AV News August 2022

The direct channel to the industry

August 2022 www.avnewsonline.com Predictions for digital signage

Finding a microphone that makes everyone happy

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We caught up with industry expert Business Development Director, Maverick Europe, Joan Aixa about the main priorities for the digital signage industry over the next 12 months.

Midwich Group trading update Midwich Group (AIM: MIDW) has provided a trading update for the six months ended 30 June 2022 (“H1 2022”). Trading was strong in H1 2022, with revenue expected to be in excess of £560 million, an increase of over 45% versus H1 2021, and a record first half for the Group. Organic revenue growth was approximately 27% versus H1 2021, with strong contributions from the Nimans and DVS businesses, which were both acquired early in H1 2022.

The overall gross margin was around 15.0%, which is broadly in line with H1 2021. The Group has seen a partial return of live events and in-person activities in a number of markets.

Should these conditions continue, the Board expects to see stronger gross margins coming through in the second half of the year. Adjusted profit before tax for H1 2022 is expected to be over £19 million, compared with £13.0 million in the first half of 2021, an increase of nearly 50%.

Performance in the UK & Ireland was significantly ahead of H1 2021, with revenue up 85%. The contributions from

Nimans and DVS supplemented strong organic growth in this region. Trading in North America was also very strong, with revenue increasing by over 90%. In EMEA, after substantial growth in the first half of 2021, revenue grew by 17% in H1 2022.

Cash generation was in line with the Board’s expectations.

Net debt increased by around £55 million, as a result of M&A spend and working capital increases due to normal seasonality and the significant growth in the business. At 2.1x adjusted net debt over adjusted EBITDA at the period end, leverage remains comfortably within the Group’s covenants.

With order books remaining very strong, unless general economic conditions deteriorate significantly, the Board expects the momentum seen in H1 2022 to continue throughout the remainder of the year. As a result, the Board now expects trading performance for the full year will be slightly ahead of its previous expectations. Midwich will announce its half year results for the six months ended 30 June 2022 on 6 September 2022.

Great audio is no longer a luxury; it’s a necessity. But reconciling competing demands for sound quality, appearance, compatibility, and ease of use has many AV/ IT professionals struggling.

Brompton Technology secures £5.1 million investment Brompton Technology has se- at Connection Capital. “With its cured a growth capital invest- industry-leading technology, diment from specialist private versified revenue streams, talclient alternative investments ented management team and business, Connection Capi- soaring demand for its prodtal. Richard Mead, Brompton ucts, Brompton Technology has Technology CEO, is clear on a very compelling growth story the benefits the investment that has really appealed to our will bring to the company: private investor clients.”

“We are seeing unprecedent- Alongside Connection Capital’s ed growth in demand for our investment, Neil Gaydon, a cutting-edge, robust, tour and highly experienced Non-Execvirtual production-ready LED utive Chairman, will also join video processing products from Brompton’s board. Neil has a our core industry sectors, as track record of successfully well as a lot of exciting poten- delivering growth in technology tial for our technology to be companies, including as CEO applied to new markets. Whilst of Pace plc from 2006-2011, our focus on quality and dedi- during which time Pace becation to customer service will came the world’s largest proremain the same, Connection vider of digital TV technologies Capital’s investment gives us to the Pay TV industry. Mead the ability to scale up rapidly to concludes: “We are fortunate meet demand and address the to be in a leadership position new opportunities that are pre- in a rapidly growing market. senting themselves.”

This investment will enable us “Brompton Technology is an ex- to capitalise on growth opportucellent example of a successful nities and deliver outstanding business that pivoted, almost visual experiences to more and overnight, into virtual produc- more people worldwide. We are tion for film and TV during the excited to start a new phase of pandemic and is now emerging our journey with support from even stronger than before,” Connection Capital.” comments Miles Otway, Partner Brompton Technology has secured a growth capital investment from specialist private client alternative investments business, Connection Capital.

Barco publishes first half results Barco (Euronext: BAR; Reuters: BARBt.BR; Bloomberg: BAR BB) announced results for the six-month period ended 30 June 2022.

[1] •First half and second quarter 2022 highlights[2] include: •Orders 1H22 of 509 million euro, an increase of 9% vs 1H21 •Orderbook at 538 million euro, 146 million euro higher compared to 1H21 and 51 million euro higher compared to year-end 2021 •Sales 1H22 of 473 million euro, an increase of 29% compared to 1H21 •EBITDA 1H22 of 46 million euro, or 9.8% of sales vs 7.5% or 27 million euro for 1H21 •Orders 2Q22 of 262 million euro up 11% vs 2Q21 and almost flat compared to 2Q19 •Sales 2Q22 of 266 million euro up 37% vs 2Q21 and up 5% vs 2Q19 •Executive summary Barco’s first half sales were 29% above 1H21 and 8% above 2H21 with sales conversion improving in all divisions and all regions.

During the first semester, growth accelerated from the first to the second quarter and sales for 2Q22 surpassed 2Q19 pre-pandemic

Trading for the Midwich Group was strong in H1 2022, with revenue expected to be in excess of £560 million, an increase of over 45% versus H1 2021, and a record first half for the Group.

Barco CEOs An Steegen and Charles Beauduin commented: “Barco is turning the corner in its recovery from the pandemic. levels, driven by strong uptakes in demand in Cinema and Meeting experience. Order intake continued to grow, increasing 9% versus

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Barco’s big office experience survey

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Barco publishes first half results last year, and orderbook, which increased 146 million euro compared to last year’s first semester and 51 million euro compared to year-end 2021, reached a new record level of 538 million euro after six consecutive quarters of positive book-to-bill.

Sales increased 37% in 2Q and 29% in 1H22 on growth across all business units. The Entertainment division delivered double digit gains in both orders and sales year over year, despite the negative impacts of continued component shortages and regional lockdowns in China. Most of the growth came from the Americas reflecting revived demand for renewal projectors. In addition, Immersive Experience saw a continued good level of order intake resulting in healthy double-digit sales growth.

Enterprise delivered a strong first semester including second quarter sales equalling 2Q19.

Reflecting stabilizing back-tooffice conditions in Europe and the Americas, the Meeting Experience saw a +50% increase for the first semester and 2Q sales that were above 2Q19.

Large Videowalls sales for the first half grew at a double-digit rate versus last year and were flat in the second quarter compared to 2Q19.

While order intake in Healthcare decreased slightly from last year’s spike, orders remained very solid reflecting the ongoing resumption of spending by customers in the diagnostic imaging and surgical markets and resulted a positive book-to-bill ratio for the third consecutive semester.

With solid deliveries in all three regions, Healthcare reported sales growth in both segments for a divisional gain of more than 20% and an all-time high semester sales performance.

EBITDA was 46.2 million euro up from 27.5 million euro a year ago. EBITDA margin was 9.8% of sales, or 2.3 percentage points better than 1H21 and 2.7 percentage point higher than 2H21. Gross profit margin was 37.9%, an improvement of 1.2 percentage points versus the first semester of last year and 2.9 percentage points versus the second semester of last year, mainly reflecting favourable product

mix. Free cash flow for 1H22 was negative 28 million euro compared to positive 35 million euro last year, mainly due to higher inventory in response to the supply chain constraints and higher receivables due to a surge in sales toward the end of the quarter.

Barco CEOs An Steegen and Charles Beauduin commented: “Barco is turning the corner in its recovery from the pandemic. Strong demand for our product solutions drove sales to exceed pre-pandemic levels in the second quarter, supported by a focused organizational structure.

For the second semester we are well prepared to deliver steady sales growth and further improve margins on product mix and operational improvements.”

Assuming economic conditions and supply chain constraints do not further deteriorate and orders to sales conversion continues to improve in the second half of the year, management expects that sales for the year 2022 will increase approximately 25% compared to 2021, with an EBITDA margin between 10 to 12%.

Exertis adds BitTitan to Cloud Services Exertis has partnered with BitTitan, adding the vendor’s fully automated, industry-leading SaaS solution, MigrationWiz, to its Cloud portfolio. BitTitan’s secure, fast and scalable MigrationWiz enables customers to quickly migrate email, files, and other workloads from a wide range of source and destination endpoints. BitTitan has customers in 188 countries and has migrated 25 million users.

The market-leading series of tools and bundles offer additional flexibility and ease of migration for those moving to the Cloud. Mailboxes, personal archives, documents and public folders can all be migrated quickly, securely and compliantly. MigrationWiz also includes Microsoft Teams and Hybrid Exchange Management capabilities. By partnering with BitTitan, Exertis is giving new and existing customers the tools to operate in the cloud more effectively and provide Enterprise-reliable migration capabilities to their own end customers.

“BitTitan is thrilled to partner with Exertis, a renowned leading distributor,” said Lon Clark, BitTitan Director of Global Channel Sales. “Our commitment is to enable our partners with the solutions they need to ensure swift and secure data migration for customers.

Together with Exertis, we are providing our partners with a single, best-of-breed cloud migration tool that’s capable of managing multiple cloud

Barco’s big office experience survey Barco conducted a big survey of 1200 executives across 13 countries to find out how the office is changing, and how workspaces are used. The main objective was to find out how the covid pandemic and lockdowns (leading to forced working-from-home of the entire staff) have affected the global office spaces. The results show a clear desire for more engaging and inspiring workplaces, although regional differences are striking.

Key findings include: • 62% of respondents say employees are happy to return to the office • 23% are transforming auditoriums and experience centres based on new staff expectations • 73% feel that large video walls will help people to collaborate and interact • 45% say that large video walls can create a wow effect and impress whoever enters the lobby It goes without question that the covid-pandemic has changed the way offices work.

Repeated lockdowns forced the workplace to evolve and shift between remote, in-office and hybrid work models. This forced office culture and technology to change in a rapid pace, accommodating the evolving expectancies and needs of the staff.

That is why companies are redesigning their office spaces around their vision, mission and strategy, helping to create a wow factor, inspire people to do their best work, seamlessly blend digital and physical design, nurture company culture and deliver training.

A first noteworthy finding from the survey is that employees enjoy being back at the office.

62% of respondents agree with this. The office is no longer just

A first noteworthy finding from the survey is that employees enjoy being back at the office. 62% of respondents agree with this. the place for desk work, but rather a dynamic space for better meetings, stronger collaboration and social interaction.

An important example of the evolved way to use office technology are video walls. They were typically used to grab the attention of external visitors but are now transformed into tools to engage employees and improve collaboration and productivity.

Corporate lobbies have evolved from their traditional function (greeting visitors or having them wait) into places to create an impactful first impression and to instil pride in employees. According to the survey,

the lobby is the second most chosen space for meetings (49%), and aims to impress whoever (staff or visitors) enters the building (45%).

The Survey covers a lot more ground and provides many more insights, including how covid has created the need for change, employee expectancies for office work, ways to convert office spaces into more engaging environments, etc.

To read the full report: Please click here: https://infopages.barco.com/ en_visualization_report. html?_4774.16583107931983595743.1654681121.

Nominations open for AVNews Awards on 1st September

“BitTitan is thrilled to partner with Exertis, a renowned leading distributor,” said Lon Clark, BitTitan Director of Global Channel Sales.

Rik Hubbard, Cloud Services Director, Exertis: “We are pleased to add another great vendor solution to our Cloud platform, and in doing so, helping our partners to deliver best-in-class managed services for their end customers.” workloads. Whether migrating between instances of tenantto-tenant environments or Microsoft Teams, MigrationWiz provides a seamless migration experience for end-user companies, ensures a high level of customer satisfaction, and enables our partners to achieve continued business growth.”

Rik Hubbard, Cloud Services Director, said: “We are pleased to add another great vendor

solution to our Cloud platform, and in doing so, helping our partners to deliver best-in-class managed services for their end customers. With our ever-growing portfolio of Cloud vendors, bolstered now by BitTitan, Exertis is bringing a Cloud toolkit to market which resellers can rely on to move customers to the cloud with ease.”

The AV News Awards will once again provide the opening event to ISE 2023 at the Fire De Barcelona. Following on from last year’s expanded programme and presentation ceremony, organisers have already been overwhelmed with enquiries from potential nominees.

Personal Award categories for 2023 include: AV Sales Professional of the Year; AV Support Professional of the Year: AV Marketing Professional of the Year: Outstanding Achievement in AV. Company and organisation Awards include: AV Project of the Year (Education); AV Project of the Year (Commercial); AV Project of the Year (Live Events/Digital Events); Sustainability Innovation of the Year; Digital Signage Innovation of the Year; Collaboration Innovation of the Year; Education Technology Innovation of the Year; Presentation Innova-

tion of the Year; AV Reseller/ Integrator of the Yea; and AV Manufacturer/Developer of the Year.

You can nominate your suggestions or potential Award winners using the web form at, Nominations open on the 1st September 2022 and close on the 1st December 2022. Finalists will be notified in the Janu-

ary 2023 issue of AV News and invited to attend the presentation ceremony on the February 2023 at ISE where the winners will be announced.

P3 AV News August 2022

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Business News

Avocor, Barco and Maverick team London startup launches opensource collaboration tools up on meeting rooms Maverick AV Solutions, Barco and Avocor have launched an exclusive collaboration bundle that combines the Avocor G Series display and Barco’s ClickShare Conference to deliver advanced ideation experiences for the hybrid workplace. Distributed exclusively from Maverick AV Solutions across Benelux, France and Nordics, this bundled solution is designed to offer streamlined collaboration that overcomes the challenges of multiple platform enablement and co-creation.

Simon Kitson, director, Smart Meetings, Europe, Maverick, said: “The partnership aims to eliminate poor in-person experiences due to inadequate in-meeting room technology.

The combined solution is user-friendly and intuitive, adding value in the hybrid workplace and removing boundaries between whiteboard software applications, video conferencing platforms and compatibility with interactive display panels.”

“Avocor's interactive displays

seamlessly integrate with Barco ClickShare Conference.

Working together they improve the in-room collaboration and ideation experience, ensuring that whatever time is spent in meetings in the office is effective and productive. Being the sole distributor of this solution, enables Maverick to ensure users receive specialist knowledge and support.”

Dana Corey, GM and SVP of Avocor comments: “The G Series offers stunning solutions for performance and functionality, aligning teams wherever they are. As a ClickShare Alliance Partner, our combined solutions have been thoroughly tested to work seamlessly together, offering customers more compelling value propositions and much fewer interoperability issues.”

The native 4K resolution, 500 nits brightness and 30-bit colour of the G Series helps to create unrivalled performance compared to other interactive displays on the market.

Companies can choose from a range of backlit screen sizes to

meet their needs and all glass is bonded with anti-glare and zero parallax for better writing experiences. The solution also comes with advanced object recognition to allow users to switch from a pen to a finger or palm whenever they choose.

Michaël Vanderheeren, Product Management Direct Workplace at Barco, comments: “ClickShare Conference is a fully integrated, agnostic wireless conferencing room system that enables high user experience and gets collaborative meetings started in less than seven seconds. Touchback support on the ClickShare wireless collaboration solution allows you to control any application running from your laptop enabling frictionless collaboration on whiteboard applications and lineof-business applications, like Microsoft PowerPoint. It naturally combines with Avocor’s ecosystem agonistic displays that work with any UC software, including Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Cisco WebEx.”

The London-based startup, Open Web Systems provides surveillance-free email and collaboration tools has launched a new service for businesses and groups. The new tools include surveillance-free email, an allin-one collaborative office suite

storage can be encrypted using AES-256 encryption with server-based or custom key management.

Open Web Systems was established to offer a cooperative alternative to the surveillance-capitalism model

a practical alternative for startups and small teams to avoid their private data being monetised or shared.”

Open Web systems’ group tools leverage the collective knowledge of a huge community of security experts. Nextcloud,

The London-based startup, Open Web Systems provides surveillance-free email and collaboration tools has launched a new service for businesses and groups.

Maverick AV Solutions, Barco and Avocor have launched an exclusive collaboration bundle that combines the Avocor G Series display and Barco’s ClickShare Conference to deliver advanced ideation experiences for the hybrid workplace.

to rival Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, and an instant messaging platform which provides an open-source alternative to Slack, Telegram or WhatsApp. Hosted in Europe, the new services are powered entirely by renewable energy, offering groups an easy way to reduce the environmental impact of their online operations. The new group tools are powered

by Nextcloud, which features military-grade encryption and a large number of advanced security protections, including SSL/TLS encryption for data in transfer. Additionally, data in

favoured by the big corporate players, which lures users with the offer of ‘free’ services but can exploit their data.

Oliver Sylvester-Bradley, the founder of Open Web Systems explains: “Some big corporate players have turned the internet against us, by gathering our data and selling access to it for financial gain. If you’re not paying for your online communication tools your data is almost inevitably being exploited.

Open Web Systems provides an alternative for people that care about data privacy and the environment. The launch of our new group tools provides

the package which powers the Open Web System office suite, protects its users' security with a powerful Security Bug Bounty program. Anyone reporting a security vulnerability in Nextcloud can earn up to $10,000, making it one of the highest security bug bounties in the open-source industry.

Kinly UK is Logitech’s EMEA ‘Services Partner of the Year’.

Kinly has announced its UK business has picked up its second major international industry award this month, after being named ‘Service Partner of the Year’ by leading videoconferencing solution specialists, Logitech. Announced during Logitech’s inaugural ‘Channel Champions 22’ event in Montenegro, the award recognises Kinly UK – an aligned Logitech Premier Partner – for its outstanding performance during the six months to March 31. It is the second major industry achievement this month for Kinly, after winning Pexip’s ‘Greatest Retention Award’ for EMEA. Grouped and measured against Logitech partners from as far afield as Israel, India and eastern Europe, Kinly UK experienced YoY sales growth of 153% in Q3 and by an incredible – and unassailable - 326% in Q4, to secure this prestigious and highly sought-after accolade. Commenting on the

award, Matt Keen, Commercial Director UK & Ireland at Kinly, credited the UK team’s devotion to training and commitment to understanding the intrinsic details, capabilities and benefits of Logitech’s full portfolio of solutions, while engaging closely with Logitech’s Partner Management team to ensure unrivalled, best in class advice, demonstrations and experiences to clients.

Keen commented: “We’re proud and honoured to have been recognised for this award.

Competing against so many great Logitech partners across EMEA, this accolade truly reflects both the complimentary way in which we layered Logitech’s support services into our Kinly Care Service stack and the incredible ongoing hard work and commitment of the UK team to offer unparalleled levels of knowledge and excellence to our clients and to the wider AV industry.”

Fuelled further by the pandem-

ic, and a growing desire for businesses to adopt high quality remote solutions, Logitech’s Rally Family of all-in-one video and audio solutions, including the Logitech Rallybar – purpose-built for mid-sized rooms – and the Logitech Rally Bar Mini – designed for small rooms and huddle spaces – have become firm favourites among Kinly clients. Backed by strategic partnerships with many of the world’s leading videoconferencing platforms, including Zoom, Microsoft and Pexip, Kinly clients have access to the industry’s most complete, fully compatible ecosystem of video conferencing hardware, software and services, guaranteeing the highest levels of quality, service and user experiences.

Brooke Ellingworth, Head of EMEA Distribution, Video Collaboration at Logitech, said: “We are delighted to award Kinly UK as Services Partner of the Year for Logitech's FY22. Kinly has shown impressive growth

Announced during Logitech’s inaugural ‘Channel Champions 22’ event in Montenegro, the ‘Service Partner of the Year’ award recognises Kinly UK – an aligned Logitech Premier Partner – for its outstanding performance during the six months to March 31.

in our video collaboration solutions over the past year, adding incredible value to our joint customers and delivering high value consistently. We thank them for their partnership and congratulate them on this award” Keen concluded: “Logitech is a premium partner and we’ve seen an explosion across the board with the breadth and quality of their solutions appealing to a broad range of environments, with tremendous success in the finance verticals. Logitech is becoming a powerhouse brand in the market, offering the full ‘end to end’ solution for hybrid working from the desk to the boardroom; backed up by enterprise-grade support.

We’re delighted to call them a partner and look forward to continuing our recent success into the coming months and years.”

P5 AV News August 2022

Business News

Node4 acquires risual Neumann Berlin and Merging Technologies combine Cloud-led, digital transformation, Managed Services Provider (MSP) Node4, has announced the acquisition of risual, an IT managed services and solutions provider and Microsoft Azure Expert MSP employing 170 staff in the UK. As a Microsoft Expert for 17 years, risual has deep solution and service knowledge across Microsoft platforms and a specialist in transforming clients in cloud, business and digital.

The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Backed by Providence Equity Partners, to build on its strong organic growth, Node4 targets strategic acquisitions that will enhance its ability to provide market-leading end-to-end services and help UK businesses move to secure, cloud-based platforms that will really make a difference to their people and clients. Node4’s acquisition of risual plays on the strengths of two organisations formed, built and led by genuine technology entrepreneurs. This adds significant skills, experience, and revenue to its managed services business, with a focus on all three Microsoft cloud platforms and public and private sector clients.

Adding risual to Node4’s acquisition of TNP in July 2021 brings together knowledge, capability and capacity offering a comprehensive Microsoft portfolio of services. The Group plans to create a Microsoft Centre of Excellence. With 170 highly skilled staff and world class levels of employee engagement, risual brings an array of complementary skills and deep knowledge across Microsoft platforms to Node4, which itself is also an Azure Expert MSP. The acquisition further enhances the group’s credibility and expertise in delivering Microsoft solutions to the enterprise mid-tier and public sector. risual’s accreditation for many major public sector digital and IT service frameworks, including the Crown Commercial Service (CCS), as well as its extensive consulting expertise, will play a significant role in bringing the benefits of Node4’s wider portfolio of solutions to public sector organisations.

A combined portfolio built on Microsoft to help clients create value-based strategies to move and re-imagine applications and services to the public cloud at a pace considering, economics, regulation, and security. risual’s co-founders, Alun Rogers and Rich Proud will remain in their leadership roles alongside their management team post-acquisition, with Node4 committed to all risual employees investing in growth in the years ahead. Under their leadership, risual’s highly skilled experts will play a critical role spearheading Microsoft cloud and public sector, as Node4 establishes itself as the most capable customer-focused

MSP in the UK. The portfolio, capability, and capacity are truly exciting, working with clients to define, deliver, protect, and manage within a single UK based group.

Node4 will also support the continued growth of risual Education, which since 2015, provides end-user training to help organisations across the UK adopt technology, as well as supporting students with qualifications through an award-winning apprenticeship program.

“As Node4 evolves as a business delivering more cloud-led transformation services, risual represents a perfect fit given its track record, consultancy skills and managed services in the public cloud,” commented Andrew Gilbert, CEO of Node4.

“With complementary Microsoft skill sets, Node4 and risual are ideally suited to deliver the change that matters for clients and the transformation outcomes they need.”

Alun Rogers, Co-Founder at risual, said: “Joining the Node4 team is an extremely exciting

German studio specialist Neumann.Berlin and Swiss company Merging Technologies - one of the world's leading manufacturers of high-resolution digital audio recording systems – will now be working together under the umbrella of the Sennheiser group. Sennheiser has taken over the shares of Merging Technologies entirely. With this step, Neumann.Berlin will enlarge its range of high-quality audio solutions.

With its microphones, monitors, and headphones, Neumann.Berlin is regarded worldwide as a reference not only by professional users - such as recording studios and broadcasters - but also by semi-professional customers. Neumann solutions stand not only for reliability and lasting value, but also for the ultimate in sound quality. Neumann is continuing to build on this strong position and is now strategically expanding its product range. The integration with Merging Technologies is part of Neumann's growth strategy.

"We plan to strengthen Neumann's offering, particularly in the area of digital workstreams, in order to provide our customers with holistic audio solutions in studio quality. Merging Technologies' products and solutions are an excellent complement to the Neumann product portfolio. We are therefore very

“We are very pleased to welcome Merging's employees as part of the Sennheiser Group,” said Andreas Sennheiser, co-CEO of the Sennheiser Group much looking forward to working together with the Merging team," says Ralf Oehl, CEO of Georg Neumann GmbH. Merging Technologies is one of the world's leading suppliers of AD/DA solutions, digital audio workstations, as well as a pioneer in software development to support the AES67 standard.

"Neumann.Berlin and Merging Technologies are a perfect match and the collaboration opens up new opportunities for both parties," adds Claude Cellier, founder and CEO of Merging Technologies. "Both companies share a passion for excellence and a commitment to always set new standards

in audio." The existing portfolio of the two companies will remain unchanged. The first joint product of the partnership between Neumann.Berlin and Merging Technologies will be a Neumann audio interface that enables the perfect integration of Neumann products into a digital infrastructure.

With the takeover, Merging Technologies will become part of the Sennheiser Group through the strategic partnership. Its team of around 20 people will continue to be located at the company’s site in Puidoux, Switzerland, but will work closely with the Neumann team in Berlin; the two

companies see great potential for new joint collaborations, particularly in the area of development and innovation.

“We are very pleased to welcome Merging's employees as part of the Sennheiser Group,” said Andreas Sennheiser, coCEO of the Sennheiser Group.

“As a family-owned company, we want to grow sustainably on the strength of our own resources in the coming years. To achieve this, we are investing significantly in our professional business.” Both sides have agreed not to disclose financial details.

New research in smart appliances and consumer shopping New research in smart appliances and consumer shopping Parks Associates’ new consumer research, Smart Home

home adoption and trends influencing consumer purchase behaviour.

"Information gathering online

interaction to establish a strong connection with the buyer and ultimately win the sale. That close connection works well

Andrew Gilbert, CEO of Node4. step for risual, and their excellent reputation was a decisive factor in our decision to take risual into the group. Node4’s exceptional service as standard, as well as their culture and commitment to providing strategic input and honest direction, is in perfect harmony with risual’s core values of honesty, openness, and trust.”

“The combined group is ready to lead our clients with insights to solve their most challenging needs considering secure and environmentally sustainable operations. With an integrated team of highly skilled, trustworthy, and experienced people, the group aims to guide and support clients with capacity and scale to meet any demand.” added Rich Proud, Co-Founder at risual. “Our amazing team are looking forward to maximising group opportunities and play important roles in the ongoing Node4 success story.” Proud concluded.

ize on the recent boom in home renovations, but many lower-income households are also interested in smart appliances so there is opportunity in a basic value model. In addition, the study contains new research on consumer adoption and usage of various connected solutions: •More than half of internet households have a smart speaker.

•15% of internet households own a smart video doorbell.

•Security system apps continue to be the most common tool for controlling multiple smart home products.

“As consumers grapple with inflation, rising energy costs, and a shortage of essential items, smart home players need to meet consumers where they are to maintain growth,” Kent said. “Consumers expect access to information, different price points to choose from, and options for delivery and installation.”

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

Products: Mapping the Buyer Journey, reveals smart home shoppers collect information from a mix of online and instore sources when researching products. Smart home buyers researched product information from an average of more than two different types of sources before making a purchase decision. The consumer study provides the latest data on smart

is common, but consumers feel that experiences in the store are more powerful in the final decision to buy the product,” said Jennifer Kent, VP, Research, Parks Associates. “The smart home shopper is clearly considering both online and in-person experiences in decisions. Dealers, technicians, providers, and contractors can leverage their expertise and close consumer

for single-family home sales, and it is absolutely essential in multidwelling unit (MDU) projects.”

The research study reports a big leap in interest for smart appliances among households with incomes over $75,000 per year. Samsung, LG, and other leading OEMs continue to add more features to their smart appliances, hoping to capital-

P7 AV News August 2022

Business News

disguise acquires creative studio Meptik disguise has acquired Atlanta-based immersive entertainment specialists Meptik, to empower the global deployment of trailblazing immersive productions, studios and installations delivered by Meptik and powered by disguise. While both companies will continue to operate as separate entities, disguise will be leveraging Meptik’s expertise to expand its global reach, helping creatives build the next generation of extended reality and metaverse experiences. Meptik’s teams will work with disguise to workshop new solutions, create product roadmaps, and drive new standards in entertainment technology.

Meptik specialises in creating dynamic virtual worlds that blow audiences away—and keeps them coming back. Their clients range from film studios to lifestyle brands, Fortune 500s, musical artists, and more. Combining creative chops with technical skills, Meptik is always working behind the scenes to define what’s next for Extended Reality (xR), Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), and

Virtual Production (VP). Led by Sarah Linebaugh and Nick Rivero, their team of experts deliver ground-breaking projects for filmmakers and broadcasters as well as remarkable corporate and immersive installations. xR technology unleashes storytelling potential by delivering photorealistic, three-dimensional, real-time graphics that immerse performers and audiences alike in a virtual world visible on set and in-camera. disguise’s market-leading extended reality (xR) workflow has, in the past two years alone, enabled over 600 xR productions in over 50 countries, powering live entertainment productions for music artists such as Katy Perry and Billie Eilish, film and episodic TV productions for Netflix and Amazon Prime, corporate presentations for Siemens and Verizon, and live broadcast programmes from Eurosport, MTV and ITV. With new disguise locations opening up around the world and a software interface available in multiple languages, disguise is accelerating the

democratisation of its xR workflow to meet the expanding appetite for xR, Virtual Production and Virtual Studios. As a rapidly growing global player in the Events, Media and Entertainment space, disguise is well placed to support a similar growth trajectory for Meptik, bringing their creative and technical expertise to all.

Customers can expect a Meptik team with the latest technology in their back pocket, and an ever-growing global team of experts to support them on their creative journey.

Meptik will also use its unique combination of creative and technical expertise, to aid disguise in its mission to empower game-changing virtual experiences - at the intersection of physical and virtual worlds.

“We have always prided ourselves on our ability to service both sides of the xR equation - the creative and the technical - and we love creating dynamic virtual worlds that blow audiences away,” says Nick Rivero, Co-Founder of Meptik. “Joining forces with disguise will enhance our ability to continue

to serve our clients from start to finish while maintaining our down-to-earth spirit.”

“Meptik has been a trusted partner of disguise for many years, growing to excel at bringing out the very best capability for disguise solutions.

Given that we have both been,

in the past two years, bringing extended reality and immersive entertainment to the world, this acquisition would expand on these efforts and lead the next era for extended reality and metaverse experiences,” says disguise CEO Fernando Kufer.

disguise has acquired Atlanta-based immersive entertainment specialists Meptik, to empower the global deployment of trailblazing immersive productions, studios and installations delivered by Meptik and powered by disguise.

Ideas:

Exertis inks Nothing deal

79% of UK office workers have had to supply their personal number in a professional capacity, leading to out of hours calls and messages, cold calls and spam, and even inappropriate advances. That’s according to a recent survey by YourBusinessNumber, who also found the majority would rather have kept their private life private, but didn’t have the additional choice of a work provided handset, for example.

•The survey found that 79% of us who work in a professional office environment have had to provide someone with our private number while carrying out our professional duties.

•For the most part, we feel obliged to give our personal contact info to a colleague, however, clients also ranked high, as did suppliers.

•58% of those that did supply their personal number stated they would have preferred not to if given the choice, but didn’t have the alternative of a second, work-provided handset.

•What’s more, 72% also stated that in giving out their private number, it led to unwanted communications above and beyond the requirements of their job role.

The most common intrusion was work related calls or enquiries outside of their working hours, putting further strain on the already delicate work-life balance that many of us try to maintain.

Cold calls for additional services or products also ranked high, as well as general, but not inappropriate non-work-related messages. Spam messages

Exertis has been named the UK distributor of Nothing, a London-based consumer tech brand with a focus to remove barriers between people and technology by crafting intuitive, flawlessly connected products that aim to bring joy back to tech. The manufacturer’s first product, the carbon neutral Ear (1) earbuds, launched in 2021 and feature Clear Voice Technology, three high-definition mics, ultra-light ergonomic design, and transparent veneers to highlight and celebrate the craftsmanship underneath.

Nothing’s Phone (1) was launched on 12th July 2022, and its Glyph Interface with over 900 customisable LEDs, coupled with a transparent, unique look creates a handset which stands out from the crowd. The transparent back of the phone also homes a wireless charging pad with reverse charge capabilities and an LED charge progress indicator. The Phone (1) showcases camera and video features to produce exceptional images and 10bit colour videos, meaning it can capture 1 billion colours, create smoother gradients and powerfully true-to-life realism.

General Manager of UK&I at Nothing, Ryan Latham, said: "We are proud to partner with Exertis – one of the UK's most established, and fastest-growing technology distribution experts. We believe in the operational strength and expertise Exertis demonstrates to support our launch of our debut smartphone - Phone (1) and our ecosystem portfolio as we establish the Nothing brand here in our home UK market.” Exertis is commonly known as the ‘Home of Android’, and adding

The biggest problems when providing personal contact info were also a common occurrence and while it was the least likely to happen, some also received inappropriate advances of a non-professional nature.

George Lineker, Co-founder of YourBusinessNumber, commented: “The provision of a second work handset can be an incredibly expensive endeavour for the nation’s businesses and, in this day and age, the good old landline can only get you so far. What’s more, some employees will prefer to keep their cards close to their chest when it comes to work related contacts, providing them with their own number to stay connected in case they move on to greener pastures.”

But while it’s almost become an expectation in today’s working world, failing to keep a clear line between professional and personal communications can be incredibly detrimental

P8 AV News August 2022

to employees and employers alike. Not only can it lead to varying degrees of intrusion into our personal lives, but it can also lead to a loss of business should your employee move roles, bringing their little black book of contacts with them.

“Today, there’s a wealth of affordable and practical solutions available, such as WhatsApp Business, that allow businesses to maintain a clear line when it comes to workplace communications. So there’s really no excuse to have to provide your personal information to anyone.”

79% of UK office workers have had to supply their personal number in a professional capacity, leading to out of hours calls and messages, cold calls and spam, and even inappropriate advances.

Nothing, with its responsive, stripped-back Android experience, is a welcome addition to its portfolio.

Paul Jacobs, Sales and Commercial Director for Mobility and Services at Exertis, said: “We are excited to add the originality and innovation of Nothing to our already-extensive Android portfolio. Nothing’s ingenious creativity could see

them grow exponentially, and we are looking forward to working with them to distribute this contemporary technology.”

Exertis will be distributing Nothing’s phones and headphones to new and existing UK customers, giving them a great opportunity to add a unique and ground-breaking brand to their offerings.

Exertis has been named the UK distributor of Nothing, a London-based consumer tech brand with a focus to remove barriers between people and technology by crafting intuitive, flawlessly connected products that aim to bring joy back to tech.

Opinion

Predictions for digital signage We caught up with industry expert Business Development Director, Maverick Europe, Joan Aixa about the main priorities for the digital signage industry over the next 12 months.

Digital Signage has become business critical and not an isolated solution in addition to company operations. From retail and hospitality to medical facilities, transportation and even manufacturing plants, digital displays have become essential in day-to-day operation and an integral part of the customer and employee journey.

a conclusion for the SoC Vs dedicated player debate! SoC reigns supreme having reached a technology level that meets these next generation digital signage requirements.

The industry has seen a double-digit growth of 11%, with even mature technologies like LFD growing by 14% in Europe. When the screens go black and businesses come to a halt, we quickly see how much our content embracing industry has become reliant on this no longer ‘luxury’ commodity.

It’s clear from the growth in the market, that digital signage has become business-critical in almost every feasible industry and although business critical IT systems are far from revolutionary, the move for digital signage from silo applications to business-critical functions is. But with higher adoption rates of digital signage, new questions are beginning to appear around the direct impact digital signage has on the environment.

Dynamic data and the need to instantly update content in real-time is essential for the new functioning business critical signage and on-premise content management systems simply weren’t designed to accommodate that kind of flexibility. Companies had to rapidly adapt to remote-first, distributed workflows. From lack of ability to access the solutions while businesses worked from home, the CMS player quickly fell short under the less-than-ideal working conditions. Critical infrastructure and content became inaccessible and the threat of business-critical communications being cut off became a worrying reality.

Green signage Green signage continues to be a key strategy for more and more vendors, from manufacturing to distribution and recycling. Climate change, sustainability and rising energy costs are driving an increase in customer requirements for greener signage. Green Signage offers great potential for the digital signage industry to engage more businesses who are prioritising reducing their carbon footprint.

Lifecycle carbon emission of displays is one of the most relevant green signage topics. LG has published detailed carbon emission

Dynamic data

Unlike a SaaS CMS, the scalability of an on-premise CMS depends entirely on the underlying infrastructure. Maintaining inhouse infrastructure can adversely impact scalability, especially if you don’t take advantage of the cloud and AI technologies offered.

Having said that, players still have a place and will be required for more powerful applications and integrations with applications such as interactivity, AI and Edge computing.

AI powered signage AI-powered Digital Signage enhances the customer experience by providing accurate personalisation. This combination of data collection with powerful AI platforms is a powerful value proposition and a step closer to hyper customization.

Business Development Director, Maverick Europe, Joan Aixa graphic and can even adjust content based on location and time.

These data-driven solutions mean that companies no longer need to guess how, when and where to broadcast content, but provide businesses with precise predictions and recommendations for effective use. This extends the capabilities of omnichannel digital signage. But as technology and services continue to commoditize, interoperability with other areas will be critical for integrators to offer value propositions in the AV Market.

The metaverse just got real…

Whether you believe it will be the next big thing or is just a passing phase, you can’t overlook the topic of the metaverse when talking about smart spaces. At the moment, this is mostly being driven by retail brands who want to be first to market with ground-breaking activations. Questions however remain around how to make the metaverse accessible, interoperable and who is making the rules around governance.

Photo by Roman Chyller on Unsplash splits for its displays, concluding that over 80% of emissions are produced while screens are in use. This showcases that although manufacturing, distribution and disposal offer much potential for improvement, green signage strategies should focus predominantly on how to operate screens more effectively. This includes energy efficient hardware, remote management infrastructure and optimising content.

Artificial intelligence engines that automatically learn from end-user preferences, demographic data, sales and inventory are, among other parameters, keyways to optimise content management. These have become increasingly important for targeting and functionality. Understanding more about customer and employee behaviour has become essential at the business decision point for all types of businesses.

Content and content management is key, but with the amount of CMS hardware available, remote management of the devices is critical to keep the network safe, maintained and updated. Finally,

Within retail and DOOH settings, businesses are able to improve their displays performance and overall campaign efficiency, as displays are able to automatically target the right audience demo-

Photo by charlesdeluvio on Unsplash

P9 AV News August 2022

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Opinion

Powering the next generation of immersive digital experiences I’m energized to see our industry emerge from the pandemic stronger than it’s ever been. As people return to their normal routines, they’re welcomed by immersive experiences at every turn. These experiences combine multiple, high-definition video channels with audio and other content and make unprecedented demands from the players.

System integrators are using every ounce of power that our players offer and asking for more. As a result, for the last eighteen months our top-of-the-line player was also our best-selling player. We’ve responded by introducing a pair of new players, XC5, our most powerful ever, which were previewed at InfoComm in the US and the Digital Signage Summit in Germany. By Jeff Hastings, CE, BrightSign.

I’m energized to see our industry emerge from the pandemic stronger than it’s ever been. As people return to their normal routines, they’re welcomed by immersive experiences at every turn.

These experiences combine multiple, high-definition video channels with audio and other content and make unprecedented demands from the players. System integrators are using every ounce of power that our players offer and asking for more. As a result, for the last eighteen months our top-of-the-line player was also our

be an All-Blacks rugby player, stepping out in front of the cheering crowd and performing the haka. Conceived by Ngai Tahu Tourism and New Zealand Rugby and implemented by Toulouse on BrightSign players, it offers a guided and interactive journey through the New Zealand rugby story, showcasing the All Blacks, the Black Ferns and the Maori All Blacks.

Weta Workshop Unleashed! is an exciting new ‘part film set, part creative workshop’ attraction housed in the Sky City Hotel of Auckland City, New Zealand. Integrated by Toulouse Group, the visitor attraction showcases the innovations of Weta Workshop, the industry-renowned makers of props and visual effects for an impressive array of films that includes Lord of the Rings, Avatar and Bladerunner. Weta’s work goes well beyond the screen to expose audiences to some of the most fascinating aspects of the film-making process.

Introducing XC5 In developing the next generation of players, we worked closely with many of our top CMS partners and customers to understand the performance and useability features they value most. Their feedback was invaluable as we refined this new offering, and we’re

The new All Blacks Experience is arguably the world’s most immersive sporting visitor experience.

XC5 sets a significant new bar for player performance – but the core design philosophy hasn’t changed. Like previous generations of BrightSign players, the XC5 devices are solid-state media players built with a single purpose in mind: to put the power and capability in the hands of system integrators so they can fully realize their creative vision.

A new class of implementations

The new All Blacks Experience is arguably the world’s most immersive sporting visitor experience. The installation uses innovation and technology to provide a full sensory, interactive experience that allows followers of the game to discover what it takes to

The new BrightSign XC5 line consists of two models, the XC2055 and XC4055. Both models offer the company’s most powerful HTML5/graphics engine to-date, with graphics performance improvement of up to 10X compared to their predecessors. Both models support 8K output – one model offering dual HDMI-out (up to two 4K or one 8K) and the other offering quad HDMI-out (up to four 4K or one 8K). The new XC5 models represent an upward expansion of BrightSign’s media player portfolio, as the LS, HD, XD and XT models will continue to be sold into the channel. Further information about specs, pricing and availability will come in Q4 of this year.

Appliance players

best-selling player. We’ve responded by introducing a pair of new players, XC5, our most powerful ever, which were previewed at InfoComm in the US and the Digital Signage Summit in Germany.

The new class of digital signage implementations that I’m seeing is typified by two installations in New Zealand created by Wellington-based systems integrator Toulouse. Both took the capabilities of our players to the very limit of what they are designed for and beyond to deliver a truly one-of-a-kind experience.

By Jeff Hastings, CE, BrightSign.

confident that our newest hardware will be embraced by our partners across the industry.

The result is the new XC5 line of media players. They are so much more than an evolution of our existing media player line-up. We’ve created the market’s most powerful solid-state media players by making exponential leaps in performance that simply can’t be matched by any competitive offerings.

When we ask our top CMS partners what they value most, reliability is at the top of the list alongside performance. Like our current hardware, XC5 players can self-heal by fixing most issues without intervention, so they rarely (if ever) require the attention of a field service engineer.

System integrators and developers demand players with more power than ever before, but power is not everything. Developers need useable power that they can harness. And they need power that delivers stellar experiences not just on the development bench or when the installation is commissioned, but day-in day-out, for years to come, delighting the millionth visitor just as much as the first. Delivering that power is the challenge that faces us as an industry – and that BrightSign has addressed with the XC5.

The new XC5 line of media players are so much more than an evolution of our existing media player line-up.

P11 AV News August 2022

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Application News

Brompton Technology takes German music stars into space When Doering creative agency contacted LEDcave about their ambitious plans to create unique visuals for German singer, rapper, songwriter and producer Clueso’s new music video Mond (Moon) where he sings together with German-Turkish musician Elif. LEDcave had a stellar solution in mind. “We have been in conversations with Doering’s team for the past two years about various creative opportunities at our LEDcave studios across Germany,” says LEDcave’s CEO Thilo Strack. “When this music video project came up there was no time for ‘star gazing’ - we knew our Berlin studio would be perfect, both creatively and technologically, for what the teams had in mind.”

As LEDcave’s most advanced VP studio, the 2,500m2 Berlin space features a giant LED volume comprising a curved LED wall measuring 40m wide by 6.5m high made up of LEDitgo vP2+ LED panels. The LED roof surface, which consists of the same 2.6mm panels, is 24m long and 14m deep.

Sixteen high-end media servers with state-of-the-art components such as the NVIDA A6000 graphics cards play the environments created in Unreal Engine via an Analog Way Aquillon CS+ with 24 inputs and 20 outputs in 4K60 in 10 bits via a total of 16 Brompton Tessera SX40 4K LED processors, with

multiple Tessera XD10G data distribution units utilized for distribution to the LED panels.

All panels have been dynamically calibrated using Brompton’s Hydra measurement system, making them Brompton HDR-ready and able to take full advantage of Dynamic Calibration features such as ThermaCal and PureTone.

Produced by Doering, the music video was shot by MOO Video Production, with LEDcave’s stunning LED volume delivering ultra-realistic visual backgrounds that seamlessly combined physical and virtual elements to transport the two pop music stars into the outer space. Unreal Engine was used

by LEDcave team to transport moon scenes from the original mood board into captivating virtual backgrounds. “We really enjoyed the collaborative spirit from everyone involved in the project,” Strack says. “LEDcave’s creative team, the client, the management and even the artists themselves all got involved in the creative process of designing the perfect virtual moon environment.”

Speaking of the benefits that Tessera SX40 processors had brought to the production, Strack notes that it is “the numerous colour features within Tessera and Brompton’s Dynamic Calibration settings that made all the difference, particularly when comparing the

physically built stone surface placed against space backgrounds on the LED wall. They worked incredibly well in real time and brought considerable time-saving advantages to the team,” he explains. “The visual elements and the overall result of this project speak for themselves. There is a clear difference in the image quality Tessera processors deliver compared to competitor processing systems.”

According to Strack, they are, quite literally, over the moon when it comes to the results and the feedback received from the production team, the client and the artists. Everyone involved in the project was pleased with the result, which is also reflected in the comments section of LEDcave’s golden guest book, with Doering Media saying: ‘Thank you very much for the perfect cooperation, the commitment and the great vibe during the production shoot. Your positive energy was the gift we all deserved. You are the power! See you next time’ Clueso and Elif also wrote: ‘Hey guys, this is the uppermost awesome s**t, thank you!’,” concludes Strack.

“This really says it all, and we are also grateful to our technical partners such as Brompton Technology. Their LED video processing products help us continue pushing the boundaries in VP and XR productions!”

world over should increasingly be investing in ways to enable their staff and patients with digital solutions. Erasmus MC knew that it needed to modernise its IT operations to offer seamless content and information sharing that would bolster the customer journey. It was also imperative for Erasmus MC that staff and students be able to collaborate and connect with colleagues on different shift patterns, across operating rooms, as well as being able to collaborate with other medical institutions remotely for advice on specific cases, and to assist the organisation’s commitment to open and insightful knowledge sharing.

In its previous environment, Erasmus MC had different brands of displays across lobbies and across operating rooms. This meant that the digital pathways used to share information were obstructed and complex, with unreliable

65”, 75” and 85” BZ35 series and BZ40 series in meeting rooms and operating theatres.

These meeting rooms will be used for MS Teams meetings (internal and external) and for meetings between other hospitals for things like multidisciplinary consultations, as well as sharing information between shift workers.

The full list of products deployed includes: •75 x FW-55BZ40H/1 •25 x FW-65BZ40H/1 •25 x FW-75BZ40H/1 •25 x FW-85BZ40H/1 The clients chose to work with Schaay AV and use Sony products because on the minimal service issues and best-in-class quality technology they would offer. Erasmus MC has complete peace of mind that their digital functions will remain operative 24/7 and that Schaay AV are on hand for instant and efficient support should any issues occur. This is particularly

4K professional displays came out on top.”

With the new system of Sony displays working seamlessly across the communal areas, operating rooms, and meeting spaces within Erasmus MC Hospital, the organisation now knows it can rely on its equipment to remain operational 24/7. This is paramount given the critical nature of the hospitals function. “It was imperative to us that the displays were suitable for 24hr use, every single day given the nature of our environment. We also worried about what would be available to us during the Covid-19 pandemic, but Sony took our worries away and were able to deliver what we needed and for a good price.”

The suite of ‘best-in-class’ technology has enabled its staff and patients to communicate, collaborate and share information in the most efficient and instant manner. With

Founded in 2001, Erasmus MC University Medical Center is recognised as a leading innovator in healthcare.

When Doering creative agency contacted LEDcave about their ambitious plans to create unique visuals for German singer, rapper, songwriter and producer Clueso’s new music video Mond (Moon) where he sings together with German-Turkish musician Elif.

connections and incompatible content sharing functions.

The old screens were also only operating 16 hours a day, and they needed a solution that would provide them with 24/7 connectivity. In order to modernise and make operations more efficient, the organisation needed to deploy a compatible and top-quality ecosystem of displays.

Working with Schaay AV, Erasmus MC undertook an overhaul of its display technology throughout the building. Erasmus use Sony’s 55” BZ40 Professional BRAVIA Displays in the communal areas to communicate information to patients and employees, with

imperative in a healthcare setting where the ability to share and receive information can be critical.

“We had to look at what was the best fit for our hospital, and one of the most critical requirements as to provide clear information and direction for our staff, patients and visitors,” commented Ivo Baumann, Coordinator of Technical Application Management Operations, in Education and Research at Erasmus MC. “We wanted to see what would get us the best value for money without compromising on quality, and after going through an extensive comparison from several manufacturers, Sony BRAVIA

patients now constantly kept up to date with information sharing boards on things like timings and directions for their appointments, this real-time information sharing bolsters the customers’ digital journey and gives peace of mind. The compatible and seamless content sharing functions of the Sony displays means that the organisations commitment to knowledge sharing and educating can be fully supported by its tech. The hospital also has new peace of mind that with local partner, Schaay AV, they have help on hand always should any of the equipment suffer from operational issues.

BrightSign, LLC announced that German biotech innovator Green City Solutions has chosen media players from BrightSign to power its new DOOH screens designed to tackle the pressing problems of air pollution and rising urban temperatures. Known as City-

Breeze, the ground-breaking digital signage units contain regenerative air quality filters made from high-performance moss. This ancient plant has a natural ability to attract and metabolise all kinds of harmful pollutants such as black carbon and nitrogen oxides, removing

them from the atmosphere. It also cools the ambient air by evaporating water across its exceptionally large ‘leaf’ surface.

As well as a 75” LCD screen

Sony’s slick digital experience Green City Solutions picks BrightSign for University Medical Center for environmental DOOH Founded in 2001, Erasmus MC University Medical Center is recognised as a leading innovator in healthcare. It has round-the-clock staff, volunteers, and students that work on top-clinical care for patients with complex care needs, rare diseases, or acute needs for

care and treatment. The institution also works on distinctive, high-quality education that appeals to ambitious, inquisitive, and talented students and addresses the healthcare issues of tomorrow. With cutting-edge, world class international medical research Erasmus MC

helps to understand, predict, treat, and prevent diseases and health conditions.

In the modern world, the public have become more accustomed to digitised healthcare journeys, something especially highlighted over the pandemic.

Healthcare organisations the

continued on page14

P13 AV News August 2022

Application News continued from page13 controlled by a BrightSign HD224 media player, each attractively designed CityBreeze unit has the capacity to filter 1,400m³ of cubic meters of air an hour, removing up to 82% of the pollutants contained in it and reducing its temperature by up to 4˚C. The moss is kept in perfect condition through smart IoT technology which can also be used to capture and share real-time air-quality data. “City authorities are very concerned about air quality and the increasingly problematic ‘urban heat island’ effect,” said Simon Dierks, Marketing Lead for Green City Solutions.

“But the cost of installation and lengthy planning processes for environmental infrastructure can be real barriers. Every town already has fixed locations for OOH screens, however, and they need to be replaced every eight to ten years. When that happens, upgrading to a biotech system that also purifies the air and reduces the ambient temperature instead of increasing it makes a lot of sense.”

The advertising revenue the screens generate can be used by city authorities to cover both the installation and mainte-

nance costs of the screens, making the CityBreeze very cheap or even cost neutral to instal and run. Brands also benefit from running campaigns on high tech screens that are visibly helping the environment and improving public health.

The first CityBreeze kiosk was installed in Küsnacht, Switzerland at the end of 2021. Green City Solutions expects to sell between 100-150 more in the UK and Europe by the end of the year.

Flexibility and ease of media management were key considerations in the selection of the BrightSign media players running BrightAuthor for creating content. Green City Solutions also uses BSN.cloud for scheduling and uploading media, as do some of its customers. Jeff Hastings, CEO of BrightSign said, “Green City Solutions has developed an exceptionally innovative business model and BrightSign is proud to be involved in a project where signage is contributing directly to improving city air quality and the environment as a whole.

We wish them every success with their forward-thinking concept.”

The CityBreeze modules have

a guaranteed lifespan of 10 years, so robust, low-maintenance media players were also essential. “The BrightSign players are fanless and fit well into confined spaces without generating too much heat, which would reduce the cooling effect of the moss,” explained Dierks. The CityBreeze units have a slim design for flexible installation in urban areas and the player is integrated into the casing. CityBreeze screens can be installed anywhere with a power supply, but Green City Solutions is keen for them to be placed where they have the greatest impact for public health. That often means places with many pedestrians encountering heavy traffic pollution, which also frequently corresponds to the best DOOH locations – sites with large numbers of people and vehicles passing by.

CityBreeze units can be either rented or purchased from Green City Solutions. The company has also introduced an optional 43” LCD screen controlled by a BrightSign LS424 player on its larger flagship product, the CityTree filtration tower.

CityBreeze, the ground-breaking digital signage units contain regenerative air quality filters made from high-performance moss

P14 AV News August July 2022 2022

New workspace – “better than being at home” Nomios design, secures and manages the digital infrastructure for large and small organisations and are a leading partner for large security and network technology vendors, Juniper Networks, F5 Networks and Fortinet. Earlier this year, Nomios took a bold step in moving into new premises in Basingstoke. The pandemic pushed them from an activity-based workforce to one that focuses on a working experience that puts video collaboration at the heart of the organisation.

The new office needed to be a better place to work than the home offices employees had become accustomed to. What Pioneer achieved for Nomios was workspaces that made

your notes and scribblings and then email them to your laptop ready for your next meeting is a cool touch.”

Managing Director Richard Butcher explained: “We are a cyber security company, so security for us was a huge consideration during this project; there are protocols we had to consider when looking at the technology and how it would work for us. It was extremely important. Touch technology also needed to be looked at not just from an ease-of-use perspective but in terms of security!”

"Working with Pioneer Group, we have an office as secure as it is practical. The acoustics in every meeting space has been planned and implemented per-

the new post-pandemic world of work. In this scenario, we aimed to create an environment where any user, regardless of skill level, can turn up and use a room to its full potential and utilise the booking system to book the spaces dynamically, reducing wasted “empty room” time. Pioneer’s solution for Nomios bridges any skills gap by utilising the latest technologies and integrations. One of the key designs, especially for the 2/4 person meeting spaces, is any user with a USB-C enabled laptop only has to plug in a single cable to receive full service from the AV system in the room, which delivers network connectivity and essential power.

In the larger huddle spaces, we

The project covers two floors, comprising 12 different workspaces/areas. Among the installed kit are Samsung QMR series screens with a dual 75-inch set-up and Poly video conferencing in the main meeting room. meetings more collaborative, fectly. The secure Clevertouch partnered with Clevertouch and smoother, more productive room booking system ensures Displaynote to enable a single and more inspirational In addi- people don't mistakenly inter- touchscreen Teams experience tion, through the use of clever rupt important meetings. Every and a Poly camera and sound acoustics and technology, they piece of kit implemented is system, allowing full collaboramade going to the office a more being used, helping us deliver tion using Teams on Windows desirable alternative to home a better service to our custom- and all the features that eners, partners, and employees. compass it. The boardroom utiworking.

Nomios had humble begin- It makes this a great place to lises both Teams Room on Winnings in a kitchen; it has grown work." dows and the Barco Clickshare massively over the past eight The project covers two floors, solution delivering a seamless years. It acquired new office comprising 12 different work- sharing experience accessible space to accommodate plans, spaces/areas. Among the in- to everyone. Removing obstasuch as creating an academy stalled kit are Samsung QMR cles and points of confusion for graduates and ex-military series screens with a dual was essential. The AMX touchstaff. The company's employ- 75-inch set-up and Poly video screen on the wall enables ees worked from home during conferencing in the main meet- users to power up the screens the coronavirus pandemic. ing room. It divides into two and decide if the divisible room Two things became apparent. smaller rooms where the audio is split or open, and then the Firstly, video conferencing and equipment is connected to a whole system is run using a home working would remain a touchscreen, facilitating video Teams Room touchscreen by staple in the business's future. calls in one room and permit- Poly on the boardroom table.

Secondly, maintaining Nomios' ting others to work on a Clever- “We eliminated user-expericulture and employees' men- touch panel in the other room ence obstacles by configuring tal health was fundamental to simultaneously. Employees use a divisible room sound system its success; it had to create a personal devices to operate the powered by Biamp. We also space where people wanted to ClevertouchLive room booking removed the need for manual be, work smarter, and be hap- system. The clever QR code al- camera framing by integrating pier. Technology allows Nomios lows visitors to register and let the Huddly L1 camera and its to do so securely and intuitive- the staff member they are visit- smart auto-framing technology. ing know they have arrived. We It means users in the room join ly.

Marketing Director David Eigh- have also installed several LG, their scheduled call utilising teen said: “The new office had and Philips monitors through- the single tap ‘join now’ feature to be better than being at home! out the space to allow staff to presented by the Teams Room.

The technology combined with hook up their laptops and work Alternatively, they can start an the office design and layout was collaboratively wherever suits ad-hoc call and invite their usa game changer! The ability to them. ers right there and then.” collaborate on touchscreens The marriage of collaboration with colleagues that record all and simplicity is key within continued on page15

Application News continued from page13 When someone wishes to share their desktop, they plug in a Clickshare dongle and simply press the button. The system instantly knows you want to present, and when the room is open, it intelligently shares the content feed to the screen in the rear of the boardroom, creating a repeater screen.

Utilising the ClevertouchLive platform for room booking permits the use of the same diary as the room system to provide seamless, up-to-date room booking delivered to screens mounted on the room’s exterior.

It means room booking panels remain up-to-date when meetings are cancelled or removed from the diary, allowing other users to book ad-hoc meetings with the touch-enabled booking panels, in line with customers’ branding.

The project led to increased attendance at Nomios’ office, surpassing the pre-pandemic level. Staff have breakfast in the bar area, watch the news and use two installed Peloton bikes hooked up to a Clevertouch Touchscreen to participate in fitness classes during the day rather than dashing to the gym. This is made possible by the audio-visual equipment.

Additionally, the dual 75" screens and spot-on visual and audio in the meeting rooms allow employees working at home and those in the office to feel like they are in one room, ensuring that Nomios team no matter where they are located keep that sense of belonging and comradery that has been so core to the company’s success.

The addition of video conferencing has allowed the company to broaden its recruitment pool, subsequently taking on 50% more people in the last couple of months and expanding its graduate scheme to accommodate candidates outside its 30-mile radius. Employees changed how they interact in the office; silos are gone, and departmental segregation no longer exists. Friendships are not confined to colleagues within departments. Instead, they are based on how employees choose to work – some spend their day seated in the kitchen bar area or at the same desk whilst others move around the office throughout the day.

The result: productivity has increased, and ‘office politics’ is not even considered. When people can work where they want, they are not annoyed by others, so it is a ‘win-win’ for everyone.

“We don't tell our staff where to work or when to come in because, with the help of Pioneer, we have created a space that is better than being at home.

The technology is more secure, faster, and has better sound and image quality. This workspace exceeds being at home.

It allows people to be around others, collaborate and work better, and we love it.” Richard Butcher, Managing Director at Nomios.

Sennheiser brings sound to life in milestone Guggenheim ‘MOTION. Autos, Art, Architecture’ is a landmark exhibition organized by the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in collaboration with the Norman Foster Foundation. The legendary architect and renowned car enthusiast curated the exhibition, and collaborated with another well-known car fanatic, Nick Mason of Pink Floyd, for the sound design of some of its galleries. Immersive sound specialist Sennheiser was invited to deliver an innovative audio experience for the showcase.

the parallel worlds of painting, sculpture, architecture, photography and film. Installed into seven themed galleries, namely Beginnings, Sculptures, Popularising, Sporting, Visionaries, Americana, and Future, Foster and his co-curators from the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Manuel Cirauqui and Lekha Hileman Waitoller, have brought together 38 automobiles, each an architype of the theme in terms of beauty, rarity, technical progress and a vision of the future: alongside an outstand-

the press at the opening of the exhibition. “There’s a cultural synergy and that is against the silo mentality where we think of something as fine art and these objects as just a kind of car.” ‘MOTION. Autos, Art, Architecture’ is an epic installation that plots the history of the automobile with the evolution of modern art. Sennheiser was invited to partner with the exhibition, alongside other automotive industry partners, including Iberdrola, Volkswagen Group and Cadillac, due to

Running between April and September this year, Motion. Autos, Art, Architecture is an epic installation that plots the history of the automobile with the evolution of modern art, celebrating the artistic dimension of the car and linking it to the parallel worlds of painting, sculpture, architecture, photography and film.

Running between April and September this year, Motion.

Autos, Art, Architecture is an epic installation that plots the history of the automobile with the evolution of modern art, celebrating the artistic dimension of the car and linking it to

ing selection of masterworks from modern and contemporary artists and architects.

“These are extraordinarily beautiful objects, and they co-exist at an equal level with great works of art and architecture,” Foster declared to

its expertise in the automotive arena via its AMBEO Mobility division. AMBEO Mobility comprises Sennheiser’s suite of immersive audio solutions, which the company is actively developing to revolutionise the future of in-car entertainment

and communication.

One of the exhibition’s sections is a dedicated learning spaces as part of the Guggenheim Museum’s Didaktika project, which designs educational content and activities to complement its exhibitions.

Musician, Nick Mason, who also owns one of the iconic cars on display, was approached to conceptualise the soundscape in this area of the exhibit, additionally to having given the sound to a contemporary racing vehicle on display in the Visionaires hall at racetrack sound levels played back immersively. Two of the exhibition’s halls are dedicated learning spaces as part of the Guggenheim Museum’s Didaktika project, which designs educational content and activities to complement its exhibitions. In the Didaktika galley, Mason’s concept was to present a linear timeline of the automobiles shown throughout the exhibition, selecting and recording the sound of ten engines from the most iconic and representative cars in the collection. To compose and enable the soundtrack, Nick Mason and his team at Ten Tenths selected and recorded cars in motion, and partnered with Sennheiser to bring to life the vision of an emotion-rich, realistic sound experience powered by immersive audio technology and expertise.

The finished piece is evocatively played along the length of the corridor that fittingly leads to the Future gallery, where worldwide schools of design and architecture are presenting their visionary automotive concepts, with the support of AIC-Automotive Intelligence

Center, a European centre for the generation of value for the automotive sector to address the challenges of the 21st century. “The composition gives a voice to some of the world’s most forward-thinking cars in automotive history, portraying the evolution of automotive engine sounds over time,” explains Johannes Kares, sound engineer at Sennheiser. “Neumann speakers were selected for their compact and invisible design, and their intimate and immersive audio quality, which was the perfect fit for this installation.”

The exhibition includes many rare examples, such as Nick Mason’s 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, a 1950 Porsche 356 Pre-A, one of the 1964 Aston Martin DB5s used in Goldfinger, a 1970 Lancia Stratos Zero concept car, and Lewis Hamilton’s 2020 Mercedes F1 car. Many of the cars derive from private collections and public institutions, meaning this exhibition is providing access for a wider audience for the first time. “This truly is a ground-breaking, unique exhibition. Never before has such a collection of automobile history and future concepts been gathered in one space, and with the dawn of the electric power revolution, the timing could not be more fitting,” concludes Sofia Brazzola, Brand and Marketing Manager, AMBEO Mobility at Sennheiser. “Sennheiser’s AMBEO Mobility venture is committed and invested in the future of automotive audio and communication technology, and we are proud to be at the forefront of this milestone exhibition.”

AdventHealth - interactive with Avocor E Series Avocor has successfully completed a large-scale project in the healthcare sector. Working in partnership with leading IT reseller, CDW, Avocor has seen its E Series display adopted

by AdventHealth, one of the largest non-profit health providers in the United States.

With more than 8,200 licensed beds across nine states, AdventHealth serves more than five million patients each year across its 45 hospital campuses. Adam Hennig, Program Manager at AdventHealth, runs a program called HRO Unit Culture, which trains healthcare teams across all AdventHealth hospitals to deliver meeting equity - helping each member to be heard and contribute in a meeting: “We want to ensure that every team member has a voice and feels they have the psychological safety to report any issues, from something as simple as not having enough trash cans to much bigger concerns, such as a medicine being labelled incorrectly and the fatal implications this could have,” he explains.

To achieve this ‘meeting equi-

ty’, AdventHealth uses a technology called LENS, which is a revolutionary web-based platform (Learning and ENgagement System) from Safe and Reliable Healthcare. Hennig and his team were looking for an interactive display solution that was light, compact and, critically, under 4” in mounted depth to meet with space restriction legislation. Working with CDW, AdventHealth found the ideal solution: the Avocor interactive 55” E series display.

“Choosing the Avocor solution meant that we could install an interactive touchscreen solution that was much tighter to the wall, and this really opened up the options where we could mount these within our units.

The Avocor displays were also much lighter than the previous brand we had used in the past, translating in much faster install times because we didn’t have to reinforce any of the walls. The solution enables our frontline healthcare providers access to information, to celebrate team success or engage in multi-purpose meetings, all

from the touch of a button.”

Now deployed in more than 100 different healthcare settings, Avocor displays are used by more than 1000 healthcare professionals every day. Despite the Avocor solution being originally implemented to drive the LENS application, Hennig is now seeing alternative uses for the displays across the AdventHealth campuses. “Our

Avocor + LENS solution is intuitive for all our users, regardless of their technical ability.

The feedback we have received is that the touch experience is smooth and precise with no lag, creating a superior user experience in these critical environments.

Furthermore, our teams are now independently exploring additional use cases for their

Avocor interactive screens. I recently saw one unit using the Avocor display to show a YouTube video of an aquarium, which was a very calming visual for patients and staff alike, brought to life in 4K resolution.

I know that other teams find the native integration with Microsoft vital in their day-to-day work.” Hennig explains.

Avocor has successfully completed a large-scale project in the healthcare sector. Working in partnership with leading IT reseller, CDW, Avocor has seen its E Series display adopted by AdventHealth, one of the largest non-profit health providers in the United States

AV News August 2021 2022 P17P15 AV News November

Opinion

Finding a microphone that makes everyone happy Great audio is no longer a luxury; it’s a necessity. But reconciling competing demands for sound quality, appearance, compatibility, and ease of use has many AV/IT professionals struggling to find a solution that ticks all the boxes. James Hill, Director, Integrated Systems Sales at Shure Incorporated, says not to worry – you can have it all.

In order to remain competitive, organisations need to maximize collaboration and productivity. That means that barriers to communication must be eliminated wherever possible. Research has shown that audio problems are a recurring source of meeting delays and frustration for participants. Audio is also the primary carrier of information during a meeting. If the video fails, the meeting can proceed; but if the audio fails, the meeting is over.

So the choice of microphone for a meeting room may have a lot riding on it.

But there are often many people involved in the “which mic?” decision process, and they each have their own set of concerns.

System designers want microphones that can be used for conferencing, voice lift, and camera control, and can easily be scaled up to work reliably in larger rooms. Architects and interior designers want microphones that look good, or better yet, aren’t even noticed by most people. The AV/IT managers and technicians need microphones that can be remotely managed, and that integrate with the organisation’s chosen collaboration platform and room control systems. Installers like microphones that “just work” without a lot of tweaking and are easy to mount to an old-school ceiling tile grid or a floating piece of artwork. And end users (especially executives) just want to know that they sound good.

What drives microphone selection?

While natural, intelligible voice capture is the goal of every microphone choice, other factors also have a high priority. In some rooms, for example, a contemporary glass or marble conference table might make traditional table microphones look out of place.

In other situations, it’s desirable to create a touch-free solution that does not require cleaning between each meeting. In larger spaces like training rooms or lecture halls, it can be important to amplify the voices of presenters, which traditionally dictated a lavaliere or gooseneck microphone on the lectern.

State-of-the-art ceiling array microphones like the Shure Microflex Advance MXA920 are able to gracefully accommodate all of these disparate requirements. They blend sound with style; coverage with convenience; features with flexibility. They combine the touch-free convenience and discreet styling of a ceiling microphone with the robust sound quality and flexibility of traditional table and lavaliere microphones. Here’s how.

Stellar sound The MXA920 ceiling array microphone uses a next generation array architecture with more powerful digital signal processing that delivers tight directional pickup at lower frequencies. This produces more natural sound quality that rivals a conventional table or lavaliere microphone and reduces pickup of room noise.

P14 AV News August P16 July 2022 2022

State-of-the-art ceiling array microphones like the Shure Microflex Advance MXA920 are able to gracefully accommodate all of the disparate requirements.

It also enables exceptional isolation between microphones and loudspeakers, which means you can easily achieve comfortable volume levels for voice lift and sound reinforcement situations – where ceiling mics have traditionally been impractical. Onboard IntelliMix DSP applies automatic mixing, echo cancellation, noise reduction, and automatic gain control for a pristine audio mix.

James Hill, Director, Integrated Systems Sales at Shure Incorporated

Automatic Coverage Technology Configuring microphone coverage of a room can be time-consuming, so the MXA920 uses Automatic Coverage technology to intelligently assign audio capture wherever talkers are in a 30 by 30-foot (9 by 9 meter) area with no configuration necessary. You can also arrange up to eight coverage areas to capture larger areas or more specific locations – like a seating area, a podium, and a white board – while preventing pickup of unwanted sounds from doorways or other problem zones.

Precise coverage control means that you can hear the people you want to hear and not the things you don’t want to hear. And if you move the tables around from rows to a U-shape, it doesn’t matter – the microphone automatically adjusts to support any room configuration.

Ready for everything Today’s meeting rooms host many types of gatherings, from videoconferences to presentations to town hall meetings. In larger spaces, it can become difficult for people to hear someone in the same room even though they can hear the person on the screen just fine.

The MXA920 can amplify the voice of a presenter without requiring them to wear a lavaliere mic or stand behind a podium, provide voice lift so audience members can hear each other without

waiting for a handheld microphone, and allow the remote participants to hear everything – all at the same time. And while all this is going on, the MXA920 can send the precise location of every talker to an automated camera system so the person speaking will appear on the screen.

Certified for success No one has time to experiment with making AV components work together, so the MXA920 is part of the Microflex Ecosystem of networked microphones, controls, DSP hardware and software, and loudspeakers. These get along like old friends of course, and are compatible with popular collaboration platforms like Teams, Zoom, Webex, and others. Selected component bundles are even certified for seamless integration with a specific platform, so you have complete confidence in performance as well as the integration of controls and indicators.

The collaborative organisation of the future will require meeting rooms equipped with advanced AV devices that complement the collaboration platforms that they have invested in. In other words, you need to be thinking about this. And while it may feel like there’s no way on earth to make everybody happy with the microphone you select for a meeting room, a really good ceiling array mic is a great place to start. And we think the Shure MXA920 is the best available.

Technology News

Hisense ultra-short throw projector Konftel solves ceiling mount challenge New from Hisense and available now at AWE, the PX1-PRO is a high-spec ultra-short throw projector that’s perfect for media rooms and other cinema solutions where a traditional projector is not well suited. Following a successful state-side pre-launch, 5-star reviews and an ‘Editor’s Choice Award’ from Projector Central, we are excited to add this product.

Retailing at £2,999 the PX1PRO is a very affordable way of achieving a huge screen with

a true-to-life picture. Installers just need to partner with their chosen screen. Tri-Chroma Technology (RGB) uses pure red, green and blue lasers to delivers a wide colour gamut of 107% BT 2020.

With the addition of premium features such as eARC for lossless audio, Filmmaker Mode, and smart home integrations with Alexa and Control4, this is an Ultra-Short Throw brimming with entertainment potential. It’s also simple to use,

favourite streaming services.

Chromecast provides an option to mirror a smartphone or tablet directly to the Laser Cinema. And for gamers, there is Game Mode with ALLM. Auto Low Latency Mode detects when a gaming console is the active source and automatically adjusts projector settings to optimise gaming performance.

impressive picture quality and great smart features too. Customers can enjoy a razor sharp 4K image with a projection size from 90-130 inches and a brightness of 2200 lumens for

with an Android TV interface as standard for fantastic content straight to the big screen in the home. Users can also Install apps from the Google Play Store and log in to their

New from Hisense and available now at AWE, the PX1-PRO is a high-spec ultra-short throw projector that’s perfect for media rooms and other cinema solutions.

Konftel is creating greater installation flexibility with the development of an innovative speakerphone ceiling mount kit that promotes a neater and more natural meeting room experience. Specifically designed for its flagship Konftel 800 device, the new development provides an alternative to traditional desktop placement.

It addresses growing market demand for smarter and more flexible room configurations, especially for education and training purposes.

The special kit includes a dedicated bracket and ceiling mount plate - and is compatible with tripod mounting systems. Konftel Product Manager, Torbjörn Karlsson, says the kit can dramatically improve room flexibility by providing cable and device-free desk configurations – as well as encouraging more natural meeting behaviour. “The Konftel Ceiling Mount Kit ensures seating can quickly and easily be rearranged which is perfect for hybrid lectures or corporate presentations. The overall experience can be further enhanced by connecting two other devices via daisy chain for extended pick-up in larger areas.”

He emphasised: “In addition, by placing the Konftel 800 in the air this encourages users to stop looking at the speakerphone when talking. When the device is placed in the ceiling people will tend to forget about it and speak naturally in the direction they want, such as towards the screen when addressing a remote participant.”

In a further boost Konftel is developing a new ‘lecture mode’ function (via a free software upgrade) that will enable wireless connectivity between tested and approved headset models and the Konftel 800. This feature is due to be available from September and is also particularly useful for both training and education presentations, according to Karlsson: “When a teacher or presenter is talking via their headset, all room participants are automatically muted from the Konftel 800’s microphones. Once the person is silent, the Konftel 800 mics open again,” he explained. “So wherever the teacher is located, perhaps facing a whiteboard, they can still be heard clearly by all remote participants.”

Further complementing Konftel’s room flexibility ethos

is the launch of the Konftel Reach USB 5+15. This comprises two active optical cables that provide more installation opportunities when users bring their own laptop to a meeting room to start a video call. Karlsson added: “They are used to replace USB cables connected between the Konftel OCC Hub, the Konftel conference camera and a user’s laptop. Konftel Reach enables longer distances between the parts in the ‘Bring Your Own Meeting’ video solution and neater, hidden cable routing in the meeting room. It is another welcome addition to our evolving product portfolio.”

The new innovations are available now with the Konftel Ceiling Mount Kit priced at £179 and the Konftel Reach USB 5+15 £279.

The Konftel Ceiling Mount Kit ensures cable and device-free desk configurations and is ideally suited for training and presentation purposes.Konftel Product Manager, Torbjörn Karlsson, says the ceiling mount kit can help ensure a more natural meeting experience.

New audio experience streaming on Netflix

Netflix is the world’s first to offer AMBEO 2-channel spatial audio

Netflix and audio specialist Sennheiser have announced a massive audio improvement for all viewers that access streaming (OTT) content with standard stereo equipment: AMBEO 2-Channel Spatial Audio is now streaming on Netflix and delivers an incredibly immersive audio experience with standard stereo speakers.

The AMBEO 2-Channel Spatial Audio renderer translates original immersive mixes into 2-channel audio with a spatial experience far beyond stereo.

During development, Sennheiser worked with Netflix and other industry partners to fine-tune the system, which is now available to license from Sennheiser. Netflix is the first streaming platform to deliver this significantly improved experience for select titles.

Surveys among viewers have shown that OTT customers often access content with standard stereo equipment – be it on a mobile while traveling, when casually watching via a tablet, or because the home listening space does not allow for a full surround sound set-up.

Netflix is the world’s first to offer AMBEO 2-channel spatial audio. “Sennheiser firmly believes in the immersive future of audio,” says Dr Renato Pellegrini of Sennheiser’s AMBEO team. “Creators all over the globe have been using our tools to create outstanding immersive works, pushing the boundaries of music and film production. With AMBEO 2-Channel Spatial Audio, we are now taking the next step – making this new audio reality accessible to everyone.”

A sonic experience that is far wider than the playing device itself. Drawing on Sennheiser’s decades of research and innovation in immersive sound, AMBEO 2-Channel Spatial Audio provides immersion far beyond what two-channel speaker systems can normally deliver, but without impacting the mix or tonal balance.

According to Scott Kramer, Manager for Sound Technology at Netflix, “We feel AMBEO Spatial Audio offers a meaningful improvement for Netflix members. Re-recording mixers often tell me that it better

While in the past these viewers were unable to benefit from the growing amount of music and films produced in Dolby Atmos® or MPEG-H Audio, the AMBEO 2-Channel Spatial Audio feature has now changed this.

Netflix’s Stranger Things Season 4 benefits from new audio experience AMBEO 2-Channel Spatial Audio is a two-channel rendering of an immersive mix that is a drop-in replacement for stereo.

It provides an improved audio experience wherever stereo is delivered today, be it standard TV sets, stereo systems, headphones, tablets, or laptops.

Netflix is the first streaming platform to deliver this significantly improved experience: On select titles, like Season 4 of Stranger Things, Netflix has made AMBEO 2-Channel Spatial Audio the default stream for any two-channel usage.

Netflix viewers watching on a stereo system will automatically receive an improved and enhanced spatial experience – no user changes required.

translates their detailed immersive mix work to stereo. Crucially, this process preserves the original sound mix and respects creative intent with a remarkably clean sound.”

From standard stereo mixdown to full AMBEO effect: re-recording mixers can fully control and fine-tune the spatialization

and fine-tune the spatialization Respecting the original mix while giving all options for fine-tuning “What sets Sennheiser apart from other solutions is that the AMBEO rendering respects the original mix, tonal balance and dialog integrity, which is exactly what the re-recording

Sennheiser AMBEO 2-Channel Spatial Audio adds exciting sound for viewers without the need for a surround system and gives full control to the re-recording mixer From standard stereo mixdown to full AMBEO effect: re-recording mixers can fully control

mixer is looking for,” explains Pellegrini. “The processing is in line with Sennheiser’s repu-

tation to deliver tools that are ‘transparent’ and do not interfere with the original sound. In a nutshell: Sennheiser 2-Channel Spatial Audio seeks to translate mixer intent, not to overpower it.”

The rendering software runs in the streaming service’s cloudbased encoding pipelines and produces AMBEO 2-Channel Spatial Audio from existing ADM or IAB files, both industry-standard, open formats. It does not require another separate mix. A preview tool enables the re-recording mixer to compare stereo to AMBEO during postproduction and adjust the rendering settings by stems/ groups. The renderer offers patented granular control of the spatialization, ranging from full AMBEO effect to standard stereo mixdown, while specific channels can be excluded from modification. For example, dialog can be preserved 100%, or modified slightly to match neighbouring immersive scenes. continued on page 18

AV News August 2021 2022 P17P17 AV News November

Technology News

InfoComm

continued from page 17

Netflix is the world’s first to offer AMBEO 2-channel spatial audio The preview tool of the AMBEO 2-Channel Spatial Audio rendering software. The Object Viewer window at the bottom right shows fixed loudspeaker positions at the edges and individual renderings as blue dots.

Pale dots are elevated sound sources. The preview tool of the AMBEO 2-Channel Spatial Audio rendering software.

The Object Viewer window at the bottom right shows fixed loudspeaker positions at the edges and individual renderings as blue dots. Pale dots are elevated sound sources. Total

loudness is preserved, too, and a music mix can be kept for left and right channels while adding the immersive AMBEO rendering to all other channels.

Naturally, all signals are properly time-aligned to match the original content.

Re-Recording Mixer Mark Paterson commented: “I’m a huge fan of AMBEO. I experimented with it a lot on the ‘Fear Street’ movies and was impressed with how the surround channel information was represented. I’m always looking for ways to get that Cinematic sound at home

and on ‘The Adam Project’ I was able to make the mix sound really immersive on everything from high end soundbars to iPhones which I believe helps the audience connect more emotionally. It’s been a perfect format on ‘Stranger Things’. In the Atmos mix, Vecna’s voice wraps around you which is an important part of making him scary and larger than life. The fact that AMBEO is able to help recreate that in stereo is very impressive to me.”

Panasonic has launched AV Digital World, its next generation 3D digital platform, enabling visitors to discover and explore its solutions in a whole new way. Starting with solutions for Corporate and Education and TV and Broadcast, visitors have access through their PCs to a virtual studio and lecture hall to digitally explore and interact with Panasonic’s products and see how they operate together. Virtual environments for Live Events and Esports will follow. Additional industry environments, products and interactive formats will be added over time.

“This next generation platform allows visitors to step into a new AV Digital World,” explained Anna Arkatova, Product Marketing Manager at Panasonic Broadcast and ProAV. “They can experience our ProAV glass-to-glass solutions and interact with all our latest technologies. It is potentially an exciting first step in a move towards the metaverse for our B2B solutions.”

The new AV Digital World uses the latest technologies to help learn about and experience the Panasonic ProAV range without having to travel – addressing sustainability and remote work-

ing issues. Visitors can move around the virtual environment to see Panasonic’s camera systems and production solutions.

They can then click on an individual product for additional information and a 3D close-up view of the product and its features.

AV Digital World will also be complemented by the development of Panasonic’s Virtual Demo Rooms, which will enable partners and customers to take control and test Panasonic’s range of ProAV solutions remotely. The first Virtual Demo Rooms will be launching later this year.

Panasonic’s next generation 3D platform

Tascam introduces version 2 of the CD‑A580 With the CD-A580 v2, Tascam presents the return of the company’s immensely popular CDA580. Combining a cassette recorder, CD player and USB flash drive recorder/player into one rack-mountable unit, this unit supports three distinctly different media types making it an excellent playback device for sound reinforcement installations in town halls, hotels or sports facilities, to name a few.

The integrated cassette deck utilises a logic-based transport control with exceptional stability and longevity – chosen to withstand years of professional use. The cassette deck facilitates copying content from CD in addition to being able to record content from the USB flash drive or the line inputs.

The transport also includes ±10% pitch control.

As a CD player, the CD-A580 v2 supports playback of CDs, CD-R/CD-RW discs and data CDs containing MP3 files. In addition to conventional CD playback, the drive supports repeat, shuffle and programmed playback.

The USB flash drive recorder/ player built into the CD-A580 v2 is extremely versatile. Users can easily convert cassette tape content to MP3 files on a USB flash drive, enabling analogue masters to be saved and archived in a digital format. Further, audio from both the CD drive and the line inputs can be recorded in MP3 format to USB flash media. When material is transferred from CD to USB,

each track is automatically captured as a separate MP3 file. Recordings from either the cassette deck or the line inputs can be manually divided into separate MP3 files. When playing back MP3 files, repeat, shuffle and programmed playback are all supported.

The unit can be operated by its wireless remote control and also offers a Power-on Playback mode. This feature is ideal for restaurants, shopping areas, etc. and facilitates unattended playback (or recording) the moment the power comes on.

For easy operation of the three media sections, the CD-A580 v2 includes an attractive, easyto-read LC display with level meters.

CD-A580 v2, Tascam presents the return of the company’s immensely popular CD-A580. Combining a cassette recorder, CD player and USB flash drive recorder/player into one rack-mountable unit.

MAXHUB launches next-generation BM35 Bluetooth speakerphone

Panasonic has launched AV Digital World, its next generation 3D digital platform, enabling visitors to discover and explore its solutions in a whole new way.

ViewSonic Metaverse for education UNIVERSE by ViewSonic features immersive virtual learning spaces such as classrooms, lecture halls, and collaborative spaces. Students can express themselves and interact with peers through personalized avatars. Intuitive controls allow them to navigate around the digital campus and engage with classmates in a safe digital environment where they’ll feel at ease to develop personal and meaningful connections. All communication can be conducted intuitively through private and group chats, emojis, and true-to-life spatialized audio.

open discussions in the main learning space or break out into different meeting rooms for more focused discussions. With purpose-built classroom management features, teachers can toggle between the Lecture Mode and Discussion Mode based on the learning scenario.

Moreover, detailed learning reports which provide insight into

Teachers can utilize comprehensive teaching tools such as screen-sharing, presenting a camera feed, and creating pop quizzes to best suit the needs of each class. Meanwhile, students can collaborate through

P18 AV News August June 2022 2022

student’s engagement levels are available after each class, supporting teachers with data-driven insights for improved learning outcomes within a digital learning environment.

For a first look at UNIVERSE

by ViewSonic, please see the video here: https://youtu.be/1CADhEJOdls.

MAXHUB has launched its latest Bluetooth speakerphone, the BM35, ensuring every meeting detail is heard loud and clear. The powerful and portable device provides the ultimate conferencing tool for exceptional audio coverage in any meeting space and is available now via MAXHUB’s partners across the globe. The BM35 ensures every voice is heard, thanks to its 360° omnidirectional audio algorithms. Its powerful pick-up range can capture participants up to six meters away, while its eight-microphones set the industry benchmark for clear, efficient meeting experiences.

Optimised to keep human voices crisp, the BM35 enables smooth conferencing that feels as natural as a face-to-face discussion. Hybrid teams can connect via True Wireless Stereo to enhance the range and reach more than 20 people simultaneously. With AI noise and acoustic echo cancellation incorporated, the BM35 limits background noise and unnecessary distractions. Intelligently absorbing and filtering out intrusive sound, the speakerphone enhances meeting productivity with superior, high-fidelity (hi-fi) sound quality.

The BM35’s automatic gain control (AGC) feature helps keep participant’s volume consistent, even when individuals move around while speaking. The device’s intuitive algorithms dy-

namically adjust the voice volume, ensuring a consistent output at the other end. Equipped with full-duplex audio, this powerful speakerphone distributes sound from opposite sides through separate channels. As a result, meeting participants on either end can communicate simultaneously, giving depth to conversations for meetings that flow organically.

Portable and adaptable to any size meeting space, this premium device from MAXHUB provides exceptional coverage in multiple environments.

Equipped with a 4400MAh built-in battery that can last

up to 30 hours, it eliminates awkward wiring and empowers teams with unconstrained collaboration time. “The powerhouse BM35 Bluetooth speakerphone is MAXHUB’s latest contribution to the unified communications solutions market. It captures every utterance in perfect detail while providing an exceptional listening experience for distortion-free in-depth conversations,” says General Manager Darren Lin. “Providing a highly immersive soundscape, the BM35 has been purpose-built for modern, hybrid meetings.”

MAXHUB launches next-generation BM35 Bluetooth speakerphone the BM35, ensuring every meeting detail is heard loud and clear.

Technology InfoComm News Jetbuilt and Vectorworks integration partnership Jetbuilt has announced a partnership with Vectorworks to offer a uniquely customised integration between the two powerful platforms. A Jetbuilt project can now seamlessly export into Vectorworks ConnectCAD to create CAD drawings, BIM models, 3D renderings and more. Alternately, a Vectorworks design in ConnectCAD can be efficiently pushed into Jetbuilt for fast and powerful quoting.

Respected globally as a leader in CAD solutions, Vectorworks played a formative role in the field having created one of the first CAD programs, as well as the most successful CAD software for Mac OS. Founded in 1985 as MiniCAD, the company eventually became Vectorworks and their offerings

and growth accelerated into a powerful cross-platform that is relied upon by more than 685,000 designers worldwide.

Jetbuilt and Vectorworks share a common devotion to their clients to consistently anticipate and provide the most effective solutions to their needs. To that end, the companies joined forces in writing custom integrations to map all items in a Jetbuilt proposal to existing items in the Vectorworks ConnectCAD database and vice versa, creating a highly efficient workflow between platforms. “Vectorworks is a highly regarded platform that we are proud to align with in bringing the Jetbuilt community a fantastic solution to drawings and documentation,” remarked Paul Dexter, Jetbuilt Founder

and CEO. “Moreover, Jetbuilt’s global user base and functionality aligns well with Vectorworks worldwide popularity for even better service to the international community of system integrators and end users.”

“Jetbuilt is a valuable addition to the Vectorworks Partner Network and to our customers across the globe,” said Vectorworks CEO, Dr. Biplab Sarkar.

“This integration will save designers time and energy across various stages of their workflows, from lead-tracking to project quoting, installation, and more. We’re delighted to work with Jetbuilt to bring this added level of efficiency, accuracy and power to our users through this project solution.”

Jetbuilt has announced a partnership with Vectorworks to offer a uniquely customised integration between the two powerful platforms. A Jetbuilt project can now seamlessly export into Vectorworks ConnectCAD to create CAD drawings, BIM models, 3D renderings and more.

Datapath VisionSC-S2 SDVoE capture card Announced during InfoComm 2022 in Las Vegas, the VisionSC-S2 card meets the SDVoE Alliance’s stringent parameters for minimum latency and high-quality resolution. The VisionSC-S2 ensures compatibility with the SDVoE Alliance’s broad range of multi-manufacturer hardware solutions that provide quality, networked video to the highest standards.

With 4K/60 capability, the VisionSC-S2 card delivers an important part of the networked video mix, as John Storey, CTO at Datapath, explains: “SDVoE provides a flexible way to route signals in high-end installations, but not all streams end up directly on a screen.

They often need to be ingested into PC-based video controllers for manipulation, analysis or encoding. We are proud to bring our new capture card to market, ensuring high quality video captures alongside Datapath’s proven reliability.”

The SDVoE Alliance has established the industry standard for the adoption of Ethernet to transport AV signals in professional AV environments, including wall controllers in a control room and high-quality feeds into medical controllers and critical surgical monitors.

With Datapath’s dedicated SDVoE capture hardware, enough PCIe bandwidth is provided to properly transfer the full quality available in the SDVoE feed

into an application, and with minimum added latency to ensure the end-to-end solution is fit for real-time applications.

Furthermore, SDVoE is ideal for routing to Media Severs for long-distance real time signal processing where minimum latency is crucial.

Adding Datapath to the SDVoE Alliance’s portfolio of manufacturers has been welcomed by Justin Kennington, president of the SDVoE Alliance. Kennington adds, “We are delighted to welcome Datapath to the SDVoE Alliance. Six years since the founding of the alliance, we are seeing a massive increase in the breadth of the product catalogue. Besides standalone encoders and decoders, with the addition of the Datapath Vi-

sionSC-S2, we are bringing video directly into the PC, where it can be processed.”

All AV distribution and processing applications that demand zero-latency and uncompromised video can benefit from SDVoE technology, which provides end-to-end hardware and software platform for AV extension, switching, processing, and control through advanced chipset technology, common control APIs, and interoperability. SDVoE network architectures are based on off-the-shelf Ethernet switches, thus offering substantial cost savings and greater system flexibility and scalability over traditional approaches, such as pointto-point extension and circuit-based AV matrix switching.

The VisionSC-S2 ensures compatibility with the SDVoE Alliance’s broad range of multi-manufacturer hardware solutions that provide quality, networked video to the highest standards.

Blackmagic Design announces new ATEM SDI switchers Blackmagic Design has announced a new family of extremely portable ATEM SDI live production switchers with professional 3G-SDI connections.

Designed for broadcasters who need both power and portability, the new ATEM SDI family is designed to be fast to set up and easy to use.

Even with their small size, ATEM SDI switchers are surprisingly powerful with standards converters on all inputs, a built in Fairlight audio mixer with 6 band parametric EQ, compressor and limiter on all inputs, internal DVEs, chroma keyers, professional transitions and more. ATEM SDI makes it fast to create professional live production using multiple cameras. ATEM SDI is ideal for broadcast quality live streaming to YouTube, Facebook and more!

Customers get 4 SDI inputs on the ATEM SDI and ATEM SDI Pro ISO models and 8 SDI inputs on the ATEM SDI Extreme ISO model. Plus all SDI inputs feature standards converters and re-sync. Customers even get DVEs for picture in picture effects. The USB works as a webcam for connecting video to computers, while the Pro and Extreme models feature built in streaming.

ATEM SDI’s compact all in one design includes both a control panel as well as connections.

The front panel includes easy to use buttons for selecting sources, video effects and transitions. The source buttons are large so it’s possible to use it by feel, letting the presenter do the switching. Customers even get buttons for audio mixing.

The ATEM SDI Pro and Extreme models have buttons for recording and streaming control, as well as output selection buttons that let customers change the video output between program, direct camera feeds and the multiview. On the rear panel there are SDI connections for cameras, extra microphone inputs, USB for webcam plus multiple SDI ‘aux’ outputs for program video.

With 4 or 8 video inputs, depending on the model, ATEM SDI lets customers connect multiple cameras for different views of the performance. All video sources will re-sync to the switcher, even if they operate at different video standards. Everything just works so setup on location is easy and customers don't have to worry about technical problems.

ATEM SDI Pro and ATEM SDI Extreme models have a built in hardware streaming engine for live streaming via their ethernet connections. That means customers can live stream to YouTube, Facebook and Twitch in better quality, without dropped frames and with simpler settings. Just select the streaming service and enter the streaming key.

There are palettes in ATEM Software Control for streaming setup, plus streaming status is also displayed in the multiview. Streaming status is easy

to understand as the data rate indicator shows internet speed required for the video format users are using.

If users are doing live production on location then the ATEM SDI Pro and Extreme models support connecting an Apple or Android phone to the USB port to use mobile data. It's also a great backup for the main Ethernet connection.

The ATEM SDI Pro and Extreme models also support direct recording of their streaming data to USB flash disks. That means customers get very long recordings in the same H.264 video files with AAC audio that customers streamed, so customers can direct upload to any online video site, such as YouTube or Vimeo. Recording to multiple disks is also supported via a USB hub so when a disk fills, recording can continue to a second disk so customers get non-stop recording. Record settings and disk selection are set up in ATEM Software Control and customers can also display the recording status in the multiview.

The ATEM SDI Pro ISO and Extreme ISO models allow customers to edit their live event as they can record multiple video streams, including clean feeds of all inputs and program, all at

routed to each SDI output.

All outputs can be connected to cameras as they include camera control and tally information. On the more powerful ATEM SDI Pro and ATEM SDI Extreme models, the SDI output can also be selected to display the built in multiview.

The ATEM Software Control app unlocks the hidden power of ATEM SDI and allows access to every feature in the switcher. ATEM Software Control features a visual switcher user interface with parameter palettes for making quick adjustments. Although customers can normally connect via USB, if customers connect using Ethernet it's possible for multiple users to connect to ATEM SDI using separate copies of ATEM Software Control on different computers. Customers can even save the switcher state as an XML file. If customers need clip playback, customers can even control HyperDeck disk recorders via Ethernet.

The ATEM SDI Extreme models include 4 upstream chroma keyers and this allows customers to build exciting virtual sets. With 4 independent chroma keyers, customers get a keyer per camera so customers can build a virtual set for up to 4 cameras. With ATEM SDI

the same time. Media pool images used are also saved with the video files. The video files include metadata tags such as synced timecode and camera numbers. Imagine re-editing their show with new color grades, effects and graphics.

Even the audio sources are all recorded so customers can professionally remix their audio.

The ISO models also save a DaVinci Resolve project file, so with a single click customers can open their live production as a video edit. All cuts, dissolves and media pool graphics will be loaded. This means customers can fine tune edit points or even completely replace shots. The DaVinci Resolve Sync Bin lets customers edit shots via a multiview interface, so it's easy to use and fast. All ISO files will be automatically aligned by timecode, so customers can scroll along and see all camera angles perfectly synced.

Each 3G-SDI video input features its own dedicated standards converter. That means ATEM SDI will automatically convert 1080p, 1080i and 720p sources to the switcher video standard. The SDI outputs are a true "aux" outputs so customers can independently customize the source video

Extreme customers have 8 inputs, 4 to use for cameras and the other 4 can be connected to a virtual set computer for the rendered backgrounds. Or if customers don't need to move their cameras, customers can do fixed camera virtual sets by loading pre rendered still image backgrounds from the media players and media pool.

Customers can setup macros to change cameras and load the correct background into the media players.

In addition to 2 independent DVEs in the ATEM SDI Extreme models, there's also a powerful SuperSource multi-layer processor with 4 extra DVE layers plus a background layer, that all appear to ATEM SDI Extreme as an additional input source.

Any ATEM SDI Extreme video input can be used for each SuperSource DVE, then it’s all layered together over a media pool custom background.

When doing larger live productions with multiple cameras, it’s very useful to see all their video sources at the same time on a single monitor. The ATEM SDI Pro and ATEM SDI Extreme models include a professional multiview that lets customers see all video inputs, preview and program on a single SDI monitor.

P19 AV2021 News August 2022 P18 AV News December

Opinion

How video makes remote work possible!

Introduction As organizations visualize the workplace of the future in the post-pandemic era, they are preparing for disruptive shifts. In recent years, increased globalization, automation and digitisation have transformed the nature of work, the workplace and the workforce. The emergence of the borderless organisation also means employees increasingly choose where they work. Work is not a “job” or a physical location anymore. It has become an ongoing task with no defined time or physical boundaries, seamlessly integrated with our personal lives.

COVID-19 will be a key influencer and accelerator of these trends.

Before the global pandemic, business leaders were increasingly embracing rapid digitization to prepare for the future of work.

From multinational corporations and small businesses to educational institutions and healthcare facilities, COVID-19 has thrust every organization into the future faster than expected.

As organizations worldwide adopt innovative strategies and data-driven insights to help employees resume work in a safe and practical manner, a mix of remote work and staggered return to offices will be the new reality. Business leaders and employees must fully embrace the broad workplace transformation that prepares their organizations for the next normal. The question is, are they ready for it?

COVID-19 will be a disruptive catalyst for the future of work, forever changing the way people live and work. Navigating the post-pandemic world will come down to two key elements: people and technology. When employees experience a radical change such as shifting to work from home (WFH) for extended periods— sometimes in restricted and noisy spaces—it’s not easy. For many, it can be unproductive and ineffective. Digital collaboration technologies have made this transition smooth while keeping distributed work teams engaged and connected.

Users globally have reported a spike in productivity due to the shift to WFH. Survey data shows that, on average, remote employees work 1.4 more days every month or 16.8 more days every year compared to those who work in an office. In another survey, 85% of the respondents said that productivity has increased in their business as a result of greater flexibility of work hours and work locations. The ongoing crisis has proved two things—people can work effectively from homes and invest in next-gen collaboration tools allows them to stay connected, enabling business continuity.

IT decision-makers and business leaders must take a cohesive approach to adapt to the rapidly unfolding new work order by focusing on five key priorities: • Look beyond the immediate future - Integrate remote work into standard operating procedures for the long term.

• Build a virtual team culture - Accelerate the adoption of smart work by investing in personal collaboration tools that keep remote workers engaged.

• Support the users - Provide user education and best practices for effective remote work.

• Ensure unprecedented scalability - Invest in hyperscale cloud and implement standardization for technology acquisition across communication devices and cloud services.

• Ensure governance and security - Assess the impact of WFH on the organization’s compliance and security posture by enhancing manageability and monitoring of users and workflows.

A distributed workforce needs best-in-class communications that take them as close as possible to being with co-workers in a physical office. Team chat, video and content collaboration have become pivotal to anytime, anywhere work.

The future of work From alternate-desk seating and strictly assigned workspaces to one-way walkways, sanitized offices and healthier air circulation systems, the seismic changes are compelling businesses to rethink standard work practices. The new ecosystem will not necessitate fiveday occupancy in the office. Employees will transition effortlessly from their home office to a physical workplace as the emergence of the hybrid office reshapes work across a continuum of locations, tasks and teams.

Workflows of tomorrow The workflows of tomorrow will look vastly different. For HR, it means communicating new remote work policies, conducting video interviews, virtual onboarding and training, and implementing virtual wellness programs for employee morale and engagement.

For sales, it means less in-person client visits and more video interactions and virtual demos. For marketing, it means an accelerated shift to digital marketing and more marketing webinars to build leads and engagement. The list is endless. The bottom line: every facet of business, education and healthcare will be transformed, thrusting us into a new era of digitization.

Travel restrictions and limited in-office presence will be the new

4P20 AV News August 2022

In this Frost & Sullivan White Paper, sponsored by Logitech, the authors respond to disruptive shifts in the workplace.

normal. And when travel does return, it will look vastly different— it will become more time-consuming and cumbersome as airlines put a myriad of new safety in place. More than ever before, business users will prefer the efficiency of video conferencing over travel. The rapid shift to remote work will leave an indelible impact on technology adoption and user expectations.

• 85% of business leaders say they plan to put policies and tech in place to support a remote, flexible workforce • 80% of workers say they would choose a job which offers flexible working over a job that didn't • 65% of businesses say remote work helps them reduce capex/ opex, and manage risk • 53% of employees say a role that allows them to have greater work-life balance and better personal well-being is “very important” to them (Source: Dell, Gallup, IWG) Eliminating commute times to the office, a better work-life balance and the ability to work at the most optimal times that allow for greater focus are among the many benefits of remote work. In addition, there are immediate cost-savings on office space and operations. It also helps businesses expand the talent pool across gig workers, freelancers, contractors and employees situated across geographies.

Balancing both remote workers and in-office workers will be a reality for more and more businesses. As a result, businesses must find newer and more engaging ways to communicate. The time is now to build a long-term strategy to invest in leading-edge communications and collaboration solutions that enable rich interactions across dispersed locations and teams.

Video collaboration Working from home doesn’t mean that employees should sacrifice the power of human communications and forgo rich face-to-face interactions. For many leading organizations today, video meetings have become the go-to communications tool. Video conferencing adoption has seen rapid-fire growth.

Maintaining collaborative connections with co-workers, business partners and customers is the very fabric of business innovation and success. Modern video meetings are a game-changer, allowing remote workers and distributed teams to talk face to face, share files and screens, and whiteboard ideas. However, in the past, technologies accessible to remote workers have not kept pace with the advancements that have taken place in modern offices. Remote work has traditionally been viewed as a compromised environment where “good enough” communications are acceptable.

Remote workers expect the same effective, hassle-free video meeting experience that they have become accustomed to in modern meeting rooms- high-quality, frictionless meetings that are simple to deploy, easy to use, and a click away.

Employees working from home want to remain connected through better collaboration experiences. Businesses that do not adopt the new way of working will fail to build relationships with the new

supply chain, miss out on creativity and productivity that thrives on better communications between employees, and will be less agile and innovative.

Effective communication COVID-19 compelled organizations globally to switch to remote working in a short period of time. Although the migration went reasonably well for many organizations, IT and business leaders discovered several unseen pitfalls. A cohesive remote work implementation policy has far-reaching implications on accessibility, security, and manageability. It is not enough to simply provide the necessary communications tools. A successful migration also requires clear, long-term technology implementation guidelines and ongoing support.

Though it is too early to know to what extent organizations will go back to the old way of working, business leaders should think ahead and be prepared. In addition to ensuring the health and safety of workers, IT and business leaders must focus on the following key tenets that enable frictionless work: • Productive personal collaboration – Help employees set up their desks with all tech essentials designed to enable more productive work while minimizing fatigue. These include ergonomic mice and keyboards for comfort, external webcams for high-quality video meetings, and noise cancelling headsets for noisy home environments and offices.

• Smart meeting room experiences – Meeting rooms must foster easy, ad-hoc and agile collaboration. Invest now in the modern meeting room technologies that pivot on high-quality conference cams with auto framing, intelligent audio with background noise suppression, digital controllers for one-touch-to-join and instant content sharing, and smart under the table cabling to keep rooms clutter free. Choose solutions that offer easy installation, without requiring expensive proprietary equipment and complex configurations.

• Any-to-Any Communications – Rich internal and external collaboration is a must in the borderless work of today. IT / AV must future-proof investments by ensuring that the meeting room conference cams and audio devices are tightly integrated and configured for intelligent cloud services like those from Google, Microsoft, or Zoom while offering a holistic security framework that has become a table stake.

IT / AV must provide comprehensive guidelines and the required handholding to users on technology acquisition. Remote workers must acquire the best audio-video devices and cloud services that allow for comprehensive IT support and a consistent user experience across all meeting environments and spaces as employees balance dual work environments of their homes and offices.

As organizations adjust to new distancing policies and implement meeting room occupancy limits, IT / AV leaders must work cross-functionally with the facilities managers to ensure they invest in more meeting spaces. More meeting rooms and more video meetings also mean IT must carefully select solutions that can scale up and down as business needs evolve and offer value without compromising on quality.

Opinion

As the number of meeting rooms grows and remote work expands flexibly, it is critical that IT has access to a single pane of glass for remote management and monitoring, including remote upgrades, and for resolving potential issues across homes, office desktops, meeting rooms and BYO devices. In addition, data-driven deep insights will help IT / AV manage facets like room utilization and physical distancing while offering visibility into meeting room issues in real time so it can resolve problems before they affect a meeting.

AI-led enhancements are changing the way we work. Features like smart auto-framing, virtual backgrounds, adaptive audio, and automated transcripts allow remote workers in the most challenging surroundings to not only look professional and feel confident but also have more productive meetings.

No worker left behind Change often presents new opportunities and spurs innovation in unexpected ways. There is significant disruption coming our way.

Remote working is here to stay and will, more than ever, become an integral part of the way we work. Organizations must prepare now to give users more choice of work environments and collaboration tools with a focus on people and performance. Video collaboration is the glue that holds an increasingly fragmented workforce together. Not only does it better connect employees, customers, and partners and keeps everyone on the same page, it also builds a more agile, efficient and sustainable business.

There has never been a greater need to video-enable the entire workplace. A no-compromise, rich video collaboration experience ensures that no worker is left behind, whether they are at home or in the office. Identify, partner and evolve with forward-thinking technology providers that offer: • Ease of use with exceptional user experience.

• Cost-effectiveness for digital transformation across the organization.

• Flexibility and scale to evolve with your business needs.

• Investment protection by working with any cloud platform.

• Consistent user experience across all meeting environments and spaces.

Best-in-class video and content collaboration have become the cornerstone of digital transformation— accelerating innovation, decision-making and time to market. For business leaders and IT / AV decision-makers, the opportunity is now to reinvent their business and create a competitive advantage by unleashing the power of video for every worker and in every space, regardless of where work takes place.

Schedule a meeting with Logitech’s global team to experience thought leadership and to integrate your ideas, opportunities and challenges into the discussion.

Photo by Ralston Smith on Unsplash

Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash

The new workforce • Shift from a centralised to distributed organization • Flat organizations with smaller cross-functional, self-organizing teams • Hybrid workforce, contractors, gig workers, freelancers

The new workplace • Reconfigured open offices with partitions and movable walls

• Smaller projects with agile processes • Renewed focus on employee well-being and purpose

• Adjusted floor plans with desk distancing • Offices and meeting rooms with reduced occupancy • Emergence of the contactless meeting room • Real estate expansion to accommodate new distancing protocols—more meeting rooms • Video in every space to connect increasingly dispersed teams

The hybrid office • Long-term WFH programs • Staggered back-to-work schedules • Needs-based office presence • Need for remote operations and operational resiliency • Seamless work-life integration

Technology and data-driven work • Travel restrictions and more video meetings • AI and rich analytics to track workplace and meeting room occupancy, user behaviour and technology usage • User-preferred apps and devices that facilitate hybrid work • Cloud-based unified and integrated communications • New supply chains and cost/operations optimization • Rethinking established workflows—shift to remote visits/video interactions

Photo by Shridhar Gupta on Unsplash

P18 AV News December P11 AV2021 P21 News August 2022

UC News

Owl Labs launches Meeting Owl 3 Owl Labs has today announced the launch of its Meeting Owl 3 camera device, new Expansion Mic, and enhanced Owl Intelligence System (OIS) software. This new flagship product is the third generation of the award-winning Meeting Owl product line, consisting of WiFi-enabled, 360-degree camera, microphone and speaker systems that automatically zoom in on whomever is speaking.

The Meeting Owl 3 has been upgraded both inside and out to include faster, more accurate face detection (even when masked), expanded audio and video range options, upgraded USB capability and more. The new Expansion Mic device extends the Meeting Owl 3’s audio range to eight meters, so all meeting participants can be heard around larger tables.

According to the latest State of Hybrid Work Report by Owl Labs, 37% of job seekers would decline a job offer if they were not given flexible hours or if they were required to work in the office full-time (34%). Furthermore, nearly a third (32%) of employees say there is room for video conferencing improvement.

Owl Labs' technology is now more crucial than ever, enabling workers to collaborate from anywhere more effectively. As the smartest 360-degree video conferencing device on the market, the Meeting Owl 3 helps hybrid teams come together so virtual meetings

designed by roboticists and engineers, and are equipped with its proprietary, newly upgraded OIS technology that powers auto-focus, smart zooming, and smart mics. The OIS also enables devices to become smarter over time with new features and capabilities delivered automatically via WiFi. Frank Weishaupt, CEO of Owl Labs says: “Hybrid is now the way that teams expect to work, and we believe flexible policies are here to stay – but pre-pandemic technology to support hybrid work was an afterthought. While smaller and medium-sized businesses have been faster to adopt and support a hybrid format, we’re also seeing the world’s largest companies choose similar, flexible models and seeking more immersive technology to power the transition.

As a team that has been hybrid since before COVID, we’re proud to launch our third generation Meeting Owl to connect organisations of all sizes even more seamlessly.”

New features and performance enhancements in the Meeting Owl 3 include: •Improved facial recognition – Upgraded OIS software is 5x more accurate in detecting masked faces and 58% more accurate at identifying faces that are further away, to better serve teams that are masking and social distancing •4x faster detection – New OIS is 4x faster to automatically focus on in-room participants, zooming in within 3 seconds after they speak or move, to improve the flow of natural conversation •Expanded audio range – Compatible with the new Expansion Mic device, which extends audio range by 5.5 meters to 8 meters maximum in the direction of the mic, so everyone at larger tables can be heard clearly •Owl Connect – Meeting Owl 3 is the only 360-degree video conferencing device on the market that can pair two devices to expand reach in larger spaces; connect two devices to extend video range up to 8.5 meters and audio range up to 13.5 meters dependent on need •Greater compatibility – Now compatible with USB-C, so no The Meeting Owl 3 has been upgraded both inside and out to include faster, more accurate face detection special adapters are needed to (even when masked), expanded audio and video range options, upgraded USB capability and more. plug into laptops •Enterprise IT support – Set up and register devices via desktop app or mobile and manage feel more like in-person conversations, levelling the playing field devices remotely with Owl Labs’ web-based portal between remote and in-room participants. Owl Labs products are •See the Meeting Owl 3 in action in the video here. Customers can used by more than 100K organisations around the world, includnow purchase the Meeting Owl 3 for £1,049 and the Expansion ing 84 Fortune 100 companies.

Mic at £249.

Attendees of video calls using a Meeting Owl 3 see a 360-degree The Meeting Owl 3, along with other Owl Labs products, can be view of the room, along with up to three panels that dynamically purchased on OwlLabs.co.uk, Amazon or through third-party rezoom in on participants who are actively speaking or moving. Due sellers and distribution partners. To be connected to your local to its plug-and-play design, it only takes six minutes from unboxreseller, learn more here or contact sales@owllabs.com. ing a Meeting Owl 3 to joining the first meeting, and it can be set up 3x faster than competitors’ products. Owl Labs products are

Utelogy expands Utelligence Program Utelogy Corporation has further expanded its innovative Utelligence Program for A/V and UC Device Standardisation by introducing new support for the Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling 2 (TCC2) and upcoming support for the Sennheiser SpeechLine series. This alliance with the high-quality manufacturer of sound

and professional audio will provide end user customers, integrators, and Managed Service Providers with the following benefits: •Easy and fast integration of Sennheiser TCC2 ceiling microphone in Utelogy •Proactive alerts and monitoring for an “always available” and

Utelogy Corporation has further expanded its innovative Utelligence Program for A/V and UC Device Standardisation by introducing new support for the Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling 2 (TCC2) and upcoming support for the Sennheiser SpeechLine series.

4P22 AV News August 2022

enhanced user experience •Insight and management of the Sennheiser system including performance and utilization •Superior audio quality for voice and video conferences with Sennheiser’s patented automatic speaker detection and dynamic beamforming for best speech intelligibility Sennheiser distinguishes itself by drawing on over 75 years of experience developing innovative products that deliver superior audio quality and user experience. With the establishment of their Business Communications division in 2020, Sennheiser has expanded their product line to offer solutions suitable for meeting spaces of every size. Because of Sennheiser’s open API interface, their microphones can be integrated anywhere quickly and easily with the use of REST API. This makes Sennheiser a perfect partner to be integrated into Utelogy’s Utelligence program, satisfying all the controlling, monitoring and security requirements to be labelled as Utelligent +.

“Working with our partners to make collaboration and learning easier through advanced audio technology is of the upmost importance to us at Sennheiser,” stated Charlie Jones, Global Alliance & Partnership Manager, Business Communications, Sennheiser.

“We also believe in giving our customers the ability to choose the best solution for their application. We are excited to be partnering with Utelogy to give our customers the ability to remotely monitor our microphones with their award-winning Utelligence platform and look forward to future innovations that bring us closer together.

The Sennheiser API supports controlling the microphone output, monitoring microphone levels, adjusting audio settings, and getting detailed analytics on asset data, such as the current firmware version. The TCC2 integrates with Utelogy’s management, automation, and cost-saving solution, U-Automate and can be controlled with Utelogy’s hardware agnostic control platform. With the usage of the Sennheiser’s ceiling microphone, combined with the installation of the Utelogy software, it transforms any AV estate into a manageable environment providing a reduced total cost of ownership with an exceptional user experience.

“We are delighted to form a strategic relationship with one of the leading manufacturers in our industry. Since officially launching the program last year, the Utelligence standard has erupted within in industry. It’s proving to be an increasingly powerful way of building out future-proofed enterprise-grade systems which highlight the value of building partnerships in the industry, focusing on security, and making sure the end-user’s voice is heard”, comments Frank Pellkofer, President and Co-Founder at Utelogy. “The Utelogy Platform is becoming progressively more innovative and feature-rich as a result of these collaborations and deep-level customer feedback, allowing ever-more-powerful ‘single-pane of glass’ management and monitoring.”

Oracle and Microsoft announce Oracle Database Service for Azure Oracle Corp and Microsoft Corp today announced the general availability of Oracle Database Service for Microsoft Azure. With this new offering, Microsoft Azure customers can easily provision, access, and monitor enterprise-grade Oracle Database services in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) with a familiar experience. Users can migrate or build new applications on Azure and then connect to the high-performance, high-availability, managed Oracle Database services such as Autonomous Database running on OCI. Over the last two decades, thousands of customers have relied on Microsoft and Oracle software working well together to run their business-critical applications. As customers migrate applications and data to the cloud, they continue to look for joint solutions from their trusted software partners. Since 2019, when Oracle and Microsoft partnered to deliver the Oracle Interconnect for Microsoft Azure, hundreds of organizations have used the secure and private interconnections in 11 global regions.

Microsoft and Oracle are extending this collaboration to further simplify the multicloud experience with the announcement of Or-

continued on page 23

UC News

continued from page 22 acle Database Service for Microsoft Azure. Many joint customers, including some of the world’s largest corporations such as AT&T, Marriott International, Veritas and SGS, want to choose the best services across cloud providers to optimize performance, scalability, and ability to accelerate their business modernization efforts.

The Oracle Database Service for Azure builds upon the core capabilities of the Oracle Interconnect for Azure and enables any customer to integrate workloads more easily on Microsoft Azure with Oracle Database services on OCI. There are no charges for using the Oracle Database Service for Microsoft Azure, the Oracle Interconnect for Microsoft Azure or data egress or ingress when moving data between OCI and Azure. Customers will pay only for the other Azure or Oracle services they consume, such as Azure Synapse or Oracle Autonomous Database.

“Microsoft and Oracle have a long history of working together to support the needs of our joint customers, and this partnership is an example of how we offer customer choice and flexibility as they digitally transform with cloud technology,” said Corey Sanders, corporate vice president, Microsoft Cloud for Industry and Global Expansion. “Oracle’s decision to select Microsoft as its preferred partner deepens the relationship between our two companies and provides customers with the assurance of working with two industry leaders.”

“There’s a well-known myth that you can’t run real applications across two clouds. We can now dispel that myth as we give Oracle and Microsoft customers the ability to easily test and demonstrate the value of combining Oracle databases with Azure applications.

There is no need for deep skills on both of our platforms or complex configurations—anyone can use the Azure Portal to get the power of our two clouds together,” said Clay Magouyrk, executive vice president, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.

“Multicloud takes on a whole new meaning with the launch of the Oracle Database Service for Microsoft Azure. This service, designed to provide intuitive, simple access to the Exadata Database Service and Autonomous Database to Azure users in a transparent manner, responds to the critical need of Azure and Oracle customers to apply the benefits of the latest in Oracle Database

Oracle Corp and Microsoft Corp today announced the general availability of Oracle Database Service for Microsoft Azure. technology to their Azure workloads. This combined and interactive connection of services across public clouds sets the stage for what a multicloud experience should be and is a bold statement about where the future of cloud is heading. It should deliver huge benefits for customers, developers, and the cloud services landscape overall,” said Carl Olofson, research vice president, Data Management Software, IDC. With the new Oracle Database Service for Microsoft Azure, in just a few clicks, users can connect their Azure subscriptions to their OCI tenancy. The service automatically configures everything required to link the two cloud environments and federates Azure Active Directory identities, making it easy for Azure customers to use the service. It also provides a familiar dashboard of your Oracle Database Services on OCI using Azure terminology and monitoring

with Azure Application Insights.

“Many of our mission-critical workloads are running Oracle databases on-premises at massive scale. As we move these workloads to the cloud, Oracle Database Service for Azure enables us to modernize these Oracle databases to services such as Autonomous Database in OCI while leveraging Microsoft Azure for the application tier,” said Jeremy Legg, chief technology officer, AT&T. “Multicloud architectures enable us to choose the best cloud provider for each workload based on capabilities, performance and price. The OCI and Azure partnership integrates the capabilities of two major cloud providers, including the Oracle Database services in OCI and Azure’s application development capabilities,” said Naveen Manga, chief technology officer, Marriott International.

“Oracle Database Service for Microsoft Azure has simplified the use of a multicloud environment for data analytics,” said Jane Zhu, senior vice president and chief information officer, Corporate Operations, Veritas. “We were able to easily ingest large volumes of data hosted by Oracle Exadata Database Service on OCI to Azure Data Factory where we are using Azure Synapse for analysis.”

“Oracle Database Service for Microsoft Azure simplifies our multicloud approach. We’re going to be able to leverage the best of Oracle databases in Azure, and we are going to be able to keep our infrastructure in Azure. This is a great opportunity to have the best of the two worlds that eases our migration to the cloud and improves the skills of our people in IT,” said David Plaza, chief information officer, SGS.

Cisco delivers new technology for the hybrid workforce Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) today unveiled new Webex Calling innovations in the Webex Suite to improve work flexibility, reliability, and audio quality. Customers no longer risk calls dropping despite network outages and broadband bandwidth issues. Webex Calling users can now automatically remove background noise from external callers, a new feature that harnesses the Webex Suite’s intelligence capabilities to optimize audio. Additionally, Cisco launched new devices for hybrid work – the Webex Room Bar and Cisco Video Phone 8875.

“In today’s hybrid work environment, it’s essential that organizations help employees achieve seamless experiences regardless of where they choose to work. This includes calling, which is increasingly embedded in our everyday workflows as cloud adoption accelerates,” said Jeetu Patel, EVP and GM, Cisco Security and Collaboration. “Cisco is the clear cloud calling market leader, delivering customers an end-to-end, secure calling experience and best-in-class innovations.”

New updates to Webex Calling improve the reliability and experience of the calling systems that are essential for business’ everyday workflows. The updates include: •Site survivability to ensure businesses can make and receive Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) calls during a network outage. This functionality is easily deployed and managed through the Webex Control Hub and ensures phone services are always available.

•Audio Intelligence enhancements extend Webex’s AI-powered background noise removal technology to now include PSTN calls with external callers. Webex Calling users can eliminate an external caller’s background noise with a single click in the Webex App or on supported devices.

•Webex Calling is part of the Webex Suite – the industry’s first suite for hybrid work that provides Cloud/Premise Calling, Messaging, Meetings, Polling, Whiteboarding, Asynchronous Video and Events in a unified, highly secure offering. Webex Calling

is now available in over 110 countries around the world.

Cisco Calling Plans have expanded to the Asia Pacific region with service in Australia and New Zealand.

A study Cisco conducted with Dimensional Research found 95% of workers experience video fatigue and desire changes to company culture and key technologies. Users of Webex collaboration devices reported 30% fewer frustrations than those using solely a laptop. To address this, Cisco is introducing a powerful room device that turns huddle spaces and small-to-medium sized meeting rooms into a hub for engaging collaboration – the new Webex Room Bar. The Webex Suite AI capabilities ensure everyone in the room is perfectly framed and all participants have an equal presence on the call, and that automatic background noise removal minimizes distractions. The Webex Room Bar’s spatial audio provides the best audio experience whether participants are in the room or not. Through third-party video interoperability, customers benefit from the flexibility to join any meeting, including Webex, Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet.

With a new video desk phone – the Cisco Video Phone 8875 – Webex users can conduct phone calls and video meetings while maximizing productivity and reducing meeting fatigue when “hot desking” is becoming the new normal in the workplace. The Cisco Video Phone 8875 delivers:

•Sharable functionality and personalization for hot desking: Users can log into a Cisco Video Phone 8875 to access their Webex Suite profile, settings, and calendar. And with a QR code, users can simply login and authenticate their calling and video meetings to work at any desk, in any office for modern hotdesking.

•Quality interactions and a better meeting experience: Cisco’s audio intelligence powered by AI automatically reduces background noise and a 1080p display resolution enhances video quality, both of which were cited as top issues negatively impacting video meetings (source: Meeting Fatigue Research). A camera cover offers

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UC News continued from page 23 privacy during meetings.

•Ease of use and intuitive interface: On the 7-inch touchscreen, the one-button-to-join meetings and click-to-call functionality – Webex users are familiar with – make it easy to join meetings and make calls.

•Simple IT management: A single management tool makes it easy to manage the Cisco Video Phone 8875 for onboarding, analytics, rebooting, and problem reporting.

With this new device, users can maintain a higher quality of audio and video since the sole focus will be on communication, which won't contend for battery life or other laptop resources. Webex Calling’s audio intelligence enhancements will go live this summer and the local survivability feature will be available for preview this fall for Webex Suite customers.

Pricing for the Webex Suite starts at $11.95 a month Cisco Suggested Resale Price (CSRP) through a Webex Suite Enterprise Agreement, offering a full set of Webex tools to connect, communicate and co-create. The new Webex Room Bar is available now, starting at $3,795 CSRP. The Cisco Video Phone 8875 will be orderable starting in August. .

Cisco delivers simpler, smarter networks Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) announced its vision to enable IT teams to work smarter and simplify their operations with new innovations in cloud-managed networking and unified technology experiences.

Today’s business environment is predictably unpredictable. Organisations depend on digital experiences to keep their workforces productive and ensure they are exceeding expectations for customers and partners. To build business agility and resiliency, IT teams require unified solutions that bridge an organization’s technologies, locations, teams and devices.

The challenge is that IT environments have grown overwhelmingly complex, and user expectations are higher than ever. The connections that businesses rely on have multiplied in number and diversity. This has resulted in a network and overall IT experience that is more fragmented, less secure and increasingly difficult to scale.

To address the growing complexity, Cisco is delivering a more unified IT experience through cloud-based, intelligent platforms.

At Cisco Live, the premiere networking and security event, Cisco unveiled new cloud management capabilities that provide a unified experience across the Cisco Meraki, Cisco Catalyst and Cisco Nexus portfolios and a new Cisco ThousandEyes product to proactively forecast and optimize WAN performance. These innovations highlight Cisco’s strategy to provide customers with the agility, resiliency, and productivity that their businesses need to thrive in the face of unpredictability through the power of cloud-managed platforms.

“Our customers choose to run their businesses on Cisco technology because we sit at the intersection of networking, security and cloud,” said Todd Nightingale, EVP and GM, Cisco Enterprise Networking & Cloud. “We believe the network is the foundation for the modern enterprise and must deliver agility through simplicity.

Cisco is addressing our customers' most important concern, which is managing complexity through smart, data-driven platforms that power a digital business.”

Cisco is advancing its networking platforms so customers can securely, logically, and seamlessly transition toward more cloudbased operating models. With Cloud Management for Cisco Catalyst, customers can now monitor select Catalyst Switches and manage new Catalyst Wireless devices through the Meraki dash-

Zoom unveils platform evolution Zoom Video Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZM) has unveiled the latest evolution of its communications platform with the introduction of Zoom One, a new offering that brings together persistent chat, phone, meetings, whiteboard, and more into secure and scalable packages. Additionally, Zoom also launched an all new translated and multi-language captions feature.

“Simplicity is at the core of everything we do. As the Zoom platform has evolved from a meeting app to a comprehensive communications platform, it was clear that introducing new packaging like Zoom One was the next step in the company’s evolution,” said Greg Tomb, President, Zoom. “By bringing together chat, phone, meetings, whiteboard, and more in a single offering, we are able to offer our customers solutions that are simple to manage, so they can focus on business issues that matter most.”

“Businesses continue to realise the time and cost saving a single provider can offer. According to Omdia’s latest end user survey, 40% of organizations are prioritizing investments around eliminating multiple cloud-based UC solutions that may be deployed within their organizations,” states Brent Kelly, Principal Analyst, Omdia Research. “The need to simplify business operations is a market trend that we see as being increasingly important and Zoom One’s tiered bundles and common management console aligns well to this customer demand."

Zoom One’s intuitive experience includes: •Purpose-built to work together, Zoom One’s intuitive experience offers customers the choice between six tiered offerings according to their business needs.

•Zoom One Basic provides free 40-minute Zoom Meetings for up to 100 attendees, persistent Zoom Chat for team messaging, limited Zoom Whiteboard for synchronous and asynchronous work, and real-time transcription.

•Zoom One Pro provides everything Zoom One Basic offers without Meeting time limits, plus cloud recording.

•Zoom One Business provides everything Zoom One Pro offers, plus Zoom Meetings for up to 300 attendees and unlimited Zoom Whiteboards.

•Zoom One Business Plus provides everything Zoom One Business offers, plus Zoom Phone Pro with unlimited regional calling and Zoom’s all-new translation feature.

•Zoom One Enterprise and Zoom One Enterprise Plus are similar to Zoom One Business, with larger meeting capacity and additional features, like Zoom Webinars, to help modern businesses scale.

Unlimited Regional Calling is an optional add-on feature for Zoom One Enterprise and Enterprise Plus.

•Zoom One Basic, Pro, Business and Business Plus plans are available for purchase online today. To purchase Zoom One Enterprise or Enterprise Plus, customers can speak to an account executive directly. For more information, visit https://zoom.us/pricing.

4P24 2022 P24 AV AV News News June August 2022

“If you provide a complete suite of reliable and easy-to-use communication tools that people can use to do their jobs, they are less likely to be using one-off solutions outside of our offerings – which in turn simplifies our support and delivery model,” said Rob Kerr, chief information officer at Cooley, a global law firm with 3,300 employees in 17 offices across the United States, Asia, and Europe. “Zoom’s secure portfolio of unified video, chat, whiteboarding, and telephony solutions aligns our global teams and allows Cooley to better serve its clients.”

Launching first in Zoom One Business Plus and Zoom One Enterprise Plus packages, Zoom’s translated captions will allow users to view captions translated into the language of their choice. At launch, translations will be available between English and 10 additional languages, or from any of the 10 languages to English.

The ability to translate directly to and from English is known as

bi-directional translation. Translated captions display at the base of the screen while in a Zoom Meeting.

The bi-directional translations are available in the following languages: Chinese (Simplified), Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, and Ukrainian. To access the translated captions feature, Zoom One customers must upgrade to either the Zoom One Business Plus or Zoom One Enterprise Plus packages (in applicable countries).

Zoom also extended its automated captioning – the ability to caption in real-time what a speaker is saying in the same language as the one spoken – to include 10 additional languages. Automated captions previously were supported in English, but now can be displayed in the additional 10 languages referenced above.

Multi-language automated captions are available in Business Plus, Enterprise, and Enterprise Plus packages with additional support for other plans coming soon.

board, bringing increased visibility and flexibility to the customer experience. Campus and branch networking customers can now simplify their IT operations by combining the best in cloud management with the best in networking hardware.

Announcing Cisco Nexus Cloud, a cloud-managed platform delivered as-a-service that provides the simplest way to deploy, manage and operate cloud networking. Powered by Cisco Intersight for best-in class switching and multicloud management, Cisco Nexus Cloud will extend customers’ ability to manage across public cloud, private cloud and edge computing environments of any size or scale. Cisco Nexus Cloud is targeted for availability in the Fall 2022.

Driving superior digital experiences matters more today than ever before. Poor customer or employee experiences leave lasting and damaging impressions. IT teams need access to solutions that will allow them to shift away from reacting to networking issues and instead be proactive to prevent the issues impacting their business.

Customers can now take advantage of Cisco’s advancements in predictive networking via Cisco ThousandEyes, the industry’s leading internet and cloud intelligence platform. ThousandEyes WAN Insights is the first step toward delivering on the Cisco Predictive Networks vision, empowering enterprise IT to move from reactive to preventative-based networking, improving operational efficiency and assurance of application experience. Coming soon, ThousandEyes WAN Insights proactively alerts IT teams to issues before they happen and harm user experience, offering policy recommendations and path optimization guidance. Alongside ThousandEyes’s unmatched view of Internet health and behaviour, the addition of ThousandEyes WAN Insights helps to empower customers to maximize their Internet and Cloud-centric environments and deliver flawless digital experiences.

Announced last week at the RSA Conference, Cisco unveiled a unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) solution. Cisco+ Secure Connect Now is an as-a-service, cloud-managed solution available to customers via a single subscription. It provides customers with a SASE solution that is quick to deploy and easy to manage, radically simplifying how organizations connect and protect users, things and applications.

Zoom hires Greg Tomb as President Zoom Video Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZM) today announced that Greg Tomb will join the company as President.

Tomb brings more than 20 years of experience and comes to Zoom from Google Cloud, where he was most recently Vice President of Sales, Google Workspace, SMB, Data & Analytics, Geo Enterprises, and Security Sales.

Reporting directly to Zoom founder and CEO Eric S. Yuan, Tomb will oversee the company’s go-to-market strategy, revenue efforts, and office of the Global CIO. Tomb will help shape Zoom's next chapter as the company continues transGreg Tomb will join Zoom as Presforming into a multi-product ident. Tomb brings more than 20 platform that enables commuyears of experience and comes nication, hybrid work, and an to Zoom from Google Cloud. expanding number of business workflows.

Mr. Yuan said, “I am so excited to welcome Greg to the Zoom team. Greg is a highly respected technology industry leader and has deep experience in helping to scale companies at critical junctures. His strategic thinking, can-do attitude, and value of care he brings to customers make him the perfect addition to our strong leadership team.”

Tomb said, “I’m thrilled to join forces with Eric and the Zoom team to help drive growth. I strongly believe that Zoom has an impressive foundation with its multi-product platform, and I look forward to the tremendous opportunities ahead to help businesses around the world address their communications and collaboration needs.”

Tomb will oversee Zoom’s go-to-market strategy, revenue efforts, and office of the Global CIO. Most recently he was Vice President of Sales, Google Workspace, SMB, Data & Analytics, Geo Enterprises, and Security Sales at Google Cloud. Before Google, Greg was the President of Sales and GTM for SAP’s cloud offerings, including Intelligent Spend, SuccessFactors, Customer Experience, Digital Supply Chain, Concur, as well as SAP Business Technology Platform. Prior to SAP, Greg served as CEO of Vivido Labs Inc. and has held management positions at Accenture Consulting and Comergent Technologies Inc. He is also on the Board of Directors of Pure Storage Corporation.

Peoplewatch

PEOPLEWATCH Leading technology distributor Exertis has appointed Leads for its newfound Employee Resource Groups. The ERGs consist of three divisions – women, people from ethnic minorities, and LGBTQIA+ communities – and the Chair for each division will drive support for, and progression within, their respective focal point. Gemma Walters chairs the ERG division for women; Manpreet Bath is leading the ERG for people from ethnic minorities; while Holly Chatton leads efforts to support LGBTQIA+ colleagues.

The purpose of an ERG is to create a safe, supportive space for employees who share a common identity, where underrepresented employees support one another in building their community.

The objectives of the group include providing support and a safe space for communities within Exertis; as well as to educate the whole business about each communities’ lived experiences and how to work with their members more effectively; and to increase the amount of talent from each of the three focal communities at all levels of the business.

Exertis’s ERGs have been formed to actively promote inclusivity and to ensure everybody is given a fair chance to succeed and flourish in their chosen path within Exertis – regardless of their background. The ERGs commit to champion, mentor and coach individuals from all genders, ethnic backgrounds, and sexualities, as well as celebrating major events and driving policy changes within the company. Exertis intends the ERGs to help drive forward its policies on inclusivity in line with the company’s belief that diverse and inclusive organisations are successful ones.

Of the newly appointed ERG heads, Gemma Walters is the Chair for Women, and the General Manager for Microsoft at Exertis. Walters said of her new duty: “The aim of our Women’s ERG is to raise awareness of issues facing women in the workplace, and we are committed to empowering, developing and supporting our female employees. As well as opportunities for networking and learning, we are going to be looking very closely at how we recruit, retain and advance women. We will challenge ourselves and set goals that we can measure in all these areas.”

Mani Bath is the General Manager for Datacentre & Commercial at Exertis, as well as the ERG Chair for people from ethnic minorities. Bath said: “Having been with Exertis only a short time, it is amazing to see the genuine drive for change throughout the organisation. It is not a tick-box exercise – the set up, the investment of time, and the people for the ERG is only just the beginning.”

Holly Chatton is the Head of Data Governance within Exertis, and the ERG Chair for LGBTQIA+ colleagues. Chatton outlined her drive to enable a safe environment for Exertis’s people: “I want to make it my mission to make this a welcoming and nurturing place for anyone who is part of the LGBTQIA+ community. Whether they are out loud and proud, still in a questioning phase, an ally and friend, a parent or relative of someone in the community, or are just curious and have questions. I want to help people be their true, authentic selves in the workplace.”

Exertis UK Managing Director Paul Bryan said of the ERGs: “I am so pleased that we have these new ERG platforms starting within our business and I am very proud to see that our people are so engaged and enthusiastic with this approach. The more we learn, discuss and elevate these communities, the more we breakdown the taboos within society and create safe environments, allowing people to grow and achieve their aspirations”.

Kinly has announced the promotion of AV heavyweight Stuart Davidson to the role of Operations Director, UK & Ireland. In his new role, Davidson will be overseeing consultancy and design, projects, warehouse and logistics, hire, judicial and health and safety. The promotion will also give him the opportunity to develop products, solutions and processes in line with what the market and the technology needs to deliver efficiently at scale and globally.

Having joined the AV industry in 1996, Davidson has worked for organisations big and small including a period during which he owned and ran his own AV services business. As a result, he has built a wealth of experience across all commercial, technical and operational business functions and has served myriad verticals.

Davidson joined Kinly in 2016 as service delivery director for global services, and soon after, became technical services director = the title which he retained before taking on his latest role. Indeed, as operations director, he continues with his technical responsibilities.

Davidson explains: “My previous position is folded into the new one. That means I now have responsibility for the design side of the business as well as the operations project delivery side. For me, that’s an important move because we’re seeing the industry continuously moving and changing, with technology being a key driver. So, it makes sense that the operational and technical sides come under one umbrella.” He continues: “Developing our delivery processes as current technologies demand will enable us to deliver to our customers much more efficiently, more reliably and right the first time. Of course, this isn’t the job of one man. I have an incredible team of roughly 150 people around me. I rally them, support them, and give the best direction and training I can.”

Tom Martin, CEO at Kinly, comments: “Bringing 24 years of experience across a broad skillset, Stuart has played a central role in the success of Kinly. He has built excellent rapport between the technical team, projects, and service departments. In 2021 Stuart took the opportunity to chair the Global Product board. So, he has a profound understanding of what products work and what doesn’t and has the expertise to help us shape our direction. His technical grounding is superb and that’s what we need as we focus on the next stage of our evolution.”

recently, he has helped consulting firm and Logpoint partner Devoteam establish its Cyber Trust division. “I'm excited to join the only European cybersecurity software vendor, providing trusted SIEM and SOAR solutions across the Nordic region. While we have a substantial customer base in the Nordics, the growth potential is significant, and I'm looking forward to working with fellow Logpointers, the partner community, and customers to improve the digital resilience of our societies,” says Niels Onat.

“One of the biggest challenges in securing the digital transformation of organizations is the shortage of cybersecurity professionals. Managed Security Service Providers combining expertise and economies of scale to provide efficient cybersecurity solutions is a key part of the solution, and at Logpoint it will be a priority for me to expand our partnerships in this important segment”. Niels Onat stepped into the Regional Director position on July 1, 2022, replacing Martin Fribrock, who has successfully led the Logpoint Nordic team in the past two years. Fribrock has decided to leave Logpoint to pursue new opportunities. The Logpoint Converged SIEM platform combines SIEM, SOAR, UEBA, and security for business-critical applications. Logpoint is the only SIEM vendor to seamlessly integrate advanced security analytics, automated investigation, and response based on a unified, high-quality data foundation. This reduces time-to-value and increases cybersecurity efficiency.

Logpoint has appointed Niels Onat as its new Regional Director for the Nordics.

Technological Innovations Group (TIG), which has over 120 dedicated Crestron sales professionals and offices including Experience Spaces in London, Brussels, Paris, Madrid, Milan, Frankfurt, Dubai, Oslo and Johannesburg, has appointed Wikus Botha as its new Regional Sales Manager for Crestron's residential solutions in South Africa.

Wikus joins the team as the company strengthens its position in Technological Innovations Group (TIG) has appointed Wikus Botha as its new Regional Sales Manager for Crestron's residential solutions in South Africa.

Kinly has announced the promotion of AV heavyweight Stuart Davidson to the role of Operations Director, UK & Ireland.

Exertis has appointed Leads for its newfound Employee Resource Groups. The ERGs consist of three divisions – women, people from ethnic minorities, and LGBTQIA+ communities. Gemma Walters chairs the ERG division for women; Manpreet Bath is leading the ERG for people from ethnic minorities; while Holly Chatton leads efforts to support LGBTQIA+ colleagues.

Logpoint has appointed Niels Onat as its new Regional Director for the Nordics, including Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and the Baltics, including Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. He will be responsible for driving growth in the Logpoint Nordic home market and leading the expanding team of cybersecurity professionals in the region.

“Niels is joining Logpoint at a key point on the Cybersecurity history timeline. The war in Ukraine has underscored the importance of protecting our societies against the growing cyber threat. As a result, integrating cybersecurity in business strategies and leveraging AI and automation to cope with the growing number of attacks is becoming a key priority,” says Andrew Lintell, Logpoint VP EMEA. Niels Onat has a proven track record as a leader in the cybersecurity industry. He led the cybersecurity provider Ezenta through a decade of triple-digit growth and successfully integrated the company into the pan-Nordic cybersecurity company Nixu. Most

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Peoplewatch

PEOPLEWATCH continued from page 25 the smart home sector. His primary responsibilities will be to analyse, grow and respond to market opportunities, whilst nurturing relationships with new and existing partners and end-users. He will also be responsible for assisting dealers and specifiers with the integration of Crestron solutions into their designs for residential projects, ensuring installations - whether a retro-fit or new-build meet the needs of the modern smart homeowner.

Reporting to Steven Dullaert, Director Residential Sales EMEA, Wikus has worked in IT, AV and home automation since the age of 17, and will bring his vast experience, industry knowledge and skills to the newly created role. On his appointment, Wikus comments: “The best thing you can do in life is make the most of your skills and talents. I want to bring the very best version of myself to the best technology company in the world and assist our clients and partners to be the most successful they can be too!”.

Steven adds: “We're excited about the appointment of Wikus, who I'm certain will be a great addition to the team in South Africa!

He will be the point of contact for our residential partners in the region as we expand into this rapidly growing market sector. It's the start of an exciting new journey for TIG as I'm thrilled to have a dedicated residential Regional Sales Manager on the ground, to cater to all customer needs and enquiries as more opportunities arise.”

Absen Europe today announced the appointment of visual solutions expert Darren Banks as industry development director, corporate AV. Banks, who reports directly to Ruben Rengel, Absen’s senior vice-president of global business development, brings more than 20 years of industry experience working with display brands including NEC, Sanyo, Christie, LG and, most recently, Unilumin.

At Absen, he will be responsible for the coordination, management and leadership of the company’s corporate-AV vertical in Europe, working with local sales teams to support and execute their cor-

Absen Europe today announced the appointment of visual solutions expert Darren Banks as industry development director, corporate AV. porate market strategies, supporting the pro-AV consultant community, and establishing deeper relationships with corporate and enterprise end-user clients.

A self-described ‘AV lifer’, Banks says he first encountered Absen in the UK around ten years ago and was immediately impressed by its reputation for quality, reliability and support, as well as its solid international partner network and strong presence in Europe.

Drawing on his expertise in fine-pitch LED and video walls, as well his previous experience working for other Asia-based manufacturers, Banks says he aims to build on Absen’s “strong vision for the future” of its corporate-AV business.

“Absen is a pioneer in LED display technology, and I’m both excited and honoured to have been chosen to continue and build upon that legacy as European industry development director for corporate AV,” comments Banks. “In my new position, I look forward to helping to develop and grow Absen’s existing European business, as well as leading the company into new and emerging corporate markets for its fine-pitch LED solutions.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Darren to Absen after a long and successful career in the LED display sector,” adds Ruben Rengel.

“With the corporate-AV sector poised for strong growth, he will play

4P24 2022 P26 AV AV News News June August 2022

an instrumental role in the growth of Absen’s European business in the years to come.”

Banks joins an experienced team within Absen Europe’s Global Cooperation Department (GCD) which includes Christian Czimny, Ben Phelps and Ross Burling, industry development directors for product, retail, and OOH and sports, respectively.

Polar has announced the expansion of its team with the appointment of Andy Clark to the post of Business Development Manager, Integrated Solutions. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire’s highly regarded Music department, Andy joins Polar with a strong audio and AV background, having worked for the last seven years as an operations manager for a high-end domestic loudspeaker manufacturer.

Prior to that his role as a supervisor in a large electronics retail environment brought him into contact with a wide range of technology products and applications. Having achieved Grade 8 standard on the guitar, Andy holds a number of industry qualifications for audio and acoustics, and is Dante Level 1 Certified.

Andy Clark comments: “I’m very excited to be joining Polar and moving into the wider world of AV design and integration. I’m passionate about all things AV and technology, and I’m confident that my previous experience will translate well to my new role. As well as the technological aspects of the industry, my previous jobs have required a good understanding of business and commerce, so I’m looking forward to drawing from the Polar portfolio to help deliver high quality, competitive solutions to our customers.”

Polar Managing Director John Midgley adds: “As the demands on our Integrated Services team continue to increase, Andy is an excellent appointment. His appreciation and understanding of Audio and AV technology is of an exceptional standard and he will be a great asse to the team.”

with him to advance the Sound Solution.”

“The addition of Sebastian to our team will advance our software algorithms to generate FIR filters that will ultimately enhance the overall sound of our audio solutions,” added DeFranco Rivas joins the Renkus-Heinz team at a pivotal time as the company has just completed organizational changes with Founder, Harro Heinz, retiring and appointing Monika Smetona as President of the company. The loudspeaker manufacturer has also recently debuted new products at ISE and InfoComm including the PCX Series featuring Passive UniBeam technology for greater application in a variety of installations.

Underscoring its dedication to engineering and technological innovation, Renkus-Heinz has appointed industry expert Sebastian Rivas as Software Development and Research Engineer.

Polar has announced the expansion of its team with the appointment of Andy Clark to the post of Business Development Manager, Integrated Solutions.

Underscoring its dedication to engineering and technological innovation, Renkus-Heinz has appointed industry expert Sebastian Rivas as Software Development and Research Engineer. Rivas will work closely with Chief Technology Officer Ralph Heinz and Engineering Manager Chad DeFranco.

“I had the opportunity to speak with Harro Heinz about the role and found great value in learning about the history of the company and the innovative processes that have put them as the leader in beam steering loudspeaker technology,” said Rivas. “Renkus-Heinz is a leader in the audio solutions industry and I am fortunate to enter the company at a time to contribute to the sound revolution.”

With close to 15 years in the audio/visual industry Rivas is uniquely positioned to join the Renkus-Heinz team and advance the company’s audio engineering efforts. Prior to joining Renkus-Heinz, Rivas worked as a professor at St. Thomas University, 2D Software Developer at Sensey Electronics in Mexico, and at Danley Sound Labs developing the Direct Sound System modelling software.

“Sebastian’s talent and ambition in the audio industry made him the best candidate for the role,” said Heinz. “I know he will be a huge asset to the Renkus-Heinz team and look forward to working

ZeeVee, a leading global provider of AV distribution products, has promoted Rob Muddiman to the post of vice president of Europe, Middle East, Africa and India (EMEAI) regions. “Since joining the company in 2013, Rob has played a crucial role in ZeeVee’s strategy and international expansion,” said Bob Michaels, CEO, ZeeVee. “The company is now established as the recognized leader of AVoIP signal distribution products into just about every key vertical.”

While he continues to oversee ZeeVee’s recently established European headquarters in Augsburg, Germany, headed up by Jan-Arne Rosenstein, Muddiman will refocus efforts on further driving expansion of ZeeVee’s sales and support operations into the Middle East and India. “ZeeVee’s innovative approach to AVoIP solutions has helped transform the AV industry,” said Muddiman. “I look forward to continuing our expansion into the region with key partners, helping to provide them and their customers with ‘gold standard’ and best in class price/performance AVoIP distribution products.” Muddiman previously had senior sales management roles at Magenta Research and Sony and started his career in engineering at EMI. He has a degree in electronic engineering.

ZeeVee, a leading global provider of AV distribution products, has promoted Rob Muddiman to the post of vice president of Europe, Middle East, Africa and India (EMEAI) regions.

Peoplewatch

PEOPLEWATCH Kinly has announced Mark Kempson as its new Head of Consultancy and Design in the UK. The role will see Mark bring new levels of leadership and support for all national and international projects, as the company looks to seize new opportunities in the $127 billion AV, UCC and Collaboration market.

Part of Kinly’s on-going commitment to supporting long term career progression and opportunities, Mark – who has more than a decade of AV specialist experience – has enjoyed successive promotions with Kinly since joining in 2011, including spells as installation engineer, service engineer sales engineer, AV presales manager, and AV design team manager. Reporting to Kinly’s new Operations Director UK and Ireland, Stuart Davidson, Mark’s new role as Head of Consultancy and Design, extends his previous responsibilities to support all national and some international AV, UCC and Collaboration business leads, generated by the UK business.

An an AVIXA Certified Technology Specialist, Mark will work closely with Kinly’s project management team, and directly with clients (including those in Corporate, Education, Government and Judicial) to manage, research, design and deliver fully tailored futureproof solutions, all with an entirely technology agnostic approach.

Based in Kinly’s London office, Mark brings extensive experience and specialist knowledge to the role, armed with an ever-growing list of leading industry qualifications, certifications and accreditations spanning the full breadth of AV, UCC and Collaboration solutions, including those with Crestron, AMX, ClearOne, Logitech, Extron, Biamp, Polycom and Cisco, Microsoft, among others.

Buoyed by the pandemic, fuelling a desire for remote/hybrid working, figures show the UCC market size is expected to grow from $67.4 billion in 2021, to $127.5 billion by 2026 – with Kinly structurally and strategically positioned to support new and existing clients during their journeys.

Mark commented: “I’m delighted to have been entrusted with this new role as Head of Consultancy and Design, and for the opportunity to further develop my career with Kinly. I’m lucky enough to be surrounded by a fantastic and enviable team of experienced individuals, and together, I have every confidence we can go on to achieve even greater things for this forward-thinking, highly ambitions company, delivering even greater levels of quality, service and experiences to our clients.”

Stuart Davidson, Operations Director at Kinly, added: “Whether at the beginning of a journey or now looking to take things to the next level, with Mark and our ever-strengthening specialist teams, backed by strategic partnerships with many of the leading AV and UCC providers, Kinly is perfectly positioned to support our clients’ needs for today and into the future.” *Figure from Research and Markets

Since then, she has transformed the company's corporate image and considerably grown its visibility, which coincides with VuWall's revenue growth in the last three years despite the challenges faced in 2020. She will continue to report to CEO, Vander Plaetse, and oversee VuWall's marketing department globally, handling all marketing efforts including strategic partnerships, brand management and awareness.

“Since joining VuWall, I've had the privilege of working with an incredibly dedicated team, an exceptional line of products and loyal partners and customers," said Kozel. "I am honoured and motivated to take on this new role. Although we already have a strong position in the market, I look forward to strengthening and elevating the VuWall brand even further.”

Kozel has 20 years of experience in international business, marketing, systems engineering, strategic partnerships and alliances, sales and management, with a focus on marketing in pro AV for the past 13 years. She holds a Bachelor of Computer Science from Concordia University. More information is available about Kozel on her LinkedIn profile.

Al-Bayaty joined VuWall as director of product management in October 2021. Since coming on-board, he has streamlined all product development and go-to-market product strategies and has proven to be a tremendous asset to the company. Al-Bayaty will continue to report to Mark Schmidt, CTO at VuWall, and will oversee product strategy for the entire life cycle of all the solutions in the company's ecosystem.

“VuWall's exceedingly talented team and customer-focused culture of understanding client needs and pain points is the key to developing the right products," said Al-Bayaty. "I'm eager and committed to help accelerate VuWall's journey to becoming the de facto global leader for video wall and AV-over-IP visualization solutions.”

Al-Bayaty has 15 years of experience in product management, development, quality assurance and applications engineering, specializing in both hardware and software. He holds a master's degree in software engineering from Concordia University. More information is available about Al-Bayaty on his LinkedIn profile.

VuWall has announced the promotions of Anna Kozel to vice president of marketing and Fadhl Al-Bayaty to vice president of product management.

Kinly has announced Mark Kempson as its new Head of Consultancy and Design in the UK.

VuWall has announced the promotions of Anna Kozel to vice president of marketing and Fadhl Al-Bayaty to vice president of product management. The move comes as the company continues to scale its executive team, introduce new product offerings and expand to new markets. “Anna and Fadhl are experts in their respective fields. As part of the executive team, they will be instrumental in shaping the corporate strategy and executing our continued growth and long-term success,” said Paul Vander Plaetse, founder and CEO at VuWall. “Their leadership styles, dedication and full alignment with the company values will be key in continuing to build and grow our team.”

Kozel joined VuWall as director of marketing in March 2019.

Lightware Visual Engineering has announced the appointments of Craig Storey as CEO and Craig McQueen as Sales Director to head the UK team. Under their leadership Lightware UK will consolidate its position in the region with a new focus on growth after a hugely successful last financial year.

Craig Storey heads the Lightware UK office, overseeing all aspects of the UK business and its strategy. After joining Lightware a few weeks before COVID hit, Craig has steered the company through the uncertainties of the pandemic while managing to maintain revenue for the UK through the first year [2019-20] and then grow the team who delivered the highest revenue year for the division on record for the 2021-22 financial year.

Joining Storey is Craig McQueen, who will take charge of a growing Sales Team, in times of an ongoing recruitment drive. He brings with him deep knowledge gained from decades of unrivalled experience in the industry. Lightware UK’s team can look forward to further growth and rewards for their hard work. For Lightware UK customers, the investment will mean further awareness of the brand and more opportunities to deliver world class switching and distribution products.

“These are very exciting times and I’m looking forward to the challenge of building on this impressive recent success,” said Craig

McQueen, Sales Director of Lightware UK. “Lightware is a fantastic company to work for with big things happening over the next five years, both in the UK and the international stage. We’re going to have a big impact on the market and can’t wait to meet our customers' needs.”

UK CEO Craig Storey said, “I am very honoured to head the UK team as CEO and be offered the opportunity to build on the last few years of growth that have been achieved so far. I firmly believe that Lightware’s approach to product and engineering, as well as their customer focus, create opportunities for growth that are difficult for others to replicate. I have no doubt that we have the strategy, product, and a growing team of professionals to create value for our customers and fulfil our potential.”

Lightware Visual Engineering has announced the appointments of Craig Storey as CEO and Craig McQueen as Sales Director to head the UK team.

Datapath, has announced the appointment of Brian Tulley as Strategic Procurement Manager. Effective immediately, Brian’s role will see him working with internal and external partners to secure the long-term availability of key, strategic electronic components required to support Datapath’s business objectives. Brian has extensive experience in technology procurement, having held senior roles at blue chip organisations including General Electric and Rolls Royce.

Tony Jones, Director and co-founder of Datapath, welcomed the addition of Brian to his team: “As part of our ongoing global growth, we’d like to welcome Brian to the Datapath family. Brian has an impressive track record in global procurement and, during a period of considerable pressure on supply lines, we are delighted to add his skillset to the team.”

Brian’s role includes collaboration with Datapath’s tier one manufacturer partners - monitoring material demand fluctuation and supplier lead times to minimise impact on the manufacturing and customer service levels. His responsibilities will include strategic procurement for a variety of key electronic commodities including, but not limited to, FPGAs, memory chips and circuit boards.

He said: “I am delighted to announce my new position with Datapath. Throughout the pro AV industry, they are known as the market leaders in video processing and content management. Procurement of technology components has become a very hot topic throughout the AV industry in the past 18 months or so – along with many other business sectors – and I am looking forward to applying my experience at Datapath to ensure our customers continue to experience the high levels of service and minimal lead times for which we are known.”

Datapath, has announced the appointment of Brian Tulley as Strategic Procurement Manager.

4

P27AV News August 2022

Dairy and Events

IFA 2022: Services for the trade IFA in Berlin is described as ‘the most efficient global meeting place for industry and trade’. From 2 to 6 September this is where retailers and buyers can again find out about the latest products, and together with the leading consumer and home electronics brands prepare for the end-of-year business.

This year, the IFA Trade Visitor Centre can be found in Hall 1.2. It can be easily accessed from the south entrance (Messe Süd). This exclusive business and service area allows IFA trade visitors to meet in a quiet atmosphere away from the activity of the trade fair. The International Trade Press Stand at IFA is also located there.

Leading national and international publications are available for free.

The International Trade Visi-

tor Reception opens daily, two hours before the official trade fair opening time, and from 8 to 10 a.m. also invites visitors to enjoy a free business breakfast. The shuttle service on the exhibition grounds ensures that trade visitor ticket holders arrive at their next appointment on time.

Another advantage of the trade visitor ticket is that it grants free access to this year’s IFA+ Summit Conference, the thinktank of IFA 2022. On Monday, 5 September, under the heading ’THE NEXT LEVEL OF THINKING’ and taking a look from various angles, the IFA+ Summit 2022 will examine the opportunities and risks of deglobalisation against the backdrop of the climate crisis, the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, as well as the resultant raw material and supply

shortages.

As usual, a ticket also grants admission to exclusive trade visitor tours on the latest hot industry topics. The two-hour tours will be held simultaneously in English and German.

At IFA 2022 the topics of the trade visitor tours will include the following: • TVs • Smart Household Appliances • Fitness & Digital Health • Mobile Devices • Smart Home • Digital Audio, Wireless Speakers, Headphones • Global Markets International Sourcing Tour It is recommended that trade visitors buy their online ticket to IFA Berlin in good time. No ticket offices will be open on the grounds and no registration counters will be available at the entrances

Ticket shop for trade visitors 2-6 September 2022 Location Exhibition Grounds Berlin ExpoCenter City Messedamm 22 14055 Berlin The IFA Trade Visitor Ticket combines what makes a good trade show visit - convenience, entertainment and success: https://b2b.ifa-berlin.com/en/ your-visit/trade-visitors/ • Fast Lane for fast entry • Admission to IFA Global Markets • Shuttle services • IFA Keynotes • Guided tours for trade visitors • Free Wi-Fi at the Trade Visitor Reception, South Entrance • Trade visitor reception with breakfast: daily between 8 and 10 a.m. - South Entrance • Conference and meeting rooms and much more! *NEW: Admission to the IFA+ Summit Conference on 5 Sep-

tember Only available for international Trade Visitors.

Purchase tickets early and online. There will be no ticket sale on-site and no registration counters at the entrances.

Trade visitor pass (2 days) Early bird - available between 1st June and 31st August

2022 EUR 75.00 EUR 61.00 incl. 19% VAT Trade visitor pass (1 day) Early bird - available between 1st June and 31st August 2022 EUR 52.00 EUR 43.00 incl. 19% VAT

IFA exhibitors present new trends and innovations IFA continues to provide an impressive array of innovations in the home appliances sector: Bosch Siemens Hausgeräte (BSH) presented a world premiere with its new Solitaire The Waterbase brand. As a newcomer to the German market, Tineco addressed the increased use of hard floors with its new cordless vacuum cleaner.

Household appliances presented by Bosch take account of consumers' desire for greater sustainability. Manufacturers such as Siemens are pushing the issue of design at home. A preview of their program was provided by Berlin Photo Week and XPRO, which will be held as partner events to coincide with IFA 2022.

David Ruetz, Senior Vice President IFA 2022, thanked the participating IFA exhibitors and noted, “The past two days have given us a promising preview

of IFA 2022. They were filled with exclusive trend insights, interesting industry and media representatives, and good conversations.”

Dr. Sara Warneke, managing director of gfu Consumer & Home Electronics, adds: “We are delighted that so many media representatives are here – for the gfu Insights & Trends, the IMB and the gfu Media Night. The networking and innovations on display over the past two days have whet appetites for all the great things in store for us at IFA 2022.”

Harald Friedrich, managing director of Robert Bosch Haushaltsgeräte GmbH, announced several world innovations for the upcoming IFA. They include Series 8 washing machines and tumble dryers with numerous new features and programmes. The appliances have newly designed dig-

P28 AV News August 2022

ital programme selectors which feature connectivity via Home Connect and a common design theme. Another innovation is the Series 8 built-in baking ovens which feature steaming and air frying functions.

Friedrich hinted at further innovations, in particular in the steamer range, at IFA 2022.

Annette Hollemann, Global Marketing, Solitaire, BSH said: “With our new Solitaire The Waterbase brand, BSH is presenting a world innovation at IFA 2022 that meets the latest in room interior, living and kitchen concept demands.

The Infinity Cover conceals the kitchen sink without affecting its functionality. It creates an integrated surface and uniform style. The tap fittings feature Hydronic Select, with six options available from ice cold to boiling, still and bubbly water.

A touch display allows for intu-

itive control. Integrated storage solutions in the Smart Body let washing up utensils elegantly disappear. “ Siemens Hausgeräte is focused closely on our changing living conditions. Michael Mehnert, managing director of Siemens Hausgeräte, announced a new trend report which is due to be presented at IFA 2022. According to Mehnert, one product innovation which especially stands for a quality of life is the fully automated coffee maker. Siemens is presenting its new EQ 900 model in Berlin. It features an automatic, intelligent bean variety detector that brings out the coffee taste to the full. Mehnert also announced the iQ 700 baking oven series which brings AI into play with cooking.

Marco Getz, General Manager Europe, TINECO added “With our battery-powered cordless vacuums and wet/dry cleaners, we are responding to the trend towards more hard floors in German households. The iLoop Smart dust sensor in the cordless vacuum cleaner model S15 adjusts the suction power for both carpets and hard

floors depending on the level of dirt. This results in up to four times longer battery life while maintaining the same cleaning performance. The built-in multi-cyclone separates air from dirt, improving performance. In our S5 series of wet/dry cleaners, dual-channel technology is used for hygienic cleaning. Wiping and vacuuming are done in one operation, saving up to 50% of time. We look forward to introducing the next generation of wet/dry cleaners at IFA 2022.”

Wolfgang Heinen, CEO, Berlin Photo Week commented: “As a partner of IFA 2022, Berlin Photo Week wants to bring photography and video to life as enormously important forms of communication in everyday life - with workshops, discussion rounds, with lectures and product demos, with exhibitions and participatory funplaces, with ideas and lots of impulses.

For everyone who lives pictures, Berlin Photo Week provides an occasion to get creative themselves. We want to inspire families, young people, art lovers, photo enthusiasts and professionals alike. The central proj-

ect location is the Arena Berlin.

Satellites in numerous galleries and institutions complement the extensive program.”

The final program item at the IFA Innovations Media Briefing 2022 introduced XPRO, a new interdisciplinary, hybrid and year-round trade show concept.

With XPRO Berlin, Messe Berlin is developing a new European marketplace for Experience Technologies, products and services. The aim is to successively expand XPRO Berlin into the leading B2B marketplace.

At IFA 2022, XPRO will also present the concept in Hall 21 and has gathered several innovative companies from the field of Experience Technologies for this purpose.

IFA in Berlin is the ‘most efficient’ global meeting place for industry and trade. From 2 to 6 September this is where retailers and buyers can again find out about the latest products, and together with the leading consumer and home electronics brands prepare for end-of-year business.