they will need internally, and their suppliers and integrators will need, to ensure full functionality of these systems.

A final thing that is making life a bit more challenging is virtualising the sub-systems that we normally display on the walls, and displaying them on the operator stations. Different technology and different knowledge are needed to provide similar functionality to what came from analogue KVM back in the day.

Daniel Borg is managing director of Electrosonic AB, based in Bromma near Stockholm. This article is based on his presentation at the transportation panel session at InstallMarket. www.electrosonic.com

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20 OPINION: ON SITE October 2014

Daniel Roth Go big, or go home Five tips for executing large-scale projections

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ith short attention spans and information overload from countless brands vying for consumer attention, capturing mindshare and spurring measurable actions from audiences is more difficult than ever.

However, high-definition content creation and projection is one of the best ways to captivate an audience. You can make an impact on your audience through the adaptation and inspired implementation of large-scale projection mapping with these five tips for success.

Surprise the Viewer: Most people have never seen large-scale projection mapping live. To maximise the impact to your audience, leverage the element of surprise by not giving away the full scope of the projection surface until the show begins. Disguise elements to appear as the existing walls and decorations, so that once the show begins, the viewer is startled to see the grand scope of the experience.

Bring depth to your content imagery by having them move through a virtual 3D space you create. This deepens their emotional connection to the experience as they are transformed from the venue into your virtual reality.

Own the Architecture: People will naturally assume the structure of the building, including support columns, wall areas, beams, and more, are not part of the experience. Capitalise on this to build upon the element of surprise. Make these a part of your projection with specific imagery that makes it seem you selected this space because the architecture was necessary to the overall show effect.

Columns become conduits for energy waves.

Alcoves become windows to another world.

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Ceiling soffits transform into whatever your imagination can dream up.

Always conduct site visits and take accurate measurements of the entire space, including the architectural elements, to ensure you use it all.

Understand the materials, light sources, rigging, building restrictions and the ease of access to determine what will make the most visually stunning projection.

Hide the Technology: Bewilder the audience with cleverly disguised technology. Hide the projectors, block rigging from view and bury cords under carpets. Leave no trace of how the image is being rendered on screen, so that it appears as simply magic.

Ensure your projection blends are spot on.

Subtle mismatches on screen edge blends and differences in colour temperature are perceived by people on an unconscious level and tell the brain “something isn’t right here”, and their ability to suspend disbelief is disrupted.

The signal of success is when the audience is looking all around trying to determine where the projection is coming from, or looking over their shoulder to where sound is emanating from.

Control the Audiovisual Footprint: Understand the ideal angles of view to experience your projection and ensure your audience is properly positioned for maximum experience. Chairs should only be placed where you want them, and any seating or standing zones that will be partially blocked by architecture or other elements should be avoided.

Consider how you will allow sound to move through the space and plan for this before you begin content development. This is especially

The Franciscan Monastery of The Holy Land in America in Washington DC, enlisted AV Concepts to help integrate technology, innovation and design into its entranceway, to create an immersive visitor experience

important for your audience. Make sure seating gives the maximum visual and audio experience.

Keep the Eyes Moving: Audiences have the most positive reactions to large-scale projection displays when images and corresponding sound travel from one end of the ‘screen’ to the other, causing them to turn their heads with the motion. The back and forth movement of eyes and heads confirms for the viewer this is an immersive environment, and not just a movie where they sit and stare motionless. They have to move to experience everything, which makes it even more exciting.

Whether it’s an intimate gala, a gigantic corporate expo, or an important permanent installation in the community, playing to the audience’s sense of wonder is one of the best routes to an experience, and a message, they won’t soon forget.

Daniel Roth is creative account manager at San Diego-based AV Concepts, which specialises in high-definition content creation and projection.

www.avconcepts.com

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22/09/2014 11:28

22 INTERVIEW: JAMES SHANKS, AVI-SPL October 2014

Atlantic crossing The EMEA managing director of the world’s largest integrator talks to Paddy Baker about bringing the company to Europe, how AVI-SPL differentiates itself, and future directions for the industry

S

ince integrator AVISPL set up on this side of the Atlantic on 31 January 2013, the company has quadrupled in size: it started with 15 employees, and now has nearly 60. Not everyone expected this level of success, though.

“We’ve had to go out and prove ourselves as a team, with a higher level of quality. When we first arrived, people questioned our viability and longevity,” comments EMEA managing director James Shanks.

“But we’ve proved over 20 months that we’re here to stay, and we’re here to improve the market overall.”

A 20-year veteran of the industry, Shanks had previously spent a dozen years in the MD’s chair at two UK integrators (one of which was the UK operation of a US-owned business).

“Then the opportunity arose with AVI-SPL – they needed someone who knew how to run a business. And they recognised that it was a different industry over here compared with America.”

AVI-SPL – “technically the largest audiovisual integration company and video solutions provider in the world”, as he puts it – was formed by a merger of the US’s two largest integrators in 2008. The company then expanded into Canada and Mexico – and decided that a move into Europe, where it had previously been using

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a partner network, was the logical next step.

The company had a large number of clients in the Fortune 100 list – about 86% at the time – and was receiving a number of requests to deliver its service internationally.

“When you use your partner network, quality is not always assured, communications are less controllable and more difficult to orchestrate.

Direct representation helps us remove that risk in Europe, and that is why we are so stringent with our choice of partners where we are not locally represented,” he explains.

company was able to offset that against any potential investment that was initially going to be required.”

He explains what makes AVI-SPL different: “AVI-SPL is a corporate AV business – not a locally owned, or mom-and-pop, or lifestyle business. As a direct result,

On a related note, the company has implemented a “playbook” of practices that is the culmination of over 20 years of knowledge and experience.

“It’s detailed in a manner whereby, if a client says to the London office, ‘How would you deliver this project?’, they get the

we make sure there is involvement in every project from all facets of our business.” A client working with a UK competitor, he says, may at some point be working with a sub-contract installation team, with no direct representation from the business that the client has procured the

same answer they would get from the San Francisco office.” This covers not just standardisation of the technical solution, but also of the company’s delivery capability, he points out.

‘AV and IT have been married for years – we’re now in counselling. We’re just trying to work out the rough edges’

European gateway As is often the case with US companies moving into Europe, the UK was the preferred gateway to the continent – as well as providing a base to serve corporate clients in the City of London.

He describes the establishment of AVISPL’s UK operation as “an educated risk” – “being able to rationalise the levels of business that were being passed out through the partner network, the

services from. “One of the commitments we made was that we would endeavour to make sure that there would be direct representation in the field by a directly employed individual from this business on every project that we do – whether or not we were using sub-contracted capability to supplement our services. That gives us a better degree of control, insight and visibility into what we are delivering to end users.”

Growing the market Does he believe that AVISPL entering the UK has grown the market? It’s a difficult question to answer, he says, but he believes that the company’s approach has enabled it to increase the volume of UK and European deployments.

“By acting as an extension to our international enterprise clients, we have helped facilitate and communicate what we call enterprise global standards. So if an office in the UK had a perceived audiovisual requirement, and they satisfied it in the way the local AV suppliers would normally have facilitated, that would have led to a certain level of investment. By being able to communicate clearly the recognised and established enterprise standards, which are already being rolled out across North America,

into the European arms of those businesses, we have come across scenarios where we have generated greater local demand from those enterprise clients to facilitate global saving strategies.”

He describes AVI-SPL’s establishment in the UK as “a greenfield site”, rather than a “phoenix situation” (reviving a failed company from the ashes – “I would strongly recommend that isn’t a way to go at all”). This fresh-start approach, he says, required laying down “very strong foundations” to ensure success. “We’ve been able to bring together key individuals who were each recognised as being of a strong calibre and capability in their previous roles, and being able to bring them together so that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.”

Eighteen months or so into that two-year plan, the company is “benefitting from that foundation”.

So logically, the next step would be to establish a footprint in mainland Europe? Yes, he says, but continues: “Given the current macroeconomic conditions throughout Europe, we’re holding this in view for a few months longer, but it will be part of the formulation of the plan from 2015 going forward.

I would expect it to be a greenfield site opportunity, which requires more thought and planning than simply

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INTERVIEW: JAMES SHANKS, AVI-SPL 23

October 2014

picking up the next business that becomes available.”

The UK office’s success to date can be gauged not only from the rapid growth in its staff numbers, but also from its project referral numbers. He explains: “Last year, 60% of our business was in mainland Europe with enterprise clients, and 70% of our business was the low-hanging fruit of mature relationships with our US client base.

This year, we’ve had more local traction, and the UK-generated work has flipped those numbers on their head: 60% of our work is in the UK, and 70% of our work has been locally generated rather than being referred from the US.”

Corporate moves He sees further consolidation – and corporatisation – of the integration market as inevitable. “We will see the industry taking further steps away from being the biggest cottage industry in the UK,” he says. “We’ve seen audiovisual companies in the UK like AVMI and Pro AV join ourselves in taking steps to become a corporate delivery method rather than a family-run lifestyle business. I believe this approach will help raise the game of the industry, and AVI-SPL coming to Europe will accelerate that process.”

It’s not only the integrators that need to change: many of the biggest manufacturers, he says, also need to raise their game to supply the global AV market. “If you try to use their global fulfilment programmes, they still face challenges in how to deal in the AsiaPacific region, and they all still deal regionally rather than globally. In my

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experience one of the few companies that you can actually deal with on a global basis is NEC.” Shanks believes that the rate of advancement of AV technology has slowed, and this is not necessarily a bad thing. “Technology is advancing, but not to the exponential degree that we experienced in 20002010, where we saw some truly fundamental changes, with the rise of flatpanel technology, and with the likes of Crestron developing digital platforms, and so on… Over the past two years there has been an element of stabilisation in the technology being deployed in the corporate environment, so companies involved in the industry have been able to concentrate on deliverability and methodology rather than on radically changing technology.”

Inevitably, our discussion moves to the world of IT networks. “You’ve got to remember – not only did we bring an AV integration company to the market, we brought our Symphony managed services platform.

That’s been further developed since our arrival so it’s not only a VNOC

[video network operations centre], it’s an AVNOC – which gives us the ability to monitor any IP-addressable piece of hardware across the network, not just video units. That’s a working, proven platform that we are able to deploy on a global scale.”

He also has a take on AV-IT convergence that I haven’t heard before: “This was probably two years ago, but I heard someone giving a talk where he said the question was still being asked about whether AV and IT were coming together or were still in separate camps.

His message was: ‘What you’ve got to understand is AV and IT have been married for years – we’re now in counselling. We’re just trying to work out the rough edges.’ I wish I could give his name and credit for this, I thought that was a fantastic analogy.”

So, what gets James Shanks out of bed in the morning? “I truly love what I do,” he immediately replies.

“It’s different from running a lifestyle business. Seeing the team develop, seeing people exceed their own expectations of themselves and the team – I see that every day here.”

www.avi-spl.com

James Shanks – a brief biography A graduate of Aston University, James Shanks initially worked in sales for Canon UK and then for Pendax, selling whiteboards and flipcharts When the enticement of AV technology outgrew what Pendax could offer, he joined integrator AVE Systems in Kingston-upon-Thames as sales director At the start of 2000, Shanks bought AVE and ran it for nearly eight years, selling it in late 2007 After a few years abroad, he spent most of 2012 as managing director of the UK operation of US-owned integrator Verrex, before joining AVI-SPL

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24 INDUSTRY DATA October 2014

A quantum leap?

Quantum dot LCD panels are likely to greatly increase in quantity over the next five years, competing with AMOLED in all applications, reports Steve Montgomery As the LCD industry matures, industry players find it harder to differentiate their product offerings. AMOLED is competing in key markets such as smartphone and tablet PC displays, partly due to its colour performance. One response to this situation is the adoption of quantum dots, which promise high colour gamut performance equivalent to AMOLEDs. A quantum dot is a tiny fluorescent semiconductor, one tenthousandth the width of a human hair. Its size is adjusted electronically to alter light to nearly any other colour.

As Korean and Chinese manufacturers of LCD panels invest resources in developing the technology, DisplaySearch predicts a

steep rise in the adoption of quantum dot technology across all panel applications, from smartphones to monitor panels and large-format TVs. The key issue will be how the brands position and market quantum dot technology, and whether wide colour gamut is attractive enough to consumers to enable a price premium. Quantum dot makers are working on solving these issues.

Environmental considerations are also a problem as quantum dot technology uses cadmium, a regulated substance requiring exemption for screen use. Technology company Nanoco has already produced cadmium-free quantum dot materials.

9%

Forecast quantum dot penetration in LCD TVs, 2020

www.displaysearchblog.com Quantum dot size and colour Quantum dot penetration by application Blue light Smartphone

Tablet

Notebook

Monitor

Quantum dots

2nm

2.5nm

3nm 5nm

6nm

Size-dependent colour

TV 35

30

Fluorescence

Penetration (%)

25

20

15

10 450

5

0

500

550

600

650

Wavelength (nm) 2014

2015

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2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Source: www.displaysearchblog.com

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26 INDUSTRY DATA October 2014

Multi tasking Delivery of video content and advertising to screens has changed. Smartphones and tablets are no longer just the ‘second screen’, but increasingly the primary devices of choice, writes Steve Montgomery Consumers increasingly take large bites of entertainment content in many different locations throughout each day as habits shift and viewing becomes a more personal experience.

People now find time to watch a video clip, or an entire movie, in many different places and on a variety of devices. Content must be delivered to every device to address changing consumption patterns.

Ooyala’s Global Video Index Q1 2014 investigates this mobile viewing

trend and investigates multi-screen viewing habits that will continue to see online video set new records.

“With the transformation of video consumption habits in full swing, any company in the video business is faced with challenging new questions. It’s midnight; do you know where your audience is? What is your audience watching? Which devices and on which platforms? What is their tolerance for advertising? Where should adverts be placed, and how many?”

77%

blets was atched on ta of content w r than 10 minutes nge for videos lo

www.ooyala.com

Share of time watched by device and video length

Live TV or VOD?

Connected TV

50

Mobile Tablet

30

20

Desktop

Share of time (%)

40

10

0 0

Desktop

Tablet

Mobile

Length of video (minutes) 10-30

26 Install172 Industry Data_Final.indd 1

30-60

Connected TV

20

60

Length of content (minutes) VOD

60+

40

Live TV

Source: Ooyala

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22/09/2014 11:25

28 DATA: REGIONAL VOICES

October 2014

United Arab Emirates It’s a major luxury tourist destination, and its economy is due to be boosted by a number of high-profile sporting and cultural events over the next few years – but what’s it like to be working in the UAE’s AV market at the moment?

To what extent do these challenges apply to your business?

GREATLY Cost pressures

4.5%

Maintaining a good project pipeline without over-committing people

t forecas 4 1 0 2 , wth ulfnews.com) GDP gro /g

Getting paid on time

: IMF

(Source

Managing complex projects

P D G f 5% o

Ensuring existing staff keep up-to-date with new technologies

ate 3 estim 1 0 2 , s ) surplu actbook

Recruiting/retaining employees

Budgetource: CIA World F

The need to expand into new vertical market sectors

(S

SLIGHTLY

Value of UAE audiovisual market ($m)

If there was one thing you could change about the industry, what would it be?

‘It would be better if some of the people responsible for purchasing decisions understood more about the equipment they are buying.’

‘Competition based on good technical knowhow and offering better services to the client, rather than margins.’

‘Don’t overlook the input of consultants in the last stages of decision-making.’

1,400 $1.24bn 1,200 1,000 800

$700m

600 400 200 0

2012

2016 Source: InfoComm Market Definition and Strategy Survey 2014

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2014

30 SHOW REVIEW: IBC 2014 October 2014

News in vision As ever, there was plenty of interest to the AV industry at Europe’s premier broadcast technology event

R

iedel Communications launched Tango, its first fully networked platform based on the AES67 and AVB standards, at IBC2014.

With its own dedicated intercom application, the platform can be turned into a flexible, cutting-edge solution for a variety of communications scenarios.

Riedel’s Tango TNG-200 intercom application is equipped with a highresolution, full-colour TFT display that ensures readability at all times. The unit’s front panel controls simplify the recall of presets and adjustment of audio levels.

Extron had its usual product-packed stand, showcasing numerous recent developments.

One that caught our eye was the SMP 351, an H.264 streaming media processor for capturing and distributing live AV sources and presentations. The product supports both live streaming and recording capabilities, allowing a presentation to be delivered anywhere a network can reach. Featuring up to five inputs, the SMP 351 can combine two high-resolution signals, a background image and metadata into dynamic presentation layouts.

IBC2014 saw the European debut of Christie’s Velvet indoor LED display, following its earlier showing at InfoComm in Las Vegas. We spoke with senior product manager Nicholas Fazio, who

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joined the manufacturer from an integrator after having made a speciality of understanding how to eliminate variability from LED display installations.

“Christie takes the worry out of buying LED,” he said. “You’re sourcing the best products and the best people.” Key features of Velvet include high efficiency and the use of pixels that are sized appropriately for the pixel pitch. The result is a display with bright, saturated colour which, said Fazio, at least one viewer mistook for a projected image!

Christie was also one of the prime movers behind a rather special screening of Life Of Pi in the RAI Auditorium: the first time that an audience anywhere in the world had seen a full-length feature film in full-brightness 3D (14 foot-lamberts) with Dolby Atmos sound. The specially remastered film was shown on a Christie 6-primary DLP laser projector, and the sound was played out through more than 40 QSC loudspeakers. Dave Robinson, editor of sister brand PSNEurope, was there and said: “I’ve never seen a 3D movie that looked so good. I’ve seen Life of Pi before but, on this occasion, I – literally – expected to be hit by a flying fish, drowned by a 30ft wave or mauled by a Bengal tiger.

And the sound was pretty spectacular too.”

RTS Intercom Systems introduced the OEI-2 (OMNEO External Interface

2), which enables connectivity between analogue audio sources and legacy RTS keypanels and an OMNEO network. This allows users to maintain existing infrastructure and the equity of their original equipment investment while updating to OMNEO media networking architecture.

The compact, mountable OEI-2 is designed for quick installation and supports all RTS analogue keypanels. eyevis highlighted its 2mm pixel-pitch LED modules, which offer high-quality image processing, smooth setup and accurate, gapless adjustment. Each module consists of 30 smaller elements – any one of which can be changed or maintained without disassembling the module, or even the entire videowall.

There was also a strong showing from KVM companies at IBC. IHSE

added a DisplayPort version to its range of custom KVM extenders. Dr Enno Littmann, managing director, said: “In 2008, lots of manufacturers jumped on the digital signage train – but not us. We are a KVM company – we do two-way signal processing, not one-way. Today, though, digital signage has become interactive, with touch capabilities, and our extenders are exactly the right solution for that.”

Guntermann & Drunck was showing a new I/O card for its modular switch series, which handles “virtually any” signal type as well as KVM signals.

“With this, we can now connect third-party

devices, such as SDI feeds,” said Jochen Bauer, product marketing. “This opens up a lot of possibilities – not just in broadcast, but also for camera feeds in control rooms and so on.”

As well as showing its latest KVM solutions, including the new IP-based ADDERLink Infinity 1002, Adder Technology hosted a 30th birthday party on its stand to highlight its achievements over the years.

To view our videos from the showfloor visit www.installationinternational.com/videos

www.ibc.org

Best of Show winners

IBC 2014 was the first European show to feature Intent Media’s Best of Show Awards. Various Intent Media brands, including Installation, invited exhibitors launching new products at the show to enter them for the Awards. Each brand runs its own separate awards initiative, so it can judge the entries from its own perspective.

Installation made two Best of Show Awards at IBC 2014: Lawo: mc236 audio console. While it has a strong background in broadcast, Lawo consoles also appeal to the installation sector. The mc236, a new all-in-one mixing desk with a comprehensive feature set, looks set to continue this trends: its compact size and integrated I/O make it highly suited to space-challenged venues. With 21.5in Full HD touchscreens and touch-sensitive colour-illuminated rotary encoders, it is designed for ease of use. Lawo’s Wolfgang Huber is seen here with the certificate.

Blackmagic Design: HD studio camera and 4K camera. BMD moved into cameras with a single product that was used for a variety of applications. It now has a range of digital cameras, including the updated high-end 4K Ursa, which offers a variety of lens mounts, and the more recent studio camera. This is aimed at corporate and educational work as well as television, enabling those outside the traditional broadcast world to create their own channels and facilities. Patrick Hussey, senior communications manager, EMEA, was a happy winner.

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32 BUSINESS FEATURE: DIGITAL SIGNAGE October 2014

Twenty-six NEC screens in the lobby of a prestigious new London office block are designed to impress visitors

Key Points n The digital signage market comprises numerous segments: choosing the right segment – by industry, by customer or by application – is key n Perhaps surprisingly, the industry believes that retail represents the single most attractive opportunity

Seize the opportunity Fans of the Star Trek franchise will know that the 45th of the Ferengi’s 285 Rules of Acquisition is ‘Expand or die’.

Ian McMurray asks whether integrators should look at the digital signage market as an alternative to death

A

ccording to market researcher IHS, the worldwide digital signage market stands at around $14 billion – and, with continued growth expected to be in the range of 4.7-5.6%, it will be worth some $17.1 million by 2017. That’s $3 billion of business up for grabs – and someone, somewhere is going to have to integrate all those screens and players and cables, together with the content and management, and provide ongoing service and support. By any standards, that’s an attractive business opportunity.

But industry insiders agree that digital

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signage isn’t a single, heterogeneous market – and that’s the first thing an integrator thinking of entering the market needs to understand. It comprises multiple individual markets – corporate communications, wayfinding, retail, DOOH, sports, hospitality, visitor attractions, healthcare, leisure, houses of worship and education to name but a few – each representing a different opportunity and with unique requirements.

Retail opportunity “Retail, compared to other sectors, is still in its infancy and presents a huge opportunity, not least because there are fewer established integrators in

this sector,” believes Craig McQueen, solutions sales manager at NEC. “On the high street, flagship stores are where the big retailers are testing the benefits of retail signage, before nationwide roll-outs. For an ambitious integrator, the retail sector presents a great opportunity to prove ROI, where clever signage can directly affect customer behaviour and sales uplift.”

Carl Rijsbrack, CMO at Barco LiveDots, agrees about retail. “An integrator can be active in all domains of digital signage: both in content delivery and infrastructure integration, skills and expertise are highly demanded,” he notes.

“This demand is growing the

fastest in the field of retail and advertising, since this is a market segment where innovative and custom solutions are required.”

For Oliver Schwede of specialist digital signage consultancy Invidis, a challenge facing an integrator looking to move into a new market is the need to invest time and money in market intelligence, sales and marketing knowhow and generating leads.

“That may mean that the best digital signage vertical market for an integrator is one in which he has existing customer relationships and/ or segment understanding,” he says. “Besides retail, corporate communications

n Staying abreast of the rapidly changing digital signage technology landscape is imperative if the optimum customer solution is to be offered n Understanding the customer’s communications objectives and the central role of content are two of the keys to success is potentially attractive.

Most integrators already have an existing relationship with medium and larger corporations. Convincing the customer to install welcome boards, floor directories and electronic information boards is a lot easier. Retail seems the most attractive – and it is – due to the large number of outlets. But it is also the most competitive segment.”

“The best markets for integrators to operate in are their existing verticals, supplying digital signage into a known and researched market,” agrees Colin Etchells, group technical manager at UK integrator Saville. “Trying to open new streams can be hazardous

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FEATURE: DIGITAL SIGNAGE 33

October 2014

unless you are a dedicated digital signage provider.”

Specific functionalities Retail, then, seems to be the most promising – if most challenging – vertical market. However, a promising way into the market is to leverage existing customer relationships. There is, though, a third way forward, according to Maria Porco, vice president of business development at X2O Media.

“Integrators can also focus on specific functionalities within the digital signage space rather than a market segment,”

‘Retail, compared to other sectors, is still in its infancy and presents a huge opportunity’ Craig McQueen, NEC

she believes. “For example, an integrator can specialise in large-scale videowalls or interactive wayfinding

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Case Study

Casino finds NEC a sure bet

Leisure facilities, such as the Casino Gran Madrid, use digital signage to inform, entertain and impress customers as well as to reinforce the brand and drive sales. Integrator Sutega was able to draw on its extensive experience of the sector and specified NEC 55in and 65in displays throughout the facility. The displays feature the STv2 Slot by NEC, which is compatible with the Open Pluggable Specification (OPS) and allows the integration of several PC boards, HDSDI interfaces and other OPS-compatible products. (OPS helps standardise the design and development of digital signage devices and pluggable media players.) integration and then apply that knowledge across numerous segments.”

However an integrator moves forward, there seems to be a consensus in the industry that just deciding to be a player in the digital signage market is to be avoided. Avoid spreading resources too thinly and focus on areas of expertise are McQueen’s advice, a point echoed by Porco.

“Being successful across all markets is challenging since every setting brings its unique set of application

requirements, end-user considerations, and objectives for success that can both stretch integrator resources and diminish the quality of deliverables,” she says. “For instance, a particular market could use digital signage as a method for informing onlookers while a different channel could use the technology to increase sales to customers.

These are two very different applications requiring the implementation of very different ecosystems.”

Saville’s Etchells

raises perhaps the most significant difference between the boardroom market, for example, and the digital signage market.

“The key factor in all digital signage systems is content,” he points out.

“No matter how intuitive or how flexible a system is, if the content is not right then it will ultimately fail as a solution.

“The big challenge for an integrator thinking of entering the digital signage market is to understand the power of

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34 FEATURE: DIGITAL SIGNAGE October 2014

The Hotel del Coronado near San Diego turned to integrator Audio Visual Source and X2O Media’s Xpresenter platform for its digital signage installation

‘Integrators need to understand the project’s objectives from a content perspective’ Maria Porco, X2O Media

content,” he continues.

“He needs to thoroughly research the client’s needs and expectations of the proposed system, match that to the correct hardware/software solution and ensure that this will not compromise the content.”

And as Porco implies, content is somewhat outside the comfort zone of most integrators.

“While integrators rightly pay plenty of attention to display screens, software, mounting gear, networking, internet access and other physical components required to get networks up and running, the key to today’s successful deployments rests in the ability to deliver dynamic content across the network,” she says. “In other words, integrators need to understand the project’s objectives from a content perspective.”

The network challenge Where the boardroom market and digital signage

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markets are similar is in the area of integrating in the end user’s IT network. That too can be a challenge, a point made by Graham Kirkpatrick, technical sales manager and digital signage specialist at UK integrator Reflex.

“Any integrator worth his salt should, as a minimum, be able to offer IT network, hardware and software skills,” he affirms.

“Integrators need the ability to understand customers’ networks and systems, as well as any restrictions in place, before the deployment. Developing the understanding of how IT and AV networks converge, and how a digital signage system sits within it, may well create a need for staff education.”

“The ability to talk to IT and network systems professionals at their level is a given,” echoes Etchells.

“Clients are very protective about their networks and this can make design and installation nearly

impossible if the integrator cannot communicate at the right level with the right stakeholders. Industry accreditations and training qualifications are a must for integrators who want to be taken seriously.”

A third challenge, beyond content and IT integration, lies in selecting the hardware, software and content providers with whom an integrator plans to work. The growth in the

market has led to a dizzying array of potential solutions – and the breadth and depth of those solutions keeps on multiplying.

“There is an abundance of vendors of both software and hardware solutions for digital signage,” notes Rijsbrack. “There is a lot of functionality that has become available, either as an off-the-shelf readymade solution, or as a component with which

solutions can be built.”

“A fully flexible single platform, providing both software and/or hardware components as offered

by Barco, is unmatched and not easily found,” he continues. “Using different component solutions and integrating them requires time and resources and includes risks on return and questionable sustainability given the volatile character of most off-the-shelf commercial solutions.”

Etchells sees things a little differently. “There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution for digital signage,” he says, “because of the way the market has evolved and grown.”

He has an ally in McQueen. “The key thing to remember when investigating digital signage platforms is that there isn’t a one-solution-fits-all platform,” he adds.

A conundrum It’s certainly a potential conundrum for a prospective digital signage integrator, with both approaches having their attractions. A single, flexible solution from a trusted supplier may mean less investment in market research, product

Swedish cruise operator Viking Line recently installed 120 NEC displays to aid with passenger communication and event promotion

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October 2014

Case Study

Saville does DS for BK

Burger King recently installed new digital signage systems across 27 UK sites located at Welcome Break service areas. The systems, installed by Saville Audio Visual, comprise multiple LG 42in LED displays driven by BrightSign digital media players. The systems are controlled locally by restaurant managers who can instantly tailor the screen content to respond to changes in customer traffic.

Content is held in the Cloud, with managers using a remote login to access the content library. The system gives Burger King outlets the ability to use national promotional materials such as TV ads, which have a proven record of driving traffic to the restaurants. understanding and integration. Combining the offerings of multiple suppliers potentially offers greater flexibility and greater opportunity for competitive differentiation – but the required investment may well be greater.

Certainly, many believe that one of the key areas of added value for an integrator is being able to recommend the optimum solution from a potentially deep pool of sources.

“The integrator brings together what is best for the customer,” believes Schwede. “We often see customers making the mistake of defining the specifications for media players, for example, while not knowing what to show on the screens. It is the integrator’s task to choose the software and hardware that best meets the customer requirements.”

Porco warms to the theme: “Although there can be a single vendor providing an end-to-end solution,

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more often there will be a number of vendors who are best-in-breed in specific portions of the solution, and they come together to form a complete deployment. It’s important for integrators to understand the strengths of different providers in order to match customer and end-user requirements with the competencies of each party.”

No one disagrees that the integrator can – and should – be vital to the success of a digital signage project, because he can bring distinct value to it.

“At a very basic level, the integrator is a co-ordinator,” says McQueen, “but if he wants to be more profitable he needs to take on a full service role. The more he can build into the package, the more likely he is to win the business and the ongoing maintenance.

It is the knowledge and consultancy that is the value add in the integrator’s offering and what puts him at an advantage.”

Potential challenges Inevitably, though, as in entering any new market, as much as there is potential for upside, there is potential for challenges.

“The main pitfall is lack of understanding of the end client’s needs and how their business operates,” claims Etchells. “This is usually compounded by not fully understanding the functionality and merits of the various digital signage systems available and how that may influence the final outcome. Major barriers to larger systems are usually lack of co-operation from IT departments. Having correctly trained and qualified personnel is the first step in combating any difficulties, together with having a demonstrable understanding of client objectives.”

Kirkpatrick sees things similarly. “You have to understand the customer’s communication strategy – or take the time to develop one with them – and to understand the benefits they expect,” he says. He also notes the importance of understanding the full portfolio of digital signage solutions, and ensuring that that understanding is kept current.

Schwede points out that the sales cycle for larger digital signage projects can be as long as 18 months – which requires patience.

“Also,” he continues, “most customers don’t have any processes or strategies for communication with digital signage. It’s important for an integrator to start with something that’s not too complex, but reliable and usable. Then, you can go on to develop something more sophisticated.”

So: for an integrator thinking of taking his first

steps into the world of digital signage, what other advice can the industry offer him?

“Regardless of the type of solution, it’s difficult to determine what it brings, how easily it can be applied,” says Rijsbrack. “Integrators should be very much aware of this and should be careful in selecting a solution for their customers. Choosing a solution – or vendor/ platform – which can serve your business is most crucial and determines your flexibility and sustainability in the end.”

“We’ve seen emerging integrators take the risk of accepting complex projects before seeking vendor assistance in order

Schwede. “Concentrate on your core business – installation, hosting, programming and so on.

Then, step by step, try to incorporate the knowhow you gain through projects – content creation, template programming and the like – into your own company. Or – if you have the money – buy this knowhow by hiring the right people.”

And finally, Kirkpatrick’s recommendation. “The profitable markets are in companies that see digital signage as a necessity in their industry,” he believes, “and those that maximise their integrator’s knowledge to produce a solution that meets their needs perfectly.”

‘Any integrator worth his salt should, as a minimum, be able to offer IT network, hardware and software skills’ Graham Kirkpatrick, Reflex

to ensure that the system’s delivery meets the customer’s expectations,” adds Porco. “From a sourcing perspective, getting to know vendors and their specific strengths is an important first step.”

“Do your research, understand the power of content and take things slowly,” advises Etchells.

“Don’t be tempted to roll out a major deployment if this is a new area of operation. Start small and expand slowly.

“And,” he laughs, “promise less – but deliver more.”

Step by step “Team up with people who know about concepts and communication,” proffers

It seems, then, that digital signage represents a potentially exciting market for integrators – but one to be approached carefully, and with a preparedness to invest time and money in developing both understanding and expertise. Integrators, like Star Trek fans, are well aware of the wisdom of Rule 9 of the Ferengi’s Rules of Acquisition: “Opportunity plus instinct equals profit”.

www.barco.com www.invidis.de www.nec-display-solutions.com www.reflex.co.uk www.saville-av.com www.x2omedia.com

24/09/2014 16:10

36 BUSINESS FEATURE: OIL AND GAS October 2014

A 3D Visual Reality Centre with a Barco MegaCADWall collaborative display system, formed from six Galaxy NW-12 projectors, has been installed at Kuwait Oil Company

Core business

Key Points

The use of AV technology in the oil and gas industry is expanding as exploration and production projects deploy advanced visualisation and simulation techniques.

Steve Montgomery investigates the opportunities for AV system integrators

T

he cost of exploratory drilling for oil and gas can be in excess of $1 million per day and it is not uncommon for drilling companies to make several unsuccessful attempts before striking lucrative oil deposits. Once established, a production rig and the refineries, storage and distribution facilities and pipelines associated with it need to be managed, controlled and operated at the highest levels of environmental and personal safety and efficiency. This calls for sophisticated and reliable technology across all aspects of the industry.

With the complexities and costs involved it is unsurprising, that oil and gas companies readily embrace every new technique and technology

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that will assist in their quest to identify and supply precious commodities; wherever they can be found.

It is now feasible to create central realtime operation centres that can fully manage remote facilities. As Tim Peregrine of Pixel Projects outlines: “Networking and unified communication technologies enable large multinational corporations to remotely manage their facilities and assets around the world from a central point, including offshore production rigs and survey and floating production vessels, by linking together control rooms and geographically dispersed skilled personnel. This has the result of better meeting corporate business needs; facilitating knowledge gathering and evaluation

and removing the need to fly specialists and executives around the globe with the consequent loss of time and potential risks involved in reaching remote platforms and inhospitable locations.”

Throughout the exploration and production process large teams of researchers, analysts and managers need to share vast amounts of seismic, visual and production data, and collaborate to ensure that drilling and production processes are undertaken in the most likely areas and that resource extraction is optimised. The whole production lifecycle benefits from enhanced levels of communication between different teams.

Peregrine: “The trend is to close the loop between geophysicists, survey teams, drilling platforms

and production crews, so that they all feed information back to each other, resulting in better extraction operations and speeding up the evaluation of situations, leading to rapid decision making. For example, as exploratory drilling proceeds, data from the drill bit is passed back to the seismic teams to confirm their expectations and to modify drilling accordingly.

“This requires methods of control and communication that are being made available though global networking capability and the tools that have been developed as a result. As an integration and consultancy company, we work with oil and gas companies and service providers to develop the techniques and methods of enabling this.”

n Audiovisual systems play a key role in training, simulation, management and communication throughout the oil and gas industry n Complex software produces visual models that require the highest resolution display systems n Unified communication techniques enable geographically widespread teams to collaborate and make crucial decisions n Animation and gamification are used to provide interactive simulated training and procedural routines n Complex data presented in control rooms needs to be available to all operators and instantly understood

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October 2014

Calls for collaboration Demand for integration skills is expanding rapidly; and in particular, those for IT and AV due to the ever-increasing demand for collaboration across the organisation.

“As analysis and imaging technology becomes more sophisticated and precise, there will be an increasing need for AV technology to keep up with the evolution,” says Mark Wadsworth, international marketing manager for Digital Projection. “This has increased the need for large-screen visual displays with higher resolutions, easiermaintenance systems, wireless and smart displays, and related AV and IT technology. It is a growing market: the

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Petroleum engineers analysing a visualisation of site data on a 3D cave system using RGB Spectrum Linx switchers at a Saudi Aramco training facility

introduction of more and newer extraction methods, such as shale extraction, creates more demand for AV products of all types.”

Data analysis applications are essential to the process, with tools such as Schlumberger’s Petrel exploration and production (E&P) software platform,

which, the company says, ‘provides a full spectrum of geophysical workflows to solve most complex structural and stratigraphic challenges’. However it is the need for large teams to collaborate on a worldwide basis rather than the software cost (in excess of $90,000 per seat)

that has driven Tullow Oil to install high-resolution videowalls and inter-office communication systems to support the visualisation models.

“With teams of geologists, geophysicists, asset managers and drill-head managers spread onshore and offshore through the

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October 2014

world, needing to share results and ideas, Tullow Oil identified a need for local high-resolution visualisation environments and unified collaboration systems,” explains Kelvin Gregory, business development manager for AV and IT integration specialist, Ccomm. “We worked closely with geophysical users, senior managers and analysts to develop and implement a full turnkey service with large screen, high-resolution videowalls, and communications and IT support services across a number of interpretation rooms, auditoriums, 2D and 3D visualisation rooms. The integrated environment allows the company to distribute visual data from its E&P software and collaborate in real time across the globe for accelerated decision making. The system is used throughout the workflow; it can even display live images from the drill bit itself as drilling proceeds.”

The requirement for large AV systems extends far beyond research and production environments.

Visualisation, 3D projection and, more recently, gamification are used in constructing refineries and processing plants as well as training staff.

Reducing risk In the oil and gas industry, nothing is left to chance and every attempt is made to minimise risk.

Well-defined procedures are followed rigorously in all areas of the industry and especially in offshore situations. These include ‘Drill the Well on Paper’ or ‘Complete the Well on Paper’, workshops that bring together key participants in a project to go through the entire exercise on paper

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prior to a project. Computergenerated visualisations and training sequences that are unique to each project are produced and presented in conference rooms or auditoriums using large projection systems. On oil rigs, presentation rooms, which double as recreational film screening and meeting rooms, are used to display step-by-step animations of the procedures that will be completed that day to the crew.

Beau Brown, CEO of Industrial3D, is responsible for creating graphics, training and marketing videos: “Animated graphics can be used for a wide range of illustrative purposes and are often the only way of showing what is actually happening, or going to happen. Generally content is created as 3D illustrations shown on 2D screens, although 3D projection is used occasionally.

Virtual reality is another interesting technique for creating walkthroughs of whole facilities to aid worker familiarisation.

Touchscreens are useful for training, in the form of interactive kiosks and on touchtables for product marketing in the industry.”

Aker Solutions has created a 180º 3D simulation dome with 11 high-resolution projectors to support ‘virtual engineering’ at its iPort integrated operations centre in Stavanger. “It has a domeshaped training simulator, two Visioneering suites, a creative room and an IT technical facility centre,” explains Terje Fadnes, VP visioneering at Aker Solutions’ business area for maintenance, modifications and operations (MMO).

“The role it plays is in optimising offshore operations for complex

installations, reducing nonproductive time and testing and proving processes onshore in advance of real deployment. An example is in the development of a lifting procedure to move some heavy infrastructure: a crane operator in the dome works through the process, interacting with the simulated environment on the platform. A support team in the Visioneering suite can observe all the interactions on a large videowall that contains seven PIPs and optimise the actual procedure to be followed. They can see where obstacles are, and develop a procedure to navigate around them so

that the risk of failure or damage is greatly reduced, while training the offshore crew for the real thing.”

Immersive simulation programs that use technology developed for computer gaming are ideal for training production workers, as Derek Middlemas, COO and head of enterprise solutions at engineering software provider AVEVA, explains: “The AVEVA Activity Visualisation Platform is built on industrial gaming technology and enables efficient facility familiarisation, staff training, plant construction planning and simulation, operations and maintenance planning.

It aids the rehearsal of safety and schedule-critical activities, without putting personnel or the plant at risk, by generating realistic simulations direct from 3D design models, even before the physical plant has been built. Simulations are created directly from the plant’s original design model; they are visually convincing, realistic and accurate. Trainees can be immersed in a hands-on scenario and interact both with the model and with each other as avatars in a realistic virtual environment and can quickly become familiar with the plant.”

In the control room, graphical real-time

Case Study

BP builds the capabilities of oil worker employees

The professionals who drill and manage BP’s oil and gas wells spend their working days on the front lines of efforts to develop resources safely and efficiently. They can face immense technical challenges, especially as the industry moves to recover oil from harder-to-reach reservoirs.

The new training institute uses high-tech simulations to prepare wells staff for situations they could face on the job. In addition to various-sized classrooms, break-out rooms and conference facilities, the centre includes life-size simulators, 3D visualisation capability and HD videoconferencing suites, designed to deliver hands-on learning that goes beyond the classroom.

More than 32 technical courses can be covered, from basic cementing to subsea well intervention.

The focus of the scenario- and simulator-based programmes is to help develop the rig teams, whether BP employees or those from drilling contractors and service companies, so they function as one team.

Meeting these simulated challenges requires team deliberations and quick, collective decision-making, with the goal of improving team cohesion and giving participants enhanced competencies that they can take back with them to drilling sites.

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40 FEATURE: OIL AND GAS October 2014

visualisation is increasingly used on the main videowall and individual operator desks to deliver control and monitoring information.

Sam Walton, UK marketing supervisor at software

locally, on the same site, or remotely, providing central operation of global resources. The trend today is to present data in a more user-friendly manner so that everyone in the control

‘The introduction of more and newer extraction methods, such as shale extraction, creates more demand for audiovisual products of all types’ Mark Wadsworth, Digital Projection

developer Iconics, explains the implications on display technology: “SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) devices communicate with control and monitoring equipment

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room can see, and instantly understand it. The mass of data collected from an operational environment needs to be processed and presented rationally and intelligently. Processing and

visualisation software is becoming more powerful, leading to higher data densities and more detailed imagery. This needs higher-resolution displays and image manipulation capability in the videowall controllers. Visualisations, including dynamic animated graphics, historical trends and geospatial grids are now available to plant controllers on their mobile devices as well as on the fixed displays in the control rooms.”

The growth in audiovisual technology across the industry offers scope for system integrators to become involved. “In the oil and gas market, a company’s industry reputation is very important to customers – it can be difficult for a new company to get an initial foothold,” warns Jed Deame, VP of

marketing at RGB Spectrum.

“It is very important for them to first cultivate strong relationships with oil and gas consultants to better understand the language of the market, figure out how to effectively position their services, and act as a point of contact to establish relationships with customers. The skills that will be most important to an integrator are the ability to visualise and design comprehensive systems for their customers.

They must focus not on individual products, but on overall solutions that are tailored to meet the needs of individual customers.

They need to understand the AV challenges, in both visualisation and control rooms, faced by oil and gas companies and focus on developing integrated

solutions that address these concerns.”

The oil and gas industry is massive – it is estimated that over $1 trillion is invested in exploration and production annually – and requires significant amounts of AV technology, in its finest and most advanced forms. Opportunities for integrators abound in all areas of the industry, at all levels, and with commitment, it could be a good match for professional AV and IT specialists.

www.aveva.com www.barco.com www.digitalprojection.com www.iconics.com www.industrial3d.com www.pixelprojects.co.uk www.rgb.com

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42 BUSINESS FEATURE: CLUB AUDIO October 2014

Space Ibiza, voted ‘Best Club in the World’ in the DJ Mag Top100 this year, has been home to a Funktion-One sound system since 2002

Key Points

Fantasy island

If there is one destination that is synonymous with clubbing, it’s Ibiza. But what does the island’s club audio market look like, and how different is it from other parts of the world? James McGrath reports

P

icture the scene: you’ve just tucked away the last of your crème brûlée – topping off a fabulous three-course meal at Ibiza’s Cipriani restaurant – when you look to your left and see Orlando Bloom throwing a punch at Justin Bieber while Leonardo DiCaprio eggs him on. No, this isn’t a dream: the person many people love to hate is getting his come-uppance.

This actually happened back in July – showing that Ibiza really is a place of fantasy where things that are out of the ordinary can and do happen. But the White Isle is rather more than a location for celebrity fisticuffs: there are also wondrous venues where super-DJs play music that entrances revellers till sunrise and beyond.

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Tickets for club nights cost around €50 on average, but can command prices as high as €80 depending on the night and the club. With partygoers paying such a premium,

Party season Once the party season kicks off, the installers move onto the island.

“We work with several installers, all of which are based on the island for

‘Local suppliers very often pool equipment together to create larger systems’ Simeon Friend, The Shop Ibiza

it’s important that they consider it was money well spent and so repeat the experience time and again.

So how does a club owner decide on the best system for the venue? And how do sound systems come to be installed and maintained?

the season and so are in a position to provide on-theground support to their customers,” comments Ann Andrews of Funktion-One. “At the beginning of the season we ask manufacturers to get involved with us to get the

best results,” explains Hugo Quintanilla of island-based rental and installation company Pro Audio Ibiza.

Each year, the island celebrates the season’s opening in May and closing in September with numerous parties in all its hottest clubs. Such celebrations require added oomph to ensure every person at the party not only hears the music, but also feels it; so rental companies frequently supplement the installed audio equipment with additional kit. “Opening and closing are mostly supported with extra equipment as they handle double the crowd most of the times,” says Quintanilla.

Olly Wayman of rental company Audio Hire Ibiza/DMT Audio Visual emphasises the different requirements of DJs which can compound the need

n The majority of clubs in Ibiza are constantly looking to enhance their audio systems n Extra equipment is often needed, sometimes ad hoc, to meet surplus venue requirements n 2.8 million visitors converge on Ibiza annually, so clubs are showrooms for audio equipment n Powerful systems are a must, but noise control must also be addressed for fast access to extra equipment: “Different DJs require different equipment, including monitors, mixers and sound processors.

During the Radio One weekend we could park a bus in our warehouse because that much kit is required for special events.”

Simeon Friend of local integrator the Shop Ibiza – the company responsible for the Pioneer club install at Booom! featured in Installation earlier this year – points out that it does very much have to be a team effort to ensure

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44 FEATURE: CLUB AUDIO Picture courtesy of Allen & Heath

October 2014

Appearances by top-name DJs, such as Pete Tong seen here at Ushuaia, can often require additional equipment to be added at short notice

the clubs are up to spec in time for the biggest parties of the season.

“Local suppliers work well together and we very often pool equipment together to create larger systems,” he says. “Alternatively, bigger systems can come from the mainland of Spain.”

Audio showcase With such emphasis on audio, and the allure of 2.8 million visitors annually, there is a huge opportunity for audio manufacturers to showcase their systems.

“Ibiza is a very volatile marketplace, and many factors other than good sound come in to play which dictate the lifespan of a sound system in a club.

Ibiza is seen as a showroom for many big brands of audio equipment. All the companies want their brand in the biggest and best clubs on the island,” explains Wayman.

It’s no surprise then that strong competition between venues and the perennial search for the best system leads to yearly

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audio upgrades.

“Every club in Ibiza upgrades their PA set-up each year. Many have deals with PA brands who like to tweak their systems during the off-season months,” comments Friend.

Quintanilla concurs: “Ibiza has a lot of competition and each club wants to have the best for the crowd’s enjoyment. That’s why they look to renew installs every year and clubs elsewhere don’t.”

By contrast, Andrews says that there is still a market for solid systems that go the distance: “A good average would be five to 10 years. If a club has paid money for their permanent installation they will want it to have longevity. We have systems which have been installed for as long as 10 years and are still going strong.

Obviously, if a club expands or has been re-modelled there may be a need to reconfigure or add to the sound system to accommodate the changes made to the club.”

‘Ibiza has a lot of competition and each club wants to have the best for the crowd’s enjoyment’ Hugo Quintanilla, Pro Audio Ibiza

There’s a reason why Andrews says that longevity is desired if a club has paid for its installed system.

Reveals Wayman: “Without mentioning any names, some companies tend to give away installs to the clubs to get their products placed over here.” [Editor’s note: We didn’t ask which these companies or clubs are, and any mention of a club or brand in this article should not be read as implying that it is involved in this practice.] This leads to two problems, he says. First, “it devalues the product.

If you didn’t pay for your install, you’ll be less hesitant about throwing it out when the next one comes along.” Second, and more importantly, “[club owners] don’t really care what a free system sounds like, because after all, it was free.”

It could be argued that brands offering their systems for nothing, or heavily discounting them, is a plus point for installers, as it ensures the island is alive not only with music, but also with the fitting and refitting of audio systems. But for manufacturers, this practice must surely damage potential profit margins.

How different?

Ibiza is clearly a unique club location – but how do the audio installations there compare with those elsewhere? The most obvious difference is that Ibiza clubs tend to be larger venues. This means their audio systems must pummel crowds in their hundreds, if not thousands, with quality sound.

This is especially the case for clubs such as

DC10, which is located in a converted airport hangar on the south-east of the island.

“The clubs in Ibiza are all owned by very different people. Some clubs are about making money, some clubs are about delivering an experience that people will take home with them and never forget. It’s not hard to see who’s who,” says Wayman. DC10 is considered to be the clubbers’ club of Ibiza – and Wayman presumably puts it into the second category. It is set away from residential areas to ensure that the SPLs – from its Void system – can consistently blow the audience away.

According to Friend, other brands able to meet Ibiza clubs’ high expectations include “predominantly Funktion-One up until a few years ago. Now we are seeing d&b audiotechnik entering the DJ market, and Pioneer’s new XY system is gaining ground as a very credible system.” Quintanilla adds that Lab.gruppen amplifiers are also prevalent on the island.

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46 FEATURE: CLUB AUDIO October 2014 Noise annoys Obviously volume levels are a sensitive subject in any environment where residents could suffer from noise pollution. Even a festival that runs for a few days would typically be subject to rigorous checks to ensure surrounding

ignore. “The rules in place on the island are tighter than ever and the penalties are enough to put anyone off,” underlines Wayman.

According to Quintanilla, one way integrators can address this issue in areas of the island closer to residential areas is by

‘We have systems which have been installed for 10 years and are still going strong’ Ann Andrews, Funktion-One

areas aren’t affected by the noise. With the big clubs in Ibiza pumping music right through the night from May until October, this is an issue they can’t afford to

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talking with manufacturers about products that offer noise reduction.

Wayman adds: “Everybody loves bass; when we are in a club we want to feel the

music, so it’s not without surprise that the low end of the system in most clubs is equipped for warfare. This is usually what gets the complaints rolling in. Luckily for us, Funktion-One’s new Bass Reflex range of subs still allows us to deliver killer bass but in a more intimate environment.”

Friend continues: “We moved across to a d&b audiotechnik cardioid system to help minimise unwanted lower frequencies spilling into neighbours’ properties at our private villa parties. It helps a lot.”

When it comes to maintenance, having an installer based on the island can make the difference between a well-supported system and a neglected one.

“We have experienced it many times, where installations fitted by ‘off

island’ companies fail to get the support they need,” explains Wayman. “If we have a system out here it’s our job to keep in contact with the venue, drop in from time to time and be ready to respond if they need us.

“Many venues fail to see the need for an engineer or at least maintenance staff for their system, and it shows. I could take you to a few venues now that I know have technical issues or failed drivers that have been like that for weeks,” he continues. Evidently there is a need to make some clubs aware of the importance of having regular equipment servicing and upgrades.

Ibiza is different. This unique island on the Mediterranean Sea at times requires co-operation between competitors, amassing resources so that

clubs are able to deliver for their clientele. This approach to business is quite apt for a place that vibrates with an innate sense of unity. These clubs have huge appetites for audio systems – and rightly so, as clubbers have a hunger for music that is arguably bigger than in any other place on the planet.

This leaves the island in a constant state of audio renewal – whether that be system upgrades or entire overhauls.

www.allen-heath.com www.dbaudio.com www.dmthire.co.uk www.funktion-one.com www.labgruppen.com www.pioneerproaudio.com www.proaudioibiza.com www.theshopibiza.com www.voidaudio.com

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TECHNOLOGY Kit you need to know about

Teracue

ICUE-PLAYOUT It’s… A streaming server for up to four 4K streams or 16 Full HD 1080p60/50 files.

What’s different? A key new feature of ICUEPLAYOUT is that it can now stream multiple AV files fully synchronised. This means it is possible to stream out four synced HD streams to deliver 4K resolution, or deliver preproduced video content to a group of presentation displays to show content, such as a high-speed train or spaceship, moving through the individual displays.

Details: The ICUE-PLAYOUT appliance is based on the ICUE media server engine. ICUE-PLAYOUT is designed for secure and stable 24/7/365 operation, and can be used inside large IPTV and OTT platforms to generate numerous ad channels simultaneously.

It allows scheduled, manual or infinite-loop playout from uploaded or recorded MPEG-TS transport stream files and supports unicast or multicast streaming output. An autoupload function enables simple and quick import of new playout files into the appliance, including JPEG thumbnail and XML metadata support (name, description, etc.).

This Month New Products p49

Demo of the Month:

f o t c u Prod nth o the m

Oblong Mezzanine p54

Showcase:

Microphone systems p56

LCD with eyevis EPU

Available: Now Videowall

Multichannel IPTV Playout server

Desktop with IPTV player

www.teracue.com

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50 TECHNOLOGY: NEW PRODUCTS

October 2014

Kramer RC-43T

It’s… A six-button auxiliary control panel that works as a remote control panel for master room controllers in classrooms, meeting rooms, boardrooms or auditoriums.

What’s different? The RC-43T uses the proprietary KNET protocol to power and communicate over a single cable and between Kramer products.

Details: Created with the end user in mind, the RC-43T is said to be simple to use, reliable, functional and intelligent. Front panel buttons are touch-sensitive and give press confirmation using LED lights. The slimline unit measures 6.9cm x 1.6cm x 11.4cm (2.72in x 0.63in x 4.5in WDH) and matches 1-gang US wallplates. Rugged and robust, the RC-43T is made for extensive use.

Available: Now www.kramerelectronics.com

Polymedia, TrueConf Flipbox Software Suite It’s… An updated version of Polymedia’s Flipbox software for interactive displays, which now features support for UHD TrueConf videoconferencing.

What’s different? The newly updated Flipbox Software Suite has integrated access to TrueConf Online Cloud video services. Flipbox users can now access all modes of group video in resolutions up to 4K (Ultra HD) on all popular operating systems (Windows, Linux, OS X, Android and iOS). Just as importantly, they have access to TrueConf’s collaboration tools, including chat, whiteboard, session recording, slideshows, desktop sharing, file transfer and status presence bar.

Details: Also new is the Flipbox 65UHD display, which the company says unleashes the full potential of Flipbox Software Suite. The device has a screen with Ultra HD resolution (3840 x 2160), which greatly exceeds the image clarity of previous models. In co-operation with Corning, Polymedia has also updated the display surface to Gorilla Glass. This allows Polymedia to reduce the distance between the stylus and the sensor, which, in turn, increases the response speed and significantly improves the ability to work in ‘Drawing’ mode.

Available: Now

Inter-M DSA100DV The new Inter-M DSA100DV is a highly compact, low impedance stereo amplifier built around Class D amplification circuitry. It delivers two 100W channels of power into 4 ohms from a compact desktop/half-rack 1U size. With the combination of Class D amplification and Switch Mode Power Supply, the DSA100DV is an efficient speaker driving solution, which ensures reduced power consumption and low heat dissipation compared with more traditional alternatives. The unit is available now from distributor CIE-Group. www.cie-ltd.co.uk

Optoma HD36 The latest addition to Optoma’s home cinema range is the HD36 Full HD 1080p projector.

Complete with powerful speakers, vertical lens shift and 3,000 ANSI lumens it is designed for watching all types of content at all times of the day. Connectivity is easy with HDMI and DVI inputs. Available now. www.optoma.com

Extron DTP T HWP 231 D and DTP T HWP 331 D Extron has release two singlegang Decora-style transmitters for sending HDMI, audio and bidirectional RS-232 and IR signals over a shielded CatX cable to Extron DTP-enabled products. The DTP T HWP 231 D extends signals up to 230ft (70m), while the DTP T HWP 331 D extends signals up to 330ft. The transmitters support computer video up to 2560 x 1600, HDTV 1080p/60 Deep Color and 4K resolutions. Available now. www.extron.co.uk

LineApp LineApp Pro Combining the classic intercom with the benefits of the digital world, the LineApp Pro app removes the need to carry bulky radios – all that’s needed is a smartphone, headset and WiFi. The app can do Push-To-Talk and multichannel communication (conference calls). A new audio codec and a patented solution for transmitting audio streams allow for real-time communication while maintaining high sound quality. The app is available to download now for free. www.lineapp.pro

www.polymedia.ru www.trueconf.co.uk

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52 TECHNOLOGY: NEW PRODUCTS October 2014

Aten

Hall Research 4K Javelin 4K Javelin cables use the latest in optoelectronics to extend HDMI signals far beyond the typical limitations of copper cables. The cables are a hybrid of fibre and copper that allow HDMI signals to be extended 200ft (61m) or longer with zero loss. All PC and HDTV resolutions are supported, including 4K Ultra HD. The HDCP-compliant cables also support DDC and CEC. Hall Research is currently stocking 50ft, 100ft and 200ft lengths. www.hallresearch.com

VM1600 It’s… The first controller that enables users to instantly switch between, and simultaneously control, up to 16 video sources and 16 displays through expandable I/O boards on a single chassis.

What’s different? The VM1600 is the only 16 × 16 modular digital matrix seamless switch available that can reliably monitor or broadcast time-critical activities. It also has a built-in scaler function so that video outputs can be scaled up or down to fit in variable screen layouts and arrangements, making it ideal to distribute to videowalls.

Details: With its continuous video stream with real-time switching and signal transmission stability, the VM1600 is designed

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for many situations, including security and emergency service surveillance, live event broadcasting, and transport management. It is able to capture real-time visuals from multiple angles and offer instant remote management of videowalls and mixed display formats and systems. The VM1600 is VGA, DVI, HDMI and HDBaseT compatible.

Available: Now www.aten.co.uk

Polycom RealPresence Cloud, Video as a Service Polycom is partnering with distributor Imago Group to enhance its VaaS-t Cloud video service; it is the first to market with Polycom RealPresence Cloud Video Meeting Services, a Polycom Powered subscription-based Cloud video service.

The Cloud video service is said to be flexible, scalable and provide enterprise-grade security. Through the partnership with Imago and its VaaS-t service, Polycom is able to offer a set of always-on virtual meeting rooms, connecting a variety of voice and video endpoints, priced by participant or by the minute. www.imagogroupplc.com www.polycom.co.uk

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www.dbaudio.com

The challenges remain consistent, but seldom appear independently. The d&b columns, however, are new and corrective; a unique combination of waveguides and damped ports create a cardioid pattern with a constant horizontal directivity of 90째, whilst the tight vertical dispersion tilts downwards in the low to mid range and is adjustable in the high frequencies. Handy for those who like to comprehend word for word in long, large, high, reverberant spaces with impediments to intelligibility. The d&b xC-Series: positions text clearly.

Parallel wall mounting

Extremely reverberant spaces Visual unobtrusiveness Large and high ceilings

Highly reflective surfaces Huge room volumes

54 TECHNOLOGY: DEMO OF THE MONTH October 2014

Get hands-on with your data Oblong’s Mezzanine platform allows users to view and work on their data – whether they’re present physically or virtually, writes Paddy Baker

M

any technology companies have their beginnings in academic research, before moving on to full commercialisation. Rather fewer companies can point to work on Hollywood movies as an intermediate stage – but Oblong Industries can do just that. Company founder and chief scientist John Underkoffler was working at MIT Media Lab in the mid-1990s, and a few years later designed the computer interfaces for Minority Report – a film that still gets cited today as a benchmark for interactive displays and interfaces.

Oblong’s Mezzanine collaboration solution isn’t identical to what Tom Cruise and his Pre-Crime colleagues used, but what it does have in common is the use of a gestural interface to navigate one’s way through large amounts of documents and data in a structured, collaborative way. It can be used for meetings where everyone is present in the room, or by dispersed teams in a number of locations.

A Mezzanine room set-up consists of two sets of displays: the ‘workspace’, which is visible to all session participants, and the ‘corkboards’ which are not shared beyond the room. The workspace was previously known as the triptych, as its most popular form is three displays side by side in portrait mode: however, other configurations can be used.

Visual approach One of the strengths of Mezzanine is the way everything is referenced visually. So static images – which could be photos or could just as easily be dynamic screenshots of spreadsheets or Word documents – reside in the ‘dock’ at the top of the screen. Video sources – which could be videoconferencing sessions, or

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In this demo, the ‘workspace’ spans one wall while the ‘corkboards’ are out of shot on the adjacent wall to the left

a feed from a whiteboard camera or a handheld device – reside at the bottom of the screen. Any items from either area can be dragged into the presentation space, which fills the centre area of the displays and can then be maximised to fill a workspace screen. It’s a simple matter of scrolling through to find what you need at any given time.

Another working area is the ‘windshield’ – a semi-transparent layer, sitting in front of the main workspace, onto which graphics can be called up and worked on – for example, pulling up a high-res architectural plan and cropping out the area of interest.

Apart from the displays, Mezzanine consists of a 4U appliance, ultrasonic controller wands and a tracking array (typically mounted on the ceiling) which detects the wands’ motion.

Other devices can be integrated, such as videoconferencing codecs or audio equipment. Retrofitting Mezzanine into existing facilities enables existing equipment to be redeployed.

According to sales director Steve Smith, people who see a Mezzanine wand for the first time sometimes compare it to a Wii remote, which he feels is unfair: “It’s

like calling Harrods a corner shop.”

Smith demonstrated the system to me and explained that the small repertoire of movements needed to operate it is easily learned. I tried out the wand under his instruction and found I could zoom in and out, swipe, select, drag and crop – and I can well believe that these gestural movements soon become second nature. Alternatively, Mezzanine can be operated via tablet.

Use cases Smith explained that there are three broad types of use case for Mezzanine. The first is enhancing the customer experience – for instance by incorporating live data into a presentation, or using the corkboards for secondary information that supplements the main display (for instance, as flashcards).

The second use case is making meetings work more effectively – for instance in project-based working. Having visual information visible to everyone at once makes it easier to make decisions at

the meeting rather than offline.

Mezzanine also provides the facility to create timestamped notes detailing what has been decided.

The third broad use case is ‘situational awareness’ – using realtime data to make quick decisions.

“It’s not a control room technology, but it’s maybe for the room next door to the control room,” said Smith. “Control rooms use lots of sources but tend to be quite rigid in structure.”

Oblong has conducted studies that suggest that the technology can cut meeting times by up to 25%. Everyone can load their documents into the dock at the start of the meeting – and the system saves these into ‘dossiers’ which can be revisited over time.

A Mezzanine system can support up to 32 devices – either in the room or remotely – with up to 10 of them able to have control of the Mezzanine session.

It obviously depends on the use case, but it’s easy to imagine scenarios where this technology would enable options to be explored and data to be interrogated on the spot, so that decisions can be taken there and then in the meeting rather than deferred pending further work.

To support this, the system has a function where decisions taken can be noted and signed off by the relevant participants.

Mezzanine has an impressive client roster, including IBM, Boeing, GE, Sonos and Beats, as well as universities and government organisations. On the evidence of this demo, it looks set to increase this dramatically.

www.oblong.com

VIDEO Watch how Mezzanine could be used in an architectural meeting: http://bcove.me/rk9vx8gn 22/09/2014 21:00

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56 TECHNOLOGY: SHOWCASE

October 2014

Microphone systems

James McGrath takes a look at some of the microphone systems currently available, and how they can help venues and businesses capture and distribute the audio that is central to their function

Sennheiser mics up the boardroom for BYOD With employees of companies increasingly on the move working from different – sometimes remote – locations, as well as the perennial drive for more efficient ways of conducting meetings, Sennheiser has devised a teleconferencing solution that enables participants to quickly and easily hold a meeting with remote colleagues.

TeamConnect is an end-to-end audio solution for the meeting room that facilitates remote audio conferencing – and is Sennheiser’s way of embracing the trend towards company-wide BYOD strategies.

TeamConnect can interface simultaneously with three modes of communication: analogue telecom (which can easily be converted to digital PBX and VOIP using a standard Cisco ATA), mobile phone network and, importantly, VOIP soft client/ videoconference systems.

Sitting at the centre of the system is the Central Unit CU 1, which offers multiple inputs and delivers high-quality sound. It’s app-controlled and allows easy integration with third-party control systems such as AMX and Crestron.

The system features three ways of capturing sound for the meeting environment. The first is a microphone for fixed table installation (MEB 102/104), which is suited to conference rooms with permanent seating arrangements and one mic per speaker. A second option is a desktop mic, the MEB 114-S TC, which can pick up sound from people seated around the room due to its large capture area and so is suitable

Revolabs offers a touch of class Revolabs’ range of nextgeneration wireless audio conferencing microphones, the Executive Elite, has been designed to exude a sophisticated Fortune 500type look and feel.

The system offers depth to its capabilities in that the four- or eight-channel system can be daisychained to create up to 76 wireless channels (or 44 channels in the Americas).

Built-in intelligence automatically switches the microphones to standby mode when idle, enabling longer talktimes and conserving power. The mics can stay in standby mode for up to 72 hours and have 20 hours of talk-time on a single charge.

The line includes omnidirectional, wearable, gooseneck and directional microphones, as well as XLR and TA4 www.revolabs.com

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adapters. A single-button interface allows for muting and unmuting, while onboard indicator lights clearly identify each unit’s mute status.

The docking station will charge up to eight microphones simultaneously.

With Revolabs Cross-Over adapters, microphones power directly from the mains instead of depending on batteries for continuous operation. What’s more, for more efficient installations, Revolabs’ latest advances in available DECT frequencies allow more microphones to be deployed and used in the same space.

for small workgroups. The final option is the highly directional ME 36, which can be installed in the ceiling for unobtrusive sound capture. www.sennheiser.com

DPA points to the capsule Challenging acoustics can be found almost anywhere. When they are present, they are arguably all the more noticeable these days because people are accustomed to the use of technology to overcome acoustic issues. But unless you’re in a studio that has had high-quality treatment (even acoustically treated performance venues aren’t always of the highest standard), mics need to live up to the challenge of lively ambient noise.

DPA describes the microphone capsule as the most important part of the audio chain. If the sound from the microphone is of a high quality, the user can get the most out of every other piece of equipment in the chain.

DPA’s d:screet podium microphones have been designed with the voice in mind. High intelligibility and high isolation as well as rejection of radio frequency interference are features that make these mics suitable for applications where understanding of voice is paramount.

The mics come with either a XLR 19mm connector for 48V phantom power or with the DPA MicroDot connector. By connecting the d:screet podium mics with DPA’s MicroDot adapters, the podium set-up becomes wireless. www.dpamicrophones.com

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58 TECHNOLOGY: SHOWCASE October 2014

Audio-Technica mics deliver with Dante Introduced at InfoComm earlier in the year and then making its first UK show appearance at InstallMarket last month, Audio-Technica’s ATND971 Cardioid Condenser Boundary Network Microphone is the first wired microphone that transmits audio and control data together over Dante networks.

Audio-Technica describes the ATND971 microphone as offering installers the chance to specify a boardroom product that is both versatile and easy for non-experienced users to operate. What’s more, because the system works over Ethernet, it is simple and costeffective to implement over a network.

The ATND971’s user-programmable button

gives users simple control over Danteenabled devices on the network.

Video camera functions, lighting presets and more are very easy to operate using the mic.

The red/green LED status ring also conveys the presence of incoming phone calls and denotes the mute status. Overall, the microphone offers flexibility alongside outstanding speech intelligibility – something that is, of course, of key importance in fixed installations.

AKG makes stability a priority Stability is central to AKG’s CBL31 WLS and STSDAM+ tabletop wireless microphone systems. The former is a boundary layer microphone for wireless use, while the latter is a base unit designed to fit AKG DAM+ Series microphones, including the GN15/30/50M and CH41/43/49.

Designed for meeting rooms, courtrooms, conference rooms and houses of worship, both mics are durable and come with flexible housing options.

Each model is based on heavy-duty tabletop mechanics and, due to its weight, is highly shock-absorbent and holds the microphone mechanism firmly in place. Various AKG pocket transmitters (including the WMS40/45/420/470 and

www.audio-technica.com

Televic develops high-speed data transport technology Televic has developed all-new conferencing network technology, Installation can exclusively reveal. Plixus, which is a newly registered trademark of Televic, will become the main driver technology of Televic’s uniCOS multimedia conference system.

The new technology is able to simplify integration of the uniCOS conference systems with regard to distributing audio, HD video and documents to delegate units. A single daisy-chained Cat5 cable transports all the signals, including HD audio, language

interpretation channels, HD video and data.

The solution combines high bandwidth with extremely low latency. For audio this means 64 channels as a mix of language channels, floor signals, single microphones or microphone groups. For video it means the transport of Full HD video with a delay of less than a video frame, so lip sync is maintained.

This is an important factor in maintaining high levels of intelligibility, and makes the interpreters’ job easier, as well as improving the experience for delegates.

DMS700) fit into the housing of both the CBL31 WLS and STS DAM+ to transform the stations into complete wireless solutions.

Both models offer a rugged mute switch (good for more than 25,000 switching cycles) that controls the microphone, as well as an LED bar that displays the status. A 3.5mm input jack plug allows connection of up to four AKG CBL410 PC microphones or a laptop to transmit a presenter’s audio signal to the local PA system.

In addition, the CBL31 WLS includes the well-known cardioid CK31 capsule from the DAM Series. It is designed to fit a variety of AKG transmitters, including the PT40/45/420/450/470 and DPT700. www.akg.com

www.televic-conference.com

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60 SOLUTIONS: MICROSOFT PRODUCTION STUDIOS, REDMOND October 2014 MPS relies on RTS intercoms for communications throughout the complex

of the Month

UNITED STATES

Divine intervention

The largest media production facility in the Pacific north-west has transformed its operations with the addition of a new networking solution, writes James Christopher

T

housands of productions and events are created in Microsoft Production Studios (MPS) each year. With three sound stages, three audio rooms and numerous editing suites among its 65,000sqft located on the Microsoft HQ campus, the largest full-service HD and 4K production facility in the Pacific north-west is well equipped to accommodate multiple in-house projects while providing rental space to outside productions.

In mid-2013, MPS’ engineering team began to investigate how an audio over IP networking solution could transform their production operations. After consulting with Audinate, the team recognised they could deliver multichannel across their existing Cisco network switch fabric, while providing greater flexibility with the Dante networking solution.

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“The transition to a Dante audio over IP environment just keeps generating steam, and I don’t see any end in sight,” says John L Ball, systems engineer, MPS. “We’re working towards a total networked environment for audio, communications and eventually video. Dante is core to making this easy by making every step a significant timesaver in set-up, integration and network programming.”

First impressions Dante was initially installed to support the in-store audio experience at Microsoft retail stores. Ball uses the Dante Virtual Soundcard to stream audio to a Symetrix Edge router, enabling playout of unique audio channels from PCs across multiple retail zones.

This initial exposure to Dante set the stage for MPS’ subsequent adoption of OMNEO for

communications. Based on Dante, the OMNEO media networking architecture serves as a platform for the exchange of two types of data: studio-quality synchronised multichannel audio, delivered at nearzero latency, and device monitoring and control data, using the Open Control Architecture (OCA) protocol.

After nearly 20 years’ service, parts of the existing RTS ADAM comms system were showing their age.

Budget was allocated to upgrade the RTS models, Ball says, and “just as we started down that path RTS came out with OMNEO”.

OMNEO is implemented in RTS intercom systems using one or more OMI cards in an ADAM or ADAM-M matrix frame. Connections may be made with standard RJ-45 connectors (for Cat5 or Cat6 cable) or using optional single mode and multimode fibre modules that plug into slots on the cards to enable

full fibre connectivity.

On the keypanel end, OKI keypanel interface cards, which also take the plugin fibre modules, enable OMNEO in RTS KP-32, KP 32 CLD or KP 12 CLD keypanels.

Ball tried out the OMNEO comms with one OMI card for MPS’ ADAM frame and three KP-32 keypanels with OKI cards. “I was very happy with the experience,” he says. “OMNEO is now going to be our main comms platform moving forward.”

Clear communications The upgrade has increased the ease of use of the intercom communications across the greater Microsoft campus, ensuring production teams can reliably move audio between the studio and any remote location. As well as the RTS intercom, the new solution includes Shure ULX-D microphones and Yamaha CL5 mixing consoles. The system was then extended

Installed Audio n RTS ADAM communications system n Shure ULX-D microphones n Yamaha CL5 mixing consoles n Focusrite RedNet 6 MADI bridge units

by integrating Focusrite RedNet 6 MADI bridge units to an existing Grass Valley Miranda audio/video router.

The newest network expansions incorporate Skype feeds and support multilingual feeds. Ball also purchased Dante-enabled Studio Technologies Model 215 Announcer’s Consoles to control and distribute live programmes in multiple languages simultaneously.

His first project with these units supported an Xbox Live broadcast from a gaming event in Germany, monitoring feeds over the Dante network and streaming the programme in English, German, Italian, French and two Spanish dialects.

“The cool thing about this application was using the video edit rooms as voiceover rooms,” says Ball. “We just connected the Studio Technologies gear and the Shure mics to the Dante network in each

22/09/2014 16:23

edit room. We used to have to run analogue cables and connections all over the floor between multiple rooms to support this kind of event.

But now, using Dante, it takes less than 30 minutes and a network connection to be off and running.”

The MPS team continues to discover new creative uses to take advantage of Dante’s integration into PCs. With the Dante Virtual Soundcard, they broadcast on-air interviews via SkypeTX, translating Skype feeds into the broadcast

over fibre to and from the theatre more than a mile each way with no perceptible latency. “We have wireless bodypacks that take lavalier or handheld mics and output Dante,” Ball says. “The signals from those mics and the remote comms, as well as video from the cameras, were all remoted back via fibre to MPS. We mixed the audio live on a Dante-enabled Yamaha mixer, and split those mic signals into the ADAM, using OMNEO to route hot mics to the producers and to route

Dante-based audio networking brings a new era of digital audio routing and control to video broadcast production of Microsoft Production Studios

and production world. By replacing analogue audio I/O systems with Dante Virtual Soundcards, this has reduced infrastructure and complexity for both live and taped productions across broadcast and corporate applications.

As Ball is discovering, the ability to route full-fidelity audio over great distances with virtually no latency opens up new possibilities, allowing RTS matrix frames to be used beyond comms.

“I just finished a session,” Ball says, “where my ADAM was acting more as a digital audio router that was also handling intercom. It was a live webcast of an EVP of marketing speaking to Microsoft marketing groups worldwide. The EVP was in one of our theatres in Redmond. We were at MPS, where we mixed the audio, switched the video, compressed the programme signal, and sent it out as a webcast.”

Ball could route full-fidelity audio

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audio to the Technical Operations Center, where the program was being fed to the webcasting boxes.

We also ran comms and a mixed programme feed on Dante back to the remote site.”

“Without OMNEO, I’d need to use a lot more copper for analogue comms and AES digital audio,” Ball concludes. “But with OMNEO and Dante, it’s all over network cable.

That makes it a natural for us because we’re transitioning to 4K video over a 10Gbps network, and with OMNEO our multichannel audio and multichannel comms can ride on those same IP paths.”

www.audinate.com www.boschsecurity.com uk.focusrite.com www.grassvalley.com www.rtsintercoms.com www.shure.com www.yamahaproaudio.com

22/09/2014 16:23

The Global Broadcast, Pro AV and Pro Audio White Paper library.

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

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

Visit www.newbayconnect.com to register, browse and download material and to receive your regular newsletter updates and editors’ pick updates of the latest posted content.

For more information on submitting content and using Newbay Connect for generating qualified leads, contact the Newbay Connect team: Publisher: Steve Connolly steve.connolly@intentmedia.co.uk +44 (0)207 354 6000

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Sales: Ben Ewles ben.ewles@intentmedia.co.uk +44 (0)207 354 6000

Campaign Manager: Warren Kelly warren.kelly@intentmedia.co.uk +44 (0)207 354 6000

15/08/14 15:07

SOLUTIONS: GALA BINGO 63

October 2014

UNITED KINGDOM

Playing the numbers game

Customers at the newly upgraded Gala Bingo in Feltham can participate in games in one of two areas: the more sociable ‘lively lounge’ or the dedicated bingo hall

A surge in popularity led this chain of bingo halls to upgrade its previously static signage system, writes Tom Bradbury

C

ontent creation specialist Kaleidovision has enjoyed a long relationship with gaming company Gala Coral Group over the years, first through its casino operations and now with its large Gala Bingo estate.

Recent times have seen the bingo experience become even more popular, which, despite being a positive for Gala Bingo, also created problems for the chain.

An increasing array of product choices available to customers – launched to match higher demands – resulted in lengthening queues

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around the Booksales areas of the clubs, where all communications had previously been paper based.

“By introducing our ‘price smash’ initiative we had given customers more choice, but made the pricing more complicated, resulting in dissatisfaction at purchase point with queuing times,” explains Gala Bingo marketing director Andy Goram.

“We realised we needed a queue-busting metric and asked Kaleidovision whether they could bring our 2D static pricing to life so that people could make an easy, informed decision – enabling

the purchase of either paper or electronic bingo,” he continues.

“This, along with a new self-service area had created the need for a new bingo buying journey.”

The vision Kaleidovision was tasked with providing the solution in the form of an elegant, easily updatable three-screen ‘infotainment’ system to replace the old paper point of sale. The systems would be part of 11 new-look Gala Bingo sites which had been earmarked for upgrades from the 137-unit estate.

The screens would guide

customers to the appropriate queue, depending on their preferred purchase type, filtering the crowds so that each customer quickly and simply made his or her purchase.

Prices on the units can be set and changed locally via Kaleidovision’s content management system (CMS), through up to 15 different sessions per week.

“This differs substantially from most retail digital screen set-ups, where pricing is pumped down centrally rather than managed at site level,” says Andy Pitman, Kaleidovision MD. “Whereas most

22/09/2014 16:28

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For US sponsorship opportunities contact: mjmitchell@broadcast-media.tv +1 631 673 0072

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SOLUTIONS: GALA BINGO 65

October 2014

signage stays the same all week, this ‘freedom within a framework’ presents them with a dynamic process in which standard brand templates and central pricing are seamlessly presented alongside locally-selected pricing.”

Bespoke solution Kaleidovision had already been engaged by Gala Bingo to supply venues with background music and jingles (via its KL4 media player) as well as corporate training videos. By using bespoke software for the KL4 and multi-level CMS, displays can present the complex pricing and changing offers during different trading periods in a graphical, operationally intuitive manner.

“This exercise has been developed specifically for Gala to bring clarity to customer-facing pricing communications, which can get confused with multiple bits of POS displayed in a tight area,” explains Amy Henaghan,

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Kaleidovision account manager.

“With customer-facing screens all the different pricing can be seen by queuing customers at a glance, while the unit managers have local control simply by going in through the web portal. Customers are no longer having to ask questions, which lengthened the queue time, and so this is an important timesaving mechanism.” Ultimately the new system facilitates decisionmaking, subsequently reducing queue sizes at peak times.

Customers can also use the Electronic Bingo Self Service area, equipped with tablets and an ATM that enables cash to be loaded onto their account. Here the intuitive screens will also guide them easily through the process and purchase options available.

Gala’s new-look bingo halls have been designed to broaden the appeal of bingo, by separating the main area into two sections: one for dedicated gamers where bingo is the main focus, and another

more relaxed area called the Lively Lounge for more sociable games. “[The new layout] has required little capital expenditure other than updating our KL4 players with the new software, as we have been able to repurpose many of our existing LCD flatscreens,” explain Goram. This allows Gala to run the scrolling ticker info, with a maximum of three editable messages.

Bingo “We are now back to speed at Booksales, with better use of existing kit and the screens are working harder,” Goram confirms.

Down at the flagship Gala Bingo in Feltham – with nearly 900 capacity in the main hall and 250 in the Lively Lounge – general manager Mike Ellis agrees that it has clearly sped up the customer journey at a single point of purchase.

“The screens are simpler, a lot clearer and easy to read fonts. In

fact, it’s the best signage we’ve ever had and what we get from Kaleidovision now is much more tailored to the business. We can just go into the web portal and update as we want. It’s contemporary and modern and definitely fits within this environment.”

And Andy Pitman confirms: “These developments ensure that both the customer and the colleague experience are top-notch – and that’s vital to ensure ease of use and buy-in.”

The new trial is proving a success as it prepares for rollout – a positive sign for Gala Bingo which has 1.2 million active members on its database and over 15 million visits per year. As for Kaleidovision, it means the company can carry out online monitoring and diagnostics by logging into its own CMS.

www.kaleidovision.co.uk

22/09/2014 16:28

PLANYOUR Learn

MONTH AHEAD

Our pick of what to see, do and discover in the weeks ahead, including Smart Buildings across Europe and how to design your own wearable electronics

f Pick o th on the m

PSNTraining Live

Read

26 November Next month will see the first PSNTraining Live event. Get hands-on with the latest audio kit, hear from major industry figures and network with your colleagues as this free-to-attend one-day event.

Register now at www.psnetraininglive.com

Make: Wearable Electronics: Design, prototype, and wear your own interactive garments

Smart Building Conference, Berlin & Milan Following the success of its London debut in 2013 and its second edition there last month, the Smart Building Conference has expanded across Europe and will take in Berlin (6 November) and Milan (18 November). Both conferences, which are a joint venture of InfoComm International and CEDIA, feature parallel tracks for residential and commercial

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building applications, the Berlin event also offers a full-day workshop on the 5 November. The Milan conference takes place in the same week as the SIEC industry gathering at which both CEDIA and InfoComm are expected to offer additional industry training and networking opportunities. www.smartbuildingconference.com

Visit

By Kate Hartman Want to learn more about the trend towards wearable tech? This book invites readers to consider what we want from wearable technologies, what should be avoided, and what the future may hold.

Manchester Science Festival

23 October-2 November MSF blends art, workshops, performances and big experiences for all ages across Greater Manchester.

Visitors will be immersed in science, ideas and innovation covering topics such as 3D printing, fracking and fractal cubes.

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