SIA Aug-Sep 2017

Vol. 16 Issue 6 ~ August - September 2017

AUDIO • VISUAL • CONTROL • COLLABORATION • UNIFIED COMMS MCI (P) 039/04/2017 PPS 1669/08/2013 (022992)

The Evolution Of Control Rooms

• INSTALLATIONS: Nasdaq Bangalore - Trading in Technology Experience • TECH TALK: Adaptive Algorithm - The Future Spec Of AV? • EXHIBITION REVIEW: An Immersive Tide Takes Center Stage At InfoComm 2017

w w w . s y s t e m s i n t e g r a t i o n a s i a . c o m

INSIDE InfoComm India Preview

CONTENTS

Vol. 16 Issue 6 ~ August – September 2017

54 68 04 FIRST WORDS 06 NEWS 28 SOLUTIONS UPDATE EXHIBITION PREVIEW 36 InfoComm India: AV & Experiential Communications For Every Industry TECH TALK 42 Video: HDCP and Copy Protection 44 An Installation Experience to Remember: Dali – Lighting Control System 46 Adaptive Algorithm - The Future Spec of AV? SPECIAL FEATURE 48 The Evolution Of Control Rooms 52 Control Room Solutions Highlights

88

EXHIBITION REVIEW 54 InfoComm International 66 Terry Friesenborg: The Spec Of Excitement For Future FOCUS 68 Aurora Multimedia: Talking Game-changing Topology INTERVIEW 71 Shure’s Mark Humrichouser About 92 years Of Heritage And Innovation 72 Edgar van Velzen, MD, beyerdynamic: Exploring The Next Level In Audio Expertise 74 Pan Intellecom’s MD, Harbir Singh: Complying With Specs, Comforting Customer 76 A Meetup With Logitech’s Mohinder Jain

INSTALLATIONS 78 INDIA: An Assembly Of Special Specs At The UP Legislative Assembly 82 SINGAPORE: Yamaha At The Heart Of Mediacorp Studios 84 INDIA: Nasdaq Capitalises In Trading In Technology Experience 88 CHINA: Christie At The Changchun City Planning Museum VOICE BOX 89 GAFA Part 2: "Integration" Redefined in Three Years' Time 92 EPSON - Interactive Projectors For The Classrooms Of Tomorrow 94 ON OUR WEB

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FIRST WORDS Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

EDITOR, INDIA AND ME Ram Bhavanashi ram@spinworkz.com

ADMIN & CIRCULATION Julie Tan admin@spinworkz.com

DESIGN AND PRODUCTION WRITER Jimmy Chin Natalie Chew jimmy@spinworkz.com natalie@spinworkz.com

The big news as I was writing this was about Google Glass making a come back. The first version of Google glass appeared some where in 2013, targeting consumers who were into all things “smart”.

Unfortunately due to certain reasons, with one being the invasion of privacy, saw interest in Google Glass die down. For a while many thought that Google had given up on the glass. However recently the potential for the Glass was recognised not as a sexy wearable thing but rather for a more pragmatic use – in a factory floor. Apparently companies were using the Glass to boost the productivity of workers performing complex manual tasks. Workers can through the glasses see instructions, photograph and report problems remotely amongst other things. It was reported that in some cases companies hired third-party software developers to adapt it for their purpose.

Seeing this unforeseen aspect of demand, Google has created the Enterprise Edition, a much-improved version that has better connectivity and longer battery life. So Google Glass lives on.

Interestingly we reported last year how EPSON’s Moviero glasses were being used in a factory space in Singapore for workers to better manage inventory in the warehouse.

MEDIA REP IN NORTH AMERICA Broadcast Media International Michael Mitchell Tel: +1 631 673 0072 mjmitchell@broadcast-media.tv

PUBLISHED BY PRINTED BY Spinworkz Pte Ltd Stamford Press Pte Ltd 51 Bukit Batok Crescent #06-10 Unity Centre, Singapore 658077 Tel: (65) 6316 2716 Fax: (65) 63162715 www.spinworkz.com Disclaimer Systems Integration Asia is published 6 times a year. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine is to be reproduced, whether mechanical or electronic without the prior written consent of the publisher. Views expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the editor or the publisher. Unsolicited contributions are welcome but the editor reserves the discretion to use them. Whilst every care is taken to ensure the accuracy and honesty in both editorial and advertising content at press time, the publisher will not be liable for any inaccuracies.

Please be informed that products and company names mentioned in this publication may be protected with tradenames, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Our non inclusion of such symbols is not an indication of us not recognising the copyright but rather to have a common look across our articles. Misuse of tradenames, trademarks or registered trademarks is strictly prohibited. It is the obligation of our readers to check if company names and products are protected with tradenames, trademarks or registered trademarks.

Though both glasses were initially targeted at the larger consumer market, they found the niche in more industrial areas. This reminds me of the iPAD. Though it has been very successful in the consumer end of things, I think at the beginning not many would have thought that it would be used in the AV field as a control tablet. We have seen many spaces where the iPAD has replaced traditional control screens. Nowadays audio set-ups are also being tuned via an embedded software in an iPAD. The humble Raspberry Pi when first introduced had a simple objective of getting children in the UK interested in programming. But now its influence can be seen in a number of AV solutions as well.

I suppose that is what makes this industry tick. A technology might have started out with a completely different audience in mind but somehow finds use in the AV spectrum.

Thomas Richard Prakasam Publisher/ Editorial Director thomas@spinworkz.com

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NEWS Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

Mark Humrichouser Named Vice President Of Shure’s Americas And Asia Sales Organizations INTERNATIONAL: Shure Incorporated announced an expanded, global role for Mark Humrichouser, as Vice President of its Americas and Asia/Pacific Sales organizations.

In this role, Mark leads the Sales, Marketing, Customer Training and Education, Customer Service, and Product Technical Support functions for these regions.

Prior to this appointment, Mark served as VP and General Manager of the Company’s Americas Business Unit. His other positions at Shure were General Manager of the U.S. Business Unit and Director of U.S. Sales.

Mark began his career at Shure in 2006, after a nine-year tenure at Sennheiser U.S., where he served in several roles, including Team Manager for Professional Systems and the Music Industry, Regional Sales Manager, and Regional Market Development Manager.

“Mark provides valuable and successful sales and marketing leadership,” said Ray Crawford, Senior Vice President, Global Marketing and Sales. “His impressive knowledge of our industry has been instrumental in helping Shure achieve its strategic sales objectives in The Americas. I am confident that Mark will lead Shure sales in the Americas as well as in Asia with the same ability and resolve that he has demonstrated so effectively, and I congratulate him on this expanded position.” www.shure.com

QSC Wins Global Presence Alliance Vendor Excellence Award For The Second Year and technology innovation,” said Joe Pham, President and CEO, QSC. “We are proud to be part of the GPA network, which has helped QSC expand our global reach and offer an increased level of local support our customers have come to expect from us.”

INTERNATIONAL: QSC, LLC, is proud to accept the Vendor Excellence Award from the Global Presence Alliance (GPA) for the second year in a row. This award recognizes leading AV and UC manufacturers/vendors for their commitment to delivering a superior experience to GPA members and global customers.

“It is a real honour to win this award again and receive recognition for QSC’s commitment to customer service, quality

The GPA surveys its members each year to rate vendors in five categories: product innovation, technical support, sales and marketing programs, commercial flexibility and commitment to global development and support programs. QSC was ranked among the top nine global AV vendors by the GPA Membership. www.qsc.com www.global-presence.org

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NEWS Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

Key Digital Systems Expands To The SAARC, ME and a great choice for system integrators, broadcasters, and consumers in terms of communities,” he explains. “I look forward to taking this cause further, and faster.”

SAARC / ME: High-end distributed video and control systems solutions provider Key Digital Systems has initiated aggressive expansion plans for Asia.

In one of the most important moves in the direction, the company has recently created the position of Country DirectorIndia & SAARC and Middle East and appointed to the post Abhinav Saxena – a professional of over 10 years exposure to the industry dynamics – to steer the company prospects across the three critical regions in Asia.

In line with the expectations, Abhinav has initiated Key Digital footprint expansion in the region almost immediately, and made key distributor appoints for as many as six countries, including India. The recent additions include Indonesia and Singapore in Asia-Pac, Qatar in the Middle East, Egypt, and Morocco in Africa.

“Apart from rich experience in the industry, Abhinav brings with him extremely strong relationships with channel, distribution and End User domain,” noted Key Digital President and CEO Mike Tsingberg. “He is very hardworking person, very active and aggressive too,” the Key Digital chief said. “We can see in another few years Key Digital will be on bigger platform in these regions and expands in rest of the Asian regions.”

“We intend to expand the footprint to the whole of SAARC, and at least two markets in the Middle East by the end of this year,” says Abhinav. “We intend to have distributors for Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Dubai (UAE), and South Africa,” he explains further. “We also intend to have exclusively for these regions a technical person who would be backed up by our ‘systems design group (SDG)’, from our headquarters.”

Prior to joining Key Digital Systems, Abhinav spent around four years with Kramer Electronics India where he was heading and managing the entire North India business. Prior to that he had around three and half years stint with Ingram Micro in the same market contributing to its sales growth.

The Mount Vernon, New York-based Key Digital develops and manufactures high quality, cutting-edge technology solutions for virtually all applications where high-end video and control are important.

“It’s a great opportunity to be in this space (Key Digtial),” says Abhinav. “Key Digital is at the forefront of video industry for home theater, retail, custom installs, in terms of segments

Abhinav can be contacted at Abhinav.Saxena@KeyDigital.com & +91.995.324.0867 www.keydigital.com

Lightware Opens Regional Office In Delhi INDIA: Lightware Visual Engineering announced opening of its new regional Office in New Delhi. The new office will feature the Lightware Digital Certification (LDC) training facility where Lightware's latest technologies and solutions are available for demonstrations to, and proof-of-concepts with customers and partners.

and transform,” said Arunkumar Anandhan, Manager at Lightware India. “We are excited to apply our professional and personal passion to help guide the company in delivering technologies to customers that enable them to stay ahead in digital amid today’s evolving landscape.”

“We are delighted to announce our Delhi office; this office enables Lightware to share its global best practices and cutting-edge technologies with local customers and provide great services for a broader customer base", said Sujoy Bhattacharjee, Asst. Manager - Sales & Applications at Lightware.

Raghuvaran Patel-Business Manager, added that Lightware is an innovation-led company, with a core of outstanding professionals that has always set the highest standards and has built a unique culture, this New Delhi office marks our expansion in India, as we continue to invest in developing global offices, we will be looking to co-innovate with clients and nurture a partner ecosystem to develop skilled workforce that will deliver next generation services.

“Lightware has always challenged conventions in the digital industry and has maintained its focus on high signal fidelity management as a core function of how it continues to innovate

www.lightware.eu

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NEWS Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

BAI Hotel Cebu Reinforces Modern Image With Exterity IP Video And Digital Signage Solution PHILIPPINES: Exterity, a leading provider of IP video and digital signage technologies, has announced that its solutions have been selected by BAI Hotel Cebu, Philippines, to offer TV and video entertainment in each of its 690 guest rooms, as well as digital signage in public areas and meeting rooms.

Nestled between the bustling cities of Mandaue and Cebu, BAI Hotel Cebu provides ultra-modern comfort and amenities.

A contemporary, chic business hotel and culinary destination in one of the Philippines’ most popular business and leisure destinations, BAI Hotel wanted to reflect its commitment to modernity, by offering guests the latest in-room entertainment and easy access to hotel news and facilities.

The Exterity installation consists of ArtioSign digital signage to display events, promotions, advertisements and wayfinding in the hotel reception and public areas. Guests can watch films as well as 60 local and international TV channels, offered through their in-room entertainment portal. Exterity ArtioPortal middleware integrates seamlessly with Agilysys’ Property Management System (PMS) and Samsung hospitality SmartTVs. The solution was deployed by Exterity’s valued partner, LS Technology Solutions Philippines Incorporated, a subsidiary of Singapore-based Technology Solutions Pte Ltd, which specialises in products for the hospitality industry.

BAI Hotel Lounge

“Modern hotels are relying heavily on video and interactive technology to offer a unique guest experience, and being able to use a single platform to deliver a complete hotel solution is paramount when you have as many rooms as BAI Hotel Cebu,” said Colin Farquhar, CEO at Exterity. “Ease of use, centralised system management, reliability and robustness are all essential attributes of our integrated IP video and digital signage solution. By working closely with a trusted local partner, we are delighted to be able to provide a state-of-the-art experience for BAI Hotel Cebu guests.” www.exterity.com

Bosch Conference Systems Help Train The Leaders Of Tomorrow At Beijing’s Schwarzman College Bosch has provided communication equipment for the college’s conference center, including a DICENTIS Wireless Conference System for interactive lectures, and an INTEGRUS Wireless Language Distribution System for simultaneous, multi-language interpretation. DICENTIS Wireless is based on standard Wi-Fi technology and smart wireless management, ensuring interference-free and highly flexible wireless conferencing. Meanwhile INTEGRUS is an infrared language and audio distribution system, used to transmit live simultaneous interpretation of presentations and panel discussions.

Beijing Schwarzman College

CHINA: “Those who will lead in the future must understand China today,” says Stephen A. Schwarzman, founding trustee of Beijing-based Schwarzman College. Mr. Schwarzman, chairman and CEO of the investment firm Blackstone Group, founded the college in 2016. The goal: educate the next generation of global leaders.

The 200 students chosen annually to attend Schwarzman College’s Schwarzman Scholars Program pursue an intensive, eleven months master’s degree program on the campus of Beijing’s renowned Tsinghua University. The program includes a tailored core curriculum, and scholars have the choice of one of three areas of academic concentration: Public Policy, Economics & Business, or International Studies. www.bosch.com

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NEWS Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

Yamaha's YVC-1000MS Unified Communications Speakerphone Certified For Skype For Business INTERNATIONAL: Yamaha has introduced the YVC-1000MS, a USB speaker-phone solution engineered with Yamaha's quality audio technology and expertise to enhance the Skype for Business meeting user experience. Available in October 2017, the Yamaha YVC-1000MS microphone and speaker system has passed Skype for Business' stringent Certification Version 3 tests, meeting the high standards that define the Skype for Business meeting experience with natural, clear audio.

The YVC-1000MS is a scalable and flexible solution engineered to support the audio requirements of large meeting rooms, rooms with special table configurations, and even remote education classes or seminars within the Skype for Business application. The YVC-1000MS features separate microphone and speaker units that smoothly integrate audio for natural, comfortable remote communication. Yamaha's adaptive echo cancellation and other unique high-quality sound processing technologies developed over the years also help facilitate a stress-free conversation. The user-friendly design provides fast, intuitive connection to a call on a smartphone by Bluetooth and can bridge to a Skype for Business call via USB. "Skype for Business continues to be the platform of choice for collaboration," said Hirofumi (Hogan) Osawa, executive officer, senior general manager of audio business division and general manager of UC Department, Yamaha. "We are focused on delivering communication technologies that are specifically tuned to make human voices sound clear and natural in every conversation by leveraging Yamaha's well-known expertise in developing pro audio solutions and our 10-year experience working with global enterprise customers and partners within the UC industry. With the introduction of the Yamaha YVC-

1000MS, users will optimize Skype for Business meetings that take place in large spaces."

"Yamaha has a long-standing reputation as a proven audio technology expert. Together, we're simplifying the meeting experience while delivering quality audio that's vital to effective conversations," said Tiffany Wissner, senior director, Skype for Business product marketing at Microsoft Corp. "The YVC-1000MS speakerphone was chosen for its ability to meet the requirements for large meeting room applications and fulfill the high-quality audio demands of our users." https://uc.yamaha.com/skype_for_business/

RTI Announces Extended Three-Year Warranty On All Products INTERNATIONAL: RTI, a leading control and automation manufacturer for residential and commercial settings, announced that it has extended its warranty program to three years (one year on batteries), further demonstrating the company's commitment to product quality, reliability, and support. The new warranty will cover RTI and Pro Control's entire portfolio of control and AV solutions.

"Broadening our warranty coverage to three years reflects the confidence we have in our products," said Mike Everett, Vice President of Global Sales for RTI. "We have been getting great feedback from our distributors and dealers, and moving to a comprehensive three-year warranty provides another selling feature and is an excellent way to show that we stand behind our partners and our products." www.rticorp.com

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NEWS Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

Verrex Appoints Brett Wilkie As Asia Pacific Business Development Director HONG KONG: Verrex, the APEx-certified global provider of superior AV technology solutions and experiences announced that Brett Wilkie has joined the company as Asia Pacific Business Development Director based in Hong Kong. Wilkie will be responsible for driving continued adoption of Verrex video conferencing, collaboration, and communication system integration and managed service solutions in the region.

He will lead initiatives to serve the AV technology needs of national and global organizations including Finance, Legal, High-Tech, and Pharmaceuticals. Wilkie will also focus on relationships with interior design, real estate, IT, and other related partners in order to contribute to client success during facility fit-outs, upgrades, and restack projects with AV scope.

He reports directly to Verrex Vice President of Marketing & Business Development, Theresa Hahn.

“One of the many qualities we look for in our Business Development group is the ability to articulate Verrex’s unique value proposition into relevant advantages for clients and partners”, said Hahn. “Brett is an accomplished communicator and we are delighted he has joined our global team in one of our fastest growing regions. With an upward economy and focus on meeting sophisticated workplace strategy objectives, Asia Pacific organizations are in need of a true partnershipapproach from their AV integrator. We are confident that clients and collaborators will find Brett an advocate in meeting their technology goals.”

Wilkie joins Verrex with over six years of experience in the Asia Pacific market, and nine years in Business Development and Recruitment. Career highlights include Owner of Interaction

Sales Outsourcing Limited in Hong Kong, Business Development Manager at Principle One in Hong Kong, and Recruitment Consultant at Aston Carter International in Hong Kong. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Okanagan College (British Columbia) and Bachelor of International Business from HZ University of Applied Sciences (The Netherlands).

“I am proud and honoured to join the Verrex family,” said Wilkie. “Verrex has been refining its processes for 70 years to duplicate standards and quality globally and there is no better platform to grow within the industry. This is a fast-paced market where companies are looking for consistent excellence in project and service execution and Verrex produces standards that are second to none. I look forward to making a difference and contributing to the success in the region.”

Verrex’s Hong Kong office is located at 80 Gloucester Road in Wan Chai. It is part of the company’s global workplaces, which include Mountainside-NJ, Boston, Houston, London, Los Angeles, and Shanghai. Wilkie can be reached at +852 2781 5928 or at bwilkie@verrex.com. www.verrex.com

InfoComm To Live The Integrated Life In 2018 USA: Just as the dust was settling on InfoComm 2017 that set a record by logging more than 40,000 show registrants for the first time in its history, InfoComm organizers wasted no time to announce the new Integrated Life content program and exhibition for InfoComm 2018, which returns to the Las Vegas Convention Center June 2-8, 2018.

Integrated Life @ InfoComm 2018 comprises a special track of workshops and sessions, plus a dedicated area on the InfoComm 2018 show floor, for spotlighting smart building, smart home, mobile, security and related audiovisual solutions that create integrated experiences wherever people use technology.

“We plan to take everything that is cool, but maybe abstract, about new technology — the Internet of Things, sensors, artificial intelligence, the cloud and more — and present it in terms of real-world AV solutions that result in outcomes

for customers,” said Jason McGraw, CTS, CAE, Senior Vice President of Expositions, InfoComm International. “Audiovisual experiences are all around us, from the time we get up in the morning, to our work days, to the entertainment we enjoy in our lives. We could be in the kitchen, car, classroom or office. And increasingly, those AV experiences are more interconnected. The Integrated Life program and exhibition space at InfoComm 2018 recognizes that fact and invites new and different solution providers and professionals into our proAV marketplace.”

On the InfoComm 2018 exhibit floor, the Integrated Life area will showcase smart lighting, sensor technology, building and home automation, voice control, integrated security, mobile AV solutions, smart car technologies, and much more. www.infocomm.org

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NEWS Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

Mindstec Asia Awarded ‘The Distinguished Media Information And Communications Partners’ Award HONG KONG: Jointly organized by Hong Kong Economic Journal (HKEJ) and PR Asia Consultants Limited (PR Asia), the Award Presentation Ceremony of The Distinguished SME Partners Award 2017 was held on 23 June. The Award is aimed at recognizing elected Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) partners that deliver extraordinary performance and contribution to SME development. Mindstec Asia Ltd. was proudly awarded ‘The Distinguished Media Information and Communications Partners’, award, getting credits for its rapid business growth and the wide spectrum of high-tech audiovisual (AV) and central control products that it offers to facilitate SME development.

Mindstec Asia was set up in 2015 and got significant business growth and high recognition in just two years. Branch offices have been established in various Asian countries including Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and South Korea.

Mindstec is always at the forefront of AV technology and it cooperates with a wide range of industry-leading and internationally acclaimed brands. Mindstec’s services are not limited to products distribution, but also include professional advice on product selection based on customers’ needs. The showrooms of Mindstec’s regional offices are pioneering in that they allow visitors to experience actual product applications. In addition, Mindstec’s professional and reliable team can support customers around the clock, enhancing customers’ confidence in its services and helping Mindstec stand out from the highly competitive AV industry.

Apart from its own success in being a recognized SME with promising development, Mindstec is also a dependable partner of other SMEs. It provides a wide variety of products including interactive displays, videoconferencing systems, wireless collaboration systems and more, enabling cost-effective and

Winnie Leong representing Mindstec Asia receiving the award on behalf of the company

borderless communications and meetings among people.

Central control systems offered by Mindstec can control multiple electronics such as lights, room temperature, curtains and media systems of the entire office at users’ fingertips.

These technologies can help SMEs to maximize operational efficiency in a cost-effective way.

Mindstec Asia took pride in being accredited with other renowned award winners such as HKT, Manulife (International) Limited, Singapore Airlines, The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC), 1O1O, CITIC Telecom CPC, etc. in The Distinguished SME Partners Award 2017.

Mindstec is determined to keep growing and gaining more achievements to further underpin its position in the AV industry. www.mindstec.com

Q-SYS Platform Offers Integration With Atlona Solutions INTERNATIONAL: QSC, LLC, and Atlona have announced a collaboration to co-develop plug-ins for the Q-SYS Platform.

These plug-ins provide networked audio stream compatibility with Atlona OmniStream AVoIP products, and offer direct system control for CLSO Series video switchers.

with Q-SYS,” says Mike Brandes, Product Manager, Installed Systems, QSC. “One of the key capabilities of the Q-SYS Platform is its unique ability to easily integrate with third-party devices. These plug-ins offer cutting-edge, native integration for Atlona products for corporate enterprise environments.”

The OmniStream plug-in allows the Q-SYS Platform to ingest a direct audio stream from encoders as it does for any other input, and Q-SYS can process, route and mix those audio channels anywhere on the network. The CLSO Series plug-in enables direct control of switcher operations from within Q-SYS user control interface.

“We are very excited to partner with QSC and deliver solutions that minimize complexity for the integrator,” says David Shamir, Director of Product Management for Atlona. “Our best-in-class OmniStream platform and CLSO Series are now enhanced by adding easy and direct control through one of the most powerful IT-based platforms in industry.”

“Atlona is an ideal partner for QSC as they offer a solid and reliable video distribution infrastructure that pairs perfectly

www.qsc.com www.atlona.com

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NEWS Systems IntegraĆ&#x;on Asia August - September 2017

Riedel And PIDSO Forge Partnership SINGAPORE: Riedel Communications has brought on board a powerful new centre of expertise through a partnership with PIDSO, a leading manufacturer of innovative and lightweight antennas and antenna systems based in Vienna. With the deal, Riedel assumes a majority financial position in PIDSO, accelerating development of solutions that leverage PIDSO antenna systems with Riedel's industry-leading family of communications systems.

"With its innovative solutions in the field of high-performance antennas, PIDSO not only complements our product portfolio, but also fits right into our company philosophy. Embracing advanced technologies and delivering visionary solutions to real-world challenges have always been part of Riedel's trademark," said Thomas Riedel, Founder and CEO of Riedel.

"Both companies will be able to move forward based on a very sound economic and technological foundation, giving our new collaboration the best-possible beginning."

PIDSO offers specialized expertise in the development and manufacture of lightweight antennas and antenna systems that can be integrated easily into existing building spaces.

The company's antennas are widely used in the automotive industry, aircraft construction (particularly for unmanned aircraft), logistics control systems, and video/cinema production. With this partnership, Riedel gains an experienced team and deep expertise in custom antenna systems, together with access to new markets such as automotive and aircraft, and the growth market of unmanned systems. PIDSO's addition to the Riedel group will create synergies between

(L-R)Christoph Kienmayer, Founder and Managing Director, PIDSO; Thomas Riedel, Founder and CEO, Riedel; Kai Houben, Director Rental Division, Riedel; Armin Hirsch, Head of Marketing and Sales, PIDSO.

the two companies' research and development operations in Vienna that will benefit partners and customers alike.

"We have been experiencing solid growth, and our partnership with Riedel will accelerate demand for our solutions and pave the way to an even brighter future," said Christoph Kienmayer, Founder and Managing Director of PIDSO. "We're honored to be joining the Riedel brand, one of the strongest in the industry, and we'll have a perfect environment and ideal conditions in which take our business to the next level, especially with regard to internationalization." www.riedel.net

Manuel Greisinger Joins IHSE As Head Of Sales INTERNATIONAL: Manual Greisinger took on the appointment of Head of Sales on 1 June 2017. Manuel has longstanding international sales and management experience, building deep relationships with end customers and strategic partners in a wide variety of vertical markets (Broadcast, Industrial, Data Center, Automotive, Communications, Military & Government) and a track record of exceeding sales goals and transforming businesses towards incremental growth.

For almost 5 years he has been with Intel's Programmable Solutions Group (previously known as Altera), most recently running the sales organization for Central and Eastern Europe (including Russia, Middle East and Africa) with a diverse, multicultural team based in Munich, Germany.

Prior to joining Intel, he worked for a Venture Capital firm in San Francisco. Previous professional experiences also include Agilent Technologies (today: Keysight Technologies) and at Avnet, Inc. (EBV Elektronik).

Manuel studied Microsystems Engineering in Regensburg, Germany and holds a "Dipl.-Ing. (FH)" degree.

Manuel said: "I am really excited to join IHSE at its current growth stage. Together with the great team around the world, I look forward to further driving growth in existing and new vertical markets and to be instrumental in taking the next step towards developing the company into a global market leader.

Having known IHSE and Dr. Enno Littmann for over 4 years now, I am more than confident that the company with its talented team is very well positioned for a successful, bright and exciting future. I will leverage my diverse international experiences and professional network to help the company reach this next level and I look forward to being part of the team". www.ihse.com

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NEWS Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

Globaltronics Brings Dazzle To KFC’s Menu Board

Timothy C. Lee, Vice President Institutional Sales & Special Projects, Globaltronics at one of the KFC outlet with the new Philips digital signage solution.

PHILIPPINES: It started out in the first quarter of last year when the famous Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) chain decided to digitize their static menu board, in the Philippines. In keeping to trends and tastes of its customers in the Philippines, KFC continuously puts in effort to innovate their menu. This lead to the printing of new menu posters each time and the management decided that it might be more cost effective going the digital route.

Needing to find the right partner, KFC management approached and chose Globaltronics Inc. over a number of competitors. Globaltronics, Inc. is the Country's Pioneer and Leader in providing LED Billboards, Kiosk and Professional Displays that are scattered around the different parts of Metro Manila and other parts of the country. The company has over the years expanded its solutions to offer a variety of digital solution including digital signage.

“KFC wanted to explore digital signages for its outlets. But at the same time they also wanted to integrate their inventory system digitally. We were able to provide them with a seamless solution to meet their objectives,” said Timothy C. Lee, Vice President Institutional Sales & Special Projects, Globaltronics.

Globaltronics supplied the full end to end solution including the display panels, customised brackets, installation and continued after sales service being the Exclusive Partner of Philips in the Philippines. Globaltronics worked with Htech that provided the creatives, design and DMB solution.

Each branch depending on the size of the retail outlet features 4 to 5 units of the Philips BDL4777XL and BDL4260EL monitors with content management provided through the Fractalia software.

“We started off with KFC’s flagship store in BGC in the first quarter of 2016. What caught the attention of the KFC executives was how close we were able to match the pantone colours of the KFC logo. They also of course were pleased with how quickly they could change menus, prices and offer special promotions fairly instantly,” said Timothy.

This has led to Globaltronics now working with KFC to install the signages across all their stores. The process is still continuing through presently.

“KFC decided to expand because they have seen the advantage of using digital signage since if there is a need to change something like add new menu, change price and design, all they have to do is coordinate with the marketing and IT department and this can be rolled out to all branches from the head office. Also, using the old school menu board type means there is a need to transport the new menu boards to different branches every now and then plus they no longer need to think of ways to store or dispose their old static menus since everything is digital. They also have experience less multiple human intervention in the operation meaning less mistake and less cost,” concluded Timothy. www.globaltronics.net

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NEWS Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

SLV Hub Opens To Warm Welcome One highlight was the new 300W Roxie LED followspot from Robert Juliat, with similar dimensions and output to a 575W HID followspot. According to Total Solution Sales Executive Kartik Keyan, the followspot's design is well suited to school and church environments.

SINGAPORE: The SLV (Sound, Light and Visual) Hub was recently launched to an audience from 18 different churches.

Managed by KCC (Kingdom Community Church) Ventures and in partnership with UnUsUaL Ltd, the hub is actually a church in a multi-storey light industry building that is to be used as a portal for available spaces and facilities that may be rented out for events such as meetings, product workshops, product demonstrations and different type of trainings. The hub has three different spaces: The Meeting Room (20-40 pax), Training Room (40-80 pax), and Production Hall, which is the biggest space in the hub.

Total Solution also took the time to showcase their solutions during the launch – solutions introduced to the attentive audience included JB Lighting's: • Sparxz 7 LED Washlight, equipped with 19 multi-chip RGBW LEDs in the 15W class, and with various patterns available which can be freely combined for unlimited colour and pattern variations.

• P7 LED CMY Spot, with the brightness of a 700W discharge lamp and a low LED power consumption of 270W, optical zoom system of 8º to 48º, and lifetime of 20,000 hours.

• A12 LED Beamwash, with 61 RGBW multi-chip LEDs in the 15W class, 1200W discharge lamp, zoom range of 4º to 48º, absolute homogeneity of colours used and hexagonallyshaped lenses that make light seem to come from a single light source.

• A8 LED Beamwash, with 37 RGBW multi-chip LEDs, zoom angle of 4º to 48º, three-phase stepper motors, silent additional fans and a receiver module for the JB-Lighting Wireless TRX. • Other solutions included MA Lighting's dot2 console, designed for smaller and mid-sized projects and venues such as theatre, touring, corporate, TV and education lighting environments.

“The reason they came up with this idea is mainly for schools and churches, because you have volunteers coming in, kids and teenagers who are coming in to learn how to use all this, and usually if you're using a lamp based one it's very hot and if they make a mistake they end up burning themselves. This is very safe for them to use, it's also LED so it's going to last longer, and it's lightweight and easy – anyone can just fix it up, it's very straightforward. Better than the lamp based ones where you need to strike the lamp first, wait for it to warm up then you can use it, there's a procedure to it while this is just plug in.”

Besides the launch of the hub, the SLV networking club was also introduced. As SLV Hub Managing Director Gary Tan puts it, the club is meant to allow members to network and share their knowledge and expertise with relation to equipment and technology.

“We hope that we can learn together, we can mentor each other. This club is to enhance cooperation between Total Solution Sales Executive churches, organise training, Kartik Keyan presenting about workshops, field trips, update lights to the audience video users of the latest equipment, develop potential among young people, even some others – you'd be surprised, there's a lot of people who are in the senior level but are very keen on skills such as photography and want to join this type of church ministry.”

Members of the audience were receptive towards the opening of the hub and the introduction of the SLV networking club, and Benezer Seow from New Life Community Church shared that the hub and club were good platforms for churches to get an idea of what they wanted.

“The small and medium churches look at bigger churches and want to get equipment like theirs but they're not sure about how to get that equipment. This hub allows media professionals to do a setup and just talk... Maybe someone will say oh, I want this setting, and someone else will say that they've done it before and talk about the cost so that when the church goes to the contractors they don't get overcharged for things they don't really need.” www.slvhub.com

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NEWS Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

Gen.-X, Millennials Ask For More Assistance Than Baby Boomers When It Comes To Resolving IT Problems At Work GLOBAL: Despite the widespread belief that IT issues are only associated with older, C-suite members of the workforce, a research revealed that two-thirds (66 per cent) of IT decision makers claim that Generation X or Millennials ask for the most assistance when presenting.

Lieven Bertier Head of Product Management, ClickShare.

The global research, commissioned by Barco ClickShare, and conducted by Vanson Bourne of 1,250 IT decision makers, showed that the reason for the heightened need for IT support is due to a lack of digital skills across businesses. Almost six in 10 (58 per cent) IT respondents reported that employees ask for assistance because they are not digitally savvy enough to resolve IT problems themselves.

The study was conducted by independent research agency Vanson Bourne, and the respondents included decision makers from across the US (500) UK, France and Germany (250 professionals each). These professionals are taken from across IT and telecoms, retail, financial services, business and professional services, transport and travel, private education, utilities, media leisure and entertainment, manufacturing and production and private healthcare. A good spread of interviews was obtained across age ranges, gender, and organisation size.

The study identified that employees ask for the most assistance with presentation technology problems (67 per cent). This is closely followed by internet connection issues (59 per cent), printer issues (55 per cent), mobile device problems (47 per cent), and software bugs/problems (41 per cent).

According to the survey findings, a majority (91 per cent) of IT decision makers see presentation technology problems as a high or moderate priority, and are most commonly reported due to external business hardware e.g. laptops, tablets, and mobile phones (46 per cent) brought into meeting rooms, and meeting room business hardware such as screens, computers, and phones (40 per cent).

When the respondents were asked where IT issues arise, the top three catagories comprised connecting: hardware (67 per cent), operating meeting/presentation software (58 per cent), and joining web conference meetings (57 per cent). Ineffective presentation technology can have a detrimental impact on businesses, with 5 in 10 respondents reporting that these issues were associated to a loss of business (54%) and damage to business reputation (53%). In addition, over two-thirds claim that presentation technology issues caused important meetings

to be postponed (72%), and disputes between colleagues (73%).

As a way of overcoming presentation IT issues, six in 10 (60 per cent) IT decision makers believe that the deployment of technology that is quick and easy to set up is essential. In addition, over five in 10 believe that devices that are wireless (54 percent), and compatible with any device (51 per cent), will ensure presentations run smoothly.

“Issues around technology remains a major hurdle for businesses to overcome,” says Lieven Bertier, Head of Product Management, ClickShare. “Research shows that presentation issues are the most common of all technology problems for businesses, which take up a lot of employee’s time and can have a large impact on the reputation of the company and workforce productivity,” Bertier explains further. “Business leaders and IT decision makers can address presentation problems with the deployment of easy to use wireless technology, removing the need for training and minimising disruption caused in meetings.”

According to technology pioneer and data scientist Inma Martinez, Millennials, Centennials and some Generation X employees excel at being digitally social, yet they are 100 per cent mobile driven, lacking the necessary skills for interoperability, that is, to understand how desktop computers connect to other devices or, furthermore, how network infrastructure really works. This explains why they represent the largest employee group requiring IT support around presentation technologies in the workplace.

“The very nature of Millennials and Centennials is short-term oriented, spoiled by the instant gratification of e-commerce, the widespread availability of Wi-Fi and the seamless user experience that mobile apps present today,” notes Martinez.

“Generation X, because they weren’t born digital, feel even more alienated. Outside of this digital environment, when confronted by desktop interoperability issues – connecting to other machines, or understanding basic network infrastructure, they experience ‘digital frustration.’” They are not only at odds, but require stronger support from I.T. teams beyond what other generations need in the workplace because patience is not their forte.”

Described by Fortune and TIME as one of Europe’s top talents in social engagement through technology, serial entrepreneur and angel investor in technology Inma Martinez, was ranked

by Red Herring among the top 40 women in technology, and FastCompany labelled her a firestarter. www.barco.com

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NEWS Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

30 New Cities Identified For Smart City Development The setting up of Control and Command Centre does include high-end security surveillance and applications like digital signage as well, besides scope for public utility services. It is to be noted that, as much as US$1.6 billion out of a total proposed investment of about US$ 9 billion had been earmarked for incorporation of technology-based solutions of various levels and applications.

Of the planned expenditure approx.

US$7.2 billion will be for core infrastructure.

With this, the total investment approved under the smart city plans of 90 cities has gone up to Rs 1,91,155 crore (approximately 30 US$ billion), revealed the Union Minister recently with the media.

The minister said that 20 more cities will be contesting for the remaining 10 slots under the Smart City Mission.

The cities include Biharsharif (Bihar); Navimumbai, Greater Mumbai and Amaravati (Maharashtra); Bidhannagar, Durgapur and Haldia (West Bengal); and Meerut, Rai Bareilly, Ghaziabad, Saharanpur and Rampur (Uttar Pradesh).

Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu identifies cities selected for India’s ambitious Smart City programmes

INDIA: The Government of India, in continuation of its Smart Cities development initiative under the Smart City Mission, has recently identified 30 more cities from across the country. The latest announcement takes to 90 the number of cities selected for part financing of projects by the Centre under the scheme.

Capital of Southern Indian State, Kerala Thiruvananthapuram took the first slot, followed by Naya Raipur, capital of Chattisghar, Rajkot, and Andhra Pradesh capital Amaravati, and Bihar capital Patna.

Announcing the new list recently Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said that 45 cities contested for the 40 available smart city slots. However, only 30 were selected to ensure their feasibility and workable plans.

Four cities in Tamil Nadu - Tiruppur, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Tiruchirappalli, and three in Uttar Pradesh - Jhansi, Allahabad and Aligarh - also made it to the list.

The big take away for the Audio-Visual and Systems Integration industry here is that all the 30 cities will put in place Integrated Command and Control Centres that enable coordination among various agencies for better service delivery and effective management of resources.

Of the 30 cities, 26 have proposed affordable housing projects that benefit the urban poor, 26 cities will be taking up school and hospital projects, 29 will be taking up redesign and redevelopment of roads.

The Union Minister also launched the City Liveability Index which will help a Smart City to know where it stands in ensuring the quality of life to its citizens. This initiative will be taken up in as many as 116 cities- covering all smart cities, capitals and cities with over one million population each.

Interestingly, India’s Silicon Valley, and Karnataka’s capital Bengaluru – which was surprisingly missing its selection for all these rounds – found its place this time. Other cities figuring in the latest Smart City list included Karimnagar (Telangana), Muzaffarpur (Bihar), Puducherry, Gandhinagar and Dahod (Gujarat), Srinagar and Jammu (Jammu & Kashmir), Sagar and Satna (Madhya Pradesh) and Karnal (Haryana), Shimla (Himachal Pradesh), Dehradun (Uttarakhand), PimpriChinchwad (Maharashtra), Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh), Pasighat (Arunachal Pradesh), Aizawl (Mizoram) and Gangtok (Sikkim).

Jointly organized by:

Supported by:

A project of:

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SOLUTIONS UPDATE Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

Analog Way Announces HDBaseT 4-Play Support On Midra Series Models Analog Way has announced HDBaseT (HDBT) enhancements to four systems based on the Midra product family: the QuickMatriX – H, Pulse² - H, SmartMatriX² - H and Saphyr – H now offer improved connectivity and HDBT support, but will still maintain the same key software features used in live events, fixed installations, houses of worship and educational facilities.

These systems have been designed using HDBT Alliance specifications, ensuring interoperability with other HDBTcertified products. The HDBT inputs on the units support video, embedded audio and Ethernet pass through, and the first two HDBT inputs on each model support PoE+. The HDBT outputs support video, embedded audio, Ethernet pass through, plus RS-232 and IR control. In all four models, HDMI and HDBT output plugs are active and mirrored.

These four new models can receive and send signals up to 100m over a shielded CAT 5e/6 cable. The RK350 and AMX/ Creston drivers have also been updated to support the enhancements.

real-time, ultra low-latency image processing, advanced audio management and a user-friendly drag-and-drop GUI. These models are expected to ship in September 2017.

In addition to new HDBT support, the four models continue to offer advanced video effects for AV presentations, such as

www.analogway.com

Coherent Systems Introduces New ImageBoxes

Coherent Systems has introduced three new additions to the ImageBox family – the ImageBox WARP, ImageBox EDX and ImageBox UD Advance.

The ImageBox WARP is a curved screen warping processor for geometry alignment with PIP/POP and image flip with the edge blending function. This allows warp, de-warp, video wall control, format conversion, scaler switcher, PIP/ POP, 3D format conversion, image cropping and flip/rotation.

Other features include 4-corner alignment, with vertical and horizontal keystone correction as well as Pincushion and Barrel adjustment, and image stacking for flat and curved screen.

The ImageBox EDX is an edge blending processor with PIP/ POP, suitable for projectors with portrait direction for flexible display configurations. It supports inputs from multiple PCs

and combines them into one seamless image, also providing flexible displays in an edge blending system. For a 3x projector edge blending system, users can configure the setup as 1+1+1 independent displays, 1+2 displays or an all-in-one three-edge blend.

The ImageBox UD Advance is a 4K processor for creative displays with image rotating capabilities, and is the first pure hardware solution that can create any kind of display layout through simple on-screen display (OSD) operation. Other features include quad channel outputs for connecting with 4 displays of LCD / conventional TV sets / professional monitors with easy control, 37 pre-defined playback modes controlled

by Dip SW on front panel, and flexible image cropping. www.coherentsystems.net

SOLUTIONS UPDATE Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

Chief Introduces New Outdoor-Rated Mounts Chief has introduced new outdoor wall mounts – the ODMLA25 Outdoor Swing Arm Mount and ODMLT Outdoor Tilt Mount are designed with multiple levels of protection such as commercial-grade steel, galvanised plating, outdoor primer and outdoor-rated paint, to protect against extreme temperatures, moisture and UV exposure.

Features include:

• Galvanised plating to prevent against corrosion and extend longevity • Outdoor primer to protect against rusting and provide better paint adhesion • Outdoor-rated paint that meets the AAMA 2604-05 Standard for 5-year colour retention and chalk resistance • Weld-free design for reduced potential rust points • Stainless steel hardware that prevents corrosion • UV-resistant plastics that fight sun damage www.milestone.com

A winning combination

Avid Pro Tools | S6 and IHSE Draco tera | S6 The Draco tera | S6 KVM switch takes the Avid Pro Tools | S6 control surface to a greater level of performance and capability. Maximizing efficiency, simplifying workflow and increasing flexibility in professional sound studios.

IBC stand 7.B30

We can dynamically allocate any system to any room and move between mix stages with minimal setup time. It gives us great flexibility.

Editors can instantly switch between Pro Tools stations with just a single touch, giving them complete control with no distraction. With no transmission delay or image degradation, they see the complete picture.

IHSE GmbH - Headquarters Maybachstrasse 11 88094 Oberteuringen Germany

IHSE GmbH Asia Pacific Pte Ltd 158 Kallang Way #07-13A Singapore 349245

Deluxe Media, Hollywood

Doug Higgins, Director of Audio Services

IHSE USA LLC 1 Corporate Drive Cranbury, NJ 08512 USA avid.ihse.com info@ihse.com

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SOLUTIONS UPDATE Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

Sony Expands Lineup For Its 4K Professional Displays Sony has introduced new additions to its range of 4K LED professional displays – the FWD-65BZ40E, FWD-55BZ40E, FWD-65BZ35E, FWD-55BZ35E, FWD-55BZ30E, and FWD49BZ30E. The displays are designed as a powerful signage management solution and encourage uniformed control displays and content, simple and cost-effective implementation and operation as well as an intuitive and easy-to-use user interface.

Supporting 4K HDR, the new line-up is equipped with 4K HDR Processor X1, which allows object-based HDR remaster as well as Super Bit Mapping 4K HDR to achieve incredible realism. Together with TRILUMINOS Display, the new line-up reproduces every shade and hue by mapping colours from a wider palette. Furthermore, Sony’s X-tended Dynamic Range PRO makes darker areas darker and brighter scenes brighter by precisely balancing the light output across the screen, dimming some areas, and boosting others.

The lineup also makes it easier for administrators to navigate the user interface, and they are able to create, schedule, monitor, control and manage content off-site via an online server. In addition, users can combine text, graphics and video with live web feeds and IPTV to produce compelling displays thanks to the integrated support for HTML5.

The new displays also aim to resolve office communication issues with a growing range of B2B-focused applications to create a customized and smarter display experience. Options to remotely control displays over IP via RJ45 by web API or via RS-232C are available for power, volume, channel change and other functions.

The new displays from Sony also optimize facilities management with the in-built basic Meeting Room App, which makes meetings more efficient. Paid options are available and include advanced functions such as compatibility with Microsoft Exchange server and Cybozu Office, and whiteboard option for sharing notes and sketches. For even greater versatility, an optional overlay turns the panels into a multipoint touch sensitive display.

The cost-effective displays easily integrate into 3rd party control system through IP or RS-232C, and offers everything needed to build a complete entry-level networked digital signage solution with no set-up boxes or player hardware needed. Hence, administrators can play out content directly over HDMI, from a connected USB device or over the network.

The new lineup is now available in the Asia Pacific region. pro.sony-asia.com

Remaco Introduces New Automated Turn Mirror For Projection Remaco has released the ATM-470C, an Automated Turn Mirror which allows projectors to be kept above a false ceiling – this reduces projector noise and keeps the projector, bracket and cables hidden, as these may look messy and unsightly.

The ATM-470C uses two pieces of front coated mirrors, one of which is motorized, to reflect projected images onto the screen during operation. When not in use, the motorized mirror will be kept completely flat on the ceiling surface.

The ATM-470C comes complete with an RF remote control and can be configured to be controlled by otherroom control systems. www.remacotech.com

SOLUTIONS UPDATE Systems IntegraĆ&#x;on Asia August - September 2017

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Extron Now Shipping Three New Control Processors With Network Isolation

Extron Electronics has announced the immediate availability of several new IP Link Pro control processors, including the IPCP Pro 555, IPCP Pro 355 DR, and the IPCP Pro 255. Each control processor in this lineup features advanced security standards and dual Gigabit Ethernet ports, which ensure compatibility with multiple TouchLink Pro touch panels using a standard network infrastructure.

Of the two Ethernet ports, the AV LAN is designated to control local AV devices, and is secure from outside interference or intrusion. All of these can be used with Extron LinkLicense, which further enhances the capabilities of Extron Pro Series control systems. These powerful control processors are an ideal

choice for controlling multiple devices and signal types within AV systems requiring an isolated AV network.

The IPCP Pro 555, IPCP Pro 355 DR, and the IPCP Pro 255 can be configured using Global Configurator Plus or Global Configurator Professional software or programmed using Extron Global Scripter. For enterprise-wide applications, GlobalViewer Enterprise can provide centralized AV resource monitoring, management, and control over a computer network. www.extron.com

TM

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32

SOLUTIONS UPDATE Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

Oblong Introduces Mezzanine 200 ‘In A Box’ Oblong Industries has released its Mezzanine 200 Series visual collaboration solution with a new Partner Kit available exclusively to its partner integrators. This ‘Mezzanine 200 in a box’ Partner Kit is designed to meet the needs of the growing number of teaming and huddle rooms, and offers the perfect platform for global team collaboration in these smaller connected spaces.

From a technical standpoint, this compact solution services a simple, dual-screen configuration, making it easy to deploy. It complements a wide choice of display screens, VTC codecs, and other hardware peripherals offered by partners to provide full room solutions to their preferred customers. Mezzanine 200 also has a bezel-mounted infrared gesture-tracking system, which provides a natural interface option with multiple simultaneous content streams: all users have to do is point the remote wand device at content on the screens to highlight, snapshot, move and scale important information on the fly.

Touch annotation on the Mezzanine 200 Series opens up new and better ways to work together. Unlike many digital whiteboard solutions, which only enable annotation over a single directly connected device, Mezzanine allows annotation over multiple streams simultaneously. Collaborators can annotate over graphics or live video, including live video feeds of analog whiteboards in other locations. Snapshot the annotated content instantly to create a new asset and deliver it directly into the workspace portfolio for later reference and download.

Also new to Mezzanine 200 are integrations with popular enterprise utilities that are a part of the Microsoft ecosystem, including calendar integration with Microsoft Exchange and video integration with Skype for Business.

The Mezzanine 200 has a lower price point than Oblong's 600 Series, and is the brand's most accessible solution to date.

For integration partners, Mezzanine 200 can be installed and fully operable within a day, enabling them to deliver to their customers a highly desirable meeting room technology swiftly and cost effectively. www.oblong.com

Symetrix Unveils Control Server At InfoComm 2017 Symetrix recently unveiled its Control Server during InfoComm 2017 – a network-based, dedicated control platform for Radius, Prism, Edge, and Solus NX DSP hardware, the Control Server is accessed using standard HTML browsers on networked devices, and is a flexible and extensible BYOD approach to control and monitoring of all Symetrix Composerenabled DSPs, as well as select third-party A/V components.

The Control Server's centralized, server-based design enables full featured creation, deployment, monitoring, and maintenance of large-scale, complex systems supporting multiple control endpoints and multiple simultaneous users.

Supporting wired and wireless connection, the Control Server's intuitive, browser-based interface manages each custom application on the network, including licenses, users, and user access. Control Server apps are fast and responsive, and fully customizable, including multiple levels of user access. www.symetrix.co

SOLUTIONS UPDATE Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

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Matrox Adds Native Facebook And YouTube Live Support To Monarch Encoders Matrox Video has announced a major update to the Matrox Monarch HD and Monarch HDX professional streaming and recording encoders, adding native support for two of the world’s most popular live video streaming platforms, Facebook Live and YouTube Live.

By simply copying a unique Facebook or YouTube access token from the Monarch’s Command Centre control software and pasting it into their respective Facebook or YouTube account(s), users can now stream directly to their followers with the click of a mouse or push of a button.

“Matrox has been making enormous contributions to streaming and recording since the launch of the Monarch family four years ago,” said Francesco Scartozzi, Matrox Video’s Director of Sales (Americas). “In the meantime, live video over social platforms has shown itself to be a powerful medium. With this significant update to our professional encoders, users can stream their content quickly and easily to the social network of their choice.”

The latest Monarch HD and Monarch HDX firmware—with Facebook Live and YouTube Live integration—is now available to registered users as a free download from the Matrox website. www.matrox.com

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SOLUTIONS UPDATE Systems IntegraĆ&#x;on Asia August - September 2017

Atlona Ships 4K HDR-Capable HDMI Audio De-Embedder And Downmixer

also delivers stereo downmixed audio over HDMI along unbalanced audio and TOSLINK digital audio outputs.

The AT-HDR-M2C is compatible with HDMI signals up to 4K/UHD at 60Hz with 4:4:4 chroma sampling, and supports HDR10 along with other formats. The new audio converter is compatible with HDMI data rates up to 18 Gbps and is HDCP 2.2 compliant.

Atlona is now shipping its new AT-HDR-M2C audio converter, suitable for commercial or residential playback of multi-channel source content via displays, distributed audio systems and whole-house audio systems.

The AT-HDR-M2C extracts, decodes and downmixes multichannel PCM, Dolby and DTS audio from HDMI sources – it

Integrated EDID management features and audio volume, bass and treble adjustments can be controlled through the device's graphical web interface, third-party control systems, or the free Atlona Management System (AMS) network software platform, which allows SIs and users to set up, manage, and monitor multiple Atlona solutions over a LAN, WAN, or VPN. The AT-HDR-M2C is now available at a retail price of $449.99, and is backed by Atlona's 10-year limited product warranty and customer support service. www.atlona.com

Kensence Launches New Polymer Optical Extender Kensence (Shenzhen) Technology Development Co., Ltd. launched its Polymer Optical Fiber Extenders at InfoComm International. The two models, one a transmitter (POFHDM-TX) and the other a receiver (POF-HDM-RX) are highdefinition intelligent video extenders. The models offer digital uncompressed technology to transmit lossless full HD images through POF fiber. The use of simple fiber optic transmitters and receivers and flexible plastic optical fiber help to minimize the termination time and construction cost, not only to achieve point-to-point deployment, but also expand the point of manyto- multipoint.

PMMA plastic optical fiber cable (POF) is made of highly transparent polymer such as polysteryrene (PS), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polycarbonate (PC) as core materials.

There are two main materials for making POF, one is polymethyl methacrylate polymer PMMA (Polymer Polymethyl methacrylate). The Other is fluoropolymer (Perfluorinated polymers). Plastic fiber can be used not only for the last 100 to 1000 meters of the access network, but also for a variety of applications in automotive transportation means. It is an excellent short data transmission medium.

The Polymer Optical Extenders help transmit uncompressed video signals as part of Kensence OMPS series of professional fiber media presentation switcher.

The OMPS series is a professional fiber media presentation switcher, which supports HDMI and FIBER signal arbitrary switching. This matrix series combines control signal (RS232/IP) transmission, supports input port backup function. It supports seamless switching, no black field, no jitter, no split screen.

Fiber signal input and output, compatible with single-mode and multi-mode, transmission distances up to 2km. The output audio can be stripped separately.

Companies in South-East Asia can contact Peter Low for more information via email: peter.l@kensence.com www.kensence.com

SOLUTIONS UPDATE Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

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tvONE Now Shipping ONErack Dual-Redundant, HotSwappable Power Supply tvONE is now shipping the Dual-Redundant, Hot-Swappable power supply for its ONErack, the universal racking mounting solution that was recently showcased during this year's ISE and InfoComm.

AV Integrators and Service Engineers can build and service cleaner and more professionallooking racks faster with the ONErack – the ONErack's front and rear access also provides uniform cables management.

The patent-pending design converts randomly sized, externally powered devices from any manufacturer into slide-in modules that can be installed quickly, cleanly and serviced easily. The dual redundant power supply is hot swappable, and removes a potential point of failure in racks used for mission critical installations. In addition to reliability, this new power option adds surge protection, DC power conditioning, and load sharing to the ONErack solution.

The ONErack chassis is available in 4RU, 5RU and 6RU and can hold up to 16 modules with up to 2 voltage selectors each. When using the ONErack power supply, each voltage selector can provide selectable power at 5v, 7.5v, 9v, 12v, 13.5, 18v, 24v, up to 35 watts.

Each ONErack chassis can include 1 or more 250 watt power supplies or the new 650 watt dual-redundant hot-swappable power supply that can feed additional chassis to allow for a clean power solution for all mounted devices. www.tvone.com

QUINTA TB WIRELESS BOUNDARY MICROPHONE –

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The plug & play solution Thanks to its different operation modes, the boundary microphone can be used flexibly for different applications like video conferences and meeting rooms.

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EXHIBITION PREVIEW Systems IntegraĆ&#x;on Asia August - September 2017

EXHIBITION PREVIEW Systems IntegraĆ&#x;on Asia August - September 2017

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EXHIBITION PREVIEW Systems IntegraĆ&#x;on Asia August - September 2017

EXHIBITION PREVIEW Systems IntegraĆ&#x;on Asia August - September 2017

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EXHIBITION PREVIEW Systems IntegraĆ&#x;on Asia August - September 2017

EXHIBITION PREVIEW Systems Integration Asia August - September 2017

TIME

SEMINAR ROOM 1

10:00AM – 10:30AM

SEMINAR ROOM 2

SEMINAR ROOM 3

INFOCOMM BOOTH

Opening Ceremony

Lunch

Lunch

Lunch

Lunch

SEMINAR ROOM 1

SEMINAR ROOM 2

SEMINAR ROOM 3

INFOCOMM BOOTH

Lunch

Lunch

Lunch

Lunch

SEMINAR ROOM 1

SEMINAR ROOM 2

SEMINAR ROOM 3

INFOCOMM BOOTH

10:30AM – 11:00AM 11:00AM – 12:00PM 12:00PM – 1:00PM 1:00PM – 2:00PM 2:00PM – 3:00PM 3:00PM – 4:00PM

4:00PM – 5:00PM

TIME 10:30AM – 11:00AM 11:00AM – 12:00PM 12:00PM – 1:00PM

1:00PM – 2:00PM 2:00PM – 3:00PM

3:00PM – 4:00PM 4:00PM – 5:00PM

TIME 10:30AM – 11:00AM 11:00AM – 12:00PM 12:00PM – 1:00PM

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TECH TALK Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

by Martin Bonsoir

Video: HDCP and Copy Protection Originally, little protection was in place to prevent someone from making a direct digital copy of original content for “backup purposes”, then subsequently “lending” those backup copies to another for a nominal monetary contribution (just to cover the costs, of course). Suddenly, a real risk of high-quality piracy and the loss of livelihood emerged, and the industry moved to protect itself.

Digital Content Protection (DCP) (a subsidiary of Intel) developed High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP).

This technology is intended to prevent the illegal copying of digital audio and video by introducing requirements that the source (e.g. a Blu-ray player) checks before transmitting that the receiving device will do as instructed, and is authorised to display copyrighted material. In other words, if my TV is a genuine TV and not a digital recorder, the movie will be displayed. If not, the Blu-ray player will simply refuse to serve the content.

The first version of HDCP was supported over DVI, with HDMI and DisplayPort added in subsequent revisions, with HDCP 1.4 being the most commonly available version. HDCP version 1.x was developed around the concept of two devices connected via cable, yet had some limitations, such as not allowing for ultra high definition (UHD) content, and so a second version of HDCP was released.

HDCP 2.2

Despite the rumours, I do occasionally enjoy that state some people call “time off”. As in, temporarily not being engaged in an activity that is directly related to my profession. Having learnt the hard way that strangers do not always enjoy when I accompany them on errands, I have settled instead on watching movies.

I do enjoy a good film – from classics to modern productions – from the comfort of my sofa. The steady advancement in technology has continued to enhance the experience; which is significantly more enjoyable than the grainy VHS tapes of my youth. As can be expected, new technology comes with new challenges. The ability to connect a source, like a Blu-ray player, to a screen using a digital connection and enjoy the high-definition content in all its glory can be a potential risk for those who produce that content.

HDCP 2.2 not only supports the transmission of UHD content, it also permits networking, with up to 32 devices and four levels allowed in a single system. Maximum device count is rather easy to work out. The DCP defines an HDCP device as “any device that contains one or more HDCP-protected Interface Ports”. That usually means anything that has a video port on it, including the transmitter devices, video switchers, repeaters, and displays. (It is worth noting that in networked distribution systems, Ethernet switches used to transport the signal do not count towards the device limit, as they lack a HDCP-protected Interface.)

Another limit to keep in mind are levels, or device depth. A level is defined by the hop between HDCP devices: Blu-ray to TV = 1 Level. Blu-ray to encoder to decoder to TV = 3 levels.

(Again, remember network devices without an HDCP port don’t usually add an extra level.)

These updates to the HDCP standard make it more suitable for professional AV installations. But the limitations are still there, and larger deployments will still struggle to stay within the bounds, so DCP came up with something better: HDCP 2.2 Pro.

TECH TALK Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

HDCP 1.X

HDCP 2.2

HDCP 2.2 Pro

NETWORK CAPABLE

No

Yes

Yes

MAX LEVELS

7

4

Unrestricted

MAX DEVICES

128

32

Unrestricted

LEAVE/JOIN TOLERANT

No

Limited

Yes

UHD TYPE 1 SUPPORT

No

Yes

Yes

WHITELIST SITES ONLY

No

No

Yes

HDCP 2.2 Pro

First published in May 2016, HDCP 2.2 Pro was designed for the professional AV industry, and provided the opportunity to send protected content to more devices than what consumer HDCP 2.2 allows. By eliminating the total device limit and allowing for theoretically unlimited numbers of levels, it creates a more professional experience. For example, HDCP Pro features a much-improved leave/join tolerance compared to consumer HDCP 2.2. This allows integrators to add or remove HDCP devices or re-route streams, without screens going dark or freezing while the HDCP handshake is renegotiated.

However, the original intention of HDCP – preventing unauthorised use of copyrighted material – still stands so HDCP 2.2 Pro is not available to the general public. Rather, HDCP 2.2 Pro can only be deployed by HDCP Pro Licensed Installers in authorised locations. Integrators wishing to become Licensed Installers must agree to the terms and sign DCP’s HDCP Professional Licensed Installer Agreement, and pay an annual fee of $500 USD (at the time of this writing).

HDCP Pro Licensed Manufacturers cannot sell HDCP Pro devices to integrators unless they are included in the DCP’s public list of Licensed Installers.

The DCP provides a list of venues and places they consider Authorised Locations. They include cruise ships, airports, hospitals, courts of law, education facilities, houses of worship, and many more. There’s even provision for the Licensed Installer to petition for a site to be added to the list if it isn’t yet included. But what the list certainly doesn’t include are people’s living rooms; HDCP 2.2 Pro is squarely targeted at professional installations.

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Most of the magic of HDCP 2.2 occurs inside the HDCP Pro repeaters. Each HDCP Pro repeater contains an internal system renewability message (SRM) engine, which effectively maintains all HDCP devices in the system at “Device count 1, Level 1”. It’s a condition of the HDCP Pro license that the SRMs in HDCP Pro repeaters be updated at least once each quarter. If the SRM isn’t updated in time, the HDCP Pro repeater’s functionality changes to that of consumer HDCP 2.2 — reinstating the topology limits of four levels and 32 total devices. Fortunately, the DCP provides a means to perform the update automatically over the internet.

HDCP protects content and allows those responsible for its creation to protect their livelihoods. As such, whilst it can be restrictive at times and most AV installers have encountered the dreaded black screen at least once, by understanding how it works – and having the resources at your fingertips – we can hopefully avoid both disappointment and frustration.

For additional information on Digital Content Protection’s HDCP guidelines and resources, visit www.digital-cp.com.

Martin Bonsoir is the International Applications Engineering Manager, overseeing operations in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. With more than 23 years of industry experience, Martin’s passion for people and all things audiovisual continue to add richness and insight to his work every day.

44

TECH TALK Systems IntegraĆ&#x;on Asia August - September 2017

by P.V. Joseph

An Installation Experience to Remember: Dali - Lighting Control System Recently, I was tasked to commission a Lighting installation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The installation was for a Multi-purpose Hall, that was to be used for various in-house events and to also be leased to external clients. The Hall featured a Dali controlled Lighting system.

Basically, a number of Lighting Scenes were to be programmed and incorporated into 2 separate Control Panels, each Control Panels having 8 scenes each.

The Assumptions that was had on the installations

I thought I could plunge myself straight into the programming and be out in half a day. I realised soon that this was not the case as some very common problems had to be resolved before the actual programming could begin. The problems faced and solutions taken is what I hope to share with our readers in this article.

Dali Lighting System

But what is Dali? - Digital Addressable Lighting Interface (DALI), is a system where the data, which are light levels, address, groups are stored in the Dali Device/Driver. These light levels are triggered via a 2 wire control cable using Manchester encoding.

The coding calls out the Group from 1-16 and Dali device operates the lighting levels stored in the device.

Manchester Encoding runs at 1200 bits/s and is robust within 16V switching levels with good SNR(signal to noise ratio). The controls signals are half- duplex and is serially transmitted in the bus.

Each of the Dali Driver is given a unique address which is configurable from 0-63 and these 64 drivers can be grouped (16 group max for 1 Dali system) The 2 wire control cables are treated as electrical power cables. The Dali cables can be connected to the device without regard to Polarity. The Dali Control Cables can be connected radially, star, or both topology but not in a ring. See Diagram 1 and 2 below.

Discoveries at the Installation Site Problem 1: When the Dali control cables were first seen at the Control DB, it was found that the control cables were of a different gauge . In fact a thinner gauge than what was recommended ( what was seen was 0.8mm sq.)

Solution 1: The cables had to be re-laid with a 1.5mm sq electrical cables. This enabled the signals to reach to the end without significant voltage drop as the length of wire increased. Voltage drops due to resistance on a thinner gauge cable and length. A Voltage Drop of 2V from the 16 V is not acceptable. See also Problem 6.

Problem 2: Some of the Lighting Fixtures did not light up when the mains power was turned on. The Dali Control wires were removed from the master controller.

Solution 2: The Lighting fixtures should turn ON even if the Dali wires are not connected to Dali Driver/ Devices.

Dali devices will turn ON at Full when there is no Dali signal present. At this , we should know that the power to the lighting fixture is disconnected or the Lighting fixture is faulty. Most of the time it is the disconnected lighting fixture.

Problem 3: The Dali Control wires were either in short circuit or open circuit.

Solution 3: With the mains power off, a simple continuity test on the Dali control cables was carried out. It was found that some of the Dali control cables were shorted. We had a low reading of less than 5 ohms. Open Circuits should have readings above 3 to 5M ohms.

Note: It would be a good idea to have the final circuits in 20 to 25 devices each, this will facilitate in an easier fault finding

TECH TALK Systems IntegraĆ&#x;on Asia August - September 2017

process if the need arises. If all 64 devices were connected in one final circuit it will be take a longer time to resolve issues.

It is also better to have different final circuits with dedicated Residual Current Circuit Devices (RCCDs) and Miniature Circuit Breakers (MCBs) so that if an earth leakage or overload should occur the whole venue would not be plunged into darkness.

Problem 4: When the Devices were identified (pinged) in the Dali Bus, some Devices did not respond.

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The Picture 4 shows a mock-up of how the connections should be done , a good visual, so that the Electrical contractor knows what is expected in the install. These terminations are able to be disconnected easily for repair and replacement if they are needed in the future.

Problem 5: The Dali Control wires were connected in a Ring.

(This is when Dali control cables are connected back to the first fixture)

Solution 4: The Dali Devices were either faulty or the Dali Devices were having bad connections, it was mainly the latter.

Proper terminal connectors for looping through the main 1.5mm sq and on the other end of the terminal a short single core 1mm sq is connected to the device (push in inserts). See Picture 1 below.

Solution 5: The Dali control wires connected in this manner will not work. This can occur when the electrical installer does not follow the wiring diagram. As there are a lot of wiring laid in the ceiling

Picture 1

Solution 6: The Dali bus has a low bus voltage, the bus voltage had dropped further by 2V. It could be that the length of control wires have exceeded the 250 to 300m. A Dali bus extender will be required to boost the supply at 250m to 300m point. Please see Diagram 03 below.

Problem 6: Some devices were responding intermittently,

Proper insertion of cables into the Dali driver / Device

Picture 2

Picture 3 The above is just a few of the site installation issues that were seen before the programming even started. The problems mentioned above could be a result of several combinations of Problems 1 to 6 occurring together or individually.

Proper Termination of Power cables (Picture 2) and Dali Control Cables (Picture 3) as shown above

Picture 4

Solving them systematically is the best way forward.

Working with the Electrical Contractors closely will alleviate all these problems from the very beginning, saving you time and money.

Now let us get down to programming!!!

About the Writer P.V. Joseph is the Managing Director of Lighting Controls Pte Ltd which is based in Singapore. He has been working with AV integration companies and also independently with clients in the field of Lighting Controls for the past 15 years.

He is contactable for any comments or enquires via his email: joseph@lightingcontrols.com.sg

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TECH TALK Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

Adaptive Algorithm - The Future Spec of AV?

The domain of audio visual and systems integration is an amusing space. For, the formats of audio, video, and the formulations of their integration have always been subjects of debates and discussions, often exciting predictions and speculations. It cannot get a better place than InfoComm!

SI Asia caught up with Graeme Harrison, Executive VPMarketing at Biamp Systems to know What’s big from Biamp from the floor. Found itself in a really amazing discussion.

Excerpts for our readers:

The Big Story From Biamp…

The story from Biamp at InfoComm 2017 begins with the Tesira LUX - the only Integrated A/V Network platform in the industry.

The feature-rich AVB solution brings a slew of things with it that make things amazingly different for integrators, designers, and, of course, customers. It allows distribution of video over AVB/TSN Ethernet network in real time; saves time for integrators since it can combine both audio and video design into it; supports 4K60 video in 4:4:4 colour at 16-bit colour depth; and more…

So, Tesira LUX is a huge effort from us in terms of R&D. The biggest and most important new product here is the Tesira ForteVT4. For over two years now, we have been watching that everyone in the industry bringing out the 12x 8-input DSP; it has become like a commodity. However, our assessment has been that the 12x8 device is not the right solution for emerging situation. Simply because, there have been more and more networked microphones – you name a brand, and they are there. From the input side, we have been seeing more AVB-, Dante- enabled products (which do not need any analog inputs) and from the output side, there have been networkenabled amplifiers, so we don’t see a need for the expensive 12x8 input DSPs any longer.

The Tesira ForteVT4, therefore, has only four analog inputs and four analog outputs, and the combination of VoIP and POTS. We have also seen in the industry that someone wanting to put VoIP into their enterprise found it hard to do so, or not allowed by their IT department; so they come back to analog route. On the other hand, we have seen people buying POTS-enabled products, but they know they are going to upgrade to VOIP later on. People, therefore, have been asking if they could get something that is built with both these things together so that they can go either way with the same unit.

So, that’s the innovation we have brought to the FORTE line from this platform.

Adaptive Algorithm and Machine Learning

Just a few weeks ago, we were awarded patent for the beemforming voice-tracking technology we developed recently.

Biamp’s 8-element beam-forming voice-tracking microphone

is an incredible technology in itself; it’s an intelligent interplay of algorithms where the system listens to the room ambience, cuts the direct sound from the loudspeaker to the microphone as well as all the reflections. It is a highly complex adaptive algorithm.

It is interesting to see what happens when I move the microphone around, where it is directive and reflective talk. It is very tough handling the situation. The algorithms have to re-converge where one adaptive algorithm – which is an AEC (Acoustic Echo Cancellation) algorithm – talking to a second adaptive algorithm which is a beam-forming voice-tracking algorithm in real time, and conversing with each other what they are doing.

So, adaptive algorithm is realization of machine learning; machine-to-machine learning taken to another level. You are learning the room acoustics to set-up the AEC, but then, you are talking to another algorithm which is doing the same thing in terms of tracking the voices. It is pretty fascinating for me at an intellectual level.

You have fixed algorithms, for example an equalizer. You set-up an equalizer, and the algorithm just stays where it is. But then, you have adaptive algorithms that are constantly changing. It’s very intelligent algorithm that detects speech and opens up the microphone to speak. We have been the pioneers in this domain for over 30 years now- in the analog as well as digital domain.

TECH TALK Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

What happens when you have more and more microphones in a room, and when you walk between microphones, you can see the voice seamlessly transfers from microphone to microphone and doesn’t give much feedback. So, there is a ton of adaptions happening over there.

Generically, in a world where hardware becomes more generic size, the IP and the algorithms become more important. The biggest example for us is voice. When people asked us for Voice Interface, we said okay- and we developed that. But what happens when it interfaces with things like Cisco Floor Manager, Via, Skype Business- will you sacrifice the business, or you will look to the other side of the voice?

We looked around to the other parts of the voice. Applying the Voice to AEC is one. But how do you work it out? How does your applications department handle it so that they know what they are doing? So, voice functionality is easy to say, difficult to actually make it work. It’s all about differentiation, not just having acoustic echo cancelling.

Manufacturers sometimes tend to be obsessive. Companies working on that would have their own ways of putting them up. It is something like claims made by luxury car brands but the customer doesn’t get carried away; he chooses what best suits his setting. All he wants is whether the set-up he chooses is able to control the voice echo.

When everyone is moving digital, why stress on analog

In the audio domain I would say yes. Simply because we hear sound through ears which are analog in nature. In any built or machinised ambience, sound is picked up by a microphone which is a moving element transferring sound waves in the air to electrical signals. At the other end, a loudspeaker – which is another moving membrane – picks up these electrical signals and converts the same into sound waves. That is what we hear through ‘analogue’ ears.

So, in the audio domain it is yes – despite the fact that we may require DSPs and plug-ins in between – to transmit sound waves to human ears. Our microphones can be digital but we require analog technology to hear the sound at the human end.

In the video domain, it is not so much. For the simple reason that the CCD (Charge Coupled Device) inside the camera captures light reflecting from objects and converts it into electrical charges and every display can take that, and reverse convert the charge into light which a human eye can see.

The video domain is agog with 2k/4k, and even 8k, and laser. Where does Biamp figure?

That’s another good question…This is one more example of the industry’s obsession with higher formats. For a practical reason, human eye cannot make a difference between 1080p, and anything more than that- whether it is 2k, 4k, or more. But

47

on a larger canvas higher resolutions make it look brighter and more experiential, and probably that’s the reason people want to go higher and higher, or different from the existing. So, we are going down the specification race rapidly with increasing pixel count. However, like I said earlier, we support 4k60 natively, and 4:4:4:4k60. We also support two other thingsNative HDR video, and the colour depth.

For a technical reason, we are not there in the 8k space, for a simple reason that there is no bandwidth yet for that.

In a notionally static domain of DSPs, what excites Biamp to come up with innovations almost every quarter?

That’s interesting. For the simple fact that we are passionate about it. That we are connected to so many allied industries that keep on innovating themselves, we keep pace with them, if not try to stay ahead of the curve, so that we have a product ready when the industry needs it.

What then is the next big thing from Biamp?

Let me tell you this way. The reason industry moved from CobraNet is due to the limitation of bandwidth. Dante came to address that space. Fine! And then came the AVB which doesn’t care whether it is 100M or 1G or 10G or even 100G. It can run 1080p, 4k, 8k, and may be more. That’s truly agnostic, and we are already there, and been passionate about that.

A rather philosophical question here is what exactly does the industry need? And how do we go about doing it? The answer for that is how do we connect people in a manner that is reasonably fair. What we are really focused now is how to make this happen.

Recently, we did a project that is close to my heart- that involved a ship around the world to allow people to view high resolution telepresence without the people. The ship goes to United Nations refugee camps around Europe to allow refugees to tour the places virtually. That was intended to help connect people, without their actually being there. Why did we do that? To help people connect with one another- from here to there, and beyond, across the world.

What we really focused on now is how do we make things like this happen easily; how we can make technologies easy for people to connect with one another.

Referring back to the adaptive algorithm, which is machine to machine learning. It will be interesting to see what role we assume to play after we make machines adapt to one another.

It is just like what Tesira does with products on the network. www.biamp.com

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SPECIAL FEATURE Systems IntegraĆ&#x;on Asia August - September 2017

The Evolution Of Control Rooms

Leyard LED video wall solution in a control room

N

ow more than ever we are seeing a huge demand for control rooms. There are Network Operating Centres with the primary aim of monitoring and controlling resources such as Telecommunications or operations for example in an oil and gas industry. There are even more basic control rooms that are meant to monitor offshore data centres and there is the more critical Command and Control centres that handle traffic and security matters. Increasing security concerns are seeing more control rooms being brought online.

Many countries are also implementing their Smart Cities initiatives. One aspect of being a Smart City is the ability to be able to view many aspects of the city’s needs remotely such as traffic, security and transportation with the ability to change any negative outcome to positive. To do this an effective command and control centre with the right tools is critical.

Christie videowall solution in a control room

The evolvement of technology has also brought about many options for the Control room. In this article we seek to understand key issues relating to AV Technology in the control room space.

We start off with the most basic of questions. What criteria will determine what visual solution technology is installed within a control room, in terms of projectors, LEDs and Videowalls (LED or LCD panels)?

Ranjit Singh, CTS-I, CTS-D, Technology Consultant at NEC Singapore offers us a simple comparison chart.

NEC solution in a control room

SPECIAL FEATURE Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

49

Projectors

VW Displays

LED Module

Brightness

3

1

2

Total Resolution

3

2

1

Electronic for VW

1

3

2

Installation/Calibration

3

2

1

Cost

1

2

3

Note: • Above is based on Total Image Size of about 8m x 2.25m • Resolution of Projector is 1920x1200, Display is 1920x1080 and LED is 1.2mm.

• Based on 3 x Projector requirement • Based on 36 x 55" Display • (1) denotes the best in each category.

“The technology to be used in a control room would generally be based on the amount of data that needs to be viewed simultaneously, of course the type of budget available, consideration of ambient light and at times the height of the videowall. For example an image height of more than 2.25m is not possible with projector resolution,” adds Ranjit.

John Dixon

John Dixon Product Manager at Leyard and Planar, a Leyard Company adds to Ranjit’s point, “Other than ambient lighting, other physical constraints such as depth and weight must also be considered. Smallest bezel, nocompromise image performance, mission-critical design, low power consumption, system health and status monitoring are key specification that we see often as requirements.”

“There are primarily 9 criteria which can guide visualization technology choice for a control room: ergonomics, image quality, seamlessness, real estate usage, reliability, longevity, serviceability, power consumption and cost-of-ownership,” summarised Suchit Rout, Strategic Marketing Director of Operator Experience at Barco.

John Hallman, Director, Americas, Technical Sales and Solutions, Christie adds, “human factors also play a role in the control room design process.

These includes understanding how the human eye works. As video wall is primarily a visual phenomenon, we need to understand the capabilities and limitations of the human eye. In this aspect it is essential to calculate the brightness of the images displayed in relation to the characteristics of the human eye and the ambient lighting conditions. We also need to understand that some colours work together and some don’t. However, many do not know that colour co-ordination is more than a matter of aesthetics.

John Hallman

Combining the wrong colours can cause eye strain and a negative impact on control room operations.”

With requirements and objectives changing rapidly in a control room environment we wanted to know what are being included in the AV specification for control room today?

Bob Ehlers, Vice President, Business Development of RGB Spectrum provided us with a detailed brief on this.

Control room requirements vary extensively, so to say that there is one AV specification requirement would be a mistake.

There are, however, some general trends that we are seeing which include: 1. Video over IP - The need for integration with video enabled applications such as Video Management Systems which can be used in both operations and security. This implies the ability for AV systems to ingest IP encoded video from divergent sources in a variety of protocols (H.264 AVC, HEVC, MJPEG, VC2, JPEG2000, VP9, etc). Video switching and display must support access to these video sources. This capability is even more important for remote location monitoring.

2. APIs - Integration with applications also requires Application Program Interfaces (API) which allow AV applications and devices to be controlled by, or control, user applications. For instance video routing presets in an AV system can be recalled using an API from the AV system when an alarm in a SCADA application occurs. The AV system and the user application can be integrated if APIs are present and thoughtfully designed.

3. 4K UHD - Greater video density on user desktops thanks to 4K. Users now have their own “desktop walls”. Video switching and windowing/wall processing to many desktops needs to be supported at 4K resolution.

4. “Control” increasingly means keyboard and mouse control of applications which digitize devices such as joy sticks, PTZ controllers, and other such interfaces into graphic elements on a computer UI. This requires AV systems to support synchronized keyboard and mouse sharing from user workstations and even display walls. Shared, moderated, and secure keyboard and mouse control is essential in most modern control rooms.

5. Security - AV systems are required to be secure. Where in the past AV was secure through physical access, modern security policies demand that network devices support

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SPECIAL FEATURE Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

encryption, user authentication, device authentication, device hardening, intrusion detection, and more. Standards like FIPS 140-2 in the US and ITSEC in Europe define specific requirements for network systems. AV systems are not exempted from these requirements any longer.

6. BYOD – Bring your own device is increasingly a requirement in control rooms. This creates challenges in security, control and integration. Control rooms need to support controlled access to AV for BYOD devices without compromising the security of the control room. Dedicating baseband video inputs for this purpose is generally deemed secure, but allowing control for routing of this video remains a challenge.

7. Heterogeneous baseband video types – AV systems in control rooms need to support a wide variety of video and audio signal types. This includes HDMI, DVI, DisplayPort, HDSDI, Component, and even composite video types. Analog video signal types will persist for many years to come.

8. Video Teleconferencing and Collaboration – Video conferencing is becoming a critical feature of most control room applications. Integrating video from many desktops, remote body worn or in-vehicle systems, and even video conferencing from suppliers, vendors, and customers is critical.

AV systems need to be able to accommodate, support, and integrate with video teleconferencing systems.

9. High Availability and Fault Tolerance – Many control rooms require high availability because they deal with life safety and other mission critical applications. AV systems must be designed with fault tolerance, fail over mechanisms , and high availability inherent in the design. This can be difficult to accomplish with traditional base band video signals, but is getting easier to implement with AV over IP solutions that allow abstraction of video routes so that if a component or network fails, video can transit the network around the failure.

10. Technical Support – AV is becoming increasingly complex.

Having strong support from manufacturers is critical for success.

Look for suppliers to start with pre-sales design engineering, follow up with implementation support, and finish with long term after sales support and well supported warrantees.

What are the critical aspects that needs to be met from a technology standpoint for control rooms?

“Simply put besides reliability, it would be sustainability, scalability, expandability and the ability to share information seamlessly,” said Ranjit.

John Hallman adds, “we need to ensure that there are builtin redundancy features and again going back to the human element, how user-friendly is the equipment?”

Suchit Rout reiterates, “Operator centricity – the ability of operators to view and interact with necessary information sources in the most efficient way, resulting in the most

effective decision making – is also on a strong rise. In this regard, the core foundation, upon which all content streams through the decision making organization, is now of paramount importance. Such a media platform should not just be proven, reliable and redundant, but also be designed around collaboration becoming an enabler of distributed decision making. The power of software to work cohesively with such a media platform and enable workflows for decision makers, is therefore becoming an important differentiator for today’s mission critical control rooms.”

Suchit Rout

Amith C Pillai, Manager - Application, Aurora-India adds to the importance of technical support, “we need to ensure that we are able to monitor, troubleshoot and manage the AV equipment. This would include the ability to access machine logs and supporting troubleshooting. We also should be able to input operational system status with applicable journals and control system tools. If we are offering off-site technical support than we need to have security always on our mind.”

In terms of security, Bob Ehlers highlights, “Security must be robust, but not become a barrier to operation. AV technologies can be architected to segregate networks and user applications through techniques such as “air gap”, where only baseband video signals are shared.”

We wanted to know if control rooms will evolve from operation centres to intelligent monitoring centres and if that is so, what do AV companies need to do to be part of this evolution?

Bob Ehlers offered us his take on this. “Absolutely. With the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Quantum Computing, Cloud applications and the like, AV technologies will increasingly be automated and controlled by analytics.

Operators will no longer need to scan multitudes of video monitors and cameras, AI applications will do this and then provide alarms which draw operator attention to the critical video, critical computer desktop, or other information.

Operators will not pull data, but will have it pushed to them.

Video wall and desktop routings and layouts will automatically adjust based on analytic data. Operators will be able to focus on abnormal situations, rather than search for them. AV companies need to develop APIs to interoperate with AI systems.”

Adding to the above influences, Ranjit Singh comments, “Sensors and object/facial recognition tools are also able to complement the operators in their job. Enabling these tools within the AV framework will become increasingly important.”

Of course not all operation centres need to go to the next step to becoming intelligent monitoring centres but there are certainly tools available to help make an operation centre more effective.

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SPECIAL FEATURE Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

Control Room Solutions Highlights AURORA

BARCO

Aurora had been instrumental in introducing the industry’s first non-proprietary web-standards based IP control systems and touch panels, through today’s advanced HDBaseT and IP video distribution solutions.

RGB Laser Video Walls: The Laser video wall delivers 2x more brightness than mainstream rear-projection video walls, but still provides great image quality and more than 11 years of uninterrupted lifetime in 24/7 mode

The company offers audio processors, analog/digital tuners, cart cages and input/output cards, multimedia PCs, VGA switchers, video processors and walls, voice-lifts, and accessories; IP button and touch screen interfaces; IP control port expansions, processors, and software; and HDMI/DVI converters, extenders, matrixes, and splitters.

LCD Video Walls: Barco's professional-grade, high-resolution LCD displays are the perfect solution for tiled video wall applications in small to medium-sized control rooms. The OverView series comprises 46" and 55" LCD displays with LED backlights, combining high brightness and a wide color gamut with an extremely narrow bezel for excellent tiled visual performance.

Advanced AV processors with scaling, multi-image rotation, and dual/quad display processing only add to our highly adaptive, diversified product line.

Aurora products includes the VLX-TC1 Series that provides one of the most advanced IP Streaming solutions on the market utilizing Aurora’s IPBaseT technology, which synergizes various IP/AV standards to work together as one. It is the industry’s first 4K UHD transceiver with only 1.5 frame (25ms) latency and visually lossless compression. Using a transmitter (encoder) and receiver (decoder), respectively, used to be the standard – until now. The VLX-TC1 Series can be set up as either one to make installation, inventory, and troubleshooting easier.

Aurora Multimedia has recently introduced a new technological first 4K60Hz 4:4:4 AV over IP signal transceiver, utilizing their IPBaseT technology. Aurora is changing the topology of AV with the IPBaseT technology resolving all existing issues with reliability, serviceability, scalability, capability, and inventory.

The IPX-TC2 Series is the World’s First 10Gbps IPBaseT transceiver capable of 4K60Hz 4:4:4 with extremely low 1.3:1 real time compression and zero frame latency. Includes scaling, windowing, and videowall modes up to 16×16. Offered in copper or fiber.

Aurora’s latest IPX-TC2 combines a variety of 4K IP technologies and features under one unified protocol using a simplified topology. Uncompressed video with zero-latency (4K30Hz 4:4:4), visually lossless video with low latency (4K60Hz 4:4:4 with 100us latency), seamless switching, videowall and multi-viewer modes, digital audio, USB 2.0 (480Mbps), Dante® option, 1Gbps Ethernet, and control are some of the core capabilities of IPBaseT®. Utilizing the bandwidth of a standard 10Gbps copper or fiber (IPX Series), IPBaseT® supports large scalable audio/video matrixing, and it does so while replacing multiple technologies and products with a “single-box” distributed platform. www.auroramultimedia.com

TransformN platform: Barco's TransForm N family of networked visualization video wall controllers offer the most flexible and user-friendly way to distribute and display any source onto any display.

The concept of networked visualization is very easy to understand. Simply connect a source (a road camera, a sensor, a computer, etc.) to the suited TransForm N encoder to get the video, images or data into the secure IP-based system. The standard internet infrastructure will transport this information wherever you want, all over the world. At the destination side, a decoder makes sure the information is ready for use on any display. Service nodes can be added to the network for additional processing.

CMS Software: Barco’s CMS software is an advanced control room management suite which allows for easy display wall management, efficient collaboration and fast decisionmaking in and beyond any control room. This software suite provides operators and decision-makers with easy access to video, images and data, and allows them to connect to this information, to configure how and where it is displayed, and to collaborate in the most efficient way.

OpSpace: Barco’s OpSpace - a patent pending technology - is the first personal workspace that creates a single workspace – consisting of a number of displays on the operator’s desk – for viewing, monitoring and interacting with multiple clients that reside on multiple networks with different security clearances or liability concerns. All relevant information can be consulted and manipulated within a single pixel space, with just one mouse and keyboard. In this way, the operator is at the center of the information and has all data within easy reach. www.barco.com

SPECIAL FEATURE Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

CHRISTIE

Christie continues to grow and expand with a complete new line of next generation, purpose-built display products and video wall controllers. Christie understands the demand for technologies and tools that allow customers to detect and act on outages, failures or any issue that compromises operations.

For customers requiring large displays, both portrait and landscape mode, and 24/7 run times, Christie Access Series offers 75 and 86-inch models, which are perfect for missioncritical environments such as control rooms.

Christie Phoenix enables seamless access and control of audiovisual data from virtually anywhere, through a single, robust system. Its comprehensive tools allow security professionals to simultaneously view, listen to and interact with any source of information found in a security operations room, regardless of the location.

The Christie FHD552-X professional grade 55-inch LCD panels with ultra-narrow bezels deliver full HD resolution, high pixel density and a LED-backlit screen. Customers appreciate that these screens comply with the high standards required by control room professional installations thanks to their brightness, high resolution, image quality, and ease to integrate into existing facilities.

Christie has the dedicated hardware to help create unique control rooms while raising the bar for integrated solutions.

With Christie, customers can monitor all their workflows in one single place, which makes it much easier to make mission critical decisions in real time.

Christie understands the unique needs and requirements in government and infrastructure – performance and cost-ofownership. Based on experience from successful installations around the world, Christie has a proven ISO-certified process in place to take projects from inception to completion on schedule and on budget with proven technical reliability. www.christiedigital.com

NEC

NEC Command and Control solution goes beyond just the ultra-narrow displays. Fine pitch LED module have been added to our portfolio. We also provide colour calibration tools and ambient light sensors as accessories with our displays. Video processing on the displays is an important factor thus NEC supplies both a virtual and hardware base videowall processor as part of it’s solution. Every operation center is unique and NEC listen to ensure all requested needs and hidden needs are met with our in house experts.

TileMatrix: Go big! Expand a high-definition image across your entire video wall with no external hardware or software!

Ultra-Narrow Bezel Design: Create a near seamless video wall by minimizing your image gap with one of NEC's ultra-narrow bezel units where the width can be as low as 5.5mm!

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Integrated Heat Sensors and Cooling Fans: NEC's built-in technologies allow you to check heat diagnostics at three unique locations within each display. If certain user-defined temperature thresholds are breached, this technology automatically turns on cooling fans until temperatures return to normal.

NEC Display Wall Calibrator Software: Calibrate your video wall using NEC's software to uniformly balance the white point and intensity of all displays in a single video wall. www.nec.com.sg

PLANAR

In the control room environment, reliability, 24x7 operation, and image performance are critical to the operation of the control room. Customers expect downtime to be minimized and that the manufacturer can respond quickly to warranty events and support a long lifetime with support and replaceable parts. www.planar.com

RGB Spectrum

Our Zio line of AV over IP product family currently supports standard H.264 protocols and can ingest video over IP signals from most standard sources, as well as encode and stream to third party products as well. Zio has a robust API for control which is well documented and packaged in a System Development Kit (SDK) which helps integrators develop solutions quickly and easily. Zio will be able to support both 2K and 4K video signals, giving great flexibility in deployment choices. Zio will support keyboard and mouse over IP for simple remote control. Zio will support high grade encryption, user authentication, and data content encryption using AES and will even support content protection using HDCP. When used with the RGB Spectrum Galileo video processing platform Zio video can be integrated with a wide variety of other baseband video. Zio’s unique peer to peer management system is designed for high availability and resilience having no single point of failure and full automatic failover support.

The RGB Spectrum Galileo PC architecture video processor family supports integration with Zio and, like Zio, supports all of the requirements above. Galileo is designed to support a wide variety of video sources and outputs. Galileo has a robust API and scripting engine. Galileo can support 4K inputs and outputs, and it secured with robust user and application security and supports integration with Microsoft Active Directory.

The RGB Spectrum MediaWall V embedded video processor family is designed to meet all of the requirements for contemporary control rooms in a robust, hardware appliance architecture. When used with Zio to support AV over IP functions, the MediaWall V can deliver video processing, switching, and windowing with precision and reliability at resolutions up to 4K per output. www.rgb.com

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EXHIBITION REVIEW Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

By Ram Bhavanashi

An Immersive Tide Takes Center Stage

New, (re)creative initiatives make InfoComm exciting and expectative

Fact-Sheet:

No. of Attendees: 44,077 Growth over 2015 (Orlando): 13 per cent Growth over 2016 (Las Vegas): 14 per cent Visitors from outside US: 17 per cent No. of Countries represented: 117 No. of Exhibitors: 950 Total Floor Space: 545,000 Square feet No. of Demo Rooms: >30 First time visitors: 39 per cent Technology Managers & End Users: 41 per cent No. of Attendees at training & Edn: 3700 Growth over 2016: 24 per cent No. professionals clearing CTS: 190 Total CTS holders: 11,105

InfoComm 2017 – global audio-visual industry’s annual convention – apparently made a record of sorts with its numbers and new initiatives. While the event bettered its figures of footfalls and footage area, it also presented a different sort of package that appeared to take many by excitement. The event’s regular fare of new product /solution launches, exclusive demos and focused technical sessions appeared more involving with its new initiatives. SIAsia reports:

O

n a mid-June day when the otherwise hot and humid Orlando appeared pleasantly breathing cool with intermittent drizzles, the Orange County Convention Center – venue of InfoComm 2017 event – looked different upfront. Large signages of ic17 and infocomm put up in big sizes and numbers too all over the entrance/stairways to the Exhibition Hall seemed to hint at what it could be!

“I see’17” quipped my co-passenger/show visitor in the shuttle coach even as we moved into the cool ambience on day one of the three-day event. “Looks interesting,” she said. “I’m told there are some fascinating things to see on the floor,” yet

again she sounded quipping. “Not the regular products, but a ‘tide’ and ‘park’.” Honestly, it sounded amusing.

While the crazy booth tours and meeting schedules rendered these slip away from mind, got bumped into the TIDE slightly into the afternoon- having learnt that it is just on Day One. TIDE – standing for Technology, Innovation, Design and Experience – is a new feature that InfoComm 2017 brought on as an added attraction to stimulate increased participation from the industry. Essentially a thought leadership concept conference, the platform is aimed at eliciting real-world examples in simple formats from experts in design, technology architecture, integration, and live events.

EXHIBITION REVIEW Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

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Jason Crusan, Director, Advanced Exploration Systems, NASA, was seen explaining the future of space travel that is highlighted by the Journey to Mars initiative, by means of simulated environment and virtual reality, to a seemingly captivated audience.

“This is really good; very interesting,” said Genie Krafta, a graphic design professional from Buenos Aires. “This has certainly added to my knowledge,” felt the Argentine graphics professional while participating in a Center Stage session.

“I guess I can do my next job at home some better.”

“The TIDE is really aimed at storytelling without technology per se,” said Terry Friesenborg, Chie Global Officer- InfoComm International. “It is very exciting because it is a very different kind of content to produce; it involves very different set of people in terms of presenters and attendees,” Terry explained. “As you look at how the industry is evolving, their abilities to global exceptional experiences are critical, and their ability to tell stories through our medium is very important.”

Her fiancé Vazquez Tomas – who is a 3D visualizer in the Latin American markets – felt the immersive technology pavilion provided for exciting experiences. “The sessions and the programming were good,” opined Tomas, “hearing and watching it all that from them was nice-AV.”

The day long programme had as many as ten sessions touching upon diverse technologies through experiential presentations.

TIDE is not the only new feature at InfoComm 2017. The event brought to the floor three more specialty attractions aimed at encouraging increased, and more enthusiastic industry participation. The three new features include: • Immersive Technology Pavilion – a specialty pavilion aimed at providing immersive experiences by means of 3D visualization, 360° Live Streaming, AR, VR and MMU (manned maneuvering unit) technology formats • Center Stage – an interactive platform where innovators from diverse domains, through a 20-minutes-each talk demonstrate how environmental design and technology integration can be optimized for enhanced AV experiences • The Park – a truly refreshing fare- four ‘food trucks’ featuring lunch offerings, beer garden, lounge areas, live entertainment, and interactive games- all meant to make visitors and delegates relax and recharge in true street-style

The new attractions have had a huge pull on the visitors as every element of from the new stable were almost crowded all through their running. The ‘Park’ing entertainment apart, the three interactive platforms presented some very interesting interactions between presenters and audiences.

That more or less represented a generic mood at the event.

For one blunt reason, the numbers and participation at each of the programmes, and show floor aisles said it all.

“It’s a watershed year for InfoComm,” said Jason McGraw, CTS, CAE, Senior Vice-President of Expositions, InfoComm International. “The technology on display was amazing again, and we’re thrilled with the tremendous response, but we’re especially excited that guest after guest told us this InfoComm offered new and different experiences for our growing, innovative audience.”

While the new attractions had their pull, what did the event particularly focus on!

“Well, the theme this year is coming together and growing our industry, but more than growing the industry, it is creating catalysts for expanding the market,” Says Terry. “That’s why we had these innovations like TIDE where we can develop models for expanding the market, bringing in people, and expose what we do… how they can benefit from all this (Read Interview).

“InfoComm is committed to serving as a catalyst for market growth by offering content and programs that speak to the outcomes achievable through AV solutions,” said David Labuskes, CTS, RCDD, Executive Director and CEO, InfoComm International. “As we build greater awareness of the magic of AV, we believe the InfoComm show will continue to draw more and different market participants, from content creators to enterprise decision-makers. InfoComm 2017 has proven to be a significant step in that direction.”

InfoComm 2018 will be held from 2-8 June, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

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EXHIBITION REVIEW Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

FIRST THINGS FIRST There were many product attractions - AR, VR, etc., 4K HD, BYOD, Collaboration, and Digital Wireless Conferencing, and Controls, besides installation loudspeakers. However, a few pointers seemed to have attracted most: • Most audio manufactures embracing Dante as their alignment networking protocol • Most projection solution providers showcasing realtime-projection mapping • World’s First 4K Network Video Tiler solution (from Just Add Power) • Aurora’s The IPBaseT HTX-TC1 is the most complete solution • Crestron’s Mercury Solution • Industry's first ever digital sound processor (DSP) over IP networks from Kramer • Yamaha’s CS-700 Collaboration System as industry’s first solution binding audio, video, and collaboration capabilities in a wall-mounted system

From The Show Floor So, what did the show have on the floor as focal points?

If one were go by sheer booth sizes as well as technology breakthroughs, companies like Crestron and Kramer from controls; Christie, and Sony from video/display; Bosch, and Shure from audio; and Aurora and Biamp from networking looked really big– and they did demonstrate what most felt “utterly awesome” solutions. However, others weren’t any less demonstrative as most exhibitors either announced, or launched their latest attractions.

In fact, this year’s InfoComm show floor was also said to have hosted more vibrant demos by a wide band of projection companies than ever.

AUDIO FRONT...

Almost all the audio exhibitors have come to demonstrate some or other ‘latest’- either straight from ‘beta’-launch from ISE early this year, or direct launch and shipping announcement.

Audio-Technica brought to show a range of new solutions that are highlighted by its latest Digital SmartMix ATDM-0604, omnidirectional condenser boundary microphone U841R, and three upgrades to its popular ATUC-50 digital wired discussion system. The ATDM-0604 is a six-channel automatic mixer, featuring intuitive use, superior echo-canceling and flexible web remote functionality. It ideal for meetings, conferences, soft codec applications, courtroom proceedings, radio and TV broadcasts and other applications involving the use of multiple microphones or other media inputs.

The U841R is an update to and replacement of A-T’s highly popular U841A microphone. The new U841R microphone is enhanced with the addition of internal electronics that do not require an external power module. The mic features an integral TA3M output connector and includes a 25' TA3F-to-XLRM cable. It has a 360° pickup angle and operates on phantom power. Equipped with UniGuard RFI-shielding technology, this unit is designed to capture audio for clear, highly intelligible sound reinforcement, professional recording, television and conferencing in surface-mount applications. beyerdynamic had many newer things to present from its booth. The biggest thing from the company was its newly appointed Managing Director Edgar van Velzen (who will work along with the long-standing MD Wolfgang Luckhardt) was there at the booth, fresh and first time from his coming on beyer board, and shared his views about the direction he intends to steer the company in. (Read separate interview, in later pages).

Other pleasantries from beyer included the introduction of Classis BM 53 USB microphone as well as the TG500 Wireless Conferencing System, besides newer version of TG 1000 Wireless Conferencing system.

The BM 53 USB is a plug & play solution ready to use for recording or transmitting sound using a laptop or PC. The system is perfect choice for teleconferences, video and Skype conferences and teaching purposes, besides recording meetings, reports and podcasts.

The microphone can be simply attached to a laptop or a PC using the 9 feet USB cable, and recording will begin just like that. When using the unit with a half-spherical polar pattern, the direction of speaking is immaterial. For recording meetings, the microphone can simply be placed in the middle of the conference table.

“The BM 53 USB microphone is a great piece of work; it produces a state-of-the art sound quality with the ease of a USB format,” explained Matthias Holz, beyerdynamic’s Director, Business Unit-Audio Systems.

“This microphone will augment our product line and allow us enter a market segment that has strong demand for this.

One of the beauties of the BM 53 USB is that it has a silent film button with braille. Depending on the application, the user can choose between the operating modes ON/OFF, Push-To-Talk (PTT) and Push-To-Mute (PTM). The frequency response can be adjusted with a bass roll off switch of 150

EXHIBITION REVIEW Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

Hz. The switchable gain of -10 dB, 0 dB and +10 dB is to compensate loud or quiet speakers and short or long distances between microphone and speaker. An LED indicator shows the ready-to-talk status. The rugged housing with a high-quality design is covered with a very exclusive, dust repellent black fabric.

The TG 500 wireless system promises outstanding value for money. As the successor of the proven Opus 600 series, this new, license-free almost system is ideal for performances on small stages, theatre productions, speeches or presentations.

The system comes in five sets, each of which contains an individual receiver and two removable antennas.

The newer version of the TG 1000 digital wireless system is a 24-bit system with Dante interface and can be integrated into digital audio networks based on the Audinate solution. The TG 1000 dual receiver is equipped with a Dante network interface in the form of an RJ45 connector flanked by status LEDs on the back of the single rackspace device.

Biamp made a big demo of the Tesira family, as well as the Devio beam-forming microphone. On the tradeshow floor, the company demonstrated how Tesira supports both audio and video in a single platform. Also the visually lossless compression capabilities of TesiraLUX, and what 1.5 frames or less of system latency looks like.

According to Graeme Harrison, Executive Vice-President at Biamp, ‘the feature-rich AVB solution brings a slew of things with it- make things amazingly different for integrators, designers, and customers. It allows distribution of video over AVB/TSN Ethernet network in real time; saves time for integrators since it can combine both audio and video design into it; supports 4K60 video in 4:4:4 colour at 16-bit colour depth; and more…

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The TesiraFORTÉ VT includes stand-alone, AVB, and Dante versions, and provides all the features of the original TesiraFORTÉ family. The TesiraFORTÉ VT4 includes AVB and Dante versions, while providing the same flexibility for small conference rooms with four analog inputs and four analog outputs.

The new VT and VT4 models offer customers greater flexibility to meet the range of room requirements without paying for features they don't need providing a powerful, cost-efficient solution.

The TesiraFORTÉ VT and VT4 solutions are equipped with Biamp's AEC technology to eliminate acoustic echoes and feedback, networked audio via AVB or Dante, and USB audio to interface directly with soft-codec conferencing technologies.

Other features include Ethernet control, VoIP and POTS input, RS-232, a general-purpose input/output, as well as an OLED display that comes standard on all TesiraFORTÉ models.

Bosch Group, taking a huge pitch at the InfoComm, demonstrated quite a big range of systems from its Group concerns. The company’s product show comprised three important launches: Power amplifiers L and C Series from Dynacord; Extension of X-Line Subwoofer with X-12-125F flying subwoofer, and Roameo Wireless Intercom system from RTS. Dynacord presented two new dual-channel power amplifier series- the L Series and the C Series. Both amplifier series comprise a powerful linear amp design with a best-inclass feature set that brings real professional performance to a new, more accessible price point. A new, powerful and easy-to-use software tool allows full configuration, control, and supervision of sound systems with multiple amplifiers. The software will be available on Dynacord’s website.

“Tesira LUX is a huge effort from us in terms of R&D,” Harrison said, “It set a new standard altogether.” (Read separate Interview) The networking major also announced the expansion of its TesiraFORTÉ family of digital audio processors. The TesiraFORTÉ family was engineered to reduce design, programming, and commissioning time while offering increased flexibility. The new TesiraFORTÉ VT provides both VoIP and POTS options within the same chassis; TesiraFORTÉ VT4 delivers the same flexibility designed specifically for small conference rooms.

Sophisticated circuitry and bulletproof, high-performance voltage handling give the user peace of mind; the amplifiers and connected loudspeakers are protected from damage and will perform flawlessly – even in the most demanding environments. Four different models per series are available, with total output power ranging from 1300 W to 3600 W. Engineered for stability at 2 ohms, they represent the cutting

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edge of amplifier performance and reliability in their market segment.

Electro-Voice announced the latest member of the X-Line Advance line-array loudspeaker family: the X12-125F flying subwoofer– a dual 15-inch system equipped with high-output EV-engineered transducers delivering 9600 W output. The X12-125F features the family’s innovative Integrated Rigging System for quick, secure and seamless deployment in arrays, and is sonically matched to the other members of the family: X1 and X2 (high-performance) full-range models, and the X12128 ground-stacking dual 18-inch subwoofer.

Based on the license-free DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications) standard, ROAMEO from RTS is a professional-grade, easy-to-use, and future-proof wireless intercom solution with a protected frequency band. It provides high-quality audio via a seamlessly integrated digital wireless beltpack and associated access points. Featuring a modern, rugged design, ROAMEO is suitable for a wide range of professional intercom applications where wireless communication is critical, including broadcast production studios, theater and sports event productions, houses of worship, commercial buildings, and outside broadcast (OB) trucks.

Bose Professional a whole big range of new products that were highlighted by the new Panaray MSA12X modular steerable array loudspeaker, and the new MB210 compact subwoofer.

integrators facing even the most challenging acoustic conditions that intelligibility is possible without compromising sensitive interiors. Alongside, the 10D installation amplifier represented the user friendly functionality, DSP capability, and future readiness of all d&b electronics.

Making a special case of compatible components the d&b stand had a dedicated show of JYV Messengers. The JYV trio epitomized the seamless combining of d&b point source and line array technologies, acoustically and visually.

Harman Professional brought InfoComm Show floor, among many things, the JBL AE Powered Series loudspeakers. The new systems come with latest Harman amplification and DSP technologies, including Crown DriveCore front-end amplification, JBL user-configurable DSP and full HiQnet network control.

The AE Powered Series offers advanced network configuration, control and monitoring capabilities via Harman Audio Architect software. Rotatable waveguides allow designers to utilize the full-range system in both vertical and horizontal configurations while maintaining the same coverage pattern. Consisting two full-range loudspeakers and two subwoofer models, the AE Powered Series is ideal for performing arts facilities, theatrical sound design, auditoriums, houses of worship, music venues, dance clubs, sports facilities, entertainment venues and more.

All models are equipped with JBL patented Differential Drive low-frequency drivers with 3-inch (75mm) voice coils. The fullrange high-frequency section utilizes the 2432H 3-inch (75mm) voice coil compression driver.

The MSA12X system is self-powered with a slim, unobtrusive acoustic design offering twelve full-range 2.25-inch transducers (with 75 Hz – 14 kHz response) in a columnar line array configuration. Its 12 internal power amplifiers with 50 watts per channel; total 600-watt rated power, and onboard DSP allow digital control and beam steering of array vertical coverage patterns. Proprietary Articulated Array configuration allows wide, 160-degree horizontal coverage. The MSA12X features both Dante network connectivity and line-level analog input.

Bose also showcased the new EdgeMax in-ceiling premium loudspeakers with PhaseGuide Technology, which provides room-filling coverage while improving overall sound quality compared to the performance of conventional ceiling loudspeakers. Also on show was the new MB210 compact subwoofer, designed for background/foreground music and small sound-reinforcement systems that require low-frequency extension down to 37 Hz. d&b booth launched two kinds of solutions- one for installation series, and the other for mobile apps. The new installation point sources 24S and 21S-SUB showcased the combined effect of style and sonic quality. With a frequency response extending from 55 Hz to 18 kHz, these flexible loudspeakers are an ideal all-in-one solution for live performance spaces, houses of worship, multipurpose centers and sports facilities.

Furthermore, the elegant xC-Series columns showed

However, the highlight on the Harman booth were other members from the group that are marked by a JBL LCT 81C/T low-profile Lay-In Ceiling Acoustical Tile Loudspeaker, and AMX Ascendo Package of Book Core and Vibe – brought straight from ISE. The JBL LCT 81C/T ceiling tile loudspeaker – designed to easily lay into a 2’x2’ US-style suspended grid ceiling without the need for cutting ceiling tiles – delivers high output and

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exception intelligibility for paging systems, airports, retail stores, classrooms, offices, courtroom, meeting rooms and more. A built-in 10W transformer allows the LCT 81C/T to be used on 70V or 100V distributed speaker lines or the speaker can be driven directly by a low impedance power amplifier. The unit comes wth 96dB sensitivity, delivering max. sound levels and reducing costs due to its compatibility with smaller power amplifiers.

Meyer Sound debuted its new LINA very compact linear line array loudspeaker and companion 750-LFC very compact low-frequency control element. The company backed up the launch with live demonstration of the system in Demo Rooms.

Previewed earlier this year at ISE, LINA marks the entry of Meyer Sound's LEO Family of line arrays into a much broader market. With its diminutive dimensions (20.27"/515 mm wide) and minimal weight (43 lbs./ 19.5 kg), high power output and aggressive pricing, LINA is ideal for all commercial sound applications that require portability, scalability, ease of set-up and impeccable sonic performance.

wireless systems. “Ideal for a variety of users and applications, Axient digital features numerous user-friendly features and benefits,” explained Ritendra Poddar of Shure Inc. “The system is designed for maximum signal stability. It features true digital diversity with Quadversity receiver technology, significantly mitigating the potential for signal fades or interference that can cause dropouts.”

Featuring digital audio via Dante and AES3, Axient digital has a 20Hz to 20 kHz range with a flat frequency response and accurate transient response. Axient digital also boasts wide dynamic range, AES-256 encryption, and 2ms latency from the mic transducer to the analog output.

The other highlight of Meyer Sound booth was the preview of its premium quality self-powered ceiling speakers. The first two models, the Ashby-5C and Ashby-8C, both integrate Meyer Sound's exclusive IntelligentDC technology, which combines the sonic superiority of self-powered loudspeakers with the installation ease of constant voltage distributed systems. Both models are two-way designs with wide (100 degree) coverage patterns and come equipped with integrated back-cans and 5-pole Phoenix connectors. The Ashby-5C has a 5" low-mid driver and the Ashby-8C an 8" low-mid driver.

QSC having removed the ‘Audio’ tag from its name – in apparent transformation towards complete integrated networked AV enterprise – continued from its ISE presentation of Q-SYS Enterprise Cores utilizing Dell server hardware and real time Q-SYS Operating System.

Shure Incorporated too continued from its ISE showcasing, but brought on the new Axient Digital Wireless System that builds on the benefits of the company’s UHF-R, ULX-D, and Axient

Revolabs and its holding company Yamaha Corporation came together for the first time on an InfoComm show floor to showcase a whole new range of launches. The products on demo mainly included the all-new Yamaha CS-700 Video Sound Collaboration System for Huddle Rooms; an AVB Networked Audio station; wired and wireless microphone systems; and the rich UC family of USB, VoIP, and Bluetooth conference phones.

According to Dr. Holger Stoltze, Revolab’s Director-Product Management, ‘the CS-700 Video Sound Collaboration System for huddle rooms is the first solution that brings together

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EXHIBITION REVIEW Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

audio, video, and collaboration capabilities in a wall-mounted system, ensuring an intuitive meeting experience.’

“It boasts a beam-forming microphone array, which guarantees that every word is perfectly captured and delivered to the far end,” he explained. “Four Yamaha speaker elements provide the highest degree of audio intelligibility, and a wide-angle HD camera that captures every meeting participant in clear detail.”

An integrated USB port enables a seamless connection to an organization's chosen UC platform- such as Microsoft Skype, Cisco Spark, GoToConference, Google Chromebox, Vidyo, WebEx, Zoom, BlueJeans, and many others. This plug-and-play approach allows users to quickly get started without wrestling with disparate video, audio, and collaboration components, thus eliminating complex steps from the process that can waste valuable meeting time or require the assistance of on-call IT staff.

Also at the booth, were AVB Networked Audio station, a comprehensive conferencing setup featuring Revolabs’ flagship Executive Elite microphones, the Yamaha MRX7-D digital signal processor, the Yamaha XMV4140 power amplifier, Yamaha VXS5 speakers, and a Cisco Catalyst 3650 network switch.

More, Revolabs demonstrated its family of FLX UC USB and VoIP conference phones.

CONTROLS/ AUTOMATION…

The control automation domain which is normally dominated by players like Crestron and Kramer, this time was joined again – closely being followed from ISE – by aggressive players like Aurora, and rejuvenated players like AMX. Aurora Multimedia debuted its IPBaseT HTX-TC1 with HDBaseT-IP solution, which combines HDBaseT, HDBaseTIP and IPBaseT allowing full two-way 4K 60Hz 4:4:4 HDR on a single 10G port. The new solution incorporates different technologies to create a seamless operation for the ultimate user experience. It brings the lowest 10G Ethernet switch port, due to its ability to transmit and receive full bandwidth in both directions on a single port. HDBaseT connectivity allows backward compatibility with existing systems and works with Aurora’s new 18Gbps HDBaseT products.

“Aurora is at the forefront of innovation as the AV world continues to evolve,” says Paul Harris, CEO of Aurora. “The IPBaseTHTX-TC1 is the most complete solution in the market today, increasing capabilities while reducing costs. It supports backward compatibility with existing systems and works well with Aurora’s new 18G HDBaseT offerings.”

Aurora also introduced to InfoComm 2017 audiences, a new technological first 4K60Hz 4:4:4 HDR AV over IP signal transceiver, utilizing their IPBaseT technology in combination with SDVoE standards. The IPX-TC2 Series is the World’s First 10Gbps IPBaseT transceiver capable of 4K60Hz 4:4:4 with extremely low 1.3:1 real time compression with only 3ms latency scaling achieving zero frame latency. This has been made possible by yet another first of its kind intiaitive- the world’s first long awaited network switch by Huawei that will allow the 10G PoE of Aurora’s IPX transceiver to receive PoE directly from the network switch.

Crestron Electronics – as expected – made a big splash of things. One among the largest booths on the show floor, and right up near the frontal face of the halls, Crestron launched a slew of things, some from the promises made at ISE. The most prominent being the Mercury.

Crestron Mercury supports any web collaboration application already running on a user’s device, or can be configured to run native Skype for Business or the Zoom UX, so a laptop is not needed to make audio or video calls, only to share content.

It combines all the must-have conferencing and collaboration tools in one sleek, easy-to-use console, including open SIP conference phone, Bluetooth connectivity, built-in wired and wireless presentation, remote room booking and onscreen calendar display, and occupancy sensor. Plus, Crestron Mercury offers easy enterprise-wide deployment and cloud-based provisioning and management.

DigitalMedia NVX Series is said to be the only secure network AV solution that delivers 4K60, 4:4:4, and HDR video over standard 1Gb Ethernet, plus USB 2.0 routing, built-in DSP, and all-in-one encoding/decoding at a price similar to competitive

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products that are not secure and have less capability. It provides an infinitely scalable network AV solution, from a simple point-to-point setup, to thousands of endpoints, and requires only DM NVX Series Encoders/Decoders.

They also come with a built-in internal library with 15 EDID handshakes, besides a native EDID data of output/display one, and a buffer system to manage TMDS re-clocking, signal regeneration, HDCP source and display authentication.

The TSW-560, TSW-760, and TSW-1060 provide direct connectivity to scheduling platforms, such as Office 365, Microsoft Exchange, and G Suite. The same award-winning TSW control touch screens can also be used as sleek, highperformance room scheduling touch screens. Now, every touch screen inside and outside every room can have a consistent design.

Kramer Electronics Ltd. made a record of sorts when it announced launch of industry's first ever digital sound processor (DSP) over IP networks. The KN-DSP100 Kramer Sound Server – the latest addition to the Kramer Audio line – is taken to be a truly game-changing product. The new tiny box enables simultaneous processing of 64 input channels and distribution of over 1000 outputs. The product is fully compatible with any Dante audio signal and provides autodetection of all Kramer devices and their functionality.

Crestron Vector performance loudspeakers are designed for larger spaces in an enterprise, such as auditoriums, theaters, divisible rooms, and ballrooms. Offering nine models ranging from 8" – dual 15", they uniquely run self-tests that report room attributes back to managers, and are easily set up for optimal sound, clarity, and intelligibility using the Avia Audio Tool.

Digital video and control systems solutions provider Key Digital, unveiled a new Enterprise AV system offering what it claimed as unparalleled feature set. The company also demonstrated the new KD-IP922 system UHD / 4K encoder and decoder designed with video wall builder, KVM, and simple expansion method beyond 48 port network switch. The KD-IP922 supports up to 8 vertical and 8 horizontal displays for an impressive maximum of a 64 panel video wall. The video wall configuration can be adjusted via the Key Digital App, universal management software, or can be programmed in the new professional control system Compass Control Pro.

The unit seamlessly integrates with standard IT infrastructures and simplifies the IT manager's user experience with a single point of contact for both management and support of all audio devices. The plug-and-play hardware- and software-based IToriented solution is ideal for large-scale DSP deployments such as airports, hotels, courtrooms, and hospitals.

The new Compass Control Pro is a fully integrated control system built from the ground up to use iOS & Android devices to replace traditional control interfaces. The cost-effective software suite excels in video control functionality, a key element in the proliferation of digital signage and video collaboration.

Key Digital also introduced cost – three effective distribution amplifiers – the KD-DA1x2, KD-DA1x4 and KD-DA1x8 that offer resolution support up to UHD 4K60 4:4:4. They come with one HDMI input to two, four or eight outputs, respectively.

All the three support all SD, HD, VESA and Ultra HD/4K video standards.

“As a music producer and sound engineer, I am especially sensitive to how audio influences so many aspects of our lives in subtle and not so subtle ways," said Yuval Kramer, Director of Audio at Kramer. "I saw the potential to do something great in this area that would put us right at the front of the pack among our Pro AV competitors — hence the Kramer Sound server was born,” he added.

Kramer Control: Kramer announced from the Show Floor, the immediate availability of its award-winning cloud-based platform for control and management. Kramer Control lets IT/ AV managers easily control, monitor and support AV systems, infrastructures and any third-party devices. The platform is highly scalable and has no single point of failure, thanks to its distributed architecture and the fact that it leverages existing IP network infrastructures.

The platform also features automatic data gathering and reporting on space usage, system activity, device health,

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and energy consumption. From a powerful, user-friendly dashboard, administrators can act on real-time data-driven analytics, alerts and reports.

“Kramer Control is time-efficient and therefore very costeffective” said Keren Lipshitz, Director of Control & Solutions at Kramer. “When you design your control system, the platform's intuitive, drag-and-drop interface saves a lot of time and hassle instead of having to write and maintain numerous lines of code," added Lipshitz.

Lightware USA showcased new switchers and extenders.

Topping the roster is Lightware’s MX2-8x8 Full 4K Matrix Switcher, the first of the new MX2 standalone matrix switchers with HDMI 2.0, which supports uncompromised Full 4K UHD resolution at 60Hz 4:4:4.

applications, 4K live events and future-proof operation centers. The extenders can be mounted on a rack shelf or used standalone. Lightware’s UBEX, Ultra-Bandwidth Variable Scaling Extender will also be shown. It features a new optical solution, which allows 4K UHD@60Hz 4:4:4 uncompressed signal extension with latency-free multistreaming. The video compression level of the signal can be freely set by the user.

The device uses VOIP transmission with standard 10 Gbps SFP and optical modules installed, which are easily exchangeable by the user.

VIDEO FRONT….

The Video /Display domain was dominated by the projection majors like Barco, BenQ, Christie, Epson, NEC, Panasonic, and Sony.

Barco brought to show floor the new Overture solution, offering enhanced automation features. The new version of Overture is an effective enterprise-wide AV control software solution. It controls and monitors all AV and other networked devices in multiple locations via a highly interactive user interface. Running on commercial off-the-shelf hardware, Overture features a low total cost of ownership while helping to reduce other operating costs in the office environment.

BenQ America Corp – making a first of its kind initiative – brought to show Google's 4K team collaboration device called the Jamboard, and it up by its newest Blue Core laser projectors, digital signage panels and interactive flat-panel (IFP) displays.

Its compact size and silent design makes the 8x8 particularly suitable for offices and meeting rooms, 4K live events, and future-proof operation centers. It is also a perfect choice for home theater enthusiasts. This standalone product has 8 HDMI 2.0 inputs and 8 HDMI 2.0 outputs transmitting up to 4K at 60Hz in 4:4:4 color space format, while supporting HDR, 3D, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio.

The unit also comes with Lightware technologies’s proprietary Advanced EDID Management and Pixel Accurate Reclocking package. Control options include a built-in website, RS-232, Ethernet and USB. Joining the switcher lineup is the UMX-HDMI-140 with built-in Event Manager. It is designed to provide the necessary control for smaller collaborative spaces, such as huddle rooms. Control options include IR, RS-232 and Ethernet; the switcher handles digital and analog video and audio signals: VGA, YPrPb, DVI, HDMI 1.4 and DP 1.1 with HDCP and analog stereo audio from local inputs or embedded 7.1 HBR audio.

More, Lightware’s HDMI 2.0-compatible OPTC-RX/TX220Pro optical extender pair also made its debut at the show.

The extenders are recommended for rental and staging

The Jamboard merges style with the worlds of physical and digital creativity to enhance collaboration in the enterprise workplace. “The system supports diverse environments,” explains Albert LS Weng, Director-Product Management & FAE at BenQ America. “Whether the user is in the conference room or huddle space or with a remote team via the integrated videoconferencing features.” According to him, the panel fits right into today's new digital workplace, transforming meetings into an engaging and effective experience, boosting productivity and ultimately improving the bottom line.

Also on display for the first time was the BenQ LK970 BlueCore laser projector built for resolution and brightness. It delivers

EXHIBITION REVIEW Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

4K UHD 3840 x 2160 resolution with 5,000 ANSI-lumen brightness. Featuring BenQ's BlueCore Laser technology, it delivers color performance and offers installation flexibility to meet the requirements of the most demanding applications.

Other new BlueCore laser family projectors include the new LX810STD and the LU9715.

BenQ's also demonstrated its line of interactive flat-panels that were highlighted by their new 4K RP750K. Equipped with 20 touch-point interactivity, digital touch recognition technology that converts handwriting to standard font, and two 16-watt speakers, the unit is said to deliver most engaging experience possible.

That the display comes with a bacteria-resistant glass with a nanosilver coating to repel bacteria and reduce the spread of germs it is ideal for any environmentally sensitive situation.

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Christie Digital Systems brought to show its newest end-toend solutions that are highlighted by the Christie Center, an integrated and synchronized sports venue-themed experience.

It sought to providea glimpse into the visual experiences that are achievable for even the most budget-minded user. The Center featured on-court projection mapping using Christie Boxer and Pandoras Box Quad Server warped and blended visuals including the iconic Wolf Head, and 3D mapping using Christie Mystique, besides a slew of LED walls.

BenQ also demonstrated its slim-factored BH280 28" and BH380 38" bar-type TFT-LCD displays.

Casio America, Inc., brought to show its expansive lineup of LampFree projectors. Casio announce the launch of XJUT311WN, its newest model in the Ultra Short Throw series. This projector, along with several of Casio’s latest models, including the XJ-L8300HN 4K UHD model and Casio’s full LampFree lineup, was among the highlights of the projection major.

Making its global debut on InfoComm show floor, the Christie Spyder X80 is said to deliver 400 percent more pixel management capacity than anything on the market and is the only video processor capable of managing 4K at a 60Hz refresh rate on every channel. Built on standardized SDVoE technology, Christie Terra solutions support video formats up to 4K at 60Hz and provide unprecedented performance capabilities transporting and processing of uncompressed, zero-frame latency, artifact-free video over affordable 10G Ethernet components.

Five LED walls are strategically placed around the Christie Center, creating striking backdrops and inside the booth’s bar are the new Christie Access Series panels – making their global debut. The front entrance features Christie MicroTiles in a 4 x 8 wall with content managed by Christie Spyder.

“The Lamp Free technology combines a laser and LED light source to create a high-brightness, mercury-free tool that uses up to half the amount of power per unit than other lampbased projectors,” explained Alli Colasacco, Casio’s Marketing Communications Division Coordinator. “This makes Casio’s projectors a safer and more affordable choice for organizations that look go green, and also save money.

Also on the show from Casio was its first 4K UHD modelthe XJ-L8300HN. This projector comes equipped with a 4K DLP chip that projects images of approximately 8.3 million pixels, reproducing the true color and beauty of images at a much higher level than conventional projectors. With its high brightness of 5,000 lumens, the XJ-L8300HN is great for brightly lit rooms and larger venues.

Joining the global debut league of Christie family were the new DHD1075 and DWU1075-GS laser phosphor projectors that bring along several Christie HS Series features including more powerful grid-based warping and blending with Christie BoldColor Technology- all in a compact form-factor.

Panasonic Media Entertainment Company brought too InfoComm a full roster of high-performance video, display and projection products. The visual solutions and 3D immersive graphics major created on the show floor a Balloon Cam which combined a drone with the hovering capability of a large balloon for a unique video platform. With unique shooting angles the balloon cam can be used to enhance the fan experience at sporting and other stadium events.

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EXHIBITION REVIEW Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

The company also showed its high speed real-time tracking and projection mapping system to enable high resolution images at 10,000 lumens ANSI brightness to be mapped onto fast-moving objects, such as performers on stage, with masking and trimming applied over video and fed to the projector in real time.

Panasonic’s wide ranging showcase included: two displays – the TH-75BQE1 Professional Touch Panel Display and the SF2 Series and SF2H Series Professional Displays; two projectorsthe PT-RZ21K 3-Chip DLP SolidShine Laser Projector and the ET-D75LE70 3-Chip DLP Fisheye Lens, and more for Professional video, broadcast and cinema applications as well: • 4K/HD PTZs with Improved Auto Tracking • AV-HLC100 Live Production Center • LiveCTRL iPad Control and Switching Application • 360-Degree Live Camera System with Uncompressed 4K Output • AW-HR140 Integrated Outdoor IP65 PTZ Camera Video-conferencing solutions major Polycom tuned in new solution from InfoComm show floor, through a tie-up with Zoom Connector- a new solution that gives customers more choices in how they collaborate by combining the benefits of Zoom’s popular cloud-based video communications with Polycom’s powerful video experiences.

Zoom and Polycom customers can now experience Zoom video meetings in rooms powered by Polycom’s video conferencing solutions. All it takes is one click to join a Zoom meeting from a Polycom video solution.

Key features and benefits of the Zoom Connector for Polycom include single tap to start or join the meeting from the Polycom touch screen; working on Polycom RealPresence Debut and Polycom RealPresence Group Series room systems; calendar-based integrations with Outlook, Google Calendar, and iCal; HD video and audio; high-quality wireless screen sharing; and Native integration – no additional hardware or controller required.

Polycom also debuted its Pano platform designed for sharing content at work. With Pano, anyone in a business meeting can share up to four streams of simultaneous content side-by-side, from any device, without the hassle of juggling cables, pucks, or dongles.

“Informattion, and content sharing was never so easy,” said Cameron Craig, Senior Director-Corporate Communications at Polycom. “Polycom solution eases out the concerns that people have in sharing high quality content to one another, securely,” he said, “collaboration is rendered more productive and enriching as well, as the system makes content sharing easy and fits into any ecosystem or environment.”

Japanese projection major Sony lined up an impressive range of solution on a massive booth. Theme Beyond Definition, Sony combined its display, A/V and presentation technologies, including 4K and laser light source projection, pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras, AV over IP, 4K display panels and live event production systems.

Sony’s Vision Exchange is a new intuitive collaboration solution for education and corporate users. Flexible and cost-effective, Vision Exchange brings together students, lecturers and

EXHIBITION REVIEW Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

presenters in a dynamic workgroup-based environment that encourages enables active learning with BYOD environments.

Sony introducing a range of laser light source projectors to commercial applications. The new Z-Phosphor range included two new LaserLite models — VPL-PHZ10 (WUXGA) and VPLPWZ10 (WXGA) bringing image quality, color reproduction, lower cost, and virtually zero-maintenance to customers who previously may have only been able to experience lampbased projection. The new projectors’ light source has a total constant brightness of 4500 lumens for up to 12,000 hours depending on usage environment.

The new models are designed to deliver enhanced picture quality with features such as ‘Reality Creation,’ which analyzes and processes every input signal to refine detail, clarity and sharpness for naturally up-scaled images. This provides higherresolution perspective, even in the lower-resolution WXGA series.

The FWD-100Z9D and FWD-75X850E are Sony’s latest 100- and 75-inch 4K HDR professional BRAVIA displays. The FWD-100Z9D 4K display uses Backlight Master Drive to offer brightness and dynamic range and near perfect black levels and brightness while the FWD-75X850E 4K display features Triluminous display and 4K HDR Processor X1 offering outstanding picture performance.

DISPLAYS…..

Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America (SIICA), a division of Sharp Electronics Corporation brought a whole new range of solutions themed around its future focus. Leading off is the 70” Class (69.5” diagonal) PN-R706 professional LCD monitor, an expansion on the award-winning PN-R series.

The unit comes with DisplayPort 1.2 connectivity, as well as an expandable interface and an optional wireless board or HDBaseT 2.0 receiver board.

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experience. The advanced pixel structure enables stunning 4 million:1 dynamic contrast for deeper blacks and whiter whites.

It’s perfect for sports bars, waiting rooms and other business locations that need to grab viewer attention for a new level of engagement.

Sharp also announced its largest professional display upgrade with the PN-R903A LCD monitor, a towering 90” Class (90 1/16” diagonal) screen that can show life-size images of people. This LCD is said to excel in various indoor venues including retail, educational, conference rooms and public spaces. It incorporates Sharp’s Ultraviolet-induced Multidomain Vertical Alignment (UV2A) technology, which ensures highly efficient backlight use and prevents light leakage.

The panel also has a full-array LED backlight to give images remarkably uniform brightness.

SiliconCore debuted its ZACH LED Driver Chip- the result of three years of research and development, giving its displays market leading dynamic range and color reproduction.

Standing for Z(Impedance) Adjustment for Color Homogeneity, the ZACH mechanism is embedded in the driver chip can accurately detect impedance variation of each LED and apply an adjustment compensation. This achieves uniform brightness and homogenous color at even a very low brightness level.

Showcased as a 4K 1.2mm LED Display, the ZACH chip enables SiliconCore displays, to provide accurate color reproduction in the areas of low brightness. The product is ideal for cinema, command and control and simulation environments.

Next, the 70” Class (69.5” diagonal) PN-LE701 commercialgrade LCD display combines full-HD image quality and a stylish, thin profile with a built-in tuner for the ultimate viewing

www.infocomm.org

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EXHIBITION REVIEW Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

The Spec Of Excitement For Future One of the most soft-spoken and deeply knowledgeable professionals at InfoComm International is Terry Friesenborg, Chief Global Officer. A sort of a Brand Ambassador for InfoComm events around the world, Terry’s insights about the event and the industry are very informed and it is a pleasure being an audience to it. Excerpts of an informal chat during InfoComm 2017:

SI Asia: Tell us about the new initiatives at this year’s InfoComm.

TERRY: We have done several new things this time, and we are really excited about them. One of them is called the TIDE (Technology, Innovation, Design and Experience). It is really aimed at story telling without technology per se. As you look at how the industry is evolving, their abilities to global exceptional experiences are critical, and their abilities to tell stories through our medium is very very important.

It is very exciting because it is a very different kind of content to produce; it involved very different set of people in terms of presenters and attendees, and it was very well received as well.

Few other initiatives we had at this show include the Immersive Technology Pavilion which features AR & VR technologies, very leading edge, and very exciting stuff to understand.

Another thing we brought to the floor this year is The Park.

When you are in tradeshow, it’s extremely crowded and noisy… and we created a surfeit of croquette at the end of the show floor which had four food trucks, some live entertainment, and just a quiet respite from the noise and bustle of the tradeshow floor.

Terry Friesenborg, Chie Global Officer- InfoComm Intl

We also had what we call the Center Stage which is a great place sharing small bits of information relevant to most things concerning the industry, and it attracted a great number of audiences.

So, all these activities have added a very encouraging value to the event that has attracted significant numbers from people. It is certainly a great dynamic show.

SI Asia: What has been the central theme of this event?

TERRY: Well, the theme this year is coming together and growing our industry, but more than growing the industry, it is creating catalysts for expanding the market. That is why we had these innovations and things like TIDE where we can develop models for expanding the market, bringing people into the show, and expose what we do on a regular basis for everyone to come and see for themselves how they can benefit from all this.

EXHIBITION REVIEW Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

SI Asia: What has been your experience over the three days of the show? What is the specific visitor profile this time?

TERRY: Lot of End Users. Higher number of people than what I have seen for the last few editions here. And, that’s really critical. Because those are the people who really seek the experience that comes from the industry. Also, they come to see not only the technology but also the content pieces to understand the applications of technology. It is exciting to watch our industry expand and become more relevant to diverse facets of life and business- corporate, education, sports and entertainment.

SI Asia: Apart from AR and VR, what are the other specific areas that the event has focused?

TERRY: Other than that, it’s the core technologies that we regularly show. You have seen- we have everything on the floor.

We have audio to drones, you name a piece it is there. It not just technology per se, but it is a lot more about networking, and it’s about what you do with the technology. That’s about the focus and theme this year.

SI Asia: How about the competition from other similar events, and cutting across the audiences?

TERRY: Well, like I said we operate about 10 shows in a year round the globe. ISE, InfoComm China, India, and three shows in Latin America, I don’t see them as competition at all. They all are rather complementary to one another and to this event as well. Because everywhere you go, you see a swing towards a certain technology coming from certain agents. For example InfoComm China- if you are looking for Chinese products, it is an excellent place to be in. Every region and innovation product deserves a place in market. Probably the question comes with regard to ISE. If you look at it, two-thirds of the exhibitors need a show, or you need to get to that show. So, there is an overlap of one-third exhibitors in shows like this.

So, that’s a lot of new exhibitors. There are over a thousand exhibitors at these shows, and considering that there is a difference of about 650 exhibitors between these shows.

So, I think there is a great interconnection among one another.

I really don’t see them as competitors, they are complementary.

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SI Asia: How about the proximity factor that exhibitors and visitors alike wanting to go to the nearest show. How would you make shows like this truly global?

TERRY: I think it is many levels. Local shows service the local community. There is a reason for a show at Sao Paolo, there is a reason for a show at Mumbai and things like that. Yes, we deliver shows for the exhibitors to tap the local channels, to build their End User connects and networks. But that is more locally focused. It’s not everyone would travel to the USA or Europe or China for larger shows. But there is another dynamic story too. At ISE we have 177 countries represented; in this show, there might be about 125 countries represented. People do come to major shows like this shows because here is where they can maximize their investment, time, and energy, and see the most advanced technology processes. And making contacts with the manufacturers for whatever level of business one intends to initiate.

SI Asia: Where do you see this event going in the future?

TERRY: It’s going from strength to strength. It is also getting more vibrant and dynamic. In terms of its market appeal, this show attracts people from around the world. InfoComm as you know is a global association with about ten shows in an year, and the major events try to bring to show the best of the best products and processes from the regions to the global platforms like this. The event, like any other event, has a very positive way to move ahead. I think we have a double digit growth for this event over the preceding edition.

We have lots of growth for some shows; they grow rapidly when they are young. InfoComm has been here since 1939, and has grown around the world. So, it’s been a long journey, and we are still growing very dynamically. We have more square footage, overall more space covered up, and more number of exhibitors too.

As the industry keeps expanding in line with the global economy, we keep growing too. We expect that spec to continue. It only speaks about the importance of our industry and its opportunities. We are very excited about it. www.infocomm.org

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FOCUS Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

Talking Game-changing Topology Paul Harris, CEO of A/V over IP solutions major Aurora Multimedia, is probably one person who upfront gives an apparent indication of what he is. A very typically stylized, articulate and ardent talker, the chief of Morganville, New Jersey-based solutions major gives a measure of his technology zest with SI Asia, in what turned out to be a serious Tech Talk. Excerpts of a Revelation session:

Our Passion… Our Work…

Aurora Multimedia has its genesis in a very passionate quest, a zealous effort to try and do something unique, something special and different from everyone else. About three years ago, we wanted to create a unique identity for the company.

Not that we didn’t have one, but something special that people will look up to in awe! Things like AV over IP, making another transmitter or receiver didn’t quite match the zest inside. We didn’t want to do what everyone else was trying to do with HDBaseT. What we wanted to do was change the way technology treats the integrator and the End User, and in the process, create a technology ecosystem like no other. That is where the concept called IPBaseT was born.

Aurora IPBaseT solution

IPBaseT was designed to create synergy between things that normally do not synergize with each other. Interestingly, while the industry was seemingly picky in that the world needed to work, towards same standards – H.264, Blue River Technology, VC-2, JPEG 2000, and more – for us, it came down to achieving something that looked like working with multiple protocols even though we weren’t really. That was the beginning of IPBaseT.

vice-versa. You can change direction, any time, quite simply programmatically. In a typical install scenario, people will have separate devices for receiving and transmitting content, which is both cost- and space-intensive as it takes a lot of rack space, besides adding significantly to costs in both terms of human and financial resource.

We looked at how we could make it different, without making people concern themselves with the technology. The product that came out of this ‘building block’ effort was what we called the “Transceiver.”

Our Topology…The Game Changer…

In a typical HDBaseT set-up, you have a transmitter and a receiver. When you get AV over IP there is a transmitter, and a receiver. But in our case, we have one Device or Wallplate, and you can field-configure it whether to receive or transmit. In a distributed scenario, we can distribute from a single source transmitter to a multitude of receivers (receiving points), and

Wall Plate

FOCUS Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

Imagine a scenario of a large project requiring 100 to 200 devices, and the amount of money and space saving the ‘Transceiver’ will bring to it. Now, with just one device from Aurora, you can transmit to or receive from a multitude of sources. So, from an inventory point of view, it is a great deal of simplification; there is also a significant cost saving and value-add to the system buyer or End User.

Now improving the serviceability! When doing the job for the first time, I have a wallplate and device, or a device or wallplate or whatever. Doing it second time, I can change the transmitter to receiver, and so on. But with Transceiver, I could check the Wall Plate, tell it to become a Receiver, then put it as a part of projector to play it as transmitter, and then put it back. I actually re-prioritize how each unit is going to be used.

So, for the first time, people got to see the way it could be engineered for dual use!

When was the last time an end user actually bought a spare part and kept it onsite. Typical modular matrix systems require a chassis, HDMI I/O Cards, HDBaseT I/O Cards, receiver devices, wallplates, and an Ethernet Switch- eight different SKUs to do a job.

Who will keep a spare for the variety of parts? With the transceiver, only two SKUs- a Network switch and a device/ wallplate.

Unlike past product system practices, the Transceiver’s SKU system allows for immediate and guaranteed replacement or return of any unit that was found not up to their requirement.

That makes the unit extremely customer-friendly.

Possibilities Unbounded…

People normally tend to think in single direction in systems deployment. But think about having the ability to change the direction at will. In a typical setting of having multiple wallplates and projectors at different directions, I can have a wallplate-encoder and send content to a device-decoder connected to a projector, while sending same content to another wallplate-decoder connected to a flat screen display, used as conference monitor. This actually opens up new design possibilities which you never had before. The possibilities are endless; you are no longer confined to the boundaries of just one direction. By mechanizing this process, you are freed from the design constraints that you might have had earlier. What makes it even more fascinating, is this change of direction possibility can be done on the fly, automatically, programmatically, or manually. For example, if a display has been idle for a while, connect to a remote source to display the corporate marketing presentation.

We Converge Technologies…

A lot of people in the industry think their technology or solution is the best, which I feel is a big mistake. For, there is nothing called the ‘best,’ including ours. Every technology has a checkpoint at some point or the other. We acknowledge this fact, and try to build on technologies convergence to better

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what is available at present, which is why IPBaseT. For instance, in the video domain, H.264/H.265 is the best to record and feed on the Internet, and for low bandwidth transmission. But it is not good for computers, because of the compression and color space conversion. When low latency and high quality is necessary, 10G uncompressed or very low compression is best.

For digital signage, 1G is the sweet spot allowing low latency with visually lossless quality for a reasonable price. So, what we do here is to take the strengths of technologies and leave the weaknesses away; and with those carefully chosen strengths we build a game changing solution that betters the existing, while makes it easier to accommodate future technology trends.

This is exactly why we became world’s first company to incorporate Dante as an audio standard in our latest offerings.

We added Dante and AES67 to our products to stand differentiated from the rest by their sheer capability to transmit audio only content via a Dante network, in addition to being capable of traditional point-to-point audio transmission mode.

It makes a lot of sense for users having multipoint content flow set-ups, as also those integration professionals.

By trying and developing such solutions, Aurora is changing the very topology of AV, and leading the way by example.

Now, we see the competition trying to copy us. That’s the kind of game changing zest Aurora has been standing for.

We Converge Ideas…

Aurora HTX-TC, the world’s first hybrid HDBaseT over IP

While we constantly explore the technology scape to innovate our work; we also take ideas and feedback from our customers, integrators, design consultants and user communities to get more focused on our approach to developing game-changing solutions. Rather than trying to thrust our ideas, however revolutionary they might be, we believe in customers and integration communities telling us what they want; we need to find a way to properly integrate those wants into our products.

We try to find an alternate way for everything we do, with a single SKU. That’s been one of our goals, we achieved it and we uphold it.

We Converge Solution (Framework)s…

At InfoComm 2017, we launched HTX -TC1, the world’s first hybrid HDBaseT over IP, in alliance with the HDBaseT (Alliance).

That is a box with full bandwidth, bi-directional Transceiver that can simultaneously transmit and/ or receive full two-way 4K 60Hz 4:4:4 & HDR over a 10G Ethernet Switch on a single port ever. HTX -TC1 incorporates different technologies to create a seamless operation for an ultimate user experience.

HDBaseT connectivity allows backward compatibility with existing systems and works with Aurora’s new 18Gbps HDBaseT products. The same device provides for extended

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FOCUS Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

copper and extended fibre cable connectivity, besides a first, 8-channel Surround Sound Dante/AES67- all in one SKU. Now you can bridge old existing systems with our new hybrid system.

Many people dismissed HDBT as a mere gamble. But we saw a significant value from both its price point and technology point, and thus wanted to do something that uniquely differentiates our work from the rest, as well as shows new direction. So, we came up with the HTX-TC1 and reinvented HDBT. The first thing we did was on the cable front, where we brought in extended copper distance with no shielding, plus fibre cable capability. Then we brought in the Dante 8-channel sound, and then added the IP capability as well. Additionally, we also brought in the most important full two-way 4K 60Hz 4:4:4 & HDR content flow over a 10G PoE Ethernet Switch, utilizing just a single port.

The HTX-TC1 is thus a new concept for AV over IP; it opens new possibilities for a variety of applications. Now even 2K/4K cinema solutions providers are getting keen on the system.

Combining HDBaseT and HDBaseT-IP in the IPBaseT topology furthers Aurora’s goal to change the way our industry does AV for now and the future.

Our Value Add…More with Less!

It’s like getting more with less. One device, many solutions packaged; one system, aplenty technology experiences; cost savings measurably significant. The HTX-TC1, for instance, is one device SKU, coming at a cost less than two devices, but

brings a plethora of solutions and applications. The larger the number of endpoints, the larger the benefits. Actually, this is part of our endeavor to further our industry lead. We work differently, and are delighted to lead the industry with innovations creating real value for our customers and their projects. Dynamics unlimited.

Our Strengths…Our Make, Our Expertise

Though we are ambitious to go global, we are honestly not global experts. But we gain strength from the experts we have in place in different markets of the world. Their expertise is our strength. Europe, Middle East, AsiaPac, BRICS- all over, they provide us with insights to market, and we build our business and products on that. As it is, all our products are manufactured in the USA under our direct supervision.

Precision manufacturing and therefore quality of our products is a key pillar to our success.

Our Vision For the Future…

We are passionate for game changing solutions. Solutions that address and free us from all topology barriers of AV applications. We want to show the world how our ideas and products will free them from the chains of the past, and allow them to explore the possibilities of the future. We already have an exciting product and technology roadmap for the next few years and are looking forward to unravelling it to the world over time. www.auroramm.com

16 YE A RS O F S E RV I N G T HE IN D USTRY. . .M ORE THAN JUS T MAGA ZINE S

KNOWLEDGE UPGRADING EVENTS FOR THE INDUSTRY

SynAudCon Singapore

KNOWLEDGE UPGRADING EVENTS FOR END-USERS

Houses of Worship Philippines

REGISTER WITH US TO ENSURE THAT YOU ARE ALWAYS IN THE LOOP AND DO NOT MISS OPPORTUNITIES

INTERVIEW Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

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Shure’s Mark Humrichouser About 92 years Of Heritage And Innovation Shure held its Axient Digital launch in Singapore on May 24, at the Gallery Theatre, National Museum of Singapore. The event, ably supported by Shure’s local authorized distributor Electronics and Engineering Pte Ltd, saw a strong turnout of regional industry players and end-users.

Gracing the event was Mark Humrichouser, Vice President of Americas and Asia Pacific, Shure Incorporated. SI Asia took the opportunity to have a chat with Mark not only about their recent release but about their focus on integrated systems.

SI ASIA: The theme for the event, “Experience the future of Digital Wireless” seems very appropriate. Your comments.

Mark: Indeed. The number of innovative technology that we have incorporated within the Shure Axient Digital is a testament to our pedigree and forward looking nature.

Axient Digital can be simple or as complicated as you want it.

The system features a receiver that is compatible with its two transmitter offerings, the AD Series and ADX Series.

Axient Digital is the result of building on the strength of Shure’s UHF-R and ULX-D solutions. These solutions provided us with the platform to push us into new levels.

SI Asia: What are your thoughts about Axient Digital and its impact in Asia Pacific?

The Shure Axient Digital frequency management is able to handle the harshest environment. RF interferences is becoming an issue and we have incorporated the most innovative wireless audio technology in the world to offer unprecedented level of signal stability and audio clarity.

For instance Axient Digital features true digital diversity with Quadversity technology for extended coverage and option for separate zones. It significantly mitigates the potential for signal fades or interference that can cause dropouts. Axient Digital offers optimal spectrum management and frequency monitoring through Shure’s Wireless Workbench software as well as the ShurePlus Channels App. The truth is there is a plethora of new features that makes the Shure Axient Digital unbeatable in what it offers. There is a Talk Switch feature that allows an artist to switch channels to talk to a specific audience. For example if the artist wants to convey a message to the monitor engineer, the artist simply switches the channel to speak to the engineer and switches back for the performance.

There is also our Micro bodypack – which is very unique and compact. It is the first micro bodypack with internal antenna tuning. What this does is it makes the receiver moisture resistant as there is no antenna points. The size and format of the pack also makes it more convenient for the user.

Axient Digital is designed for critical applications. It is the first product from Shure that can scan the full spectrum but also limit the band if needed as it also the most flexible system.

Mark: Asia Pacific has demanding spaces. Our solutions offer value and believe that the Axient Digital will do well in the region.

SI Asia: We notice that Shure had a booth at the CommunicAsia exhibition which emphasizes on integrated systems. Can you elaborate on this?

Mark: Having a special focus on Integrated Systems is a strategic decision by Shure. Our core competence is in acoustics and signal processing, with products that are differentiated and specialised. We have spent significantly on our R&D, where for instance now we can offer industry leading array technology with integrated DSP. Today, Shure serves beyond our traditional professional audio and consumer market segments. We have expanded our reach and established a strong presence in corporate, education and government sectors, with networked hardware and software solutions for AV conferencing and collaboration, conferencing and discussion, and presentation.

There is a lot of technology involved in these areas that requires specialised skills, and we realise that there is also cross application with other markets. In addition to our expanding product portfolio, Shure offers the infrastructure and technical support for our distributors and integrators to successfully serve these segments, along with training programmes to increase their level of specialized knowledge. www.shure.com/asia

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INTERVIEW Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

Exploring The Next Level In Audio Expertise A chat with newly appointed CEO / Managing Director Edgar van Velzen of beyerdynamic German audio major beyerdynamic – just a week before the InfoComm USA 2017 – made a new appointment to the high-profile seat of CEO/ Managing Director. Fifty one-yearold Edgar van Velzen, bringing 25 years of experience with him, joined the company, to steer the Heilbronn-based audio specialist company, in association with the long-standing Managing Director Wolfgang Luckhardt.

SI ASIA caught up with the seemingly soft-spoken Edgar on the floors of InfoComm to know what the Dutch-born industry leader intends to bring to the company. Excerpts:

SI ASIA: Congratulations on the high-profile responsibility. What is your immediate priority?

EDGAR: Thank you. Yes, this is indeed great, and it comes with a high responsibility. I can tell you there are many good things to work on at beyerdynamic. It’s a fantastic brand with a genuine 90 years of audio heritage, with fantastic products, supported by great teams. So, I will build on this combination to step up the game, work out programmes to do it even better and be more customer-driven. Focussing on our customers, understanding their needs and deliver the products that create value for us all. And as you know we have 2 major target segments: the pro audio and conference market, as well as the consumer electronics market.

I look forward to work to further strengthen our brand and brand awareness across the target segments so that the great work that we do is taken and benefited from. We will serve current markets and segment as well as we will explore new growing and profitable markets. Markets where we are not in yet but make sense to approach based upon our audio heritage. So, the work entailment is clear. Customer needs, Products, Sales channel and Market development, and Brand awareness.

SI ASIA: What particular initiatives or programmes you think you can bring in as part of this task ?

EDGAR: It’s too early to go into detail on this at this stage.

I’ve been on to this high seat for hardly a week now; so it is not judicious to try and speak on details of programmes and strategies, yet. As I said before we will have a close look on how we can expand our current businesses with the customers and markets we are presently in right now. As well, we will look into new sales channels and market segments that make sense for us to explore. Of course these markets and products will be close to our audio expertise, because that is where we are coming from and where we are really good in.

From a market communication stand point of view we will use all channels – offline and online communication channels – that connect us with our customers. B2B(2C) and B2C. It may be social media that is popular with the Consumer segment, or print or technology media like yours that connect with the Professional segment- we would want to leverage the reach of these channels, besides our own, pretty strong and trusted network across the world.

SI ASIA: Whatever strategies, what particular competencies you intend to bring to beyerdynamic?

EDGAR: What I will bring with me to this wonderful company?

First of all, a lot of positive energy;). I’ve been burning with excitement for this opportunity. I bring 25 years of consumer and B2B experience with me, that I hope will be a huge bank of customer understanding capabilities; I started with Sony Electronics where I spent 14 years in various divisions, capacities and countries, so that is an important aspect of market understanding. Then I moved on as to Harman Becker Automotive Systems in Europe and as Vice President gathered a lot of B2B experience, and for the last five years, I have been CEO of the German audio brand Teufel in Berlin, shaping its positioning in the online market. Now, I believe all that is a good combination, giving an insight into the customer expectations from different perspectives.

INTERVIEW Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

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This will surely be a big source of the initiatives that I intend to bring to beyerdynamic. Together with a strong focus on product and technology, I am sure that together with the innovative beyerdynamic team we will be able to continue to come up with competitive products in the future.

SI ASIA: Do you foresee any challenges in that pursuit? If so, of what kind?

EDGAR: I know that we have a professional team already in place. More, like I said earlier, beyerdynamic is a great brand with an incredible product range. So, I build upon the experience of the teams and the credentials of the products.

Having said that, it is to be noted that in this industry, speed is everything! Nothing of today is the same tomorrow. So, we constantly need to speed up our game, ourselves, in order to be competitive in future as well.

If you see the convergence between the worlds of Internet – the IoT (Internet of Things) – which influences not only the Professional side of the business, but also the Consumer side of our business, we need to be aware and prepared to address the new needs of these markets.

So, we need to be vigilant to this aspect, as well as sensing the customer expectations and sensitize both our product rolling out and marketing competencies in order to be competitive in the future as well. We will continuously need to look at the way we do business, and the way we deliver not just products but ‘overall experiences’ to the customers.

There are indeed a lot of challenges ahead, that is nothing new and a continuous process, but let me reiterate to you again that with the kind of teams and technology strengths we have, and the German manufacturing precision expertise we bring to place with every product, we are well prepared to take on the challenges and move ahead.

SI ASIA: How do you think the ProAV market is shaping up in recent times, and particularly in the Asia Pacific?

EDGAR: It is much more clear now that AV and IT are growing together, surely when we speak about conference systems and appliances. From what I’ve been able to see myself, and hear from our customers, contractors, and professionals across the countries for some time now is that AV and IT are going hand in hand. They are no longer taken as separate domains; in fact, it is becoming an inseparable blend of technologies. While it was an AV-driven industry till a few years ago, today AV buyers talk with the IT department for their AV needs. So, AV people need to consider IT aspects and vice-versa.

SI ASIA: How different you feel are the Asia Pacific markets from the rest of the world markets?

EDGAR: Aah, that is an interesting question again. I believe the speed and scale are unbelievable in Asia. I don’t say the rest of the world is slow, not at all, but the speed with which Asia takes things is amazing. Off course there are big challenges

Edgar van Velzen with Holz Matthias at InfoComm International

and questions to be addressed and solved as well. However, the starting line is different. The technology base is much more developed now and projects can be realized on a much higher level and scale. Specially, when we look at countries like India and China, they have different start points; they don’t have the same history that we have had. They look at things differently.

I spent a lot of time in Asia during my former jobs, and I have seen people pro-actively approaching for solutions for their ideas on various unique ways. The decision making process is fast and it’s about grasping the opportunity, and I love that.

SI ASIA: beyerdynamic essentially being a microphone manufacturer, what new directions you think can make it more competitive and ahead on the market?

EDGAR: Wait; beyerdynamic is not just a microphone maker.

Though we started with microphones we have headphones and other audio products with us for almost 90 years now; so, audio is in our DNA for a long time. We have created some fascinating audio products in the past but we really created a name with our microphones, with artistes, professionals, and orchestras making our microphones integral part of their presentations, their work and lives.

In the meantime, we have evolved ourselves. Conferencingand voting systems are already on-board now. I am sure, as a next level and next step from the company we will expand ourselves in other audio segments as well. Professional as well as Consumer products. Of course by continuing to nourish our microphone heritage and business.

SI ASIA: So, what could be the next effective step in this direction? Some insight please?

EDGAR: Unfortunately, as I mentioned before, I cannot speak in detail at this point in time. But we have a lot going on in our kitchen right now :-). I would like to request you to please stay tuned. www.beyerdynamic.com

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INTERVIEW Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

Complying With Specs, Comforting Customer Delhi-based Pan Intellecom crafts its own niche in Indian AVSI domain

at Jharodha Kalan. This enthused us to create a ‘Projects’ division in the company, even as we kept widening our domain spread as well as technical expertise. PAN Intellecom steadily increased its broad based business arena which led to the execution of Defence Ops Room, Command & Control Centers, Corporate Board Room, Race Tracks covering Pan India over the next two decades.

SI ASIA: What is the core competence of Pan Intellecom? Vertical-wise and Horizontalwise?

HARBIR: Vertical-wise, we’re are majorly in Government, and Defence in particular, besides Corporate segment. Horizontalwise, while we have executed projects of diverse nature and scale, a majority of them included OPS (Operational Planning System) for Defence Services where we may have installed over 1000 rear projection cubes along with integrated AV system at various locations.

Our core competence also extends horizontally to Public Surveillance and Infotainment (Museums and Sports) where we have some very commendable projects to our credit.

Generically said, Pan Intellecom takes complete turnkey approach executing projects from concept to completion, including Project Management, and, of course, backing up by after-sales support.

SI ASIA: How have these competencies impacted the market?

Indian audio-visual systems integration domain has many integration stakeholders contributing to its genuine growth even as they craft their own niche of expertise. One such major player with strong roots in Government/Defence segments is Delhi-based Pan Intellecom, who made big headlines in recent times with projects like Virasat-e-Khalsa. SI Asia talked to Pan Intellecom’s Managing Director Harbir Singh to know more about the firm and its strengths. Excerpts:

SI ASIA: Tell us about Pan Intellecom, its evolution through the years, and current positioning?

HARBIR: Pan Intellecom Ltd – formerly Pan Telecom (P) Ltd – was incorporated in May 1992. We entered AV domain by becoming dealers of Philips Projectors in 1996. Our aggressive coverage of Corporate and Government sector made us the largest dealer of Philips Projectors in India in the late 90’s.

Our first major AV project – worth 1 crore approx., came in 1998, when Delhi Police entrusted us with the setting up of multimedia learning system at Police Training College

HARBIR: This domain of OPS and Surveillance is a very sensitive field demanding clinical precision of specifications as well as compliance with the same. So, we focus on deliverance of the project with 100 percent compliance - not only technical specs, but also work execution, timeline and budgets.

Maintaining all that is commonly considered not possible but we have been able to stand by it. This identified Pan Intellecom Ltd over the years till this date.

We have often won competitive and challenging projects and, with detailed project management, we executed them within the specs just mentioned, resulting in rich dividends for the clients. That has in turn brought many international consultants, OEMs closer to us, based on the referrals by our esteemed clients with whom we built trusted relationships. Our company tagline thus reads ‘Building Business Through Relationship’.

We strive to live by it, which is probably explained in Pan Intellecom’s achieving over `100 crore (US$ 16 million approx.) sales in the year 2016-17.

SI ASIA: Any great examples to exemplify the competence and identity…?

HARBIR: While we have many to claim, I would want to recall a few. Under the Sportainment segment, the iconic install of the

INTERVIEW Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

audio system at the main (Jawaharlal Nehru) stadium in Delhi for the Commonwealth Games. Another iconic install for the same segment- a Public Surveillance system install at the F1 Budh Circuit again in NCR. Then, the largest Datawall install – with as many as 168 cubes for the Ministry of Defence – as yet another reference install for Government/Defence Segment.

In 2015, we were awarded with one of the biggest, and most prestigious AV projects in the country- Virasaat-e-Khalsa Phase II at Anandpur Sahib in Punjab. This was soon followed by two equally prestigious projects- the interpretation centre at Golden Temple, and the War Memorial at Amritsar in July 2016. These theatrical museums, or infotainment segment, were completed as turnkey projects, in full compliance with the guidelines of time and money, and thus won accolades from the clients.

SI ASIA: Pan Intellecom also has business interests in AV distribution. What percentage of your business happens from that?

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SI ASIA: Whom would you particularly attribute this success to?

HARBIR: I would like to thank my team members responsible for executing these projects, our OEMs who have always supported us with the delivery of right equipment within timelines. As regards theatrical museums, I thank Amar Behl and his team for detailed designing and bringing the emotional connect to be seen by the visitors to these awesome facilities.

SI ASIA: How do you look at the AVSI industry shaping up in India and ME in the last few years?

HARBIR: AVSI industry in India has shaped well. In the modern perspective, it is striving to address high-end multifaceted AVcum-IT applications. In the Middle East, customers are ready to try new and latest technologies. They look for solutions which would be more of utility, and increase the overall efficiency.

Also I see LED wall solutions gaining acceptance and more takers for the same. The future for displays, we believe, will be LED walls, and, for Audio Systems, the trend will be more towards wireless to avoid the complex cabling.

HARBIR: We have a fully-owned (100 per cent stake) distribution subsidiary – called M/s Pan Intellecom DMCC – functioning from Dubai as distributors of Delta video walls in the Middle East and Africa. It gave us some very prestigious referral projects like Qatar Petroleum, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company etc.

It’s been a dynamically growing company with significant strides in recent times. This is explained in our growth during the current year. Out of our total business for the year 2017-18, the Middle East operations would be accounting almost 30 per cent revenues.

SI ASIA: What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the industry in the region today?

SI ASIA: Could you tell us about some of the most credible projects from the region?

SI ASIA: On the other hand, what is the most exciting thing happening to the industry?

HARBIR: The Qatar Petroleum Data Centre has been running on Delta video wall of 10 x 3 configuration of LED-based DLP rear projection cubes with WUXGA resolution. That’s a first-of-its-kind in the region. Apart from being the latest in technology/resolution, the cubes have been equipped with redundant power supply and control system to ensure that the facility has zero downtime for power supply.

The network operations centre (NOC) we built for the Emirates NBD is also a very unique and prestigious Installation. The NBD has two video walls – one in Dubai and the other in Bengaluru – and the video walls in both the cities are used for Collaborative meetings, sharing of information and views from either side.

The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) project in Dubai is a project that Pan prides with installing an end-to-end solution. Complex old mimic panels have been replaced with full solution of large video walls, comprising state-of-the-art DVCS System and Control Rooms with furniture Consoles. Pan supplied and installed the full system, much to the admiration of the client.

HARBIR: AV is converging faster than ever with IT, so there is a potential challenge in understanding the blending parametrics as also the bond between IT and AV. That’s one and Two- is the unscrupulous, fly-by-night sort of operators, and along with them, the cheap quality products, often coming in with spurious claims and specifications- all counteracting to the cause of new technologies and products to a good extent. This is concerning in that it affects genuine growth of the industry.

HARBIR: Digitization is the most exciting thing happening to India, and its AV industry. Increased adoption of digital processes makes it easier for companies to preserve, access, share, collaborate and make individuals accountable for their assigned duties. On a different note, resolution of displays has moved from HD to 4K with Laser as preferred light source. Also a lot of development is also taking shape on the collaboration software front.

SI ASIA: What drives Pan Intellecom the most today?

HARBIR: The excitement and passion to be at the forefront of the systems integration industry and provider of global solutions and services. Simultaneously, keeping our customer satisfied with our jobs, which makes our expertise worthwhile. www.pangroup.in

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INTERVIEW Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

A Meetup With Logitech's Moninder Jain

L

ogitech recently launched the Logitech MeetUp, the company's latest ConferenceCam offering designed specifically for small conference rooms and huddle rooms.

With a 120º field of view, the MeetUp offers the widest field of view for any Logitech video conferencing solution without any fisheye lens distortion.

The MeetUp’s lens uses advanced technology to deliver sharp, distortion-free video quality with good resolution, colour balance and detail – the motorised lens also smoothly pans and tilts to expand the total field of view to 170º by 105º, and a 5x optical zoom allows users to focus on participants and whiteboards with clarity. It also boasts three broadside beamforming, omnidirectional microphones with noise and echo cancellation, plus a custom-tuned speaker, and is optimised for voice clarity in small conference rooms.

Other features include an RF remote control that allows users to adjust audio and camera settings without requiring line-ofsight, and an ultra HD 4K image sensor that supports multiple resolutions including 4K, 1080p and 720p.

The MeetUp is also compatible with video conferencing software applications and cloud services such as Skype for Business, Cisco collaboration applications, and all Logitech Collaboration Program (LCP) partners such as BlueJeans, BroadSoft, Vidyo and Zoom.

The MeetUp is currently retailing at SGD $1529.

"VC has really changed our reach, our image, in the enterprise space, and it's given us a whole new channel of system integrators."

We recently had the chance to sit down with Moninder Jain, Logitech's Managing Director of ASEAN and India Region, to have a chat with him about what's next for Logitech:

Logitech got into the video collaboration business quite late, but the business seems to be growing well. What reasons would you account for this?

Basically video collaboration or video conferencing, as it can be called, or unified communications business, as some call it, was a fairly specific vendor-limited field, which means you need to have end to end, from software to hardware to codec, everything. And that made the costs prohibitive. Fine for large rooms and large enterprises, but for mass production the cost was pretty prohibitive. So when the software as a service or VaaS platforms emerged, these brought the affordability down, significantly.

We had our experience in webcams so we've always been in the video communication space, but we decided to get into the ConferenceCam space as an extension of our business.

Maybe a few years back, we would have catered to captive systems, but because we were at the same cusp of this shift

INTERVIEW Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

into the cloud, we actually got a boost from the fact that the people were shifting to the cloud. And I guess they got a boost from the fact that there was somebody now making affordable hardware to go along with the subscription model.

Could you tell us more about the LCP and who are currently your partners, like Barco and QSC who recently joined?

There are a lot of partners and the complete list is available on our web – it includes BlueJeans, Zoom, Vidyo, Broadsoft, Lifesize and many more About the programme – it's a partnership of both companies riding on the strength of each other. We are working together to make sure that from a consumer’s point of view, both software and hardware perspective are covered. And there is no disconnect between the two systems at all. In the field we would recommend our customers of the software solutions provided by our LCP partners if they are not aware of any.

Our LCP partners would recommend customers that if they buy their subscription model or their software, or their cloud conferencing software then they could get the hardware from Logitech.

What's feedback toward the programme been like so far?

It's been pretty good – as a matter of fact, both parties have benefitted enormously, so we've had plenty of cases where people have gone and asked, so now you've got the hardware and you'll provide us this, but how about when I want the software? Of course in many places and large corporations, people are always aware but in some smaller countries especially, or in smaller companies, even in places like India and Indonesia sometimes, the customer will ask as to which are the possible software that I can buy. There are opportunities out there and we can suggest the various options. And we've also got a fair amount of leads from our collaboration partners on – such and such person from this company is going to adopt our software and our subscription model, and they would need the hardware to go along with it, so why don't you go along and pitch? So it's been going extremely well right now, from both sides.

Could you provide us with an ASEAN perspective of the business opportunities for Logitech in the video conferencing field?

ASEAN, which is basically the six major countries and the smaller countries right now, are beautifully placed for this

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specific business. Now in most cases if you look at our business, apart from Singapore and to an extent Malaysia, most of our businesses, is entry level to mid level. Whereas the mature markets are all on the more high-end. But from this space, the video conferencing space, because of our price points and our solutions, we are actually at the right point for all of ASEAN. Because they don't want to enable conference rooms at 20 - 30 000 dollars. They would prefer a low cost, yet high quality and dependable solution. So that's where we come in, and that's why this is working really well for us. Now, look around us. Our office is unique because every room we have definitely got to have a conferencing system. But if I were to be in this office building, or any office building actually in Singapore, most conference rooms don't really have a conference camera. And in smaller countries the penetration is even lower. Look at the hundreds of thousands of meeting rooms out there, so as far as we are concerned, the potential is enormous and our vision long term is that conference rooms should be video enabled.

Could you comment if the legacy VC players like Polycom and Cisco will be facing tougher challenges?

I am not very sure as to what their outlook is on this market, but I think the world is moving more and more to an open platform system, and I guess everyone's looking to adapt, to meet this reality of cloud based solutions, of not closed-ended systems.

Any other comments?

Logitech for most people is seen as mice and keyboards, it's been known to provide mice and keyboards. Even in the enterprise space, it's mice and keyboards and so on, or for some frequent travellers, retail webcams – we have other brands of course, and wireless speakers and earphones and so on. But I think with our move into video collaboration has provided us with more business opportunities as more and more systems integrators are now coming in to engage us as a vendor. These companies are specialised in the B2B space and have never approached us before, so more and more people are coming to us for solutions. And I would say that VC has really changed our reach, our image, in the enterprise space, and it's given us a whole new channel of system integrators. www.logitech.com/en-sg

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INSTALLATIONS Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

INDIA

By Ram Bhavanashi

An ‘Assembly’ of Special Specs Legislature Assembly of Uttar Pradesh Treated With ‘All-Proof’ AV Integration FactFile:

Project Name: Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly) Project Location: Main Mandap (Legislative Assembly), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh Project Owner: Government of Uttar Pradesh Project Segment: Government/Premium Project Nature: Heritage Structure Project Install type: Digital Conference System in Main Mandap Systems Integrator: Bharat Radio Centre Project Commnencement: May 2015 Project Commissioned: September 2015 AV Project Cost: >11 Crore INR (>US$ 1.7 million) Project Highlights: Best Government Install (Premium) Award Winner; Fully Digital Wired Conference/Wireless Conference, and many more (see box)

The Install of Size Grand

• Fully Digital Wired Conference • Digital Wireless Conference • Feedback suppressors, • Controller DSPs & Amplifiers, • Vari Line Array speakers with built-in DSP and Class D Amplifier, • Low-level speakers & Mixer, integrated with high-end PTZ (‘look-at-me’ cameras) • The PTZ cameras zoom on to the person whose mic is switched ON, and his/her image is displayed on Video Wall in the same hall as well as all the chambers of the ministers.

Major Brands That Made the Mandap

• Digital Conference System – Bosch • Sound Reinforcement Equipments – Bosch, Electro Voice, Dynacord • PTZ Cameras with Controllers – Bosch • Video Wall & Controllers – Delta • Controls - Kramer • Cabling – Bosch , Kramer

The Uttar Pradesh Legislative Aseembly is not only one of the oldest Lower Houses of Elected Representatives in India, but also one of the grandiose ‘heritage’ structures from the British Raj. Passing with time, the House had had several rounds of technology deployments to enable effective conductance of House proceedings. However, the last revamping and renovation of its audio-visual integration made a special place in the history of the House.

SIA had been privileged to access this rarest seat of Executive – during its prestigiously held SII Awards event last year – it admittedly took time for us to present what had emerged as the ‘Best Government Install’ under Premium Category. A quick snapshot of the Award-Winning AV expertise….

The Grand Opportunity

When the Uttar Pradesh Government wanted to revamp and renovate the audio-visual systems inside its Legislative Assembly Central Hall – or the Main Mandap as it is called locally – it was a prestigious catch of a class for an ambitious systems integration firm.

While the facility’s very nature of being ‘heritage structure’ featuring classic Indo-European styles from the Pre-Independent India, made it a fancied job for any creative system designer, the size and specs of the intended install made it all the more prestigious for an ingenious systems integrator.

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"The AV install in UP Assembly is clearly one of the finest in the country.

Addressing such challenging issues as that of the building structure and inside environment, and creating such an AV experience is commendable. That’s a testament to BRC’s expertise. It’s a credential for Kramer too as Kramer Controls have a critical role in ensuring precision AV feed to respective ends."

– Bharat Kumar, Managing Director, Kramer India Technically speaking, the client (the government, in this case, represented by the Principal Secretary-Legislative Assembly, Chief Engineer-PWD, Assembly Speaker) wanted to replace the existing old systems with a reliable conferencing system that would deliver a uniform coverage of high intelligent sound at all the listener locations across the Assemble Hall and public viewing galleries.

Keeping in view the unpleasant incidents of the past, and with a view to eliminating any opportunity for recurrence of such events, the think-tank of the client made one spec as the most important item of its requirement. They wanted the mics to be fully embedded inside the tables without the gooseneck stem and still be able to pick up the voice of the speakers standing at a distance of as much as 5 ft from the mic.

More, the delegate system was expected to be able to facilitate functions like Parliamentary Voting, Simultaneous Interpretation, Automatic Camera Pickup of the speaking Member’s image, and telecast on the Video Wall inside the Hall, as well as in the chambers of the ministers.

Further, the questions raised by the Members must be clearly readable on the screen, and a live stream of audio and video of the proceedings should be viewable in 120 Chambers of Ministers.

The transmission was also required to be broadcast to the Hon’ble Governor’s Office which is in a separate building, some two km away.

All this, without disturbing the interior design ambience of the Mandap, which by virtue of its ‘heritage status’ cannot be tampered with at all!

That is as exiting a brief as it is challenging. A very enviable ensemble for any enthusiastic system designer.

the government. The integration firm, is probably the oldest system integration firm in the country, with over 60 years of industry rooting that is marked by proven capabilities in diverse aspects of the business.

“This project has almost everything that an AV Integrator would come across in his life in one system,” says Vikram Sabharwal, Partner at Bharat Radio Centre. “It is one of those rare opportunities that every SI would pride doing,” he said. “When it came our way, we gladly took it with both the hands.”

Specs of Scale…

According to the BRC Exec, while the project was like a befitting proposition for the integration firm’s competence, the very specifications of the project made their task clearly cut out. The company was to deliver complete audio-visual system with Digital Conference System that comprised: • Complete cabling for the facility that involved extensive, but careful load calculations and permissible cable distance • Cabling for AV transmission to as many as 120 rooms and the Governor’s Office • Installation of fully flush mount, delegate unit with Parliamentary voting • Installation and programming of interference-free microphone management software • Installation of High Definition PTZ cameras, with ‘look-atme feature,’ camera control-duly controllable from Control Rooms, • Installation of a 110-inch Full HD Video Wall in 2 X 2 matrix of 55-inch panels along with controllers and wall management software • Integration of Wired and Wireless Digital Delegate units that are controllable from the Control Room (by means of a PC) • Simultaneous Interpretation along with Interpretation booths

For a good reason, the Main Mandap had been functioning with Bosch conferencing systems for over two decades, and when the government decided to revamp the system, their obvious choice for renovation was Bosch. It was, therefore, a prized catch for the conferencing major.

More, synoptic layout of the system, simultaneous interpretation software, camera control software, data streaming software, video wall management software were all part of the work scope- all making it as one of the biggest in size, and clearly one of the most challenging, if not the most exciting, projects they ever handed, details the BRC Exec.

Lucknow-based systems integration firm Bharat Radio Centre – being the Premium Partner of Bosch in the region – landed this prestigious job by its sheer credentials of competence coupled by a high level of trust and identity the firm built with

Arguably, a project of this scale, and nature would bring with it challenges as big as its size, with the ‘heritage status’ being the most potential of all. Apparently, it did put BRC’s long domain expertise to test.

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“We offered interference-free operations with customized flush mount microphones, maintaining the microphone sensitivity and sound fidelity.

The distance between the microphone and the Speaking Member is not an issue as they can stand up and speak even though the microphone is flush mounted on the panel, in front. Bosch was able to provide customized solutions to this strategic installation as per specific customer needs.”

– Sudhir Tiku/Head, South Asia, Bosch Security Systems Challenges of ‘Size…’

The integration think-tank, therefore, had a bagful issues to be addressed. So, The BRC team, before bearing the integrator caps, had to don the consultant-designer hat to test and design the treatment specs for the ambience.

"The UP Assembly's Main Mandap install is indeed a rare kind of project. It is as prestigious as it is challenging," says A K Verma, Partner of BRC. "That we were entrusted to integrate this distinguished project gives us great pride," Verma says.

"That we were able to execute it to such perfection makes us feel proud of our competence."

‘Fixing them’ all…

That the Main Mandap space is housed in a Heritage building that was built 90 years ago was a predicament in itself due to the protective regulations for the interiors, the 60-feet high ceiling and its Gothic style central dome made the task all the more critical in terms of acoustical challenges.

While the client wanted a uniform deliverance of intelligible sound across all the listener locations in the space, the very structural nature of the space turned a formidable test, as no acoustical treatment could be applied to its ‘protected’ interiors.

Another potential challenge was to pick up audio from a member – standing at approx. four-and-half feet from the mic – by a super sensitive microphone embedded in the desk, in a large circular hall that is already poor in acoustics.

Prevention of feedback from Simultaneous Interpretation headphone was also a big challenge as the speaker mics were to be flush-mounted onto the desks, and if any member takes off the head phone and keeps it near the mic which is in ONmode, the system will go into a feedback loop.

The last three rows of the 403-seat house did not have desks, and help them get the AV feed, delegate units along with voting and interpretation modules were to be fixed on the back rests of front benches.

Installation of video wall was again a subject of ‘heritage concern’ and therefore had to be installed in a manner that the interior finishes are not damaged.

For any acoustical issue, design consultants have been exploring the capabilities of EASE for long time now, and Team BRC, led by Vikram just did the same. A detailed EASE analysis, therefore, helped the team figure out the locations that would help throw uniform intelligibility across the ambience.

As many as 150 locations were chosen and were fixed with an even number of Bosch VariLine speakers and Electro Voice ZX1i-90 speakers known for their applications in highly reverberant spaces. The 6-watt speakers with volume control were fixed beneath the member benches facing the carpet on the floor in such a way that the audio did not reflect back to cause reflection. The low level speakers and the Vari Line array speakers were programmed in such a way that any reflection arising out was kept minimal.

Team of BRC’s in-house engineers did the entire customization of Bosch DCN-NG mics by removing the existing goosenecks and making adequate mounting arrangement in the unit so that the new mics could be fully flushed. Polarity pattern of the mics was also alerted, besides some other electronics issues, in order to increase the sensitivity of the mic systems.

The next big issue was to prevent feedback if a headphone was placed near an open mic. The design team developed a custom-circuit for the mics such that if there was any headphone kept near mic in an ON-state, then the Volume level of that unit will drop down by 6dB- thus reducing the chances of feedback.

Q-Series amps from EV, and Dynacord mixers have been tasked with audio mixing and amplification jobs.

INSTALLATIONS Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

Video component: On one end of the wall, diagonally facing the Chair, the integrator installed the 110-inch video wall, comprising four 55-inch Full HD LCD panels from Delta, done in 2 x 2 maxtix. The mounting again had to be done in such a way that the brackets holding the panels did not tamper with the surface finish in any manner.

Synchronised with the video wall, as well as the speaker system are Bosch AutoDome PTZ cameras tasked with capturing the image of the person picking the mic and transmitting the same to the video wall as well as the Ministerial Chambers.

That the system displayed the voting pattern on the video wall, there is a nice transparency in the voting system as well.

Receiving and transmitting the audio and video signals and routing them through the Control Room have been programmed with Kramer Controls featuring VP 730 Scalar, TP580T Transmitters and TP580R Receivers.

Extensive cabling done with meticulous programming and onfield execution helped precision delivery of AV feed not only inside the Main Mandap but also to the Governor’s Office, two km away.

The wired conferencing system is also integrated with wireless conferencing system.

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House Feedback addressed, How about Client Feedback?

Results of such a monumental work? While SIAsia had experienced the precision hearing of the audio, the install quality got its endorsement from none other than the Principal Secretary of the Legislative Assembly Pradeep Dubey. “We were very happy,” said the official upfront. “We are happy that our specs were met; requirement fulfilled,” he said adding “BRC team has done a commendable job.”

The official did feel it might have been still good had there been some other choices of hanging mic systems, but given the special setting of the Main Mandap site, the integration designed and deployed by BRC was just apt, if not more.

“For me as the security official for Floor, safety to people and property inside the Mandap was paramout,” says Manish Rai, Marshal of the House. “Looked in the light of the unfortunate incidents in the past, the current system deployment is the best simply because it doesn’t contribute to any threat factor,” he says. “Performance wise too, we haven’t seen any issues so far. The job is perfectly done.” www.brc.co.in www.in.boschsecurity.com www.kramerav.com www.deltaelectronicsindia.com

A prideful honour-SII Award: This install had won the Best Government Install (Premium Range) at the 2016 Systems Integration India Awards. Seen in the photo above are Team BRC receiving the Award from…Wolfgang Lukhardt, Managing Director of beyerdynamic during the gala event.

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INSTALLATIONS Systems IntegraĆ&#x;on Asia August - September 2017

SINGAPORE

Yamaha At The Heart Of Mediacorp Studios Yamaha RIVAGE PM10 handles variety of shows and their unique requirements

Lee Mun Tong (centre) and his audio team (front row) and Yamaha technical support staff (back row) with the Yamaha RIVAGE PM10 console

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ince its first radio broadcast in 1936 and television broadcast in 1963, Mediacorp has evolved and grown in stature and structure over the decades. While the media competitive landscape has increased over the years, Mediacorp continues to engage the hearts and minds of Singapore audiences through its content and delivery platforms. Today, Mediacorp has over 50 products and brands in four languages (English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil), reaching out to virtually all adults in Singapore every week.

After 63 years at its previous home in Caldecott Hill, Mediacorp began an 18-month migration from December 2015 to its new home in one-north. Known as Mediacorp Campus, the 800,000 sq ft gleaming campus stands majestically with its iconic sweeps and curves, designed by award-winning Japanese architect Maki & Associates.

Two of the purpose built studios now handle all four language live productions from game shows to variety programmes.

Studio 1 is the larger studio and features the Yamaha Rivage PM10 and a Yamaha CL5 for monitoring purposes. Another CL5 can be found in the smaller Studio 2.

Studio 1

The FOH Integration

Sitting a-top a specially made structure, the sound engineer and his crew have a perched view of Studio 1. The Studio has retractable seats for audience and at the right hand back-end corner has a Yamaha CL5 for monitoring purposes. The CL5 is portable so that it can serve as a multi-purpose console should there be a need.

INSTALLATIONS Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

Taking pride of place at the Studio is the YAMAHA RIVAGE PM10. The YAMAHA RIVAGE PM10 System configuration consists of 1x CS-R10 control surface, 1x DSP-R10 DSP Engine for Mixing capacity at 96kHz sampling rate, 144 Input channels, 72 mix buses, 36 matrix buses and Stereo buses A&B (or Mono bus). Complementing the console are 1x RPio622 I/O Rack featuring 64 Mic Line Input and 32 Line Analog Output and the other unit of RPio622 I/O Racks that offer 16 Mic Line Input, 16 Line Digital-Analog Output, 16 AES (16 In 16 Out).

The YAMAHA RIVAGE PM10 at the studio uses the TWINLANe audio proprietary network protocol as its core system. This is configured in a loop that connects the DSP to the RPio racks and back to the DSP via a multi-mode fibre. The control surface is connected via a Cat5 cable to the DSP providing to and fro transmission. In order to integrate the Dante audio network, a HY144-D audio interface card was added to The Rack in the control room the DSP-R10. A separate Cat cable connects the Dante to the DSP. “With the TWINLANe, it is a closed network that does not need an IP assigned. As a ring topology, there is redundancy as well. From a technical viewpoint, because it is a closed network there is no need for networking skills which makes it all so much easier for installation,” said Aloysius Tang, Technical Support Engineer, Sales & Marketing, Asean PA Division, Yamaha Music (Asia) Pte Ltd. Lee Mun Tong, Senior Manager, Audio Group (Studio), Production Resource of Mediacorp Studios, was responsible for overseeing the implementation of the audio solutions at the studio. “In our Studio 1 and 2, the TV broadcast is running on LAWO Ravenna as the main network and Dante as the backup audio network. The FOH and stage monitor are running Dante as the main audio networks. With this configuration, we are able to send and grab audio signals easily from any of the mixing positions within both the studios.”

About the RIVAGE PM10

“We wanted a console that was flexible due to all the different type of programmes we handle in different languages.

Reliability is very important as the recordings are ‘live’. The PM10 is used for our mega productions. The PM10 is very different from the other consoles that Yamaha has produced,” said Mun Tong.

“The new scene management has made things a lot easier for us. Getting scenes in sequence is now just a knob’s turn away compared to previously where the scene not in sequence needs to be copied to a different slot first before being

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restacked in order again. The other nice features are the PM10’s screen and fader bays which can be unlinked into 3 separate sections. This gives us the flexibility of being able to have 2 engineers on the console at the same time.

The PM10 also has this newly added feature called SILK Hybrid Mic Preamps. As SILK is now built-in on the circuitry of the Analog Input strip, we are unable to use it on the wireless mics which are running on Dante. Therefore, we use it mainly for ‘live’ band performances to enhance the audio quality.”

A new firmware version has been released by Yamaha for the RIVAGE PM10. At the time of the interview, the software updated had not taken place yet but Mun Tong is excited about the new features that will be released which he feels will further enhance their operational capabilities.

“Although the YAMAHA RIVAGE PM10 is a relatively new console, we are confident of our purchase as Yamaha is an established company with a strong legacy. We are in a constant dialogue with Yamaha so that we can work together to get the best out of this new console. The beauty with the RIVAGE PM10 is its ability to scale up should we need it,” commented Mun Tong.

Yamaha CL5

The TV Studios between them features (4) units of the Yamaha CL5. The CL5 are complemented with 3x RIO1608-D, 16 channels stage I/O racks; (6x) RIO3224-D that provides 32 ins, 16 outs, CL5 and four AES/EBU outputs, 1x RMio64-D Dante/Madi conversion I/O rack; 2x RSio64-D audio interface that can convert between Dante and Mini-YGDAI formats for up to 64 Inputs and 64 Outputs as well as 7x MY16-AE (AES audio interface), 1x MY16-MD64 + 1x MY16-EX (32 Madi Audio Interface) and 2x MY8-AE96S digital cards.

“We use the CL5 as backup broadcast console in both studios; as stage monitor in Studio 1 and as FOH console in Studio 2.

We are also planning to expand the capabilities of the Studio 1 unit in the near future to support the cascade link option. The CL5s are truly value for money with its many functionalities,” said Mun Tong.

“Both the RIVAGE PM10 and the CL5 offer us great flexibility.

The Dante network audio makes it easy for us to manage the audio signals. Because this is a broadcast studio, we work on a sampling rate of 48kHz, this is resolved with the DSP that helps with the processing required before the signals are sent through to the Dante Network,” commented Mun Tong. www.mediacorp.sg www.yamahaproaudio.com

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INSTALLATIONS Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

By Ram Bhavanashi

INDIA

Trading in Technology Experience Nasdaq opens brand new facility in Bengaluru with unique AV; Sigma AVIT shares the honours

Nasdaq. The name spells magic for most in the IT domain and stock markets. For a simple reason that the New Yorkheadquartered, world’s first electronic stock exchange ushered in a new era of electronic trading with ICT as its mainstay, and, in no time, emerged as one of the worldd’s largest exchange companies with many a unique features.

The prestigious electronic trading ensemble recently created yet another laurel that connected India’s IT capital Bengaluru when it opened a brand new tech and innovation hubthe Garden City. City-based Sigma AVIT had the rare honour of deploying audiovisual technology integration at the facility. An SIA exclusive:

FactFile

Project Name: Nasdaq Bengaluru Project Location: Bengaluru Project Owner: Nasdaq, USA Project Segment: Finance(Stock Exchange) Project Install type: Network Operation Centre, Board Rooms, Conferencing Rooms & Collaboration Rooms, Project Management: Colliers International Systems Integrator: SigmaAVIT Project Commencement: Jan 2017 Project Commissioning: May, 2017 Project highlight: One of Nasdaq’s innovation hubs alongside hubs in Stockholm, Sydney, San Francisco, New York and Boston. Custom-designed AV facility replicating main office in toto (without none of the integration team visiting/seeing the hq facility!).

The Inspiring Story…

Nasdaq, originally known as a primarily American equities exchange has transformed itself into a diversified worldwide financial technology, trading and information services provider to the capital markets from 38 offices in 26 countries across six continents is nothing less than an incredible story script.

That in little over 45 years into the business, the company has grown to enlist as many as 3900 scrips – aggregating to a market cap of approx. US$ 12 trillion – on its exchange and rose to become the world’s largest provider of market technology with over 100 marketplaces globally running on Nasdaq technology.

Internally, the company built its business from strength to strength around four complementary segments – Tech, Trade, List and Intel – that guide clients as they pursue opportunities to create, or maximize value in global capital markets.

Arguably, a rather quick realization and adoption of ICT as

INSTALLATIONS Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

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its backbone has been what apparently contributed to the company’s awe-inspiring growth.

“Had it not been for automation achieved through implementation of technology two things wouldn't have happened,” declares Bharat Patel, Vice-President, System Administration at Nasdaq. One- it (Nasdaq) couldn’t be in existence; second- we would not be able to expand the way technology actually allows us to expose the markets to so many people.”

“We’re actually pretty modest-sized company but it’s the technology that enabled us scale at a global pace,” Patel explains further.

The last few years have particularly been a period of rapid growth marked by some ambitious acquisitions and aggressive expansion to the regions far and wide. It is as part of the same expansion initiative as well as recognition of a dynamically growing Asia that Nasdaq wanted to expand, particularly to India.

“In the last 15 years or so, India had been growing at a phenomenal growth,” says the Nasdaq System Admin VP. “We realized that we had been missing this big market opportunity, and hence the move.”

According to the Nasdaq Exec, India made up for a very strategic location from more than one aspect. It’s been a force to reckon with in technology embracement, resource and talent pools; strong market economy and equally strong outlook into the future. More, one can reach out to many different countries in the Asia-Pac very easily from here.

With that being the backdrop, the company decided to set up its latest expansion facility in Bengaluru, the IT capital of the country, also referred to as ‘design house’ of global IT. Interestingly, the Bengaluru facility is one of Nasdaq’s big four tech hubs in the world- the other three being those at BostonUS, Stockholm in Sweden, and Sydney in Australia.

Spec’s of the Expansion…

Nasdaq buidling

the job the way they desired.’ A trustworthy referral process from a manufacturer, who knew both Sigma AVIT and Nasdaq team connected the both which eventually led to the landing of the big job with the Bangalorean AV integration firm.

While it apparently added a huge brand value to the integrator’s credentials in the domain, it also landed them in a very typical situation. The solution provider had to ‘create an exact replica of the AV deployment done at Nasdaq facilities in the USA.’ “We were tasked to understand the AV integration that was deployed at their facilities in Philadephia and New York, and replicate same here,” disclosed Raymond V Soans, Vice-President Marketing at Sigma AVIT. The installation comprised: • • • • •

Bengaluru-headquartered ICT integration solutions provider Sigma AVIT landed the prestigious install project. That Nasdaq did not have any connect with AVSI community in India at that time, Bharat was scouting for a ‘capable SI who could deliver

Six NVCU Rooms Six WNVCU Rooms Four 17-seat VTC Meeting Rooms One 23-seat Board Room & One Network Operation Center

According to the SI, a general brief on the equipment required was provided to them along with schematic drawings, and they were expected ‘understand the requirement’ and provide a plan to implement the same.

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INSTALLATIONS Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

“They knew exactly what to buy; they had a design template which was already working in the USA,” recalls Raymond, “they wanted to know we understood it properly, and were capable of executing it as desired.”

Why so much emphasis on the design conformity? For a simple reason that Nasdaq employs its very own, distinct set of proprietary programming tools that helps them seamlessly and securely integrate the business processes across its four segments and operational platforms. So the intended integration plan was both simple and challenging at the same time.

Accordingly, Sigma had proposed an implementation that was put through a thorough evaluation, before being validated.

“There was no major deviation from the initial design concept,” the Sigma exec explains. “That certain models vary from region to region, some minor adjustments were to be taken; but not the design,” he elaborates.

A best case in point was the design of the mounting brackets for cameras. That the client had a very specific way of mounting camera systems, and those bracket systems were not available in India, the SI had to custom-develop those bracket systems which were put to thorough examination piece by piece before and after integration.

Bharat’s deputy Julio Herrera, who headed their design team – apart from monitoring every single aspect of the deployment process remotely from the USA – had flown down to Bangalore during the crucial finishing stages to check practically every piece of the work and ensure that everything was in conformity.

“It’s been a great experience here, in India, and with Sigma team,” Julio said. “It’s a nice combination; they are very professional,” he said. “They lived up to our expectations; even more than that in a case or two.”

The Design Integration

deployment, but during installation process, the design team found it could it couldn’t be worked out that way. So they had to work out better ways of doing it. They did it, with the SI getting it done with a custom design. “Working with Sigma, we actually created a harness as a bracket that we're now going to deploy everywhere else,” was the recommendation from Bharat.

On the other hand, the facility is also ‘first-in-India’ for Planar video wall, and understandably, there were a few challenges with regard to the OS operation (recalling the presets) on Planar VCS server. However, “the coordination from Nasdaq team, and online support from Planar team Paris, as well as the skills displayed by Sigma install personnel resolved the problem as per Client’s requirement,” explains Raymond.

The NVCU & WNVCU Rooms

The NVCU and the WNVCU Rooms – six each – are almost identical in design and deployment but for a single hardware unit. The system composition in the NVCU comprised one each unit of Sharp PN603 60-inch, and Sharp PN703 70-inch LCD displays, while the WNVCU rooms feature Sharp PN70SC3 70inch touchscreen monitors.

The rest of the system specs combination features the Panacast 2 plug-and-play USB video 4K camera with E-PTZ control app; Vaddio HD7V profile camera shelf mount; Chief’s PNRIWUB+PaC501B in-wall swing arm mount and wall-swing accessory; and Axis’ M5014 IP camera- all making up the video component. The audio component is addressed by Planatronics Calisto 610 USB speaker, Startech VS123 HD 3-port HDMI auto switch with IR remote control. Three units of 6-feet C-HM/HM-6 and one unit of 25-feet C-HM/HM-25 cables from Kramer play their cabling part, in addition two similar size custom-made USB cables from the integrator.

The VTC Rooms

There are four 17-seat and one 23-seat VTC rooms in the facility, and they too feature more or less identical system deployment.

The 17-seater rooms essentially feature the Polycom videoconferencing system characterized by Polycom 7200-64250102 system coming with Real Presence Group 500-720p that comprises Group 500 HD codec, EagleEyeIV-12x camera, mic array, universal remote, NTSC/PAL mode and more. The audio is also from Polcom 2200-23809-002 and 2200-23810-002 ceiling microphone arrays (primary and extension).

The Nasdaq facility in Bangaluru, as it is, is unique for its integration of AV deployment in sync with its in-house programming tools.

For the first time, Nasdaq used for its NVCU and the WNVCU Rooms, Panacast camera technology that gives 180° view of the entire room. The system vendor suggested a method for its

The video component comprises a 70-inch Sharp PN-E703 interactive display mounted on the PNRIWUB+PaC501B in-wall swing arm mount and wall-swing accessory, with the rest being just the same as NVCU Room.

Control system functionalities are mainly tasked to Crestron RMC3 Room Media Controller, in addition to iPAD Mini for Apple iPAD, and a Heckler Design Windfall Stand for iPAD Air. The 23-seat VTC Room features an extra Crestron C2N-

INSTALLATIONS Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

IO control port expansion module, for augmenting control systems, and a Sharp PN-E803 80-inch diagonal LCD display for video instead of the 70-incher placed in the smaller VTC Room.

The NOC with Planar – first in India

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The space also features the Panacast2 plug-and-play USB 4K video camera.

The audio component is done by Crestron 6.5-inch ASPIRE_ IW6 2-way in-wall speaker, and a Crestron C2N-VEQ4 4-channel digital volume control 4x4 matrix mixer, besides a Crown XLS1002 dual channel amplifier.

Control systems tasks are again by Crestron featuring AV3 control processor, 10.1-ich TSW 1052 touch screen, TWS table top kit and dock.

The Unique Experience…

“The Nasdaq project has been an altogether unique proposition,” recalls the Sigma AVIT exec. “The design methodology, functionality weaved into the deployment process, as well as the cost-effective practices brought to place were all presented a different experience.”

The NOC, as it is, is a uniquely created space – not as an exclusive space away from staff workstations but as an integral part of the space – features a ‘first-in-India’ Planar LCD video wall in Clarity Matrix G2 Architecture. The wall features six 55-inch Planar 997-7460 / MX55HDU-L panels of 1920x1080 resolution.

“The technology transfer that was done to Sigma team by Nasdaq team was really commendable, Raymond exudes a prideful confidence. “That pushed the boundaries of Sigma’s ‘think-out-of-the-box’ capability. That is indeed a fulfilling achievement.” www.sigmaavit.com

The video wall is powered by Crestron Digital Media solution, besides a pair of Kramer TP-580T and 580R Twisted Pair Transmitter and Receiver respectively. The system also features an Atlona AT-UHD-EX-70-2PS extender.

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INSTALLATIONS Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

CHINA

Christie Visual Solutions Highlight Urban Development Initiatives At The Changchun City Planning Museum

Christie M Series and Roadie projectors light up massive exhibit comprising a sand table, curved screen and ceiling projection Vibrant projections on the massive sand table, curved screen and ceiling of the exhibition room using Christie M Series and Roadie Series projectors (Photo courtesy of Wincomn Technology)

“The large-scale multimedia exhibit is a hemispherical three-dimensional space – the main attraction being the gigantic sand table projection that showcases Changchun’s intelligent urban planning process in great detail, and this is complemented by projected visuals on the massive curved screen and ceiling,” said Tony Chen, General Manager, Wincomn Technology. “This is a highly complex and unique sand table setup which is unprecedented in China, and we are proud to be able to deliver stunning visuals using Christie’s high performance and dependable M Series and Roadie Series projectors.”

Changchun2: The total area of the multimedia sand table exhibit measures about 1,100 square meters (Photo courtesy of Wincomn Technology)

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hristie, together with its Chinese partner Wincomn Technology, offer a fascinating look at the past, present and future of urban planning using state-of-the-art projection technologies at the Changchun City Planning Museum.

This newly-opened facility in the capital of Jilin Province features the country’s largest exhibition zones, as well as the most advanced scientific and audio-visual technologies to be deployed in a museum in China. Comprising three floors, the turtle-shaped building is built by a renowned Chinese architect and showcases hundreds of plans, photographs, animated urban models and diagrams. They illustrate the history of Changchun’s city building and development, and visions for the immediate and far away future. Among the highlights is a multimedia exhibit comprising projections on a massive sand table, curved screen and ceiling, which has a total area of about 1,100 square meters.

Installed and commissioned by Wincomn Technology, more than 10 Christie WU14K-M 3DLP projectors are used to deliver an eye-catching projection depicting the intricate urban planning process in Changchun on the gigantic round-shaped sand table measuring 28 meters in diameter, while bright and detailed images on the circular ceiling are accomplished using Christie HD14K-M 3DLP projectors mounted within the ceiling’s structure. The 36-meter wide, 11-meter high curved screen in front of the sand table is lit using Christie Roadie HD+35K 3DLP projectors, providing visitors with dazzling visuals and a highly immersive experience.

Jason Pei, Deputy General Manager, Christie China, commented, “Changchun City Planning Museum is among China’s most modern and high-tech museums that brilliantly illustrates the municipal government’s efforts in creating a sustainable, resilient, and smart city. We’re very pleased that the museum has selected our cutting edge projection solutions to be installed and commissioned by our valued partner Wincomn Technology to showcase the city’s impressive urban planning through bright and awe-inspiring projections on the large-scale exhibits.”

Designed with the needs of users in mind, the Christie M Series is a powerful, compact and efficient line-up of 3DLP dualmercury projectors ideal for entertainment, government, higher education and live events. Available in a range of brightness levels and resolutions and backed by Christie’s industry-leading warranties and support, the Christie M Series continues its legacy as the industry workhorse.

Producing 35,000 center lumens, the Christie Roadie HD+35K is a large-venue projector featuring native 2048 x 1080 HD resolution and 10-bit image processing, resulting in images that are simply stunning in size, brilliance and quality. The userreplaceable lamps can be automatically aligned at the push of a button and user-friendly controls make the Christie HD+35K easy to maintain and service. With built-in body handles for handling and rigging or an optional stacking/rigging frame, this tough, manageable projector is built for true roadworthiness, frequent transport, and quick setup. www.christiedigital.com

VOICE BOX Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

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By Bruno Napoli

GAFA Part 2: "Integration" Redefined in Three Years' Time This is a continuation from the article that was carried in SI Asia June-July issue. GAFA by the way stands for Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon.

Bruno Napoli

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ecently, Krika was present at the Essential Install Live show near London on the stand of our UK distributor Connected Distribution. While walking through the aisles, evaluating the latest gears our fertile industry has churned out, I was suddenly reminded of a recent HomeTech.fm podcast: The interview of Richard Berrie, President and CEO of iHummingbird. To us, the conclusion was obvious: more than 50% of the gears dedicated to integrators exhibited in this show could be inadequate soon.

In less than 3 years, "integration" as we know it today will be totally re-imagined. Let's try to find how and why…

With Amazon Echo in 2016, GAFA started a hard reboot of our AV and Home Automation industry. Executed services will eventually be simplified, requiring only "integration" such as mounting TVs and speakers, services effortlessly accomplished

any electrician. Think about it – even surround sound is done with wireless speakers now. All the rest will be handled by the simple and amazingly efficient products GAFA and all its partners will create.

Just have a look on what GAFA is producing now: content that people stream on their phone or on their 11" screen tablets. Believe it or not, they fully enjoy it in stereo and with DVD-quality resolution. GAFA determined that 99.999% of everyday people will never display a TV bigger than 65" in 250 square foot living room. So, a TV-show with a standard resolution and a good sound bar is wholly acceptable.

Remember: people consume the programs, not the technology. Technology is boring except to our passionate little industry. Technology is at the service of the content and should not overshadow it. With GAFA on the field now, we will not be able to fool people very much longer with the fake benefits

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VOICE BOX Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

of trillions of pixels, 3D, video-enhancement, and dozens of channels from AV receivers (that create much more problems than they produce entertainment). Shockingly, for decades we were able to sell extravagant and expensive AV systems – that should have never escaped from a real cinema – without any service or maintenance. We wanted to act like pros but without the panache!

The quality of image and sound has never ever made the success of a category. It's the catalogue of the content that makes it successful. Apple audio codec quality is very poor, but they have a huge amount of content, as well as the perfect way to sell it: through a range of impressive gear including mobile phones, tablets, televisions, laptops and anything else they can dream up. Netflix is another good example proving that people care much more about the content rather than the quality. Most people do not have the bandwidth to view shows in full 4K HDR, yet that has little relevance to viewers. As long as the video quality is decent enough to watch the latest season of House of Cards, then they just won't care.

Apps will kill HDMI. We still need to integrate HDMI matrix, HDBaseT, video over CAT5 adapters and complicated gears to distribute the signals of boxes on TV across the house.

Although their motives differ, both TV-service providers and custom installers share the same secret dream: to be rid of HDMI! For custom installers, HDMI is probably the cause of 50% of problems they face on any given job. For TVservice providers, developing an app on a TV is much more economical than what it would cost in R&D and hardware to develop a TV box. Netflix demonstrated streaming and it has been a viable, technological business model ever since. When all TV services will be an app on a TV, we will finally get rid of this HDMI chimera. Even gaming will be a streaming-based service.

Sometimes integrating "Haute Couture" on every job and incorporating lavish customization just because you technically can is not the best option. GAFA does not have this pressure.

They do not have to prove they are the best programmer on earth; they already own everyone. They will standardize this part of the industry with simple systems already integrated in our everyday mobile devices. You no longer need to take your guest by the hand to the restroom because it's too long to explain what button to push in the high-tech highly customized home automation wall plates. Everyone will know how to use a GAFA HomeKit house. Mentioning Kris Gamble from customised.uk.com; even for the 1% wealthiest, Apple is already a Luxury brand.

ISPs are the backbone of GAFA. No ISPs mean no GAFA, therefore, ISPs are even more important than GAFA as they literally "own" 100% of all possible clients on earth. They already have a relationship with them and already charge them monthly for an identified service. People hate to change providers so ISPs will make it simple. Just check a box on your existing subscription to enable a security and remote monitoring service for $3 per month. Add an extra $5/month to rent a pair of mesh access points and you're all set.

The future of gaming is to stream the game on your TV using an app. It's called Cloud Gaming. There are more and more companies that already provide Gaming as a Service (GaaS). The day Microsoft, Sony, and others release an app to stream games on TV will be the end of integration. This is not for tomorrow, just the day after.

The modem-router-Wi-Fi-systems that were delivered by ISPs were cheap and unreliable. They stalled with these poor systems as long as they could in order to generate profits.

During that time, they were looking for a good excuse to charge extra money for more efficient products. Although cheap gear was the cause of at least 50% of network issues experienced by end-users and needed to be rebooted constantly, they paved the way for dedicated and innovative companies to create better and more reliable router and Wi-Fi systems. This is about to change. VOD, Home Automation, and security relies 100% on the internet now. ISPs experience great pressure along with the responsibilities on their shoulders to provide better equipment and services. ISPs already have the infrastructure in which thousands of people work for them for hotlines and in the field. Everything is ready for them to deliver a new range of products and services. They would be foolish not to take advantage of this opportunity, as it is a new source of RMR for them that will generate billions annually.

Keep in mind that GAFA clearly lose money when they build boxes. They make profits on the programs, the advertisements, the services and/or the games they sell to you.

Installing home automation devices will be as simple as using a Sony TV pre-installed with the Sony PlayStation app. Other than controllers, there is no need to buy additional hardware as you will stream your game directly to your TV – if you are not using your VR glasses.

Keep in mind that an ISP technically owns the pipes. If they want, they can filter and block any kind of attack or virus before it even reaches the client's house – in turn, making all FireWire and so-called "wise" router with security system embedded totally useless! Should I mention the Network as a Service that ISP are going to offer soon? Maybe it's one of the reasons why Apple suddenly stopped to build network product. (Some people know how to read the future)

Let's talk about home automation. For everyday people, the Home Automation system our CEDIA channel has provided looks as if it has been created by thrilled engineers from small companies that were in a competition that focused on the greatest number of features they could incorporate into a system – rather than its real efficiency and usefulness.

Lighting is another market where GAFA will flourish quickly. Philips delved into the production years ago, and now IKEA is in the field and claiming they are Google and Apple compatible. It's just the beginning, and soon, we'll have shading and air-conditioning…

VOICE BOX Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

Conclusions:

1) It is always easier to sell stuff to your clients when they agree to sign any kind of service, maintenance, or RMR-like contract. ISP, Apple, Google, Facebook – all of GAFA own their clients so intensely that they will be able to sell them anything. Our industry missed a point here, but it's not too late to do it.

2) As integration will become easier, our new competitors will be the construction industry and, especially, the electricians.

Now what?

For the very few and luckiest professional installers that already address the 0,5% wealthiest people on earth, the business will not really change. The BIG challenge is for all other professional that could be in competition with the GAFA products.

The train will not wait for our CEDIA channel and we must jump onto it now. The risk is GAFA and the construction industry could play this game alone. It's what they have in mind, for the moment, probably because our channel is under the radar and not "professional" enough. (We are not organized enough, we do not provide enough service, maintenance, or remotesupervision, and too few of us use third party companies like OneVision Resources to handle it) What they do not realize is the incredible reservoir of talented people in the CEDIA channel that could help them reach everyday people. We are the impeccable group of people with an opportune moment.

Yet we are also between a rock and a hard place. The choice is ours: be smashed or be the mattress that will help technology to gently arrive into homes across the world.

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What we need now is an organization like CEDIA (for example), to accompany our industry in the future. For now, the future of residential AV and Home Automation is the construction industry. We need to come together and promote our unique savoir faire imparted from 30 years of background in the field.

The construction industry will welcome us because right now they don't have a clue about how to implement AV and Home Automation – even if it is as simple as GAFA promises. They cannot take the risk to fail again with Home Automation like they did 10 or 20 years ago. Due to a huge demand and the pressure of GAFA, all electricians and construction companies will be forced to create a Home Automation division.

We should accept that the day we went out of our cozy shop with a toolbox to drill holes into walls for our clients, we became part of the construction industry. For the past 30 years, our roads were parallel and GAFA offered us an incredible chance at a crossroads. This is our opportunity for us to be part of the genesis of all jobs. We will not fight against electricians anymore and we will work hand-in-hand with the construction industry. There are already numerous cases of electricians that are prosperous doing this and we can implement it in large scale.

What do you think? You can share your thoughts with Bruno on his article by sending an email to him bruno.napoli@get-krika.com www.get-krika.com

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VOICE BOX Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

Interactive Projectors For The Classrooms Of Tomorrow

By Amy Kwa, Head of Department (SE Asia), Visual Products Division, Epson Singapore

Keeping up with the digital natives Teachers today face the challenge of engaging students who are sophisticated digital natives. Today’s students have grown up using interactive smart phones, tablets and touchscreen laptops from a young age, and many may have different learning styles from generations before.

According to Marc Prensky, who coined the terms ‘digital natives’ and ‘digital immigrants’, students today think and process information in a fundamentally different way from their predecessors. Their learning preferences include collaboration and teamwork, flexible learning environment and getting student voices heard in the learning process, as opposed to traditional lecture-type approaches.

The classroom today has evolved to include projector and display technologies that incorporate collaboration and interactive engagement, with a focus on making learning fun.

Finger touch and pen drawing capabilities of the interactive

projector help engage the students and enable the teachers to teach creatively to bring lessons to life.

Interactive displays for teaching can bring distinct benefits to students, who have reported increased enjoyment and motivation, according to reports by Becta, an advisory body for educational technologies in British schools.

Screen Size Matters – Interactive projector the smart choice There are currently various forms of interactive displays now available in the market, for example, the interactive projector and the interactive flat panel display. These technologies allow users to interact with the display, much like a smartphone screen, but on a larger scale.

While some may perceive that the flat panel displays are brighter, interactive projectors can actually provide a larger and more impressive screen for a large student audience.

VOICE BOX Systems IntegraƟon Asia August - September 2017

Projectors are also more cost-effective for classrooms. Let’s look at some factors that are making interactive projectors shine.

Cost

The interactive projector’s cost is a fraction that of interactive flat panel.

Flexibility and scalability

Interactive projectors project images very well onto just about any solid surface – whether a dry erase board, plain wall or even a tabletop, they can be turned instantly into multi-touch interactive surfaces. In contrast, other interactive displays such as the interactive flat panel will always take up wall space, occupying the space permanently even when it is not in use.

Excellent image quality

The interactive projector stands out for its picture quality.

The touch-enabled projected images are not restricted to a specific size and can go up to 100 inches, or double the size of an expensive 50-inch touchscreen flat panel. Additionally, resolution of the interactive projectors is available up to WUXGA quality, which is beyond Full HD, and project videos and images with vivid clarity.

Screen size matters

Although obvious, some do not realise that screen size is of paramount importance, especially in the common large classroom settings. A recent study in the US by Radius Research found that 58% of students are unable to read content displayed on a 70-inch flat panel display1 – An alarming finding for schools that have adopted flat panel displays of this size, or even smaller.

With the large interactive screen size offered by interactive projectors to the budget-conscious education buyers, delivering interactive content to every student in the classroom is no longer a problem.

Say goodbye to glare

Another consideration to take note is that many flat panel or other displays suffer from glare caused by the reflection from classroom lighting or daylight from the windows. This sort of reflection is not found on projector screens.

Epson’s Interactive Projector for the classroom Using a projector to display a large interactive screen creates an inclusive participatory environment and encourages collaboration, where both teacher and students can interact and contribute to the lesson contents, making learning more engaging and productive.

The versatility and connectivity of Epson’s interactive projector have helped to broaden the possibilities for a teacher’s classroom methods. It has enabled teachers to utilise a wide variety of content from multiple sources with a touch of a

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button. It also has the ability to enable annotation directly onto any projected content, including slides, education software, images from document cameras and even pause scenes of videos, making lessons with multimedia contents more interesting.

Teachers can also collaborate with students’ mobile devices, with the ability to connect up to 50 laptops, tablets or smartphones to the interactive projector via the network.

Collaboration is enhanced as the projector supports key lesson processes such as sending questions to student devices and receiving their answers for preview before projecting selected answers for comparison and discussion.

The benefit of this revolutionary education approach is that it helps to break down barriers within the classroom, and fosters better rapport and teamwork. When multiple participants, teachers and students alike are given the opportunity to cocreate and interact simultaneously on a large digital learning canvas, the lesson becomes fun, collaborative and stimulating.

Transforming Teaching – SEA Perspective Epson, with a majority 57.7% Ultra Short Throw Interactive Projector market share2 in Southeast Asia in FY2015, is the preferred interactive projector brand for innovative schools in the region to help teachers to teach more effectively.

At secondary schools in Singapore, interactive projectors have helped teachers to better engage students, increasing interest levels in class. Wielding the projector’s interactive pen allows teachers to point at, drag and control on-screen elements, which has provided stronger visual cues to for better engagement.

The interactivity of the projectors has even opened up a Singapore school to new ways of education-based Java applets that can be used to better illustrate concepts and make lessons more interesting.

As interactive projectors become increasingly popular teaching tools in classrooms, they will continue to revolutionise teaching and learning to better engage learners with attractive visuals and interactive features – all that at an affordable cost.

1 Based on U.S. research conducted by Radius Research. The research done using a 70-inch class 4k resolution flat panel in a 22' (width) by 27' (depth) classroom-style arrangement. When asked to copy down six short items of information from slides displayed, 58% of students aged 12-22 copied at least one item incorrectly.

2 Source: Futuresource Consulting

www.epson.com.sg

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