Sound & Communications June 2019, Vol 65 No 6

Changes In Auditorium Uses UNC’s Campus Commons innovates space for performance and welcoming students

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June 12, 2019 Vol. 65 No. 6

INSIDE: INFOCOMM NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT, FEATURING MORE THAN 120 INTRODUCTIONS

Auditorium AV: Networked And Immersive

An overview of modern applications for presentation

ISS 608

True Seamless 4K Switching Leaps Ahead to the Next Generation Take your live presentations to an entirely new level with dynamic, seamless switching and scaling of 4K content. The ISS 608 features six HDMI 2.0 inputs and two DisplayPort 1.2 inputs, providing full 18 Gbps support of signals up to 4K/60 with 4:4:4 chroma sampling. The HDCP 2.2-compliant ISS 608 combines true seamless switching with advanced Vector™ 4K scaling technology to deliver unequaled video performance for high-end presentations and live events on even the largest of screens. Independent video buses for Preview and Program outputs and an intuitive front panel interface provide effortless on-the-fly operation.

Key Features

Matrix Mode provides production-style switching effects for any HDMI matrix switcher. Simply connect two switcher outputs to inputs 1 and 2 on the ISS 608 to automatically apply a transition effect between the video sources when a switch is detected.

• True seamless switching between eight digital inputs • Multiple transition effects include wipes, dissolve, and cut • Preview and Program outputs

Program

• Advanced Extron Vector™ 4K scaling engine

Switch detected; source transitions to Program output

• HDCP 2.2 compliant • Supported HDMI 2.0 specification features include data rates up to 18 Gbps, Deep Color, and HD lossless audio formats

INPUTS

1

2 3 4 5

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1

2 3 4 5

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PROGRAM

MUTE

FREEZE

1

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MUTE

FREEZE

1

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OUTPUTS

• Matrix Mode provides seamless switching for larger AV systems

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EFFECTS

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PRESET

I/O ESC

VIEW

VIDEO

AUDIO

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PRESETS

Previous Program source cuts to Preview output

ADJUST

DISSOLVE

CUT

RECALL SAVE

SIZE

WIPE

VIDEO KEY

ENTER

POSITION

PIP

LOGO

TAKE

PREVIEW

CONTROL

ENTER

ADJUST CONFIG

MENU

NEXT

TAKE CONFIG

PRIMARY

ISS 608

REDUNDANT

INTEGRATION SEAMLESS SWITCHER

POWER

XTP

CrossPoint 1600

XTP SERIES DIGITAL MATRIX SWITCHER

Extron XTP II CrossPoint 1600

• Embedded multi-channel digital and de-embedded stereo analog audio are switched along with video, fading down and up for the duration of the transition effect

Modular Digital Matrix Switcher

Extron ISS 608

4K/60 HDMI and DisplayPort Seamless Switcher

Preview

800.633.9876 • extron.com/ISS

WATCH

Catch our other shows for day 2 and 3 at this link: www.soundandcommunications.com/conventiontv-at-infocomm/

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editorial team.

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CONTENTS Volume 65 Number 6

74 CHANGES IN AUDITORIUM USES

UNC’s Campus Commons innovates space for performance and welcoming students.

By Dan Daley

C O M M E R C I A L

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T E C H N O L O G Y

A N D

A P P L I C A T I O N

F E AT U R E S

6

82 AUDITORIUM AV: NETWORKED AND IMMERSIVE

90 THE JOURNEY TOWARD A DISTRACTION-FREE OPEN OFFICE

By Dan Daley

By Robert Manassero

An overview of modern applications for presentation.

Expect to hear a lot more about biophilia in the coming years.

94 INFOCOMM NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT, FEATURING MORE THAN 120 INTRODUCTIONS.

24

COLUMNS 8 WAVELENGTH

By Dan Ferrisi

14 SOUND ADVICE

By Peter Mapp, PhD, FASA, FAES

18 IOT

By Mike Brandofino

20 HOUSE OF WORSHIP: BUSINESS

By David Lee Jr., PhD

32 THE COMMISH

By James Maltese, CTS-D, CTS-I, CQD, CQT

34 WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

By Douglas Kleeger, CTS-D, DMC-E/S, XTP-E, KCD

38 AVIXA POV

By Annette Robertson

40 NSCA POV

By Mike Abernathy

140 AVENT HORIZON

By Pete Putman, CTS

DEPARTMENTS 11 NEWSLETTER 24 HOUSE OF WORSHIP: TECHNOLOGY Turning ‘No’ Into ‘Yes’: Church of the Highlands overcomes technological limitations with digital audio.

By Anthony Vargas

44 THE MESSAGE IS THE MEDIUM

Superhighfidelinitionextraawesomesystems: The three levels of AV craftsmanship.

By Joseph Bocchiaro III, Ph.D., CStd, CTS-D, CTS-I, ISF-C

48 INDUSTRY POV

Digital Signage Technologies Must Engage: Don’t just jump on the bandwagon without considering ROI.

By Brent Sanders

50 INDUSTRY POV

Immersing In The Invisible: Balancing art and technology in Broadway sound design.

By John Monitto

Sound & Communications June 2019

52 INDUSTRY POV

Managing Dynamic AV Market Changes: Key insights for our ever-evolving, never stagnant industry.

By Garry Wicka

70 INDUSTRY POV

Transmitting MIDI Signals Over Long Distances: Solutions can rely on Cat5 cable or fiberoptics.

By Irwin Math

56 INDUSTRY POV

72 INDUSTRY POV

By Ben Escobedo

By Emilyann Phoenix

Using Microphones In Theatrical Environments: A primer on key considerations for effective stage mic’ing.

60 CONSULTANT’S POV

Artificial Intelligence And The AV World: Dredging the primordial soup.

By John Mayberry

62 INDUSTRY POV

Making The Case For AV-Over-IP: The forecast calls for audio and video.

By Brad Price

66 INDUSTRY POV

Why Content Matters: Becoming content conversant for digital signage.

By Jim Nista

Digital Signage As A Customer-Service Vehicle: Taking website principles and applying them to digital signs.

125 NEWS 125 CALENDAR 127 PEOPLE 128 PRODUCTS 131 MEDIA 132 SOFTWARE 135 CENTERSTAGE 138 MARKETPLACE

WAVELENGTH Welcome to InfoComm ’19, where this issue is debuting and where, I’d wager, a ver y large percentage of you are flipping (or scrolling) through these pages. Although I’m writing these words nearly a month before show opening, industr y excitement is already building to a crescendo as strategic alliances are announced and product innovations are unveiled.

I attend about eight trade shows and regional events per year, crisscrossing the countr y and the globe. Amid all the handshaking and catching up, I often find myself articulating my vision for Sound & Communications in relation to other trade publications inside and outside our industr y. I often use the (rather shopworn) cliché “a marketplace of ideas” to describe our “Industr y POVs,” of which we have eight this month—plus a “Consultant’s POV,” an “AVIXA POV” and an “NSCA POV.” In curating each month’s selection of “POVs,” I seek bold, provocative ideas that would befit a TED Talk. I tr y to find thought leadership that goes beyond repeating the latest talking

points developed by marketing-literature writers. What any of my fellow editors or I think of the theses is immaterial; what matters is what you think of them. As in a supermarket, pick up what you like, and leave behind what you don’t.

This month, topics up for discussion include sound design in Broadway settings, using website-proven principles to make digital signs customer-ser vice vehicles, key considerations for effective micing in theatrical environments, why it’s essential for AV integrators to become content conversant in digital signage, how best to manage the dynamic market changes that characterize the AV industr y and much, much more. We also have John Mayberr y’s take on how artificial intelligence (AI) plays into our world. And Joseph Bocchiaro III, PhD, CStd, CTS-D, CTS-I, ISF-C, offers a special contribution on why all AV professionals should strive to be craftsmen. Dying for your turn to step onto the soapbox? Email me at dferrisi@testa.com.

I would be remiss not to mention our InfoComm New Product Spotlight, a

highly anticipated annual offering that you’ll only find in Sound & Communications.

Starting on page 92, this year’s iteration features more than 120 products Dan Ferrisi that are debuting at InfoComm. Our editors have vetted the submissions so that vintage products aren’t being mislabeled as new. This free editorial offering is meant to ser ve you, our readers, our most valuable asset.

If you’re traversing the Orange County Convention Center, you’re bound to come across the editorial team and me. We’ll be producing ConventionTV@InfoComm live on site, sharing late-breaking updates on our social-media feeds and scouring the halls to report the news you need to know.

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A V F O R S Y S T E M S I N T E G R AT O R S , C O N T R A C T O R S A N D C O N S U LTA N T S

Editor Dan Ferrisi dferrisi@testa.com Associate Editor Anthony Vargas avargas@testa.com Assistant Editor Amanda Mullen amullen@testa.com Contributing Editors Pete Putman, CTS Jim Stokes

Contributors Mike Abernathy Joseph Bocchiaro III, PhD, CStd, CTS-D, CTS-I, ISF-C Dan Daley Ben Escobedo Douglas Kleeger, CTS-D, DMC-E/S, XTP-E, KCD David Lee Jr., PhD James Maltese, CTS-D, CTS-I, CQD, CQT Robert Manassero Peter Mapp, PhD, FASA, FAES Irwin Math John Mayberry John Monitto Jim Nista Emilyann Phoenix Brad Price Pete Putman, CTS Annette Robertson Brent Sanders Garry Wicka Technical Council Joseph Bocchiaro III, PhD, CStd, CTS-D, CTS-I, ISF-C, The Sextant Group, Inc. Douglas Kleeger, CTS-D, DMC-E/S, XTP-E, KCD David Lee Jr., PhD, Lee Communication Inc. Peter Mapp, PhD, FASA, FAES, Peter Mapp Associates Pete Putman, CTS, ROAM Consulting LLC Art Director Janice Pupelis jpupelis@testa.com Digital Art Director Fred Gumm Production Manager Steve Thorakos Sales Assistant/Ad Traffic Jeannemarie Graziano jgraziano@testa.com Advertising Manager Robert L. Iraggi riraggi@testa.com Classifieds classifiedsales@testa.com Circulation circulation@testa.com Operations Manager Robin Hazan Associate Publisher John Carr jcarr@testa.com President/Publisher Vincent P. Testa Editorial and Sales Office Sound & Communications 25 Willowdale Avenue Port Washington, New York 11050-3779 (516) 767-2500 | FAX: (516) 767-9335 Sound & Communications Sound & Communications Blue Book IT/AV Report The Music & Sound Retailer DJ Times • DJ Expo ConventionTV@NAMM ConventionTV@InfoComm

CONTRIBUTORS Mike Abernathy first joined NSCA in 2001, serving as Member Relations Manager. In 2007, he joined AtlasIED, managing international sales and national accounts for distribution. Rejoining NSCA in 2017, he works to build member affinity programs, launch business tools and assessments, and strengthen membership by developing resources to help integrators.

Ben Escobedo is a Senior Market Development Specialist at Shure Inc. He focuses on professional audio, with an emphasis on theater and broadcast. As an audio professional, he often presents and discusses on wireless best practices, spectrum issues and microphone optimization.

Robert Manassero is a workplace technology and unified communications and collaboration (UCC) expert who has experience in biophilic design and office acoustics. Manassero is a graduate from the University of the Pacific, and he holds a master’s degree from San Jose State University.

Irwin Math is President of Liteway, Inc., a New York-based company that has been manufacturing fiberoptic transmission systems for more than 25 years.

For more information, visit www.midiextender.com or www.liteway.com.

John Monitto relies on his experience in the pro-audio industry to lead Meyer Sound’s Business Development Department. He has substantial knowledge pertaining to Broadway audio, tuning systems and working alongside sound designers for more than 20 years. Monitto volunteers on AVIXA committees and on two audio standards currently in development.

Jim Nista is Senior Director of Content Creation Services for Almo Professional A/V. He brings a history in content creation to Almo, having worked as a creative director for a range of clients. He is the Founder of Insteo, Inc., a specialized digital signage content and creative company.

Emilyann Phoenix is the Editorial and Marketing Director for Protective Enclosures Co. (maker of The TV Shield and The Display Shield weatherproof outdoor TV enclosures), the creator of Coloring Novels and the author of Amazon. com bestselling young adult fantasy novels. She can be reached at emilyann@protec tiveenclosures.com.

Brad Price is Senior Product Manager at Audinate. He works with the development team to create solutions such as Dante Audio Networking, Dante Domain Manager and Dante AV. The goal of his work is to provide true value to AV professionals across a wide range of industry categories.

Annette Robertson, Director of Content Development for AVIXA, is a champion of creative, connected experiences.

She’s responsible for new content that shines a spotlight on the power of AV technology and integrated experiences through AVIXA’s TIDE and AVEC conferences, as well as bringing related industry content partners to InfoComm.

Garry Wicka, VP of Marketing at LG Electronics Business Solutions, leads all marketing strategy and execution for LG’s display businesses across multiple vertical markets. He joined LG in 2015, having previously led marketing for Dell’s displays and peripherals business.

Since, he has implemented successful digital and traditional marketing programs.

Sound & Communications (ISSN 0038-1845) (USPS 943-140) is published monthly for $25 (US), $35 (Canada & Mexico) and $65 (all other countries), by Sound & Communications Publications, Inc., 25 Willowdale Ave., Port Washington, NY 11050-3779.

Periodicals postage paid at Port Washington, NY, and additional mailing offices. Copyright © 2019 SOUND & COMMUNICATIONS PUBLISHING, INC. Reprint of any part of contents without permission is forbidden. Titles Registered in the U.S. Patent Office.

POSTMASTER: Send U.S. address changes to Sound & Communications, PO Box 1767, Lowell, MA 01853-1767. Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608. Canada Returns to be sent to Bleuchip International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2.

June 2019

Sound & Communications

9

multipurpose AV processing appliance

NEWSLETTER DIVERSIFIED ACQUIRES RUTLEDGE AV Diversified (Kenilworth NJ) has announced the acquisition of Rutledge AV (Northcote, Victoria, Australia). According to the companies, Rutledge AV’s client base and track record of quality service enables Diversified to provide local support to clients and the confidence to deliver to high standards, as it does in the Americas; Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA); and the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.

Founded from humble beginnings in 1979 by Michael and Sandy Rutledge, Rutledge AV has grown into Australia’s largest AV-integration specialist, with offices across seven states and territories and more than 350 AV professionals. It will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Diversified, continuing to be a partner to its clients while also introducing Diversified’s portfolio of offerings and adding incremental value for their organizations. Andrew Morrice, Rutledge AV’s CEO, and team will lead Diversified’s expansion into Australia, helping establish the company’s operations in the region.

Kevin Collins, Diversified’s President, commented, “Welcoming Rutledge into the Diversified family is a huge milestone that I am proud to be part of. Much of our strategic international growth has led us to this point, where we now have established entities in almost all continents across the globe. Most importantly, we’ve gotten here through partnering with highly skilled organizations that share our values and passion for next-generation technology solutions.”

SYNNEX REBRANDS CLOUD/MOBILITY BUSINESS UNIT AS STELLR SYNNEX Corp. (Fremont CA), a business process services company, has announced the rebranding of its CloudSolv marketplace and community with the unveiling of Stellr. The new brand, the company said, is built on SYNNEX’s ability to implement emerging technologies to solve real business problems in an era of disruptive digital transformation. According to the company, Stellr eliminates barriers between hardware and connectivity to develop comprehensive solutions that address the convergence of cloud, mobility and the Internet of Things (IoT).

According to Rob Moyer, Senior VP, Cloud Services, Mobility and IoT, SYNNEX Corp., “Our vision for Stellr is to help our partners navigate, thrive and prosper in this era of digital transformation.

We are building a modern marketplace that simply and easily aggregates and implements the best custom technology solutions to solve real business challenges.”

The Stellr brand includes a range of enhancements for partners, including a new interface for the SYNNEX cloud portal, which will be followed by an updated website with access to a new virtual learning center. Stellr will continue to invest in its partners through a series of new benefits, tools and resources to be launched over the next year.

AV STUMPFL ESTABLISHES DOMESTIC SALES AND LOGISTICS FACILITY AV Stumpfl GmbH (Wallern, Austria) has recently restructured its distribution network in the US. Last year, the family-owned AV Stumpfl established its first official subsidiary in the US with direct ties to the Austrian parent company. From its headquarters in Atlanta GA, the AV Stumpfl Inc. team offers its US customers direct support, repairs and sales-consultation services.

AV Stumpfl Inc. permanently stocks a large quantity of the company’s projection screen products in its modern warehouse, including the Monoblox, Vario and Fullwhite systems, as well as custom-made drape kits for all mobile projection screens. The US team also offers consultative sales and support for the company’s PIXERA media-server systems. In addition, on-site training in a dedicated and fully equipped training facility is available.

According to AV Stumpfl Inc.’s Managing Director, Todd Liedahl, “Last year’s establishment of AV Stumpfl Inc. was a new chapter in our company history. Finding the right place was one thing, but

You could have received this NEWSLETTER information about three weeks ago, with more detail and live links, via email. Go to www.soundandcommunications.com to sign up!

June 2019

Sound & Communications 11

NEWSLETTER building a strong US-based team was even more important. We continue to see a lot of growth potential for both our projection screen and media-server systems. Therefore, we think it is important to clearly communicate to our customers that they have a direct line in the US to purchase from the manufacturer’s domestic facility.”

BROADSIGN ACQUIRES DOOH AD EXCHANGE COMPANY CAMPSITE Broadsign (Montréal, Quebec, Canada), an out-of-home (OOH) marketing platform, has announced that it has acquired Campsite (Montréal, Quebec, Canada), a digital out-of-home (DOOH) ad exchange that automates the buying and selling of DOOH inventory. This follows the recent announcement that Broadsign has acquired OOH enterprise business solution Ayuda Media Systems. Both transactions have closed.

According to the companies, the combination of Broadsign and Campsite will further automate the buying and selling of media inventory for DOOH media owners, making it easier for agencies and media buyers to find, plan and book DOOH advertising campaigns. According to eMarketer, programmatic buying represented more than 80 percent of US digital media transactions last year, highlighting the need to modernize buying in the $40 billion global OOH industry to drive future growth.

“Broadsign’s goal is to make the buying and selling of out-of-home as easy as possible,” Adam Green, SVP and GM of Broadsign Reach, said. “Adding Campsite’s strengths to our open platform will greatly help with that mission.” He continued, “We look forward to working with the Campsite team and all of our mutual customers to build on our collective vision for open programmatic DOOH trading around the world.”

Edith Gagné, VP of Development at Campsite, along with the entire Campsite team, has joined Broadsign. For the time being, Campsite will operate as an independent division of Broadsign.

However, Campsite’s extensive user experience (UX) and buy-side experience will be immediately tapped to help develop new offerings and features for Broadsign Reach.

LIVE-EVENTS PRODUCERS EMPHASIZE OWNED AV EQUIPMENT The live-performance space is faring well, due to consumers opting to buy into holistic experiences rather than just isolated transactions. According to Pollstar and PricewaterhouseCoopers, US concert ticket sales exceeded $8 billion last year, and average ticket prices are rising as consumers are increasingly willing to spend more for a show. Yet, AVIXA forecasts that, in the Americas, commercial AV sales into temporary live-events solutions will decline from $10.2 billion last year to $8.6 billion in 2023. A higher percentage of live-events producers are choosing to own commercial AV equipment, rather than renting equipment, and they plan to increase the owned portion. AVIXA’s new Market Opportunity Analysis Report (MOAR) Live Performance investigates the opportunities and challenges for commercial AV providers working in the live-performance space.

The report focuses on the live-performance events themselves, whether in the form of a music concert, theater production, symphony, circus, comedy show or other event falling within the realm of live entertainment. Unlike traditional AV-integration projects, live performances are often a temporary deployment of technology combined with staffing to manage and operate the hardware.

Producers do more in house than one might expect. First, they have an increasing tendency to want to own versus lease equipment, possibly consistent with a focus on fixed venues or a desire to have a core of go-to technology options. Second, they employ several resources to manage, deploy and utilize AV internally. Last, these resources are heavily relied on for mid- and late-stage phases of a performance project. Providers are still important, but they might be relegated to specific tasks, even if early involvement is common. A more holistic view and fewer transactional costs are a provider’s path up-market.

To learn more about MOAR: Live Performance, visit www.avixa.org/moarliveperformance.

COMPILED BY DAN FERRISI 12 Sound & Communications June 2019

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SOUND ADVICE

Juggernauts & Low Loaders, Part 2 What, where and when?

By Peter Mapp, PhD, FASA, FAES

L

ast month, I showed that many loudspeakers (both low and high impedance) could have far lower impedances than their simple, single-number ratings imply. It is important for system designers to know how a given loudspeaker, or set of loudspeakers, will load an amplifier. I finished Part 1 with a plot showing the impedance/ frequency characteristics of several common high-impedance (70/100V line) loudspeakers tapped at 15W. For convenience, I have repeated the plot here as Figure 1.

As the figure shows, SP1 and SP2 (the red and blue cur ves) have impedances well below their theoretical design values. To put this into better perspective, I have replotted the cur ves for those two devices in terms of watts, rather than ohms; that is shown in Figure 2. I have also indicated the 15W notional load line that these loudspeakers should be exhibiting.

Looking at the red cur ve shows this unit to take more power than it should through most of the audio band; the second unit (the blue cur ve), meanwhile, does not do much better. Therefore, this clearly demonstrates the importance of knowing more than just a single value for the impedance. How should we quantify the loads that these loudspeakers present, and how should we take this into account? One way might be to take the average impedance over the measured range (50Hz to 10kHz). Doing that produces loads equivalent to 16.1W and 16.5W, respectively, for SP1 and SP2. On this basis, then, a nominal 15W loudspeaker should have no problem, right? An amplifier, however, might not see it that way!

14 Sound & Communications June 2019

Figure 1: Typical PA speaker load impedance characteristics.

Figure 2: Typical PA speaker loading as a function of frequency.

At any given time, the signal will be composed of a broadband signal or perhaps a series of harmonic tones—the latter, for example, being akin to vowel sounds in speech or chords or sustained notes in music. Therefore, an alternative method of looking at the load might be to break up the load/frequency characteristic in a more real-world way.

Somewhat arbitrarily, I have divided up the load into three frequency bands: 50Hz to 160Hz, 200Hz to 400Hz and 500Hz to 2kHz. The results are present-

ed in Figure 3.

A division such as that immediately reveals where some problems might lie. It can be seen in the 50Hz to 160Hz band, for example, that both loudspeakers potentially draw more than the expected 15W; loadings are 23W and 20W, respectively. Over the 200Hz to 400Hz band, the loadings are 14W and 13.5W; meanwhile, over the 500Hz to 2kHz range, the loads are 16W and 18W. However, what the amplifier sees as a load will actually depend on the

SOUND ADVICE

Figure 3: Loudspeaker

overall signal and its frequency conloads across three frequency tent. So, out of interest, I repeated the bands (nominal is 15W). exercise using a broadband, speechshaped noise signal to measure the loudspeaker impedances (loads). This is shown in Figure 4. From the graph, it can be seen that, for speech, most of the energy is in the 125Hz and 250Hz octave bands; this reduces appreciably at high frequencies. Using this more realistic signal, the measured loudspeaker loads came out to be 23W each—thus, 50 percent over the speakers’ rated 15W. Interestingly, when I used a “flat” pink-noise test signal, the loads, effectively averaged over the complete 20Hz to 20kHz bandwidth, came out at 15W to 16W. The speech-shaped noise signal that I used had a crest factor (i.e., peak-to-mean ratio) of 12dB to 13dB. So, in many respects, it is not at all unlike speech, although the Figure 4: Speech spectrum temporal-energy distribution and actual test signal. dynamics are ver y different. Few realize that the crest factor of real speech is not constant, but, rather, varies with frequency.

Perhaps not intuitively, speech has higher crest factors at higher frequencies. For example, some measurements I made on a typical speech announcement message showed the crest factor at 125Hz to be 12.3dB, whereas, at 2kHz, it was 17.8dB. A speech signal will also var y rapidly with time, both spectrally and dynamically. A simplified example is shown in Figure 5.

In this figure, I have plotted the averaged temporal variation in the 125Hz and 2kHz octave bands over a 15sec. period. For comparison, a pink-noise signal is shown, as well. At 125Hz, over the 15sec. period, the 1sec. Figure 5: Typical speech and pink-noise signal amplitude integrated amplitude variation was variations (1sec. integration).

11dB, whereas, at 2kHz, it was 12dB. However, the important aspect is to see the greater consistency of the signal at 125Hz, showing that speech in this frequency band will stress an amplifier more than in the higher frequencies. (The offset between 125Hz and 2kHz is correct.) For comparison, the pink-noise signal, measured over the same period, varied by just 0.5dB. The combined dynamic impedance loading with which PA amplifiers have to contend is therefore highly complex.

Although testing amplifiers and loudspeaker circuit loads with sine waves can be useful, it is a far cr y from the real world, as we will see next time.

16 Sound & Communications June 2019

© 2 0 1 9 B o s c h S e c u r i t y S y s te m s , I n c .

2019 at NAB SHOW

I P I N T E R C O M T H AT W O R K S F O R Y O U AEROSPACE • AV RENTAL • BROADCAST • CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE • HOUSE OF WORSHIP • SPORTS VENUES • THEATER

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IoT

The End Of Purpose-Built Collaboration Devices?

The answer might not be as clear-cut as we think.

By Mike Brandofino Yorktel

I

to see a few gaps, and it’s causing some customers to rethink their approach. The n prior articles, we’ve disgaps are in a few key areas—namely, user experience, monitoring and management, cussed the fact that the huddle-room and security. trend is growing. What we haven’t yet With regard to user experience, we’ve been sold on the idea that software-based talked about is what is going into those solutions provide ease of use, flexibility and mobility. The challenge that has arisen rooms to support collaboration. The is that “self-ser vice” doesn’t mean “no ser vice.” This is because, now, we must supdebate about whether this is the end of port individuals rather than rooms. Software running on a PC in the room might be purpose-built collaboration devices in competing with other applications; and, if you are running Microsoft OS, then those the meeting space is heating up. What frequent updates can pose challenges.

I mean by “purpose built” is a device The purpose-built appliances are designed for a specific function, with cameras specifically designed and optimized and audio equipment tightly integrated to provide a consistent experience. This is for collaboration experiences, as opno longer the case when you have USB devices connected to a PC or laptop running posed to a PC in the room or a laptop Microsoft and potentially other applications.

Some of these other applications might that runs one of the myriad collaborabe tr ying to use the ver y same camera tion software and microphone that the collaboration The days of having one homogenous collaboration platform solutions on the software wants to use, causing a potenmarket. are probably gone, but it’s important to keep the user tially inconsistent user experience, or I have always experience and the operational requirements as key factors. even a poor one. been a propoFrom a monitoring and management nent of develperspective, it is relatively easy to capture information from a purpose-built device, oping and leveraging software-based many of which support Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) to provide collaboration solutions. The benefits details about the performance of the device.

However, tr ying to monitor a PC that appear pretty clear and impressive, with is running multiple applications with USB-connected devices is a difficult task. Curthe ability to deploy software solutions rently, there aren’t too many good ways to do it.

About the best you could do is to on your own ser vers, PCs and mobile know the PC is online and that it has the collaboration application running. devices. There is an ability to scale Finally, security is another big challenge. Purpose-built devices are capable of more easily and leverage virtual ser ver being locked down and having encr yption as a default setting. Although softwaretechnology to build high-availability colbased solutions have the ability to do the same, the fact that they’re running on a laboration platforms. This has opened shared device, with potentially multiple applications, and multiple people maybe the door for cloud-based solutions and having to log on to them, poses serious security concerns. ser vices to take hold, and, in many casI don’t think is an all-or-nothing decision for customers. There is a growing trend es, to replace the legacy, purpose-built for what I would call a “hybrid solution,” where we do have purpose-built devices, appliances that were a mainstay for the but with the flexibility of running software-based collaboration tools. These new enpast 20 or so years. It would appear the trants attempt to take the best of both worlds in that they are better tuned to provide debate is pretty one-sided. a consistent experience and be monitored and managed, but they also can leverage Well…not so fast…. the leading software solutions.

If we look at this from an operations Yes, the days of having one homogenous collaboration platform are probably perspective, there are some things to gone.

But it’s important to keep the user experience and the operational requireconsider. Customers who are making ments as key factors when designing and deploying collaboration solutions, regardthe transition to huddle rooms with less of whether we’re using purpose-built appliances or software-based solutions. software-based solutions are beginning 18 Sound & Communications June 2019

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HOUSE OF WORSHIP: BUSINESS

Volunteers In HoWs Seek, find and keep them.

By David Lee Jr., PhD Lee Communication Inc.

V

olunteers are among the most valuable people in a house of worship (HoW). These amazing individuals are called upon to address a host of needs in their HoW; those can include custodial needs, lawn-care needs, office needs, nurser y needs, hospitality needs and media needs. HoW leaders struggle with the challenge of seeking, finding and keeping volunteers who will faithfully ser ve their HoW. They face an even greater challenge in finding people who are willing to be members of the media team.

Ever y HoW media team with which I have worked uses volunteers in various ways. One type of media team combines paid staff and volunteers. In that scenario, the majority of the critical roles—for example, front-of-house audio mixer, video director and light director—might be filled by paid staff (or freelancers), whereas volunteers fill the remaining roles. However, I have also worked with media teams composed entirely of volunteers.

My point is that there are uncountable numbers of volunteers who ser ve on media teams in HoWs located around the world. I believe we must understand the role that these amazing people play in creating worship experiences, and we must be mindful of the role they play in influencing leaders to purchase equipment for use in their HoW. To that point, volunteers directly affect the bottom line for those of us who work in the HoW market.

Allow me to share an example of what I’m referencing. I’m writing this article from Nashville TN, where my 20 Sound & Communications June 2019

team and I built a lovely audiovisual system that enables a ver y impressive team of volunteers to create powerful worship experiences. This particular HoW has about 500 congregants who frequent the physical campus, but its unique countr y music worship style inspires an average of 10,000 people to view the livestream each week.

The audiovisual system we built is ver y high quality, but it’s reasonably simple to use. We selected the gear for this HoW based on its communication goals, and while remaining mindful of the fact that the media team is composed entirely of volunteers. Early in the process of meeting and working with this HoW, I was told by the pastor that he was able to get volunteers to help with most areas of the church. However, he was not sure how to recruit the 20 or more volunteers required for the media team. He asked me to help him establish a plan to seek, find and keep volunteers for the media team.

What follows is the path we chose to develop the team: First, we selected a person who would ser ve as the team leader. This person had leadership potential, but minimal production experience. Then, during a Sunday worship ser vice, the team leader explained the need for volunteers who could learn to operate the new equipment the church was about to purchase. After the ser vice, interested people met the team leader at a special table we’d set up in the lobby. The team leader gathered contact information from those folks and invited them to attend a special meeting, at which they could learn more about the media team.

Some 40 people attended that meeting. The vision was cast, but the attendees also learned that, as volunteers, they would have to commit 10 to 15 hours (or more) each week to the media team. Fifteen people indicated they could not commit that much time. However, the remaining 25 who committed to membership formed the core of the media team.

We installed the HoW’s new system and immediately began to train the members on how to operate the video cameras, video switcher and recorders. We also trained them on how to set up the lighting and operate the new lighting board. We set up the new digital audio boards and taught them how to use them. In the sale, we included additional funding for us to deliver training over the course of the first year.

In addition, I conducted a session during which I explained to the leadership that, now that they’ve found members, they must learn to keep those great people by taking proactive measures to cultivate a positive culture…one that encourages and validates the hard work the team members do to make the ministr y successful.

Sadly, I often obser ve leaders who push volunteers so hard that, before long, they burn out and quit the team. Thankfully, there are good leaders who are mindful and praise these good folks, thereby creating a culture that attracts people; thus, the leaders never lack volunteers.

Perhaps the most compelling reason we should understand the value of volun-

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teers is acknowledging that they can directly affect our bottom line. How? I have met with many HoWs whose leaders were convinced to spend hundreds

Perhaps the most compelling reason we should understand

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the value of volunteers is acknowledging that they can directly affect our bottom line.

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of thousands of dollars on top-of-theline gear that no one knew how to use. The vendor offered no credible training; therefore, the gear was discarded or used poorly. After such an experience, leaders are scared to spend additional money, fearing a repeat of their first experience. Thus, I believe we should evaluate the media team and then create a system the team can learn to use relatively quickly, but that also offers features the team will use once its members grasp the technical and creative concepts.

In addition, I believe we should offer adequate ongoing training. When leadership sees results, they feel confident that their money was well spent on gear that the team can truly use to create powerful worship experiences. When this happens, our chances increase to keep the HoW as an ongoing client.

I believe we can help worship leaders find ways to seek, find and keep volunteers. I also believe understanding the value of volunteers, and creating systems that enable them to thrive, is vital to our success. That is what I believe.

Please tell me what you believe.

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HOUSE OF WORSHIP: TECHNOLOGY

Turning ‘No’ Into ‘Yes’ Church of the Highlands overcomes technological limitations with digital audio.

By Anthony Vargas One of the biggest challenges for a successful multi-campus church is ensuring that its audio and video technology is truly equal to the needs of a growing ministr y. Many rapidly growing churches eventually find that their existing AV technology is limiting what they are capable of, and as their ideas for worship programming become more ambitious, the answer to the question “Can we do this?” is too often a resounding “No.” Alabama-based Church of the Highlands is one such growing ministr y that

A view from the FOH mixing position. The two mixing consoles allow for one console to be used as a fader-expansion rig and provide redundancy in case one of the consoles experiences a system failure.

wanted to overcome the technical limitations of its existing systems in order to create a worship experience that matched its growing ambitions. To that end, the church recently invested in a large-scale audio upgrade at its Grants Mill AL broadcast campus, and it is currently in the planning stages for an accompanying video upgrade.

The Grants Mill broadcast campus seats 2,600 in a fan-shaped layout with stadium-style seating in the rear of the room. In addition to the broadcast campus, Church of the Highlands is composed of 19 satellite campuses located throughout Central Alabama.

Each week, the satellite campuses host their own local worship ser vices, and the satellite campuses also stream a spoken-word teaching segment delivered at the broadcast campus.

As Church of the Highlands’ Audio Director, Marc Johnson, described it, “Highlands follows the onechurch-many-locations multisite model. Local worship [is] done at each campus, and the main broadcast location [originates] the message content for all campuses. There are local campus pastors and local worship teams at each of the [19 satellites]. Local content is used at each location until the message portion, at which time all campuses get a near-real-time stream of the message portion from Pastor Chris Hodges or other guest pastors.” He continued, “The audio broadcast studio is responsible for the audio content that is sent outside the main broadcast auditorium to other campuses for livestreaming, archive recording, on-demand playback and prison-ministr y distribution.” Johnson leads a team of 18 technicians and 24 Sound & Communications June 2019

HOUSE OF WORSHIP: TECHNOLOGY

Church of the Highlands’ Grants Mill broadcast campus hosts high-energy worship services with high-end AVL.

about 100 “Dream Team” volunteers who handle the audio production at the Grants Mill campus and all satellite campuses, as well as audio production for the streaming video content.

One of the main goals of the recent audio upgrade was overhauling the Grants Mill campus’ audio broadcast studio so as better to facilitate the livestreaming of content to the satellite locations. The other main goal was to improve the audio systems at the Grants Mill campus itself.

According to Johnson, “The main expectation of the install was to have stateof-the-art technology, excellent quality, flexible systems and a source-sharing infrastructure that would allow for a large number of sources to be shared between all locations with ease. This reached the need to have a networkbased audio system to allow any source to be available, at any time, in any location. We decided that Dante technology was perfect for what we needed, and it was native to the equipment that we were considering.” He added, “Our worship department is continually excelling with the creative elements of the experience. That requires audio support. With the new systems, we wanted things to 26 Sound & Communications June 2019

be easily accommodated. [We wanted not to be] the bottleneck in the creative process, allowing flexibility for any need.”

Church of the Highlands contracted the AVL integration firm Clark to bring these goals to fruition. For this phase of the project, Clark was tasked with outfitting the Grants Mill broadcast campus with a flexible digital audio system and the infrastructure the church would require to continue streaming content to its satellite locations for the foreseeable future. The Clark team included Design Consultant Alex Stave, Senior Project Manager Nathan Self, Senior Audio Commissioning Engineer Ed Crippen and Project Consultant Tom Donohue.

The project was completed in phases in order to accommodate Church of the Highlands’ rather packed programming schedule. The broadcast campus hosts five worship ser vices each Sunday and one on Monday, in addition to Saturdaymorning prayer ser vices, plus events during the week that include student-oriented training academy worship ser vices, church-wide staff meetings, community events and Dream Team development ser vices. Church personnel also conduct regular rehearsals for the weekend ser vices in the main auditorium. As is

often the case on projects like these, shutting the venue down temporarily to accommodate the installation was out of the question.

According to Clark’s Alex Stave, “The biggest challenge was just the fact that they have continual events in the space, so to take the old system offline while installing the new system—and then to get ever ything up and running—was a good challenge. That involved setting up a temporar y system, getting them off the old system while installing the new stuff, and then getting ever ything transferred over while events were happening either ever y day or ever y other day.”

Stave continued, “The first stage of the install [focused on] the overall infrastructure, so [that included] getting all the conduit paths and electrical in. We put in a three-phase UPS to power ever ything and got that all set up, and then we did the cable pulls. After that was done, we got the temporar y system set up and got them running on that. And as soon as that was going on, we started decommissioning the old equipment and pulling that out, then started working on installing the new equipment. And then after that, [we worked on] phasing in stuff from the temporar y system and getting it into the

final setup and configuration.”

In addition to handling power for the system, the universal power supply ser ves as an alternative to Church of the Highlands’ longstanding approach of relying on a backup PA system in case of a failure in the main speaker system. “Our backup plan up until this upgrade was speakers on sticks and a few wireless channels that could be used by the campus pastor, worship leader and [musicians], as needed,” Johnson explained. “This is a great solution and fit us ver y well over the years, but [the backup system] essentially was a life-safety system for communicating in the room and being able to facilitate a ver y light worship experience, if needed.”

After crunching some numbers, the church leadership realized a completesystem UPS would be a more costeffective solution than its traditional approach of installing a backup PA

system. According to Johnson, “We did the math on individual UPS units that [could handle] all the computer equipment that was getting put in place. We made sure to include the complete cost of ownership of any power conditioners and UPS units, [including] batter y maintenance, heat load and power consumption. We determined that a better, [more] cost-effective solution for our broadcast location was to put a whole-system UPS/power conditioner in line with the system. We installed a 480V, 60Hz, three-phase, 100kVA [Vertiv Liebert 51SA100ERA] UPS system in line with all of the mission-critical mainauditorium AVL and IT systems. It’s capable of powering ever ything needed to maintain broadcast origination in the main room and streaming to campuses, including the full PA. Having this unit in place conditions the power, provides a batter y backup of all systems and will ser ve as a backup sound system, allow-

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ing full worship to continue on batter y power for about 60 minutes.”

There is extensive BTX OpticalCON fiber infrastructure throughout the Grants Mill campus. “We ended up pulling both multi-mode and single-mode fiber throughout the room, as well as throughout the building,” Stave said. “The singlemode fiber is for network and video, and then the multi-mode fiber we are using for the SSL Blacklight connections. We’re using SSL Dante HC Bridges—we have five of those—and each of those allows 256x256 channels of I/O to each of the consoles from the Dante network at 96K.” After the infrastructure and cabling was installed, the next major step was installing digital consoles in various locations throughout the broadcast campus.

After demoing a number digital consoles, Church of the Highlands decided to choose Solid State Logic’s L500 Plus console. In total, there are five L500 Plus consoles in the venue—one is stored in

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Sound & Communications 27

HOUSE OF WORSHIP: TECHNOLOGY

a mobile cart used for monitor mixing, two are located at the front-of-house mixing position and two are installed in the broadcast audio room (which is currently located stage left). “They were really driven by sound quality, which is how we ended up with the SSL,� Stave shared. “They’re using them in three different locations: front of house, monitors and the broadcast

room. At front of house, they’re using one L500 to mix, and then the second L500 they’re using basically as a faderexpansion rig, and they can fail over to that for redundancy if one console fails.

And that’s the same in the broadcast room, where they’re using [the second console] for fader expansion as well as for the redundancy of having a second console available.�

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Johnson affirmed that Church of the Highlands’ main concerns when choosing the audio consoles centered on sound quality and redundancy. “Quality was the first lens that we looked through when deciding on the new system components,� he explained. “Ever ything in the chain is designed to keep quality at its highest, so that the equipment could never be at fault when facilitating distraction-free ser vices.� He continued, “We also needed a system that had redundancy to allow for a seamless transition if a failure were to happen. Each main component has a backup equivalent in place with a system of transition built in.�

In order to maximize system flexibility, Church of the Highlands’ broadcast campus features a wealth of digital audio inputs and networked infrastructure to ensure the church leadership’s creative freedom in designing unique stage setups and worship programming.

Many of the system components live on an Aruba network, although there are still some analog I/Os throughout the venue. “[The Aruba network handles] audio transport and audio control,� Stave explained. “Pretty much ever ything is living on the network, and we have around 1,400 channels of audio. We have a redundant primar y switch network, we have a redundant secondar y switch network [and we have] a device-control VLAN that’s on both of those. It’s 10-gig links between all the switches in a star configuration back to some core fiber switches, and we are running around a gig and a half of audio from the links.

We chose Aruba 2530 switches, as well as 3810s for the core fiber switches.�

Increasing the number of audio inputs in the worship space was a major priority for this installation. “We added—primarily to the stage—around 120 inputs, and those are on custom sub-snake panels on the stage,� Stave said. “We also built custom snakes that include audio and network to drop boxes that they can place around the stage area. We added some additional analog I/O around the room in the ceil-

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HOUSE OF WORSHIP: TECHNOLOGY The main arrays are flown in a left/right configuration, and the subwoofers are flown in a left/ right/center configuration. Additional flown speakers are used to cover the extreme far ends of the room.

The broadcast audio room also uses a twoconsole setup for redundancy and fader expansion. Audio inputs for the building’s main sanctuary, chapel and theater can be mixed from the broadcast audio room.

ing catwalks for audience mics, as well as on the lip of the stage in some floor pockets.” The custom panels and snakes were made by Entertainment Metals.

Altogether, there are eight SSL SB32.24 Dante stage boxes installed in the venue.

“To get the flexibility they wanted with all of the consoles having access to all of the inputs, it’s something that you can’t do easily with MADI stage boxes,” Stave explained. “We started out the install with MADI stage boxes because the Dante stage boxes weren’t available yet, and then, this last year, we switched them over to the Dante stage boxes.”

He continued, “There are quite a few channels of mic pres for inputs on the stage, and then we have Focusrite RedNet boxes throughout the building for additional I/O and tie lines. All the tie lines are no longer analog in the building; it’s all over the network. From the console, we’re running AES drive to a Martin Merlin processor, and then to the PA.” As part of the audio upgrade, Clark added a large number of Shure wireless channels for both microphones and in-ear monitors. Thirty-two channels of PSM 1000 in-ears are available. There are 24 channels of ULX-D wireless with a mixture of KSM9 handheld transmitters and ULXD1 bodypacks in use, although the church plans to upgrade to Axient Digital systems in the near future. Spaced throughout the venue are 12 Shure VP89L shotgun mics, which are used for crowd capture. The musicians and 30 Sound & Communications June 2019

worship leaders also use a variety of preexisting DPA headsets and instrument mics.

Before upgrading the PA, Clark’s Tom Donohue conducted EASE modeling of the main auditorium to identify any problem areas in the room. Clark then brought in a few demo speakers, and ultimately the church decided to go with a Martin Audio MLA Compact system. The MLA system is a left/right configuration with 11 boxes per side. “The main [selling point] with the MLA system was being able to define your audience coverage zones, as well as hardavoid the reflective surfaces using the DSP power of the box,” Stave explained. Clark’s Ed Crippen handled commissioning for the speaker system.

In addition to the main MLA Compact arrays, there are six Martin H3H+ speakers handling coverage for the far ends of the auditorium; four are flown above the stage, and two are used as delays. The PA system also includes 10 Martin CDD5B speakers that are used as front fills for the first few rows of seating near the stage.

Low-frequency sound reproduction is handled by an array of 12 Martin MLX subwoofers. Figuring out the low end was somewhat of a challenge, so Clark demoed two options for the placement of the subwoofer array. “The challenge was

that they didn’t want to have to rebuild the stage, as normally we’d do a horizontal sub array in that situation,” Stave said. “So we actually did a full demo of a sub array on the ground while also having a sub array in the air, so the church could decide if they were OK with doing a flown sub array.” After the demo, the church decided to move ahead with the flown array.

The H3H+ and CDD5B speakers are powered by two Martin IK81 amplifiers, whereas the main MLA Compact arrays and the MLX subwoofers are self-powered.

Although the MLA Compact arrays are using their own internal DSP, there is a QSC Core 510i Q-SYS processor in use, as well as four Waves SoundGrid Extreme ser vers. “The QSC DSP is handling audio routing for audio from

video, as well as their [preexisting] distributed audio system,” Stave explained.

“The Waves SoundGrid ser vers are for redundant ser vers at front of house and broadcast, and those are running Waves MultiRack plugins.” The Waves SoundGrid ser vers live on their own dedicated Cisco network.

Audio capture is handled by a pair of TASCAM SDR-250N recorders; one is located in the broadcast audio room and one is located at front of house.

Several computers are used to run software throughout the Grants Mill campus.

Technicians can interface with the audio system in the broadcast audio room, at the monitor mixing location, at the FOH mixing location and via the main equipment rack in the core rack room.

“There’s a rackmounted SuperLogics control computer in the main equipment racks that runs Dante Domain Manager,” Stave said. “That’s located in their core rack room, which is where our main audio I/O racks are located, as well as ampli-

fiers. You have the ability to remote into anything from there, but, for the most part, they have all of their audio I/O for the stage and the core network switches, and some of the SoundGrid DSP processing equipment is back in that rack.”

Stave continued, “The rest [of the control computers] are Macs. Right now, they have three at front of house, one at monitors and two in the broadcast room. [In the broadcast room,] one is running Waves Tracks Live multitracking software, and the other is running the Waves MultiRack plugins.

[At front of house,] one is for tracking, one is for Waves SoundGrid and one is for background music playback.”

In addition to adding flexibility to the main auditorium, Church of the Highlands wanted to give the technicians in the broadcast audio room the ability to mix audio inputs in the Grants Mill campus’ chapel and theater, with ever ything tied together over the Dante

network. “We used their existing Avid desks in [the chapel and theater] and we took MADI outputs to Focusrite RedNet B64s to get them on the audio network and to make them available at the broadcast consoles,” Stave explained. “Now they can mix all those inputs in the broadcast room.”

When the audio system upgrade was all said and done, Church of the Highlands had achieved its goal of improving its system flexibility and streaming capabilities. This means the church’s ambitions are no longer limited by its technology, and there are more possibilities for expanding Church of the Highlands’ ministr y than ever before.

For Johnson and his team, the difference between the old system and the new system is night and day.

“After 10 years with the originally installed system, combined with the explosive growth of Church of the Highlands and the amazing teams, [whose (continued on page 133)

June 2019

Sound & Communications 31

THE THECOMMISH COMMISH In the AV industry, the end users are typically represented by two separate, yet equally important, groups: the designers, who specify the systems, and the integrators who install them. My company acts as a third party to commission these systems. These are our stories.

User Experience Emphasis on the user.

By James Maltese, CTS-D, CTS-I, CQD, CQT Level 3 Audio Visual AV9000 Checklist Item Under Test: 3.9.13: The current design package satisfies all the requirements laid out in the clientapproved needs analysis/programming report/signed proposal.

Reasoning: InfoComm ’19 is upon us, and with it is the onslaught of impossible-sounding equipment specifications that seem to defy the laws of physics. I would encourage you to remember that our ultimate goal is to provide an excellent experience for our users. It doesn’t matter if the equipment has all the best specs available. If the system is not integrated to meet users’ needs, it will not be successful. Remember to design and install AV systems with end users (in particular, their eyes and ears) in mind.

The Stor y: Nigel (in an ’80s London rocker accent): This is the top to, uh, you know, what we use on stage, but it’s very, very special because, if you can see, the numbers all go to 11. Look [pointing at the amp dials]…right across the board. Eleven, 11, 11 and then….

Marty: Oh, I see. And most amps go up to 10.

Nigel: Exactly.

Marty: Does that mean it’s louder? Is it any louder?

Nigel: Well, it’s one louder, isn’t it? It’s not 10. You see, most blokes, you know, will be playing at 10. You’re on 10 here—all the way up, all the way up, all the way up. You’re on 10 on your guitar. Where can you go from there? Where?

Marty: I don’t know.

Nigel: Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?

Marty: Put it up to 11.

Nigel: Eleven. Exactly. One louder.

Marty: Why don’t you just make 10 louder and make 10 be the top number and make that a little louder?

Nigel: [pause] …these go to 11.

If you haven’t seen “This is Spinal Tap,” I implore you to put down this magazine and walk—nay, run—to whatever faucet you get your media from and watch it, stat! It is great American cinema. What Marty DiBergi (played by the amazing Rob Reiner) is brilliantly pointing out to Nigel Tufnel (played by the incredible Christopher Guest) is that their amps are playing to people’s ears, and the numbers don’t really matter. Yes, Marty!

(Or yasss!, as the kids say.) Why don’t you just make 10 louder?

Why, indeed? Naturally, ever y time I watch the movie, I start to think about designing AV systems.

One of my favorite demonstrations in the CTS-D class is measuring the actual contrast ratio of a front-projection system in a conference center classroom. I ask the class what they think the contrast ratio is. “Twenty thousand,” the guy in front says.

“No, no…2,000, max,” the kid in the back says. The correct 32 Sound & Communications June 2019

answer? Two. Just two. (I once had a contrast ratio of three and counted myself lucky.)

Despite the fact that the projector has a specification showing a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, once the projection light falls on a large screen in a fairly bright classroom, and it has to compete with the ambient light, the white squares on the screen are only twice as bright as the black squares. In fact, the AVIXA PISCR standard states that we only really need a 15:1 contrast ratio on the screen for basic decision-making—and, if you’ve ever seen a 15:1 front-projection system, it’s pretty good.

The other day, a client was explaining to me why the loudspeaker his brother recommended was better than the one I had proposed. I’m a humble guy, and I was expecting something about voicing, frequency response or even size. But, no, the client was saying that his loudspeaker was better because it could take 400W of power. I explained that, for my proposed loudspeaker, or even his “400W loudspeaker,” we would only have to drive it with about 3W of power for the space and the expected loudspeaker placement. A brief and good-natured lesson on loudspeaker sensitivity followed.

A few weeks ago, I really had to sell why a bulletproof, inexpensive, networked keypad controller was more than enough controller to handle a laptop-projector classroom. It even had a volume knob on it! She, however, was countering that the AV consultant on the last job said a 10-inch, custom-programmed touchpanel and control processor was absolutely necessar y. I thought that maybe there was some unity-of-interface initiative under way, or maybe some room-data collecting that I hadn’t heard of, or perhaps some push to make the classrooms look futuristic. No, no and no. In fact, features had to be cut from the classrooms because they were too expensive. The installed 10-inch touchpanel had three menus (opening/logo, main and exit confirmation), and the main screen had five buttons on it (laptop source, three for volume and exit).

There are so many incredible devices out there. The engineer in me becomes excited learning about all of them. However cool the kit is, though, I encourage you to remember the actual needs of your clients, and be mindful that the systems are built for a human experience. All these examples deal with incredible equipment that was recommended without the user experience in mind, and they eerily echo the “These go to 11” scene. Design and install for the eyes and ears that will be using your systems.

Just because a device can go to 11 doesn’t mean it’s the best choice. Sometimes, you don’t even have to make 10 louder. Operating a system at four can be every bit as “sexist.”

Editor’s Note: Go see “This is Spinal Tap.”

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WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

How Do You Do…Your Engineering?, Part 5

Engineers who are chained to their desks.

By Douglas Kleeger, CTS-D, DMC-E/S, XTP-E, KCD

L

ast winter and spring, I wrote a series of columns in which I broke down AV engineering into five main approaches. The feedback on the series was great! I wanted to pick up that conversation this month.

Because it’s been more than a year since I addressed this subject, I should refresh the groupings. They are as follows: Approach #1: The one-man (or one-woman) shop, in which one person does ever ything (marketing, sales, engineering, installation and ser vice); Approach #2: Sales and engineering are separated and report to different department heads; Approach #3: This is similar to Approach #2, but the document-producing engineer does not go into the field and complete system setup and tuning; instead, a separate field engineer does so; Approach #4: A sales engineer—a technology-savvy individual who can talk about technology with clients and close deals—closes and designs the project, but a separate main engineer does the final completion; and Approach #5: There are separate pre-sales and post-sales engineers who report to different departments.

I want to take this opportunity to clarify that, yes, I know there are other variations on what I am discussing here.

Please continue to write in to share what you’re doing. I will discuss additional approaches in the future.

This time, let’s discuss Approach #3. I spent some years working in this capacity for an AV integrator (no longer in business), so I’m well positioned to discuss some of the positive and negative aspects of this approach. For me, by far the biggest positive of Approach 34 Sound & Communications June 2019

#3 is that engineering does not report to sales, but, rather, reports to an engineering manager. I won’t rehash this. It’s sufficient to say that conflicts often arise when we, the engineers, work with sales and operations. With this approach, when a conflict does arise, the engineering department head can discuss the issue with the sales department head, the operations department head and, if necessar y, the general manager of the company to seek a balanced resolution.

Let’s look at an example. As an engineer, you work with sales. Sometimes, that means doing site sur veys and meeting with clients before the sale to establish their wants and needs to create a system proposal. Over time, there are many proposals out there and this pipeline, as it is called, is alive. It grows, it shrinks and it sometimes stays the same. At all times, however, sales is looking to you, the engineer, to do your part.

As jobs are sold, you then must complete the project’s final engineering. That includes the drawings that the installation technicians will use to install the project. This must be done with great care so that, when the installation crew does the installation, there isn’t a mad rush to obtain something overlooked during the pre-sales period.

In my own case, the conflict was simple: I was being constantly pressured by sales to prioritize producing proposals, as opposed to completing the engineering for jobs that had been sold. Yes, sales’ agenda is to make the pipeline grow fuller with more proposals—but what about the jobs that were already sold? What about the client who gave you a deposit and who believed you when you said you were going to do a good job?

If there’s not an engineering manager to defend your position—and sometimes make sales wait for you to complete engineering on sold projects—there can be serious issues. I have witnessed this myself. Moreover, others have told me that, without an engineering manager to go to bat for them, engineers can be forced to stop what they are doing and provide a proposal for a potential new client, never mind the fact that the installation team is out in the field with nothing other than a scope of work and a bill of materials. No drawings showing connectivity…zilch…nada. They’re just left to do the best they can—and then call you 100 times for clarification!

If an engineering manager is on hand, he or she can stand firm and tell sales they shouldn’t have promised they would deliver a proposal in two days without first checking with engineering. What’s more, now, they’ll have to go back to the potential client and tell him or her it’ll be a week!

One negative aspect of this approach is that you, the engineer, who’s spent all your

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WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

time thinking about the client—designing for his or her needs and wants, creating the bill of materials, writing the scope of work, producing the final engineered drawings for the installation—are not allowed to leave the building to go on site and complete the job!

This approach dictates that you, upon completion of one proposal or set of final

documents, make another proposal or complete another set of documents— over and over!

You never actually get to go on site and touch the touchpanel, turn on the system and feel the sense of satisfaction that comes from fulfilling your client’s needs. I can attest that this took some getting used to. Imagine spending years

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and years at your desk, creating all these systems, but never actually experiencing the final product and seeing your creation come to life. Ouch!

One of the reasons I created this series—and why I’m reviving it a year later—is so those newer to the industry know to ask certain questions when looking for employment. Know yourself!

Know what you like to do and what you don’t like to do. Compare those likes/ dislikes with what you’d be doing. And, yes, if you spend time meeting with employees and discussing aspects of your prospective role before you take the job, you can obtain this information!

I know there are also general managers, engineering directors, sales managers and even CEOs reading this column. All these different approaches—and others not mentioned—might be new to some of them. After weighing the pros and cons discussed here, some perhaps will adjust their current practices to facilitate a more balanced approach.

If you only take one thing away from this column, let it be this: It’s not fair to give a paying client second-tier support after having taken their money, but to give prospective, unsold clients top-tier support. And you wonder why we aren’t trusted?! You wonder why customers say, “I can get that loudspeaker at B&H for $995, so why are you charging me $1,100 for it?”

Those who want to be trusted do trustworthy things. They treat others how they would want to be treated.

Some in-balance integrators have found a solution that I think is worth mentioning: They hire a subcontracting engineer to do one task or the other— the pre-sales proposals or the post-sales designs. I suggest trying to develop a relationship with a subcontracting engineer and giving him or her some work every month. Then, you won’t have to hire and layoff folks depending on your workload. Work smarter, not harder! Do the right thing for your clients!

Let me know what you’re experiencing. Email me: dkleeger@testa.com.

AVIXA POV

When Industry Pros Assemble

AVIXA’s annual AV Executive Conference returns this fall to inspire.

By Annette Robertson AVIXA

L

ightning in a bottle. Hitting the mark. Making the grade. Success.

Ever yone wants it, but how do you achieve it? And how do you hold onto it? Success can be fleeting. Consumers’ needs, the political ups and downs, the welfare of the economy and many other elements affect a company’s performance. Although an official guide for success doesn’t exist, your experiences—and those of others—do. So, listen and share.

That’s why industr y associations like AVIXA create forums. Enter the AV Executive Conference (AVEC). Ever y year since 2013, industr y leaders gather to learn and discuss how to improve their businesses. Through thought leadership, workshops and networking, attendees have gotten the chance to consider new ways of excelling in commercial AV. At the conference each autumn, our goal is to arm AV firms with the insight and strategies they need to be prosperous in the coming year. To do this, we look at the economic and employment trends that affect companies building their businesses, new areas of growth into which they can diversify and ways for them to capitalize on their teams’ strengths.

According to AVIXA’s market research, industries and economies are generally flourishing; however, trade policies and protectionist views are acting somewhat as headwinds. Uncertainties related to Brexit, low oil revenues 38 Sound & Communications June 2019

and fiscal deficits contribute to declines for the commercial AV industr y. Factors that lead to growth include healthy global trade, new manufacturing hubs emerging in Southeast Asia and South Asia, and improvement in the US economy from fiscal stimulus and strengthening business investment.

Although the corporate market represents the lifeblood of commercial AV, smaller markets, many of which focus on the consumer experience, have the greatest growth potential. According to AVIXA’s 2018 AV Industry Outlook and Trends Analysis (IOTA), the healthcare market will experience a 10-percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR)—from $2.4 billion to $3.9 billion—from 2018 to 2023. Meanwhile, hospitality will approach a seven-percent CAGR, growing from $7 billion to $9.4 billion. The five technology trends rising to the top of the list as growth drivers are audio advancements, future displays, the Internet of Things (IoT) for smart buildings, IT and the cloud, and artificial intelligence (AI).

AVIXA works year-round to drive the commercial AV market through industryawareness outreach and market intelligence. The association will share with AVEC attendees the insights it has gathered from market data and conversations with AV end users. In doing so, we will help inform those attendees’ business strategies for 2020.

This November 5 to 7, in New Orleans LA, AVEC will focus on diversifying into new market segments to weather potential economic downturns. Increasingly, the same commercial AV equipment and ser vices can cross into different vertical markets. AVEC attendees will learn how to enter those markets to provide ser vices their firms already offer.

Of course, it would be a disservice only to look inside our industry to learn best practices. That’s why AVIXA seeks business pioneers from different walks of life—so we can learn about success from their vantage point. Joining AVEC this year will be Robyn Benincasa, a world champion adventure racer, CNN Hero, former corporate sales expert and full-time firefighter. She’s also the Founder of World Class Teams, where she advises organizations on building world-class teams of their own.

With 20 years’ experience as a competitive adventure racer, Benincasa will share how she mastered the skills required to inspire a group of semi-exhausted people through a seemingly endless series of checkpoints, working against crazy deadlines, in constantly changing conditions, all in pursuit of an audacious goal. Her expertise in teamwork in extreme conditions is incredibly relevant for business leaders today.

After all, leading in business is an extreme sport!

Also bringing a unique business perspective to the conference will be Mark Levy, the creator of the Employee Experience at Airbnb, which has led to significant changes in how organizations globally look at the entire employee journey. Levy has (continued on page 134)

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NSCA POV

Operations In The Summer Months Getting back to basics.

By Mike Abernathy NSCA

T

he winter months are over, spring is upon us and preparation for a busy project season is just around the corner. Sales teams and design teams are closing and bringing in projects that will continue throughout the summer and into the fall.

On a daily basis at NSCA, I chat with integrators about being more efficient.

Efficiency leads to more time being available, higher levels of profitability and happier customers (assuming, of course, that quality isn’t sacrificed for efficiency).

Integrators often ask us how they can increase profits without adding dollars to the top line. We frequently hear this question: “Our sales are growing, but our profits are not. Now what?” This problem is nothing new; in fact, we’ve been sharing insights and resources for many years to help integrators improve in this area. However, sometimes, in business—as in life—you have to keep it simple and get back to the basics.

Setting Billing Rates Profitability often comes down to billing rates. So, what should your billing rate be for your area? Although NSCA can’t give you a specific number, we can help you determine appropriate billing rates based on industr y benchmarks and metrics.

Here are a few questions to think about when you set your billing rate: 1. What is the utilization rate of your techs/installers?

2. What is the utilization rate of your project managers?

3. What is your multiplier factor of 40 Sound & Communications June 2019

labor?

4. What is your gross profit on each project, and are you meeting industr y averages?

5. What is your current burden rate?

Answering those questions is important in determining whether a project provides a positive contribution to your bottom line. When I have this billing conversation with a member and ask him or her that list of questions, I like to provide responses to give that individual an idea of where to start. Consider the following example: 1. What is the utilization rate of your techs/installers? 85 percent 2. What is the utilization rate of your project managers? 75 percent 3. What is your multiplier factor of labor? 2.5 4. What is your gross profit on each project, and are you meeting industr y averages?

35 percent 5. What is your current burden rate? 30 percent to 33 percent NSCA offers free in-house resources and benchmarks, such as the Financial Analysis of the Industry and Labor Installation Standard (see above), to help you make more informed, more data-driven business decisions about questions like these. We also offer additional business resources through long-time partners, such as Solutions360, Navigate Management Consulting, Enterprise Performance Consulting and D-Tools. These partners can further ensure that your projects are on track.

A quick and easy way to see how a specific project is contributing to your company’s bottom line is to use NSCA’s free Project Contribution Simulator Tool. Built by Solutions360, it demonstrates how properly burdening labor, spearheading eroding margins and understanding your true costs of doing business can affect your bottom line (operating income).

Advice From The Experts As you enter your busy season, a few of our partners have some helpful pointers for you to remember.

Brad Malone and Steve Riley, from Navigate Management Consulting, remind us that everything starts with a solid foundation; that includes your projects. When project hand-

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off from sales to operations goes smoothly, you’re already set up for victory.

Successful projects start with robust needs-assessment practices and comprehensive scopes of work. Agreement between your organization and the client on the contents of these documents, prior to the work beginning, is critically important.

Otherwise, project change management

42 Sound & Communications June 2019

is difficult to manage and track—and the likely result is an unhappy client who might or might not have received the solution for which it had hoped (and a support department that might not know what was ultimately delivered).

Nadim Sawaya, of Enterprise Performance Consulting, offers some pointers on getting ready for the busy season, as

well. The biggest challenges he sees for integrators involve maximizing project resources (mainly manpower) and doing things right the first time.

His nine steps will help guarantee a successful project deliver y: 1. Complete project installation documentation so that almost any electrician could install.

2. Get your installation drawings approved by the customer prior to any fieldwork beginning.

3. Conduct a formal kickoff meeting with all project stakeholders.

4. Provide the project installation team with 75 percent of budgeted hours (keep 25 percent for yourself as a buffer).

5. Prepare an overall manpower schedule (including subcontractors) for the next three months.

6. Contact your customer two days before the start of site work and go over your site-readiness checklist.

7. Document and communicate any site delays caused by other trades on daily basis.

8. Get partial approval/acceptance of your work.

9. Get a certificate of completion, including start-of-warranty notice, on all projects.

To help you complete this list, you might also want to consult NSCA’s Essentials Online Librar y. Another free tool for NSCA members, it’s full of more than 650 documents, templates and checklists for use; those include things like kickoff-meeting agendas, system and site checklists, and project-closeout forms.

Although these ideas and tips might seem elementar y, the simple act of getting back to basics is sometimes the best way to ensure a smooth, profitable project. When each project starts off right, you’ll have a much easier time ensuring success—and you’ll be able to reference benchmarks and metrics along the way.

If you’re looking for more resources to help you better understand how to implement new processes, improve project profitability and increase your bottom line, just send me a note by emailing mabernathy@nsca.org.

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THE MESSAGE IS THE MEDIUM

Superhighfidelinitionextraawesomesystems The three levels of AV craftsmanship.

By Joseph Bocchiaro III, PhD, CStd, CTS-D, CTS-I, ISF-C

S

ome years ago, I was working the mansions themselves, with their gleaming and clean windows, beautifully built in West Palm Beach FL on a courtdetails and just-waxed European sedans. I thought to myself, “Wow…what money can house AV project. I was the design buy!” I will admit that I was envious, given that I do all this work myself at my own consultant on the project, and the house (with the exception of waxing a European sedan). integrators had to finish a few things The attention to detail, the pride in the workmanship and the deliver y to the cusbefore we did the system inspection, tomer that I witnessed all were the marks of craftsmen. If you have to tr y to define verification testing and (hopefully) what “quality” means, you could more easily show a picture of that scene than tr y project acceptance. Because I had some to describe it. When I returned to the courthouse, I had so many questions in my time to kill, I thought I might drive over mind about what a “quality” AV system really is. Fortunately, that particular system to Palm Beach “to see how the other was actually pretty darn good, and I knew why right away. The men and women who half lives”—or, now, I suppose, it would had worked on it were ready to show it off to me, daring me to find faults; they had be “to see how the one percent live.” created the system with pride. They were not mere AV tradesmen; rather, they were While admiring the mansions, I was AV craftsmen. They knew what they were doing on multiple levels, just as the fine impressed not only by the magnificent groundskeepers did. This was a real treat and I was spoiled forever after, given that and enormous architecture, but also by their install work was so superior to almost ever y other firm’s that I had ever encounthe grounds and the armies of groundstered (except my own prior firm’s work, of course)! keeping crews that were ever ywhere.

If you’re worried that you won’t see the AV world the same way after you read this I noted perfectly cut and edged lawns article, don’t read on. The Florida drive made me think about the multiple levels of with straight alternating mowattention that the groundskeepers pay in their profession to create quality. er patterns and vast, weedless I noted perfectly Similarly, I thought about what contributes to the creation of a high-quality greenness. There were neatly cut and edged AV system, along with what makes that system “appear” high quality, as trimmed hedges, cut into well as why ever ybody can’t just make their systems that way. Ever ywhere I perfect shapes and set in con- lawns with go, I see blatant flaws and mistakes. I see disregard for workmanship, and I tained mulch beds complete experience technical mundanity, mediocrity and dysfunction. I also see this straight alterwith perfectly arranged flowin landscapes when I drive in most places outside of Palm Beach. Can we ers. The leaves, grass and dirt nating mower draw an analogy, perhaps? were completely absent from The landscapers have three basic aspects of their craft to which to atpatterns and vast, the pavement, having been tend. The basic level centers on the plantings themselves. This includes weedless green. removed with leaf blowers. It the trees, shrubberies, flowers, grass and mulch. These are their live and was—and still is—the ultimate The attention to inert elements that must be understood for how they will thrive. How they control and containment of grow, how much water and light they need, etc., var y for each element. The detail, the pride the natural environment, and second level involves how these elements will be placed in relation to each it’s the pinnacle of high-qualiother, according to how they look and interact together, and in order to in the workmanty property management. This thrive at different times of the year. Aspects such as arrangements, patterns, ship and the artificial nature surrounded separation and anticipation of how large they will grow—and how they must

delivery to the customer that I witnessed all were the marks of craftsmen.

44 Sound & Communications June 2019

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be cared for and maintained—are vital.

The third level centers on how these arrangements are integrated with the hardscapes and the architecture, along with the interactions between all these elements. The heat, the light, the water flow and, of course, the appearance of the holistic finished property are considered, designed for and implemented. The master landscaper and the landscape architect who designed it are in tune with all these interrelated elements. The result is more than just the sum of the parts; indeed, it is a construct born of vision and design.

The technical aspects of devices are the best place to begin as the first AV level. Because they are the building blocks of our systems, they are akin to the flowers, shrubs and trees. Successful audiovisual equipment manufacturers go to great lengths, and work with

engineering diligence, to produce products that have outstanding performance characteristics. It is up to the audiovisual practitioner to understand the qualities and specifications of those components. That is the only way to ensure that an audience experiences the product of the manufacturer’s painstaking efforts. There are so many critical aspects to this, and these are becoming even more critical as the technology is improved and developed with regard to resolution, contrast, modulation transfer function of lenses, distortion, efficiency, etc. These device specifications are the basis for the performance of the system: They cannot be improved upon, but they must be respected and maintained at the next level.

The second AV level is the system itself; this is akin to the garden arrangement…the ebb and flow of the ecosystem. I have obser ved that this is where most audiovisual practitioners focus much of their attention—probably because this is the most creative part and it’s what people think they understand the most. This is the systems-design aspect, and it’s the most critical opportunity to maintain the quality of the equipment. Why, then, do designers not learn enough about the interactions of the components and the interfaces? Impedance matching, gain structure, signal loss, protocol compatibility, etc., fall into this domain. There have been so many failed systems throughout the years in this area that manufacturers have resorted to creating evermore failsafe signal transports, such as HDMI, USB and HDBaseT, so as to protect installers from themselves.

Finally, the third level embodies the ver y purpose of AV: It is a communications medium in the physical realm. This is where we consider not only the physical

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appearances of systems, but also their holistic integration into the environment of the venue. This is what the audience sees, hears and experiences.

Any distraction—for instance, intermittent signals; distortion; interference; crooked, unfocused or keystoned images; dangling cables; dirty ceiling speakers; or exposed devices—will detract from the pristine experience that the equipment manufacturers painstakingly engineered their devices to deliver. So, then, why do we see and hear these things ever ywhere we go? A look “under the hood” at undressed and unlabeled cables, a lack of documentation, mismatched resolution settings and many other AV sins offers a quick indicator to consultants—and probably to the general public—that there are certainly many more problems to be found.

In all of this, I wonder why integrators receive their final payments for obviously imperfect and uncraftsmanlike results. My worst thought is that there are so many people installing audiovisual systems now that many of them have no awareness of any of the best practices or standards in our industr y. They do not understand how to protect the business-centric assets of their customers, nor do they understand the effects of the environment on their systems. Worse yet, so many people have seen mediocre systems that they think, “This is just the way it is,” and they’re willing to pay for mediocrity. Things should be far better in this more advanced AV era!

If you’re reading this and you’re uncertain of your own abilities to create quality systems, then I hope you’ve just had a small epiphany. There is absolutely hope for the continuous quality improvement of your craftsmanship and professionalism! Tr y getting a second opinion of your system, for instance, and be open to constructive criticism.

Be willing to spending the extra time to research the causes of the shortcomings, and then invest the effort to correct them. Challenge yourself to

squeeze the absolute best performance out of a system; if you do, ever y future project will benefit!

The way I see it, our industr y’s manufacturers are creating extraordinar y, superhighfidelinition components for us to integrate into systems. Our goal is to strive to create extraawesomesystems from those components.

We have to pay attention to our plants (components), our gardens (systems) and our landscapes (anthroposystems). It takes our entire industr y to make superhighfidelinitionextraawesomesystems! But it can only be done if we take the time to learn, and we really consider the big picture of what quality AV systems can be.

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All configuration settings are saved within the VS-R devices, so that in normal operation no computer is needed for streaming or recording.

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June 2019

Sound & Communications 47

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INDUSTRY POV

Digital Signage Technologies Must Engage Don’t just jump on the bandwagon without considering ROI.

By Brent Sanders Panasonic Professional Imaging & Visual Systems

T

oday, it’s not uncommon to walk through a museum, college campus, retail environment or corporate lobby and see digital content vying for your attention. This is because businesses across industries are deploying digital signage solutions to engage consumers, attract new customers and drive results. And, indeed, increased adoption is leading to significant market growth: The market is expected to increase from $20.74 billion in 2017 to $31.62 billion in 2023. However, not all digital signage solutions are successful at meeting customer-engagement goals.

From Bluetooth beaconing to touchscreens, digital signage technology is no longer just about high-end TVs on which businesses can display ads and information. Because of that, it’s important for companies to weed out the solutions that aren’t up to snuff and focus on those that will “wow” audiences in a noisy landscape.

Bluetooth Beacons & QR Codes Bluetooth beacons are one popular solution that some businesses are deploying as a means to grab potential customers’ attention. With Bluetooth 48 Sound & Communications June 2019

beacons, people can walk near digital signage and have an alert pop up on their phones, regardless of whether the passersby have the business’ mobile app open.

That kind of communication is attractive to some businesses because their message is automatically delivered to the potential customer. For consumers who welcome information of that sort, Bluetooth beacons can be a useful tool. Yet, because it amounts to a “forced communication,” rather than one that allows users to choose to opt in, it might result in disgruntled consumers who choose to uninstall the mobile app to avoid receiving such unrequested alerts.

Apart from being potentially invasive, Bluetooth beacons often have difficulty delivering messages properly due to issues related to proximity. For example, if a shopper is browsing in a clothing store that’s right next to a luggage retailer, the consumer might have an ad pop up for luggage, as opposed to clothing (or vice versa). That can be distracting because it doesn’t take the shopper’s goals, interests or habits into account; rather, it simply targets the potential customer based on proximity. On balance, this isn’t quite as effective as some other methods are.

Another strategy that has the potential to miss the mark is including QR codes in digital signage content. QR codes can be scanned using a smartphone. Their purpose is to prompt an action from a consumer—for example, to send him or her to a website or to have him or her download a piece of content like a coupon. Unlike Bluetooth beacons, QR codes are not forced onto the consumer; instead, the person has to take action to scan it. Although they aren’t as aggressive, QR codes are another technology that can be considered overhyped. Because they are blocky and difficult to integrate into digital signage content seamlessly, QR codes might ruin the look and feel of the images and messages being displayed.

That being said, when businesses do decide to incorporate QR codes into digital signage, there is the potential to surprise and delight customers with “Easter eggs” that are only available to people who interact with the QR code. Examples might include exclusive coupons. Admittedly, though, because users are required to take multiple steps to interact with QR codes—scan them, view a webpage, download content, etc.—they are often considered a hassle.

To recap, Bluetooth beacons require no action from potential customers, whereas

Immersive Experiences This is where interactive digital signage comes to the fore, and some businesses are beginning to deploy it to engage customers in new and exciting ways. One popular example is using the ground as a digital signage backdrop. By projecting images onto the ground, users can step on different areas of the content, prompting an array of new information to be displayed.

In a museum setting, this approach to digital signage is an engaging way to immerse visitors in an exhibit, while also sharing useful information.

For example, if a room is designed to mirror an under water experience, stepping on a projected reef or fish might prompt associated information about it to pop up. Similarly, an interactive floor display might be useful for sharing directions or information on different areas of the museum—even something as basic as its operating hours.

Touchscreen displays are similar to interactive floor signage. By deploying touchscreen technology, users are engaging directly with content and driving their own experience by clicking on the information in which they’re actually interested. Whether users want information on the weather, the best route to get to their favorite store in the mall or details about an item on a restaurant menu, using touchscreens can enable them to access the information they want, when they want it.

Other solutions that businesses should consider deploying based on their needs are emerging technologies like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR); doing so can create a mixed-reality experience for users. One significant downside to AR right now is the amount of work and expertise required to create good content. However, some major upsides to AR indicate increased adoption is on

the horizon. For one, AR puts contextual placements into real life, literally disrupting reality with the message— ideally, in a way that is positive and fun.

Second, it elicits a strong emotional connection by creating an experience, powering the engines of experience marketing.

Similarly, as VR becomes increasingly

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QR codes require too many actions.

Are there solutions that offer a happy medium?

mainstream, companies are using it to create fully immersive experiences.

Retailers are already deploying virtual mirrors to create a mixed-reality experience for customers. For example, when looking into a virtual mirror, you might see prompts pop up on what makeup products work for your skin (continued on page 134)

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INDUSTRY POV

Photo courtesy Chad Batka.

Immersing In The Invisible Balancing art and technology in Broadway sound design.

By John Monitto Meyer Sound

B

ack in 2006, I was fortunate enough to provide tech support for sound designer Jonathan Deans and the Cirque du Soleil team when they were building “The Beatles LOVE” in Las Vegas NV. It was a dazzling spectacle of characters, death-defying acrobatics, video effects and an immersive soundscape that weaved more than 125 songs and song fragments through 6,000 speakers, including three in each of the Mirage theater’s 2,000 custom-built seats. The production was groundbreaking then, and it still is today.

I’ve seen “LOVE” four times, and I’m blown away ever y time. During its most transcendent moments, I felt like I was truly part of the action. And, yet, that sensation never crowded out the essence of the stor y—the enduring musical legacy of The Beatles. My experience with “LOVE” left an indelible impression on me, and it echoes through the interactions I have with theater sound designers ever y day.

Productions of this scale set the bar for maximizing today’s theater technology. Granted, the Cirque team has virtually limitless resources, but it has proved time and time again that it’s possible to present immersive experiences of magnitude.

There’s no better place than Broadway to witness the true range of sonic possibilities at the intersection of art and technology. Those who create sound—in theaters, recording studios, concert stages or houses of worship— know of its tremendous power to inform the stor ytelling process. Sound design is at once invisible and enveloping, drawing audiences into a scene and 50 Sound & Communications June 2019

leading them down emotional paths, while also propelling the narrative. In theater, however, you’re also creating an imaginar y world in which audiences are willing to suspend their disbelief while they’re along for the ride. That said, theater sound is ver y much about localizing to the actor; sound reinforcement, however complex, must allow the audience to hear ever y word and forge those critical connections with the characters.

Theater is an inherently amplified event—not only through sound, but also via lights, makeup, props and sets. These effects and exaggerations come together to present a “reality” that feels natural in the house. The net effect is intimacy: We feel close to the action, no matter where we’re sitting. Immersive theater takes that concept even further, dissolving the invisible boundar y at the proscenium and extending the dramatic space to the audience.

Sound tools have evolved faster than perhaps any other theater technology, and they’re more powerful and complex than ever before. We can recall a time when primitive systems gave themselves away. Theater sound was characterized by haphazard mic placements, rudimentar y processing tools and speakers that offered little nuance.

Today, by contrast, sound designers put revolutionar y technology to work; they craft

Photo courtesy Matthew Murphy.

exquisite soundscapes and room-shaking effects, while also tracking voices, music and effects as they move about the stage and around, above and behind the audience.

It’s exciting to watch shows being created to take advantage of new technologies, and it’s thrilling to bear witness to what can happen when designers have limitless palettes to manifest their biggest ideas. Standout examples include Nicholas Pope’s design for “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812,” in which he utilized localization for the elaborate staging of the show as the actors and instruments moved through the audience; Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz’s work on “Hadestown,” which supports the stor y, music and staging flawlessly; and Pete Hylenski’s work on the new production of “Moulin Rouge,” which weaves music, stor ytelling and localization to create immersive sound to support the show.

As we embrace state-of-the-art tools, it’s important to remember that with these opportunities come responsibilities. Technology is here to ser ve the art. This balance has to be bold and creative—and disciplined. Because no matter how complex the production, at the end of the day, the moment when sound obscures the stor y, we’ve lost that vital connection.

Sound is intrinsic to the theater experience, yet it’s important to keep its role in perspective. Let’s be inventive and adventurous with dynamic new tools as we shape the invisible—and let’s keep making wise choices that ser ve the stor y. Then, we’ll tell an amazing tale together.

June 2019

Sound & Communications 51

INDUSTRY POV

Managing Dynamic AV Market Changes

Key insights for our ever-evolving, never stagnant industry.

By Garry Wicka LG Electronics Business Solutions

A

V integrators are challenged to create cohesion where it inherently does not exist. Innovation has traditionally come from diverse sources, including manufacturers and developers from our industr y and adjacent industries.

We’ve also seen solutions initiated by end users, along with threats that have emerged from whole other worlds. And, of course, changes in the consumer sector affect business-to-business users; that, in turn, greatly influences the AV integration world. (Think of social media, for example.)

Because of all these many influences, today’s AV integrator is challenged to internalize this dynamism and deliver systems that are high performing, effective, secure, scalable and, to some degree, versatile. How our community manages this dynamism and relentless change will dictate how we will sur vive and thrive.

Establishing A Core Belief System One approach for managing change is to focus on a set of constant core beliefs that inspire strategies, tactics and operational best practices. Trends, technologies and buzzwords like “disruption,” “transformation” and “reinvention” come and go, but a belief system ser ves as a foundation to underpin company culture, innovation and strategy. It also keeps a company on course and goal-aligned.

What follows is a set of belief-system elements that will not only sustain integrators, distributors and technol52 Sound & Communications June 2019

ogy companies, but also position businesses for strong success as the forces of change continue to reshape our industr y and our customers’ experiences.

The Customer At The Epicenter Commoditization is a force in play in ever y business—and, certainly, in ever y technology business. We’ve all seen companies seek to commoditize technology and drive ever y conversation to one about price so as to win the sale. By definition, commoditization says that all customers are the same, all challenges are equal and all environments are similar. The AV industr y has seen commoditization and “prosumerism,” and we know we must move in a different direction. We have to put the customer first by putting a premium on the value of integrators and consultants who guide vertical-market end users through the technology maze. We must also support the IT pros who’d rather not be involved in AV, and we must support the systems in a professional manner.

The reason that integrators, consultants and, arguably, many brands have been successful against the forces of commoditization is they have placed the vertical-market end user (and, by extension, the end users’ customers) at the epicenter of their businesses. Knowing and understanding stakeholders is foundational to sustained commercial success; that’s something, I believe, that the commoditizers and “prosumerists” do not understand and in which they’re actually disinterested.

Mapping Who Our Customers Are We’re seeing a lot of new stakeholders in the industr y. They are interacting with our systems and influencing buying decisions to var ying degrees. Ever yone has talked for years about AV/IT convergence, and, although that does exist, IT professionals are still relying on AV professionals. We think that’s significant and positive.

There are also the vertical-market end users, who, depending on project size, will var y in influence, importance and technical sophistication. Considering vertical market end-users is essential for delivering user experience (UX) and sys-admin, but this, too, is not a seismic development. We have seen this in the verticals for years, and retail, education and corporate AV systems have been designed accordingly.

Our customers’ customers are the new stakeholders being taken ver y seriously by the integration and manufacturer communities. It’s not merely that they have access to 4K displays, multichannel sound and advanced interactivity in their personal lives (and, therefore, now expect it in their professional lives), but also that their personal devices are now becoming part of the AV/IT ecosystem. This development is important for the performance and security of the AV system and the experience of both the verticalmarket customer and the customer’s customers.

Also, end-user brand professionals—designers, marketers and event specialists who

seek to create unique brand experiences—have become active participants in AV. That is a tremendously positive development. Whereas experience and atmospherics used to be the exclusive domain of retail and hospitality, they are now the end game across the board—and brand leaders are playing quarterback. I think it’s incumbent on us, as a community, to speak more with brand leaders and creatives, so we can inspire their creativity with what is technologically and economically possible with AV today.

This is all part of a holistic approach that acknowledges the inevitability of change and shifting preferences. There is a need not only to be inclusive to various stakeholders, but also to understand that there is a spectrum of requirements. The AV integrator remains the stakeholder who has the most responsibility for optimum system performance.

is one of the biggest areas of growth for AV, and it’s being looked at differently.

Originally, we thought of collaboration as touch; however, now, with platforms like Slack and Hoylu, we have powerful, comprehensive technologies that integrate whiteboards, PCs, videoconferencing, mobile devices, audio and more.

This is a phenomenal development

that speaks to the critical role of the AV professional: understanding the user and the application of the system; knowing the diverse technologies that could go into the system; imagining the scale and shape of the system; and working with the disparate stakeholders to bring it all together. AV integrators’ depth of understanding and skill are inherently

Emphasizing The Customer Experience Key to delivering an experience is to understand what motivates the provider and recipient of the experience. Our industr y’s manufacturers invest heavily in innovation, but we put a ver y big emphasis on innovating with purpose.

Pure research does have its place, but understanding what partners and customers are seeking to do—and also understanding their customers’ goals and motivations—is absolutely critical to delivering exceptional, extraordinar y experiences. Sales and marketing executives want boardrooms that enable them to be expressive, creative and convincing; educators want more classrooms that facilitate imagination, inclusiveness and understanding; retailers want to match online interactivity and choice with in-store delight. The list goes on and on. The opportunities for AV integrators are boundless.

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Sound & Communications 53

INDUSTRY POV

at odds with “prosumerism” and commoditization, and they are key values that integration professionals bring to AV projects.

Leading manufacturers, meanwhile, enable the AV team to work and drive seamless integrations with IT. And, because such manufacturers play on the IT side (with their core AV industr y knowledge), all that experience can be brought to bear.

Purposeful Innovation Purposeful innovation is magical to behold. Think of innovation around organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology, for example. It’s flexible, bendable, delivers a perfect black and boasts remarkable advances—that’s extremely exciting and rewarding. But, if you can apply the technology and make it easy to acquire, useful in a wide array of applications, and easy to install and maintain, that’s where the magic really happens. Purposeful innovation, along with deep collaboration with an AV integrator who keeps the customer front of mind, is an extremely powerful differentiator for any AV organization.

Reshaping The Customer Experience For me, transparent technologies are among the most exciting ideas in

54 Sound & Communications June 2019

a long, long time. AV integrators can now go to their customers and show the transformative possibilities of applying transparent LED film to a piece of glass—a window or a railing, for example—and making it a brilliant display. Transparent OLED is also making a huge impact in high-end retail, where it’s helping brick-and-mortar retailers go toe-to-toe with online retailers on interactivity and imaging. Therein lies an example of strong value that AV integrators are bringing to their customers to make them more successful. Ideas like this will make the AV business not only better, but also bigger.

Beyond The Traditional AV World The AV integrators with whom I work have more opportunities for different types of new business today than any time in the past 10 years. Not only are they growing the number of vertical markets in which they operate, but they’re also expanding the definition of AV and providing comprehensive consultative value beyond boxes, displays, speakers and cables.

It used to be that AV integrators were fairly one-dimensional. If the task centered on IT, then no one talked to them. If the system centered on directview LED, then they probably didn’t

touch it. Those technologies were for someone else. If there was an event in a boardroom and another event occurring in the lobby, then they were probably held separately. Today, AV integrators are involved in all those pieces, and they have a seat at the planning/design table, from which they were probably excluded a decade ago.

This is truly great news. Integrators are now presented with more opportunities to work on many different types of tasks.

Establish Relationships In this paradigm, commoditization and “prosumerism” have a limited hold.

Brands that seek low-price and lowestcommon-denominator transactions will ultimately disappoint, as the technologies break down, the experiences fail to delight and new entrants to the market grab share. By contrast, investing in relationships with high-performing, interoperable technologies and experience-inspired systems will enable AV integrators and brands to return to the same customers again and again. Moreover, it will instill the confidence to implement monthly recurring revenue (MRR) programs and ser vices. All of these are positive steps for the customer, the AV integrator and the brand. (continued on page 134)

INTRODUCING THE

Come thirsty for knowledge.

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INDUSTRY POV

Using Microphones In Theatrical Environments

A primer on key considerations for effective stage mic’ing.

By Ben Escobedo Shure Inc.

I

n theater production, there are hundreds of thousands of minutes—countless hours of rehearsals and meetings, late-night artistic brainstorms and problem-solving sessions—that lead to one moment. When the stage is set, the orchestra is tuned, the lights dim and the curtain rises, everything must work flawlessly.

From Broadway to small community stages, from large productions to small ones, the theater experience relies on great sound. That, of course, includes considering the physical theater environment and its acoustic qualities in designing a sound-reinforcement system.

Proper microphone selection and placement in theater applications is an area that can dramatically improve and reinforce the impact of the action and emotion on the stage.

Microphone Overview Two of the most common types of microphones used in professional audio today are dynamic microphones and condenser microphones. Because of their design, some condenser microphones can be considerably more expensive than dynamic microphones are. Condensers are also more fragile than their dynamic counterparts are. Condensers can be damaged by temperature, humidity and rough handling.

Those considerations notwithstanding, condensers provide a great advantage over dynamics in theater applications for a couple of reasons. First, they can be made much smaller than dynamics, making them easier to mount on or 56 Sound & Communications June 2019

hide in wigs and costumes. Second, they generally have wider frequency response and higher sensitivity, making them better for use in critical sound-reinforcement applications and better for overhead or boundar y microphone techniques in which microphones are placed much farther from the performers.

Choosing the proper microphone for any given application can also be based on several other factors; they include price, quality and, especially in theater, physical size and color. Whichever microphone is chosen, it is the first step toward creating an effective sound system.

The goal of any sound-reinforcement system is to project the program material to the audience in a manner that allows the person farthest away from the performance area to hear sufficiently. An efficient system will allow enough amplification to occur before feedback is a problem. You often might hear the term “gain before feedback,” which refers to this principle. Audio feedback can be devastating to any production, and it can severely distract the audience and the talent. That’s not even to mention the damage it can do to the sound system and your hearing.

In many theater shows, it is not practical to use a typical handheld vocal microphone; instead, most will use either a lavalier or a headset microphone. Those microphone types allow you to “close mic” the performers. After all, the closer you can get the microphone to the sound source, the better the audio quality will be.

Most modern lavalier and headset designs are lightweight and discreet. Both do an excellent job of increasing potential gain before feedback.

Without question, wireless microphones have become the “go-to” choice for theater productions. Wireless mics provide better audio isolation and sound quality that is more consistent. Because wireless allows microphones to be closer to the talent, they are perfect for capturing a performer’s delicate vocal expression.

Lavalier microphones are composed of small elements, usually condenser, de-

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INDUSTRY POV

signed to be mounted via clip or pin to clothing. In theater, they are generally connected to a wireless microphone bodypack. The small design of these mics makes them inconspicuous enough to be used in TV broadcast, video production and, of course, theater.

Lavaliers are often available in several colors, such as black, white,

cocoa and tan. In theater, lavaliers are often concealed in a wig, hat or costume. Sometimes, lavaliers are attached directly to the actor by using medical tape. It is important to consider lavaliers mics that have been tested for durability against cable failure, given that cables are exposed to significant wear and tear. Also, using a lavalier mic

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Lavaliers allow you to place the mic much closer to the actor’s mouth, increasing gain before feedback and minimizing background noise. The goal is to amplify the actor’s voice and minimize pickup of room noise, stage vibrations and other unwanted sounds. When used with wireless systems, lavaliers give performers almost unlimited mobility. Additionally, if the wireless bodypack is attached to the actor using a mic belt, it can enable fast costume changes while keeping the audio consistent.

Omnidirectional-pattern lavalier mics dominate the theater industr y. Although there are some cases in which cardioidpattern mics can be useful in high-volume environments, omnidirectional condensers remain the most popular choice for theater. Omnidirectional mics have a more natural balanced sound than cardioid mics do, and they are less affected by wind/breath noise than their cardioid counterparts are.

An actor who moves around a lot will have minimal volume fluctuations when using an omnidirectional mic as compared to a directional mic. Omnidirectional microphones do not exhibit the proximity effect, which means the bass does not increase as the mic is moved closer to the audio source; this reduces having to cut low-frequency response at the mixer.

Another reason that omnidirectional mics can be advantageous in theaters is that the frequency response of the mic stays consistent, even if the sound source is off axis or the mic is in an unusual position. This attribute is quite important, given that mic technique in theater productions involves the creative positioning of the microphone on a performer’s skin or in a wig or costume.

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To achieve the ultimate in actor mobility, as well as to maintain the highest potential gain before feedback, wireless microphones are the best choice. In fact, the earliest use cases of wireless microphones were based on the ver y needs that theater presents. Without wireless

spectrum becomes less plentiful due to recent Federal Communications Commission (FCC) changes in the US, be sure to explore the different ranges available for wireless microphones, as well as the pros and cons of each.

lavalier microphones in larger productions, movement would be restricted, scene and wardrobe changes would be difficult, and walking or dancing on the stage would be dangerous because of the cables strewn about.

Through advances in wireless microphone technology, as well as the availability of more affordable systems, stage productions now have freedom of movement both onstage and off. Audio professionals should look for bodypack transmitters that are easier to conceal and more comfortable for the talent.

The latest digital wireless systems enable the use of many wireless channels in congested RF environments.

There are rules for using wireless, however, and one must follow them to ensure interference-free performance.

Most of the rules pertain to frequency selection and antenna usage. Wireless microphones are available in a variety of frequency ranges. As available RF

Other Options The previously discussed microphone techniques focused on the use of one lavalier microphone on each performer. Although that is the preferred method, it can be cost prohibitive in many smaller theaters, as well as in schools, community theaters and church pageants.

Boundary microphones (also known as pressure zone or PZM microphones) are an alternative to placing a mic on each individual performer. Boundary mics are designed to be laid flat on an acoustically reflective surface—in this case, the stage itself. The reflective surface becomes part of how the microphone picks up

sound. When using boundary microphones on a stage, one must evaluate if they will pick up too much foot noise during the performance.

Another alternative microphone technique for theater is the use of overhead/hanging microphones, sometimes called choir microphones. These capture sound by hanging down from above the stage. Using overhead microphones to capture sound from above can provide decent sound reinforcement for a larger area, but, much as with boundar y microphones, expectations should be kept realistic. Choir microphones are farther away from the sound source than even a microphone on a floor stand would be, and they will pick up more ambient sound than preferred.

That, in addition to the possibility of these mics actually being closer to loudspeakers than to the sound source, can increase the risk of feedback.

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Sound & Communications 59

CONSULTANT’S POV

Artificial Intelligence And The AV World Dredging the primordial soup.

By John Mayberry Emmaco, Inc.

O

ver the years, I’ve tried to avoid the “bejeweled mud flaps” trend of many publications’ print and online articles, which are used more like infomercials. You might not like to hear it, but an article about getting conduit in the right place might be more important than one about which component you select. (At least, that’s true for some of the projects I’ve seen recently.)

“Bejeweled mud flaps” was coined by Mike Moffat years ago to describe the majority of unending, but essentially meaningless, improvements foisted upon us—not too different from handing a Bedazzler to Homer Simpson for his disco jacket. It might be a perceived improvement to some, perhaps, but not really a significant improvement to many. By contrast, what is important is personalization in delivering to two of the mass-market senses: sound and vision.

My opinion is that our industry can (if we are inspired to do so) deliver content to a mass market quite well, and we even have an arsenal with which to do it.

The first phase of our industr y is relatively complete, having essentially entered the commodity phase of its lifecycle. The second phase is likely just as important, however, and it’s only entering its infancy. I’m talking about artificial intelligence (AI). Many are reluctant even to discuss it, or they dismiss it out of hand due to its current complexity. Others see the future and realize what we’re designing and installing today might eventually be ver y different.

What would emerge from our primordial soup some 30 years ago seems 60 Sound & Communications June 2019

obvious in hindsight. Various permutations of the computer, the television and the telephone have been combined—of course, the smartphone is the most obvious— and the dead dinosaurs sunken to the bottom of the soup are getting harder to recall.

(Who remembers the fax machine and the answering machine?)

The new broth, however, is content driven, with at least a modicum of intelligence being added to the mix. We generally have our deliver y devices now, but we still lack insight as regards how to use them most effectively. That said, we’ve all begun to notice some of the digital signage folks looking at facial recognition and the like, so maybe the time has come.

Professor Andreas Kaplan and Professor Michael Haenlein have identified three types of AI: analytical, human-inspired and humanized. According to Wikipedia, “Analytical AI has only characteristics consistent with cognitive intelligence; generating a cognitive representation of the world and using learning based on past experience to inform future decisions.” This one, we’re reasonably good at. After all, self-driving cars are coming fast (so to speak).

From the same source: “Human-inspired AI has elements from cognitive and emotional intelligence; understanding human emotions, in addition to cognitive elements, and considering them in their decision-making.” This one is lagging in development.

From the same source: “Humanized AI shows characteristics of all types of competencies (i.e., cognitive, emotional, and social intelligence), is able to be self-conscious and is self-aware in interactions with others.” That, too, lies off in the future.

The first fruit dropping from the tree is predictive analytics. AI and personalization will become ubiquitous in the years to come, as they continue to mature and drive development. Sellers would like nothing more than to have a direct connection into everyone’s limbic system to “sell” us products before we even know we want them. Entertainers have always wanted to feel a direct connection with their audiences so they can know what works and what doesn’t. I suspect the same holds true for many others.

Although challenges do exist around content creation and curation, workflows and systems are available to make the curation and automated cross-channel delivery of relevant content far more achievable than is currently understood. Another name for hyper-personalization is “individual human preference.” (Randomly fascinating: Ninetyfive percent of human emotion is managed by our individual, completely subjective, unconscious preferences. One does not always know what is important to oneself.)

Content creators and AV integrators need a new way of looking at the human aspect so as not to waste time and resources. Leveraging AI inside interactive intelligent knowledge platforms is key to eliciting individual human preference and hyperpersonalization. Other wise, it’s just a new version of segmentation.

Just a few of the AI capabilities currently driving effective, real-time personalization include natural language understanding, true machine learning, visual recognition, speech-to-text and vice versa. The key is to separate perceived deployment (continued on page 133)

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INDUSTRY POV

Making The Case For AV-Over-IP The forecast calls for audio and video, and lots of it.

By Brad Price Audinate

V

Lay Of The Land ideo is rapidly becoming more prevalent and more flexible, as well as dramatically more Audio networking is curcost-effective. The advent of the digital creation, curation and transmission of video has put it in rently fairly well understood, places that would have been unthinkable even in the recent past. And, now, audiences anticipate and it’s widely used. Audio and expect video will be part of many experiences across all types of enterprise and commerdata is transmitted without any cial integrations. codec, as there is no need to comThe inclusion of networking technology will be critical to this growth. It will accelerate and press data of that size on a network. enhance trends already set in motion, bringing video to more places and more people.

By contrast, video is different.

Uncompressed HD video is dauntingly The Growth Of Video large, and it can be handled by only the Not long ago, collaboration and conferencing in business meant gathering around fastest of current networks. In the world a low-fidelity speakerphone to participate in conversations, with considerable of 1Gb/s networking (the common in-place attendant difficulty. This aspect of modern business has changed dramatically. standard), video must be compressed to stay Now, intense focus is placed on efficiency, multimedia communications and the within reasonable limits of data speed. value of remote workers.

There are many different codecs and formats, Today, participants expect to see each other in HD. They expect to hear each of which has different characteristics that suit what each other is saying clearly. They see the value in direct sharing of different needs. There is no one “best” codec for documents and whiteboards to spur creativity and idea refinement. ever ything: Some are good for internet streaming; some For AV, this means not only the installation of HD monitors, highare good for tiny, low-resolution screens; and all have difquality microphones and well-placed speakers, but also a complete ferent tradeoffs in time and video quality. rethinking of how that technology will be used, with which This situation creates problems of interoperability, as forsoftware and with what sorts of integration into larger business mats must match exactly between transmitters and receivers in systems. It represents a far larger opportunity to bring value order to work. Manufacturers of digitally connected video prodto clients based upon an understanding of modern computer ucts choose and modify codecs based upon product and company networks through which ever y business’ core assets are goals; frequently, the result is that video products from a particular accessed. manufacturer only work well with other products from that same In retail, screens are now an abundant source of manufacturer. Codecs and formats are based upon a mixture of open dynamic information for customers, promoting the and proprietar y technologies, but even open technologies are often modibrand, entertaining visitors and offering suggesfied by manufacturers to a point of exclusivity as they optimize behavior to tions that directly drive on-premise sales. In meet specific goals. As the industr y settles into technologies like AV-over-IP, education, video and audio are abundantly used though, the number of in-use codecs is likely to decrease simply because the to bring learning materials and interactive use of a network narrows certain choices, while also making some choices more experiences into the classroom. And it’s no obvious and beneficial than before. secret that houses of worship (HoWs)— especially those in the US—have grown Creating Experiences to become sophisticated multimedia Our industr y is increasingly concerned with creating experiences that people relate to users. in real-life spaces. As AV-over-IP becomes even more common, requirements for simplicThe opportunities for AV in each ity and clarity will come to drive the market of codecs and formats. The question, then, is of those spaces are great, and, in what must organizations consider when setting up AV-over-IP systems? Further, what value each, the future is tied togethcan be gained from choosing this route? er with computer networks A coherent AV-over-IP solution brings many of the benefits of audio-over-IP, including these: and internet access.

62 Sound & Communications June 2019

• Point-to-point connections between devices are eliminated; all connections are made in software. That obviates the need to move cables and connections physically.

• A common clock synchronizes all media for precise alignment of audio and video ever ywhere on the network.

• Sending signals to multiple endpoints is easy, and it no longer requires any special hardware switchers.

• A single cable type is used throughout the system.

• A single, simple interface can manage content and activities.

• Network-management tools can be used to enhance security.

sharing a common control and security framework. At present, many codecs are in use from different manufacturers; however, with the advent of AV-over-IP, codecs that are more suitable for IP networks are likely to win out over others in the real-time AV space.

Performance: The promise of AVover-IP is to deliver outputs as close

to real time as possible, while also preser ving acceptable video quality. A well-considered AV-over-IP solution has already made choices with regard to codec and format to optimize for realtime deliver y over an IP network.

Market adoption: The adoption rate of any solution speaks to the usefulness and completeness of that so-

Security & Stability AV-over-IP also means that some IT-style security and stability concerns now enter the AV space. When looking at a coherent AV-over-IP solution, keep in mind all of the following: Security: Does the system adhere to common IT practices for protecting the network? Is there any way to control user access? Do any devices communicate autonomously over the internet?

These IT-focused questions must be answered if an AV system is going to share resources with any existing network. A complete AV-over-IP solution has to work with common security practices and offer tools to help AV and IT departments control access and monitor system behavior.

Scalability: Scaling is something that networks generally do ver y well, and any AV-over-IP solution should take full advantage of that fact. A good AVover-IP solution should support a large number of endpoints on a common network, and it should not be hindered by common network structural elements such as multiple subnets.

Interoperability: Always the holy grail of requirements, a coherent AVover-IP solution should “just work” with other endpoints that employ the same solution. This implies settling upon a single codec and format for video, and

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INDUSTRY POV

lution. A well-developed, well-distributed AV-over-IP solution will see rapid adoption in the current marketplace, which is still largely unsettled and actively seeking an easy, practical solution.

Partner ecosystem: Many AV-over-IP solutions are specific to a single, particular brand. That means, by definition, the product ecosystem is small. Although this might be acceptable for some, a preferred solution supports multiple partners in a coordinated fashion to ensure high interoperability across a range of vendors.

Cost modeling: Any cost model must include not only initial purchase, but also installation, maintenance and expansion costs.

In this light, AV-over-IP systems fare extremely well versus legacy competition.

Installation of lightweight, general-purpose Ethernet cabling is usually much easier and less expensive as compared to special, bespoke, single-purpose cables. Moreover, because networks don’t rely on “daisy chaining” one device to another, adding new devices doesn’t disrupt existing gear in any way. This is beneficial in that it makes maintenance and expansion easier and less costly.

Expanding Our Market Through Solutions Coherent AV-over-IP brings the possibility of tightly synchronized deployments over wide areas, with less gear and easier installation. Customers who have chosen

64 Sound & Communications June 2019

not to spend much money, or who have felt that systems were too complicated in the past for staff to operate, might now find appealing alternatives. And any customer who requires centralized control over larger numbers of screens will find AV-over-IP immediately intuitive and appealing.

Conferencing/Collaboration: AV-over-IP delivers access to internet content, unified communications (UC) applications and high-quality endpoints, all in a single package. Everything that a conference space requires—great video, great audio with multiple mics and speakers, internet access to files and access to communications software—is running on a single Ethernet cable, connected to a single network. A coherent solution addresses many requirements at once.

Hospitality: Hotels, casinos and restaurants will find the centralized control that is inherent to AV-over-IP ver y appealing. These establishments use many, many audio and video endpoints, and they’re seeking a cost-effective way to address all of them logically and easily.

AV-over-IP provides exactly that by giving these customers control over many endpoints, with no need for additional hardware on the system.

Retail: Lower costs of deployment and upkeep make AV-over-IP an attractive choice for retail establishments, where display screens and interactive kiosks are all part of a single networked system

with access to the same resources.

Worship: HoWs have already adopted audio-over-IP; offering them an integrated video solution simply extends that embrace. Ample security means volunteers can safely participate in AV alongside professionals.

Education: Cost reduction is always key for schools, and AV-over-IP delivers this by employing off-the-shelf networking gear for all distribution.

Tight integration with the secure network and internet resources used in education makes this an easy choice, as ever ything required is on a single connection.

AV-Over-IP Is Gaining Momentum AV-over-IP is gaining momentum.

The unqualified success of audio-overIP systems has given AV markets a taste for what is to come: unmatched flexibility, reduced costs, easy scalability and IT-level security. Extending those capabilities to video simply makes sense to anyone who has deployed modern networking.

AV-over-IP is a barrier-breaking technology that promises to remove many of the hurdles that have impeded customers in their attempts to use AV the way they want; as such, it’s positioned to expand the entire AV market.

The forecast calls for audio and video, and lots of it.

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INDUSTRY POV

Why Content Matters Becoming content conversant for digital signage.

By Jim Nista Almo Professional A/V

D

igital signage projects are unique in the AV world. That’s partly because they require content, but also because the objectives are different from most other AV projects.

Digital signage projects are driven by visual communication goals, which are achieved more by the content on the screen than by the actual technology or installation itself.

There are always strategic goals behind technology investments. End clients aren’t buying AV technology just because they enjoy spending money.

For many AV projects, the strategic goals are straightfor ward. For example, the client invests in a videoconferencing room to reduce travel, while increasing collaboration. Delivering the right equipment, installation and training, while adhering to the right budget, meets the objective. In this case, “objective” refers both to the goal and to the cut-and-dried nature of the project’s equation for success. The right gear + the right price + the right install = success. With digital signage projects, however, goals are based on content. A company could install the best hardware and software perfectly, yet still not deliver on the client’s goals because the content wasn’t right.

I’m sure we’ve all sat in a trade show class on digital signage titled “Content is King.” Although that slogan is catchy, it’s missing a key challenge: Digital signage goals are based on subjective areas of marketing messaging, visuals and creative. The end client can hate the entire project because of a feeling.

The design wasn’t “the right mix of salmon and crimson red” or the content 66 Sound & Communications June 2019

was “too much Bruce Wayne and not enough Batman.” (Yes, this is actual feedback I’ve received on past projects.)

When you add creative to AV projects, the equation for success looks more like advanced calculus.

Starting With Goals Digital signage projects fall into one of three broad categories: advertising, informational or experimental. The advertising and informational signage spaces are still heavily based in print signage, thereby offering the greatest potential for digital signage growth.

Informational digital signage is in fact growing steadily, especially in the small and medium business (SMB) space. These projects are driven by tangible goals. For

example, clients are looking for better ways to communicate upcoming events to students or employees. Informational digital signage is being added wherever there’s a need to communicate content that changes regularly. In other words—it’s being added everywhere.

That’s especially true as digital signage software embraces the data-driven automation that’s so critical to growth.

This is the tip of the iceberg for digital signage, and ver y specific goals coming from marketing and communication teams will drive it.

Let Marketing Teams Lead I built my first corporate website project 25 years ago. The first few sites were driven by employees in the IT department; those employees also made the creative and messaging decisions. Marketing teams were catching up, though. Once they did, those projects were wrestled back from being technology projects and made what they should have been in the first place: communication projects. It all happened quickly, too. Within a year or two, the conversation shifted from “We need a website because ever yone else has one” to something that was communication-centered and goalsdriven, such as seeking to build better emotional connections with customers.

This shift didn’t mean technology teams took a back seat or disappeared; instead, it meant that teams were staying in their respective lanes. Marketing controls the strategy; AV and IT control the execution.

This is what we need to succeed with digital signage—teams that handle creative partnering effectively with teams that make the technology run smoothly. Success happens when the creative is based on goals first, and those goals drive the technology choices second.

Owning The Entire Project The creativity and subjectivity that go into developing content often leads to digital signage projects being handled by ever yone except the AV

integrator. Ever y digital sign requires content, which means someone is going to be responsible for creative. A marketing agency, an in-house creative team or even an administrative assistant might be tasked with creating content for the screen. Why not the integrator?

Some AV integrators don’t handle digital signage projects because they’ve been burned in the past by issues related to subjectivity, or simply because the client wants the entire solution, including the content, outsourced to a single team. Letting these opportunities go can lead to losing other AV work with that client. Someone is going to take the signage project—maybe a traditional sign shop, or maybe a software content management system (CMS) company— and that firm might take more of the client’s AV budget by winning future projects.

CORPORATE

Finding The Right Partner When the content is simple slides, print or online, graphic designers are typically the only resource you have to add. For simple projects like that, an AV integrator can hire a creative agency or freelance designer, or partner with the client’s in-house creative group. For more complex projects, such as those involving videowalls or interactive signage, specialists are best.

These aren’t projects you want someone doing for the first time.

No matter the resource, however, be ready to collaborate. This isn’t about breathing a sigh of relief that there’s an in-house content person who’s going to handle the parts that your company doesn’t do. Integrators must engage beyond just installing the equipment and providing training. After all, remember the content is why the digital signage

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Sound & Communications 67

INDUSTRY POV the overall project goal. The two most important questions are the following: “What is the sign going to be used for?” and “How will you measure success?”

The answers to those two questions always reveal the true goal for the project, whether it is to sell more products, inform guests or educate employees.

For some projects, the goal could be ver y simple—say, to promote and increase sales of daily specials. Goals like that are easy to track. (Did sales

Whether digital signs are used for wayfinding or as menu boards, content is critical to successful deployment.

project exists in the first place!

Your team can partner with a content-ser vices group or a creative agency, or you can begin to build your own army of staff and freelancers. It’s best to work with a team or resource that’s done digital signage before. This builds another revenue source, including marking up creative billable hours and adding on project-management and collaboration hours for your current team. It also helps ensure the client’s AV budget remains in place.

68 Sound & Communications June 2019

Starting With Content Strategy We start projects with content-strategy questions to help us understand ever ything from project goals to creative team resources, schedules, workflows and ongoing updates. These questions don’t get into messaging and actual creative concepts; rather, they focus on practical elements, starting from

of the advertised products increase, or did they not?) Achievement of other goals can be challenging to measure; that’s especially true when the goal is simply to inform viewers. If the goal is to inform employees about an upcoming healthcare meeting on Friday, for example, then tracking might not even (continued on page 134)

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INDUSTRY POV

Transmitting MIDI Signals Over Long Distances Solutions can rely on Cat5 cable or fiberoptics.

By Irwin Math Liteway, Inc.

T

he use of Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) signals is certainly commonplace in most musically oriented venues, ranging from musical theaters, concert auditoriums and professional orchestral settings to religious institutions. Various keyboards, synthesizers, rhythm machines, computers, controllers, etc., are An illustration a typical wired or fiberoptic MIDI transmission system. Operating routinely linked via a standard interface cable fitted with power is only required on one side for the wired version. five-pin male DIN connectors. For short distances, ever ything usually works fine. The MIDI specification calls for a maximum cable length of 50 feet (approximately 15 meters), which is fine for configurations where ever ything is in one location—for example, on a stage or in a Cat5 Cable small club.

When MIDI signals must be distributed over longer distances, however, such Cat5 cable consists of RJ-45 telephone-type as in a concert hall, sports stadium or large arena, a limitation of 50 feet can be connectors and a cable that consists of three pairs of wires, twisted together. The wires significant. Extending cables beyond the 50-foot limit, which is often required for are twisted to assure that any interfering convenient routing purposes, can result in corrupted data and intermittent signals. signal that is induced into the cable is equally It even, on occasion, can lead to a real disaster right in the middle of a perforpresent on both wires of a pair. Because the mance! desired signal passing through each of the This situation can be addressed in two ways. The first is with a so-called “wired” two wires in any one pair is different, the MIDI transceiver that can take the digital MIDI signal and convert it into a balreceiver easily separates the valid signal from anced differential voltage signal at levels greater than the normal range of the the interfering one. original signal; that can then be transmitted over a Cat5 cable. Such a system employs two transceivers and utilizes common, off-the-shelf Cat5 data cables and connectors for interconnections. A Cat5 cable, by the way, is the one that’s comFiberoptic Cable monly used to connect computers to an Ethernet bus. They are readily available from virtually all electronics outlets that handle computers.

Fiberoptic cable consists of a thin strand of ultra-pure glass that conducts pulses of In operation, this system takes the standard MIDI current loop signals and light. Surrounding the glass fiber are various converts them into carefully balanced differential-voltage signals. These signals strength members that are used to protect the are then conveyed between the various MIDI transceiver units by the twistedfiber from damage due to pressure, pulling cable pairs within the Cat5 cable itself. This results in error-free transmission tension, etc. The completed cable looks much over distances up to 1,000 feet. Indicator LEDs are usually provided on all units to like a conventional copper wire cable, but it indicate the presence of MIDI signals, and a link LED can even be provided so as does not contain any electrical conductors of continuously to monitor and assure the cables are intact. Power for such a system any kind. As a result, such a cable is immune is obtained from a simple 12V wall-type plugin adapter. Only one side of the link to any type of interference, high voltages, usually has to be powered, as power is sent between the two MIDI units by the moisture or other factors that can degrade an same Cat5 cable. Actual MIDI signal connections to the wired MIDI units are by electrical connection. Fiberoptic cable connecmeans of standard five-pin DIN connectors and cables. tors look similar to small electrical connectors, and they’re easy to plug in and out of As regards applications for which even 1,000 feet would not be enough, or when (continued on page 136) mating receptacles.

70 Sound & Communications June 2019

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INDUSTRY POV

Digital Signage As A Customer-Service Vehicle

Taking website principles and applying them to digital signs.

By Emilyann Phoenix Protective Enclosures Co. (The Display Shield and The TV Shield)

S

uperb customer ser vice is the Queen of Hearts in business: It rules the land. On the flip side, a lack of customer ser vice leaves us feeling a bit like Alice, wandering lost in Wonderland. Have you noticed that some companies are stuck in the Stone Age when it comes to client satisfaction? Sometimes, question-and-answer (Q&A) listings call to mind the Cheshire Cat, confounding us with riddles. And it’s nearly impossible to reach a live representative to answer a question.

The most successful companies know this, and the heart of their ever y move is centered on catering to their customers. That means keeping up with the newest methods to ser ve leads and clients. Examples of customer-ser vice improvement can include not only providing around-the-clock support and offering free shipping, but also utilizing digital-signage solutions.

Digital Signage & Customer Service Today As it stands, the technological evolution of digital signage is dazzling. Who doesn’t love the mesmerizing bright lights and crisp imager y of modern displays? Beneath the surface of all that, however, digital signage ser ves an array of purposes—not least of which is customer ser vice. Modern businesses are already becoming savvy about using digital signage to meet customer needs, whether we’re talking about wayfinding in theme parks or self-bag-tag kiosks in airports. When utilized correctly, digital signage can offer entertain72 Sound & Communications June 2019

ment, answer questions via Q&As, help customers make informed buying decisions, display schedules and more. A decade ago, people couldn’t utilize interactive digital director y displays; now, they can. Answers are at our fingertips. But what’s the next step? What would bring these customer-support efforts to the next level? Could live interactive digital signage be on the horizon?

Live Interactive Digital Signage What does “live interactive digital signage” even mean, anyway? The idea is that this signage is connected to live support on the other end. Do you ever spend too much time looking through materials and Q&As on a website, only not to get your answer? Do you find it frustrating when you’re tr ying to call customer support and you can’t reach anyone? Does any of this sound familiar?

Remember that customer ser vice is the Queen of Hearts—it rules the land.

Nothing replaces, or substitutes for, the positive experience of interacting with an informed and invested customer-ser vice representative. That truth has been proven time and again. One excellent modern example is the development of instant chats on websites. Companies utilizing chat boxes on their websites are seeing tremendous improvements in lead conversion and customer satisfaction. People don’t want to send an email and then wait hours or days for a response; because of that, tools like LiveChat are changing the game.

What if that same solution were applied to digital signage? Does it make sense? Is it plausible to predict that we’ll see solutions like LiveChat, or even live video support representatives, for digital signage become popular in the near future? Custom software could certainly be in development—or even already exist—for this purpose.

Some companies might already be using the internet to stream their website to their displays. The potential for growth appears to be boundless; indeed, this seems like a viable customer-ser vice solution, especially for locations that would other wise be too expensive to ser vice sufficiently with on-site staff.

You might be wondering if interactive digital signs already provide enough information for customers; if so, you might perceive this concept as being “over the top.”

And that might be true for certain applications. But think about websites, which also provide significant amounts of information to users. They nevertheless utilize realtime chat options.

This concept could branch out to outdoor digital signage, as well. Imagine you’re walking by a retail store and its digital signage catches your attention. You stop to view the sign and the signage incorporates a pop-up that says, “Chat now.” You think to yourself, “Hmmm…I’d love to know if that red shirt I see in the store is available in blue.” You click “Chat now” and ask about the shirt. The representative checks for you and gives an immediate response. You’re already feeling like a satisfied custom(continued on page 138)

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Changes In Auditorium Uses UNC’s Campus Commons innovates space for performance and welcoming students.

By Dan Daley These Campus Commons are anything but common. The new, $59.5 million, 110,000-square-foot complex opened earlier this year on more than six acres on the University of Northern Colorado’s (UNC) Greeley campus. The Campus Commons fulfills many of the hallmarks for collegiate welcome centers, which comprise a growing trend in higher education as schools are compelled to become more competitive in tr ying to attract a shrinking pool of prospective students. (Indeed, one study, by an economist at Carleton College in Minnesota, predicts that the college-going population will drop by 15 percent between 2025 and 2029 and will continue to decline by another percentage point or two thereafter. Contributing factors include a decreasing birth rate and steadily increasing tuition costs.)

In addition to the Campus Commons’ student-orientation facilities and the consoli-

74 Sound & Communications June 2019

To accommodate both classical music and jazz, the venue’s variable reverb time of between 1.2sec. and 1.8sec. is achieved using rows of motorized curtains, totaling 4,000 square feet, hung in the attic above a series of acoustical-cloud reflectors.

The larger of the two auditoriums, known as the theater, usually seats 600.

The seat count is increased by 50 when the stage extension/orchestra pit lift is utilized for more seating via a motorized chairwagon system.

dation of financial aid, registrar and bursar offices in its generous allotment of office space and conference rooms, it also boasts performance and presentation spaces: a nearly 6,000-square-foot, 600-to-650-seat performance venue; a 400-seat multipurpose auditorium; rehearsal spaces; an open, light-filled, more-than-14,500-square-foot lobby space; and a more than 1,750-square-foot art galler y.

“This new building fills a lot of needs,” Russ Cooper, Principal at Jaffe Holden, the project’s acoustic and AV consultant, affirmed. “In addition to ser ving as a welcome center, it includes [the kind of] acoustically designed performance space that the school’s music department had been seeking for years.”

The Big Room The larger of the two auditoriums, known as the theater, usually seats 600. The seat count is increased by 50 when the stage extension/orchestra pit lift is utilized for more seating via a motorized chair wagon system that shuttles the first few rows from below ground.

The venue’s acoustics were of particular importance because it is the only proscenium venue on campus, and it’s intended to provide a home for UNC’s jazz program, which is rated one of the top in the US. However, it also has to accommodate orchestral music, concert band, wind ensembles, chorus, chamber music and operatic performances.

Most of those ensembles will utilize a custom-fabricated orchestral shell, from vendor Stage Right Milwaukee, made of honeycomb wood laminate.

To accommodate both classical music, which is completely unamplified, and jazz, which depends heavily on amplified instruments and microphones through a PA system, the venue, Cooper explained, had to have a variable reverb time of between 1.2sec. and 1.8sec. That’s achieved using rows of motorized curtains, totaling 4,000 square June 2019

Sound & Communications 75

The auditoriums at UNC’s Campus Commons share a large, light-filled open lobby that’s used as a presentation space.

It has its own distributed sound system and complement of wireless microphones. It’s lined with 55-inch LED displays positioned in portrait mode.

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feet, hung in the attic above a series of acoustical-cloud reflectors. That combination keeps the impact of the music in the room, but dampens the reflections and reverberation of the venue’s 275,000 cubic feet of space. In addition, sound is shaped within the venue using a series of cur ved wood and gypsum surfaces throughout the room.

The second venue—the smaller, multipurpose auditorium—had originally been intended for music, but, instead, it will now ser ve multiple functions as a lecture hall and event space. (Helpfully, it offers the ability to retract all its seating using a bleacher-type system.) Both venues can be used completely acoustically; according to Cooper, no real acoustical challenges were encountered. Nonetheless, both venues have their own installed PA systems, thus increasing their usability.

tached to the catwalk iron above the seating area to cover the small balcony. These were used so as not to burden the main left and right hangs with an additional speaker enclosure at top to cover the balcony rows.

Another big factor driving the choice of the d&b sound system was the accelerating trend of using systems that have shown wide acceptance by music acts and other touring shows—the so-called “rider-ready” effect. Bausher concurred with that point, noting that the hall is expected to accommodate many touring jazz ensembles in

support of the school’s focus on that music genre.

The auditorium’s audio and its Crestron system control (for the Barco projector) are on a Dante network that was deployed by the integrator, Professional Audio Designs; it is separate from the school’s campuswide local area network (LAN). Using a connection panel installed by the integrator, the school itself established a connection from the venue’s new Yamaha CL-5 frontof-house console to a recording studio in the building. Another platform, the new

Taming The Sound The acoustical-cloud reflectors do an excellent job of taming sound within the theater; however, like ever ything else in AV, they play their part in the law of unintended consequences. The reflectors’ height was dictated, in part, by the room’s physical dimensions and its cubic capacity. However, that, in turn, affected the positioning of the theater’s Barco HDXW20 Flex projector (lowered from one of the acoustical clouds by an SVS 12 HSE29 lift), which was also positioned based on what the 165-inch Draper projection screen required. This domino effect left a tight positioning window for part of the installed d&b audiotechnik house sound system. The two left-right hangs, consisting of six boxes (four Yi8s and two Yi12s), with a subwoofer on top per side, weren’t affected. However, the center cluster’s six Ti10L boxes were chosen because their small form factor kept the center hang more compact and, thus, easier to keep out of the projector’s line of sight.

“I would have preferred to use the same boxes as we used in the main hangs for the center array, as well as more of them, which would have given us better articulation of high frequencies front to back,” Ben Bausher, Associate Principal of AV for Jaffe Holden, explained. “Fortunately, the d&b boxes are ver y tonally consistent across their range of speakers, so it worked out fine.” Three d&b 10S speakers are also at-

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The main screen had little access to rigging from which to hang its retraction mechanism. Cooperative riggers created a five-foot notch in the rigging in which the integrators were able to install a chain hoist to lift the screen and its sleeve into place.

78 Sound & Communications June 2019

The theater’s projector is lowered from one of the acoustical-cloud reflectors by a lift. Â

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Lobbying Effort The theater opens into a large lobby area, which itself is considered a presentation space. It boasts a distributed JBL Control sound system that uses ceiling speakers and has its own Shure ULXD wireless microphone system. It’s lined with Planar 55-inch Clarity Matrix LED displays positioned in portrait mode and driven by a SpinetiX digital-signage content-management system and players.

That lobby area is shared with the previously referenced 400-seat multipurpose auditorium that has the retractable bleachertype system. This second auditorium has a distributed sound system that uses ceiling speakers. It utilizes d&b’s DSP to provide preset programming, such as gain and EQ, for sound when fixed seating is in or out.

That same system also manages tie lines to the theater next door, allowing the multiuse auditorium to ser ve as an overflow area.

A projection screen is on the rear (stage) wall, and there are LED displays along the side walls; this arrangement offers additional flexibility, allowing the room to be configured along either of two axes.

“This second auditorium can do a lot of different things, but it’s really oriented toward presentations—especially [presentations] to prospective students and their families,” Bausher remarked. “In addition to the Bear Pride room, which is a small lecture space [that Jaffe Holden also worked on], it’s one of the first spaces they usually encounter before a tour of the campus. So, it’s set up to make a good first impression.”

Integration Challenges Professional Audio Designs, the AV integrator on the UNC Campus Commons project, found much of the technology was straightfor ward, but the installation and integration required AV expertise. Chris Hermanson, Professional Audio Designs’ Head of Installation, who ser ved as project manager, said the fact that some of the spaces—for instance, the multipurpose auditorium—would be used as both a performance space and a teaching/lecture space seemed to confound some of the non-AV trades on the project.

“I’ve had many electricians tell me that

they’d rather work on a hospital than a performing arts center because of all the feeder cables and branch panels and the sheer amount of conduit,” Hermanson elaborated. The solution to that, he said, was to take the time and effort to explain the exigencies of audio and video in performance spaces to those who haven’t worked regularly in them. Conversations also took place around the fact that Professional Audio Designs’ integrators and programmers were working on the AV in some areas of the project that were nearly finished, even

as other areas were still being roughed out.

Practical integration challenges also had to be contended with. For instance, the integrator had to figure out how to install the Draper main screen on a stage that had little access to rigging from which to hang its retraction mechanism. Cooperative riggers created a five-foot notch in the rigging in which the integrators were able to install a chain hoist to lift the screen and its sleeve into place. “There was a lot we had to be aware of and to do to maintain things like fire-safety codes in that area,” Hermanson

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Barco HDX-W20 FLEX 20,000-lumen, WUXGA, 3-chip DLP projector Barco TLD+ (2.0-2.8:1) projector lens Clear-Com CC-300-X4 single-ear headsets w/4-pin female XLRs Clear-Com HS-6 telephone-style handsets XLR-4F w/coiled cords Clear-Com KB-702 2-channel select flush-mount headsets/speaker stations 1 Clear-Com MS-704 Encore 4-channel headset main station 2 Clear-Com RM-704 rackmount 4-channel headsets/speaker stations 7 Clear-Com RS-701 single-channel standard beltpacks 2 Clear-Com RS-702 Encore 2-channel standard dual listen

monaural beltpacks 2 Clear-Com V-BOX Encore portable wedge-shaped enclosures 2 Clear-Com YC-36 dual-channel beltpack adapters 25 Crestron AM-101 AirMedia presentation gateways 1 Crestron CEN-SW-POE-5 5-port PoE switch 1 Crestron CP3 3-Series control system 1 Crestron CP3N 3-Series control system 2 Crestron DM-MD8X8 8x8 DigitalMedia switchers 6 Crestron DM-RMC-4K-100-C 4K DigitalMedia 8G+ receivers and

room controllers 5 Crestron DM-RMC-4K-SCALER-C 4K DigitalMedia 8G+ receivers and

room controllers w/scalers 1 Crestron DM-RMC-SCALER-C DigitalMedia 8G+ receiver and room

controller w/scaler

80 Sound & Communications June 2019

3 Crestron DM-TX-401-C DigitalMedia 8G+ transmitters 6 Crestron DMPS3-4K-150-C 3-Series 4K DigitalMedia

presentation systems 1 Crestron RMC3 3-Series room media controller 2 Crestron TSW-1060-B-S 10.1" touchscreens (black, smooth) 13 Crestron TSW-760-B-S 7" touchscreens (black, smooth) 12 d&b audiotechnik Yi8 line-array speakers 6 d&b audiotechnik Yi12 line-array speakers 2 d&b audiotechnik Yi-SUB actively driven cardioid subs 6 d&b audiotechnik Ti10L line-array speakers 8 d&b audiotechnik 10S high-performance 2-way speakers 1 Draper Premier TecVision 16:10, 165" diagonal projection

screen 55 JBL Control 14C/T 2-way 4" coaxial ceiling speakers 2 JBL Control 14 C/T-BK 2-way 4" coaxial ceiling speakers

(black) 29 JBL Control 16C/T 2-way 6.5" coaxial ceiling speakers 21 JBL Control 47HC 6.5" 2-way 150W coaxial high-ceiling speakers 8 Planar 175-0993-00 8' interconnect power cables 12 Planar Clarity Matrix G3 MX55X 55" LCD videowall displays 16 Samsung DC49H 49"-class full-HD commercial LED TVs 3 Samsung DC55E 55"-class full-HD commercial LED displays 2 Samsung DM32E 32" 1080p direct-lit LED displays 3 Samsung DM55E 55" 1080p direct-lit LED displays 6 Samsung PM49H 49"-class full-HD commercial smart LED TVs 3 Samsung PM55H 55"-class full-HD commercial smart LED TVs 6 Samsung QM85F 85"-class 4K ultra-HD commercial

LED displays 4 Shure 577B cardioid dynamic noise-canceling paging mics 16 Shure SB900A lithium-ion rechargeable batteries 8 Shure SBC200-US dual docking chargers w/power supplies 4 Shure SM57-LC cardioid dynamic mics 4 Shure SM58-LC cardioid dynamic vocal mics 1 Shure UA844+SWB 5-way active antenna splitter and

power-distribution system 2 Shure UA864US wall-mounted wideband antennas

(470MHz to 698MHz) 8 Shure ULXD1-H50 ULX-D Series digital wireless bodypack

transmitters, H50 band (534MHz to 598MHz) 10 Shure ULXD2/SM58-H50 ULX-D Series digital wireless hand held transmitters w/SM58 mics, H50 band

(534MHz to 598MHz) 1 Shure ULXD4D-H50 ULX-D Series dual-channel digital wireless

mic receiver, H50 band (530MHz to 602MHz) 2 Shure ULXD4Q-H50 ULX-D Series quad-channel digital

wireless mic receivers, H50 band (530MHz to 602MHz) 2 Shure UA864US wall-mounted wideband antennas

(470MHz to 698MHz) 1 Shure VP88 stereo condenser mic and battery 1 SpinetiX Elementi M digital signage software 18 SpinetiX HMP350 Hyper Media Players 1080p

w/advanced features 1 SVS Lifts SVS 12HSE-29 projector lift (lowers to 29'3") 1 Yamaha CL5 32-fader digital mixer console 3 Yamaha LA1L 18" gooseneck LED console lights 2 Yamaha Rio3224-D2 32-in/16-out digital network

remote I/O units Partial equipment list is abridged from information supplied by Jaffe Holden.

explained. “At the same time, we had to be aware of issues like the line of sight from the projector to the screen and how the PA system impacted that. The good news is, once some of the other trades working on the project saw [the attendant challenges of delivering excellent AV systems], they were willing to give us more leeway.”

Hermanson estimated that his company pulled in excess of 200,000 feet of various types of cabling through the UNC Campus Commons; that figure includes about 1,800 individual audio, video and control wires.

The sheer volume was caused, to some extent, by the recording studio management’s desire to have analog cabling running from splitters between the stage, the front-of-house and monitor consoles, and the studio itself. That was their preferred method for maintaining a 96kHz sampling rate for the studio audio and avoiding a possible sampling-rate conflict with the audio on the Dante network. The audio from the stage is routed to a rack that is located downstage left and split from there via Whirlwind splitter boxes to Yamaha Rio3224-D2 stage boxes.

The speakers in the multipurpose auditorium presented their own challenge.

The distributed-sound-system design accommodated the room’s alternate seating/ ballroom configurability, but a ver y high ceiling—dictated by the room’s need for larger heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) ducting to reduce air-handling noise—meant that speakers had to be attached, via yokes similar to those used to hang lighting fixtures, to the room’s over-

The Campus Commons fills many needs. In addition to serving as a welcome center, it includes the kind of acoustically designed spaces that the school’s music department had been seeking for years.

head pipe grid. According to Hermanson, the use of Revit’s BIM software made a huge difference. It allowed the integrator and the general contractor to see each other’s requirements and points of possible conflict before embarking on installation.

Out in the lobby, the integrators had to hang six Samsung 85-inch QM85F displays on three sides of the large elevator shaft that forms part of the dramatic open area.

These are hung at var ying heights on the 30-plus-foot edifice. Other architectural elements, such as stair ways in the lobby, made it a challenge to hoist the displays into place. “There wasn’t enough room to put a display and two people in a boom lift,” Hermanson recalled. “So, we made a cradle out of a Unistrut metal frame and ratchetstrapped it to the front of the display, then

attached that to a winch that we placed above each display position. It worked.”

Graphic-panel displays will eventually wrap three sides of the shaft in an art-type installation, literally using the bones of the building as part of the systems integration.

Evolutionary Changes UNC’s Campus Commons project reflects the ongoing evolutionar y changes in auditorium uses in higher-education applications, as they become more important in communicating a school’s marketing messaging. At the same time, however, it also illustrates the importance of shared, communal events.

Indeed, auditoriums have become the new agoras of a number of vertical markets, including corporate and education.

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Auditorium AV: Networked And Immersive

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An overview of modern applications for presentation.

Whether the location happens to be in a high school auditorium, a corporate theater, a municipal performing arts center or a cinema, putting audiences into seats together to watch a show, a concert or another kind of presentation is becoming more than just a one-way proposition. Here, we’ll explore some of the exciting changes that are afoot in the theaters and auditoriums vertical.

Not Your Dad’s Auditorium Contemporar y corporate presentation spaces are pulling new AV dynamics from a number of other verticals, including hospitality and broadcast. For instance, the newly remodeled 240-seat auditorium at agribusiness Cargill’s headquarters in a western suburb of Minneapolis MN reflects the ability to reconfigure itself physically, using movable airwalls, from a single space to three smaller ones—each with three Panasonic cameras and Epson projectors. And the auditorium’s two independent but networked control rooms can act as hubs to send events in the auditorium out to other locations as simulcasts; moreover, in the future, they will be able to manage the audio and video of events and presentations taking place elsewhere, backhauled over wide area networks (WANs) or local area networks (LANs), that are completely independent of the auditorium. That mimics the remote-integration production, known as REMI, that sports broadcasters such as ESPN have been implementing.

“The auditorium can work as one big space with up to a nine-camera shoot, using the Panasonic AW-UE150 cameras. Or, it can have two or three events or presentations taking place simultaneously, with two of them each having their own control room, and a Crestron control system available to an end user for a simple one-camera/one-projector application,” Br yan Nelson, an Account Executive at Alpha Video, the AV integrator that worked on the project, explained. “Most of the corporate auditoriums we work on now are able to be divided physically and in terms of their AV, and they’re becoming easier to manage by programming the control panels for one-person operation.”

The Panasonic cameras are compatible with NewTek’s Network Device Interface (NDI) technology, which allows NDI-compatible systems, devices and applications to connect and communicate over IP and interface with the NewTek TriCaster multicamera production systems in the control rooms. According to Nelson, that’s a critical signifier of the increasingly networked nature of modern auditoriums. “[NDI is] doing for video and data what Dante has done for audio,” he explained. “We’ve seen networked audio going into auditoriums for a while now, and NDI is helping video to catch up.”

Audio is adapting in the auditorium sector, as well. Nelson pointed to how mixing console manufacturers have been extending their work surfaces into the acoustical space via iPad apps that allow sound mixers to work right next to presenters onstage.

“It not only makes interaction between the people in the room easier, but, for audito82 Sound & Communications June 2019

Cargill’s auditorium has two independent, but networked, control rooms that can act as hubs to send events in the auditorium out to other locations as simulcasts. In the future, they’ll be able to manage the AV of events and presentations taking place elsewhere, backhauled over WAN or LAN networks.

June 2019

Sound & Communications 83

riums used by C-suite executives, it’s almost a necessity now,” he declared.

Nelson referred, in particular, to the iPad app that extends the reach of the QL5 and QL1 Yamaha consoles in the Cargill venue’s control rooms into the space itself. “If you have a CEO who needs to deliver a presentation to tens of thousands of employees or shareholders from this stage, you have to rehearse it first to make sure ever y presentation element is working properly,” he stressed. “An iPad app lets the sound technician stand right in the auditorium and tune it exactly how the audience and presenter will hear it. It’s probably the most convenient thing to happen to sound in an auditorium in a long time.”

A ‘LOT’ Better You can see some great movies at The LOT, a 10-screen boutique theater whose most recent iteration is in the 300,000-square-foot City Center Bishop Ranch, a San Ramon CA shopping center, designed by celebrity architect Renzo Piano. But you can also see some equally well-produced corporate presentations there; that includes some for petro giant Chevron, whose headquarters is nearby. It’s one of a number of corporate clients that the theater, which anchors a $300 million fashion-for ward retail complex, had in mind during its development.

AV designer and integrator Fluid Sound installed multiple NEC displays for digital signage and constructed a 3x3 videowall in the bar area, in addition to installing the NEC projectors used in the 10 movie-theater auditoriums. Each theater has about 30 motorized, Barcalounger-type seats. A Crestron system controls all of the venue’s audio, video and lighting, as well as its heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems. Audio is via JBL and Tannoy 70V speakers and BSS processing. A complete IP-based AV distribution system, based on Just Add Power HD video-over-IP platforms, was also implemented; it allows all video inputs to be routed to any of the venue’s video displays over a standard Ethernet network, without the need for a traditional, physical video matrix router.

“The venue converts from a high-end cinema into a ver y high-end presentation space,” Dennis Pappenfus, a Partner in Fluid Sound, explained. “It’s able to pull in content from anywhere, and [they can] distribute presentations done in any of the theaters to any of the other rooms and the lobby.” He continued, adding, “It’s all managed using a wireless Apple iPad or a hardwired Crestron touchpanel, just as it would be in a corporate-presentation setting. There really isn’t any difference, except that it’s used to show movies when it’s not doing corporate presentations. They do tons of private and corporate events, and it’s the AV and IP technology that lets it support this alternate business.”

The LOT is the fourth iteration of this flexible cinema scenario that Fluid Sound has done.

Each one takes the capabilities of audio-over-IP and video-over-IP a step further, underscoring how auditoriums are no longer limited to a particular function.

Another movie theater on which the integrator worked, the TCL Theatre Box in San Diego CA (an outpost of the famed Mann Chinese Theatre in Hollywood CA), is more of 84 Sound & Communications June 2019

One of three configurable spaces of Cargill’s auditorium.

a traditional cinema venue; there, however, AV is used to extend the movie-going experience beyond the seating area. The lobby has its own silver screen, in the form of an eight-screen custom configuration of NEC C Series 4K ultra-HD commercial displays mounted in a mosaic, 45-degree pattern directly above an escalator. A special articulating boom lift and a PeerlessAV custom mounting solution (that allowed the displays to articulate outward for ser vicing and be rotated at a 45-degree angle) were required to affix the displays to the wall.

The videowall display provides enter tainment and information, including movie times, promos, adver tisements and movie trailers. The display had to be visible from anywhere in the lobby of the venue, as well as through the windows and onto the street. To stream content to it, Fluid Sound chose a tvONE CORIOmaster mini videowall processor with 12 universal I/O ports. Peerless-AV surface-mounted kiosk enclosures

of an effort to build a community that included shopping in the area.” He added, “It’s all about making an auditorium as multi-use as possible.”

‘We had a recent project in which the auditorium was part of an effort to

Auditorium Acoustics

build a community that included shop-

The Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG), which provides some very comprehensive guidelines for auditorium construction and outfitting, is supported by an array of sponsors that underscores the category’s ubiquity. Led by the National Institute of Building Sciences, they include the Department of Defense (DOD), the US General Services Administration (GSA), the National

ping in the area. It’s all about making auditoriums as multi-use as possible.’

—Mike Hancock were used at each auditorium entrance for digital signage.

“It’s a mixed-used environment—something that we’re seeing more and more of,” Pappenfus stated. “The whole idea was to make the entire venue immersive: You’re not in the lobby or the theater; you’re in the space, no matter which part of it you’re standing or sitting in.” Using AV, patrons are in the theater even before they actually enter the theater.

Integrator Input: Trends Mike Hancock, VP of Solutions at integrator Mechdyne, sees large-screen projection beginning to be edged out by LED walls, at least at the upper end of the venue spectrum. In addition, he’s observing more inclusion of bring-your-own-device (BYOD) capability for presenters; with it, they can simply walk onstage and connect wirelessly and seamlessly with the venue’s AV network and services. Hancock said end users are looking for faster return on investment (ROI) and increased revenue from this new generation of auditoriums, even as they seek more functionality. Auditorium clients are achieving those objectives through the increased capabilities of AV systems, even as the cost of those digital systems declines. In addition, broader application of these more-capable technologies provides more use cases and, correspondingly, more revenue. That’s particularly true of networked AV, which lets them connect these venues to enable more applications.

Ways to expand usability can take the form of connecting classrooms and lecture auditoriums, or connecting commercial businesses and residential enclaves. “[Clients] want the advantages and flexibility that streaming can provide,” with content going both into and out of auditoriums, Hancock explained. “We had a recent project in which the auditorium was part

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Sound & Communications 85

You can see some great movies at The LOT, a 10-screen boutique theater in the 300,000-squarefoot City Center Bishop Ranch, a San Ramon CA shopping center.

But you might also see some equally well-produced corporate presentations there.

Each of the The LOT’s theaters has about 30 motorized Barcaloungertype seats with flip-down tables for note-taking.

Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Department of Energy. Its Board of Direction and Advisory Committee seats representatives from more than 25 participating federal agencies. It offers recommendations in a number of areas with relevance to AVL; those include sustainability (including HVAC interactions in the forms of noise and vibrations, as well as projector heat) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance.

However, it expends even more effort around acoustical issues, reflecting the increased importance and awareness of acoustical issues such as speech intelligibility.

The WBDG, among various specifications, recommends noise criteria (NC) rating ranges from NC-20 to NC-30, and sound transmission class (STC) rating ranges from STC 40 to STC 50. Strategies to achieve the recommended NC and STC ranges are as follows: Type II-vinyl wall covering and fabric-covered acoustical wall panels for the interior wall finish in the auditorium; Type II-vinyl wall covering for the stage area; Type II-vinyl wall coverings for 1/3 of the front of the orchestra (audience) sidewalls, with fabric-covered acoustical panels for 2/3 of the back of the orchestra (audience) sidewalls; fabric-covered acoustical panels for rear walls; and a plaster and plywood combination (because of their reverberation characteristics) for the ceiling.

SH Acoustics’ Principal, Steve Haas, pointed to a recent museum auditorium project in the Gulf state of Qatar (not one of his firm’s projects) that had 118 laser projectors installed. “We might have a problem keeping a room with three projectors from becoming too noisy, so I cannot imagine how to handle 118 of them and their cooling fans,” he stated. “Some new projectors are so high output that they can’t sit inside an enclosed booth, which means their noise is exposed to the acoustical space.” As more elaborate multimedia programs find their way into theaters and school auditoriums, he said, it’s ramping up the overall noise level from a source that many architects and designers don’t consider until it’s too late.

Going All In On Immersive Infrastructure for the next generation of performance and presentation spaces will take on new emphasis. The good news is that, as all AV spaces move further into a networked environment, the quantities and types of cabling required will diminish; that should reduce costs and complexity. “I haven’t designed a sound system in the last 10 years that didn’t have some element of a network in it, including, most recently, wired intercoms,” Garth Hemphill, Associate Principal focused on AV at consultant Jaffe Holden, remarked. “Now, with video moving onto networks, too, we’ll be able to make do with far less cable in general, although we’ll be adding lots of empty conduit and dark fiber. It will all be about getting ready for whatever comes next.”

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Immersive audio is perhaps the next great frontier for theaters and auditoriums.

Rock bands like Pink Floyd were experimenting with immersive ideas more than 40 years ago, but the concept has been propelled recently by cinema and broadcast platforms like Dolby’s Atmos, which can carr y 22 or more channels or objects for a movie and create a 7.4.1 surround array for television. At present, four major brands have immersive live-sound products in the market. (See sidebar, entitled “Immerse Yourself,” on page 86.) Steve Ellison, Director of Spatial Sound at Meyer Sound, which markets one of them, DMitri, said this generation of platforms is taking the concept of immersive sound from novel to normal. Boosting the trend is the prevalence of networked audio systems, which make it easier to distribute and manage the large numbers of speakers required for immersive sound. “It’s all taking immersive sound mainstream,” he continued, “but it’s also making it easier to design and install and use, so artists and front-of-house mixers can use [these systems] without specialized training.”

The new arrivals have initially been tar-

‘As more elaborate multimedia programs find their way into theaters and school auditoriums, it’s ramping up the overall noise level from a source that many don’t consider until it’s too late.’

—Steve Haas geting the touring sound market. However, that will likely expand to encompass fixed installations as demand for immersive audio increases. Indeed, immersive capabilities are becoming so ubiquitous, so rapidly, that some AV professionals have been taken by surprise. Hemphill, from consultant Jaffe Holden, recalled conversations with depart-

VERSA-4K

ment heads at a large university ahead of designing its new performing arts center.

He wasn’t surprised when both the theaterarts department and the music department requested immersive capabilities, but, he explained, “When the head of the art department told me they wanted [immersive sound] because more of the fine artists who were going to use the auditorium as a galler y space were doing immersive installations, I knew that immersiveness, whether it’s sound or virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR), is the direction ever ything is headed in.”

Meyer Sound’s Ellison concurred, saying, “Fifteen years ago, it was hard for many people to accept the idea of electronically adjustable acoustics, which is now a core immersive technology. Going forward, in some cases, it might be hard to imagine not having this in certain types of spaces.”

Guillaume Le Nost, Head of R&D for L-Acoustics’ entry in the immersive-sound sweepstakes, L-ISA, agrees with the growing consensus that touring applications for immersive systems will ultimately lead to more installed applications. “The decisionmakers at theaters and auditoriums may

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Immerse Yourself There are currently four main immersive sound systems available. How well they gain traction will determine if they remain novel or become normal. n Based on delay-based localization, d&b Soundscape by d&b Audiotechnik delivers immersive audio via a combination of the manufacturer’s DS100 signal engine and Dante networking using two software modules: d&b En-Scene, for soundobject positioning, allowing individual placement and movement of up to 64 sound objects; and d&b En-Space, an in-line room emulator that creates and/or modifies a space’s reverberation characteristics derived from acoustic measurements of seven critical performance venues and convolved within its audio processor. n L-Acoustics’ L-ISA combines processing, mixing and playback, and it’s used in conjunction with the manufacturer’s loudspeakers. The audio is locationbased, using the ear-brain combination’s natural localization capability. LISA technology is enabled by a comprehensive hardware and software ecosystem that adds new tools—specifically, the LISA processor and LISA controller—to L-Acoustics loudspeakers, amplified controllers, and prediction and control software. In addition to providing traditional mixing tools, the system enables each sound object to be placed and manipulated anywhere within the 3D framework provided by the multichannel loudspeaker configuration. This object-based mix enables sources to be localized, scaled and moved to their actual location (or anywhere else within the loudspeaker configuration). n Martin Audio’s Sound Adventures solution for providing immersive live-sound experiences is a 3D immersive audio technology developed in partnership with Belgium-based Astro Spatial Audio. Based on the SARA II Premium Rendering Engine and accompanying software, the object-based system allows users to position and move audio sources in real time, as well as by timecode or via a cue-based or tracking system. n Meyer Sound’s D-Mitri is an integrated digital audio platform for mixing, playback, multichannel distribution, live-event control and acoustic-space simulation. It is composed of a series of hardware modules that can be used to design audio systems for a wide range of applications. A modular, Ethernet network-based system that encompasses the entire audio chain—from microphone input to loudspeaker output—D-Mitri integrates sound reinforcement, simultaneous recording and playback, matrix mixing, digital signal processing, multichannel surround panning and show-control automation into a unified, programmable environment. Meyer’s Sound CueStation control software can access every D-Mitri feature and fully automate system operation, while sharing control among multiple users. System interaction can be further customized using Python-based scripting.

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The TCL Theatre Box, an outpost of the famed Mann Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, uses AV to reinforce the sense you’re in a traditional cinema venue.

The TCL Theatre Box extends the moviegoing experience beyond the seating area. The lobby has its own silver screen: an eight-screen custom configuration of ultra-HD commercial displays mounted in a mosaic, 45-degree pattern directly above an escalator.

still be war y of immersive, so it will likely be the users—the touring music artists— who will lead that,” he commented. Further, he suggested that the popularity of music residencies in venues in New York NY and Las Vegas NV, where “temporar y sound systems have extended stays,” could offer even better traction for immersive.

Even though immersiveness is, without question, a growing trend in performance and other types of venues, its technology and techniques have the potential to exacerbate acoustical problems. Haas pointed to the enhanced sensitivity and number of the microphones used in electronically enhanced spaces. He noted that multiple projectors being used generates more noise than typically found in immersive spaces. “A middle ground—a balance of acoustics and electronics—will always be necessar y,” he cautioned.

In The Spotlight Audio isn’t the only basic media element in auditoriums that is becoming immersive. Pete Borchetta, in charge of product innovation at Altman Lighting, said the phenomenon is also af fecting lighting.

‘Most corporate auditoriums we work on now are able to be divided physically and in terms of their AV, and they’re becoming easier to manage by programming the control panels for operation by one person.’

—Bryan Nelson “More is being asked of [spaces], and that includes lighting,” he affirmed. “Where a lighting designer once would bask a stage in, for instance, a deep blue moonlight, now, [he or she] might extend that to the entire audience. We’re making products that reflect

that, such as color-changing downlights to cover seating areas.”

Borchetta also pointed out that, although the shift to LED was the major inflection point for lighting this centur y, the technology is more nuanced than some AV integrators realize. A number of new and refined standards are emerging from organizations such as the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), which has developed TM-30-15, an improved method for evaluating light source rendition; likely, it will eventually replace the currently used Color Rendering Index (CRI) metric. These developments are important, he continued, because HD and 4K cameras are becoming more ubiquitous in auditorium spaces for image magnification (IMAG) in the venue and for external broadcasting and streaming. “This can make a huge difference in what happens when different kinds of lighting are put on skin tones,” he added.

Restaurants, hotels, classrooms and even houses of worship (HoWs) have all seen their AV systems take a turn toward the uncertain but exciting future. Now, theaters and auditoriums seem to be getting ready for their close up.

By Robert Manassero The open office is visually stunning and irrefutably popular. As companies strive to create better workspaces for their employees, they often favor the open-office design. At first glance, open offices seem beneficial, promising to save thousands of real estate dollars and foster an environment conducive to productive, collaborative work.

However, as many workers are now painfully aware, open offices aren’t living up to the hype. Noise and other distractions are more rampant and intrusive than ever before. In fact, a study out of the Center for the Built Environment at the University of California, Berkeley, that sur veyed more than 63,000 respondents from the US, Canada, Australia, Europe, Mexico and Africa found that speech distractions were among the top complaints about open-office layouts.

Noise distractions are further intensified by the inherent design of open offices. A 2014 CoreNet Global sur vey reported that the average square footage per worker dropped from 225 square feet in 2010 to 151 square feet in 2017, with personal workspace steadily decreasing at a rate of 9.25 square feet per worker per year. As companies tear down walls and private offices in favor of communal desks and “collaborative” spaces, employees are losing their privacy and contending with a greater number of unwelcome office conversations and overheard calls, along with keyboard clacking and other distracting noises.

Global Trends About six years ago, my company jumped feet first into this collaborative new way of working and transformed Poly’s headquarters, in Santa Cruz CA, into a modern, openoffice layout. Quickly, we came to understand the challenges of actually working in an open-office environment. Despite the refreshing new office look, our associates found they were collaborating less, they were more distracted and they felt less productive than ever before. How could an office designed for collaboration create such intense dissatisfaction?

Modern-day office spaces often include open-office design elements, with flexible workstations, huddle spaces and contemporary design.

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The Journey Toward A Distraction-Free Open Office Expect to hear a lot more about biophilia in the coming years.

Biophilic design elements, such as this living wall, are becoming more common in modern offices.

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That paradox compelled us better to understand open-office dynamics. In June 2016, we partnered with global research firm Oxford Economics to publish “When the Walls Come Down,” a report that sur veyed more than 1,200 senior executives and nonexecutive associates from industries around the world. What we found confirmed our suspicion: Office noise optimization is one of the most important factors in an employee’s preferred work environment. Workers rated “the ability to focus and work without interruptions” as more important than conventional perks like office amenities (e.g., free food, daycare) or personal space. As it turned out, the modern-day workplace’s new design introduced a new problem: noise pollution.

tion to them. Although this is a great evolutionary adaptation for outdoor survival, it is not so great in an open-office environment.

In addition to being bad for people, noise pollution is also bad for business. Last year, we partnered with Oxford Economics again and found that millennials are particularly annoyed by office noise. Indeed, people in the noisiest offices were most likely to say they plan to leave their job within the next six months. As competition for talent intensifies, companies that have solved the problem of distracting noise will have the advantage.

The Biophilic Hypothesis

Our primordial senses have a strong affinity for the elements of nature; that’s something known as the biophilic hypothesis. ReSound Distraction search shows that simply being in the presence of nature-inspired Human beings have a well-adapted sense of hearing, and we are elements can have powerful effects on well-being, creativity and particularly sensitive to certain sounds that might pose a threat— productivity. Yet, despite this innate human desire to connect especially dynamic sounds. We cannot turn off this evolutionar y with nature, we’re inside most of the time. According to the US survival mechanism. And, as it turns out, the most dynamic sound Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average American in the modern office is human speech; we literally cannot help but spends 87 percent of the day indoors and spends nearly as much be distracted by it. Knowing that, we dove into the realm of psytime in the car (six percent) as outside (seven percent). choacoustics—the science of sound perception and our response Bringing nature inside has long been the ambition of many to sound—in a sponsored effort with Terrapin Bright Green. architects, designers and engineers. In fact, biophilic design is a Sound levels and sound spectrum are only partially responsible principle that works to incorporate the benefits of linking nature for how we interpret an acoustic experience. Imagine that you are and humans in the built environment. You can see many examples at a cocktail party. You can easily focus on conversations near you, of this in modern office design, including living walls, natural but you have a hard time tr ying to focus on conversations on the color tones and patterns, and diffused lighting. In the modern other side of the room. By contrast, if you are in a quiet librar y, office, biophilic design has primarily been applied to what we your mind will easily pick up on a conversation happening across can see, but it has omitted the other senses we need to complete the room. At the cocktail party, your mind allows you to focus on the experience. the conversation to which you attach the most importance. WithTo explore that point further, let’s do a brief exercise: Close out the presence of a closer and more important conversation, your eyes for a moment and transport yourself to the place where though, your mind will naturally focus on the next dynamic noise, you feel most relaxed, most comfortable and most at peace. which is likely the next conversation. We are unable to block out So, what did you see? If you are like most people who pardistracting conversations because we are hardwired to pay attenticipate in this exercise, you were likely outdoors near a lake or on a beach. Now, recall the details. Maybe you heard the An office space that illustrates the use of biophilic design. sound of a babbling brook or smelled fresh flowers in the air.

Wouldn’t it be great to bring some of that to the place where we currently spend all our time? Bringing nature into the office requires a multisensor y approach; indeed, the more senses that are engaged, the more believable the experience is to the subconscious mind.

Although biophilia in the open office might be a great conversation star ter, does it really have an impact on the creativity and well-being of individuals in a normal office setting? We par tnered with True Impact, a neuroscience research firm, to find out. A group of test participants was 92 Sound & Communications June 2019

An example of multisensory biophilic design using a waterfall feature.

asked to perform an open essay-writing task in both a controlled environment with traditional office noises and a biophilic office space with the sights and sounds of nature. The participant’s brain reactions were recorded using electroencephalography (EEG) and Heart Rate Variability (HRV). Overall, we found that environments with the sights and sounds of nature abated distractions.

With an improved ability to focus, participants exhibited slightly greater emotional intensity, improved memory performance and better essay-writing abilities, including using a more descriptive style and more rare words. Neural data also showed a significant decrease in cognitive load; that indicates ease of comprehension.

The result was an improvement in overall essay quality. This initial research evinces a strong link between the presence of biophilic elements and well-being, creativity and productivity.

The Natural Antidote So far, all this sounds great. But what does biophilia have to do with distractions in the open office? As it turns out, there is a connection between the sounds of water and how our internal psychoacoustics perceive sound. We learned that natural water sounds—for instance, a stream running through the redwoods or gently crashing waves on the shore—are very effective at masking speech, even when compared to the more traditional method of using artificial broadband noises (such as pink noise). The benefits of these natural sounds are further amplified when tied to a visual counterpart, which provides additional sensory stimulation and a stronger immersion factor.

A New Era As veterans in the audio communications industr y, we started to explore solutions that could be applied to our own workspaces.

First were sound-masking systems that relied on the continuous dispersion of artificial broadband noises (i.e., white or pink noise) to drown out the office cacophony for the entirety of the workday.

The reception was mixed. Some associates were tolerant of the artificial noise introduced into the office, whereas others saw it as an intrusive sound that negatively affected their productivity.

External research also revealed that prolonged exposure to artificial broadband noises is often associated with an increase in the body’s stress response. Exposing our employees to that was the last thing we wanted to do!

The culmination of all this research has led me to believe one thing: Using the power of nature will enable us to build workplaces around what really matters—the human experience. Using biophilia to solve the greatest threat to the open office is an ambitious idea, but I believe a new era of environmental enterprise technology has arrived. Biophilic technology—nature-inspired sounds and visuals that mitigate office noise and simultaneously optimize employees’ well-being—will become the de-facto solution for creating the productive, highly collaborative workspaces that open-office design was intended to facilitate.

Ultimately, we all have the same mission—namely, to build a peaceful space where collaboration and focus can occur in the same place, at the same time. Biophilic technology is the link that will make that dream a reality.

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Sound & Communications’ InfoComm 2019 New Product Spotlight features descriptions of products that manufacturers are introducing to our industry at InfoComm 2019 in Orlando FL. Product information received after our production deadline will be featured in our online-exclusive InfoComm New Product Wrap-Up, as well as in future issues. (All product information comes from manufacturers and/or distributors.)

INFOCOMM 2019

Compiled by Amanda Mullen & Anthony Vargas

DISGUISE

ROLLS

FSR

LITTLITE

GX 2C

BD87

SYMPHONY LINX

LED-3 SERIES

The gx 2c features more GPU processing power with faster, more powerful performance and the ability to take generative content to new creative heights. Designed to scale and fit in as part of a bigger media server system, the gx 2c enables creatives to go beyond the power of a single server solution, into distributed systems with many servers working as 1 to create a seamless immersive experience. disguise www.disguise.one Booth #521

Rolls’ BD87 is a professional grade Bluetooth audio adapter. It will convert any device’s Bluetooth signal to analog. The BD87 is designed to be used in any system: installation, professional or home. Housed in a sturdy, powder-coated steel chassis, the BD87 offers Stereo RCA, 1/8" and mono-XLR outputs. The BD87 is handmade in the US at the Rolls factory in Salt Lake City UT. This is a unit that is easy to integrate into any installation.

Rolls www.rolls.com Booth #1229

FSR’s Symphony Linx simplifies the process of addressing power and data needs in work and learning environments. Linx provides access to power either on or under a single work surface area by allowing users to interconnect 1 Symphony table box to another—providing power for all in the series. Designed with reconfiguration in mind, Linx makes it easy to add power and connectivity to any work environment. Presented in a design with no visible hardware, the main table box powers 2 satellite units from a single AC power cord.

Above-table and under-table models that fasten with a clamp are both available with choices of power and charging options, interconnecting cord lengths and AC power cord length. Symphony Linx is available with up to 8 AC outlets and 4 USB Chargers. The Linx is offered in black or white to blend into any environment.

FSR www.fsrinc.com Booth #3942

Littlite is introducing its LED-3 series of LED task lights. The LED-3 series comes in 2 different configurations, each with 3 selectable, discrete light outputs. The LED-3 features a trio of white light outputs: 6500K (Cool), 5000K (Daylight) and 3000K (Warm).

The LED-3-UV is selectable between White, Red and UV (365nm) light outputs. Both models are available in several lamp set configurations with a 12" or 18" gooseneck and include a power supply. Littlites are designed and manufactured in Michigan and come with a limited lifetime warranty.

Littlite www.littlite.com Booth #7965

EIKI INTERNATIONAL EK-355U With ColorSpark HLD LED projection technology, Eiki’s EK-355U WUXGA LCD HLD LED Portable Projector displays vivid color with brighter imagery. HDL technology combines multiple LEDs through a light tunnel into a narrow beam. This results in a focused and bright point source that loses no light. The EK-355U is designed for medium-sized spaces where internal lighting or sunlight from outside compromises the environment. Featuring 5,000lumen brightness, a 25,000-hour HLD LED light-source life, WUXGA (1920x1200) resolution and quick power on/off, the EK-355U is a suitable meeting projector. With 360° free orientation, it offers flexible installation. Lens shift values range from H: +/- 7% to V: - 27% to + 39%, whereas Keystone Corner Correction ranges from V: +/- 30° to H: +/- 15° with Edge Blending. Multiple inputs, quiet operation and a 10W dual speaker are included.

Eiki International www.eiki.com Booth #1461

JETBUILT PROJECT MANAGEMENT WORKFLOW Through Jetbuilt’s web-based proposal and estimation software, users can work independently and collaborate through every stage of a project. Jetbuilt is designed for contractors, consultants and designers, facilities and end users, through the multiple of features available, including budgeting, proposing and managing, and integration with other business solution platforms.

Jetbuilt has launched its 1st major update for its Project Management platform. Project managers can create instructional notes, as well as include images, for each individual installation task, which allows technicians in the field to comment back with questions from Jetbuilt’s iPhone and Android mobile field apps. PMs can optionally require a photo from the field to complete a task. Tasks and steps are now much faster to create in bulk, and tasks can be built for every item in a project with a single click.

Jetbuilt www.jetbuilt.com Booth #1135

94 Sound & Communications June 2019

DISCOVER VIDEO STREAMENGINE IPTV The StreamEngine IPTV is an HD encoder designed for delivering live TV channels over an IP network. It is available in a high-density 1RU shelf with up to 8 channels or as individual encoders. StreamEngine IPTV delivers H.264 streams with multiple protocols and can be used with DEVOS premises or cloud, Arcus and with 3rd-party streaming systems. Discover Video also offers an optional TV Program Guide, allowing users to select programs for viewing or recording.

Discover Video www.discovervideo.com Booth #4261

QSC AD-S6 QSC’s AD-S6 is a transformer-less surface mount 6.5" 2-way speaker. As part of the AcousticDesign Series, this speaker is nearly identical to the ADS6T. The difference is that, with the AD-S6, QSC has removed the transformer and is providing 16Ω nominal impedance. The new speaker is ideal for foreground and background music (BGM/FGM) applications, as well as installations specifically requiring higher SPL foreground sound reinforcement. The QSC AcousticDesign Series speakers deliver pristine audio reproduction for installations requiring a refined audio experience, combining clarity, performance, coverage and aesthetics for installed sound applications. Available in black or white, these speakers also include the X-Mount mounting system, which provides ease of installation that minimizes commissioning time.

QSC www.qsc.com Booth #3811 Demo Room #W224B

NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT Eiki International’s EK-355U

Rolls’ BD87 Discover Video’s StreamEngine IPTV

Littlite’s LED-3 Series

FSR’s Symphony Linx

disguise’s gx 2c QSC’s AD-S6

Jetbuilt’s Project Management Workflow

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INFOCOMM 2019 NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT ATLASIED

AVEO SYSTEMS

LEA PROFESSIONAL

K-ARRAY

IED570C-H

MIRA CONNECT 10

CONNECT 84

AZIMUT-KAMUT2L1

AtlasIED is launching the IED570C-H touchscreen mic station, designed for use in flight announcement systems in airports worldwide. Fully programmable via the touchscreen, the IED570 station eliminates the need for airline personnel to use physical buttons to unlock codes to start the boarding sequence. Each sequence can be preprogrammed to begin automatically, and gate personnel can see a preview of the boarding process on the screen. The IED570 gives gate agents control of the preprogrammed sequences at the touch of a finger, along with increased audio intelligibility for enhanced customer service at the gate. The IED570 station options include a desktop or flush-mount footprint, allowing immediate retrofitting of the existing IED528 series. Simply mount the IED570C-H directly to the IED528 backbox. Along with the T112 Series, the 570 Digital Communication Station offers PoE functionality with redundant ethernet ports. A networkbased appliance, each IED570 station can obtain an IP address automatically or be assigned a unique IP address.

AtlasIED www.atlasied.com Booth #5653 Demo Room #W224F

Aveo Systems’ Mira Connect 10 is a responsive 10" touchpanel control system, bringing versatile wall and tabletop mounting options to the company’s AV control platform. Mira Connect 10 is a sleek and compact touch controller for collaboration rooms of all kinds, allowing 1-touch dialing plus display, projector, audio, video and camera controls from a single control panel. The Mira Connect 10 does not require any programming for setup and works seamlessly with hundreds of collaboration products. It can be configured in minutes using Mira Portal, Aveo Systems’ cloud-management platform. Powered by a PoE connection or (included) external power supply, and supporting wired and wireless ethernet networks, Mira Connect 10 is available with a tabletop stand with user-adjustable height and viewing angle, on-wall using a readily-available 75mm VESA mount, or with an in-wall metal enclosure for retrofit and new construction uses.

Aveo Systems www.aveosystems.com Booth #4480

The LEA Professional Connect 84 is a 4-channel, 80W amp suited for small- to medium-scale installations.

This 4-channel amp features direct HiZ (70V or 100V) or LoZ selectable by channel. With 3 ways to connect, users can engage the built-in Wi-Fi access point, connect to the venue’s Wi-Fi, or use the FAST Ethernet to connect to any local area network via Cat5 or Cat6 cable. The LEA Professional Connect Series also features Cloud connectivity (beginning at the end of this year). Users can harness the power of the Cloud for remote control, monitoring, notifications and more from any personal device. Just connect your amp to a network and start commanding your systems.

The Connect 84 also features analog inputs and external I/O control for remote on/off and fault monitoring.

LEA Professional www.sndcom.us/leaconnect84 Booth #5889

K-array’s Azimut-KAMUT2L1 is a discreet system composed of 2 mini 1.5"-tall Lyzard-KZ1 speakers, an ultracompact Truffle-KTR24 sub, a petite Kommander-KA02 amp and a covert remote control. The KAMUT2L1 features plug-and-play capabilities with Bluetooth connectivity, USB ports and mini jack input to onboard Spotify and Web Radio streaming capabilities connecting to the Azimut app over Wi-Fi. The 2 mini Lyzard mid-high speakers have a light aluminum frame and are virtually invisible with one 0.5" transducer that delivers homogeneous coverage with clear audio. The rest of the system remains hidden from view. The Truffle sub has an 8"-long cylindrical speaker box with 1 4" speaker on each side, making it easy to hide on shelves, under tables and wherever else they can remain unseen. And the Kommander amp has a 4-channel Class D module and allows an extended configuration of up to 6 additional Lyzard-KZ1 speakers.

K-array www.k-array.com Booth #6481 Demo Room #W230A

ACE BACKSTAGE CONNECTRIX New Rear-Loaded Panels have been added to ACE Backstage’s CONNECTRIX Wall and Rack Panel System, designed to support users’ timesensitive design/build projects while cutting down on field labor. CONNECTRIX rigid aluminum panels arrive onsite, preloaded with connectors mounted from the rear of the panel, include customized laser-etched labels and take only 3 days to fabricate.

CONNECTRIX offers very custom panels with off-the-shelf pricing and availability. Not all AV products have a learning curve; CONNECTRIX is simple and efficient.

ACE Backstage www.acebackstage.com Booth #6449

96 Sound & Communications June 2019

G&D NORTH AMERICA REMOTEACCESS-CPU G&D North America is showcasing the RemoteAccess-CPU at InfoComm. With this product, the manufacturer addresses the increasing virtualization in the AV workflow and provides answers to topics such as professional access to virtualization solutions. G&D’s RemoteAccess-CPU enables the seamless integration of virtual machines into KVM installations. The RemoteAccess-CPU will be available by the last quarter of 2019. The new modules can then be used to create hybrid systems with real and virtual infrastructures, making them intuitive to use. Operators simply select the source they need from a standardized overview, regardless of whether the computer is stored in the server room or on the cloud.

G&D North America www.gd-northamerica.com Booth #5249

RCI CUSTOM PRODUCTS BMXM-16 The RCI BMXM-16 is an isolated 16-output portable or rackmountable expansion module, designed for use with the RCI Custom family of Broadcast Media Mult Boxes. The unit adds 16 additional transformerbalanced mic outputs to any RCI Mult Box (or any 600Ω +4dBu analog audio source) from a single line level audio source. The input of the BMXM-16 operates at a nominal line level of +4dBu@600Ω. The VU input meter allows for monitoring of the input signal level. Each output provides a nominal mic level of -46dBu and is isolated and balanced using Jensen brand transformers to eliminate hum, noise and crosstalk between all connected media equipment. Multiple BMXM-16s may be linked together via the convenient front panel Link Output. The unit is a passive signal device, requiring no power or maintenance. It also may be used as a standalone Passive Press Mult.

RCI Custom Products www.rcicustom.com Booth #2421

L-ACOUSTICS ARCS FAMILY Available in touring and fixed-installation versions—the latter featuring a lighter format with less rigging hardware— L-Acoustics’ redesigned ARCS family delivers the manufacturer’s concert performance for audiences from 50 to 5,000 in a compact format that offers versatility, reliability and ease of use. Both variations of the new ARCS family comprise 4 constant curvature enclosures—A15 Focus, A15 Wide, A10 Focus, A10 Wide—and a dedicated companion sub, the KS21. ARCS enclosures offer flexible coverage options, achieving a throw of up to 15' and a maximum output of 144dB. Mounted on a pole, stacked or flown in a vertical or horizontal line source array, the ARCS family comprises modular, plug-and-play ease. This solution, with configurable directivity, scales with the needs of the event and venue.

L-Acoustics www.l-acoustics.com Booth #6867 Demo Room #W221DE

INFOCOMM 2019 NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

G&D North America’s RemoteAccess-CPU

AtlasIED’s IED570C-H

ACE Backstage’s CONNECTRIX

RCI Custom Products’ BMXM-16

LEA Professional’s Connect Series

K-array’s Azimut-KAMUT2L1

L-Acoustics’ ARCS Family

Aveo Systems’ Mira Connect 10

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INFOCOMM 2019 NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT Blackmagic Design’s HyperDeck Extreme 8K HDR

Countryman Associates’ A3 Halo

Listen Technologies’ LR-3200

Barix’s Paging Cloud

COUNTRYMAN ASSOCIATES

LISTEN TECHNOLOGIES

BARIX

BLACKMAGIC DESIGN

LR-3200

PAGING CLOUD

HYPERDECK EXTREME 8K HDR

A3 HALO

Listen Technologies is debuting its iDSP radio frequency (RF) receiver, the LR-3200. Smaller and lighter than most other portable RF receivers, the LR-3200 offers personalized listening experiences in houses of worship (HoWs), theaters, classrooms, stadiums, museums and other environments where pure audio is crucial. Guests can use the LR-3200 receiver with their own headphones in venues offering RF assistive-listening technology. The LR-3200’s compact, lightweight design makes it easy for guests to carry or wear and for venues to store when not in use.

Lithium-ion batteries provide up to 20 hours of use between charges, helping venues avoid the hassle of battery management and disposal.

The LR-3200 functions with all iDSP chargers, the iDSP software suite and accessories. It is compatible with Listen Technologies’ LT803 or LT-800 RF transmitters and is ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant.

Listen Technologies www.listentech.com Booth #6153

Barix’s Paging Cloud is a SaaS solution that brings paging into the smartphone era. Integrating easily with almost all existing paging and public address systems, Paging Cloud records paging messages and sends them directly to registered smartphones, enabling visitors in environments such as schools, museums and airports to hear announcements or emergency information on their own mobile devices. It can also deliver messages to off-site subscribers, such as volunteer firefighters at their homes.

Paging Cloud consists of hardware for receiving and sending pages; a pay-for-use cloud service for receipt logging, system monitoring, and subscriber and device management; and free end-user mobile apps for Android and iOS devices.

Integration with existing paging and public address solutions is as simple as connecting audio from the current system to the Paging Cloud hardware, allowing users to extend their pages to mobile phones without changing their workflows, retraining their staff or replacing equipment.

Barix www.barix.com Booth #5457

HyperDeck Extreme 8K HDR is a broadcast deck with advanced H.265 8K recording combined with a touchscreen user interface and traditional broadcast deck controls. It features the reliability of HyperDeck combined with space-saving H.265 files, optional internal cache, 3D LUTs, native 8K and HDR support. With the ability to record native 8K in H.265, users get enhanced image quality.

The large touchscreen ensures a clear view of your recording, as well as control over all deck settings.

Customers can add HyperDeck Extreme Control to transform it into a traditional broadcast deck, making it a suitable solution for the next generation of broadcast, live production and digital signage. HyperDeck Extreme also includes 2 media slots, Quad 12G-SDI for 8K, analog connections for archiving, USB-C external disk recording, and a front panel speaker and headphone jack.

Blackmagic Design www.blackmagicdesign.com Booth #4001

Built-in vibration cancellation and in-mic pin configuration are just 2 features of the A3 Halo Podium Mic from Countryman Associates. Based on the A3 Podium Mic, the A3 Halo includes an ultrabright LED indicator ring with tuned lightpipe and a dual-element design to deliver superior sound quality and switchselectable omnidirectional, cardioid and hypercardioid polar patterns.

Active Plus Vibration Cancellation dramatically reduces table thumps and mic-handling noise without the need for shock mounting, making the A3 Halo well suited for historic buildings and flexible seating spaces.

The in-mic jumper system allows installers to reconfigure the pins of the A3 Halo’s XLR5 to match most common halo gooseneck configurations without the need for rewiring.

Other features include a screw-on multistage windscreen, rigorous RF protection and a choice of 3 lengths in a rugged semi-rigid design. A3 Halo Podium Mics are supplied with a case and windscreen.

Countryman Associates www.countryman.com Booth #6049

98 Sound & Communications June 2019

INFOCOMM 2019 NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT Elite Screens’ Saker Tab-Tension CineGrey 5D

Denon Professional’s Lectern Mobile

Rose Electronics’ UltraLink 10G

Thinklogical’s TLX1280

THINKLOGICAL

DENON PROFESSIONAL

ELITE SCREENS

ROSE ELECTRONICS

TLX1280

LECTERN MOBILE Denon Professional’s Lectern Mobile is an amplified lectern that enables users to command a full-featured presentation system anywhere, regardless of the availability of AC power. Its large flat-surface presentation platform is capable of holding a laptop, tablet or speech/training notes. It includes a gooseneck mic with level control, LED lamp to illuminate the user’s presentation materials, USB charging port and AC convenience outlet to power additional equipment. The included tripod stand can be raised or lowered to the desired height, or Lectern Mobile can be placed directly on the desktop without the stand. The internal rechargeable battery provides over 7 hours of uninterrupted operation, more than enough for even the longest presentations. With a potent 10" 2-way speaker system backed by a 120W RMS amp, Lectern Mobile delivers clear, intelligible sound to large audiences.

Denon Professional www.denonpro.com Booth #5551

SAKER TAB-TENSION CINEGREY 5D

ULTRALINK 10G

Thinklogical’s TLX1280 is a highperformance, modular, non-blocking 10Gb/s switch for complete end-to-end switching of video, audio and computer peripheral signals over multi-mode or single-mode fiberoptic cable or Catx cable. The TLX1280 is protocol agnostic, supporting high-resolution video, audio, KVM and USB signals, allowing users to consolidate all their system-switching requirements into a single chassis. The TLX1280 is suited for large system applications, scalable from 32 ports up to 1,280 ports. Each port supports 10Gb/s bandwidth, preserving signal integrity to provide uncompressed, high-resolution video with no image artifacts, no added latency or lost frames, and smooth keyboard and mouse performance. As with all Thinklogical matrix switches, the TLX1280 maintains optical and electrical isolation of signal paths throughout the switch, dramatically reducing cross-talk and making it suited for video distribution and KVM switching in applications where data security is a priority.

Thinklogical www.thinklogical.com Booth #2561

EliteProAV’s Saker Tab-Tension CineGrey 5D is a 1.5 gain ambient/ ceiling light rejecting (ALR/CLR) projector screen. This ALR/CLR material rejects the washout effects of ambient and overhead light while enhancing picture quality in bright or dark rooms. Although many manufacturers have an ALR projection screen, the Saker Tab-Tension CineGrey 5D offers the ability to “roll-up" into its casing repeatedly without damage. Its ability to counter the “wash out" effect of ambient light makes it ideal for business applications due to the rarity of completely dark projection environments. The material is also ISF certified for its ability to achieve D65 color neutrality, contrast and dynamic range. A complete integration kit, along with full IR/RF control package with 12V trigger, is included. This model is available in 100", 120", 135" and 150" sizes with extra drop borders.

Elite Screens www.elitescreens.com Booth #4588

Rose Electronics is unveiling its UltraLink 10G KVM and AV switching utilizing SDVoE technology. UltraLink 10G is a scalable, high-performance KVM and AV switching system.

Transmitter and receiver units connected to video sources, computers, displays and peripherals are routed through 10G Ethernet switches. Extend over fiber to 10km and copper to 100m. Features include resolution to 4k60, seamless switching, extremely low latency, transparent USB 2.0, bidirectional IR, RS232, separate 1Gb Ethernet link, and analog or digital audio. HDMI and analog audio can be embedded, de-embedded and down mixed. Every display can be a multiviewer. Videowalls can be built using multiple receivers. Switching control can be performed through a web browser, local control panels, mobile phone or OSD. Optional support is available for DisplayPort 1.2 and 12G-SDI inputs. This product is suitable for broadcast stations, entertainment venues, digital signage, industrial sites, military bases, transportation hubs, corporate offices, medical facilities and other applications.

Rose Electronics www.rose.com Booth #2861

INFOCOMM 2019 NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

DiGiCo’s SD12 KanexPro’s WP-EDUKIT4K

Marantz Professional’s PMD-100CD

Marshall Electronics’ CV420-CS

Luminex’s Network Manager

RTS’ ODIN OMNEO

Middle Atlantic’s Premium+ PDU with RackLink

100 Sound & Communications June 2019

Gefen’s EXT-4K600A-MF-51-HBTLS

INFOCOMM 2019 NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT RTS

KANEXPRO

LUMINEX

MARSHALL ELECTRONICS

ODIN OMNEO

WP-EDUKIT4K

NETWORK MANAGER

CV420-CS

The ODIN OMNEO digital intercom matrix condenses decades of experience and the latest RTS products into a compact single-rack unit package, providing a combination of flexibility, scalability and full IP performance.

Where previous-generation digital matrix products were significantly larger and more complex, ODIN’s feature set and form factor are designed to make a professional matrix solution more accessible and easier to use, opening up the benefits of IP-based communications for a range of new markets and users. ODIN offers easy system expansion as business needs require. Up to 8 units can be interconnected for a total of 1024 ports. It also offers the broadest interoperability with future, current and legacy RTS products, supports Dante-compatible OMNEO IP technology, and allows seamless connectivity between analog 2-wire, 4-wire and digital devices.

RTS www.rtsintercoms.com Booth #5645

KanexPro’s HDBaseT Kit (WPEDUKIT4K) enables connectivity and control for projectors, smart boards, mics, speakers, laptops and more for K-12 classroom settings. The HDBaseT Kit includes a Wall Plate HDBaseT Transmitter, HDBaseT Receiver and Wall Plate Control panel to create an all-in-one kit designed for education.

The HDBaseT Kit provides HDMI output resolutions up to 4K at 60Hz, supports HDCP 1.4 and includes a customizable control panel for IP learning. The Wall Plate HDBaseT Transmitter also features 1 HDMI and 1 VGA input, and transmits a signal up to 40m at 4K at 60Hz or 70m at 1080p at 60Hz over a standard Cat5e/6a cable to the HDBaseT Receiver, which includes 1 HDBaseT input with a RJ45 video input. The HDBaseT Kit can be controlled via the Wall Plate Control Panel, which features 4 buttons to select common functions and control remote devices, as well as GUI control.

KanexPro www.kanexpro.com Booth #1367

Luminex has announced its Network Manager, a new software for managing its range of AV network switches.

With its graphical interface, Network Manager allows the discovery and configuration of Luminex switches and displays a topological view of the network along with compatible 3rd-party devices. Network connections can be made or displayed by simply drawing lines between ports, with VLANs, Bandwidth, PoE, RSTP and other status indications being displayed as labels on ports and connections. Complicated network status and routing information can be displayed by enabling multiple graphical overlay layers, with additional context-sensitive tables displaying multicast streams and registrations.

Luminex www.luminex.be Booth #6967

Marshall Electronics’ CV420-CS has been upgraded to support HDR for heightened dynamic picture quality with better contrasts between bright white and dark black, producing a more realistic image quality. It is a compact true 4K60 camera built around a 12.4MP, 1/1.7" sensor, delivering crisp, clear 4096x2160p video with vibrant colors and fast frame rates. It has outputs of 12G/6G/3G/ HD-SDI and HDMI 2.0, and has a varifocal or fixed CS/C lens mount capability with DC Auto-Iris plug-in for custom lens adaptions. It’s suitable for use in live events, where large projection screens require true 4K resolution image capture and HDR capabilities, as well as a range of commercial AV, production and any other 4K video workflows.

It also offers true 4K resolution in 4096x2160p at 60/50fps, and comes packaged in a sturdy, discrete design that features a range of picture adjustment, as well as remote adjust and match control.

Marshall Electronics www.sndcom.us/marshallcv420cs Booth #3725

DIGICO SD-RANGE UPGRADES DiGiCo is showcasing software upgrades for the SD12 and SD10, intended to take both consoles to a new level of performance. Delivering DiGiCo sonic quality, the SD12 has dual 15" touchscreens and a built-in recording interface. This combination, along with its power and expandability, all packed in a reduced footprint, has made the SD12 a live mixing console that’s especially useful during festival season. Now, users can supercharge their SD12s, taking them from 72 to 96 channels and from 36 to 48 aux/sub groups, with the new SD12 96 upgrade. Along with the SD12 96 chargeable upgrade, the new SD10+ upgrade comes free of charge. Only available for Core 2 consoles, SD10+ expands the SD10 from 132 to 144 input channels.

DiGiCo www.digico.biz Booth #6081

MARANTZ PROFESSIONAL PMD-100CD The PMD-100CD is a high-performance professional CD player with USB and 3.5mm AUX inputs designed for the commercial installation market.

The PMD-100CD has features such as Front Panel Lock, Power on Play, direct access to tracks, memory of settings after loss of power and balanced XLR output. 10 dedicated buttons on the front panel provide instant access to tracks, while a rotary/push knob offers even greater navigation flexibility. This player is suitable for retail, education and hotel/conference applications. Other features include: fast loading, slot-in CD mechanism; random, repeat and power-on-play playback modes; IR remote; balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA line outputs an audio frequency range of 20Hz to 20kHz (± 1.0dB); and a signal-to-noise ratio of >95dB (A-weighted).

Marantz Professional www.marantzpro.com Booth #5551

MIDDLE ATLANTIC PREMIUM+ PDU WITH RACKLINK The Premium+ PDU with RackLink delivers comprehensive and secure remote management for AV. It builds upon Middle Atlantic’s Premium and Select Series PDUs, with individual outlet power cycling/logging, advanced system monitoring and control, and maximum security enabled by Raritan’s XERUS platform down to the individual-outlet level.

The new solution provides under/ over voltage, filtering, surge detection and protection with Middle Atlantic’s patented Series Protection (SP) non-sacrificial surge suppression on SP models. The result is a premium PDU available in horizontal and compact models that enable integrators with deep system insight to understand exactly what any AV system is doing at any moment, optimize a systems’ energy requirements and solve problems through flexible control options for proactive system management and restoration if equipment issues occur.

Middle Atlantic www.middleatlantic.com Booth #2500

GEFEN EXT-4K600A-MF-51-HBTLS Nortek Security & Control has introduced the Gefen Presentation Switcher. The Presentation Switcher (EXT-4K600A-MF-51-HBTLS) is a 4K ultra-HD, 600MHz, multi-format 5x1 scaler with auto-switching and split HDMI and HDBaseT outputs. The Presentation Switcher is designed for conference and collaboration spaces with a wide array of devices and inputs, giving users a convenient single point of contact for their AV sources and displays in collaboration or meeting areas. The powerful built-in scaler includes 5 independently switchable and embeddable audio inputs, a versatile mic input with phantom power, audio breakout and dual HDMI/HDBaseT outputs that provide all the right tools for creating a compelling and impactful AV presentation.

Gefen www.gefen.com Booth #1855

June 2019

Sound & Communications 101

INFOCOMM 2019 NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT Fulcrum Acoustic’s AH443

IHSE USA’s Draco vario

RealMotion’s Gold Series

Atlona’s OME-MS42

FULCRUM ACOUSTIC

ATLONA

REALMOTION

IHSE USA

AH443

OME-MS42

GOLD SERIES

DRACO VARIO

Atlona adds another layer to its Omega Series of communications and collaboration products with the AT-OME-MS42, a new 4x2 matrix switcher. The OME-MS42 delivers performance for 4K/ultra-HD presentation and videoconferencing applications in small-to-medium AV environments, including meeting rooms, conference rooms and lecture halls. The OME-MS42 combines the benefits of auto-switching for USB-C, HDMI and DisplayPort, plus integrated display control and USB extension, offering flexible capabilities for 4K presentation and software videoconferencing applications. Selectable AV switching modes across HDBaseT and HDMI outputs enable simple configuration and ease of use tailored to a specific application.

When used with the OME-EX-RX receiver or OME-SR21 scaling receiver, the OME-MS42 can be remotely powered over HDBaseT. As 1 of the few USB-C equipped switchers available, the OME-MS42 enables clutter-free, single-cable connectivity for 4K video presentations, videoconferencing and interactive collaboration projects.

Atlona www.atlona.com Booth #3012

Designed for interactive and generative FX installations, RealMotion’s Gold Series Servers utilize the latest video hardware and the RealMotion content creation platform to deliver up to 4 4K content streams. The 5 new servers are designed to serve as the “bonding agent" for permanent installations, binding content to sensors to tech infrastructure within a digital content experience. Built for longevity, reliability and versatility, Gold Series servers can manage unlimited layers of different media types, including video, images and web content, and they can generate real-time content.

The Gold Series includes the Nugget, 4Karat, 8Karat, 16Karat and 16Karat Performance models, each designed for different real-time needs and complexities. Each server comes with a secure warranty agreement, video playback capabilities and RealMotion’s proprietary Designer software built into it. The 4Karat, 8Karat, 16Karat and 16Karat Performance models come with flexible input options, Dante Audio support and are available with a Notch playback license.

RealMotion www.realmotion.com Booth #201

IHSE USA’s Draco vario 2x1 HDMI KVM switch is a compact 2-port KVM switching solution that enables extended-distance connections between computer sources and user stations. The Draco vario HDMI 2x1 system makes it possible to leverage 2 remote computers or servers at 1 desk using a single keyboard, mouse and display. Thanks to IHSE’s Draco vario 481 series extenders for HDMI, signals can be shared across long distances over a single fiber or Cat-X connection with clear video quality and zero mouse latency. The Draco vario HDMI 2x1 2-port package delivers enhanced security, as well as improved performance over fixed-box solutions that require all the CPU cables to connect directly to the box at the workstation location. For added flexibility, a local HDMI and USB port on the RX extender allows for a local computer or laptop to be connected directly at the workstation.

IHSE USA www.ihseusa.com Booth #4123

The AH443 adds a narrow-coverage option to Fulcrum Acoustic’s AH series of products. This bi-amplified 2-way, high-sensitivity, arrayable coaxial horn speaker provides a tight, precise 45°x30° pattern with control to below 400Hz, low-frequency extension to 70Hz and high output with modest amp power. Its unique Compression Head horn architecture provides low-frequency loading to 4 10" low-frequency woofers, and 4 Oculus phase plugs extend the woofer response to smoothly mesh with 2 4" diaphragm high-frequency compression drivers. The trapezoidal shape allows it to be deployed vertically for standalone use or in vertical arrays, or horizontally for use in horizontal tight-packed arrays. The acoustical design, combined with Fulcrum Acoustic’s TQ processing, results in clarity and precise transient response, even at high sound pressure levels.

Fulcrum Acoustic www.fulcrum-acoustic.com Booth #6781

102 Sound & Communications June 2019

INFOCOMM 2019 NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT EPSON AMERICA

SOUNDTUBE ENTERTAINMENT

MXL MICROPHONES

RENEWED VISION

BRIGHTLINK 1485FI

IPD-HUB 2

AC-360

PROPRESENTER SCOREBOARD

With advanced laser technology and virtually maintenance-free operation, the Epson America BrightLink 1485Fi interactive laser display delivers a collaborative environment for the education and corporate segments.

With simple setup, the ultra-shortthrow BrightLink 1485Fi automatically sets an image to fit a whiteboard and provides 1-step calibration of touch and interactive pens to turn any flat surface into an instant interactive digital whiteboard. Offering 5,000 lumens of color and white brightness with a 100" 16:9 or ultra-wide 120" 16:6 display, the BrightLink 1485Fi delivers bright, true-to-life images for presentations, even in well-lit rooms.

Leveraging enterprise-level security via integrated wireless networking, users can save, print and email content directly from the projector and wirelessly share content simultaneously from multiple devices with Miracast. As a productivity tool, the BrightLink 1485Fi combines powerful projection with robust features for better readability and increased collaboration in today’s classroom and meeting environments.

Epson America www.epson.com Booth #2129

SoundTube Entertainment’s IPDHub 2 amp creates an IP-based audio distribution alternative to traditional 70V or 100V audio systems. Designed for small to medium applications, the IPD-Hub 2 combines Attero Tech Axiom endpoints with Dante infrastructure to create a complete IP-based system that features 2-channel DSP amplification with multiple power options, including PoE, PoE+, 40W PoE and 24V PS. Designed for small- to mediumsized applications, including bars, restaurants, hospitality, education facilities and more, the IPD-HUB 2 DSP amp is the heart of a complete networked audio system with local and Dante-inputs for simplified network control; it also addresses the network requirements for commercial audio connectivity.

The IPD-Hub 2 includes 2 RJ-45 inputs, as well as 1 Dante and 1 Axiom input, and a 2-channel speaker output for flexible audio distribution.

SoundTube Entertainment www.soundtube.mseaudio.com Booth #6069

MXL Microphones’ AC-360 is a USBpowered, tabletop, web-conferencing mic that features a full 360° pickup range for various conferencing platforms, including GoToMeeting, Skype+Teams, Zoom, Lifesize and more. The AC-360 builds off of its predecessor, the AC-360-Z, which was co-designed with engineers from Zoom Video Communications to be a hardware selection for Zoom Rooms and Zoom Meetings software. The AC-360 now provides a universally compatible solution.

The MXL AC-360 uses 12 internal mic capsules, divided into 4 quadrants, to ensure 360° of speech intelligibility within a 25' radius, without reliance on any additional equipment. It is compatible with any Mac or PC device through simple plug-and-play connectivity, without needing to download any drivers.

Each quadrant of the AC-360 acts as an independent device for optimal performance and fidelity. Each AC-360 mic ships with a complete installation kit, including cables and mounting options.

MXL Microphones www.mxlmics.com Booth #3725

Renewed Vision is demonstrating the latest version of its ProPresenter Scoreboard, a flexible multisport score presentation software platform used in high school, college and professional sports, as well as youth league organizations. Building on the video, graphics and text playout engine of the company’s ProPresenter live presentation platform, ProPresenter Scoreboard combines Renewed Vision’s ease-of-use and visually rich outputs with robust features and tailored user interfaces purpose-built for driving advertising-enriched, video-based LED scoreboards. Multiple independently controlled areas of the screen integrate scores, live video feeds, prerecorded video, targeted advertisements, player profiles, dynamic statistics, externally sourced data and more into immersive visual productions. New features being unveiled at InfoComm include custom scoring logic, clocks and timers to create scoreboards for user-defined sports, the ability to display multiple matches on the same output, and live StatCrew and MLB data support.

Renewed Vision www.sndcom.us/rvpropresentersb Booth #2471

SoundTube Entertainment’s IPD-Hub 2

Epson America’s BrightLink 1485Fi

MXL Microphones’ AC-360

Renewed Vision’s ProPresenter Scoreboard

June 2019

Sound & Communications 103

INFOCOMM 2019 NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT AJA VIDEO SYSTEMS

APANTAC

NTI AUDIO

PLATINUM TOOLS

KI PRO GO

OG-KM

ROOM ACOUSTICS REPORTER

UNLOADED PATCH PANELS

Ki Pro GO is a portable genlock free, multichannel H.264 HD and SD redundant recorder and singlechannel player from AJA. The device combines the Ki Pro family’s intuitive design, flexibility and quality with encoding/decoding of H.264 recording and playback in a compact 2RU, half-rack width form factor. It allows users to record up to 4 channels of HD and SD content from SDI and HDMI sources to standard USB media. Other features include: 5x USB recording media slots, compatible with offthe-shelf USB 3.0 media; redundant recording; 4x HDMI inputs; 4x 3G-SDI inputs; HDMI and SDI multichannel matrix monitoring; selectable VBR recording profiles; balanced XLR analog audio inputs, mic/line/48v switchable; 2-channel embedded audio per video input; easy-to-use web UI, compatible with standard web browsers; front panel button controls with integrated HD resolution screen; standalone operation and more.

AJA Video Systems www.aja.com/products/ki-pro-go Booth #1127

The OG-KM KVM Switch allows users to control and switch seamlessly between 4 and 8 computers with a single keyboard and mouse, including an extended desktop from the same graphics card. Traditionally, KVM switches are available as a standalone box in the rack unit. The new OG-KM is a hot swappable card for the openGear platform, which increases integration possibilities and simplifies system design and installation. Since the OG-KM is part of Apantac’s openGear range of solutions, users can easily add multiviewer cards from Apantac and create a multiviewer with KVM functionality. The OG-KM switch can be combined with any of the following cards, regardless of whether the input/output required is SDI or HDMI: OG-MiniDE-II cascadable HDMI multiviewer; OG-MiniQ cascadable SDI multiviewer; OG-MicroQ SDI quad-split; and OG-Mini-DL-X-X cascadable HDMI + SDI quad-split.

Apantac www.apantac.com Booth #4029

Rooms with bad acoustics make it difficult for listeners to understand and concentrate on what is being said. Modern meeting rooms and classrooms feature white boards, large monitors and furniture that reflect sound without adding acoustic absorption. NTI Audio’s Room Acoustics Reporter is a PC software for automatically generating reverberation time measurement reports of RT60. It provides acoustic targets based on a space’s intended use and volume as defined in the DIN 18041 standard. In addition, Room Acoustics Reporter updates empty room reverberation time measurements (the typical test configuration) with the absorption that would be added by people being in the room. Finally, the PC software predicts the improvement in reverberation time of various alternative acoustical treatments on the ceiling, walls and floor.

Predictions are based on RT60 measurements, and the absorption characteristics of panels provided by manufacturers.

NTI Audio www.sndcom.us/ntirareporter Booth #5646

Platinum Tools’ Unloaded Patch Panels make it easy to mix and match keystones, replace a damaged port and add new runs. They also simplify category upgrades, maximize limited rack space, and are well suited for residential or small office applications. The new 24- and 48-port line is now available. New features include: numbered ports for connection identification; write-on labels with protective covers; and the ability to mount into 1RU/2RU of EIA-standard 19" 2-post rack or wallmount rack enclosure. These lines can be used with RJ45 Ethernet, HDMI audio/video, voice, USB and other applications. The support and management bar is removable and includes cable zip ties to secure cables.

Platinum Tools www.platinumtools.com Booth #1761

NEUTRIK OPTICALCON DRAGONFLY

ALCORN MCBRIDE WINSCRIPT LIVE 5 Alcorn McBride’s WinScript Live 5 showcases new features and functionality for the programming software and touch interface for Alcorn McBride’s show controllers.

Users can deploy show control and media content to entire fleets of RidePlayer-based vehicles with ease. New features, such as the 'Device' variable type, enable simplified control and monitoring of the RidePlayer fleet within Alcorn McBride’s new V16X show controller.

Alcorn McBride www.alcorn.com Booth #2849

Neutrik’s opticalCON DRAGONFLY Fiber Optic Camera Connector Series offers advanced lens technology for the broadcast and AV markets. With technology based on fiber lenses and fusion splicing, DRAGONFLY achieves a strong signal with minimal loss. opticalCON DRAGONFLY combines the advantages of lens technology with physical contact connectivity. DRAGONFLY is based on Neutrik’s patented XB2 technology. Its fusion splice high-performance lens transmits ultra-HD 4K and 8K signals with low loss, as the signal surface of the XB2 lens is 322 times larger than physical contact surfaces. DRAGONFLY offers robust connectivity against vibration, having low potential for damage. It is also field serviceable. With its push/ pull locking mechanism, IP68-rated dust and waterproof rating in mated condition, and proven anti-kink boot design, DRAGONFLY offers a long life of 10,000 mating cycles.

Neutrik www.neutrik.us Booth #6361

104 Sound & Communications June 2019

OCEAN MATRIX OMX-03HMHM0001 The compact Ocean Matrix OMX03HMHM0001 mini converter eliminates HDCP incompatibility situations by changing an HDMI signal input with HDCP2.2 encryption to an HDMI HDCP1.4 signal output. Supporting video resolutions up to 4K2K and audio PCM up to 192kHz, this unit is an interface for video and commercial AV users, providing convenient and efficient signal conversion for all AV installations. The OMX-03HMHM0001 includes a USB mini cable.

Ocean Matrix www.oceanmatrix.com Booth #2923

PLIANT TECHNOLOGIES MICROCOM MicroCom is the latest introduction to Pliant’s wireless lineup. The addition of MicroCom provides a compact and simple wireless intercom solution for any installation. Available in the 900MHz band (where legal), MicroCom provides a single-channel, full-duplex, multiuser intercom for applications where quality audio and range are essential.

Even in whisper-only environments, MicroCom provides clear and responsive audio between users.

MicroCom is ideal for small church congregations, schools, theaters and similar applications. The system also features small, lightweight belt packs, which are durable and water resistant. MicroCom provides ease-of-use and a long-life battery operation. Pliant also offers several different headset options, which are suitable for an array of application needs.

Pliant Technologies www.sndcom.us/pliantmicrocom Booth #5447

INFOCOMM 2019 NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

AJA Video Systems’ Ki Pro GO Alcorn McBride’s WinScript Live 5

Apantac’s OG-KM

Neutrik’s opticalCON DRAGONFLY NTI Audio’s Room Acoustics Reporter

Platinum Tools’ Unloaded Patch Panels

Pliant Technologies’ MicroCom

Ocean Matrix’s OMX-03HMHM0001

June 2019

Sound & Communications 105

INFOCOMM 2019 NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT PREMIER MOUNTS

CAROUSEL DIGITAL SIGNAGE

CLEERLINE SSF

CONNECTRAC

CONVERGENT SERIES

SOLSTICE POD APP

ACTIVE OPTICAL HDMI CABLES

CONNECTRAC FLEX

Premier Mounts’ Convergent series of direct-view LED mounts now features models that meet strict ADAcompliance laws. The ADA requires objects projecting from walls to not extend more than 4", reducing the clear width of an accessible route or maneuvering space for anyone with disabilities. Our new slim Convergent mount sits only 1" off the wall to allow LEDs to use the remaining 3" of space. Not only are these new models ADA compliant, but this mount makes the installation of LED displays safer and faster. As the size of LED videowalls grows, so does the Convergent line, with its ability to scale from as small as a 2x2 videowall to unlimited width or height because of its modular design.

Premier Mounts www.premiermounts.com Booth #1843

Carousel Digital Signage announces a new partnership and integrated app with Mersive to simplify the management of digital signage content in meeting spaces and other corporate AV environments. The new integration will allow Solstice Pod users to add Carousel-driven content into presentations, lectures and other collaborative initiatives. The integration of Carousel Cloud software into the Solstice Pod infrastructure gives Solstice users a full-blown digital signage CMS to leverage. The app gives users a reliable toolset to translate and output HTMLbased signage content to Solsticeenabled displays in huddle rooms, conference rooms and lecture halls, for example. Solstice Pod users can leverage screen-sharing capabilities to seamlessly switch between Carousel signage and other visual materials.

This allows presenters to quickly incorporate company values, business wins, customer testimonials and mission statements into important presentations.

Carousel Digital Signage www.carouselsignage.com Booth #333

Cleerline SSF has introduced a full line of 4K ultra-HD Active Optical HDMI Cables. All cables incorporate SSF Stronger, Safer, Faster fiberoptic technology for maximum durability. SSF fiber uses a glass, glass, polymer construction for extreme flexibility and increased strength.

Cleerline SSF AOCs are built using the latest chipset technology, producing no heat and allowing use of a durable, molded cable head. All cables are fully tested and 4K ultraHD 18Gb/s 4K60 (4:4:4) compatible for high-quality signal transmission.

In addition, cables feature audio return channel (ARC), high dynamic range (HDR) and a plenum outer jacket. Cleerline SSF AOC is available in lengths from 10m to 30m.

Cleerline SSF www.cleerlinefiber.com Booth #3189

In 2005, Connectrac introduced the world to an alternative to core drilling for power/data connectivity inside commercial spaces. Now, the company is introducing the next generation of the product, the Connectrac Flex.

The Connectrac Flex provides power everywhere, along with the ability to change connectivity locations instantly. It offers users a smarter and more flexible solution for power/data distribution. Connectrac’s Flex systems provide robust floor-based power/data distribution throughout any space via an invisible ultra-low-profile assembly that can be easily installed at any time.

Connectrac Flex strives to eliminate interior power and connectivity issues with its quick installation and ability to rapidly change any space. With Flex, changes to furniture, power and data are easily accommodated. Flex is the new paradigm for power and data infrastructure.

Connectrac www.connectrac.com Booth #4160

CAMPLEX CMX-HDMI-SFP The Camplex CMX-HDMI-SFP over single fiber extender sends HDMI 2.0 signals over 3,300' of single mode fiber cable and 1,000' over multimode fiber, supporting video resolutions up to 4K2K@50/60Hz. With a video bandwidth of 18Gps, this system is designed for applications that require high-resolution video transmission over longer distances, such as digital signage, esports, houses of worship (HoWs) and concerts. The extender includes 2 locking power adapters to ensure system stability and reliability, as well as bidirectional IR control and RS232 transmission to allow source operation from the display or destination device and operation from the source, as both the transmitter and the receiver units can pass IR signals over the fiber to the other unit. Also included are 2 LC fiber SFP modules, 2 pair IR blasters, 2 RS232 connectors and 2 power supplies.

Camplex www.sndcom.us/cmxhdmisfp Booth #2923

CHRISTIE LWU900-DS The Christie LWU900-DS delivers 9,000 ISO lumens and a 4,000,000:1 contrast ratio in WUXGA resolution.

This projector is designed for medium to large spaces or environments with high-ambient light. The LWU900DS accepts 4K at 60Hz signals and features a low-power mode for up to 50,000 hours of operation. Compact and omnidirectional, this projector can be installed in tight spaces and blends into nearly any environment.

Its low noise level means that, even in smaller rooms, background projector noise won’t distract audiences. The LWU900-DS has built-in edge blending and warping with color adjustment for quick and simplified projector setup of up to 12 projectors on corners, as well as flat and cylindrical surfaces.

Christie www.christiedigital.com Booth #2543

106 Sound & Communications June 2019

PRESONUS STUDIOLIVE 64S PreSonus is shipping its StudioLive 64S Series III console, featuring 76 mixing channels, 43 buses and 526 simultaneous effects, thanks to the quad-core FLEX DSP engine. 32 individually configurable FlexMixes allow users to create a custom combination of aux mixes, matrix mixes and subgroups. An independent main Mono/Center bus with individual channel level and Center Divergence controls provides a true LCR mixing experience. The StudioLive 64S is the flagship of PreSonus’ new StudioLive Series III S line, which also includes the 32-channel StudioLive 32S, 32SX and 32SC. All models deliver state-space modeled Fat Channel plug-in processing on every input and bus, 128-channel (64x64) USB recording, multitrack SD recording and extensive 128-channel AVB networking.

PreSonus www.sndcom.us/studiolive64s3 Booth #6181

COMMUNITY PROFESSIONAL LVH-900 Community Professional’s L SERIES LVH-900 Beamforming Venue Horn, combined with Community’s proprietary room prediction software and amplified speaker controllers, precisely tailors the directivity of each speaker or array of speakers to meet the sound requirements of any application. Designed for performance in large venues, each LVH-900 consists of 4 12" LF drivers, 3 Community M200 midrange compression drivers and 4 1.5" HF compression drivers.

Using patent-pending techniques, all drivers integrate into a single tri-axial waveguide that fills the entire 36"x31" face of the enclosure, providing pattern control to below 200Hz. The LVH-906 and LVH-909 offer 60° or 90° of fixed horizontal dispersion, respectively, with each allowing vertical dispersion beamforming ranging from 60° to 20° in symmetric or asymmetric configurations.

Community Professional www.communitypro.com Booth #6343 Demo Room #W224E

INFOCOMM 2019 NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

PreSonus’ StudioLive 64S Premier Mounts' Convergent Series

Christie’s LWU900-DS

Carousel Digital Signage’s Integrated Mersive Solstice Pod App

Camplex’s CMX-HDMI-SFP

Community Professional’s LVH-900

Cleerline SSF’s Active Optical HDMI Cables

Connectrac’s Connectrac Flex

June 2019

Sound & Communications 107

INFOCOMM 2019 NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT Roland Pro AV’s VR-50HD

ProVideoInstruments’ VeCOAX PIXEL

Renkus-Heinz’s P Series

Riedel Communications’ Artist-1024

PROVIDEOINSTRUMENTS

RENKUS-HEINZ

RIEDEL COMMUNICATIONS

ROLAND PRO AV

VECOAX PIXEL

P SERIES

ARTIST-1024

VR-50HD

ProVideoInstruments’ VeCOAX PIXEL is a first-generation product that innovates the standards of everyday units. With its small size, slick look and vibrant red color, it stands out in appearance and performance. The PIXEL can fix anywhere and installs within minutes. It offers 720p Dolby HDMI to any existing TV coaxial cables as HDTV channels to unlimited TV sources. Suitable for security cameras and surveillance systems, the PIXEL replaces video extenders and matrixes to send HDMI video as TV channels direct to TVs—without the need for special cables or parts at each TV. ProVideoInstruments www.provideoinstruments.com Booth #961

The P-Series from Renkus-Heinz features the latest generation of Complex Conic horn geometry coupled with patented CoEntrant Mid/High driver technology. It delivers uncompromising detail and extreme sound pressure levels.

Advanced amplification, processing and protection through RH’s own SA amps provide the performance, consistency and reliability.

Application-focused speakers and comprehensive accessory packages have been designed to address the acoustical and logistical challenges of live sound reinforcement from mains and fills to stages and control room monitoring.

Renkus-Heinz www.renkus-heinz.com Booth #6643 Demo Room #W221BC

Riedel Communications’ Artist-1024 node is the next step in the continuous development of the Artist intercom ecosystem. This node complements the Artist family, expanding its capabilities with a focus on IP-based installations.

Artist-1024 boasts 1024 non-blocking ports in just 2RU and introduces a range of technical innovations centered around software-definable Universal Interface Cards (UIC). These interface cards combine networking, mixing and management and can be configured to act as a SMPTE 2110-30/31 (AES67) or MADI subscriber card, or as an Artist fiber/router/processor card. Changing the connectivity type is as easy as reconfiguring the UIC with the click of a button in Director. Each AES67/MADIconfigured card can scale from 8-128 ports via a flexible licensing scheme. Artist-1024 incorporates 3 different forms of redundancy and redundant power supplies and fans. An E-Ink display indicates important system parameters even when power is off, and support for multiple independent sync domains is included.

Riedel Communications www.riedel.net Booth #6261

Roland is introducing the VR-50HD MK II Multiformat AV Mixer, based on the VR-50HD single-operator, all-inone multiformat production studio.

Inspired by direct feedback from live event users, the MK II model adds an AUX output to support dedicated confidence monitors for recording (or to serve as an alternate out) while also featuring a refreshed user interface for simple navigation, newly developed mic preamps and remotecontrol software. The VR-50HD MK II controls select JVC and Panasonic PTZ cameras (up to 6 cameras from a single LAN port). New intelligent functions, such as automated sound mixing and automated video input switching (Video-Follows-Audio functions), are included, as well. The VR-50HD MK II combines a 12-input (HDMI and SDI), 4-channel multiformat video switcher; a 12-input digital audio mixer; a multiviewer touchscreen display; and an AV streaming output via USB 3.0. The VR-50HD MK II will be available Q3/19.

Roland Pro AV proav.roland.com Booth #2955

108 Sound & Communications June 2019

INFOCOMM 2019 NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT SALAMANDER DESIGNS

SCREENBEAM BY ACTIONTEC

RANE

LUMENS

SALAMANDER UNIFI HUDDLE

SCREENBEAM 1100

ZONE POWER EIGHT

VCBC601P

The Salamander Unifi Huddle System provides customizable solutions that enable teams to collaborate more easily. Available in 2 models to accommodate up to 5 people, both designs are modular, easy to deploy and simple to move. Each features a universal display mount with adjustable viewing positions and a table shape that provides an ideal camera field of view. The cabinet is built on a premium aluminum chassis, and the inside storage space offers vertical racks. Cable management is available throughout the open cabinet back with an open interior and raceways to the display and table for functionality and aesthetics. On both models, the under-table cable-through structure is accessible for complete cable management, and the sturdy single leg is open to floor for additional cable management for power outlets.

The Salamander Unifi Huddle also offers optional accessories to customize tables for optimal use.

Salamander Designs www.salamanderdesigns.com Booth #4661

ScreenBeam by Actiontec’s ScreenBeam 1100 is a 4K, multi-network, no-apps wireless presentation system for enterprise collaboration.

Native support for Windows and Android Miracast plus iOS and macOS Screen Mirroring with extended desktop support provides ease of connectivity with no buttons or apps to support or train users on. ScreenBeam 1100 supports dual-network connections with peer-to-peer and local Wi-Fi simultaneously for secure deployment flexibility, from full isolation to multiple guest and employee network support, even in dense wireless environments. Windows 10 devices can wirelessly leverage touchscreens through ScreenBeam 1100 at up to 4K resolutions. Native Office 365 whiteboard and Windows Ink support allows users to modify documents directly at the front of the room and search for those modifications later in Office 365. Centralized feature provisioning, device monitoring and firmware updates are included through the ScreenBeam 1100 Central Management System at no extra cost, ensuring manageable enterprise-scale deployments.

ScreenBeam by Actiontec www.screenbeam.com Booth #4381

Rane’s Zone Power Eight is an 8-channel 70V/100V Class-D power amp designed for contractor/install applications for installed speaker systems requiring 70V/100V inputs. This versatile, 1RU, 150Wper-channel amp has built-in short-circuit and open-circuit protection and LED indicators for signal presence, clipping status and thermal interruption on the front panel. Engineered specifically for the distribution of multiple 70V/100V speaker systems over long cable runs, such as in-ceiling speakers, surface-mount speakers and paging horns, the Zone Power Eight delivers impressive system power in a compact form factor.

It features Euroblock inputs and outputs and separate rear-panel gain controls for each channel.

Rane www.rane.com Booth #5551

Lumens’ VCBC601P is a 1080/60fps and 30x optical zoom high-definition box camera. The VCBC601P has multiple interfaces, such as HDMI, 3G SDI and Ethernet for image outputs. Power is supplied through PoE. The camera is applicable for dim-light environments.

Lumens www.mylumens.com Booth #4955

Lumens’ VCBC601P

Rane’s Zone Power Eight

ScreenBeam by Actiontec’s ScreenBeam 1100 Salamander Designs’ Salamander Unifi Huddle

June 2019

Sound & Communications 109

INFOCOMM 2019 NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

Marantz Professional’s Pro Umpire

Lectrosonics’ DSQD

Cleerline SSF’s Rugged Micro Distribution Arista’s Stealth Audio Workstation

ARISTA

LECTROSONICS

CLEERLINE SSF

MARANTZ PROFESSIONAL

STEALTH AUDIO WORKSTATION

DSQD

RUGGED MICRO DISTRIBUTION

PRO UMPIRE

Arista’s Stealth Audio Workstation is a solution for application environments that require an absolutely quiet computer to perform audio recording, editing and related music/ audio-creation tasks. It is equipped with an Intel i7-8700 6-core processor to provide plenty of CPU power to record musicians, compose film music, work with sound effects for TV or film, and play virtual instruments. Additionally, the system is populated with 64GB DDR4 memory that enables users to load large sample libraries. The system also has the option of 2 1TB HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Disk) that provide enough storage space to record live instruments or save a library of sample-based plugins. It supports a 4K display or up to 3 HD displays, which can be useful when running music software such as Ableton, Cubase, Pro Tools or Sonar.

Arista www.aristaproav.com Booth #1161

Lectrosonics’ DSQD digital receiver is a 4-channel, half-rack design with high-resolution color display, analog or Dante digital outputs, and rear BNC antenna ports with “loop-thru” buffered BNC outputs to another receiver. The DSQD is compatible with the latest Lectrosonics all-digital transmitters including the dB Series and DHu, the stereo DCHT and the half-rack M2T. The DSQD is also backward compatible with any Lectrosonics Digital Hybrid Wireless transmitter. 3 different receiver diversity schemes can be employed depending on the needs of the application, including antenna phase switching (during packet headers for seamless audio), Digital Ratio Diversity or Digital Frequency Diversity.

Continuously tunable tracking filters ensure excellent RF performance even in difficult environments. A headphone jack is included for audio monitoring. Ethernet and USB ports allow the DSQD to connect to Wireless Designer software for programming and monitoring, and a serial port enables connection between receivers for data sharing and frequency coordination.

Lectrosonics www.lectrosonics.com Booth #6043

New from Cleerline SSF is Rugged Micro Distribution fiberoptic cable.

Rugged Micro Distribution provides a simple transition from conduit to indoor spaces. There is no need for a cable junction, as this riser-rated cable can move from outdoor conduit to riser spaces. Rugged Micro Distribution’s construction features both an outer and inner jacket of UV-resistant PVC. Fiberglass yarns around the inner 3mm jacket provide rodent-resistant qualities, as well as supplying additional strength and support to the cable. Within the inner jacket, Aramid yarns provide strength and water-blocking. The cable’s 6.0mm outer diameter and jacket’s resistance to distortion make it suited for use within both outdoor conduit and indoor spaces. SSF Rugged Micro Distribution features SSF Stronger, Safer, Faster fiberoptic technology for increased optical fiber durability and decreased termination time. This cable is available with 2, 6 or 12 single-mode or multi-mode fibers within the inner jacket.

Cleerline SSF www.cleerlinefiber.com Booth #3189

Umpire is a USB condenser mic, designed for podcasters, musicians, Skype, Hangouts, live streaming, Twitch and anyone using a USB mic in conjunction with a computer. Umpire features the same USB mic used on the popular Turret all-in-1 freestanding broadcasting system. It simply connects to a USB port on the computer.

The user then loads their digital audio workstation (DAW) of choice or sets their mic preferences in their broadcasting/streaming application. At the heart of Umpire is a 14mm electric condenser mic chosen by studio professionals for its high sensitivity and crystal-clear sound. With on-board A/D conversion at 48kHz and 16-bit resolution, a wide-ranging frequency response and a focused cardioid polar pattern, Umpire captures every subtle nuance of the performance.

Marantz Professional www.marantzpro.com Booth #5551

110 Sound & Communications June 2019

INFOCOMM 2019 NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

D-Tools’ System Integrator v13

ENCO’s enTranslate

d&b audiotechnik’s A-Series

Nortek Security & Control’s BlueBOLT 2.0

D&B AUDIOTECHNIK

D-TOOLS

NORTEK SECURITY & CONTROL

ENCO

A-SERIES

SYSTEM INTEGRATOR V13

BLUEBOLT 2.0

ENTRANSLATE

d&b audiotechnik’s A-Series introduces a unique speaker concept that sees advanced waveguide design combined with d&b enabling technologies. With flexible splay angles, this system addresses a wide range of medium size applications where the highest level of coverage flexibility is paramount. Realizing all the adaptability of a point-source cluster with the extensive control options of a d&b line array, the system comprises the AL60 and AL90 speakers, with ALi60 and ALi90 offering cabinets designed specifically for permanent installation.

Both speakers share a passive 2-way design featuring 1 1.4" exit HF compression driver with a 3" diaphragm mounted to a wave-shaping device, plus 2 10" neodymium LF drivers.

The combination of sophisticated waveguide design and the symmetrical dipolar arrangement of the LF drivers allows a smooth overlap of the adjacent frequency bands in the crossover design. The wave segments of each cabinet couple without gaps and sum up coherently. d&b audiotechnik www.dbaudio.com Booth #6761 Demo Room #W232AB

D-Tools’ System Integrator (SI) fulfills the diverse needs of commercial integrators and technology managers. SI guides users through detailed documentation and estimation, comprehensive system design and engineering, and installation management—all through a singular, data-driven, connected process. New performance features and productivity improvements in SI v13 include enhancements to project management, service management and drawings. SI now includes the ability to define, create, sell and manage service plans, while service orders can be linked to service plans to track actual vs. estimated time/ money. In addition, SI users now create an “Allowance Package” for bidding purposes. When a project is won, real items can be added to this without affecting the price of the project. Along with Bulk Wire/Cable Packages creation, allowing for wire connections down to the individual wires, the D-Tools Customer Portal now includes the ability to accept credit card and ACH payments.

D-Tools www.d-tools.com Booth #2361

Nortek Security & Control has released its BlueBOLT 2.0 IP Power Management update.

BlueBOLT 2.0 sets a new standard for remote management, with an intuitive and fast UI backed by a robust new IP infrastructure for maximum reliability. BlueBOLT reduces service calls with remote reboots of problem devices, maximizes network health with scheduled power cycles, and self-heals network devices to save money and time. The new BlueBOLT 2.0 adds a new UI that allows users to quickly move between installations and devices within each installation; watchlist to enable tagging of high-priority locations and devices; Super Search for a faster search engine to find customers, locations and devices; and advanced ADMIN to manage access rights for individuals as well as groups.

Nortek Security & Control www.nortekcontrol.com Booth #1855

ENCO’s enTranslate automated translation and captioning system helps make AV content understandable to viewers who aren’t native speakers of the material’s original language.

Combining the powerful speech-totext engine from ENCO’s patented enCaption automated captioning solution with advanced translation powered by Veritone, enTranslate provides near-real-time translation of live or pre-recorded content for alternative-language captioning, subtitling and more. enTranslate offers an easy and affordable solution to automatically translate live presentations, such as board meetings, legislative sessions, lectures and sermons, and recorded content such as training and learning videos. AV users ranging from government institutions and universities to churches and corporations can embed translated captions in short and long-form VOD content for subsequent on-demand consumption or display live, open-captioned subtitles on local displays for in-person attendees. enTranslate supports 46 languages including English, Spanish, French and more.

ENCO www.enco.com Booth #5491

June 2019

Sound & Communications 111

INFOCOMM 2019 NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT DYNACORD

KÖNIG & MEYER

LIBERTY AV

MAGEWELL

SONICUE

TABLETOP LAPTOP STAND

DL-SCU21C

PRO CONVERT AIO RX

König & Meyer’s Tabletop Laptop Stand (Item #12190.000.56) is a foldable and space-saving laptop stand.

Designed with functionality and versatility in mind, it can be assembled and disassembled quickly. The robust steel-tube construction, in combination with the attractive aluminum foot and support plate, ensures excellent stability despite its low weight. Individually adjustable stop pins with rubber caps allow the use of all common laptop models, mixers, CD players, etc. The horizontal height is 12.598", and it can be inclined in 3 steps.

König & Meyer www.sndcom.us/tabletoplaptopstand Booth #5255

Liberty AV’s DigitaLinx Soft Codec Switcher (DL-SCU21C) makes virtual connectivity, presentation and auto-switching effortless. Connect an HDMI or USB-C computer and easily access the camera and mic in the room. Connect and collaborate via Skype, GoToMeeting and Zoom. The DigitaLinx Soft Codec Switcher is suited for simple applications using a computer for software or cloud-based video teleconferencing in a huddle room, conference room or boardroom.

The Soft Codec Switcher is the first in a complete series of soft codec products to launch at InfoComm 2019. Additional products include a multi-format presentation switcher/ extender with HDBaseT and USB designed for long-distance runs, in addition to a wireless BYOD soft codec switcher.

Liberty AV www.libav.com Booth #2021

Converting live NDI streams into high-quality SDI or HDMI outputs for connection to baseband devices such as monitors and projectors, Magewell’s Pro Convert AIO RX NDI decoder hardware simplifies the use of NewTek’s AV-over-IP technology in applications such as digital signage and videowalls. Just as Magewell’s Pro Convert encoders enable integrators and end users to connect SDI or HDMI-based video sources such as cameras into IP-based AV infrastructures, the lowlatency Pro Convert AIO RX decoder lets them convert any NDI stream for output to baseband presentation or distribution equipment. This helps customers maximize their earlier investments as they transition to IP, while creating new opportunities for using NDI in video-enhanced digital signage, large-scale videowalls, multi-site video distribution, image magnification (IMAG) and more. The compact, plug-and-play Pro Convert AIO RX features DHCP-based automatic network configuration, and a browser-based interface provides access to advanced features such as FPGA-based up/down/crossconversion.

Magewell www.magewell.com Booth #2409

Designed to solve the real-world challenges of sound engineers, Dynacord’s SONICUE is a systemfocused software that works via an innovative “speaker view” GUI. The dedicated interaction design provides a clear overview, making it quicker to set up, tune and operate sound-reinforcement systems with minimum effort. Combining core concepts of simplicity, clarity and transparency, SONICUE addresses the entire speaker system intuitively and precisely as an extension of the designer’s imagination and expertise. System designs can be produced from scratch or based on imported files. An easy-to-navigate user interaction design ensures direct access to every sound system parameter on the fly via the speaker view. Automated checks add peace of mind to system deployments.

SONICUE helps users to get the job done smoothly, no matter how simple or complex it might be.

Dynacord www.dynacord.com Booth #5645 Demo Room #W222B

DENON PROFESSIONAL CONVOY Denon Professional’s Convoy expands on the line of Denon powered speakers with a small, compact model designed for portability.

It features the added flexibility of a 2-channel, UHF diversity wireless system for presentations and other applications requiring 2 mics. The Convoy also employs Bluetooth for content playback from any Bluetooth-enabled device. A 40W amp drives a 6.5" 2-way speaker, and the rechargeable battery delivers up to 50 hours of continuous play.

Convoy also features 2 line/mic channels with XLR/1/4" (6.35mm) combo inputs, NFC pairing and 1/8" stereo line input. It comes with a USB charging port for phone, tablet or other device, and its rugged design features a built-in top handle.

Denon Professional www.denonpro.com Booth #5551

ELATION LIGHTING FUZE PROFILE Designed for theater, television and a wide array of precision lighting applications, Elation Lighting’s Fuze Profile is an automated LED framing moving head that houses a full-colorspectrum, 92-CRI LED engine that utilizes a 5-color homogenized LED array of red, green, blue, mint and amber sources. The carefully tuned LEDs ensure accurate color reproduction while delivering a powerful output of more than 9,000 lumens. Virtual color temperature, magenta/green adjustment, plus color gel emulation give designers access to an impressive LED color array. Compact, quiet and lightweight, the Fuze Profile houses a full blackout framing system, 7° to 46° zoom, rotating gobo wheel, fixed gobo wheel and animation wheel.

A frost, prism and iris round out its comprehensive feature set. The Fuze Profile is designed for any application where a fully automated ellipsoidal fixture with outstanding and impactful color range and quality is required.

Elation Lighting www.elationlighting.com Booth #7443

112 Sound & Communications June 2019

MACNICA MPA1000 Macnica’s MPA1000 is a full-stack AV-over-IP module that brings low-latency IP video transport to OEM manufacturers and an array of professional AV products. It transports compressed ultra-HD 60P 4:4:4 video, audio and control over a standard 1GbE connection.

The module is field-configurable to transmit or receive signals; once connected to the network, the media traffic is discoverable through the included NMOS IS-04/05 services—an open standard for publishing and discovery of content streams. The MPA1000’s innovation is enhanced through simple configuration and control—a core design principle of the module. The module’s integrated web server hosts a RESTful API along with a web application that is fully customizable for each user. Macnica additionally offers an MPA1000 Development Kit for testing and development purposes, with design files available on request.

Macnica www.macnica.com Booth #474

KRAMER ELECTRONICS KDS-8 Kramer Electronics’ KDS-8 is a 0-latency, 4K/60 (4:4:4) streamer transceiver that uses SDVoE technology. Part of the company’s AV-overIP product line, KDS-8 comes as an encoder in default mode, with the ability to easily switch to a decoder simply at the touch (and hold) of a button. It brings a full range of connectivity options, with the benefit of being futureproof and with the power and versatility to handle high data packages.

Kramer Electronics www.kramerav.com Booth #2919

INFOCOMM 2019 NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT Kramer Electronics’ KDS-8

Denon Professional’s Convoy

Dynacord’s SONICUE

Macnica’s MPA1000

Elation Lighting’s Fuze Profile Magewell’s Pro Convert AIO RX

König & Meyer’s Tabletop Laptop Stand

Liberty AV’s DL-SCU21C

June 2019

Sound & Communications 113

INFOCOMM 2019 NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT SCREENBEAM BY ACTIONTEC

ELECTRO-VOICE

MATROX

SHARP

SCREENBEAM 3100

MFX

QUADHEAD2GO

ScreenBeam by Actiontec’s ScreenBeam 3100 is a 4K, multi-network, no-apps wireless presentation system for enterprise collaboration in an OPS module form factor. ScreenBeam 3100’s OPS form factor simplifies physical installation without added cables, allowing fast deployment of any managed wireless presentation system in existence. Native support for Windows and Android Miracast plus iOS and macOS Screen Mirroring with extended desktop support provides ease of connectivity with no buttons or apps to train users on.

ScreenBeam 3100 supports dual-network connections with peer-to-peer and local Wi-Fi simultaneously, achieving secure deployment flexibility, from full isolation to multiple guest and employee network support. Windows 10 devices can wirelessly leverage touchscreens at up to 4K resolutions. Native Office 365 and Windows Ink support allows users to modify documents directly at the front of the room and search for those modifications later in Office 365.

Centralized feature provisioning, device monitoring and firmware updates are included through the ScreenBeam 3100 Central Management System.

ScreenBeam by Actiontec www.screenbeam.com Booth #4381

Electro-Voice’s MFX multi-function monitors utilize high-output, coaxially aligned HF and LF transducers matched with an Electro-Voiceengineered Constant Directivity waveguide. The dimensions and location of the waveguide interact with the woofer to effectively create a dipole output, resulting in precise coverage control through the midrange frequencies. 2 models are available: the MFX-12MC (12") and MFX-15MC (15"). In addition to providing a stable sound image as the performer moves off-axis, the compact coaxial design presents a significantly lower-profile footprint on stage in comparison to competitive high-end monitors.

Both models feature pole sockets recessed into the side handles for use as short-throw reinforcement in portable applications. Extending their truly multi-functional design, a full range of mounting accessories is available for temporary or permanent installation. The monitors can be used in passive or biamp configuration. Multiple DSP settings optimize the speakers for specific uses. MFX multi-function monitors are optimized for use with the TGX10 or IPX10:4 DSP amps from sibling brand Dynacord.

Electro-Voice www.electrovoice.com Booth #5645 Demo Room #W222B

Matrox’s QuadHead2Go Series multi-monitor controllers make it simpler to build dynamic, next-generation videowalls of any type and size. QuadHead2Go units are designed to drive a single video source across quad, triple or dual displays, in classic rectangular 2x2, 2x1, 3x1, 4x1, 1x2, 1x3 or 1x4, or a variety of other artistic configurations.

Multiple QuadHead2Go appliances or cards can be used together to easily scale up to a videowall of any possible dimension and complexity. Bezel management and HDCP are supported. Powering innovative videowalls from any video source, QuadHead2Go supports today’s highest-resolution video content—up to 8Kx8K input resolution. While its default 2x2 configuration in landscape orientation applies to the majority of use cases and provides a plug-and-play installation experience, other configurations can be designed using the Matrox PowerWall software in online or offline mode, to ensure an out-ofthe-box deployment.

Matrox www.sndcom.us/quadhead2go Booth #3055

PN-L851H, PN-L751H AND PN-L651H

MEYER SOUND UPQ-D3 Meyer Sound has updated its UPQ point-source speakers with a 3rd variant, the UPQ-D3, that offers a new 80°x80° coverage option. All variants (UPQ-D1, -D2 and -D3) now feature a Class D amp, new onboard signal processing for optimized frequency and phase response, and a 13lb. overall weight reduction. The new 2-channel Class D amp is designed for high efficiency with reduced current draw, yet produces a total peak output power of 1,800W. A new generation of phase-corrected signal processing results in flatter frequency and phase response for superior transient reproduction and precise imaging. The updated speaker series is suited to a wide range of portable and installed applications, ranging from main speakers in small and mid-sized venues to fill systems in larger venues.

Meyer Sound www.meyersound.com/product/upq Booth #5761 Demo Room #W240A-D

114 Sound & Communications June 2019

STEM AUDIO KÖNIG & MEYER EXTRA LONG BOOM ARM

LUMENS VCBC701P Lumens’ VCBC701P is a 4K/60fps ultra-HD box camera. The camera comes with 30x optical zoom. It captures high-quality color images in dim-light environments. Key features include HDMI and Ethernet video outputs, low illumination level and 3D noise reduction.

Lumens www.mylumens.com Booth #4955

Sharp has introduced 3 new largeformat 4K ultra-HD interactive displays. The 85" Class (84 9/16" diagonal) PN-L851H, 75" Class (74 1/16" diagonal) PN-L751H and 65" Class (64 1/2" diagonal) PN-L651H provide the clarity to see small text and fine details in images.

The displays excel in demanding professional settings, including architecture and engineering. They can differentiate between finger and pen input, and they’re able to recognize up to 20 touch points.

Up to 4 people at a time can add input. With the Sharp Pen-onPaper experience, these LCD panels provide a natural feel as if using a traditional pen on paper.

Equipped with a built-in controller with IWB launcher, these interactive displays can start up immediately with no need to hook up to a PC. Meanwhile, their wireless LAN and Bluetooth compatibility allow connection to Windows and Android smartphones, tablets and computers.

Sharp www.sharpusa.com Booth #3600

König & Meyer’s Extra Long Boom Arm (Item #25530.519.55) features a 2-piece telescopic design with T-bar locking screw and includes a counterweight.

The extendable boom arm offers toggle clamping and an adjustable length from 34.252" to 61.024".

König & Meyer www.sndcom.us/kmxlboomarm Booth #5255

CONFERENCE ROOM ECOSYSTEM Stem Audio’s Conference Room Ecosystem is a toolbox of 5 networkable products that can be mixed and matched into any meeting room, alleviating the major pains currently experienced by IT professionals and everyday users.

The ecosystem includes 3 audio devices: Table, Wall and Ceiling, which can be mixed and matched and work in tandem with Stem Audio’s Control and Hub. Stem Audio www.stemaudio.com Booth #4161

INFOCOMM 2019 NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

Matrox’s QuadHead2Go

Lumens’ VCBC701P

König & Meyer’s Extra Long Boom Arm

Electro-Voice’s MFX

ScreenBeam by Actiontec’s ScreenBeam 3100 Meyer Sound’s UPQ-D3

Stem Audio’s Conference Room Ecosystem Sharp’s PN-L851H

June 2019

Sound & Communications 115

INFOCOMM 2019 NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT VISIX

VOID ACOUSTICS

VALENS

VISIONARY SOLUTIONS

AXISTV SIGNAGE SUITE V1.21

VENU 12 V2

VS3000

Visix has unveiled v1.21 of its AxisTV Signage Suite digital signage software, featuring a CMS with improved UI customization options, sort and filter functionality, organizational tools and security policies. Available as an on-premise or cloud-based solution, v1.21 includes personal profile settings to let individual users customize the UI with their preferences. Clients can choose what is displayed in various areas of the CMS, such as viewing details or thumbnails under different playlists, for a personalized user experience. The release also includes heightened sort and filter intelligence for more refined data mapping to external sources, such as calendars, XML or JSON, and easier configuration of data-triggered content using conditional logic. Version 1.21 refines CMS administrative tools with expanded hierarchy policies for user accounts and permissions; administrators can limit the message types assigned to individuals to streamline workflows. New security policy options include password rules, intrusion rules and auto-logout settings.

Visix www.visix.com Booth #2321

Void Acoustics’ Venu 12 V2 has been significantly enhanced, together with receiving a complete aesthetic overhaul. These highperformance British loudspeakers now have a smooth, high-end finish that aligns with Void’s Air Series product range. The new design of this passive, 2-way loudspeaker has an asymmetric, rotatable, high-frequency horn; tough high-excursion transducers; and a recessed rear connector panel with durable grilles and fittings. A yoke bracket, along with an M20 top hat fixture, are also available for use in touring applications. Available in black and white as standard color options, the Venu 12 V2 will begin shipping in July.

Void Acoustics www.voidacoustics.com Booth #7052

Valens’ VS3000 is an ASIC solution that enables long-distance distribution of uncompressed HDMI2.0 (4K@60Hz 4:4:4), 16Gb/s bandwidth over a category cable. The VS3000 is highly integrated and packed with new key features, while maintaining backward compatibility with previous versions. With “HDBaseT Port Duality,” the same product can be configured as an HDBaseT transmitter or receiver. On-chip HDMI in and out and HDCP engines remove the need for additional external HDMI and HDCP components. An integrated switching core enables routing of multiple media streams, in-network or point-to-point topology. The VS3000 enables design flexibility and simplified and lowercost design, bringing higher value to vendors’ end customers.

Valens www.valens.com Booth #921

PACKETAV SENTINEL NETWORK AV MONITORING

WYRESTORM CAB-HAOC WyreStorm’s HAOC cables have been designed with next-generation 4K ultra-HD and HDR content in mind, delivering uncompressed HDMI content up to 18Gb/s at distances up to 164' using the latest optical transmission technology. These cables have been built to the highest quality standards. Furthermore, the CAB-HAOCs are built to stand the test of site installs and have gone through rigorous testing to identify and alleviate any possible points of failure. The cables feature removable heads and are available in 98', 131' and 164' lengths.

WyreStorm www.sndcom.us/wyrestorm-hoac Booth #4561

SERVOREELER SYSTEMS SRL-6 Servoreeler Systems (SRS) has introduced the SRL-6. This model is designed to deploy the advanced Biamp TCM-1 8-element mic. The SRL-6 is the latest in a series of unique mechanisms designed to support different multi-element mics utilizing the OEM’s own special cable. These dedicated designs are each carefully configured to a particular mic. The TCM-1 employs a special 3.5mm-diameter digital mic cable that is not compatible with the normal Servoreeler mechanism. Engineering changes to this mechanism for this cable results in what is now a unique new SRS product. Pairing the normally suspended and always visible TCM1 with a Servoreeler allows this mic to be automatically deployed only when needed. Then, when no longer in actual use, the TCM-1 can be retracted and docked into a special BZ-4 ceiling bezel flush with the ceiling.

Servoreeler Systems www.servoreelers.com Booth #6149

116 Sound & Communications June 2019

Visionary Solutions has introduced PacketAV Sentinel Network AV Monitoring. It offers a proactive approach to network AV monitoring, allowing issues to be identified before they impact end users and cause disruptions. This increases system uptime and reliability. To monitor and manage a network, the Sentinel Service relies on an intelligent and lightweight “data collector”—a device that runs on the local network 24/7—called a “Sentinel Agent.” The agent automatically discovers and monitors all network AV devices that are attached to the network and communicates essential data to the Sentinel Cloud or local manager via a secure socket when changes occur. The agent also listens for remote connection requests from the secure Sentinel cloud. The agent is the only device that communicates outside the client network.

Visionary Solutions www.sndcom.us/packetavsentinel Booth #3914

TVONE UPDATED CORIOVIEW tvONE’s CORIOview 4K multiwindow processor for AV, IP and broadcast signals with up to 8 sources has gotten a facelift. CORIOview now offers the freedom to choose a display output. Depending on the application, users can choose between portrait or landscape using the intuitive CORIOgrapher software, which allows for source and window selection together with smart labeling. CORIOview also now features an additional mode optimized for meetings, allowing users to collaborate, share and present like never before.

This new mode automatically selects the correct preset for the number of sources connected, and then all it takes to make a source full screen is a single button push. Other new features include a RESTful API for multiple control points and cloned outputs. tvONE www.tvone.com/corioview Booth #1632

SONY IP PTZ Sony’s IP PTZ camera lineup—SRGX400, SRG-X120 and BRC-X400— combine a 70° wide viewing angle with NDI|HX capability for cost-efficient live production with excellent image quality. The SRG-X400 and SRG-X120 models offer a 4K upgrade option, whereas 4K is native to the BRC-X400.

With powerful zoom capabilities and PTZ sync, these models’ different capabilities and features support highend and low-end applications including corporate, education, healthcare, government, churches, event capture and broadcast. These new models integrate with Sony’s first AI-based Edge Analytics solution, the REA-C1000, which allows users to create video content in real time, without the need for specialized training, additional staff or equipment. Combined with the new PTZ camera lineup, the REA-C1000 enables a simple and cost-effective lecture capture solution.

Sony www.sony.com/professional Booth #2200 Demo Room #W204B-C

INFOCOMM 2019 NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

Visionary Solutions’ PacketAV Sentinel Network AV Monitoring Servoreeler Systems’ SRL-6

Valens’ VS3000 WyreStorm’s CAB-HAOC

tvONE’s Updated CORIOview

Sony’s IP PTZ

Visix’s AxisTV Signage Suite v1.21 Void Acoustics’ Venu 12 V2

June 2019

Sound & Communications 117

INFOCOMM 2019 NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT Vanco International’s HD8K and PROHD8K

Shure’s TwinPlex Line

Barix’s AudioPoint 3.0

Visionary Solutions’ PacketAV Duet Wallplate Encoder

VISIONARY SOLUTIONS

SHURE

BARIX

VANCO INTERNATIONAL

PACKETAV DUET WALLPLATE ENCODER

TWINPLEX LINE

AUDIOPOINT 3.0

HD8K AND PROHD8K

Shure’s TwinPlex line of subminiature omnidirectional lavalier and headset mics is designed to withstand tough conditions. TwinPlex provides natural audio at both high and low frequencies. TwinPlex consists of 4 lavaliers (TL45, TL46, TL47, TL48) and an ultra-light, fully adjustable headset mic (TH53) in multiple colors. The dual-diaphragm omnidirectional design yields off-axis consistency and low self-noise, creating vocal clarity and warmth. Available in 1.1mm and 1.6mm options, the paintable cables are immune to kinks and memory effects, resulting in flex performance due to a spiral construction with redundant shielding. The superhydrophobic coating and interchangeable sweat-resistant frequency caps keep perspiration and moisture from upstaging the audio, while the medicalgrade cable technology flexes to fit the costume design and demanding schedules that often come with associated uses.

Shure www.shure.com Booth #5845

Streaming to mobile listeners with low latency, Barix’s AudioPoint 3.0 audio-to-mobile platform seamlessly brings IP audio delivery to digital signage and live-presentation applications. The AudioPoint Pro server extends the reach of AudioPoint 3.0 by enabling simultaneous delivery of unicast streams to thousands of listeners on their own devices. Combining powerful hardware with free iOS and Android apps, AudioPoint 3.0 streams audio to smartphones and mobile devices over local Wi-Fi in near-perfect synchronization with associated displays and live presentations. Whereas the AudioPoint 3.0 encoder hardware directly supports up to 250 simultaneous listeners, the AudioPoint Pro server takes the output from the encoder and distributes it to more than 2,000 subscribers.

AudioPoint 3.0 and AudioPoint Pro are suitable for enhancing digital signage; live translation and presentation support in corporate, worship and educational settings; and as a direct-to-listener personal audio delivery system for volume-sensitive environments.

Barix www.barix.com Booth #5457

Vanco International has released 2 lines of ultra-high-speed HDMI cables with Ethernet, providing integrators with futureproof solutions for today’s full 4K and HDR installations. As 4K becomes the new norm and 8K is breaking through, the HDMI 2.1 specification is becoming increasingly desirable. Available in 1', 3' and 6' lengths with both PVC and premium metal connectors, Vanco’s HD8K and PROHD8K ultra-highspeed HDMI cables with Ethernet are backwards compatible and address the needs of today’s 8K installations and beyond. Both series offer an uncompressed bandwidth of 48Gb/s and support resolutions up to 10K, plus 8K@60Hz, 4:4:4 Chroma and 4K@120Hz. Transmission of HDR video is also possible, as is support for the wide-angle theatrical 21:9 video aspect ratio. The cables also feature enhanced eARC for simplified connectivity, and they’ve been EMI tested to ensure minimal interference with wireless signals.

Vanco International www.vanco1.com Booth #561

Visionary Solutions’ PacketAV Duet Wallplate Encoder provides powerful 4K ultra-HD video and Dante/ AES67 audio encoding over Gigabit Ethernet in a convenient wallplate form factor. It can be easily mounted in a wall, tabletop, lectern or floorbox using a standard 2-gang US or UK backbox (no modification to backbox required), and connected to power (standard PoE) and Ethernet using only a single category cable. A 45° Ethernet connector allows easy access from any side of electrical boxes while providing bend radius relief for category cable.

Visionary Solutions www.sndcom.us/packetavduet Booth #3914

118 Sound & Communications June 2019

INFOCOMM 2019 NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT SoundTube Entertainment’s TS81-EZ

Tectonic Audio Labs’ DML500

Rose Electronics’ Active Optical Cables

Visix’s Touch Room Signs

TECTONIC AUDIO LABS

SOUNDTUBE ENTERTAINMENT

ROSE ELECTRONICS

VISIX

DML500

TS81-EZ

ACTIVE OPTICAL CABLES

TOUCH ROOM SIGNS

Tectonic Audio Labs has introduced the DML500 series speaker. Featuring advanced plate material, geometry, boundary conditions and excitation points, the DML500 evenly distributes the bending wave modes across the frequency range, producing high intelligibility with extremely wide and predominantly diffuse sound coverage. The sound-radiation characteristics make the DML more tolerant to room dimensions and construction for a sympathetic acoustic interaction with any space. Lighter, thinner and easier to mount than its predecessor, DML500 specifications include frequency response of 100Hz to 20kHz, sensitivity of 92dB @ 1W/1M and nominal impendence measured at 8Ω. By combining the art of sound and complex mathematics, DML500 offers a 21st-century approach to speaker technology that confers significant benefits to the end user.

Tectonic Audio Labs www.sndcom.us/tectonicdml500 Booth #7360 Demo Room: Hilton Orlando, Lake Highland Suite

SoundTube Entertainment’s TS81-EZ is an 8" coaxial drop-in ceiling-tile speaker featuring a built-in transformer that can be wired to 25V, 70.7V and 100V amplifiers. Designed to deliver high-quality audio for a range of applications, the TS81-EZ features 8Ω bypass, 102dB maximum output and a 90Hz to 22kHz frequency response. Engineered for easy drop-in ceiling installation, the TS81-EZ fits standard 2x2 ceiling tile T-Bar systems with a punched speaker grill, intended to blend with acoustic ceiling tiles. Suited for offices, retail, gyms, airports, theme parks, transportation, schools and other locations with drop-in ceiling tiles, the TS81-EZ reduces installation time and cost by providing a simple plug-and-play solution.

The TS81-EZ delivers smooth and even coverage and provides true intelligibility, quality sound and quick installation.

SoundTube Entertainment www.mseaudio.com Booth #6069

Rose Electronics has released a line of Active Optical Cables (AOC) with a variety of connectors, including HDMI A, HDMI D, DisplayPort, Mini DP, DVI, USB A and USB C. These cables transmit high-resolution video, audio and data up to 330'. All the optics and electronics are embedded in the cable head to provide a sleek and streamlined installation.

No external power supply is needed, because it is derived from the video source and display. Rose AOC cables come in many styles, such as with fixed heads, detachable heads and differing connector heads at each end with built-in signal conversion.

Optional cable features available include plenum-rated (CMP); lowsmoke, zero-halogen (LSZH); and armored for rugged environments.

Active Optical Cables are suited for digital signage, presentation venues, hotels and restaurants, medical facilities, retail locations, industrial settings, military sites and many other environments.

Rose Electronics www.rose.com Booth #2861

Visix has debuted its Touch interactive meeting room sign, featuring a new user interface that offers more customization options. Touch room signs are driven by Visix’s AxisTV Signage Suite software and support calendar display and bidirectional booking with Exchange and Office 365. Using the platform’s intuitive design tools and CMS scheduler, clients can customize both playback layouts and the onscreen booking interface on the 10" touchscreens. Users can tailor logos, fonts, colors, backgrounds, interactive buttons, spacing and placement of screen elements, as well as selecting and formatting schedule data. The signs can also be wrapped with custom faceplates to match organizational branding or environmental décor. Touch room signs have availability lights on both sides of the unit. They easily surface mount or recess in walls right out of the box, and also have an optional glass-mounting kit.

Visix www.visix.com Booth #2321

June 2019

Sound & Communications 119

INFOCOMM 2019 NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT AJA Video Systems’ IPT-10G2-SDI

L-Acoustics’ LS10 Atlona’s OME-PS62

Shure’s MXA910 with IntelliMix

Renewed Vision’s PVP 3.3

ProVideoInstruments’ VeCOAX BROADCAST

Luminex’s LumiNode

Riedel Communications’ MediorNet

120 Sound & Communications June 2019

INFOCOMM 2019 NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT AJA VIDEO SYSTEMS

LUMINEX

SHURE

ATLONA

IPT-10G2-HDMI AND IPT-10G2-SDI

LUMINODE

MXA910 WITH INTELLIMIX

OME-PS62

AJA Video Systems’ IPT-10G2HDMI and IPT-10G2-SDI are IP video transmitters for bridging traditional HDMI and 3G-SDI signals to SMPTE ST 2110 for IP-based workflows. They provide a bridge from existing baseband sources to SMPTE ST 2110 infrastructure, and they’re suited for point-of-acquisition and contribution applications, including broadcast studios, newsrooms, stadiums, and other live-event and commercial-AV environments. Additional feature highlights include a compact, rugged, quiet fanless design; 2 10 GigE SFP+ ports for SMPTE ST 2110 stream transmission with hitless switching (ST 2022-7) support; an RJ45 port for remote setup and configuration; full 10-bit pixel processing pipeline; up to 16 channels of embedded audio (SDI) and 8 channels (HDMI), 24-bit per channel, 48kHz synchronous, or 2 channels of dual RCA analog audio; 1 mini-USB port for quick network setup with free AJA eMini-Setup software; and 5-year warranty and support.

AJA Video Systems www.aja.com Booth #1127

Luminex’s LumiNode range of MK2 nodes has an innovative new interface. It effectively handles all current protocols, anticipates future protocols and can adapt easily to any network infrastructure. LumiNode consists of 3 main models: LumiNode 2 has 4 processing engines and 2 DMX outputs, LumiNode 4 has 6 processing engines and 4 DMX outputs, and LumiNode 12 has 16 processing engines and 12 DMX outputs. The LumiNode 1 is the smallest device, intended to accompany network technicians like a multi-tool. It has 2 processing engines and 1 DMX output.

Luminex www.luminex.be Booth #6967

The new Shure MXA910 with IntelliMix represents the next evolution in the Microflex Advance Ceiling Array Mic platform, with a variety of mounting options as well as efficient setup and configuration. Unlike conventional mics, its Steerable Coverage Technology is completely adjustable and can be selected using onboard presets. By integrating Shure Steerable Coverage technology alongside proprietary IntelliMix DSP, the new MXA910 now becomes a more powerful audio solution. The onboard IntelliMix provides a robust set of tools—acoustic echo cancellation, noise reduction and automatic mixing—that deliver all the signal processing needed for echo- and noise-free audio in AV conferencing applications.

Shure www.shure.com Booth #5845

Atlona’s OME-PS62 matrix presentation switcher is part of its Omega family of AV collaboration and presentation products. The OME-PS62 is a 6x2 switcher featuring 3 HDMI inputs and 2 HDBaseT inputs alongside a USB-C AV input for direct, BYOD-friendly interfacing with the latest mobile devices and laptops. The USB-C interface also can be used for data connectivity to the OME-PS62’s integrated USB 2.0 hub, as well as charging the connected device.

The switcher features HDBaseT and HDMI outputs, 4K/60 4:4:4 capability for all inputs and the HDMI output, and USB extension over HDBaseT. Highquality, 4K downscaling and upscaling on the unit’s HDMI output preserve color and spatial detail when converting content between 4K and 1080p for mixed-format presentation and display applications. The OME-PS62’s integrated USB extension capabilities combine with compatible Omega Series transmitters and receivers to address the challenge of connecting between USB devices at remote locations.

Atlona www.sndcom.us/atlonaomeps62 Booth #3012

PROVIDEOINSTRUMENTS VECOAX BROADCAST ProVideoInstruments’ VeCOAX BROADCAST can install multiple input cards to accommodate all your signals, such as OTA antennas, dish antennas, HDMI SDI AV video source feeds, incoming IP streaming from the internet or other sources, 4K video sources, IPTV, videowall processors, media and computer players, and any other combination of TV signal feeds.

It satisfies the broadcast need for rackmount, dual-power-supply, 24/7 operation and hot-swap customizable modules, together with an integrated IP switch allowing separation between management and IP streaming for security in big installations.

ProVideoInstruments www.provideoinstruments.com Booth #961

RIEDEL COMMUNICATIONS MEDIORNET Riedel Communications’ MediorNet Processing App provides an advanced suite of powerful, decentralized signal processing capabilities to every MediorNet network. Built on the MicroN 80Gb media-distribution hardware, the app adds up/down/ cross-conversion, color correction and mulitviewers. MicroN is designed to support 4K and IP workflows and uses software apps to extend the device from basic signal transport and distribution to full video router functionality. Standard integrated signal processing including frame sync/frame store, audio embedder/de-embedder, test pattern generator and audio/video delays, allows MicroN to simplify signal paths and workflows while eliminating the need for dedicated processing boxes. The decentralized concept of MediorNet allows hardware to be placed exactly where it’s needed, leveraging the network for sources while reducing system complexity and overall cabling requirements.

Riedel Communications www.riedel.net Booth #6261

L-ACOUSTICS LS10 L-Acoustics’ LS10 is a plug-andplay, Avnu-certified AVB switch that integrates seamlessly within the L-Acoustics ecosystem to further simplify connectivity, binding audio and control distribution together.

LS10 runs AVB out of the box to provide users with a simple and reliable network solution. With front and rear connectivity, the rugged LS10 can be easily mounted in the LA-RAK II, distributing audio and control to amplified controllers or other LARAK II through 8 Ethernet connectors and 2 SFP cages for fiberoptic transceivers. 2 units can be coupled side-by-side in a 1RU rack space for effortless redundancy. LS10 is suited for touring events and installation applications. Its 5sec. power-up time provides an extremely short recovery time in case of power loss, and for even greater reliability, an auxiliary DC input (24V) takes over in case of a mains failure. Furthermore, a GPO can trigger external devices in the event of fault detection.

L-Acoustics www.l-acoustics.com Booth #6867 Demo Room #W221DE

RENEWED VISION PVP 3.3 Renewed Vision has made enhancements to its PVP3 multi-screen media server, video processor and screencontrol solution for live production environments. The new PVP 3.3 software adds support for “key and fill” capability for SDI outputs, video input crosspoints, per-layer content masking and custom content cropping. PVP 3.3 is also NDI-capable. Video input crosspoint capability is of particular use in dynamic live production environments because it allows users to reference an input slot on cues. With this update, PVP users can quickly make any changes to an input slot, with automatic updates to cues that reference the input action. PVP 3.3’s per-layer content masking also adds value by allowing users to apply dynamic alpha effects to video by binding 2 layers together.

Renewed Vision www.sndcom.us/rvpvp33 Booth #2471

June 2019

Sound & Communications 121

INFOCOMM 2019 NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

FSR’s Air Switcher

Rolls’ RM316

WyreStorm’s MXV-0808-H2A-70 Epson America’s Moverio Assist

WYRESTORM

ROLLS

EPSON AMERICA

FSR

MXV-0606-H2A-70 AND MXV-0808-H2A-70

RM316

MOVERIO ASSIST

AIR SWITCHER

Rolls’ RM316 3-Zone Mixer combines 3 mics or XLR line-level signals with 3 RCA linelevel source inputs. Each input is switch selected to output to any combination of 3 zone outputs.

The outputs are all balanced phoenix connectors; remote volume provides each zone with the means for external remote volume control. The mic inputs feature selectable ducking and paging for each individual zone.

The RM316 is easy for anyone to use from the front; from the rear, it is just complex enough that it will fill even the most demanding 3-zone installation requirements.

The RM316 is a good solution for restaurants, offices, nightclubs, etc.

Rolls www.sndcom.us/rollsrm316 Booth #1229

Epson America’s Moverio Assist is an easy-to-use, “see-what-I-see” remoteassistance and inspection solution using Moverio smart glasses for use in the AV industry, whether for difficult repairs or preinstallation inspection. By enabling real-time collaboration between remote experts and on-site field personnel wearing the glasses, Moverio Assist helps make repairs quicker and with fewer mistakes, leading to increased productivity, improved customer satisfaction and reduced travel costs. Unlike using handheld tablets or smartphones, field technicians wearing Moverio glasses have their hands free to make repairs while collaborating in real-time. Powered

by Epson’s Si-OLED display technology, field technicians can view instructions, photos, PDFs and videos in high quality, and they also have a wearable display that will minimize obstruction and be virtually transparent. Available on a per-glasses, monthly subscription basis, Moverio Assist service offers an affordable, hands-free remote assistance solution for small, medium and large enterprises.

Epson America www.epson.com Booth #2129

FSR’s 2x1 scaling Air Switcher is suited for smart workspaces such as boardrooms, classrooms or any environment that benefits from content sharing. The switcher provides simple connections via wireless or wired connections.

The wireless connection is standard 802.11n and supports Miracast and AirPlay. The switcher also supports dual-network capability, allowing users to connect via a corporate or guest network, providing the security demanded.

It features a built-in scaler that supports 1080p, and it also provides the ability to remotely monitor active Wi-Fi signals broadcasting in real time. Its auto-switch capability allows the active HDMI signal to switch to wireless input, avoiding an additional control system or manual intervention. The unit also features low-latency mouse control for additional source selection and annotation. A Win10 extended desktop allows the presenter to view information on his/her screen, and compliance with USB HID touch technology allows it to work with whiteboards and annotation.

FSR www.fsrinc.com Booth #3942

WyreStorm has announced 2 additions to its MXV range of matrix switchers. All models have the ability to handle both 2160p HDR and 8-bit content at 4:4:4, feeding up to 8 independent zones.

They also feature mirrored HDMI outputs to feed up to an additional 4 screens and audio breakout for each HDBaseT zone. The 2 newest models, the MXV-0606-H2A-70 and MXV-0808-H2A-70 matrix switchers, are specifically tailored to meet the increased demands of distances up to 230'. With ease of installation at its heart, the range of MXV matrices, with plug-and-play setup, ensure support for the latest source content.

WyreStorm www.wyrestorm.com Booth #4561

122 Sound & Communications June 2019

INFOCOMM 2019 NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT IHSE USA

KANEXPRO

LEA PROFESSIONAL

BLACKMAGIC DESIGN

R488

DTVGAMECONTROL INTEGRATION

CONNECT 704D

ATEM CONSTELLATION 8K

LEA Professional’s Connect 704D is a 4-channel, 700W professionalgrade amp suited for small- to medium-scale installations. This 4-channel amp features direct HiZ (70V or 100V) or LoZ, selectable by channel. With 3 ways to connect, users can engage the built in Wi-Fi access point, connect to the venue’s Wi-Fi or use the FAST Ethernet to connect to any local area network via Cat5 or Cat6 cable. The LEA Professional Connect Series professional amp family features cloud connectivity (coming at the end of this year). Users can harness the power of the cloud for remote control, monitoring, notifications and more from any personal device. Just connect the amp to a network and start commanding the systems. The Connect 704D also features analog inputs, Dante inputs and external I/O control for remote on/off and fault monitoring.

LEA Professional www.sndcom.us/leaconnect704d Booth #5889

Blackmagic Design’s ATEM Constellation 8K is an ultra-HD live production switcher featuring 4 M/Es, 40 12G-SDI inputs, 24 12G-SDI aux outputs, 4 DVEs, 16 keyers, 4 media players, 4 multiviewers, 2 SuperSource and standards conversion on every SDI input. When switched to 8K, all these features combine to make a powerful 8K switcher. ATEM Constellation 8K features a compact, 2RU, rackmount design with a built-in control panel. This allows operation of the switcher, critical during setup or for emergency use.

Also included is a large LCD so customers can see program output and change switcher settings via onscreen menus. The switcher offers balanced audio, Ethernet, RS422 control and MADI digital audio extra inputs to the internal Fairlight audio mixer.

Blackmagic Design www.blackmagicdesign.com Booth #4001

IHSE USA’s R488 Secure IP Remote Access (SIRA) Gateway for KVM reduces the time and cost associated with managing multisite computer sources by combining networked workstations and local computers under a single display-management system. For industry applications like video production or broadcasting, workflow is improved when operators can share multiple computer sources.

The SIRA Gateway adds more flexibility to the Draco tera matrix series without sacrificing securely isolating the core matrix and signal management from TCP/IP. Encrypted signal transmission via IP ensures protection of intellectual property while still offering the most flexible access to matrices connected from remote locations via private or public networks.

Because the SIRA Gateway uses TCP/ IP for its communications protocol across the internet and translates it to the IHSE closed-loop protocol, computers connected to the fixed KVM switch can be accessed from remote locations.

IHSE USA www.ihseusa.com Booth #4123

KanexPro has partnered with DTVGameControl, a solution designed for controlling and managing video tiling and videowalls in sports bars and restaurants. KanexPro will feature DTVGameControl in select AV-overIP products, including the Network AV-over-IP Encoder (EXT-NETAVTX) and Decoder (EXT-NETAVRX), for enhanced videowall and multi-view control. By incorporating DTVGameControl in KanexPro products, end users can manage and control DirecTV, Dish Network, cable receivers, video tilers and videowalls.

DTVGameControl features “Game Day” tabs to detail current sporting events for quick access to the latest game, without having to spend time searching through channels.

Through DTVGameControl, televisions will automatically turn on each device at a scheduled time on the desired set channel.

KanexPro www.kanexpro.com Booth #1367

IHSE USA’s R488 LEA Professional’s Connect 704D

KanexPro’s EXT-NETAVTX

Blackmagic Design’s ATEM Constellation 8K

June 2019

Sound & Communications 123

INFOCOMM 2019 NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

Neutrik’s mediaCON

ACE Backstage’s 174SLBK

MXL Microphones’ AC-44 Pliant Technologies’ FleXLR

MXL MICROPHONES

NEUTRIK

AC-44

MEDIACON

MXL Microphones’ AC-44 USB conferencing mic offers clear speech intelligibility in a compact design for applications in UCC, conferencing, medical, telemedicine, legal, government and specialty OEM applications.

The AC-44 utilizes MXL’s signature 3-capsule boundary mic design to capture speech in a wide arc while rejecting sound pickup from sources behind the back of the mic, such as speakers, other equipment or room noise. With a compact footprint measuring only 2.5"x3" and 1" tall, the AC-44 is suited for any limited-space application, such as medical carts, legal chambers or small office cubicles.

The AC-44 is designed with a rugged, all-metal frame and durable metal grill to ensure it can withstand the rigors of daily use in busy industrial environments. The MXL AC-44 is available in 3 different colors: white, black and cobalt blue.

MXL Microphones www.mxlmics.com Booth #3725

Neutrik’s mediaCON products include lockable USB Type-C cable assemblies and chassis connectors for PCBmounted USB IF receptacles, with all components designed for data rates up to 10Gb/s, 100W power and 10,000 mating cycles. They are suitable for interconnecting hard drives, video monitors and more. Neutrik’s mediaCON product line consists of 2 chassis connectors and 2 lengths of cable assemblies. The mediaCON chassis connectors, with their push-pull locking mechanism, can be mounted from the front or rear. NMC-C is the standard mediaCON receptacle, without an electrical component. NMC-CHR adds an integrated USB IF-approved receptacle. mediaCON cable assemblies are available in 2 different lengths: 0.5m and 1m. Most of the cable connector’s molded casing disappears as it is plugged into the mediaCON receptacle and locks in place. mediaCON receptacles accept any cable equipped with a USB Type-C connector, and mediaCON cable assemblies fit all USB Type-C receptacles.

Neutrik www.neutrik.us Booth #6361

124 Sound & Communications June 2019

ACE BACKSTAGE

PLIANT TECHNOLOGIES

174SLBK

FLEXLR

Designed for permanent stage floor installation, ACE Backstage’s new 174SLBK Stage Pocket System accepts 1 expander unit and 2, 3-gang plates for convenient onstage access to both digital I/O and additional customized connectivity. Compatible with either the Allen & Heath DX164-W or DiGiCo A164 expander unit, this contemporary floorbox purposely moves digital connectivity from a wall installation directly into the stage floor, where it is most conveniently accessed ACE Backstage www.acebackstage.com Booth #6449

Pliant Technologies’ FleXLR series of gender adaptors are designed to a be a very low-profile solution to the problem of XLR adaptor dongles, as the FleXLR adds only 10mm to the pack when inserted. There are 2 versions of FleXLR to solve many headset adaptation scenarios.

The PAC-FLX-44 is a 2-sided 4-pin female to 4-pin female adaptor that allows 4-pin male headsets to be used where a common 4-pin female headset is used. The PAC-FLX-45 is a 2-sided 4-pin female to 5-pin female adaptor for applications where a 5-pin male headset is preferred.

Pliant Technologies www.sndcom.us/pliantflexlr Booth #5447

NEWS

Compiled by Amanda Mullen

AVIXA Congratulates The First APEx Company In India AVIXA has recognized Aesthetix Technologies India Pvt Ltd. as India’s first AV Provider of Excellence (APEx). APEx is AVIXA’s recognition program for companies that set high standards for employee training and certification and meet their clients’ needs by delivering integrated experiences. With its APEx designation, Aesthetix joins a group of almost 90 integration companies and AV design consulting firms worldwide.

To receive APEx recognition, a company must demonstrate a high level of service quality and technical capability by building a team of Certified Technology Specialists (CTS), adhering to AVIXA performance standards and proving ongoing customer satisfaction. AVIXA’s CTS certification is accredited by the American National Standards Institute under the International Organization of Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) ISO/IEC 17024:2012 General Requirements for Bodies Operating Certification Schemes of Persons program.

Although many of Aesthetix Technologies’ employees already hold CTS certifications, Sudan Mylsamy, Managing Director of Aesthetix Technologies, is intent on adding to the company’s staff of certified professionals.

“We want to ensure most of the technical team is certified, not only because we wish to retain our APEx designation, but also because we believe that education is one commodity of which we can never have a surplus,” Mylsamy said. “It trains our team to think clearly and act right.”

CALENDAR June

GlobalShop 2019 June 25–27 Chicago IL Emerald Expositions, LLC www.globalshop.org LSI – Light & Sound Interactive June 25–27 Rochester NY Light & Sound Interactive www.lightandsoundinteractive.org

August

The DJ Expo Aug. 12–15 Atlantic City NJ Testa Communications www.thedjexpo.com Integrate in Association with AVIXA, CEDIA Aug. 27–29 South Wharf, Australia Diversified Communications Australia www.integrate-expo.com

L-Acoustics Cultivates Abundant Sound At The Grove When The Grove Community Church of Riverside CA built its current worship center more than a dozen years ago, Olympia WA-based CCI Solutions facilitated the design and installation of the sound system for its 1,800-seat main auditorium. Since that time, like many churches, The Grove’s music sets have gradually moved toward a more contemporary praise style, requiring a robust sound system to best capture both the band’s impact and vocalists’ intelligibility.

So, when CCI Solutions recently got the call to once again assess the room’s sonic needs, the integrator recommended a new system built on L-Acoustics’ Kara(i) and Kiva II platforms.

“The Grove definitely takes a more contemporary approach to music, but the only thing that’s safe to expect is the unexpected,” CCI Solutions VP of Sales and Integration, Duke DeJong, noted. “Their team is highly creative and dynamic, so they mix it up pretty regularly going from a traditional worship set with a 25-piece choir and full orchestra one week to a high-energy, modern worship music set the next. They really needed a system that could handle it all, and we knew that L-Acoustics would certainly deliver.”

Using L-Acoustics’ Soundvision 3D real-time acoustical modeling software, CCI Solutions Project Lead Mark Pearson explored numerous designs and ultimately specified a system featuring left and right main arrays each comprised of 11 Kara(i) enclosures with eight SB18i subs flown in a central horizontal array between them. Twin arrays of six smaller Kiva II enclosures are hung outside of the Kara to address the wide room’s far left and right seating areas, while KS28 subs are ground-stacked two per side under each end of the stage thrust. Several coaxial X8 and X12 enclosures are utilized for various fill applications, and eight amplified controllers power the entire system: six LA8 for the Kara/Kiva II and SB18i, an LA4X for the coaxial fills and an LA12X for the KS28.

“Thanks to the right products and people, this project was a huge success, and I would rank it in my top three system designs of my 20-year history at CCI Solutions,” Pearson concluded.

Almo Professional A/V Expands Distribution Partnership With Christie Almo Professional A/V and Christie have expanded their Latin American distribution partnership into the US. As a result, Christie’s high-lumen and laser projectors, LCD panels and Christie MicroTiles LED are now available to Almo resellers and integrators nationwide. Christie has also joined the Fall 2019 Almo E4 Experience, which takes place in the New York NY area in September and Atlanta GA in October.

“We are expanding our relationship with Christie into the US to give our distribution partners greater access to projectors and displays from a well-established, technology-leading brand,” Sam Taylor, Executive VP and COO for Almo Professional A/V, explained. “As part of the expansion, we are offering our US partners ongoing education about the Christie products, along with sales, service and technical support from our Business Development Manager team. Having Christie participate in the E4 Experience this fall gives local partners the ability to see the impressive lineup in action and learn more about how to incorporate these products into their AV projects.”

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NEWS Middle Atlantic Strengthens Support For AV Standards Development Middle Atlantic Products is increasing its participation in AVIXA’s AV standards program. Tim Troast, VP of Middle Atlantic, has been appointed to AVIXA’s Standards Steering Committee after serving as the moderator for AVIXA’s newly released Rack Building Standard for Audiovisual Systems. Jay Franetovich, CTS, Application Engineer/Product Manager at Middle Atlantic, stepped up his role on the task group and was appointed to create the new standard focused on Rack Design, filling in the co-moderator responsibility. In addition, Scott Lowder, the company’s Director of Product Development, is providing his expertise to refresh

AVIXA’s Energy Management for Audiovisual Systems.

“Standards are the foundation for better designed, more reliably installed AV systems,” Troast said. “As a global manufacturer, Middle Atlantic has been invested in the development process since Bob Schluter served as a contributing member to the original energy management standard over five years ago. We’re continuing that commitment by participating in the development of and supporting standards where our input is valuable and relevant.”

The AVIXA Standards Steering Committee is made up of nine members who serve

PMA Research Publishes March ‘Top 5’ Projector Lists PMA Research posted its most recent Projector Tracking Service results to the “Top-Selling Projectors” area of its website. For more than 25 years, PMA Research has collected monthly sell-through data from leading US projector dealers, retailers, web resellers and distributors. The company’s Tracking Service family of monthly reports offers data and analysis on unit sales, true volume-weighted street prices and inventories of front projectors for these channels. Each month, PMA Research posts its “Top 5” Projector Lists in multiple categories.

For 4K ultra-HD projector sales, Optoma had a trio of projectors make the “Top 5” list in March.

The UHD50 was the month’s best-selling 4K ultra-HD projector, and the UHD60 and UHD51ALV came in third and fifth, respectively. BenQ took the number two spot on the 4K ultra-HD “Top 5” list with its TK800. ViewSonic rounded out this March list with its PX747-4K in fourth place.

In the Laser-Phosphor projector segment, the March results showed Maxell (Hitachi) in the number one spot with the LP-TW4001. Epson had a trio of PowerLite projectors make this “Top 5” list, with the L610U, L510U and L400U coming in second, third and fifth, respectively. Sony rounded out March’s “Top 5” list with its VPL-PHZ10 taking the fourth spot among laser-phosphor projectors.

Among Mainstream projectors (between 1,000 and 4,999 lumens), Epson nearly swept the “Top 5” list in March. Three PowerLite models—the 109W, 107 and X39—came in first, second and third, respectively. Epson’s BrightLink 685Wi took the fifth spot. NEC’s NP-ME331X rounded out the March Mainstream projector list in the fourth spot.

MSolutions Appoints Herman As Distributor For The US Herman, a provider of professional AV products, procurement services and labor resources to integrators in the commercial AV industry, has entered into a partnership with MSolutions to provide distribution of its HDBaseT MS-TestPro testers and HDBaseT system components in the US. The MS-TestPro is an HDBaseT testing device that allows users to quickly and clearly see and understand what is in the “black box” of the HDBaseT link.

“MSolutions is devoted to developing technologically advanced, high-quality HDBaseT testers along with a wide range of HDBaseT system components and other innovative, reliable and cost-effective HDBaseT based devices,” Eliran Toren, Co-Founder and CEO of MSolutions, said.

“Our flagship MS-TestPro tester is a mobile-friendly solution that can be accessed on any laptop or smartphone, enabling technicians, integrators and AV road crews to employ it anywhere and everywhere to analyze HDBaseT cabling installations within minutes. Herman is a leader in the commercial AV industry with an expansive presence in the US. We are proud to be represented by them, along with many of their industry-leading manufacturers.”

126 Sound & Communications June 2019

three-year terms, making recommendations for standards development as they relate to AVIXA’s strategic plan. As AVIXA’s official American National Standards Institute (ANSI) consensus body, the Standards Steering Committee approves completed standards before they are sent for public review, ANSI approval and subsequent publication.

“AVIXA receives hundreds of requests for AV standards, and, with the guidance of the Steering Committee, we can home in on standards that are currently pressing and make the biggest impact,” Ann Brigida, AVIXA’s Senior Director of Standards, added.

ATS-Professional Launches Sprolink Video Solutions In The US ATS-Professional, a new wholesale division of Activate the Space, announced that it is now the exclusive distributor of Sprolink Video Solutions in the US. The company will manage the sales, distribution and support of the entire Sprolink line of video scalers, switchers, converters and extenders throughout the US. The staff at ATS-Professional comes with experience from its parent group, Activate the Space, which focuses on products related to LED displays and media head-end systems.

Sprolink Video Solutions will offer 4K 60 4:4:4 video processing solutions with PIP, in addition to its PIP-based 2K solutions.

“Having worked with some of the best independent sales representatives in the US, combined with our unparalleled knowledge and support operation for all things related to video processing and LED systems, our team will deliver a powerful, solution-based business and partnership opportunity to AV dealers and systems integrators in the US,” Chris Pelzar, CEO and Founder, ATS-Professional, said. “We are honored that Sprolink has selected ATS-Professional to represent them, and we are truly excited to show the AV market what we have to offer.”

SPROLINK Science & Technology Co., Ltd. is based in Xiamen and Shenzhen, China and is composed of a group of engineers and developers. ATS-Professional is exhibiting the entire Sprolink product line at this year’s InfoComm show.

PEOPLE

Compiled by Amanda Mullen

R. Zabel

G. Wicka

E. Mayer

C. Johnson

S. Seable

M. Sipe

A. Watson

N. Agevik

S. Millager

O. Juste

R. Komendera

S. Saltzman

J. Forsythe

R. Keeler

E. Henry

R. Davidson

J. Shike

C. Malmgren

V. Luciani

C. Jose

Riedel hired Rich Zabel as VP of Sales for North Americas…LG Electronics USA named Garry Wicka as VP of Marketing for LG Business Solutions…NEC Display Solutions of America appointed Betsy Larson as Senior VP of Sales…d&b audiotechnik appointed Eric Mayer as VP of Sales America, promoted Casey Johnson to Senior Manager of Business Development and hired Steve Seable as Business Development Manager…MSE Audio appointed Michael Sipe to VP of US Sales and named Aja Watson as Customer Relations Manager…

Propellerhead Software named Niklas Agevik as CEO…64 Audio promoted Stewart Millager to COO…Ross Video hired Oscar Juste as VP of Sales…SurgeX promoted Rick Komendera to Director of Sales and

appointed Scott Saltzman as Major Account Manager…EAW named Jeremy Forsythe as Director of Product Management…CEDIA appointed Robert Keeler as Senior Director of Sales, Sponsorships and Partnerships…Nortek Security & Control appointed Eldon Henry as Latin America Sales Manager, CI and Security Channels…Community Professional Loudspeakers hired Rob Davidson as EMEA Sales Manager…Advanced Systems Group (ASG) welcomed John Shike as Key Accounts Manager…dBTechnologies hired Christopher Malmgren as Tour Applications Specialist…SurgeX welcomed Vince Luciani as Senior Sales Engineer and hired Cherian Jose as Consultant Liaison….

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PRODUCTS Compiled by Amanda Mullen

Arista’s Video Projection Mapping Turnkey System

Arista’s Video Projection Mapping Turnkey System is designed as an all-in-one solution for projection-mapping applications. It consists of 2 major sections: a video processing computer and an integrated transmitter/receiver cluster capable of accommodating up to 16 HDBaseT transmitters.

The system is pre-configured, resulting in a streamlined setup that simply requires connecting and disconnecting etherCON cables to and from the projectors. The system integrates a 4U rackmount computer named QuadMosaic—powered by an Intel Xeon 10-core processor that can be upgraded.

The system is populated with 128GB DDR4-2400 system memory and can be upgraded.

5 swappable 2TB SATA HDDs are installed and configured in a RAID-5 configuration with one spare SATA HDD. This configuration provides 6TB storage capacity and maximum data protection to prevent data loss.

Arista Corp. www.aristaproav.com

Platinum Tools’ Pocket Cable Tester

Platinum Tools’ MapMaster mini RJ45 pocket cable tester determines wire condition—evaluating whether wires are good or faulty—and displays it on an LCD display. A set of 5 mapping remotes is included for locating cables terminated in wall jacks or patch panels. The MapMaster mini also identifies the patch panel port where network cable is terminated, and it can find and fix the position of exposed or hidden cables. Additional features include: the ability to display TIA/EIA568A/B wiremap sequence; the ability to identify network ID-only remotes set #1-5; compatibility up to 2 test and map remotes; the ability to identify unlabeled network cables; and a single multi-function button that operates test functions, tone generation and ID-only remotes location.

Platinum Tools www.platinumtools.com

DiGiCo’s Card

DiGiCo’s 4REA4 I/O can now be incorporated into the manufacturer’s S-Series consoles with the release of the A3232 DMI card. The A3232 ports are capable of up to 32 inputs and 32 outputs over a proprietary Ethernet connection and connect to the A168 stage and A164 WALL and FLOOR units. These racks can also be cascaded on a single A3232 port or used as pairs of redundant devices. 2 new ASTAR ports expand this further, with each capable of up to 128 inputs and 128 outputs when connected to the ASTAR unit, which then splits the 128 I/O into 4 A3232 ports.

This allows installers to have a single run back to the processing engine, but with distributed remote local I/O where it’s needed.

As part of this upgrade, recently launched S21-Stage48 and S31Stage48 systems are offered with 48 mic inputs from stage via 3 A168 STAGE racks.

DiGiCo www.digico.biz

Sony’s 8K Display

Sony’s FWD-98Z9G 98" 8K BRAVIA professional display offers high picture quality, as well as vivid detail, color and contrast with High Dynamic Range (HDR).

This new model features Sony’s next-generation image processor, the X1 Ultimate, equipped with an 8K ultra-resolution algorithm that enables 8K up-conversion of any content. The chip is engineered specifically for processing 4K and 8K images and includes a dynamic contrast enhancer, Super Bit Mapping HDR and Precision Color Mapping with the ability to automatically detect hundreds of objects and enhance their quality.

The FWD-98Z9G also utilizes of Sony’s Backlight Master Drive technology, which includes a newly developed LED module.

The model incorporates the design and feature set of Sony’s 8K LCD Z9G TV, along with a 3-year limited warranty.

Sony www.sony.com/professional

DiGiCo’s A3232 Platinum Tools’ MapMaster mini RJ45

Arista’s Video Projection Mapping Turnkey System

Sony’s FWD-98Z9G 8K Display 128 Sound & Communications June 2019

PRODUCTS Kramer’s Audio Matrix

Kramer’s AFM-20DSP audio matrix provides configuration flexibility and eliminates I/O limitations with its 20 interchangeable analog audio ports, enabling AV professionals to have more functionality. The AFM-20DSP packs 8 AEC channels, auto feedback suppression, Dante support, built-in Hi-Z and Lo-Z 120W power amplification, and complete DSP functionality powered

by Xilica. In regard to video requirements, AFM-20DSP provides HDMI embedding and de-embedding at 4K60 4:2:0.

It also offers both fixed and open architecture, enabling AV professionals to use predefined sound configurations or configure a system from scratch.

Kramer www.kramerav.com

K-array’s Speaker

K-array’s new Vyper-KV25 is an ultra-flat passive speaker that is half the length of its predecessor comprised of four 1" neodymium magnet transducers featuring Pure Array Technology to deliver homogeneous coverage with crystal clear audio housed in an elegant and resistant aluminum chassis.

For easier use and integration with other speakers or amplifiers, the Vyper accommodates 2 different values of impedance (8Ω– 32Ω) with the benefit of joining up to 8 units powered from a single amplifier channel at the 32Ω. The VyperKV25 offers a solutions for larger rooms with higher sound requirements needed in a more compact form that the longer Vyper-KV52, such as pubs, small conference and boardrooms, lounges and hotel lobbies.

K-array www.k-array.com

Casio’s Projectors

Casio’s Superior Series of LampFree projectors offers brightness up to 4,000 lumens. As the company’s first WUXGA projector series, the new models provide full-HD resolution with crisp images and vibrant colors. With a 1.7x zoom lens, the Superior Series increases flexibility with installations, as the projectors fit into many existing brackets.

The Superior Series features the next generation of Casio’s mercury-free Laser and LED hybrid light source. The R-Hybrid Light Source can sustain high brightness with enhanced colors and clarity. This light source also offers the hallmarks of Casio’s previous technology including a service life of up to 20,000 hours without the need to change a lamp. The Superior Series also features a dust-resistant design that helps to prevent the deterioration of brightness, even in dusty environments. Superior network models include Casio’s new suite of collaboration and connection tools.

Casio www.casio.com

beyerdynamic’s Expansion Component

beyerdynamic’s Unite AP4 expansion component via access point creates the ultimate solution for fixed installation applications. With AP4, users can utilize Unite in applications where a fixed installation is required.

Featuring Dante functionality and Phoenix inputs and outputs, Unite AP4 is compatible with a range of applications. Up to 8 access points can be synchronized for large systems, ensuring up to 32 audio channels are available. Unite is designed for a number of applications, including tour guides, voice transmission for speeches and interpreter applications. Its silent public address provides support for people with reduced hearing or vision in addition to creating a wireless intercom system. The Unite AP4 also features a large operating range and long battery life. beyerdynamic www.north-america.beyerdy namic.com

Casio’s XJ-S400U

K-array’s Vyper-KV25

Kramer’s AFM-20DSP

beyerdynamic’s Unite AP4 June 2019

Sound & Communications 129

PRODUCTS Biamp’s Mics

Biamp’s Parlé family of mics expands upon the company’s pendant beamtracking microphones.

These sleek models come in desktop (TTM-X) and ceiling (TCM-X) versions. At less than 6" diameter, the mics’ unobtrusive design allows them to virtually disappear in a conference room, allowing users to focus on the meeting instead of the technology.

These mics feature 16 mic arrays and 4 zones to dynamically track voices of meeting participants. Unlike traditional beamforming mics, Biamp’s Parlé microphones’ beamtracking technology works without any lobe aiming or room mapping.

Biamp www.biamp.com

Biamp’s Parlé Mics

TASCAM’s New Range

TASCAM is introducing the VSR264 and VS-R265, a new range of products intended for providing AV solutions for commercial, corporate/industrial users, and education and governmental institutions.

Both units provide video encoding (HD in the VS-R264, 4K in the VS-R265), streaming, recording and decoding (bi-directional) in HEVC/H.265 or H.264 and balanced/unbalanced audio. Recording is available via the internal SD card. Applications include simultaneous AV encoding, streaming, recording and decoding over corporate networks and WANs, live streaming via the Internet, plus automatic FTP upload of recorded files to network storage. Utilizing open streaming formats and protocols and with control via a RESTful API, the VS-R series supports CDNs and online live platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Wowza, Ustream, AWS Elemental MediaLive and CloudFront, and others.

TASCAM www.tascam.com

AtlasIED’s Sound-Masking

AtlasIED’s Z Series is an all-inone sound-masking solution providing speech privacy, highdefinition background music and paging functionality. The Z Series consists of 4-zone (Z4) or 2-zone (Z2) high-definition acoustical systems. Both include integrated pink- and white-noise generators for sound masking, as well as mic-line input for paging/background music and a Bluetooth receiver for wireless music transmission. With a straightforward installation, the Z Series offers a slim, clean design that blends aesthetically in virtually any application. Models can be mounted in-wall, on-wall or in a rack. Once installed, hardware and wiring are centrally located behind the secure front panel. Front panel displays allow for system programming, as well as end-user control.

AtlasIED www.atlasied.com/z-seriesoverview

Axis Communications’ AXIS C8210

AtlasIED’s Z Series 130 Sound & Communications June 2019

TASCAM’s VS-R Series

Axis Communications’ Network Audio Amp

Axis Communications’ AXIS C8210 Network Audio Amplifier is a smart migration edge device for transforming any passive speaker into a complete network speaker. Together with Axis’ Audio Management Software, it allows users to begin the migration process from analog audio to network audio, without requiring timely overhauls of existing systems. AXIS C8210 enables scalable solutions, powering up to 8 speakers with a total power output of 15W. Other features include flexible zoning, playing and scheduling different content in different zones, managing and monitoring all audio devices from a single interface, and easy integration to other systems or solutions like SIP, VoIP and cameras.

Axis Communications www.axis.com

MEDIA

The latest literature, whitepapers, new or updated websites, course materials, webinars, training videos, podcasts, online resources and more.

If you can read it, watch it or listen to it, you’ll find it here! Send details, with photos, if available, to dferrisi@testa.com.

Compiled by Amanda Mullen

Powersoft’s Training Videos

With the recent release of the latest version of ArmoníaPlus, Powersoft has compiled a list of training videos in order to give users a detailed explanation of the software’s many features.

These short videos are all that users need to understand the inner workings of the new system manager. The tutorials provide an overview of the new ArmoníaPlus interface, which provides users with a number of new features, enabling every operation to take place on the loudspeakers, allowing linking to be done in multiple ways and ensuring that auditioning various presets can be done on the go from a dedicated window.

Powersoft armonia.powersoft.it

Extron’s Updated Design Guide

Extron’s latest AV Technology for Learning Environments design guide is a practical resource for AV technology and its integration within classrooms, huddle spaces, lecture halls, meeting areas, multipurpose rooms and more. Covering a wide variety of subjects, the updated design guide provides information that any decision maker or designer will need to consider when planning for technology-enhanced learning environments. Topics include sources, video signals and connections, infrastructure, displays, mounting, sound systems, control and support. The updated AV Technology for Learning Environments design guide includes sample designs that illustrate solutions for various applications, as well as a listing of Extron products that support them. Readers will also learn about exclusive Extron support resources, such as system builders, grants, state contract pricing and design assistance.

Extron www.extron.com

Hall Research’s AV Solutions Guide

Hall Research has released a 12-page brochure entitled Educational Solutions. The guide offers specific system recommendations for learning environments from kindergarten through 12th grade, including connection diagrams. Not only do the pages of the brochure include diagrams for each recommendation, but they provide users with a detailed outline of each, as well as the possible uses, benefits and add-ons that accompany each one.

This brochure can be accessed on Hall Research’s website, and a physical copy can be acquired upon request.

Hall Research www.hallresearch.com

June 2019

Sound & Communications 131

SOFTWARE

Information about the latest software releases, apps, online tools, and software and firmware updates.

Send details, with supporting graphic, if available, to dferrisi@testa.com.

Compiled by Amanda Mullen

MuxLab’s MuxControl App Shure’s SystemOn v3.1

Shure’s Software Update

Shure’s v3.1 of its SystemOn Audio Asset Management Software provides users with a 360° view of inventory. The software constantly monitors device health and history to ensure events run smoothly and seamlessly (tracking network connectivity, low battery status, RF performance, audio levels, etc.). Users have access to additional Shure products supported through the latest version of the management software to solve problems proactively. SystemOn v3.1 now supports Shure’s ULX-D Digital Wireless System, Microflex Advance MXA910 Ceiling Array and MXA310 Table Array Microphones, P300 IntelliMix Audio Conferencing Processor, ANIUSB-MATRIX USB Audio Network Interface and SCM820 Automatic Mixer.

Shure www.shure.com

MuxLab’s Updated App

MuxLab is introducing features designed to enhance the performance of its MuxControl app. The recent upgrades are part of MuxLab’s broader effort to give users comprehensive control over systems while enabling complete mobility. The remote access to MuxLab’s ProDigital Network Controller’s (model 500811) interface configurations proves particularly useful to those wanting smart phone access to all the control capabilities that the Network Controller offers. In addition to the improved collaboration between the Network Controller and the app, this updated version supports a series of automated tasks using preset configurations. This allows users to pre-load standard connections or control commands by location or in general and execute them with the touch of a button.

Displays can be powered on and sources can be assigned to a display instantaneously. These are but a few of the series of control presets that are typically supported by RS232 and IR interfaces.

MuxLab www.muxlab.com

HARMAN’s Studer Glacier Series Keywest Technology’s Breeze 3.0

HARMAN’s Software Update

HARMAN Professional Solutions’ Glacier Series v1.1 software is now available as a free update for registered Studer Glacier Series customers. Based on usability feedback from users, this release offers several new features that enhance Glacier functionality and mixing workflow.

The update includes a Channel Widget to control up to 6 channels from the Central Module with full channel control including fader, mute and PFL. It also has a Virtualized Central Module to operate tactile buttons in parallel from a tablet with no loss of functionality, as well as improved logging control. Logging is not enabled by default, but can be enabled on different log levels—preventing files from extensive size increases and allowing users to customize event logging based on log levels. Several significant issues reported by customers have also been addressed with this upgrade.

HARMAN Professional Solutions pro.harman.com 132 Sound & Communications June 2019

Keywest Technology’s Software Update

Keywest Technology’s Breeze 3.0 digital signage software includes a myriad of new features, including workflow improvements, support for more powerful hardware and enhanced security. This cloud-based, complete digital signage solution is a flexible, scalable choice for various campus-based industries, including healthcare, hospitality, education and corporate. Breeze’s server becomes the central hub for all deployed digital signs, schedules, media playlists and other content to players.

Users are only responsible for the Breeze player internet connectivity and video signal connection, as Keywest Technology handles the initial setup and server management. Breeze 3.0 also features an intuitive dashboard, a new text engine, a player/playlist sync, new template designs, and new permissions and access-restriction capabilities. Upgraded security includes Single Server Sign-on (SSO), Active Directory and LDAP. Keywest Technology www.keywesttechnology.com

CONSULTANT’S POV: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND THE AV WORLD: DREDGING THE PRIMORDIAL SOUP (continued from page 60) difficulties from actual, realized deployment cases.

We’re entering a new world, even though it might be uncomfortable for many to leave the old one. It’s difficult to foresee the future, and fear of the unknown is real. Will these changes

put people out of jobs? No doubt, but it might add a few, as well.

Will these changes make our lives better? Of course.

But, consequences aside, let’s admit that something significant is happening before our ver y eyes.

HOW: TECHNOLOGY: TURNING ‘NO’ INTO ‘YES’: CHURCH OF THE HIGHLANDS OVERCOMES TECHNOLOGICAL LIMITATIONS (continued from page 31) members] invest in worship, songwriting, original content [and] creative elements—all the needs of a dynamic, life-breathing church—we found ourselves having to spend countless hours prepping and designing systems that were hindered by technology,” Johnson shared. “The upgrade to a digital audio system was a necessity, and Dante has been amazing. The answer has become always ‘yes,’ with little need to think about how to do anything. The systems are in place for anything that our church needs…for the time being.”

He continued, “The overall quality in the room has improved drastically. We’re ver y pleased with the system upgrade of the PA and the console infrastructure. The Dante infrastructure is one of the highlights of the installation. The ability to get any source, to any location, at any time, with the click of a mouse or patch in the console is a game-changer. It adds great value to the worship experience. One of the main [bits of] feedback [we’ve received] has been the uniform distribution of sound in all locations of the room and the consistency of that sound [from] any seat. The broadcast leg of audio has never been better. We are now able to send multiple audio channels to campuses, putting individual control of broadcast sources down at the campus level. This allows us [to have] campus-level control of crowd mics, pastor mics, vocals, etc., and allows each location to shape the streamed content that is produced from one broadcast location in a way that fits the needs of each campus’ room.”

The system upgrade has left Johnson feeling optimistic about the future of worship programming at Church of the Highlands and the sharing of content and workflows between the broadcast campus and the satellite campuses. “We are constantly tinkering on what is next and how we can be ready for it,” he explained.

“We are experimenting with using the power of Dante over our church-wide switched Ethernet circuit to directly send audio from campuses that are in totally different locations across the state of Alabama. Dark fiber is always an option, but that gets inefficient when you are talking about locations that are on completely different geographical ends of the state. We have had great success with extremely low-latency audio transport of multiple Dante streams using our switched Ethernet, with minimal switch configuration, and that rides on the same connection as the live video stream to campuses, VoIP and email. Dante Domain Manager is what allowed multicast traffic to traverse networks as unicast streams, and it is the key to this idea. The vision for this experiment is, potentially, to allow us to have one broadcast studio at a central location and to transport multichannel Dante audio from any campus location, in low latency, back to a single broadcast studio. I enjoy dreaming and being able to say yes to things that are just crazy. This could be one of those, and I am super excited about the possibilities!”

A separate mixing desk is dedicated to the monitor mix.

The core equipment rack room. Technicians can remotely access the audio system via a control computer installed in the racks.

June 2019

Sound & Communications 133

AVIXA POV: WHEN INDUSTRY PROS ASSEMBLE: AVIXA’S ANNUAL AV EXECUTIVE CONFERENCE RETURNS THIS FALL TO INSPIRE (continued from page 38) now joined Allbirds to lead its global expansion and scale its people and culture, with a focus on the employee experience.

A company’s greatest asset is its people, and Levy will address how aligning company culture and a growth strategy will allow you to tap into more engaged and productive employees, with an increased

focus on meeting customer needs.

We hope AVEC attendees will walk away ready to tackle a new opportunity, whether that’s a new market they want to enter or a strategy for increasing business capacity to meet market demand.

We also want attendees to gain new approaches for getting the most out of their

time and their employees.

It’s AVIXA’s job to make sure you never stop learning and finding inspiration. And it’s your job, too. You never know when you’ll stumble on a great idea—so keep your eyes, ears and schedule open.

Visit www.avexecutiveconference.com to register for AVEC 2019.

INDUSTRY POV: DIGITAL SIGNAGE TECHNOLOGIES MUST ENGAGE: DON’T JUST JUMP ON THE BANDWAGON (continued from page 49) tone or facial structure.

If you can draw in people using digital signage and cool content in a limited space, you can engage an audience who’s interested in learning more. Ultimately, that will help drive awareness or sales— or both, depending on your goals.

As digital signage becomes increasingly commonplace, it’s up to solution providers to continue to bring disruptive technolo-

gies to market, and it’s up to brands to develop engaging content that will create an appealing experience for users. With innovative solutions like interactive floors and screens, or AR and VR, consumers can choose how they interact with content; this can drive return on investment (ROI) for the business. On the other hand, inundating users with information that they haven’t requested, or forcing them to

jump through too many hoops to get the information they do want, only leads to fatigue, frustration, and a failure to attract and retain customers.

At the end of the day, it’s impor tant to find the right digital signage technology by evaluating your goals before jumping on the bandwagon of a technology that ultimately might not be wor th the investment.

INDUSTRY POV: MANAGING DYNAMIC AV MARKET CHANGES: KEY INSIGHTS FOR OUR EVER-EVOLVING INDUSTRY (continued from page 54) Yes, different vertical markets will present divergent opportunities and threats, but the core value of putting customers front and center—while shying away from commoditization and “prosumerism”—to deliver purposeful innovation and consultative value is a winning strategy for all involved. The number of vertical markets will only increase; with that, so, too, will the forces of divergence that require specialization and skill that only AV integrators can provide.

To know where you’re going, you must know where you are. Invaluable

insights are gained from measuring the success of your business and programs; what’s more, that is increasingly easier to do for global brands, as well as for AV integrators of all shapes and sizes. Online quantitative tools, as well as old-school qualitative tools, allow AV integrators and brands alike to benchmark performance for informed investments and decisions.

There was a time when the AV industr y built stereo systems…then sound systems…then AV systems. Now, the industr y can deliver highly integrated networked solutions that support stun-

ning new business models as diverse and ambitious as streaming fitness platforms, new communication channels as pioneering as digital video news ser vices and new communities that provide lifelong learning opportunities.

Each of these trailblazing successes started with a refusal to accept the status quo and an acknowledgement that change is inevitable—and potentially good. Indeed, each example is sharply focused on the customer experience and how it can be reimagined for even more impact and greater success.

INDUSTRY POV: WHY CONTENT MATTERS: BECOMING CONTENT CONVERSANT IN DIGITAL SIGNAGE (continued from page 68) be required. Simply making sure that announcement graphic is posted on the right schedule achieves the goal of better informing the employees.

Analytics tools are available, and they can be as simple as tracking sales improvements or as complex as camera systems that measure how long viewers watch the screen. These aren’t always needed, however, especially on informational signs.

All digital signage projects require content. Content involves strategy and creativity. Subjectivity will happen, and 134 Sound & Communications June 2019

emotions might dominate a conversation along the way. It’s a tough personal lesson as a creative director. However, I’m constantly working to embrace subjectivity—even when weeks of work are tossed out on a whim, and even when I disagree with the changes. There’s no reason to shy away from these projects or say “Never again” when your creative team can’t get the right shade of red. Creative people will eventually get it dialed in perfectly.

Clients want to see a collaborative team. AV integrators can lead that

team, even if content creation is a new ser vice for them. If you’ve temporarily outsourced some digital signage creative professionals for your team, you have ever ything you need.

The integrator can remain more focused on strategy and goal management, as opposed to creating pretty pixels and content messaging. Someone on the project will tend to the creative tasks, but the AV integrator/project manager must remain focused on delivering on the important content-strategy questions—and those questions are more

THE CENTERSTAGE AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO SOUND & COMMUNICATIONS

Digital Projection Renkus-Heinz P-Series: Pinnacle Performance For Compact Point-Source Loudspeakers The P-Series from Renkus-Heinz features the latest generation of Complex Conic horn geometry coupled with patented CoEntrant Mid/High driver technology. It delivers uncompromising detail and extreme sound pressure levels. Advanced amplification, processing and protection through RH’s own SA amps provide the quality performance, consistency and reliability. Applicationfocused speakers and comprehensive accessory packages have been designed to address the acoustical and logistical challenges of live sound reinforcement from mains and fills to stages and control room monitoring. See us at InfoComm, booth 6643 and demo room W221BC. WEB ADDRESS: www.renkus-heinz.com/product-family.aspx?productfamilyid=104

Introducing the ‘Immersive 3D’ INSIGHT 4K HFR 360 Projector Digital Projection will be redefining the concept of ‘immersive 3D’ at InfoComm 2019 with a demonstration of their new INSIGHT 4K HFR 360 projector –a powerful new solution for creating truly immersive, collaborative, and interactive virtual reality experiences. This new, first-of-its-kind multi-viewer 3D projector allows users to view native 4K-3D content while interacting and collaborating with one another in a unique, shared virtual environment. With ultra-fast frame rates and headtracking technology, each user gets a unique perspective of the content that remains appropriate to their changing position.

To showcase the new INSIGHT 4K HFR 360, Digital Projection is partnering with advanced visualization powerhouse Mechdyne to provide visitors with a remarkable virtual reality experience. The companies’ collaboration has produced an exclusive InfoComm 2019 demonstration that will offer visitors an immersive virtual 3D experience unlike anything they have seen before.

WEB ADDRESS: www.digitalprojection.com/event/infocomm-2019

Magewell On-Stage SS7990 Hanging Speaker Bracket Constructed solely of heavy-duty black powder-coated steel, the On-Stage SS7990 Speaker Wall Mount provides a full 180 degrees of sure, secure steering for the ultimate in precise small and medium sized speaker projection. Designed with multiple tie points for equally exact downward tilt, the 17 3/4” SS7990 supports up to 80 lbs. per mount and comes complete with mounting hardware and instructions.

WEB ADDRESS: www.on-stage.com/products/view/14040

Pro Convert AIO RX: Bringing NDI to Video Walls, Digital Signage and More Converting live NDI® streams into high-quality HDMI or SDI outputs for connection to baseband devices such as monitors and projectors, Magewell’s Pro Convert AIO RX NDI decoder hardware simplifies the use of NewTek’s popular AV-over-IP technology in applications such as video walls, image magnification (IMAG) and digital signage. Just as Magewell’s Pro Convert encoders enable integrators and end-users to connect SDI or HDMI-based video sources into IP-based AV infrastructures, the low-latency Pro Convert AIO RX decoder lets them convert any NDI stream for output to baseband presentation or distribution equipment–maximizing earlier investments as they transition to IP. The compact, plug-and-play Pro Convert AIO RX features automatic network configuration, while a browser-based interface provides access to advanced features such as FPGA-based up/down/cross-conversion.

On-device buttons select between source streams and output format presets.

See us at InfoComm, booth 2409.

WEB ADDRESS: www.magewell.com/pro-convert

June 2019

Sound & Communications 135

THE CENTERSTAGE AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO SOUND & COMMUNICATIONS

Meyer Sound ULTRA-X40 New Generation Compact Loudspeaker

Analog Way LivePremier™ 4K/8K Live Presentation Systems LivePremier™ is a full range of modular and scalable 4K/8K multi-screen presentation systems and videowall processors for high-end staging and premium system integration applications. The LivePremier™ Aquilon systems combine industrial-grade reliability; versatile connectivity, including HDMI2.0, DP1.2 and 12G-SDI; real-time 10/12-bit 4:4:4 video processing power compliant with HDR; and pure 4K60p on each input and output with ultra-low latency. In its largest chassis configuration, LivePremier™ Aquilon offers up to 24 inputs and 20 outputs, and up to 24 4K layers. A cutting-edge HTML5-based user interface simplifies configuration and operation through unique features such as live program/preview workspaces with dynamic thumbnails of sources, multi-operator collaboration, keyword search and multi-language support.

The LivePremier™ series includes four pre-configured products (RS1, RS2, RS3 and RS4) and two customizable models (C and C+) that can be tailored to match the requirements of any project or event.

WEB ADDRESS: www.analogway.com

objective than subjective.

Successful projects have ever yone playing to their strengths. Creative people make amazing visuals; technology people make it work; and, together, ever yone delivers on the project goals. Treat content as the king that it is, allowing it to lead the project through all its phases and to the goal. That’s the path to digital signage success.

INDUSTRY POV: MIDI (continued from page 70) severe electrical interference is in the area in which the MIDI or Cat5 cables must be routed, the use of fiberoptic transmission techniques can assure high-quality, noisefree signals. This technology is used by a fiberoptic MIDI

system. In such a system, the standard MIDI signals are converted into pulses of light, which are then sent through fiberoptic cable. Because fiberoptic cable is virtually immune to electrical interference, it can be routed wherever convenient, without regard to the proximity of electrical noise producers, water or high voltages.

In addition, because fiberoptic cable is completely non-conducting, ground loops, which can sometimes result in the loss or corruption of MIDI data in wired systems, are virtually eliminated. It is also important to note that transmission distances using a fiberoptic MIDI transmission system can easily extend to a mile or farther. As with wired systems, signal and

136 Sound & Communications June 2019

The ULTRA-X40 is the first in a completely new generation of Meyer Sound point source loudspeakers that will redefine the category of compact loudspeakers much as the UPA-1P did when it was first introduced back in the late-nineties. The ULTRA-X40 offers significant advantages across an exceptionally broad range of portable and installed applications.

Drawing from the proven design approach of LEO Family loudspeakers, the ULTRA-X40 employs a concentric driver configuration with dual 8-inch neodymium magnet cone drivers coupled to a low-mid waveguide surrounding the single 3-inch diaphragm high-frequency compression driver. The 110° x 50° Constant-Q HF horn is easily field rotatable, and working in concert with the concentric design it ensures that the full bandwidth coverage pattern will be uniform with either horizontal or vertical orientation. Hear it at InfoComm Orlando in demo room W240.

WEB ADDRESS: www.meyersound.com/product/ultra-x

link indicator LEDs can be provided. Conventional MIDI signal connections are still by means of standard five-pin DIN connectors and cables, but, in this case, the operating power must be provided for each transceiver. That is because, again, the fiberoptic interconnecting cable between the two units is completely non-conductive.

The diagram on page 68 shows a typical MIDI connection system. Note that the interface can be wired MIDI transceivers or fiberoptic units, depending on the requirements that the installation presents. Each transceiver pair will produce “textbook-quality” signals over distances well in excess of the maximum 50-foot limitation of the MIDI specification. Each

system will also operate from -20 to +60 degrees Celsius (-4 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit), thereby permitting use both indoors and outdoors.

The cost for a wired system (less Cat5 cable) is in the area of a couple hundred dollars for each transceiver. By contrast, the fiberoptic version (less the fiberoptic interconnecting cable) costs about $300 per transceiver. Cat5 or fiberoptic cable will usually add less than an additional $100 to those costs. All units can be easily rackmounted, as well, if desired.

In light of the performance of Cat5 or fiberoptic MIDI transmission systems, particularly for critical installations, it is important for AV integrators to consider this technology seriously.

THE CENTERSTAGE AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO SOUND & COMMUNICATIONS

Littlite Introducing the LED-3 Series of LED Task Lights Littlite introduces the LED-3 series of LED task lights. The LED-3 series comes in two different configurations each with three selectable, discrete light outputs.

The LED-3 features a trio of white light outputs: 6500K (Cool), 5000K (Daylight) and 3000K (Warm). The LED-3-UV is selectable between White, Red and UV (365 nm) light outputs. Both models are available in several lamp set configurations with a 12-inch or 18-inch gooseneck and include a power supply. Littlites are designed and manufactured in Michigan and come with a limited lifetime warranty.

See us at InfoComm, booth 7965.

WEB ADDRESS: www.littlite.com

Arista Apollo Series Dante Interface Products The Apollo Series offers world-class flexibility for interfacing into the world of Dante® audio networking. The Apollo Series delivers bit-perfect audio reproduction, super-low latency and sample-accurate synchronization across the entire network. The Apollo Duo line includes the ARS-0200-A00 analog audio to Dante interface, the ARS-0002-A00 Dante to analog audio interface, and the ARS-0002-A01 interface, which facilitates Lip-Sync delay, enabling sound and picture synchronization. The Apollo Duo+ product group includes the ARS-0202-A00 bi-directional analog audio to Dante to analog audio interface, the ARS-2020-A11 dual XLR microphone to Dante interface, and the ARS0202-B11 dual XLR microphone to Dante interface with an SFP connector Fiber interface. The Apollo Myriad product line includes the ARS-1616 (16 analog channels) and ARS-3232 (32 analog channels). These 1RU, rackmount interfaces are designed for bi-directional transfer (input/output) of 16 or 32 analog audio channels to or from a Dante network.

WEB ADDRESS: www.aristaproav.com/dante

d&b audiotechnik

Vanguard LED Displays

B8 Ultra-Compact Subwoofer

The Chromium Fine Pixel Series, Featuring Chip-On-Board Technology

The new d&b audiotechnik B8 is an ultra-compact subwoofer with a significantly low profile (6.7” tall), exceptional high performance, and a low frequency extension from 170 Hz down to 43 Hz. An ideal combination with the established xC, xS and E-Series loudspeakers, the B8-SUB and Bi8-SUB (installation version) fit comfortably in tight spaces; for example corporate environments, cruise ships, small venues, houses of worship, and more. Flexible set up options allow the use of B8 under stages, stairs or ceilings; landscape or portrait; flush mounted or flown with small mid/high d&b loudspeakers.

The B8 is an actively driven subwoofer that features two 6.5” drivers with ferrite magnets housed within a bass-reflex cabinet design and can be driven by all current d&b amplifiers, achieving full range performance at a maximum SPL of 122 dB. WEB ADDRESS: www.dbaudio.com/global/en/products/series/e-series/b8-sub

The Chromium True COB P1.9 features unparalleled reliability and durability to the fine pixel pitch market. The Chromium True COB is a cabinet produced using true Chip-On-Board methodology. This is different than traditional SMD LED displays in a number of key ways. The LED chip is attached directly to the PCB board and then encapsulated with a protective resin. This dramatically reduces the number of failure points while at the same time decreasing humidity’s ability to degrade the LED chips. This leads to an exceptionally low failure rate of less than 10ppm. The resin encapsulation results in a LED screen that is highly impact resistant. The Chromium Series is fully frontserviceable. There are no external jumpers on the rear, making this cabinet ideal for wall mounting. Chromium cabinets are designed for wall mounting or can be recessed into a wall. Vanguard LED Displays offer a five (5) year warranty and 5% spare parts.

WEB ADDRESS: www.sndcom.us/vanguard-pixel-pitch-series

June 2019

Sound & Communications 137

AD INDEX

Company

Page #

Absen America.........................................34 Acoustics First.........................................62 Analog Way..............................................31 Arista.........................................................35 Atlona Technologies................................79 Audio-Technica........................................21 Audix.........................................................41 Barco.........................................................19 Clear-Com................................................26 Clockaudio...............................................67 d&b audiotechnik....................................63 D.A.S. Audio.............................................27 DiGiCo/Group One.................................55 Digital Projection.....................................37 Elite Screens............................................51 ENCO Systems........................................65 Evertz AV.................................................87 Extron Electronics.............................. C-IV Focusrite...................................................83 G&D/Guntermann & Drunck...............74 Hall Research Technologies...................85 Hubbell Premise Wiring.........................17 IDK America............................................66 Littlite/CAE..............................................20 Lowell Manufacturing.............................23 Luminex......................................................6 LYNX Technik...........................................8 Maxell Corporation of America..............59 Meyer Sound..................................... C-II/3 My Custom Shop/TecNec Distributing...........................................75 Neutrik USA.............................................56 North American Cable Equipment........40 Peavey Commercial Audio.....................69 Peerless-AV..............................................47 Platinum Tools.........................................20 Pliant Technologies.................................57 Radio Active Designs..............................77 RCF-USA..................................................61 Renkus-Heinz...........................................11 Riedel Communications..........................71 Rose Electronics.................................. C-III RTS/Bosch Communications Systems.................................................15 Sennheiser...............................................33 Shure........................................................13 Sound Control Technologies..................78 Sound Productions..................................29 Stardraw.com...........................................25 TASCAM..................................................45 TMP-Pro...................................................53 Vanguard LED Displays...........................5 Whirlwind.................................................39 Yamaha Pro Audio...................................43 ZeeVee......................................................52

138 Sound & Communications June 2019

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INDUSTRY POV: DIGITAL SIGNAGE AS A CUSTOMER-SERVICE VEHICLE (continued from page 72) er and you haven’t even walked into the store. So, how would this work? Perhaps the same software that runs on websites is linked to the digital signage. So, the same customer-ser vice agents who chat with customers on websites would also support customers via digital signage.

Research reports like “Digital Signage Market by Offering (Hardware (Displays, Media Players, Projectors), Software, Ser vices), Product, Application, Vertical (Retail, Transportation & Public Places, Sports & Entertainment, Education), and Geography – Global Forecast to 2024,” published by MarketsandMarkets, illustrate the projected growth of digital signage. It will be fascinating to see the creative ways that this growth affects customer ser vice for businesses. Surely, countless innovative digital signage options for customer ser vice are still to

come. Will live interactive digital signage be part of that evolution? Would that solution benefit your business?

Imagine if Alice had been able simply to use a digital display to chat with the rabbit, rather than chasing him around Wonderland. She would likely have been a much more satisfied Wonderland visitor.

AVENT HORIZON: INFOCOMM MUSINGS (continued from page 140) cheaper cameras, already equipped with lesser-quality lenses. They know the cameras won’t last as long, but they don’t care, as the broken equipment will simply be disposed of and one of the spares will be put into ser vice.

A similar experience was recounted in which a customer bought two inexpensive routing switchers for less than the price of a first-tier model; the explana-

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tion was, when the first one crapped out, the customer would just swap it out for the second unit. Never mind the cost of labor and the time involved—that didn’t factor in. Essentially, the routing switcher had devolved, in the customer’s mind, to nothing more than a kitchen appliance bought at Target.

Another meeting attendee—one who has been to one too many trade shows over his lifetime—pointed to a large, prominent exhibitor at the recent NAB Show that had bought up several other former NAB exhibitors over the years.

Individually, those companies accounted for more than 40,000 square feet of booth space at previous shows. Now, all the combined product offerings were displayed in a single 9,000-square-foot booth.

I suspect much the same thing will be obser ved at this year’s InfoComm, as it also will at future ISEs, CESes, NABs

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ing and social opportunities are welcome and InfoComms. Our industr y is slowly for all• of us, particularly • Austin • Houston Dallas • Phoenix those who are but surely consolidatingDenver and downsizing, increasingly as contractors from Oklahoma City • Tulsa working • Las Vegas as more sales shift from hardware to • San Antonio Atlanta NJ • Washington, DC home offices. software and ser vices. How much• Blackwood, booth Will we see a continued emphasis on space does one really require to demonOpEx at the expense of CapEx this year strate software? (Ironically, the convenin Orlando? How much buzz will 8K tion centers in which we exhibit are in video generate? How many video and the midst of expanding their footprints!) audio encoders will be shown? How many Of course, trade shows aren’t solely app-based control systems will take cenabout seeing the latest products. I’m ter stage? And how large will the booths pleased to see that there is strong interbe as compared to last year—let alone 10 est in continuing education—a challenge, years ago? given how quickly change comes to our Enough reading! Head to the exhibit industr y (think AV-over-IP, 4K and 8K, floor and go see for yourself. Have a the expanded use of fast Wi-Fi and appbased control systems). And the network- great show.

June 2019

Sound & Communications 139

AVENT HORIZON

InfoComm Musings Reminiscences, reflections and food for thought.

By Pete Putman, CTS ROAM Consulting LLC As you read this, InfoComm 2019 is opening its doors. Once again, thousands of AV professionals, end users, consultants, dealers, distributors, educators and members of the press are descending on the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando FL. They’re all on a mission, whether it’s continuing education, networking, checking out the latest hardware (and, increasingly, software), considering purchases, or hoping to close a sale or two (or 10, or 20, or 30…).

This will be my 26th consecutive InfoComm, going all the way back to the 1994 show in Anaheim CA that (maybe) attracted 10,000 people. Since then, the show has grown exponentially to several tens of thousands. The Projection ShootOut, once a marquee attraction, fizzled out in the early 2000s; that fact, however, didn’t stop anyone from coming year after year to see the latest in projection and direct-view displays, audio gear, control systems, lighting and cameras—and, of course, racks of “gozinta” and “gozoutta” hardware that switched and distributed video, graphics, photos and audio to ever ybody.

I was sent to InfoComm originally to prepare editorial coverage of the ShootOut. I took that job pretty seriously for my trade magazine at the time. What I wound up doing was an in-depth review of the entire Shoot-Out—a task that ultimately required eight hours of my time over the three days of the show, plus several days after I returned to write and lay out the article.

Those were the days of “LCD versus DLP versus LCoS” imaging arguments.

We knew big, bulky CRT displays were not long for this world, but what would replace them? Those sexy flatscreen plasma monitors looked pretty good, but they were quite expensive as an alternative.

Rear-projection monitors seemed like a 140 Sound & Communications June 2019

reasonable solution, but they were under fire from a newer class of higher-resolution projectors that could provide much brighter images (provided that the lights were dimmed). And we waxed poetic about line doublers, scan converters and a new line of expensive multi-format presentation switcher products.

My editorial efforts must have caught some people’s attention in Fairfax VA, as I found myself an active participant in InfoComm classes just three years later. Those sessions focused on display technology exclusively, and I shared what technical knowledge I had alternately as a solo presenter and as a member of panel discussions.

The late 1990s gave me two more opportunities to pontificate in front of a class. The transition to digital television was well under way, and plenty of people had questions about how it was going to work, how they could pick up the broadcast signals, what displays they could use to watch high-definition television and what could be used to record the signals. Simultaneously, the cinema industr y was getting used to the idea that digital projection from files could actually replace projected 35mm film, leading to plenty of confusion and questions about how all of it would work.

My 30-year background in RF and wireless, plus a passion for displays, led to my first truly solo class assignment at InfoComm 2000. Back in the 1990s, the show ran from Thursday through Saturday, which caused many attendees to miss graduations and Father’s Day (and, for me, more than a few of my daughter’s dance recitals).

Eventually, they wisely changed the schedule to a more humane Wednesday-throughFriday arrangement.

Twenty-nineteen marks my 20th consecutive year teaching as a member of the AVIXA faculty, and it marks 17 years since I first took the brand-new online CTS course. That’s a lot of classes, PowerPoint presentations and hands-on demos! I’ve taught almost 12 hours of classes during a single show, and, one year (in 2008), I taught two classes simultaneously; that meant shuttling back and forth between rooms while a co-instructor “tagged in” to cover my absence. (It’s true—you can look it up!)

“Once more, into the breach, dear friends!” I’ll be standing at the podium and onstage three times during this year’s show, participating in the “Disruptive Technologies” session on Tuesday, June 11, teaching a class on ultra-HD video (4K and 8K) on Wednesday, June 12, and finishing things up with my annual “Technology Trends” road show on the morning of Thursday, June 13.

Sitting here at my home desk in May, reminiscing about all those past shows as June approaches, has me pondering what the future of trade shows will look like, what with our industr y becoming more software and IT-centric and less focused on screws, nuts, switches, jacks, dials and indicators. We all know that hardware prices have fallen dramatically in the past decade, but just how does that affect exhibitors?

At the most recent meeting of the Philadelphia PA chapter of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), I had the opportunity to talk to a few employees and salespeople from some pretty big names in the broadcast and AV industries. They commiserated about the decline in hardware sales, as well as how customers these days are focusing on operating expenses (OpEx) and minimizing capital expenses (CapEx), as discussed in last month’s “AVent Horizon.”

An example: Instead of spending more money on a first-tier video camera and quality lenses for it, the customer (often a TV station) opts to buy two or more much (continued on page 138)

ISS 608

True Seamless 4K Switching Leaps Ahead to the Next Generation Take your live presentations to an entirely new level with dynamic, seamless switching and scaling of 4K content. The ISS 608 features six HDMI 2.0 inputs and two DisplayPort 1.2 inputs, providing full 18 Gbps support of signals up to 4K/60 with 4:4:4 chroma sampling. The HDCP 2.2-compliant ISS 608 combines true seamless switching with advanced Vector™ 4K scaling technology to deliver unequaled video performance for high-end presentations and live events on even the largest of screens. Independent video buses for Preview and Program outputs and an intuitive front panel interface provide effortless on-the-fly operation.

Key Features

Matrix Mode provides production-style switching effects for any HDMI matrix switcher. Simply connect two switcher outputs to inputs 1 and 2 on the ISS 608 to automatically apply a transition effect between the video sources when a switch is detected.

• True seamless switching between eight digital inputs • Multiple transition effects include wipes, dissolve, and cut • Preview and Program outputs

Program

• Advanced Extron Vector™ 4K scaling engine

Switch detected; source transitions to Program output

• HDCP 2.2 compliant • Supported HDMI 2.0 specification features include data rates up to 18 Gbps, Deep Color, and HD lossless audio formats

INPUTS

1

2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

1

2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

PROGRAM

MUTE

FREEZE

1

2

3

MUTE

FREEZE

1

2

3

OUTPUTS

• Matrix Mode provides seamless switching for larger AV systems

4

EFFECTS

5

6

7

8

5

6

7

8

PRESET

I/O ESC

VIEW

VIDEO

AUDIO

4

PRESETS

Previous Program source cuts to Preview output

ADJUST

DISSOLVE

CUT

RECALL SAVE

SIZE

WIPE

VIDEO KEY

ENTER

POSITION

PIP

LOGO

TAKE

PREVIEW

CONTROL

ENTER

ADJUST CONFIG

MENU

NEXT

TAKE CONFIG

PRIMARY

ISS 608

REDUNDANT

INTEGRATION SEAMLESS SWITCHER

POWER

XTP

CrossPoint 1600

XTP SERIES DIGITAL MATRIX SWITCHER

Extron XTP II CrossPoint 1600

• Embedded multi-channel digital and de-embedded stereo analog audio are switched along with video, fading down and up for the duration of the transition effect

Modular Digital Matrix Switcher

Extron ISS 608

4K/60 HDMI and DisplayPort Seamless Switcher

Preview

800.633.9876 • extron.com/ISS