AV News April 2024

APRIL 2024

Working from Home law changes

Is Working from Home more productive or less?

Unlike many employers, more than half of employees are unconvinced about the benefits of home working for their organisations. As of the 6th of April 2024, employees will have the right to ask their employers for approval for flexible working arrangements from day one of their engagement. However, the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023 sets out reasons why employers have the right to refuse applications from employees on specific grounds.

Many employers already allow staff the right to request flexible working from their first day of employment. Research from the CIPD last year found that 14% offered this opportunity before the legislation took effect. Perhaps unsurprisingly, employers investing heavily in office-based collaboration solutions would rather that their staff spend time in the office, to take advantage of these systems and to enjoy meeting equity without any additional spend.

“The new flexible working legislation removes the requirement for an employee to have 26 weeks’ continuous service before they can make a formal flexible working request. This means the right to request flexible working becomes a ‘day-one’ right. Employees will also be able to make two flexible working requests every 12 months, a change from the current single request. The Act will reduce the time limit for employers to deal with flexible working requests from three to two months, although this can be extended if the employee agrees”.

While the new legislation codifies current practice in many organisations, its introduction has been far from universally welcomed. Employers must consult

with an employee before refusing a request, and the new legislation will remove the need for employees to explain or justify the impact of the proposed change on their working arrangements. Acas has drafted a new code of practice on how employers should handle flexible working requests once the new changes have taken effect, but this remains under consultation. A new code will come into effect alongside the legislation.

In the current Acas code, flexible working is a term used to describe an arrangement that meets the needs “of both the employee and the employer” as to when, where, and how someone works. Since the pandemic and the raft of virtual working that followed, many employees now choose to work differently to the traditional Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 in an office. This could include part-time working, home working, hybrid working, flexitime, job sharing, compressed hours, annualised hours, term-time working, and team-based rostering.

The Flexible Working (Amendment) Regulations 2023, which come into force on 6 April this year, extend to England, Scotland, and Wales and update the Flexible Working Regulations 2014 by removing the requirement for an employee to be continuously employed for at least 26 weeks to make a flexible working application. The benefits of allowing employees more autonomy over their working arrangements are well-documented, such as greater engagement, better work-life balance, and lower stress. Employees who work flexibly are less likely to take time off work for childcare issues or mental health issues, for example.

There are also risks to the employer of not offering flexible working options. The CIPD estimates that around 4 million people have changed careers because of a lack of flexibility at work. Enabling employees to work flexibly can help organisations narrow the gender pay and pensions gap. According to the Fawcett Society, 40% of women who are currently not working said access to flexible work would mean they could take on more paid work, while 77% of women agreed they would be more likely to apply for a job that advertised flexible working options.

Employers should look at their current policies around flexible working and ensure they reflect the new law, in particular with relation to the length of service required. Training managers on complying with the new rights will be essential, as employees must now be consulted before their request is refused. Managers should also be made aware of the shorter time frame in which to consider a request. There remains a list of permitted business reasons for which a request can be refused, and the employer must offer concrete evidence to support the reason for refusal.

The productivity issue

There are several grounds on which an employer can refuse a request an application to work flexibly. These are:

• Burden of additional costs

• Detrimental effect on the business's ability to meet customer demand

• Detrimental impact on quality and performance

• Unable to reorganise work among existing staff

• Unable to recruit more staff

• Insufficient work during the periods the employee wishes to work

• Planned structural changes

While not listed specifically, the term that cropped up repeatedly in our discussions with employers and AV specialists is ‘productivity’. Employers with staff absent from the workplace are suspicious about their productivity levels and are seeking methods of verification. Nearly half of the enterprises surveyed (44%) are collecting data on employees’ home working hours, with an additional 33% planning to in the future according to Kinly, The new Trusted Connections 2024 study surveyed 425 enterprise AV professionals working in the UK, Germany, Nordics, and the

Netherlands. It revealed that 65% of enterprises are encouraging staff to install Internet of Things (IoT) devices in their homes, while a third (33%) are also investing in analytics platforms to monitor remote workers.

For many enterprises, at-home tracking systems are helping meet their obligations to protect employee wellbeing - something which has become much harder since workers left the office environment. A third of those surveyed (32%) said their organisations are now collecting well-being data such as ‘tiredness indicators’ from remote staff. A further 37% plan to track this sort of data in the future. More than a quarter (28%) said their organisations are also collecting environmental data from people’s homes - such as lighting and air quality, while 36% have plans to collect this data in the future.

Commenting on this trend, Tom Martin, CEO of Kinly said: “For years enterprises have been able to maximise both the productivity and well-being of staff within the office environment. From providing natural lighting to monitoring screen time, worker analytics have been a big part of the AV industry. Now, that’s all changing. With so many employees working from home, businesses can no longer guarantee a high-quality work environment. The result is people working longer hours, in conditions that wouldn’t have

been acceptable at the office. IoT technology is becoming an increasingly popular way to address this, using at-home AV equipment to monitor everything from air quality, to working hours and screen time. Of course, adopting this tech means being transparent with employees. It cannot be used without their express consent.”

According to Kinly’s research, employee wellbeing is not the only challenge posed by the rise of hybrid working. More than half of those surveyed (57%) said poor hybrid workflows are damaging staff productivity, while 27% face issues with decentralised or siloed data. Fifty-eight percent said that outdated AV tech is also damaging the overall productivity of remote employees.

Tom Martin continues: “While remote worker tracking will definitely be the hot topic of 2024, there’s a lot to be said about getting the basics of AV right. Many enterprises have still not developed effective strategies for hybrid working, with efficiency and productivity slumping due to badly designed workflows and outdated tech. As our research report shows, effective hybrid working is essential to business growth, staff retention, and even recruitment. Simply giving employees a laptop and saying ‘work from home’ isn’t enough. Enterprises need bespoke, intelligent, and increasingly data-driven solutions for hybrid working, built around their specific business goals, and their employee’s individual needs.”

With enhanced employee rights now enshrined in law, there is some scepticism about the degree of change that this will impart. Caroline Philipps, senior associate at Fladgate, said: “The new legislation

arguably has relatively little impact in practice, especially as no minimum standard of consultation has been specified. The changes do place more of the burden of dealing with a flexible working request on the employer, who is going to have to evidence more engagement and make decisions quicker. An employer’s scope for refusing requests hasn’t otherwise changed.”

A recent study by HR recruitment company Wade Macdonald showed that although 88% of workers consider flexible working to be a valuable benefit, the perception is that it is more likely to be granted to managerial employees. As for the productivity issue, technological solutions are available to satisfy

53% of professionals would change jobs compelled to work more in-office

53% of professionals would start looking for a new job if they were asked to work in the office more. But, 27% of employers want professionals in the office more. 46% of professionals state associated costs as a key deterrent from spending more days in the office. In short, over two-fifths of professionals think decisions regarding hybrid and flexible working arrangements is the number one issue influencing workplaces in 2024

These findings are from a recent poll of 2,000 UK professionals & employers conducted by specialist international recruitment company Robert Walters.

This recent survey was conducted by KPMG found that 63% of UK CEOs predict a full return-to-office by 2026. Despite this, according to the Robert Walters 2024 salary survey, hybrid-working remains in the top three most desired benefits across every professional field. Chris Eldridge, CEO of Robert Walters UK, comments: “The pandemic not only opened the door to hybrid-working but made it a mainstay in many companies. It also proved that there just isn’t a one-size-fits-all option when it comes to ways of working and keeping productivity levels up across a workforce. Leaders attempting to jump the gun and implement a full return-to-office are quickly going to run into trouble – as it’s clear that many professionals won’t readily give up the flexible working routines that they’ve spent the last 3-4 years getting comfortable with. Our research shows that gone are the days where employers competed for talent on salary alone – so having a clearly defined hybrid working model will be a key ‘benefit’ to leverage for candidate attraction and retention this year, particularly where hiring budgets remain stringent.”

Over a quarter (27%) of employers do want to see their employees in the office more – despite this, 73% of company leaders have said they would not issue a full return-to-office yet, even if it wouldn’t impact retention. Chris Eldridge comments: “There is a balance to strike with flexible working. If more days in-office are what companies want – the onus is on senior leadership teams to make the office the heart of their work community and inform professionals of what can be gained by returning.”

The poll found that the main factors deterring professionals from spending more days in office were; associated costs (46%), disruption to their work-life balance (28%), long commutes (16%) and too many distractions at work (10%). Chris Eldridge comments: “With inflation still high and ongoing concerns over the cost of living, spending money on the commute

to work, buying lunch amongst other expenses presents yet another key obstacle for professionals returning to the office.”

45% of professionals stated that ‘changes to hybrid-working’ will have the biggest impact on workplaces this year – before changes to rewards & benefits schemes (20%), advancements in generative AI (19%) and effective leadership (16%). Chris Eldridge comments: “Whilst our research indicates that professionals are anticipating changes to the way we work this year, hybrid-working isn’t something employers can just take away without offering some incentive or compromise.” Indeed, over a third (36%) of professionals stated that coming into the office more helped them with their weekly routine. Other advantages they cited were brainstorming with colleagues (26%), in-person meetings (24%) and more facetime with senior figures (14%). “The benefits of working in the office are clear – just by being a more familiar face around the office, on-hand to help or engage with your colleagues on projects and being recognisable to senior leadership can hold you in good stead for half-year promotions. There are a host of other benefits such as exposure to new skills, gaining mentorship from senior colleagues and generally feeling more connected to the workplace culture and community.”

Chris Eldridge shares his top three ways to get employees back into the office include:

•Assisting with employee spend – things like subsidising travel, providing breakfast or lunch packages are low-cost incentives that make a huge difference to professionals’ daily costs and budget.

•Upscale mentorship/training opportunities – having a mentorship programme or additional training opportunities in the office provides a significant draw for professionals looking to upskill.

•Organise brainstorming sessions or interactive Q&As with senior figures – having a more open, collaborative, and communicative culture can be a big draw for professionals returning to the office – as it is something many will want to get involved with.

Nureva appoints Turkish distributor

Nureva Inc has announced the appointment of Adam Bilişim as its distributor in Türkiye. For over a decade, Adam Bilişim has been a cornerstone in Türkiye’s IT sector, delivering in-demand AV products to the business and education markets, where there is growing adoption of hybrid working models.

A report by PwC Turkey reveals that 71% of employees work remotely every day, with 51% expressing a preference for a hybrid working model. A consensus among both employees and employers is that hybrid working models are here to stay. Recognizing this, Nureva is strategically placed to grow sales of its unique and revolutionary audio-conferencing solutions to businesses and education institutions

throughout Türkiye.

Nureva continues to expand its global channel while experiencing tremendous growth in its customer base, including the addition of the University of Chester in the U.K., Boehringer Ingelheim in Germany and Wipro in India. Fully certified for larger Microsoft Teams Rooms, Nureva’s HDL pro series audio conferencing systems deliver pro AV performance in larger spaces without the costs and complexities associated with traditional solutions, making them easy to deploy and manage at scale. Powered by Microphone Mist technology, all of Nureva’s systems deliver the reliable full-room audio pickup and clarity required for an inclusive meeting experience regardless of where participants are located or facing.

“Audio clarity and quality are critical for successful hybrid meetings and lesson activities, and Nureva’s products deliver the high-performance, user-friendly audio solutions that cater to these essential needs,” said Ali Kemal Önyurt, Adam Bilişim’s managing director. “Our collaboration with Nureva is driven by a shared commitment to the growing need for quality audio conferencing solutions to support the shift to hybrid models.”

“With Adam Bilişim joining our network of global distributors, we anticipate rapid growth in the adoption of Nureva audio solutions throughout Türkiye,” said Nancy Knowlton, Nureva’s CEO. “Our plug and play systems for larger spaces are an ideal fit for the growing need to support remote collaboration across corporate and education use cases.”

Nancy Knowlton, David Martin

Avocor displays enhance new experience centre

PMC Commercial Interiors, based in the Carolinas, has for many years been a leader in designing and supplying the latest in commercial interior design and workplace technology. In a new development, PMC, with A. Visual, its in-house integration division, has recently opened an experience centre to showcase workspaces that enhance the way people and organizations collaborate through technology. A variety of Avocor displays have been used throughout the venue to create a truly immersive and interactive experience for visitors.

The new PMC A.Visual Experience Centre opened earlier this year with work beginning on the 13,000 ft² facility in May 2022. The planning stages involved a detailed process of defining the goals, designing suitable spaces, as well selecting suitable technology and content to bring the vision to life. The first point of contact for visitors is the reception area which serves both as an introduction to the experience centre and welcome zone. Further areas include huddle rooms, cellular offices, work pods, conference and meeting rooms, as well a variety of open-plan executive-style spaces. Each space features bespoke furniture and technology designed to demonstrate how these elements can combine to create functional workspaces to meet the unique and diverse needs of individuals, teams and groups of people.

A.Visual curated the audiovisual elements of the experience centre informed by its core design principles. Firstly, simplicity: the company wants to make selecting technology simple. As such, its ‘packaged solutions are designed to simplify the user experience, create easy specification and provide seamless installation and maintenance. The integration process is also adjusted to consider every aspect of the user experience; from the way users connect, control and experience a collaborative space.

In particular, being a PMC brand partner allows A. Visual to create custom work solutions featuring unique casements, shrouds, and bracketry that seamlessly blend and organize the technology into its environment. This process of design, sourcing, and integration is carried out by an experienced team and gives each client a dedicated and reliable, on-going source for audiovisual technology expertise. Kevin Case, Director at A.Visual has long-standing experience of working with Avocor and had no hesitation in choosing the company as the centre’s preferred display partner: “I’ve known Avocor many years and my experience has always been positive. When we were putting our plans together with the variety of needs

and requirements for each zone, it was clear that Avocor was the obvious choice for us, both for the versatility and functionality of its displays combined with the market leading service and support the company offers.

Blu Digital announces expansion in Canada

Blu Digital Group, a premier provider of media and entertainment digital media services and software, has announced the opening of its operations in Montreal, Québec. This expansion is set to offer a complete array of post-production, localization, and distribution services for both existing and new clients in the region. “We are thrilled to establish our presence in Montreal, a strategic move that underscores our commitment to global expansion and our dedication to providing comprehensive media services,” said Paulette Pantoja, CEO of Blu Digital Group. “This new operation not only broadens our geographical footprint but also strengthens our ability to meet the evolving needs of our clients worldwide with enhanced service capabilities and access to a wider market.”

Blu Digital Group’s Montreal operations are designed to offer a comprehensive suite of services tailored to meet the diverse requirements of the Canadian market. These services encompass content distribution, localization, post-production, and accessibility services. Alongside delivering exceptional services, Blu Digital Group continues to provide a portfolio of highly customizable enterprise applications for the global entertainment industry, including the pioneering BluQC, an interactive cloud-based automation platform for media quality control.

Blu Digital Group, a premier provider of media and entertainment digital media services and software, has announced the opening of its operations in Montreal, Québec.

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Logitech introduces MX Brio

Logitech has unveiled MX Brio/MX Brio 705 for Business, a high-end webcam for end users and enterprises, designed to meet the demanding needs of advanced users. MX Brio is Logitech’s most advanced webcam yet and joins the Master Series ecosystem alongside MX keyboards and mice to deliver outstanding performance and streaming experiences, while fostering quality collaboration. The Ultra HD 4K webcam helps creative professionals and developers elevate their virtual presence and efficiently share results and ideas.

“We know that MX users collaborate and communicate from many different environments and need a versatile webcam offering the best video and sound quality,” said Anatoliy Polyanker, General Manager of the MX Business at Logitech. “MX Brio is our highest quality webcam, featuring customisation and the ability to show themselves or their work in the best possible way.” MX Brio’s Ultra HD 4K resolution and advanced webcam sensor demonstrates Logitech’s continuous innovation with 70 percent larger pixels than the Brio 4K, our previous flagship webcam, offering an ultra-sharp image. AI-enhanced image quality takes auto light correction further with facebased image enhancement that provides a more natural image, and video with 2x better face visibility and 2x finer image details in difficult lighting conditions compared to Brio 4K, as tested by DXOMARK lab.

Advanced customisation options allow users to finetune their appearance by manually adjusting exposure, tint, vibrance, field of view and more using Logi Options+, Logi Tune, and G HUB software. Show Mode makes it easy for users to share sketches or other physical objects on their desks by simply tilting the webcam. MX Brio also has two beamform-

Technics reveals its iconic SA-C600 network CD receiver

Renowned hi-fi brand Technics has refreshed its celebrated SA-C600 network CD receiver with an elegant new finish that seamlessly complements any modern décor style and offers a perfect colour match to the SL-1500C in white, coming out of the same Technics product series called “Premium Class”. The attractive new matte white finish of the SA-C600 top plate is a stylish alternative to the already existing versions in silver or black. With these three colour choices, the options for this superb, universal hi-fi component are even wider.

“Over the past few years, we’ve learnt that music lovers are now increasingly more into style and design than ever. The aesthetic integration of technology into modern home interiors has reached a new level of priority”, says Frank Balzuweit, Senior Product Manager at Technics Europe. “The new clean white tone emphasizes the SA-C600’s pure, simplistic design, employing only the minimal operational elements needed on a hi-fi receiver, with the CD mechanism placed on the top panel”, adds Balzuweit. “The mechanical handling of the swivelling CD mechanism cover adds an element of ‘experience’ similar to playing a vinyl record on one of our turntables”, he further adds. On the subject of turntables, the new white SA-C600 perfectly partners the Technics SL1500C turntable, also available in white, and forms a highly attractive modern hifi system, combining highgrade materials, precise construction and meticulous craftsmanship to form a compact state-of-the art system par excellence.

The Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver ofing mics to reduce background noise so you can be heard clearly and an integrated privacy shutter. RightSight autoframing feature, which detects and centers on the speaker even as they move around, can be enabled through Logi Tune for enterprise customers with MX Brio 705. For IT teams outfitting employee workstations and home offices, MX Brio 705 for Business, the plug-and-play enterprise model, is compatible with most video conferencing platforms, and is certified for Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom, and works with Chromebook. Additionally, IT admins can update firmware and troubleshoot problems for their hybrid teams securely via webbased device management platform Logitech Sync. MX Brio, available in Graphite and Pale Grey colour options, is available now for a recommended retail price of $199.99 in North America and €229 in Europe.

fers a true abundance of features and functionalities. Equipped with Google’s Chromecast platform, it allows access to a vast majority of music streaming services such as Tidal, Qobuz or Amazon Music as well as DAB+ and internet radio. Various analogue and digital inputs allow to hook up external source components if needed, while the built-in CD drive offers state-of-the art hi-fi sound from CDs. As expected from a Technics component, the high-quality Phono-MM input allows turntable connectivity for high level playback quality of vinyl discs.

Thanks to the JENO Engine, Technics’ proprietary full-digital amplifier technology, this network CD receiver delivers an amazingly powerful and detailed music reproduction into a wide variety of loudspeakers, while the Space Tune feature will allow you to optimally fine-tune the sound to your room’s individual parameters. Needless to say, the SA-C600 network CD receiver - despite of its tactile operational feel – is fully controllable also via IR remote control or – even more impressively, via the proprietary Technics Music Centre app. The new white version of the SA-C600 will be available from May 2024 at a RRP of £899.99 at authorised Technics retailers.

Alfalite UHD Finepix LED panels with new AlfaCOB technology

The brand-new displays from the European manufacturer include models from 0.6 to 1.8mm pixel pitch for fixed installation in markets such as control rooms, broadcast, entertainment and corporate with fine-pitch requirements Alfalite is described as Europe’s ‘only LED display manufacturer’, and has announced the market launch of the new Alfalite UHD Finepix AlfaCOB fixed installation LED panels with pixel pitch from 0.6 to 1.8mm. These panels - manufactured at Alfalite’s facilities in Huelva (Spain) - are a completely new mechanical and electronic design of their predecessors Alfalite UHD Finepix. One of

the main new features is that they are manufactured with AlfaCOB, an evolution of the brand’s successful ORIM technology, for mounting on MicroLED or MIP (MiniLED in Package).

“Unlike most LED display brands, Alfalite is not a mass manufacturer; rather we like to think of ourselves as a boutique manufacturer that focuses on quality and innovation,” says Jesús Cabrera, CEO of Alfalite. “That’s why we are delighted to present this new UHD Finepix AlfaCOB solution in which our engineers, by creating cutting-edge designs and using the best components, give it unique and exceptional electrical and mechanical characteristics. It is undoubtedly the best performing, most energy efficient and reliable LED panel on the market,” he adds.

The new AlfaCOB protection gives these modules a longer lifetime (>100,000 hours), a lower failure rate (PFR<5 PPM/year), an outstanding horizontal and vertical viewing angle of 175 degrees, as well as higher contrast, colourimetry and image uniformity. LED panels with AlfaCOB technology have superior anti-static electrical protection (ESD > 10kV), improved thermal dissipation parameters and excellent resistance to impact (≥10Kg), liquids (≥IP65), chemicals and fire (UL94-0 compliance). In addition, they have anti-reflection properties, improved mechanical accuracy between modules (<0.5mm) and enjoy the shortest repair time on the market.

The Alfalite UHD Finepix AlfaCOB solution is designed for markets and environments such as Control Rooms (crisis cabinets, emergency rooms), Broadcast, & VP XR (TV sets and film sets), Corporate (boardrooms and conference rooms, lobbies), Entertainment (museums, fairgrounds, congresses) and Digital Art (AlfaArt solution, luxury residential, large corporations) with a need for fine pitch (microleds or stacking). The new panels also offer a host of features that enhance picture quality, including 1,500 cd/m2 nits brightness, 7,680 Hz frame rate, 25,000:1 contrast and 16:9 aspect ratio. Other features include Smart TV - All in One Media Player, AI Voice Remote Control, One Click and Reach (X Mirror Control System) and touch screen.

Ikegami to demonstrate new broadcast production ecosystem

Celebrating its 60th Anniversary this year, Ikegami USA (www.ikegami.com) will demonstrate the latest versions of its wide range of broadcast quality camera systems and monitoring equipment at the April 14-17 2024 NAB Show in the Las Vegas Convention Centre. “Our emphasis at NAB 2024 will be on the advance to 2160p 4K-UHD as the globally preferred standard for producing high-value television content,” says Alan Keil, Vice President and Director of Engineering at Ikegami Electronics (USA), Inc. “Latest-generation Ikegami solutions offer a budget-friendly license-key way to add new tools or meet new standards as or when required: higher resolution, high dynamic range, wide color gamut and high frame-rate production as well as from SDI to SDI/IP hybrid or full IP connectivity. In addition, a major Ikegami product launch is scheduled to be announced at or shortly before the show. Stay tuned!”

The UHK-X600 is a studio/portable camera with three 2/3-inch oversampling UHD CMOS sensors providing 1000 TVL resolution, minimal aliasing, plus 2000 lux sensitivity at f10 (60p). Standard features include full support for Hybrid Log Gamma HDR with the ability to select between BT.2020 and BT.709 chroma spaces. The UHK-X600 can be pedestal or tripod mounted or operated over the shoulder. Dimensions are 13.4 x 9.6 x 6 inches and weight is just over 11 pounds. Global shutter imagers minimize artifacts when televising LED screen walls or flash/ strobe-illuminated stage environments. License-key based options include support for 2x, 3x and 4x high frame rate capture plus optional 4K processing delivering 2000 TVL resolution when operating in 2160p.

Plug-in hardware-based options include a SMPTE ST 2110 compatible media-over-IP interface board and optional 12G output board. The UHK-X600 accepts a wide range of B4 lenses and supports chromatic aberration correction, vignetting correction, ramping compensation and remote control of back focus (when also supported by the lens). Core of the UHK-X600 electronics is a power-efficient ASIC which encapsulates a wide range of high-grade video processing functions into ultra-compact component dimensions. When combined with the Ikegami BSX100 base station, the camera optionally supports simultaneous output in UHD and HD video formats. Ikegami’s UHK-X700 is designed to combine high signal quality with versatile connectivity. The camera can be pedestal or tripod mounted or operated over

the shoulder. The front end comprises three 2/3-inch CMOS UHD sensors with a global shutter to minimize artifacts when shooting LED screens or scenes illuminated with flash or strobe lighting. Full HDR/ SDR support is included plus the ability to choose between BT.2020 and BT.709 chroma spaces. HFR shooting at up to 2x speed in UHD or up to 8x in HD via the base station is possible as an option. When combined with the Ikegami BSX-100 base station or CCU-X100 camera control unit, the UHK-X700 can output UHD/HD video formats simultaneously. IP interface of video, audio and intercom I/O is available conforming to SMPTE ST 2110 standards as an option at the base station or CCU. UHD video is available as a 12G-SDI feed directly from the camera head, allowing integration into a wireless system. Weighing only 11 pounds, the UHK-X700 comes with a B4 lens mount and has an optical sensitivity of F10 when operating at UHD/59.94p. The UHK-X750 is a full studio camera with all of the UHK-X700’s features except those that apply to portable shoulder operation.

It offers a lower center-of-gravity and easier staging compared to a portable camera with telephoto lens and supporter. In addition, the Ikegami UHK-X750 full studio camera features a greater design emphasis on ease of service and cool operation.

The HDK-99 is a docking-style camera for portable and studio applications. It employs three 2.6 megapixel CMOS image sensors delivering high picture quality in HDR at 1920 x 1080 resolution with progressive-scan. Processed 4K can be sourced from the camera control unit. HLG mode maintains the high contrast required for HDR and conforms to the ITU-R BT.2100 international standard. Noise is less than -62 dB and sensitivity is F11. The sensors natively support 1080i /59.94, 1080i/50, 720p/59.94, 720p/50, 1080p/29.97, 1080p/25 and 1080p/23.98. Also supported are 1080p/59.94, 1080p/50, 1080i/119.88, and 1080i/100 3G HDTV formats. A lens aberration correction function minimises resolution loss and coloured edging caused mainly by optical lens deviation. Quick EZ Focus Assist enhances the viewfinder

signal, enabling the camera operator to make critical focus adjustments. Area size, area colour, edge colour and display time on the viewfinder are all adjustable from the camera menu.

The UHL-43 is a compact box-style camera designed for applications such as robotic studios, live-event broadcasting, parliamentary television and point-ofview image capture. The camera head can be used on practically any support device such as a remote pan and tilt, long-reach arm or overhead mount. The UHL-43 employs three 2/3-inch UHD CMOS sensors in the same workflow and remote-control structure as the UHK-X700 and UHK-750. Unlike cameras using a single chip with Bayer pattern for color separation, the integration of three UHD resolution CMOS sensors and a prism block provides true 2000 TVL capture resolution, high quality color reproduction and complete freedom from colour aliasing. The UHL-43 is also available as an HD model, UHL-43HD, which can be upgraded by a software license key to deliver 4K-UHD. HLG HDR is supported as standard in HD and UHD. Output options supporting 12G-SDI or 4 x 3G-SDI over electrical cable or optical fiber are available. All control functions are accessible at the camera head or via a choice of Ikegami physical and virtual remote-control panels from Ikegami’s OCP-series. The integral Ethernet interface allows easy control from practically any distance, making the camera ideal for remotely supervised field production.

A compact and lightweight UHD HDR camera with low power consumption, the UHL-F4000 is designed for applications such as helicopter-mounted aerial video capture in a wide range of night or day conditions. The camera head has three UHD CMOS global shutter sensors capturing natural images completely clear of geometric distortion and flash band effects. Image adjustment capabilities include noise removal, digital zoom, haze reduction, image sharpening, vertical image reversal and HD-from-UHD segment selection. A duplex optical fibre connection communicates between the ultra-compact camera head and small-sized CCU which can be positioned up to 10 km apart. The optical fibers can be integrated into a bidirectional core via optical circulators and passed through a single-core fibre optic rotary joint. 12 volt DC power is the only other required connection to the camera head. Other signals include genlock and remote control interface to the CCU. The CCU is compact and lightweight, simultaneously delivering HDR-compatible UHD and HD video.

Projecting a better future - Vivitek in ‘The Living Room’

In a world often dominated by chaos, disruption and uncertainty, finding an oasis of calm that facilitates well-being is more welcome than ever. That’s why, for many, the ability to recharge and recalibrate in the company of a compassionate, caring and understanding support network, is an invaluable lifeline. This is especially true following the anxieties experienced by many during and after the pandemic.

In light of this - and with mental health and well-being now front of mind for all - a new project aims to support those in society who are most vulnerable to the challenges that life presents. For them, refuge and support can now be found at The Living Room at SPUDWORKS, Sway. Nestled amid the serenity of an old water tower in the grounds of spudWORKS, The Living Room is a modest but enchanting structure, built using Douglas Fir and English Cedar Shingles. It has been designed to create a private, warm and secure environment, sheltered amongst a beautiful sensory garden where peace and serenity abound.

A safe space for all

The Living Room provides a new, dedicated space to enable creative collaborations with a diverse community, including older people, those living with dementia and their families and carers and LGBTQ+ young people. Made possible through the generous support of many local individuals, corporate sponsors and Arts Council England, Beaulieu Beaufort Trust, Arts University Bournemouth and Hampshire County Council, The Living Room aspires to be a source of happiness and enjoyment, that helps members of our community feel valued and part of something that enriches their world.

Big projects of hope and inspiration

While The Living Room is awash with technology, it has been implemented sensitively, so as not to be overbearing. Instead, it works discretely and is non-invasive, while keeping staff and guests connected without impacting The Living Room’s ambience and sense of well-being.

To that end, it contains the latest in 180-degree projection, light and sound to create unique and immersive environments. Helping it to achieve the desired atmosphere, are two Vivitek DU4381-ST projectors. They are compact and powerful short-throw laser projectors that deliver high brightness, a large projection size with vibrant colours, and diverse range of connectivity options.

With up to 6,100 lumens of high brightness, a 3,000,000:1 contrast ratio, and up to 30,000 hours of laser light source life, this series is perfect for conference rooms, education, museums, commercial applications and, of course, The Living Room; the flexibility offered by their Ultra Short-throw Projection technology makes the DU4381-ST ideally suited to venues that have limited space for AV and IT solutions.

A room with a view

The presence of the Vivitek DU4381-STs enables the content being displayed – ranging from calming scenery to information and even visitors’ own creative work - to add a sense of artistic well-being at The Living Room. They also play a role in the workshops that are hosted throughout the year for a wide variety of participants. In all, the Vivitek projectors create moments of happiness and positive new memories for those who attend - which is in line with the project’s goals – while helping reduce anxiety and stress in an often-over-whelming world.

Back in play for a fourth year!

THE AV SHOWCASE

TUES 14Th & WED 15Th MAY 2024

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!

The AV Showcase is now a firm fixture in the AV and Digital Signage events calendar housing over 40 of the industry’s leading brands. This two-day event brings industry professionals together to demonstrate their latest technology innovations and product launches. Register now for this unmissable event of 2024!

2 Day Showcase

40+ Exhibiting Brands

Education Sessions

‘Mix & Mingle’ Evening Drinks

Love2Learn Cricket Session

Day One

Microsoft’s Michel Bouman

AVIXA’s Ben Barnard and Sarah Cox, Neutral Human Keynote education sessions with an opportunity to claim one AVIXA CTS Renewal Unit (RU)

Day Two

sales@peerless-av.eu.com

www.peerless-av.com

Majority Everest and Sierra Plus

Founded by two friends. Eddie Latham, and PJ Scott. from Cambridge in 2012, Majority has gone on to become an Amazon best-selling brand with a device in over three million homes across the globe. Again, unusual for AV News, Majority’s combination ground-breaking technology and affordable prices has come into its own with more people working from home.

From its origins in Cambridge, founders have developed solutions on a suite of bang up to date technology platforms and ancillary features. Even the user instructions are provided as digital videos which can be viewed on a smart phone, tablet or laptop. The company’s product range embraces more than 50 radios, speakers, soundbars and DVD players, all of which are designed in Majority’s studio in Cambridge. The company has sold over 3 million units across the UK, Europe and beyond, by ensuring every aspect of the company is delivering superb customer support.

Majority has grown from the founders to a team of over 40 with offices across the UK.

Majority has been credited with an astonishing number of innovations in its short history, including the world’s first Alexa-enabled DAB radio and price-point setting Dolby Atmos and surround sound implementations. From Majority’s extensive product range, we chose two to review that would appeal to home based workers that would want to enhance their ability to collaborate while also want to use their home office solutions for home entertainment by pairing it with a TV, projector, monitor or music source. We chose the Majority Everest 5.1 surround system and Majority Sierra Plus Dolby Atmos soundbar. The first point to note about both these products is the price – highly relevant when setting up a home office solution. The RRP of the Everest surround system is £229.95; the price of the Sierra Plus Dolby Atmos soundbar is also around £229 on Amazon.

Majority Everest 5.1 surround system

Like many home-based workers, our team uses laptops with the option of supplementary monitors to be used for collaborative team meetings through Zoom and MS Teams. While the meetings are hosted on a selection of Mac and Windows PC laptops, none can pretend that the sound quality is anything more than ‘adequate’. The option to add a low-cost surround system have us the chance to enhance the audio quality and also to spatial differentiation of the meeting participants. The Everest 5.1 comes with a full Dolby surround sound system that includes a soundbar, wireless subwoofer and a pair of detachable satellite speakers.

Unpacking the surround sound solution reals some compact, moulded plastic components which did little to convince the review panel of the system’s quality. But aesthetics aside, the features of the product more than compensated for these first impressions. The first thing that we found really impressive was the set-up via Bluetooth which automatic and very fast. We linked the surround system to a Mac laptop for a collaborative Zoom meeting to help differentiate between the audio feeds from five meeting participants. Voice reproduction was really very good and

represented a considerable improvement on the audio from the laptop – and a very modest cost.

Recognising that installing any kind of office kit in a domestic environment must have some social benefit for the homeowner, we also tried the Everest surround system with the direct antithesis of audio quality – an iPhone. Hearing Billie Eilish on Spotify through the Everest surround system was a totally different experience. The performance of the subwoofer in association with the soundbar and satellite speakers filled the room and reproduced the stail of a complex mix. Setting the relative output values of the various system components was easy. Once unexpected benefit of the rechargeable satellite speakers was being able to move them to a different room without interrupting the playback.

For the sake of completeness, we also tested the Majority Everest 5.1 with a vinyl record player using the classic Rumours album by Fleetwood Mac. Familiar tracks like the Chain with its standout bass guitar riff sounded great. All-in-all, the Majority Everest 5.1was effective for work and leisure applications, and, in terms of value, surround sound for less than £230 is a worthwhile complement to a WFH / entertainment solution at a bargain price. Bluetooth set-up was among the easiest we have encountered which is a real plus for the Majority Everest 5.1’s intended market.

Majority Sierra Plus Dolby Atmos soundbar

While the surround solution is understood by the majority of consumers, what would be the appeal of the similarly priced.

Sierra Plus Dolby Atmos soundbar solution? Dolby Atmos surround sound technology started life in post-production studios from where it has made its way into home cinema and domestic audio set-ups

Atmos is, in Dolby’s own words, “the most significant development in cinema audio since surround sound.” And we’d have to agree, really (whilst also recognising that rival DTS:X – a similar object-based surround technology – is also widely used).

Atmos is a surround-sound technology that was first developed in 2012, expanding upon the pre-existing 5.1 and 7.1 surround-sound set-ups. Atmos adds sound channels coming from overhead, enveloping the audience in a dome of audio.

Where traditional surround sound systems, Dolby Atmos technology produces over 100 sound objects, allowing the sound designer to place each sound and voice to exact points within the sound fields. These objects can be manipulated and moved around within the space creating a 3D soundstage. Atmos sound objects can be reproduced by a simple pair of loudspeak-

ers, often complemented by additional speaker modules on top of usual front pair for stereo reproduction.

The key advantage offered by Majority’s Sierra Plus soundbar is that it delivers immersive sound from a smaller number of units when compared to orthodox surround systems. The Sierra Plus produces 2.1.2 channels of sound with Dolby Atmos decoding. Signals are directed to a pair of drivers and a port, with two more ports at either end of the soundbar. These are complemented by a pair of angled height drivers. For low-end reproduction, Meanwhile, the Sierra Plus sub has a 5.25-inch side-firing driver and front-facing port. The Sierra Plus has Bluetooth onboard for music streaming and hard-wired inputs for HDMI ARC, optical, mini-jack and USB.

The top of the soundbar features buttons for basic functionality. We chose to use the remote control provided with the Sierra Plus, which gives access to playback functions and a bass control for the sub, plus treble control and sound modes: movie, music, news and 3D. As with the Everest surround solution, Bluetooth pairing is simple. Audio output is rich and the speaker configuration well matched to speech and music content, although primary usage of the Sierra Plus we would see the primary applications in an AV environment being one-to-one video calls. gaming and applications where space is at a premium in experience centres.

Artificial intelligence in workplace AV

Artificial Intelligence is big news globally and a key trend at this year’s ISE. Naturally, we hear a lot of concerned voices expressing concern about the impact of AI on employment, but when combined with workplace AV, AI can result in enhancements to employee creativity, and productivity and expand their team skill sets. We look at the positive impacts of AI in the workplace.

The rise of generative AI in the workplace is inevitable. Artificial intelligence has been around for years, but scarcely has it found itself in conversation as much as it has now. The launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT rocketed generative AI onto the radar of many people who hadn’t been paying much attention – or didn’t feel it was relevant to their lives. ChatGPT uses machine learning to respond to user prompts and helps workers write form letters and generate ideas and communications in the workplace. It’s already impacting on recruitment. Recruiters have already found they need to adapt to the new technology. And as competing companies rush to launch similar tools, the technology will only get stronger and more sophisticated.

Supporters of AI take the view that the technology can benefit workers’ daily lives and skill sets, and even improve the overall work economy. ChatGPT, for example, can function like a personal assistant. Given a prompt, ChatGPT can generate text using natural language. Along with providing information and answers, it can also assist knowledge workers to analyse and expand their work. For these knowledge workers, this could mean creating an outline for

a blog and an accompanying social media post, distilling complex topics for a different target audience, planning a business trip itinerary, or predicting a project’s cost and timeline. For many users, ChatGPT functions as a sounding board – a tool to bounce ideas off, rather than create them.

AI can also broaden our thinking by introducing new approaches and raising new solutions to problems. AI also has the power to catch some issues people might overlook. This can mean a range of things –for instance, correcting inaccuracies in text, checking code, or even circumventing biases and prejudices against workers with unintentionally biased views. An analyst interpreting a set of data, for instance, might be able to identify a confirmation bias in their work - meaning they look for evidence to support an outcome they already believe exists. AI can interpret data impartially providing a more detailed, big picture analysis.

Far from perfect?

OK, so we know that AI technology is far from perfect - but even in its current state it can, at least, lay the foundation for workers to see outcomes and solutions outside their personal experiences, thereby opening up opportunities for impartiality across myriad fields and sectors. AI will only get better at this. This ability to more quickly, and better, diagnose problems won’t replace expertise. While AI can identify problems, humans still need to correct them. Generative AI can identify these issues faster and often more accurately than humans working alone. Plus, ChatGPT, and other machine learning models, are constantly updating and advancing as their datasets become broader.

AI can distill complex topics for a target audience, plan a business trip itinerary in a location unfamiliar to the user, or predict a project’s cost and timeline. Traditionally, automation results in a lot of chaos in the short term, and then more jobs in the long term. 60% of jobs done today didn’t exist in 1940. Industrialisation and automation have led to entire new industries from cars to computers and added new jobs from drivers to web designers in the process. We don’t know if the trend will continue, emerging data is beginning to show positive signs for new positions and even entire careers. The proliferation of AI is already increasing the demand for jobs including data analysts and scientists who work with the technology to create best practices in the workplace.

While some workers are diving into the technology wholeheartedly, others may find it scary to begin engaging with AI. (Remember the user adoption debates over collaboration tools in the pandemic.) Yet like collaboration, generative AI will be in the work-

place – and experts say its prevalence will push workers into using the technology, so they don’t fall behind. As workers get increasingly fluent, they can find themselves ahead of the curve, and even at a distinct advantage in the workplace. Workers resistant to AI could be seen as unwilling or incapable of adapting. Workers who don't work with AI are going to find their skills become obsolete quite rapidly. So, therefore, it's imperative to work with AI to stay employed, stay productive, and have up-to-date skills. As AI becomes a more core part of the workday, the push into fluency means workers will be better equipped to utilise it as a supplement to their current skill set. Familiarity with the technology also sets them up to grow and develop those skills quickly.

Enhancing AV experiences?

It is a truism to say that AI is growing fast, and its full potential has yet to be realised. But, many are hopeful there’s a big upside, enabling workers to innovate quickly and evolve their skills. Innovations like Chat GTP have been described as democratising content creation, giving virtually anyone the ability to become a creator, regardless of their technical knowledge. New tools and devices break down the barriers that once reserved innovation for those with specialised skills or technical knowledge. With generative AI, intricate and complex ideas can be transformed into tangible digital creations through intuitive interfaces, making sophisticated design, animation, and virtual experiences accessible to a broader audience. Spatial computing devices then allow users to interact with and shape their digital environments in a more natural, three-dimensional, and human-centric manner. This democratisation not only fosters a rich diversity of perspectives and ideas but also heralds a new era of inclusive innovation, igniting a global renaissance of digital artistry and invention.

However, enhanced creativity is not the only benefit of AI. On the ISE show floor, the prevalence of AI within AV applications was clear to see. Going back to user adoption and collaboration, for example. Zoom has released a new generative AI assistant (AI Companion) - see below for details - to its collaboration platform; Crestron’s new 1 Beyond PTZ cameras with built-in Visual AI to frame in-room meeting participants; and WolfVision’s Cynap Videobar which combines BYOD wireless presentation technology with a 4K AI camera and beamforming array microphone. Scott Norder, chief operating officer, of RGB Spectrum said: “AI is revolutionising the industry in various ways. Our main focus of video processing solutions, it enhance content creation and consumption. AI’s integration into video processing within the AV industry

has led to more immersive, efficient, and personalised content creation and consumption while also reducing production costs and expanding accessibility, making it a crucial driver of innovation in the field.”

Collaboration with AI

Zoom’s unveiling of its AI-powered collaboration platform, Zoom Workplace, goes to the heart announced of many workplace applications. Zoom Workplace is an AI-powered, open collaboration platform, that introduces new AI Companion expansions to help reimagine teamwork. “We have seen the positive impact that Zoom AI Companion has had on our business and our customers, transforming how we work by freeing up precious time for collaborative teamwork,” said Smita Hashim, chief product officer at Zoom. “Zoom Workplace with AI Companion will help solve real customer problems by bringing the core collaboration solutions into a single AI-powered platform to help improve productivity, efficiency, and the overall workday, all within the Zoom experience users trust and love.”

Photo by Emiliano Vittoriosi on Unsplash

Zoom plans to help users harness their productivity directly within their existing workflows, enhancing employees’ skills, and empowering teams to focus their time where it matters. Zoom’s latest AI Companion innovations will include an Ask AI Companionan enhancement of the digital assistant that will help users prepare for their workday across Zoom Workplace, plus an AI Companion for Zoom Phone and additional capabilities for Team Chat and Whiteboard. The Ask AI Companion will provide a new way to interact across the Zoom platform. Users can enhance their productivity and be better prepared for their workday with Ask AI Companion, which will gather, synthesise, and share information from Zoom Meetings, Mail, Team Chat, Notes, Docs, and more. Ask AI Companion will also help prepare users for and recap meetings, show relevant action items, draft agendas, and summarize chat and email threads, as well as documents. In a later release after the initial launch, Ask AI Companion will be able to pull relevant content from select third-party applications (if the customer

chooses to enable them) to be even more helpful.

Other AI Companion innovations across the platform will include new Team Chat and Whiteboard capabilities. In Team Chat, AI Companion now helps users save time with smart scheduling that automatically detects the intent for a meeting in chat and suggests a meeting time, in the future will provide sentence completion and will expand to support 38 languages for the chat compose and thread summary features. Zoom Whiteboard users are now able to generate and refine whiteboard flowcharts and mind maps using a simple prompt to kick-start ideation and creativity. Zoom Workplace will elevate the Zoom experience with Zoom AI Companion so that all employees within a company can be more productive, collaborate better, and enhance their skills. With the introduction of Zoom Workplace, Zoom is unveiling a refreshed user experience with more choices, including the ability to choose from four colour themes within the Zoom app, so users can make the app their own. Hosts will also have the opportunity to add customized virtual meeting backgrounds to tailor the feel or focus of the meeting.

“With Zoom, there aren’t any challenges with implementing complex tools, so we can focus on engaging our employees and collaborating on the work that matters,” said Diofanto Rosales, vice president of digital workplace and IT infrastructure at Flex. “Zoom Workplace will bring all our essential work tools together in a single app, making it easier than ever to get work done.” For Zoom Meetings, users will see a new Meetings tab within the Zoom app that will allow users to collaborate before, during, and after meetings. It will support traditional calendar views and will serve as the central place for agendas, recordings, and other shared assets such as documents, plus AI Companion smart recordings and meeting summaries. Last year Zoom introduced continuous meeting chat, which helps users continue chat conversations so collaboration can continue outside of meetings asynchronously and throughout the life of a project. With the new Meetings tab, users will be able to access continuous meeting chats from the Meeting card before and after the meeting. During meetings, the new multi-speaker view will automatically adapt the video layout to highlight active speakers to help attendees follow the discussion more easily. AI-powered portrait lighting will help illuminate users’ faces in poor lighting, and generative AI virtual backgrounds will allow users to create custom backgrounds.

Additional new features for Meetings will include a customisable toolbar that will allow users to pin their most-used features, multi-share, which will allow multiple participants to share their screens and documents, whiteboards, and notes simultaneously, and

document collaboration that will provide the ability to select documents, streamline document access permissions, and co-edit right from meetings with documents from third-party apps. In Zoom Team Chat, asynchronous communication will be boosted by Team Chat tabs that will help users stay organised by keeping channel-related assets like links, whiteboards, and resources in a single view, shared spaces that provide a shared grouping of channels to help users better organise conversations and improve discoverability of relevant project or team-based topics, and workflow automation, a powerful, no-code workflow engine, will be easily configurable to automate business tasks in Team Chat.

For hybrid and onsite organizations, navigating the office will be easier than ever with the introduction of a Workspaces tab, providing access to Workspace Reservation with wayfinding and Visitor Management directly from the Zoom Workplace app. To help make meetings more inclusive, Zoom Rooms will include the option to enable new smart name tags, which will be able to automatically apply name tags to people in a Zoom Room during a meeting. When one screen isn’t enough, users will be able to expand Zoom Rooms with a companion device for an additional

screen to collaborate with audio and video. “Businesses are looking for AI-powered solutions that will help them move the dial by boosting employee productivity and team collaboration,” said Zeus Kerravala, Principal Analyst at ZK Research. “Zoom’s newest innovations, including its release of Zoom Workplace and Ask AI Companion, demonstrate its commitment to deploying AI that is intuitive and effective across one platform to improve productivity and collaboration.”

Brompton Technology and INFiLED bring LED to theatre

Q & A Plexus AV

UK touring musicals I Should Be So Lucky and Just For One Day have one thing in common – both utilise Brompton Technology LED processing and INFiLED displays provided by audio visual equipment rental company, Stage Sound Services (SSS). The combination delivers a noticeable difference in colour reproduction, especially at lower brightness levels. SSS worked with system designer and engineer, Dan Trenchard, and video designer, Andrzej Goulding, on both productions to deploy LED equipment to great effect on these highly successful shows.

Phil Hurley, SSS’s owner, notes that with 95 per-

cent of their work being theatre specific, staying at the forefront of the latest technologies for the market is crucial: “We’ve been supplying video for some of the biggest theatre shows for the last 10-15 years and knew we needed to find the right time to invest in LED technology; theatre is a fast, fluid market with many design requirements, but there are also budgetary constraints,” he says. “We first used LED with Brompton processors in 2021 on The Drifters Girl. From the conversations that followed with production engineers and designers, we knew that Brompton had established itself as an industry standard, as it offers high-end LED processing that allows theatre creatives to do what they need to do.”

As a result, at the end of 2023, SSS decided to purchase a number of 4K Tessera SX40 LED processors and Tessera XD data distribution units for I Should Be So Lucky. “We added more Brompton Tessera products for the Old Vic’s production of Just For One Day, a brand new musical based around the Live Aid story, which started at the end of January,” Hurley continues. Trenchard, with over ten years’ experience in theatre, touring musicals, plays, opera, live events, and concert touring, including Coldplay’s latest world tour, is also no newcomer to Brompton LED process-

UK touring musicals I Should Be So Lucky and Just For One Day both utilise Brompton Technology LED processing and INFiLED displays provided by audio visual equipment rental company, Stage Sound Services (SSS). Photos credit Manuel Harlan.

APPLICATION

ing. For I Should Be So Lucky he collaborated with Goulding to select both the equipment and suppliers, as well as designing and installing the system.

With LED technology now becoming more cost effective and widely used in theatre, Trenchard feels SSS’s combination of INFiLED LED panels and Brompton Technology have been a game-changer. It allows them to offer LED not just for large West End shows, but for touring productions, allowing those that typically shy away from the technology due to cost and logistical considerations to benefit from its versatility. He also emphasises the user-friendly nature of Brompton Tessera software, which provides clear visual data to show crews, even those not wellversed in LED technology. “They appreciate Brompton software’s visual clarity, which makes it immediately obvious if there’s a cable fault, for example. Other systems I’ve used can conceal such information behind the user interface, leaving you with little insight beyond knowing there’s a fault. I feel the combination of SSS, Brompton Technology, and INFiLED have brought LED to theatre in a much bigger way than ever before,” he says.

Trenchard also highlights a distinct difference in Brompton LED processing’s colour reproduction, particularly when operating at lower intensities. “Running at full brightness is rarely necessary in theatre, and is often too much,” he notes, adding that screens typically run at no more than 80 percent of their maximum brightness. “In the world of nuanced theatrical productions, where subtlety matters, particularly when creating texture and gradients, Brompton LED processing consistently delivers impeccable results,” he exclaims. “As soon as Andrzej puts his work up on the screen, it’s precisely how he expects it to look. Additionally, we can do things at very low light levels and have slow, extended fade times, avoiding issues like banding and colour shifts encountered with other LED processing brands.”

Kramer slam-dunk choice for professional basketball complex

Kramer’s advanced and award-winning AVoIP technology, has been selected to transform game days for fans at The IKH Areena in Finland, by delivering more exciting and immersive AV experiences both for match days and off-court facilities. IKH Areena is a multipurpose sports venue located in the town of Kauhajoki - a town and municipality in the province of Western Finland. Opened in October 2022, the

venue is home to the professional basketball team Karhubasket, who play in the highest national tier –drawing thousands of fans to its home games – and serving as a meeting place for the town’s 13,000 citizens.

The multi-purpose complex comprises of three restaurants, a lobby, six VIP sections, one large conference room, a team gymnasium, dressing rooms and, of course, the court on which the team play. Ville Nurminen, AV Technical Manager for Karhubasket, researched and considered a few AV equipment companies, but ultimately Kramer was selected to serve both the local basketball team and facilitate local events. In addition to scoring top marks for its products’ AVoIP capabilities and ease of use, Kramer’s local presence and close-at-hand support were a major plus, helping make Kramer the ‘slam dunk’ choice. Its local presence and Finnish-language support were priorities for both the system integrator, Luova Tehdas, and the customer, providing peace of mind support at every step of the installation process.

AV considerations were a prime consideration before the first bricks of the Areena were laid, with Luova Tehdas designing the AV solution before the arena was built, opting for a networked system that enables sharing of AV content from multiple sources. “You can achieve so much more with AVoIP and send anything anywhere,” says Antti Kivekäs, Audio Visual Sales, Luova Tehdas. “It is such a simple solution, yet it allows us to do much more than with a basic matrix system. Plus, it’s more flexible, and we can scale up if needed.” The comprehensive system includes 50 KDS-7 encoders and decoders, and Kramer Control with SL-240C and KT-1010 touch panels. To complete the solution, the Kramer equipment was connected to high-end speakers and amplifiers, and screens from various manufacturers.

Content around the Areena can now easily switch to a multitude of sources including, but not limited to game information and highlights, crowd engagement messages, and advertising. Ville Nurminen is more than satisfied with the arena’s AV system, and is particularly pleased with the ease of use, versatility, support, and quality. “The setup is really easy to use, which was one of the main points, as we didn´t want to have a specialist in the arena all the time,” he adds. “Luova Tehdas did a good job of making the user-interface friendly. Having a couple of iPads with the Kramer software installed is also a great feature as users don´t have to go to the control room; you can see that everything is working smoothly from the iPad,” he continues. “Since the Kramer system is so intuitive and easy to use it has also reduced support calls. And with the ability to make changes online, we’ve been able to provide remote support.”

ST Engineering Antycip levels up academic research with Infinadeck

ST Engineering Antycip provided and installed the first Infinadeck treadmill in the United Kingdom at Liverpool University in its Daresbury facility VEC (Virtual Engineering Centre). The Infinadeck has been funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) to establish the UK’s first National Centre for Digital Heritage (CDH). The project seeks to develop a cutting-edge solution that enables users to move freely and naturally within expansive virtual spaces, without being confined by the boundaries of their real-world environment.

This innovative approach promises to offer an unparalleled level of immersion and accessibility, allowing for the exploration of digital heritage sites in a manner that was previously unimaginable. Rising to the challenge, ST Engineering Antycip recommended an omnidirectional XR treadmill, Infinadeck, as the ideal system. Inspired by the blockbuster Ready Player One, the Infinadeck treadmill has evolved from its Hollywood origins to become a real-life product that now integrates into commercial spaces. This technology aligned perfectly with the VEC’s needs, offering a dynamic and unconstrained platform, enabling users to explore virtual environments. “By enabling users to walk naturally in any direction, Infinadeck creates a genuine sense of being inside the digital world. This

‘Dynamic Presence’, as we call it, elevates the engagement, evocativeness and emotional connection experienced by users within the immersive environment.

Compatible with VR headsets, projection domes, immersive LED displays, or standalone use, Infinadeck provides the optimum solution for incorporating physical movement in to training simulations or gamified environments” says Phil Martin, chief revenue officer at Infinadeck. “VEC has always been an early adopter of technology, having embraced leading edge solutions like the 360Hz multi-view stereo projection system that we installed more than a year ago at their Digital Innovation Facility (DIF),” says John Mould, commercial development manager at ST Engineering Antycip. “Having seen an online demonstration by Infinadeck and ST Engineering Antycip, VEC took the leap of faith to invest in this device to enhance their capabilities for future projects.”

The Infinadeck platform provides a unique solution to develop applications where natural interaction from the immersed participant can be achieved by simply allowing them to walk and explore the virtual worlds and environments their teams are developing. VEC uses the Infinadeck as a doorway to research and virtual adventures, currently focusing on uncovering how buildings and architectural styles have changed over time. Konstantin Vikhorev, chief technology officer at VEC, highlights the importance of the research: “It’s very fascinating to virtually recreate a medieval building and witness its evolution and how it’s been built. In those times, education was primarily

overseen by master’s without many universities and schools. This adds an interesting layer to the study, analysing the diverse architectural styles originating from different locations and time periods, providing us with unique historical insights.”

Another way VEC uses Infinadeck is by creating virtual museum experiences that allow participants to virtually explore paintings and “touch” statues. “We’ve been experimenting with the treadmill speed, prioritising the health and safety of users who are unfamiliar with this kind of equipment. By reducing speed, we’ve ensured that even those new to the technology can feel comfortable and safe enough to walk on it,” explains Vikhorev. “ST Engineering Antycip is always striving to bring the latest technologies to our clients who wish to interact with their virtual worlds and content, having a long history of providing immersive display solutions that are custom developed,” says Mould. “It is fabulous to see a technology that has been born literally from the science fiction of a Hollywood blockbuster movie and delivered in reality.”

ARTE MUSEUM opens its doors in Dubai Mall

ARTE MUSEUM DUBAI invites guests to immerse themselves in a space of 30,000 square feet, showcasing works inspired by nature in its exhibition ‘ETERNAL NATURE’. This exhibition incorporates both the natural landscapes and the cultural backdrop of the city as new media artworks.

Each of the 14 zones of the exhibition immerses audiences in works of stunning beauty and powerful elements of nature. Blending the lines between reality, fantasy, and hyper-reality by using digital technology, viewers find themselves at the base of towering waterfalls and strolling beaches as they admire the aurora borealis. As their journey through the galleries progresses, audiences are surrounded by blooming camellia flowers, undulating waves, and bioluminescent animals in the jungle, as well as thundering pink clouds.

“It is with great pleasure that we unveil ARTE MUSEUM DUBAI. Our paramount mission is to transport our audience into an awe-inspiring digital realm, meticulously crafted to awaken all their senses,” stated Sean Lee, the Chief Executive Officer of d’strict. ARTE MUSEUM’s inaugural exhibition in the Middle East is going to become a must-visit experiential attraction for both tourists visiting Dubai and residents looking for cultural activities with their families.

In 2022, d’strict signed a framework agreement designating Barco as the sole supplier of all the projectors for the company’s upcoming international digital art museum projects in the next four years. The deal, with a total value projected to exceed 15 million euros, includes a hardware delivery of three-chip and single-chip DLP laser projectors, access to Barco’s Insights Management Suite for global fleet management and a tailored high-standard service offering which is streamlined for all geographies. This Dubai installation powered by forty-seven G62-W9 projectors and twenty-nine UDM-4K22s marks a significant milestone ARTE MUSEUM’s expansion.

“Through our partnership with d’strict, we’ve cultivated a robust alliance rooted in mutual trust and innovation,” expresses Ta Loong Gan, Executive Vice President Immersive Experiences at Barco. “Our commitment to providing superior technology and reliable service, coupled with d’strict’s visionary approach ensures that ARTE MUSEUM offers a consistently breathtaking experience worldwide. Together, we ensure that every visitor, no matter where they are, can indulge in the awe-inspiring beauty of digital art.”

The holistic experience also includes accompanying scents crafted uniquely for each work and a soundscape created by Music Director Young-gyu Jang, a globally renowned composer with a stellar reputation for his award-winning work on the scores of more than 50 films and television shows including the critically acclaimed “Train to Busan” (2016) and “Mask Girl” (2023). Jang’s compositions are thoughtfully designed to seamlessly enhance the impact of each artwork.

Epson Europe announces new President

Epson Europe BV announces that from March 31st, 2024, the current President Mr Yoshiro Nagafusa will retire, and Mr Takanori Inaho will become its new President. Mr Inaho has worked at Epson for more than 33 years, holding positions in Europe, America and currently Japan, as General Administrative Manager for the Sales & Marketing Division. Mr Inaho has expertise across printers, home and business projectors and micro devices.

Mr Inaho says upon his appointment: “EMEA is an extremely important region for the Seiko Epson Corporation, and I am proud to accept this appointment. I wish Mr Nagafusa a wonderful retirement and look forward to working with the skilled team of Epson Europe and developing the strategic business areas for the continued success of the region.”

Mr Nagafusa commented: “I have enjoyed my time in EMEA, working with a talented team whose input has helped me to positively shape my time as President. When I took on this leadership role for Epson Europe, we entered a new phase for the company as we worked to reduce the impact Epson products, services and supply chains have on the environment. We have made significant improvements and received key awards for our work in this area. I am sure Mr Inaho will continue this important work and I wish him all the very best as he embarks on putting his own stamp on this important position.

Lightware appoints Alison Liew as Business Development Specialist

Lightware Visual Engineering has announced the appointment of Alison Liew as its new Business Development Specialist for Southeast Asia, with responsibility for driving business growth across the region. Working alongside Candice Siow, Regional Director for Southeast Asia, Liew will also act as a senior member of the Lightware SEA team, cooperating closely with channel partners to deliver an effective sales strategy. Her appointment is part of an ongoing regional investment strategy by Lightware that also saw the arrival of Siow in December 2023.

Liew joins Lightware from NCS Group, where she spent the last 23 years working in a range of senior client-facing roles, most recently as Project Director, Delivery Lead and Quality Assurance Lead at NCS Engineering. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences Degree from the National University of Singapore. “We are thrilled to have Alison join our team as the new Business Development Specialist for Southeast Asia. Alison brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of success from her tenure at NCS Group, which aligns perfectly with Lightware’s commitment to driving growth and delivering excellence in connectivity solutions. Under her guidance, we are confident in strengthening our market position and achieving our strategic goals across

Lightware Visual Engineering has announced the appointment of Alison Liew as its new Business Development Specialist for Southeast Asia.

the current President Mr Yoshiro Nagafusa

the region,” said Candice Siow, Regional Director for Southeast Asia, Lightware.

“I’m delighted to join Lightware and contribute to its continued growth in Southeast Asia. With my background in client-facing roles and project management, I’m eager to drive our business forward, and by working closely with Candice and our wider team, I aim to deliver impactful sales strategies and strengthen our partnerships across the region.” added Alison Liew, Business Development Specialist for Southeast Asia, Lightware.

Marc Glattes joins L-Acoustics to lead sales and Business development

L-Acoustics has appointed Marc Glattes as Executive Director of Sales & Business Development. In this role, Glattes will be responsible for driving the company’s global sales and business strategy while providing leadership, guidance, and resources to the global Sales & Sales Operations team headed by Jacob Barfoed, the Market Intelligence function led by Stephane Ecalle, and the global Business Development team to which Scott Wakelin has been appointed global director.

Prior to joining L-Acoustics, Glattes held senior leadership positions at Daimler, Bain & Company and Sony, where he was member of the team that conceived, built, and launched PlayStation Vue, the first and highest rated streaming pay television service in the United States. “We are thrilled to welcome Marc Glattes to the L-Acoustics team,” said Laurent Vaissié, CEO of L-Acoustics, to whom Marc reports. “His extensive experience, collaborative leadership style, and strategic mindset make him the ideal candidate to lead our global sales and business development efforts and help us define L-Acoustics’ business roadmap for the next decade.”

Heading up the new Business Development team and reporting to Marc, Scott Wakelin has been promoted to the position of Global Director of Business Development. Having joined L-Acoustics in 2015 as Regional Sales Manager, Wakelin then successfully led development of the key hospitality vertical market, and now takes on the responsibility of leading the company’s global business development efforts across all vertical segments.

In his new role, he will be supported by Business Development Directors Olivier Roure for sports, Florian Kunz for hospitality, Nick Fichte for home & yacht, and new hire Hugo Heathcote for nightclub vertical

markets. “I am excited to join the dynamic team at L-Acoustics and to lead the charge in defining and steering the global business strategy. Together with my talented teams, we aim to be a tangible driver to the L-Acoustics mission by extending robust commercial support for our valued partners and clients around the world. With this strong and skilled team, we are poised to set new benchmarks in the industry.”

Combining Marc Glattes’ innovative business mind with an experienced and global sales and business development organization will prepare L-Acoustics to provide even stronger commercial support and services for global partners and clients elevating the listener experience across diverse markets and territories.

L-Acoustics has appointed Marc Glattes as Executive Director of Sales & Business Development.

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The AV Showcase 2024 EVENTS

At the 2024 AV Showcase, there are planned keynote education sessions each morning on the show floor from AVIXA, Microsoft and Neutral Human. There will be a new for 2024 Ladies Love2Learn cricket lesson, and exhibitors and visitors will be invited to attend a sunset networking reception on the Tuesday evening.

What’s New on the Show Floor?

Absen

Absen will showcase its latest advances in LED display technology at this year’s AV Showcase. Featuring its range of high-resolution displays - which are ideal for a wide variety of indoor, outdoor and rental applications - visitors will see how Absen technology creates dynamic and immersive experiences, complete with exceptional image quality and reliability. Absen's dedicated team will be on hand to answer questions and discuss how its LED solutions can elevate your next project. Don't miss this chance to learn how Absen can empower your vision with its cutting-edge LED display technology.

AMX

Explore the latest innovation from AMX. MUSE Automator, utilising the robust Node-RED platform, simplifies customisation of any project, of any size. Drag nodes from the palette into the workspace, connect them to craft logical flows to create events and commands. Alternatively, create custom nodes with JavaScript support or produce traditional program scripts in 3 different standard programming languages. Integrate with the standard Node-RED

environment, leveraging the vast online community for interfacing with third-party devices and applications. Streamline development with MUSE Automator's intuitive interface and extensive compatibility. In addition, the AMX Muse controllers offer powerful, secure, and reliable hardware that provides dedicated computing resources running the AMX Muse Automation platform.

Biamp

Biamp is excited to showcase its new products for the first time in the UK. The company eagerly anticipates joining Peerless-AV and other industry leaders at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground in 2024. Biamp will be introducing innovative products launched at ISE this year, marking their debut at a UK trade show. The newly acquired Evoko will also be featured at the event, with Biamp demonstrating its advanced Room Booking and Desk Booking Solutions. In addition to these, Biamp will exhibit its staple UC and Conferencing solutions, now enhanced with new additions to the range.

Bluefin

Looking to score a winning digital signage solution? Bluefin is the reigning champion of customisation, offering a vast selection of LCD screens – framed or frameless, in classic 16:9 or popular ultrawide format, with Built-in media players. From interactive displays grabbing attention with dynamic visuals running 24/7, to sleek small form factor displays powered by PoE – Bluefin has the customer covered. Step up to the crease with Bluefin at the AV showcase and hit a six in brand visibility and customer engagement, leaving the competition stumped and your audience cheering for more!

BrightSign

BrightSign empowers businesses to attract, engage, and captivate audiences by bringing visual content and experiences to life. At this year’s AV showcase, the revolutionary performance of the BrightSign XC5 will be on display. The XC5 powers immersive experiences with 8K video & graphics and creates stunning video walls with a single player. Known for legendary reliability, security, and unsurpassed performance, BrightSign delivers exceptional customer experiences. BrightSign supports customers with a complete digital signage solution, offering a selection of players, purpose-built operating system, a diversified partner network, customized integrations, and customer support.

DTEN

DTEN will be showcasing the award-winning D7X series of All-in-One Video Collaboration Devices along with the brand new DTEN Bar, designed for Zoom, Microsoft Teams Rooms and BYOD. The DTEN Bar includes an AI-enhanced 4K camera system, powerful 12-microphone array, front-facing 15W stereo speakers, built-in video meeting software, dual display support, plus the unique ability to mount vertically between two screens for eye-level meeting experiences. Paired with the DTEN Mate, the only wireless Zoom Rooms Controller (ZRC) on the market, users can supercharge hybrid video meetings across any display with a professional set of high-performing audio, video, and presentation-ready features.

Hikvision

As seen at ISE, Hikvision will display the Full HD LED posters, 108’’ LED wall, interactive displays D5C series. Hikvision is at the forefront of AIoT innovation, offering advanced machine perception and AI technologies across various sectors. With a mission to enhance connectivity with the environment and provide intelligent solutions at user fingertips, the company is committed to creating a smarter, more efficient, and secure world through AIoT applications. The extensive product range includes video security, commercial display, complemented by AI-driven security solutions that open new possibilities for safety management and business insights. Serving multiple industries like smart cities, transportation, and education, Hikvision is expanding into smart homes, robotics, and healthcare.

Iiyama

Iyama will once again demonstrate its cross-vertical capability for all things display in 2024. The Interactive Flat Panel TE14 series will be on show to promote the company’s commitment to collaboration in both the educational and business sectors, alongside its tremendous range of LFD Signage utilising the popular iiSignage2 platform for easy Digital Signage no matter what the environment. The small format range will be represented by the awesome new 45” Dual Quad HD desktop monitor and the company will show off its interactive wares with the all-in-one Android touch tablet with GMS for simple kiosk usability.

JBL Professional

Join JBL Professional at the up-coming AV Showcase where the company will showcase cutting-edge

loudspeakers, tailored for diverse installation environments. Excitingly, JBL will unveil the latest from BSS: the new Soundweb OMNI, boasting powerful DSP capabilities effortlessly handling today’s most complex installations. With full Dante channel count, up to 512 x 512, 160AEC channels and 64 VOIP lines; and a choice of centralised or distributed topologies it offers limitless possibilities. Leveraging technology from AMX’s Muse platform, enables full automation with complete scripting capabilities. This integration simplifies upgrades, ensures compatibility with previous-generation devices while providing tools for interfacing with third-party devices and APIs.

Jetbuilt

AV project management platform Jetbuilt continues to propel the industry forwards with Portal. This newly launched dynamic resource unifies real-time communications and information sharing between integrators and their clients. Portal is utilised across the whole project lifetime, with the project’s status updated as it transitions between phases, from initial design through to installation and beyond. It provides an invaluable resource for all project assets with drawings, spec sheets, equipment manuals, serial numbers, IP addresses, usernames and passwords all stored and accessible anytime. Visit Jetbuilt to experience Portal in action and find out how it can enhance project delivery, increase transparency and provide an information legacy.

Kramer

At this year’s AV Showcase, Kramer will be showcasing its latest AudioCodes partnership Microsoft-certified MTR products, from video bars and units to speakers, DSPs, switching, and AI recording and analytics for Teams meetings, ensuring a seamless and comprehensive meeting room experience. Attendees at Lord’s will also see Kramer’s latest AVoIP innovations, including its KDS-17 4K streaming solution. Perfectly suited to varied spaces and scenarios that demand high-quality video presentation at up to 4K60 4:4:4 with minimal latency, KDS-17 is the ideal solution for command and control centres, meeting rooms, digital signage, auditoriums, active learning, and anywhere there are large screens or video walls.

Lenovo

Lenovo is set to showcase an array of hybrid working and collaboration solutions. This includes a diverse range of Microsoft Teams Rooms certified devices and Lenovo's ThinkVision 75” IFLD, specifically

EVENTS

designed for BYOD use cases. Notably, making its debut in the UK, the stand will feature the recently launched ThinkSmart Bar 180, introduced at ISE earlier this year. Customers and partners will be invited to explore and delve deeper into key aspects such as safeguarding investments and ensuring futureproofing through Windows-based solutions. Understanding the pivotal role of Windows compute in Microsoft Teams Rooms, coupled with the evolution of Microsoft Teams Rooms AI capabilities. Why Lenovo should be considered a strategic partner in collaboration solutions.

Lightware

Lightware will be showcasing its latest and greatest product portfolio at the AV Showcase, including the new Taurus TPX product. The Taurus TPX is built on the foundation of Lightware's award-winning Taurus UCX, a revolutionary unified communications (UC) connectivity solution. Based on SDVoE technology, the transmitter-receiver configuration allows users to utilise a single CAT cable to extend room control, Ethernet, USB, and 4K video signals over longer distances, up to 100 meters. Therefore, users can connect their devices, share their content, switch hosts and control their meeting room easily and intuitively. Check out the Taurus TPX live demo on the Lightware booth.

Lutron

Visit the Lutron stand at the AV Showcase and discover its range of lighting and blinds control solutions for commercial environments and offices. The company will be presenting its latest wired and wireless technology and engage with all attendees on the transformative nature of light, and how lighting and blinds control can help AV professionals design a fully integrated, modern meeting room. We will also explore how an integrated experience AV and lighting control solution can improve user journeys and save cost across a modern workplace.

NowSignage

NowSignage will be the first CMS partner to have fully integrated an AI application that pulls product information from a brand's product database and then makes product recommendations instantly to the customer based on their interaction with the digital signage. For example, recommending suitable food choice options in a restaurant based on a customer’s allergies or helping a customer select the right light bulb in a hardware store based on a custom-

er describing the shape of the bulb and how bright they want the light. The AV Showcase will be the first event where visitors will be given live demos of this feature. With this, NowSignage continues to demonstrate why it is the leading choice for customers wanting to effectively and efficiently manage large scale retail media networks. Meet with the team to see all these features and learn why the world's biggest brands are trusting NowSignage as their digital signage CMS partner.

Panasonic Connect

Panasonic Connect is a global manufacturer of Projection, Large Format Display and Collaboration Solution technologies. Working with market leading organisations in education, corporate, rental, staging and leisure sectors, we help deliver the highest quality audio visual experiences. At the AV Showcase we will be showing a number of solutions. The REQ Series Projectors deliver vibrant 4K images in a compact chassis alongside the SQE2 4K commercial grade displays. Both these units feature the intel smart display module for unrivalled functionality. The company will also be showcasing its AW-UE40 4K PTZ camera featuring free built in auto-tracking software, as well as the market leading AW-UE150

1"MOS large sensor supporting 4K 60/50p video.

Peerless-AV

This year, Peerless-AV will be showcasing a host of new products, including the STS650 Universal Scissor Mount, the PC575-UNL Universal In-Window Bolt-Down and the SA771PU Articulating Mount with In-Wall Box. Ahead of the competition once again, SEAMLESS Series Universal dvLED Mounting Systems will be a focal point of the booth – featuring game changing new design updates, including reusable universal wall spacer that precisely spaces the horizontal extrusion. The new SR860, SR898 and PR565 mobile trolleys, as seen at ISE, will also be located around the venue, together with indoor and outdoor wayfinding kiosks.

PlexusAV

Experience the next big leap in AV over IP with PlexusAV’s P-AVN-4, the ultimate IPMX to HDMI transceiver. The P-AVN-4 boasts 4K UHD and 1080P HD resolutions to scale perfectly for 1GB networks. Simulcast both resolutions using UHD for mission critical, eye-catching content and HD for remote viewing and data capture. It is even better knowing it’s pow-

ered by IPMX, an open standard for the Pro AV industry. This ensures interoperability with other IPMX equipment and cross compatibility with other AV over IP technologies. Combine this with a powerful API and easy-to-use user interface and the P-AVN-4 is the total package.

Philips

PPDS – the exclusive global provider of Philips Professional Displays – will be showcasing a range of sustainability-inspired products and solutions, including the groundbreaking ‘zero power’ Philips Tableaux ePaper Series, and the 65” Philips Signage 3000 Series EcoDesign – the world’s first 4K display to achieve a C rated European Energy Label. Providing instant sustainability benefits, without compromising on performance, the Philips Tableaux 5150 – launched at ISE 2024 – is the world’s most energy-efficient digital signage offering, delivering vivid static imagery, 24/7, while running entirely unplugged and using zero power between image updates.

The Philips Signage 3650 EcoDesign display marks another technology breakthrough, delivering high quality, resolution and reliability while reducing environmental impact. Designed with repairability, refurbishment and reuse at its core, it consumes less than

half the power compared to competition, reducing costs and extending product lifetimes. The PPDS team will also be demonstrating the latest and greatest benefits of its cloud-based Wave remote device management ecosystem, as well as the software and apps available in the PPDS ProStore, across a range of Philips Professional Displays.

Samsung

Samsung will be showcasing the benefits of advanced connectivity for businesses through its new, forthcoming ‘SmartThings for Business’ platform. This will provide cutting-edge internet-of-things (IoT) advancements and underlines Samsung’s commitment to providing businesses with more connected, easy-to-control digital signage across multiple industries. At the stand, Samsung will demonstrate how businesses can apply SmartThings connectivity to leverage their digital signage and drive operational efficiencies through management of multiple devices for businesses of all sizes. It will also show its latest technologies including the All In One 146” Micro LED, a modular commercial display unconfined by size, resolution or shape as well as the WAD series that provides seamless and intuitive signage solutions.

Sennheiser

Sennheiser has entered the unified communications

A/V bar market with the most flexible all-in-one devices. Part of the Sennheiser TeamConnect Family, the TeamConnect (TC) Bar Solutions feature some of the latest advances in meeting technology to further enhance modern hybrid meetings and lectures. The built-in 4K Ultra HD camera is further enhanced by AI features like "Autoframing" and "Person Tiling", enabling remote participants to clearly see everyone in the room. The TC Bar S features 4 microphones and 2 speakers, while TC Bar M has 6 microphones and 4 speakers. Easily integrate the TC Bar into a room design with multiple mounting options like wall mount, VESA mount, tabletop or freestanding. The option of using Dante for adding extension mics and/ or a 2nd external USB camera make the device even more scalable.

Sharp NEC

At the AV Showcase, Sharp NEC will demonstrate the technology innovation behind the company’s Professional Display products. Reveal the sealed light engine, the innovation that brings super silent projection whilst eliminating maintenance costs and

extending the lifecycle. Uncover the metal construction that safeguards robust longevity in our LCD and LED products with heat resistance, fire retardancy, and ultimately feeding the circular economy. Expose the modular computing that configures customisable LFD solutions which perfectly match users’ changing needs for long-life versatility. Observe the energy efficiency of next gen LED alongside powerful tools to reduce power usage even further.

Shure

Experience the newest additions to the Microflex® Advance family, the 901 and 902 along with the latest Designer 6 Software. Also witness the MXW neXt2 wireless platform. Partnering with Ashton Bentley, these latest MXA microphones will be shown as complete meeting space solutions. Shining examples of no-compromise networked audio products installed quickly seamlessly. The sleek MXA901 provides superb AV conferencing audio in a discreet 13.5-inch round form factor that complements any space. The Microflex® Wireless neXt2 system is an all-in-one audio processing solution for hybrid classrooms, training rooms, and lecture halls. It provides superior audio for conferencing and presentations simultaneously.

Signagelive

Tried, tested and trusted by thousands of customers across the globe, Signagelive is an enterprise-ready digital signage software that provides you choice and is built for scale. Voted the UK’s top digital signage software performer by G2, our solution gives businesses everything they need to manage and securely scale their networks. Build customised solutions to suit individual business needs with our latest, market-leading modules, which include tools like Secure Dashboards to help you securely feature your company data across your screens. Deliver the latest business insights in near-real-time from any business intelligence platform, including Microsoft Power BI.

tvONE

CORIOmaster2’s video processors latest upgrades include 12G-SDI input and output support with new quad 12G-SDI broadcast modules, and an array of new features introduced in an enhanced version of the CORIOgrapher v4.1 control software. tvONE will also provide an advanced preview of CALICO PRO, the first of a line of powerful, newly developed video processing solutions. CALICO PRO is an ultra-powerful video processor with multi-window, mul-

“Since we first launched the event in 2020, the Showcase has really become a firm fixture in the AV and Digital Signage events calendar. There’s no other event of this scope and speciality in London at this time of year. It’s regarded by our exhibiting partners as a mid-year platform to demonstrate first-time showings and product launches to a UK and European audience and generate new business. For end users, resellers, integrators and consultants, the event offers the opportunity to meet all the major vendors under one roof, have conversations, and make connections.”

Keith Dutch, Managing Director - EMEA, Peerless-AV.

ti-screen and multi-layer based upon tvONE’s latest, fifth generation 4K/8K, 10bit processing engine on a new, high bandwidth, flexible, 2RU hardware platform. tvONE will also showcase the latest Hippotizer software version 4.8.4 for its Green Hippo brand of Hippotizer Media Servers. Demo and experience the newest software version, packing in an exciting range of new and upgraded features designed to power-up real-time media manipulation, playback, and mapping.

Vestel

Vestel Visual Solutions UK uses the AV Showcase to showcase new Interactive Flat Panel Displays (IFPDs) featuring the latest zero-bonded screen technology, which significantly reduces reflections and glare, improving visibility in bright classroom or boardroom lighting conditions. The technology's improved contrast and colour accuracy make content more engaging and easier to view from wider angles. Bringing outstanding value to 24/7 signage, Vestel will also display the new 4K UHD resolution PR+ Series of full commercial displays with 24/7 operation at 700 nits brightness, is ideal for high-ambient light installations in retail, hospitality, leisure, and commercial environments. Capable of continuous running in landscape or portrait orientation, this high-performance series is available in 43", 50", 55" and 65" screen sizes.

Visionary

Visionary, a leading innovator of AVoverIP and IPTV

solutions, will be demonstrating the latest technology advances in delivering and managing video and audio on the network, including the new 5 Series AVoverIP products. The 5 Series boasts 4K60 4:4:4 video support to deliver clear image quality and colour depth without compromising bandwidth. The 5 Series integrates isochronous USB over IP to simplify webcam extension over IP for enhanced video conferencing and remote collaboration. Designed for remote monitoring and simplified video distribution, the 5 Series includes a full-motion MJPEG sub-stream to provide users with a secondary, lower-bandwidth video stream.

ZeeVee

First UK showing at the AV Showcase! ZeeVee has launched products and features for 2024 that build on its class leading AVoIP systems. Its Z4K, 10Gb PoE solutions now have full USB2.0 HID routing and Dante Audio options. The UHD60 1Gb line, launched at ISE, now has a Triple Input BYOD Encoder, Dante Audio options and ZeeVee’s unique management platform built-in. The company’s Industry leading Management Platform also has a major update. Being Z4K & UHD60 compatible, it now comes with added VAM Network visualization, enhanced Admin roles and Zoning. All of which have API’s for 3rd party control.