Installation 236 January 2021

January 2021

AV integration in a networked world

EDUCATION SPECIAL EDITION

LEARNING PROCESS HOW THE EDUCATION SECTOR IS LOOKING TO THE FUTURE, AFTER COVID

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Welcome Happy New Year and welcome to the first of our digital hybrid publications – a jam-packed education sector special. The new hybrid model sees eight standard Installation publications per year, with one print and one digital edition in each quarter – plus news, views and exclusive insight regularly uploaded to our website, alongside our daily newsletter.

Our digital-only editions bring you the latest projects, tech, and solutions being deployed in specific vertical markets, with supplements dedicated to the key sectors. As quarterly publications, the print editions offer deeper and more expansive coverage of the AV marketplace, focusing on specific technology areas such as digital signage, collaboration, and projection. Our next print edition (also available digitally, of course) will be available later this month, and is a digital signage special, with a bonus residential AV section.

In the meantime, this issue’s education supplement is packed with education sector commentary, articles, case studies and news. We’ve assembled a who’s who of industry talent, with commentaries from the University of Portsmouth’s Pippa Bostock on the institution’s soon-to-open XR centre; Mark Perrett, PTS account manager, on the sector's potential; plus further insight from Shure’s Chris Merrick, Promethean’s Jim Wallis and ProAV’s Shannon Brooksby.

In addition, we’ve spoken to leading manufacturers, integrators, consultants and stakeholders for three key education-focused features: 2020’s legacy; BYOD and security; and the importance of AV tech for the sector. Plus, there are case studies from Crestron, Shure and Sennheiser, plus the latest education news and products.

Elsewhere in the issue, we hear from AVIXA and Cedia, with additional commentary from Emma Bigg of AV consultants Octavius RE, Philipp Skribanowitz, CEO at Mimi Hearing Technologies, and Stefanie Corinth, senior VP EMEA sales at Sharp/NEC. Finally, as part of our mission to ensure we’re covering all things audiovisual, we look at the rise and rise of discrete AV, and how it’s migrating from residential to commercial. Enjoy, and let's hope 2021 lays the ghost of 2020 to rest.

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In this issue...

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Doors closing, doors opening...

AVIXA’s Sean Wargo on positive signs for growth this year

A strange and distant land

Emma Bigg, director at Octavius RE consultants reflects on 2020

Sound advice

Philipp Skribanowitz, CEO at Mimi Hearing Technologies, on how audio pros can protect their hearing

12 Thoughts from the coalface

CEDIA’s Sam Ventura explains how the organisation has adjusted to the ‘new normal’, helping its members along the way

14 The rise of discrete AV

How a taste for hidden hardware is migrating from residential to commercial AV, powered by new audio-over-IP solutions

EDUCATION SECTOR SPECIAL

P21 MILESTONE FOR EDUCATION SECTOR WILL 2020 PROVE TO BE A TURNING POINT, POST-COVID?

20 A milestone for education?

We talk to leading AV manufacturers about 2020’s legacy

24 Making extended reality real

University of Portsmouth’s Pippa Bostock on the XR centre

26 AV’s role in a post-Covid future

Leading AV professionals on how AV is informing education

29 A changing environment

Rob Smith, Shure senior director, looks at audio in education

30 BYOD and security

Why care must be taken when broadening the scope of personal device usage in institutions, on the back of Covid-19

34 Learning fast in a changing world

ProAv’s Shannan Brooksby on quick thinking during Covid

36 Shifting realities

Shure installation upgrades at University of Beds and USC

38 Once in a lifetime opportunity

Mark Perrett from PTS on the potential for the sector

40 Top ranking remote learning

How Crestron improved learning at CWRU in Cleveland, Ohio

43 The uncertainty of change

P33 BYOD: HOW TO USE DEVICES SECURELY WHY CARE MUST BE TAKEN TO AVOID THREATS TO SECURITY

Jim Wallis from Promethean on the importance of classroom displays and how they can help hybrid learning

44 A higher calling

How Canterbury Christ Church Uni’s choice of Sennheiser microphones added to the sophistication of the campus

47 EduTech guide

The latest and greatest education technologies

50 Education news round-up

Sector stories you may have missed from Installation online

52 Moving quickly to mitigate

Shure’s Chris Merrick on the impact of Covid on the sector and

the speedy response by educators initially caught by surprise

55 Movers and shakers

Latest notable appointments and promotions

56 News roundup

P40 TOP RANKING, REMOTE LEARNING

HOW CRESTRON SYSTEMS IMPROVED EDUCATION AT CWRU, OHIO

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Key stories you may have missed from Installation online

58 Inside track

Stefanie Corinth, senior vice president of sales EMEA at Sharp NEC Display Solutions Europe talks 2021 and beyond

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With the door to 2020 firmly bolted, another one opens Sean Wargo, senior director of market intelligence, AVIXA, looks at how the various sectors were impacted in 2020, and the positive signs for growth in 2021 and beyond

I

t’s safe to say people are glad to close the door on 2020. After a year of pandemic induced challenges, there is certainly a lot to be optimistic about. While the virus continues to rage around much of the western world as I write this at the end of 2020, effective vaccines are on the way, promising an eventual end to the worst of the disease-related outcomes. Sustained economic recovery can thus follow as in-person activity resumes to more normal levels. And with it, pro AV becomes an even more vibrant sector, bolstered by the heightened importance technology plays in experiences across the economy.

To put numbers to it, AVIXA estimates global revenues for pro AV solutions and products will grow by nearly seven per cent in 2021 after declining by at least eight per cent in 2020. The final analysis for the year may mean an even steeper decline for 2020 which translates to an even larger hole for the industry to climb out of in terms of the revenue difference from the peak year set in 2019. Right now, forecasted growth rates suggest pro AV doesn’t see real net growth over 2019 until 2022, but this will largely depend on the rate of recovery. Most economists think the first half of 2021 may be slow as vaccine uptake makes its way across the globe, but by the second half things are more meaningfully improving. As we look at the individual markets served by pro AV, some reason for optimism about upside potential emerge.

HARDEST HIT Let’s start with the areas that were hardest hit by the pandemic – hospitality, venues, 06

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Global revenues for solutions and products will grow by nearly seven per cent in 2021"

and retail. Each of these are the bastions of in-person experiences and so with health guidelines mandating limited crowd sizes and travel restrictions in effect, all three of these markets pulled way back on spending for pro AV in 2020. Revenues from hospitality clients were down 17 per cent in 2020, 15 per cent from venues, and 14 per cent in retail with those estimates formulated in the middle of the year. Which means the actuals could be even worse.

And looking forward, some fret about whether these markets will ever fully return to their past peaks if consumers demonstrate a lingering preference for the current normal of stay-at-home activity.

Survey research doesn’t bear this fear out, however. Much of the concern over in-person activity is closely tied to the virus and vaccine availability continues to be viewed as the panacea by consumers who largely say they are willing to go back once widespread deployment is achieved. This fuels a strong forecast for the declining industries as a result. AVIXA forecasts 12 per cent growth in hospitality, 10 per cent in venues and 10 per cent in retail spending for pro AV. Perhaps even better news for the sector, these growth estimates may prove to be conservative. Why? The fundamental role technology plays in each is changing and expanding. Take hospitality as an example.

Our post-pandemic normal is likely to continue to include an increased number of video-conferencing calls as we log-in to more virtual meetings and events. This places an increased burden on the infrastructure within a hotel property as guests expect more reliable network

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connections and perhaps room set-ups that are more conducive to our new mode of collaboration. Conference facilities on property must also adapt to the hybridization that event attendees will expect. Venues face the same.

Retail too will feel the pressure to adapt to more mixed mode shopping among consumers who want to blend the best of the in-person and online shopping experiences. In all cases, forecasts largely predict the return of the previous rates of investments in technology across the verticals, and don’t typically account for innovation or acceleration of usage. One could argue tech’s importance to each has accelerated due to change in our perceived normal way of engaging in activity.

STRONGEST GROWTH This shift becomes more apparent as we look at the solution areas predicted to see the strongest growth during the recovery period. These solutions also nicely align with the markets above and are the ones most impacted by declines in those markets. Live events are the most widely discussed here, which in best case saw revenues declines of 22 per cent globally in 2020. Any remaining revenue likely came from support for the shift to online events and support for content capture and distribution, blurring it with the other solution area of that name.

Fixed performance and entertainment solutions were similarly hit, declining 16 per cent as venues ceased investing. Lastly, digital signage revenues pulled back by 11 per cent as retail and hospitality put projects on ice.

Looking ahead, all three solution types see good growth as their related markets recover, even if true growth over previous peaks remains further in the future. AVIXA forecasts pro AV revenues from live events to grow 10 per cent in 2021. Digital signage also recovers at a healthy clip, realising over seven per cent growth. Of the three, only performance/entertainment remains slow to an expected hesitance to reinvest in these solutions, which include cinemas, as the related markets wait for revenues from consumers to return first.

growth, is a bit less traditional for pro AV, though it is related to those above and is clearly front and center in a health crisis – security, surveillance, and life safety.

Solutions here include both public address systems, video monitoring, fire alarm, and many other technologies. They now even include foot traffic and symptom monitoring checkpoints which are blending into digital signage installations being used in transportation, education, venues, and corporate settings.

As one might imagine, all of these are viewed as important areas of investment as businesses strive to continue activities in safe ways in accordance to health guidelines during the pandemic. This translates not only to a bolstered result for 2020, but for heightened investment in the period of recovery. Last year, revenues from life safety solutions declined by only a single percent and 2021 shows the potential for 15 per cent growth.

This continues even into 2022, which rises another 12 per cent. The successive years of rapid expansion makes this solution area a top growth prospect for the forecast period running from 2020 to 2025, with an expected nine per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR).

The point? If you aren’t engaged in these solutions in some way yet, you either will be or should be. There is more to the story of opportunity yet to tell though. Notice I said life safety is A top area of growth and not THE top area? That distinction goes to a

strange one, in that it is normally just a catch basin for the left-over activity. It’s the proverbial ‘Other’ category. Usually this is an afterthought in a forecaster’s modelling efforts and is where anything not represented by the defined list of solutions would go. As a result, it is often just assigned a modicum of growth to balance out the forecast. In this case, AVIXA and its partner Omdia, have purposefully assigned the other solutions the highest expected CAGR at nearly 10 per cent. The reason for this is quite simple – we expect innovation from solutions not fitting the mold of the defined set to see the most significant expansion.

Think about that for a moment. While known areas will recover and expand postpandemic, it’s those things we don’t have defined and are completely new that will represent the next phase of expansion for pro AV. This should inspire those in the market that there are new areas ripe for both the defining and the taking, even as it challenges our previous notions of what constitutes a solution in our market. As we enter this new era of a better normal, here’s wishing you all many successes as you go out and find that new frontier.

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Pro AV Revenue 2019-2022

SAFE SOLUTIONS The sweet spot for solutions though, and the area expected to realise the most

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A strange and distant land

By Emma Bigg Director, Octavius RE Ltd

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SE 2020 seems like a strange and distant land; the thought of attending a packed trade show now feels alien and fraught. Personally, I felt reasonably relaxed about heading to Amsterdam last February despite reports of a dangerous virus sweeping through China and into parts of Asia. I could understand certain exhibitors dropping out or grounding their Asian teams, but was slightly surprised to see as many Europeans exhibitors and companies not risking sending their staff.

On reflection, my attitude seems very blasé and cavalier. Within six weeks we were in full lockdown. It seemed so impossibly shocking and fast at the time and suddenly we were all thrown into unchartered waters.

Many of my clients are in the hospitality sector, and in the lead up to lockdown sites closed down, projects were put on hold and things went quiet. Disconcerting as this was work did not grind to halt. Many clients chose this hiatus in physical activity to plough on with design work and take advantage of having more time to complete the detailed design process.

Inconsistent preparation What was very noticeable was how differently prepared companies were for the mass working from home phenomenon. But true to form the AV industry rapidly pivoted to offer their products and services to support staff and customers alike. I was struck by the responsive nature of our industry and the creativity of people in challenging situations. It was impressive.

And now several months later we are coming out of lockdown 2.0 and embracing a new normal. Consultancy has been changed and we are all working differently. The initial shock of not being 8

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able to meet in person was quickly replaced by an appreciation for how much calmer life is not having to deal with traffic, travel disruption or micro stresses such as forgetting your charging cable and only having four per cent battery by lunch time.

Consequently, we made more time to connect, to replace the physical contact with virtual contact in the form of VC or a well-timed phone call. Work conversations are as much about checking in with how people are doing emotionally and mentally as they are about business. We have come to know a more personal side of each other now that a variety of pets, children and relatives can participate in meetings. And I would argue it’s really crystallised working relationships and given us a new appreciation for each other.

Precious health The other side of the coin is that when we do meet in person or visit a site, it has to be productiv; our health is precious and people are loath to make unnecessary trips. So, these visits become fruitful and more productive with an added bonus that we all have a greater knowledge and understanding of infection control and PPE. They also remind us how important human contact is; meeting in person is the new luxury and we feel all the better for it, taking time to appreciate the experience

and not just rush through our day. There is a greater sense of camaraderie now.

The flow of work continues unabated, projects that were on hold have now been completed. New projects are underway with a new confidence now that we have not one but two effective vaccines close to deployment. The extra time we had to really work out all the details led to smoother installations on-site.

End users are now reimagining their workplaces, keen to leverage AV tech to facilitate a more remote working model that still allows individuals and teams to come together and collaborate in person when needed but without the pressure of marshalling thousands of people to one building each morning and sending them all home at the end of the day.

Virtual and hybrid events seem here to stay, this has led to a new approach to in-house event and presentation system design. We’ve all become more savvy on how XR or VR can enhance a remote event and increase participant engagement.

And Zoom Fatigue is now a thing!

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What was very noticeable was how differently prepared companies were for the mass working from home phenomenon”

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How to protect your hearing as an audio professional

By Philipp Skribanowitz, CEO at Mimi Hearing Technologies

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t's an uncomfortable truth that audio professionals are a vulnerable group when it comes to hearing loss.

However, unless you’re willing to drastically restrict the amount of audio you listen to, exposure to loud sounds is all but impossible to avoid.

In basic terms, small hairs in your inner ear vibrate in response to sound waves and convert that sound energy into nerve pulses that travel to your brain to be converted into what you hear. When these hair cells are exposed to extended periods of noise or short bursts of high volume, they can become permanently damaged, resulting in Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL). This hearing damage adds up over time, often remaining unrecognised, until it is too late as. Put simply, hearing loss can not be reversed, only compensated for.

And even then prior hearing ability can not be fully restored.

While you can regulate your exposure to loud music, sports events, and fireworks, there are various circumstances such as police sirens that are unavoidable, and which still cause damage at high enough or frequent enough levels of exposure. While in the worst cases NIHL can cause deafness, it is also responsible for tinnitus and even moderate damage can impact hearing at mid to high frequencies (around the 3-6kHz range) that can cause difficulties in everyday life, but often isn't directly recognised as hearing loss.

For audio professionals, this is a huge problem. It's the audio equivalent of gradually going colorblind without noticing.

After all, it's very difficult to create perfect sound when doing so with imperfect hearing – even Beethoven had to adapt his composing in response to his hearing loss.

But unlike NIHL sufferers of the past, the

fact we now know better what causes damage to our hearing means we are in a stronger position to prevent it, without the need to walk around wearing earplugs for long periods of time.

In fact given that your brain wants to hear things, wearing earplugs can cause it to ‘turn up’ the amplification of sounds to compensate, meaning that when you take them out, sounds played at regular volume can be painfully loud. There are a variety of measures that can be taken to avoid this, such as taking breaks from using protection, just as you would take breaks from eight-hour mixing sessions. The key here is awareness. You can also use a sound level meter to make sure you aren’t exposed to 80 decibels or more over an eight-hour period – the level and time frame where hearing loss begins.

Mitigating damage Obviously, it is not practical for an audio engineer to use a sound level meter constantly but it is easy to avoid loud noises when you know where they are, in addition to wearing ear protection as a means of mitigating the damage to your long-term hearing health. The key term here is 'long term', which is why you should be checking your hearing health frequently to spot the signs of hearing loss. Thankfully this doesn’t have to be as inconvenient as a full medical test at an ENT's office. In fact, tests like the Mimi Hearing Test are one of the easiest ways to explore your hearing ability. Available as an app on iOS and Android, the test gives you understandable results within a few minutes, and can identify what aspects of your hearing are damaged as part of your hearing profile.

But how can you mitigate any further damage being done to your ears? The

answer is both by understanding and investing in what is known as sound personalisation. With 55 percent of the global adult population living with some form of hearing loss, it should come as no surprise that many companies have created products that offer a way to experience audio more fully, taking hearing ability into account.

It’s fantastic to see Apple investing so much recently into hearing health – in the past year it has released new hearing features, including its iOS14 Hearing Accommodations feature, which enables headphones like the AirPods Pro to customise audio to your hearing ability and actively mitigate previous damage.

Similarly, updates to the Apple Health Kit mean users can now get insights into their hearing and how to look after it, next to all the other health metrics. In order to get the most benefit from this information, seek out personalisation options that adapt audio signals to their own hearing ability – turning up the detail of the audio rather than just the volume.

Sound engineers, like musicians and producers, need their hearing, yet the work itself is often very hard on that sense, and protecting it for as long as possible is paramount. Thankfully with more knowledge of how our hearing works, how we can protect it, and how technology can compensate for damage, audio pros are now in a better position to keep their hearing at peak performance.

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Educating beyond 2020: Thoughts from the coalface Samantha Ventura, senior vice president, education and training at CEDIA, explains how the trade body adjusted to the 'new normal' and faced adversity with its members

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s an education leader who also happens to work for an association committed to supporting its global members throughout the pandemic… well, I’m sure you can imagine the range of responsibilities that have evolved over the past year. Yet I am proud to say, as an organisation CEDIA has attempted to do its best to support the various needs of our members, our partner organisations, and our global industry. We haven’t gotten it right every time, but we have tried to do our best, and that has meant being flexible, open to suggestions, and supporting strong collaboration with our volunteers, who have done more than we could have ever hoped for to help support their friends and industry partners during this critical time.

MULTIPLE CHALLENGES We saw our members dealing with a variety of challenges: compounded personal and professional responsibilities, financial worries, health concerns and uncertainties, downsizing, and many who did not feel the hit to their bottom line but felt the hit to their employee morale, their company culture, and even their ability to meet the needs of their clients.

Some felt incredibly overwhelmed with how to navigate as a leader in this ‘new normal’. We also saw some of our business owners struggling with answering questions and providing solutions regarding diversity practices in their own workplace, recognising the need 12

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Students at work during a CEDIA 'bookcamp'

2020 was a year of challenges, adjustments and most importantly, reflection"

for maintaining equitable hiring practices and professional development opportunities to meet the demands of a changing industry, but not exactly certain how or where to start.

In short, 2020 has been a year of challenges, adjustments, and most importantly, reflection.

At CEDIA we immediately mobilised our global team to first recognise the struggles our members were having within their organisations. We surveyed, launched the CEDIA Strong campaign, provided free educational opportunities, wrote articles, hosted global webinars and podcasts, and attempted to do what we could to support some semblance of normal for our members, while we watched the world continue to spin and reel from Covid-19 with effects that could not be predicted nor controlled. We also forged ahead to launch the CEDIA Academy, completed our two new career pathways and corresponding certifications, hosted our 2020 Expo virtual conference, and persevered to finish up the remaining pieces of ANSI accreditation for our standards and our certifications.

UNCHARTED TERRITORY We stayed the course, but also recognised the uncharted territory we were having to navigate. In fact, there was no 'absolute trend' that dominated during this past year with regard to people losing or gaining business, downsizing or hiring, pivoting or doubling down on tried and

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true business strategies – most everyone was pushed into a survival mode mentality that became very specific to all of our members and their individual challenges. There was no ‘one size fits all’ response that could satisfy a large group with similar struggles, as the struggles were independently experienced by all of our members, their families, and the people they directly work with internally and externally.

The most we could do was outline a strategy to help our members best navigate these rocky waters, while preparing to build programs to support them and their businesses for when we are all safely back to shore.

The education we provided during the CEDIA Strong campaign was shared virtually through our own channels, and through events hosted by many of our industry partners. We featured topics on leading through change, best practices for virtual presentations, how to use digital marketing for economic reach, just to name a few.

We changed our CEDIA Outreach Instructor program to a fully virtual model, providing better reach into the credentialing class and allowing for more relationships to be built by our COIs with their design and build communities. We strived to localise all our online content and worked to create education that is more diversified and inclusive, committing to educate a holistically trained workforce.

We continued to focus on our industry standards and released white papers and classes that took concepts and explored them experientially in our online learning environment.

We waited along with everyone else for better news and a hopeful outcome.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Every step of the way, as an education team, we challenged ourselves to think outside the box, brush up on our own professional development, and tried to bring topics to the forefront that would be both practical and aspirational for our members. We kept in close contact with our volunteers, we tried to keep to some of what we had scheduled for this year, and in some instances asked for grace for the things we just could not see to completion.

Throughout the entire year we were

unwavering in our commitment to live up to our own catch phrase, ‘we are strongest when we are stronger together’.

Now, as we finish out 2020 and look ahead to all that we have planned in 2021, we are hopeful, and we are grateful. We have listened to our members this year and have developed our 2021 plans and goals with their needs in mind. We are energised by all that we have laid out for completion: higher level tracks of learning, new in-person workshops, topics that are explored in a variety of ways and offered through different avenues to meet the needs and the global regions of all our learners.

sadness, worry, and unrest, we were as well. As an organisation we saw employees furloughed, leadership changes, long hours and endless tasks and initiatives. We also saw our members and our volunteers connecting with us, asking us for help when needed, and helping us when they were asked by our teams for ‘just one more thing’. There were many virtual meetings and phone calls and it was amazing to see that CEDIA Strong was in theory a campaign but in reality a connection, bringing everyone within our CEDIA family, internally and externally, together to get through this year in strong support of one another.

FOUNDATION KNOWLEDGE We are proud of our two new certifications, the cabling and infrastructure (CIT) and the integrated systems technician (IST) certifications, and the pathways of learning that accompany them. We are committed to providing the best foundational knowledge for a technician in our industry, as well as working to offer the hands-on training that helps take that knowledge to practice, with some of our best industry experts and trainers. We have come to 2021 with an arsenal of knowledge and we are thrilled to be able to share it with our members and our industry.

And we are also grateful. While our members were experiencing stress,

CHALLENGING ADVERSITY If this year has taught us anything, it is that there is no ‘normal’ and no way to ever fully predict and prepare for what may come. Yet to see the dedication, commitment, and resilience of our members, our volunteers, our teams, and our industry, we feel inspired to challenge adversity together, continuing to push the boundaries on what we have done in the past, to make way for collaborative innovation in the future.

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CEDIA training department networking lab

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NOW YOU SEE IT, NOW YOU DON'T:

THE INEXORABLE RISE OF DISCREET AV A taste for hidden hardware is migrating from custom install to commercial AV, powered by game-changing audio over IP solutions – but some sectors are benefiting more than others reports Steve May

T

he desire for discreet AV installation has been a driving force behind custom installation for more than a decade as integrators seek to strive to remove the visible trappings of gauche gadgets from premium living spaces.

Equipment racks and black boxes have long since given way to unseen multiroom audio, delivered by unobtrusive architectural or invisible loudspeakers, components hidden away and accessible only by apps or personal control devices.

Less is definitely more. But what does the trend mean for the wider AV industry? Just as consumers moved away from physical media, opening the door to wireless streaming and network storage, innovative projection, AoIP and VoIP are all impacting design and client expectations in the pro AV space.

And how does discreet AV differ from sector to sector, and does the trend for discreet also equate to

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compromise when it comes to performance?

We talked to installation brands adopting this discreet ethos and tracked its migration from highend residential aesthetic to commercial imperative...

VARYING IMPORTANCE Magewell specialises in hardware for video and audio capture, and routinely services live events, video conferencing and related Pro AV projects. Nick Ma, CEO and CTO, says the importance of discreet AV design varies greatly between vertical markets, and even from project to project within the same end customer.

"A corporate client may want a very discreet installation in a conference room that will be used to host investors and executive board members, but be a bit less concerned about aesthetics in small meeting rooms and huddle spaces that are only used

Feature by internal employees," he tells us. "We work primarily in the commercial AV market rather than residential, but we're seeing the significance of discreet AV expanding across more verticals.

Hospitality and cultural arts venues such as museums were at the forefront of the movement, but it's now also growing within education and select corporate environments."

AV over IP is helping manufacturers and integrators design discreet solutions, suggests Ma. "It helps minimise the number of cables required, for example, where a traditional signal-based product could need at least three separate connections for audio/video, power, and control, an AV over IP product leveraging PoE can carry all of these signals and functions on a single network cable," he says.

"That said, at some point the AV over IP system will need to interface with traditional signals – for example, bringing an HDMI video source into the system, or showing the content on an HDMI display – which is where our Pro Convert family of encoders and decoders come in. They're designed to seamlessly bridge traditional AV signals, IP streams and screens, encoding traditional video signals into AV over IP formats such as NDI, or decoding streams for display on baseband monitors and projectors. By supporting PoE and a browser-based management interface, they require just a single cable for the IP stream, power and control, plus another cable for the corresponding HDMI or SDI input or output, and they are extremely compact, which makes them easy to install."

Picture courtesy of Perfect Integration residential home theatre with Amina

VISIBLE SACRIFICES In Ma's view, customers are not willing to sacrifice attributes like video quality and system reliability for such simplicity, as any sacrifices there may visibly affect the resulting AV experience.

"It doesn't matter if the technical installation looks great aesthetically, if the on-screen AV experience that the technology powers does not," he says.

"What customers may be willing to sacrifice are extra 'behind the scenes' administrative features, for example, having only minimal physical controls and buttons, in favour of management via a web interface, and things like extra input and output connections they don't currently need."

Julian Carro, EMEA system solution account director for Audinate, says its Dante AV over IP solution, widely used in professional audio, is now also gaining traction with commercial integrators.

"Dante allows manufacturers to connect devices using the same IT fabric that's in the building without a secondary network and with minimal alteration to the surfaces to hide a cable. Essentially if you have

an ethernet drop nearby you can connect your Dante device there," he says. But residential applications tend to work within more stringent budgetary constraints...

"AV installation companies primarily focus on the practical and audio aspects, they don't mind having big floor-standing speakers at home because they are easy to troubleshoot. However it's abundantly clear that architects, interior designers and customers want the installation to be as discreet as possible."

SETTING THE AGENDA As for who's setting the agenda for discreet AV in the commercial space, Carro believes it's hospitality and retail.

"I am by no means an expert on which sector is leading this movement, but my anecdotal evidence is hospitality and retail. The vast majority of the residential market typically does not have the budget or desire to embed audio in such a way as to make it invisible. Hospitality does, as does high end retail."

A large globally recognised retailer in London recently gave Carro a tour of its Dante equipped building. He recounts: "A few discreet speakers were visible in some areas but that was because I was looking for them and they were pointed out to me, in other areas absolutely nothing is visible as the speakers are embedded into the wall or furnishing and essentially plastered over."

The definition of what a discreet solution varies from sector to sector, he says.

"A high end retailer like the previous example or a hotel is not primarily focussed on the sound. The soundscape is part of what enhances the experience but it's not at the forefront, so it takes second place to the aesthetics and therefore discreet audio solutions are more popular."

EMPHASIS ON QUALITY It's rather different when it comes to houses of worship, transportation hubs and live sound venues.

"All have a greater emphasis on the quality of the sound being played out or being recorded.

By definition they are more open to having AV components visible. One caveat is in some unified communications deployments. High-end conference or board rooms blur the line between UC and hospitality and in those instances discreet ceiling microphone arrays and speakers are more likely."

Jan Vanvaerenbergh, product manager for hardware at Crestron, says that an insistence on minimalistic and discreet AV solutions is now coming largely from the museum sector. "Often, heritage buildings need to keep their authentic feel, while at the same time offering visitors a truly immersive,

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Feature

This Optoma UST solution allows big screen images with minimal footprint

interactive experience," he says.

In the Museum of Prague, AV was integrated to offer an immersive experience while maintaining the authenticity of the icon building, which has held listed status since 1962.

New technologies and developments like invisible speakers, AV over IP and wireless solutions are offering AV professionals the opportunity to rethink and redesign their AV solutions, adds Vanvaerenbergh.

"TV lifts and retracting cables lost their novelty in the bedroom and hotel room long before they found their way into the boardroom," he quips. "Suddenly, enterprises are paying attention to aesthetics. They prefer to invest in one simple all-in-one meeting and scheduling solution instead of having rows and rows of keypads. Real estate prices drive companies to be creative with space, for instance by having their cafeteria doubling as several meeting rooms outside lunch hours, without visual cues and clutter."

DISCRETE MODERNITY Examples of modern discreet AV installations include SentryOne, where meeting rooms look nothing like the meeting room of old. "Instead, all you see is a sofa and an empty coffee table across a big screen with a soundbar."

In mission critical applications, performance is the de facto priority, but performance and aesthetics are not mutually exclusive, says Vanvaerenbergh.

"Our TSR handheld remote, fliptops with retractable cables and Mercury conference device are just a few examples where performance and aesthetics form the perfect combination."

Trends also vary depending on geographical location, he reveals. "In Europe and the US, we want as little clutter on the wall, while in some countries they don't mind a touch screen on the wall with a row of keypads beneath it. As a global company, it's our

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job to make sure we understand exactly what the customer means when he requests a discreet AV solution."

One company that has long defined discreet AV is invisible speaker supplier Amina. It's plaster-over speaker solutions are the epitome of unobtrusiveness.

"Discreet design is a huge part of the market now when it comes to custom installation, says Amina's Keziah Newlove. "The most prominent reasons behind this being design consciousness and, simply, a desire for space. The industry is now fully aware that clients no longer have to compromise on design."

Newlove also agrees that there are local differences. "Here in the UK we have an equal mix of residential and commercial, whereas some of our European partners are much more heavily commercial. Houses of worship are less common for us; many buildings are older and therefore have pragmatic and regulatory listed building restrictions.

"That being said, we have seen our technology used very successfully in listed residential buildings, where installed products become totally unseen, and therefore are acceptable to the relevant authorities."

One reason why plaster-over speaker solutions have gained wider appeal is their improved sonic performance. Newlove is candid about improvements made.

"We challenge ourselves, and our products, more than anyone, which means we have been able to push performance continually forward, especially in recent years. Our new 'i' range is the result of a huge amount of R&D and a commitment to our specialism. Twenty years ago, overall frequency ranges were more limited, although HF response has always been good. Today, products have a usable response from 40Hz up to 30Kz, and therefore are arguably better than a lot of conventional products on the market. Perhaps more importantly, the offaxis response of our technology remains the source of unequalled dispersion, giving fabulous room filling sound and incredible soundstage. Clients today don't have to sacrifice any performance to have a fully discreet end result."

SUBJECTIVE QUALITIES Jools Browning, from integrator BrownHen Solutions (a CEDIA Member of Excellence) says that when it comes to the pros and cons of discreet AV, ultimately aesthetics and performance are subjective qualities.

"Each customer is different and we have certainly had customers prioritise aesthetics over performance but equally we have had experience where performance is more important. It is not unusual to discuss options with a couple that have different priorities, which is where the experience of a skilled integrator can be essential to help reach a solution that is desired by both parties."

Feature Browning has his own viewpoint when it comes to the definition of discreet solutions. "It's more that different levels of priority are applied, especially given the usual associated cost increment," he says.

"Consider a commercial project, perhaps refurbishing a boardroom. The client will probably consider a solution that avoids trailing cables and lots of table top equipment in order to be discreet, using ceiling speakers, hanging microphones and a wall mounted screen. A residential project however may want to go further with invisible plaster over speakers and a panel that disappears behind a wall."

As for where the market will move in the future, he suggests the Marine sector will drive discreet design.

Ultimately, Browning says integrators are hugely innovative when it comes to achieving the desired outcomes for their customers, but they will always be limited to some degree by the 'black boxes' that are available: "Some TVs are better suited for discreet custom installations due to mundane aspects such as positioning of AV connections."

Amina invisible speakers can't be seen but can certainly be heard!

PROJECTION ULTRAS Ultra short throw (UST) projection is another technology that's coming into its own, as discreet AV picks up a head of steam, residential and professional installations, from living rooms to art galleries, are increasingly benefitting from UST products, Optoma's Carina Popescu told us.

"UST, and short throw projection has come a long way in the last few years. Immersive space and sensory rooms have become more popular and they need to keep projectors well hidden. This has pushed the industry into creative ways of utilising optics."

Discrete AV solutions no longer dictate a performance deficit, agrees Popescu. "In the past, yes. Not so much now. Products are now being designed with discretion in mind, this is because projection is being used in new ways all the time.

UST projection technology especially has come a long way, with image uniformity and focus now on par with its standard throw counterparts."

Sami M채kinen, AV business manager for pro AV audio brand Genelec, also refutes the idea that performance needs to be compromised in order to facilitate discreet AV. "Here at Genelec we have never considered the idea of compromising when comes to audio quality," he declares. "Total quality, not just audio quality, long lifespan and performance must always come first."

SMARTER SOUND As an example, M채kinen points to Genelec's latest generation of Smart IP loudspeakers. "These maintain the same pure audio quality and performance as our studio loudspeaker range, but we've added a number of features that help the installer. For example, we now offer PoE power, Dante or AES67 AoIP streaming and control features, via Genelec Smart IP Manager software, over a single CAT cable.

"This solution saves an enormous amount of time and money for the installer, and with our public API, these products can also be integrated with third party home automation systems, such as Crestron and other similar systems."

Where sound quality and high quality physical design matters, buyers are not prepared to accept poor performance in return for a more discreet sonic solution, he says."Our customers place a lot of value on these features when looking for the best solution for their project, whatever it may be, either in the home or a commercial AV installation. They know that when investing in Genelec, they get the best possible quality."

Genelec's M채kinen also points to audio over ethernet (AoIP) as a game-changer when it comes to installation design and execution. "It's clearly a huge trend at the moment and for the future," says M채kinen. "The ability to use existing IT infrastructure without compromising audio quality makes designs easy to execute and offers a lot more possibilities for system control. The concept is completely scalable too, ranging from small setups with just a few loudspeakers up to complex systems deploying hundreds of loudspeakers, with full control of the whole network from one computer."

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36-PAGE SUPPLEMENT

HOW THE SECTOR IS LOOKING TO THE FUTURE, AFTER COVID

n IN-DEPTH ARTICLES ON AV IN EDUCATION n VIEWPOINTS FROM KEY INDUSTRY INSIDERS n CASE STUDIES, SECTOR NEWS & THE LATEST KIT

In association with

WILL 2020 PROVE TO BE A MILESTONE FOR THE EDUCATION SECTOR? Despite the many challenges brought by the lockdowns, 2020 looks set to have been instrumental in defining the future relationship between technology and places of learning, writes David Davies

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or schools and colleges, 2020 has been anything but a normal year. The Covid-19 pandemic has meant that educational institutions around the world have been shut for extended periods as a result of national lockdowns.

Even when schools have been able to resume, they have still been subject to temporary closures when possible outbreaks have been detected – meaning that, overall, it’s surely been the most disrupted year educationally since the Second World War. If this has meant that home IT technology has played a greater role in learning than ever before, it’s also meant that there have been some opportunities to conduct upgrade work inside educational facilities.

Quite a few countries have announced investment packages to overhaul facilities, including the UK, where in July the government announced details of 1,243 sites to receive funding as part of a £434m

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investment scheme to upgrade schools.

From a manufacturer perspective, it has surely been an unpredictable year. But it’s also been one in which the ability of technology to facilitate distance teaching and a greater level of interactivity in classes has been strongly underlined – indicating that an exciting future in which hybrid or blended learning grows in prominence across the curriculum is just around the corner. Hence the reflections of the vendors featured in this article are rather more upbeat than might have been expected.

In particular, though, it is generally felt that teaching for older age groups will never be quite the same again. As Philippe Remion, education specialist for Sony Professional Europe, remarks: “We don’t believe that education will return totally to the way it was. A hybrid approach to learning with a focus on remote teaching will still be key for universities, and technologies that capture clear high-quality audio, crisp video and allow teachers/lecturers to provide interactive seminars and activities will be essential to offer the best possible immersion for students while remote, and almost like they were on-site.”

HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY Reflecting on the year drawing to a close, Simone Martorina, business manager, visual instruments, Epson UK, believes that there’s “no denying” that the global pandemic has caused major interruptions to the education sector and students’ learning.

Above: Simone Martorina, Epson UK Below: Jon Garaway, Sharp NEC Display Solutions

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Top: Hartmut Kulessa, Panasonic Bottom: Jess Golding, BenQ UK Ltd

“With educational institutions being temporarily closed to reduce the spread of coronavirus, schools across the country have had to quickly adapt to the use of remote learning programmes, tools and platforms that can be used to reach students outside of the classroom.”

The extent to which there has been an uptick in home learning is underlined by an IDC reported cited

by Martorina that reveals the shipment of ink tank printers in the UK during the first half of 2020 rose by 56 per cent compared to the same period in 2019.

Like most observers, Martorina expects there that remote learning will continue to play an enhanced role in the curriculum – especially in secondary and higher education. But for younger pupils, he says it’s important for primary schools students beginning their education journey to have daily face-to-face integration.

“It’s therefore vital that these lessons are productive and effective, while keeping students safe and socially-distanced, which presents a unique challenge for this sector,” he adds.

Jon Garaway, education account manager at Sharp NEC Display Solutions, notes that thanks in part to recent government investment programmes to digitise classrooms, the AV business has fared surprisingly well in the education sector, in comparative terms.

Noting that the current crisis has given universities, in particular, an “opportunity to re-invent their approach”, he remarks that “different education providers have used a varied mix of teaching delivery methods, but in general online distance learning via both live and recorded sessions – supplemented by some carefully managed face-to-face time – has provided students with connection they need.”

Nonetheless, with student life generally expected to encompass much more than learning per se, there could be significant challenges ahead for the university sector. Given that the student experience is “the all-important rating by which universities attract prospective students", getting them back for the full university experience will be preferential, according to Garaway.

“In particular, campus-based universities will strive to get students back on-site where much additional revenue is sourced through student services back onsite where much additional revenue is sourced through student services such as food outlets,” he adds.

Jess Golding, B2B marketing manager at BenQ, highlights the “emergence of hybrid or blended learning” across the entire educational system, with the result that “the whole sector [has been compelled to] think about how we use technology and future-proof what we are putting in place now to

avoid any further disruptions to learning.”

An increased confidence in the value of interactive learning, including via BYOD, is likely to be one lasting legacy, believes Golding: “With students joining a session from their own device they can, in real time, take part in discussions and annotate the content.

They can even be given control of the master screen so that they can present and feedback to their class.”

SOLUTIONS FOR THE TIMES Underlining the responsiveness of the AV vendor community to changing times, many manufacturers have taken the opportunity to introduce or re-promote solutions or initiatives that resonate with current needs – not least with regards to cleanliness and wellbeing.

In the midst of a pandemic, there has obviously been an increased emphasis on regular cleaning of shared spaces, including interactive surfaces. Notes Golding: “We have prioritised these concerns through our HealthCare+ technology. We have an antibacterial, non-toxic nano-ionic silver screen coating for our RP Series of interactive flat panels that kills bacteria on touch and is resilient to heavy use and cleaning. This has been available for several years, but is now seen as a must-have feature rather than an added extra.”

Golding also highlights the ability of BenQ’s EZWrite Live solution – which was launched in May – to assist with present teaching practices. A free, cloud-based interactive whiteboard and lecture broadcasting software, it is designed to streamline classroom discussions and make it more intuitive for teachers and students to bring the classroom online.

Sharing the same screen, they can annotate in tandem on the same documents, ensuring those learning from home can have the same experience as those in the classroom. All materials are saved in the cloud and teachers can access them from any classroom device.

"EZWrite Live transforms remote learning through one intuitive platform which is accessible on any browser and doesn’t need any specific hardware set-up or the purchase of expensive software licenses," says Golding. "This has helped disadvantaged school systems to navigate the disruption due to Covid-19 more easily.”

For Sony, Remion acknowledges that the company saw the needs of its customers “change significantly” from what it thought this year was going to require.

“In previous years, we had been working on significantly improving teachers and students’ experiences by providing technology that would adapt to the way teachers are teaching and offering students the best comfort to follow the course. In a way we were prepared for the shift that was

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Feature requested by universities and so we quickly changed our course and focused on communicating our creative solutions to engage and inspire students.”

Hence the attention to developments such as the Edge Analytics Appliance, which uses AI technology combined with Sony SRG cameras to deliver content in real-time. Remion: “We found that a feature such as handwriting extraction – which ensures that any words and diagrams written on a board or screen remain in full view to the audience – was highly useful for online lectures whether live or recorded."

For NEC/Sharp, measures this year have included warranty enhancement. “In order to support higher education customers who typically follow a five-year refresh programme for their installed estates, we have introduced a free five-year warranty upgrade on our large format display ranges including touch screens, bringing them in line with our laser projector offering,” says Garaway.

Hartmut Kulessa, European marketing manager at Panasonic Visual System Solutions, points to the company’s recognition that as institutions look to implement permanent blended learning solutions, “the configuration of classrooms and lecture theatres will change”.

As a result, he says, the technology requirements in the rooms will also change. “With a wide range of professional displays and projectors able to deliver crystal clear images from 43 inches to 600 inches, Panasonic is able to advise on the best solution with the correct sized display, brightness and contrast for any learning environment.”

HEROIC PRODUCTS, TRYING TIMES Invited to consider their current leading offers for the education sector, our featured vendors alluded to a range of products that – more often than not – encompass the full spectrum of learning environments. At the present time, these clearly include classrooms in which pupils are more spaced out than would normally be the case, sometimes making it more challenging to deliver a good audio and video experience to every pupil.

Epson’s Martorina notes that many schools presently use flat-screen displays, which can be problematic for students positioned at the back of the classroom. With this in mind, Epson’s projectors allow teachers to scale up screen sizes without losing clarity, making the content more accessible to everyone in the room while maintaining social distancing.

“All our models have a minimum screen size of 83 inches and can go up to 120 inches, which helps tackle the challenge of ensuring every child can adequately see what the teacher is presenting at the front of the room. With projectors teachers can also continue using their traditional whiteboard for lessons without the hassle of wheeling in an 22

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additional device to show other content. Additionally, teachers don’t need to worry about cleaning a projector or projection surface as they do a flat panel during Covid-19, and can benefit from a lower cost per inch of an interactive project versus an interactive flat panel.”

January 2021, meanwhile, will see Epson introducing a new line of education-oriented interactive projectors using laser technology.

“Not only does laser technology require no maintenance (no more replacing lightbulbs), the models automatically switch on within seconds too and are silent, meaning the teaching environment will not be interrupted as it can be if a lamp needs to heat up or fan starts whirring," says Martorina.

Garaway notes that large format displays and touch screens remain “by far the biggest winner” in higher education, but confirms that opportunities continue for solutions that suit informal social spaces equipped for small group collaboration.

“Touch screens with whiteboarding functionality for annotation and screen sharing such as the NEC CB Series support all-inclusive participation,” he says. “The cost-conscious price positioning and functionality of the CB Series makes it appealing to the education sector.”

For Panasonic and its partners, there is a continued focus on offering a range of technologies that facilitate high-quality lecture capture. These include Panasonic professional cameras with a wide range of capture and zoom options, as well as auto

Sharp / NEC CB Series monitor in action in class

Feature Shure also reports continued strong interest in the Microflex Advance MXA710 Linear Array Microphone for classrooms and auditoria. “The versatile mounting options and minimum setup mean they can be positioned anywhere within a learning environment to produce the same audio clarity whilst offering faculty the platform they need to communicate lessons effectively to students in the physical environment while adhering to social distancing guidelines and those learning remotely,” says Smith.

Along with the aforementioned Edge Analytics Appliance, Sony highlights products including the MAS-A100 beamforming microphone, which was launched in April and offers advanced speech reinforcement live in the room and a dedicated record channel.

The company has also launched the 4K BRAVIA Professional Display BZ40H range and the new VPLPHZ50 and VPL-PHZ60 business laser projectors.

“We believe [they] will still be prominent features in classrooms and lecture theatres when we move out of strict lockdown rules, and universities move into a hybrid teaching and learning model,” says Remion.

Above: Rob Smith, Shure Below: Philippe Remion, Sony

tracking software with facial recognition technology to automatically follow the presenter. Lecture capture software is clearly critical and Panasonic has partnered with video platform Panopto to allow recordings to be scheduled ahead of time.

The Panopto solution, notes Kulessa, also enables extra information feeds to be integrated into the recording: “For example, to capture 4K quality content projected onto screens in the room or content shown and annotated on multi-touch displays. Lastly, it has the capability to livestream the lecture as a webcast and record for later viewing.”

On the audio solutions side, the emphasis continues to be on quality of audio regardless of the learning environment, application or configuration.

Rob Smith, senior director integrated systems sales for western Europe at Shure, remarks: “Capturing spoken word in a clear, natural way can be a complex issue, especially if the room isn’t designed with a high-level of intelligibility in mind.

We knew that our award-winning Microflex Advance MXA910 Ceiling Array Microphone was more than capable of meeting this demand from our many successful experiences with the system in the corporate sector. It has been used with great success within the education sector, offering faculty the ability to teach effectively without the need of handheld microphones and [providing] the freedom to express themselves without the negative impact of equipment clutter or focusing on microphone placement.”

FUTURE RELATIONSHIPS Given the current rate of technological change in the classroom, it’s heartening to hear that there is also an abiding emphasis on delivering solutions that, in the words of Golding, “are intuitive and easy to use, so that teachers aren’t spending time at the beginning of the session getting set up. They must also integrate with the digital ecosystem, so that teachers can move between teaching spaces and access everything they need from the cloud.”

When the lockdowns became more widespread in March, it would have been reasonable to expect a hugely problematic year for education sector manufacturers. And whilst it is unlikely to be a record-breaking year sales-wise, the dramatically increased need for remote learning and tech-driven education in the classroom has unquestionably reinforced the value of the flexible and collaborative solutions that many vendors have been bringing to market for some years now. In that context, it is probable that 2020 will prove to have been instrumental in defining the future relationship between technology and learning spaces.

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Making extended reality real: Building the Centre for Creative and Immersive XR Pippa Bostock, business and development project manager at University of Portsmouth, on the £5.2m CCIXR

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nyone who has ever sat in a classroom, wondering when they will ever need to use algebra when they are older, will understand the importance of making education relevant and applicable to real life. Adopting an industry-led approach, and enabling our students to work on real-world challenges is a vital part of helping them to not only see how their learning is useful – but to facilitating their future careers and development.

Technology evolves at a particularly fast-rate, and in order to enable our students development in these emerging areas we need to ensure that they have access to state-of-the-art facilities. In October 2021 the University of Portsmouth will open the groundbreaking Centre for Creative and Immersive XR (CCIXR), a £5.2 million pound development bringing worldleading XR facilities to the south coast.

CCIXR brings the transformative benefits of XR to a broad spectrum of sectors, and builds upon 15 years of cutting-edge research and innovation expertise. The magic, however, comes in bringing these technologies together and using them in new and unique ways to solve real-world challenges, something the team behind CCIXR has been doing for many years.

CCIXR features cutting-edge technology from 12 different areas, including motion capture, volumetric capture, photogrammetry, virtual production, and simulation technologies.

The co-location of all these facilities under one roof, as an interconnected centre, enables us to capture, 24

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manipulate and utilise a wide range of data across the whole immersive pipeline, from the capture of the data at the start of the project all the way through to completion and distribution.

The educational benefits of co-locating these technologies are immense, as students will be able to understand and see first-hand the whole pipeline, giving them a better multidisciplinary understanding of how projects come together as a whole.

The University of Portsmouth’s investment, in partnership with Solent Local Enterprise Partnership and HM government, will enable us to meet the needs of not only our students, but also those of industry. These significant benefits will be achieved through addressing the skills shortage, providing access to facilities and training, working in partnership and also through demonstrating the transformative powers of extended reality (XR) technologies. Extended reality, of course, is a relatively new term for a broad range of creative technologies, including virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality.

BUSINESS NEEDS The educational benefits of having access to world-leading equipment and facilities are immense and immediate – allowing our students to have hands-on experience with the tools of their future trade. Our students are not the only intended beneficiary, CCIXR has been designed to meet the needs of businesses and practitioners across the south coast and beyond.

Currently, many of these technologies – such as motion capture – are available only to a select few who are already aware of the benefits, and can afford the substantial initial outlay needed in order to set up a facility. CCIXR aims to lower the barrier to entry, enabling artists, businesses and practitioners to access these facilities, and crucially to gain the skills they need in order to maximise the benefits these technologies bring.

MAINSTREAM REALITY XR technologies of all kinds are becoming more mainstream. Virtual production has seen a huge boom in popularity since Disney’s The Mandalorian openly shared extensive use of this technology. Covid-19 and the shift to remote working has further driven interest levels in the options offered by XR, and this is unlikely to change anytime soon. The success of the VR headset Oculus Quest (1 and 2) is another clear step on the journey to XR adoption, with over one million headsets sold so far, and an estimated $150 million dollars generated in sales revenue over an 18-month period.

Despite this growing popularity, much of the world-leading XR content is currently only available to a minority, and many have not yet had the opportunity to experience the power and wonder XR can deliver. XR has a wide multitude of use cases, ranging from defence through to culture. In order for businesses to understand what XR means for them, and how it can help, they need to see it, touch it and interact with it themselves.

That is why CCIXR has been developed,

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Taking control at the business end of the CCIXR facility

Pippa and team get creative within the CCIXR

to demonstrate that potential.

CCIXR will work across all sectors, helping them to understand what XR means for them. The team is ideallyplaced to do so, and over the last few years we have worked on a wide range of industry collaborations – from IBM through to the NHS. Each of those innovative and unique projects share one common goal: to push the barriers of possibility, through the creative use of technology in their sector. Bringing creativity and innovation together with technology in this way is a core foundation of CCIXR, allowing real-world problem-solving to shine.

There is considerable growth in VR for training applications, and recent examples within the CCIXR team include a Royal Navy training simulation which trains the user to drive a rigid inflatable boat (RIB), a chemotherapy meditation simulation and a large-scale immersive theatre project in partnership with the Royal Shakespeare Company and other

A student enjoys a VR headset and 'lightsaber'

arts and cultural organisations. The new facilities, in partnership with worldleading companies such as White Light and Vicon will enable us to bring those benefits to even more companies, helping to make the future real today.

UNICORN FARM The skills that CCIXR graduates will have are hugely in demand. StoryFutures XR (2019) report showed that graduates with these immersive XR skills – with the ability to use real-time games engines, and apply these in real time to other sectors – are so rare and almost mythical that the report called them unicorns. In effect, CCIXR will be a unicorn farm, as we aim to directly address that skills shortage – working hand-in-hand with industry to do so.

There is wide evidence of the economic impact of the creative industries; however, there is also a clearly evidenced skill shortage, which if unchecked will limit the ongoing growth

of this key sector. CCIXR is vital, not only as a first-class education tool, but in enabling businesses. Portsmouth was recently recognised as the number one entrepreneurial city in the UK, making it a great place to start a business in the UK. This wider ecosystem will hugely benefit from the facilities and training opportunities that CCIXR will provide.

The industry-led approach, utilised by the University of Portsmouth, is crucial to graduates successfully achieving highvalue industry opportunities upon graduation. Without a doubt, CCIXR will have a hugely significant impact on our students’ education over the coming years. The truly incredible thing is going to be watching what they do with it.

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AV’S ROLE IN A POST-COVID EDUCATION SECTOR We talk to some industry movers and shakers about the importance of AV in education, following the dramatic changes 2020 wrought

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hat does the new, post-Covid reality look like for education facilities and how important a role will AV solutions play in enabling flexible learning into the future?

To find out, we assembled a cast of experts to offer their perspectives. Joining the debate are Christian Bozeat (CB), director, Macom GmbH UK; Toni Moss (TM), owner and MD at CDEC; Prof Trevor Keeble (TK), executive dean of creative and cultural industries at the University of Portsmouth; and Andrew Taylor (AT), project manager, Kinly.

From your perspective, do you think that the full value of AV solutions is becoming better understood by the education community, or is there an ongoing education process (no pun intended) that needs to take place?

CB: Unfortunately it is still the case that the education sector has a lot to learn in respects to technology deployments; many still think in terms of hardware rather than understanding the education process and working on solutions that support it, or that enable greater productivity and information retention. Unfortunately, as with all other industries, the thought process behind the selection of the right tools for a project is lacking. Institutions need to put more effort into research and process development in order to improve. One thing that never ceases to amaze me is the lack of willingness for change within the education sector. Educators don’t want to take the time to change their working processes in order to incorporate new technology – it is often seen as a pain rather than something that should be embraced. How many universities have a change management process in place to help lecturers utilise the full benefits of technology? You would think this was a given for those educating others!

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TM: I certainly think educators have come to value some AV solutions more, as without them they simply wouldn’t have been able to teach effectively during lockdown. Those tools that have proved themselves reliable, useful and intuitive will likely be adopted more even as institutions move back to some kind of normality. Similarly, those tools that haven’t delivered won’t be.

Many teachers have wanted to do more than talk at students over video or set individual tasks and this has been made possible with AV. But, there is still more to be done in terms of ensuring teachers know the full capabilities of the solutions available to them, and this education process needs to be ongoing as products develop and software is upgraded.

TK: One of the great challenges of ed-tech, or indeed any AV solution, is that too often it is understood as a technological opportunity that might be applied to a pedagogic challenge or problem. Whilst this was certainly an imperative of the sudden move to online teaching and engagement in the first lockdown, this was to some extent trial and error at speed; colleagues working out which technologies, or indeed specific functions of technologies, worked better than others in the moment. Not surprisingly, the picture for most technologies was one of upsides and downsides. For academics, technology is invariably a means to an end and the adoption of new tech and systems will be far swifter if the innovations of those technologies are pedagogically-led.

What we need now, is less an education and more a collaborative learning, as the great opportunity for the hopefully soon-to-be post-lockdown moment is that educationalists, students and technologists have the chance now to work together to better understand the impact of what has taken place and

Above: Andrew Taylor Below: Toni Moss

Feature

Above: Christian Bozeat Below: Prof Trevor Keeble

what can be successfully carried forward and developed in the future.

AT: Unfortunately there are some deep divisions still existing, particularly in higher education where school, faculties and departments are too compartmentalised in their thinking. Fortunately there are some great examples of people taking a combined and well thought out approach to education technology and its integration into teaching. The Catalyst project at a well known university in the West Midlands is a bit of a beacon at the moment. Currently in the build phase, this development will deliver flexible teaching spaces where users can make the best use of onsite delivery as well as online participation. Projects like this are being lead by strong experienced technologists who see the value in working across teams and disciplines. Another example of this forward thinking approach would be the University of Northampton’s award-winning Waterside Campus. The work of collaboration technology experts within these universities really need to be championed. A great way of fostering this would be education forums such as the LTSMG, which has a great mix of audio visual, IT and learning technology experience.

Where members can swap ideas and engage with interested suppliers to develop these ideas.

How important a role does AV play in the future of education, both on and off-campus? How much of an enabler can/should/will it be?

CB: It is the future of education, and the sooner it is recognised as such the better it will be and the more resource will be available for its proper deployment.

Education suffers from the same issues that all others suffer – they think they can do it themselves, they don’t have the correct people and skills in place, and are lacking the basic processes to design, tender, deploy and support.

TM: It can and should play a huge role. In the classroom, whether virtual or physical, it enables pretty much all the interactions that take place – whether collaborating in small groups at touchscreens, sharing content with wireless presentation systems or projectors, and even ensuring everyone can hear and participate with robust audio set-ups, AV is crucial. But its value moves far beyond the classroom, and again the Covid pandemic has made its role elsewhere even more important. Think digital signage systems that guide, remind and inform students about the latest rules, one-way systems or room capacity; wayfinding solutions that provide safe routes to navigate campuses; visitor management systems that reduce the need for contact at receptions; and room booking systems that will stop students and

teachers entering incorrect or already booked rooms. All of these solutions now have even greater value given the current circumstances and can all help to enable not just an improved learning experience, but also a smoother and safer environment for students and teachers. The future of education is also likely to see HE institutions reach out to more potential students, whether that’s offering online-only courses to overseas students, or hybrid evening classes to part-time learners.

Finding new ways to boost revenue will be a key task for many in the years to come, and technology will be at the forefront of opportunities here.

TK: Perhaps the most significant impact of the digital shift has been the realisation of a more student-centred learning environment. Certainly in the Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries at the University of Portsmouth, we have seen a deepening engagement with learning from a range of students for whom engagement has at points been challenging. Whilst we have yet to fully comprehend and reflect upon the huge amount of academic, technical and professional support time it has taken to create a learning experience that has, at many points, needed to be all things to all students, irrespective of location or time-zone, it is clear that our approaches have changed and we are already revising our plans for what we thought we would be doing online and on campus.

AT: It plays a key role in enabling the learning process in pretty much any setting from displaying content to allowing students and tutors to collaborate and communicate effectively and consistently. A reliable AV environment breeds trust in tech and drives tutors and users to adopt its use. The bells and whistles of it all are important and will attract people to technology; it’s reliability that’s important. To have very effective educational delivery the tech must be highly available and simple to use. It should be like a good referee in sports: you know they're there, but you don’t have much to say about them at the end.

READ MORE HERE!

This is an edited version of our full debate, which also included contributions (and an additional question) from Adam Harvey CTS, solution architect, AV and digital media, University of Hertfordshire; Alistair Meachin and Ross McLee, Harmonia Consulting; John Hulen, national education director at Crestron; and Colin Etchells, group technical director, Saville Group.

The unabridged version can be found on the Installation website. Click here to access it.

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Comment

A changing environment after the tsunami that is Covid-19

By Rob Smith, Senior director, system sales, Shure

C

ovid-19, and the subsequent lockdown, had a devastating effect on not only the corporate world, but the education sector, too.

The speed in which the virus took hold meant many schools, colleges and universities simply weren’t prepared adequately enough to meet the new health regulations on social distancing and to deliver academic to student learning within a safe environment.

Running parallel to this immediate issue was also the need for technology that could not only communicate lessons via online modules and virtual collaboration tools, but offered a superior videoconferencing solution away from the immediate choice of utilising social media platforms as a means of delivering learning.

Patchwork solutions The response was a patchwork of solutions, intended for the best part, to ‘just get the job done’ in the short-term without much focus on the student experience. This soon led to the realisation that these short-term fixes were being detrimental to the learning journey, with both academics and students tired and frustrated at AV systems that were inadequate for purpose, difficult to use, reliable and delivered audio to an unsatisfactory level.

It is now very clear to nearly all education institutions that dedicated tools are needed to deliver a standard of learning which is acceptable for both student and academic, and in most cases, something that the ‘generic’ AV system simply can’t cope with.

Capturing the spoken word at a distance is always a challenge, but one

that becomes more significant with poor room acoustics. Fortunately, most classrooms, especially lecture spaces, were designed with a need for high-level intelligibility in mind, making products like the Shure Microflex Advance MXA910 Ceiling Array Microphone and the MXA710 Linear Array Microphone well suited for this kind of environment.

Integrator challenges Most classrooms are designed to provide line of sight to teacher from all seating positions, however, AV equipment isn't usually part of the design considerations.

Along with the room acoustics, this is one of the many initial challenges that an integrator has to deal with when first scoping a project. This can be addressed with multiple form factors and mounting options to provide an assortment of placement solutions.

There are also limits to what can be achieved with current technology for capturing speech intelligibility at a distance. This is where multiple microphones using automixing comes into play with DSP technology to help decide which microphone and which audio pick-up lobe is in use.

At Shure, we anticipate seeing a mix of small rooms where academics can teach and present to remote groups in a space suitable to the delivery of information, with larger lecture halls and auditoriums used as socially distanced spaces for smaller groups of students in class. The focus is on ensuring that both teacher and student can be heard across physical and remote space, questions can be asked and documents shared, on par to high-end boardroom AV systems.

It’s no surprise that the education sector is now turning to more advanced AV systems that deliver consistent audio clarity and speech intelligibility in any learning environment. As a manufacturer our focus is clear; to continue to support the education sector with our Ecosystem, providing academics with the tools they need to conduct classes without obtrusive technology with clear, intuitive systems that provide clarity and offer academics the best possible platform to continue do what they do best: teach.

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It is now very clear to nearly all education institutions that dedicated tools are needed to deliver a standard of learning which is acceptable for both student and academic”

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BYOD IN EDUCATION:

HOW TO USE DEVICES SAFELY AND SECURELY The 'bring your own device' (BYOD) trend can be both practically and economically beneficial for schools and colleges, but it needs to be managed effectively if the attendant security threats are to be avoided, writes David Davies

After Covid-19, students are more inclined than ever to bring their own devices into class 14

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little over ten years since the term BYOD (bring your own device) first entered common parlance courtesy of Intel, the trend is now firmly established in public and private organisations around the world. But among the earlier adopters, BYOD has achieved particular traction in education – and it’s not difficult to understand why.

There is no denying that one of the main benefits for schools and colleges is the potential for significant cost-savings during a period when educational spending has been under sustained pressure. While budgetary cutbacks have been an abiding source of pressure, so too has been the need to digitise classrooms and implement Immersive Learning. Such is the profound nature of these changes that schools were predicted to have invested $19 billion globally on classroom technology in 2019 alone (source: Forbes).

All of which means that any opportunity to have parents and children offset some of the costs is likely to be welcomed. But there is also the fact that – due to them having access outside of school hours – pupils will have the opportunity to become more comfortable with their own devices, as well as related software and apps, than would otherwise be the case. It also opens the door to increased learning outside of the school day.

But there are also a few drawbacks – and they are not insignificant. Firstly, by no means all pupils will have access to adequate devices; some may not be sufficient to run current educational software or apps, while some pupils may not have any devices of their own at all. The extent of ‘digital poverty’ and its impact on pupils has, of course, been strongly underlined during the distanced learning required by the Covid-19 pandemic.

RISKS OF ATTACK But there is also the matter of security – bringing consumer-level devices into educational environments brings considerable pressures in terms of securely enabling BYOD and therefore avoiding the risk of attacks from malware and ransomware, as well as non-compliance with regulatory requirements. These have been ramped up significantly by the 2018 introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and its potential for substantial fines against organisations found to be guilty of data breaches.

So, in summary, there is no good alternative to a coordinated and comprehensive plan of implementation for BYOD as part of a wider focus on IT and network security. Alas, this is by no means a universal state of affairs. Alex Pay, security consultant at UK cybersecurity service provider ConnectDS, observes that “all too often, it is still

possible to encounter a view of security as being ‘nice to have’ or the attitude that a breach will ‘never happen to us’.”

Andrew Taylor, project manager at video conferencing and AV integration company Kinly, emphasises things thus: “While the technology and tools available to IT security teams are quite mature and well-understood, [and] this gives teams a great platform to support BYOD, the issues with BYOD come from the vast range of devices, operating systems and use cases for these devices. This makes it very hard for institutions to broadly support every aspect they need to.”

Hence with the need for compromises to be made to support “the majority of users and use cases”, it may be necessary for some courses and applications to carry on being “managed by exception,” adds Taylor.

MDM AND MAM Before going any further, it’s important to make a distinction between home- and school-furnished BYOD. For instance, there are now a number of schemes that allow parents to contribute to the purchase of devices, in which case it can obviously be much easier to ensure that they are equipped with anti-viral software and precautionary settings.

“There is a lot more you can do if the [devices] are given out by the school, especially in terms of Mobile Device Management (MDM). This allows for far greater device control – for example, the ability to block certain apps or remotely wipe devices if they are stolen,” says Pay. Taylor also points to the merits of a (CYOD) choose your own device model, whereby the institution subsidises devices for specialist applications, allowing them to be chosen from a pre-approved list.

He also urges schools and colleges to “consider the use of systems” such as Citrix, whose products include the XenMobile software for MDM and MAM (mobile app management).

Both MDM- and MAM-oriented solutions can put schools in the driving seat when it comes to monitoring and control over the endpoints on which they have been installed. With nearly all device activity able to be controlled or influenced to some degree, technology managers have the opportunity to enforce data protection policies and restrict certain behaviours and applications.

Of course, on the basis that parents/carers and pupils give their consent, both school and home supplied devices can be installed with these platforms too. Among an increasing myriad of available products, popular choices for the education market at present include: Mobile Guardian, which is a single solution with MDM, classroom management tools, web-filtering and parental controls; Jamf Pro,

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Feature

Key Points n The use of BYOD in schools, colleges and universities has grown significantly over the past five years n The trend is certain to be accelerated by the global pandemic, during which pupils have spent even more time working with their own devices as part of distance learning n A successful implementation begins with a defined BYOD policy that needs to be agreed to by parents/carers and pupils n Mobile device management (MDM) and mobile app management (MAM) can bring substantial control to BYOD devices in the classroom n Close attention should be paid to network access and security, with a dedicated Wi-Fi network for BYOD devices being the preferred solution n An underlying focus on data security is even more critical since the introduction of GDPR n In the UK, the National Cyber Security Centre has an extensive web resource for all kinds of organisations looking to use BYOD securely: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/mobile-device-guidance/bringyour-own-device

which is geared towards automating and managing Apple devices; and Hexnode, which provides MDM capabilities for Android-based products.

DEFINING A BYOD POLICY However devices are provided, it’s critical that schools and colleges establish a clear and defined BYOD policy before venturing down this road.

“The first and most important step is to have an official BYOD policy in place from the start,” says Toni Moss, MD of CDEC. ”To achieve this, identify the potential threats you’re facing – both internal and external – and adopt a framework that protects what you have highlighted as valuable to your institution.”

BYOD policies in schools will tend to encompass multiple technological requirements aimed at both usability and device protection. Hence the frequent inclusion of a ‘device requirements’ section that, says Moss, will specify “minimum hardware and software parameters” and contain a clause stating that personal devices must be kept secure with a “recommendation to install” an up-to-date anti-virus.

“However, this can be difficult to manage so a simpler solution may be to provide students with a network security application or make them log in via a separate virtual local area network,” see adds.

A well-rounded BYOD strategy is also bound to 32

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encompass remote access to classroom discussions and presentations – something that has obviously become even more relevant during the pandemic.

Not surprisingly, ease and consistency of access regardless of location is a critical parameter here.

If remote learners are able to access recorded lectures, join in with online discussions and maintain a dialogue with tutors and students, they will “feel more part of the class and more involved in their learning, thus reducing the dropout rate,” says Moss.

“The expectation, of course, is that they will be able to do this on any device and at any point on campus or elsewhere, so it’s important to ensure this can happen securely.”

SPECIFIC SECURITY THREATS As might be expected, the type of security threats for BYOD in education have much in common with those in many corporate and domestic environments. Typically, they include some of the ones that no amount of public information campaigns seems to fully dispel – such as using simplistic passwords, not taking advantage of security-related operating system updates, and failing to maintain up-to-date anti-viral software.

Alex Pay points to the impact that cyberattacks can have on operating systems left unpatched for vulnerabilities, such as the Eternal Blue exploit released in 2017 that affected older Windows OS. “One of the main issues is unpatched devices and the usage of old versions of Windows,” he confirms.

“In fact, the majority of vulnerabilities tend to be around not doing updates. There can also be a lot of issues around user credentials, such as using email addresses to sign-up for everything and the tendency to employ the same password all the time.”

Therefore, security awareness for both staff and pupils has to be an ongoing element of any effective BYOD implementation. In terms of the other main area of concern, the network, a dedicated site-wide wifi infrastructure for BYOD devices will always be preferable to using an existing network on which core servers and storage systems might reside. Opting for a separate network obviously makes it easier to eliminate any risk that sensitive internal resources might be accessed by non school staff.

Key stages with regard to dedicated networks include the implementation of a specific subnet/IP address and the configuration of content filtering – for which there is no shortage of software now available on the market. It is also advisable to clearly document access information for students and have a policy in place by which they can be informed quickly about updates and changes.

While school sites tend to be more compact, the greater distances encountered on universities can present additional challenges, including those related to the use of Eduroam – an international

Feature

Digital technology installation at the University of Northampton's Waterside Campus

Off-the-shelf…fit for purpose?

Given the ubiquity of affordably priced anti-virus and general security packages – of which Norton, Bitdefender and Microsoft Windows Defender are just three examples – it seems reasonable to consider how useful these can be for educational establishments.

Alex Pay says that an off-the-shelf anti-virus software package invariably provides a good basic level of defence. “It’s definitely worth having, although of course it’s vital to ensure that your software remains up-to-date. In fact, even some of the free software, such as AVG, is good and definitely reduces the risk of your computers and devices getting viruses.”

In the case of ConnectDS, the preferred choice for projects taking place under its MSSP CloudTech24 brand tends to be Bitdefender.

The Russian cybersecurity company’s software is now used to protect over 500 million systems across more than 150 countries. “We do use Bitdefender for a lot of our clients, the Enterprise Version, and even with a client that does not want to get it off us we would still advise that they buy something like that.”

Toni Moss emphasises the point that these software packages have to be implemented within a security set-up that includes all of the other normal aspects of a comprehensive infrastructure. As she remarks: “Bitdefender and the like have a good track record of detecting and blocking threats, but it should be remembered that laptops and tablets aren’t the only way in to a network so a comprehensive security set-up is essential. This could include firewalls, access management, VLANs and endpoint protection. You could also segment BYOD traffic all the way back to the firewall so it’s never exposed to the inside network.”

Reiterating that off-the-shelf software can provide “a good bare minimum of protection”, Pay says that recognition of the need for further measures is not a given: “Most schools... have been shocked by the amount that we are able to do in terms of [enhancing] security, so yes, there is room for improvement with regard to awareness.”

roaming service for users in research, higher education and further education. Moss remarks that “for many universities the issues around BYOD [concern] traceability. [For example] some unis have IT restrictions on Eduroam being able to identify all users of the Wi-Fi, so unless there is a point of log-on many products fall short of requirements. This does differ between different institutions, though.”

Taylor also highlights another scenario in which consistency of usage may be a challenge – an artsbased course at a university where pupils are using MacOS-based applications such as recording software Logic on user-owned Apple devices.

“The institution can’t force the user to keep their OS up to a certain path level or even that their basic apps such as Safari are at a secure level, leaving them open as high-risk clients connected to networks,” he says.

“Fortunately, tools are becoming available that allow network admins to monitor the device version connecting to their networks, and this can allow the organisation to use messaging and continuing cyber security education to encourage users to observe best practice.”

REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS The impetus to protect data has become even greater since 25 May 2018, when the EU-devised GDPR came into effect. Devised to strengthen the safety and security of all data held within an organisation, GDPR has brought further responsibility for schools, which are required to inform pupils and teachers about the way in which their data is used. A data protection officer has to be identified in each institution, and in the event of serious data breaches the International Commissioner’s Office could impose fines up four per cent of an organisation’s annual turnover.

The new regulations are, to put it mildly, sure to sharpen the mind of every school facilities or IT manager about the integrity of data and networks at precisely the time when BYOD is becoming evermore ubiquitous. But although it does herald substantial challenges, the successful implementation of BYOD can bring significant benefits educationally, logistically and financially. As ever with (relatively) new areas of technological endeavour, it makes sense to engage with a specialist provider or consultant who can help steer a path towards a safe and secure BYOD culture.

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Comment

Learning fast in a fast changing world Shannan Brooksby Senior account manager, Pro AV Solutions Queensland

I

n early 2020 there were a few privileged Pro AV Solutions attendees to ISE 2020 in Amsterdam, early February. At the time we were acutely aware of the Pandemic sweeping an urban city of China called coronavirus. The apprehension of travel and leaving our families to another part of the world was heavy on everyone’s mind. Taking the risk we settled into our first long haul journey from our mainland to begin what was our last trip to Amsterdam for the ISE event.

We knew already as our feet hit the ground in the Netherlands the world was going to change. And fast. This was the beginning of a steep learning curve for the need to find the most appropriate solutions to allow the world to be able to communicate in a way that was clear, precise and simple to adopt and deploy.

RAPID JOURNEY Our key clients in the education industry, particularly in the HE sector had also realised the need for a rapid journey and had tasked their departmental management to design a way to build systems that were capable of providing the initial requirement as an in room experience but allow the solution to have added building blocks with tech sets that could engage the ability to connect the room to the outside world.

The university sector was already adopting to utilise Teams and Zoom as software platforms to let the content provided in room was easily shared and engaged remotely as if the remote participant was present.

The two technology stacks that became a requirement for this solution to work was auto tracking PTZ cameras and ceiling mount microphone arrays with 34

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appropriate audio DSP and interfacing for a USB PC connection. A good amount of suppliers were already in this space and a discovery journey to find the best of breed began at the trade floor of ISE. Shortly after our return to Oz, we had arranged loan equipment from various suppliers to allow our key clients to do in house proof of concept testing and pilot room deployment.

BEST IN BREED Today we look back at the last ten months having gone on a journey with various clients and enabled the best of breed to develop a requirement for large teaching spaces to capture whole of audience speech and smart camera technology to auto frame key speakers or audience participants that accompany the primary device that is responsible for the link to the outside world. The humble house PC. Our efforts with the clients who looked to our knowledge of their requirements and the key vendors spending a good part of their wallet on R&D and revision after revision to provide fit for purpose solutions had allowed rapid deployment of the building blocks into the teaching spaces.

When you work within a network of clients and manufacturers who want to achieve excellent results for their ability to remotely connect and engage these collaborative technologies and you have a pandemic on your doorstep, it is quite amazing how clear the picture really becomes and the need to start with clever technology to simplify the user experience.

This is rapidly now spreading because of a real urgency.

We are fortunate to have years of engagement with both our suppliers and customers and for the extra efforts to make things fall into place is well worth seeing the outcomes.

Rooms that may even be empty with a lecturer presenting to themselves is connecting on every level to provide clear precise and simple education models for a very real engagement to all participating (remotely).

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This was the beginning of a steep learning curve for the need to find the most appropriate, clear and precise communication solutions"

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Case Study

Shifting realities With education changing, Shure’s Ecosystem of products is helping educators to upgrade. Installation found out about tech upgrades utilising Shure at the University of Bedfordshire and University of Southern California

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n the not-so-distant past, AV systems and associated technology within education establishments were seen as something that inhibited the academic’s ability to teach, and a student’s ability to learn. Cumbersome microphones, poor audio quality and complicated setups further aggravated the issues and led to frustration for academics and students alike.

‘Invisible technology’ was required to create systems that would work effortlessly with the minimum amount of user interaction – meaning more time teaching and less time waiting.

The shift to these new technologies was already happening pre-Covid, with various educational facilities taking the decision to upgrade to new systems, empowering faculties to focus on teaching while the students could focus on learning.

PRODUCT PORTFOLIO Technological advancements also meant that there was now a portfolio of products available to suit different requirements and budgets, but all with the same goal – to create the best learning environment possible. Out of this technology, the ability to implement Voice Lift systems – where the sound remains natural and clear from near to far-end participants – has been one of the biggest recent successes within the education sector.

One such example is the new £40 million Computer Science, Informatics, Business and Management Studies building located at the University of Bedfordshire. With over 14,000 students, covering 6,000m2 and situated over four storeys, a cutting-edge system consisting of Shure’s Microflex Advance MXA910 IntelliMix DSP Celling Array Microphone platform, along with QLX-D Digital Wireless systems was put in place.

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This provided academics with the freedom to teach without restriction, offering a natural unobtrusive sound and the ability to use Voice Lift throughout the building.

Hybrid learning is also on the rise. The challenge with this implementation is to keep audio clarity clear and concise for the student in the physical classroom environment, as well as the student engaging remotely.

REIMAGINED SYSTEMS The University of Southern California (USC) achieved this by reimagining 300 rooms, designing the perfect system – comprising Microflex Advance MXA710 Linear Array Microphone and IntelliMix Room software-based audio processing – which delivered scalable audio that could be managed remotely, with simple configuration.

Instead of keeping a computer in each room, a Crestron Flex UC runs IntelliMix Room with the Zoom platform on it, turning the entire USC classroom and central core into a Dante node.

Students in the classroom and dialling in remotely both benefit from hearing lectures within the best audio environment

Case Study

£40 million Computer Science, Informatics, Business and Management Studies building at the University of Bedfordshire

possible, along with the ability hear lectures later, as they are ‘captured’ for reference.

IMMEDIATE IMPACT Shure’s new SLX-D Digital Wireless System has also had an immediate impact on the education sector and individual facilities looking for a cost-effective, scalable solution with rock solid RF performance, easy set-up and versatile wireless configuration. The SLX-D wireless capabilities offer faculties the freedom to move around the learning environment without sacrificing any audio quality, along with hybrid, distance and asynchronous implementation to help with student engagement. Remote learning and lecture capture is still catered for within the system, which also boasts a user friendly, intuitive platform and a microphone with 11 hour battery life.

Whatever system requirement is needed, Shure’s awardwinning Ecosystem of product – from microphone, DSP to loudspeaker – has it covered, creating the best possible learning environment to help the students of today become the academics of tomorrow.

Hybrid learning is on the rise, and the challenge with this implementation is to keep audio clarity clear and concise for the student in the physical classroom environment – as well as the student engaging remotely” www.Installation-International.com

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Comment

Once in a lifetime opportunity for education Mark Perrett, account manager, public sector lead, PTS Consulting, on the potential opportunities for the sector

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n awful lot has been written about the impacts of Covid-19 on the sector and technology use, and most of it will come as no surprise to anyone; greater uncertainty, more reliance on blended learning, greater concern for student and staff welfare in what is a very stressful and pressurised environment.

When we hit the first lockdown, universities nationwide had to move wholesale to virtual learning, at the drop of a hat. They then underwent projects during this lockdown to prepare for students to return to campus but engage with their courses and the technology in a completely different way. These projects ranged from rolling out lecture capture across all spaces, and adoption of entirely new unified comms platforms and their integration with AV systems.

Previously, these sorts of transformational projects and programmes would rarely have been so ambitious in their scope, and would still have been planned over multiple years, to allow for proper stakeholder engagement, options analysis, scenario mapping, and risk management. Instead, they were doing so across a couple of months; in some cases, weeks.

REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENT What has been achieved in many universities over such a condensed period is nothing short of remarkable. And whilst there was obvious panic and concern from students as to the quality of their learning experience, this is a reflection of their dampened expectations; there is a general view that universities have done as much as could reasonably be expected in this 38

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regard. Indeed, at some universities, the IT and AV teams are riding the crest of a wave in terms of their internal reputation based on their ability to migrate to such a completely different way of working; without them, who knows how disastrous it could have been for the sector.

Part of this success is demonstrated by the fact we have almost entirely dispelled the notion that remote working and learning cannot work.

As an example, we have been undertaking an occupancy study for one university aimed at using sensors to show how buildings are being used by academics and students, partly to explore the use and benefits of collaborative working as opposed to individual office space. The way they have responded to lockdown has made the case far better than the study ever could!

In the medium term, mistakes will have inevitably been made in fast-tracking decision-making to prepare for the new term, and the next couple of years will see IT and AV teams struggling to unpick them.

This is in no way a criticism of those teams, but merely an unfortunate by-product of having to transform so quickly, especially in institutions that usually take a consensus-based approach to projects and programmes.

FANTASTIC SUPPORT It should be said that the AV supplier and integrator community has largely been fantastic in supporting their institutions, with universities relying more and more on the supplier ecosystem that they know and trust. But this does come at the expense of taking an independent view of the best

solution to meet the changing and future needs of students in a post-Covid world.

But beyond these teething problems, there is a bigger challenge. Whilst technology teams have thus far surpassed all reasonable expectations, there is a danger that we underestimate the extent to which student expectations will continue to rise now that they have been shown what is possible. There will be a desire for long-lasting change, and students will begin to look disapprovingly at any institution that fails to satisfy them.

Higher video and audio quality has to be a bare minimum when addressing the current online learning experience.

Patience is already wearing thin with Zoom and Teams calls, and technically unsavvy lecturers. One place to look for inspiration is the Oxford Hive at SaĂŻd Business School, University of Oxford. The Hive is a bespoke professional broadcasting space, equipped with high quality cameras, a video wall, enhanced acoustics, integrated to a variety of VC platforms, with students and participants joining remotely. It takes the online seminar to a different level of immersion and collaboration.

REDUCED BANDWIDTH This rise in quality will put greater strain on Wi-Fi, especially in halls of residence that are already awash with student devices eating up bandwidth and detracting from even the most basic remote lecture.

Whether privately or university-owned, there will be no excuse for Wi-Fi that doesn’t support this level of activity; AV teams are very aware of this fact, and of the increasing need to communicate with their IT network peers to deliver this.

Comment

PTS sketches informing the

University of Birmingham Intelligent Campus Strategy

In-person learning will be under pressure to evolve as a direct consequence of the online learning experience. The face-toface lecture will need to earn its place to an even greater extent. If students are going to take the time to come to campus for sessions, they want to know that the experience will compensate for the travel with a better experience than if they join online. It’s very similar to what cinemas have had to do with the rise of home entertainment.

And like with cinema, they will need to avoid gimmicks – most people look disparagingly (literally and metaphorically) at 3D technology these days. Things like virtual reality promise a lot in the long-term and should be monitored, but I’m yet to be convinced of their practical applications beyond a few very niche examples; at least until the technology and ubiquity improves.

There are really interesting developments in immersion rooms; 360 video walls that can be useful for more practical courses that would benefit from

real-world simulations and visualisations.

The innovations that will stand the best chance of adoption are those that require next to no prior knowledge to work; it must be effortless and intuitive.

LEARNING TRENDS The bigger trend is the changes in the way that students learn. Studies have shown how an abundance of information on, and our propensity to use, digital and social platforms have dramatically shortened our attention spans, particularly amongst Gen Z – today's student body. They bring these preferences into their educational lives, and the pandemic has only increased the volume of educational content consumed online and on smartphones.

In the consumer world, the response of advertisers and entertainment content providers has been a far greater focus on short-form content. To what extent will universities adapt in a similar way? Will lectures be broken into bitesize chunks?

Will inspiring parts of seminars go viral over Blackboard or Moodle?

Technology can help Universities to package learning content in ways that best suit this mode of learning, but the bigger questions are: are universities aware of these changes and do we worry that this will damage the sanctity of the teacherstudent dynamic? Plus, will universities resist this change and maintain their current teaching methods, and if not, are they capable of that change at an academic level?

Whatever the answers and whatever the real impact of some of these changes on universities, the risk of settling for the comfort of the old world will be tempting.

But many universities do see this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to effect real, positive change.

A lot of work we are doing in the sector is about addressing this wider point.

For example, we are working with the University of Birmingham to develop an Intelligent Campus Strategy, which looks holistically at a range of physical and digital innovations that will underpin their ability to navigate the changes to the sector, not just surviving post-Covid-19, but thriving.

This encompasses a wide variety of developments, including IoT, artificial intelligence, the digital learning experience, digital twin, smart environments, enhanced collaboration technologies, 5G, and mobile integration.

The aims of the strategy are very clear; to enhance experiences, improve efficiency, and achieve environmental sustainability.

Whilst we are early in the process, it is clear that AV technology will have an important role to play within the university’s Intelligent Campus, across both its Birmingham and new Dubai campuses.

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Case Study

Top ranking remote learning Located in Cleveland, Ohio, Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is the top-ranked private research university in Ohio and among the highest- ranking institutions nationally. Installation found out how Crestron has helped improve student enrichment

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WRU improves and enriches people's lives through research that capitalises on the power of collaboration to dramatically engage students. The institution decided to react to Covid-19 and upgrade its active learning classrooms with Crestron AV and room control technology to provide a better experience for both students and faculty members.

“When Covid-19 hit, it became critical to enhance remote learning capabilities and in-class personal safety for when classes resume during the ‘new normal’,” explains Michael Thomas, director, [U]Tech-MediaVision, at CWRU. The transition to Crestron AV control systems was made gradually with roughly 20-25 rooms upgraded annually between 2011 and 2019. Upgrades were conducted during the summer and during breaks when a minimum number of classes were in session. Standardising with Crestron allowed the university to become more efficient in providing operational support due to the increased uniformity of technology installed across campus. In addition, support technicians are able to leverage the various remote diagnostic and control tools offered by Crestron.

USER EXPERIENCE Hybrid ‘touchless’ learning spaces combine online and in-classroom collaboration capabilities, and provide a consistent room set-up and user experience across campus.

“Crestron helped make the remote transition as seamless as possible for everyone involved,” adds Thomas. “The installation took place over summer break, with minimal impact on the daily affairs on campus. We used DigitalMedia switchers, Crestron control systems and TSW touchscreens across campus, and combined that with technology from various manufacturers such as Epson, JBL, Shure, Mersive, Wolfvision

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and others for added functionality to accommodate various teaching modalities.”

Crestron offered CWRU the ideal hybrid learning solutions to deliver engaging, collaborative learning experiences, both inside classrooms and remotely, while also providing the ability to enhance personal safety inside.

AirMedia secure wireless presentation technology was installed to increase workflow and collaboration by turning underused spaces, such as lobbies and lounges, into productive meeting spaces. AirMedia offers the additional benefit of being a virtually touchless solution, eliminating the need to touch cables or other devices.

TECH REALITY “AirMedia has given students and faculty the ability to bring their own personal devices to rooms and share content in a collaborative, touchless way,” explains Sue Workman, CWRU vice president of University technology and chief information officer.

“We continue to work closely with faculty to ensure we are providing a strong support structure as they transition into this new tech reality.”

DigitalMediaTM 8x8 and 16x16 matrix switchers were installed for ultra-fast distribution of all types of digital AV sources and control signals. Throughout the active learning spaces, faculty can now instantly push, share, and receive flawless video content to and from the pods around the classroom or even across campus.

Case Study

Featured Crestron technologies AirMedia Presentation System 200 AM-200 3-Series Control System AV3 15.6in HD touch screen TS-1542 10.1in touch screen TSW-1060

Crestron AV and room control technology is utilised throughout CWRU

16x16 DigitalMediaTM Switcher DM-MD16X16-CPU3 8x8 DigitalMediaTM Switcher DM-MD8X8 7in touch screen TSW-760 3-Series 4K DigitalMediaTM Presentation System 150 DMPS3-4K-150-C

Crestron control systems were implemented to unify disparate technologies in each building and enable different spaces to communicate and work together, thereby improving efficiency. TSW touch screens deployed across campus provide simple room control via a highly intuitive custom user interface. Workman and her team were able to create a setup that could be replicated campus-wide, thereby providing faculty, students, and staff with a consistent user experience in every learning and meeting space.

FLEXIBLE LEARNING

With hybrid, touchless learning solutions from Crestron in place, students have access to the best, most flexible learning experience possible as they return to class, while also benefiting from enhanced personal safety during this unprecedented time. Crestron will continue to roll out and equip CWRU with innovative solutions that support the fast-evolving higher-education landscape.

“Working with Crestron has enabled us to respond quickly and adapt to the evolving hybrid education landscape,” says Workman. “We were ready and prepared to offer advanced remote learning. The safety and wellbeing of our students and faculty will always remain our number one priority, and Crestron has helped make the remote transition as seamless as possible for everyone involved.

“We established a relationship with Crestron built on trust and experience. Creston has delivered technology that will continue to innovate the future of learning at CWRU."

Other technologies Wolfvision document cameras Shure microphones Mersive Solstice Pods (for wireless content sharing) Epson projectors Zoom Apple iPads Biamp Nexia DSP JBL & Crown amplifiers JBL speakers

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The uncertainty of change: Why classroom displays are the constant for hybrid learning Jim Wallis, head of UK and Ireland markets at Promethean, explains why, against the backdrop of uncertainty and change, flat panels are key to maintaining education continuity

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lassroom-based teaching has been central to education for centuries, but in the wake of the global pandemic, schools had to rapidly adapt to remote, and now hybrid, lesson delivery – which remain in place even after the temporary closures ended. Aside from the need to facilitate social distancing, the unpredictability continues as control measures are reviewed in line with local circumstances, students’ bubbles burst, and staff need to self-isolate.

Distance learning was only ever a shortterm solution in response to an acute situation. As social learners, students progress most effectively in a classroom environment, where they have access to direct teacher instruction and can collaborate with their peers. While the government, school leaders, teachers and parents all believe that students need to be in school, the reality is that this just isn’t possible all of the time right now. This has the potential to increase teacher workload as there is the risk of lessons having to be delivered twice, or duplicate resources needing to be created to support students learning at home. This is where classroom technology – more specifically interactive flat panel displays (IFPDs) – is proving a practical and flexible solution.

Pivoted support While schools need to be prepared to pivot to support students learning at home, the majority of students, for the majority of time, will be learning in the classroom. By understanding how schools can adopt a digital-first approach to lesson delivery, AV partners will be well placed to guide the

investment decision making process.

IFPD lesson materials prepared for delivery in class can be easily converted into resources for completion at home. For example, Promethean’s ActivInspire software incorporates a Screen Recorder feature that allows a teacher to capture a video of lesson content as it’s being delivered in class. This can then be shared with any students unable to attend in person – without creating additional teacher workload.

Stepping up for schools Conversely, if the teacher is unable to attend school because they are self-isolating, IFPDs like the Promethean ActivPanel can help to bring the teacher into the classroom. Using the Promethean Screen Share App which is pre-installed on the ActivPanel as standard, the teacher can deliver a lesson remotely to the students.

There was a sharp spike in the purchasing of distance learning platforms when schools had to temporarily close with little notice.

The benefit of time and experience has now shown that most students will spend more time in the classroom learning, than they will at home.

As such, future investments in edtech to support hybrid learning should focus on classroom-first pedagogy and understanding how technology can be used in this environment to deliver lesson equality – wherever students are learning. The one constant in a hybrid environment will therefore be the IFPD in the classroom.

The Promethean State of Technology in Education Report 2020/21 found that 95

per cent of respondents saw investment in ed-tech spend as a priority this year. With this in mind, AV companies must partner with schools to help make budget decisions based on long-term value instead of shortterm fixes. The report also noted an increased level of pragmatism, with schools moving away from AR/VR and reprioritising fundamentals such as IFPDs. Having plotted edtech trends for the past five years, the Promethean State of Technology in Education Report provides valuable insight into the changing buying patterns in UKI schools. You can access a copy of the report at the following link: https://resourced.prometheanworld. com/technology-education-industryreport/

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Case Study

A higher calling Canterbury Christ Church University’s choice of Sennheiser SpeechLine Digital Wireless microphone system – deployed

by CDEC – for its new £60m flagship building has added audio sophistication to the new city campus development Pictured below: The new multi-millionpound home to CCCU’s dynamic science, technology, health, engineering and medicine courses, due to open in January of this year

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or more than 50 years, Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) has been at the heart of the Kent community, offering a rich academic and professional education. With 15,000-plus students coming from over 100 countries, CCCU has a fervent belief in the power of higher education to bring a real and positive difference to people’s lives.

The vibrant network of the University’s campuses has been complemented by the new multi-million-pound home to CCCU’s dynamic science, technology, health, engineering and medicine courses, due to open in January of this year. The industry-standard, hi-tech facility was recently equipped with Sennheiser’s SpeechLine Digital Wireless (SpeechLine DW), a digital wireless microphone system designed for speech and lecture applications.

Award-winning integration The formal tender process was carried out by the CCCU at the end of February 2020, and went out to a number of audiovisual suppliers, although none would match the system design proposed by the award-winning AV integrator, CDEC. “We went through a highly competitive tender process based on price, capability, and service, with all elements playing a vital part in the CCCU AV team’s final decision,” explains David Corker, HE/FE sales manager at CDEC. “CDEC was granted the contract as we were able to come up with a solution that

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Case Study

met all the requirements of the university’s team and ticked all their boxes.”

With over eight years working for CDEC, first as an external sales manager for primary and secondary schools, then moving to university work and presently being responsible for overseeing all the universities CDEC works with across the UK, Corker describes how CDEC’s relationship with CCCU has developed over the years.

“Canterbury Christ Church Uni is one of our major customers,” he says. “We are the sole AV provider for the university, and have been since 2015, so for the last five years we have acted as the university’s audiovisual consultant.

"We've got a very close relationship with their AV team as we provide all their AV needs in terms of supplying equipment, from PC loudspeakers to cameras, to fully consulted and designed audio-visual installations for their seminar rooms and the lecture theatres. And now, new builds as well.”

Inspirational learning After five weeks of non-stop installation, which commenced in October of last year, the CDEC team had installed 42 channels of SpeechLine DW microphone systems across 46 high-spec rooms, all designed to the highest standard in order to bring engineers, scientists, doctors and healthcare students together in an inspirational learning environment.

“We wanted to convey the vision of CCCU’s AV team, which was to transform the new space into an ideal hub for research, experimentation, industry collaboration and much more,” says Corker. “We knew that SpeechLine would be the perfect system for that particular facility due to features such as its advanced system automatics and preconfigured sound profiles, which all play a part in delivering a highly flexible offering for multiple education applications.”

Hands-free presentations and a wide variety of transmitter options – depending on personal preferences such as wireless table stand, handheld, or body transmitter for use with lapel or headmic – have all been made possible with SpeechLine DW, ensuring the ideal microphone solution for any situation.

“SpeechLine has been the preferred solution for the education sector for many years now, and Sennheiser is the preferred microphone brand of CCCU, with all of its campuses using Sennheiser extensively, so it really was a no-brainer for us to marry the two together and recommend this particular system for the university’s new building,” continues Corker.

One of the major challenges the system helped the CDEC team to address is putting a large number of channels in close proximity. “Obviously, with SpeechLine DW being a 1G9 DECT solution, we don’t have to worry about licences or any crossovers with existing frequencies. This has given us the flexibility to put in numerous microphones into different size spaces, some of which are quite compact, with SpeechLine working perfectly for the environments the university is using them in,” Corker adds.

Iain McCracken, head of service delivery at CCCU, agrees:

“The SpeechLine range gives our lecturers the confidence and capability in their approach to voice reinforcement.”

The working range of SpeechLine DW was more than sufficient to cover all room sizes at CCCU without any restrictions. The final stage of the extensive installation was completed in October 2020, with just over a month left for both teams to make any necessary final adjustments.

“CDEC is a knowledgeable and valued Sennheiser partner,” says Inesh Patel, Sennheiser’s business development manager – business communication. “With this project for CCCU, their recommendation for the adoption of the SpeechLine series of wireless microphones was a perfect fit for the university’s AV team, who were keen on employing a licence-free and easy-to-use system.

“SpeechLine’s automatic frequency and interference management offered the ideal answer to that requirement.

What is more, the system’s Multi-Room Mode allows the use of any number of microphones on campus, while the Sennheiser Control Cockpit Software gives the team on site all possibilities for remote control, monitoring and trouble-shooting.”

Dedicated engineers Says Corker: “We are very fortunate to have been able to develop such a great working relationship with the Canterbury Christ Church University AV team over the years. Their team are all experienced and dedicated audiovisual engineers that have a lot of experience about audiovisual requirements. This means they can put together a good vision of what they're trying to achieve and we can always put together a good response to make it happen.

“This is a mutually beneficial relationship, where we trust in what the client is looking for and they trust the designs we put forward. Sennheiser plays a big part in that, as it provides reliable and highly flexible solutions such as SpeechLine DW, which are specifically tailored to education and trusted by hundreds of universities worldwide.”

Hands-free presentations and a wide variety of transmitter options have all been made possible with SpeechLine DW, ensuring the ideal microphone solution for any situation” www.Installation-International.com

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Education Tech

Product Spotlight

Clevertouch LYNX Clevertouch recently announced its new LYNX Whiteboard, to better enable distance and blended learning.

Bundled with content sharing options using Google Drive, OneDrive and Dropbox integration to support the digital learning ecosystem, Clevertouch sees LYNX Whiteboard as a new concept in whiteboarding, allowing every activity to be worked on in one place.

"More than 90 per cent of the world’s learners are being impacted by school closures," explained Clevertouch COO, Shaun Marklew.

"Education professionals are rising to the challenge to build and deploy distance learning programs. LYNX Whiteboard is designed to create effective digital learning content with the tools to better enable teachers.

We’re proud to be at the forefront of whiteboarding innovation that actively facilitates collaboration and interaction," he added.

Meanwhile, Clevertouch is extending its cash-back offer until the end of the year, following the success of its buy back scheme where those switching to Clevertouch receive up to £250 cash back for old equipment.

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Education Tech

Peerless-AV / Mersive ACC-MSP Peerless-AV announced a global alliance with Mersive Technologies, providers of software-based collaboration solutions for corporate, education and government markets, resulting in the introduction of the new ACC-MSP mounting solution designed specifically for streaming media players including the Mersive Solstice Pod. The Pod is a turnkey wireless presentation solution that combines award-winning collaboration software integrated on a dedicated hardware platform, allowing users to stream content from their laptops and mobile devices to the in-room display over existing IT networks.

The ACC-MSP Solstice Pod Mount has been developed as a secure, versatile, low profile support solution for installation of the Pod direct to wall, table, service rack or attached to multiple product options from Peerless-AV, including the SmartMount range of wall mount, trolleys and stands, Modular Series and the VCM580 VC solution.

The mount allows mounting at just 34mm in depth for a discreet, aesthetically pleasing installation, and

its gloss black finish matches the look and feel of the Solstice Pod. The design of the mount is enclosed so there is no interference to the unit but with sufficient ventilation and easy access to parts for servicing. The mount has a 200 VESA for universal fitment.

A key feature of the ACC-MSP mount is the integrated security, the most important aspect for Mersive since the

Solstice Pod is intended for public environments. The mount has an anti-tamper, interlocking cage which screws to the mount, or install surface, meaning the Pod cannot be removed unless the mount is dismantled.

For added peace of mind, the mount also features a secure tab, which is compatible with nano Kensington Locks.

Philips T-Line interactive Display PPDS, exclusive distributor of Philipsbranded professional displays, has revealed that the Philips T-Line range of interactive touch displays designed exclusively for education is now available across EMEA. First unveiled at ISE 2020, the Android-powered T-Line was produced after extensive consultation with leading education institutions to create a complete digital solution that helps "motivate, empower and inspire teachers and students from the moment they walk into a classroom to the moment they leave".

Available in 65in 75in and 86in sizes, Philips T-Line displays feature 20-touch-point interaction, accessible 48

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via hands or the included multi-tip passive stylus. The displays can also

connect with a keyboard and mouse and have the functionality to support Active Pen technology.

T-line – running from a secure wireless connection – allows up to 64 students to connect their own personal computing device directly to the display at the same time, while work on up to four students’ devices can be shared onto the display at any one time.

Supporting all major operating systems, including ChromeOS, macOS, Windows, Android and iOS, students can contribute to lessons – viewing, working with and manipulating a document without leaving their seat.

Education Tech

QuixScan AITD-720 AITD Technologies, Inc (trading as QuixScan) has introduced a line of AI Thermal Detectors aimed at keeping students and educators safe. QuixScan AITD-720 is a hands-free, touchless thermal scanning device that detects body temperature in under half a second.

Available as a wall mounted, desktop, or pedestal unit, the AITD-720 boasts mask detection capability, and customisable temperature threshold settings and use a Linux based operating system with an easy plug and play setup over Wi-Fi or ethernet.

Its user-friendly interface supports easy reporting complete with SMS and email notifications.

“QuixScan’s algorithm provides cutting-edge facial recognition and body temperature detection," said AITD Technologies, Inc president, Edmond Khanian. "These units can be used as a tool to follow the CDC guidelines, and offer confidence to staff and patrons entering your facility. We see many applications for these devices – literally any high-traffic public venue can benefit from these units.”

Steve Gorski, vice president added: “This touchless system can be a standalone unit, or fully integrated into your access control systems, including security and employee time clock systems. We’re proud to bring an extra layer of protection for your facility and

help protect your most valuable assets – your people. It’s user friendly and easy to install, and more importantly, it offers peace of mind with a broad reporting system complete with SMS and email notifications."

Vivitek NovoTouch Vivitek has introduced a line of three new NovoTouch panels with improved 'All-in-One' 4K displays. Encompassing both wireless collaborative touch and digital signage modes, the NovoTouch EK653i, EK753i and EK863i are intended for the corporate and education sectors.

Switching between modes allows for both touch and non-touch interactive user experiences during meetings, while displaying safety and company messages during downtime. Vivitek’s Novo Ecosystem provides a simple, centralised way of connecting, with secure and easily integrated products.

For educators, the panels come equipped with whiteboard, wireless presentation, screen recording, and G-Suite software. In addition, further education apps such as Canvas and Blackboard, can be installed through the built-in app store or manually.

For corporate users, video conferencing apps are easily available, and users can plug in a standard Windows OPS module to add the familiar Windows environment (MS Office, Skype, etc) to the panels.

The NovoTouch panels' faster touch screen response makes for a more seamless experience, while thinner annotation lines ensure improved accuracy when highlighting or writing notes. Corporate and education users

will also appreciate the latest IPS-ADS panel technology, designed to deliver excellent image quality with an antiglare durable surface and 178-degree Hyper-Viewing Angle. In addition, the GUI is rendered at 4K resolution.

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Inside Track

Find out what stories you have missed on the INSTALLATION WEBSITE or our DAILY MAILER in the last few weeks with our round-up of the latest education sector announcements and installs

Xilica enlivens Hong Kong Medical School with networked audio

Kinly completes AVMI acquisition

Kinly completed the acquisition of AVMI, establishing one of the industry’s leading global system integrators, with education one of its specialities.

Since the official announcement in June, the integration has been successfully completed after the appointment of Tom Martin, new managing director for Northern Europe, the unveiling of a newly launched website that reflects the two companies’ combined solution and service offerings.

“The combination of Kinly’s now 1,200 employees and being the No.1 UK player in our field is an unparalleled opportunity, both for our UK and international client-base, as well as our employees,” explained Martin. “I’m pleased to see the positive response from some of our clients to the new combined offering from Kinly being a full-service visual collaboration and communications provider.” https://bit.ly/3mjpAOP Meanwhile, Kinly announced a global agreement with Neat, designer of innovative, Zoom-based video meeting devices. The agreement enables Kinly to resell Neat products to enterprise and public sector customers across EMEA, APAC and the US. https://bit.ly/3nhWoc4

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Xilica is fuelling audio distribution and live paging over IP with a new system at Hong Kong University’s LKS Faculty of Medicine. Part of a larger renovation in the department’s William MW Mong Block, the installation features Xilica’s Solaro QR1 DSP and XTouch control solutions, used to process, manage and deliver all content over a Dante network.

Xilica channel partner Sound Classy supplied all audio and control equipment, with systems integrator Vega Technology handling installation and commissioning.

The Dante-enabled Xilica Solaro QR1 interoperates other networked devices to efficiently route audio feeds around the building. A priority function allows staff to interject with live announcements, using a paging station to provide safety and building information, event updates and security messages.

The XTouch control solutions’ IPbased architecture synchronises control across an XTouch 80 panel, installed in the adjacent control room and an iPadpowered XTouch app in the lobby. The two operate and respond in tandem to ensure a seamless audio experience. https://bit.ly/3mraruV

Exterity powers student accommodation at Scotway House

Exterity announced its involvement in the Scotway House installation near the University of Glasgow, which opened in October 2019. With the aesthetic of a chic boutique hotel, Scotway House offers stunning, contemporary and tech-enabled student accommodation in Glasgow’s West End. Scotway House deployed Exterity’s ArtioGuest infotainment software system to create a student portal that is accessible in every room, providing information about local, social and accommodation-related information.

ArtioGuest supports over 260 screens, including LG Hospitality SmartTVs, in student rooms and common lounges.

The site-wide IPTV system displays over 50 TV and radio channels, including a selection of free-to-air local stations, as well as international satellite TV channels in several languages.

The system also has an emergency notification capability that can remotely turn on each TV in every room and common area to display urgent messages or video. To further streamline the setup and management of the system, Exterity AvediaPlayer r9305 Media Players are used to stream TV and video in both the onsite gym and cinema. https://bit.ly/3qRqENn

From the web

HoverCam partners with Learning Glass to bring eGlass to market

HoverCam, a technology leader in the education market, has announced a partnership with Learning Glass to bring eGlass, a fully integrated illuminated writing glass, to the market. Shown for the first time – virtually, due to Covid restrictions – at ISTE20 Live last year, eGlass is an innovative, all-in-one, transparent writing surface with a built-in camera and adjustable lighting that is ideal for remote, hybrid, and traditional classrooms. eGlass reimagines the traditional and virtual whiteboard experience.

Leveraging HoverCam’s leadership and expertise in camera technology, the built-in camera captures the instructor and whatever they write on the surface of the glass at the same time. As the user writes on the glass, eGlass automatically flips the writing for students to read, and the embedded LEDs intensify the pen ink with an eye-catching glow. While writing, the instructor has direct line of sight with their students without toggling between whiteboard and video conference software.

Ideal for virtual teaching, lesson recording, training, and even in-class instruction, teachers can use eGlass in place of a regular whiteboard to boost eye contact and monitor comprehension in real time. The adjustable light within the bezel of the eGlass frame fully lights the user for the camera, eliminating the need for a separate lighting solution. It can be used in any room, accommodating both light and dark backgrounds.

Available in 35 and 50in models, eGlass connects to PC, Mac, or Chromebook with a single USB cable, and comes with intuitive software built around HoverCam’s robust and powerful Flex 11 camera software. eGlass features Zoom integration. https://bit.ly/348Kgm3

MORE NEWS ONLINE, DAILY All the latest education sector news can be seen on the Installation website, along with our daily mailer. If you’re yet to subscribe, click here to do so. www.installation-international.com

Pioneer Pro Audio loudspeakers installed in Dutch school

Portsmouth Uni adds Vicon motion capture to immersive XR centre

Vicon, a world leader in motion capture, signed a contract with University of Portsmouth to help deliver the facility’s new ground-breaking Centre for Creative and Immersive Extended Reality (CCIXR) – the UK’s first integrated facility to support innovation in the creative and digital technologies of virtual, augmented and extended realities. (See page 24 for more on this.)

The new Centre will provide a compelling showcase for how such technologies – including virtual production, motion capture and locationbased virtual reality (LBVR) – can benefit businesses, giving organisations access to world leading facilities that would otherwise be out of their reach, or require significant budgets.

Officially opening in October 2021, the £5.2 million CCIXR Centre will use Vicon’s flagship Vantage, Origin and Shogun tracking solutions, including 152 cameras across four of its 12 state-ofthe-art XR laboratories for both teaching and commercial use. This includes the use of Vicon’s technology across its new motion capture, virtual reality (VR) and volumetric studios, as well as its LED virtual production stage. https://bit.ly/3qSKKqm

The Oscar Romero High School in Hoorn, Netherlands, has undergone extensive renovation and refurbishment with Pioneer Pro Audio loudspeaker systems deployed for the audio.

New systems were delivered for twelve different spaces across the building. The most challenging space was the main lecture hall, where a master PA set-up was installed at the front, comprising 2 x 15in Pioneer Pro Audio XY-152 fullrange loudspeakers above 2 x Pioneer XY-118s subwoofers, complemented by 2 x 12-in XY-122 full-range loudspeakers for more coverage. A further 4 x 10in XY-101 full-range loudspeakers were placed at the back of the room as delays. A single Powersoft X8 amplifier provided all the necessary power, and its intuitive software made timing and EQ configuration straightforward.

XY- Series loudspeakers were also used in the gymnasiums – 4 x XY-152 in the large gym and 2 x XY-152 in the smaller gym. A single Powersoft T604 was used in each space. For the fitness and music rooms, Pioneer Pro Audio’s powered XPRS units were chosen. Each of two music rooms and two fitness rooms was kitted out with a pair of XPRS-10 loudspeakers, whilst each of four music studios benefited from a single XPRS-10. https://bit.ly/34bFV1v

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Q&A

Moving quickly to mitigate We caught up with Chris Merrick, global marketing director, integrated systems at Shure, about the impact Covid-19 has had on the education sector

How would you say Covid has impacted the education sector, both in terms of business and also changes to working practices?

I think it’s fair to say that the pandemic and speed of the subsequent lockdown took the education sector by surprise, just as it did in the corporate world.

However, the big difference was the subsequent health regulations that were put in place for schools, the social distancing measures, plus the need to make the learning environment as safe as possible for both student and faculty in order for classrooms to reopen, quickly and effectively, on a national and international level.

During the summer months, faculty heads and administrators moved quickly to migrate lectures online ahead of the classrooms reopening and lessons taking place again. The education facilities that had already invested in new AV technology before the pandemic were obviously in a better position to deal with the challenges. However, many had to basically start from scratch, investing in new AV systems fit for purpose, redesigning classroom layouts and thinking about AV systems that not only offered better audio clarity within the classroom, but also for students collaborating remotely and working to online modules.

Viable means of communication were also needed, away from the initial shortterm ‘fix’ of social media platforms. The word ‘Zoom’ has now become a verb in the English language, although just over 12 months ago the platform would have 52

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been relatively unknown outside the corporate world, along with Teams, BlueJeans, GoToMeeting and others.

It’s critical that students collaborating in lessons remotely are able to pick up every nuance of a lecture, whether it’s being delivered from a classroom, or in the ‘physical’ classroom environment.

Every student needs to be part of the lesson – part of the conversation.

In some regions we have seen stimulus packages granted to colleges and universities that has helped them expedite upgrades that enable them to offer remote learning and to meet social distancing guidelines, as well as other government initiatives around the world that have helped with this transition.

It’s critical that students collaborating in lessons remotely are able to pick up every nuance of a lecture”

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How do you see the future of AV within the education sector?

The emphasis on clear, concise communication has never been more important than now within the education sector. Education and training providers have recognised the value of this, especially for prospective students.

Investing in the technology needed to offer students the best possible environment for them to progress with their learning journey, designing and creating larger classrooms and lecture theatre environments with smaller groups of students, and utilising AV systems that can meet and exceed requirements, voice lift, lecture capture and effective remote learning capabilities are key objectives for these institutions.

There are many considerations to make which will have a direct impact on

Q&A

the final system solution and quality of the audio. These considerations are shaping the conversations that Shure’s customers are currently holding with 'heads of AV' at higher educational establishments across the world.

Ultimately, the main focus for the education sector is enabling an inclusive audio experience, effortlessly connecting both faculty and students with each other and their classes with high-quality audio – from anywhere.

What technologies are likely to impact most on the sector moving forward. How has Covid affected the tech choices stakeholders are likely to make?

We’re currently in a situation where schools are at different phases, depending on where they are geographically located. Some have decided to make the first half or entire year remote, while others are using a hybrid solution of remote learning and social distancing in the classroom. In either case, audio solutions tailored to socially distanced classrooms will be a feature in the current and in the longerterm education calendar.

For example, array microphones with adjustable coverage patterns, such as our Microflex Advance Array microphones ensure instructors can be comfortably heard within the learning environment, while offering students the ability to contribute to lessons without having to pass around physical microphones. This technology also ensures that remote students can hear and understand the questions and discussions of fellow students and learning providers in the physical room.

The audio clarity of the academic, along with the student’s speech, is essential within this scenario – but we also appreciate that not all lecturers, trainers or teachers have ‘booming’ voices, or good microphone technique.

With this in mind, we recommend voice lift technology with ceiling array microphones.

Voice lift is useful in a number of applications and environments, particularly where the conversation is interactive and multi-directional, for

example involving socially distanced students in addition to a primary instructor at the front of the room. It eliminates the need for passing around a microphone to capture the student’s questions and discussions, ensuring that each student is part of the conversation, whether they are in the room or at home.

provide solutions to these challenges; a product portfolio that includes the complete audio signal chain, from microphone to DSP to loudspeaker, with unmatched ease of deployment, less complexity and remote management – a perfect audio partner for the education sector.

What has Shure been doing during the pandemic, in terms of education sector tech? Any key developments?

We have been working alongside our partners to provide assistance and support for the audio needs of new learning styles – in many cases,

Anything else you'd like to add?

Recent innovation within the higher education sector has been, and continues to be, both amazing and encouraging, with our partners adapting these new technologies to provide the sector with the best learning

accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic – to ensure that both academics and students are not inhibited by the technology.

Collaboration and discussion is an essential part of the learning experience and we want to make sure that our customers have the best support possible, so that in turn they can support the needs and requirements of the education sector efficiently and effectively.

Shure’s Conferencing Audio Ecosystem has been developed to

environments possible.

The education sector has previously been slower to adapt than the corporate sector, mostly down to budget, time and workload constraints. However, because of the fantastic talent, dedication and perseverance in our industry we have seen the integration of exciting new solutions that have enhanced the remote learning experience, as well as giving all students – whether learning in the classroom environment or learning remotely from their homes – the feeling of being connected.

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Latest appointments

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Stay in the loop with the latest appointments, hires and promotions from across the AV industry…

MARION CHAIGNON TO EXECUTE

KARAN KATHURIA JOINS RENKUS-HEINZ

EMEA MARKETING STRATEGY

WITH FOCUS ON ASIA, OCEANIA AND

FOR PPDS

SAARC REGIONS

Marion Chaignon has joined PPDS as its new marketing campaign manager, EMEA. Marion brings a wealth of marketing experience to this important role, having executed major campaigns for some of the world’s most recognised technology brands, including Samsung Electronics, Asus, Nikon, HP, Lenovo and Logitech.

Bilingual in French and English, and universityeducated in business and business marketing, Marion joins PPDS from leading B2B and B2C marketing agency, Red Pimiento, where she spent almost six years.

Her roles have providing extensive marketing experience in promoting a wide range of specific industries, including retail, hospitality, corporate and healthcare – all key focus areas for the Philips pro TV and digital signage ranges – and Marion will soon be visiting the firm’s dedicated European training facility in Gent.

Renkus-Heinz has appointed Karan Kathuria as director, operating across Asia, Oceania and SAARC. The role will see Kathuria evolving these regions through the introduction of Renkus-Heinz technologies to pro AV consultants, integrators and end users.

“One of the biggest reasons for me joining RenkusHeinz is the company’s inclination toward cutting-edge technology,” Kathuria said. “This is a company that understands and appreciates the mechanics and physics of sound at an incredible level, which enables it to address inevitable acoustic challenges across various applications.”

Kathuria’s professional background includes engineering, sales, operations and marketing roles at Bose and Harman. His most recent position was senior director at MUSIC Tribe – a position he’d held since 2015.

RIEDEL NAMES RENAUD LAVOIE

VIZRT GROUP HIRES DANIEL URL TO

AS ITS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT

STRENGTHEN CUSTOMER FOCUS IN

FOR TECHNOLOGY

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

Riedel Communications has appointed Renaud Lavoie to the newly created position of senior vice president, technology. Reporting directly to Thomas Riedel, CEO and Founder, Lavoie will work to drive technological innovation, advance Riedel’s video solutions portfolio, and strengthen the company’s expertise in IP-enabled hardware and software.

Lavoie moves into this role after working as MD for Riedel Montreal. He will work to increase interaction between Riedel’s research teams by managing a rotating group of expert engineers from different R&D disciplines eager to explore new technologies.

“I look forward to keep exploring untapped possibilities in the realm of IP technology with the talented Riedel R&D team – the best and the brightest in the field,” Lavoie said.

Vizrt Group has announced that Daniel Url has joined the company as head of global product management reporting to Michael Hallén, the company’s group CEO and president.

With a strong background in broadcast technology product development, production workflows, and sales, Daniel will ensure that the Group’s brands – NewTek, Vizrt, and NDI –will bring to market innovations that continue to be customer-outcome focused. Daniel was MD and chief sales officer of Qvest Media for more than 11 years, overseeing project sales including installations of Vizrt products. Qvest Media remains a key partner of Vizrt.

Daniel Url commented: “I have been an admirer of Vizrt for many years and as a passionate believer in the power of software, IP, and cloud technology to change the way that the world shares its stories for the better. I cannot think of a better place to be.”

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Inside Track

Find out what stories you have missed on the INSTALLATION WEBSITE or our DAILY MAILER in the last few weeks with our round-up of the latest news announcements, installs and exclusives

Kramer Electronics debuts In UAE with Abcom Distribution

Christie brings Magic Castle to life with 3D mapping extravaganza

Lotte World, a major entertainment and recreation complex located in South Korea’s capital, chose Christie’s projection, auto calibration, image processing and SDVoE solutions to bring its iconic Magic Castle to life with a brand new 3D multimedia mapping show.

Designed by international digital experts d’strict, based on the formative characteristics of Lotte World Magic Castle’s architectural structure, the six-minute nighttime graphics-based, 3D mapping spectacular made its debut in August on the 41-metre-high Magic Castle, part of Lotte World’s Magic Island outdoor theme park.

The visuals were achieved using three Christie D4K40-RGB pure laser projectors; Christie Mystique, Large Scale Experience (LSE) Edition; two Christie Pandoras Box servers; a Pandoras Box Manager and Widget Designer; and as three sets of Christie Terra transmitters and receivers. The equipment was installed by Christie’s trusted partner Star Networks, which delivered several highly-acclaimed large scale projects in Korea. https://bit.ly/3aijCem

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Kramer entered into an exclusive UAE distribution agreement with Abcom Distribution LLC, provider of customised AV business technology distribution.

The distribution deal follows the Israel-United Arab Emirates normalisation agreement, which was signed in September 2020. Prior to this, all trade, travel and even telephone communication between the two countries was restricted.

“The last eight months have seen the world transform its video and audio use, with the rise of hybrid working and blended learning methods,” said Sam Bonomo, Executive VP at Kramer. “These technologies now power the way we work, learn, and socialise. Our signal distribution solutions bridge the worlds of traditional pro AV and IT to facilitate high quality, flexible and secure AV communications and will bring gamechanging opportunities to the region.” https://bit.ly/3abFZ5a

L-Acoustics Hyperreal Sound enlivens performances

L-Acoustics L-ISA Hyperreal Sound was installed at the Folies Bergère, one of Paris’ most revered nightspots, and at the 227-seat OVAL stage at the EUROPARK shopping mall in Salzburg, Austria.

In Paris, L-Acoustics A15 medium throw line source loudspeakers were chosen for the main system, their 110-degree horizontal dispersion allowing for wide coverage. Five hangs of four A15 were deployed, comprising two A15 Focus above two A15 Wide for each hang.

In Salzburg, a Scene system with five arrays of three A10 Wide, evenly hung above the stage and across its entire width – along with two sets of three KS21 subwoofers each, installed horizontally behind the Scene system and configured in an end-fire cardioid array. Five 5XT were placed in front of the stage serve as front-fill. Three coaxial X8 per side were placed along the walls, with a further two X8 on the rear wall, and five ceilingmounted 5XT to create surround and overhead sound. The entire system is driven by LA4X amplified controllers. https://bit.ly/3oRXNqo

From the web

POLAR announced as AMX distributor for the UK and Ireland

Powersoft amps drive theme park audio in Lingbao Fairyland

Lingbao Fairyland, a new attraction at Ge’s Fairy Village Resort, located in Shangrao, Jiangxi, has audio to match its impressive visuals thanks to the installation of Powersoft-driven loudspeakers.

A total of 160 loudspeakers were deployed across Lingbao Fairyland, comprising 136x Hi-Z and 24x Lo-Z systems. To drive this, EZPro used 3 x Powersoft Duecanali 1604 DSP+D, 4 x Duecanali 804 DSP+D, 6 x Mezzo 602AD, 2 x Quattrocanali 1204 DSP+D, and 5 x X4 DSP+D – all Dante enabled.

The ‘night tour’ section of the attraction is an area where the audio system is particularly important. This section includes 19 viewing spots spread across the whole town, among which one of the most visited spots is an open grassland. Two Powersoft Mezzo 602 AD amplifiers were selected to power the 36 loudspeakers installed in this area. They drive 18 speakers each – nine speakers per channel – operating with a constant voltage of 100V to distribute 20W for each loudspeaker. https://bit.ly/3qZyp3U

Shure acquires Stem Audio to expand its video conferencing portfolio Shure has acquired California-based Midas Technology, Inc, also known as Stem Audio, specialists in providing a suite of audio conferencing products including table, ceiling and wall microphones, loudspeakers, control interfaces and hubs.

With the acquisition of Stem Audio, Shure will be able to further expand and diversify its solution offering for organisations and education establishments of all sizes..

“We both believe in ecosystems,” said Chris Schyvnick, president and CEO, Shure. “Working together, we aim to provide customers with better options to deploy great audio in more spaces, more cost effectively, and more quickly. https://bit.ly/34bXLBs

POLAR, supplier of key industry brands to AV integrators, has been appointed as UK and Ireland distributor for AMX, part of Harman Professional Solutions.

AMX systems are deployed worldwide in conference rooms, homes, classrooms, network operation/command centres, hotels, entertainment venues and broadcast facilities.

“POLAR is the ideal AMX distribution partner for the UK and Ireland,” said Andrew Loadman, head of video at Harman EMEA. “A well-respected distributor in the AV market, POLAR brings a depth of technical and commercial knowledge that has perfect synergy with the AMX portfolio.”

John Midgley, managing director of POLAR added: “We are very pleased to be partnering with AMX. In recent years we have broadened our product offering beyond our traditional audio background, and have established strong credentials in the area of AVoIP, control and video distribution. This makes AMX a perfect addition to our brand portfolio.” https://bit.ly/37fZJD2

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INSIDE TRACK In this edition, we chat to Stefanie Corinth, not long appointed as senior vice president of sales EMEA at recently formed ‘joint venture’ Sharp NEC Display Solutions Europe

Congratulations on your new appointment. What do you see yourself bringing to the role?

Thank you! It might be a particularly challenging year for everyone, but we are focused on the future and I’m relishing the opportunity to make a real difference for our customers.

What I see myself bringing to the table is a resolute commitment to our customers, both the channel network as well as the integrator partners and end-users, putting them firmly first and foremost across our entire organisation. I want it to be easy to do business with Sharp NEC Display Solutions Europe.

What's your background and what are your strengths?

Having worked in both executive sales and marketing roles, and with a high level of product knowledge and in depth experience of the EMEA AV/IT industry, I believe I have a fully rounded skill set to lead Sharp NEC Display Solutions Europe to achieve greater sales efforts and success, along with our much valued partner network.

Whilst I have been at NEC for 18 years, my undiminished eagerness and curiosity drives my motivation to try new ways of working and to embrace technology change and innovations. I am keen to empower our staff to follow their own creative energies in supporting our customers; it is their expertise and dedication which reflects our brand reputation as a supplier of quality and reliability, in all things.

What plans do you and your colleagues have for the new NEC/Sharp 'joint venture'?

Right now, it’s business as usual! The new company represents our deep and ongoing commitment to the B2B display solutions business and our customers. Looking to the future we only see opportunities, the joint venture will allow us to add scale and efficiency, both for Sharp NEC Display Solutions and for our customers across the globe. As two market-leading brands in the production and development of visual solutions, the joint venture will result in a wide range of synergies. Over the coming months, the European teams of both Sharp and Sharp NEC Display Solutions will work closely together to develop go-forward strategies to maximise the value of the joint venture to our partners. Together, we can take better advantage of economies of scale and compelling prospects in new categories such as 8K and 5G technology. Exciting times ahead and I’m enjoying the journey!

What are your thoughts on how Covid-19 has affected the display market?

It is undeniable that the current pandemic has had a significant impact on the visual solutions market. To a large extent, our visual 58

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products are designed for use in public environments, bringing visual experiences to large venues, just the kind of places that have been hit hardest by the strictest limitations. But our expertise lies across many vertical sectors, all of which have had differing experiences.

Transport initially remained resilient, buoyed by large on-going projects which benefitted from the absence of people in terms of the logistical efforts around installation. Naturally, this segment is quiet right now, but improvement is expected in 2021.

Driven by government investment into digitisation, the education sector has fared surprisingly well. In the corporate space, usage is the big change leading to a rethink in the way meeting rooms are equipped, but business remains strong. Desktop displays for personal workspaces have seen a surge in sales as one would expect.

Whilst retail offers unfortunate pandemic-related opportunities, overall, business is currently somewhat slow in this sector.

But the prospects for 2021 are positive. With a vaccine on the horizon and an end to the imminent threat of the pandemic and health crisis in sight, combined with the opportunities arising from the joint venture, I am hugely optimistic that business will bounce back, as will we all as individuals. I am incredibly proud of the enormous resilience demonstrated by our workforce and I am delighted to be alongside them as we move forward.

What do you see as the main technologies as we move into 2021 and beyond, and the dominant verticals?

For us, our key focus spans enterprise, retail, education, entertainment, transportation, energy and utility including control room environments; this is where we see strongest opportunity for future growth, notwithstanding the current climate. dvLED, whilst a relative newcomer, is fast becoming a mainstream technology, with its impressively long life cycle and low power consumption. The dvLED technology meets the demands of sustainability targets yet delivers all and more in terms of visual impact. Passive and interactive larger LCDs and laser projection continue to deliver many advantages meanwhile, each offering benefits and advantages for different usage scenarios.

The challenge of economic recovery gives every incentive to look for new tech ideas. One key factor will be efficiency. Companies that maintain or deploy tools that free their emwployees to focus on their main business will come out stronger.

Analytics, with its framework of IoT, AI and sensors, become ever more important in delivering meaningful yet efficient communications, and our open modular approach with powerful computing options ensures our product offwering is well positioned to take our customers into the future.

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