APRIL 2022
THE ESSENTIAL MAGAZINE FOR THE AV AND SMART HOME INDUSTRY
Premium, smart home systems personalised for the way you live. should be working with Savant. Turn to page 14 to find out more.
AUTOMATION PLATFORMS SERIOUSLY SMART
OFFICE, HOME OFFICE AND BOARDROOM
OFFICE SPICE
PROJECTORS AND SCREENS
IMAGE CONSCIOUS
NEW PRODUCT
HDBaseT™ Matrix with Advanced Audio Integration We are pleased to announce the launch of three feature rich HDBaseT™ Matrix, the HMXL88ARC, HMXL66ARC and HMXL42ARC-KIT. Using CSC technology, these powerful HDBaseT™ matrix support 4K 60Hz 4:4:4 resolutions over distances of 40m over a single CAT 6 cable. The new HMXL42ARC-KIT, HMXL66ARC and HMXL88ARC come into their own with advanced audio features specifically designed for maximising the integration of all AV sources in the modern home. Enhanced audio routing is achieved through the integrated independent audio matrix. This enables the audio both from displays (via ARC) and all other sources to be embedded and routed through the system at the users discretion. These ARC and audio routing features enable our installation partners the ability to create a truly immersive AV experience throughout the home.
NEW
HMXL88ARC 8x8 HDBaseT™ CSC ARC Matrix
NEW
HMXL66ARC 6x6 HDBaseT™ CSC ARC Matrix
HDCP 2.2
J Advanced HDBaseT™ technology offering distribution of video and audio over a single CAT cable J Advanced Colour Space Conversion (CSC) supports HDMI 2.0 18Gbps specification including HDR J 26 x 8 Audio Matrix independently controllable from the video
HMXL42ARC-KIT
HDCP 2.2
J Advanced HDBaseT™ technology offering distribution of video and audio over a single CAT cable J Advanced Colour Space Conversion (CSC) supports HDMI 2.0 18Gbps specification including HDR J 20 x 6 Audio Matrix independently controllable from the video
NEW
4x2 HDBaseT™ CSC ARC Matrix including Receivers J Advanced HDBaseT™ technology offering distribution of video and audio over a single CAT cable J Advanced Colour Space Conversion (CSC) supports HDMI 2.0 18Gbps specification including HDR J 8 x 2 audio matrix that is independently controllable from video.
HDCP 2.2
NEW
UNCOMPRESSED
18Gbps
PRODUCT
OVER
Uncompressed 18Gbps HDMI Over HDBaseT™ Set The HEX18G-KIT HDBaseT™ extender set is an industry leading uncompressed HDMI 2.0 4K 60Hz 4:4:4 HDCP 2.2 solution utilising the
HEX18G-KIT
latest in HDBaseT™ technology. The HEX18G-KIT supports bi-directional IR, RS-232 and PoC up to lengths of 100m over a single CAT cable.
NEW
HEX70ARC-KIT HDBaseT™ ARC Extender Set - 70m J Advanced HDBaseT™ technology offering uncompressed video and audio with zero latency J Extends HDMI 1080p up to a distance of 70m over a single CAT cable J Supports 4K UHD video up to 40m (3840 x 2160 @30Hz 4:4:4, 4096 x
2160 @24Hz 4:4:4, and 4K @60Hz 4:2:0)
1080p up to 150m
HEX100CS-KIT
HEX150CS-KIT
HDBaseT™ CSC Extender Set -100m
HDBaseT™ CSC Extender Set - 150m
J Advanced HDBaseT™ technology offering CSC scaling with zero latency
J Supports ARC from display via HDMI and optical digital inputs
J Supports 4K 60Hz 4:4:4 UHD video up to 70m
J Supports 4K 60Hz 4:4:4 UHD video up to 100m
Become a Certified Blustream Installation Partner
Interactive Online Tutorials We have re-designed our regular interactive online tutorials, focused on providing convenient, bite sized insights into the latest Blustream solutions and the day to day challenges we all currently face in our rapidly evolving market. During these unprecedented times, we have increased both the content and frequency of the sessions we are hosting to bring you the most comprehensive range of interactive webinar content available in the UK.
Register now: www.blustream.co.uk/advanced-learning-portal J
Our UK Address: The Service Station,
Tel: +44 (0)115 824 7000
J Video over IP vs HDBaseT - which should you back?
Melton Road, Hickling Pastures,
Email: sales@blustream.co.uk
J with 10 more courses to choose from...
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Current Tutorials Available
J Specifying a Custom Pro Matrix with 18Gbps support
J CAT Cable Certification & Verification J When is 4K, Actually 4K?
Book now at J www.blustream.co.uk
LE14 3QG United Kingdom.
14 33
23 52
CONTENTS
April 2022
4 FROM THE EDITOR’S CHAIR
36 ESSENTIAL HDA
7 ESSENTIAL NEWS
56 TOGETHER FOR CINEMA
13 ESSENTIAL COMPETITION
58 SMART THINKING
14 SAVANT SYSTEMS EUROPE
62 CASE STUDY: AVCOMM UK
16 ESSENTIAL CEDIA
71 ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS
18 PULSE CINEMAS
FEATURES 23 I DID IT STEINWAY!
Inspiration comes from many places Our monthly news mash-up Win £500! A high five!
The latest insights
The mighty Anthem AVM 90
Meet HDA’s new control must-have The roll out continues
What do you want to be when you grow up? Luxury cinema ‘loched’ in Project pleasers
This ambitious brand goes direct
20 ESSENTIAL HABITECH
Resimercial: make it meaningful!
Celebrating 10 years www.avoke.co.uk | av@avoke.co.uk
20 41 71 Proud Media Partners of
PROJECTORS AND SCREENS 30 SCREENS ARE HERE TO STAY
42 COMPANY FOCUS: JETBUILT Gordon Dutch introduces Jetbuilt
Jan Walter, global business development manager at AV Stumpfl
33 NEW SENSATIONS
AUTOMATION PLATFORMS 47 STATUS SYMBOL TO LIFESTYLE ESSENTIAL Mal Fisher, CTO at AWE
James Drummie, Product Manager, AWE
48 EVOLUTION REVOLUTION
34 THE PREMIUM EXPERIENCE
Michael Short, Director of Residential Marketing at Crestron
Barry Sheldrick, Director of Sales at DbM
OFFICE, HOME OFFICE AND BOARDROOM 38 DISPLAY SOME INITIATIVE Gunnar Kyvik, Business Segment Lead – Meeting & Conferencing, Sharp NEC Display Solutions Europe
51 DRIVING THE INDUSTRY
Richard Caton, Managing Director of Janus Technology
52 CONTROL4
Stay in in control
41 KEY ELEMENTS OF THE HOME OFFICE Phillip Pini, Director Residential Sales UK at Crestron
of working with you! www.avoke.co.uk | av@avoke.co.uk
APRIL 2022
THE ESSENTIAL MAGAZINE FOR THE AV AND SMART HOME INDUSTRY
pages 20–21
Premium, smart home systems personalised for the way you live. should be working with Savant. Turn to page 14 to find out more.
AUTOMATION PLATFORMS SERIOUSLY SMART
APRIL
PERSONALITY AND INSPIRATION Something which is rare these days (for obvious reasons) is the chance to leave these shores and journey abroad to experience how a company based overseas goes about creating its vision for the AV and home cinema worlds. EI was lucky enough to recently travel along with some installers and dealers to the beautiful city of Vicenza in the Veneto region of northeast Italy to visit highperformance speaker maker Sonus Faber. More detail about this experience will be in the May issue, but for now it’s enough to say that it was a very inspiring visit in that the company draws inspiration from many places, some expected and some less so, to create something truly unique. Its certainly a beautiful and inspiring place that drives the imagination. The city is known for its beautiful buildings designed by the 16th-century architect Andrea Palladio including the Palladian Basilica and the Palazzo Chiericati. During our visit it became clear that Sonus Faber has drawn inspiration from its surroundings, but also other artisans involved in creating products as diverse as musical instruments, cars and clocks, yes, clocks. It made EI think about how inspiration can come from anywhere and is often most powerful when it is drawn directly from familiar surroundings and a world that the designer truly understands. This can be true of designing AV systems, but also the content that ends up being played on them. One example that always stuck, was guitarist for heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath Tony Iommi, describing how he was inspired to create the doom laden sounds the band became known for by working in a steel factory. The pounding
04 APRIL 2022
sound of the machinery stuck with Tony and it seeped into his music consciously and unconsciously too. In truth it would have been hard to forget, especially as Tony lost the tips of his fingers to that machinery and had to make new ones, initially from a plastic washing up bottle and bits of leather, think he has the custom made ones these days. The point here is that whether its wondering around a beautiful Italian square, or having your fingers cut off by a huge machine in 1970s industrial Birmingham, inspiration in the hands of skilled people bent on producing something of benefit to humankind is always a good thing, and it can come in a massive variety of ways. It is no bad thing to remind ourselves of this fact from time to time. Designing systems and inspiring people to want more out of their entertainment systems, needs attention to detail and knowledge, but we can also draw on all of our experiences, not just from the AV world. Inspiration for a project or to deliver that little bit extra for a customer can come from many sources, a walk in the fresh air, time spent with friends, cooking a meal, we are all better at our jobs when we bring all of who we are into how we deliver for customers. Be inspired, be you, deliver more.
OFFICE, HOME OFFICE AND BOARDROOM
OFFICE SPICE
PROJECTORS AND SCREENS
IMAGE CONSCIOUS
GETTING IN TOUCH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Daniel Sait, dan@allthingsmedialtd.com
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Beatrice Lee, beatrice@allthingsmedialtd.com
SALES DIRECTOR
Ian Kitchener, ian@allthingsmedialtd.com
GROUP AD MANAGER
Claire Talty, claire@allthingsmedialtd.com
PUBLISHER
David Kitchener, david@allthingsmedialtd.com
STUDIO MANAGER
Mark Weller, mark@allthingsmedialtd.com
ACCOUNTS
susan@allthingsmedialtd.com
Essential Install magazine, Suite 14, 6-8 Revenge Road, Lordswood, Chatham, Kent ME5 8UD T: +44 (0)1634 673163 F: +44 (0)1634 673173 www.essentialinstall.com
SOCIALS /INSTALL_MAG /ESSENTIALINSTALL Whilst we make every effort that everything printed in Essential Install magazine is factually correct, we cannot be held responsible if factual errors occur. All articles are copyright and remain the property of Essential Install magazine.
Inspiration can come from surprising places Proud Media Partners of
BRING THE POWER OF PRO AUDIO HOME For 30 years, L-Acoustics has been the choice of the world’s top clubs, music venues, and artists on tour. This powerful pedigree and unrivaled sonic signature are now available to technology integrators for residential, marine, and other architectural environments. From media room to home cinema, from poolside to superyacht, whether indoor or outdoor, stereo or advanced spatial audio designs, L-Acoustics Creations brings home the power of pro audio.
Please visit us at ISE 2022 or book an appointment at l-acoustics-creations.com
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NEW JP4 AVoIP LAUNCH PERFORMANCE + SOFTWARE + CONTROL • 4K HDR Performance • Industry leading interface software • Simply stunning full spectrum AV control with full motion 1080p previews
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SIMPLIFYING COMPLEXITY
NEWS
NEWS EI LIVE! EUROPE LAUNCHES! A new residential focused AV, Automation and Home Cinema event, based in Amsterdam, is being introduced - beginning with its first outing this year! Building on the success of the EI Live! UK event (now in its 11th year) and recognised as the UK’s only national trade show for the industry, a new event from the same organisers has been launched. EI Live! Europe will take its successful format and mold it to the specific needs of the European market at the fantastic venue of the Passenger Terminal in the centre of Amsterdam (October 18-19 2022). The perfect time and place to begin this new chapter in the sector. The show will be a two-day event, including a full day of education and training. Fulfilling the clear need and demand for a residential focused show of this type in Europe, the event will provide a nexus for installers, retailers and related trades such as architects and interior designers, to meet with key manufacturers and distributors all under one roof. A vibrant and varied exhibition floor will mix with in-depth talks and learning opportunities to provide every visitor with a high-quality, worthwhile experience. Partnering the show for the education and training side of the event will be industry veteran Wim De Vos, owner of the free industry online education platform, HT University Online, as well as leading value-add distribution company Genesis Home Technology Architects. Sessions will be offered on varied topics and take place in different languages. More details very soon.
David Kitchener, Managing Director of All Things Media, and EI Live! Show Director, comments, “After receiving many requests from the industry to stage this event in this part of Europe, the choice was clear, repeat the success of EI Live! UK and meet the demand for an affordable and easy to access event. This first outing will be priced at €220 per square metre for exhibitors. Check out the show’s website and brochure if you want to find out more about exhibiting or visiting!” Wim added, “The need for this truly European event focussed on ‘Homes of Tomorrow’ as well as its fresh format is clear. There is no better company to deliver it than the team at All Things Media and I consider myself fortunate to be able to team up with them. They have a proven track record when it comes to creating competitively priced events that attract the right audience. If you are an installer of tech or architect based in Europe or the UK, we are confident EI Live Europe! is going to be well worth a visit allowing companies to access a wide range of manufacturers and distributors as well as engage with our multi-lingual learning programme.”
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EI Live! Europe eiliveeurope.com
PULSE CINEMAS OPEN DAYS Supported by Essential Install, Pulse Cinemas has been hosting a series of Open Days to introduce installers to new demonstration areas and support services. Carried out across several dates during March and April, with the last two scheduled for April 6 and April 20, Pulse Cinemas has been welcoming the industry to witness its new demonstration areas, as well as find out about all of the support services on offer from the company. The day consists of demonstrations of a re-imagined Reference Cinema, the company’s new VR design and demonstrate service, the Media Room and the short-throw projector based ‘Big TV’ demonstration area now located in the reception. Morning and afternoon sessions are part of the program and the event is fully catered with delicious home cooked food provided. Attending the launch event for this series, the EI team can confirm the food is fantastic and a very warm welcome is experienced by all the visitors, creating a relaxed atmosphere in which to learn about all the new possibilities when partnering with Pulse Cinemas. Splitting into small groups, visitors get the full tour and a chance to ask any questions that come up during the visit. The Pulse team also explain
Think Quality
how the company’s approach has evolved and how installers can move their projects to the next level by leveraging all the brands and support services offered by the company. The whole EI team was impressed with what was on offer when we visited, and Pulse Cinemas can certainly count itself as one of the distributors that is upping its game in terms of its demonstration facilities and support services. Contact the company direct to find out more. Pulse Cinemas pulsecinemas.com
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GOOD 10G TO 100m
HNC 6A CAT 6A 600 MHZ
APRIL 2022 07
Good news for High-End Audio in UK Steinway Lyngdorf becomes its own UK distributor
The world’s most innovative and exquisitely designed audio systems are now available in the UK through a company-owned distributorship and showroom. Steinway Lyngdorf have formed a new distributorship to serve the discerning UK audio market. Steinway Lyngdorf is the only manufacturer of audio products to win the exclusive endorsement of Steinway & Sons, the iconic American piano builder known the world over. Lyngdorf Audio develops, designs, and creates products for high-performance audio enthusiasts seeking the highest quality, most exciting components on the market. Explore at www.steinwaylyngdorf.com
DbM AGREES UK AND EIRE DISTRIBUTION DEAL WITH nexgentec DbM has announced a new UK distribution partnership to bring its range of Audio Over IP (AoIP) products and solutions from growing European technology brand, nexgentec, to integrators working in the high-end residential and superyacht sector. “Audio over IP is an increasingly popular option for integrators, seeking to offer a scalable, fully flexible and high-performance audio solution on their projects,” says Barry Sheldrick, Director of Sales at DbM. “nexgentec is the innovative brand that’s spearheading the AoIP solution and we’re delighted to partner with them and supply their exceptional range into the UK and EIRE. “Alongside DbM’s dedicated integrator support services, which include our Design and Specification Service, system calibration and final commissioning, we will make audio cabling, installation, commissioning and maintenance quicker, easier and much more efficient.” nexgentec aims to empower the IP network for audio distribution using its pioneering implementation and bespoke innovations, including Dante and AES76 technology. Rico Vögeli, CEO of nexgentec adds, “We want to optimise solutions that work for the end client, the specialist installer and for the environment. This is a challenging market, which demands the best and so helps us to find new and better solutions every day. We pioneered network-based audio solutions over seven years ago. Finally, the whole superyacht
NEWS
and high-end residential market is now ready for these innovations, and we look forward to working with DbM to substantially grow the UK presence for nexgentec AoIP.” DbM will supply the UK and EIRE markets with the full range of nexgentec products and solutions and support the brand with training to help integrators in the design, specification, installation and commissioning of an AoIP network. The nexgentec range will also be added to DbM’s
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complimentary Design and Specification Service, which helps integrators specify the right products and solutions for their projects. DbM distributedbym.com Integrators will be able to find out more about the nexgentec range at DbM Live which is taking place at Meridian’s HQ in Huntingdon on Thursday April 21
RGB PARTNERS WITH POLAR BEAR RGB Communications has been appointed as the exclusive UK and EIRE distributor of Polar Bear Design for the AV Video and the Custom Install markets. Designed and manufactured in the UK, Polar Bear creates a range of luxury keypads, wall thermostats and installation accessories for the home automation, luxury hotel and superyacht markets. The Polar Bear Design Zentium Pro is an advanced thermostat that bridges the gap between the commercial and high-end residential sectors by bringing form, function, and integration together to deliver an elegant solution that is simple and intuitive to use but has a customer centric design, said its creator. The manufacturer argues that offering complete climate control at this level removes the need for additional building management systems (BMS) for air conditioning control – offering significant benefits and huge cost savings for the building developers, installers, and the end-user. The thermostat can be used stand alone or combined with intelligent lighting control keypads, such as the Lutron Palladiom, SeeTouch, Pico or Crestron Horizon. By working with leading edge designers, the Zentium Pro Thermostat also has a range of luxury faceplate finishes that complement the interior design of residential homes, including high-end apartment complexes and superyachts.
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@Install_mag
The Zentium Pro thermostat and UMC controller has been designed with integration in mind. Not only does this platform have compatibility with all the major brands of AV Control systems, but also directly to major air-conditioning brands to including Savant, Lutron, Control4, Crestron, Crestron Home, NorthBT, Trend and Delta. This allows an extremely flexible design topology and allows the heating and cooling systems. Polar Bear Design also offers a customisation service where the company offers modified ‘off the shelf’ standard products and alters them to a design brief so the client gets a product that matches the interior design theme. RGB rgbcomms.co.uk
BETTER 48G TO 40m 8K HDMI AOC Full 8K Ultra HD signal transfer 4-core SSF™ Fibre Optic Technology 5m - 40m lengths
A new distribution deal between RGB and Polar Bear Design
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APRIL 2022 09
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NEWS
AWE EXPO RETURNS The AWE Expo has returned (March 29-31) at
In the revamped Performance Cinema, a
the AWE Smart Apartment in Epsom, the first
combination of Bowers & Wilkins 700 Series
since 2019. Integrators have been able to see the
architectural loudspeakers and in-wall subwoofers,
latest smart home and AV tech and the unveiling of
all driven by a single 11-channel Marantz AV
AWE’s new, fully refitted, Reference and Performance
Amplifier and sub amps located in the room. Enjoy
home cinemas. The event was showcasing the Bowers & Wilkins range of CI and Hi-Fi loudspeakers, as well as amplification from Rotel. Visitors can also experience the first showing of the new 4K and 8K screens for 2022 from LG, Panasonic and the UK premiere of Sony’s QD-OLED. Thanks to a combination of Bowers & Wilkins 800 Diamond Series architectural loudspeakers and CT series subwoofers, as well as a Marantz Processor that feeds into a rack of five Rotel Power Amplifiers providing over 4000 watts, AWE says the audio in its new Reference Cinema is insanely good. Having witnessed it very recently, EI can confirm, this is very true, a really impressive result, a true upgrade and well worth a trip to check it out. The 4m wide HDR picture is provided by a choice of Sony projectors, with the flagship 10,000 lumen and 100% DCI-P3 wide colour gamut Sony VPL-GTZ380 Native 4k laser projector as
a demonstration of Epson’s recently launched EH-LS12000B projector, which features a high 2,500,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 4K resolution
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FIT ‘FAST’
(8.3mil pixels on-screen), HDR10+ support, 3LCD and a laser light source. The Audio-Visual equipment demonstrated in the performance cinema is approximately £25k retail. In the Smart Apartment a Sony 100in Pro Bravia makes an impact and provides a serious option to UST projector solutions with numerous benefits. In the living room, the first trade showing of the Sony 65in A95K QD-OLED was the centre piece, with a 5.1 Bowers & Wilkins speaker solution driven off a Marantz AVR. The space is controlled by the latest URC MRX30 processor and operated by a combination of URC interfaces, including the new TKP-8600 8in In-Wall Touch Screen and TRC-1480 2.4in Touchscreen remote controls. In the gaming area, visitors can get in the driving seat and take a spin in Base Performance Simulators Blade Racing Simulator.
the star attraction. The Audio-Visual equipment demonstrated in the reference Cinema ranges from
AWE Europe
£70K to £170K retail.
awe-europe.com
Stand outs include both cinemas now offering a serious upgrade on the previous rooms and URC is in impressive form controlling the whole space smoothly
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APRIL 2022 11
NEWS
ESSENTIAL PEOPLE British speaker company EM Acoustics strengthens management team with the appointment of Roger Harpum as Business Development Manager. A well-known figure in the professional audio world, Roger brings nearly 30 years’ experience and an exceptional depth of knowledge to the role. Roger says, “Joining EM at this stage in their journey is incredibly exciting and having spent time listening to the range of products I have absolutely no doubt that a move to the next level is well under way. I can’t tell you what it means to stand in front of a product and be genuinely impressed rather than indifferent, or worse, disappointed. There’s nothing that disappoints within the EM range - on the contrary, it’s all impressive if not downright breath-taking. I can’t wait to get out there and start introducing EM Acoustics to a wider market.” Technology distributor Exertis has announced changes to its senior leadership team. Vishal Chhatralia, Chief Digital and Marketing Officer, will move into a global role, driving digital transformation across Exertis International. Vishal joined Exertis in 2019, focusing his efforts on developing digital capabilities within Exertis UK. In his new role, Vishal will take these capabilities and accelerate the digital journey of the Exertis Group internationally, while also taking on responsibility for Exertis’ own brand portfolio and global vendor account management. Exertis UK has also announced structural changes. Phill Turner, Global Head of Voice of the Customer, is moving into the position of Chief Experience Officer, reporting to Paul Bryan, Managing Director of Exertis UK. The newly created role is responsible for delivering a seamless customer experience across all stages and touchpoints in the customer journey. Phil will assume responsibility for Customer Services and Sales Operations but will also be the driving force in prioritising and encouraging
Paul Bryan
problem-solving, strategic thinking and customer orientation amongst the wider organisation including IT, Operations, HR, Finance, Sales, Commercial, Marketing, Digital and Purchasing. Robert Fitzsimons, UK Marketing Director, and Kati Eagle, Purchasing Director, will also now report directly into Paul Bryan, Managing Director, Exertis UK. Charlotte Farrell Joins Peerless-AV’s Growing Team as Regional Sales Manager, South. Charlotte’s background in AV/IT Distribution will ensure a smooth transition for reseller accounts in the South of UK. Charlotte brings significant channel account management experience within large distribution houses responsible for vendor relations, understanding product portfolios and managing a mix of key customers alongside new business accounts. “Having held roles at Midwich Group and Exertis UK, before her most recent client development role at Neilson Brandbank, Charlotte has the AV experience and customer contacts required to hit the ground running,” says Keith Dutch, Managing Director EMEA, Peerless-AV. “She joins a successful and growing team in the UK and EMEA and with her industry knowledge, personable style of account management and enthusiasm we expect great things from her.” GJD, UK designer and manufacturer of advanced external motion detectors, LED illuminators and ANPR cameras, has announced that Madeline Akinwumiju has recently reprised her role at GJD as Marketing Manager. Madeline, who has returned from maternity leave has previously worked at GJD in the sales and marketing department. She joins GJD with a degree in Public Relations and a strong background of marketing and PR experience in manufacturing, industrial and construction industries.
Charlotte Farrell
Madeline Akinwumiju
Ed Kinsella, technical director; Roger Harpum, business development manager; Greg Clarke, system design & client liaison; Mike Wheeler, operations director
12 APRIL 2022
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ESSENTIAL COMPETITION
CHORD COMPANY EPIC HDMI AOC 2.1 8K (48 GBPS) 1M WORTH £500! Since 1985, Wiltshire’s Chord Company has been designing, hand-building and refining its class-leading A/V cables from its dedicated headquarters just outside historic Stonehenge. The company believes that cables are not, and never have been, just an accessory, and are a vital part of any system. Choosing the right cable (in the digital age) is more important today than it has ever been. Chord Company is staffed by a dedicated team of music fans, music makers, movie-lovers and gamers and has become internationally renowned for creating high-performance, valuefor-money AV cables, from super-reliable install
cables to audiophile exotica, designed to suit any level of system or budget. In recent years, the company has introduced a number of highly advanced, lifetime-warranty HDMI cables offering up to 8K playback, 48 Gbps transfer rates and advanced chipsets (up to HDMI 2.1), following a multi-year R&D project at the factory. Chord Company HDMI cables bring numerous performance benefits to a wide range of A/V applications and include the company’s trademark advanced shielding and legendary handmade quality. The models, which include copper, optical and hybrid designs, distil 35+ years of British cable design and manufacturing
FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN SIMPLY ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS CORRECTLY*: 1. When did Chord Company begin hand-building cables? ...................................................................................................................... 2. How long is the warranty on Chord Company’s HDMI cables? ...................................................................................................................... 3. Is every HDMI cable handmade to order in the Wiltshire factory? ......................................................................................................................
into a range of unrivalled solutions for music, movie, TV and gaming fans with the proven advantages of Chord Company build quality. The cables’ quality, reliability and futureresistant specification make them ideal for installations, where frequent cable-swapping is neither desirable or practical. See the full range of AV and install cables at chord.co.uk. The closing date is April 28th 2022.
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*Please note, each individual may enter only once and free public email addresses (gmail, hotmail etc) will be ineligible.
To enter, please complete the form below post to: EI Competition, All Things Media Ltd, Suite 14, 6-8 Revenge Road, Lordswood, Kent, ME5 8UD. Alternatively, you can enter online by scanning the QR code above.
ESSENTIAL SAVANT
FIVE REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD BE WORKING WITH SAVANT The main USPs for the Savant Home Automation universe, bought to you by Andy Atwell, Sales Director Savant Europe. Savant is a luxury whole-home automation system that enhances the way people enjoy their homes. Savant’s powerful technology brings the control of lighting, heating, blinds, entertainment, music and security together into a single system that homeowners love, thanks to its simplicity of control. Whether via remote control or app for iOS or Android, users gain complete control of their entire home with one single tap.
LET’S DELVE IN FURTHER…
Everyone likes things in their home to be just right, and a Savant system makes that not only possible but easy. Through advanced technology that makes using the system simple, the Savant platform combines its own products with third-party devices to create unique experiences in any home that reflect the owner’s personality, preferences and pace of life. Breaking down the fundamentals of Savant, we have outlined five key features that make Savant one of the leading home automation platforms.
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1.Exquisite Automation From scheduling the home to wake up before the family does by lifting the window blinds or slowly raising the light level, through to controlling the lighting, music and ambient temperature to create the perfect atmosphere for a dinner party, Savant makes it easy to have everything the way the customer likes it. Scheduled daily events, remote monitoring of security – all are possible with Savant. With the recent addition of ‘Daylight Mode’ lighting, Savant can even boost a homeowner’s wellbeing. Savant products are crafted to be simple, and so enjoyable, that once a customer has turned their home into a Savant Home, they’ll never want to live any other way. The installer experience is just as compelling, with dragand-drop set up, beautifully crafted products, remote monitoring and compatibility across a broad spectrum of third-party brands. With state-of-the-art products and services, Savant is continuing to re-define the experience of luxury home automation – giving installers the
tools to build distinctive, customised systems for today’s most selective homeowners. 2.Simple Set Up with Powerful Capabilities The core intelligence of any Savant installation is the Host. Through the most sophisticated software in the industry, Savant Hosts are capable of managing the varied technologies within any smart home or property. As the central server for all the user interfaces, and the connection point for system administration and monitoring, the Host is available in many forms, allowing for control of single rooms up to wholehome automation for hundreds of devices. 3.Intuitive Lighting ‘Smart’ lighting has become ever-more popular, but Savant takes it to another level. Thanks to the clever control platform, users can use sliders on the app, Pro Remote or light switches to control any light individually or as a group. Pre-set lighting scenes can be selected (such as TV-watching, Entertaining or Reading)
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ESSENTIAL SAVANT
from a Savant enabled iPad or iPhone and even automate lighting levels, switching to the TVwatching scene when a video source is selected and reverting to an Entertaining scene when the TV is off – brilliant for movie nights at home! The Savant lighting integration even allows your clients to introduce circadian lighting with its proprietary Daylight Mode, which is proven to enhance internal biorhythms to promote well-being, reinforce health, and even nourish the imagination. By automating the brightness and colour temperature of compatible lights, Daylight Mode can be used to tune a home’s lighting to the changes in natural sunlight that occur through the day. Third-party integration increases the wealth of lighting options. Lutron lighting installations can be simply integrated into the Savant ecosystem, allowing for single room lighting systems through to whole house lighting to be controlled by a single device. 4.Ultimate Home Entertainment Savant offers high-resolution audio and video distribution to any room of the home, indoors or out. Savant’s AV over IP line-up will meet all your client’s audio-visual needs, and most importantly, Savant’s product range focuses on both quality and scalability for the home. Savant offers a full line of IP Audio products, including audio streamers and hosts. Recently launched, the very first 55in smart sound bar featuring a built-in Savant Host delivers smart home functionality including Savant Music and all popular streaming music services Spotify, Pandora, SiriusXM, TuneIn, TIDAL, and more. Simplified home cinema is also
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• Adjust the temperate and open the shades from the Pro App to ensure the home is perfectly comfortable by the time you get home.
The recently updated Savant Pro Remote XS also gives your customers control of all their entertainment, lighting, climate control, and more. From the beautifully finished and intuitive remote control, users can quickly recall scenes or favourite channels using the built-in voice control from its elegant enclosure. All of the above would mean nothing without a class-leading support structure. The team at Savant Europe has been working with installers in the UK, Europe and further afield for over 10 years, offering a range of professional services including training, assistance with system design and specification, plus high-quality technical support. This same team works closely with the development team in the US to deliver European-focused features, many of which have made it into the overall system. This experience means that even experienced installers have the support they need to create bespoke control features as and when required, whilst introduction training courses are run regularly for those new to the platform. The beauty of the Savant ecosystem means that regardless of scale, from simple starter systems to 96-room mansions, Savant delivers exceptional home automation experiences. Whether you are starting out and looking to take your first steps into home automation or are wanting to know more about the opportunities available to your business, take a closer look at Savant. You won’t be disappointed.
• Save and recall any combination of services and settings with a single tap or set a scene to activate on a schedule.
Savant Europe savant.com
catered for, with the introduction of WISAconnected rear speakers and subwoofers, reducing cabling requirements yet upping the all-round home cinema experience. Savant’s Smart Audio systems can be expanded in up to 96 zones and integrators will appreciate the flexibility of hardware featuring control ports for local devices. Savant Smart Audio speakers are also fully compatible with the Savant Home App for Apple TV and Apple HomeKit featuring Siri control, along with whole-house control of lighting, energy management, climate control and countless other smart devices. 5.Beautiful Control From remotes to touch screens to voice commands and TV’s, Savant keeps your customers in control of their entire home including entertainment, lighting, climate, blinds and more. The Savant Pro App allows iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch or Android devices to easily and quickly control entire homes: • View the whole home at a glance and use quick access controls for a personalised experience. • Savant Music lets you enjoy high-fidelity content from your collection or stream a personalised playlist to any room in the house. • Know what’s happening at home, any time.
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APRIL 2022 15
ESSENTIAL CEDIA
A PATHWAY TO BETTER PROGRAMMING Mal Fisher, Technical Director of AWE Europe and Chair of the CEDIA PDAC (Professional Development Advisory Committee) Skilled programmers are a necessity in our industry. Systems programming is a challenging discipline that requires attention to detail and a methodical approach: the ability to think logically through various scenarios and evaluate multiple possible outcomes. Additionally, successful integration projects require a thorough process of information gathering, comprehensive analysis of the client’s needs, and thoughtful development of the system design and project plan. Clearly, we can - and do - build all sorts of remarkably complex and amazingly performing systems with the technology at our disposal. But it’s equally apparent that these systems become much less valuable and impressive if the user experience fails to reflect that same level of quality and brilliance. That’s why programming is so important; placing equal demands on the coding skills of the programmer as it does on their design talents to create a compelling and usable interface that meets the needs of the client. Arguably, we require more of everything in this industry, but, as we continue to grow, then, we definitely need more capable programmers. Without training there is no clear route for engineers to migrate across to programming from the world of installation, nor is there an opportunity for coders from outside of our industry to get their heads around the particular
16 APRIL 2022
design and integration nuances of our world and be inspired to take a career within it. What about the many proprietary software and hardware platforms on the market, and the product-specific training that these brands provide? They are, of course, important. However, speaking from experience, it would save a huge amount of time - and make that training much more productive - if people came onto these courses with a baseline knowledge of programming. With that, they’d be in a much better place to progress efficiently onto the intricacies of each system and each brand’s particular approach. As the chair of CEDIA’s Professional Development Advisory Council I have been part of the team to develop the three stage Programming Specialist Pathway that’s just been launched by CEDIA on the “CEDIA Academy” online learning platform. The purpose of the courses in the Programming Specialist Pathway is to equip learners with the critical knowledge and skills necessary to successfully write programs regardless of the particular software and hardware specified for a given project. Anyone taking the pathway will be well prepared, whichever automation brand they eventually choose to specialise in, without having to commit to a particular brand or buy demo kit as their start point.
You’ll also be equipped with knowledge referencing our world, rather than having to attend a generic and very general programming course online or at a local college. The Programming Specialist Pathway is designed to provide the agnostic foundation that programmers need with a high degree of relevant tailoring to the needs and expectations of our industry. It will take participants on a journey that spans the fundamentals of programming for basic and more complex applications. Courses focus on the knowledge necessary to develop system designs that can support the connection, control, and automation of multiple subsystems. We also cover best practices related to user interface design and the engineering process. Learners will explore various program languages as well as the command syntax used for common program functions. They can exercise critical thinking skills as they practice writing code examples and evaluate recommendations for efficient and effective coding practices. Those taking the Programming Specialist Pathway will leave with the ability to explain the differences between control and automation, know the fundamental concepts of device-todevice (D2D) communication, have the ability to identify communication protocols, and be able to define common control and network devices. If you’re interested in programming, then take it.
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Make it Real We’re proud to be adding the StormAudio brand of cinema processing and amplification to our luxury home cinema lineup.
Visit habitech.co.uk for further information. www.habitech.co.uk | 01256 638500 | sales@habitech.co.uk
ESSENTIAL PULSE CINEMAS
THE MIGHTY ANTHEM AVM 90 IS NOW SHIPPING Pulse Cinemas introduces a major product release, now shipping and available in the UK.
The last word in home cinema and AV processing from this most accomplished of creators is now available. This carefully created processor will sit at the heart of the very best home cinemas and will elevate, refine and enhance every project it is included in. Anthem has scrutinised every part of this design, every component has been carefully considered and reconsidered. It’s the culmination of everything the company knows, in short, the AVM 90 is the embodiment of excellence and is available to order from Pulse Cinemas. Anthem began by creating an oversized high-efficiency toroidal power supply, isolating the high-power signals from the sensitive audio pathway. The critical conversion from digital to analogue uses the highest performance ESS
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Sabre DACs for all 19 channels of processing. Compared to traditional voltage source circuits, these current source designs are a dramatic step forward in performance and complexity when compared to conventional voltage source circuits. But Anthem knows of course reference DACs on their own aren’t enough; the entire signal path needed to be upgraded to match. Ultra-low noise, ultra-low distortion high output op-amps were carefully selected, and superior 0.1% high precision resistors were used to reduce distortion further and ensure gain consistency between channels. The best linear regulators were selected to provide low noise reference supplies to the premium audio converters and back-end circuits. As the complexity and density increased, it became necessary to implement premium high-layer count circuit boards with additional isolating ground planes. This allowed Anthem’s engineers the freedom to ensure every channel has a unique, low cross-talk and pristine signal path. To ensure a bit-perfect experience, Anthem also included the most advanced implementation of the in-house created and
award-winning ARC: Genesis Room Correction technology and an all-new DSP platform featuring a 32-bit floating-point audio data path with a 64-bit floating-point computation and double-precision filter states. With ARC: Genesis, professional calibration of every system can be achieved with the click of a button while still offering advanced functionality to further refine the sound to the personal taste of every customer.
ENHANCED PROCESSING FEATURES
This new advanced product is built around an 8K capable HDMI platform with e-ARC support included; which simplifies connectivity, provides greater ease of use, and supports the most advanced audio formats and highest audio quality. Adding this feature ensures full compatibility between audio devices and upcoming HDMI 2.1 products. Also on-board is Dynamic HDR support ensuring every moment of a video is displayed at its ideal values for depth, detail, brightness, contrast and wider colour gamuts, on a scene-by-scene or even a frame-by-frame basis.
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ESSENTIAL PULSE CINEMAS
There is no doubt many customers require advanced gaming functionality, and the AVM 90 obliges with an added level of smooth and seamless motion and transitions for gaming as well as movies whilst Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) reduces or eliminates lag, stutter and frame tearing for more fluid and better detailed gameplay. Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) allows the ideal latency setting to automatically be set allowing for smooth, lagfree and uninterrupted viewing and interactivity. Quick Frame Transport (QFT) reduces latency for smoother no-lag gaming, and real-time interactive virtual reality. Supporting the next generation of audio and video formats, the AVM 90 unlocks the potential of the latest generation hardware. Stunning resolution up to 8K/60Hz (4K/120Hz) and the latest generation audio formats in up to 19-channels (15.4) are all supported. Advanced processing precisely positions every sound and renders it with breath-taking realism and clarity, making it easier to get fully immersed in any world and get an advantage over the competition. With up to 48Gbps bandwidth available on each of its seven HDMI inputs, features like 4K/120Hz HDR graphics, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos have never been easier to experience. AVM 90’s Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) support includes both Freesync and G-Sync, so whether the customer is a console or PC gamer they can experience high frame rate gaming with no screen tearing. In addition, AVM 90’s true HDMI 2.1 functionality means users will not be locked out of any of the other current technologies made possible with next-generation consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Coupled with support for advanced features
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like Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), Quick Frame Transport (QFT), and HGiG, the AVM 90 is ready and waiting as these technologies roll out to next-gen gaming hardware. The AVM 90 of course also features all the compatibility with home cinema audio codecs that you would expect. Featuring Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, DTS Virtual:X, and IMAX Enhanced processing customers can experience all of their favourite audio formats up to 19-channels (15.4).
ANTHEM ROOM CORRECTION
Surfaces such as windows, furnishings, and the geometry of the walls, floor, and ceiling all add unwanted resonance and coloration to the audio of any system. Anthem Room Correction measures each speaker’s output relative to the listening area, then through a series of calculations, adjusts its output. Not only does ARC correct peaks and dips in a speaker’s frequency response, but it also preserves the beneficial acoustic attributes of a room. The AVM 90 carries the very latest version of this fantastic software, speak to us to learn more.
ADVANCED COMPATIBILITY
The AVM 90 includes a robust set of streaming options that can pull each customer’s music in from local storage or from the internet. Thanks to Anthem’s high-speed processing and premium digital-to-analogue conversion using high-end DACs, sound quality can be every bit as good as dropping a CD into a dedicated disc player. Included out of the box are Airplay, Google Chromecast, Spotify Connect with Roon compatibility coming soon
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Today’s premium home cinemas need support for as many as 15 speakers and four subwoofers to handle the latest Dolby Atmos and DTS:X object-oriented audio codecs. Pair the AVM 90 AV Processor with a stack of compatible Anthem MCA amplifiers and you’ll hear sound that rivals the best commercial cinemas. Fully aware of its surroundings, the AVM 90 is designed to play nice as part of a wider whole home project and features RS232 Serial and IP control capabilities for easy customisation and compatibility with common third-party integration solutions. Included as standard, the AVM 90 will work as part of a Crestron, Control4, Savant, URC, RTI or Elan based smart home. Set up and hand over is handled by the intuitive and easy to follow Anthem Web User Interface. Nothing could be more simple than on-site configuration and calibration using this web-based wizard which has been specially designed to work on any device. From here installers can custom configure everything the new AVM 90 has to offer. Kapes Patel, COO at Pulse Cinemas, concludes, “Partnering with companies with the type of abilities, knowledge and experience as Anthem pays huge dividends. We know how capable the Anthem team are, but with this product they have surpassed themselves, its just does everything you want it to and more with ease. Get in touch and order yours today, we know you are going to be impressed.” Pulse Cinemas pulsecinemas.com
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ESSENTIAL HABITECH
RESIMERCIAL: MAKE IT MEANINGFUL!
Capitalise on the surging demand for high quality VC experiences in postCOVID WFH spaces
Habitech can help you to profit from the boom in homeworking with peerless product and project support says Technical Sales Manager John Perry… Marketeers love to throw words together to sell a new concept. ‘Infoedutainment’ is a typically ghastly example. A similar ‘portmanteau’ creation is the bonding of residential and commercial into the cringeworthy ‘resimercial’. But even though you may wince at the word, there’s never been a better time to embrace the idea. Because the surging demand for high quality Video Conferencing (VC) experiences in soaring numbers of post-Covid ‘Work From Home’ (WFH) spaces amounts to a meaningful new buying signal for your business. And given the overwhelming consensus online, it’s an opportunity you can’t afford to ignore. Type ‘homeworking’ into Google and you’ll discover a welter of studies confirming the advent of a ‘new normal’, in which WFH is not only accepted in the work schedule, it’s positively encouraged. One from last year by the ONS found that 85% of new homeworkers favoured a hybrid work environment split between home and office. Another by the OECD revealed that 63% of UK employers intended to introduce or expand hybrid working, with 45% planning to enable total homeworking. Yet another survey by ACAS found that 55% of employers
20 APRIL 2022
expected the numbers of WFH staff to increase substantially, while a Yahoo Finance study reported that a whopping 78% of senior managers believe remote working to be the future of their companies. All this represents a seismic shift in work/life attitudes post-COVID, underpinned by the view that homeworking can yield increased productivity and employee wellbeing, and more fundamentally by easy, inexpensive access to the technology that makes it all possible.
STEP ABOARD THE VC ROCKET SHIP!
If anyone is entitled to see a silver lining to the pandemic cloud, it’s Zoom’s Eric Yuan. During 2020, Zoom app downloads saw a 30x increase to 485 million and its business customer base grew by over 470%. In the last year Zoom software has recorded over 3.3 trillion annual meeting minutes, and 45 billion minutes of webinars. In fact, the platform is now so mainstream that it’s treated as a verb - ‘to Zoom’ - confirming the elevated status of video conferencing at the heart of today’s business and social comms. Sharing the VC starlight, Microsoft Teams added 95 million users in 2020 alone, helping to boost its customer base to somewhere near 150 million. No wonder a
survey by management app builder TeamStage found that 75% of CEOs now consider audioonly conferences to be a thing of the past.
ADD IT TO THE PLAYBOOK In the face of this incontrovertible evidence, it doesn’t take a genius to conclude that Zoom and Teams have transformed the viability of remote working. But these platforms are just part of the new workspace picture. Just like Netflix or any cloud-based service, they rely Designed for 360° comms, Wyrestorm’s Apollo conference hubs offer crystal-clear audio and up to 4K video passthrough in all workplace scenarios
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ESSENTIAL HABITECH
on a wider ecosystem of supporting products for success. In this respect, home workspace design is no different from the internetconnected home entertainment systems you install every day. For instance, each discipline needs fast and stable web access, powerful Wi-Fi networks and heightened internet security to be truly productive. Most of all, they need the highest performing, most reliable and userfriendly hardware support to deliver the best customer experiences, as per page one of the CI playbook. So, when a rapidly expanding cohort of Zoom-tethered homeworkers demands the best WFH experiences, your skillset is ideally placed to provide it, especially with Habitech on your team. This is because our Pro division is ready to support any and every workspace project end-to-end with the best products, expertise, training, demonstrations and stocking levels. As the design energy shifts between office and home, we’ll work with you to deliver optimum performance at any scale, from WFH to huddle spaces, to conference/boardrooms, to large presentation spaces. When your network brings you opportunities to pitch for commercial projects or when a home cinema customer invites you to transform the workspace in an adjacent room, Habitech will be with you all the way through planning, design, installation, and commissioning. It’s in our value-added DNA.
AT YOUR SIDE
We’re backing our peerless workspace product line-up with hands-on training and no fewer than three demonstration spaces. For project planning and specification, we’re ready to contribute over thirty years of experience in microphone, sound reinforcement and video systems design, supported by CAD services such as Ease and Visio. What’s more, we’ll guarantee the integrity of internet access via unbreakable Ruckus Wi-Fi and WatchGuard security. Whatever the scale and sophistication of your workspace project, we’ll help you deliver the highest performance to your client, end-to-end.
OUR PRODUCT PROMISE
Choose from Yamaha Commercial Audio’s vast array of proven speakerphones, huddle systems, speakers, mics, amps, processors, switches and complete Dante-enabled room solutions; Sennheiser’s innovative wireless mic and conference systems; Vaddio’s excellent conference cameras and mics, and Wyrestorm’s ultra-reliable cameras, mics, speakerphones and Network HD streaming architecture. Together we’ll make sure that your system design fits the application and budget perfectly. But you don’t have to take our word for it.
Yamaha’s compact YVC-200 USB and Bluetooth speakerphone connects with PC or Mac, smartphone or tablet
KOHLER MIRA CASE STUDY
Late last year we helped Michael Neale of Candor Electrical Ltd transform a large 30m x 20m presentation area at Kohler Mira, Cheltenham with high performance VC and background sound. We’d worked together on cinema projects, but this was his company’s first large commercial venture with Habitech as a partner. Mira had used VC and video wall tech before but weren’t happy with the performance. As Michael says, “they didn’t need it and it wasn’t on their radar, but I presented the idea to them, and they liked it.” So, we invited Michael down to Basingstoke for a demonstration of all the recommended options, including, for the background sound, Sonance PS-P63 pendants and Yamaha DSP/control/amplification, and for the VC, a Sennheiser ‘Team Connect’ Ceiling Array mic, ‘Speechline’ wireless mics for the presenters, a Vaddio AV bridge/RoboShot camera and Yamaha VXL column loudspeakers.
Michael, PJE and Mira are delighted with the results. Says Michael: “I found the visit to Habitech extremely useful and the team’s product knowledge invaluable in specifying the right products for the job from all the options available. “And with the help of a little training and on-site backup, the systems proved easy to install and set-up”.
Offering simultaneous IP (H.264) and uncompressed USB 3.0 streaming, Vaddio’s RoboSHOT VC cameras are ideal for spaces requiring a wide angle of view
MAKE IT MEANINGFUL!
Our ambition is to help resi integrators like you deliver similar performance quality and ease of use with similar efficiency to the new legions of home workers within today’s more flexible hybrid workplace scenarios. Whether working from home or hotdesking from the office, they’re demanding mirrored VC and AV performance way beyond the PC as part of the post-Covid contract. It’s a lucrative new gateway for your skills and enterprise, and with our powerful product lines, advice, design and technical assistance, we’ll help you to profit from the opportunities. So, whenever residential meets commercial, you’ll know who to call.
Wyrestorm’s NHD-300-TX 1080p AV-over-IP Encoder delivers versatility and simplicity to the widest range of live streaming applications
Habitech habitech.co.uk
Sennheiser’s TeamConnect ceiling mic array uses patented beamforming tech to follow the speaker’s voice
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APRIL 2022 21
ESSENTIAL INTERVIEW
The Model S range is well worth a listen
I DID IT STEINWAY! Charlie McClarron, UK Sales Director for Steinway Lyngdorf, explains the brand’s new direct approach to the installation market. Tell us about your time in the AV industry, how did you get to this point?
I started as the Saturday boy at a branch of Audio-T, so from the Hi-Fi side of the industry. I then went full time there straight after college. I was very lucky to be trained up by a lot of the HiFi manufacturers, and also witnessed the start of custom install with the early Crestron projects, the first Sonos products and other brands like Pioneer TVs. Following Audio-T I have had time with distributors and a manufacturer all in the audio/cinema sector. All this means I have gained an understanding of what good audio is and how to achieve it. You could argue these days that some of that audio understanding has been lost in the CI industry, but this is where myself and Steinway Lyngdorf can help. I also have lots of experience in cinema design and so now find myself in my dream role working for a manufacturer that I think is the best in the world.
When did you first become aware of Lyngdorf and Steinway Lyngdorf? I remember going to ISE one year, walking into the Steinway demo space where the
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company was showing its first full cinema system. I sat down and listened for a good 10 minutes and walked out thinking wow! Firstly, the performance, even in a show environment like that, was amazing! But secondly the build quality of the product was and still is the best I have ever seen! Let alone the fact the company can back it all up with the Steinway name as well! I knew then that these guys had something very special indeed and it stuck with me. One thing they did talk about when I was there, which again really stuck with me was that it is a complete system- you get the speakers, processor and power amps. I think clients will really understand that, instead of pitching them brand x for speakers, brand y for amps and brand z for processing, why not have it all controlled and designed by one brand? As for Lyngdorf Audio, this brand was fairly new to me, the guys in Denmark sent over our little amp, our smallest subs and speakers for me to play with. I set them up one night and to be honest I couldn’t quite believe what came out of them! For something so tiny they really do make one hell of a noise! As a combination of brands I knew it was a pretty special duo!
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What is it that you feel really sets the brands apart? The way I have been explaining it is that Steinway Lyngdorf is the best of the best. It is the best product we can make and offers a complete system with speakers amplifiers and processors. We also have a huge range of applications for Steinway as well; floor-standing speakers that give you the best audio performance possible, full cinema systems that I think will massively surprise people in terms of performance but also price point, but then also technology-wise we have everything from line source, to high output, to traditional speaker designs. Lyngdorf audio is our more day-to-day brand, budget friendly options but still huge performance. We have taken what we have developed and learnt with Steinway and trickled it down to Lyngdorf Audio with technologies like RoomPerfect, digital amplifiers, boundary woofers and bass management. Also with Lyngdorf Audio, like Steinway, we can offer literally everything from speakers to amplifiers to processors to even CD players!
APRIL 2022 23
ESSENTIAL INTERVIEW
Home cinema and music only systems are both targets for the brands
What you feel are some of the key products at the moment? From a Steinway point of view I would say dealers should look at our Model S range, an absolutely beautiful on-wall speaker with performance that most won’t believe. Then we have the IW range, a really well thought out range of in wall speakers, with multiple different models for different price points and applications. We do a lot of cinemas with this type of product, and when I explain to people that your clients could have a full Steinway cinema (speakers, subs, amps and processor) in a 7.2.4 configuration for around £70,000 RRP ex VAT, that is a powerful message.
Lyngdorf wise, the whole range is mega! A lot of dealers love our little TDAI-1120 amp which offers a two-channel amp, two subwoofer outputs, our RoomPerfect calibration software, drivers for Control4 and Crestron, but it also offers full streaming capabilities as well (Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Airplay 2, Chromecast, Roon, VTuner, Bluetooth) so it’s the perfect solution for most installs. We then have our cinema processors, the MP-60 and MP-40, amazing sounding bits of kit, with again RoomPerfect, bass management, Dolby Atmos, DTS-X Pro and Auro 3D all included. People really need to hear what those processors can do, I think they will be really surprised, especially the MP40 at £9,000 RRP inc VAT, that hits a very nice sweet spot price wise.
A lot of dealers buy just our subwoofers and speakers from us as well, we just released our new CI range of products and our new LS1000 line source speaker has gone down a storm! 2m tall line source speaker for just over £7,500 RRP inc VAT is a seriously competitive price point for a proper line source speaker. You then have our little MH-3 and MH-2 on wall speakers that are £369 and £479 respectively, a very musical sounding speaker for an amazing price. Then you have our BW-3 and BW-2 active subwoofers that partner perfectly with the MH-2 and MH-3 speakers, or even in their own right versus other subs, the BW-2 with its 10in driver for £1,149 RRP inc VAT is a brilliant sub for that money!
The cinema processor MP-60 is a very popular choice
24 APRIL 2022
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ESSENTIAL INTERVIEW
The full-range Model O loudspeaker
Meet us at The Security Event in Birmingham! Hall 3, Booth D51
The brand goes direct from April 1, tell us about that
It is an exciting time for us! Set up wise it is simple, in the long run we will have two or three members of staff in the UK, then a big team in Denmark supporting everything from technical support to shipping. Why now? I think as the market grows we need to make sure we are in the best position to support our dealers. We are already direct in other territories, so it’s something that we felt was a logical step. The UK is clearly a key market for CI, cinema and Hi-Fi.
What benefits/support services can retailers and installers expect?
Firstly, I think it offers that consistency, you can build up a relationship with the manufacturer directly and know that we aren’t changing distributor in a few years’ time. You also get the full backing of the manufacturer; we can react quicker. We will also shortly have a showroom which all our dealers will have access too, it will show both Steinway Lyngdorf and Lyngdorf Audio products and will be a great place to bring your clients, just watch this space, we are coming with something very cool! Dealers will also be able to access demo equipment, just talk to us.
Do you have any specific aims for the brands in the first 18 months?
I think the first 18 months we need to establish ourselves in the market more, Lyngdorf Audio especially. Steinway will still be limited to the right dealer, but we do have certain locations where we need to strengthen. I really want dealers to hear and see how good our product is. We have some cool products coming to the market as well from both brands, hopefully we will see a lot of dealers at ISE where they can see these. Our showroom opening will be great as well, it will give dealers a great opportunity to come and really hear what we can do. Steinway Lyngdorf steinwaylyngdorf.com
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3D ONLINE CONFIGURATOR Create your own customized IP video intercom with our planning tool! Specify dimensions, style and features and choose from more than 50 materials and colors. Get your delivery time, price and a technical drawing instantly. www.doorbird.com/configurator DoorBird combines exclusive design with the innovative IP technology in the field of door communication.
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APRIL 2022 27
Just Add Power is BACK! The MaxColor 4K60 Transmitter and Receiver natively supports 4K60 4:4:4 in and out including HDR and is distributed through a 1G Managed Switch!
Contact a Just Add Power Specialist today on 01684 576 348 or team@oneav.co.uk
New training dates added... oneav.co.uk/training
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ESSENTIAL PROJECTORS AND SCREENS
Short-throw projectors and high-performance screens are a powerful combo (image courtesy of Sim2 and Pulse Cinemas)
SCREEN TEST Jan Walter, global business development manager at AV Stumpfl, says screens are definitely here to stay. Only a few years ago, it was not uncommon to find AV technology pundits who were convinced that projection screens would soon disappear altogether, or at the very least be reduced to a bleak niche existence. One of the major reasons for these kinds of predictions was and is, of course, the seemingly unstoppable rise of LED display screens in multiple markets. Whilst it is undoubtedly true that LED screens did and do represent a great choice for a variety of setups, (especially since the competition between a multitude of manufacturers is so fierce) their rise in popularity did not result in the doom and gloom scenario that some predicted for projection screens. The bottom line is, that the general category of professional projection screens did not die, but that most manufacturers successfully adapted to the changing landscape instead. The first line of defence for screen manufacturers is without a doubt projector manufacturers, who introduced a great number of innovative and powerful new products in recent years. With brightness being one of the key killer arguments when comparing LED displays to projected images, it is unsurprising that on the whole there have never been so many great projectors to choose from, that are both as bright
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and as compact as never before. The latest generation of ultra-short throw projectors in particular are convincing many AV tech buyers to take another look at the traditional combination of projectors and projection screens for a variety of scenarios. It is not the case however, that screen manufacturers simply waited for the usual suspects of the projector manufacturing world to come to their rescue. The ability to offer more and more custom produced screen systems in a variety of shapes and sizes, combined with new screen surface materials, are opening up exciting new possibilities. One such trend is the wider introduction of screen systems that feature ambient light rejection surfaces, or ALR for short. In an ideal world, you can easily control the lighting situation in your company‘s conference room, your living room or your beautiful home cinema. Dealing with the effect of ambient light sources can however be a little bit tricky sometimes, if you can’t control all of the incoming light. To help customers enjoy the best image quality possible, products like the AV Stumpfl Decoframe Ambiance systems employ advanced surface material technology that usually features a grid structure, which leads
to the projector‘s light being less impacted by ambient light sources and results in a visually stunning projector performance. High quality projection screen frames can be used for decades, which makes them an attractive choice in terms of sustainability, a topic of growing importance. There is also evidence that classical projectors may cause less eyestrain than other display technologies. It is of course true that projectors do produce ‘blue light’ as well, but instead of having to look directly at a light source, a projector’s light reaches the human eye indirectly. When it comes to fixed installations, with ease most projection screen systems can be hidden from sight, either due to a products’ modular design or the use of ceiling casings, make them particularly attractive choices. In live event settings, projection screens continue to be popular due to the fast build-up time and relatively easy logistics involved. The great speed with which screen surfaces can be changed and/or existing screen system frames can be adapted or replaced to fit different size requirements are additional reasons that this technology will continue to be relevant in different parts of the AV world for years to come.
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ESSENTIAL PROJECTORS AND SCREENS
NEW SENSATIONS VIA NEW GENERATIONS James Drummie, Product Manager at distributor AWE, looks at the shifting trends in two key sectors. The pandemic has caused a shift in trends when it comes to ‘projectors vs super-size TVs’ in the home. With people now spending more time in their homes – especially with hybrid working becoming the norm, the space we live in has become more flexible and multi-functional to accommodate the need to work, relax and play. We’ve noticed a boom in media rooms for example, which can be a space to work or relax during the day and quickly adapt to become a family entertainment area in the evenings. A hidden cinema in a living room is a great way of creating a multi-purpose space, with projectors and screens hidden in the ceiling and in-wall speakers behind the acoustic fabric, only noticeable when in use.
PROJECTORS ARE HAVING A MOMENT
Combined with the impressive technical developments in the projector market, we’ve
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seen more and more of our customers opting for a projector and screen combo. Clients can now enjoy the advantages of a projector, without needing to dedicate an entire room to function as a ‘home cinema’ – making it more of an accessible option for clients, than ever before. At both ends of the market, projectors are getting much better. For under £5,000 you can get a 4K laser projector from Epson that includes a huge lens shift, motorised optics and an incredibly bright 2,700 lumens. With proprietary 3LCD technology, the projector’s colour brightness matches its lumen level. At the top end, you have the amazing Sony GTZ-380 native 4K projector. Utilising three lasers to produce 10,000 lumens of brightness, this projector can achieve 100% DCI-P3 colour without the need for filters, so still at 10,000 lumens of brightness.
IS THERE SERIOUS COMPETITION FROM ‘SUPER-SIZED TVS’?
Projectors have become so good that some of the previous issues that held clients back from this option, such as budget, colour brightness and ambient light, are becoming less of a concern. The TV market is fighting back with
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super-size TVs, and these are becoming viable options for home cinema. A good example is Sony’s amazing 100in full-array backlit LED screen, which is available to purchase at under £15,000. The Sony 100in makes a great alternative for home cinema, especially if it’s in a room where light control is a problem.
IS A DEDICATED CINEMA ROOM NOW AN ELITE CONCEPT?
A dedicated cinema room isn’t just for the super-rich - a garage or loft space can easily be converted into a fantastic home cinema room. Sure, we are seeing a growing preference towards multi-purpose media rooms with ‘hidden technology’ but dedicated cinema rooms are the holy grail for true movie fanatics. A dedicated cinema room doesn’t have to be a more expensive option and shouldn’t be written off as an elitist concept just yet. Take a look at our new performance cinema at AWE, it’s a fantastic home cinema space with the latest technologies – all the AV equipment featured in the room (projector, screen, amplification and speakers) comes in at around £25,000.
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ESSENTIAL PROJECTORS AND SCREENS
DESIGN AND SPEC CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE PREMIUM EXPERIENCE Barry Sheldrick, Director of Sales at DbM, takes a look at planning for premium experiences. Over the last 18 months, we’ve seen significant growth in premium video solutions. A number of Barco Residential DCI projectors have been specified and deployed by integrators, along with big 3 chip projectors. As the level of content quality that we receive into our homes (and the regular TVs that we view this content on) have improved so much, there is a larger appetite for ‘something like this, but MUCH bigger’. With the video bar being raised by the latest OLED’s, PS5’s, Xbox’s, Disney+ and so on, people are seeing how important it is to have a truly impressive video experience. When scaling the image size up, there are different aspects to consider, such as viewing angle and distance, typical content preferences and ambient light level in the room. In our two demo systems at our HQ in Huntingdon, we have the ability for integrators to show their clients the traditional 45 degree viewing angle as well as a 50 degree viewing angle that the extra resolution UHD projectors afford us. This flexibility is key. The viewing angle guidelines are great, but being able to show their impact to a client with a demonstration has helped integrators ensure they are delivering a screen size that best suits the client and their room. The ambient light in the room will also tell us what type of environment we are working with and how much light reflected back from the
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screen that we need to target. This means that all the systems we design with DbM integrators are based on engineering numbers to ensure guaranteed results. Again, this is absolutely critical. If you want a huge image that lights up the room, we know what projector you need to achieve that! Barco has such an extensive range it really does make the specification job very simple. With a huge range of lenses for each model and light outputs from 2200 to 32,000(!) ANSI Lumen (and, we’re talking REAL light output numbers, not manufactured ones!), we have the right projector for every application. With native 5k projectors designed for 2.37 aspect ratio screens for zero compromise all the way up to flagship DCI units that are capable of a film director of grading movie content on. As always, there is more to image quality than numbers, it is essential that the amazing contrast ratio figures and colour accuracy of the projector are maximised by amazing optics. Barco offers lenses that go from as little as 0.3:1 all the way out to 10.83:1, covering any conceivable screen size or throw distance. The other advantage projectors offer is that to create a truly immersive experience, you need to match the amazing picture with superb sound. The acoustically transparent screens we offer from Display Technologies enable us to engineer the perfect LCR placement behind the
screen to ensure the audio and video are always perfectly synced in both timing and positioning. A quality image surface also ensures the image is pin sharp and the dialogue is crisp, both essential for drawing the viewer in. Does that mean there isn’t a space for supersized TV? No, not at all! In the very bright, open plan living spaces that are becoming more and more popular, a large format (130in+) direct view LED screen is a great choice. With huge brightness you can enjoy sports and gaming at any time of the day with all of the lights on, no problem at all! Partner such a screen with a pair of discrete in wall speakers like Meridian’s DSP750’s or make a real statement with Meridian’s flagship DSP8000 XE loudspeakers and you have an immense experience that fits into a popular new way that homes are being constructed today.
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ESSENTIAL HDANYWHERE
OUTPUT EXPANSION ON STEROIDS:
MEET HDA’S NEW CONTROL MUST-HAVE
HDANYWHERE’s (HDA) uControl Zone Processor (ZP) is the company’s entry into the world of standalone control. Here, HDANYWHERE introduces its new baby. to build a bigger, unifying smart home interface with new control abilities including smart lighting, multi-room audio and video. The HDA Smart Home makes a unified whole-home AV experience found at the top end of the market more affordable for the end-user, whilst still remaining a good proposition for the installer.
ISE FOR SOME SURPRISING ANNOUNCEMENTS
With a Zone Processor in your project you can tick off easy AV control without the need for an MHUB, and even control other devices in the home (such as smart lighting, relays and some PDUs) using their free uControl app. This is all made possible from £149 RRP and represents HDA’s commitment to its “80:80” goal - to deliver 80% of the most-used control requirements at 80% less cost than the current market leaders.
EXPANDED IO FROM YOUR FAVOURITE CONTROL SYSTEMS
The ZP is built around HDA’s open API and what this means, in plain English, is that anything their kit can do can be instructed to happen from almost any control device to convert the ZP
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into an output expander. For integrators, this means the ability to deploy relatively low-cost IR, RS232 and HDMI CEC* control end-points over wired or wireless network connections, adding more devices into the control space without expensive or complex infrastructure requirements. This is obviously particularly useful when retrofitting or upgrading integrated systems, but can also add simplicity and time/ cost savings to new projects too.
APPEALING TO THE MIDDLE-MARKET WITH THE HDA SMART HOME HDA’s strategy has been to capitalise on their R&D and intellectual property patent portfolio
At EI Live! we demonstrated these new capabilities for the first time, with integrations written in minutes showing off control over Rako and Hue lights, in-line power supplies, PDUs, relays and more. Once a Zone Processor is deployed into a property the HDA app, voice or Apple Watch interfaces become available interfaces from which control commands can be generated or sent. The whole HDA team is very excited to show this AND what’s coming next in this exciting category at this year’s ISE in Barcelona. Hackers and tinkerers: Join the HDA Facebook Group and share your ZP hacks or applications: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ucontrol More information: https://hdanywhere.com
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Lighting Scenes (WiFi)
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Source Control (IR)
More control, for less. Expand the wired or wireless reach of your control system from £149 RRP or add control to your existing AV equipment using our free uControl app.
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ESSENTIAL OFFICE, BOARDROOM & HOME WORKING
DISPLAY SOME INITIATIVE Gunnar Kyvik, Business Segment Lead – Meeting & Conferencing, Sharp NEC Display Solutions Europe, examines the shift towards home working.
A home workspace, as its name suggests, is an intrusion on home life. Any time spent working in the home environment will impact family and/or home life, in some way. This can lead to conflict and tension. Since home working is now a long-term scenario, many workers have invested in ways to try to separate their home workspace from the home environment, such as garden rooms, or smart furniture in a living room/bedroom – this separation is vital. For many, where space availability at home is a luxury, local office hubs can provide the answer. What is crucial, is flexibility. Working practices must become more flexible to enable workers to manage the intrusion on their home life, therefore, the solutions and tools available to them, but also be flexible.
How should the home office be equipped? Ergonomics are as important in the home workspace as they are in the office; a well supporting chair, height adjustable monitor, appropriate desking etc. Perching on the end of the bed and leaning on the dressing table might have been a ‘needs must’ scenario two years ago, but it is now no longer appropriate. Home workers will appreciate equipment which will support a high-quality audio and visual experience for video calls but forcing them to take certain equipment will not be appreciated. Many global corporations offer a catalogue, enabling workers to select their preferred equipment from a pre-approved list which will ensure any issues regarding quality, compatibility and security are already ironed out. Other organisations provide a budget enabling employees to purchase their own equipment.
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Beyond video calls, agile workflows must be supported through tools and devices for collaborative work sessions. Remote workers need to be as participative as those working face to face, using collaborative tools. The demands on home-based equipment can be greater than for officebased – where equipment could well be used for both work and leisure, longer battery life and wireless functionality is required. An example might be headphones, used for videocalls but also for listening to music or playing games, therefore demanding 24/7 capability. Blending technology for home and work life helps to reduce potential tension and conflict. The key is frictionless working – anything that removes boundaries and makes the process of work easy and efficient is vital to increase productivity and motivate workers. Simple, easy connectivity, without compatibility issues, will ensure a smooth and easy process. Choosing technology which is open and modular, offering choice and flexibility without restriction, will help employers and employees to find the tools that support their working practices, both now and in the future.
Could employees just use their own equipment?
Certain quality standards need to be maintained but if a company wants to attract and keep talent, flexibility is vital. The pandemic has accelerated
change. Now that people are being asked to work from home, organisations must shift their thinking to support this in any way necessary. This requires freedom of choice – freedom to choose their equipment and freedom to use whatever platform they prefer. When requiring people to work from home, they will have no choice but to use their home connections. Any security issues will simply have to be addressed and managed.
What about the employers’ obligations to home workers?
The focus here should be empowerment – employees are sensible, responsible people in their private lives, it should be the same in their work lives. Employers should provide whatever training is reasonably needed to support employees whilst informing them of their obligations and responsibilities as homebased workers. In looking at the formulation of a home working policy, it’s important for organisations to involve the user / home-worker in this process. Making policies and forcing compliance is not the way forward. Empowering employees is the quickest, most efficient way to make a cultural change within an organisation. Every worker is unique, but every human needs an element of social interaction – how this is addressed must be a key consideration of any home working policy.
This NEC Windows Collaboration Display is designed to fit seamlessly into any environment
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ESSENTIAL OFFICE, BOARDROOM & HOME WORKING
THE THREE KEY ELEMENTS OF THE HOME OFFICE
Audio, video and environment all need to be at the forefront of a successful home office, argues Phillip Pini, Director Residential Sales UK at Crestron. As the hybrid work model becomes an entrenched part of the modern business community, the benefits for those who prefer working remotely (even if it’s a few days a week) are remarkable. Less commute time, fewer in-office distractions, and a better work/life balance all make for happier employees — and employee retention is a priority given the current labour market. For the firm that hires remote workers, the pandemic proved that productivity was actually improved for the most part when working-from-home became the norm. During the early stages of COVID and its attendant lockdowns, the home office was a makeshift affair for many. More and more ‘knowledge workers’ rapidly came to realise they needed a dedicated space in which to work, proper video-conferencing solutions, and the proper environmental comforts to make ‘WFH’ truly sustainable and increase their wellness.
THE ROOM ITSELF
There’s a lot to be said for the physical space a remote worker’s occupying, and it goes well beyond an ergonomic chair or a motorised desk that allows for a variety of positions. Humancentric lighting can be extraordinarily beneficial — after all, humans were tuned to the patterns of the sun for thousands upon thousands of
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years. It’s only recently that people began spending 90% of their time indoors, and lighting that mimics nature can have a profound effect on health and productivity. An environment with the proper fixtures and lighting control, automated to mirror the outdoors, is more than mere luxury. Additionally, humans work best when they’re in environments that include ‘stochastic stimuli’ or biophilia — and that includes everything from greenery nearby (or out a picture window) to the sounds of nature: wind, birds, water, and so on. Even if it’s recorded audio, when it’s delivered with quality in mind, the effect is profound. Ultimately, the combination of the right meeting tech and the proper environmental considerations means that the home office can act as both a haven and an inspiration.
VIDEO
Remote workers need a reliable, robust videoconferencing system that minimises ‘meeting fatigue.’ One of the most critical elements in creating successful hybrid environments (that is, a mix of remote and in-office collaborators) is ensuring ‘equality’ for all participants by creating an ‘equal pixel’ real estate. With the right technology, it’s impossible for a meeting attendee to walk out of a shot being viewed by the remote worker. For the remote worker,
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proper camera placement with auto-framing software and an understanding of rudimentary lighting concepts are also incredibly helpful: It’s technology that helps achieve actual eye contact, transmit gestures properly, the things that make human interaction feel – well, human.
AUDIO
A room that’s properly sound isolated can be a marvel. To achieve that end, a thorough look at the space comes first – if the room’s not built for two-way sound isolation at the outset, one can add sound absorption and diffusion, which can include everything from drapes to custom panels to the very learned look of a wall of books. Microphone considerations are also important. The right mic for the space, its placement, and finding solutions that feature software such as echo-canceling and noise reduction, help remote workers collaborate most effectively. Personal preference comes into play when a worker is in listening mode: Does the attendee prefer speakers or a headset? Either way, devices that are completely free of any distortion are a must. Everything to increase wellness in your home office.
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ESSENTIAL RE-SAUCE
GOING DUTCH ON A JET EI had a chat with Gordon Dutch, formerly of BBG/Peerless, to find out more about his new AV/CI focused venture and an interesting new client.
It has been a while since we last spoke, what have you been up to since stepping back at BBG Peerless? Hi Dan, great to see you too buddy and it certainly has been a difficult few years for many businesses, unless you happen to be into video conferencing of course. So having run BBG/Peerless for over 25 years, I decided to step back for a little bit and concentrate on the family. However once lockdown hit, my wife decided it would be good for me to get back to work! I had been doing a little business and sales consultancy in the retail world for Euronics under my BBG business development consultancy business since I stepped back. However due to COVID that almost ended over-night. I was chatting to Lee Baker, the ex-Commercial Director at Midwich Group, who is a good friend of mine and he suggested we consider setting up a similar business, but aimed at CI and Pro-AV and so here we are. The business is called ReSauce (www.re-sauce.net) and we are around one year old now and going great guns.
residential installers and integrators can use to provide a highly professional quote in superfast time to their customers. There are a few companies out there providing similar solutions, but Jetbuilt was really the originator of this in the cloud. The advantages of working in the cloud is that it allows people work on the same project all at the same time and from anywhere. Jetbuilt is a global platform featuring multi-currency and multi-lingual (UK English, German, French & Spanish). That is a very simplistic overview, as in fact the platform not only allows you to create the quote, but has everything from a built-in CRM called Funnel, through to modules that allow you to manage the installation, purchasing, stock, (you can receive & track equipment in your warehouse, onto the vans and all other assets once installed). Via API, Jetbuilt can also connect to most accounting software and other IT systems. So using Jetbuilt couldn’t be quicker or easier.
What else should our readers know about Jetbuilt? What are the costs involved for example?
To be honest Dan, the best thing they could do is speak to Dave Gledhill (DaveG@jetbuilt.com) who is Head of Sales EMEA for Jetbuilt and he can help organise a brief demo. Alternatively, if they wish, that can get a flavour from the video on the Jetbuilt website. The demo video is right there when you log onto www.jetbuilt.com and you can access a free trial, which can be extended if you speak to Dave and their team. A great thing here is that there are no charges for onboarding, training or setting
up, and prices for the Lite version start at only £47 pcm and so it’s amazing value for what it does. Other key points are that we are working on is to connect the platform to the key manufacturers and distributors within the ProAV and CI industries, the likes of Midwich, Exertis etc… and so the dealer pricing is all loaded and updated via API. It’s not an issue if that doesn’t happen, as a subscriber can easily load their pricing, but it would be an advantage. Also the whole platform is available on Mac, PC and mobile and so you can run the whole business from your phone if you are an owner/ operator or need to work with a large range of sub-contractors or installers.
We saw some of the Jetbuilt social media showing people at the beach and doing fun stuff, how does that tie in? The whole point of Jetbuilt is to close projects faster. You can put a professional quote or amend a quote in super-fast time and then manage the project more efficiently, so put simply, you are more efficient, make more money and have more spare time… What could be better? Also please note that Jetbuilt have a booth at ISE – Hall 2, stand 2C400 so anyone interested can also get chance to chat to the team then, but why wait! Contact Dave Gledhill at DaveG@jetbuilt.com. Jetbuilt jetbuilt.com
Jetbuilt is aiming to make life easier for integrators
So what is Re-Sauce?
We are a sales and business consultancy that provide strategic planning and introductions to companies looking to launch across the EMEA and off the back of that we provide a full range of marketing, press & PR.
So what brands do you cover?
We look after a number of brands in the ProAV world, such as DTEN and HYPERVSN, however the brand that I believe would really be of interest to your readers is called Jetbuilt, a cloud-based quoting platform that Pro-AV
42 APRIL 2022
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CONNECT PEOPLE
PERSONALISED LIGHTING CONTROL Lighting affects everything. Your well-being. Mood. Concentration. Creativity. Now, with native integration of our new LED lighting fixtures and select third-party fixtures, the Crestron Home™ platform puts the power to control it in your hand. Control the colour, intensity, and amount of light, whether synchronising with your natural circadian rhythm or using our SolarSync™ sensor to match the colour and intensity of the natural light outside. So, any time, any room, you’re always in the right light.
Visit us at ISE Stand 3H300 and 3H400 | FIRA Barcelona, 10-13 May 2022 | VIP Invitation code: ZHC4ZAZU All brand names, product names, and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Certain trademarks, registered trademarks, and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Crestron disclaims any proprietary interest in the marks and names of others. Crestron is not responsible for errors in typography or photography. ©2022 Crestron Electronics, Inc.
ESSENTIAL AUTOMATION PLATFORMS
FROM STATUS-SYMBOL TO LIFESTYLE ESSENTIAL Mal Fisher, CTO at AWE examines how the smart home has evolved towards the mainstream. work with, capable of supporting the integration of residential and light commercial technologies. The previously clear boundaries between each market are less defined, and this shows no sign of slowing down as enterprise and collaboration solutions are developed to support remote workers in the home. For installers, it’s important to be aware of the intersection of work/home and keep up to date on training in this area.
ENERGY AND REMOTE MANAGEMENT
Home automation is no longer reserved as luxury technology for high-end installations. Connected homes have become much more accessible, with the likes of Ferrari turntables and automated wine-cellars making way for functionality that supports our everyday lives. While we can attribute some of the advancements in residential automation to the
new challenges of recent years, we can’t ignore the DIY market for its contribution to demand. DIY control solutions have become so accessible and cheap, that you’d be hard pushed to visit a home without a voice-controlled consumer device in it these days. Wonderful for us. This opens our services to a broader audience, familiar with the promised convenience of control but frustrated with its limitations. The result is that it’s easier for installers to sell in the benefits of professionally integrated and intuitively controlled automation with the advantages it offers in terms of entertainment, comfort, security and energy savings.
THE MARRIAGE OF LIGHT COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL AUTOMATION
The biggest evolution in recent times is improved interoperability between systems, devices, applications and services. The necessity for people to work from home, and the subsequent trend for hybrid working, has resulted in a realisation of the significant improvements that have to be made to a home’s networking infrastructure to deliver robust home automation. We now have a great foundation to
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Another ongoing trend is for solutions that improve energy management in our homes. Control solutions are now available that can ‘read’ the weather and instinctively adjust HVAC output to the right levels to ensure the most comfortable temperature at home. The remote control is another increasingly important feature for clients. This is an area where we are seeing developments in the functionality of UI. With URC Total Control, for example, the homeowner can monitor and manage devices from user interfaces in the home – remote controls, touch screens – and via an app on their smart devices. Users can also select pre-programmed household modes, including seasonal temperature scenes, with one-touch to manage their home and save energy when they are away.
A MARKET OF POTENTIAL – THE FINAL WORD
While the smart home market is booming, it’s my view that automation is currently underrepresented in the assisted living sector. Taking automation back to basics, it is here to make life better for people in their homes, so there is a wealth of possibilities for improving the quality of life for millions of people. As an industry, we could be giving more focus to this untapped sector. It’s a big market for residential automation and with the capabilities that today’s smart technology present, there is great potential here. We could be providing more education to further develop the industry in this sector, interacting better with healthcare and assisted living providers. As an industry, we could also give more kudos and visibility to projects within this sector.
APRIL 2022 47
ESSENTIAL AUTOMATION PLATFORMS
THE ‘EVOLUTION REVOLUTION’ OF THE CONNECTED HOME Michael Short, Director of Residential Marketing at Crestron examines how the automation landscape is changing.
Any updating of automation systems must now take a far more holistic approach
In the modern business of home automation, the only certainty is change. Constant, sustained change. But the evolution of automation platforms isn’t just a one-time thing such as single piece of hardware —it’s about hardware and software evolutions happening in tandem. Over the past 12 months there have been numerous major OS updates to the Crestron Home platform, with one happening on average every six weeks. Constant evolution has allowed us to add quite a bit of functionality this year — with so much more to come. As Crestron’s Solutions Engineer, Chase Bouchard, likes to point out, a great many of these updates are rooted in dealer feedback, “From developing the right icon to adding third-party devices, it’s the input from people in the field that helps build the best customer experience.” Which might prompt the question: How exactly does one determine what goes into an update? Crestron’s Director of Product Management (Residential Solutions) Jason Oster says that
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the process is really very scientific. “We have a priority list of all possible features and all the devices that we need to support,” he says. “As you can imagine, some things are massive. It could be an eight-month project and we have other things that only take a few weeks.” An example of the former? Secure remote access. “That was probably a year in the making,” Jason notes. “That update, released in December 2021, meant that dealers no longer had to open ports. The processor reaches out to the cloud, and we have a secure connection,” he explains. “To get it right, to make it secure, and to make it as resilient as possible — it took a while. I think the quality of the work shows because we haven’t had any outages since it was released, with thousands of people using it every single day.” As far as the variety of features in a new update, Jason says that balance is everything. “A good update, from our perspective, is a real mix of large and small improvements, as well as third-party integration.” Some further examples of how that work translates into the evolution of residential tech:
distributed streaming audio has never sounded better. The signal quality of streaming services has improved dramatically in the past few years, and amplifier and speaker technology now delivers an incredible listening experience that’s astonishingly unobtrusive. (For Crestron, the heart of those systems are the products in the DM NAX line.) Power control and device health monitoring. The biggest priority for the client is often ‘keep it simple.’ Job one for the modern integrator? ‘Reduce truck rolls.’ The ability to remotely reboot a single device and get status updates from various parts of a home automation system has made life easier for end-users and dealers alike. The evolution of control. Creating an interface that’s intuitive for the homeowner yet incredibly simple to customise for the integrator was an obvious goal of ours, and building on it has been a priority. The ability to hide or reveal zones and functions quickly, editing lighting scenes and other aspects without the need to be on-site, giving the user control of multiple residences from a single app, making voice control vastly more effective — the list is extensive and evolving. Beyond that, the constant addition of new languages to the platform makes any system truly global. KNX support. Those two words say it all — KNX support gives dealers throughout the EMEA region use of their preferred automation standard. Interoperability. If any aspect of home automation is as critical to the ‘now’ as it will be to the future, the ability for any platform to ‘work and play well’ with an expanding universe of quality third-party products and platforms will help make residential integrations reach their true potential. Keeping interoperability top-ofmind gives a client a tremendous number of options beyond a single ecosystem, and when they all function without friction, that’s when technology becomes truly magical.
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ESSENTIAL AUTOMATION PLATFORMS
DRIVERS TO ENHANCE SEAMLESS INTEGRATION Richard Caton, Managing Director of Janus Technology, looks at what is driving change in the automation sector. What do we care about in the professional home technology industry? Number one is the delivery of a reliable, premium quality experience for our clients. The system that integrators design, and the performance of the products and solutions which contribute to that experience, are obviously key. This calls on the design and installation expertise of integrators to do what they do best and create a system that demonstrates just what amazing technology can achieve. Beyond that, it also places a demand on the integration skills of the installer to make sure that the user’s control experience, through whatever third-party automation platform is specified, is as impressive as the connected lighting scheme, audio system or home cinema. Number two from the installer’s perspective is that time is money. The time spent on integrating technologies into a system can quickly escalate to burn a hole in a project’s profitability. The pace of innovation, the frequency of hardware and software updates, the limitations of third-party control systems and unforeseen requests from clients present challenges. Installers are under pressure to offer customers solutions that combine premium performance with ease of integration. Manufacturers are under pressure to make sure that their products interface seamlessly with third party control systems, without any loss of functionality. The challenge is that products which may not perform to the optimum level required by the integrator, but which are easy to integrate, may be selected to replace their higher performing counterparts, just because they are better and quicker to integrate and control. That kind of compromise is nothing that anyone can really be proud of. For many years, Janus Technology has been helping brands avoid these problems as a provider of technology integration software and support services. Creating control system drivers allows deep integration with manufacturers’ products and ensures that integrators can give their clients a seamless user experience. A proven, welldesigned and implemented driver also has the advantage of simplifying the workflow for an integrator, saving them time and boosting profitability.
To develop reliable, feature-rich drivers demands more than just the ability to write code. An understanding of the products and how they fit within the smart home eco-system is a pre-requisite in building a valuable solution. At Janus, we’ve worked on the coalface as installers and programmers, as well as in the design and manufacturing of hardware. Providing more than just a turn-key development service, we provide a consultative approach to all development work, helping clients understand what makes a good integration and what should be left out. ‘Less is More’ is a maxim we often use. Start off with a simple feature set that integrates well and is easy for the client (and installer) to understand. That way, they quickly become happy with the functionality and integrate it into their daily usage – you’ll soon hear if there is a specific feature missing that they want, and that can then be added. The result is an integration that is rich in the features that they want but doesn’t included features that aren’t wanted. We’ve built a large suite of drivers for manufacturers and integrators to offer seamless AV, lighting and BMS integration of products with third-party control systems. These include drivers for integration and control by Control4, Crestron Home, Elan, RTI and URC.
We work directly with manufacturers to create integrations for their products that they can then freely distribute. We also consult directly with integrators to fulfil their clients specific wishes. Additionally, we develop our own solutions to enhance the smart home experience that we then licence to integrators. For example, there are new user experiences available, such as, our Visual Navigator for Control4 that provides a visual overview of the state of the entire home, or our cloudconnected BMS solutions that give insight into energy usage. With Crestron Home, we are developing direct integrations for the Zentium thermostat to simplify integration, eliminating the need for an external Bacnet gateway or a series-4 co-processor. Software development has grown to be a significant part of our industry and will remain so for many years to come. Our vision is to make residential automation system integration smoother and more streamlined for dealers while making the user experience accessible, intuitive and, ultimately, more enjoyable. Reliable, feature-rich drivers reflect well on the brand reputation not just of the manufacturer but also of the installer who is deploying them. So, be sure that your driver development is in the right hands – get in touch with our expert team today.
A recent Janus creation, the Visual Navigator for Control4 shows the status of the whole home
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APRIL 2022 51
ESSENTIAL AUTOMATION PLATFORMS
THE PROFESSIONALS Mark Reynolds, Vice President & General Manager EMEA at Snap One examines how the DIY market has impacted on the professional CI sector. The rise in DIY technology has seen more and more consumers consider adding smart devices to their home to make life easier, safer, or more convenient. Clearly, this is the biggest automation trend in recent times and presents a huge opportunity for our market. After all, there’s a huge difference between buying a bunch of retail smart gadgets versus using a professionally installed, fully integrated smart home automation system, like Control4. Helping consumers understand and recognise how we can improve upon DIY solutions provides a huge platform for our industry to communicate and help consumers realise the full potential of what a professional automation solution can bring. So, what are the areas where a professional automation solution can make the biggest advances over a DIY solution? The size and complexity of the home is a big consideration in any project. The larger the property, and the more varied the building materials in use such as stone floors and concrete walls, then the less practical it is to scale a collection of smart devices for the home to operate in the same way as a fully designed system. ‘App acne’ and the use of multiple
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remotes also become more and more of an issue as a greater number of smart devices are added and demand to be individually controlled. In turn, more devices increase the stress on the Wi-Fi infrastructure to deliver reliable product connectivity and performance, without any buffering, lagging or drop-out issues. We’re also seeing privacy and security concerns with DIY solutions on the market. When working with a professional, consumers can be sure that their network is secure, all smart home components are up-to-date and configured to minimise any security gaps.
PERSONALISED EXPERIENCES Increasingly, we are looking past the basic device control and universal remote functionality found in DIY smart homes to take the consumer’s experience forward and offer even greater, more compelling points of difference. Not only are we building out additional features to provide more and more personalised automated experiences, but also creating the features and functions that will come to define the next generation of ‘Smart’.
The DIY market gives the industry a chance to showcase the power of pro system
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ESSENTIAL AUTOMATION PLATFORMS
Decent quality integrated audio is a big driver
With a fully integrated Control4 Smart Home, consumers can easily bundle actions that all work together without having to painstakingly program and install all of that themselves. Access and control of the system can be personalised to the right family members or made available to all at centralised locations for convenience and ease of use. Taking that level of personalisation even further, our industry can, of course, integrate technology to meet unique and truly custom solutions, whatever they might be. Consumers seeking a personalised, intuitive automation solution, have to look to a professional integrator and a professional automation platform for the answer. Looking to the future, we have recently expanded the entertainment capabilities of the Control4 Platform to provide for the next generation of audio and video deployments with a suite of customisable features to fit any scenario. Ryff is the new name for our highresolution native streaming audio platform within Control4 and provides the highest in audio quality, decoding at up to 192kHz sample rate, at full 24 bit-depth, and includes MQA support. It also includes network-based audio synchronisation, to prevent echos and lag across multiple simultaneous zones, including those connected wirelessly. Ryff provides fine-tune controls like Crossover, Tone Control, and Delays, along with end-user controls like Parametric EQ, media sharing, and multizonal controls. The Ryff audio experience provides integration with 12 of the most popular streaming services including, Spotify and TIDAL.
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GOING REMOTE
We’re also seeing an increasing trend for remote control and management that is helping to migrate customers away from the limitations of the DIY option. Our Control4 Platform includes a suite of cloud-services to enable this access and convenience. For our customers, a 4Sight subscription provides fast and complete access to their system, whether at home or away. From their Android and iOS devices, including their Apple Watch, they have 24/7 remote access into their systems, with notifications and alerts to keep them informed. Meanwhile, Intercom Anywhere functionality keeps them connected from wherever they are, allowing clients to monitor and communicate with any room in their home, from their smart phone or a Control4 touchscreen. Not only do Control4 integrators benefit from the alerts, and the Cloud backups and restores provided by 4Sight, but now also have native access to cloud-based features in the OvrC platform, our industry-leading, cloudbased management system. By enabling OvrC Pro on a Control4 Controller, integrators can provide network monitoring and management
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for troubleshooting, rebooting, self-healing and handling software upgrades without having to visit site. A key feature of OvrC is that there is no recurring software cost or sign-up fee, so integrators can easily incorporate it into customer service packages, resulting in no disruption or extra cost to the client. Ultimately, customers are looking for a rock solid, reliable system that’s easy to use and can be accessed from anywhere, no matter the size of their home. A fully integrated Control4 Smart Home can be customised to their specifications and lifestyle. Hiring a pro means they’ll get all the right products for their needs, in addition to installation, maintenance, troubleshooting, and remote assistance. With the control and personalised automation experiences enabled through our Composer Pro and Composer Express combined with the power of our OS 3 user interface, Ryff: our high-resolution audio streaming platform, and 4Sight and OvrC: our cloud-services platforms, we can provide far more than any DIY or mass-market Smart Home. Beyond Smart, our Intelligent Platform is ready and fully able for the next generation of deployments.
APRIL 2022 55
ESSENTIAL TOGETHER FOR CINEMA
SPRING FORWARD! The momentum behind Together For Cinema (TFC) continues to build and here EI presents our monthly update from TFC founder, Ian Morrish.
The roll out is continuing including this completed project for Jigsaw Children’s Hospice by MajikHouse
We have a very ambitious seven cinema room installations our plans for this year, four are already well underway with almost all product’s confirmed and an installation schedule. The other three will be defined over the next few months. This is the most we have ever planned in a single year, and the seven installs will have a normal installation value of about £160,000. This will take our total to 36 donated cinema rooms. Check out our website for the full details on all the projects and who is involved. We have a full schedule for 2022 and as with all best laid plans, there may be some delays. With this in mind, and the possibility of a 2022 install dropping into 2023, I’m keen to set up no more than five or six cinema room installations for next year. The current plan is looking like: Ellenor Hospice for Children and Adults, Gravesend. Claire House Children’s Hospice, Liverpool. Richard House Children’s Hospice, London. Dorset Children’s Trust, Poole. Robin House Children’s Hospice, Ballach. Derian House Children’s Hospice, Chorley. At the moment, this will be the basis of our delivery for 2023. These installations will need installers, projectors, screens, AVR’s, speaker packages, racks, control, lighting etc, so please do what you can to help and spread the word to those
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installers, manufacturers and distributors who also might be able to help. Renewals of our 2021 sponsors was hugely successful with almost all sponsors kindly renewing their sponsorship. I hope their willingness to renew was based on an appreciation of what we achieved in 2021 and what we are looking to achieve going forward. Either way, a huge thank you to all that renewed. Beyond our renewing sponsors, we are delighted to welcome (as it stands now) another 12 new sponsors, giving us a total of 45 industry sponsors. However, and as well as support appears to be, we still need another few sponsors to achieve our budgeted goals for 2022. The sooner we can secure these sponsors, the sooner we can focus on completing the installations and developing our other activities to further the difference that we can all make in our community. If you are interested in becoming one of the Together For Cinema sponsors, you can do so from as little as £500. Every penny of support will be committed to furthering the cause and making a difference to the children and young adults that we look to help.
a marathon a day in the Sahara Desert in temperatures in excess of 50 degrees centigrade and all to help raise funds for TFC. He has an ambitious target of £25,000 and is determined to hit it. This was an incredible challenge and one that Chris is quite rightly taking very seriously. He was training for almost 12 months and changed his diet to ensure he was in the best shape he can possibly be. This of course does not permit any alcohol, and on the lead up to the event he was eating dried food and sleeping a lot on the floor, all to get him prepared for the extreme conditions and the pressures his body would be put under. I tip my hat to Chris and am full of respect for his determination and commitment. As an industry we should back him and be very proud of what he has taken on, and for a great cause. To sponsor Chris, please go to his website at www.pinder.com/mds. Working with two wonderfully supportive companies in the commercial AV industry, we also soon announce an AV industry sporting tournament. Keep an eye on social media but rest assured I will let you know when I am allowed to announce it! Together For Cinema togetherforcinema.co.uk
MARATHON MAN
Over six days during March, Chris Pinder, Managing Director of UK B2B AV trade distributor, One AV, ran the equivalent of
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WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? EI regular contributor and experienced CI and AV professional, Pete Baker, founder of marketing and logistics specialist The BIG Corp, takes a look at childhood dreams. have contacted me often have some plans they are considering, but aren’t quite sure which path to take or what steps they can take to ensure success. The following are some suggestions I can offer to help you navigate this process and continue down the road to future success professionally.
1) Determine the best path to take
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My wife and I had a special guest at our house recently. Our good friends dropped off their 5-year-old son, Nash with us for the weekend. We had a blast building Legos, watching movies, eating massive bowls of ice cream and laughing away the weekend together. Over the course of the visit, I found myself asking Nash: “hey buddy, what do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s a timeless question that countless adults asked me when I was a kid – back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. The question is revisited again when teenagers prepare to enter college and need to determine a plan for choosing a major and earning a degree. In the case of my two daughters, their plans changed after entering college, taking different classes and interacting with other students. What they thought they wanted to do for a career or profession changed significantly prior to graduation. This question of what we want to be when we grow up, is not limited to youth. In fact, I have spoken with dozens of professionals in and out of the industry over the past few years (especially in the past year) struggling with this question. These professionals all desperately want to make a change in their career, but don’t really know what they want to do or how to start the process. They feel displaced and maybe a bit nervous to be in this predicament. The thought of ‘starting over’ with a new career path can also feel daunting, require a pay cut, stepping out of the comfort zone. I can certainly sympathise with them, as I went through this stage in my career a few years ago. It seems that the thought of a career change is top of mind for many professionals. Those who
When I decided I wanted to make a change in my career, I literally felt like I was staring at a blank chalkboard and had zero idea what I wanted to do for my best chapter. A mentor of mine gave me some incredibly valuable advice. He asked me, “what do you like to do and what are you good at doing?” Those simple words distilled the process down for me, and got my brain pointed in the right direction. To help organise my thoughts I simply created a excel document that I like to call ‘The Opportunity Matrix’. I wrote out several items (roughly 10) what I thought I was good at, enjoyed doing or had value to me on the horizontal axis. If you are unsure about what skills to highlight, consider taking a professional skills assessment online. Some examples for me might be: sales, marketing, working with dealers, international business. You could also add elements of compensation: salary, benefits, and other financial elements. On the vertical axis I wrote a list of anything I was considering. Some examples might be as follows: a CE Sales role with a manufacturer, start (another) integration company, consulting, join the circus, or any other role that may come to mind. Once the horizontal and vertical axis elements were populated, I then added a numerical value from 0-10 at each intersection; adding weight to the relative item for each role. At the far right a total would be calculated for each role based on the factors I had entered. This process was remarkably revealing for me. The roles that I originally thought would be the most rewarding for me (not financially, but the overall score), were actually some of the lowest scores. The opportunity matrix ultimately led me to start my current business: BIG. It has been an incredible journey and extremely rewarding for me. If you would like a copy of the Opportunity Matrix, please email me and I would be happy to send you a free copy.
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2) Prepare for the next BIG opportunity Over the years I have had countless professionals who are either looking for a career change, between jobs, or launching a new business. Often in these situations, I’m happy to share that I have an opportunity for them. Prior to making any introduction between the professional and the person or business with the available opportunity, I will ask the person if they have an updated resume/ professional bio. Is it a new business venture? If so, do they have a brochure or website. I am surprised to discover in nearly every case, professional branding or marketing materials are lacking. As a result, many of these opportunities never developed successfully. The process of updating a resume, a LinkedIn profile, or creating a professional bio, website, brochure and other materials can be a grueling process. However, it can also be invaluable to restoring or increasing confidence in your skills and abilities. As you go through the process of developing professional branding materials, you are forced to reflect on past achievements, certifications earned, and collect an inventory of signature strengths to highlight. As you create your resume or professional bio, keep in mind that people don’t care as much about where you worked, compared to what you did! For example, list the role you had first, then the company. Focus on highlighting accomplishments in that role, rather than duties. I have reviewed hundreds of resumes over the course of my career and I could count on one hand the number of them that truly stood out from the crowd. Also, do your research and read online tips for creating a compelling resume or professional Bio and online presence. If creating these materials is not a key strength for you, then invest the money to hire a professional to perform the work for you. You can also find somewhat automated resources to improve your resume like www.resume-now.com. Think of the ROI for the money spent to create a world class professional brand for yourself and the impact it may have on future compensation for many
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years ahead. If you would like some free tips, you can email me for professional branding examples and guides to use when creating the materials.
3) Get the word out Network with friends and colleagues when the time is right. In most cases the opportunities will not chase you down, you need to find them for yourself. The best way is to lean on the network you have created personally and professionally.
4) Establish credibility If you are seeking new employment, reach out to some professionals or past employers for a letter of recommendation that you can use for potential opportunities. I have included portions of a LOR as quotes within a professional bio. It is also important to have a list of approved references available and include a quote from the reference regarding your skills, abilities or past accomplishments. If you are launching a new business, especially in consulting, ask yourself why a company or person should hire you as a consultant and be prepared to deliver credible examples of the value you can deliver to the prospect. There will never be a good time to take the leap and explore a new opportunity. When I started my first business, I had three small kids, and a single income in the family, but the fear of failure drove me to create massive success with my team. The success we achieved did not happen by accident, it took a lot of hard work and dedication by my team and I. The same can be said about a career. The investment you make in your career planning and professional branding can have a massive impact on your future success and there is no better day to start making that investment than today. Best wishes for BIG success to you in the year ahead! I would love to hear from you. Please email me anytime at: pete@thebigcorp.com or check out the free professional resources on my website at BIG Professional Resources – The BIG Corp.
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PICTURE LIF
ESSENTIAL CASE STUDY
LUXURY CINEMA LOCHED IN
EI takes a look around this fine example of the growing phenomenon of luxury cinemas within the MDU and hotel sectors. Allan Staig, Installation Director from AVComm UK, was contacted by Cameron House Hotel back in 2017 to design and install a 12-seat Dolby Atmos cinema and private cinema within the hotel. By December of 2017, Allan and AVComm UK were ready to begin the installation. Unfortunately, a devastating fire destroyed the space that they were going to be working in. Almost three years later, Cameron House Hotel contacted Allan Staig again after their fire restoration had been completed. At this point, the brief changed considerably – the space was first stated to be a 42-seat cinema that guests, corporations, and private groups could use to view new releases and existing movies. Due to AV needs and available
62 APRIL 2022
space, the final theatre accommodated 29-seats. The cinema also needed to be used as a meeting or conference room. For these reasons, AVComm UK created an entirely new design for Cameron House Hotel, working with distributor Apex-Tech UK and Alan Briggs as a point of contact for AV products and support. With the name of ‘The Luxury Loch Lomond Cameron House Hotel’, The title alone speaks to the beauty of this destination hotel in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. Surrounded by beautiful, crystal-clear water, the Loch Lomond Hotel sits on the shore of Loch Lomond, a pristine Scottish lake just under two hours west of Edinburgh. The Loch Lomond Hotel is, undeniably, a five-star location, desirable for
weddings, conferences, business trips, golfing, and honeymoons. As part of their recent renovations, the Loch Lomond Hotel added a private cinema with 29 seats.
THE BRIEF
Cameron House Hotel had requested the following of the AVComm UK team for this 10 x 7.8m room. • A proper, private cinema to show new releases or existing ones to corporate guests, private guests, or public guests. • As much seating as possible, given the space constraint, while maintaining the best viewing and listening experience.
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the benchmark for luxury theater seating introducing
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HARV Ultimate comfort and functionality !
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We invented subwoofers Now we’ve just reinvented them Once again, M&K Sound® has defined the meaning of deep bass. The new THX® Certified X+ Series subwoofers, including the 15-inch THX® Certified Dominus X15+, deliver even more of the legendary reference bass performance for which M&K Sound is widely acclaimed. M&K Sound’s speakers and subwoofers can be found in all major film studios and many top recording venues around the world. That surely speaks for itself.
For more information, call the UK’s exclusive M&K Sound distributor Gecko Home Cinema on 01635 268114
ESSENTIAL CASE STUDY
• The room must also function as a meeting space when not in use as a cinema.
WHY MSE AUDIO’S PHASETECH? Allan, early in the design process, decided to work with a local distributor, Apex-Tech UK, throughout the project. Apex-Tech UK not only offered the required cinema products, they also had the extensive knowledge and service offering to support the AVComm team when needed. Allan worked directly with Apex Tech UK’s Alan Briggs for most of the planning and product selection. When Allan described the project’s scale and high-profile nature, Alan Briggs knew that
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Apex-Tech UK could deliver products with the quality and reliability that they were looking for. Neil Davidson, Apex-Tech UK’s Managing Director, recommended that Allan commit to the Phase Technology (PhaseTech) brand, knowing that the speakers had high reliability and excellent quality. In addition to this, Neil knew that MSE Audio’s PhaseTech brand had high-performance in-wall speakers that could be concealed without taking up valuable space.
PRODUCT SELECTION
For the entire speaker collection, ApexTech UK suggested the Phase Technology product lineup for several reasons. First and foremost, the PhaseTech product line offered high performance in-wall speakers. These
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would allow Allan to keep flush, smooth walls, reducing the visual impact within the theater while providing full rich sound. For such a small space, keeping everything compact and minimising the amount of equipment on the walls was paramount. For the sound management technology, an Acurus Muse processor and two Acurus M8 power amplifiers were selected. These came recommended by Apex Tech UK, and they were a great match for the PhaseTech speakers. Visual technology included a Barco Athena projector, several components to reduce the noise from that projector (since it had to be placed in the room), and a Kaleidescape Strato player to manage the projected visuals and sound.
APRIL 2022 65
ESSENTIAL CASE STUDY
This luxurious location needed a cinema to match
INSTALLATION PROCESS According to Allan, planning the installation was a bit tricky since there were now two designated fire walls (one in the original project) to work around. Due to this and other factors, the projector had to be installed inside the cinema. Additionally, installation on the fire walls required an additional change to the walls themselves so that the infrastructure would allow installation into a 100mm deep stud partition. The projector itself was also placed into a custom-made hush box and was fitted with a Mistral Airflow system that included silent fans and a control center. This was a critical part of the design because the projector would be
66 APRIL 2022
hanging above the viewers – it had to be quiet and discreet, all while maintaining proper aeration to avoid overheating. The PhaseTech high-performance three-way in-wall speakers were simple to install, and the patented extruded aluminum positive clamping and patented bass extending enclosure ensured accurate control of low-end performance and a clear reproduction of the sound into the cinema. Allan was impressed by the ease of installation for the speakers.
POST-INSTALL TESTING “The PhaseTech CI speakers sounded amazing, even before the audio tuning and calibration.
The quality of the sound and the separation within the room is one of the best we have installed,” says Allan. “It was very good before calibration, but that took it to the next level. Value-wise, for a high-end product, I don’t think you could get a better speaker package for the cost.” “My favorite thing about [this installation] is [that] the immersion of audio and the image quality is perfect in my opinion. I have been told indirectly, by [the] staff of the hotel, that the client just loves the whole room and is very happy with it,” concluded Allan. A.V. Comm avcomm.tv
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Are you installing home technology or considering offering smart home solutions? CEDIA's Tech Summits are the best place to learn what's coming next.
From top manufacturers showcasing their latest products to informative seminars, you can't afford to miss CEDIA's Tech Summits
leeds - 27 april 2022 edinburgh - 09 june 2022 london - 21 june 2022 Register for FREE at cedia.net/techsummits
R6225 SERIES
19” Convertible Wall Mount Rack Enclosure With Removable Shell Swap between secured enclosure and open form rack in moments
The freedom of an open frame and the security of a sealed cabinet The latest design in our 19” range offers rack builders and AV installers an enclosure with more freedom than ever before. The R6225 wall mount enclosures provide total accessibility on demand as well as rock-solid security when needed. The steel outer shell disengages to slide off independently from interior cables and devices to provide quick and convenient access to the rack anytime. When the shell is secured to the rack frame, security is assured with a lockable front door and high quality steel construction throughout. Choose to go open form and make device installation and management a breeze - no more struggle trying to work inside awkward and difficult to access enclosures!
AVAILABLE IN SIZES 4U-12U Wall Mount Bracket Included
WATCH VIDEO: Cable access at top, base & back | Lockable and reversible drop-pin front door | Integrated cable management
Shop: PennElcomOnline.com
Catalogue: Penn-Elcom.com
ESSENTIAL CASE STUDY
Non-Chinese Essential Kit List • 1 x Acurus Muse Processor • 2 x Acurus M8 Power Amplifiers • 1 x Barco Athena DCI Certified Projector • 1 x Display Technologies Frontier Acoustically Transparent Screen • 1 x Display Technologies HB-L Hushbox • 2 x Display Technologies Mistral 200 Silent Fans • 1 x Display Technologies Mistral Commander • 1 x Kaleidescape Strato Player
FCC NDAA Cyber-Secure
Specified
• 3 x Phase Tech CI130 • 4 x Phase Tech CI120 • 4 x Phase Tech C7.3X • 2 x Phase Tech IW210 In-Wall Subwoofers • 1 x Phase-Tech P350 Subwoofer Amplifier
01908 443 660 contact@LILIN.uk essentialinstall.com
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APRIL 2022 69
Become an approved Sonos Become an approved Sonos Installed Solutions partner Installed Solutions partner Sonos is one of The World’s Leading Sound experience brands. We invented multiroom wireless made it sound amazing, and changed people Sonos is one of Theaudio, World’s Leading Sound experience brands. the We way invented listen at home. Known for premium sound, ease of and use,changed thoughtful multiroom wireless audio, made it sound amazing, thedesign, way people and an open platform, we create products and experiences that make listening listen at home. Known for premium sound, ease of use, thoughtful design, simpler and more joyful. and an open platform, we create products and experiences that make listening simpler and more joyful. Sonos innovation powers better listening experiences, We want to continue to workinnovation with the Installer and build on thoseWe successes in the future. Sonos powerscommunity better listening experiences, want to continue From Portable speakers, Home Cinema and Architectural systems, these all to work with the Installer community and build on those successes in the future. benefit when installed by Home an approved From Portable speakers, Cinemainstaller. and Architectural systems, these all benefit when installed by an approved installer.
Sonos Approved Installers win CEDIA Awards. Apply to become an approved Sonos byInstallers emailing win Installed-Solutions-UK@sonos.com Sonos Installer Approved CEDIA Awards. Apply to become an approved or visitInstaller www.sonos.com/dealer/dealer-onboarding Sonos by emailing Installed-Solutions-UK@sonos.com or visit www.sonos.com/dealer/dealer-onboarding
PRODUCTS
STEINWAY LYNGDORF BRINGS IT’S A GAME Steinway Lyngdorf has announced the launch of the new freestanding Steinway & Sons Model A loudspeaker. The new Model A is a full-range loudspeaker and provides the Steinway & Sons sound performance from a loudspeaker specifically designed for roomfriendly placement against a wall. This makes the Model A the first choice when the room shape or interior demands a more space-saving setup, from living rooms and media rooms to apartments, penthouses, or yachts, and even dedicated home cinemas without the space for separate woofers, says the maker. Steinway Lyngdorf’s signature Air Motion Transformer tweeter and a dedicated midrange driver provide outstanding clarity and transparency, while two powerful 12in woofers deliver very deep, yet defined bass even from this shallow speaker cabinet, says the speaker’s creator. The speaker design features distinct side panels in black piano finish, black strings, and matte gold accents. Custom colours and polished gold details are available on request and special order. As with every Steinway & Sons loudspeaker, the Model A is part of Steinway Lyngdorf’s Integrated System Approach, ensuring each part of the system—from the Steinway & Sons stereo and surround sound processors to the powerful digital amplifiers and loudspeakers, is
designed from the ground up to work perfectly together. Steinway Lyngdorf’s RoomPerfect technology is the finishing touch for each integrated system. RoomPerfect acoustically calibrates the speaker to the room acoustics, always ensuring the very best sound experience for every customer, in any room. Anker Haldan, CCO at Steinway Lyngdorf, says, “The popularity of our Steinway Lyngdorf floor-standing speaker systems has grown
significantly in recent years. During this phase, it became evident to us that there is a demand for expanding our range to offer a system in between Model O and Model B. This has resulted in the complete new Model A speaker system, which we now proudly present.” Steinway Lyndorf steinwaylyngdorf.com
The brand’s new UK subsidiary is now fully operational
SNAP ONE UNVEILS PRODUCTS FOR CONTROL4, OVRC, EPISODE, TRIAD Snap One has a busy year of new releases planned
Snap One has unveiled a selection of products across the control, audio, and remote monitoring categories that further the company’s aim to serve as the one-stop supplier that its partners can depend on. Snap One recently introduced updates to Control4 software and hardware. One notable evolution is the addition of OvrC Pro capabilities to Control4 OS3 so that every OS3 system can now be remotely managed using OvrC without the need to add additional hardware.
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Additionally, with increased notification accuracy and improved Wireless Site Management within OvrC, Partners will enjoy faster, more efficient workflows, says the maker. Snap One will also release Control4 software, OS 3.3.0, including a native lighting colour wheel user interface for fast and intuitive control of tunable white and colour lighting. Now Partners can create colour pre-sets that customers can personalise, and include lighting colour as an element of lighting scenes and
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programming. And customers can quickly change the mood of a room by controlling lighting colour using their Control4 mobile app or touchscreens. OS 3.3.0 also improves how quickly customers can connect to their Control4 smart home using their Control4 mobile app when they are away. These same improvements enable Partners to connect faster and work more efficiently with their clients from anywhere. Snap One also teased a brand-new line of Control4 CORE Series Controllers that boast faster processors, more zones of built-in audio, higher quality DACs, and a 4K on-screen user interface. The new Core series includes three versions for different sized projects that require varying features and functionalities and will start shipping next quarter. Snap One also announced new audio offerings coming later this year, including the release of an Episode 2.1 Active Soundbar and Episode Wireless Subwoofer Bundle as well as new Triad PDX Architectural speakers, available in Q2. Snap One SnapOne.com
APRIL 2022 71
PRODUCTS
HARV WAY TO HEAVEN Just like all CINEAK seating models, HARV Representing a contemporary adaptation of is fully modular, making it the ideal lounging vintage design, luxury chair manufacturer CINEAK solution for each cinema, entertainment, media, or has launched the HARV. gaming room. Due to its modularity, HARV can be The HARV is CINEAK’s contemporary configured in straight or curved rows, but can also adaptation of vintage design. The soft quilted upholstery makes HARV both visually attractive serve as a stand-alone solution. and physically inviting, says the maker. The vintage design, complemented with CINEAK CINEAK’s touch of innovation and eye for cineak.com comfort, results in a one-of-akind seating experience. This model is the outcome of more than two years of development and the result is probably the most comfortable media-seat on the market, claims CINEAK. The hidden three-way motorised mechanism allows the user to independently control its foot, back, and headrest, guaranteeing a comfortable seating position for each user in HARV is comfortable each situation. and adaptable
A NEW REFERENCE POINT FROM KARMA-AV AND PERLISTEN Using a similar design blueprint, the new ‘R’ Series will build on the success of Perlisten’s flagship ‘S’ Series speakers, also available from Karma-AV. Perlisten Audio has been set up to offer music and home cinema enthusiasts a completely proprietary path to greater fidelity and value. Over five years of advanced modelling, measurement and listening have been dedicated to developing transducers, electronics and software entirely in-house; nothing has been sourced ‘off-the-shelf’ or contract manufactured outside the company’s production facilities. Precision in production and QC delivers optimum performance and enduring quality from Perlisten’s proprietary technologies, including its Directivity Pattern Control (DPC) array, comprising a waveguided dome tweeter flanked by twin midrange diaphragms, engineered in a single unit to generate accurate and natural dispersion and coherence from 1kHz-30kHz. A Perlisten DPC configuration of three 26mm silk domes is utilised by the new ‘R’ Series loudspeakers, including the R7t 4-way tower, the 3-way R5t tower, a matching R5c centre model, the stand-mounting R5m monitor, a 3-way R4s angled surround/height design, and a bookshelf version, the R4b. In each model the DPC is complemented by multiple or single 165mm HPF polymer woofers according to system size. R Series designs are available in a piano black finish, with piano white available shortly.
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Supporting these designs is a range of four active subwoofers incorporating proprietary amplification, DSP and App control. Karma-AV also points out that Perlisten Audio is the first brand in the world to have received THX Dominus Certification, the newest and the largest performance class of THX Certification, meant to bridge the gap between large home theatre speakers and those used in movie houses worldwide. Suitable for rooms up to 184 cubic metres and up to a 6m viewing distance, THX Certified Dominus speakers are certified to reproduce very high SPLs with low distortion. Karma-AV karma-av.co.uk
A simple solution for productive home offices. Artnovion’s innovative range of mobile acoustic panels provides a simple and flexible upgrade solution for a productive home office. Using just four mobile walls that feature high-performance acoustic absorbers, you will reduce the room’s reverberation time and lower background noise giving you more privacy whilst creating a buffer from the rest of the home.
Available at:
rgbcomms.co.uk or call us today on Typical retail prices (inc VAT) range from £8,100 pair for the R7t to £1,600 each for the R4s model.
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01488 73366 RGB Head Office, 13–14 Headlands Trading Estate, Headlands Grove Swindon. SN2 7JQ
APRIL 2022 73
PRODUCTS
IT’S A madVR WORLD
Working remotely or on the go? ClearOne’s range of portable USB cameras and speakerphones offer a winning combination. The compact UNITE 20 webcam with 120° ultra wide-angle fieldof-view mounts easily onto your PC or laptop display, providing professional quality video for any workspace.
madVR Envy is described as the most advanced video processor for high-end cinema, using patent pending algorithms to deliver the ultimate in picture quality. madVR Envy creates the most dramatic yet highly accurate video through frame by frame HDR dynamic tone mapping, upscaling, fast subtitle and aspect ratio management at output resolutions up to 8k, says its creator. The system also offers de-banding and compression artifact reduction, specialised sharpening and detail enhancement, 3D LUT calibration and Non-linear Stretch. The award winning madVR Envy is incredibly straightforward to set up and virtually plug and play, says the maker. An elegant and intuitive on-screen menu allows access to all image adjustments which can be stored in user profiles as required. madVR Envy also offers a comprehensive interface for professional calibration to achieve the most accurate image available. Firmware updates are easily performed and integration with all major control systems is available. madVR Envy is available as two models, the Pro and Extreme. Envy Pro creates stunning images whilst providing most of the
Priced per speaker the MSRP’s are £299 (INF6) and £349 (INF8) respectively, both speakers are available now
or call us today on
01488 73366 RGB Head Office, 13–14 Headlands Trading Estate, Headlands Grove Swindon. SN2 7JQ
74 APRIL 2022
madVR Envy madvrenvy.com
The madVR Envy range of video processors are exclusively available in the UK and Ireland from Apex- Tech UK
ELIPSON BUILDS REP WITH ARCHITECT RANGE
Available at:
rgbcomms.co.uk
functionality and enhancements needed in any performance cinema. Envy Extreme however, offers a no compromise upgrade for those videophiles and discerning clients who require the absolute best in every category. Apex-Tech UK Managing Director Neil Davison says, “The madVR Envy is a ground-breaking video processor that has been designed to provide a peerless visual experience in the very best cinemas and media rooms. We are extremely proud to be representing the brand in the UK and Ireland.”
A duo of range topping in-ceiling speakers has been added to the Elipson Audio Architect Range. The INF6 and INF8 in-ceiling speakers feature many of the long-established design and performance characteristics of the successful Infinite range and are designed to blend seamlessly and discretely into any high-performance home cinema. To cover the main requirements of installers and home owners, the speakers are available as either a 6in or 8in drive unit. The dual co-axial design of the INF in-ceiling models means that
they have a compact footprint relative to their performance levels. Despite this they retain a high level of audio performance and accurate reproduction of film soundtracks as demanded by passionate consumers, says the maker. A key trickle-down technology from the full-size Infinite range are the materials used for the main bass and mid drive unit. This blend of carbon fibre and PMI, first pioneered in the Infinite 8 and 12 models, gives accurate and fast playback whilst retaining a naturalness of sound. Designed specifically for their in-ceiling applications, the INF6 & INF8 have Titanium dome tweeters (19 and 25mm respectively) that are adjustable by 30° in all directions to aid flexibility in install and application. Installation is simple and features the industry standard locking system. Both speakers come finished in White (with grills) and are ready to paint to match the customers décor. Pricing for the speakers is set to be highly competitive and takes into account the need for multi-channel applications, and yet also reflects the premium quality and performance of the INF6 and INF8. Elipson en.elipson.com
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Rise Up. Reimagine. Ignite the Future. ISE 2022 unites and inspires AV professionals to meet the latest challenges with innovative solutions. The future begins in Barcelona.
New Dates:
10-13 May 2022
Fira de Barcelona | Gran Vía 10-13 May 2022 Discover more iseurope.org Joining Forces A joint venture partnership of
PRODUCTS
CLASSICS ROCK, MISSION RESURRECTS THE ICONIC 770
Working remotely or on the go? ClearOne’s range of portable USB cameras and speakerphones offer a winning combination. The compact Chat 50 portable USB speakerphone provides crystal-clear, hands free audio communication for collaboration from a home or office desktop.
Available at:
rgbcomms.co.uk or call us today on
01488 73366 RGB Head Office, 13–14 Headlands Trading Estate, Headlands Grove Swindon. SN2 7JQ
76 APRIL 2022
One year after its launch in 1997, Mission released a speaker that rocketed the company to the forefront of the burgeoning British Hi-Fi scene – the influential Mission 770, now 44 years later its back! Re-engineered to reap the benefits of modern techniques and technologies whilst invoking the spirt of the original in terms of technical ethos, look and sound, listeners can enjoy everything that was great about the original, with added performance. The original 770 did not appear especially radical, despite its distinctive white baffle and clever engineering. But crucially, its sound was perfected over hundreds of hours of listening tests with input from budding industry luminaries such as Philip Swift and Derek Scotland (soon to be founders of Audiolab), and magazine editors such as Paul Benson of Hi-Fi Answers and John Atkinson of Hi-Fi News. This gave it an edge over the competition and a reputation for exemplary sound was quickly earned argues Mission. The project was a labour of love for company founder Farad Azima. His intention was to deliver the BBC-influenced midrange accuracy and transparency of a speaker like the Spendor BC1 while also achieving tighter bass and a more propulsive and engaging sound. These days, Mission is part of the International Audio Group – the custodian of famous British audio brands that also include Audiolab, Castle,
Leak, Quad and Wharfedale. Nostalgia is a part of what fuels demand for these brands, but it is also a recognition that these designs have stood the test of time, exuding authenticity and engineering gravitas often lacking in the age of smart speakers and digital streaming. This, then, is the ideal time to bring back the Mission 770 in re-engineered form, argues the company. The new speaker is faithful to the original blueprint whilst making full use of modern techniques and technologies to elevate its performance to an entirely different level. Mission mission.co.uk
Manufacturing of the new Mission 770 is now under way, in limited quantities at £3,500 per pair
CYRUS AUDIO AND ROON REVEAL NEW RELATIONSHIP
A new friend for Roon in the form of Cyrus Audio
Cyrus Audio has announced that the Pre-XR, i7-XR and i9-XR amplifier products from the XR Series are now Roon Tested. Roon is an innovative music discovery and streaming platform, which offers a rich and engaging way to browse, organize, and listen to an entire digital music collection – whether it’s stored locally, on streaming via Qobuz and Tidal, radio and more. ‘Roon Tested’ products have been profiled by Roon’s QA team so that Roon can identify them and automatically configure their settings to be optimised for a variety of environments. Cyrus Audio and Roon says they have collaborated to
ensure their customers experience optimal sound quality and seamless daily use when using Roon software and Cyrus products together. The Cyrus XR Series also includes the CDiXR and CDt-XR and was launched in December 2020 as an uncompromising series of discrete audiophile components, the performance of which elevates Cyrus into the very highest echelons of transparency and precision. Cyrus Audio says it is committed to providing the modern music consumer with the best experience possible, and products being Roon Tested is an important step in achieving that. As a Roon Tested partner, Cyrus has provided equipment to Roon for testing with a variety of different operating systems and computers, and shared information about its design and capabilities. Cyrus has a direct relationship with Roon and in many cases, the Roon support team has the company’s devices on hand so customers can confidently choose to use Cyrus Audio hardware with Roon. Cyrus Audio cyrusaudio.com
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HOME OF LUTRON We can offer the most inspirational design possibilities from the entire Lutron residential range, including HomeWorks, HomeWorks Wireless and RA2 Select, and with our specialist on hand, help you to create the ultimate in lighting luxury and sophistication for your customers.
Visit habitech.co.uk for further information or meet us at Basingstoke for the full Lutron experience. www.habitech.co.uk | 01256 638500 | sales@habitech.co.uk
One Partner You Can Depend on for All Your Projects Smart Home • Networking • Security • A/V Infrasructure Entertainment • Distributed Audio • Power & Remote Management
Our company anchors its solutions on two award-winning business platforms – Control4 Smart Home OS 3 and OvrC Remote Management - supported by the latest products and innovations from the brands in our portfolio, including Triad, Araknis, Chime, Binary, and Strong.
Learn more about Snap One.
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